Into The Woods (mxm)

Twenty One

Keir

I spent the next two full days with my boys. My two little pups and my lovely mate. They all acted strangely the whole day. Maybe it was because I had not seen my pups in a long time and they had changed.

Tabari was quieter. His eyes never quite meeting mine when I looked at him. He flinched whenever I moved too quickly or touched his shoulder when he wasn't looking.

      Akio seemed to be the same but he cried when I took his plate of food away at dinner. I only took it away so I could cut up the steak into small slices for him. He acted as if I was going to take his food and never give it back.

      Finally, I had enough. I knew that Collin knew something that I did not from the way he acted around me as well. His body language told me that something was not right.

     "Collin, what is going on? What happened to my pups?"

      Collin bites his lip, placing his hand onto Tabari's shoulder. Tabari and Collin sat next to each other at the small dining table I had in my bedchamber.

      "Daddy..." Tabari starts. His eyes tear up faster than he can blink them away. "Daddy, it was awful there. At the orphanage. They starved us and hit us. Because we were never going to be adopted, they told us that they could do whatever they wanted to me and Akio because there was no one who was going to listen. It started with Miss Agatha not serving us food during lunchtime. Then the older boys at the orphanage were allowed to beat us. Then we were limited to only one meal a day. Scraps mostly. One day... one of the clients that Miss Agatha was serving... saw me."

     A low snark bubbles up in my throat. How dare they harm my pups?!

       "The man wanted me for the night. He said he would pay lots of money. Miss Agatha agreed... so the man took me into Miss Agatha's room..."

     "No..."

      "He tied me down..."

      "No!"

      "Undressed me..."

      "No! Stop! I cannot bear to hear more!"

      "And he raped me."

      I roar, standing up so fast that the chair I was sitting in crashed down into the floor with a bang.
      "Where the fuck are they?! What is his name?! I am going to kill them! Tabari how long has this been going on for? How long has he been touching you?!?"

     "A y-year," Tabari says, lips quivering and eyes watering.

      "Keir! Please! You are scaring the pups!"

      Collin stands and makes his way over to me. His small arms wrapping around my waist. He presses a kiss to the center of my chest and sobs.

      "Please Keir, do not hurt them! Let the guards take care of it! Stay out of it! You cannot be thrown in prison please do not to anything irrational!" Collin's sobs. His chest jerks in fast up and down motions, his breathing hitching. I see my pups cower next to each other, Tabari cradling Akio close and speaking in a hushed whisper into the younger one's ear.

      "Keir please... stay here. You cannot change the past. But you can change future outcomes. If you kill them, criminal or not, you will be sent away and you will never see your pups again. You cannot throw away what you have just to get revenge. Killing them cannot and will not change what happened to Akio and Tabari. You need to stay with your pups so you can make sure that nothing bad happens to them anymore. You could not do anything anyways. They skipped town. His Majesty has already sent guards to bring them back so they can receive a proper punishment. Do not do anything you will come to regret later. Please, Keir. Please..."

I wrap my arms around my mate, pulling him up so his legs wrap around my waist and his arms around my neck. I motion for my two boys to follow me. Tabari picks up Akio and follows me as we walk to Collin's bedchamber.

      Collin's bed was much bigger than mine. While the pups' bedchamber was being set up I wanted them to have a comfortable large bed to sleep in.

       I set Collin down and tell him to wait outside. I lift my pups into the bed and tuck them in. Tabari wraps his little hand around my neck and tugs my face down to him. He curls up around Akio, his right hand rubbing at my ear. Something he used to do every night when I cuddled him and rocked him to sleep.

      I kiss Tabari's tear-stained cheek and Akio's forehead.

      "I love you Tabari. And I love you Akio. I promise that I will always be with you. I will not let anyone else touch or hurt you ever again."

      The boys both whisper 'I love you's' back to me as they drift off to sleep.

I take a deep breath, scanning the room for any signs of danger. Finding none, I leave the room. Collin waits for me, leaning against the wall.

     Collin smiles hesitantly and takes my hand as we walk back down to the barracks.

     "It is my birthday today," Collin days once we are settled in bed, his head laying on my chest.
      "Why did you not tell me? We could have done something to celebrate it with Tabari and Akio."
      "What I want from you does not involve them." He whispers.

      "What do you wish for?"

"I wish to have a pup. I want you to fill me with your seed until I am sure that I am pregnant."

        "Are you positive that you want a pup now?"

       I know that most mates consummate right away and have pups after spending their first time together. But in our case, it was a little different. I already had two pups and was not sure if we were both ready to take on the responsibility of another pup.

     "Positive."

      "Alright then... I would like to have pups with you as well."

      Collin smiles, leaning up to kiss me. I kiss him back, feeling the way his lips curve up in a smile into the kiss.

      "Collin... I think that if you had not stopped me, I would have killed them. I would've hunted them down like the filthy animals that they are and slaughtered them. Thank you for making me see differently. I want to be there for my pups. For you. Thank you."

     Collin nuzzles his head into my shoulder and purrs. I pull him up so he lays completely on top of me.

      "I love you, Collin."

     "I love you too, Keir."