Chapter 449 Chapter 449
Julian raised his chin and looked at him, he searched his face, looking to see if he was telling him the truth. “Is it normal to be afraid of everything?”
Noah held his look, even though he wanted to turn around and smash the playset they had just put up. He nodded, “it’s hard, I know,” he blew out a breath, wishing Cooper were here to talk to him, “but you get through it.” He nodded, “you have a lot of others around you now that will help.” Cooper wouldn’t mind if he used one of his lines, he was sure.
He could see the jerky breaths the boy took and then he nodded. “Okay.”
“What about the other two older boys?”
“Liam and Everett?” He shook his head, “they uh, haven’t changed yet, so they didn’t get an example of what happens if they don’t follow the rules.”
Noah clamped his jaw shut for a moment, while he processed what he was saying. Lindon beat them after they shifted so they’d always toe the line. It had been the same for him. He didn’t know what to say to distract from it, he didn’t want him to think he didn’t care that it had happened to him. “They’re lucky they have you to help them through when it’s their first shift.” he nodded.
“Yeah, I’ll help them.” He turned and looked at the fence, “I’d like to try,” he motioned to it, “go out with you and Blair maybe after lunch.”
Noah grinned, “great, it’s pretty amazing when you’re not afraid.” He glanced over to Blair, “I should warn you though, Blair is this really pretty white cat.”
Julian grinned and looked over at him, “Is that like an Elden thing?”
Noah motioned for them to head toward the house, “I’m not sure. His mate is a black one.”
“Black? Really?” He gave him a wide-eyed look, “I feel plain now. I’m just orange.”
Noah nodded, “me too.” He watched Emersyn open the door and look out at them, “Emersyn is almost a chocolate color.”
“Damn,” Julian mumbled, “I didn’t know there were that many different kinds.” His eyes widened, “sorry I swore.”
Noah shrugged, “just don’t do it in front of the women or kids.” He paused and gave him a pointed look.
“Yeah. Got it.” Julian looked over at Emersyn, “Is she your mate?”
Noah cleared his throat, “she is.” He watched her as she stood there, watching him, “it’s complicated for us.”
“I just noticed the way you two look at each other,” he shrugged, “it’s the same with Kobie and Blair.” He paused and looked over at his Alpha, “he’s pretty cool for being related to Lindon.”
“He killed Lindon to save you and a lot of others.” Noah wasn’t sure if he should have said that, but there was something about Julian that made him feel closer to him than the other children. He’d known the cruelty that others could never dream of existing.
“I’m glad.” He started walking again, “I hope it was a painful bloody fight.”
That surprised Noah. “It was over quick. Lindon wasn’t as good as he thought he was.”
Julian snorted but made no comment.
“Lunch is ready,” Emersyn said as they reached the house. She looked at the playset. “Will it be done soon? Aspyn has been staring out the window since you started.”
Noah glanced back at it. “Just have to put the swings and slides on.” He glanced to see Julian roll his eyes at him as he looked back and forth between them.
“Go get cleaned up for lunch.” He told him in a tone that was anything but authoritative.
“We’re going for a run after lunch if you wanted to come.”
Her eyes widened and then she smiled, “I’ve been wanting to, but didn’t want to bother anyone.”
“It’s never a bother.” He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to keep his hands busy so he wouldn’t reach over and brush the hair back from her face. “We need everyone to know the area well.”
“Okay.” She nodded, “I’ll see if someone will watch Aspyn so I can go for a run.”
Noah glanced over her shoulder to see Julian backing away from them as he fluttered his eyes at him. Noah scowled at him but didn’t mean it. Julian was acting like a teen boy and that meant it wasn’t too late for him to find a normal life. Noah looked over at Blair, “I’ll be there in a second. I just want to see what Blair found out.”
She smiled up at him and his heart started skipping around in his chest like he was some carefree child.
When the door closed, he spun around and closed the distance between him and Blair. Blair was just tucking the phone into his pocket. “Lindon beat them,” he growled between clenched teeth, “after their first shift so they’d stay in line.”
Blair squeezed his eyes shut and stood that way for a minute.
Noah remembered that it was his own brother that had done these things. When he opened them again, Noah could see the rage in his eyes.
“How many?”
Noah glanced back at the house, “Just Julian, the other boys haven’t changed yet,” he looked back at him, “but I don’t know about the women.” He shook his head, “it’s not something you can just go around and ask them.”
Blair nodded, “Shaelan will be back soon, I’ll talk to her.”
Noah nodded, “she wanted to check everyone.”
“Yeah, we’ll get her to record scaring or something.” Blair blew out a breath. “If it were possible, I’d kill him a second time.”
Noah rolled his shoulders and tried to shake the tension that was back tenfold. “Emersyn and Julian are going for a run with us after lunch.”
“Good. Running, as you know, is a great way to exorcise a lot of ghosts.”
“It’s a temporary fix.” Noah couldn’t argue that.
“You have to stick with me here, Noah,” he motioned to the house, “I’m barely holding my own against the kids at home,” he waved his hand around, “I know nothing about trauma and the shit they’ve been through.”
Noah turned and looked at the house, “I haven’t even figured out how to deal with it.”
“I know, but I don’t even know what I should or shouldn’t do.” He started walking, “I don’t want to freak anyone out.”
“Well,” Noah caught up to him, “for starters, don’t touch any of them unexpectedly.”
Blair looked at him, “see, you do know.” Blair stopped suddenly and gave him a wide-eyed look; he placed his hands beside his head like he was trying to squeeze it. “Between here and home,” he dropped his hands, “that’s what, nineteen kids?” He rubbed his hand over his head, “what the hell are we going to do when they all start shifting, Noah, or worse their hormones kick in.”
Noah looked at the house, then back at him, he opened his mouth and then snapped it shut again. “I don’t...”
“Shit.” Blair swore softly, “I don’t even know how to deal with all that.” Blair shook his head, “I can’t even think about it anymore right now, there’s too much shit going on.”
“What shit?”
Blair stopped with his hand on the door handle, “Devin said our team is on hold again.”
“Why?” The only thing that prevented Noah from sitting in a corner rocking himself into a frenzy was the idea that he would be back out with the team in a few days.
“Tomas is panicking, he’s moving damn near every location we knew about.”
Noah frowned, “are they able to keep track of them and follow them.”
“They’re trying, the incursion team, special ops, and a few other teams are all on it now, tracking movement.”
Noah clenched his jaw and squeezed his eyes shut, they couldn’t lose them, not when they just found them all. He opened his eyes and then inhaled slowly through his nose.
Blair patted him on the shoulder, “we’ll find them. All of them.”
“I just hope that book we found is still useful.”
“I said the same thing to Devin, and he said that so far it’s only the local locations that seem to be on the move.”
Noah shifted his head from side to side trying to loosen the tense muscles, “so Tomas is only thinking about himself.”
“Seems like.” Blair grinned, “which is good for us.”
Noah nodded, “and Konner, the locations that had some of his?”
“They’re still where they were.” Blair pulled the door open, “guess they think their security will save them.”
Noah went in the door after him, “nothing is going to save them.”