Chapter 166

Two days later, Neil is officially able to return home. Steven travels with him and helps the doctors and the technicians set up the medical equipment in Neil’s bedroom.

It is a bit unsettling, walking into his room and seeing the IV bags and the heart machines and other things I don’t even know the name of. But having Neil home makes up for that discomfort.

He seems happy too, though tired. He immediately lays on his bed to rest after the long travel from the hospital.

“There will be a steady stream of doctors and nurses coming and going from his room for a while,” Steven explains to Archer just inside the doorway. “We’ll have to make sure everyone gets clearance.”

“I want background checks,” Archer says, softer, as if to keep it from Neil. “Father could plant anyone anywhere. We can’t be too careful.”

Steven nods. “Maybe we can take turns sitting with Neil when they come. Just in case.”

“I don’t want anyone to have free range of our home,” Archer grumbles. When they notice me standing behind them, Archer doesn’t even blink. He just tells me, “You see anyone anywhere they aren’t supposed to be, you call me immediately.”

Curious, I think, that he wants me to call him, and not Beau or Steven or Wyatt or even the police. Call Archer. Maybe they want to handle any intrusion from their father in-house.

I don’t want to think about what that might mean.

“With the medicines,” Steven explains to me, “Neil will have bursts of energy followed by periods of deep exhaustion.” He leans closer to me to say, “Go easy with him.”

My cheeks heat up again. What does he mean by that? Surely not how it sounds. It’s not like Steven to bring up sex. He must mean something like, don’t keep him up too late or something.

“Don’t fuck him yet,” Archer says, point-blank.

My blush deepens. But so does the one on Steven’s cheeks.

“Fuck’s sake, Archer,” Beau says from the doorway. “There’s no need to be crass.” As he walks closer, his grin widens. “There’s plenty more they can do than just fuck.”

Steven clears his throat. “Yes, well…”

“Guys, stop. Please,” I say.

Beau looks at me, all wide-eyed innocence. “What did I say?”

Archer rolls his eyes. He grabs Beau by the back of his neck and shoves him towards the door. To me, Archer says, “My brothers and I have business. Stay with Neil for a while.”

I nod. I have questions, like, what business? But I imagine it has to do with their father. I may not trust the brothers with everything, but I can trust them to want to protect their brother’s newfound and fragile freedom from their domineering father.

I don’t think I need to sit in on every meeting.

Archer drags Beau out through the door he just came in. Steven smiles at me, cheeks still cherry red, and then ducks out into the hallway after them.

The doctors are gone now too, leaving me and Neil alone. Neil looks tired, but he’s not quite asleep.

“My brothers plotting something?” Neil asks me in the quiet of the room. It’s not as quiet as usual. The medical machines whirl and beep now and then, but it’s less loud than a hospital room. I’m sure Neil is happy to be home.

“When aren’t they?” I ask.

He holds up his hand toward me and I move closer to him at the invitation. Oddly, when I draw near, he keeps holding his hand out for me like he means me to take it. Slowly, I lift my hands and take his in both of mine. He relaxes then, fingers curling around mine.

We’ve already arranged a chair beside Neil’s bed so I sit there now, well within reach so our hands can stay connected.

Neil pulls his brow together. It’s clear he wants to say something. I wait for him to pull his thoughts together enough to speak.

I don’t have to wait long.

“I never thanked you,” he says. “At least, not properly.”

“You don’t have to thank me.”

“I do. You saved my life that day you found me. Who knows how long I would have stayed there, if you didn’t come looking?”

“We were supposed to meet,” I remind him, though I don’t bring up the subject of our meeting. That we were supposed to discuss who I should give my virginity away to. I suspect he wanted to suggest himself. That feels like a lifetime ago now.

“It doesn’t matter,” he says. “You didn’t just find me. You insisted I go to the hospital. You wouldn’t let me leave. You wouldn’t let me give up. I’d be dead without you, Chloe.”

“Don’t say that, Neil. It doesn’t make me feel good thinking about that.”

Neil frowns some. “I don’t mean it badly. Fuck, I’m so bad at this, I’m even botching my thank you.”

“No,” I say. “It’s okay. I know what you mean and I’m grateful.”

“I’m sorry, Chloe.”

I squeeze his hand. His eyelids are drooping. I imagine he’ll be asleep soon.

“I’m glad you aren’t dead, Neil,” I say. “I’m so glad I came in here and found you.”

Neil smiles a little as his eyes fully close. “Me, too.”

It doesn’t take long for Neil to fall into deep sleep, so I sneak out into the hallway. Immediately I notice the light on in Archer’s room. His door is open. Steven, Neil, and Archer are inside, not exactly being quiet with their conversation.

“I think we should just let him go,” Steven says. “There’s no reason to drag it out.”

“He deserves to be punished first,” Beau says. “He’s been an asshole for far too long.”

I don’t have to wonder long to realize they are talking about what to do with Wyatt. Steven is apparently on the side of releasing him as their Beta. Beau wants to punish him first. They both seem to be pleading their cases to Archer, the lone holdout among them.

“We need him out of here as soon as possible,” Steven says. “We don’t have time to play games. If his behavior is escalating, he could be planning to hurt Chloe at any time.”

Beau frowns. “We do have that to consider…”

Like hell they do! I can take care of myself very much!

I storm forward, interrupting them. “I’m not helpless, you know,” I snap.

They all look at me. And suddenly I think of the perfect solution.

They can’t decide what to do with Wyatt. Though they are worried about my safety. They also think I can’t defend myself.

“I’m not helpless, and I can prove it,” I say.

Only Archer can see what I’m about to say. He starts forward. “Chloe –”

“Arrange a match between Wyatt and me, and I’ll show you and him that I can outmatch him.”

“Wyatt has a wolf,” Beau says. His frown is deeply etched, like he’s been wearing it for a while but it still, just now, grew deeper. “You don’t.”

“I don’t need a wolf to beat that coward in a challenge,” I say.

“I accept,” says a voice I didn’t expect, from the doorway behind me.

I turn, and find Wyatt there, smirking at me.

He says again, “I accept your challenge.”