Hunted, Baited Love...Book 4 of the Silver Moon Shifter Series

8. Joseph

Damn it to hell. Altan is avoiding me at all costs since he basically told me off that night. Yea we may have talked but it was just a casual conversation but it wasn’t serious and since that night, I haven’t seen him, only Gary and Brent. They told me they haven’t seen much of him either so I have no idea where he is or what he is doing. 

I know I should have come to them when I came back but I didn’t and there is no excuse as to why, not a good enough one for Altan to accept. He knew I was back given his powers so I should have just gone to see them. I didn’t know Altan was my mate, hell no one knew, not even his parents. He didn’t want anyone to know he was suffering all those years ago and until he met Brent, he was in silent pain and even more so after what Brent had done and he rejected him. 

I learned a lot about my tiger God of a mate since I have been spending a lot of time at the packhouse and with Gary, Brent, and his mama, Adin. They told me how they kept Altan away from Caleb for eight years and knew it wasn’t right but it happened so ever since Altan was a baby people have been keeping him in the dark, keeping things from him, and lying to him. Now I’m one of those people. He has such a good heart and is so kind, loving, and down to earth that I kick myself in the ass all the time for hurting him like I did.

I know Brent was right that Altan will come around if he was able to get to know Brent and try with him after their history, I know he will with me as well but it’s hard to look him in the eyes and see him hurt because of me. He is too beautiful of a man inside and out to be hurting, in any way from anyone. The only person that I know of that has never hurt him who is in love with him is Gary.

They have been together for four years and are so in love that you just look at them and can see their love for one another even if they aren’t in the same room. They aren’t even true mates and have a love like they do. 

Thinking back to the conversations and knowing what I know about Altan, I came up with an Idea and hoped it would work out how I’m hoping it will. 

“Are you ok, Joseph?” Altan’s mama asked, startling me out of my thoughts. 

“I knocked, but I guess you were too deep in thought to notice.” They said. 

“Not really, I just want the four of us together. I know I screwed up but no amount of apologizing will make him feel better. Even as a person without Amar he’s still complicated and I just want to make things right. Is that really too much to ask?” I asked them. 

“No, it’s not too much to ask. It took Caleb and I a while to be where we are today, I don’t want that for my baby boy. Also he's not complicated, he's just been through so much that when he's had enough, he shuts down and that's just who he is. Here’s my advice, this family on both sides value actions because the pain they all suffered, no amount of words can heal it. When he gets home from work, he has an hour and a half of training with the warriors. While he’s doing that the other two can help you come up with the perfect way to break through to him. Brent himself is close but not quite there so talk to him about how he did it.” Adin said and I smiled. 

“Thank you.” I said, hopping off the bar stool and running to my room and got on my laptop first working on our latest build for Collen and emailing it to him. I’m so grateful he’s my boss and gave me two weeks vacation to try and fix things.

While I was on my computer I looked up physical ways some couples have apologized to one another and they all sucked ass. Altan is a God and super empathic and when hurt, it runs deep. 

Human actions of apology aren’t enough. I have to do more than just cook dinner, schedule a spa day or buy chocolate and flowers. 

I have no idea how long I was researching but I woke up to a smiling Brent.