happy.
* * * *
Warren was in the backyard admiring the wind chimes dangling from the ceiling of the porch. They were evenly spaced and looked spectacular. He still couldn’t believe that Ash had bought him one of the ones that had cost forty bucks.
Ryan’s had cost sixty. It was the one in the middle, bright, beautiful, and made Warren smile every time he looked at it. Ash’s chime had more masculine colors, deep greens, dark blues, and a few crimson reds. There was a wolf hanging from the string, which was befitting.
Warren’s was made up of pretty colors and had a rose on the string. A rose, a wolf, and a teardrop. Somehow that seemed poetic to Warren. He closed his eyes and listened to the breeze. All the tubes were made of crystal, which made them tinkle in harmony.
“Mind telling me what the fuck is going on?”
Warren’s eyes flew open at the sound of his uncle’s voice. He shot up in his chair and looked around. Ryan and Ash were inside, out of sight. “What do you mean?”
Morgan marched up the steps, and even at this distance, Warren smelled booze on his breath.
“I saw you today with those two guys. Honesty, Warren. Two men? Could you make yourself out to be any more of a whore? It’s bad enough I have to deal with the fact that you’re gay, but you’ve got to get greedy?”
His words were like a slap to the face. Warren had never heard such vicious things come out of his uncle’s mouth. It was like a stranger was standing there insulting him.
“Why don’t you sit down so we can talk about this?” Warren got up and took a step closer to him. “I can explain—”
“Explain?” Morgan’s head snapped back. “What the fuck is there to explain? You’re letting two guys fuck you. You can’t get any nastier than that.”
Warren clenched his jaw. Who was Morgan to judge him? It wasn’t as if his uncle led a pure and clean life. He barely staggered the line of decency on most days. Warren had loved him regardless of his shortcomings. But this? He wasn’t sure how to handle it.
Morgan clomped up the steps and grabbed Warren’s upper arm, shaking him. “You listen to me, boy. You’re gonna stop parading around town like a slut. You’re gonna act like you always do, single, humble, and show some respect for yourself.”
He rattled Warren around as Warren tried to dislodge his arm. “You’re hurting me!”
“I’m gonna do more than that if I catch you with those fellas again. You better act like a fucking saint.”
The back door slid open, and Ash and Ryan stepped out. Ash snarled as he grabbed Morgan and threw him down the steps. Ryan looked Warren’s arm over before he turned, baring his fangs.
“No, stop!” Warren couldn’t let them kill his uncle. Morgan wasn’t even in his right frame of mind. He was liquored up and spouting off at the mouth. “That’s my uncle.”
Ash had his arm in the air, as if ready to plow his fist through Morgan’s skull. He turned and frowned. “This is your uncle?”
“Get off me,” Morgan snarled as he staggered to his feet.
That didn’t stop Ryan from moving forward and grabbing Morgan by his shirtfront, rattling him even harder than he’d shaken Warren. “You treat family like that?” Ryan snapped. “I catch you laying a hand on him again and nothing is going to save you. Got that?”
Ash didn’t look as if he’d calmed down. He towered over Morgan. “You touched our pregn—” He snapped his mouth closed, but Warren knew what he was about to say.
Morgan had touched their pregnant mate.
“You better thank Warren, because he’s the only reason we’re not tearing you apart and burying your body,” Ryan snarled. “Now get the fuck out of here and don’t come back until you’ve got your head screwed on right.”
If that were the case, Warren would never see his uncle again. He watched as Morgan stumbled away, but not before he gave Warren the death stare.
Ryan pressed his teeth into his lower lip. “Man, I want to go after him. I want to tear his fucking heart out for touching you.”
He practically vibrated where he stood. Warren was afraid to go near Ryan.
“Are you hurt?” Ash looked over his arm. “You’re bruising.”
“I bruise easily.” Warren looked, and yep, the shape of Morgan’s hand was an angry red on his upper arm.
“Fuck it, I’m going after him.” Ryan started forward, but Ash