you helped me when those anti-shifters caught me,” Daniel reminded him.
“Like I said, if you hadn’t been there, that bastard would have hurt Darcey,” Anders added.
“I wasn’t doing it for you,” he huffed.
“We know,” Anders said somberly. “You were trying to be a better man. For her, right?”
“And we understand,” Damon said. “I do, most of all. So, let us help you.”
Though he had not seen a lot of these men in the last five years, that one year of training they had all gone through together had forged a bond between them that could never be broken. Each of them had made a mark on him in their own way. Damon had been the one to bring him here, despite the state he was in. Gabriel was the first to reach out and try to befriend him even though his efforts didn’t prove fruitful. Daniel never judged him or pried too much, but rather, had been a silent source of strength and inspiration. And in Anders—the real Anders, not the one he made himself out to be—Krieger had seen a good heart, despite his inner and external struggles.
It was Damon who broke the silence. “What can we do, Krieg? To help you win your mate?”
“I … I don’t know if you can help me. If anyone can help me.” And because he trusted these men, and they trusted him back, he told them everything. “… I know. I’m the bastard who left her. I just … I didn’t know it would end up like this. If only I went to her right after I realized … and I didn’t wait—”
“Shoulda, woulda, coulda.” Gabriel shook his head. “You can’t do anything about the past. You can only decide on what you want to do now.”
“But what?” He raked his fingers through his scalp. “I’ve been racking my brains out tryin’ to find a way to fix her.”
“Hmmm.” Anders rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger. “What do you know about her?”
“Excuse me?”
“You know … what does she like? Dislike? Hobbies, favorite movies, stuff like that?”
“Uh … I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” Anders asked. “I thought you spent all that time alone with her?”
“Yeah, but … we didn’t do much talking.”
For the second time that night, Daniel sprayed beer through his nose.
“Jesus, Rogers, if you can’t hold your drink …” Anders tsked, then turned to Krieger. “Sarge, you dog!” he chuckled. “I knew the rumors about you weren’t an exaggeration.”
Not wanting to go there, Krieger said, “But why are you asking me about her hobbies?” Dutchy designed clothes, that was all he knew about her.
“You gotta woo her,” Anders said. “And win her over with things she likes.”
“Like with flowers and shit?” He gnawed at his inner cheek. “I don’t think that’s gonna cut it.”
“The bond hasn’t formed yet, right?” Daniel asked.
“No.” He was at least sure of that.
“Maybe that’s the solution there,” Anders said. “Claim and bond her, then everything will work out.”
Would that really work? “But how do I do that?”
Daniel scratched his head. “Hold up. To fix her, you need to bond with her, and in order for that to happen, you both need to be open to it. To want it and each other, without any barriers.”
“But if you’re saying she won’t even let you near her,” Gabriel continued. “Then how can you even form the mating bond?”
Now he was confused. “Well, what should I do now? How did you all claim and bond with your mates?”
No one said a word, but they all looked at each other. Krieger rapped his fingers on the table impatiently until finally, Damon spoke up. “I think … I think everyone had some good ideas. But Dutchy is her own person, and there are going to be some things that might have worked for us that might not work for you.”
“I thought you were here to help me,” he snapped, then quickly added, “Sorry. I just … I don’t know what to do.”
“Hey, it’s all right man, we’ve all been there,” Gabriel placed a tentative hand on his shoulder. “And … well I can’t believe I’m saying this, but what Anders said has some merit.”
“Oh, ha ha, thanks rich boy,” Anders said sarcastically.
Gabriel shot him a glare, then turned back to Krieger. “If you don’t know her, then maybe it’s time to get to know who she is. Get to know the real her and figure out why she’s broken. You can’t fix something if you don’t know why it’s