head anyway.” He grinned. “He’s a bit scarier than he was in Lydon.”
Yet he hadn’t yelled at Quinn either. Get it through your head. They’re your family. Yeah, Quinn hadn’t had one of those for far too long, and he wasn’t used to it.
“So Rupert….” Quinn pulled himself out of his self-recriminations and focused on what Lyram was saying. “Why do you think Gareth is sending him to Lydon? He helped kidnap Deke. Do you think he’s trustworthy?”
It was a surprise that Quinn didn’t have to think about it. “Yes, I do. Klein has his family, just like he has Deke. I would have done anything to get Deke back too.”
“I get it. I pulled Caleb through the shift, even though he wasn’t strong enough to handle it. He hates me for it, but I’m okay with that as long as he’s safe. At least he’s alive to be unhappy.”
The conversation was getting too heavy, and Quinn didn’t want to sink back into the morass of his pained thoughts.
“I told Gareth that when I was a kid, I wanted to be a doctor. He asked if I was still interested.”
Lyram smiled. “I think that’s a great idea. Dr. Frank could use an assistant, and if you wanted, he could teach you about wolf biology while you go to school to study the human factor. He’s our Theta, the lead healer. You could be the Iota, his trainee.”
Was it really that easy? “I don’t know that I have the smarts. I missed years of school and—”
“So did Sean. Caleb helped him, and he can help you too. In fact, I think that might be what he needs to pull him out of his own head.” Lyram cracked his knuckles. “Yes, I think that’s a great idea. I’ve been very patient with Caleb, but he’s got to learn he can’t have his own way anymore.”
Lyram slid down in the chair, a very satisfied look on his face. Quinn couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for Caleb and what was going to be coming his way.
“So what do you think? Would you like to train with Dr. Frank?”
Yes, he wanted that, but he needed to be sure Deke was beside him when he started the new trip.
“Can I wait until Deke is home to make up my mind? I want to be sure it works for him too.”
“Of course.” Lyram reached for Quinn’s hand. “I know this is horrible for you, but I wanted to tell you that you’re handling it well, and I have no doubt Deke is going to be so proud of you when he gets home.”
Home. A familiar pang in Quinn’s heart. He’d always thought of home as a place, but now he knew better. Home was a person. Home was Deke.
“I’m lost, Alpha.” His voice cracked, even though he tried to hold it steady. “I thought… I mean, I thought I knew what my life was supposed to be, but now I find out that it wasn’t anything like I’d imagined.”
“Tell me. What did you imagine your life to be?”
And he could tell Lyram was genuinely interested. Except…. “I’m sorry, I know you have your own worries.”
“And there’s nothing I can do about those until we get back to Lydon. So talk to me, and let me see if I can ease your mind.”
If—when—they got home, Quinn vowed he would be the best damn pack member he could be. Lyram deserved no less.
“Growing up was hard. At first we were told not to cross paths with Ryker, and if we did, to do whatever he told us, no matter how wrong it seemed. Our parents said we weren’t ever to fuss or argue, so we didn’t. At least I didn’t. Sean was another matter entirely. He had a friend there who caught Ryker’s eye. One time Sean found out that Ryker had her, and he tried to get her out. That brought Ryker’s full attention on Sean. It’s why he had to run. After he was gone, things in the enclave got harder. Ryker made it a habit of coming by the house and watching me. I couldn’t understand why until I heard him mention to my parents that they owed him for Sean, and in exchange for a better life, they had to give me to him.”
Lyram swallowed hard. “I’m sorry. I wish we had known. We could have put a stop to this years ago.”
Quinn shook his head. “No one could have, and I get