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

7. Gary

He pulled away from me and looked into my eyes and his thumbs wiped my tears off my cheeks and he smiled. 

"It's as real as the air we breathe Gerald. I'm here and alive." He said and kissed me, deeply. I wrapped my arms around my mates neck and kissed him back just as deeply and I felt our bond growing stronger each passing second. 

"I missed you too Gerald, so very much." He whispered against my lips and kissed me again. 

"I Joseph Kingsley Eckhart accept you, Gerald Benjamin Cortez as my mate." He spoke the words I have been longing to hear and I sobbed happy tears. 

"I Gerald Benjamin Cortez accept you Joseph Kingsley Eckhart as my mate." I said and we kissed again, reconnecting as mates after so long. 

As we came to, we both chuckled as Altan walked behind Joseph and wrapped his arms around him. He seemed a bit emotional so we wrapped our arms around him so he was between us both and just let him cry it out. 

After our reunion we sat at the picnic table a few feet away from the tree. 

“I still can’t believe I’ve been gone fourteen years. Time seems to be much different in that realm. It seems so slow when obviously here fourteen years have passed. You should have seen my parents when I showed up. My dad opened the door just to have my mom faint at an instant as she saw me. She thought it was a dream that I wasn’t actually there and I wasn’t someone who told her son’s identity and got surgery to look like her father. Who I supposedly looked like.” Joseph said randomly and we all laughed. 

“That’s a lot of work to go through and costly.” I said. I’ve talked to a few cosmetic and plastic surgeons at work because we all intermingle and sometimes have to consult with them so I know what all it takes to do all that. 

“That’s what I said to myself when she was accusing me. She almost went as far as to want a DNA test done but my dad didn’t think it was necessary because we know about the supernatural and figured Altan had done something to help me. Apparently when they came the day I died, the doctor’s told him about my dream of a blonde blue eyed angel in the form of a tiger so he knew something was up.” Joseph said. 

“I guess I should have changed my form then.” Altan teased.

“If you had, I’m sure my dad would have been on my mom’s side and have me committed to a mental institution or jailed. You know how close we were as a family and here someone comes claiming to be your son who died fourteen years ago so no, I thank you for coming as I knew you.” He smiled. 

“Altan we gotta get going, Brent gets off in ten minutes.” I said feeling my phone vibrate and looking at the text. 

“Who’s Brent?” Joseph asked, wiggling his eyebrows. 

“We’ll explain in the car in full detail.” Altan said and we got in the car. 

As we drove to the repair show we retold the last fourteen years of our lives from our perspectives. 

“And that’s been our life.” I said. 

“I knew he was bad but damn he was evil.” Joseph muttered. 

“You know him?” I asked. 

“When I returned, I met him a bit after that's because I work for Collen.” He said. 

"How long have you been back?" Altan asked, gripping the steering wheel a little too hard.

"Eight months." 

"And you didn't reach out to let us know because? Didn't you think your mates deserved to know you were alive? All these years we had to live with your death, with you being gone and feeling like we weren't complete. There are some things I left out that I feel we can talk about later but Joseph, you staying away for eight months knowing we were here, that hurts." Altan said and I could feel how hurt he actually felt.