Night Fury Chapter 3

Luke met with his team.

Merida and Dominick were both people Luke admired and trusted. They understood his predicament; they were mated, and if there was anyone who could understand almost losing their mate and the trials to get them back, it was the two of them. Jason, Cara, and Anna completed their group, and he knew that their fighting styles and combined abilities strengthened an already incredible lineup that Luke couldn’t believe he’d been assigned to lead. Yet not a single member looked at him the way he expected them to, as someone who wouldn’t be able to guide them, whose irresponsibility would get them killed. Instead, they treated him with respect. Something about it made him feel proud, until the walls caved in and he realized this must be some sort of big mistake.

Luke excused himself and went to find Greg. He needed to tell him this was wrong, that Greg should not entrust him with the lives of others. After all, look how well that had gone for Johanna.

He spotted Greg with his arm wrapped around Daniella, speaking to another battle officer. Dani caught his approach and a mischievous look crossed her face. Then she tilted her head up and whispered something into Greg’s ear, causing him to turn to look at Luke as well.

Dani approached Luke, giving him a light pat on the shoulder. “Just accept it,” she whispered before she sauntered away.

Luke blinked for a moment and then glared daggers into the back of her head. He knew she could feel his stare, just like she knew why he’d come to speak to Greg. Dani was his best friend, and she understood him in a way most people didn’t. It also meant she was well versed on calling him out on his bullshit before he’d even opened his mouth, and she enjoyed doing it on a regular basis. But this wasn’t about him, not really. It wasn’t about pride, confidence, or his lack thereof. This was about the others and how they deserved someone who would lead them. Someone who could be cautious, level-headed, and would not snap at a moment’s notice. Someone who was not him.

Luke followed Greg into another room, all the while grinding his teeth at Greg's nonchalance. He barely waited for the door to close before he started.

“What the hell were you thinking?” Luke shouted. “I’m not fit to run a team. I’m not reliable or responsible enough for this, and those people, your people, are going to be at risk!”

Greg cocked an eyebrow, his tone even as he spoke. “What are you talking about, Luke?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about.” Luke huffed, burning a path into the carpet as he paced. “Greg, I’m not a leader like you are. Do I need to remind you that I ran off on not just you, someone who has practically raised me, but Mya, Dani, and the rest of your team, just because I thought I could rescue my mate? And I couldn’t even do that right. I even had Zachariah in the palm of my hand!” Luke hands balled into fists as he shook them. “I wasn’t able to kill him, and you think it’s a smart idea to have me lead a team?”

“Luke—” Greg began, but Luke interrupted him, his shoulders drooping as he went on.

“Greg, let’s just cut to the chase and be honest here. There’s a reason why people think of me the way they do, and they’re not wrong. I shouldn’t be trusted with other people’s lives. If we weren’t related, I wouldn’t even be this high in the circle. I’ve already failed enough for one lifetime, so please don’t make me ruin someone else’s life just because you’re trying to be supportive or give me a distraction. This isn’t the right way.” 

“Lucas,” Greg bit out, his tone laced with anger. “Has anyone ever said any of those things to you?”

Luke rolled his eyes. “Of course not, but—”

“Then why the fuck are you saying them?” Greg shouted.

“Because they’re the truth!” Luke shouted back. “And you know they are too!”

Greg tensed. “The only negative things I’ve ever called you are crazy and a pain in my ass.”

“Greg—”

“Let me finish.”

Luke ground his teeth but kept silent.

“Do you know what circle members have to agree to before we allow them to become battle officers?”

“No.” Luke crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes. “It’s another one of the many things I don’t know.”

Greg glared at him but continued. “They agree to take direction and action from us, to acknowledge that we are capable of leading. If any of them, any of them, ever said those things to you or disrespected you in any way, they wouldn’t have a seat at our table.”

Luke’s eyes widened. “But—”

“Furthermore, every single person who joined your team volunteered.”

“What?” Luke’s mouth fell open.

“Yeah, they volunteered.” Greg pushed a hand through his russet-colored hair. “Luke, have you always felt this way? That we … that I don’t value you?”

Luke averted his gaze from Greg’s form. “It’s not that, I just … No, I don’t think I felt that way before…”

“Johanna?”

Luke flinched at her name. “Yes. But still, I can be honest enough to say I haven’t always made the right decisions. I haven’t lived my life the way you’ve lived yours, being cautious and responsible. I’ve lived to have fun, to enjoy life. Then we lost Erik, and everything was just numb.” He smiled slightly. “Until Daniella.”

Greg’s lips tilted upward, just briefly. “Until Daniella.”

“It was so good to see that you had found your mate, especially with it being such a rare thing for us, and with Dani and I being so close it made me feel better, like I had some sort of purpose. But then Johanna came into the picture and everything has been upside down for me ever since. I handled everything wrong, Greg, everything, and I guess it’s just made me reflect on the other choices I’ve made in my life.” It was Luke’s turn to run a hand through his own brown hair, ruffling the strands, fraying them to match the state of his nerves.

Greg tapped the desk, then nodded to a chair. “Sit please, we need to work this out.”

Luke obliged and waited for him to speak.

“You said you weren’t like me, and that’s true, you’re not.” Greg’s eyes bore into Luke’s own. “But you don’t need to be. You’re just you, and that’s exactly who you should be. Yes, you’ve made brash decisions, but so have I. Yes, you can be more impulsive than I am, more impatient, and to some that makes you irresponsible.”

Luke’s gaze shifted away from Greg’s as shame filled him.

“But,” Greg said, his tone sharp enough to pull Luke's attention back to him, “that doesn’t mean you’re less than anyone else here, including myself. The same people who would call you any of those things are the same people who may not like the decisions I make to keep this circle running. Do you really think everyone agrees with me all the time?”

Luke shook his head. “Of course not, but—”

“But nothing. If you can see that, then you should also be able to see that no one would believe you’re any of those things all the time. Yes, you ran after Johanna on your own, but did you know we all wanted to run after you, to abandon everything and make sure you were safe? The only reason anyone hesitated was because they rely on me, and I had to force myself to walk away from you. I had to trust and believe you knew how to keep yourself safe, and if you needed help, the others would do right by you.” Greg breathed. “Was I pissed? Of course, but not just at you. I was upset at myself for not being able to do what I wanted to, which was take care of my little cousin.” He smiled.

If Luke had felt like himself, he would have rolled his eyes at the sentiment, but he didn’t. Luke held onto Greg’s words with a vice grip, finally understanding just how much he needed them. Luke had thought his heart had grown cold, surrounded by the ice he believed he needed to keep his distance from everyone else, because if that ice cracked, he would hurt everyone and they would see just how weak he had become. But the look on Greg’s face, so soft, filled with a kindness that shone in his eyes and in his smile, made Luke realize that maybe the ice wasn’t his ally. Maybe it was keeping him trapped instead of keeping him safe.

“Luke,” Greg began, “I need you. I need you here and in the circle. You know me well enough to know I don’t say that lightly. It hurts me to know I made you think you were replaceable or not enough, even for a moment.”

Greg sighed. “I’ve always hated what happened during our childhood, so I wanted to take care of you. I didn’t want you to ever feel alone again. But I pushed too hard.” He slumped forward, clasping onto the desk with his palms to support his torso. “I wanted you to live your life as a child should, and then as a vampire should be able to. If you wanted money, women, fun, entertainment, whatever, I wanted you to have that. I wanted you to be able to enjoy your life with no attachments or responsibility, with nothing but support from me while not needing to concern yourself with me. That’s the reason I haven’t given you circle responsibilities, like Mya or Merida and Dom. But that doesn’t mean I could ever replace you. You are irreplaceable to me.”

Luke swallowed down the ball of emotions in his throat and watched as Greg did the same.

“You keep me honest, don’t you know that? You’re the only one who walks in here like he owns the place and has the balls to call me out. I trust you in that way. You argue with me, you fight with me to make sure I always do what’s right. Luke, you’re not only just as much of a part of this circle as I am, you run it with me. I may be the figurehead, the person who attends the meetings, puts things in place, and issues the orders, but it is not without your counsel.”

Luke was breaking apart, physically and emotionally. He had to use his arms to support his head, as his elbows dug into his knees to keep from sliding to the ground.

How could I be so stupid? No, stop. You’re doing it again. You are not stupid, you were just … blind.

“I envy you sometimes,” Greg whispered, making Luke’s head snap up. “You don’t know how many times I’ve had to stop my reactions and contain my emotions because the people around me needed me to be their sense of calm. But you don’t have to do that. Why would I ever want to chain you down and reduce you to what I go through on a daily basis? Look at myself and Ella. Look how long we waited. Do you think I would ever want you to go through something like that? You even helped keep me sane with her.”

Luke’s eyes widened. “What are you talking about?”

“I trusted you to look out for her, Luke. That’s why when I went out of town or overseas, I never asked anyone to look out for her. I knew you would. I trusted you with the safety of my mate. If nothing else can explain to you how I think of you, how much I value you, that should tell you everything.”

Luke grasped the bridge of his nose and took a long, deep breath. “I can’t … I didn’t even think of that.”

“Well, now you are, so late is better than never.” Greg smiled.

Luke glared at him before they chuckled, the laugh clearing the tension in the room. “I’m sorry for all of this. I guess … I just didn’t realize how much this had messed me up.” He sighed. “I never stopped to see things from your perspective, and that was wrong of me.”

“No, it was wrong of me to never tell you. We all have faults, right? I’m learning one of mine is that I tend to not share things. I would rather carry the burden alone so that it won’t hurt others.”

Luke chuckled. “Sounds like Dani is keeping you in line.”

Greg laughed with him. “She’s definitely trying. Listen, whatever it is you’re going through now, however you’re feeling, you need to know it’s okay. Luke, you’re worried about the safety of your mate. You’re in despair and that will fuck with you in the absolute worst ways. In those moments, everything you do feels like it’s not enough, like it’s caving in and you can’t breathe.”

Luke breathed for a moment before he settled, and a little more of the ice around his heart cracked. “You’re right, it does. I feel that way all the time. It makes me feel so ... useless, and then I just become so angry. Angry at myself, angry at everyone, the world, fate. Do you know how many things I’ve broken at my house? It’s getting expensive.”

Greg’s eyebrow rose. “You have over a billion dollars in dividends from company stocks.”

“And if we don’t find Johanna soon, they’ll be finished by the end of the week.” He sighed. “It’s pitiful. I’ve never felt so weak.”

Greg nodded. “I’ve felt like that many times, especially recently.”

Luke didn’t need to ask. He knew what Greg was talking about. When Daniella had been attacked by Zachariah, Greg seemed broken. In that moment, Luke hadn’t known what Greg was feeling, but now he did, and watching him here, standing tall, seeming so strong, Luke could only ask, “How did you get through it?”

“With you guys. I may be resilient, but I can’t carry the weight of the world on my shoulders, and when I’m falling, you all help me up.” Greg’s gaze met Luke’s own. “Will you let us do the same for you?”

He nodded. “Please, I-I can’t do this on my own.”

Greg walked over to him and squeezed his shoulder. “And you will never have to.”

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