Free The Seahorse Who Loved the Wrong Lynx by Scarlet Hyacinth Page A

his child.
    He opened his mouth to answer, but to his surprise, Layton took
    action before he could utter one word. Faster than the eye could see, Layton shot forward and punched Corbin straight in the face. “Fuck
    you,” he snapped at Corbin. “You can say anything you want about
    me, but you shut your mouth about my baby and my mate. Preston’s a
    million times better than your betraying ass. Got that?”

    The Seahorse Who Loved the Wrong Lynx
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    But Corbin wouldn’t be deterred. “Fine, I’m sorry about what I
    said about your baby. But you can’t blame me for wanting to protect
    my brother from heartache.”
    “The heartache’s over and done with, Corb,” Preston said. His
    beast roared at him, pushing him to attack the man who dared to slight his mate, but Preston contained it. Violence might bring temporary
    satisfaction, but it certainly wouldn’t fix his relationship with his brother. “Layton is my mate. I’ve known that for years.”
    “I understand why you doubt me,” Layton said, his voice more
    sedate. “I couldn’t see what was right in front of me. But it’s true.
    We’re mated now.”
    Corbin finally seemed to understand what it all meant. “You
    claimed Layton?” he asked.
    Preston nodded. When his brother didn’t say anything else, he
    added, “Now, why don’t we try this again? I’m mated, and I’m going
    to be a father.”
    This time, Corbin
    reacted just like Preston hoped.
    “Congratulations, little brother.” He grinned. “I can’t wait to be an uncle.”

    * * * *

    A little while later, Preston and Layton left the auto shop. Layton
    was very tempted to return to Preston’s apartment and spend the next few hours in bed with his new mate, but he still had somewhere to be.
    He needed to deliver the news to his own twin.
    The drive to the academy took a little longer than the one to
    Corbin’s shop, and Layton barely managed to suppress his
    excitement. He’d always been close to his twin, and he yearned to
    share his happiness with Morgan. Thankfully, his brother must have
    anticipated this and met them at the gate.

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    Scarlet Hyacinth
    As soon as Preston parked, Layton shot out of the car and rushed
    to his brother’s side. “So I gather things went well, huh?” Morgan
    asked in place of greeting.
    Layton beamed at him and was rewarded with a wide smile.
    “Well, I suppose congratulations are in order.”
    Preston joined them and shook Morgan’s hand. “This is where I
    tell you to take care of my little brother or I kick your ass,” Morgan said seriously.
    Layton frowned at his overprotective twin. Truly, he’d been the
    one to hurt Preston, not the other way around, so Morgan’s concern
    was really unjustified. But Preston just wrapped his arm around
    Layton’s waist and kissed his temple. “Don’t worry about it. He’s my world.”
    Layton practically melted. If they’d been alone, he’d have jumped
    Preston right then and there. Instead, he relaxed in Layton’s embrace, so happy he thought he was in a dream.
    That sensation changed into slight apprehension when Morgan
    sobered. “Now that you’re here and mated, I want to talk to you about something.”
    “Anything wrong?” Preston asked.
    “I’m not sure yet.” Morgan seemed thoughtful. “It’s just
    something Alexis told me. Come inside. We’ll be more comfortable
    there.”
    Following Morgan’s suggestions, the three of them entered the
    dorm. Once they safely reached Morgan’s room, Morgan started
    speaking. “After we left, Alexis started thinking. He was convinced
    judging by your words that Preston really is your mate, but he
    couldn’t understand how you could miss it.”
    Layton forced himself to face his brother without wincing. He
    really didn’t want to talk about this, but apparently, his twin hadn’t received the memo. “That’s all over now,” he said.
    “Yes, but don’t you want to find out why you lost so much time in
    the first place?”

    The Seahorse Who