“Does it have anything to do with Tim and what I said earlier? Because Nathan already gave me shit for that.” He looked a little sheepish, and Seb grinned up at him. “I know I was out of line, and I’m going to apologise to Tim. I just…. I’m worried about you.”
“I know.” Patting the bed next to him, Seb wondered how that conversation with Nathan had gone down. He’d bet good money it had ended with sex. Everything those two did ended with sex. “And you don’t have to worry, you know. There’s nothing going on between me and Tim.”
Jared stared at him for a couple of seconds. “Really? Because I know he wants you, and according to Nathan, you want in the doctor’s pants too.”
“For fuck’s sake, keep your nose out of my business,” Seb hissed, facing the open door.
Nathan’s laughter rang out from the kitchen and he shouted back, “Stop lusting after him, then.”
Seb rolled his eyes and turned back to Jared to whisper, “I donotlust after him.” He sighed. “And besides, there’s no way I’m getting involved with a shifter. You know that.”
“Is that my fault too?”
“What do you mean?”
Jared scooted back on the bed beside him and lay down with his hands behind his head. “You never used to feel like this. Before Nathan you were the one who thought not all of them were arrogant arseholes.”
“That’s not changed.”
“But Tim—”
“Is a nice guy. I just don’t want to get involved with him.” Seb really hoped Jared would leave it at that. No way was he explaining that Jared and Nathan’s bond was the main reason he didn’t want to. “So,” he said, shuffling back against the headboard until his foot rested comfortably on the bed.God, that’s better.He lowered his voice again until it was barely a whisper. “You never did answer me about Nathan and Alec.”
Jared turned his head to face him. “I said I didn’t know.”
“Yeah, but I thought you’d have asked him by now. Aren’t you curious? I mean, even I could see that there’s something going on with those two, and Tim swears Alec’s a good guy.” He smirked. “But he’s not too keen on your boy, though, is he? And don’t tell him I said anything.”
Jared stared at him with an incredulous expression. “You do realise he can still hear you even when you whisper?”
“Even when it’s that quiet?”
“Yep, even then.” Nathan’s voice at the doorway startled them both.
Seb glared at him. “Jesus, don’t do that.”
Nathan grinned back at him, all teeth. “Don’twhisperabout me, then.”
He had a point. “Yeah, okay. Sorry.” Nathan didn’t make a move to leave again, so Seb figured he might as well ask. “Now that you’re here, then, what’s up with you and Alec? If you don’t mind me asking,” he added as an afterthought. Shifters got funny about pack stuff, and Seb would rather avoid pissing Nathan off if he could help it.
A dark look crossed Nathan’s features, and for a second Seb assumed he was going to refuse, but then he glanced at the ceiling with a sigh. “I insulted him in front of the whole pack.”
Seb frowned. “That’s it?” The way Alec and Nathan interacted seemed far too hostile to be caused by a few words. “What the hell did you say?”
“It was more than enough, trust me.” Nathan glanced at Jared briefly.
Seb got the feeling that he was about to tell them something that even Jared didn’t know about. Was it wrong that he was getting a little excited at the prospect? Probably. But Nathan acted like this was a big reveal, so what did he expect?
Nathan’s eyes locked with Seb’s. “Both my parents were killed in the pack wars. You know about those, right?”
Seb nodded. He knew enough.
“Well, Alec was in my parents’ unit. He was the youngest member.” Nathan had trained his gaze on the far wall, but Seb wondered if he saw any of it. He looked miles away. “Six of them went out on patrol, and only Alec came back.”
Oh fuck.Seb wished he’d never asked. He was expecting a bit of juicy gossip, maybe, but certainly not this. “Nathan, you don’t have to—”
“It’s okay.” Nathan’s small, sad smile made Seb feel even shittier. He couldn’t even look at Jared. “You’re both pack now. And if you’re going to interact with Alec, which at the minute seems likely, then you should probably know why he acts so cold and unimpressed. Towards me, anyway.”
Seb didn’t really want to have to deal with any more of Nathan’s pack, let alone any of the betas, but he kept quiet.
