Matthew leaned over to hug her.“Hey, Samara.”
“Everyone’s in the office.They won’t tell me what’s going on.”
“That’s because it’s none of your business.”
She pouted as she let them in.Matthew squeezed her shoulder before making a beeline for Rikar’s office.Samara had said that everyone was there, which meant that Alan would be in the room, and Matthew couldn’t wait to see him.They might have only met yesterday, but the man was Matthew’s mate.It had taken a lot of effort for Matthew to step away last night and give Alan space, especially when it was clear that Alan needed protection.
Matthew knocked on the office door and opened it before anyone told him to.Just like Samara had said, Rikar and Hayes were in the office.Alan was there, too, curled up in an armchair.He looked tired, and Matthew fought the urge to go straight to him.Instead, he hovered by the door, probably looking like an idiot.
Now that he was with his mate again, he had no idea how to behave.
* * * *
ALAN WASN’T SURPRISEDto see Matthew walk in with Franklin.He’d been wondering when Matthew would get there.
When hismatewould get there.
He still didn’t know what to make of that.He’d panicked yesterday, but that had more to do with Victor than with Matthew.Matthew had been perfectly nice.He’d helped Alan out of the car, had made sure that he was okay, and hadn’t insisted on sticking around after Alan had been brought to the village.
He glanced around the room.He’d thought for sure Victor would kill him last night, but instead, he’d ended up staying in a cozy guestroom in the house of the leader of the tribe who lived in the village.The man hadn’t demanded anything from him.After asking Alan a few questions, he’d brought Alan home with him, had given him food and water, and had put him to bed.Rikar’s mate had been lovely, too.
Everyone had been, including Matthew.It was a stark contrast with what had happened last night at the office, and Alan wished he could focus on that instead of on Victor wanting to hurt him.What was he supposed to do now?Where could he go to make sure Victor wouldn’t find him?He couldn’t return to work or to his apartment.If he didn’t have a job anymore, he wouldn’t be able to pay his rent, anyway.What was he supposed to do?
He felt a bit calmer now that Matthew was there, which made sense.It seemed like the presence of his mate helped Alan feel better.When he realized that Matthew wasn’t coming any closer, though, he frowned.Shouldn’t Matthew want to be as close to him as possible?
“Franklin, Matthew,” Rikar said as he nodded at them.“It’s good to see you.”
Matthew nodded.He was staring at Alan in a way that would’ve made Alan uncomfortable if he’d been anyone else.The bond was already working hard, wasn’t it?
“Are you okay?”Matthew asked Alan.
“Better than I expected I would be, considering everything.Thank you for saving me.”
“Franklin and I didn’t do much.”
“Maybe not, but if you hadn’t been there, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here today.”Hell, he probably wouldn’t be breathing.Alan didn’t need a good imagination to know what Victor would have done to him.
That wouldn’t stop him from using the information he had on Victor.He just didn’t knowhowto use it yet.
“Alan, we didn’t get the opportunity to talk last night,” Rikar said.“I don’t want to push, but maybe you could tell us what happened to you.At the very least, I need to know if my tribe and my people are in danger.”
Alan snorted, then slapped a hand over his lips.“I’m sorry.I’m not making fun of you.”
Thankfully, Rikar didn’t appear angry.“I didn’t think you were.”
“It’s just that it’s ironic.”
“What is?”
“You and your tribe might be in danger, but not because of me or anything I did.”
The tension in the room skyrocketed.Alan needed to be more careful about how he said things.He didn’t want these people to think he was dangerous, but he realized that he sounded incredibly suspicious.
He glanced around the room.He didn’t know if he could trust these people, but what was he supposed to do?He was on his own.He could go to the police, but would they believe him?Victor had friends everywhere, including in most police stations.
But Alan wasn’t in a police station.He was in a tribe leader’s home, surrounded by supernatural beings—the very people Victor had hurt.They might not know much about the labs, but it didn’t mean they couldn’t help.Even though the village was physically isolated, he’d seen a TV in the living room yesterday when he’d first arrived, and there was a computer on Rikar’s desk.These people were far from being in the dark about what was happening in the world around their little village.
“Would you mind expanding on that a little?”Rikar asked, sounding gentle.He was probably worried about something happening to his people, but he was still taking the time to be nice.
