“He’s also on the run.”
“True.It doesn’t mean he’s not cute, though.”
Matthew shook his head.“I don’t think that’s what matters right now.”
“It definitely isn’t.When are you going to see him again?”
“Rikar told me to go over whenever I felt ready for it.”
“You told him that Alan’s your mate?”
“Yeah, although I think he could see from my expression that something had happened.”Matthew had been pretty shocked, and it had shown.
Franklin nodded and took a sip of his coffee.“Make sense.You have to be eager to see your mate again.”
“I am, but I also need a moment, I guess.”
“It’s a lot.”
“It is.It’s not only meeting my mate, although that’s a lot by itself.I also can’t help but wonder who was after him.Whywas that man coming after him?Why was he running from someone who seemed so eager to hurt him?”
“There’s only one way for you to find out,” Franklin pointed out.
He was right.The only way for Matthew to know what was going on was to talk to Alan, which was something Rikar would need to do, anyway.That was probably why Rikar expected Matthew to be there.Matthew had told him that Alan was his mate before leaving because he’d wanted Rikar to know.The man hadn’t looked surprised, but then, he never looked surprised.It was one of the things that made him such a good leader.
“I just hate that Alan looked scared of me,” Matthew murmured as he stared down at his cup of coffee.“I understand why he did.He was on the run from someone and had crashed his car.Telling him that he’s my mate was the wrong thing to do.”
“I don’t know.Maybe it was the right thing to do since it distracted him from the fact that someone tried to hurt him.”
“You were there.You saw how badly he panicked.”
“Yeah, but it might not have had anything to do with what you told him.Like you said, he was on the run from someone.Anyone would panic after thatandcrashing their car.Maybe knowing that he was safe with his mate was what he needed to be able to let go of the control he kept on himself until then.”
Matthew hadn’t thought about that, but he liked it.He hoped Franklin was right.He’d never meant to scare Alan or to make him feel like he wasn’t safe.
“I think you’re beating yourself up for nothing,” Franklin said when he put down his mug.“Both you and Alan were overwhelmed yesterday.Neither of you probably reacted the way the other hoped, but that’s okay.Nothing irreparable happened.You’re both safe, and whatever’s going on with Alan, he’s found people who can help him.”
“He’s safe here,” Matthew agreed.
“He is.He’s going to be scared and worried, but I don’t think it has anything to do with you.Hell, even though he’s safe with the tribe, he doesn’t know Rikar.He’s probably going to need you to reassure him.”
“He doesn’t know me, either.”
“No, but he’s your mate.Now that he’s not panicking, he’s bound to feel the bond between the two of you.Even though he doesn’t know you, it’ll help him.”
If there was anything Alan needed from Matthew, Matthew would provide it.
He finished his cup of coffee and got to his feet to put it in the sink.“I need to be there for him.”
Franklin nodded.“I’m coming with you if that’s okay.I want to find out more about what happened last night.”
“I don’t know if he’s going to be up to giving us answers.”
“Maybe not, but he’s in danger.He has to realize he needs help.”
Matthew was worried, and that feeling stayed with him as he put his shoes on and followed Franklin out his front door.Nothing was very far in the village, so it only took them a few minutes to reach Rikar’s house.Matthew was growing more nervous, so he was glad when Franklin took charge and knocked on the door.
A little girl opened it.She blinked at Franklin for a few seconds before looking at Matthew and grinning at him.“Uncle Matthew!”
