Theo patted his chest. “I know you will. I trust you. You’re going to be the most amazing alpha ever.”
Liam didn’t know if that was true, but he knew that he had to keep his mate safe; it was like a biological imperative. And Gael was sweet and innocent and deserved a family and a home. Now he was just going to have to talk to his brothers and make them understand that yet another one of them was leaving to go live with the pack.
That was probably going to be way harder than renovating the dragon house.
Chapter
Eight
Theo wandered around Niall’s kitchen, wiping down this counter, scrubbing out that pan. Everyone worked hard to keep the place really clean and to do all of the chores, and he really didn’t feel as if he had a lot to do. Of course, he was helping take care of the children, because he had Gael anyway, but he felt like he needed something more. Something that was just his. Something that he could actually contribute.
He was sitting at the kitchen table staring into a black cup of coffee and contemplating how nasty it smelled, when Niall walked in, whistling. He stopped at the sight of Theo, a sympathetic expression coming across his face.
“You’re feeling sad. Are you missing home?” Niall asked.
“No, not at all. Actually, by the time the pack broke up, things were not going well. And this side of the mountain looks very much like the other side as far as scenery. I just wish that I had a job. Everyone is so well established here already.”
Niall chuckled lightly. “Loyal said the same thing when he came. So did John, who is Keegan’s mate. Fen as well was worried that he would never fit in. But I promise there will be something that is just you, something that you and Liam willcontribute that no one else can. In the meantime, how about we make some cookies?”
Theo laughed, cheering up because Niall wouldn’t let him do anything else. “I love cookies.”
“So do the alphas and the kids. What kind should we make?” Niall started pulling down supplies: flour and sugar, nuts and baking chips.
“I don’t know. What are our options?” He got into the spirit of it, standing up so that he could go survey all of the supplies.
“Well, we could make molasses cookies, or white chocolate macadamia cookies, or classic chocolate chip with pecans.”
“Oh, I think molasses cookies sound amazing with lots of ginger.” He chuckled at himself because he really wanted to belong here, and he felt like maybe Niall was willing to let him.
“Perfect. We’ll start with those. What did you do with your other pack?”
He began to cream sugar and butter. “I don’t know. I mean, there were so few of us, right? And we were just trying to function. We were just trying to get through day-to-day-to-day.”
“Oh, that’s sad and hard; it’s a tough life, I imagine. It’s scary!” Niall was trying so hard to be sympathetic, and he appreciated it and didn’t all at once.
“It was actually just fine most of the time, busy. Just like, instead of being in a pack, being in a very large family. Or even a not particularly large family, and by the end, it was a tiny family.”
“I understand.” Niall bumped hips with him in a very sibling-like way. “Before I became the shaman, I lived up here with my mentor, and the pack always shunned me some. I was so weird to them, and I had been abandoned by an alpha.”
“Oh, that’s awful!” He gave Niall a spontaneous hug. “So you do understand.”
“I do. I get it. Remember, I’m one of you, right? But just think, my babies have a pack who loves them, and they’re not outcasts. Gael, your babies, when you have them, they won’t be outcasts. They’ll have a home.”
Theo nodded. He needed to believe that. He intended to believe it.
“I’m glad. I—” He took a deep breath, then frowned. “Do you think there’s something wrong with the coffee?”
Niall tilted his head and leaned in, sniffed the coffee, took a sip. Then he shook his head. “No, it’s coffee. You don’t care for it?”
“It just smells awful. I usually quite like coffee but not today.” Today, it smelled like ass and made him a little queasy.
“Hmm.” Niall came to him, putting floury hands on his cheeks and peering into his eyes.
“What?” Was he sick? Jaundiced? Was his liver giving out?
“Have you and Liam mated?”
Had they mated? Only dozens and dozens of times, only as many times a day as they could possibly get alone. It had been a few weeks, maybe a little longer than that.
