He took in Alfie’s measured steps, the fact that the man was wincing as he moved, and the pained sound he tried swallowing as he lowered himself into one of the two seats by the window in the room.
His mate was hurt… or someone had hurt his mate. Malachi hoped it wasn’t the latter because if it was, well… the bastard better stay far away, or Malachi couldn’t be held responsible for whatever would happen.
His beast growled in agreement.
Malachi looked around the room, although he wasn’t sure what he was searching for.
“So, like… uhmm…” Alfie’s stuttering had Malachi focusing on him. “Are you here to take me to Axel?”
“That’s the plan,” Malachi told his mate.
Even if that hadn’t already been on the agenda, it would have become the plan the moment he laid eyes on Alfie. Malachi couldn’t help himself, even the small distance between them was too much, so he moved closer to Alfie.
There was an awkward silence as Malachi lowered himself into the seat facing Alfie, who seemed to become focused on his jeans, picking at them, even though there was nothing to pick at.
“So,” Malachi said.
Alfie glanced up and met his gaze, then looked down again.
“So?” his mate repeated.
“Your brother said you’ve been away on a gap year or something. Is that where theaccident…” Malachi made sure to put emphasis on the word accident. “…is that where the accident took place?”
Malachi was watching Alfie closely, so he didn’t miss the man’s flinch or the fact that his heart rate picked up.
“Was he wrong?” Malachi said. Even though he framed it as a question, he already knew the answer.
Apparently, his little mate had been lying to his family.
“I did take a year off school,” Alfie replied, but he wouldn’t look at Malachi, his eyes firmly focused on his hands.
Malachi couldn’t help smiling. His mate was smart, apparently, because although he hadn’t lied, he hadn’t told the whole truth either.
“So, I’m guessing it was while you were backpacking you ran into some trouble?” Malachi made sure to pay attention to his mate’s breathing as he asked the question.
Alfie shrugged one shoulder. “Something like that,” he murmured. Alfie leaned back in the chair and sighed. The sound came out like he had the whole world and their mother on his back, and as much as Malachi wanted to tease him for telling half-truths, he could tell his mate wasn’t in the frame of mind for it.
He was sad, and that was not okay, not for Chiorhis wolf.
Malachi was about to speak up when his mate’s belly made a protesting sound. He glanced at Alfie and couldn’t stop the smile appearing on his lips, but when he met his mate’s gaze, there was a slightly horrified look in his eyes.
Malachi wiped the smile off his face—he didn’t want his mate to feel embarrassed. “When was the last time you had something to eat?” he asked instead.
Alfie shrugged. “Can’t remember.”
Malachi frowned. “Well, that just won’t do. How about we order some room service?”
Alfie snorted, “Uhh, this is a Premier Inn, mate. They don’t have room service.”
“Oh.”
Malachi looked around the room they were in. Okay, sure, so it was no Hilton, but the room looked clean enough, and the bed… well, Malachi had been doing his best to pretend it wasn’t there. Keeping his instincts in check while sharing the same space as his mate was proving to be a herculean task, but thankfully, seeing his mate in distress was cooling whatever‘I want to rip your clothes off and fuck you into next week’feelings he was having.
“Okay, so how about we order in. I’m pretty sure there’s Uber Eats or something that delivers here…” Malachi suggested.
His mate shrugged again, but his belly rumbled, clearly on board with the plan.
Chi smiled and shifted in his seat to get his phone out of his pocket, even though he didn’t glance down at it immediately, his attention on his mate. “We can’t really use Uber Eats where we live; no takeout delivers there.” Malachi didn’t add they didn’t really want people delivering there anyway. They usually had any deliveries go to the lodge. “You’ll see.”
