"As your punishment, you are not allowed to claim your mate for the next forty-eight hours."
Randal gasped.
"And to ensure that you don't, Luca will be under my supervision for those forty-eight hours." Jeb's eyes narrowed. "Maybe, if you are denied your mate, you will understand what it felt like for me when you took my mate."
Randal didn't think Jeb understood that he had been denied his mate for the last two years. Forty-eight hours was a drop in the bucket when considering that. But he couldn't deny the man his right to seek some restitution for what Randal had done.
"Yes, sir." Randal's heart was in his feet by the time he turned to look at Luca.
"Can he do that?" Luca asked as he shot Jeb a look that should have peeled the skin right off his bones.
"Yes," Randal regretfully replied. "He has the right to ask whatever restitution he wants, barring my death." He offered Luca a wobbly smile as he brushed the side of the man's handsome face with the back of his hand. "We can do forty-eight hours in our sleep. I'll just use this time to go home and pack so when I do go to your place, I never have to leave."
"You can't go with me?"
Randal turned to look at Jeb. His heart sank even further when Jeb shook his head. He tried to smile again when he turned back to Luca, but he knew it fell short when Luca frowned. "It'll be okay, Luca. We've waited this long. We can wait a little longer."
The next forty-eight hours were going to be torture, but he supposed that was Jeb's intent. As much as he hated it, he couldn't fault the enforcer for making this demand. Randal had kidnapped his mate. Randal couldn't say he wouldn't have done the same thing if he was in Jeb's place.
"I'm going to go so we can get this started, okay? I'll see you in forty-eight hours, okay?"
"Uh, Randal," Rob said, "you rode with us."
Oh right.
Luca dug his keys out of his pocket and held them out. "Take my truck. That way, you can put your stuff in the back when you get it packed."
Randal smiled for real this time as he took the keys. "Thank you, mate." He couldn't believe he could actually address Luca as such and no one was going to stop him. He leaned down and pressed his lips to Luca's. "I'll see you soon."
Soon wasn't going to come quick enough. The next forty-eight hours were going to drag on and they both knew it.
Randal gave Luca one last smile and then forced himself to turn and walk out of the tattoo studio. If he stayed just one moment longer, he was going to defy Jeb's orders and claim Luca as his mate.
Luca's truck was easy to spot. It was big and black, and screamed rebel just like Luca. Randal chuckled as he climbed into the cab. He'd always wanted to drive it, but in the past he couldn't take the chance that he'd be spotted. Now, it didn't matter.
As much as he hated leaving Luca, the knowledge that he was going home to pack up so he could move in with him brought another smile to Randal's lips. Life was starting to look up, and it was about damn time.
Randal was tired of living in hell.
Chapter Four
Luca fumed as he glared at Jeb. "So, once these forty-eight hours are up, do I get to seek restitution from you for keeping my mate from me?"
Jeb snorted.
"It doesn't work that way," Alpha Rob said. "You can't seek restitution for restitution."
"So, it's okay for him to do to me and Randal what he says Randal did to him and his mate." Luca nodded. "Okay, got it."
Jeb's eyes narrowed. "Got what?"
"The same rules don't apply to everyone in the clan." Luca quickly held up his hand when Jeb opened his mouth. "No, no, like I said, I get it. I kind of suspected as much from everything Randal has told me about being in a clan. It makes sense."
Jeb's eyebrows snapped together. "How so?"
"Well, you're bear shifters and I'm human. Randal told me it wasn't allowed for us to mate, and I accepted that, no matter how much it hurt. And I realize your clan has given us a great gift by looking the other way so we can be together. If that means the rules are different for us, then so be it. I'd do anything to be with Randal."
"Actually," Rob said, "the rules are the same for everyone in the clan, even me."
