"Okay, well"—Rob nodded toward the house—"Come on."
Luca wasn't real sure what the protocol was here, so he followed after Rob. When they walked into the house, he barely had time to gasp at the opulence of the place before he heard someone running. He braced himself, ready to fight if needed.
The sight of a short, honey blond haired man running toward Alpha Rob with a huge smile on his face settled him a little, but not all the way. He felt kind of out of place as he watched the two men hug.
"That's the alpha mate," Jeb said. "He's the man Randal was supposed to kidnap when he kidnapped Erik."
"You know he was trying to save the alpha mate, right?"
"So he said."
Luca's jaw clenched. "Randal does not lie."
"No, he just kidnaps people."
Luca made sure Jeb saw him roll his eyes. "You try living under Ralph's thumb your entire life and having your brother beat the shit out of you if you stepped one foot out of line, and then tell me what you would have done."
Jeb's nostrils flared as anger crossed his face. "I wouldn't have kidnapped someone's mate."
"Maybe and maybe not, but we'll never know, will we? Not unless you plan to invite Ralph and Raymond back to join the clan, and I don't really see that happening."
Jeb's eyes narrowed. "Do you even grasp what Randal did? He kidnapped my mate."
"I'm fully aware of what Randal did. He told me."
Those same eyes rounded. "He told you?"
"Yes." Luca didn't understand why Jeb thought Randal wouldn't say anything. "Not only does Randal not lie—like I said—but he is fully aware of what he did and that it was wrong. He just didn't see any other way out of it." Unless he let his father and brother beat him to death, but that wouldn't have stopped them from trying to go after the alpha mate.
Luca stepped up until he was face to face with Jeb. He might have been shorter than the massive enforcer, but he was just as tenacious. "I realize you're an enforcer and I'm supposed to give you some level of respect because of that, but I find it very hard to respect someone who punishes someone else in the same manner they are complaining about."
"He took my mate from me."
"He did," Luca replied. "He also brought him back. But tell me, how long were you actually apart? A few hours, maybe? Randal and I have known we were mates for over two years and we've been denied our right to be together by people like you that entire time. Kind of makes me wonder if there is another reason you don't want us to be together."
"You don't know what you're talking about."
"Okay." Luca smirked before turning around to locate the alpha. "Alpha Rob, can you tell me where I'm supposed to spend my time here?"
The honey blond in his arms frowned. "Rob?"
"It’s okay, cub," the alpha said. "He's going to be staying with us for the next couple of days."
Luca smiled as he held out his hand. "Luca Buchanan. Randal is my mate."
Casey's eyebrows lifted. "Randal Kersey?"
Luca's smile grew wider. "Yes, although we've only been able to acknowledge that fact for the last couple of hours, thanks to your mate here. I'm human, as I am sure you've figured out. Before now, humans and bears weren't allowed to mate. Alpha Rob said he didn't have a problem with it."
Casey glanced toward the door as he frowned. "Where is Randal then?"
Luca glanced toward the alpha. He wasn't about to answer that, especially since he wasn't sure how much the man wanted his mate to know.
"You know Randal kidnapped Erik, right?" Rob asked.
Casey nodded as he looked at his mate.
"Because of that, he owes Jeb restitution."
