He followed Jason through to the kitchen for no reason other than the delicious smells of fresh bread and barbeque sauce that clung to him.
“So, Matt’s outside?” Jason asked, turning in the kitchen to face Jesse. “Are you—have you eaten?”
“I mean, it was a while ago,” Jesse confessed.
“I could make you something, if you want.”
“You cooked last night,” he remembered. “Is that what you do in the pack?”
Jason, halfway into the fridge, stilled. “I do more than that,” he said into the cold. “Pack’s about more than just our jobs or roles or whatever.”
Jesse tensed, unsure if he’d said the wrong thing. But when Jason turned around with a container in hand, there was no sign of the upset he thought he’d heard.
Jason seasoned a beef patty and dropped it into a hot pan, where the sizzle and smell nearly made Jesse groan. As he hung over the stovetop, his wolf going into somersaults of hunger and delight, Jason set some leftover gravy and mashed potatoes to warm in the microwave.
“You’re not having any?” Jesse asked, as Jason piled everything onto one plate.
“Can’t face food after cooking all morning,” Jason said, grabbing a bottle of water instead.
“Yeah, well. Appreciate this,” Jesse said awkwardly as Jason headed out, throwing a wave over his shoulder.
Alone at the table, Jesse devoured the food while watching the back door. He kept wondering what Jason had meant—that pack was more than roles. And why he’d gone to the trouble of feeding someone who wasn’t part of it.
Curious, Jesse pulled out his phone, but it didn’t help. Sure, he learned about hierarchy, about how the alpha’s word was law and how bigger packs had several betas who enforced the alpha’s rules, but there was nothing about how packfelt.
If it was anything like this big, bright kitchen, the mouthwatering Salisbury steak and the feeling ofcareJason had given him, then maybe it wasn’t a totally bad thing.
MATT
Matt growled in frustration, shaking his head. He wanted to rend and tear, but there was nothing out here.
He’d warned Dave and Christian, ensuring that, if there were trouble, they wouldn’t be taken by surprise, and then he’d roamed the perimeter of his territory. He’d come up with the grand result of absolutely nothing.
A quick, sharp howl summoned Karl, who gave the wolf equivalent of a shrug before they shifted to have a proper conversation.
“Don’t know what I can tell you, boss. Whatever I felt, it’s gone.”
That didn’t mean it was over. The quiet out here didn’t sit right. His territory felt... unsettled. Or maybe that was just the pressure building in his own damn chest.
“If it was the pack chasing Jesse, perhaps they’ve moved past us and missed him.”
Karl didn’t give away by gesture or word that a pack chasing Jesse was news to him. “I’ll keep watching,” he said.
Matt clapped him on one broad, capable shoulder before shifting to make the long trek back to the house. Back to Jesse. His wolf, so disappointed at the lack of an enemy, perked up at the prospect.Minesang through his heart.Mate.
And when Matt opened the back door to find Jesse sitting at the kitchen table, his eyes warm with pleasure at seeing him, it was hard to remember all the reasons why this couldn’t happen.
“I told Jason when he got in,” Jesse said, thankfully interrupting Matt’s thoughts. “Figured he should know there might be trouble.”
He’d done what any member of the pack would do.
“Good,” was all Matt said, though a warmth lit inside him. Especially at the way Jesse moved to the machine and started fixing Matt a coffee just the way he liked it—strong and black.
Jesse poured himself one as well, and then followed Matt through to the den. None of the pack would venture in there uninvited, and Matt wanted some space. Not from Jesse, he was surprised to find. Jesse was restful to be with. Which made no damn sense—he was infuriating and contrary as hell. But something in Matt was able to relax with him.
Placing his coffee on the desk, Matt slouched in his armchair. It was only midafternoon, and he was already exhausted from the circles he and his wolf had been running in, fighting over Jesse. He massaged his temples, willing his burgeoning headache away. Fear had been nipping at his heels ever since Karl had told him whathe suspected. Fear that history would repeat itself, and he’d get his pack slaughtered.
“Being alpha seems like a hell of a responsibility,” Jesse said. “Why d’you do it?”
