8
Ken
“So, uh… What exactly happenedyesterday?”
Mason and Charlie sat in the waiting room below my apartment, along with both their mates. All four of their pups were here this time, running around and playing with the toys in the corner and flipping through magazines. I had invited David and Tyson too, since they were a part of our hunting guild as well, and this was something that concerned all of us. I knew the alphas were meeting Wesley for the first time. I hoped they were nice to him, otherwise I’d have a bone to pickwiththem.
Beside me, Wesley blushed - whether from remembering our night of hot sex, or because of the confrontation he had with Mason, I wasn’t sure. But we were going to fix the latter issuerightnow.
“Mason,” I began, looking at the omega. “I think we should discuss the issue you were having yesterday with the rest of ourfriends.”
“What issue?” Charlieasked.
“I can explain,” Wesley said with a sigh. He stepped forward, looking a bit nervous. I knew this was going to be hard for him, but I was proud that he was doing it anyway. “There’s something you should all know.” He looked Mason in the eye. “Mason, you were right. I did come here as a spyoriginally.”
Charlie gasped. Flint, his mate, widened his eyes. Jericho, Mason’s mate, just blinked in confusion. David narrowed his eyes but said nothing. Tyson waited for him tocontinue.
“A spy?” Jericho said. He turned to his mate. “LikeBeth?”
“Hold on, Jericho,” I said. “Let Wesleyspeak.”
He nodded and leaned back in his chair, listening. Out of our group of alpha friends, he was one of the softer ones. If anyone would come to Wesley’s defense, I knew I could count on Jericho, even if his mate was a little bit on edgeabouthim.
Wesley lifted his head. With everyone’s gaze on him, he must have been so nervous. I edged closer to him and reached for his hand, intertwining our fingers. I met his eyes and nodded, hoping to calm him down. It apparently worked, because he took a deep breath andcontinued.
“I was a spy, yes. But it’s more complicated than that. Since I arrived here, I never leaked any information from this pack to Gunner, Scarlet Ridge’s top alpha. Pleasebelieveme.”
“It’s true,” I added. “You’ve been in my care this entire time. And even during the times I wasn’t watching you, you were too weak to leave the pack and communicatewithhim.”
“There are other ways of communicating besides being face to face,” David said in a low, suspiciousvoice.
I glared at him. “David!”
“No, he’s right,” Wesley said, holding up a hand to my chest to ease me. “I could have howled in a secret tone, or sent a bird, or hell, just called on a cell phone… But I didn’t. I know it’s hard to believe this, but I wouldn’t betray this pack. Notanymore.”
“Anymore?” Masonasked.
Wesley’s eyes fell and he squeezed my hand. “Yes. I’ve found a reason to live here, and I wouldn’t dream of going backanymore.”
Suddenly everyone’s eyes snappedtome.
“Ken?” Flintgasped.
Charlie’s eyes lit up. “Oh, I knew it! I knew you two liked eachother!”
“Holy crap, dude!” Tyson exclaimed. “I never thought you’d find an omega. I mean, nooffense- “
Mason, who was standing with his arms crossed, lowered them in awe. “You and Ken?” he askedWesley.
Wesley nodded. “Yes. I’m sorry if that upsets you, but we love eachother.”
But Mason shook his head. “No, it doesn’t, it’s just…” He looked a bit embarrassed. “I was so sure you were a traitor tothepack.”
Jericho put an arm around his mate and pulled him close. After the betrayal they had suffered last year with his friend Beth, I was sympathetic to Mason. But Wesley was different, and I had to make the rest of them understandthat,too.
“Let’s explain the entire situation,” I said. “First, this was a mission given to Wesley by Gunner, who we all knowandhate.”
Murmurs and growls of agreement spread throughout theshifters.
