“Sure, I get that, but they tried to do it through me for a reason.” He looked at Keith and then at Brian again. “You do understand neither of them stand a chance against Keith directly, right?”
The question was irrelevant because Brian would protect his mate. “I rescued him from there barely a week ago. There are two of them and he’s still recovering.”
“Yourescuedhim from Green Field?” Peters repeated.
“Yes. I found him in the basement.” Brian’s voice broke as he relived that horrifying moment. “He was near death.” He curled his arm around Keith and held him close, needing the physical reminder that he was safe. “I didn’t know if he’d make it. I had to carry him out of there.” Never again. He would never let harm come to Keith again.
“Really, Keith?” Peters said. “Near death?”
“Well, not as near as I’d have liked but you’re missing the important part.” Keith paused. “He carried me.” He wrapped his hand around Brian’s bicep and squeezed. “In his strong arms.”
Peters’s jaw dropped and he blinked a few times before shaking his head and taking a deep breath. “I don’t know what to say to that so I’m going to ignore it,” he said to Keith and then he focused on Brian. “A challenge is only against the Alpha, not him and his presumptive Alpha together, but even if they try to go after a challenger at the same time…” Peters tilted his chin toward Keith. “He’s the best person to beat them.”
“Don’t worry, mate. I’ve got this,” Keith said as he squeezed Brian’s arm again. “But I do appreciate your muscles.”
“That’s not going to happen.” Brian nuzzled Keith’s neck. “I’ll handle it. I’ll protect you.”
Peters stared at Brian, blinked a few times, and then flicked his gaze to Keith and arched his eyebrows in question. “Seriously?”
“He’s very protective of me, but I don’t mind it.” Keith wove his fingers with Brian’s and smiled at him.
“Don’t mind?” Peters repeated.
“Fine. I like it,” Keith admitted. “It’s nice being coddled.”
Peters shook his head. “You’re still unhinged, Keith.”
“Yeah, well, that’s at the core of my personality. It’s part of my charm.”
“Uh huh. Charm.” Peters sighed and turned his attention back to Brian. “You do realize that he doesn’t need you to protect him, right? Keith is much, much more powerful than he looks.”
“I keep telling him that, but I don’t think he believes me.” Keith leaned into him again and kissed the underside of his chin. “It’s cute.”
Heart warming in reaction to Keith’s smile, he caressed his cheek.
“I don’t understand this relationship,” Peters said, looking back and forth between them.
“And I don’t understand having baby number two on the way when the first one can’t talk yet, but you’re overjoyed by it,” Keith replied.
“Fair enough.” Peters nodded.
“Brian?” Keith looked into his eyes and rubbed his fingertips over the back of his hand. “I know you’re worried about me, and I appreciate that, but I need to be the one who handles Rupert Jackson. If you show up in Green Field without me and issue a challenge, my pack won’t trust you and won’t support you. You could be in real danger.”
That did nothing to mollify Brian. “You admit I’d be in danger in Green Field, and yet you want to go there and take on two Alphas by yourself?” He shook his head. “Not happening.”
“I saidyou’d be in danger. My pack wants me to be their Alpha. They always have. They’ll support me in any challenge.”
He remembered the women who worked in the Green Field Alpha house and how caring they had been toward Keith, how protective. “I understand that, but you’ll be at risk from Rupert, his son, and their supporters.”
“So would you,” Keith pointed out gently. “I’ll be okay, mate.”
Worried he had been insulting his mate’s capabilities, he chose his next words carefully. “You’re healing. I’ll handle this for you while you rest.”
Peters laughed loudly. “Oh, come on.”
“What?” Brian said.
“He’s the strongest Alpha here!”
