That was an unexpected assertion coming from a man who had earlier said he had beaten Keith in many challenges.
Brian’s disbelief must have been clear from his expression, and Peters was insightful enough to understand the reason for it because he answered Brian’s unspoken thought.
“The reason he didn’t win the challenges against me is that victory wasn’t his goal,” Peters explained. “If it had been, Keith Iredell would be the Golden Valley Alpha right now, not me. Do you know how many Alphas have challenged me over the years, especially when I was new because I was only sixteen at the time? Dozens. None of them came close to beating me.” He tilted his chin in Keith’s direction. “Buthecould have, and he was nowhere near as healthy back then as he is now.”
Chapter 8
“So, what’s your deal with Morgan Peters?” Keith asked as he looked up at Brian from his lap, which he was using as a pillow.
“What do you mean?” Brian said while petting him, his fingers slowly combing through Keith’s hair and massaging his scalp. If he had been a cat, he would be purring.
“What do you mean what do I mean?”
“I don’t have a deal with Morgan Peters.”
“Uh-huh. Got it.” Keith nodded, causing his cheek to move up and down Brian’s thigh. He enjoyed the sensation, so he did it again. Maybe he had a cat’s soul. Nine lives would explain how he had survived the horrors the Ruperts had put him through and the even more dangerous things he had done to himself. “So, what’s your non-deal with Morgan Peters?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
Intrigued by his mate’s stubborn refusal to admit the obvious, Keith grinned. “You know how sometimes you meet someone and you realize from the first instant that you want to spend the rest of your life without them?” he asked.
Brian blinked down at him, brow furrowed. “What?”
“Why do you feel that way about Morgan Peters when everyone else loves him?”
Brian growled, which was hilarious, so Keith chuckled.
“Why are you laughing?” Brian asked.
“Because you’re funny and cute.”
The stubborn expression left Brian’s face and he sighed. “One of the first things I did after coming to Purple Sky was visit Golden Valley. They’re the nearest pack to us by car and they’re powerful so I thought it’d serve us well to align with them. At the time, Ricky Marx was helping me with pack business and I brought him. Peters and his pack were rude to us, something happened between him and Ricky, and then Ricky ran off andhid from him. Then, when Peters came here searching for Ricky, I beat him up.”
Keith arched his eyebrows in surprise. “Morgan let you beat him up?”
“What do you meanlet me?” Brian asked with a frown.
“Never mind.” His mate was a bit prideful about his strength and power, and the last thing Keith wanted to do was diminish him. “Now that you know Ricky is Morgan’s mate and you understand what happened between them back then, everything’s cleared up, right? You two can be friends.”
“It’s possible I misjudged him,” Brian grudgingly admitted. “And I appreciate that he wants to help you. That doesn’t mean we’ll be friends.”
“I see.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It’s an attempt to say something neutral so I don’t offend you by disagreeing with you,” Keith explained.
“How can you disagree with me about who I want as a friend?” Brian asked. “That’s a personal decision and I’m the person.”
“True, but I know Morgan and I know you, so I know you’ll be friends eventually. If it makes you feel better, I can pretend to agree with you now and then later, when you’re BFFs with Morgan Peters, we can commiserate together about how we were both wrong.”
“I will not be”—he shook his hand in the air—“that with Morgan Peters.”
“BFFs?”
“Yes.”
“Why can’t you say BFF?” Keith asked.
