“Good. And Brian?”
“Yeah?”
“Go have a beer or three to take the edge off before you make that call. Morgan Peters is a levelheaded guy, but the last time you interacted with him, you assaulted him. If you call him and growl at him the way you did at my mate, you’ll be further eroding a relationship you should be nurturing. Despite his young age, he is the Alpha of the strongest pack in your region and other than you, everyone who has ever met him sings his praises.”
“He was a jerk when I was with him,” he insisted. “I’m not going to tell you I’m wrong about that.”
“Sure you will.” He didn’t need to see Jobe to know he was smiling. “Have a drink. Chill out. Talk to Morgan Peters. And then call me later to tell me about your mate.”
“How did you…” He rolled his eyes and didn’t bother finishing his question, because of course Jobe had figured it out. “Screw you, man.”
“That’s my job now,” Wesley piped in. “I’m going to put the baby down for her nap and then I’m going to fulfill my favorite duty. Have fun eating crow, Brian.” The sound of them kissing seemed louder through the phone than it would have been in person. “Don’t keep me waiting too long,” Wesley whispered to Jobe.
“I don’t need to hear this right now,” he grumbled, resumed his pacing, and then reconsidered. “Or maybe I do. How does it work?”
Jobe coughed and then started laughing.
“Cut it out. I’m serious,” Brian said.
“You’ve been with plenty of women and even more men. With your very active background, I am absolutely certain that I don’t need to explain the birds and the bees.”
“My background hasn’t involved other Alphas, and you know that so stop laughing at me.”
“Yes, I do, but the parts are all the same. Why does that have you so out of sorts?”
“I thought Mother Nature would give me an Omega mate.” When he had imagined his future mate, it was always someone smaller and softer than himself, someone he could protect and care for, someone submissive, and though he’d never admit it to anyone, someone who would idolize him. Another Alpha held none of those traits. “That type of personality is a perfect complement to me.”
“Is it?” Jobe asked levelly.
“Yes. Don’t tell me you didn’t expect that for me. You’ve always said I’m a traditional Alpha.” Not like the Red River Roots who were always a mated Alpha pair.
“I know that’s what you hoped for, and yes, I’ve said the same thing about you. But Mother Nature gives us the mate we need at the time we need them, and it seems that when it comes to you, that time is now and that mate isn’t an Omega.”
Having grown up in affluent, well-established Red River, Brian’d had a carefree and blessed life, benefitting from Mother Nature’s generosity. His physical appearance and power had made romantic encounters easy to come by, his parents and sister had been loving, his pack had been prosperous, the shifters in it had been satisfied with their work and their homes, and their Alphas had been wise and admirable. When he moved to Purple Sky, he realized just how lucky he had been, and he had committed himself to turning his new pack around so his shifters could one day live in that same type of environment. And he had assumed that just as she had always had, MotherNature would provide for him by giving him a sweet, submissive, Omega mate to support him while he fulfilled his destiny and led the pack.
“He’s an Alpha.” Which meant he wasn’t likely to be any of those things.
“What’s the matter, Brian?” Jobe sounded amused. “Don’t think you’re capable of handling a powerful mate?”
His chest puffed out and he grumbled involuntarily. “Jobe, I swear to God.”
“I trust in Mother Nature, and more to the point, I trust in you,” Jobe said, his tone no longer teasing.
“I do too.” Everything in his life experience supported those beliefs. He hadn’t expected an Alpha for a mate, but Mother Nature was generous, and he was strong and powerful enough to fulfill whatever destiny lay in store for him. “I must be the mate he needs.”
“That’s one way to look at it.”
After ending the call, Brian went back upstairs to check on Keith. He had been gone too long. As he reached the landing, he heard a commotion. Hurrying his pace, he turned a corner and saw the two shifters who assisted the healer standing in the hallway and the healer backing out of the room.
“What happened? Is Keith okay? Did the IV help? Have you figure out what we can do for him?”
The healer raised both arms up in defeat. “He won’t let us near him, Alpha. We couldn’t get close enough to get the cannula into his vein. There’s nothing I can do.”
“Won’t let you near him? He was on the brink of death, completely malnourished. He needs nutrients.”
“He’s right, Alpha,” one of the assistants said. “We tried to hold him down and he forced us away. We can barely touch him. There’s no way for us to treat him.”
He glared at his pack members and squeezed his hands into fists. “There are three of you. You’re all healthy and fit and you can’t handle one critically ill man?”
