“Okay,” Elijah said, stepping through the door and then coming to a stop. He made no move to take off his coat or his shoes, looking at Luke like he didn’t have a clue what to do now.
“Can I take your coat?” John asked. Elijah nodded and shrugged off his jacket, revealing a toned body covered in nothing but a thin white t-shirt. He handed his coat to John.
“Great. You can leave your shoes by the wall.” John hung the coat in the closet while Elijah stepped out of his shoes.
“I have to get going,” Luke said, still standing outside the door. “Call me if you need anything, Elijah. And John, I’ll catch up with you later.”
Elijah and John both said goodbye to Luke, after which he left. Elijah looked at John.
“You know Luke?” he seemed confused by this.
“Yeah, we worked together while he was living here,” John said. “We’re friends.”
Elijah nodded, looking around the hallway. “I didn’t know he had any human friends.”
Before John could answer the statement, Carter walked into the hallway. He’d changed into a respectable pair of slacks and a blue button down shirt and John wanted to jump him.
“Hello Elijah,” he said, walking up to Elijah and draping his arm over the younger werewolf’s back. Elijah instantly relaxed, and John realized just how tense he’d been.
“Hey Carter,” he said, leaning against the older wolf and taking a not at all unsubtle sniff of his neck.
John pushed down a surge of jealousy. He knew that Carter wasn’t even remotely sexually interested in the other werewolf. If he were, John would never have entered the picture.
“You smell like a human,” Elijah said, nose wrinkling. Rather than be offended Carter just chuckled.
“That’s because I’m in a relationship with one.”
“I didn’t smell him before,” Elijah said, still looking confused.
“I use scent removing soap. You weren’t supposed to be able to smell him.” Carter pulled Elijah into a hug, and John didn’t have it in himself to be jealous. It was perhaps the most platonic hug he’d ever seen.
“You should have done this with Luke,” Carter chided the younger wolf. He stroked Elijah’s back, comforting him. “You’re away from your pack. You need the contact.”
“The last time I spent any time with Luke he was tying me up and fucking me. It seemed rude to get all clingy in front of his husband.”
“And you didn’t want Owen turning you into a toad?” Carter guessed, grinning at John over Elijah’s back.
“And that,” Elijah agreed.
“Owen isn’t the jealous type. Next time don’t worry about him, okay? I’m surprised Luke didn’t just grab you and lay down on top of you—he must have seen how tense you were.”
“I said no,” Elijah said, chiding. “Luke doesn’t touch without permission.”
“While that’s normally a very good rule, but in this case it was silly.” Carter ended the hug, though he still kept his arm over Elijah’s shoulder. “Though in Luke’s defense it probably didn’t occur to him that Owen made you nervous. He doesn’t seem to get that Owen can be scary.”
Elijah laughed.
“I saw that the food got here,” Carter said, looking at John. “Are you ready to eat?”
“Sure,” John said.
“What about you, Elijah? Are you hungry?” Carter asked.
“I could eat,” Elijah said.
“Great, let’s head into the dining room. We can have a proper sit down dinner like real adults.”
Carter steered Elijah down the hall and to the dining room, John tagging along after them like an awkward but happy third wheel.
It was going to be an interesting night.
***
