Max took up a position right inside the door, propped open so that they wouldn’t be locked inside, tense and focused and ready to attack anyone who tried to get at his charges.
Marge walked over to Sebastian and put her hand on his arm. “They’ll be okay,” she said.
Sebastian hadn’t realized that his worry would be so obvious. He took a deep breath, his body tingling with the adrenaline still pumping through his veins. “You’re right,” he said, turning toward her with a wobbly smile.
Max’s human, face swollen with bruises and limp even more pronounced than Sebastian had thought, hobbled over to them.
“Hi, I’m Josh,” he introduced himself. He looked happy, split lip pulled up in an excited smile. “This is crazy, huh? I think we’re actually going to get out of here.”
“You’ve been here four months, right?” Marge said, rubbing his arm.
Josh nodded. “Something like that. I think our alpha used us to settle his gambling debt.”
Marge snorted. “You know, before I came here I would have said something like that was impossible.”
“Yeah, if you’ve got a good pack, it can be hard to understand how it could go wrong.” Josh winced. “My pack was great up until our old alpha died and his second took over. In three years, he lost half the pack and nearly bankrupted the rest of us.”
Marge turned to Sebastian. “What about you? Your alpha is fucking terrifying, what’s that like?”
Sebastian blinked, feeling like an outsider and an impostor.
“I just joined his pack, actually, but I like them.” He shrugged. “Viggo’s not that scary, though.”
“How did you meet them?” Josh asked.
“Life Mate,” Sebastian said, making both Marge and Josh wince.
“That’s disappointing,” Marge said, glancing at the door. “I was hoping he was one of the good ones.”
Sebastian felt a rise of defensive anger. “He is,” he insisted. “There were extenuating circumstances. I still live on my own and I don’t have to spend time with them unless I want to. We’re dating to see how we like each other.”
Josh looked disbelieving. “He got you through Life Mate, and now he’s just dating you?” He laughed. “Dude must be rich as fuck.”
“I don’t know,” Sebastian shrugged. He’d gotten the impression that pack alphas had to be wealthy, but maybe that wasn’t the case.
“So they’re good to you?” Marge pressed. “You’re happy in his pack?”
Sebastian nodded. He was, he realized. Viggo and Bjorn were everything he wanted, and even if he was taking it slow, his endgame was to be with them.
“How many of you are there?” Josh asked.
“In the pack?”
Josh nodded.
“It’s just Viggo and Bjorn, and now me.”
Josh and Marge both reared back. They looked at each other, something Sebastian didn’t understand passing between them.
“Does Viggo have a territory?” Marge asked.
Sebastian nodded, telling them about the nature reserve and the house.
Josh’s eyes went wide. “Jesus Chris, you’re in the Blackwell pack?”
“I… yeah?”
Marge and Josh looked at each other.
