“What’s moonrock?” he finally asked.
“It’s a mineral that affects werewolves,” Viggo said, cupping the edge of the armrest and tracing his finger down over the fabric. “It’s sacred to us, and its use is highly regulated. Humans aren’t supposed to know what it is or how to use it.”
“And it made Bjorn feral?”
Viggo nodded. “It suppressed his human half and left his wolf in control. After I dug it all out, Bjorn went to sleep for two days and woke up back to normal.”
Sebastian tried to picture Bjorn talking and acting like a normal person, but he couldn’t quite picture it. He’d been so animalistic, his movements and the way he interacted distinctly not human, and Sebastian wondered what he’d be like now.
“Does he remember everything that happened when he was…” Sebastian mimed claws and bared teeth. “You know?”
“He remembers everything,” Viggo said, rubbing his jaw. “Including you. That’s what I need to talk to you about.”
“Oh,” Sebastian mumbled. He wondered what Bjorn thought of him, the strange human who had suddenly appeared in his life, and whether he was angry or embarrassed that Sebastian had seen him when he was feral. “Is he angry?”
“With you?” Viggo looked baffled, shaking his head. “No, not at all. Though he’s not too happy with me. Bjorn isn’t exactly a fan of Life Mate, and he’s upset with me for using them. He wants us to let you go.”
Sebastian was surprised when the relief he’d expected to feel at such a statement failed to materialize. Of all the scenarios he’d envisioned – all the ways he’d been hoping things could work out between him and his two werewolves – being abandoned like an unwanted pet was not an outcome he’d considered.
“So you don’t…” Sebastian didn’t know how to finish the sentence. Viggo hadn’t said that he was going to grant Bjorn’s request, but considering the fact that he’d onlyacquiredSebastian to fix Bjorn, it didn’t make sense to keep him around when he was no longer needed.
Viggo lifted his brow, waiting for Sebastian to finish his sentence.
“So what happens now?” he asked. He wrung his hands, his palms sweaty, wondering what answer would make him happy. He couldn’t imagine going back to his old life and just forgetting his brief time as a member of a werewolf pack, but that was what heshouldhope for.
Wasn’t it?
“That’s pretty much up to you,” Viggo said. He leaned forward, feet planted firmly on the ground, resting his elbows on his knees. The way his suit pulled tight over his muscular thighs made Sebastian’s mouth water. “You’ll still be a member of my pack – that’s a done deal and we couldn’t change it even if we wanted to – but I’m not going to ask you to spend any time with us or live with us if you don’t want to.”
“You won’t?”
There was no denying the swell of disappointment in Sebastian’s gut.
“No.” Viggo shook his head, rueful. “Bjorn isn’t going to want anything to do with you unless it’s of your own free will.”
Sebastian’s heart skipped a beat, the swell of disappointment in his stomach turning to hope. It didn’t sound like Bjorn was rejecting him, but rather that he refused to coerce him.
“But if it were of my own free will, would Bjorn want…” Sebastian took a deep breath, feeling his blush from earlier come back full force. He forced himself to look at Viggo as he asked his question. “Would he want me?”
Viggo stared at him, his mouth pulling up in a slow grin that had Sebastian squirming. He looked wolfish, and it had nothing to do with being a werewolf.
“Bjorn feels the same way I do. He wants you in our pack and in our bed, he’s just nicer about it.”
Sebastian’s esteem for Bjorn rose several notches, though if he were honest with himself, there was something about Viggo’s ruthless amorality that he found disgustingly hot.
“He sounds like a good person.”
It wasn’t until he’d said it that Sebastian realized he was implying that Viggo was not, but Viggo didn’t seem to take offense.
“He is.” Viggo rose, catching Sebastian off guard. He took a step toward the couch, bringing him right up to Sebastian, and crouched down. Placing his hand on Sebastian’s knee, the imposing alpha gave it a squeeze. “I’ll give you a few days to think it over, but I hope you don’t want us out of your life completely. It would be a shame if we never got around to training your hole like we talked about.”
Sebastian choked on his own spit, sputtering and coughing as Viggo rose up and clapped him on the back.
“Sorry,” he said, embarrassed and still clearing his throat. Viggo’s hand came to rest on his back, his thumb just barely brushing up over the back of his neck, hot and heavy like a brand.
“Don’t apologize,” Viggo said, thumb moving back and forth, stroking over the knob of his spine. “That was my fault. I shouldn’t have been so crude.”
Withdrawing his hand, Sebastian’s skin tingling where his hand had just been, Viggo stood up and stepped back. “I’ll leave you to think things over. You can give me a call when you-”
