“That would have been a shitty thing to do,” Ryker said.
Dylan chuckled, not sounding amused. “Yeah, it would have.” He took his hands out of his pockets, giving them a half-hearted wave and turning around. “I’ll talk to you later.”
Ryker watched him walk quickly across the diner floor and out the door, slumping back in his seat when he disappeared from sight.
“Well, that could have gone worse,” August said.
Ryker looked at him to see if he was kidding.
“It could have! He didn’t freak out or think that we did this to him on purpose.”
“That’s a pretty low bar.”
“He didn’t seem angry with you,” Steve added, his tone thoughtful. When neither Ryker or August protested him voicing an opinion, he continued, “I think he just needs some time to process what you told him.”
Ryker sighed, hands resting in his lap. He’d only finished about half his food, but he wasn’t in the mood to eat any more. His appetite was gone, which for the morning after a full moon was unheard of. He turned to Steve, studying the younger man. He was still eating, hunched over his plate and shoveling food into his mouth like a machine.
“You think?” he asked.
Steve turned toward him. “I mean, things were going really well, right? He likes you a lot. This is a shock, that’s all. He’ll get used to the idea and things will be fine.”
Ryker hoped he was right.
“I’m sorry you got dragged into it.”
Steve put down his fork, his expression sheepish. “I’m not.”
“No?” Ryker asked, mood lightening. Even if the situation with Dylan was less than ideal, at least things had gone according to plan with Steve.
“No.”
Last night’s full moon had been one of their best ever – Steve slotting into place like they’d known each other for years – and if it hadn’t been for the trainwreck that was Dylan turning into an omega, Ryker was pretty sure he’d be pushing for them to have a conversation about the younger alpha right about now.
Ryker liked Steve, and spending a full moon with him had only made him like him more.
“We should do it again, before the next full moon,” August said, making both Ryker and Steve look at him. “Head out to the preserve, I mean.”
August still had a worried look about him, but it seemed that Steve’s words had helped a little.
“I’d be up for that,” Ryker said.
“Me too,” Steve said, looking like he was trying not to grin. He sounded thrilled. “I have to work next weekend, but the weekend after that I’m off.”
He was practically bouncing in his seat.
“All right, it’s a date,” Ryker said, enjoying the way his choice of words made Steve blush. He looked at August, wondering if he’d be annoyed that he was using the worddate, but August just rolled his eyes at him.
17
DYLAN
When Dylan got home from the diner, still reeling from the discovery that he was a werewolf come addict, he crawled into bed and hid under the covers.
He was in way over his head.
Every time he tried to process the fact that he was tied to August and Ryker for the rest of his life, his heart started beating fast and his chest felt like someone was sitting on it – and not in the fun way like when August planted his ass on his chest and sat there slapping his dick down on his face.
Dylan groaned, his cock twitching at the memory of August’s massive member smacking his cheeks. He didn’t understand how he could be turned on by the memory of August’s playful domination and still feel this anxious. The two feelings should be incompatible, and the fact that they existed at the same time made Dylan worry that his arousal was a manifestation of being an omega.
