The longer I talked, the more confused Mika looked. "You got a random tattoo?" He said when I finished. "That's brave." Once again, his tone was neutral instead of condescending, which amazed me.
"You and Becca are close," he said. "That's cool that you both got tattoos at the same time."
Grateful for the subject change, I kept it short. "She's been my best friend since forever." Then my tongue decided I needed to overshare. "I'm a little worried she's going to marry Bruce, move to the suburbs, and forget all about me in a matter of months."
Instead of losing interest, Mika frowned and shook his head. "She doesn't strike me as the type, and Bruce wouldn't let her. He's a big believer in family of all types, especially found family."
"Tell me more." Everything I knew about Bruce was what Becca had told me. When he showed up for date nights, that was my signal to leave. And, of course, Becca gushed afterward and said he was the best guy in the world. Hearing a similar story from Mika would ease my anxiety about my bestie's future, or so I thought.
I also might have wanted him to keep talking. His voice was low and melodious. Even when he talked about banking, he lured me in.
"Bruce's family isn't quite as large as mine, but it's big for a wolf pack. He got lost after his first shift, and he ended up in meerkat territory. We coexist with the wolves, but he was the first one I'd met. He wandered into our garden and started chasing my cousins. This was before I could shift, so I was keeping watch."
Mika chuckled at the memory. "I yelled at him until he shifted back, and he was apologetic. He said he only wanted toplay, and I believed him because he was so young. It had been his first shift."
From Becca's story of how she'd discovered he was a shifter, Bruce had a hard time controlling the change when he was young.
"My cousins and I walked him back to his territory," Mika continued, "but then he wanted us to meet his dad, their pack alpha. My cousins shifted back to their meerkat forms and ran away, but I stayed. I didn't have much of a choice, not being able to shift, and I didn't want to be rude."
Mika grabbed another fry from the plate and washed it down with a swig of beer before continuing. "I really didn't know what to expect, meeting a pack alpha. Our clan dynamic is different from most shifters. Mom's a beta, but she's our leader. She treats the rest of us like betas. Until I scented Bruce's dad, and he scented me, I didn't even know I was an alpha. He greeted me like an equal, and I nearly passed out on their kitchen floor."
"It must be cool to be an alpha." I couldn't keep the wistfulness from my tone. I'd always been a little jealous of my big, strong alpha schoolmates. When I felt sorry for myself, I wondered if my omega dad would respect me more if I was an alpha instead.
Mika laughed. "I thought it would be cool, too, but my mom put the kibosh on posturing the moment I got home. She smelled the alpha wolf on me and sat me down for a long talk about how outdated customs based on gender roles were unwelcome in her household."
"Did she threaten to kick you out?"
His eyes widened in horror. "Worse! She offered me her leadership position! She said I could see how I liked leading our family for a day. I knew better than to take her up on it. My mom's … not to sound speciesist, but she's superhuman. I was only thirteen. Even now, I wouldn't last a day in her shoes."
I glanced down at the plate of fries to find it empty. I'd been so engrossed in his story, I'd eaten the rest. "Want seconds?" I asked.
"I should probably head back to my apartment for some real food." He offered his hand again. "It was great getting to know you better, Gabe."
I didn't want the night to end, but I didn't know how to continue. My apartment was a one-bedroom efficiency two blocks from the courthouse. Perfect commute, but lax on "bring a date home" luxuries, like walls between the bedroom and living room, and enough space to put all my stuff.
Mika studied me for another moment. "I bet we could find the meerkat show on one of my streaming services while we eat dinner, if you want to join me."
"Alone? At your apartment?" I might have squeaked.
He frowned. "Wait. How old are you? I assumed you were Becca's age?—"
"Twenty-eight." I assumed Mika was close to my age, since Bruce was only a year older.
"So … your dads won't let you date until you're thirty?"
I fanned my face and laughed. "Nothing like that. I'm not a 'take me back to your place' kind of guy, I guess?" I tried to laugh it off, but Mika stared at me until I sobered and offered the truth. "I don't like being alone with alphas."
Mika nodded. "That's fair. Would it help if I told you I'm not allowed to mate without my mom's permission?"
He waited for me to swig the last of my beer before dropping that question on me. I snorted beer through my nose by accident. I grabbed the pile of napkins in the center of our table and clutched it to my face while I continued to laugh-choke.
Finally, I managed to sputter, "Dude, you've gotta wait for a guy to swallow before you say things like that!"
He grinned. "I can think of three lewd responses to that, but I won't say them out loud because I'm a gentleman."
Despite my earlier misgivings about being alone with an alpha, I wished I was alone with him right now. I would drop to my knees and pry those responses from him. I wanted to hear those same sexy noises he made over his food in a more appropriate setting.
My tattoo itched, and I glanced down at it. For a moment, it looked like the meerkat winked at me.
