His handsome face is skeptical in the shadows.
“I promise I won’t come in any further unless you need me to, and I’ll stay out of your way.”
Seemingly satisfied, he returns to his work, hauling out armfuls of junk and laying it near the dumpsters. We—or more accurately,he—is at it for a good thirty minutes or more, me standing there like I’m inept, thinking that there has to be an easier way to do this, when a voice calls out from behind me.
“Hey!”
I turn to find Jasper jogging toward us at a slow, steady pace, still favoring his leg.
“What are you doing here?” I ask once he’s within earshot, and he gives me a dramatic, sad look.
“You didn’t want to see me?”
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it. Why are you here so early?”
He shrugs his broad shoulders. “My Spidey Senses were tingling. They told me you needed a hand. And it looks like they were right.”
He peers into the trailer where I’m shining the flashlight, and takes a long look at Ezra, a tiny wrinkle forming between his brows.
If I’d known Jasper was coming, I would have warned him. It’s only right that he knows that Ezra is here, and who he is to us. But things don’t always work out like lining up dominoes.
“Ezra,” I call, and he turns to look at me, then Jasper, his gaze slightly hostile. Slightly. There’s an inquisitiveness there, too. “This is Jasper.”
Jasper moves up the stairs and into the trailer, arm extended in a friendly gesture. Ezra yanks off his glove and takes the hand. As they shake, I swear azingof electricity crackles between their gazes. Something competitive, but not exactly angry anymore.
Actually, I don’t know what it is.
Men are weird.
My phone chimes from my pocket, and I know who it is before I check it. I gave Jasper and Adam their own tones once I had their numbers.
“Hey, Jasper? Would you take over with the light for a couple of minutes?”
“Sure thing, Adley.” It’s like he doesn’t want to turn his back on Ezra, backing up to where I’m standing and holding his hand out for the handle of the flashlight.
I roll my eyes, hand it to him, and walk out into the newly risen sun, phone in hand.
Adam
Hey, I have some stuff I want to show you. When’s a good time to come by?
I huff a laugh, take a pic of Jasper and Ezra in the trailer, and send it to him.
Me
Any time works for me.
I pause for a second, realizing I have the chance to warn Adam where I didn’t with Jasper. I tap his icon to call him.
“Hey,” he says on the first ring.
“Hey, yourself.” I keep my voice low as I walk away from the trailer and out of earshot. “Listen, Jasper showed up unannounced, so I didn’t get to tell him, and it didn’t come up when you were here last night, but…”
What do I say? How do I tell him that Ezra has to be his other pack brother because he’s my Alpha?
“The big guy in the back of the trailer in that pic is named Ezra. He’s your and Jasper’s pack brother.”
The words just kind of spew from my lips, no preamble, no warning.
