“Sleep.” Isaac climbed off the bed and started to reach for his clothes.
Michael frowned. “Aren’t you joining me?”
Isaac’s gaze swept over him, a wistful look in his eyes. “As appealing as that is. I have a few things to take care of.” He hesitated, taking a fleeting look at Michael’s mouth before shaking his head and turning away to pull on his clothes. “I’ll be back later.”
The door closed with a gentle snick, and Michael stared up at the ceiling. Surrounded by their combined scents in a bed that smelled of sex, it was easy to imagine that the years apart meant nothing. That they could fall back into their relationship as if the last five years hadn’t happened.
But they had.
And Isaac was right. They didn’t know each other anymore.
But Michael wanted to change that. Wanted to learn all about the little things that made up the alpha of the Mothecombe pack.
Isaac was harder to read than he remembered, but Michael got the impression he wanted that too.
They just had a revolution to get through first.
“Fuck.” He scrubbed his hands over his face and sighed. Isaac was right about him needing to rest too. Tiredness meant mistakes, and they couldn’t afford to make any with what was at stake.
I’ll shower later.
Closing his eyes, Michael settled back into the warmth of Isaac’s bed, his wolf content under his skin. As he pulled the quilt over him, the familiar smell wafted up and Michael smiled.
Home.
It was the last thought drifting through his mind as sleep claimed him.
* * *
The soundof the door opening roused Michael from sleep sometime later, and he shot upright, instantly alert, his warning snarl filling the room.
“Hey.” Isaac stood in the doorway, making no move to come closer until Michael relaxed his stance.
“Shit, sorry.” Michael shook his head, unable to believe he’d growled at Isaac. In his own fucking bedroom.
Isaac shrugged. “I’d be more concerned if you weren’t on edge. Despite what happened between us last night, this is still unfamiliar pack territory for you.”
As much as Michael didn’t want to feel that way—it was Isaac’s pack, not some fucking stranger’s—a large part of him felt uneasy.
Because you lost your pack and your territory overnight.
And it hurt.
He rubbed a hand over his chest, not used to feeling so... lost.
“Here,” Isaac said, finally walking over to the bed and brandishing a tray full of food. “It’ll get better.”
“Will it?”
How many alphas did they know who’d been stripped of their pack and home? In Michael’s experience, they either died or gave up being alpha but still stayed in the pack. “We’re not meant to be alone.”
Isaac set the tray on the bed. “You’re not alone.”
Michael sighed but conceded Isaac’s point with a small nod. “We’re not pack, though.”
“Yes you are. They just need time to understand that you did what you had to. We’re all on the same side.”
Light shone through the curtains, not the bright of early morning, more like the muted light of late afternoon or early evening. Changing the subject, Michael nodded towards the window. “What time is it?”
