“Not me, food!” I shook my head, and they both chuckled.
I pulled on a pair of boxers and headed into the kitchen to find absolutely nothing to make them unless they wanted ramen or dry cereal without milk. Besides one random apple that had seen better days, there was nothing else resembling breakfast food.
“Change of plans. We’re going out.”
There was a knock at the door.
“Hold on, guys. I don’t know who that is.” Around here, it could be anyone—one of the kids, one of the residents, somebody from work. Up until less than a day ago, I’d been single. There’d be no reason for them not to just knock. But when I opened the door, there was no one there, just a utility cart with a tray of food on it.
A note from Zevo read,Happy day off.
I wheeled it in and shut the door. “No going out. Nope. My boss told me to have a happy day off.”
We ate mounds of eggs, a platter of waffles, and a tray of fruit, and drank the exceptional coffee—which, given this was a bar, was something I’d initially been surprised by.
“Your boss is really nice,” Indy said.
“He is. He and his mates got together here and he wants that for everyone. He’s kind of romantic like that. They have the most adorable family.”
“Speaking of families,” Seth said, putting his coffee cup down, “we told you a little bit about ours. What about yours?”
By “a little bit,” it was a very little bit, but I knew they were from neighboring packs, although being unicorns, they didn’t call them that, and that they were the forbidden love that refused to be ignored. I was glad for that because it was what brought them here.
“My omega dad died when I was really young. I don’t really remember him, and my father is the pack beta. He did a pretty good job bringing me up, given he was raising me without a mate.” I didn’t want to ignore the badness of my life, but I didn’t want to dwell on it with them either.
“Why does it feel like there’s a but there?” Seth asked, resting his hand on my knee.
“Our pack alpha and his mate had no children, and they wanted my father to become the next in line. Somehow, in all that mess, my father thought it would be a good idea for me to get mated to a stranger to show…honestly, I don’t even know what. I don’t get into pack politics. So, long story short, that’s why I’m here.”
“If you don’t get into pack politics, what are you into?” Indy asked.
His question took me off guard. No one, except my father, had ever been interested in what I liked. I was always the pack beta’s son first and foremost. My identity had been completely tied to politics.
“Honestly? I want to finish my college degree. And not loving politics doesn’t mean I’m anti-pack. I loved living in a pack. This place is kind of like my new one. But as far as the who is the boss and how do they interact with other packs, I guess it feels unimportant?”
“Probably not the best time to tell you that we’re both next in line to be alphas,” Seth said.
Of course I put my foot all the way in my mouth. Still, it was probably best for them to know. “Is that a problem?”
“It’s not ideal,” Indy said.
“It’s not like we are rivals or anything. Nothing you need to worry about,” Seth added. “We’ll figure it out.”
It took me a second to realize they weren’t answering the question I thought I’d asked. There was more to them being future alphas than I realized.
“Speaking of figuring it out, I was wondering if we all fit in the shower.” Indy stood up and held his hands out for us both.
If this had been a math test with area, or was it volume? Whatever it was, I’d have gotten it wrong. Turns out that as small as that shower was, three mates did fit.
Chapter Fourteen
Indy
Seth and I extended our trip another two weeks. We needed time to figure things out with Bram. If I thought about the future, my mind became overwhelmed. I only had the energy to focus on the now. We needed to get to know Bram. Seth and I had a relationship for years. How Bram fit into it to make us whole was top priority.
My phone blew up with calls and texts from Dad. I answered only one, addressing it to him and Papa, telling them I needed more time before I came home for good. I told them I was not going to answer calls or texts for two weeks. I revealed no other information.
Dad kept texting questions and worries. As did Papa. I pushed all that to the side. My mates needed me. Right now. Our lives were changing. At this time, it was nobody’s business but our own.
