Red River (Pack 2)

“We’re eating at home tonight, Michael.” Jobe drew in air and let it out slowly, calming himself. “But thank you for the invitation.”

“Right, of course.” Michael bobbed his head. “He just arrived so you two probably want to…” His cheeks reddened and he looked flustered. “Ehm. Have a good night.” With a jittery wave, he hustled away.

Jobe turned to Wesley, who was staring in the direction Michael had retreated. When he didn’t say anything for a few seconds and then looked at Jobe with his eyebrows raised, the memory of his previous rejection slammed into Jobe, bringing with it the worries and insecurities he had forgotten after his morning communion with Mother Nature. In less than a day, Wesley’s presence had unleashed Jobe’s carefully contained desires and dreams, turning him inside out. Being with his mate was like walking a tightrope. If he leaned too far in one direction, he could find himself alone for the rest of his life, with only a fading memory of the person meant for him keeping his heart beating. But if he overcorrected, he risked alienating a man the pack needed, the man he needed.

“I promised you steak for dinner,” Jobe said in an effort to bring back the jovial atmosphere that had surrounded them all day. “I want to make sure you know I keep my word.”

Another long silence where Wesley looked at Jobe appraisingly, and then he said, “I do appreciate reliability, and all day I’ve been craving”—he licked his lips—“steak.”

“Good.” Jobe sighed in relief. He flicked his gaze to the antique grandfather clock next to the shelves holding board games and books. “Let’s head home in about half an hour?”

“That works.” Wesley’s brown eyes remained fixed on him.

“Good,” Jobe said again, mustering up a smile. “Because it looks like the pups aren’t ready to let you go quite yet.”

They had all plopped down on the floor, surrounded Wesley, and started chattering, their faces beaming just from being in his presence. Jobe had always known the pack’s young would connect with his mate. After all, his arrival and their union would bless Red River with new lives. But knowing and seeing were two different things, and the sight of Wesley with kids made his chest ache.

He returned to his chair by the fire, letting the children have his mate’s attention while he tried to reengage in the conversation he’d been having with the adults. When he heard his name being said in a tone that indicated it wasn’t the first time, he realized he had failed.

“Sorry about that. What were you saying, Kellan?”

“I’ve never seen you so distracted.”

Mesmerized was a better description for how he felt. The life he had fantasized about, the future he had desperately sought out and then fervently tried to ignore, were suddenly so close he could almost touch them.

“Something tells me my preschool class is going to be much bigger in a few years,” said Brett.

“Oh yeah.” Kellan flicked his gaze from Wesley to Jobe. “We’re heading for a baby boom, right?”

It was Jobe’s second most fervent wish. The first being his mate’s presence in his life, his pack, his home, and his bed. But he had to be patient and calm, rather than trying to rush the future. That was a lesson he had learned all too well. His skin suddenly prickled with the urge to change forms and run. Time outside, closer to Mother Nature, would clear his head and relax him.

“I’m heading out,” he said as he stood. “Enjoy the rest of your evening.” He walked over to Wesley and the children. “I’m going for a quick run outside. The greenery here is different than behind our house and my wolf likes the variety. Do you want to come with me?”

“Su—” Wesley stopped speaking mid-word, glanced down, and then rubbed his palm over his stomach and said, “The little ones want to show me their playground. Want to meet me there after your run?”

A pang of need stabbed through Jobe as he stared at Wesley’s moving hand and heard him talk about pups. “Yes,” he rasped, curling his fingers into tight fists to keep himself from replacing Wesley’s touch with his own. His mate needed time to settle into life in Red River, life with him, and then their relationship would blossom as fate intended. In the meantime, being with Wesley put Jobe’s body on alert, testing his usually endless patience. He really did need that run. “I won’t be long.”

Chapter 5

Less than a month earlier, Wesley had been driving to a strange place, feeling resentful and used. Preparing himself for what he had assumed would be a new version of the same battle he had been fighting all his life, he had shored up his defenses for yet another pack that’d keep him at arm’s length. But from the moment he had crossed into Red River territory, he had been treated with friendliness and respect. The genuine smiles and abundance of attention from every shifter he had met, young to old, had erased any doubt he’d had about his welcome. And while he had a lot to learn about his new pack, after only three weeks, he already felt more at home in Red River than in the pack where he had been born and had lived for thirty-three years.