He remained silent, happy with his thoughts of Rebecca. He wasn’t ready to share them with the pack just yet.
“Guys, haven’t you smelled him?” Eli asked.
This made Liam pause and turn to look toward his group of friends. He didn’t like this.
“He stinks like a woman. A human female.”
Their gazes all landed on him, and he sighed. “So I met someone.”
“A human someone,” Jake said, inhaling the air. “She sweet? She smells sweet.”
“It’s been a couple of days. How the hell are you still smelling her?” With hands on his hips, he glared at the three mated males. If they’d not had females of their own, tonight could have ended differently.
“There are only two possible reasons,” Jake said.
“Number one, she was wearing way too much perfume and it’s kind of seeped into your pores and you need an extra shower,” Eli said.
“Or two, she’s your mate,” Ben said.
“I’d go with two. He’s been behaving like a mated male lately,” Jake said.
“Which now makes us wonder, why you’ve been hiding her.” Eli faced him. “We’re part of your pack. We’re not going to try and take her from you.”
Staring at the three members of his pack that were also his friends, Liam felt guilty. They’d each come to him when they found their woman that they loved, and yet he’d kept his a secret.
“Rebecca’s not like any other woman. She’s not pack. She’s different.”
“All of our women are different, Liam,” Jake said.
“Rebecca struggles in social situations. She’s not good around lots of other people. It’s why I’ve not pushed the issue. Also, she hasn’t called me again.” He shrugged.
“You’ve been so damn busy with hunting things in the woods, would you have even answered?” Eli asked.
“Look, it doesn’t matter. Until I know every single inch of this forest is safe, I’m not bringing her around. She seems to draw danger, and I’m not willing to risk her life for me.” He saw his three friends wanted to argue, but he took off, tracing every step through the forest, trying not to think about how good she’d felt in his arms, or what he wanted to do to her when he finally got her alone.
For years, his pack had been left alone. Being a fierce alpha, not willing to be stepped on, he’d done right by his pack. They were loyal to him and him alone. He made sure they all had a good life without interference from the outside world.
Ben, Eli, and Jake had all become mated recently, and he was in the process of building their homes for them. Whatever they wanted, he’d make sure they got, and he was like this with all of his pack.
He may be alpha, but they were his family, and that meant he stuck by them.
His pack was worried about him. He smelled their concern but ignored it as he made his way out to the edge of the forest, taking a turn that allowed him to look down from the highest peak. Right there, above the tree line, he looked back, seeing his land and the town just past it. It was a thing of beauty to him. If he got the chance to have Rebecca here one day, she’d love it. He just knew she would. He wanted to open her world up to so much more.
She loved everything he’d shown her so far, and she’d not wanted their date to end. He’d been the one to bring it to a close for her own safety.
Glancing around the forest, he took a deep breath, and tried not to think about her. Rebecca was proving to be a distraction, albeit a good one.
“It’s all clear,” Jake said, startling him.
“When did you sneak up on me?”
“You think none of us remember what it was like to find our mate? How distracted we were? You’re our alpha, and we won’t let anything happen to you.”
He stepped back through the thick set of the forest and stared at Jake.
“I won’t let anything happen to the pack,” Liam said.
“It’s not wrong or weak to have someone watching your back. If for whatever reason our enemies are near, they’ll use your distraction to their advantage. We can’t allow that to happen.”