Page 11

He stood politely when Raschid came into the kitchen, frowning when he saw his alpha was alone. Raschid should never be out of the immediate pack area unaccompanied, especially at the moment. Raschid met his gaze. “Tarran is outside.”

Victor felt a little mollified. Tarran wasn’t bad. He had trained the man himself. Raschid walked over to Mo, who was gazing at him like a kid on Christmas Morning and Raschid held his hand out to shake.

The snarl was out of Victor’s throat before he knew what he was doing. Raschid met his gaze and, mortified, Victor immediately showed him his neck, cringing at his display of submission. But challenging his alpha? Raschid would be well within his rights to rip out Victor’s throat.

Then he stilled as he realized he wasn’t standing alone. Zack was also on his feet, although he remained silent, and just stood next to Victor, very close. Zack had moved, so he was shielding both him and Mo with his big frame. Victor was too stunned to speak, even when Raschid smiled politely at Mo, but withdrew his hand. No one had ever stood in front of Victor against any threat.

“Outside,” Raschid ordered quietly, and Victor’s heart sank.

He took one last glance at his mate and took a step, but Zack had moved again and was blocking him. Raschid glanced at Zack. “I am no threat to either of your mates, I just need to discuss pack business with my beta commander.”

Victor sidestepped Zack and went outside after his alpha, not looking Zack in the eyes.

He paused when Raschid turned to him, an amused smile on his face.

Victor stared at him in shock. “Alpha—”

But Raschid put his hand up. “No, that in there was my mistake. You made it obvious last night that the human is your mate, and if he had been a wolf, I would never have touched him. But you’re just as much an alpha as I am, and I shouldn’t have forgotten that. The bear is an interesting development, though.”

Victor groaned and his shoulders sagged. “You’re telling me.” Then he wanted to bite his tongue. Zack would have heard him.

“The only reason I asked you outside is to confirm the bear is also your mate? I am aware most of them inside can still hear us, but not the human. Sorry, Mo, I believe he prefers to be called?”

Victor nodded. Not that his alpha really needed any sort of confirmation with the way Victor was behaving.

“The immediate problem, well, for us, is logistics. I know you mentioned the cottage near here, but if your mate is truly in danger, it’s too isolated.”

Victor didn’t have a solution, but Raschid stunned him again by slapping him on the back. “Come on, let’s go back inside and discuss this.”

Victor followed him back into the house and met Mo’s anxious gaze. Zack didn’t bother looking him in the eye.Shit.

“Victor asked me about the spare cottage the pack has, but the development with Zack makes that impossible, as I’m sure Zack is aware.” And Victor understood. They were mates, and Zack had a son. They couldn’t take the child into any sort of risky situation.

“Because of Mattie,” Riley agreed.

“I’m not about to start putting kids at risk,” Mo chimed in.

“Of course not,” Raschid agreed calmly. “The simple solution is that the three of them stay here, and the pack will protect the property.”

Victor glanced at his alpha in shock.

“Apart from the fact that Victor is pack, which extends to his mates, even if the logistics are somewhat challenging, or the issue that Daniel informed me of this morning, there’s still the issue of the drugs and the high school, which also involve the pack.”

Victor heard Zack quickly explain to Mo what Raschid had told them last night. “No,” Mo said. “I absolutely won’t put any children in danger by staying here.” Victor almost smiled at the stubborn lift of Mo’s chin.

Raschid glanced at Zack questioningly. “Mo, we understand that. We really do, but the fact is, this place is already on their radar or they wouldn’t have left you here.”

“It was a warning,” Mo said. “We all know that.”

“We do,” Raschid confirmed. “But if you stay here, we can protect you.”

Mo opened his mouth to object, but Raschid shook his head. “My pack has over five hundred gamma wolves, many of them trained by Victor himself. Everyone is safer here.” Riley stood and pulled his phone out, his fingers flying over the keys.

“Five hundred?” Mo gaped. Victor was immensely relieved Raschid hadn’t pointed out the obvious. That neither Zack nor he could be apart from Mo, certainly not once they were bonded.

And what about him and Zack? He nearly missed what Riley said because the thought of him being bonded had stunned him so much. But now it was in his head. He tried to shift unobtrusively to give himself a little more room in his pants.

“But won’t your family object?” Mo asked.