Page 2

~Adrian~

“Seriously?”

I crossed my arms and glared at my brother. “Yes.”

Colton shook his head. “Adrian—”

“There’s no fucking way I’m letting him walk away, Colt.”

“No, I imagine not, but he sure doesn’t seem to feel the same. You can’t just chain him to your bed until he’s on the same page.”

“I’m fully aware of that, asshole. I’m taking him home so he can recover. It will give us a chance to talk in private, too.”

“And if he wants to leave?” Colton asked, one eyebrow raised.

“Then I’ll take him wherever he wants to go. He’s not a prisoner.”

Colton sighed. “All right. I need to get back to my other patients. I’ve sent the script to the pharmacy. Keep me updated?”

“Of course.”

“Mom’s going to freak out. You know that, right? You’re the first to find a true mate. I think she was afraid we’d all grow old as bachelors and she’d never get grandkids.”

I couldn’t help but smirk. “One step at a time.”

Colton patted my shoulder and left for another patient’s room. I closed my eyes and took a deep, calming breath. Maybe I had been a bit… abrasive and demanding. Carter was my mate, not a perp I had to chase down. Steeling myself for another round of vehement protests, I returned to the room. Carter had finished dressing and was on the bed, slipping on his battered shoes, when I walked in. The omega scowled at me. This whole scenario had been far easier in my head.

“Come on. Let’s go get your prescription. We can talk.”

“I should fucking leave. Cops are trouble, especially the assholes.”

I figured I deserved that. “I’m sorry.”

The apology seemed to surprise Carter, and the omega just stared at me. Then the thin shoulders slumped, and he let out a defeated, resigned sigh. “Let’s just go.”

I led Carter out of the hospital and to my car parked in the ER visitors’ lot. When I opened the passenger door, Carter eyed me with distrust.

“I’m not going to hurt you.”

Carter finally got in, and I shut the door with a sigh. I wasn’t too proud to admit I deserved anything and everything Carter dished out. I honestly had no idea how to fix this, though. I slid behind the wheel and buckled before starting the car. We swung by the pharmacy’s drive-thru a few minutes later. Thankfully, Chase was working the window this evening. When he gave me a questioning look, I just shook my head.

“Date of birth?” Chase asked.

“January 3rd,” Carter muttered.

I glanced back at Chase. He just rolled his eyes.

“Name?”

“Carter Goodwin,” I said.

Chase retrieved the meds, and I pulled out my credit card to pay for them. When he sent the receipt and prescriptions back through the little drawer, there was a handwritten note tucked beneath my card.

There’s a hell of a story here. Talk later?

I nodded and put my card back in my wallet before handing Carter the meds. “See you later.”

Carter didn’t speak until we left the drive-thru. “You know him?”

“Chase is my youngest brother,” I replied. I glanced at him briefly. “Dr. Colton Cross is the oldest.”

“How many brothers do you have?”

“Four. Colton, then me. Hayden and Ian are twins, and Chase is the youngest.” I looked over at him before refocusing on the road. “You?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him shrug. He continued staring out the window. “I, uh, don’t know at this point. I left my family pack several years ago, but I had two back then. Now I have no clue. Maybe more, maybe not.”

I wanted to ask if that’s why he was working the streets, but I’d already put my foot in my mouth and let my temper get the better of me. The last thing I needed was to scare my mate off. Before I could open my mouth, though, he sighed.

“I started offering myself up a few years ago. Always used a rubber, though. Can’t get knocked up.”

It took a considerable amount of effort to squash the surge of anger. I wasn’t pissed off at him, just the circumstances. “How are you feeling?”

“A little better, to be honest. The meds they gave me in the ER helped.”

I nodded and turned down the road that led to our family’s ranch. Technically, it was more like a compound since there were several buildings. The main house, though, was where we all lived. Carter whistled low when I pulled up in my usual spot to the side of the circular driveway.

“Damn.”

“We—my brothers and I—live here with our mother. We each have our own section, though. I love my family, but they can be insanely annoying.”

I got out and went around to open his door before he could. He gave me a wary, confused look. Car locked, meds in his hand, I led him to the front door. It opened just as we neared it. I groaned and steeled myself for the inevitable.

“Uh…” Hayden blinked. “Adrian?”

“Yeah,” I said, raking a hand through my hair. “Carter, this is Hayden.” I pointed to the taller of the twins. “And that’s Ian. Guys, this is Carter.”

He shook their hands. “Um, nice to meet you both,” he muttered.

Hayden smirked and shook his head. “I’d love to be a fly on the wall for this, but I have to get going. I’m already running late.”

Ian twirled his keys around his finger. “You gotta tell me how it goes. I’m out, dude.”

We watched the twins leave, and then we went inside. With Chase at the pharmacy and Colt still at the hospital, it left us with just Mom to contend with. She wasn’t strict or demanding, but she wasn’t a push-over either. I dealt with all manner of criminals—human and not—on a daily basis, but introducing my true mate to Estell Cross was a daunting prospect.

“Who…?”

I’d barely had the chance to shut the front door before turning to face our mother. “Mom—”

“No, no,” she said, holding up one hand like she did when one of her sons had a serious talking-to coming. “Young man, what’s your name?”

Carter cleared his throat. “Carter Goodwin, ma’am.”

She nodded. “Well, it is wonderful to meet you, Carter. Please call me Estell. Make yourself at home.” She gestured to the large sitting room where she’d been. “I need to speak with Adrian for a moment. Have a seat, get comfortable. We will be right back.”

She didn’t say another word as we watched Carter walk into the sitting room. Then she turned to me, her expression unreadable. She crossed her arms over her chest, one eyebrow raised. Even at my age, that look made me shiver.

“Start talking.”

I sighed and leaned against the wall. “I was leaving the bar and found him on the sidewalk. He’d passed out and hit his head. I took him to the ER. Colt said he had pneumonia. Well, and a head wound, but that’s healed.”

“So your brother met your mate before I did?”

“I wasn’t going to bring him here until he got checked out, Mom. He’s here now.”

“Colt texted me,” she said. Before I could reply, she raised a hand again. “He only wanted to give me a heads up, so don’t get pissed off at him.”

“He had no—”

She stepped closer, eyes narrowed. “Are you arguing with me?”

I swallowed and shook my head. “No, ma’am.”

“Good. Now I want to meet your mate properly.” She motioned toward the sitting room. “After you, Officer Cross.”