Page 64 of Alpha Mates

As it turned out, I needed to reevaluate my understanding of the wordwin.

From the moment we’d gotten into Emitt’s car, I’d been provided with reason after reason why I never altered my routines. The danger wasn’tbeyond our borders—it was right here, in the front seat, against my sanity. Aiden and Emitt had not stopped speaking once, rattling on in half-finished sentences that felt more like code than conversation. They are loud too, obnoxiously so, and with Aiden in the passenger seat and Emitt driving, I can’t do much but watch on in pained silence.

“Are you going to watch the game on Friday?”

I tune out there, officially giving up. Sports were where my patience met its end, especially when it came to ones as confusingly named asfootball.

I dig my current read out of my bag, humming when my name is mentioned, but otherwise leave my attention on my pages. It continues like this until Emitt makes a right turn I’ve never taken before. My eyes snap up as my heart tries to lurch, but I’m in a car of werewolves, so I quickly tame it. I catalogue every unfamiliar detail until Emitt parks us right in front of a blue and white building with the letters IHOP written in blue.

It doesn’t look particularly dangerous.

“Jewels?”

I drag my attention from the window to Aiden’s shaded stare. He’s still worried about me, as if he doesn’t expect me to actually go in with them, but I’ve never been one to back down.

“Let’s go,” I say, and I’m the first one out of the car.

We grab only essentials—my book, their phones and wallets—before Emitt leads the way. Aiden stops me long enough to plop his spare shades on my nose before we slip inside. The restaurant isn’t anything different from what I’ve seen on television programmes, but I still spin twice to observe every feature.

There’s a server in front of us before the door even shuts who’s quick to lead us to a gleaming booth by the window. Heart thumping, I slide into the far corner, leaving the seat beside me empty for Aiden, but he doesn’t follow. Instead, he sits with Emitt.

My brows pinch, but I brush it off. So Aiden chose to sit with Emitt—this is their tradition. Even if I’m his mate, I’m the tag-along right now. It’s not a big deal.

I take my time going through the menu, but I barely manage to navigate it. Aiden said to tell him if I have any questions, but he doesn’t know I have questions about everything.

The server returns too soon, and Emitt and Aiden are quick to rattle off their order. I take the safe route and ask for the same thing as Aiden without the bacon. I breathe out a sigh of relief when she goes without question, and it’s drowned out when Aiden and Emitt return to their earlier conversation.

They’re off the topic of sports now and instead catch up on all the littlethings Aiden’s missed recently in the pack. I try to spot a moment to jump in, but I’ve never been good with socialising. Which is fine. I don’t think I have very much to add regardless, so I return to the safety of my book.

Well, I try to.

I can’t quite manage to focus my attention there. My eyes keep lifting to them, or more specifically, to how they interact.

Emitt doesn’t think twice about placing his hand on my mate’s shoulder, touching him freely as if Aiden is his. When they laugh, they shove at one another, roughhousing until their faces draw close enough to share the same air, making my stomach knot.

Friends aren’t usually this close, are they? At times, Beckett placed his arm over my shoulder, but that’s Beckett, he doesn’t count. Besides, I still tried to thwart that habit. Aiden doesn’t push Emitt off. He smiles.

My stomach turns as I stare at my book. I’ve been stuck on the same page for far too long, but I haven’t read a single word.

It’s ridiculous, feeling this upset over nothing, especially when Aiden and I only found common ground yesterday, but I can’t help it.

Maybe you should try to get in there,Alex suggests as the food arrives and pauses their conversation.Ask Emitt a question.

Setting my book aside, I think for a moment before I open my mouth to ask Emitt if he practised saying blessings—only to watch him shove a whole waffle down his throat.

I don’t think he even chews.

He eats as if there’s a gun to his head, and Aiden is no better. The pair of them eating like starved, savage mutts. Question forgotten, along with any attempts to “get in there,” I collect my cutlery and eat my meal like a civilised being.

Their chatter is quieter now, easier to follow. It’s easier to endure too, but then Emitt reaches for Aiden’s shoulder and onto his plate. As swiftly as a cat, Emitt swipes a stick of bacon up and into his mouth, Aiden nearly wrestles him out of the booth as he tries to force his jaw open. Then, abandoning the battle, he steals Emitt’s drink from the table instead. He sips from his straw, not that Emitt minds since he drinks from it right after.

My eye twitches.

That’s like a kiss right there! Indirect, but still a kiss,Alex snarls, abandoning all notions of making friends with Emitt.

I want to tell him it’s not a kiss, indirect or not, but I can’t. Aiden’s saliva is in Emitt’s mouth, and knowing that promises that I won’t know peace again until I reclaim my mate.

It doesn’t matter how slight it is—logic means nothing to a mated wolf.