Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 47519 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 158(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47519 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 158(@300wpm)
“I want you again,” Brian said as he stepped into them.
“Glad to hear it.” Keith kissed his cheek and pressed his shirt into his hands. “I’ll be fast.”
“Okay.” He glanced at the clothes Keith had set out for himself. “We can get you your own things.”
He had been sharing Brian’s wardrobe because he had nothing of his own, they were the same size, and he enjoyed draping himself in the faint scent of his mate.
“You keep saying that and I keep telling you that I’d rather wear yours.” He turned on the shower and stepped under the cold spray, not wanting to lose time. “Unless you mind sharing.”
“I like sharing with you. I’m only offering because I don’t want you to ever go without.”
“I know.” His heart softened once again. He opened the door and smiled at Brian. “Thank you. Go on. I’ll be right behind you.”
Chapter 7
“Peters,” Brian said by way of greeting. It was as polite as he could bring himself to be to Morgan Peters. He wanted to like the man on his doorstep because getting along with a neighboring pack’s Alpha would be good for Purple Sky, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
The first time they had met had been when Brian was new to Purple Sky and he had visited Morgan Peters’s Golden Valley pack. Everyone there had been rude. Ricky Marx, the Omega Brian had brought with him, had been upset, and Peters had been less than welcoming. After that, Peters had come to Purple Sky looking for Ricky, and when Brian fought him, Peters insulted him by refusing to engage. Then to make matters worse, Ricky said Peters was his mate, and he moved to Golden Valley to be with him. On top of all of that, seemingly everyone on the planet thought well of this man, thus implying that Brian had poor judgment because he was the only one who didn’t like him.
“Hi, Alpha Berger. I realize I shouldn’t have come unannounced but—”
“Then why are you here?” he snapped. Peters was literally in the middle of explaining himself and yet Brian had cut him off to ask the question he had been answering. He bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from saying anything else and embarrassing himself further by displaying another lack of control.
“Honestly? I didn’t think you’d be willing to talk to me or see me if you knew I was coming.”
“And yet here you are.” Really, why couldn’t he stop himself from behaving like a snarky teenager? This wasn’t his normal. He blamed Peters for bringing out the worst in him.
Unfazed, Peters kept his tone even and his voice at a normal volume. The bastard. “I was told that you removed Keith Iredell from his pack. I came for him.”
All efforts at civility flew out the window as he growled and stepped forward, hands clenched into fists. Nobody was taking his mate.
Frustratingly, Morgan remained unruffled and unintimidated. “Alpha Berger, I’m sure Keith didn’t mean whatever he said or did. He never truly defends himself, so whatever you’ve been doing to him can’t have been fair fights. I understand that you’re a bit temperamental, but surely, you’re too honorable for that. I’ll take him with me and compensate you for…whatever it was that happened.”
Who was he to call Brian temperamental? He would have said just that, but the confusion over Peters’s words overrode his offense at how condescending they sounded. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about Keith Iredell. You took him from Green Field, right?”
“Yes.”
“He isn’t dead or you would have had to report that to Green Field. Where is he now?”
“What do you want with Keith?” Brian shouted through bared teeth.
“I want to offer him a safe place to live.”
There was no place safer for his mate than under his protection. “You aren’t taking him anywhere.” Brian had moved even closer and Peters hadn’t retreated so they were now chest-to-chest.
“Keith Iredell has been through a lot in his life, and whatever happened to upset you wasn’t his fault. Please, just let him leave without a fight. I’ll compensate you for any offense.”
Why did this Alpha think he had any dominion over Brian’s mate? “Who do you think you are coming onto my packlands and making demands?” he shouted in Peters’s face. “Ricky called and asked me not to get violent, but if you don’t get the fuck out of here right now, that’s exactly what’s going to happen.”
“Alpha Berger, listen to me,” Peters’s voice had gotten even lower, his cadence slower. “The last time you threatened me, I held back because I understood that the fault for my mate leaving was mine and mine alone and I didn’t want to harm anyone who was protecting him. This isn’t the same situation. You can try to fight me if you must, but when the dust settles, I will be the one standing and I will help Keith Iredell. Please, save all of us the trouble and bloodshed and release him.”