“What? But—”
“No. You don’t want help? Fine, but get a grip because I’ll have to take care of it if you don’t.”
Thomas sank back into his chair. He knew Kameron was right, even if he didn’t like it. A few months ago, he wouldn’t have even dreamed of being so nasty, and the fact that there was something about Jago that irked him wasn’t a good excuse for his behavior. “All right. I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
“I hope you’ll do just that. I’m giving you a special assignment anyway, so it should keep you out of trouble.”
Thomas’s stomach plummeted. Special assignment was usually code for stuff no one wanted to do, and for good reasons. “What?”
“You’re going to become Craig’s shadow for a while.”
Thomas sputtered. “What? You can’t make me babysit the guy!”
“I can, and it’s exactly what I’m going to do. I want Craig to be a pack member. He’s military trained, and Dominic says he’s trustworthy. He could be a valuable asset for the pack, so you’ll walk him around the pack grounds, you’ll talk to him and you’ll be nice. I want you to convince him that the pack could be a good home for him.”
“But—”
“Don’t be an ass, Thomas. I’m not asking you this as a friend, I’m ordering it as your alpha.” Kameron sat straighter in his chair, his eyes silently challenging Thomas just to try to defy him. Thomas’s wolf whimpered and rolled over in his mind, exposing his belly to their alpha.
Thomas was screwed.
* * * *
Craig smiled at the small beige-colored cat curled on one of the pillows. “What about him?”
“That’s Justin. He’s a sand cat shifter, but he hasn’t shifted in a while. I hope that’ll change now that we’re safe.”
Jago was still squeezing Craig’s hand, and Craig had noticed the hold became stronger every time someone Jago didn’t know came closer. It seemed the small shifter trusted only a handful of people present at the meeting, and Craig was one of those. “What are you going to do? Have you already thought about it?”
Jago slid one finger on Justin’s fur and smiled when Justin started to purr loudly. “I just don’t want to go home. I’m not ready to face my family.”
Craig could feel there was something there, something Jago wasn’t telling him and that had hurt him, but he wasn’t going to pry. Jago would tell him when he was ready. “I’m sure you can stay here, or maybe move to Whitedell.”
Jago turned to him. “What about you? Are you staying?”
“Honestly? I have no idea, not yet. I had a plan, but things have changed since Glass was captured. I don’t have to disappear anymore.”
“So you can do whatever you want.”
“Yeah, I can.” The possibilities hit Craig at once, and there were too many of them. He could choose a random city and move there, he could travel, or he could find a job that had nothing to do with guarding stuff and weapons in general. Craig wasn’t sure he could do anything different, though, but he did know he would have to get a job sooner or later. “But I can afford to take some time to think about it.”
A hand landed on his shoulder, so hard that he stumbled. “You could have called.”
Craig turned toward Dominic. “We already talked about this. I couldn’t call, couldn’t come by and meet with you. End of story.”
“Yeah, well. I’m still happy to see you’re fine.”
Craig nodded. “So, what now? What are you going to do with Glass?”
“We’re going to have a chat with his son. He’s the one who’s taken over the company, and he doesn’t seem to be a bastard like his father. He’s already looking into his father’s secret projects and giving us lists of shifters and places.”
“Do you need help to free them?”
Dominic shook his head. “Don’t worry, we have enough enforcers to do that now. They’re taking labs apart even now, and we’re expecting Glass’s son to come by once all the shifters are free and he’s taken care of the people who worked in the labs.”
Craig wasn’t sure he liked not being useful. He was at a loss about what to do, but he needed to do something, anything. “Well, let me know how things go.”
Dominic’s eyes were searching his face and he had the uncanny impression that the man was reading him, and doing so more accurately than he liked. “I’m sure Kam will find something for you to do.”
Craig shrugged. “He doesn’t have to. It’s not like he knows me.”
“He’s not stupid. He’ll use you any way you’ll let him.”
Craig arched a brow and Dominic barked out a laugh. “Okay, maybe not any way, because Zach would have your hide, but you know what I mean. I don’t know if you’re aware of what’s happened here over the past year, but Kameron needs trained people to keep his pack safe, and he doesn’t have enough of them. His inner circle is quite small, and he could use more people he trusts.”
“I’m not even a shifter. How could I be of use? How can he trust me, knowing what I did for a living until a few days ago?”
“Don’t be stupid.”
Craig turned to Jago. “So I’m stupid?”
The small man put his hands on his hips and glared. “Or you’re trying to have a pity party, I’m not sure. I don’t like either of those situations, though, so you should just shut up and let other people decide if you’re trustworthy.”
Dominic chuckled. “Listen to the little man, Craig. You might have worked for the company, but you helped us. You got Nolan, Jayden and the others out of the labs. I’m pretty sure Kam wants you to stay here, but you’ll have to talk with him to be sure of it.”
Craig nodded and though about it. It wasn’t something he could have predicted, but now he couldn’t seem to not to think about it. What if Kameron asked him to stay? Could he live in a pack of wolf shifters? Could he really have a place there? He knew there were humans in Dominic’s pride, but they were all mates. Would it make it different for him?
He wasn’t getting anywhere with those thoughts, at least not at the moment. He would need to think about it, really think about it, but he needed to be alone to do that, and there were about twenty shifters milling around right then, so that was out. “Well, I’ll think about it when and if Kameron asks me.”
Dominic nodded and left. The meeting had turned into what looked like a garden party. Zach had roped some of the wolf shifters into talking to the people Craig had rescued, and there were conversations going on all over the clearing. Craig didn’t see the guy he’d noticed before, though, not that he cared.
He’d heard him mutter over Jago, and while he didn’t know the small Elephant shrew shifter that well, Craig hadn’t liked the wolf’s words. So when said shifter came out of the house with a thundering expression on his face, Craig tensed.
Jago wasn’t close to Craig anymore, and while Craig didn’t think the wolf would attack Jago, he’d rather have the man close to him, just in case. Craig looked around, smiling when his eyes met with Jago’s as he made his way back to Craig, two glasses in his hands.
“So that’s where you were.”
“Yup. I thought you could use a drink.”
Craig let his eyes move over the small crowd and gritted his teeth when he saw the wolf getting closer. He handed his glass back to Jago and moved in front of his friend, shielding him from the wolf’s eyes. Pity he couldn’t do the same things for his words.
The man stopped in front of Craig, his face hard, and Craig felt Jago grab the back of his T-shirt. He crossed his arms on his chest and waited for the wolf to talk. He didn’t seem to want to, but he’d been the one to get closer, and Craig wasn’t going to make it easy for him.
“I’m Thomas.” The man’s tone was growly and would have scared any other human, but Craig kept his stance firm.
“I’m Craig.”
Thomas stuck his hand out, and even if it looked like he’d rather chop it off than offer it to Craig, Craig g
rabbed it. He found it quite funny, actually, and it was obvious that Kameron had been the one to tell Thomas to do it.
Craig gave the hand a good shake before letting it go and gesturing behind himself. “You already know Jago.”
Thomas all but growled at Jago, and while Craig could see his friend was hesitant, Jago still stepped aside and held Thomas’s gaze.
“He’s your boyfriend?”
Craig arched a brow. “What’s it to you? What do you care?”
“I don’t. You can go around and fuck all the small fairies you want.”
Craig growled and was pretty impressed with the almost shifter sound that came out. “I don’t care what you say to me, but leave Jago out of it.” He took a step forward, his fists balled up by his sides, his body tensed in anticipation of the fight. Craig might not have a chance to win it, what with Thomas being a shifter, but he knew some tricks that would at least give him a chance.
Jago grabbed his waist from behind. “Don’t. I don’t care what he says, and I don’t want you to be hurt.”
Jago plastered himself against Craig’s side, but Thomas was already moving closer, so close that Craig could see his eyes flicker between man and wolf and the tip of his fangs peek from his upper lip. Thomas was so close that Craig could smell his spicy, wild scent, and he wasn’t even a shifter.
A low growl rose from Thomas’s throat and Craig tensed, ready to stop the wolf if he made to go for Jago.
He didn’t. Thomas suddenly froze, his eyes widening so much it was almost funny, his mouth opening in surprise. All the anger seemed to drain out of the man as he gasped and gaped at Craig. Craig frowned, wondering what was happening. Thomas swirled around and walked away so fast he was almost running.
“What the fuck just happened?”
* * * *
Thomas couldn’t believe what was happening to him. It couldn’t be real, it wasn’t possible. Craig couldn’t be his mate.
Thomas moved as quickly as he could, leaving the meeting and the alpha’s house behind him, ignoring his wolf as it whimpered inside his mind, as it tugged to get back to Craig and claim him.
Thomas snarled, trying to get the wolf to submit to him, or at least to make him stop, but it was as stubborn and dominant as Thomas was. It snarled back, and Thomas forced himself to take a deep breath and at least try to calm down. It wouldn’t do him any good to antagonize his wolf, not when it wanted nothing more than to go back to Craig. The wolf would take the first opportunity to do just that, going as far as taking control the next time Thomas shifted, and Thomas couldn’t afford it. He couldn’t afford anyone knowing what Craig was to him, least of all Craig.
That wouldn’t be too hard, or at least Thomas hoped so. Craig was human. Even if he did know about mates, he surely wouldn’t want one, least of all Thomas, not after the way Thomas had behaved. Besides, Craig had Jago.
Thomas gritted his teeth at the renewed tug of the wolf. It wanted to go back, to drag Craig away from the smaller shifter. No one could touch Craig except Thomas, damn it!
No. He couldn’t think like that. Thomas had a wife and two kids, and he wouldn’t abandon them for a man he didn’t even know, for a man who didn’t want him. He would keep away from Craig, go to work and ignore the man, and hopefully Craig would take his boyfriend and move away soon.
Then Thomas remembered the task Kameron had given him and he stopped in his tracks, holding a hand out toward the tree closest to him, needing it to hold himself up as his knees buckled. He had to spend time with Craig, to convince him to stay. Kameron had ordered him to do it, and he couldn’t defy his alpha, not if he wanted to stay in the pack. Kameron might have been a friend, but he wouldn’t hesitate to boot Thomas out if he openly challenged him like that.
The only solution would be to talk to Kameron and explain what Craig was to Thomas. That meant he would probably also have to tell him what had been happening recently, though, and Thomas wasn’t sure he wanted that.
“Dad? Are you okay?”
Thomas’s head snapped up. He hadn’t even realized he’d walked back home, but there it was. His daughter was standing a few feet away, worry obvious on her face as she looked at him. “Hey, darling.”
“Dad? What’s wrong?”
Thomas straightened and moved away from the tree. “Nothing. I’m fine, just tired. I had a meeting with Kameron.”
Carissa smiled at him, but he could see the worry was still there. She knew something was wrong, and Thomas couldn’t blame her for worrying. She’d heard enough fights between her parents lately, even if they’d never talked about it. “If you say so. Were the new shifters there? Is it true that some of them are birds?”
Thomas smiled. He slipped an arm around his daughter’s shoulders and steered her toward their home. “Yes, it’s true. There’s an eagle and two smaller birds, very colorful.”
“Do you think I could see them?”
Thomas’s heart tightened at the longing on Carissa’s face. His children had passed all their lives in the pack, never meeting anyone who wasn’t a member, at least not until Kameron had become the alpha. Carissa was scared of what she would find if she tried to step into the world, but she still longed for it. “I’m sure you can. Maybe you can come with me the next time I go talk with Kam. I have to go soon anyway.”
Carissa nodded happily and they entered the house. Thomas’s heart sped up in anticipation of the next fight he would have with his wife. It had become so bad that Thomas spent most of his time outside, because as soon as he stepped in the house, Laura started fighting. Not that he blamed her. However, Thomas knew he wouldn’t be able to go on like he had been doing for much longer, not when it was hurting Carissa and Elias just as much as the truth might.
“Where’s your brother?”
“Out there somewhere.”
Thomas frowned. Elias had started passing most of his time in wolf form, running through the forest that surrounded their house. Thomas could understand why he was doing that, but he was starting to get worried that Elias was spending too much time as a wolf. “Why don’t you go see if you can find him? I’ll bring both of you with me to Kameron’s house now.” Thomas wasn’t sure what was scarier, facing his alpha or his wife.
Carissa ran outside and Thomas finally let the false smile fall from his face. He leaned against the counter in the kitchen and closed his eyes, but his thoughts were still spinning too fast for him to get a firm grip on them.
“You’re home.”
Thomas sighed. He knew he had to look at his wife, but he was afraid to do it, afraid that they would fight yet again. Still, he opened his eyes. “Yes, I just got here, but I have to go back. I have to talk with Kameron.”
“When will you be back?”
“I don’t know. It might take a while to convince him to—anyway, it might take a while. I’ll take Carissa and Elias with me. Carissa wants to meet the new shifters.”
“What do you have to convince Kameron of?”
“Laura... I can’t tell you.”
“You won’t tell me, you mean.”
Thomas couldn’t deny it. There were so many things he couldn’t tell Laura. Thomas had done what he’d been told to do by his father and his alpha. He had married her, had had children with her. He couldn’t tell her he hadn’t wanted that, that he had wanted to wait for his mate, that he had hoped his mate would be a man. The irony made him chuckle, and even if it wasn’t a happy sound, Laura snapped.
“Well? You won’t tell me?”
“It’s nothing, really. Kameron gave me an assignment, but I don’t think I’ll have time to do it. I’m just going to ask him to give it to someone else.”
The pain Laura was feeling was plain on her face. “What’s happening to us, Thomas? We weren’t like this before. We weren’t...”
“I don’t know.” But he did. Thomas knew why he was putting more and more distance between them as time passed, why he didn’t talk to her anymore. Why he di
dn’t touch her anymore, hadn’t in more than six months, ever since Erskine had died. It had snapped something inside him, and he hadn’t been able to fix it.
“I don’t think I can go on like this anymore. I love you, but this is not us.”
Panic took hold of Thomas. He knew Laura was right, but he couldn’t bring himself to do something about it. “I’ll try harder. I... the kids...”
“They’re old enough to understand. We’re not mates, Thomas. We don’t have to stay together, not when it’s like this.”
“So what, you want to throw away the last twenty years?”
“No. I couldn’t throw it away if I wanted to, and I don’t. The last twenty years have been good, for me and for our family, but it’s not anymore. We don’t have to stay together if you don’t want to. There’s nothing that says we have to. Erskine is gone, and you know Kameron would support you.”
“No. I’ll fix this—I’ll fix us.”
Laura’s eyes were sad when she answered, “I hope so, Thomas. I hope so.”
Chapter Two
“Have you talked with Thomas yet?”
“Yeah, you could say I have, I guess.”
Kameron frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Well, I thought he was going to start a fight over Jago, but he just ran away. I haven’t seen him since then.” Craig couldn’t help but wonder what Thomas should have told him, since Kameron seemed to know something. “Did you want him to tell me something?”
Kameron grimaced and opened his mouth, but Zach beat him to it. “What are you going to do now? Do you already have plans?”
They were sitting around the table in the kitchen with sandwiches piled high on a plate in the middle of it. Most of the shifters had left, and the ones who remained weren’t around, so only Craig, Zach, Kameron and Duncan were having lunch at the moment.
Craig [Gilham Pack: 3] Page 2
