“It doesn’t mean you have to skip eating and sleeping to do it.”
“I’m fine.”
“You want to know something?”
“Can I say no?”
“Sure, you can say it, but it doesn’t mean I won’t tell you.”
Isaiah pressed his lips together. “Okay, so tell me.”
“I may be the only one who noticed this, but I don’t think so.”
“And what did you notice?”
“That you haven’t been eating with the rest of the pride in the last week or so. That you’ve been working way too much for about the same time. You know what happened a week ago?”
Isaiah groaned. “Yeah.”
“I freed John Smith, and he moved into the mansion and in the room next to yours. Does that have anything to do with you not eating and sleeping?”
“I do sleep and eat, you know.”
“Not as much as you should. Stop avoiding answering me and just answer, Isaiah.”
“I’m just not sure I like having him around.” Of course Isaiah should’ve known Dominic wouldn’t buy his lies.
“Is that why you put yourself between him and Ward that day? Because you don’t like him? Let me tell you, it gave an entirely different impression to me.”
“Why are you even asking, if you already know the answer?”
Dominic leaned forward. “Because I wanted you to come to me. I know I’m your alpha, but I like to think I’m also friends with most of the pride members, including you.”
Isaiah leaned backward in his seat. “Okay, so I might find the guy hot.” There. That was only a half-lie, right? He wasn’t telling the entire truth, but it was the truth nonetheless.
“Is that all there is?”
“I also didn’t want Ward to hurt him, because I knew he’d regret it. You know how Ward is.”
Dominic didn’t say anything. He just looked at Isaiah as if he was reading him, and Isaiah had the unpleasant sensation that the alpha indeed could do just that. He squirmed in his chair and looked around the room, waiting for Dominic to say something, anything that would mean he believed Isaiah.
“Is there anything that’s worrying you?”
Isaiah sighed. “Yeah. My mother’s having problems.”
“Does she need the council to step in?”
“I don’t know. Maybe? She asked me to go back home and take her place.”
“But you don’t want to do that.”
Isaiah snorted. “Look at me. I’m as far as possible from being an alpha.”
“You know it’s not your body that makes you a good alpha,” Dominic pointed out.
“But it’s part of it. My mother’s having problems with some aggressive wolves. I couldn’t do anything against them, even if I was the alpha.”
“So you’re staying?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been trying to make a decision, but I still haven’t. I don’t want to go home, but it’s my family, and I feel I should.”
“I’ll ask some of the enforcers to check the area and the groups of shifters there. It should give you enough time to make a decision.”
“Yeah.”
“You shouldn’t let what your family wants influence you. You’re the one who has to live your life, and you can’t let someone else decide for you.”
“I know.” As if knowing that actually made it true or even easier to decide.
“In the meantime, I’ll look around for someone to come and help with your work.”
Isaiah straightened. “What?”
“You can’t keep on doing everything yourself.”
“But there could be security issues!”
“I won’t ask someone we don’t know to work on your network or on the pride’s security, but you do need help. They could work on communication and other stuff until we decide if we can trust them.”
Isaiah really didn’t want anyone new to invade his space, but he did know his work load was starting to be too heavy. Besides, if he did decide to go back home, Dominic would need someone to take his place, and Isaiah wanted to be sure that someone would be up for the task. “Fine. But I want to be able to boot their ass out if I need to.”
“You’ll be the one in charge of training and evaluating any new recruits.”
“Okay.”
Dominic got up and put his hand on Isaiah’s shoulder. “Talk to someone. It can be me or anyone else you feel comfortable with, but talk with someone. Don’t keep everything in.”
“I’ll try.”
Dominic squeezed Isaiah’s shoulder, then let his hand fall and went to the door. He opened it and paused before walking out. “Go to bed and sleep. And I expect you at breakfast tomorrow morning.”
“Okay.”
“Also, when you decide you want to talk about John being your mate, you know where to find me.”
With that, Dominic stepped outside and closed the door, leaving a gaping Isaiah behind him.
Isaiah snapped his mouth shut and chuckled. Really, he should have known someone would confront him on this sooner or later, and it wasn’t a surprise that it’d been Dominic to do it. It might have been Keenan if the man had been home, but he was only due to come back the next day.
Isaiah turned his computer off and got up. He stretched, hoping to get the kinks out of his back but knowing it wasn’t likely. He spent entirely too much time sitting in his chair for them to disappear.
He turned the light off and made his way to his room. Someone was watching a movie in the downstairs living room when he passed by, and the kitchen light was still on, but Isaiah didn’t feel up for company, so he ignored it and walked up the stairs and down the hallway. He stopped only in front of John’s door, to listen.
There wasn’t a lot of noise coming from inside, but Isaiah could see a sliver of light under the door. He pressed his hand against the door and just listened for a few moments, then he let it fall and went to his room.
* * * *
John stopped when he noticed Isaiah sitting at the counter in the kitchen. He hadn’t seen the man since that day in the dining room, not even just in passing, and it was kind of odd, considering he knew their rooms were next to each other’s.
John sat in front of Isaiah and reached for a mug and the pot of coffee. He poured but didn’t put it back on the counter. “Do you want more?”
Isaiah’s surprised eyes looked up from the book he was reading. “Uh?”
“More coffee? Do you want some?”
Isaiah pushed his mug toward John and nodded. John didn’t know what had happened over the last week, but Isaiah looked tired. He had dark circles under his eyes and his shoulders were slumped.
John poured the second coffee, put the pot down and blew on the steaming liquid in his own mug. “So, are you avoiding me?”
Truth to be told, John was a little disappointed that he hadn’t been able to talk to Isaiah until now, and it wasn’t only because he was curious about the man’s reaction at lunch the other day. Something drew him to Isaiah, and he’d never been a man to resist things unless they harmed someone. This draw to him clearly didn’t, so he wanted to explore it a bit, at least until he understood what it was. It could be some supernatural stuff for all he knew. Probably was.
“I just have a lot of work to do.”
John might have believed that—if Isaiah hadn’t been staring at his book instead of at John as he answered. “Computers, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you the only one taking care of it?”
“For now.”
Isaiah looked like he wanted to run away, but since he wasn’t moving John wasn’t about to stop talking. “Are you hiring?”
“Dominic is.”
“So you’ll have more free time?”
“Umm, maybe. I’ll still have a lot to do, you know, training and the stuff the new guy won’t do. So I’ll still be busy. Very busy.”
John arched a brow. �
�Why do I have the impression that you’re making excuses?”
“I’m not!”
“Really? So you wouldn’t say no if I asked you out on a date?”
John wished he could take the words back as soon as they got out. He didn’t know what had made him say it, but no matter how fascinated he seemed to be with Isaiah, he wasn’t sure dating the man was a good idea. He wasn’t sure dating a shifter was a good idea.
He knew they weren’t beasts—that they were as normal as humans were—but he couldn’t bring himself to really look at them as normal. The fact that they could become animals left him uneasy, and he wasn’t sure he’d ever get over that, no matter how many shifter friends he had.
Isaiah gaped for a few seconds, then snapped his mouth shut and shook his head. “I... look, I have too much work to go out with anyone.”
The man didn’t sound convinced, and John wanted to pry. He didn’t, though. “Whatever.”
Isaiah looked at him as if he was a puzzle to decipher, and John looked back calmly. He didn’t know if Isaiah found something on his face, but he looked away and got up. He made to walk away but stopped just before actually doing it. “I’m probably moving away anyway.”
John frowned. “Why?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but my family needs me.”
With that Isaiah walked away, leaving John more confused than ever. Was Isaiah really moving away? Why? And more importantly, why did John want him to stay?
“You look like you’re thinking too hard. For this hour in the morning, anyway.”
John looked up. He didn’t know the guy who was now standing in front of him, and he’d thought he knew everyone in the pride by now. That meant he was either Jonah or Keenan.
“I’m John.”
“Yeah, I know.” The guy crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes at John. “I should kick your ass for kidnapping my brother. Or ask my mate to do it. He’d probably have better results, you know, with him being a big bad wolf.”
So it was Keenan Ellis. With everything John had heard about the man over the past week, he wasn’t sure if talking to him was a good thing, or a very bad one. “I’d rather no one kick my ass, to be honest. I already paid for what I did.” Not as much as he should have, but John wasn’t about to complain about that.
Keenan looked at him for a few moments then grinned and uncrossed his arm. “Yeah, I know. I was just trying to be badass. It’s not exactly easy with all the shifters in the house. I can’t really scare them.”
“From what I heard, you scare them plenty.”
“Oooh, gossip.” Keenan plonked down in the seat Isaiah had just left. “Come on, tell me. Who said what about me?”
John chuckled. “I think most of the guys here are terrified of you. It’s kind of ironic, considering they’re shifters and a lot bigger than you.”
“Brain over brawn, man. That’s why.”
“If you say so.”
Keenan put his elbows on the counter and leaned forward. “I heard something interesting.”
“I’m happy for you.”
“Don’t you want to know what it is?”
“Nope.”
John slurped most of his coffee, but there was no way he could down the entire thing in one gulp. He wanted to get out of there, though. Now.
“I’ll tell you anyway. I heard that Ward wasn’t too happy to see you the other day.”
John snorted. “That’s an understatement. I thought he was going to rip my head off.”
Keenan patted John’s arm. “Nah. Don’t worry, Dominic will protect you. He doesn’t like it when we get blood on the carpets. Anyway, that wasn’t the interesting thing I was talking about.”
John could tell when he was defeated. Keenan wasn’t about to let him go. He sighed. “What was it, then?”
“Do you know about mates?”
“Of course I do. I’ve lived here for a year, remember? Granted, I was locked away, but I had contact with most of the pride members.”
“Okay, so you know how it works?”
“Boy meets boy, boy growls mine and bites the other boy, the other boy does the same, and they’re magically bonded for live and blissfully happy.”
Keenan beamed. “I already like you. I think I can forgive you for kidnapping my brother. No one who can keep up with me can be bad.”
“Oh, thank you. I feel so much better now.”
“I really, really like you!”
“At least I’m lucky you’re already mated,” John muttered.
Keenan waved a hand in the air. “Anyway! You want me to tell you, or not?”
“Can you make it quick?”
“This is not something I can do fast. Like sex, you know? Unless you’ve had only bad sex in your life, of course.”
“Keenan.”
“You know, this is a tone I recognize. Almost everyone uses it with me. I wonder why.”
“Maybe it’s because you’re incredibly annoying and I can’t wait for you to spill the beans so I can get rid of you?”
“You’re funny.”
“I wasn’t trying to be.”
“So you know about mates. You also know that shifters are incredibly protective of their mates? Like, they might jump in front of another enraged shifter to protect them. Even if they’ve never actually met their mate.”
John was sure he’d heard that wrong. He had to have, because the implication of what Keenan was saying... “What are you saying, Keenan?”
“That I think you’re going to stay here with us for a long, long time.”
“Keenan.”
“I think you’re Isaiah’s mate.”
“Nope.”
“Hey, you don’t have to be scared. He’s not going to jump you or anything, or at least I think he’s not.”
“I’m not scared of him. I can’t be his... mate, because he just told me he was leaving.”
“Leaving? Like, leaving the kitchen, right?”
“No, leaving the pride. He told me his family needs him.”
“And he hasn’t told you about you being his mate?”
“No. I’m actually pretty sure he doesn’t like me.”
“But...”
John finished his coffee and quickly rose from his seat. He put the mug in the dishwasher and went to the door. “Well, it was nice talking to you, but I have things to do, so bye.”
“Hey, wait!”
“Bye.”
John didn’t stop, not even when he heard Keenan call him again. He needed to think.
* * * *
Isaiah closed his office door and leaned back against it. He fought the shift his fox was trying to push on him. The animal was angry at Isaiah, angry at having rejected their mate, and it wanted nothing more than to run back to the kitchen and cuddle up to John.
Once he was more in control, Isaiah pushed away from the door and turned the computers on. He made a quick check to see if everything was okay, then checked the cameras around the pride’s property. That was why he saw the man walking toward the front gate.
Isaiah frowned and grabbed his phone, quickly dialing Dominic’s number. It rang a few times before the alpha answered. “Dom, there’s someone walking on our private road.”
“I’m expecting our new computer guy today. Could be him.”
“Yeah, well, thanks for telling me before I freaked out because an unknown man was knocking on our door.”
“I’m sending Bryce and Sebastian to greet him. They’ll bring him to your office if it’s him.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Isaiah kept his eyes on the screen and watched as Bryce and Seb appeared and opened the gate. The new guy talked to them, then they moved aside and let him in. Yup, the guy was Isaiah’s new recruit. He was the only thing that had been missing in an already bad day.
Then Keenan opened the door without knocking and Isaiah had to rethink that.
“Why are you leaving?”
“What?”
“Why are you leaving the pride? Why didn’t you tell me? What can I do to make you stay?”
“Okay, slow down, man. Who told you I was leaving?”
“John.”
Isaiah groaned. “When did you see him?”
“He left me in the kitchen just now.”
“What did you tell him, Keenan?”
“Why do you think I told him anything?”
“Because I know you, and you couldn’t stay out of other people’s business if they paid you.”
“Well, I might have heard about what happened with Ward in the dining room, and I might have told John what I thought it meant.” Keenan didn’t look repentant at all, not that Isaiah had actually expected him to be. Still, when someone basically wrecked your life, the least they could do was apologize, right?
“And what do you think it meant?”
“That he’s your mate.”
Isaiah closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Why on earth did you go and tell him that? Didn’t you think that maybe if I hadn’t told him, I had a good reason to do it?”
“Ah, no. I’m sorry, but you’re not the first stubborn as fuck shifter I’ve had to deal with. You guys tend to forget that when you find your mate you’re not the only person it’s important to. Even if John is human, wait, scratch that. Especially since he’s human, he has the right to know about it.”
“Why? It’s not like it changes anything for him. He doesn’t even feel the pull.”
“That’s bullshit. We feel it even if we’re human. We just don’t usually know what it is, but we feel it, believe me. I’m pretty sure he feels drawn to you and doesn’t understand why.”
“That still doesn’t give you the right to stick your nose where you shouldn’t. This isn’t your life, Keenan. I have my reasons for not wanting to tell him.”
“Tell me why, then. Is it because you’re leaving? He could go with you.”
Isaiah stood up, not caring about the way his chair hit the wall behind him. “I have to get married! With a woman!”
Keenan pressed his lips together. “Oh.”
“Yeah. Now you see why it would have been better for him not to know.”
“No.”
Isaiah Page 3
