Page 69 of The Gamma's Second Chance

“Fine, fine. But I’m putting everything away myself.”

She waves us away after I grab the last two bags from her and then follows us into the kitchen. Wesley and I set everything on the counter and begin removing the items from the reusable bags, but my mom shoos us off. “I said I would do that part myself!”

I wince, and Wes ducks his head, backing up and leaning against the stove with his arms crossed, looking very much like a scolded pup. I hold in my laugh and lean against the counter next to my mom, watching her as she putters around my kitchen, restocking my pantry and my fridge.

“Where’s your roommate?” she asks, glancing around the kitchen, her eyes lingering on the vase of slightly wilted daisies on my dining room table.

Wesley coughs into his fist, his lips twitching, and I glare at him, giving him a subtle shake of my head. “She’s getting some well-earned rest,” I say, turning my attention back to my mom.

Wesley coughs again, and I repeat the glare, raising my brows as high as they will go.

“Well, I hope you’re not working her too hard,” my mom says as she exits the pantry.

“I assure you,” Wesley says, his lips still twitching as he fights his laughter, “Cassandra very much enjoys the work she does with Nolan.”

I grit my teeth and clench my fists, eyes scanning the counter for something—anything—I can grab to throw at him.

“Will you tell her I said hello?” my mom asks, placing her hand on my elbow. “And let her know I’d love to have coffee or maybe lunch with her sometime?”

I soften under my mom’s touch and her caring, gentle smile. “I’ll be sure to pass along the message.”

Her smile grows, and she reaches up on her toes to kiss my cheek, and I lean down to shorten the distance a bit for her. “Thanks Nolie! I’ll see you later!”

“Bye, Mom,” I say to her back as she leaves, waving to her even though she can’t see me.

Wesley and I are silent as she walks through my entryway and opens and closes my front door, waiting until her footsteps fade as she walks across my lawn and back to the small cabin she lives in with my dad.

Once we can no longer hear her, I launch into action, grabbing the smallest apple I can from the basket on the counter and throwing it directly at Wesley’s head. He covers his face with his arm, blocking the apple, and I pounce, pushing off from thecounter, grabbing him in a headlock, and digging my fist into his already messy hair. He laughs and shrugs me off after a few seconds, shoving me away and kicking me in the small of my back. I spin and lunge for him, arms swinging, but he ducks, his laughter echoing in my kitchen as he opens the fridge and grabs out two beers, then hands one to me.

“Dickhead,” I mutter, snatching it from him and opening it with the edge of the counter, even as a smile tugs on my lips.

I can’t remember the last time we tussled. Probably that day he showed Haven his lycan almost five years ago when I intentionally riled him up to help him let his frustration out. My wolf puffs his chest out in my mind, proud of himself for pulling one over on our alpha. It’s obvious he let me get the jump on him in the first place, but I don’t care. I got my jab in and that’s all that matters.

“How long has your mom been buying you your groceries?” Wesley asks as we both settle back into our original spots opposite each other.

I sip my beer, then set it on the counter, watching the neck of the bottle as I twist it side to side. “Since Haven moved to the pack.” He takes a drink of his beer and nods, his gaze turning inward. “Where is she, by the way?” I ask, crossing my arms, realizing my luna isn’t here with her alpha.

“At the packhouse, in the alpha suite. She’s with my parents, and Reid, Taryn, and Savvy. And Cav. When I left, they were watching Savvy give Cav kisses on his nose.” He chuckles, and my lips tilt into a small smile at the image he paints with his words.

“But I thought you were going to lunch up at Peter and Imogen’s chateau?” I tease.

“That was a little white lie. We’re actually doing that tomorrow,” he says, wincing while laughing. He clears histhroat, though, as I shake my head at him, and he turns serious. “I came to check on Cassandra. How is she?”

I sigh and run my hand over my hair. “She’s…” I trail off and bite my tongue. I don’t need to tell him how she is. I’m sure he knows she’s not at all fine. “She’ll be fine,” I say, leaving it at that. He doesn’t need the specifics.

He nods, and I know he understands it’s deeper than that, but he doesn’t push for more. “I’m sorry we sort of… threw all of that at you.”

I shrug. “I’m not going to lie and say I wasn’t surprised. But I understand. It wasn’t your place or your story to tell.”

“She told Haven and me when she arrived because she felt it was only fair that we know the identity of her birth father,” Wesley continues. “She was worried we’d change our minds about hosting her. But of course, we don’t hold any of that against her. When she also asked for our help to set up a meeting with Ben, we didn’t hesitate to agree.”

I glance down at my feet for a moment before meeting his eyes again, sincerity and remorse shining in mine. “I’m sorry if it seemed like I was trying to blow off my gamma duties last night when I asked if you really needed me to come with you to meet with Ben.”

Wes laughs and brushes off my apology. “You don’t need to apologize for that.”

“I do, though,” I insist. “I shouldn’t have tried to get out of it. Accompanying Haven is my job.” I shake my head. “No, it’s more than that. I don’t do it just because it’s my job. I do it because I truly care about her, and not just as my luna.”

“And had we actually been going there so I could meet with Ben about what he missed, I wouldn’t have asked you to come. You deserve time off, same as anyone. You’re constantly working and protecting Haven, even when you don’t need to. Hell, you don’t even make time to buy your own groceries anymore.” Idon’t respond to him. My fingers tap the countertop, and I stare at the floor, at the now bruised apple I threw at Wesley. “You’re allowed to ask for time off, Nolan.”

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