Page 70 of A Wolf's Heart

“That’s my cue to go,” Emma said before hanging up.

Lila’s scent filled the condo, another wave beginning. Weylin dropped the carton of blueberries and raspberries on the counter, ready to go to her, when I grabbed his arm. “He’ll take care of her.”

He frowned. “Why? Because he’s the alpha?” I could hear a little snip at the end of his question, maybe some contempt, even.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Yes, Kage is our alpha. But, no, I did not ask you not to enter because the alpha is with our mate. This is going to take adjusting, for all of us. Sharing a mate will not come naturally—we may have a few challenges here or there—but if we keep our heads straight, it might turn out all right. That involves giving one another space. Don’t you want one-on-one time with her as well?”

He shrugged and then grinned at me. “Honestly? The more the merrier. But you know I’ve always been that way.”

Yes, unfortunately, I had heard the rumors. I got to work brewing her coffee.

“Two sugar, one cream,” Weylin said.

“How do you know?”

“Same way I know she likes waffles. I pay attention to her.”

The waffle maker beeped, and he got to work taking them out before filling it with more batter. I watched him set a food tray filled with the waffles, toppings, syrup, bacon, and a glass of orange juice. I placed the cup of freshly brewed coffee next to the juice.

Then Weylin proceeded to pull his shirt off before taking the tray. He held it low, at his hip level, and then frowned.

“What?” I asked.

“Does this look like a thirst trap?”

“A what?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Like, sexy. How do I look?” He flexed his arms a little, his one pectoral muscle popping, the other damaged by the scar tissue. He never blamed me for that injury. He’d never come at me for it. Not once.

“You look good, man,” I said.

He nodded and moved past me towards the room before stopping and looking back. “I know it’s still early, she’s new to us. But this feels the closest we’ve ever been to being brothers.”

The heaviness of his words hung in the air for a moment. Then I picked up a stray blueberry from the counter and threw it at him. “Fuck off and go feed her already.”

I made myself a coffee before going to Kage’s office. Grabbing hold of his tablet, I logged on to my files. The blood results were back. I wasn’t surprised it hadn’t taken long, however I was disappointed they hadn’t been hand delivered to me or at least made an attempt to do so. I’d have to have a talk with the gamma in charge.

I began skimming through the results. As I suspected, Lila was nutritionally deficient, though her numbers weren’t too far off. A few supplements would likely help. I sent that information back to the lab with the request to send the files to Dr. Thatcher, so she could inform Lila and my hands would be clean.

Then I kept reading until I got to the DNA results.

I read the results over a few times before Kage walked into the office, freshly showered and dressed. He said nothing as he walked to his spot in the window, staring out over the city, the afternoon sun warming. “She wishes to leave.”

“Max?” I asked.

“Yes, and her home.”

I took a deep breath, releasing it quickly as I continued to catch up on emails. Emma had done a good job rearranging most things. “She’s not finished her heat.”

Kage looked down at his shoes. “I know. And the waves are getting closer together.”

“There’s other business we should be cautious of.”

“Such as?” Kage glanced up at me, and I could see it in his fucking eyes. He was ready for me to tell him something terrible. How she isn’t meant for us, how she will ruin our pack. And the bastard would believe me, even if I lied to his face.

“She bears the same mark as you do,” I informed him. “The same mark I have on my left hip, and Weylin has on his, only hers looks like a birthmark.”

His lips thinned, his eyes swinging back to the window. “I guess she truly was made for us.”

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