Page 19 of Wolf Found

“So if I say we’ll get them GEDs and send them to college, they’ll see it as an order, and do it even if they don’t want to,” Gavin continued, nodding, resigned. “So what do we do?”

“We get to know them better before we do anything,” Dez answered. His tone said he’d been expecting the question and planning the answer.

Ash raised a brow at him. “Are you basically saying that, for now, we do nothing?”

“Yeah.”

Ash wanted to disagree, but... Dez was right. At the very least, they needed some time to catch their breaths. They were less than a day removed from walking all the way from freaking Denver. Ash never wanted to walk to Kismet from Denver, and he was astounded it had taken only days. He had no idea how they’d done it with a baby. Anyone who thought omegas were weak was utterly clueless.

“Of course, encouraging things they like doesn’t seem like a bad idea either,” Dez said, reaching out and patting the table in front of Ash. Or rather, the enormous cookbook on the table in front of Ash.

Ash shrugged. “He kinda transformed when he was talking about cooking and picking stuff at the store. Like it was the best thing ever.”

Ash wished he liked cooking that much. He couldn’t even pull a decent shot of espresso. He could bake passable brownies, dry scones, and mediocre cookies. Ash loved the kitchen. His fondest memories were of his youth, when his mother had been in charge of the enclave kitchen, and she’d let him sit with her while she worked.

He wondered if Graham remembered her. Probably not; he’d have been four or five when she died.

“I thought he was gonna cry when Gavin took him down the baking aisle and just started grabbing everything he glanced at. Like bread flour was such a luxury he couldn’t imagine being allowed that.” Dez shook his head, staring off into space like he was remembering something awful.

And he wasn’t wrong. There was something awful about watching people be thrilled by receiving the tiniest bit of help or praise or whatever other thing people should have without needing to ask.

He let his head fall back and stared at the ceiling. “I guess at least Waylon didn’t make anyone cry today.”

“That we saw,” Dez corrected.

“Okay,” Gavin announced, standing. “I think we’ve covered everything we needed to. Kitchen’s clean. I’m gonna drop the bag at the bank.”

Dez nodded. “Yeah, we should get home. Don’t want to be late to dinner and insult Graham and his cooking.”

“Or miss it,” Gavin added with a boyish grin.

Ash nodded as he stood. “I’ll lock up, then.” He headed for the back door, which he was pretty sure he’d already locked, but there was no harm making sure.

He hadn’t.

Just stepping in the back door, hesitant and heart beating jackrabbit fast, was Joey.

“Ash?” Gavin asked when he paused in the kitchen doorway.

Ash didn’t know what his face was doing, but it couldn’t have been reassuring anyone, since Joey looked like he wanted to make a run for it, and Dez started growling lowly.

That wasn’t what anyone needed, so Ash took a deep breath, cleared his face—tried and failed to clear his mind—and asked, “What do you need, Joey?”

There was a long pause before Joey whispered, “Your—that is, the guy, the alpha. He said anyone from the pack could ask for asylum.” He didn’t meet Ash’s eye, and little wonder.

“Why?”

“Ash!” Gavin exclaimed, rounding the corner into the kitchen and looking at Joey, then Ash. He looked shocked at Ash’s callousness, but Ash couldn’t hold it in. If Joey had wanted to leave the pack, he could have done it eight years ago.

In the dining room, Dez didn’t stop growling.

Gavin frowned back and forth between the two of them and looked back to Joey. Gavin’s big bleeding heart had been activated. He wanted to save everybody who needed it. Most of the time, Ash was the first to agree. The problem was that some people didn’t actually want saving.

“You’re leaving your pack?” Gavin asked.

Joey held up a backpack that looked stuffed with clothes.

Ash turned to Gavin, took the bank bag out of his hands, and looked up at his alpha. “I’ll make the bank run. See you at home.”

---