Page 21 of Wolf Found

Joseph’s stomach grumbled, and he clutched it and blushed but followed the instruction, seating himself at the bar and setting his backpack next to him. It was identical to the one Graham had brought with him. It was the same school bag every member of the pack got as a child, and the only bag they were likely to ever own.

Dez closed the door behind himself, and that bothered Graham more than anything about Joseph. Where was Ash?

Seeming to read his mind, Dez announced, “Ash’ll be along. He had to make the bank drop.”

Graham had no idea what that was, but he nodded. “Dinner will be ready in a second, but I can keep it warm for him.”

“I think he’ll love that,” Sawyer said aloud, giving Graham a wide smile. Graham didn’t know why, but it seemed predatory to him. Still, it didn’t make him want to run. Something about it just made him like Sawyer more.

Sawyer was an omega, but he acted nothing like Graham had been raised to act. And he was valued by his pack. He did work, but it was work he’d chosen, and apparently, they had taken him in without any promise of that.

The longer Graham was in Kismet, the more he liked it.

He dished out food, and people started eating, all but Gavin, who stubbornly waited for Ash to arrive.

No one waited until Gavin ate first. Dez and Sawyer just dug in the second they had plates in front of them, and Hannah did the same after observing them do so. Joseph didn’t seem to pay any attention to anyone, entirely focused on the plate Graham set in front of him.

He’d always seemed unhappy to Graham, and now was no different. But that seemed wrong. If he’d been unhappy because of the pack, shouldn’t being free now improve things? Maybe not a lot immediately, but one would think he would at least be trying to talk to the alpha the way Graham and Hannah had last night.

He had a feeling it had something to do with Ash. Why hadn’t Ash been the one to bring him? Was Joseph disappointed he hadn’t? Had he also had a crush on Ash? He was a lot closer to Ash’s age, in fact, maybe...

Graham’s stomach clenched. Maybe. Maybe he needed to mind his own business and not the alpha’s.

They had only been eating a few moments when Ash came in. He stopped and took off his coat in the foyer, slowly, like he wasn’t interested in getting to dinner.

Gavin didn’t look up at him, but he did glance at his watch. Graham hoped Ash wasn’t in trouble for something. Certainly not for Joseph.

Ash stopped next to the stairs, as though he was thinking about avoiding them and dinner altogether. It wasn’t Graham’s place to question an alpha’s will, but—“The bread’s ready,” he announced, like it was important news.

He turned and pulled the garlic rolls out of the oven, setting them on a trivet. It seemed to be made of plastic, but it didn’t melt under high heat, so he hoped it wasn’t supposed to be decorative. He looked back at Ash, still standing by the stairs. “Your mother’s recipe. Still your favorite?”

Ash’s eyes went wide, and he put a clenched fist to his mouth and nodded.

“Well, come on,” Graham told him. “You know they’re best right out of the oven.” He put together a plate for Ash, heaped with pasta and sauce, with an extra roll for good measure, then he set a plate of rolls out for everyone else.

Ash didn’t sit at the counter. There were only two chairs left, one next to Joseph and the other at a corner, so Ash went around the whole counter and stood on the inside, setting his plate on the kitchen side and eating while standing.

While standing next to Graham.

After a second, Ash turned to look at him. “Aren’t you going to eat?” He held out his second roll as though offering it, and Graham nodded.

“Yeah. Yes.” He turned and took another plate from the cupboard, since they had one more person than expected, and dished out his own food. It was so decadent, eating with everyone else. The meal was one of his favorites, and one that the pack couldn’t afford often outside of peak tomato season.

Everything about the last day felt like a dream, this included. Standing in a kitchen, silently eating his own dinner, right there among the other members of the pack. Hannah next to Sawyer next to Dez, all equals, eating the same amounts of the same food. No one above or below. And most of all, Asher Martingale standing shoulder to shoulder with him, eating Graham’s version of his mother’s old garlic bread recipe, looking like he was in heaven.

Maybe they were in heaven.

Then, of course, he noticed the longing look Joseph was giving Asher. Bite of food halfway to his mouth, staring at Asher’s ridiculously full lips wrapped around his fork, making a sinful sound as he ate a meatball.

Of course Joseph was in love with Asher. Who wouldn’t be? But this look was more than that. It was knowing. Joseph knew exactly what he was missing by not being the focus of Asher’s attention.

Graham did not, and probably never would.

He shook himself out of it and went back to his food. If it was with less gusto than before, no one seemed to notice.

12

Perfect

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