Page 10 of Kendrick

Kendrick turned and started walking away.

For a moment, Jonas stared at him, wondering where he was going. Was his mate leaving him behind? What the fuck? He rushed to get back to Kendrick’s side. “Where are you going?”

Kendrick blinked at him as if he was surprised that Jonas was following him. “Home before Devon changes his mind and turns around.”

“Doesn’t he know where you live?”

“He does, but if he comes knocking on my door, I don’t have to open. He tried.”

From Kendrick’s tone, he’d tried several times. “Want to talk about it?”

Kendrick grimaced. “Not particularly.” He eyed Jonas. “But since I’m your mate, I suppose we should. There’s nothing going on between Devon and me, and there never was. There never will be, either, because I truly only view him as a much younger brother. Just thinking about the kiss he forced me into makes me want to throw up, and he’s not even here anymore.”

“Maybe that would have worked. You could have told him the kiss made you sick.”

“He would’ve stuck around and tried helping me while apologizing profusely. I told you, he doesn’t take no for an answer.”

Jonas gritted his teeth. “Well, he’s going to have to learn.”

“I know, and he will.” Especially if the alternative was to get kicked out of the village.

Jonas didn’t want that to happen to poor Devon, but he wouldn’t hesitate to stand up for himself and his mate. If that meant going to talk to Clay and Rowan if Kendrick didn’t, Jonas would do it for him—and himself.

He believed that meeting his mate now meant he’d found the right place to call home. He’d felt he didn’t belong, but he was sure he did now, and he wouldn’t let go. He’d cling to that and to Kendrick with all he had, and if he had to smack down Devon to do so, he would.

“So I’m really your mate?” Kendrick asked. “You didn’t say that just because you could tell I wasn’t comfortable with Devon?”

“I would never lie about something like that. Yes, Kendrick. You really are my mate. That’s not going to change, no matter what you and Devon think of that.”

Kendrick frowned. “I haven’t said anything about it. I’m not Devon.”

Jonas snorted. “Thank God for that. I wouldn’t have known what to do if you were. I was praying it wouldn’t be him.”

“He’s young and desperate to find a place where he belongs.”

“Well, he belongs in the village, but not for long if he continues bothering you.”

Jonas had expected Kendrick to be apologetic, but instead, his lips curled into a smile. Instead of defending Devon, he stepped closer to Jonas, crowding him.

“You look happier,” Jonas pointed out. He stood his ground, because he was pretty sure that was what Kendrick wanted.

“I am. I hope that the mess with Devon is over and that he’ll leave me alone from now on. I’ve been trying to do that for a while now, and I almost can’t believe it’s happening. More than that, I’ve met my mate. What is there not to be happy about? You saved me from Devon, and I’m grateful for that. I don’t know how to thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me at all. We’re mates, and standing up for each other is what mates do.”

That gave Kendrick pause. “What do you expect from me? Since we’re mates and all that, I mean. I’ve seen Alexis with Boyd and Chris with Gary, but things are different when it’s you. Do you want us to move in together like Alexis and Boyd have? I know Alexis is a very close friend of yours.”

“Yeah, he is, but it doesn’t mean I’m going to do what he did with Boyd. This is our bond and our relationship. We can make it whatever we want.”

Kendrick nodded. His expression was serious, making Jonas want to kiss him. He wanted to smooth out the frown from Kendrick’s forehead. He wanted to kiss his worries away and promise him they’d be happy forever. He couldn’t make that kind of promise, but there were others that he could make.

“I just want you to be yourself,” he said gently. “The village and the clan are a ragtag group of people who didn’t haveanywhere else to go, so I can guess that your story isn’t a happy one. It usually isn’t when it comes to hunters and Krsnik. I also know that since the clan is so new, you only recently moved here. I did the same, and it’s taken me a while to get used to the idea of having a clan again and a place to call home.”

“It sounds like we have a lot in common,” Kendrick murmured.

“I suppose we do. What I was trying to say is that I can imagine what your life was like before, and I never want to push you into something you’re not comfortable with. That means I’m going to give you time and space if it’s what you ask for. I understand needing it. Frankly, I feel a bit all over the place right now. I didn’t even want to come to this family dinner.”

Kendrick snorted. “You and me both. No offense to Clay and Rowan, but I don’t understand how I’m supposed to be family to them.”

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