Page 19 of Kendrick

He was silent for a moment, and even though Jonas wanted nothing more than to find out what was happening and who it was, he forced himself to focus on his meal. He could easily listen into the conversation with his heightened senses, but his mate deserved his privacy. Whoever it was, it was none of Jonas’s business.

“Ryan?” Kendrick said, sounding like he couldn’t believe what was happening.

If it was Ryan, neither could Jonas, and itwasJonas’s business. He leaned over the table, curious. Kendrick didn’t seem to mind, because he mirrored Jonas’s position as if wanting him to hear, too.

“Yeah, of course I have time to talk. What’s up?”

Jonas was happy for his mate. He hadn’t expected Ryan to contact Kendrick so quickly. It hadn’t looked like Ryan’s social media was being used a lot, and Jonas hadn’t wanted his mate to be disappointed. He was glad Ryan was doing this, though. It was all Kendrick wanted.

Jonas would never get his siblings back. His family was gone, and while he had a found family, it wasn’t the same. He’d always miss his siblings and his parents, but at the same time, it didn’t mean he couldn’t be happy. He had Alexis and Caroline, and now, Kendrick. He was starting to feel like he actually belonged in the village, which wasn’t something he’d expected.

For a long time, Jonas had felt like he was drifting. That wasn’t the case anymore. Now, he felt like he was home.

“Yeah, wait a minute. I’ll put my mate on speaker so he can hear,” Kendrick said.

He did just that, placing his phone on the table between them and pressing the right button. For a moment, only silence came from the phone.

“You’re on speaker,” Kendrick said. “Ryan, my mate Jonas is here. Jonas, this is Ryan, my little brother.”

“I’m not so little anymore,” Ryan said with a snigger.

“You’ve always been my little brother. Youareten years younger than me, after all. A baby.”

“I’d be offended, but right now, I do feel like a child. I need your help, Kendrick.”

Jonas could already tell that Kendrick would do whatever Ryan needed, and he agreed. As far as he was concerned, Ryan was his brother, too. If there was anything he needed, Jonas would help. “Hi, Ryan,” he said.

“Hey, Jonas. I wish I could say we were meeting in better circumstances.”

“What’s going on?” Kendrick asked. He was frowning, which wasn’t what Jonas had wanted for him when he finally talked to his brother.

“I, well, I’m not sure what to do. You know I just turned eighteen, right?”

“Yeah, I remember. Happy birthday, by the way.”

“Not so happy,” Ryan said with a snort. “As soon as I turned eighteen, Dad told me I needed to start paying rent. I wouldn’t mind that, but I just started at my job, and I don’t earn enough to pay him what he wants, and I still have to pay for food and the car. I told him that, but he didn’t seem to care. He said it was either paying him what he asked for or getting out, and I don’t know what to do.”

“Why do you need money for food?” Jonas asked.

“Because I need to pay for everything now that I’m eighteen. He won’t buy me anything anymore, food or clothes or anything like that. Again, I wouldn’t mind, but I don’t earn that much yet. I can’t give him what he wants, not if I want to eat, but if I don’t pay rent, I don’t have a home anymore.”

Jonas didn’t understand parents who did that. Maybe it was because he’d lost everyone and couldn’t imagine asking anyone in his family to pay rent, but he hated what Kendrick and Ryan’s father was doing. “We can come pick you up,” he offered.

“Really?”

Ryan sounded like he didn’t believe Jonas, which Jonas couldn’t blame him for. They didn’t know each other. The only thing Ryan knew about Jonas was that he was Kendrick’s mate.

“Yeah, really,” Kendrick said. “We live in a small village. We’re part of a clan, so if you want to stay here, you will be, too, but it shouldn’t be a problem. The clan leaders are nice people, and one of them is human.”

“And I’d be welcome?”

“Of course. You’re my brother, but more than that, Clay and Rowan like to help people. They also need more clan members, so that would be a plus.”

“But I’m not a shifter.”

“Neither am I, but they welcomed me anyway. I met Jonas, and I have a home and friends.” Kendrick hesitated. “I need to tell you that I’m a hunter, though.”

“Like, you hunt animals?”

---