Page 40 of In Your Eyes
“Yes.” I nodded. “But I’ve never been as good with people as my father.” I took in a deep breath and confessed my biggest fear. “I worry I’ll never measure up and the pack will suffer.”
Korban cupped my cheek and traced my bottom lip with his thumb. “Don’t sell yourself short. You’re respected far and wide for your knowledge of pack lore and history. Everyone describes you as brilliant and calm under pressure. After the way you battled with my father, I’m sure word will spread of your wolf’s strength.”
I rolled onto my side, wrapped my arm around his waist, wedged my leg between his thighs, and tucked my head under his chin, connecting us as closely as possible. My whole life I had fidgeted when anybody got too near and there I was trying to bury myself under Korban’s skin.
“And as far as being good with people, you said I’m friendly and beloved.” My face heated at the reminder of my poorly hidden jealousy. Thankfully, he couldn’t see my face. “We’re mates, which means I’ll be by your side every step of the way, helping fill any gaps.” He brushed his fingers through my hair. “You’re not doing this alone.”
BOTHOFus had worked up an appetite in bed, so while Korban called Zev Hassick to let him know he was doing well, I went downstairs to make us food.
“Whatcha cookin’, good-lookin’?” Korban playfully asked as he walked into the kitchen and set my phone on the counter.
He was wearing an old pair of my sweatpants but no shirt, which bared his defined chest and distracted me. Blinking, I stared at the mouthwatering sight before me, the tongs in my hand forgotten.
Not waiting for an answer, he stepped up behind me, wrapped his arms around my waist, and looked over my shoulder at the four large cuts of meat sizzling in the grill pan. “Mmm, steak. It looks great.” He inhaled deeply. “Smells great too.” He patted my backside. “So what areyouhaving?” He walked toward the fridge. “Just kidding. I can share my meat with you.” He barely had the sentence out before he started cracking up like a teenager.
Korban was smiling, sounding happy, joking around. It was like we were friends. I’d never had a friend, so I didn’t know for sure, but it felt that way. I really liked it.
“I, uh, made fries too,” I said. “They’re in the oven.”
“Steakandfries?”
He moaned and rubbed his belly, drawing my eye to the muscles there and the V-shaped lines leading down to his groin. It was a challenge to raise my gaze.
“Those are two of my favorite things,” he said. “You’re spoiling me.”
Ducking my head, I blinked at the praise.
Within seconds he was back at my side, handing me a glass of water. When I took it, he kissed my neck. “You already have my heart. You don’t need to bribe my stomach.”
Though I wasn’t sure how to respond to his never-ending stream of affection and sweetness, I adored it. “I’m not bribing. I want to take care of you,” I whispered before gulping down the water.
With a soft smile, Korban took the tongs and flipped the steaks over. “That works out well because I want to take care of you too.” After looking at me for another few seconds, he sighed contentedly and then turned off the burner. “I’ll get some plates.” He tilted his chin toward the steaks. “Those are done.”
Korban found the silverware drawer and got us forks and knives while I plated the steak and fries.
“What did Zev Hassick say?” I asked after we’d made sizable dents in our food.
“He congratulated me on our mating, said from what he’d heard about you and what he knew about me, we’d be well matched, and told me my Uncle Dennis took over as Alpha of Miancarem despite the speculation.”
“What speculation?”
Scrunching his eyebrows together, Korban paused with his fork inches from his mouth. “Dennis was one of the witnesses to the challenge.”
“I know. I scented him.”
His frown smoothed away. “You scented him across the battle ring with the smells of the forest and the other witnesses around you, and you recognized him as my father’s brother?”
I nodded.
“That’s amazing.” Korban pushed his plate aside, reached over the table, covered my hand with his, and squeezed it. “You’re such a strong shifter, Samuel.”
When I was younger, I was sure I’d be the strongest Alpha in the history of any pack. But in the intervening years, I’d experienced enough limitations to curb that youthful exuberance, or maybe it was arrogance. Either way, I had gotten to the point where I worried I wouldn’t be fit to be a member of a pack, let alone lead one. It seemed that mating with Korban remedied those shortcomings, but I was still adjusting to the idea.
For that reason, I looked at my plate, cleared my throat, and said, “So, uh, you mentioned something about speculation?”
“My uncle and my father are really tight. I wasn’t at the challenge, so I’m not sure how everything went down, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Dennis had a part in it.”
Reflecting back on the day my father was killed, I realized Korban was probably right. Though it would have been possible for Dirk to have hidden the syringe in the brush in advance, it wasn’t likely. His witnesses had been right next to the ring when my father landed on him and he shifted. It wasn’t far-fetched to imagine someone handing Dirk the syringe or even injecting the drug himself during the commotion.
