Page 23 of Claimed By Two Alphas

“You’re so busy worrying about Shane that you failed to recall all the times we cut you a break, how we never said anything when you took an hour on your breaks instead of twenty minutes, or how we say nothing when you’re working but answer your phone. You failed to recall how we sent your mom flowers and made sure you were paid because that was one less thing you needed to worry about, Janie.”

She cleared her throat and said in a softer tone, “Can we please get help out on the floor?”

Joshua smiled. “I’ll be right out.”

She turned and left the kitchen. Joshua shook his head. Hector laughed. “About time someone put her in her place. I swear she thinks she’s Queen Janie.”

Joshua pointed a finger at him. “Mind your own and get back to cooking.”

Hector grinned and turned around.

I’d stood in the doorway and witnessed all of this. Even Shane had eased out of his seat and peeked around the corner to see what was going on.

“Great, now she’s going to be impossible to work with,” Shane muttered. “Like she already is.”

“We’ll leave through the back door so her feathers don’t get ruffled again,” I said. “Hey, Joshua, I’m taking Shane home.”

Joshua stuck out his lower lip. “Why don’t you stay and I can take him home?”

I spoke just above a whisper, because I knew my brother could hear me. “Because Shane doesn’t feel good and I don’t need you trying to get him into bed.”

Joshua wiggled his brows. “Like you’re not going to try.”

He was hopeless. “Get your ass out there and help the servers while I take him home, horndog.”

With a laugh, Joshua walked out of the kitchen.

* * * *

Shane

The early afternoon trended toward night, and now I was seated in one of my lawn chairs in the backyard. After dealing with what had happened at work—my sickness and Janie’s tantrum—all I’d wanted was a bit of normalcy.

Not that I would have that in the foreseeable future if I really had a bun in the oven, but tonight I could pretend that all was right with the world. I could gaze up at the stars, taking in deep breaths, and let all my worries fade away.

But I wasn’t alone. “Ashford” was resting at my feet, his head resting on his paws. I’d told Delvin that I’d needed time to myself, time to collect my thoughts, although he was adamant that I wasn’t going outside alone.

So we’d compromised. I could enjoy the night somewhat by myself, and he could keep an eye on me in his wolf form. I should have suspected something sooner. No regular wolf was that big. I’d never met a wild wolf up close, but I was pretty damn sure they weren’t that mega-sized. It was like two normal wolves in one.

Next to my chair was a small table where I’d set my ice water. I took a sip as glanced at the slow clouds making their way across the night sky. Mosquitoes were dive-bombing me but not enough to drive me back inside, not like they’d torn me apart that night with John.

Ugh, why did I have to think about that? It only reminded me that Nezat would still be after me. He had no idea I was useless to him, so he would try again to have me kidnapped or do the job himself.

But right now, I pushed those thoughts aside. I wanted to enjoy my peace and quiet with a behemoth wolf at my feet, not go into a panic over what Nezat had up his demonic sleeve.

“How’s the stomach?”

“Ack!” I jumped in my chair as my heartbeat tripled. “Don’t scare me like that, Delvin! You’re supposed to be a wolf at my feet, not a naked man laid out at them.”

I could tell he was trying really hard not to laugh. “Sorry, I just wanted to know if your stomach settled.”

“Not anymore,” I said. “You scared it into twisting all up. Jeez, give a guy some warning next time you want to shift. You scared ten years off my life.”

“Like you gave Joshua warning before you fainted?”

“It wasn’t possible to give warning.”

“Exactly my point. What was I supposed to do, tap you on the leg and tell you I was going to shift back into my human form?”

---