Page 5 of Broken Mate

“Come on.”

He followed his alpha up the stairs and into the house. The delicious scent of fresh-brewed coffee and bacon made him salivate. Payton stood at the stove cooking breakfast, and he slid onto a barstool at the island.

“Hello, Luna,” he said.

“Stop,” Payton ordered, pointing at him with a spatula. “We don’t use honorifics inside our home.”

“You don’t call him King in the bedroom? Hm?” he asked, pitching his voice low in an effort to be seductive, but Payton only looked at him like he was an idiot.

“You’re an idiot,” she clarified.

Jericho slapped the back of his head as he walked by before kissing his wife on top of her head. He laid a large folder down on the marble countertop and Ledger opened it. Inside were many different floor plans for single-family homes. When Jericho had been reinstated as Alpha, they’d had in influx of families requesting to join the pack. Some had moved away when the old alpha, Bennett Warren, had assumed the position. Others were in same-sex relationships that some packs found abnormal. Jericho never turned anyone away, but that now left them with the need for more places to live. Flipping through the blueprints, Ledger made mental notes on the building specs.

“Want me to drive over the site and take stock?”

“Yeah, that’ll be great. I’d already told Rome you were coming.”

Ledger nodded. “Do I stay at the pack house like before?”

“If you’d like,” Jericho said, biting into a strip of crispy bacon. “You’ll have neighbors, though. It’s where Anais and her aunt are staying. I’m going to utilize the basement gym to help her get stronger.”

“That’s fine,” Ledger replied, smiling his thanks to Payton for putting scrambled eggs on his plate. “I’m going to have long workdays anyway.”

For a moment, the only sounds were the scraping of utensils against ceramic. When he was finished, he rose and stuck the dirty plate and fork into the dishwasher. Then he filled his cup and sat back down at the island to enjoy his coffee.

Jericho’s cell went off and he frowned down at it for a moment before connecting the call. “Yes? Is he stable? Okay, calm down. I’ll be there as quickly as I can.” He stood up and slipped his phone into his pocket.

“What’s going on?” Payton asked.

“Silas is showing signs of his transition.”

“Poor kid,” she murmured. “He’s like what? Fifteen?

“Yeah. Way too soon for him to meet his wolf, so I have to stop it.” He bent over and kissed her gently on the lips. “I might be late coming home.”

“That’s fine and dandy, but I’m coming with you.”

Jericho frowned. “It’s going to be boring.”

“Silas’s mom and sisters are going to be a nervous wreck,” Payton said softly. “They’ll need a distraction, and that’s something I can provide.”

Jericho cupped her face. “You are a wonderful Luna to the pack.” He glanced over to Ledger. “You arrived just in time to take over as project manager.”

“Don’t worry about anything,” he assured. “I’ve got it covered.”

“Let me get you the key to the pack house,” he said and turned, disappearing into the back of the house.

“I also have a favor to ask,” Payton said.

“Anything.”

She smiled. “Ruby and Anais are meeting me at the diner. Since I can’t make it, can you escort them to the pack house? I’ve had it cleaned for them to stay there.”

“Of course,” he replied.

“Thanks. I’ll call Ruby and let her know you’ll be there.”

Jericho came back and held out a key and an index card. “The alarm code is on the card.”

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