Chapter 6

Theo

Well, double shit. In my defense, I"m dumb when I"m tired, and right now I"m really fucking tired.

A low growl comes from deep inside my mate, and his eyes flash with his lion. "You will not leave me, Theo. Even without Cole"s reasoning, I refuse to be separated from my mate because simple-minded people are making rash decisions. They seem to forget that I was named alpha of Westwood for a reason. I won"t say I"m eager to face a challenge, but I"m also not going to shy away from it. It"s part of being alpha. I"m more concerned with you and your safety."

Damn him for being all reasonable, making valid points. His words do help with the panic that had been growing in my chest, but I don"t need to tell him that right now. My mate is an alpha, a lion alpha, no less. I don"t know much about shifter hierarchy, but in the animal kingdom, there"s a reason lions have the reputations they do, right?

"I"m sorry, Bas. I was just worried. I"m not going anywhere." My phone beeps in displeasure from the nightstand, and I know I"m starting to get low blood sugar. Cole, used to the specific notification sounds and what they mean, turns and starts walking toward the stairs. I get a questioning look from Bas, but Cole starts explaining as he makes his descent.

"That beep means his sugars are trending low. He needs something before he starts feeling weird." He looks back to see if Bas is paying attention. Satisfied, he starts his descent to the main level of the house, continuing his summary of the noises my phone or monitor may make.

"The beeps will sound angrier the longer you wait. The little beep you just heard means snack and pay more attention. Juice is always a good option if he"s starting to feel dizzy or nauseated, but if you can get a snack in him before that, then it won"t swing too far the other way. A medium beep means go straight to a small glass of juice and follow up with a healthy snack, and the shrill repeated beeps means it"s more urgent, so a bigger glass of orange juice or the stupid glucose tablets he hates but always has stashed in his car. I"ll get some stocked here, too, with a mini fridge for your room just in case.

"If the one sounding like a tornado siren goes off, he"s in deep shit and probably needs medical attention—an ER visit is necessary. That one will also send a notification to everyone in the family. I"m sure now that you"re mated he can adjust your notifications to be whatever, but we"ll keep the siren just in case." He doesn"t stop walking, just sidles up to the commercial fridge when we enter the kitchen and pulls out a yogurt, ripping the aluminum seal off in one go and dropping some fruit on top.

My mate and I watch with amused smiles as he doctors up a parfait complete with granola and nuts before grabbing a spoon and presenting it to me with a flourish. When I move too slowly for his liking, his left eyebrow rises in a demand for me to hurry up and eat. I snicker and thank him, shoveling it into my mouth. So good. Raspberries have always been a favorite of mine, but I never buy them. I can"t help but eat them all in one sitting, which is too much sugar, but there"s a real fear of them going bad overnight, so I always convince myself it"ll be fine . . . It"s not. Same with avocados; I only get them when I"m at one of the Walkers' houses because the window in which I can eat them is so small and it bugs me to waste any kind of food.

I glance at Bas as I scrape the last of the yogurt-y goodness from the container and see him still watching Cole with a kind of interest. I know it"s not a sexual interest, but I still have to nudge him and raise a brow. Obviously I didn"t do a good job being subtle, because he chuckles at me and Cole looks adorably confused.

"I was enjoying watching Cole in his element as gamma. It"s as natural for him as I thought it would be. It actually made me think about our conversation about being the alpha mate and what it entails. Cole would work closest with you on a regular basis, but we do have another position you will need to fill now that we"re fully mated."

"Oh? I would fill it? Why not you?" He smiles at my confusion.

"I actually cannot be the one to choose. I can"t have a hand in it at all other than giving suggestions for the larger pool of prospects. The position is our alpha mate"s beta. That person is your second-in-command for everything. They will not report to me or anyone else . . . only you. They will prioritize you above even me because, as your alpha and your mate, I need that assurance in order to function or let you leave my sight. Normally you could take your time and weigh your options. Maybe even give a few a trial run, but with everything happening right now, I think it"d be best to get someone as soon as possible. You know quite a few people in the pride; do you have anyone who comes to mind right away?"

Oh, wow. "I do, but he"s an enforcer right now and I know he"s wanted to move up in the ranks. He would make an amazing beta for you someday, Bas; I don"t want to be selfish." Okay, I kind of want to be selfish, but I"ll understand if I"m not allowed to choose from the existing enforcers or ranking members.

"Are you talking about me?" I whip my head around to the doorway to the kitchen, and lo and behold, my best friend is standing there with a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Shut up. Of course you would be my first choice, but I don"t want you to resent me for taking more freedoms away from you. It"s more restrictive than another beta position, Wes. You"d essentially be my shadow twenty-four-seven, if I understand what Bas was saying correctly."

"Theo, I wouldn"t be able to rest if someone else was my best friend"s second. I don"t trust anyone outside of Alpha Westwood and our family to look out for you like I can. Plus, it"s an honor to be the alpha mate"s beta." His sincerity makes my eyes want to leak. Giving into the urge, I jump up and hug my best friend with every ounce of my human strength.

"Nik is also volunteering to watch over Theo until the threats have passed. He said he could be here bright and early before you guys announce to the pride that you"re mated," Cole chimes in, making me break my hug with his brother so I can look at him properly.

"What do you mean?" I ask. "You made it sound like everyone already knows, and that that"s part of the problem."

"Ah, no. I will be making an announcement tomorrow to the pride, and we"ll celebrate our mating properly. I"m not going to act ashamed of my mate, Theo." Bas looks genuinely upset that I would think he"s ashamed of me.

"I know you"re not ashamed; I just didn"t know there would be a big formal thing where I stand in front of a shit ton of people and announce I had sex with their alpha last night." Duh. God, I"m tired.

Cole does what he does best and gently steers us back to the topic at hand. "Since Nik will be here in a few hours and it"s still currently the middle of the night, let"s get some sleep and get the betas and enforcers together in the morning to hash out a plan. I got some rest earlier, so I"ll take first watch, and Wes will take over when you guys get up. I"ll sneak in a nap tomorrow to make up for any lost sleep, so don"t you worry about me. I want to finish planning the celebration, anyway."

We all agree and shuffle off to do what we"re told. Wes takes the only guest room on the second floor with us, waving goodnight before closing the door.

Alone once again, I melt into Bastian"s arms, letting the exhaustion wash over me. He kisses my temple before herding me to the bed and stripping us both down. My awareness is hazy now, so I don"t track much of what is going on around me. I know Bas will take care of everything so I don"t have to worry. With that knowledge I let sleep claim me as I feel the bed dip with my mate"s weight.