12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Zane

Normally, my apartment above the shop was my refuge, my place where I could sit and relax without a care in the world. I could shut off my mind and not worry about the business, the den, or what I needed to get done. Except now, my home, my safe haven, was with Corey. And Corey wasn't here.

He was alone in his house, sitting directly next to his brother's home where I couldn't go without arousing any suspicions. Sure, I could go stay with Aydan, technically I lived in his house, but my bear wouldn't tolerate being that close to Corey without actually being able to be with him. And my acting skills? Yeah, they couldn't get me through a town play, much less fooling the person who knew me best, second only to his brother.

I knew that the conversation with his brother didn't go the way that Corey had wanted it to. It wasn't because Aydan took it poorly. Aydan was so busy, so charged up worrying about building this partnership with the other den that there was nothing else that you could talk to him about. And just when my mate thought he was going to be able to—the phone rang.

And I got it. Ayden was playing catch-up from being gone for so long and seeing his brother for the first time in a long while. His head was probably spinning, and when he got like that, he moved from one thing to the next to the next, conquering his internal to-do list like a boss. It was how he was made.

Ayden also needed to make his rounds to see our den members. They had been fine with him being gone, but their beasts? They needed the reassurance that their Alpha was here. That was what he'd spent the majority of his day doing. And that was good. It was great for the den.

It was the best for everyone except Corey and me. We needed to talk to him, especially with our guests about to come.

I cracked open a beer and sat down on my couch, putting my feet up on the coffee table, my mate's scent tormenting me even in its absence. My eyes were closed when the door squeaked open. I leapt forward and turned to find Corey coming inside.

"What are you doing here?"

"I missed you," he said. He came inside, closed the door, and curled up on the couch next to me. "I missed you so much, I had to come."

I held my drink in one hand and wrapped the other around his shoulders as he snuggled into my side. His scent wrapped around me like a warm fire after a cold winter day. I kissed the top of his head, assuring him that I missed him too.

"Where does your brother think you are?" I asked.

"Resting," he said. "I haven't spoken with him since earlier. I couldn't even get a word in. I should've just said what I needed to say." He looked up at me. "I tried. I really did, but he was so distracted by other things, and he kept interrupting me. I don't even think he realized he was doing it."

He'd already told me this by phone, but it was clearly still upsetting him, so I listened as he replayed his brother's entire homecoming.

"Your brother is a determined Alpha with a one-track mind. Sometimes he needs to sit back and listen to what others have to say. You and I'll talk to him together. Perhaps tomorrow." Or maybe today. It had to be soon, though. Time was ticking.

"The other den is arriving tomorrow, Zane. How are we going to talk to Aydan before they arrive? And once they do arrive, how is Aydan going to show that it'll work out even without me as a bargaining chip?" My mate held me tighter with each word he spoke, as if he was afraid I'd be taken away from him that moment.

"You and I are meant to be, and there is not going to be anything that comes between us. Our den and Aydan will have to accept that." I kissed his head and inhaled his scent, crossing my fingers and toes that my words were true.

"I want to believe that, I truly do."

"I should've gone with you today. I'm sorry." In hindsight, of course being there as a couple was the right way to do it. But we couldn't go back in time. We could only move forward and try to learn from our mistakes.

"It's not your fault," he said. "I should've been able to just say the words and not let him keep cutting me off."

I chuckled. "Your brother is a force of nature."

"He is that," Corey agreed. "Let's talk about something else, though. How was your day?"

"Good. I finally got the truck running and out of the shop, so I have more room for another project." It wasn't the best vehicle in town, but it was going to be helpful.

"That's exciting." His voice lightened as he relaxed against me. "And what other projects will that be?"

"I'm not sure yet." I had so many ideas floating around. I loved to tinker and fix the unfixable. That opened the door to a lot of options, but there had been one that kept popping back up. "I thought it might be fun for den members to have golf carts to drive around rather than vehicles. We could have an ordinance where people could drive golf carts between certain hours of the day as long as they were well maintained." It would keep the exhaust down and save on gas, that was for sure.

"That could be fun. I'm sure they'd all like that. I've noticed many people like to walk around town." He fit in so beautifully with the town and the den. This was his home already. And the den? They were his family. He didn't wear his childhood trauma on his sleeve, but I knew his brother well enough to know that it was there. Finding the right den, that was going to go a long way.

Only he didn't find it, his brother built it for him. Not that Aydan had said those words, but it was true. Everything Ayden had done since he was old enough to be responsible had been for his brother. And that was how I knew everything would work out with me mating his brother. At least I knew it in my mind. My heart? It was still a little unsure.

The arranged mating aside— Would he think I was good enough for Corey? His brother deserved the absolute best this world could give, and I was many things, but the best wasn't one of them. Yes, I'd love, cherish, protect, and provide for him until my final breath, but would that be enough for Aydan?

"Walking is popular." I was one of the people who loved to walk the town. There was a quaintness and feeling of home even here, where the businesses were.

"Do you want to get golf carts just because you think it would be fun to see how fast you can make them go?" He was sassing, but also not far off the mark.

I chuckled. "Maybe some of them. The other idea I had was a go-cart track and that would be all about the speed." Or as much speed as one could get out of a go-cart. "I think it would be a great way for den members to have a good time together without causing too much ruckus."

"I don't know much about them, but they sound like a lot of fun. The field out behind that old bank would be a great place for it."

"Now you're thinking." I kissed his temple. "Whenever I thought about being mated, settling down with someone, moments like this are the exact thing that I imagined," I said. "Cuddling with my mate, talking about our day. I'm so thankful that you're here, Corey. So thankful that you're mine."

I expected him to respond, perhaps with hopes and dreams of his own. But when I looked down, my little mate had his eyes closed, and he let out a soft snore. He hadn't even heard my words, but I knew that he felt them, and I knew that he understood.

His day had been long and stressful, and when it was over, where did he go? To me, to his mate. And it was here, in my arms that he was able to let go of the tension of the day and drift off into slumber. The pride my bear felt at being able to give that to our mate was contagious.

I didn't know what tomorrow was going to bring, but every cell of my being believed that when it was all said and done, Corey and I were going to be just like we were now, snuggling together, the love that was growing between us wrapped around us as our scents intertwined.

"Night, my sweet mate." I brushed a kiss to the top of his head. "Sleep well."