Ezra
Kat leaves and I wait to hear her walk up the stairs so she isn’t within earshot before turning to face my Beta. A growl erupts, Mateo is my best friend, has been my entire life. I am fuming, fucking absolutely livid that he kissed her. I feel betrayed. As soon as I kissed her, I could smell his scent on the side of her mouth, and smell him on her skin, subtle but there.
"Let me explain, Ezra," Mateo says, as I turn to face him. He steps back and Maddox presses against my skin.
"Why?" Is all I ask, unable to form words as I fight off the urge to attack.
"I didn't mean to. She hurt herself and I was carrying her. I don't know why I did it, please try and understand. I know I fucked up, it was an accident."
"You accidentally kissed her?" My hands tremble, I ball them into fists at my side, trying to fight the urge to punch him.
"It's not like that, I know she is yours. It just happened, she doesn’t seem to think anything of it, I swear Ezra, I didn't mean to kiss her."
"Do I need to be worried about this? Do I need to be worried about you being around her?" I demand. The hurt hasn't calmed, it still throbs through me. What kind of best friend does this? He knows how long I have waited to find her, and then he does this?
"No, it won't happen again. It was just a slip up, you know me, Ezra. I would never do anything to deliberately hurt you." Some of my keyed up tension drains at his words. I know he wouldn't deliberately betray me, he's been like a brother to me. We have been inseparable since we were kids.
"Do you have feelings for her?" I question.
His heart rate picks up, his body tenses. "I know she is yours, your mate."
I press my lips in a line and look away from him, Maddox growls angrily in my head. He notices it too.
Turning my attention back to Mateo, he gulps.
"That's not what I asked." He glances away from me. "You do, don't you? You like her?"
Mateo sighs heavily, scrubbing a hand through his hair. "Of course, I like her. She is my Luna and your mate,"
"You know what I mean, Mateo,"
"Yes, I like her. She is different from the others, she isn't power hungry and doesn't care for titles. What isn't there to like? But I won't act on it. I know she's yours."
"You’re right. She is mine, so don't put me in a situation where I have to choose, Mateo."
"I will keep my distance," he whispers, but I also know he is Kat's only friend besides Jasmine.
Kat is comfortable around him and I don’t want her to become between our friendship either. Suddenly, I find myself torn. "What did she do when you kissed her?" I ask, now worried she may have feelings for him too.
"Nothing, she didn't react at all, I even told her I shouldn't have done it. Kat just seemed confused, she didn't understand why I was worried about it."
"So she didn't do anything?"
"No Ezra, she thinks of me as a friend and that's it." Some possessive part of me wants to rip him apart, another worries his feelings for her are reciprocated.
"And you? What do you think of her?" I ask him again.
"I think I fucked up, okay? That's why I told you. It won't happen again, I have a mate out there, anything I feel for her will go once I find him or her."
Though the look on his face doesn’t convince me. Mateo has never once gone looking for his mate, never once mentioned wanting to find them, always saying he is content with how things are, that he doesn’t want to find them. I nod, trying to think of what the right thing to do is. I can’t force him out of her life, nor do I want to, but the other side is telling me to keep her away from him. That he is a threat to the mate bond.
"Don't let it happen again, we have enough going on with Jackson’s Pack. I don't need to be worrying about you chasing after my mate, when you're the only person other than myself I trust to protect her,” I confess.
Mateo steps forward, gripping my forearms. "I'm sorry, I won't let it happen again," he pleads.
My jaw clenches and my teeth grind together. I swallow back the urge to yell at him, to hurt him for what he did. "You can go." Mateo nods, letting me go. I watch as he leaves my office, then I hear the front door as he leaves the Packhouse.
Walking upstairs, I follow my mate's scent to her room. Knocking on the door, she opens it before going back to the walk-in closet.
"What have you lost?" I ask her.
"My robe," she answers, digging through the closet.
"I hung it up behind the door in the bathroom."
She nods, grabbing her pajamas before walking down toward the bathroom.
"My bathroom, Kat," I correct.
Kat stops, turns on her heel and looks at me. "Your bathroom?"
"Yes, Marge washed it for you, and I put it in there. I thought you would come stay in my room from now on."
"You want me to stay with you?" She asks, confused. I can see the wheels turning in her head, trying to piece together my actions. I know she feels the bond, but without a wolf confirming I am her mate, she is unsure what to make of the strange pull she feels toward me.
"You don't have to," I tell her, as she chews her fingernails.
"You think that's a good idea?" She asks, stepping toward me. I don't care if she doesn't get her wolf on Monday, either way I am telling her. Her not knowing is driving me crazy. I tug her closer, gripping her chin and tip her face up.
"I would like you too, but you don't have to." Her being comfortable is all I care about. I don't like the idea of her feeling pressured to do anything just because I am the Alpha, she gets enough pressure from her mother and everyone else, she doesn't need it from me. "You can say no, I won't be offended," I add.
"You won't be mad if I say no?" she asks.
"No, it's your choice." She thinks for a second, before standing on her tippy toes and kissing me. I like that she is becoming more daring, more comfortable around me though if she calls me Alpha once more I may just lose it. I am not her Alpha, I never want her questioning whether or not she will anger me, or need my permission to be who she is.
Although, I do hope whatever she does want to do, she will tell me because she wants to, not because she feels obligated to because of my title.
Her lips move hesitantly against mine and I let her kiss me, letting her have control as her tongue hesitantly plays with mine. I can tell she is unsure though, so after a few seconds, I grip the back of her neck and kiss her back harder, letting her know she can do whatever she wants with me. Kat presses closer, her hands going to my chest as she runs her small fingers through my chest hair, her hands move to my shoulders.
Leaning down a little, I grab the back of her thighs, I pick her up. She wraps her legs around my waist, pressing closer to me.
"Is that a yes?" I ask her, squeezing her ass. Her face turns bright red, it's so cute I can't stand it. Her cheeks become stained with her blush.
"I will as long as you want me to," she answers softly.
I pull away, looking at her. "Not if you don't want to, Kat. I will back off if you tell me to," I remind.
"No, I want to; I just meant as long as I am not annoying you," she whispers and I press my head against hers.
"You could never annoy me, Little One. I just want to make sure you’re comfortable."
"And I am. I always feel funny around you." She admits more to herself than me.
"Funny?" I ask, amused by her choice of wording.
"Yeah, all tingly," she says, making me smile. My mate is in for a surprise once she turns eighteen then, because that feeling is going to get a whole lot worse.
"You make me tingly too." I chuckle at her and she slaps my arm. "Shower with me?" I ask her, and she nods. I turn toward our room, glad that she wants to stay with me.