Four

Nothing. Nothing. Nothing.

It was nothing, really. Dessy would find his mate soon. Or hell, maybe he’d go looking for her, just to make this shit stop. Whatever needed to be done.

But then, leaving Destiny alone to be a third wheel by herself wasn’t something he wanted either.

Diz paced his apartment, looking for something to clean, but everything was spotless. The downside of being a neat freak. He could go running, but he was worried about bumping into Destiny. She said she’d try to see his mate again, and he wanted to give her space to concentrate. If he stayed in his cramped place, he’d start dwelling on things he shouldn’t dwell on.

Like his best friend’s lips.

His best damn friend. She was his best friend. Absolutely no thinking about how soft her lips were.

Yeah, he had to get out of there.

He grabbed his leather jacket from the hook by the door and booked it down the steps to the garage. His racecar was parked at the end and he wasted no time starting it up and pulling onto the path that led to the practice track.

The events of the day before had weighed heavily on him. He’d worked in the garage, taking every job he could to busy his mind, but it hadn’t helped much. Maybe a few laps around the track would clear his head.

By the time he’d rumbled his way to the track, the sun was almost gone behind the jagged horizon of trees. But when he arrived, he wasn’t the only one looking to take advantage of the fading light to get a few turns in.

Drake crouched next to his car, fiddling with something near the tire. Diz parked next to him and got out.

“Hey man,” Drake said, standing and wiping his hands on a rag.

“‘Sup?”

“Just thought I’d play around a little before dark. Punk, um, asked that we not race at night because it keeps Artie awake.”

Diz arched one eyebrow. “Asked?”

“Well… asked might be a slight exaggeration.”

“She put her foot down, didn’t she?”

Drake stared into the sunset, pursing his lips in a slight scowl. “Yeah, okay, I’m an honest man so… yeah, she told me how it was going to be and I decided it was best not to argue. Do you blame me?”

Diz laughed, and it was a nice feeling to temporarily forget about his own worries.

“How’s Ella? She still giving you grief?”

Drake nodded slowly, grinning. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. But yeah. She’s a little grumpy because she wanted a mating ceremony before the young pops out.”

Ah, yes. The mating ceremony they couldn’t have. It was the giant elephant among them. In a normal wolf pack situation, Elders existed. Wise shifters who helped guide the pack under the alpha. They conducted the mating ceremony where the male was marked by a brand of their choosing to signify their commitment to their female.

Females were marked in the mating bed. Males, before the pack. It was a beautiful damn thing. But because DTD was a ragtag pack of misfits, they had no Elders to speak of, and none of their males had been marked.

“That’s not your fault though,” Diz said.

“Yeah? Try telling that to my beautiful pregnant mate who will only let me sleep on one eighth of the bed. Like an actual damn dog, I tell you.”

Diz laughed, tipping his head back. “So pregnant sex isn’t all it’s cracked up to be?”

“Oh, I didn’t say that. Be ready, because after those first four months it’s horny-time all. Fucking. Day. And night.” Drake froze, his gaze slowly lowering to his pants where a tent was growing. “Well, shit.”

Diz snickered at his alpha’s expression.

“What? She’s growing a baby. She needs extra baby juice or whatever.”

Diz lost it. “Baby juice?” He doubled over, holding his gut as he chuckled. Baby juice. Shit, that was funny.

“Aw, yeah. You laugh now. You just wait. Your time to bend to a female is coming, I promise. And when it does, you’re going to bend all the way fucking backwards. You’ll see.”

Diz shook his head, sobering. “Shit, I’ve heard that for a while now. So far, you’ve all been wrong.”

“Patience sucks ass, huh?”

Diz sighed. “Indeed, my friend.”

Drake pinned him with one of those alpha looks. The ones that preceded a subject that had been on his mind for a while, and usually something he thought was a concern to the pack.

“What about Destiny?”

“What about her?”

Drake narrowed his eyes. “Don’t do that. You know damn well what I mean.”

Diz looked away. “She isn’t mine. You know that.” The words came from his mouth, but they didn’t sound right. Especially when his wolf bucked against them.

“So... maybe what I’m thinking is, it doesn’t matter.”

Diz scowled at his alpha. “Of course it matters.”

Drake shrugged. “It worked for Surge and Tana. Your intended isn’t always the one you’re meant to end up with. They proved that.”

Diz laughed humorlessly. “That was an entirely different situation. His mate was dead. Mine is out there somewhere, waiting for me.”

“Maybe.”

“What do you mean, maybe?”

Drake crossed his arms, leaning against his car. “Maybe she’s out there waiting for you. Maybe she’s not.”

Diz was quiet.

“Maybe she’s already mated someone else. Maybe she doesn’t want a mate. Maybe she doesn’t care one fuck. You don’t know.”

Strangely, the idea didn’t leave him ill like when he’d thought about Dessy mating another.

“You think?” Diz asked, his wolf reacting so oddly, he couldn’t make sense of it.

Drake looked surprised. “That doesn’t bother you?”

Diz frowned. “Of course it does.” It did. But more because it should bother him than because it did.

“Well, you know… Destiny’s mate could come for her any time,” Drake mused.

“I’m aware,” Diz ground out.

“But whether she ends up with him or not is her choice.”

“Yes.” Diz clenched his jaw to keep from cursing Drake to hell.

“She could very well decide to mate another.”

Diz quickly grew impatient with his alpha’s roundabout way. “What’s your point?”

Drake smirked. “My point is you’re pissed off over her, but not over your intended.”

But it would be different when he actually met his intended. The way he felt would change. What he felt for Dessy would pale in comparison to what he felt for his intended. It was the werewolf way. His animal would seek to secure his intended at the cost of everything else. So while he might care more about Destiny now, he wouldn’t necessarily in the future.

It was a dismal thought. And why he had to be very careful with her.

Diz shook his head, avoiding Drake’s intense gaze.

“You could have her, you asshole.”

“I know,” Diz snapped.

He could break their code of friendship and have an affair with Dessy. But then what? They weren’t fated. She’d move on, or he would, and then what would be the fucking point.

He wasn’t looking for an affair; he was looking for a mate.

And worse, what would become of them when it was all over?

“You wouldn’t risk something like this,” he spat at his alpha.

“Like what? Being happy with someone I cared about?”

“Someone who wasn’t your mate.”

Drake nodded. “Look, I get it. You want to wait for your intended. Thing is, it could be years, decades before she’s ready for mating. In the meantime, you and Destiny are miserable, the way you both pretend you don’t want each other.”

Diz glared. “So, what? Are you suggesting friends with benefits? I can’t do that to her. What happens when I find my mate? Huh? Do I just say, sorry babe, but I found my real lover now, nice fucking you for a while though.”

“See, that’s the problem.” Drake jabbed a finger in Diz’s chest, causing his wolf to snarl. “It’s not about fucking. You’re afraid you’ll have feelings for her. Love her, even. Maybe you already do. Who the fuck knows. But one thing’s for sure, you’re not being honest with yourself.”

Shit.

Diz’s animal didn’t want to bow to the alpha’s on this. He wanted to prove him wrong. He wasn’t hiding his head in the sand like some pussy bird. He was protecting someone he cared about. Someone he was meant to protect. Even if it was from himself.

Diz forced his jaw to loosen. Fucking hell, he was worked up. Hadn’t been this angry since his younger days when he depended on alcohol to keep him level. “It doesn’t matter. I know Dessy. Something like that would break her heart.”

“Maybe,” Drake spoke calmly, seeing Diz was close to snapping. “Maybe not. Maybe she’s looking for the same damn distraction you are.”

That was the thing his alpha didn’t understand. Dessy could never be that. Because Diz wasn’t looking for a distraction.

But… maybe she was.

He knew her dream of finding a loving mate. Maybe she ached as much as he did and just wanted someone to make the time pass faster. Did she need him to be that for her? Could he be that for her? Could he make things easier for Dessy without letting feelings get in the way?

He slapped his palm on the top of Drake’s car.

What the hell was he thinking? She didn’t want a quick romp in the hay with her friend. She hadn’t responded well to his accidental kiss. ‘Course neither did he, but still. The idea was ludicrous. If she wanted him like that, he’d know it.

“Came here to clear my mind, and all you’ve done is muddy it all up.”

Drake smirked, puffing his chest out and staring pointedly at his racecar. “I am pretty good at muddying things.”

“Yeah, yeah. Thanks for nothing. Alpha.”

Drake laughed, even though nothing was funny. He slapped Diz on the shoulder, shaking him good-naturedly. “You’ll figure it out, man. You’re tough shit. Always have been. The dark horse no one expects to be so strong.”

Would it matter how tough he was if he screwed things up with Destiny? Because if he was honest with himself, Drake was right. It wasn’t only her heart he was worried about.