"He's asleep," Damien announced, moving out from the small space of the door and gently closing it. He turned to face me. "You can go in and check on him. He sleeps better when you're around."
"Why was he grumpy?" I asked, still unsure why Ian would be upset to begin with.
"He gets antsy around other Alphas that are stronger than him. Added to the fact that he's been worried about you with the realization that you'll find out what Carter is to you, so he's been in a moody state all week."
"Wait, did all of you know? About Carter and me being mates?"
"Not originally. I've known Carter the longest and I knew he had a mate, but he said she had to go far away for her own safety. That was the excuse he always told me and I basically stopped bringing it up. You know how upset Carter can get. I didn't see the point of nagging him over a topic he really didn't want to discuss. I noticed over the years the way he'd look at you with a mixture of sadness and longing, but I didn't really connect the dots. I didn't realize until we were searching for you after we woke up from our nap and noticed you weren't around, when Carter had protected you from Rick. We had a conversation privately, and I guess Ian already knew? To be fair, we don't get into Carter's business. Even though we're all close, we still have to remind ourselves that he's our Alpha and can make decisions without us."
"That makes sense, but I still don't see what the issue is," I admitted, still feeling in the dark about what the problem was.
"Jealousy," Reika answered.
Why? What's there to be jealous about?
Damien leaned against the wall next to the door and grinned.
"The issue is now you have two mates."
"How is that an issue? I mean, when you think about it, I was technically Carter's mate first but didn't know. He was an ass when we were young, but that's just how he is. Plus, he could have acted out because he knew he was my mate but couldn't say anything. Ian did tell you guys only recently that we were mates, but he apologized, and Carter knew about it, I think? I have two official mates. What's the big deal?"
"In Ian's case, he's most likely jealous that he has to share you," Damien replied.
"But…that makes no sense. He was perfectly fine with sharing me with the pack and we talked about it at our soon-to-be place. Why, when we add Carter to the equation, is it now wrong?"
"Ian's comparing himself to Carter. That's what my best guess is. Maybe you don't see it, Harper, which is understandable because you just entered this side of our world, but Alphas don't like being beat out. Ian has Alpha qualities and can one day become an Alpha if he honestly wants to run his own pack, but I can guess he's rating himself as not worthy for your love because Carter is now in the picture. Yes, we agreed to share you, but when you think about the previous circumstances, you didn't know we were wolf shifters.
"True…but I don't want him thinking like that. There's no competition. I can share myself with all of you…well…uh, I'd have to work on the whole balance situation once we deal with everything else going on, but he shouldn't be thinking so negatively. Ian has his strong points, just as Carter, you, and everyone else in the pack. It's just the same as weak points. Surely Carter doesn't feel that way."
Damien smirked at my words and I frowned and raised an eyebrow at him. "Don't tell me Carter feels like this is a competition too?"
"Not necessarily. If he did, you wouldn't be standing here in front of Ian's door."
"What do you mean?" I crossed my arms, wishing I was picking up on the subtle hints Damien was giving me.
"If Carter considered this a competition, I think you'd be between the sheets with him after bountiful sex instead of here standing in front of Ian's door worrying about him," Reika mused.
I began to blush at her words. W-what?! That's not true!
"You must have hit your head at some point because you're slower than usual."
I didn't hit my head and no I'm not!
"Carter could have made love to you the moment you woke up, but didn't," Damien pointed out. My face grew hot and I shook my head.
"N-no! You were there!"
"Neither of you noticed I was there and completely forgot about Muffin, who was making a ruckus in the corner with her mountain of toys."
"Well…he didn't," I grumbled, trying not to admit the fact we had been in our own world.
"He didn't because he knows Ian's being moody and insecure. It's his Alpha duty to make sure we're all okay and balanced. If one is sad, he has to try to figure out why, at least if it lingers to the point of having a negative effect on us. How do you think Ian would feel when he wakes up and finds out you've been awake and between the sheets with the shifter he's currently comparing himself to?"
I didn't reply, but my shoulders sank and I uncrossed my arms as the thought slowly sank in.
That would make sense…but then it's not fair to Carter either.
"Open your mind to both perspectives, Harper. I get the fact that you feel bad after finding out Carter's been our mate this entire time, and he deserves our sympathy for being patient and loving from afar. However, from Ian's perspective, he knows that. He's well aware that Carter was selfless and knows that you're going to take his side on things. You're going to want to make up for the time lost, and the feelings and memories that resurface would make it easier for you two to be intimate. That's the current problem. Sure, Ian could be jealous because Carter's stronger, hotter, and is our first mate, but he understands that Carter now has every right to enjoy time with you. He’s known you long enough to understand you won't break up with him or anything, but maybe he isn't sure either. He could be thinking about lots of things, and right now your current feelings for Carter are outweighing Ian's," Reika explained.
The hall was silent and I took the chance to think about it.
You have a point...
I was feeling bad about Carter and me. We'd been separated for so many years due to circumstances neither of us could really recall, and now I wanted to make him feel better.
Maybe reward him with the compassion and love he deserved, which could have led to sex.
It simply amazed me how far ahead Carter's thinking process went, taking in all of this instead of acting on instinct, which was something I would have done.
"I understand," I finally replied and lifted my gaze to see Damien's small smile.
He pushed off the wall to stand in front of me and gently brushed his hand along my left cheek.
"I'm not saying Carter doesn't deserve love. Out of anyone, he deserves time with you, his mate who he's kept a secret for years for the sake of your safety and probably the pack’s as well. But you need to comfort Ian a bit first. Let him know how you feel and that you won't abandon him because of this new discovery. As long as he knows that much, I think he won't feel as threatened. Ian's stubborn, just like Carter, but he's still younger than us and hasn't really reached that level of maturity where he sees things as we do. He will with time and experience, but for now, we'll make it easier for him."
"You're really knowledgeable, Damien," I whispered. "Thank you for the advice."
He leaned in and his lips pressed lightly to my forehead. I blinked and inhaled his maple sugar scent that tingled my nose and made my tensed muscles relax.
Leaning slightly back, Damien gave me the perfect smile that lit up his face, his alluring sapphires eyes glistening with understanding.
"You’re welcome, Harper. If you ever need to talk, I'm always around."
He didn't move from his spot but lowered his head so our lips were barely touching. His scent wrapped around me and our eyes locked in an intense gaze.
"The rest of the pack are patient. We're in no rush to join in on the fun. At least, not until everything is settled. Just remember, I'm up next when things calm down with Grumpylocks One and Two."
I thought he’d pull back, but he closed the distance between us instead, placing a delicate kiss on my lips. I closed my eyes and kissed him back, feeling a hint of bubbling happiness that I knew wasn't mine but Damien's.
The kiss was short and sweet. When he released my lips, I opened my eyes and was graced with his broad smile.
"I'll keep a note on that list," I replied, shooting him a seductive smirk.
He nodded and turned away, sliding his hands in his pockets. "You can stay with Ian for the night. Carter's most likely going to be out for a while with the twins, and Levi and I are going to do some online shopping. You're not hungry, right?"
"I'm fine…though, I'd love some maple pancakes in the morning," I suggested with a knowing grin.
He looked over his shoulder and I noticed the tint of pink in his cheeks before he chuckled.
"You're dangerous, Harper." He turned back and began to walk away. "Maple pancakes it is."
I watched him disappear down the hall and I took a deep breath.
This is going to be very interesting.
"You get what you signed up for," Reika sang in delight.
I didn't know I signed up for this!
"From the girl who went on about how she'd do anything for the pack and she'd be willing to share herself with them all."
I didn't read the fine print of the contract! I thought in a wolf aspect. Not dangerous, sexy men who have amazing scents. Which, totally off topic, I wanna know what Levi and the twins smell like. So far, we have cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and maple.
"Fall scents? I'm intrigued, but back to our debate. It's your fault for not reading the terms and conditions. I warned you, and sexy men all the way. The more the merrier. Imagine having those three in bed. Yum."
Sex addict, and I'm not going to imagine that.
"Because you'll get horny."
ARGH! We have other matters to attend to.
"You're just brushing off the topic because you're embarrassed and know I'm right. At least you have masturbation material for later."
I'm going to hell...
"Ride or die wolf coming with you. Do they have sexy men in hell?"
I'd like to avoid the pits of fire, thank you very much, and I don't know. Maybe. Seduction can be painful. Imagine being seduced all day and night and you can't do anything. Horrible...
"Nightmares for days. Let's go inside. It's cold out in the hall."
You just want to snuggle with Wolfie now.
"That too," Reika replied. "Let's remind him that we still love them."
Agreed.