Chapter 7
Josh
Josh was ready to bang his head against the wall. He'd forgotten just how bull-headed alphas could be sometimes. He glared up at the roof of the house, arms tightly crossed. From his position he could see Brighton wince every so often as he nailed new shingles into place.
He'd fought the stubborn wolf tooth and nail about this, but Brighton had insisted that he was feeling well enough to help his friends and had ultimately worn Josh down. Josh had come seriously close to attempting to tie him to the bed.
Brighton caught his sour look and gave him a wave. "I feel fine."
"Sure," Josh muttered.
Jacob came to stand beside him. "I thought he was too hurt to be helping."
"He is," Josh replied.
The week had passed quickly, and Josh had more than once thanked the gods that he hadn't turned these alphas away. They were a godsend. With Ivan and Aidan building the new smokehouse and Gavi and Brighton on the roof, he was so far ahead of where he thought he'd be that he almost didn't know what he was going to do with the rest of his time.
As soon as the smokehouse was done, his first priority would be to get hunting. A couple good sized bucks would carry them through the winter. Then, when the vegetables in the garden were ripe, he'd start working on the preserves. By the way things were going, they'd be done in another couple days.
Josh tried to ignore the small pang in his chest the thought caused.
"They're almost done," Jacob said. Apparently Josh wasn't the only one to notice.
"They are."
Jacob looked up at him. "Then they're leaving. Right?"
"Yeah," Josh said softly. "They have places to go."
"I don't want Brighton to go," Jacob said quietly.
"I know, honey."
Josh understood that. More than once, he'd come inside to see Jacob teaching Brighton one of his games. The alpha was a natural when it came to children. He didn't talk down or condescend, he listened to every word that Jacob said, and he never seemed bored with Jacob's endless demand for attention.
Brighton was going to make some omega very lucky, and he was going to be an amazing father. And Josh tried not to let the thought bother him so much.
There was a tug on his sleeve. He knelt down so that he was looking Jacob in the eye. Jacob leaned in. "Maybe he could stay with us? He said he wants a mate and a kid? He could have us, right?"
Well if that wasn't enough to break Josh's heart, nothing was. He swallowed. "It doesn't work like that."
"Why not?"
"Well, for two wolves to mate, they have to love each other very much. Brighton and I, well, we only like each other as friends."
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he knew what a lie that was. While he couldn't say that he loved Brighton, calling him just a friend felt awkward on his tongue.
God, he felt like a teenager again, chasing after the hottest alpha in the pack. Didn't he learn his lesson the first time? Alphas were more trouble than they were worth and he was better off where he was.
Why did Brighton have to be so nice? And generous? And good with Jacob? Not to mention a body to die for...
"I'm going inside," Josh said. He looked up again in time to catch Brighton rubbing his leg. "I saw that! You got ten more minutes and then you're coming down!"
"I feel fine!" Brighton replied.
"Ten minutes!" Josh huffed and stalked inside. He started on the pile of dishes in the kitchen sink. Housework always helped him clear his head.
It didn't work. All he could think about was how Brighton was going to be gone soon. He'd be sad to see the others go, sure, but the thought of Brighton leaving, of finding a mate one day, made him want to snarl. Every day, his wolf grew more and more restless. He tried to ignore it, but he knew that it would soon become impossible.
"You're going to break that plate," came a dry voice.
The plate fell from his hands with a clank. Josh spun around to glare at Ivan with irritation. "Is he down yet?"
"He's coming," Ivan said. "He's got two more minutes before Gavi goes up there to drag him down."
"Good. I'm not letting him ruin my hard work," Josh muttered. He knew he sounded bitchy but he couldn't bring himself to care.
"You care quite a bit about his well-being, don't you?" Ivan said.
Josh's eyes widened. He glared, red-faced, at Ivan and turned back to the sink. "Don't know what you're talking about. You're all doing me a favor. What kind of person would I be if I let you overwork yourselves?"
"I'm just saying," Ivan said, "he's a great guy. And we are looking to make families of our own after all."
Josh sighed, setting his plate down. "Exactly. He's looking to start a family of his own."
"Yeah." Ivan shrugged. "That's the dream isn't it? Find an omega, claim them, and have some kids. Anyway, sorry I bothered you."
Josh didn't move until Ivan was gone. He swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to figure out what had just happened. It almost sounded like Ivan had just given him his blessing.
Josh wasn't going to do that to Brighton, though. Brighton deserved a young omega without his kind of baggage. One that could give him kids of his own. Josh had Jacob. That was enough, wasn't it? He couldn't have any more kids.
Why not? asked a small voice in his head.
Because...because. And besides, he wasn't going to ask Brighton to raise a child that wasn't his. Josh was just going to have to deal with his emotions, ignore his wolf when it sang and howled.
Josh was stunned. Not just stunned, livid. He stared at his brand new smokehouse, eyes narrowed and flashing fire. Someone was getting their ass kicked for this.
He'd been sound asleep in bed. He couldn't remember his dreams but he knew they had been pleasant, when a loud cracking sound had had him shooting out of bed, heart pounding. Downstairs, the alphas were all standing, teeth bared, ready for a fight.
They rushed outside and the sight that greeted them made Josh gasp.
Yesterday, the smokehouse had been finished. It was shining and sturdy. It would last for years. Now, there was a large jagged hole through the side. The whole wall would have to be rebuilt, and it would take another week to get the extra lumber from Kira to fix it.
"A rogue shifter looking for food?" Ivan asked.
"Gavi, Aidan," Brighton said, "go look around. See if there's been another shifter around here."
Josh brushed his hair over his ears. He was just about ready to snarl when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Quickly, he turned around just in time to see a small dark figure disappear through the window.
"It's okay," he said. "I know who it was."
Brighton looked confused, before it cleared and he nodded in understanding. "We'll just let you handle it then."
Cracking his knuckles, Josh took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm down. Anger wasn't going to get him anywhere in this situation. He needed to go in softly.
While Jacob, thankfully, was usually very well behaved, he had his naughty moments like any kid. Refusing to go to bed, making a mess, even the occasional temper tantrum. The last time he'd been in big trouble, he'd thrown his dinner at the wall. Afterward, he'd cried and helped Josh clean up.
He'd never, ever, done anything like this, though. He knew the importance of this smokehouse. He knew that winter would be significantly more unpleasant without it.
Just like Josh predicted, Jacob was curled up under his quilt, feigning sleep. Josh sat down on the edge of the bed and placed a hand on his son's back. "Anything you want to tell me?"
When he got no answer, he sighed. "Jake, I know you're awake under there."
"No I'm not," came a small, wobbly voice.
The corner of Josh's mouth tugged upward slightly. "So, you want to tell me why you did that?"
"Did what?"
"Jake, come on. I know it was you."
The small boy mumbled something into his pillow. Josh leaned in. "What was that?"
"Now they'll have to rebuild it. They won't leave yet."
Josh's anger faded away. Of course. He rubbed his son's back, not sure what to say. If this wasn't enough to break his heart, he didn't know what was.
"And what happens when it gets rebuilt? Are you going to break it again?"
"No..." Jacob's voice was small.
Sighing, Josh pulled Jacob, blanket and all, into his arms. "You're going to go downstairs and apologize to them for ruining their work. And tomorrow, you're not to leave your room."
Jacob started to cry. Josh patted his back. This was the worst part of being a parent. He'd always hated having to punish his son. "Hey," he said, "none of that. I think you're getting off pretty easy here."
He pulled the blanket away and set Jacob down on the floor. He herded Jacob down to the bathroom and helped him wash his face, before nudging him into the living room where the alphas were gathered.
Jacob kept his head down, kicking his feet slightly. Josh gave him a tap on the shoulder. Jacob mumbled. Josh nudged him again. "So they can hear you."
"Sorry."
"Sorry for?"
"For breaking the smokehouse." Jacob gave him a pleading look with wet eyes. Josh nodded and the boy bolted from the living room and back upstairs.
Josh sank into his armchair, resting his forehead against his hand. "Sorry about this, guys."
There was a round of "it's fine"s and "no worries". Brighton stayed silent, lips tight and hands pressed together. Josh couldn't help but wonder if the alpha was mad at him for messing up their plans.
"If you guys need to get going tomorrow, don't worry about it. I can fix the damage myself," Josh said.
"Don't say that," Ivan said. "It's fine. We can hang around for a bit longer." Gavi said.
"Thanks," Josh said, relieved. He took a deep breath. "I'm going outside for a bit."
The air was cool against his flushed face. He sat down at the bench and ran his hands over his face. What a fucking mess. It was bad enough that he couldn't get his own head together, now he had a heartbroken kid as well. He should have sent them off with Kira first thing. He would have figured out something after a while.
"Hey," came a soft voice.
Josh looked up as Brighton took a seat beside him. "How are you holding up?"
"Fine." Josh shrugged. "Sort of."
"Yeah," Brighton said. "Is the kid okay?"
"He'll be fine," Josh said, though he wasn't so sure himself.
Brighton stretched his feet out. "I should be able to take the brace off pretty soon now. And my ribs are good enough for me to shift now."
"That's good," Josh said. "Kira's coming through tomorrow. I'll be able to get the extra lumber in a couple days. You guys will be out of here in no time."
"Yeah," Brighton said, then he perked up slightly. "Let's go for a run."
"Huh?" Josh frowned.
"A run. I haven't shifted in a while and it'll get rid of some of your stress." He stood up, holding out his hand. "Come on."
Josh bit his lip. How long had it been since he'd been able to run through the forest? Jacob still hadn't shifted yet and Josh had contented himself going for small runs around the property.
But with three alphas guarding the house, Josh realized that he probably wasn't going to get another chance like this for a while. There was never a set time for children to shift. Some did it as young as four or five, others didn't make their first shift until they were ten or eleven.
He grabbed Brighton's hand, strong and rough, and pulled himself to his feet. Brighton grinned and pulled the brace off his leg. He shamelessly stripped down, piling his clothes on the bench.
Josh inhaled sharply as he got a full view of Brighton's muscular body. Battle scars flashed white in the moonlight.
"Like what you see?" Brighton said teasingly.
Biting his lip hard, Josh averted his eyes and stripped down. When he turned back, Brighton's eyes had widened slightly.
"Are you going to stare or are we going to run?" Josh retorted.
He closed his eyes, body shuddering as it changed. Now that he thought about it, it had been so long since he had even shifted. His wolf side was restless and filled with energy.
When he looked up, a large, pitch black wolf stood before him, golden eyes glowing in the dark. His fur was silky and soft looking.
Brighton bumped their noses together, let out a soft bark, and took off into the forest, Josh hot on his heels.