“Talk to me,” Jobe said, his voice soft, coaxing.
Monogamy wasn’t natural for an Alpha without a fated mate, so Wesley should consider the current situation a positive development—he could keep Jobe as his mate, thereby fulfilling Red River’s strange succession custom, and suggest they take other sexual partners. If Jobe wasn’t attracted to men, he’d likely jump at the chance to continue sleeping with women. But no matter how hard Wesley tried, he couldn’t make his mouth utter those words.
Jobe was sharp, kind, and charming, and his knowledge of Red River’s lands, soil, and plant life was second to none. Every pack member adored him and Wesley understood the sentiment. From his first night in Red River, Wesley had realized Jobe would be a wonderful person for an Alpha to have by his side. Now he realized Jobe would be a wonderful mate for an Alpha, a wonderful mate for him. Despite their mating being created by circumstance rather than fate, Wesley would happily give up the opportunity to have sex with others if it meant he could physically connect with Jobe.
“Wesley?” Shuffling sounded and then Jobe’s warm hand curled around his wrist.
Without opening his eyes, Wesley said, “There’s nothing to talk about.”
Or rather nothing he could bring himself to say. Monogamy might not be natural for an Alpha wolf, but possessiveness was, and regardless of how their mating had come about or what that word even meant in relation to what essentially had been a business deal, Wesley couldn’t stand the thought of anyone touching Jobe. Or rather, anyone other than him touching Jobe. The intensity of his desire for Jobe was foreign and as disconcerting as it was euphoric.
“You’re upset,” Jobe said, moving his fingertips over Wesley’s skin in a soft caress.
There was no point in denying it because Wesley’s scent would give him away as a liar. Jobe, on the other hand, had no scent, so Wesley couldn’t use that sense to decipher his feelings. Thankfully, Jobe’s gentle voice and tender touch told him enough—Jobe was worried about him. Surprisingly, Wesley had no urge to dismiss the concern by demonstrating his strength and power. He felt comfortable with Jobe, secure.
He also felt as if he would break apart from the inside if he couldn’t have the other man. Wanting more time to establish himself before showing his scarred stomach, Wesley hadn’t shifted into his other form since his arrival at Red River. His wolf half had been clawing at him to get out and explore the new pack lands, to run with Jobe and rut with him. An Alpha had to hunt with his pack so Wesley wouldn’t be able to keep hiding that part of himself for much longer, and Jobe would be the first person he’d show. But for right now, he couldn’t bring himself to reveal his shortcoming for fear it’d evoke disgust or pity in the brown eyes that so far looked at him with fondness and admiration.
“I’m your mate.” Jobe’s quiet voice held a husky note Wesley found sexy. “You can talk to me about anything.”
Moving his arm off his face, Wesley opened his eyes and looked at Jobe. “Why didn’t you take a female Alpha for a mate?”
Alphas were predominantly male, but not exclusively. In fact, Jobe’s own mother was an Alpha wolf. Surely a pack as established and prosperous as Red River could have found a female Alpha to lead them.
“What?” Jobe reared back, looking shocked.
Eran Root, Jobe’s mother, radiated immense power despite her older age, and Wesley had witnessed the pack’s respect for her, so he hadn’t considered the possibility that they would have balked at her leadership merely because she was a female. But maybe he had been wrong. Reflecting back on the conversations he’d had with his new pack members, Wesley remembered hearing about how long Eran had waited for her Alpha mate.
“Do they insist on a male Alpha?” Wesley asked, rising to a sitting position. “Is that why they made you mate with me even though you’re not into guys?”
“Insist on…” Jobe blinked. “Nobody made me do anything. What are you talking about?”
“I’ve heard the little comments everyone makes, Jobe.” More than one person had grinned and whispered when Wesley and Jobe ended their evenings early to go home together, or teased them about being tired in the mornings, implying they’d been up late doing what new mates did. And while Jobe hadn’t told anyone that they spent those evenings cooking and sharing a meal and those late nights talking, neither had he made any physical overtures toward Wesley. “They all think we hole up in here every night and…mate, but we don’t. Why is that?” Wesley snapped at Jobe, unreasonably angry that he wasn’t wanted by the man he’d had every intention of rejecting only weeks earlier.