Nox drove for a while before pulling into a fast food place. “What do you want?”
Luca was about to tell him he wasn’t hungry, but Nox’s expression said it wasn’t up for debate. “A couple of plain biscuits and orange juice.”
Nox spoke to the staticky voice raking through the drive-thru speaker, then joined the other cars waiting in line.
“You ever been in love?” Luca wasn’t sure why he asked because he really didn’t want to know. It seemed the whole world had been in love by the time they were twenty. Here he was a few weeks shy and hadn’t even gone on a date.
“Yeah.”
Nox pulled up to the window and paid for their food. He passed the bag to Luca and put the drinks in the cup holder between them.
“Who was it?” Luca passed one of the loaded biscuits to Nox who peeled back the wrapper before pulling onto the street.
“Your brother.”
Luca’s insides fell somewhere around his ankles. “Koda?”
“It wasn’t like you think.”
And what else was Luca supposed to think?
“I didn’t have a choice.”
“What do you mean you didn’t have a choice?”
“It’s difficult to explain.”
“Try.”
“Koda was our Alpha. That made it impossible for us not to care about him. And eventually, love him.”
Us
Luca fumbled with the bag in his lap.
Nox finished off his biscuit, and Luca passed him another.
Nox nodded at the bag. “Eat.”
Luca took out a biscuit and picked bits off, eating whenever Nox glanced at him.
If what Nox said was true, then he’d suffered a loss just like Luca. It couldn’t be. But if it was and he’d truly loved Koda…
“I’m sorry.” Luca drank some orange juice.
“About what?”
“He’s gone. I mean he’s been gone for me for five years, but you just lost him.”
Nox wadded up the empty wrapper and handed it back. “It’s okay.”
How could he say that? Luca wrapped the remains of the biscuit back up. “If he was alive, why didn’t he try to contact us?”
Nox stopped at a red light and leaned back in the seat. “He couldn’t. The place we were, there was no way to contact anyone.”
“He couldn’t call us, but he could send you?”
“Yes.”