Craige had never known his family and while he might have been a part of Grey’s pack, he wasn’t blood.
His apparent method of fulfilling that gap had been by living vicariously through Jonathan.
And Grey being Grey, had used the opportunity to monitor every aspect of Jonathan’s life. It had taken Johnathan a while to figure out how Grey knew his every worry, fear, and self-doubt. How the man could exploit all his weaknesses and force him to harden or break.
Then Johnathan realized the source was who he looked up to more than any of his blood brothers. He just didn’t figure it out until after he’d given Craige rank as his First Beta and made him second-in-command of his meta-pack.
After a long moment, Craige fell limp under Jonathan’s hold.
“I’m sorry, First Beta.”
God, Jonathan hated that title, and if it had been another team member, he would have taken it as a jab, but not with Craige. The reverence he voiced with the formality was a hundred percent sincere.
Jonathan let Craige go and stepped back. “Anyone else have something to say on the matter?”
The rest of the men remained with their heads lowered and their laps covered in food and drink.
“Good.”
Frost waited by the door. As Jonathan walked past, he fell in step beside him.
“How long do you think that’s going to hold them off?” Frost said.
“Forever if they want to live.”
“We’re talking about an Urja. He runs, and all sense of self-preservation will go right out the window.”
He was right. If Dr. Dante ran—and he would run—even the threat of having their throat eaten out by Grey himself wouldn’t give them pause.
Jonathan took a right at the end of the hall, and Frost stopped him with a hand on his arm.
“You need to talk to Dr. Dante. He deserves to know. He deserves the choice.”
The choice of staying in the Dekker Clan or going to another.
“Because if he stays, you’ll mount him.”
“I may run him but it doesn’t mean I’ll catch him.” Especially if Johnathan could keep his dick out of the man’s ass until that happened.
Frost laughed. “Jonathan, there isn’t a male in this pack aside from Grey who could put you on your back. I’d even bet my money on you against every single Alpha in every Mah Clan.”
Jonathan shook his head. “That’s where you’re wrong.”
Frost crossed his arms. “Really?”
“You put me on my back.”
Frost’s smile fell.
“So I’m counting on you to keep me from ruining that man’s life.”
“J, you’re not Paul.”
“But I look like him.”
“And when Dr. Dante runs, he won’t care. His hormones will be so ramped up he won’t give a shit what the person who mounts him looks like.”
Worse, he’d want it. He’d provoke it. He’d command the males chasing him, and they would do his bidding. If the one who caught him wanted to share, he’d take them too.