Page 64 of Collared Mate

“Get fucked, loser,” I reply.

Rick walks into the kitchen. He has a slight limp, but otherwise you’d never know he was almost brutally murdered less than a week ago. The doctors have been working on a silver extraction infusion that seems to be working, which is good news for him.

“Hey,” he says, going to the fridge. “How’s it going?”

“Good,” I say.

Rick inspects the condiments. “Uh, sorry for trying to sell you into marriage or whatever,” he says. “I thought it was best for you.”

“That’s okay, you’re a fucking idiot,” I reply with a smirk.

He turns from the fridge, looking at me with a kind of half shame-faced grin.

I don’t think I’ll ever forgive Rick completely, and he knows it. For now, though, it’s enough for me to be back at home. Our home. My real fucking home. I won’t be kicked out of here ever again.

Chef has made pancakes. I have a can of whipped cream beside me. Some of it has gone onto the pancakes. A lot of it has gone directly into my mouth. Chocolate sprinkles as well. Why not? I’m celebrating.

“You’re eating like this is a fucking diner,” Rick says.

“And?”

“Have some class,” he snarks. I know he doesn’t really care. He’s ashamed of all the face he lost when he was bleeding out in front of me. He wants me to scrap with him. That’s why I called him a loser. So he knew I still loved and respected him. It’s a sibling thing.

“Hey,” he says.

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry I tried to sell you to a Russian,” he says. “I guess that wasn’t cool or whatever.”

It’s not often I wish I were a man, but this is one of those times because if I was I think I’d tear him to fucking shreds.

“Not cool, or whatever?”

His chill mask slips for a second. “I know I fucked up. I know I was never cut out to be alpha. I haven’t made a good decision for you even once. So it’s good that I won’t be making them ever again. Henry’s taking over. The pack, and you. It’s the least I could do.”

“Yeah,” I agree. “The literal least.”

Right before I work out how to torture my dumbass brother, Henry comes downstairs. He’s wearing a towel and nothing else. The way his furry body ripples when he moves makes me want to fucking jump him. It’s the Fated Mate bond. It makes me incredibly horny almost all the time. My desire for Henry feels like an appetite I can literally never satiate.

“Morning,” he says.

I see Rick freeze for a moment, then shut the fridge and look at his old friend.

“Hey, man,” he says.

“Hey,” Henry replies, walking around the island to drop a kiss on my head and steal one of my pancakes.

“You want some coffee?” Rick offers.

“Sure,” Henry says.

I don’t know if they ever talked about what happened between them. I have a funny feeling they didn’t, or if they did, it was as lackluster a conversation as the one I just had with Rick myself. I think this might be the closest to an apology Rick has in his body.

I watch as he pours Henry a cup of coffee and slides it across the counter to him, as if that makes up for all the bullshit.

“So you two are getting married, right?” He glances between me and Henry. “Because I don’t want my nieces to be born out of wedlock. You know? I want legitimate heirs.”

Henry glances over at me and flickers a wink where Rick can’t see it.