Page 6 of The Reluctant Alpha

"You're growling," Kaylan observed quietly beside me. I knew he'd followed my scent, and I had parked far enough away to observe without being noticed.

I forced myself to breathe. "I'm not."

"Are too,” Kaylan argued like a five-year-old with a teasing smile. “Your bear doesn't like seeing him with another male, even if it's his brother."

"His jerk of a brother," I muttered, watching as Shane gestured animatedly, clearly annoying Danny further. "From everything Emery's told me, Shane’s a waste of space."

Kaylan leaned against his truck, studying me with too-knowing eyes. "So, what's the plan now? You gonna follow him home? Stand guard outside his window? Carve his name into trees?"

"Shut up," I grumbled, but there was no heat in it. The truth was, I had no plan. What could I offer Danny? A broken pack? A borrowed room in someone else's house?

"You know," Kaylan said thoughtfully as Shane's car pulled away, "there's this thing called talking. You could try it with him."

"He doesn't even like me."

"Bullshit."

I shot Kaylan a glare. "He literally ran from me. Twice."

"Because he's scared of what he feels, not of you." Kaylan pushed away from the truck, stretching his lanky frame. "Look, I've seen how he watches you when he thinks no one's looking. That's not dislike."

The bear inside me rumbled with approval at the thought, but I tamped it down. Hope was dangerous. I'd learned that lesson repeatedly over the years. Dad had beaten it into me.

"Even if that's true, the timing couldn't be worse." I ran a hand through my hair. "My pack's in shambles, I have no cash to rebuild anything, and I'm living out of a duffel bag at Phoenix's place."

Kaylan's expression softened. "Since when does a bear need perfect circumstances to claim his mate?"

"Since his mate is human and deserves better than being dragged into shifter chaos," I muttered.

We stood in silence for a moment, watching the space where Shane's car had been. Rain began to sprinkle down, gently at first, then heavier, tapping against the truck's hood in a steady rhythm.

"You know," Kaylan said finally, "Danny's already in this world through Emery, and he loves Esther. That ship has sailed."

"Being friends with a seer is different than being mated to the disgraced heir of a bear shifter pack."

"Disgraced?" Kaylan's voice hardened. "Your father was the disgrace, not you. He ran that pack into the ground, not you. He angered the silver-skins, not you. He ran illegal guns with humans, not you."

I stared out at the rain, watching it darken the asphalt. "Doesn't matter. The bears still look to me to fix it."

"Then fix it," Kaylan said simply. "But don't use it as an excuse to push away your mate."

I growled, the sound rumbling deep in my chest. "He's not—"

"He is," Kaylan interrupted. "You know it. Your bear knows it. Hell, even I can see it, and I'm not the one who pulled him from a wrecked car and I'm pretty sure had him clinging on like a koala."

The memory of Danny in my arms—warm, trusting, his face pressed against my chest—made my heart ache. The way he'd refused to let go. The way he'd whispered my name.

"It doesn't matter. Danny has enough problems without me adding to them."

"Like what?"

"His job, for one. Emery's replacement is treating him like crap." I sighed, remembering the frustration in Danny's voice when I’d heard him talk about it with Esther. "And now his car's totaled."

Kaylan was quiet for a moment. "So, fix it."

"Fix what? His car?"

"All of it." Kaylan gestured vaguely. "You're an alpha, Bayer. Start acting like one."