Luther's wolf growled in the back of his mind. Need to see what had upset Deke so much surged through him. He pushed away from the counter and started that way. He only got two steps before two things happened-Shane grabbed his upper arm and jerked him to a stop, and Declan appeared directly in front of him, blocking his way.
"Come with me," Declan ordered gruffly.
Never in his life had Luther felt a desire to disobey his alpha … until now. He wanted to go to Deke, pull him close and soothe away his fears, whatever they might be. Shane squeezed where he still held his arm and growled just loud enough for Luther to hear it.
Jerking his gaze to his beta, Luther swallowed and nodded. "Yes, Sir," he whispered as he started his ass moving. With one more glance toward Deke, he locked gazes with the human for just a second before Lark offering him a shot glass drew his attention away.
"Luther," Declan rumbled. "In here."
Luther followed his alpha into a room that appeared to be a study or den. Once inside, Shane closed the door behind him and crossed the room to a bar. "Is this going to require drinks all around?" he asked, smirking.
Declan shrugged. "Aye, why not?" he responded heavily.
Confusion filling him, Luther watched as Shane pulled out three shot glasses, then he lifted a bottle of amber liquid from behind the bar. Before he could pour, the door behind Luther opened and he quickly stepped aside so it wouldn't hit him. He watched Carson and Jared join them in the room.
Carson gave Declan an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Alpha. You know Jared has a problem with others in his space."
Nodding, Declan gripped Luther's arm and led him to a chair. "Then, I'll make this quick." He pointed at the seat. "Sit."
Luther settled onto the chair. "What's going on?" he asked, even though that's not what he really wanted to know.
Declan crossed his arms over his chest. "Is Deke Sommers yer mate?"
Gaping, Luther peered up at his alpha. "I-I-" He managed to snap his mouth closed, then rested his head on his palm. "Yeah. Yeah, he is."
"How long have ye known?" Declan asked.
His mouth dry, Luther whispered hoarsely, "Months," he admitted. "Since Vegas."
"And ye haven't done anything about it?" Declan asked brusquely, almost coldly.
Luther placed his right hand on the back of his neck and rubbed at the tension suddenly there. "I have Stephani to think of and Dirk told me Deke was in a relationship." That sounded like pathetic excuses even to his own ears. Meeting his alpha's gaze, he admitted, "Stephani goes to camp next month for a couple of weeks with her friends. Her last bit of freedom before school restarts. I'd planned to head to Sacramento and look him up at that time … see if he was even interested and if we're compatible."
Shane snorted, handing him a shot glass. "Fate set ye up and ye're worried about compatibility?" He shook his head.
Luther took the glass and downed the alcohol, the high-end scotch burning just right. He cleared his throat. "Yeah, probably a stupid concern," he mumbled. Focusing his gaze on Declan, he gathered his courage and asked, "Why was Deke so upset?"
Declan held his gaze for a few seconds, his stormy gray eyes narrowed, as if assessing Luther. Finally, he heaved a heavy sigh. Frowning, Declan stated, "Deke went through something traumatic at the hands of his ex-boyfriend. If ye cannot take care of yer mate properly, continue to stay away from him." After that command, his alpha turned and strode from the room.
Luther gasped, his eyes widening as he watched his alpha disappear. "Oh, Gods," he whimpered, his wolf cowering in the back of his mind. He peered around the room at the other men.
Carson grimaced, sympathy in his eyes.
Shane handed him another shot of scotch, from the smell of it. "Drink," he ordered.
After Luther had downed it, he rubbed his hands over his face. "I've completely fucked up," he mumbled.
"Well, at least you know how to unfuck it," Jared stated glibly.
Luther yanked his gaze from the floor and gaped at the enforcer's mate. "Huh?"
Scoffing, Jared leaned against the wall. "Get your head out of your ass and claim your mate like a good little shifter." He smirked. "Fate will make your life a living hell if you keep fighting it." His eyes narrowed, gleaming with mischief, and his voice took on a husky note. "Trust me. Those wet dreams are not better than the real thing."
Luther's face flushed. "I-I'm gonna go," he whispered. "It seems I have some thinking to do." Like, how to break it to his daughter that, one way or another, their lives were about to change.
A night of thinking, pacing his home's study, and restless dozing did nothing to make things clearer.
Luther knew what his wolf wanted … hunt down their mate, figure out what was wrong, and fix it. Still, what would that mean for his daughter? Would Stephani hate him for mating a male? He'd never shown any interest in men while around her. He'd kept that part of himself carefully hidden away while raising his daughter.
"Hey!" Stephani announced her presence by wandering into the room, already dressed in jeans and a nice top. She plopped onto the other end of the sofa and slurped a sip of her beverage. "You look like shit," she stated bluntly. "Late night?"
Glaring at his daughter, Luther snapped, "What interaction between us makes you think it's okay for you to talk to me that way?" He sniffed the air, then shoved to his feet and stalked toward her. "Give me that." Before Stephani could respond, he snatched the cup of coffee from his daughter's hand and gulped the hot liquid. He fought back a grimace at the too sweet taste.
"Hey!" Stephani squealed, jumping up. "Give that back!"
Luther held his daughter's gaze for several long seconds, then held the mug out. When she reached for it, he pulled it away. "Language?" he growled.
Stephani rolled her eyes, but at least she muttered, "Yes, Dad."
Luther handed her the cup of coffee. Hell, it wasn't as if he wanted the rest of it. Heading to the kitchen to get his own coffee, he noted his daughter followed.
"So, what?" Stephani pressed, settling on a bar stool. "I saw the car outside, but you look like you're hung over. You didn't drive drunk, did you?"
His cup of black coffee halfway to his lips, Luther's eyes widened. He paused and muttered, "Of course not," before taking a sip. "I didn't get drunk. I just had trouble sleeping," he grumbled. "Had a lot on my mind."
"Is that why you completely missed the doorbell?"
As Stephani spoke the words, Leopold, Leo to his friends, Caldwell strode into the room. "Morning!" the other man greeted. Then, his brows drew together as he gazed upon him with apparent concern. "Damn, you just get up?"
"More like I didn't actually go to sleep," Luther muttered, reacting to Leo's much stronger wolf instead of thinking. Damn, that just showed how tired he was. Growling, he looked to his daughter. "Are you ready for the training session this afternoon?"
Stephani's eyes narrowed, but after a couple of seconds, she nodded. "Yep. You gonna be awake enough to chaperone?"
Luther nodded. "You plan to go shopping with your friends this morning," he stated. "Leo has a business meeting." He shrugged. "I'll take a nap and be ready by one. You just make certain you're not late getting home," he reminded, pointing at her. "I know how much you lose yourself in your shopping."
Stephani snorted. "Whatever." In true teenager fashion, she stood and flounced from the room. "I'll be on time," she hollered over her shoulder.
Luther saw his cousin's concerned look, but he ignored it in favor of more coffee.
Chapter Three
Deke didn't know how he'd been talked into this. His words about not liking sitting around the house had surely bit him on the ass. Shaking his head, he peered around as he watched the cars come and go, and shifters dropping off their children for training.
A group of adults, led by Frankie, Carson, and Nick Greely-a wolf shifter tracker-assigned each child to different groups as they arrived. The kids ranged in ages from twelve to fifteen. Evidently, the run was supposed to judge a number of things, from speed of shifting, to their ability to track a scent, to thinking outside the box as his or her animal.