Page 16 of Tempest

Well, that sounded ominous as hell.

He supposed it was still better than having to fend for himself without memories or resources.

Before Ore could thank him for letting him stay, Cash stepped forward, drawing his attention. His sharp eyes caught a muscle flexing in the Enforcer’s jaw, even though the rest of him appeared completely composed. “He can stay with me. I’ll keep an eye on him.”

Ore jerked in his chair, grateful beyond words that the panther was saving him yet again, this time from what he was sure would’ve been a miserable few days—if not weeks—locked in some cell in the basement.

“What if you have pack business you need to attend to?” Liam said, eyebrows raised.

Ore could read between the lines: What if Cash had to do something they didn’t want Ore to know about?

“Then I can watch him,” the cheerful tiger said. “And if I’m busy, Rachel can. Or Finlay.” He nodded at the other two Enforcers. “Or we can grab a beta. There’s enough of us that we don’t have to keep him locked up.”

Neither Finlay nor Rachel protested, and gratitude filled him, his eyes burning at the intensity of the emotion. These people had no reason to give him special treatment and yet were going above and beyond to accommodate him.

He smiled at each of them, trying to express his thankfulness. Cash, though, wasn’t looking at him at all. His gaze was locked on his alpha, waiting for his answer. Annoyance rippled through him, and he nearly stood just to grab his damn attention, wanting it focused solely on him.

Which was… weird.

“I don’t want this to disrupt the pack,” Alpha Amato said, attention still on Cash. “If it does?—”

“It won’t,” Cash assured him calmly.

“If it does,” Amato repeated firmly, “we’ll revisit the discussion on the room downstairs.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

Ore bit his lip to try and rein in his glee. Not only was he getting to stay, but he was going back to Cash’s house with him. And it had been Cash’s idea!

“I’ll bring you some actual clothes tomorrow,” Rachel said, standing and shooting a glare at Cash.

“Oh. Thank you.” He glanced down at his attire. He’d almost forgotten he was only wearing one of Cash’s shirts in front of all of them. Back at the house, he hadn’t minded, but it was kind of embarrassing for them to see him in something that was so enormous on him.

“I can bring my gaming system over,” the tiger said, staying sprawled in his chair. “Cash doesn’t have much for entertainment beyond books.”

Ore saw the look of distaste that flashed across the panther’s face before it disappeared once more. “That’s so kind, thank you. But I don’t need anything special like that.”

“He’s supposed to be resting, Saint. Didn’t you hear Fern?” Rachel asked, crossing her arms under her rather impressive bosom.

The tiger—Saint, apparently—rolled his eyes and pushed to his feet. “You all are no fun. Can he have a phone, at least?”

Ore stood as well, not wanting to linger any longer than he had to. He turned hopeful eyes on Alpha Amato. He was sure he could keep himself entertained with a phone…

“Not yet,” he said, accepting his own from Finlay. He read something on it, then threw it down on the surface in disgust. He turned to Ore and locked him in his gaze, eyes glowing barely perceptively. The cats might not have even been able to see it, but Ore could. The man’s lion was just beneath the surface, poised to strike. “The second you start remembering things, I want to know.”

“Yes, sir,” he said softly, intimidated despite his best efforts.

“We’ll start piecing things together as they come. As soon as we know where you belong, we’ll get you taken care of. Understood?”

Ore nodded, trying not to take offense at the fact he’d be shipped off as soon as they knew where to address the package. “Yes. I understand. As soon as I start remembering anything, I’ll let everyone know. I promise.”

He wanted to know what had happened to him even more than they did. He hoped he wouldn’t have to wait long before the memories started to come back, filling in not just what had led him to the Silver Oak Pack but who hewas.

Although… He glanced over at Cash, his heart sinking a little. Once they knew where he belonged, he’d have no reason to stay in with Cash and Pops. No reason to keep wrapping himself in those good-smelling sheets. No reason to see Cash at all.

He reminded himself that he could have a family out there he would want to return to. Maybe even a mate…

But his eagle rejected that idea, protesting vehemently inside him. He had to agree. It was hard to believe that, even if he didn’t remember his life from before, he would have such a strong, visceral reaction to someone if he was already in a relationship.

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