Page 168 of The Alpha's Second Chance Mate

“Ugh, sorry about that. I was in a bad way. Did things get awkward after I left?”

Stormy snorted a laugh. In the background, Shiloh babbled a mile a minute.

“No, it was fine. Don’t feel bad. Christ, we all know you’re stressed out. It’s not a big deal,” Stormy said.

“You got home okay?” I asked, a new fear inching up my chest. “What if Kyle finds out you’re my friend or something?”

“All good. Langston followed me home.”

Sipping my tea, I recalled the desire I’d seen on Langston’s face when Stormy had arrived the previous morning.

“And, uh, did Langston make any moves or anything? Ask for your number, maybe?”

“What?” Stormy blurted, sounding genuinely confused. “That big beefcake? No way. Why would he want anything to do with me? A single mom? Nah. He was nothing but a gentleman.”

In all the time I’d known Stormy, she’d never seen herself the way others did. She was a knockout. Smart and funny ina sarcastic way most men found enjoyable. Yet, she always assumed guys merely tolerated her. When Marcus had begun to pursue her, I’d eventually had to pull him aside and tell him that subtle wouldn’t work and he’d have to come straight out and tell her his feelings. Now that she was single again, I wondered if I might have to do the same thing.

Although, there was a possibility that Stormy was actively trying to miss the signs Langston was sending. She’d lost the love of her life less than a year ago. Was it too soon to think of those things? I didn’t want her to stay lonely, which she was, but it couldn’t be easy to lose someone like that. When Cole had vanished all those years ago, I’d been heartsick and broken for several years—and he hadn’t died. Were it not for Ashton coming along, I might have slipped into a depression I’d never get out of.

“Besides,” Stormy said, “even if that guy had the hots for me, most guys don’t want to be tied down with a baby. Especially one that isn’t theirs.”

She didn’t know Langston the way I did. He loved kids. He was a surrogate uncle to Ashton, and he’d done an amazing job in that capacity. Langston was the type who, if he found someone he cared for, would jump at the chance to be a daddy.

“Maybe some guys are like that. Langston is a different breed, though.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Stormy said. She steered the conversation to more banal things. New movies and TV shows, a book she was reading, and shopping. All of it, I was sure, calculated to keep my mind off Ashton, and maybe a little to keep me off the topic of Langston. I appreciated that, even though it didn’t really work. Stormy was the best friend I’d ever had, and she deservedhappiness again. I hoped Langston would go ahead and make a move, because he was the exact person she needed in her life.

After saying goodbye, I put my cup aside, got dressed, and went downstairs to see what the others were up to. It wasn’t as early as I’d initially thought, and I found the men gathered around the table, the remnants of a few pizzas sitting off to the side.

Cole grinned at me. “Welcome back to the land of the living.”

“Very funny,” I said. “What are we up to?”

Cole rose from his chair and hugged me. Sinking into his embrace, I pressed my ear to his chest and heard the rumbling growl of happiness.

“My wolf’s on edge,” he said. “Being near you keeps it under control.”

A happy little jolt of pride speared into me, knowing I could do something to calm him and the beast that lived within his body and mind.

“This is really sweet and stuff, but can we get back to business?” Trent said with a grin.

“Right,” Cole said, sitting down and pulling me onto his lap. “Are you sure you want to be here to hear about this, Aves?”

That old nickname. When he’d shown up on my porch step, using it after all those years, it had filled me with unmitigated rage. Now, it sent a pleasant shiver through me.

“It’s fine,” I said. “Seriously. I may not want to see what you do, but I need to be involved. I have to know what’s happening, otherwise I’ll feel like an outsider. I can’t be on the periphery.”

That was true. Nothing about this was pleasant, but it didn’t change the fact that it had to be done. It was the least I could do for my son.

“We talk to him,” Langston said. “Try to be simple at first. Calm conversation, maybe a few hinted threats. Not enough to get him to clam up, but enough to scare him.”

“Yeah,” Trent agreed. “No one wants to be tortured or hurt. Having dealt with the guy, I doubt Kyle does a good job of engendering loyalty. If we’re lucky, this guy will crack fast.”

“What do we think he’ll have, though?” Porter asked. “He’s a fucking lackey. Hired muscle. For all we know, he doesn’t know shit.”

“He’ll know something,” Cole said. “He has to. Otherwise, all this was for nothing. I refuse to believe that.”

Running my tongue over my lip, I imagined Langston snapping a pair of pliers open and shut in the guy’s face. I had to suppress a shudder at the thought. Though, thinking about the awful things Kyle might be doing to Ashton took away any hesitation I felt.

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