Ryan shook his head.“Not now, please.”
His mom stared at him for a while longer before nodding.“Not now, but soon.Wewilltalk about this.”
“If we really have to.”
“We don’t have to.I just think we should.”
“Once we’re home, though.Please.”
She nodded, and Ryan stepped to the side.Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t fast enough.Someone caught his elbow, and he turned, ready to tell whoever it was to fuck off and stop touching him.The words died on his lips when he found Seth looking at him.
He’d been thinking about the polar bear shifter a lot since yesterday.He wasn’t sure why since he hadn’t thought twice about him before, but he suspected it was a mix of Seth helping and how handsome he was.
“That looks like it hurts,” Seth said, gesturing in the direction of Ryan’s face.
Ryan grimaced.“It doesn’t hurt that much.It’s just very obvious.”
Seth nodded.“That’s good.”
“It is.”Ryan had been about to escape, but thankfully, now that Seth was talking to him, it seemed like everyone else had decided to keep their distance.They were staring, and they looked like they were waiting for their turn, which Ryan hoped they’d never get.
He didn’t want to talk to those people.He knew that they were his fellow pack members and all of that, but until they treated him and his family like they belonged instead of like they never should’ve been brought here, he wanted to keep his distance.
“Anyway, I’m sorry you had to go through all of that,” Seth continued.“It shouldn’t have happened.”
“I agree.”
Ryan already knew that was how Seth felt.He’d told him yesterday when he’d walked him home.Ryan hadn’t expected him to, just like he hadn’t expected Seth to want to talk to him right now.It was putting both of them in the spotlight in a way that made Seth visibly uncomfortable since he kept eyeing the door, but he didn’t look like he was about to leave.
Ryan glanced at his family.Madeleine was staring at him, but his parents were talking to some of the other mages.Ryan wished that Seth had decided to talk to him at a different moment or in a different place.The way people were watching them made his skin crawl.
“And I’m sorry that I didn’t talk to you before talking to Chance,” Seth continued.“But I felt that I owed it to him to be honest about what’s happening with his pack.He needed to know.”
Ryan sighed.“I’m not happy about it, but I do understand.He’s the alpha.He needs his people to respect him, and what Tim and Christian did was disrespectful.Chance was right to address it.”
Seth cocked his head.He was staring at Ryan as if trying to understand him.Ryan wasn’t sure why.He wasn’t that complicated.
“You realize that Chance called this meeting because of what they did to you, not because he thinks they don’t respect him, right?”Seth asked.
Ryan frowned.“Well, his priority is being a good alpha, which means he needs people to trust him and follow his lead.”
“He does, but I know what’s important to him, and in this situation, it’s to make sure you’re okay.”
“Oh, I am.”
“Because you were lucky.”
There was no denying that.If Seth hadn’t happened to be walking past when he had, Ryan suspected he might not be standing now.He didn’t think Christian and Tim would have killed him, but they could have hurt him badly, and he wouldn’t have fought back.
He couldn’t afford to.It would be too easy for anyone in the pack to use that against him.They were afraid of magic, and magic was the only way Ryan had to defend himself.
“I was lucky that you decided to help me instead of walking past,” Ryan murmured.He looked Seth in the eyes as he said that, and he was delighted to see the flush spread on Seth’s cheek.He wasn’t sure why Seth was reacting that way, but he had a good idea, and he hoped he was right.
He bit his lower lip.Should he say something?If he didn’t, would he have another opportunity to talk to Seth?He didn’t have the man’s number, and while it would be fairly easy to find him, Ryan wasn’t sure it would be right.
“So,” he started.
His sister bumped against him, causing him to turn.She tilted her chin toward a small group of shifters coming their way.They didn’t look like they were planning on attacking anyone, especially not with the alpha right there on the other side of the room, but Ryan’s heart still skipped a beat.Whatever they wanted, he didn’t want to talk to them.
