Chapter Five
“I’m coming with you,” Seth said, glaring at Chance.
Thankfully, Chance didn’t look angry, but rather, amused.Seth wondered if he should be worried about that.Should his brother-in-law be amused when Seth was trying to look strong and capable of protecting the alpha?
“There’s no reason for you to.James is coming with me, and you know how protective he is,” Chance said.
Seth snorted.“I know how deep the stick in his ass is.”
“Hey,” James complained.
Seth didn’t apologize.He didn’t understand how Wade could stand being with James, but it was none of his business.He just knew that James was a sourpuss.Luckily, he was a sourpuss who knew what he was doing and who was more than capable of defending the alpha.
That didn’t mean that Seth didn’t want to go with them.Chance was meeting the coven leaders in town today, and he needed all the backup he could get.Seth had grown up on the streets, and he was pretty scrappy.He was sure he could help if the mages decided to do something stupid.
He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Chance.Chance stared back for a moment before sighing.“Fine.You can come, too.Theo’s going to be pissed, though, so you’ll be the one to explain why his brother was there during the meeting.”
“If he finds out only after we’re back, I won’t have to explain anything.What time is the meeting?Are we leaving now?”
Chance shook his head, still amused.Seth wasn’t kidding, though.He knew that his brother would be angry because he’d decided to go with Chance.He didn’t really care what Theo thought at the moment, though.What he didn’t know couldn’t hurt him until he found out about it.
None of this was planned.Seth had been trying to find Theo, so he’d walked to his brother’s house, only to find Chance talking to his beta and his head of security.When he’d asked what was going on, Chance had told him that he was meeting the coven leaders.
That was when Seth had decided that he was meeting the coven leaders, too.He already knew that Houston wouldn’t be going.If anything happened to Chance, the pack would need someone to lead them, and that could only be Chance’s beta.Knowing that James would be there helped, but it didn’t feel like enough.Seth might not have any formal training, but after living on the streets for so long, he knew how to defend himself and other people, and he would defend his brother’s mate, be it the last thing he did.
He hoped it wouldn’t be.
But even if it was, at least he would’ve protected his brother-in-law.Seth didn’t want to die or to get hurt, but protecting Theo had always been his priority, even when he was only twelve.That hadn’t changed, and he wasn’t sure it ever would.He knew that Theo wouldn’t understand and that there were people who were better trained and equipped to deal with the mages than he was, but he needed this control.He needed to be there and make sure everything was being done to protect the alpha.
“I don’t like this,” James grumbled as they stepped off the porch and moved towards James’s car.
“Well, I don’t likeyou,” Seth snapped back.
“See?This is why you shouldn’t be coming with us.You have no experience, and you’re little more than a child.”
“And you’re an old man.”James was eighteen years older than Seth, so he kind of was.Seth wouldn’t have said it out loud if James hadn’t been annoying him, though.
“Children,” Chance drawled before sliding into the passenger seat.“We have work to do.”
Right.They were heading out to meet the coven leaders, which meant that Chance should focus on that, not on bickering with James.As much as he wanted to slap James in that smug face of his when the man arched a brow, Seth didn’t.Instead, he sat in the backseat without arguing.He already knew he wouldn’t win if he asked to drive.James had a stick that was lodged so deep in his ass that it was a miracle he and Wade managed to have sex.He wouldn’t relinquish that kind of control, especially to someone he didn’t trust.
Seth wasn’t offended by that.He didn’t trust James, either, even though he was head of security.
Seth stayed silent as James drove them out of pack territory.James and Chance were softly talking to each other, but it was pack business, and Seth didn’t find it interesting.He wouldn’t be here if this were a normal outing between two friends, or even if Chance was meeting someone else.He was going because of the coven.
Thinking about what they’d done to Ryan and his family made him want to shake them and maybe slap them a little.
This was why he wasn’t an alpha.He would suck at it.He’d cause a diplomatic accident or whatever one would call it, and it would cause the coven to attack and kill half the pack.He’d have to be careful and keep his mouth shut so he didn’t cause any kind of trouble.He was there to protect Chance, and he could do that without speaking.
“Where are we meeting them?”he asked once Chance and James fell silent.
“The park,” Chance said.
Seth frowned.“Isn’t that dangerous?I mean, there’s bound to be people there, right?”
“Which is why they chose that place.They wanted to be sure we wouldn’t attack them.”
“I get that.The problem is thattheymight attackus.I don’t think they care about kids playing.”
