“We were in a hurry, it was the first one I grabbed.” He looked away as he spoke, and Jason laughed at him.
“Bollocks. You picked that because I haven’t washed it yet and it smells like me.”
“Lies.” The corners of Daryl’s mouth curved up, and Jason grinned.
“Mhmm.” He tapped his temple with a finger. “I know everything now. You can’t fool me.”
Daryl huffed but returned Jason’s grin, nudging him with his shoulder as they reached Cam’s door.
It opened almost straight away, as though Cam had been watching for them. He looked between them, frowning for a moment before breaking into a wide smile. “Come in.” He stepped aside to let them pass. “Go through to the living room.”
Jason sat on the sofa, Daryl beside him, and Cam stopped as he entered the room.
“I expected this.” He gestured between them. “But seeing it with my own eyes is really something else.” Cam’s smile widened. “I know the timing is shit, and we have some unpleasant business to take care of. But before we get into any of that, I’d like to congratulate the two of you and tell you how happy I am that you decided to complete your bond.”
“You’re not worried?” Daryl asked, his uncertainty palpable. Jason reached for his hand.
“Worried?” Cam frowned, then shook his head. “I’ve spent the last few years worrying about you, Daryl.” He gestured between the two of them. “Now I can finally stop.”
“We’re both betas, though.”
“Do you intend to treat your units any differently?”
“No, but—”
“Are you still loyal to the pack and me?”
“Of course.”
“Then I don’t see that there’s a problem. I know what it means to have a mate, Daryl. Things happen that we aren’t necessarily prepared for, but our pack isn’t rigid in its rules. It might take some getting used to, and maybe a few adjustments might be required along the way, but we’ll adapt. I want my pack to be happy, that includes my betas.”
After a moment, Daryl nodded, and Jason relaxed.
“Are they still in with Tom?” he asked, glancing towards the door.
Cam sighed, expression clouding over. “They’ve finished actually. Alpha Wallace sent me a text just before you arrived. They’ll be here any—”
The front door buzzed, and Cam smiled. “—minute now.”
ALPHAS WALLACE, Jones, and Cornell followed Cam back into the living room.
“Congratulations,” Alpha Cornell offered as soon as she saw them. She beamed. “I’m happy to see you worked things out.”
“Thank you,” Daryl answered for them both.
“Although I didn’t expect to be seeing you both quite so soon.” She sighed and turned to Cam.
“Mr Sharp has admitted to tampering with the rope on the seesaw obstacle. He insists he only meant to scare Jason’s team, not actually harm anyone.”
Daryl scoffed, and Alpha Cornell nodded.
“Yes, I called bollocks too.” She gestured at her fellow alphas. “Under the circumstances, we’ve decided that exacting the death penalty—even though his actions may warrant it—would only serve to harm the excellent progress your pack has made over the past two weeks.”
Jason let out a sigh of relief. He agreed wholeheartedly. They’d had enough death to deal with lately.
“I’ve contacted Krillick Hall,” Alpha Wallace continued. “They’ll be expecting him shortly.”
“And his sentence?” Cam asked.
