“They don’t have any rooms. The storm…there was a big wreck out on the interstate and several cars have come in since then, deciding not to risk it until things clear up. So they already have a waitlist for any openings that might become available.” He looks from me to Teddy again, and I hear Teddy whine, but it seems far away as I finally give in and gently close the door to keep Kelly warm.
I turn back to him. “Well, bro, looks like you should have booked a spot in advance. Now we get to sleep in the SUV. Dibson the middle seat!” But he isn’t looking at me, he’s staring into the idling truck, watching as Teddy talks heatedly to the other alpha. I tap Steve on the shoulder. “Hey, did you catch that guy’s name, Teddy’s alpha?” A low snarling growl rips free from him before he jolts and takes a deep breath of the freezing air.
My toes have gone numb.
How did I not notice before?
Shit.
“Sam, his name’s Sam. He’s the head of their pack.”
With my realization that I am slowly standing out here freezing, I grab Steve’s hand and drag him back over to the SUV. We need to make a new plan. Standing out there in the freezing winds and sleet isn’t going to get us anything but hurt. I still have the keys, so I shove him in the passenger seat and then rush myself into the driver’s, starting the ignition and then cranking the heat all the way up. It’ll take a while to get warm now that I’m no longer in Kelly’s orbit. I can feel the frost that has settled on my hair and skin. Neither of us even brought a coat. Fuck, I don’t think I even own a coat. I own a few light jackets because it just doesn’t get cold at home.
Steve’s teeth clack loudly as we both stare at the truck idling several spaces over. There seems to be a heated discussion going on. “So, he’s the head of their pack, how many more are there, did you find out?” Out of the corner of my eye, I see him shake his head, but I can’t take my eyes off Kelly in the truck. I have no doubt that I’ll be sitting here watching her for as long as they’re in the parking lot. It feels like forever that they go back and forth before the alpha, Sam, drops his head to the steering wheel with a look of defeat.
He opens his door and strides across the lot towards us. He’s sure footed despite the ice, and I envy his confidence. However, when he raps hard against my window, I don’t want to roll it down. This guy is big, and I’m worried he’s about to drag meout and beat the shit out of me in some sort of random show of possession. “Bro, look up where the nearest hospital is, you might need to drive,” I whisper to Steve as I step back out of the SUV. We just got this fucking thing fixed, and I am in no mood to be dragged through a window if a beatingiscoming.
Sam looks at me hard. He also looks really pissed. “So…Teddy wants you to come stay with us until this storm blows over. He can’t stand the idea of you two sleeping in the car in this weather. He says you three grew up together and despite everything, you’re still his friends.” He rubs his hand up and down the back of his head before cursing loudly. “Fuck! Feel free to say no.”
I look over at Steve who looks confusedly back at me. “Sorry, Sam, I’d rather couch surf with strangers than sleep in my car in this weather.” Sam glares at me again for a few seconds before he lets loose a loud sigh.
“Yeah, I was afraid of that. Shit. Ok, just follow Kelly in her little car. Me and Teddy will be right behind you in case you get separated.” He turns abruptly and marches back to the truck, taking Kelly’s hand and leading her to the little rust bucket Xan was working on earlier. He waits while she gets situated and the car starts before stomping back over to the truck and Teddy. Kelly fiddles with something on the dashboard, looking intense before a smile breaks across her face and her hair blows back. At least it seems like the heat works in that little deathtrap.
After watching her put on her seatbelt and make adjustments I glance over to Steve, but he’s still watching the truck intently. Glancing that way, I can see why. Teddy and Sam have their foreheads pressed together, while Sam cards his fingers through Teddy’s hair before pulling him in for a kiss. The tenderness seems a stark contrast for the surly alpha, but I can’t really blame him for his shit attitude after having to invite two strangers into his home. Especially other alphas who seem obsessed with his pack.
Finally, Kelly pulls out of her parking spot. She stops where the road meets the lot and waits for us to pull up behind her. There’s no other traffic and she pulls onto the road slowly, turning back towards the diner and our temporary residence until we get this chaos sorted out.
Chapter 28
Ihate driving in this weather, and my whole body is wound tight by the time I finally make it home.
Home, yeah, as strange as that sounds, it already feels like home. I’m glad that Sam has such a big parking area in front of his house since between his truck and that SUV, my little car wouldn’t have any place to sit in a garage. I wait until Sam’s truck pulls up before I get out and scurry to the door. I don’t have a key yet, and Jake starts barking when I scramble up the steps, trying not to fall on the slippery surface. Garret, I remember his name from the driver’s license I was looking at earlier, rushes to stand behind me, arms out like he’s going to catch me if I start to fall.
Less than a minute later Sam appears with Teddy and the one Teddy said is named Steve. It took me a while to realize earlier that these two, Garret and Steve, are the two guys Teddy was supposed to form a pack with. I didn’t catch it until I was looking at his license, and then the last name Carson rang some kind of bell. Then in the truck when Teddy said they grew up together, our conversation at Nest-n-Stuff came back. Any sympathy I hadfor them being out in the cold evaporated. But I don’t think Sam can actually say no to Teddy, so here we all are.
Sam opens the door and Jake comes barreling out, running straight to me and knocking me into Garret’s waiting arms. So, I guess I’m glad he was there to keep me from falling, even if he is a butthead. Jake sniffles around both our legs before whining a little and then running back around the house. Poor guy’s been trapped inside for a while. Garret gently lets me go, and they all wait until I’m inside, followed by Teddy before they finally come in out of the cold.
Big alpha idiots.
Ok, not Sam.
But the other two, yeah.
That’s probably not fair, but I don’t care at this point.
I need to find out exactly what happened from Teddy.
Why he broke down earlier.
What it has to do with these two.
And if I need to stay mad at them.
It’s hard to be mad when someone drops to their knees and looks at you like you’re their own personal savior.
Sam’s talking behind me and I catch the last few sentences. “Jake usually sleeps on the rug in the kitchen, but lately he’s been crashed out in front of our bedroom door in the mornings. If you want to sleep on the couch, you’ll have to deal with a cold wet nose. Otherwise, we have one spare bed in Teddy’s room, you can share or fight over it. I don’t care which. Now I need to go get dinner started formyomega andmybeta.”
Steve raises his hand. “So, it’s just the three of you then?”
