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A growl left Atlas’s throat. “And what exactly does closer mean?”
Colt looked at him man to man, wolf to wolf. “You know what that means, dude. We both know something’s going on here. We can pretend nothing’s happening, but in the end, it’s gonna bite us both in the ass if we don’t deal with it.”
“So, did you deal with it last night?”
“You know we didn’t. You’d be able to tell,” Colt reassured. The jealousy coming off his friend was enough to show him how he regarded Harlow, even if she thought otherwise at this point.
“I can tell enough,” Atlas snapped. “Take a shower before we go any further. I can’t stand the stench.” He waved him away, a look of pure disgust on his face.
“Fine,” Colt snapped and turned, heading toward the bathroom. There was no point in getting into it with him when he was like this. The only thing that was going to work was being upfront and hoping he saw this was the right thing for all of them.
“It’s far from fine,” Atlas called from behind him.
Colt paid it no mind. He knew Atlas would be pissed, and if anything, it just further cemented what he already knew. This was meant to be.
Turning on the shower, he made it extra cold, trying not to think too hard about the night before and how Harlow felt in his arms, pressed up against him, between her legs. The last thing he needed was to piss Atlas off any further.
He showered quickly, making sure to scrub himself, especially where it counted. He needed to be clean and as free from the scent of Harlow’s and his arousal as he could if they were going to be having this out together now, and it looked like they were.
When he was dressed, he headed back out to the kitchen, where he found Atlas leaning against the counter, his arms folded across his chest and his face just as hard as when he’d left it before showering.
“I need coffee,” Colt decided. “You?”
“Whatever.”
Colt set about making the coffee. He said nothing but tried to change the energy by just keeping calm and doing what he always did. “You know we spoke about you?” Colt finally admitted. “I explained about how things were and the way both of us felt.”
Atlas looked up, his face still stoic, but a hint of recognition in his eyes. “And?”
“She feels it too, dude. I told you. She’s as drawn to the both of us as we are to her.” Colt searched his friend’s face, hoping his words had landed in the right place. “She’s a great girl, but she’s been through a tough time, and it’s been hard for her.”
“She left her pack. It’s bound to be hard,” he asserted, his coldness rearing its head again.
Colt glanced at the floor, trying not to get angry with his alpha and knowing it was the right time to tell him. “She left her pack because she felt betrayed by them. Her mate cheated on her and she found out at his ascension.”
“She was an alpha’s mate?”
“What? Of course, she was. Why d’you think you feel this way toward her?” Sometimes Colt wondered how Atlas didn’t see what was right in front of his face.
Atlas growled, this new knowledge obviously bothering him. “So that’s why she ran?”
“That and the fact the pack knew but didn’t tell her. She seems the type to really value trust—like when it’s gone, it’s gone.” Colt paused for a beat. “That’s why I don’t want us to screw this up.”
Atlas met his eyes, and this time they were serious but less hard. Colt knew he was beginning to talk him down.
“So, what are we gonna do?” Atlas finally asked, looking to Colt as his beta like a leader looked to their council.
“We need to come to some agreement, bro. Like you must have thought about this, surely?”
“Of course, I have!”
Colt backed down, leaving some space for Atlas to find his calm. He knew this was a lot to take in for all of them. And Atlas, being the alpha, was supposed to be the one with all the answers, or at least appear to be.
“What did you do last night?” Atlas finally grumbled.
“We went on a first date. I took her out to eat. We talked, got to know each other a bit, and then went home.”
“And?” he pressed.
