Chapter 7: Pack Time

Scott couldn’t remember the last time the house had been filled with so many people, so many voices. He was starting to wonder if this was a good idea or just a really stupid one. ‘My only day off this week and this is how I’m spending it.’ Scott thought from the kitchen, looking over his shoulder to the bodies scattered around the living room.

Ruben was lounging back on the couch with a grin on his face, laughing and chatting it up with the blonde on the other side of the couch. Sonya Ramsey, it took Scott a minute to remember her name, was still a bit of a mystery to him. Scott wasn’t all too friendly with the woman, but it was obvious that she was close with Ruben. Not his mate, but Scott isn’t blind when it comes to the two of them fooling around with each other. No harm in having some fun, right?

Then there were the Bates siblings sprawled on the floor; Nina was the older sibling with long brown hair and a shared point of view of humans with Scott. Nina wasn’t a fan of humans, didn’t like to trust them or work with them. Scott finds himself wondering if inviting the she-wolf over was a good idea, he’s seen her longing looks and despite the knowledge that he isn’t her mate that hasn’t stopped her either. Perhaps she’s just hoping for some light fun with the man, like what Ruben and Sonya have.

Laying beside her is Eliseo Bates, at fifteen there’s only a four-year age gap between the siblings and Scott finds himself wondering if the boy would be in better company with Theo and the other pups. Unlike his sister, Eliseo is outgoing and perhaps a bit too friendly for Scott’s taste when it comes to humans.

‘Poor boy looks up to Miles. I wonder if Miles has taken him under his paw for training.’ Scott thought before joining up with the pack in the living room.

“You ordered food, right? Wings and pizza and fries? Who gets to be the lucky one to go and pick it up?” Ruben greeted his best friend with a hungry look in his eyes, three other pairs of eyes immediately moving back to Scott.

“Since you’re the one asking, you can also be the one to pick up the food. Thank you for offering, Ruben.” Scott teased with a smug smile as he dropped to the floor in front of the couch.

“It’s nice of you to invite us over, Scott. We could have hung out at the preserve, Selene surely wouldn’t have minded and neither would have Miles.” Sonya commented as she twisted to lay on her stomach and stare down at Scott. “Not often we come into town like this though, more often than not we have to watch ourselves around humans,” Sonya added with a small smile.

“You and Theo haven’t officially joined the pack, unlike your uncle. You should make it official with Miles, you spend so much time with us already.” Nina jumped in and Scott couldn’t tell if she was just trying to get a chance with Scott or if she was truly thinking of what was best for him.

Perhaps it was a mix of both.

Shifting his gaze to stare up at the ceiling, Scott found his mind drifting between Nina’s words and thinking of Lance. This wasn’t the first time the pack had questioned Scott’s intentions like this and he knew it wouldn’t be the last. He certainly hadn’t spent much time around Miles, to begin with, so Scott wondered how Miles might react if he knew who his mate was.

Surely the Alpha wouldn’t hold it against Scott that his human was a mate, it isn’t like Scott could pick and choose his choice of mate. If Scott had a choice then he certainly wouldn’t have picked a human!

“I’ve no interest in joining the pack.” Scott finally broke the silence and he could almost feel the anger that was radiating off of Nina. Part of him wanted to laugh, of course, she might have gotten angry at his response, but he also couldn’t find it in himself to care.

“I’ve made this clear to Miles before. He welcomes me and my brother without our loyalty to him, remember?” Scott added as he looked over to Nina.

The she-wolf glared back at him even as Eliseo tried to calm her down. Leave it to Eliseo to try and play neutral between Scott and Nina, even if most of the anger comes from Nina. Scott’s never been one to string someone along, and despite making this clear to Nina she continues to persist after him.

“Miles has always been welcoming to lone wolf shifters like you and your brother. He makes for a good Alpha.” Eliseo commented as he turned his attention over to Scott, forced to accept the notion that Nina couldn’t be comforted from her childish sulking. Not this time.

Eliseo has always looked to Miles as a role model, someone that he wanted to make proud, but in moments like these, the boy finds himself analyzing Scott. He remembered seeing Scott at the run, the wolf shifter could almost match Miles’ size in his fur.

“Why don’t you join the pack like your uncle? It would be better, and safer, for both you and Theo to have a pack to call family.” Eliseo’s question had slipped past his lips before he could stop himself, shrinking under the eyes that had turned on him.

Scott let the boy’s question tumble through his mind, eyes jumping between Eliseo and the other pack members in the room. Ruben and Miles were the only ones who knew about his history, the loss of his pack’ and having to start all over again. It wasn’t a story that he was comfortable sharing, if only because he hated those pitying looks.

“Humans destroyed my previous pack, the very people that I used to call family, and burned my home to the ground. Humans are the reason why me, my brother, and my uncle Adan had to start over and make a new home here.” Scott responded once he realized that he’d been quiet for too long.

Was he saying that just to make the pack understand or was that something he was trying to tell himself? Perhaps it was a mix of the two. Everything he’d just said, the anger in his voice when he talked about humans, reminded him of who his mate was. Lance’s face appeared in his mind, the man’s voice and that rumbling laugh of his. The way his eyes lit up when he was around Scott, or the glint in his eyes when he was on the search for a particular book.

‘Humans are so evil and dangerous, more dangerous than wolf shifters. What does that make Lance?’ Scott found himself wondering even as he heard the other pack members talking amongst themselves.

“Come on, ride with me,” Ruben said as he pulled himself off the couch, fingers curling into Scott’s shirt and tugging the man to his feet. Ruben, along with the others in the room, could see how Scott’s face had shifted and he looked like he was upset. None of them were sure if it was because Eliseo had made him bring up the past, though that didn’t stop them from worrying.

Scott already knew that Ruben had him tagging along just to get out of the house, he could hear Nina’s whispered scoldings directed at her brother and he wanted to chuckle at how the boy looked like a kicked puppy.

“You’re okay with my not being a member of the pack, right?” Scott felt like he had to ask Ruben once they were outside.

“Pack member or not, you are still my best friend. Miles has made it clear that you’re an ally and friend to the pack, so don’t worry about what the others think. They’ve got their own opinions but Miles has done right by you, I can promise you that much.” Ruben tried to reassure Scott, hoping that his words were enough to ease some of his worries.

“Thank you, Ruben,” Scott muttered as he slid into the car, shifting his gaze out the window. He wanted to take comfort in Ruben’s words but at the same time, he couldn’t help but worry.

Worry about Shadow Fang, about what the pack thinks of Scott and Theo, and their lack of loyalty to Miles. Worry about Lance, worrying about how the pull is affecting the human, and worrying about what he should do.

‘Should I just reject Lance as my mate already?’ Scott wondered, not the first time the thought crossed his mind, and yet also willing to accept the consequences of the rejection.