20. Orin
TWENTY
Orin
I sit at the table, sipping my black coffee opposite Drax. The past few days have been a lot for everyone to work through, but with him dealing with an alpha transition, they were bound to hit him hard.
“These bagels are good.” Drax chomps his way through a third one.
I study him closely. “How are you holding up?”
Many men, alphas in particular, don’t like to talk about their feelings. Too often it’s bred into us that talking about emotions makes us weak, less of a man. We’re expected to stay strong, even when our entire world feels like it’s falling apart.
I used to buy into the bullshit. Hell, I used to be proud of my inability to be a “real” alpha.
In the military, they taught me to switch off my emotions, focus on the objectives, and follow orders.
Nothing else mattered, no questions asked.
But then I started to see the effect that had on my fellow soldiers.
It happened gradually, like a rising tide.
People would keep wading, ignoring the warning signs, refusing to deal with things until they were neck-deep and drowning.
Still, I’m not much of a talker. I didn’t take to therapy. Sitting around chatting to a stranger on a couch didn’t help me process shit, but what’s really made a difference is helping others.
“Fine.” Drax shrugs, his jaw working overtime as he chews more vigorously.
I drain my coffee. “You sure?”
Drax wipes his mouth with his sleeve. He opens it, as if to speak, but he must change his mind.
I patiently lean back in my chair. I’ve learned that people tend to say more if given silence and the chance to fill it.
I always encourage my guys to open up. That’s part of my responsibility as a pack leader, to be their safe place. The person they can depend on.
“Does Adler always act like an ass?” Drax eventually asks.
I snicker. “Pretty much.”
“I don’t know how you expect the two of us to get on.” Drax shakes his head. “I thought packmates were supposed to like each other.”
“It helps, but it’s not mandatory.” I shrug. “What matters is that we build trust and have each other’s back.”
“But I don’t trust him.” Drax pushes his plate away from him. “I can barely stand to be in the same room as him, and when I see his mark on her…” He kneads the back of his neck, his scent spiking and taking on a sour peach edge. “I feel that anger again.”
“Is your new medication helping?”
“I think so.” He bites the inside of his cheek. “But medication or not, Adler has a way of getting under my skin.”
“Adler has that effect on a lot of people,” I reply. “But there’s more to him than you think. Despite how he may act, he’s a good person. Adler’s had… a difficult life.”
I still remember the scared little boy who was afraid to leave his trailer, starving while he fed his younger sister the scraps he could find in the cupboards. He came from nothing, which makes him protect what he has now even more fiercely.
Drax scoffs. “Yeah, it’s real tough to be the star hockey player girls throw themselves at.
” Bitterness curdles his tone. “And despite having everything, he still had to take the only girl I’ve ever loved and claim her forever.
” Drax slumps back in his chair. “Yeah, I’m sure he has real fucking depth. ”
“Are you close to your family, Drax?”
His brows furrow in confusion. “Pretty close, I guess. When I was a kid, we’d do everything together. My dad’s the Saltwave Bay sheriff, so he used to take me on ride-alongs with him. My mom is great too.”
“And you were happy?”
Drax nods.
“And what about holidays? Do you do anything to celebrate as a family?”
“Oh yeah, my mom goes all out.” Drax’s enthusiasm grows, his eyes lighting up as he becomes more animated.
“She hosts huge parties for the whole town. Sabs’s family and all of her brothers used to come.
Time spent with the Maverick family are some of my favorite childhood memories.
We’d ice sugar cookies, decorate the tree, find places to hide when the adults drank too much… ”
“That sounds nice.” I smile, softening my tone. “You know, Adler would probably say the same thing about you. That you have everything.”
“I… don’t follow.”
“Adler doesn’t like to talk about it, but his childhood wasn’t easy.
When I first met him, he was freezing in the cold, wearing only a T-shirt because he’d given his only coat to Izzie.
They’d hiked to school because they missed the bus after their mom disappeared with a new boyfriend.
All Adler ever wanted was a family. A real one. ”
“Oh.” Drax swallows hard. “I… I didn’t know. He seems to have,” he waves his arm, “everything figured out.”
“Adler lets people see what they want to see.” I lean forward onto my forearms. “And although he can be a real fucking pain in my ass, he has a good heart. What happened between him and Sabs might have been an accident, but he’s loyal.
” I hold his gaze. “He’ll do absolutely anything to make her happy, and he won’t let her down. You two actually have that in common.”
“I guess,” Drax mumbles, hanging his head.
“Maybe you should focus on that instead of hating him.” I rap my knuckles on the tabletop. That’s probably enough feelings talk for one day. “We should—” I’m cut off by my buzzing phone, Luca’s name flashing on the screen.
Before I even say hello, I’m met with a semi-garbled rundown. Something about a confrontation… Sabs’s brother… A post online.
“Slow down,” I instruct him, bristling. “Tell me exactly what happened.”
Drax straightens in his seat, watching as I listen to Luca, who sounds unusually rattled.
“Fine.” I blow out a long breath after he’s done explaining. “We’ll be there.”
“What is it?” Drax asks as soon as I hang up.
“The Silverwood Pack found out that Sabs and Adler have bonded.” I rub my forehead, a headache brewing. “Sabs’s brother crashed the end of Adler’s practice.”
“Laz rarely loses his temper.” Drax scrubs his stubbled chin. “But he is very protective over her. They all are.”
“That’s why it’s a good thing that we have you around.” The chair screeches across the tiles as I stand. “Let’s go.”
“What…” Drax doesn’t move. “I don’t understand?”
“Laz wants to meet all of Sabs’s new pack at their beach house.” I scoop up my keys. “I assume you know the way?”
Drax gulps. For a second, I think he’s going to object, wanting to keep his designation a secret for a little longer, but then his jaw sets in a hard line of determination. “This is what packs do.” He’s talking more to himself than to me. “Let’s roll.”