Chapter Two
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MATTHEW WOKE UP STILL feeling overwhelmed. He wasn’t sure he’d slept more than a few hours, which wasn’t surprising. His wolf had been pulling at him to go to their mate, even though they knew that Alan was safe.
Last night’s events had been a bit of a mess.
Matthew and Franklin had jumped into action when they’d seen Alan’s car spinning off the road and hitting a tree.
They’d seen how the car following him had pushed him off the road, so Franklin had been ready to step in if that driver tried anything else.
Matthew had gone straight to Alan’s car to get him out, and when he’d opened the driver’s door, he’d gotten the surprise of his life.
His mate was driving the car that had just crashed in front of him.
Considering what he’d seen, Matthew had been worried, and he still was.
He wanted to know why the man in the second car had been attempting to hurt his mate, but Alan hadn’t said anything yesterday.
Matthew should probably have waited to tell him he was his mate, but he’d been overwhelmed and worried.
He still was. Alan had been more or less calm until Matthew had told him that.
Once Alan had found out that Matthew was his mate, though, he’d started freaking out, to the point where Matthew had needed to call for help.
He would have, anyway. Rikar needed to know what had happened so close to the village.
Whatever had sent Alan running, it couldn’t be good.
If the tribe was in danger, Rikar needed to know.
But they hadn’t been able to get anything out of Alan yesterday.
Rikar had managed to calm him down when he’d explained who he was.
It had been enough for Alan to trust him, which made Matthew slightly jealous, even though he understood.
Alan was surrounded by people he didn’t know.
He’d almost died, and his car had crashed into a tree.
A man he’d never seen before had told him they were mates.
Talk about being overwhelmed. Only half of that had happened to Matthew, and he still felt like it was too much.
He clutched his cup of coffee with both hands and closed his eyes, breathing in and out.
He’d met his mate. That was a good thing.
He was happy about it. He hadn’t thought it would happen anytime soon, if ever, and he’d resigned himself to being single for a while, but his mate had crashed into his life—literally.
They’d had a rocky start, sure, but Matthew couldn’t lose hope.
Alan had barely even talked to him. Matthew needed to give Alan and their bond a chance before he started worrying about being rejected.
There was a quick knock on his back door. Matthew looked up to see Franklin staring at him through the window. He waved at Franklin to come in, and the door opened.
“How are you feeling?” Franklin asked as he walked in.
He’d been there yesterday to see the disaster happening between Matthew and Alan.
He’d walked Matthew home after they’d retrieved their clothes, and Matthew would be eternally grateful for that.
He also liked that Franklin hadn’t asked questions yet.
It was obvious he had some, but he’d just been there for Matthew.
“Overwhelmed,” Matthew confessed.
Franklin nodded as he gestured at the coffee pot. “Can I?”
“Yeah, of course.”
Franklin poured himself a cup of coffee after finding a cup in the cupboard. It gave Matthew a few more moments to gather his thoughts.
“So, your mate,” Franklin said as he leaned back against the kitchen counter. “Bet you didn’t see that one coming.”
Matthew snorted. “That’s an understatement.”
“He’s cute.”
“He’s also on the run.”
“True. It doesn’t mean he’s not cute, though.”
Matthew shook his head. “I don’t think that’s what matters right now.”
“It definitely isn’t. When are you going to see him again?”
“Rikar told me to go over whenever I felt ready for it.”
“You told him that Alan’s your mate?”
“Yeah, although I think he could see from my expression that something had happened.” Matthew had been pretty shocked, and it had shown.
Franklin nodded and took a sip of his coffee. “Make sense. You have to be eager to see your mate again.”
“I am, but I also need a moment, I guess.”
“It’s a lot.”
“It is. It’s not only meeting my mate, although that’s a lot by itself. I also can’t help but wonder who was after him. Why was that man coming after him? Why was he running from someone who seemed so eager to hurt him?”
“There’s only one way for you to find out,” Franklin pointed out.
He was right. The only way for Matthew to know what was going on was to talk to Alan, which was something Rikar would need to do, anyway.
That was probably why Rikar expected Matthew to be there.
Matthew had told him that Alan was his mate before leaving because he’d wanted Rikar to know.
The man hadn’t looked surprised, but then, he never looked surprised.
It was one of the things that made him such a good leader.
“I just hate that Alan looked scared of me,” Matthew murmured as he stared down at his cup of coffee. “I understand why he did. He was on the run from someone and had crashed his car. Telling him that he’s my mate was the wrong thing to do.”
“I don’t know. Maybe it was the right thing to do since it distracted him from the fact that someone tried to hurt him.”
“You were there. You saw how badly he panicked.”
“Yeah, but it might not have had anything to do with what you told him. Like you said, he was on the run from someone. Anyone would panic after that and crashing their car. Maybe knowing that he was safe with his mate was what he needed to be able to let go of the control he kept on himself until then.”
Matthew hadn’t thought about that, but he liked it. He hoped Franklin was right. He’d never meant to scare Alan or to make him feel like he wasn’t safe.
“I think you’re beating yourself up for nothing,” Franklin said when he put down his mug.
“Both you and Alan were overwhelmed yesterday. Neither of you probably reacted the way the other hoped, but that’s okay.
Nothing irreparable happened. You’re both safe, and whatever’s going on with Alan, he’s found people who can help him. ”
“He’s safe here,” Matthew agreed.
“He is. He’s going to be scared and worried, but I don’t think it has anything to do with you. Hell, even though he’s safe with the tribe, he doesn’t know Rikar. He’s probably going to need you to reassure him.”
“He doesn’t know me, either.”
“No, but he’s your mate. Now that he’s not panicking, he’s bound to feel the bond between the two of you. Even though he doesn’t know you, it’ll help him.”
If there was anything Alan needed from Matthew, Matthew would provide it.
He finished his cup of coffee and got to his feet to put it in the sink. “I need to be there for him.”
Franklin nodded. “I’m coming with you if that’s okay. I want to find out more about what happened last night.”
“I don’t know if he’s going to be up to giving us answers.”
“Maybe not, but he’s in danger. He has to realize he needs help.”
Matthew was worried, and that feeling stayed with him as he put his shoes on and followed Franklin out his front door.
Nothing was very far in the village, so it only took them a few minutes to reach Rikar’s house.
Matthew was growing more nervous, so he was glad when Franklin took charge and knocked on the door.
A little girl opened it. She blinked at Franklin for a few seconds before looking at Matthew and grinning at him. “Uncle Matthew!”
Matthew leaned over to hug her. “Hey, Samara.”
“Everyone’s in the office. They won’t tell me what’s going on.”
“That’s because it’s none of your business.”
She pouted as she let them in. Matthew squeezed her shoulder before making a beeline for Rikar’s office.
Samara had said that everyone was there, which meant that Alan would be in the room, and Matthew couldn’t wait to see him.
They might have only met yesterday, but the man was Matthew’s mate.
It had taken a lot of effort for Matthew to step away last night and give Alan space, especially when it was clear that Alan needed protection.
Matthew knocked on the office door and opened it before anyone told him to.
Just like Samara had said, Rikar and Hayes were in the office.
Alan was there, too, curled up in an armchair.
He looked tired, and Matthew fought the urge to go straight to him.
Instead, he hovered by the door, probably looking like an idiot.
Now that he was with his mate again, he had no idea how to behave.
* * * *
ALAN WASN’T SURPRISED to see Matthew walk in with Franklin. He’d been wondering when Matthew would get there.
When his mate would get there.
He still didn’t know what to make of that.
He’d panicked yesterday, but that had more to do with Victor than with Matthew.
Matthew had been perfectly nice. He’d helped Alan out of the car, had made sure that he was okay, and hadn’t insisted on sticking around after Alan had been brought to the village.
He glanced around the room. He’d thought for sure Victor would kill him last night, but instead, he’d ended up staying in a cozy guestroom in the house of the leader of the tribe who lived in the village.
The man hadn’t demanded anything from him.
After asking Alan a few questions, he’d brought Alan home with him, had given him food and water, and had put him to bed. Rikar’s mate had been lovely, too.