Chapter 13
“I’m sorry, you did what?” Chad asked, looking at Peter across the dinner table in pure shock.
“I hired Aiden to head up your temporary security.”
Peter emphasized the word temporary, as though that was the part of this arrangement that had Chad’s hackles up.
“Aiden Halsted?” Chad’s voice went high pitched and squeaky at the horrible name. He couldn’t believe Peter would do this to him.
Peter nodded. “He’s one of the best, and he’s my best friend. He won’t let anything happen to you.”
Chad’s lip curled down in a sneer. That Aiden was Peter’s best friend was by far Peter’s worst quality, and one Chad did his best not to think about.
“No. Find someone else.” Chad tried to make his voice firm the way Peter did when he was laying down the law. Because this? This wasn’t happening.
“I’ve already hired him. He’ll be here in the morning.”
Peter lifted his glass of water to his lips and stared at Chad over the rim like he was daring him to object.
“Then un-hire him,” Chad demanded. He wasn’t going to be cowed. “Tell him I’ve decided to stay home until this is settled. Topher and Mick can take turns keeping me company.”
Peter smiled and shook his head, like Chad’s objections were funny.
“I’m serious,” Chad said. He was holding the handles of his knife and fork so tight his knuckles were white. “I’m not going to let you put Aiden in charge of me.”
Peter sighed. “He’s not going to be in charge of you, just your security.”
“Same thing,” Chad snarled. He was furious, and Peter not taking it seriously was just making him angrier. He knew how Aiden would play this. The creepy douche would torment him, just because he could and because he knew that Peter would ignore it.
The fact that Aiden still called him puppy—to his face and in front of Peter—was proof of just how useless Peter was in defending him from his friend.
“Watch it,” Peter said, the smile slipping off his face. “I’ve hired Aiden and that’s that. He’ll be here in a professional capacity, and you’ll both be on your best behavior.”
Chad took a deep breath, knowing from the tone of Peter’s voice and the set of his shoulders that he wouldn’t budge. He put down his knife and fork and rose from his chair.
“Fine. But I’m sleeping in the guest room until he’s gone.”
Peter gave him a look like he was being ridiculous, and Chad stiffened his resolve. He wasn’t being ridiculous. Aiden treated him like shit and Chad had every right to be angry that Peter would hire him.
“No you’re not,” Peter said, like he was speaking to a child.
“You’re not my dad, Peter,” Chad said. “I get to decide if I want to sleep in the same bed as you.”
Peter’s nose scrunched up at Chad’s words, and Chad reviewed what he’d just said in his head. Then he growled in frustration.
“You know what I mean!”
“You’re seriously going to sleep in the guest room,” Peter said, his voice flat. “To punish me for hiring a security team to keep you safe.”
Chad ran his hand through his hair, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.
“I’m angry with you because you hired the guy who bullies me every time we’re in the same room while you just stand there and watch.”
“He doesn’t bully—"
“Were you like that too?” Chad interrupted, making Peter snap his mouth shut and frown.
“Like what?”
“Like a bully. Is that why you don’t think it’s a big deal—because it’s something you would have done if you didn’t like me?”
Peter took a deep breath, his wide shoulders rising and falling slowly, his massive chest pushing at the buttons of his shirt when his chest was fully expanded.
“He’s just trying to get a reaction. If you just ignored him he wouldn’t bother you.”
Chad tilted his head and wondered how Peter could have such a hard time with this. “You do realize that that’s what people say to kids that are being bullied, right?”
Peter took another fortifying breath, like he was trying to stay calm in the face of Chad’s irrationality, and Chad snapped.
“Just fuck you, Peter,” he said, turning on his heel and stomping out of the dining room.
When he turned the corner in the hallway, Chad was so angry he was shaking. He walked into the guest room and slammed the door shut, locking it behind him. The lock wouldn’t stop Peter if he really wanted inside, but it sent a message.
Sitting down on the bed, Chad grabbed the remote to the TV on the wall and turned the TV on. He sat with his elbows on his knees, head bent low, and wondered why Peter had to be such an asshole when it came to Aiden.
And it was just with Aiden. In every other aspect of their life Peter was great.
He tried his best to make Chad happy, he didn’t push him into anything he didn’t want, and he was respectful of the fact that Chad was an alpha too with his own instincts to contend with.
It was only when it came to Aiden that he turned into a raging dick.
Chad sat where he was for about half an hour, paying no attention to the TV, looking up only when Peter knocked on the door.
“Chad, please don’t be unreasonable,” Peter said, sounding like he was trying very hard to be patient.
“Have you changed your mind about Aiden?” Chad asked.
“No,” Peter said.
“Then fuck off!” Chad growled.
Peter responded by slamming his fist on the door and growled in a low threatening voice. “You will show me respect.”
Chad jumped off his feet and unlocked the door, tearing it open with a growl of his own.
“It’s a little hard with you being such a massive dick,” he spit out.
Peter just stared at him, his jaw clenched and his eyes angry, and Chad took an unconscious step back. Peter followed him into the room.
“Watch it,” Peter said, reaching up and cupping his hand around the back of Chad’s neck. Chad went limp under the tight grip, Peter’s dominance overwhelming him. Sometimes it was easy to forget just how intimidating Peter actually was, but in times like this it was oh so easy to remember.
Time to change tactics.
“You’re making me sad,” Chad said, lowering his head and looking at Peter’s shoes. He would never win against Peter by being aggressive. He had to appeal to Peter’s own instinct to provide and care for him.
Peter’s grip on his neck loosened.
“I’m not trying to make you sad,” he said, sounding frustrated. “I’m trying to keep you safe.”
“You’re dismissive about my feelings,” Chad continued, laying it on a little thick. “And you act like me being upset is an inconvenience.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Peter dropped his grip on Chad’s neck entirely and stepped back. He crossed his arms defensively.
“If you cared you wouldn’t have hired Aiden.”
“I trust Aiden to keep you safe. That’s more important to me right now than whether or not you like him.” Peter rubbed his eyes. “But I’ll tell him to stop teasing you and act like a professional.”
Chad sat down on the bed. Like he hadn’t heard that before.
“Fine,” he said, realizing that Peter wasn’t going to budge.
“So you’ll come back and finish dinner?”
Chad shook his head, still looking down. “I’m still mad at you. I think I’ll just go to bed.”
He could feel Peter staring at him.
“Are you serious?” Peter sounded incredulous.
Chad nodded.
Peter watched him for a few minutes, eventually realizing that Chad wasn’t kidding.
When he left the room and closed the door behind him, Chad let out a long breath.
He wondered for a second if he was being unreasonable—if maybe Aiden would be different in a professional setting—but he quickly pushed that thought out of his head.
It wasn’t even the thought of having Aiden around that was making Chad so angry. If Peter had acknowledged how horribly the other alpha treated Chad but said that he wanted to hire him anyway, Chad could have dealt with it. It was the complete dismissal of Chad’s experience that rankled.
But Chad was sticking his ground. He might not be able to stop Peter from hiring Aiden, but he sure could make his displeasure known.
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