Robbie blinked. “It’s not that easy.”
“And is that for you to decide?” Joe asked.
“Ox,” Robbie said to me. “You can’t be buying this bullshit.”
“You don’t know him,” I said quietly. “Not like I do. He means it, Robbie.”
Robbie looked hurt at that. And I felt bad, I did, but I didn’t know what else he expected of me. Robbie was pack. Joe was my mate. I would fight for both of them, but I couldn’t have them fighting each other.
“Look,” Joe said. “I don’t expect you to believe me. Or trust me. Or even like me. And I know respect is earned. You care for Ox. He’s your Alpha. But I care for him too, because he’s more than that to me. And I would do anything for him. If you have a problem with me, then come to me. Either we’ll hash it out or we’ll find some way around it. But don’t hurt him or yourself by hating me.”
Robbie, for once, was speechless.
I was a little impressed.
Joe could probably smell how impressed I was.
Which probably wasn’t the best thing to have happen in this first meeting together. In front of his blood relatives.
Even though they probably already knew.
Kelly coughed quite loudly.
I tried hard not to blush.
“Sorry,” Kelly said. “Something in my throat.”
“That’s what Joe said,” Carter muttered under his breath.
They fist-pounded each other without taking their eyes off me.
“He’ll be like you are to us?” Jessie asked, staring at Joe. “We’ll be able to feel him like we do you?”
“You should have told me about that the moment we got back,” Gordo said, glaring at Rico, Tanner, and Chris.
“Hey!” Rico said. “We had to be careful. We didn’t know if you were the enemy or not.”
“The enemy,” Gordo repeated flatly before slowly turning to look at me.
“I didn’t say anything,” I said.
“You could have gone dark side,” Tanner said.
“Like full-on Darth Gordo,” Chris said.
Gordo put his face in his hands. “I told you guys, I’m a witch. I’m not a Jedi.”
“Um, excuse me,” Rico said. “Can you or can you not shoot Force lightning from your fingertips.”
“It’s not Force—”
“We rest our case,” Tanner said quite loudly.
“The humans feel the bond too?” Gordo asked Elizabeth and Mark.
“Curious, isn’t it,” Elizabeth said, smiling faintly. “I dare say even extraordinary.”
“It’s because of Ox,” Mark said. “And all that he is. He responded to the territory’s need for a