Devan believed that. He couldn’t recall much about the Zio he’d stumbled across in the club, at least, not visually. But despite the scent-fuelled urgency that captivated them both so entirely, in the fleeting moments before perspective had come crashing down, there had been a softness to his touch. A gentleness that haunted Devan perhaps more than anything. Devan’s instincts were having a riot right now, and Zio was a mess. But of one thing Devan was inexplicably certain: Zio was worth everything. He was worththis.
The realisation jarred Devan, but they were upon Varian’s house before his reaction could manifest. The smell of bacon and sausages reached him, and his stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten in days.
Gale laughed. “My wife said you looked hungry.”
“Your wife?”
“Yes. She has a gift that allows her to see me even when I’m not with her. Her visions aren’t always clear, but she caught a glimpse of you when we picked you up yesterday.”
Devan had been around enough gifted shifters not to be particularly alarmed by the notion of being watched without his knowledge. “Is your wife a soldier?”
“Yes. Intelligence, though. Not combat. Varian tries to keep mated pairs apart in the field.”
“Makes sense. I can’t imagine what it must be like for her, being able to see you in danger and not being able to help you.”
“You’ll know one day, when you find your mate.”
“IfI find my mate. My kind aren’t as drawn to others as you wolves. Many of us exist alone for as long as we choose to live.”
“That’s sad.”
“Is it? Or is it just different?”
Gale stopped walking. “You talk like her.”
“Like who?”
“Emma. She said things like that all the time.”
“Did you listen?”
“Of course. Everyone listened to Emma.”
Devan reached out without thought and closed his hand around Gale’s arm. He was the first wolf he’d ever touched that wasn’t Zio, and he steeled himself in case that had been the true cause of everything that had happened in the club, that he reacted that way toallwolves. But all he felt was a faint warmth that signalled a potential pack bond Gale was almost certainly not aware of yet.You care about these people already.
He couldn’t deny it, even to himself. “I’m sorry you lost her.”
Gale nodded. “So am I.”
They resumed their slow amble towards Varian’s front door. Gale let them in, and a dozen wolf scents bombarded Devan as they made their way through the house. He dissected them all, searching for Zio, but he knew before they reached the dining room that he wasn’t there.
Gale directed him to a seat in the middle of the battered table. “Guys, this is Devan. He’s gonna be with us for the foreseeable future as our healer. Make him welcome.”
Gale’s voice carried a hint of beta authority. Eight wolves met his gaze and communicated their ascent before they turned to look at Devan.
Devan met their curiosity head-on. Four of the wolves he’d met already when Gale had picked him up—Track, Xan, Kate, and Ishmail. He presumed them to be Gale’s unit. The other four wolves eyed him with open suspicion.Yeah. Definitely Zio’s crew.
Varian entered the room as Devan’s thought completed. He caught Devan’s eye and nodded. “You are correct.”
“Thought so.”
“Thought what?” The wolf nearest him asked. “We don’t do secretive shit here.”
“It’s not secretive to keep your own thoughts to yourself,” Varian said. “Devan didn’t ask me to invade his mind and answer a question he had not asked aloud.”
Devan leaned forward and put his elbows on the table. “I’ve got nothing to hide, though. Varian caught me speculating if the four of you scowling at me belonged to Zio’s unit. His reaction to me was much the same.”
A murmur went around the room, half-amused, half-defensive. Varian’s expression was inscrutable, but Devan was used to that from alphas. And he’d given up worrying if Varian knew about his club encounter with Zio. The less he thought about it, the better.