the wall, scratching his beard.
"But possible. I want to rule it out before having her go through all of this."
"I think you just want me to touch your furry parts," Jordan said, and Damien knew that he was grinning.
"You got me," Damien said. "This is all an elaborate ploy to get you to fondle my twig and berries."
"Damien, my dear alpha," Jordan said, "all you had to do was ask."
"Ask? That's it? You wouldn't have asked me to buy you dinner?"
"Maybe a drink or two," Jordan said. "You already have my heart."
"Easy to win over. I like that." Damien chuckled.
"Alright," Jordan said, clapping his hands once, briskly. "Now drop your pants and howl at the moon."
The examination went quickly, although Damien did have to ask Jordan more than once to stop giving him compliments on each body part he examined. True to his word, when they headed out afterward to the local bar, Damien offered to buy the first round. Jordan carried their beers back to a booth where it was unlikely anyone would overhear their conversation. Damien adjusted the dark glasses over his eyes. They itched the bridge of his nose, and he'd grown accustomed to not wearing them around the house. In public, though, his scars might attract attention, and he had no idea how to control the glow coming from his eyes. It had never been an issue before.
Damien sighed and drank a gulp of cold beer. The brew was mildly tart, acidic, and very hoppy. Damien's nose twitched at the citrus scent but the liquid went down smooth and cool against his throat.
"How's Mara doing?" Damien asked. "I haven't seen much of her."
"She's still smelling her way around," Jordan said. "Kyle and Katherine have been making friends with her, but she's a bit standoffish. Condescending, if I could be so blunt. I get the sense she's not sure if she wants to stay in the pack."
"She can leave if she wants to," Damien said. "It's not as though we have a mate for her here. Just as long as I know she won't be spreading word about Julia anywhere."
"You spared her life," Jordan said, his drink clinking on the hard top of the table. "I don't think she's one to forget a debt she owes. By tradition, she's yours to do with as you please."
"Tradition be damned," Damien said. "I won't have someone in my pack who doesn't want to be part of it. It's just Julia I'm worried about."
"Mara will come around," Jordan said. "We might need to find a mate for her, but she'll come around."
"Agreed. How has she not fallen in love with you yet?" Damien asked, smiling. "Have you grown that much uglier since I lost my sight?"
"I'm hideously ugly," Jordan agreed, sipping his beer. "It's the beard that did it. Besides, I'm saving myself for you."
"Ah, yes, almost forgot about that. That's the only reason you're here."
"You know it," Jordan said. "That, and this pack makes me feel better about being so ugly. At least I'm not crippled."
Damien let out a burst of laughter, almost spitting his beer out onto the table.
"So you'd rather Mara leave? Being as she's the only other shifter who is whole, body and mind?"
"Body, she's whole," Jordan said. "That girl has muscles on her muscles."
"I think you're just saying that because you fought her to a standstill," Damien said, but Jordan was still off in thought about the girl wolf who had just recently joined them.
"Her body ... her physical body will be fine. Her mind, I'm not sure about. The other pack did a number on her."
"She'll get better," Damien said, the thoughts of Trax and his gang flitting a dark memory across his mind. "And then the two of you will plan a takeover of the pack."
"I'm sure she will," Jordan said, cracking his knuckles in precise staccato succession. "But if I wanted to take over the pack, I would have already. You're no match at all for my cunning wit and dexterity."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Damien said.
"Anytime," Jordan said. "You know I'd follow you anywhere. To the ends of the earth and back."
"You don't have to follow
"But possible. I want to rule it out before having her go through all of this."
"I think you just want me to touch your furry parts," Jordan said, and Damien knew that he was grinning.
"You got me," Damien said. "This is all an elaborate ploy to get you to fondle my twig and berries."
"Damien, my dear alpha," Jordan said, "all you had to do was ask."
"Ask? That's it? You wouldn't have asked me to buy you dinner?"
"Maybe a drink or two," Jordan said. "You already have my heart."
"Easy to win over. I like that." Damien chuckled.
"Alright," Jordan said, clapping his hands once, briskly. "Now drop your pants and howl at the moon."
The examination went quickly, although Damien did have to ask Jordan more than once to stop giving him compliments on each body part he examined. True to his word, when they headed out afterward to the local bar, Damien offered to buy the first round. Jordan carried their beers back to a booth where it was unlikely anyone would overhear their conversation. Damien adjusted the dark glasses over his eyes. They itched the bridge of his nose, and he'd grown accustomed to not wearing them around the house. In public, though, his scars might attract attention, and he had no idea how to control the glow coming from his eyes. It had never been an issue before.
Damien sighed and drank a gulp of cold beer. The brew was mildly tart, acidic, and very hoppy. Damien's nose twitched at the citrus scent but the liquid went down smooth and cool against his throat.
"How's Mara doing?" Damien asked. "I haven't seen much of her."
"She's still smelling her way around," Jordan said. "Kyle and Katherine have been making friends with her, but she's a bit standoffish. Condescending, if I could be so blunt. I get the sense she's not sure if she wants to stay in the pack."
"She can leave if she wants to," Damien said. "It's not as though we have a mate for her here. Just as long as I know she won't be spreading word about Julia anywhere."
"You spared her life," Jordan said, his drink clinking on the hard top of the table. "I don't think she's one to forget a debt she owes. By tradition, she's yours to do with as you please."
"Tradition be damned," Damien said. "I won't have someone in my pack who doesn't want to be part of it. It's just Julia I'm worried about."
"Mara will come around," Jordan said. "We might need to find a mate for her, but she'll come around."
"Agreed. How has she not fallen in love with you yet?" Damien asked, smiling. "Have you grown that much uglier since I lost my sight?"
"I'm hideously ugly," Jordan agreed, sipping his beer. "It's the beard that did it. Besides, I'm saving myself for you."
"Ah, yes, almost forgot about that. That's the only reason you're here."
"You know it," Jordan said. "That, and this pack makes me feel better about being so ugly. At least I'm not crippled."
Damien let out a burst of laughter, almost spitting his beer out onto the table.
"So you'd rather Mara leave? Being as she's the only other shifter who is whole, body and mind?"
"Body, she's whole," Jordan said. "That girl has muscles on her muscles."
"I think you're just saying that because you fought her to a standstill," Damien said, but Jordan was still off in thought about the girl wolf who had just recently joined them.
"Her body ... her physical body will be fine. Her mind, I'm not sure about. The other pack did a number on her."
"She'll get better," Damien said, the thoughts of Trax and his gang flitting a dark memory across his mind. "And then the two of you will plan a takeover of the pack."
"I'm sure she will," Jordan said, cracking his knuckles in precise staccato succession. "But if I wanted to take over the pack, I would have already. You're no match at all for my cunning wit and dexterity."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Damien said.
"Anytime," Jordan said. "You know I'd follow you anywhere. To the ends of the earth and back."
"You don't have to follow
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