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  “We were making lunch and Josh started a food fight―”

  “I didn’t start it. You started it,” Josh said, laughing.

  “Did not. You did. You flicked a spoon of jelly at me,” Bailey huffed.

  “Well you threw sauce at me,” Josh said.

  “That was after you dumped the whole pot on me and ruined my clothes.” The two were standing there laughing like loons. Bailey noticed Lexi turn and head toward his truck.

  “Where were you?” Bailey yelled out, causing Lexi to stop again. “You never showed.”

  Lexi spun around to face his mate again. He had heard the hurt in his mate’s voice. “I’m really sorry, Bailey. An emergency came up and I had to go. I fully intended to come, but was called away on duty.”

  “And I guess a phone call or something would have been too much work for you?” Bailey asked angrily, but Lexi could tell it wasn’t from anger, but from doubt. Doubt that was making his mate react this way. But he couldn’t quite think straight with his mate standing fifty feet from him, wearing only his briefs. His smooth, silky looking skin there for all to see. An impressive bump in those briefs, and another man standing almost naked next to his mate.

  “There wasn’t any time. We had to go quick,” Lexi explained as he tried to control the anger that was building inside him from the bobcat standing so close to his mate.

  “You’ve been gone this whole time?” Bailey asked.

  “No,” Lexi said and shook his head absently as his focus stayed glued to the cat. His hips grazed Bailey’s as he once again slid his arm across Bailey’s shoulders.

  “I thought he worked with you, Bales? What’s going on?” Josh asked.

  He keeps referring to my mate as Bales. Why? Who is this guy to my mate that he calls him by a pet name? One of the other boys? But then why does he keep touching my mate?

  “No, I met him at the café,” Bailey explained. The cat withdrew his arm and turned fully to look at Bailey.

  “You let some stranger drive you home?” he asked in shock. “What the hell, Bales?”

  “It’s not like that, Joshie,” Bailey said at the same time Lexi spoke.

  “I’m not just some stranger,” Lexi said and then stopped when he heard his mate call the other guy Joshie. That’s a little too familiar. “You haven’t told anyone about me, have you?” Lexi asked in defeat, his voice full of hurt.

  Bailey’s head snapped back in his direction. “No…I…”

  Lexi nodded. “I see,” he whispered. “Okay then. I’ll get going now,” he said in a broken voice. He grabbed the door handle and opened the door.

  “You didn’t say anything either,” Bailey yelled out in a hurry of words.

  Lexi looked up at him and met his eyes. “I told everyone,” he whispered sadly. Lexi climbed into his truck and closed the door. He started the engine and drove away.

  * * * *

  Bailey stood there frozen as he watched Lexi’s taillights disappear. I told everyone. Lexi’s pain-filled voice replayed in his head. He told everyone? He let everyone he knew know that he found his mate, yet Bailey hadn’t told a soul. He was afraid to tell Josh, but why? Josh was his best friend. He would probably be thrilled for Bailey. And he hadn’t told Evan either. Why? Bailey thought in confusion. Why was he afraid to tell his family that he found his mate?

  “Is there something you need to tell me, Bales?” Josh questioned.

  He could feel Josh’s stare on his face. He bit his bottom lip and looked down. “I…um…”

  Josh gently grabbed his shoulders and turned Bailey to face him full on. “Bailey, what’s going on?” he asked gently.

  “He’s…um. Lexi is…um…he’s my…my…” Bailey stammered as he looked at Josh’s naked chest. He was afraid to meet his eyes.

  “What, Bales? New boyfriend? Stalker? What?” Josh asked.

  Bailey raised his eyes and met Josh’s. “He’s my mate,” Bailey answered.

  Josh’s jaw dropped and his eyes opened wide, brows going almost into his hairline. “Your mate? You found your mate?” Josh asked with shock and then wrapped his arms around Bailey, hugging him tight. “Bailey, that’s fantastic news. I’m so happy for you,” Josh said as he continued to hug him. “Why didn’t you say anything?” Josh said as he pulled back, releasing Bailey, and looking into his eyes.

  Bailey shrugged and his eyes took on a look of confusion. “I don’t know why I didn’t say anything. I was scared.”

  “Scared to tell me?” Josh asked with hurt in his voice. He cupped Bailey’s cheek. “You don’t ever have to be afraid to tell me anything, Bales. You should know that by now.”

  “I know. I just…I don’t know why. I was just afraid to say anything,” he answered and began chewing his thumbnail.

  Josh gently pulled his hand away from his mouth. “Maybe because saying it out loud makes it real and you’re afraid for it to be real and losing him?” Josh asked carefully.

  “Maybe,” Bailey whispered and shrugged a shoulder.

  “He’s your mate, Bailey. That means he will be with you forever. He won’t leave you.” Josh said tenderly.

  “But what about when he finds out about me? What I did? I can’t not tell him,” Bailey whispered in fear.

  “No, you can’t hide who you were. You need to be open and honest with him. If he can’t accept you for who you are, then it’s his problem, not yours. And what you did was not your fault. You did what you had to do.”

  “He’s my mate. If I tell him and he rejects me or treats me like garbage, then it is my problem, Josh. He’s not some random guy. He’s my mate. This is my one chance at having my mate. If he rejects me, it’s over,” Bailey said with desperation as tears began to build in his eyes.

  Josh sighed heavily and ran a hand down his face. “You’re right, but I think we should go talk to Evan, see what he says. Then we’ll figure this out, Bales,” Josh said and wrapped Bailey in his arms, kissing his head.

  * * * *

  “What’s up, buttercup?” Taylor asked Lexi as he walked into the game room to find Lexi staring out the window into the backyard. When he received no answer, he walked over to Lexi’s side. “Hey, Lex, what’s going on?”

  Lexi blinked a few times, coming out of his thoughts. He turned his head to look at Taylor. “Did you say something, Tay?”

  Taylor’s brows creased and he looked at Lexi with deep concern. “Yeah. I asked you what’s up. You look very distracted and sad, brother. What’s wrong? What can I help you with?” Taylor offered.

  Lexi looked away and stared back out the window. “I found my mate,” he whispered.

  Taylor’s eyes went wide. “What?” he asked in excitement. He grabbed Lexi and hugged him tight. “That’s fan-fucking-tastic, Lexi. If anyone deserves to find their mate, it’s you.”

  Lexi hesitantly hugged him back. “Thanks, Tay,” he whispered in a defeated voice.

  Taylor pulled back, releasing Lexi and stared into his eyes. “Then why all the doom and gloom? Why the ‘it’s the end of the world’ attitude? I thought you would be to the sun and back happy as shit to find your mate.”

  “Shouldn’t that be over the moon?” Lexi asked with a smirk.

  “Hell no, the moon’s too close. I always figured your happiness would take a longer journey. The sun is much farther away,” Taylor said with a smile.

  Lexi started to laugh. “Gods, I missed you,” Lexi said and this time gave Taylor a big hug. “It’s so good to have you home. Pain in the ass and all. Ouch!” Lexi released Taylor and rubbed his ass cheek, where Taylor had pinched him. “Does your mate know you like to inflict pain?”

  “Yes, and he loves it,” Taylor said in a happy voice and a big smile.

  “I’ll bet he does.” Lexi snickered.

  “Oh, so you want to trade jabs, huh? Okay, I’m up for it. Hit me with your best shot, pretty boy,” Taylor said as he took on a fighting stance. Lexi’s eyes got sad and his body looked like it deflated. “Damn, Lex,” Taylor said and dro
pped his arms. “I was only fooling around.”

  “I know, Taylor,” he answered absently.

  “Then why the sudden fall back into the pit of darkness? What’s going on, Lexi? Start talking or I start using my powers.”

  “My mate doesn’t want me,” he said in defeat.

  “What?” Taylor asked in shock. “Hell no. I don’t believe that. There is no way any man wouldn’t want you. You’re a freaking catch of biblical proportions. You’re like right there on top of the heap of mates to fight over. There must be a mistake,” Taylor said as he began pacing. “Who’s your mate?”

  “Bailey,” Lexi whispered.

  “Bailey? What a fucking adorable name. And it matches my favorite drink, I might add. Bailey’s Irish Cream, yum. I bet he’s just as adorable as his name. I know fate would have made a great one for you.”

  “Thanks, Tay. And yes, he is adorable. He’s so damn cute it makes me want to cry just looking at him,” Lexi explained.

  “Awwww. Well I expected nothing less. I can’t wait to meet him,” Taylor said with excitement. “Wait, do you think he wouldn’t like me?”

  Lexi gave his best friend a small smile. “Now who couldn’t like you? That’s like children not liking Santa Claus. Or the Easter bunny not liking chocolate.”

  “Or Kanye West not liking attention.” Taylor smirked.

  Lexi laughed. “Or…yeah, I got nothing.” Lexi sighed.

  “Slacker.” Taylor snickered, but Lexi didn’t even crack a smile. “Damn, this man’s got you all twisted up inside. I think you lost your funny bone.”

  “That’s the thing, Tay,” Lexi said and stepped away. He ran his hands through his hair as he walked toward the bar. “He’s not a man. He’s a boy.”

  Taylor’s face got all twisted up with disgust. “A boy? Eww. Why the hell would fate let you find your mate now if he’s still a child?” Taylor followed him to the bar and sat on one of the stools.

  “He’s not a child. He’s eighteen,” Lexi explained and pulled two beers from the little fridge. He popped the tops and handed one to Taylor. They each took a drink and then placed them on the bar.

  “Okay, well then that’s not disturbing. Technically he’s an adult. So what’s the problem?” Taylor asked and took another pull from his beer.

  Lexi shrugged. “I can tell by his body language and his reactions that he doesn’t have any experience when it comes to relationships or sex. So I don’t want to push him into our claiming. I want to take it slow and make sure he’s ready. But…”

  “But what? Is that why he doesn’t want you? He thinks you’re too old for him?” Taylor asked.

  Lexi downed half his beer and then explained everything to Taylor from his and Bailey’s meeting until what happened earlier today.

  Taylor sat and pondered the situation for a minute. “Okay, well, there has to be a perfectly good reason for the way he’s behaving. You don’t know him yet, Lex. You don’t know what kind of background he has. He is one of Evan’s boys, which means he was kicked out of his birth pack and probably didn’t have anywhere to go. You yourself should know all about that. Don’t assume he doesn’t want you, okay? Look at Gabe. I thought he didn’t want me, but in reality it was killing him inside wanting me and not feeling like he could have me or that he even deserved me. Let’s give Bailey the benefit of the doubt. Don’t give up on him just yet. And I think you need to explain to him what happened the other night. Why exactly you weren’t there, then he can understand that your body was traumatized and it needed rest. You’re new to your powers and you overdid it. It takes the body time to heal after using that much power. Trust me, I know.”

  “Rationally I know you’re right, Tay. But irrationally I feel like I just lost my mate,” Lexi explained sadly.

  “Hey, you two,” Jesse said as he walked into the room and headed their way.

  “Hey, Jess.” Lexi gave him a soft smile.

  “Hey, Alpha Prime mate. Is that the correct terminology now?” Taylor asked as he lowered his brows.

  “Yes, it is, but don’t call me that, Tay. It makes me uncomfortable,” Jesse said and took a seat on the stool next to Taylor.

  “Can I get you anything, Jess?” Lexi asked.

  “Do we have any orange juice back there? We didn’t have any in the kitchen, so that’s what I came in here for,” Jesse explained.

  Lexi turned and looked into the fridge. He pulled out a half-gallon container of orange juice. “Here we go,” he said as he straightened up and turned. “A big glass or a small glass?”

  “Neither. I’ll take the whole container,” Jesse said as he took the orange juice from Lexi’s hand.

  “What happened, too much amazing sex with the Prime sex god got you dehydrated?” Taylor snickered.

  Jesse rolled his eyes, but couldn’t fight the smile that started at the corner of his mouth. “No. I need it for dinner tonight. My recipe calls for orange juice,” Jesse explained.

  “Damn. I was hoping for some hot, juicy details. Micah was huge before, but he’s massive now. I bet everything on him is massive now if you know what I mean?” Taylor said as he wiggled his eyebrows.

  Lexi and Jesse both laughed at his antics. “Everyone, including the Pope, knows what you mean, little buddy.” Lexi snickered.

  “The Pope?” Taylor said with a raised brow. “No…don’t even…ew, no…don’t even let me think of him in that way. Ew,” Taylor said with a shiver.

  “Anyway,” Jesse said and stood. “We’re having company for dinner, so let’s be on our best behavior, huh, Taylor?” Jesse asked.

  Taylor shook his head. “I make no promises. You should know this by now, Jess. I will change for no one.”

  Jesse rolled his eyes again and nodded. He turned for the door.

  “We forgot to ask him what time dinner would be ready,” Lexi said.

  “Probably seven as always,” Taylor answered. “So,” he said turning back to face Lexi. “What are we going to do about your mate?”

  * * * *

  “Why do we have to be here?” Matthew whined as they all stood on the front porch of the Alpha house waiting for someone to answer the door.

  “You should be use to it by now, Matthew.” Shane snickered. “You spend enough time here.”

  “Shut up, ya twat hole,” Matthew growled.

  “Dammit, Matthew, knock it off,” Evan hissed between clenched teeth.

  “I hope I don’t get fired for calling out of work already,” Bailey said nervously. But it wasn’t all from having to get out of work. He was nervous about meeting the Alpha Prime couple and about seeing Lexi. His mate lived here so of course he would be here.

  “Everything will be fine, Bailey,” Evan said encouragingly. “The Alpha mate himself called me and invited us to dinner. He said he cleared it with Gypsey for you and let Frank know, so I could get off work early. So don’t worry about it,” Evan explained.

  The door swung open and the Alpha Prime himself stood there with a bright smile. Holy fucking shit! He had heard the man was big, but oh my freaking gods, the man was massive, and hot as hell, too. His brown hair with a blond streak down the side, as well as blue and purple highlights was unexpected. But the smile on his face made Bailey feel relaxed and safe. They all raised their chins in submission to him. The Alpha’s smile broadened and he placed his hand on each of their napes as Evan introduced them and he welcomed them in.

  “We’re so glad all you gentlemen could come on such short notice,” the Alpha said and led them into a large, beautiful living room. “Have a seat. Jesse will be in in a moment,” the Alpha said and walked behind a bar. “What can I get you all to drink?”

  “Oh you don’t have to do that, Alpha, let me,” Evan said and stood up.

  “Relax, Evan, You’re a guest in my home. Sit and take a load off,” the Alpha said brightly. “So, gentlemen? Name your poison. Non-alcoholic of course.” He looked pointedly at Matthew.

  Matthew looked down at his lap. Wow, that was great to s
ee. Matthew all quiet, respectful, and submissive. Bailey never thought he would see the day.

  “May I have a water please, Alpha?” Sage asked very respectfully. The Alpha gave him a smile and grabbed a bottle of water. He walked it over to Sage and handed it to him. “Relax, Sage, you may call me Micah. I must say, I can’t wait for you to meet Taylor. You remind me of him,” the Alpha said with great love in his voice and in his eyes when he spoke of Taylor.

  Bailey’s stomach started to twist in knots. Taylor was his mate’s best friend. What if the man didn’t like him? Or maybe he would have, but not anymore after what happened earlier with Lexi.

  “Anyone else?” the Alpha offered.

  There were many “no thank yous” called out. The Alpha went back behind the bar and grabbed a beer and poured a glass of wine. He came back around and stood in front of a big, comfortable-looking high-back chair. He didn’t sit, but held out his hand with the wine glass. Just as he did, the most beautiful person Bailey had ever seen glided into the room. He was stunning. He looked so peaceful and angelic and the smile he gave the Alpha was so beautiful it brought tears to Bailey’s eyes. His long golden hair swayed against his back. The single brown streak along with the blue and purple streaks gave him an ethereal look. The angel walked directly to the Alpha and took the glass from him, then stood on his tiptoes and stretched his neck up as the Alpha lowered and kissed the man tenderly. They pulled back and the Alpha took his seat. The angelic man sat on the Alpha’s lap and then turned his attention to them. He gave each of them a bright, beautiful smile.

  “Welcome to our home. I’m Jesse Angel,” he introduced himself and Bailey thought the angels themselves spoke. He could feel himself falling under some kind of mesmerizing spell. He just wanted to stare at the man all day and listen to his voice.

  “Alpha Prime mate,” Evan said and bowed his head. “Thank you for inviting us.”

  “You must be Evan. We spoke on the phone. I’m sorry it was such short notice, but something has been brought to my attention and I really wanted to nip it in the bud as fast as possible,” Jesse explained.