Wolf Untamed (SWAT - Special Wolf Alpha Team #11) - Paige Tyler Page 0,73
if I hang out with Moe and the other betas for a while?”
“Go ahead,” Diego said. “I’ll let your mom know where you are.”
Diego was still standing there watching Brandon and Moe head toward the training building, laughing and talking about video games, when Jayna appeared at his side, wanting to know what the goofy grin on his face was all about.
“It’s good to see Brandon fitting in with your pack,” he said. “I knew getting him to spend time with them would be good for him. You’re going to be a great alpha for him.”
Jayna stared at him for a moment, then laughed. “I’m not Brandon’s alpha. You are.”
“Wait.” Diego did a double take. “What?”
“You’re his alpha.”
Diego felt his heart beating faster. “I can’t be his alpha.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t know how to be an alpha for a fifteen-year-old kid.” Diego’s head was spinning. “He needs someone who knows what they’re doing.”
A smile curved Jayna’s lips. “You guys got here two hours ago, and he hasn’t looked my way once. He doesn’t care that I already have a pack or lots of experience with betas. As far as his inner wolf is concerned, you’re the alpha he’s comfortable with, the one he believes will take care of him. It was probably already a done deal the moment you and Brandon met. It was simply a matter of both of you coming to realize it. And after watching you two come down that wall together, I can see he’s already made his decision. The rest is up to you.”
He was so ill-equipped to take care of Brandon it wasn’t funny. Accepting the idea Bree was The One for him had been simple. But being Brandon’s alpha? “Jayna, I don’t know what I’m doing when it comes to being an alpha for another werewolf. What if I’m not ready? What if I screw it up?”
The thought was almost enough to make him hyperventilate.
“You won’t know what you’re doing in the beginning,” Jayna said gently. “You probably aren’t ready, and you’ll almost certainly screw things up a few times.”
He scowled. “If that’s your idea of making me feel better about this whole alpha thing, you suck at it.”
Jayna gave him a small smile. “What I’m trying to say is that it’s okay to make mistakes. Trust me, I made a lot of them. As long as you make decisions based on what’s best for Brandon, you’ll do fine.”
Diego wasn’t so sure of that, especially since it had the sound of a well-worn cliché that never works out in reality.
He blew out a breath. “Okay, so where do I start?”
Her smile broadened. “Why don’t you start with getting Bree something to eat while Brandon hangs out with my betas? After that, follow your instincts.”
That was something he’d been doing since getting a handle on his werewolf side all those years ago, so maybe he should do it now and stop worrying so damn much. Because while he was nervous as hell about being Brandon’s alpha, his inner wolf was surprisingly chill about it.
Deciding to take Jayna’s advice, he dropped the rappelling gear off, then stopped by the grills for a few cheeseburgers. After adding some baked beans and potato salad, he picked up two more bottles of iced tea and sat down beside Bree where she was hanging out at a picnic table with Rachel and Knox under the tent.
Bree leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, thanking him for the food, making his heart immediately speed up. On the other side of the table, Rachel and Knox both grinned.
“Thanks for teaching Brandon how to rappel,” Bree said, picking up the bottle of ketchup he’d brought and squeezing some onto her cheeseburger. “He looked like he was having a great time. You guys have really bonded.”
“Yeah, I guess we have.” Diego grinned. “He’s a great kid. I like hanging out with him.”
As the four of them sat there chatting, it occurred to Diego that Bree and Rachel were laughing and talking like they’d known each other for years. The idea of the Pack welcoming her was more comforting than he could have ever imagined.
Damn, you have it so bad for this woman.
Bree looked at him as she sipped her iced tea. “You mind if we drop Brandon off at Kevin’s house later?”
“Sure,” he said. “You want to catch a movie or something after?”
But Bree didn’t say anything as she took another bite of cheeseburger and slowly chewed. When she was done, she