A Vampire's Marine (boyxboy)

Chapter 55: Primary Objective

I blinked. "Are you some kind of court jester or something?" The guy just didn't have a serious bone in his body.

"There he is." Laken nodded in the direction of the buffet, and sure enough, there stood Thomas and Carson, lost in deep conversation as they filled their own trays with enough food to fill two small armies.

I took a bite out of the pancakes and nearly groaned in satisfaction. Why was everything here so perfect?

"You remind me of Grady when he first moved here." Laken commented with a grin. "He practically lived in the mess hall."

Grady shrugged. "It's because all the food is either grown or raised here so everything tastes better when you're new, but when you get used to it, it's whatever."

"Yeah? Is that why you still come down here for every meal even though you have a perfectly functional kitchen at home?"

We all looked up when Thomas approached; Laken with a grin and Grady with a frown. "I wouldn't have to eat out if you could cook."

Thomas snorted. "Scoot over." He told his mate, and Grady slid across the bench to make room, while Carson grabbed the seat next to Laken.

I watched in fascination as the Alpha and the Beta, slid the extra plates they had filled over to their mates, who took them as though they had expected nothing less.

"You didn't get me any honey wheat toast?" Grady was asking Thomas, as he popped a stick of bacon into his mouth.

"Carson got the last one."

"Don't even think about it." Carson slid his plate out of Grady's reach, then broke the toast in two and handed a piece to Laken. No words were exchanged between the Alpha and his mate.

I watched them for a moment. For whatever reason, the ease which they interacted fascinated me; literally everything about them was so zen, that half the time I found myself wondering if they were real.

I liked the fact that they obviously knew each other, to the point where words were sometimes unnecessary when conveying their thoughts, intentions and emotions. I liked that they respected each other and how, despite the Alpha's position, he allowed his mate to learn in his own way, or rise to he occasion.

I couldn't help but to think how very different their relationship was from mine and Rien's. Even before I'd gone to the Army, we'd spent half our time arguing. I wonderered if that would ever change.

I watched as Laken reached across and helped himself to a thick slice of ham from Carson's plate at the exact moment that Carson reached across to remove a pancake from his. They were like two sides of a coin, moving in unison, perfectly complimenting each other. More importantly, the valued each other's opinions. The moment Laken opened his mouth, he had the Alpha's undivided attention, no matter what the situation they found themselves in and vice versa.

In the week since I'd been fully awake and aware in the wolf camp, I had been to so many pack meetings and informal gatherings that I had learned more about them than I would have thought possible.

If I was in a shitty mood, all I had to do was sit for a few minutes in their presence and I automatically felt better. The two wolves just had such a calming effect and it was no wonder that people continuously gravitated to them when they were together. It was certainly an interesting dynamic, because when they were apart, they were completely different.

Carson was harder, very blunt and intimidating, while Laken was shy and quiet. Together however, they were just two happy people, and that happiness completely transformed their personalities; everyone could see it. I hadn't really believed in soul mates until I'd met them.