Kaden

Euphoric

Cursing under my breath, I ducked into my office, hoping Dex didn't see me. Mina and Lex looked up with panicked expressions and I put my hands on my hips while I quirked my brow. "It was his idea!" Mina declared, pointing at Lex who gasped.

"Liar! You're the one who told me about it!" Lex accused with a scowl. My lips twitched, since my office wasn't off limits, although my paperwork was not to be used for art under any circumstances. Still, it surprised me to find them in here alone.

When Dex peeked his head in, both of them glared at him and I eyed him curiously. "You were supposed to distract him!" The welps declared and I faced him to quirk my brow again. It'd been a few months since Kira and I mated, and he joined my pack. It was weird to no longer think of him as the king, albeit my mind still tried to give him the title. His eldest son hugged me with so much excitement I felt mauled when Dex told him he intended to stay in my fortress and wanted to resign as alpha. Then his mate found out and she did maul me. Last I heard, I was their favorite person until the end of time. Which made Kira crack up every time anyone mentioned them. Partly because I flinched and spun around to see if there was a mauling in my immediate future.

Now that Dex was part of my pack, he behaved more like an oversized pup. Which few members of my pack minded. He babysat any pups without hesitation and adored them, albeit everyone knew Tansy was his favorite. And declared she should be. "Something I should know?" I asked Dex and he rubbed the back of his neck with a bashful grin. Even though I'd had plenty of time to get used to him, I still felt awkward and resentful in his presence. But I behaved to keep the peace so Kira and Tansy never felt guilty for loving him or spending time with the wolf.

"N-No," Dex mumbled, clearing his throat he smiled then jerked me out of my office. I had a second to see Lex and Mina digging through one of my drawers but the door shut before I could scold them. "You aren't allowed in there for a while," Dex declared with a nod and I scoffed.

"Last I checked, I was alpha," I sneered then turned to return to my office.

"You are," Dex replied, his voice pained. "I meant no disrespect, Kaden. But they desire to surprise you. They promised not to misplace or ruin anything. Kira even told them they could." While that didn't surprise me, I still sighed then growled under my breath. Without glancing at my mate's father, I stepped around him to seek my beta. Perhaps he had copies of the reports I sought. I sensed Dex's shame and discomfort and grit my teeth to resist stopping to soothe his feelings.

He followed me, trying to find the words to speak to me, but his voice cracked every time he tried so I continued on my way as if I didn't notice. Jax waited for me at the end of the hall, his arms crossed while he observed us. "You could let him finish explaining," Jax noted, his voice emotionless and I flinched. 'Alpha Asshole' often went hand-in-hand with that tone.

"I still don't like him," I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck and Jax softened a touch.

"I know, Kaden. I'm not asking you to like him. Hell, I watched my best friend lose himself and grow up too fast because of him. He broke the entire pack, Kaden, except you. But only because you couldn't afford to break with a pack to care for. So, I have strong feelings of dislike for him too. But that doesn't mean you get to treat him like he's anything other than a member of your pack. He supplicated, you approved. You're his alpha so act like it." I flinched from Jax's rebuke and grumbled under my breath before sighing and turning to face the man part of me still resented.

"My apologies," I stated with little emotion and he chuckled.

"He's been rather gracious, really," Dex scolded and Jax quirked his brow but nodded after a moment. "I'd have sentenced him to years of imprisonment at the very least were our situations reversed. Regardless of my mate's relationship with him. It would have been a point of contention between us for as long as it took me to stomach seeing him. So, don't be too hard on him. He is trying and I feel bad for putting him in this position. He could have said no, but he'd have upset Tansy and Kira. He's a bigger man than I."