Chapter 48

HUDSON

"Oh for fu-I mean duck's sake! Would you stop being so jumpy! You're making me nervous."

I chuckled quietly as I heard Breydon snap at Boston for being jittery while Lucy scolded him for his language. Boston was on edge for the past two days ever since he found out his mate was coming and everyone could feel it.

There was a loud groan and a head slammed on my desk, causing me to look up. Boston buried his head in his arms and spoke in a muffled tone, "When will they get here? My wolf is driving me up the wall."

"Maybe you need to get laid," I smirked, remembering our conversation before Alexis and I met.

He popped his head up and glared, before grabbing the stapler, "I'll break your nose with this. I'm waiting it out for my mate."

I rolled my eyes and smiled at the thought of my own mate, "Good idea. Just a few more hours and you can do whatever you'd like together."

He stayed silent for a few seconds, but I could tell he was facing some inner turmoil.

"What if she doesn't want me?" He asked, almost hesitantly.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Matthew look up in shock and Breydon spit his coffee out, while my face displayed a mix of confusion and curiosity.

"Let me get this straight, you think your mate is going to reject you? The wolf who is the complete opposite of the rest of us. Are you kidding me?" I asked incredulously.

He blinked once and furrowed his eyebrows as if he didn't get what I was trying point out.

Breydon cleared his throat, "What Hudson means is that if our mates could accept us, why won't yours? You're a much more humble and respectful wolf than the rest of us. I still don't know what ran through Lucy's pretty little head when she walked into my arms."

I glared at him, "My sister did not walk into your arms. You-"

"And we're getting off topic," Breydon said loudly, cutting me off, "Your mate will accept you, Boston."

Boston sighed, "I hope so."

I exchanged a look with Matthew, who was staring at a list of all the abroad wolves.

It might have been Boston's jumpiness getting to me, but I couldn't shake off the feeling of uneasiness when I thought of his mate.

***

"Alpha Hudson, Luna Alexis, the trackers have arrived. They're driving through the border now."

Alexis lifted her head from my chest and got up excitedly, "I can't wait to meet these people, not to mention our new Gamma female."

I groaned, feeling the emptiness in my arms, but got up anyway. Alexis was slipping into one of my hoodies, making my wolf purr in delight – he loved knowing that our mate was covered in our scent.

"How do I look?" Alexis said, flipping her hair dramatically and posing.

I scratched my head awkwardly and tried to figure out how to word this, "Cute? I don't know. I'm not the right person to ask. All I see is my mate covered in my clothes and it's just boosting my ego."

She stared at me curiously while I continued to shuffle my feet awkwardly. I didn't mean to sound so possessive, but it came out naturally sometimes.

There was soft snort, and I looked up to find her trying to muffle her laughter.

Great, now she was laughing at my expense.

"Your face," she panted between wheezes, "You look like a guilty puppy."

I rolled my eyes and pretended to be angry, "Yeah whatever."

"Are you angry I made fun of you?"

"Yes."

She stepped in front of me and wrapped her arms around my neck, "How can I make you feel better?"

I was about to make a somewhat scandalous request when I noticed the glint of amusement in her eyes. She knew I was faking it, the little minx.

She kissed my jawline and smirked, "How about you give me a piggyback ride?"

"How does that make me feel better, exactly?"

"You get the joy of carrying your mate," she said, moving behind me and jumping up. I grabbed her thighs and held her tightly as I walked out with a quiet grumble.

"What was that, Hudson? I can't hear you," she said, her voice filled with amusement. I looked up at her and tried not to gape like a fool. The sunlight was at a perfect angle on her face and her hair was shining under its rays.

She looked like an angel.

But then I remembered I was supposed to be angry, so I looked away and murmured, "You're huge. My back is starting to get sore, and I can hardly wrap my arms around your thighs."

She laughed loudly, making my heart skid helplessly around my chest. There was no doubt that I was absolutely enamored of her.

"It's called muscle, Hudson. Something you would have if you worked out more," she said, burying her face in the crook of my neck. I felt shivers wrack my body at the feeling and shook my head as she kissed my mark.

"I'm going to take you against a tree if you don't stop," I said, adjusting my grip slightly so my hands were closer to her ass.

Her lips formed a smile against my skin, "And have those poor chipmunks and squirrels be witness to our mating? No thank you."

I was ready to retort, but the group of trackers finally came into view – they were checking in with Matthew and getting their bags from the cars.

Alexis got off my back and held my hand as we approached the group.

"It's nice to see all of you again," I called over all the chatter, catching their attention. There was a blur of red and a pair of arms choked my neck as the she-wolf tried to hug me.

"Hudsy!" The voice squealed in my ear. I felt the mate bond twitch a bit, and I knew that Alexis was trying not to act bothered by the she-wolf, who was currently kissing my cheek excitedly.

I cleared my throat and pried her off gently, "Maisie, meet my mate, Alexis."

Maisie's brown eyes widened and her head snapped to Alexis, who greeted her with a kind smile. She squealed again and wrapped her arms around Alexis, "Luna!"

Alexis looked shocked by her energy and patted her back gently, "Hi Maisie, It's a pleasure to meet you."

Maisie started rambling about something to do with Alexis's hair, and I took the chance to mind-link Boston, "Where the hell are you?"

"I'm coming. I'm combing my hair."

"For ten minutes?"

"Um."

"Just get your ass down here. There are only three she-wolves here. One of them is bound to be your mate. So hurry up."

I cut the mind-link off and smiled at the man approaching me, "Max."

Max, otherwise known as Maisie's twin brother, smiled and shook my hand, "How you doin', Hudson?"

"Great. How was South Africa?"

He started talking about how nice the people there were and how they loved Cape Town. I listened patiently but made sure to keep an eye on the three she-wolves – they had to stick around until Boston got up here.

"Max, my man!"

We turned to look at Boston as he speed-walked up the trail with a wide grin on his face. My eyes widened when I noticed he was wearing a nicely ironed shirt with a tie and was carrying a bouquet of pink roses.

Why didn't I do that when I found Alexis? Oh right, because I was too busy trying to match her up to my 'list of expectations'.

He stopped in front of Max and fist-bumped him, "Long time, no see."

Max nodded at the bouquet, "Those for me? I hate to break it to you, but I prefer petunias."

I snickered and Boston rolled his eyes, "You'll see."

He moved past us and walked towards Matthew, who was checking in the other two she-wolves. I saw him sniff the air and frown in confusion as he approached them. The two she-wolves exchanged a few words with him before walking towards the pack with their duffel bags.

I glanced at Alexis, who was watching him worriedly as he spoke to Matthew. Maisie followed her gaze and frowned, "Why does Boston have flowers?"

"Excuse us, Max and Maisie. We'll be back. Go settle down. I'm sure your parents are waiting to see you," I said, taking Alexis's hand and pulling her towards Matthew and Boston.

"I don't get it. I smell her. My wolf is excited. All the signs are there," Boston said, staring down at the bouquet sadly.

Suddenly, a car door slammed loudly, causing all of us to flinch.

A pair of combat boots walked around the truck and my eyes widened in surprise at who it was, "Gracie?"

She nodded at me curtly, "Alpha Hudson."

We watched her walk up to Matthew to check in when she suddenly made eye contact with Boston. Alexis gripped my hand excitedly as the two of them stared at each other. Boston had a big smile on his face as he stepped forward to give her the bouquet, but she turned away.

Alexis let out a quiet gasp as she ignored him and walked over to Matthew, "Can I check in?"

Matthew was staring at her like she grew a second head but swallowed slowly, "Uh, sure."

Once he had crossed her name off the list, she grabbed her duffel bag from the trunk and walked towards the pack without another glance at Boston.

Boston gripped the bouquet of flowers tightly. My heart clenched at the sight of how heartbroken he seemed as he stared at Gracie's retreating back.

"I knew something like this would happen," he said softly, his voice cracking.

He dropped the bouquet and walked off into the woods before any of us could stop him.

Alexis let go of my hand and started running after Gracie, "You two check on Boston! I'm going to go see Gracie."

I exchanged a look with Matthew and he nodded, looking extremely perturbed by the situation.

We shifted into our wolves and took after Boston.