of hearing distance, Jake turned to Cody and sighed.
“Do you ever get used to that?” he asked, nodding his head towards the living room.
“You will. It’s different for me because I grew up around alpha wolves so I knew exactly what to expect when I met Stefan. Just don’t let Kelan get away with any shit. For example, if you want him to do something for you, you have to plant the thought in his head and make it seem like it was his idea in the first place. That always worked for me with Kelan . Stefan is a little different,” Cody said. “But whining and moaning until I get my own way seems to do the trick with him just fine.”
Jake laughed. He was already warming to Kelan’s brother. He’d been nervous before arriving, but Cody made him feel right at ease. If only he were staying in New York. Jake was sure they could become friends.
“ Kelan told me you’re moving to New Mexico to live with Stefan. Aren’t you going to be sorry to be leaving New York?”
“Yes and no,” Cody said, tilting his head sideways, thinking about the question. “I’m an artist, so, although I can paint anywhere, all the galleries that show my work are here in New York. We’ll only be staying in New Mexico for a short while until Stefan’s brother takes over as pack leader, then we’ll be moving to Texas, which is home for me. It’ll be a hassle coming back and forth to New York, but it’ll be worth it to be with Stefan.”
“Wow, you must really love him,” Jake said.
“We’re mates,” Cody replied simply with a shrug of his shoulders. “Of course I love him.”
“You make it sound so easy,” Jake said. “As though being mates can solve anything.”
“It can. When you find your mate, you find your other half. Nothing else matters but being with that person. Your mate becomes the most important thing in the world to you. Any problems, you can work around.”
“I wish I had your blind faith.”
“The thing is , I grew up knowing about mates. I’ve wanted to find mine my entire life. But before I met Stefan, I thought maybe there wasn’t a mate out there for me at all. You wouldn’t believe how happy I was to realise that wasn’t the case. Stefan feels the same way.”
“So it was easy for you both right from the start.”
Cody laughed. “Easy? Hell no. There were times when I didn’t think things would work out between us at all. I’ll tell you about it someday,” Cody said at Jake’s raised eyebrows. “The point is, life isn’t always easy but when you find the person you were destined to be with, that’s something worth fighting for.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
Cody had given Jake a lot to think about. He was still nervous that Kelan would wake up one day and see through him, realise that Jake was not the person Kelan thought he was. Jake knew his actions of late had been despicable. He felt ashamed at how he had treated people. Especially those who were supposed to be his friends. He made a promise to himself to try to change his ways. As corny as it sounded, Kelan made him want to be a better person, a better man.
* * * *
Jake and Kelan left Cody’s apartment around midnight. Neither Cody nor Stefan could cook worth a damn, so Cody had ordered take out and they’d shared a few bottles of wine. Well, Jake, Cody and Stefan had drunk the wine. Kelan had insisted on beer.
Kelan couldn’t believe how much he’d enjoyed the evening, and both his brother and Stefan had seemed to like Jake. Cody and Jake had got along especially well together. Kelan had been jealous at first, but he’d done his best to rein in his feelings. Kelan knew Cody was blissfully happy with Stefan and wouldn’t even dream of looking at another man. If he wanted to build a life and a future with Jake, then he had to learn to trust him, too.
Jake had started to relax more as the evening wore on, and by the time they were ready to leave, he was happier than Kelan had ever seen him. Kelan felt
“Do you ever get used to that?” he asked, nodding his head towards the living room.
“You will. It’s different for me because I grew up around alpha wolves so I knew exactly what to expect when I met Stefan. Just don’t let Kelan get away with any shit. For example, if you want him to do something for you, you have to plant the thought in his head and make it seem like it was his idea in the first place. That always worked for me with Kelan . Stefan is a little different,” Cody said. “But whining and moaning until I get my own way seems to do the trick with him just fine.”
Jake laughed. He was already warming to Kelan’s brother. He’d been nervous before arriving, but Cody made him feel right at ease. If only he were staying in New York. Jake was sure they could become friends.
“ Kelan told me you’re moving to New Mexico to live with Stefan. Aren’t you going to be sorry to be leaving New York?”
“Yes and no,” Cody said, tilting his head sideways, thinking about the question. “I’m an artist, so, although I can paint anywhere, all the galleries that show my work are here in New York. We’ll only be staying in New Mexico for a short while until Stefan’s brother takes over as pack leader, then we’ll be moving to Texas, which is home for me. It’ll be a hassle coming back and forth to New York, but it’ll be worth it to be with Stefan.”
“Wow, you must really love him,” Jake said.
“We’re mates,” Cody replied simply with a shrug of his shoulders. “Of course I love him.”
“You make it sound so easy,” Jake said. “As though being mates can solve anything.”
“It can. When you find your mate, you find your other half. Nothing else matters but being with that person. Your mate becomes the most important thing in the world to you. Any problems, you can work around.”
“I wish I had your blind faith.”
“The thing is , I grew up knowing about mates. I’ve wanted to find mine my entire life. But before I met Stefan, I thought maybe there wasn’t a mate out there for me at all. You wouldn’t believe how happy I was to realise that wasn’t the case. Stefan feels the same way.”
“So it was easy for you both right from the start.”
Cody laughed. “Easy? Hell no. There were times when I didn’t think things would work out between us at all. I’ll tell you about it someday,” Cody said at Jake’s raised eyebrows. “The point is, life isn’t always easy but when you find the person you were destined to be with, that’s something worth fighting for.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
Cody had given Jake a lot to think about. He was still nervous that Kelan would wake up one day and see through him, realise that Jake was not the person Kelan thought he was. Jake knew his actions of late had been despicable. He felt ashamed at how he had treated people. Especially those who were supposed to be his friends. He made a promise to himself to try to change his ways. As corny as it sounded, Kelan made him want to be a better person, a better man.
* * * *
Jake and Kelan left Cody’s apartment around midnight. Neither Cody nor Stefan could cook worth a damn, so Cody had ordered take out and they’d shared a few bottles of wine. Well, Jake, Cody and Stefan had drunk the wine. Kelan had insisted on beer.
Kelan couldn’t believe how much he’d enjoyed the evening, and both his brother and Stefan had seemed to like Jake. Cody and Jake had got along especially well together. Kelan had been jealous at first, but he’d done his best to rein in his feelings. Kelan knew Cody was blissfully happy with Stefan and wouldn’t even dream of looking at another man. If he wanted to build a life and a future with Jake, then he had to learn to trust him, too.
Jake had started to relax more as the evening wore on, and by the time they were ready to leave, he was happier than Kelan had ever seen him. Kelan felt
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