“You aren’t going to train like that,” I correct.
“Yeah, right, and who is going to do the training?” He huffs, getting up.
“I will. Now sit down,” I order. He growls, shakes his head, and heads for the door. “Don’t make me command you, sit down, Mateo!” He stops before sitting back down.
He tosses his hands in the air. “What do you want?” He snarls, and I know he would rather go drown his sorrows than deal with me. Yet he can’t keep avoiding us, and even Maddox is worried about him.
“I’m worried about you,” I tell him.
He shakes his head and rolls his eyes. “I’m fine, Ezra, you don’t need to worry about me.”
“Really? Because you smashed your car, destroyed your truck, and the patrols had to bring you home the other night, not to mention the number of times I have dragged your sorry ass to bed,” I counter.
“You know what? I don’t need this, I won’t train then. Are you done now, bro? I have things to do.” Mateo snorts, backing away from me.
“Like get drunk?” I ask, and he growls, getting up before walking out. “Mateo!” I call, getting up and following him out when he doesn’t stop. He heads for the front door. “Don’t make me bring Maddox forward, he will command you, Mateo,” I tell him, and I see Kat walking down the stairs, she stops on the bottom step staring at his retreating figure.
“Command me? Really, Ezra? You would force me to stay and watch you two in all your sickeningly sweet happiness? Are you truly that fucking selfish?” Mateo snaps at me.
“Mateo,” Kat whispers, shocked at his outburst.
“No, Kat. I am happy you two have each other, I am. But it is fucking lonely in this house when you have no one. When you are always the third wheel. I killed my mate for you, and -you know what, I am done with this conversation.” He turns around, intent on leaving.
“Wait, where are you going?” I ask.
“To fix my damn car,” he snarls, walking out and slamming the door behind him. I glance at Kat, who is a little startled, but says nothing.
Her guilt eats at her at his words through our bond, which angers me, she doesn’t deserve that. He made her feel guilty for his actions, though I knew that was never his intention, he wasn’t like that. She never asked him to kill his mate, and he knows it.
“He is just angry, he didn’t mean what he said, Kat.” she looks at me, her eyes glassy as if she is fighting back tears.
“Sure sounded like he did,” she whispers, slinking off toward the kitchen.
I follow her, and she flicks the kettle on, I wrap my arms around her waist, and she sighs softly, relaxing in my grip. My scent calms her, before I reach up and grab some mugs.
“Don’t make me one, I have to go handle training. Will you be alright here on your own? Or do you want to come with me?” I ask.
“No, my father is coming over today, I want to see him and find out how he is doing with mom and everything that is going on,” she answers with a little wave of her hand. Despite the thing with Mateo, the mention of her dad makes her smile and the tight vice around my heart eases. She’s going to be okay.
“Is your mother coming with him?” I ask, and she shrugs, “I’m not sure, I don’t even know if they are talking yet.” I can feel her sadness about her family falling apart, yet I can’t bring myself to feel sorry for Shirley. She did it all to herself. “They will figure it out,” I assure her, as she reaches for the kettle that has just boiled.
“Is that why Mateo is upset, because you told him he can’t do training?” She asks.
I step away from her, leaning on the counter. “Mateo is upset for a lot of reasons, Kat, but he will get over it,” I explain, and she nods before chewing on her bottom lip. My thoughts were churning violently, and even Maddox feels bad for Mateo and Ares. Something had shifted with Maddox, he is no longer jealous of how close they are, he almost accepts it. “What do you think of Mateo?” I ask her, genuinely curious.
She looks at me funny. Her brows scrunch together as she pours the hot water into the mugs. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, do you like him?”
“I thought Maddox was over that. Is he really still thinking I am going to leave him?” She sighs, rolling her eyes.
His jealousy and possessiveness are extreme, yet he seems unfazed by me asking her. Not a growl, nothing from him, yet I can feel him listening to us.
“What’s Kora think of him?”
She shrugs. Kat sets the kettle down a little too hard. “Why are you trying to start an argument, Ezra?” She asks, shaking her head, yet she never answers.
“I’m not trying to cause a fight.”
“Then what are you getting at? Just spit it out, Ezra, what are you asking?” She demands. Kat stirs the mugs of coffee, the spoon slamming into the sides of the cups as she stares down at them, refusing to look at me.
“Never mind.” I sigh, and she peers at me over her shoulder.
“You know we aren’t gay, right? It wouldn’t work out?” Maddox finally chooses to speak.
“Yet, you don’t seem opposed to the idea,” I suggest.
“He loves her, he would help keep her safe, but we aren’t gay,” He says with a shiver, putting mental images in my head of men.
“Stop that.”
“Exactly,” he answers, and I shake my head before realizing Kat is watching me curiously.
“I should go, I will be back at noon.” I kiss her forehead and walk out of the kitchen. I can feel her confusion, but she is also still consumed with my earlier question. Mateo is carrying the socket set to his car as I open the front door. “I will be back at noon,” I tell him, and he waves me off but says nothing, and I stop looking at him.
“No, I am not sucking dick, I don’t care what you’re thinking, but it isn’t happening.” Maddox, shudders before gagging.
“I never said we had to.”
“You would really let Kat mark him?” Maddox asks, a low growl escaping him.
“He loves her, maybe-”
“No, it would be strange,” Maddox retorts.
“Yet, you aren’t disgusted with the idea. I can feel you Maddox, and if we go back a month you would have ripped him apart in front of me for thinking that. What’s changed?”
“He never slept with her.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“When she was in heat, he loved her enough to fight his instincts, loves us enough not to hurt us, he is no threat to us,” Maddox explains.
“Are you leaving or just going to stand there? Training starts in twenty minutes,” Mateo reminds me, making me focus on what I am meant to be doing.
“Kat is inside.”
“Figured that when she didn’t come outside with you,” he grumbles, rummaging through his sockets. “I will apologize to her later, just leave me be, Ezra,” he says, walking around to the hood and popping it open.
I nod, turning toward my car and getting in. I huff when I realize I still haven’t cleaned up the glass in the front seat, and the seat is wet from it raining last night.
“Deal with it when we get home, I am eager to go kick some ass,” Maddox says, wanting to relieve some tension.