In Need of Love

Chapter 7

It was only Cassian who came with dinner a few hours later. He brought food from his pack house that looked way better than the stuff Dotty would get at the diner in town.

They sat on her bed, leaning against the wall.

"Harlan works a lot," she commented.

"He works jobs other than his duties. I'm not really sure why."

Dotty took another forkful of chicken. "I thought he just meant his Alpha duties. He's working other jobs, as in plural?"

He nodded. "Mechanic shop and bartender."

"Geez," Dotty mumbled. No wonder he was so exhausted. She wondered through the different possibilities of why he would need to do so, but fell short. She wasn't going to ask Cassian though. She wanted to learn about Harlan through Harlan, not Cassian.

"How come you're out here all by yourself?" he asked curiously.

She shrugged. "I had a bad experience with the pack I grew up in. I'd rather be on my own."

"You just gained your independence, and you're afraid that you're going to lose it," he concluded. His words were soft, and she appreciated seeing his gentler side.

He and Harlan both had issues, and they both expressed it so extremely. Him through anger, and Harlan seemed to just become a shell. The thing was, she didn't want to be their therapist, and that scared her just as much as being mates to Alphas. She wasn't sure she could even handle her own emotions sometimes. How could she do so for two others?

She folded her legs, tucking them underneath her, and she twisted so she was sitting sideways, facing the handsome man.

"Partly," she whispered.

There was a knock on the door, and Harlan poked his head in.

"Hi," he greeted.

Dotty gestured him in, shivering as she got a feel for the chilly temperature outside.

"Hi, Harlan. Did you have a break?"

"Yeah, about an hour," he said, dragging a chair closer to the bed. "Is it okay that I dropped by?"

Dotty smiled, "Of course it is."

Cassian offered Harlan his own container of dinner. He accepted it gratefully.

"Can I ask why you work these other jobs?" she asked.

Harlan shifted in his chair with a sigh. "The pack needs the money."

"The pack?" Cassian leaned closer. "You're not even keeping the money?"

"I can't."

"Why does the pack need the money?" Cassian pushed.

"Why do you think?" Harlan snapped. "We're broke because I'm a shitty Alpha."

Cassian let out a low growl.

"Harlan," Dotty soothed quietly. "Just because things happen doesn't mean you're a bad leader. The fact that you are willing to sacrifice your time and your hard earned money means you're a selfless and fair Alpha."

He looked very touched by her words and she smiled softly.

She stood, sensing something else was needed to be said between the two men.

"I'm going to get some more wood for the stove," she said, pulling on her coat and zipping it up to her neck.

Cassian moved over to take her spot so he was sitting directly in front of Harlan.

"What happened?" he questioned.

"I was never trained to be Alpha. My brother was weeks away from having the title transferred from dad. I knew it was going to be hard, but I thought you would be there to help me."

Cassian scrubbed his face, feeling like such an asshole for the last few years. All this time, he thought Harlan just didn't want anything to do with him, but he never considered how much he had hurt him.

"That girl you were dating was so awful to me and my family. That's what started it all. Do you remember when you brought her over to our house for dinner?"

"I didn't know," Cassian whispered. "I was convinced I didn't have a mate, and she seemed perfect at the time. You should've told me she said shit to you all."

"I was going to," Harlan said. "But my whole family was murdered the next morning."

Dotty entered the cabin loudly, the door slamming from the wind.

"Snow's coming down pretty hard," she said, setting down a set of small logs to keep the stove going. "Are you guys okay?"

"We're okay," Harlan confirmed.

"Let me help you," Cassian said to him. "We can work together to fix it."

"I don't want you taking over."

"I won't," he promised.

Harlan stood, and Dotty shuffled closer to them.

"Be safe going back to work," she said hesitantly.

Harlan gave a gentle smile, reaching out to her. She stepped into his embrace, wrapping her arms tightly around his back.

"Do you want to look at that house we were talking about tomorrow?" Cassian asked.

He didn't seem like he wanted a hug, but she still moved to him, squeezing him tightly. He didn't wrap his arms all the way around her, instead his hand skimmed along her back, just a feather like touch. He seemed unsure of the affection.

"That sounds good to me. Harlan?"

Harlan nodded, already looking forward to seeing her again.