Bonded

Chapter 10

Greyson found Patrick several hours later, slouched in an oversized club chair pretending to read an out of date magazine.

"Any issues?" he asked while taking a seat in the opposite chair. After his workout, he had showered and changed into a pair of black slacks and a light grey button-down shirt.

"Unless you count me slowly going insane with boredom, not a one." Patrick closed the magazine and carelessly tossed it on the small table next to his chair.

"Where is she?"

Patrick nodded to the four small rooms that lined one wall of the lobby. Designed for the hotel's business clientele, each room was a basic office. A desk, a chair, a printer and plenty of internet and power connections. It made it easier for their guests to work while traveling. "After she dropped her bag off in her room, she came straight down here and plugged in. That asshole Chet is right about one thing, she is definitely a workaholic. It has been over three hours and I don't think she has stopped once. Did you know she can type one thing and talk about something completely different at the same time?" Patrick looked at his friend who was openly staring at his mate through the office window. "If you concentrate, you can listen to her headphones. There was a conference call about a bunch of stuff I didn't understand. Then a phone call from someone who I assume is her boss. He's also an ass. They talked about some party she is in charge of for the founding partner. Boss man stressed several times that it needed to be absolutely perfect. Especially the gift. Sounded pretty high pressure, if you ask me. After that call, she switched to music. She has interesting taste."

Greyson snorted. "1970's easy listening?"

"She started out with The Carpenters. How does a girl her age even know about The Carpenters?" Patrick shook his head in wonderment. "Then she changed it to some classical stuff that almost put me to sleep, then she switched it to club music. I thought she had a rave going on in there."

Greyson furrowed his brows in concern. "Club music? She must be having a bad day."

"She listens to club music when she is having a bad day? I think that would make my bad day even worse. That stuff gives me a headache unless I am really drunk."

"Her musical hierarchy could have changed, but yeah, back in high school, club music was for a bad day. I think she finds something distracting in the beat. I never really understood her taste in music, but I paid attention enough to know what she listened to when she wanted to feel better."

Patrick raised his eyebrows, "Are you sure you didn't know she was your mate back then? You paid pretty close attention to a female who was just a friend."

Greyson slumped forward, put his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands together. "That's just it, Trick. We were never just friends. We only had each other. We were family. We took care of each other. She's been hurt. A lot. She built up some really high and thick walls to protect herself. Even from me. Every once and a while she would let me in, really let me in. Then she would push me right back out. Hard. I had to figure out ways to make cracks in those walls."

Surprise rushed through Greyson when he heard his best friend, his Beta, burst out into laughter. The red-haired man laughed long and hard, not caring about the looks he was getting from their fellow hotel guests.

"And what is it, exactly, about this situation that you find so damned funny?" Greyson ground out through gritted teeth. Patrick was his best friend first and his Beta second, so he often got away with more than what other Alphas would allow. Patrick's laughter, however, was raising the hackles on his wolf.

After calming himself down, Patrick looked across at his friend apologetically. "No, Grey, no, I don't find this situation funny at all. Really, I don't. But did you just listen to yourself? It boggles my mind how you didn't know you were an Alpha Wolf way before I found you. What kid thinks like that? What teenage boy pays that much attention to a girl he isn't trying to hook up with? I bet you reminded her to eat her vegetables too?" Patrick let another small laugh escape. "I wondered how you got to be such a good Alpha in such a short time. Now, I know it is because you have been doing it since you were a kid. You have been caring for your pack since you were nine."

Greyson was in no mood to re-exam his childhood. He sat back in his chair and looked at his watch. "It has been a long day. I'll stay here and keep an eye on my mate. You go ahead and take the night off. Explore or whatever."

After being friends for ten years, Patrick knew when Greyson was avoiding getting too far into his past. In that time, Patrick figured out when he should push the subject and when he should let it go. His experience told him that this was one of the times he should let it go. Patrick let his gaze drift back to the small office on the other side of the lobby.

"Trick? Everything okay?"

"Yeah. It's just that..." Greyson was very aware that Patrick was having trouble taking his eyes off of his mate.

"What is it that you find so interesting about my mate, Beta Walsh?" The question held a definite tone of jealousy and anger.

Patrick ripped his attention from the petite redhead and back to his friend. "No, Grey, it isn't like that. I am happily mated and have no interest in anyone else. There is just something about your little mate that makes me want to wrap her in bubble wrap and keep her someplace safe. She's got my protective instincts cranked up."

"Well, crank them back down again. Unless you don't think that I am fully capable of protecting my own mate? From a hotel full of humans?" Frankly, Greyson's protective instincts were maxed out when it came to Rebecca. He had chalked it up to the newness of the mate bond. Hearing the same thing from his friend was an interesting development.

"Greyson, I have no doubt that you will take very good care of your mate. But take some advice from someone older and wiser than you. The mate bond can hit you like a ton of bricks. And I am sure right now you feel like you are about to go crazy with wanting her, but you are the one that told me you needed to go slow here. Find your Balance or you are going to end up doing something you'll regret. The full moon is coming soon, that is going to make this whole thing harder. Meditate, take a walk, hit the gym again or let your wolf out for a run. Remember, you need to find your Balance in order to find your Way."

Greyson scrubbed his hands over his face. "You're right. As much as I hate it when you are right, you're right." He sighed and sunk down into the chair. "I am going to get some air and clear my head. Try and find my Balance. Are you okay with watching over her for a bit longer?"

"Protecting my Alpha's mate is an honor." Patrick bowed his head just a bit and touched his fingers to his forehead.

Greyson smiled at his friend. "No need to pull out the Old Ways, I already got your point." He shoved himself out of the chair and headed for the nearest exit. He was halfway to the door when he turned around. "Oh, and Trick? I wouldn't suggest calling her my 'little mate' to her face. I don't think it would end well." With a smirk, he continued out of the building.

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