Chapter 104

Avi kept his word with Kirstie, and agreed to take her to the beach. Kevin claimed he'd been locked up in the hotel for too long, and needed some vitamin D, which meant he and Todrick were both going. Jake was sitting on the bed next to Alex, running his fingers through Alex's hair. And when Alex fell asleep on top of him, that meant Jake was staying as well. Mitch was sitting on the other bed in the same room, watching T.V. Just before Avi followed the others outside, he gave Jake a specific look. "I don't trust you yet. And if you knew what our pack has been through, you'd understand why. I'm not trying to be mean, I just don't want that Omega to go through anymore pain than he already has." Jake nodded a few times. "You don't have to worry about me. I'll show myself out when he wakes up. I just didn't want to bother him." "That's fine. Take your time. If Alexander still wants you here, then you're free to stay. But as soon as he shows any signs of wanting you out, I can assure you Scott will be happy to show you out." Jake nodded quickly, continuing to pet Alex's hair. Scott walked out of the bathroom to sit beside Mitch on the bed, keeping his back against the headboard. Mitch scooted closer to him, smiling when Scott put his arm over his shoulders. Scott noticed Jake staring at Alex's neck, and he smiled. "Something wrong, Jake?" Jake shook his head calmly. "No.. Is this the Mark of his old Alpha?" "Yeah. The longer they're apart, the more the Mark will fade. When Alex moves on from him, it should be almost completely gone... His name was Travis, if you're curious." "I wasn't. But thanks." Mitch looked over to him then with a smile. "So, Jake. Where's your pack?" "Don't have one." "But you're so nice... And you seem like a pretty decent Alpha." Jake chuckled a little. "Thanks for that. I just hadn't gotten out of school until recently, because I went for longer than most to get extra training." "Extra training? Why?" Mitch inquired, leaning over Scott a little to look at Jake. "Let's just say... I knew what Alphas were supposed to be like. And I knew that my dad wasn't one of the good ones. I didn't want to turn out like him, so I worked as hard as I could to avoid the family tradition." Jake explained. Mitch climbed up and over Scott, sitting in his lap, but facing Jake. "That's so cool! You're probably like, the best Alpha ever." Scott kept quiet although he was slightly offended. Jake chuckled a little. "I wouldn't say that. But thanks." Alex shifted in his sleep, leaning against Jake even more. Mitch made a sad noise. "Aw. It's been so long since he's been able to cuddle with someone." Jake didn't want to seem like he was taking advantage of Alex just because of his single status. "Oh, I didn't mean to like... He just fell asleep... And I didn't want to bug him.." Mitch giggled at him. "Oh please. You love it." "Well, yes. But I just mean I'm not trying to... Take advantage of his unconsciousness, if you will." Jake tried. Mitch nodded and smiled. "It's fine. We don't mind. I'm sure Lexi wouldn't mind either." Jake looked to Scott nervously, afraid that Scott would beat him up or something if he decided he didn't like what Jake was doing with Alex. Mitch instantly noticed the nervous glance. "Oh, you don't have to worry about him. He's like a big, muscular, teddy bear. He'd only hurt you if you did something bad to either of us Omegas. But you seem pretty sensible so I wouldn't worry about that." Jake nodded once, looking away when Scott looked over at him. Scott gave him a reassuring smile. "I'd probably just ask you politely to leave. Avi only made me sound like a monster to scare you away from hurting Alex. But um... If you dare to touch Mitch..." "Oh, no, no. I wouldn't. I wouldn't hurt anyone, for that matter. I mean.. Unless it was self defense I guess. I took a class for that. But never for unreasonable violence." Mitch leaned against Scott, staring at Jake in awe. "Wow." Scott bit his lip to keep himself from saying something out of jealousy. Alex woke up slowly, sitting up with a hand on Jake's chest. "I'm sorry, J..." "Don't be. That's alright. At least you're a cute sleeper." Alex giggled. "Thank you... You're really comfy.. Can I sleep some more?" "If you want to." Alex snuggled back into Jake's chest, so excited to have an Alpha again. He fell asleep quickly, and Jake knew exactly when Alex fell asleep, because he got a little heavier. Jake looked over at Scott. "How could he possibly trust me so fast? I've only known him for a short time." Scott shrugged, one of his hands rubbing comforting circles into Mitch's arm. "That's just who he is. He trusts with every fiber of his being, and falls too fast for people who don't deserve someone as amazing as he is. He forgives too easily and forgets too fast, giving terrible people second chances just because he feels bad." Scott shook his head a little, and then turned to look at Jake. "I know you just met him. But I also know that he already likes you more than he should. He only ever fell in love with bad people, because he thought they were mean because they were sad. He thought if he brought them happiness, he could also bring them peace. Travis wasn't a bad person. But he made a mistake that Alex couldn't forgive. And then Alex was alone again. That's all he's ever been. So don't you dare go leading him on, and then forcing him to be alone again. That's all I have to say to you." Jake nodded slowly. "Oh wow... Poor guy. I wouldn't ever hurt someone like that." Scott looked away, not wanting to talk about it anymore. Mitch stood up, and walked over to Jake, fascinated by the new thing in the room. "He was abused and raped. Would you ever--" "Mitchell. Come here and sit down." Scott growled. "You don't get to talk about Alex's past to someone else like that. If Alex wants to tell him, he will. It's not up to you." Mitch immediately obeyed him and sat down on Scott's lap again. "I'm so sorry... I just wanted to make sure..." "I know, Sweetie. But you can't tell Alex's secrets to someone he might like. That's not fair. It's Alex's decision if he's going to tell or not." Scott explained. Mitch pouted and leaned into Scott's body. "I just don't want him to be unhappy anymore..." ********