Ryder gaped at the two of them.
Did he hear that right? Date both of them?
They waited for their offer to sink in. Ryder's mind was reeling, wondering if this was even allowed.
You're supposed to date one person! And only one! Not to to mention he was supposed to be dating girls!
Oh, who was he kidding? He'd been trying to deny that he had a crush on both men for a while. Every time they held a door open for him, took him out to eat, or simply smiled, his heart would do a little flip and he'd squash it down.
Even if he had come to terms with the fact that he was attracted to men, the next problem was choosing one over the other, which he just couldn't do. He'd thought rejecting both and going on with himself was the best option, but never considered the possibility of going out with them both!
Both Adan and Kendric...And Ryder, in a relationship...
Something in him was very excited at the idea. He wouldn't have to choose, and he wouldn't be alone.
They continued to wait, patiently, though Adan was beginning to look worried since he'd already been turned down once before.
"That's...I...Is this allowed?" He stuttered. "Is it legal?"
Kendric smirked. "There are no laws against dating multiple people."
At the back of his mind he knew that his parents would flip out if they learned he'd considered this option.
But how would they know? He already wasn't allowed to tell them about the werewolf stuff, so why not keep this a secret too?
"Don't feel pressured." Adan started saying. "I know it's intimidating since we both dropped this offer on your head. You're free to take your time and think it over."
"Yeah...I need to think about it..."
With his new werewolf mentality, he had to restrain himself from making impulsive decisions. And this was a big one.
"Okay. Then do you want to walk to the club room?"
"The club...?"
"I told you I was willing to join so we could all hang out more."
"Oh, right. Yeah, let's go." He walked down the hall, feeling like his head and heart were going to explode.
Adan and Kendric didn't say a word until they got to the club room, where the majority of the members went silent at seeing the two future Alphas together. It was comical to see their reactions grow exaggerated when they also sat together.
The quiet that filled the room was deafening, but luckily the club president broke it by announcing their next plan. They were going to have a bake sale next week, and have everyone bake one or two things that could be individually wrapped and sold to raise money for an outing. The destination? The strip mall in Blue Field.
There were plenty of fancy places to eat over there, but they were also pricy. If they didn't raise enough, they'd use it to get gift cards for their next Jeopardy game.
During club, he received a call from his parents. He ignored it at first so he could listen in on the fundraising plans, but when they called again, he stepped into the hall to take it.
"Your truck is ready." His father answered without so much as a 'hello'.
"Oh, thanks."
"When are you coming home?"
That was abrupt. A week ago he'd have been okay with the idea of leaving town immediately, but now, what was he going to tell him? 'Sorry dad. I can't because a bunch of werewolves might follow me.'
"I'm thinking of trying to hang on for a bit longer. I've been studying to fix my grades."
"...You changed your mind?"
"Uh...Yeah." He didn't like how the man had reacted. "Something wrong?"
"What are you going to college for again?"
"Business management." He replied, having already had this talk with him.
His father had been adamant that Ryder skip college and stay home. But after trying for months to learn from the man, Ryder had to accept that his dad just didn't cut it as a mentor. There were so many aspects of the business that he couldn't properly explain.
"So you never learned anything from me? After all that time I spent teaching you?"
"I learned plenty! But I'm still worried about what will happen in the future. I'm trying to be prepared."
"What do you expect to happen in the future?"
"I...I dunno...I thought when you and mom retired, I'd be able to help more..." He didn't want to outright admit that he was trying to take over the farm. His parents had never solidified whether or not they'd even hand it over to him.
"Wouldn't that mean you need a nursing degree?"
"Not like that dad..."
"Well then what?"
"I want to be reliable." He diverted. "I know you and Mom don't think I can cut it, but I want to! If I get a degree then-"
"If you wanted to be reliable, you should have stayed home."
There it was. The old argument was brought back up.
"Dad-"
"Just get your truck and tell us when you leave for home." The man hung up.
Ryder stared at this phone, disheartened.
"What's wrong?" Kendric asked. The club had let out and everyone was leaving now. Adan came to stand beside him.
Ryder looked up at the two at a loss. "My parents want me to come home."
"Why?" Adan asked. "Did something happen?"
"No. I...I told them before that I wanted to leave. I told them that college wasn't working out, but it was really because I wanted to get away from the rogues. But the counselor told me I'd go into debt if I didn't finish my classes, so I asked my parents for help. They made plans to pay off my debt so I could drop out."
"So tell them that things are working out now. Unless you still want to leave?"
Ryder shook his head. "I don't want to risk the rogues following me home and threatening my family."
He now understood why the Alphas had been so cautious about him. They too didn't want to risk luring rogues into their towns and endangering their loved ones.
"So the answer is still 'no'. Just tell them that."
"I tried, but my dad isn't happy about it. I'm afraid they got a loan to help pay off my debt. And now that I'm changing my mind, I think my dad is pissed."
"It can't be helped." Kendric comforted him. "Just tell them you'll finish your semester here after all. We'll keep you safe from the rogues, and once they're gone you can focus on your classes. Besides, your parents can always give the money back to the bank."
"Thanks guys." He still felt downcast that his dad was angry with him.
The two men noticed their words weren't working, so they came up with another idea. "Do you want to try the movies again?" Adan offered. "Last time we got attacked, so what if we go to the one in Blue Field tomorrow? There are discounts on Tuesdays, so we can go after class."
That perked him up a little bit. "Yeah, I can do that." Then he remembered their question earlier. A rebellious spark at his dad had him decide to give in to his impulsive side, and he spun around to look them in the eyes. "It can be our first date."
Adan and Kendric looked surprised, then they both grinned.
"Alright. It's a date."
"Sounds good to me," Adan confirmed.
Now that club was over, they started heading toward the parking lot, and he remembered his truck. "I'm going to have to go pick my car up from the shop."
"I don't know if that'll be a good idea." Kendric worried. "The rogues might be able to track it."
"And they won't track you two by your cars?"
"He's got a point," Adan confirmed. "Let's go pick it up."
He rode with Adan once again, with Kendric tailing behind them toward the shop. Ryder picked up his truck, noticing his seat was adjusted too low, and pulled too far back. He had to readjust everything before following them toward the hotel that Kendric picked out in Blue Field.
They did stop for food along the way and talked about what movie to watch and what showtimes were available. Ryder found himself eating far more than he usually did and nearly choked on his burger, causing Adan to smack him on the back until he started breathing again.
"Control yourself." Kendric reminded him, and Ryder smiled meekly before going right back to inhaling his food.
Once he had his fill, he regretted how late it had become because now he wanted to run.
"It's too dangerous to do that with so many humans around," Adan whispered at the hotel. "And Sutton is too dangerous with the rogues prowling around there too."
Ryder huffed. He had his belongings with him and once they were in the room, dropped them unceremoniously onto the floor before plopping in the bed.
Then his head shot up and looked around. Doing the math, he realized there were two beds and three men.
Someone might have to share for the night.
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A/N: Ryder's pretending the floor isn't an option. Lol. Short chapter cuz I'm still feeling wonky, but better than yesterday. Thank you to everyone wishing me well! I have no idea what I caught.