If I Were Allowed To Love You

Twenty-Three

"Very nice of you to let them stay with us for free," Ryan hissed as he followed Theo out of the kitchen and to the dining room. With Melissa and Lucas asleep upstairs in the guest room, the two knew they had to be quiet.

There was an obvious plan in the making, something devious. Ryan wanted to know exactly what was happening, because with all the secrecy Theo was subtly shoving in his face, he needed to know who was going to end up heartbroken by the end of the season.

"It's not free free. They have to have dinner with us at least once a week."

"What sort of plan are you forming?"

"I'm sorry. Weren't you the one who wanted Melissa to stay with us while she was in town for the season?"

"I did, and now she's engaged to your mate. You are up to something."

"Fine. Maybe I am up to something. But you don't know if it's good or bad."

"Tell me. Now," he growled, his dominance seeping through his teeth. Ryan was a strong wolf. He had plenty of respect in the werewolf community. If his wolf were to poke through in the midst of his anger, it would be a frightening sight for anyone to behold. And with Theo already guilty, it caused his own wolf to whimper.

"Mates need to be around one another. It brings them comfort and stability, because they are not going to be awake every night wondering if their mate is alright. I know it was a struggle for you for a while after Melissa stopped messaging, but we both knew she was alright. You just saw her again, so the long nights are going to come back. It happened to me last night, and I do not want to go through that again while I know he's in town. Call me selfish, but I know we'll both be sleeping better knowing our mates are alive and in the safety of our house."

Groaning, Ryan leaned against the table as Theo began to eat his late night snack of a strawberry shortcake cupcake from Costco. He looked up towards the stairs and said, "Why did it have to be this way? What good is supposed to come of our mates being with each other instead of us?"

"Now you're feeling down?" Theo scoffed.

"I've always been depressed."

"I know we're supposed to be happy for them and not get in the way, but don't you think there might be a chance we can be with them?"

"No."

"I'm not suggesting we force it to happen. I'm not going to create a wedge between them or anything. I'm just saying that if there's an opening, is it so wrong to take it?"

"It is wrong," Ryan stated. "We shouldn't do anything that could jeopardize their relationship just because we're soulmates."

"Isn't that all the more reason to interfere?"

"Would you want Lucas to be with you because he loves you or because he feels like he has to?"

Theo glared at his plate. "Loves me."

"That's why I never told Melissa when I met her. I do regret not telling her, but I can't do anything about it now. She doesn't need to know so long as she is engaged to Lucas, and we both know that they are in love."

"They are in love." Theo stood up and grabbed his plate. "But so long as they live in this house and spend time with us, our mate bonds will begin to grow stronger. They will begin to feel an attraction towards us, because at the end of the day, we are soulmates. Sometimes the things that feel wrong wind up being right."

Ryan let out a long sigh as Theo stormed into the kitchen. He hated to admit that Theo was right.

As he stood up from his seat, an alarm in the kitchen rang. Its sole purpose was to alert all werewolves and other mythicals if a hunter was nearby. A special beep blared whenever they were attacking, while the default was for whenever they were spotted nearby. The special beep rang through the alarm, and Ryan pushed his way into the kitchen.