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“If you go back on this deal, I’ll never trust you again,” Alister warned.
Wyatt sat on the coffee table and gave Alister his undivided attention.
“Paris and I were targeted.” His mate explained how he’d been swept off his feet by some charismatic guy named Sloane, unaware their “chance encounter” was really a setup.
Wyatt remained calm while he listened, but on the inside, his snarls could have rivaled deafening thunder. One, he didn’t like listening as Alister described how some suave jackass had made him swoon. No guy wanted to hear about a past lover their partner had. Two, it wrecked Wyatt that his innocent mate hadn’t known that Sloane was a monster in disguise.
“A few days after we met, Sloane invited the two of us to an upscale party.” Alister pressed his lips together as he shook his head. “Paris said we shouldn’t go, but I begged him until he finally caved.”
“You couldn’t have known he was deceiving you.” Wyatt slid his hands over his mate’s. “Men like Sloane are master manipulators. They’re charming and lavish their victims with attention, telling you everything they think you want to hear. It’s all a ploy to make them seem trustworthy so you’ll let down your guard.”
“You just described him perfectly.” Alister’s eyes were slightly wide. “How do you know so much about people like that?”
“I’ve met his kind before.” Wyatt tightened his jaw.
“From the moment we arrived I felt out of place. “Alister said. “I was homeschooled and isolated most of my life, so I had no flipping clue how to socialize with people who bled power and success. My biggest accomplishments have been becoming besties with Paris and being a beast at karaoke.”
Wyatt smiled, grateful that Paris had been such an integral part of Alister’s life. “True friendship is priceless, and so is self-confidence.”
“And finding my mate.” Alister gave him a sassy smile. “Now I have three accomplishments under my belt.”
“Don’t forget your inner strength,” Wyatt reminded him.
“I guess so.” Alister’s smile faded as he shrugged. “Anyway, I was already planning on ditching when Paris found me and told me he’d just overheard two men talking about that night’s auction and how the twinks in the room were going to be hard to choose from.”
A knot formed in Wyatt’s gut as his jaw dropped slightly. “The son of a bitch planned on selling the two of you?”
Wyatt shot up from the table and stormed to the kitchen. His pulse pounded in his ears while he fought to contain his cheetah. What Negan had said now made sense.
An auction? Jesus fucking Christ. If Paris hadn’t overheard those men… Wyatt felt nauseous at what could have happened. He closed his eyes, rage and shock constricting his chest.
“Now you see why I didn’t want to tell you,” Alister said from behind him. “Sloane said that if we didn’t willingly return to the auction, there wasn’t anywhere Paris and I could run that he wouldn’t find us. So, despite your deal, I can already feel my freedom slipping away.”
Sloane wasn’t going to give up. Men like him never did. Not when he could profit off of Alister’s and Paris’s extraordinary beauty.
Wyatt hadn’t the faintest clue how to keep his word while wrapping his mate in twenty layers of bubble wrap, ten feet of cotton, and digging an alligator-filled moat around his house.
Chapter Three
“My. Life. Sucks.” Alister lay on his back on the tabletop of one of the picnic tables behind the ice cream hut, his arm spread out as he gazed up at the large tree towering over him. For the past five minutes he’d watched a squirrel running from branch to branch, stopping every so often to let out a loud chattering noise.
“Your life doesn’t suck,” Milo said as he sat on the bench where Alister lay. “You’ve just been hit with some curveballs.”
“I don’t even play basketball, so your sports metaphor is lost on me.” Alister sat up and looked around, trying but failing to find any joy on the sunny afternoon or with his new friend who’d agreed to hang out with him.
Without Paris, Alister felt lost.
In the past five days, Paris had tried to call him numerous times, but Alister let the calls go to voicemail. He missed his bestie so damn badly, but he still believed that Paris would be better off without him complicating his life.
Milo handed him a paper food boat filled with onion rings. “I thought your goal was to make new friends.”
Sitting upright on the tabletop, Alister placed his feet on the bench next to Milo, then winked. “I like spending time with you, even if your mate wears a deep scowl, like he’ll attack anyone who comes near you.”
“He can be intense, but he’s really a sweetheart.”
Alister swept his gaze over Colt, who was seated at the other table. “That’s exactly what my neighbor said to me right before her Pomeranian declared war on my ankle. You’d be amazed at a tiny dog’s latching ability when you’re shrieking and kicking your leg in every direction.”
Milo burst out laughing. “I’m sorry you were attacked by such a vicious animal.”
