“Yeah, I noticed that. Thinking of downsizing?”
“You know how it is. Been the family’s home for generations, my father would turn in his grave if I sold it off. Plus, if we were ever to pull it together and become a proper pack… this was originally a packhouse. My family had one of the last packs in this part of the country.”
“Holdouts, huh?”
“Stubborn to the last.”
“And the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” Joshua added with a raised eyebrow.
“I guess not.”
They reached the top of the stairs, and the omega glanced around with interest. “You think this could be a packhouse again someday? That’s your plan?”
“I have a hundred plans. Haven’t got a single one of them to work out so far. Besides, with all the rumblings about mandatory pack registration and restrictions on pack settlement and movement, I’m not sure now is the time to be making plans.”
He nudged Joshua toward an empty bedroom, idly wondering where there might be clean sheets. Zane had been picking up the slack where the housework was concerned, but he was still staying with Duke, helping the alpha adjust to having his son home.
“Which room is yours?” Joshua asked.
Seokmin showed him in, staring in surprise as the omega sank down onto the bed. Joshua returned his stare, very deliberately kicking off his shoes and socks and taking off his jacket.
“I should stay close, in case you need me.”
“You’re suggesting we share a bed?”
Joshua looked amused at the question.
“Technically, we’ve been sleeping side by side for three nights now. Does the fact that it’s a bed instead of a concrete floor change anything?”
Seokmin’s uncertainty must have shown on his face, because Joshua leaned forward with a tired sigh, resting his hands on his knees.
“If I’m right here next to you, I can ground you even in your sleep. Isn’t that better than risking you shifting alone tonight?”
Seokmin avoided Joshua’s eyes.
“You were planning on chaining yourself up in the basement again,” the omega concluded.
“It would be safer.”
Joshua groaned but pushed to his feet. “Fine, then. Lead the way.”
Seokmin took a step back toward the door.
“Joshua?”
“What? You think I’m leaving you sitting there in chains in that basement all night in case you shift in your sleep? No. Either we stay up here together, so my scent can ground you if you need it, or we both spend the night in the basement. Your choice.”
Seokmin wanted to argue, but he could see the stubborn set of the omega’s jaw.
“The basement. I’m not… confident enough yet that I can make it through a night so close to the full moon without shifting. Tomorrow, maybe, but not tonight.”
“Fair enough.”
“But I’ll be okay by myself. Just knowing you’re nearby…”
“It’s not magic, Seokmin. It’s science. If I’m not close enough for you to scent me, my presence isn’t doing you any good.”