Free The Alpha's Ardor by Rebecca Brochu Page A

better food in all of Flathead.” Trace grinned at him from behind the counter.
    Declan smiled back as he and Law slid into an unoccupied booth in the back of the diner. He turned to look at Law only to realize with a faint sense of wonder that Law was already looking at him, had been watching him for a while by the look of it. The soft look, the genuine expression of affection on Law’s face, made Declan’s heart skip a beat like always. The thought that maybe Law really was sincere struck Declan suddenly and wouldn’t go away.
    Maybe he really did want Declan for more than just payment. Maybe, in some strange twist of fate that he had never really thought possible, maybe Declan had been right and Law really was courting him.
    The hope that he’d been ruthlessly squashing began to take root and for once Declan was content to let it.

Chapter Nine
    After his night out with Law, Declan stopped fighting with himself so hard. He stopped trying to crush every bit of positivity that threatened to sneak into his head, and instead he focused on enjoying his time with Law. As if he sensed the change in Declan, Law began to gently push Declan into doing things with him. Declan, feeling lighter and more joyful than he ever had, agreed.
    They ran through the woods together on more than one occasion. They spent nights together on the couch watching television, or laughing at something with Trace, all three of them around the island in the kitchen. Declan missed Lachlan with the ache of a severed limb in those moments, but he couldn’t deny how much he still enjoyed himself. Besides, Lachlan seemed happy enough for the moment if his attitude during their phone calls was anything to go by.
    Most of all Declan and Law talked. They talked about Law’s past, his family and some of his duties as alpha. Declan found out that Law’s parents had both died when he and Trace were younger and that things had been difficult for a little while in Flathead as Law settled into his new power and position. He’d confessed that there was a moment when he didn’t want to be alpha. When he’d spent two weeks in his room doing nothing but drinking until the point that he’d been ready to turn the position over to Trace, but his brother hadn’t let him. Instead Trace had dragged him bodily into the forest, thrown him into a lake and then they’d beat the hell out of each other until neither one of them could move.
    Afterwards Law had officially claimed his position as head of the pack and to the surprise of no one had nominated Trace as his first in command.
    In return Declan had shared a few stories of some of the better times he and Lachlan had during their lives on the road. He told Law about waking up in one state and then going to sleep in another, about the stars in the middle of the desert or the feel of sea spray on his fur in the early morning. He told him about the time he and Lachlan had almost gotten captured by a forestry ranger in southern California.
    Thanks to all of the talk about their pasts and about brothers, Declan finally remembered to say something to Law about Lachlan scouting the territory after a few days.
    Trace, who was sitting on the kitchen counter with a cup of coffee in his hand, wanted Lachlan to come all the way into the territory as soon as he was able. After a quick explanation he seemed to understand when Declan told him that they were going to take Law’s earlier suggestion and let Declan scope things out with the pack first. They all knew it was a safety measure, that Lachlan and he were being careful in case something didn’t work out and they had to make a run for it, but they were all content to have it left unsaid.
    With each day that passed it seemed more and more likely that it was an option neither of them would ever have to take.
    It was a week or two later when he and Lachlan erupted into a hot and heavy argument during one of their phone calls. Declan was in the kitchen and his angry outburst