Ewan dusted off his hands, stepping back to admire the mound of lush green banana leaves in front of him. He tilted his head to look at Asher Ryder, seeing the man still carefully using his feet to gently tread the leaves flat, and suddenly felt his heart soften. The Alpha had woken up early this morning to dig the hole, harvest algae, and haul crabs, his body still carrying the scent of pond mud mixed with sweat. Yet, Asher Ryder's face remained as calm as if these chores were nothing at all.
Ewan retrieved the handkerchief previously draped over the man's shoulder, gently wiping a streak of splattered mud from Asher Ryder's cheek: "Thank you. It is just a test pit, yet you are acting like we are building a house."
Asher Ryder caught his wrist, rubbing a thumb gently over the back of his hand: "Any experiment of yours is important. If it succeeds, we will have another source of income for the winter."
