Chapter Ten
Matthew woke up and groaned. He felt like he'd been hit by a truck, every inch of him ached, but he couldn't deny the throb of pleasure running through him, or the way the warm weight of his mate lying beside him made him feel safe and secure for the first time in his life.
Grey moved in his sleep, his arm tightening protectively around Matthew. Matthew smiled and rested his hand on Grey's, snuggling back down beneath the quilt into his mate's embrace. Grey's comforting scent was all around him, and he felt the thrill of belonging to such a powerful Alpha.
Grey had already gone further than Kelvin by claiming him as his mate.
Matthew cautiously ran his finger over the deep bite mark on the back of his neck, wincing slightly.
He knew now that Kelvin had never seen him as mate material.
The other Alpha had never come close to claiming him and treated him only as some kind of breeding machine.
Matthew bit down on his kiss sore bottom lip.
His inability to breed had caused Kelvin to discard him like rubbish and Matthew had thought he would never recover from the hurt.
Now, he was Grey's mate and the Alpha had promised to keep him safe.
He trusted Grey to protect him, but he still couldn't help feeling anxious about what the future held being part of Grey's pack, especially when they found out about his inability to provide them with an heir.
"What are you thinking about," Grey murmured, brushing his lips over the sensitive shell of his ear.
"I...nothing," Matthew said quickly, turning to kiss his mate. "Are you okay?"
Grey huffed out a laugh. "I think okay is an understatement." He ran his gaze over Matthew, stroking a hand down his arm. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I've been fucked by my Alpha and claimed as his mate." A smile spread across Matthew's face. "And like I'm never going to get enough of you fucking me like that. I never knew that knotting could feel so amazing."
"Really?" Grey grinned and pulled Matthew against him, sliding his hand over his omega's ass and squeezing.
"Yeah," Matthew breathed, brushing his lips over Grey's, but then his face crumpled and he brought his hands up to try to hide his distress.
"Baby, what's wrong?" Grey asked, concern etching his features. He sat up and reached for Matthew's hands.
I just wish I could give you everything a mate should be able to."
"You mean children?" Grey asked, holding Matthew's hands.
Matthew nodded. "I want to make you happy."
"You do make me happy. I don't need anything else but you. You're my omega, my mate."
Matthew looked up at Grey and then away again, wiping away a stray tear.
"Do you want children?" Grey asked, and Matthew lifted one shoulder in a half shrug.
"I love kids."
Grey pulled Matthew back into his arms. "We could adopt."
"You'd want that?" Matthew held Grey's gaze steadily.
Grey didn't even have to think about it. "Yeah, I would."
"You're amazing." Matthew leaned forward and kissed Grey.
"I know I am, baby," Grey said and laughed when Matthew rolled his eyes. "I need to get showered and dressed. You should probably stay in bed and rest."
"I don't want you to meet Kelvin." Matthew started to feel uneasy again the moment Grey released him and he sank back against the pillows, chewing nervously on his bottom lip.
"I have to deal with this, baby. I'm not going to tolerate anyone threatening my mate." Grey's voice was a little gruff and Matthew saw the steely look that had come into the Alpha's eyes.
"Should I come with you?" Matthew asked, unable to take his eyes off Grey as he climbed out of bed and stretched out his magnificent body.
Grey ran a hand over his chest. "You need to rest and relax. Why don't you take a long bath and be back in bed ready and waiting for me when I get back?"
Matthew scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. "Is that an order?"
"Does it need to be?" Grey ripped the quilt off Matthew and climbed back on the bed, pressing Matthew back against the mattress, his hard body sliding against him.
"Maybe," Matthew murmured and Grey growled before kissing his omega into submission.
****
Grey steered his truck up the long drive to his cabin.
The snow had finally stopped falling, but there was deep snow and treacherous ice everywhere, making the journey a lot slower than Grey needed it to be.
He'd promised Matthew that he'd be back just after lunchtime but events had spiraled out of his control at Red River, and as Grey eased himself out of the truck, he tried to prepare himself to go into the house and face his mate.
The warm scent of cinnamon and orange greeted him as he pushed open the door and he shrugged off his boots quickly and walked through the living room, stopping when he saw Matthew in the kitchen, busy icing a tray of cupcakes that sat alongside trays and trays of numerous baked delights.
"You said you'd be home hours ago," Matthew said, not looking up. He turned and banged a pan down on the counter and Grey closed his eyes, pain throbbing in his left temple.
"Baby, I'm sorry."
Matthew looked up and froze when he saw Grey. He dropped the icing bag and ran over to him. "What-"
"It's okay. I'm okay!" Grey put his hand out but Matthew knocked it away and reached out to touch the jagged, deep scratch that ran down his Grey's cheek.
Matthew's eyes were wide and dark in his pale face and he had flour smudged along his cheek, which Grey couldn't help but think made him look more adorable than ever.
"Did Kelvin do that to you?" Matthew was obviously trying to keep his voice level but Grey could hear the panic straining his tone.
"It looks worse than it is." Grey shrugged his jacket off and winced as pain lanced through him.
"Take your shirt off." Matthew put his hands on his hips and glared at Grey. "I'm not kidding."
"Fine, but don't freak out, okay?" Grey slowly unbuttoned his shirt, every movement causing him pain. He shrugged the shirt off and Matthew stepped back, his hands going to his mouth.
"I'll kill him!" Matthew ripped off the tea towel he'd tucked into his jeans as a makeshift apron and stepped forward, but Grey snagged hold of his arm.
"Easy," Grey said, and tightened his grip on Matthew's arm as he tried to get free. "It's not what it looks like. Kelvin didn't do this to me. Stop struggling, goddamn it!"
Matthew yanked his arm free but stepped back, moving behind the counter, putting a barrier between them. Grey blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. He indicated the trays lined up on the counter.
"What's all this?"
"I bake when I'm stressed," Matthew snapped, slamming a plate down on the counter, the noise straining Grey's patience.
"Maybe I should increase my order of eggs and flour, then."
Grey ducked when the icing bag flew past his head.
"Do you think this is funny?" Matthew yelled wiping his hands down his T-shirt. "You've only just claimed me and you come home in this state. You didn't even let me know you were going to be delayed! Have you any idea how worried I've been?"
"Three trays of cupcakes, one tray of mince pies, and two chocolate cakes?" Grey said, putting his hands up when Matthew glared at him again. "Where did you get all the ingredients?"
"Meredith," Matthew said, lowering his gaze. "She came round earlier and asked if I needed anything."
"You like her?" Grey asked, risking stepping a little closer to the counter.
"Yeah, I do." Matthew pressed his lips together and looked at Grey.
"Good," Grey said, and reached for Matthew's hand.
"What happened?" Matthew allowed Grey to take his hand and stepped round the counter.
He stroked his hand over Grey's chest, careful not to touch any of the claw marks and bites that littered his skin.
He could see that some were already partially healed which meant that they had been inflicted whilst Grey had been in his wolf form.
"Maybe we should sit down." Grey looked over at the couch.
"I don't need to sit down." Matthew reached up and touched Grey's face.
"Kelvin's dead." Grey kept his eyes on his mate, watching his reaction carefully, but Matthew just stared back at him, his face not showing any emotion for a moment, and then Matthew closed his eyes and softly exhaled against his chest.
"Did you kill him?"
"No, it was his mate, Naomi."
Matthew's eyes flew open and Grey could see the glitter of tears there. "His mate?"
"Seems like she'd had enough of Kelvin's abuse.
She couldn't get pregnant and Kelvin was already plotting to get rid of her after the pack began to get tired of waiting for an heir.
It looks like she took steps to protect herself, brought in some back up from her old pack and killed him and two of his betas.
When we got there, the pack was baying for her blood and she was refusing to stand down.
They didn't want her as Alpha, and the pack elders pushed me to challenge, saying it was time for fresh leadership.
I fought her and won, but she had back up so it wasn't exactly a fair fight. "
Matthew's mouth had fallen open. He shook his head as though he was trying to clear his thoughts. "I... Kelvin's dead?"
Grey swallowed down his temper when he saw tears slip down his mate's cheeks. Why the hell would Matthew mourn that asshole after everything Kelvin had put him through? He knew how fragile Matthew was though, so he put his feelings aside even though it nearly killed him. "I'm sorry."
Matthew laughed, the sound bitter and brittle in the quiet kitchen. "Do you think I'm sad about him dying? I'm not. I just can't believe that I'm free of him. I feel like I can breathe again. Did you see Wendy?"
Grey shook his head but his heart felt a little lighter at Matthew's words. "Can I put my shirt back on now?"
"No, you need to shift and heal yourself." Matthew looked at the wounds on Grey's body again and burst into tears.
Grey bit out a curse and pulled his omega into his arms. "It's okay baby, you're safe, and I'll heal."
"You could've been killed." Matthew tightened his arms around Grey's waist. "I can't lose you. I can't."
"You won't. I'm here, and I'm never going to leave you." Grey brushed his lips through Matthew's hair and then sniffed. "Is something burning?"
"The pecan pie!" Matthew ran to the oven and opened the door, wafting at the steam that billowed into the air. "I think it's okay."
"Baby, you were supposed to be resting." Grey nudged Matthew out of the way and took the towel from him, bending down to retrieve the pie from the oven.
"I was, but then I started to get worried and Meredith came round and told me all about the Christmas Eve party. I thought it would be a good idea to bake for it, but I want to keep some of it for us." Matthew fussed over the pie.
"Do you want to go to the Christmas party?" Grey asked, surprised at his omega's sudden change of heart.
Matthew shrugged. "Meredith seems cool with us, and I guess I need to meet the pack now you've claimed me."
Grey could see the anxiety clouding his mate's face at the thought of meeting the pack. "They'll love you, and your cakes."
Matthew smiled, looking up at Grey. "Are you the Alpha of two packs now? How's that even going to work?"
"We'll make it work. Our territories aren't that far apart, so with a little expansion, I think we can form one big pack, but I'll need to put it to my pack first. But all that can wait until after Christmas.
Right now, the only thing I want to focus on is you.
" He pulled Matthew against him and kissed him slowly and thoroughly.
Matthew moved against him, gasping against Grey's lips as he felt Grey's cock nudge against his.
"Are you able to shift again?" Matthew asked.
"Not yet, I need to rest for a bit." Grey kissed Matthew's cheek, his hand caressing his neck.
"Okay, so you need to get into bed and I'll treat your wounds." Matthew moved round to retrieve the first aid box from the cupboard.
"By treat my wounds do you mean..." Grey raised his eyebrows suggestively and Matthew shook his head in mock admonishment.
"You just said you needed to rest."
"I can lie back and let you take care of me, baby, if that's what you think is best." Grey tried to look innocent but couldn't quite manage it.
Matthew laughed but his gaze rested on the stark outline of Grey's hard cock in his jeans. Heat seared his cheeks and he pointed to the stairs. "Bed, now."
Grey grinned and then hauled Matthew into his arms and carried his omega to bed.