Chapter 14
Emery
Yeah, I’d been listening to their conversation with my handy-dandy wolf hearing. Mostly because I was just that worried about my witch, feeling guilty that Ty and I hadn’t gotten there sooner, and insanely relieved when I heard Hudson’s voice from the parlor while I’d been boarding up windows.
But their healing was my healing too.
I didn’t know what we were yet, the three of us, but even putting aside the prospect of becoming something more than friends, they were my friends. Hearing them getting everything out, finally, after all this time…
Well, I’d had to take my time joining them so my own waterworks didn’t become a priority.
Hudson snapped his eyes up at my voice, breaking into a glowing smile. “Hey, Em.”
“Hey, warlock.” I shot him a wink as I stood there, unsure what to do with myself. Finally, Hudson patted the bed on his other side, freeing me from my internal struggle. I chuckled, making my way to sit on the edge of the bed, still giving him and Ty a bit of space.
“What are you doing?” Hudson grumbled, popping his eyes at me. “I’m hurt. I require wolf cuddles.”
With a roll of my eyes and a flutter of my heart, I snuggled in, gently tucking an arm under Hudson’s neck so as not to disturb his stitches.
My hand grazed Tyler’s shoulder, creating those same sparks we’d felt in my car.
I tangled my fingers in his hair, searching his eyes for the resolve I’d heard in his voice over the idea of becoming like me.
“So…” Ty muttered sadly, leaning into my touch, “...you won’t do it, then?”
“Didn't say that,” I said softly, running a knuckle over his cheek. “But… I’m with Hud. I do want you to think about it a little more. Ask us questions if you have them, and we'll go from there.”
Hudson kept casting glances between the two of us, taking notice of the touches Tyler was not only allowing, but clearly enjoying. “When did… What the fuck?”
Tyler and I both had to control ourselves with the laughs that came out of us, not wanting to shake the bed. “Well… we had a lot of time, tracking Vera,” Ty said, shooting me a grin.
“We talked, and…” I trailed off as Hudson’s eyes swelled.
“Wh… What happened?” he whined. “I've been all alone for four days, and you two have been off being all touchy and shit without me?”
“No!”
“No, Hudson,” I said, leaning close to bump his forehead with mine. “We just cleared the air a bit, kissed a couple times to test the waters.”
“Uh!” Hudson stared between us with his jaw open indignantly. “I haven't gotten any Emery kisses yet! What the hell?”
Laughing, Tyler dropped his head to Hudson’s so he was caught between the two of us. “You’d better give him what he wants, Em. He’s earned all the kisses.” Ty met my eyes, the look on his face causing me to suck in a shaky breath. Sincerity. Acceptance, even. “And so have you.”
Hudson caught my eye with a pout on his lips. “Don’t you wanna kiss me, Em?”
Tyler wanted me to kiss Hudson. Hudson wanted me to kiss Hudson.
And holy fucking shit, did I want to close the distance, claim those perky lips of his, and melt away into him.
I’d wanted it since I was fifteen years old and Hudson had told me he liked dudes.
Right there, standing against the high school lockers, my bi panic had hit for the most infinitesimal instant, collided with that desperate need to be near him I’d felt from the moment I’d become a werewolf, and created a symphony of sense and self-understanding.
So why was I so fucking terrified?
My eyes flitted between Hudson, begging with those sparkly eyes, and Tyler, clearly trying to speak telepathically or something through that weird connection the two of us had developed.
You’ve waited long enough, puppy dog. Kiss him.
I blew out a breath, cupped Hudson’s cheek, and tried to convey just how badly I wanted to show him everything I had felt for him all those years.
“When I first got bitten, and I had no control over my wolf, I’d change and get lost in the woods for days at a time.
I couldn’t get my head on straight to shift back until I tired myself out. ”
“I remember.” Hudson leaned into the touch of my hand. “I’d get so worried when you weren’t at school. One time, I tried to go out and look for you, and Grams magicked my bedroom door shut to stop me.”
“Really?” I choked, biting my lower lip.
Tears welled in my eyes. Those first few years of dealing with my curse had been some of the loneliest of my life.
My deadbeat father—may he rest in the state he deserved—had never given a damn about my comings and goings.
I would disappear for days, finally make my way back to the dilapidated singlewide I’d called home with shredded clothing, and he’d just grumble about not having any groceries in the house.
Knowing my witch had given a damn back then healed something deep inside me. I don’t know why it came as a surprise. It was such a very Hudson thing to do, running off to find his friendly neighborhood werewolf without a single concern for his own safety.
With a nod, Hudson turned, pressing a kiss to the palm of my hand. I cleared my throat to hide the sniffle his affection pulled out of me.
“I learned a trick eventually,” I whispered, softly brushing my fingers through Hudson’s hair.
“When I felt the change coming on… I’d tell myself, over and over again, that I couldn’t be gone as long as the last time.
I had to get back… so I could see you. Talk to you.
Make you laugh. So I could look out for you and make sure no one at school was giving you a hard time. ”
“Did it work?” Hudson breathed, never taking his eyes off my face.
I nodded. “Your face stuck with me while I was shifted. The thoughts became less focused as a wolf, but… it was like a reminder. This constant need, telling me this time wouldn’t be as long as the last.” Nestling closer, I nudged Hudson’s nose with mine.
“I had something so important to come back to.”
“Emery…” Hudson choked, parting his lips ever so slightly. Inviting me in.
And I claimed them at last. Tender and sweet and so fucking right that it set my soul on fire.
His soft moans tangled into my heartstrings and urged me on.
I cradled the back of his head, holding him to me as I poured every fantasy I’d ever had about that moment into the kiss.
I wanted him to know what he’d been missing.
I wanted him to know that we’d make up for all of it, and that I understood and forgave him completely for any slight, real or imagined, he might still blame himself for.
I wanted him to know that even if he couldn’t be mine in the end—I was his. Forever.
My face was streaked with tears as I pulled away. I rested my forehead against Hudson’s, still holding him there, refusing to let him go. “I missed you so much while you were gone.”
“I know,” Hudson sobbed, giving me another quick kiss. “I know, Em. I’m so sorry. The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you, but I was so scared that—”
“I know, Hud,” I whispered, nodding weakly. I’d always known. “The bond, right?”
“Yeah…” Hudson breathed, shaking his head. “I wanted you to be free to choose, not stuck with me because of some stupid magic.”
“It never went away,” I said, gripping the back of his head and staring him in the eyes. “What I feel for you. What I’ve always felt.”
Hudson’s eyes widened, full of hope, laced with fear. “Four years… should’ve been more than enough time to break it.”
“Yeah…” I kissed the tip of his nose. “It should’ve.”
“The bond?” Tyler asked softly, giving me a start as he ran his fingers through Hudson’s hair.
“Garland wolf, Garland witch,” I explained, meeting his eyes with a gentle smile. “We were created by Hudson’s ancestors, not to punish us, but to protect them. Sometimes a wolf would form an… overwhelming devotion to one of the Garlands. Only way to break it was distance… or death.”
“So…” Ty whispered, lacing his fingers into mine over Hudson’s chest. “If it didn’t break… maybe it was never there to be broken. Maybe it was all you.”
With a nod, I shifted my weight, tucking my head into the crook of Hudson’s neck. I took a deep inhale, the sweet scent of my witch helping my wolf to settle inside me.
He’d wanted to do a hell of a lot more than kiss.
Hudson nuzzled the top of my head, then turned to Tyler. “I’m not… trying to sway you one way or the other, but… it could happen to you. If you turned.”
With a gentle laugh, Tyler leaned in, meeting his lips with all the warmth and love I’d just shown. “And it wouldn’t change a damn thing, baby boy.”
Humming with delight, Hudson laid back. He lolled his head toward me, pecking my lips. Then he turned back, kissing Ty next. Tyler and I locked eyes, and he squeezed my hand where it still laid tangled with his on top of Hudson. That strange connection sparked in the space between us.
A silent, joyous understanding.
We got him, Em. For now, at least, he’s ours.
“Hey, guys…” Hudson said, staring up at the ceiling.
“Hmm?” Both of us snapped our eyes up.
“Whatever this is…” he whispered, smiling. “I want it. I’ve never wanted anything more in my life.”
Tyler and I shifted upright, glancing between one another and Hudson, awestruck happiness swelling with every second between his words.
“Does that mean—”
“Hudson, are you—”
“I’m not saying yes,” he said, never leaving his pillow as he looked from one of us to the other.
“I’m not saying no, either, but… I want this.
Us. And from what I understand, we have until the blood moon next month to figure it out.
” With a heavy swallow, he blew out a breath. “I think I might stay.”