Chapter Sixteen
Lars
I lay awake watching from the bed as the sun rose. I wasn’t usually such an early riser, but my wolf woke me.
We were complete again. My omega sprawled across my chest, his cheek right over my beating heart. His arm wrapped around my waist. One of his legs hooked over both of mine, trapping me to the bed. Wasn’t a trap at all from my point of view. More like a safe place to rest.
Though our night had been filled with more lovemaking than sleep, the rest I managed to get was deep and restorative. It was the best sleep I’d had since the last night I spent with William. There was nothing like the sleep a shifter got next to his mate.
“Why are you awake?” William asked. He cleared his throat as if to try and get rid of the grogginess.
“My wolf woke me up.” I turned to kiss the top of his head. “Why are you awake?”
“Because I heard your heartbeat ramp up. What made that happen?”
I rolled to face him. “I was thinking about you. I don’t think I’ve slept so well in years. It’s you. All this time, I was simply missing my omega.”
He smiled at me and reached up to stroke my hair. “I missed you too. And yes, the sleep thing is real. I feel so rested.”
“Not sore?” I watched him stretch, loving the way his muscles pulled. He’d gained some weight as I’d noticed, but it was in all the right places. Along with that, he’d built muscle.
“Yeah, actually. But I hate it. I already want you again and…it’s our last day here.”
“Hey,” I said, wrapping him up in my hold and tugging him closer. “It’s not our last day together. I’ll move back to town, or we’ll find a new place. I don’t care as long as I’m with you.”
“Are you sure?” Hearing him ask that meant I hadn’t done a good enough job of convincing him.
“I’m sure, omega mine. How about we shower and go get some breakfast. I think I know of something that will convince you.”
“What is that?”
“I think our wolves need a little reunion too. Don’t you think?”
He rolled to lay on top of me and kissed my lips. I would never tire of that. “I love you, Lars.”
“I love you, William. I always have and, after all we’ve been through, I know I always will.”
“Come on, alpha. Join me in the shower.”
One long and drawn-out shower later, we got dressed and met on the balcony. Even the few minutes it took to get ready separately pained me. I wanted to be with him every second of every day. The desperation wouldn’t last, of course, but for now, I wanted him near me. We’d wasted so much of our life together under an umbrella of misunderstanding. I would make sure we didn’t waste one more second.
“Good morning, you two,” Franklin said as we descended the stairs. One of his eyebrows raised in knowing. Cunning old man. To think I’d doubted him.
“Good morning, Franklin. What smells so fantastic?” William asked.
I tugged him against me as Franklin walked away. “It’s you, mate. You smell incredible.”
William giggled. “I thought it was you.”
“Neither,” Franklin called out. “It’s my breakfast casserole. Come get it while it’s hot.”
Yeah, he knew. In fact, he might’ve heard the proof of his successful coupling last night. Damn, I hoped we hadn’t cost him any sleep.
Not only were we served a layered breakfast casserole, but Franklin had made fluffy, tender butter swim biscuits. I had never heard of them, but that’s what he called them, and they lived up to their namesake, the edges crispy and flavorful with the right amount of salted butter. He had homemade preserves and local raw honey.
I snuck into the kitchen and poured William a second cup of coffee.
“You remembered how I like it,” he said.
I leaned down to kiss him. “I told you, mate. I remember everything.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m glad to see everything worked out.”
I laughed. “I have to admit, I had my doubts.”
“Hmm, never doubt the master.” Franklin chuckled. “The rumors are true this time.”
We finished breakfast and helped our host clean up the mess. We also put some of the leftovers into his freezer in individual serving sizes so he would have easy meals when there weren’t guests around.
“Have you ever thought of finding another mate?” William asked the owner while leaning against me.
“It’s occurred to me, of course, but I haven’t met the right person. But for now, I’m content with the memory of my omega. What we had was enough to fill my heart for a lifetime.”
He said the words, but they didn’t seem as sincere as he usually did. Maybe I didn’t know him well enough, or maybe he longed for a mate as I had.
“I think we’ll go take a run. Is that okay here?” I asked.
“Of course. That was the main reason we bought this place away from everything, so we could run as we wished. Now get out of my hair, I have books to read.”
William and I went outside, hand in hand and walked to the back of the property until we were under the cover of trees. We stopped and my mate blushed.
“Are you shy all of a sudden?” I teased, unbuttoning the top of his shirt.
“No. Maybe. I don’t know why after last night, but this seems equally as intimate.”
I wrapped my arms around his waist. “I promise you, William, you won’t lose me. This is it for me. You are it for me. Letting our wolves bond will help you. Don’t you believe me?”
“I do,” he said, leaning in so I could kiss his forehead. “I believe you.”