Chapter 53 Max
MAX
Max couldn’t remember many times that he or his wolf had been this happy.
He looked around the table, taking in the sight of his mates as they talked and laughed, the roar of the fire and the soft music drifting out of the speaker in the corner providing the perfect ambiance for what was feeling very much like a date.
Marcus had grilled the steaks to perfection, and even though they’d required a quick trip to the oven to be reheated, the vegetables, potatoes and fried mushrooms that Bruce had delivered were delicious.
“This is nice,” Max said, taking a sip of the beer that Marcus had poured him. It paired perfectly with the tender meat of his extra rare steak. He cut himself another large bite and lifted it to his mouth. “I didn’t realize I was so hungry.”
Warren laughed and leaned his elbow on the table as he cut another piece of his tenderloin. “Me either. I was starving.” He looked at Harland sitting next to him. “Are you sure you want to wait? You can feed now, if you want.”
Harland, looking relaxed and content with his arm draped across the back of Warren’s chair, shook his head and gave Warren’s neck a squeeze. “I’ll wait until you’re done and you can give me your full attention.”
Max watched Harland’s hand on the back of Warren’s neck, his mate’s big fingers squeezing down rhythmically. He could almost feel the weight of that grip on his own skin, the sensation familiar and heavy.
A thread of amusement that was not his own made Max look across the table to where Marcus was watching him. The amusement, Max realized, was his. It was a warm, cozy kind of feeling, filled with fondness and contentment.
Max tried to open himself up to it. Marcus and Harland seemed able to open and close their ends of the bonds at will, while for him it was a TV in the background where someone else was in control of the remote.
Marcus must have noticed what he was trying to do, because all of a sudden Max could feel encouragement and a gentle coaxing from his mate’s direction. The next thing he knew, Harland was there, too, his mind and presence familiar and safe.
“You’ve got it,” Marcus said as Max experimented, probing at his mates in his mind and nudging the bonds open and shut.
Max pushed a happy feeling through to the other end of the bonds, as forceful and intentional as he could.
Warren jerked, looking around the table with wide eyes. “What was that?” he asked, touching his stomach as if he’d felt something strange inside of it.
“Max is exploring our mating bonds,” Harland explained, nudging Max’s feet under the table.
“I can feel that?” Warren asked, sounding surprised.
Max was surprised, too.
“It seems you can, or at least part of it.” Marcus looked thoughtful. “I’m sorry to say it, but Harland might be right about the omega thing.”
Though his words and tone expressed regret, Marcus did not feel at all remorseful across the bond. He felt thrilled and darkly possessive.
“I figured, with the whole healing way too fast thing,” Warren said. He rubbed the space on his forehead where the bump should be.
“And you’re okay with that?” Max asked.
The idea that they’d trapped Warren to be dependent on them for the rest of his life sat like a weight in his chest.
Warren shrugged, glancing between the three of them before looking down at his plate. He shoved a piece of carrot around, trailing a smear of melted butter. He looked very cute. “It’s not so bad, I guess. I feel fine, and it’s not like there aren’t benefits.”
He glanced up at them through his lashes.
“Accelerated healing will come in handy,” Marcus agreed, the tone of his voice making Max’s cock twitch and Warren’s eyes widen. That was Marcus’s dom voice. He took a sip of his beer, his expression darkly amused. “I mean, we’re not always going to go easy on you.”
Warren swallowed, his cheeks flushed.
“You’ll enjoy it,” Harland assured him.