Chapter Twenty-One #2
“You banished him.” Connor’s voice came out hoarse. “For me.”
“He refused to respect you. I won’t tolerate that.”
“Your father was right.” Connor’s throat worked. “I’m changing who you are. Making you cruel…”
“No.” Leyden cupped his face, needing Connor to understand. “Lonnie made his choices. I gave him multiple chances, multiple warnings. He chose to keep attacking you anyway.”
“He was just young and stupid…”
“He was malicious stupid. There’s a difference.
” Leyden brushed his thumbs over Connor’s cheekbones.
He loved the way that simple action made his mate’s eyelids flutter.
“You’ve never asked me to be cruel, Connor.
You’ve never asked me to choose you over the pack.
But I will, every single time, because you’re my mate. My partner. My equal.”
Connor’s eyes burned with unshed tears, and Leyden’s chest ached.
“I didn’t want you to have to do that,” Connor whispered.
“I know.” Leyden pulled him close, relief flooding through him when Connor buried his face in his shoulder. “But protecting your right to be you isn’t a burden. It’s my privilege.”
Leyden slowed his breath, making sure his devotion flowed through their connection. Connor needed to know that he’d never regret choosing him.
“At least the pack saw how much you care,” Connor whispered against his shoulder.
“Good. Maybe now they’ll think twice before disrespecting you.”
Connor pulled back enough to meet his eyes. “Thank you.”
“Always.” Leyden kissed his forehead, breathing in his mate’s scent. “You’re mine, Connor. And I don’t share. And seriously, this pack had better shape up, because I do not want to have this discussion with them again.”
/~/~/~/~/
Leyden guided Connor out of the pack hall, one hand resting protectively on the small of his back.
Pack members lingered in the parking lot, voices hushed, eyes tracking their movements.
Connor’s shoulders stayed rigid under Leyden’s touch, tension radiating through their bond, as they made their way to the pack house.
They climbed the stairs to their bedroom in silence. Connor headed straight for the window, staring out at the forest beyond the yard.
Leyden shut the door and leaned against it, watching his mate’s stiff posture. The echo of Connor’s earlier words - I’m making you cruel - twisted in his chest. It’s not cruel if I’m doing what needs to be done…is it?
“Connor…”
“Thank you.” Connor’s voice came out rough. “For what you said down there. For defending me.”
Leyden crossed the room in three strides and wrapped his arms around Connor from behind. His mate tensed for half a second before melting into the embrace.
“You should know by now I’ll always defend you,” Leyden murmured against Connor’s temple. “Always.”
Connor turned in his arms, and the expression on his face stole Leyden’s breath - raw emotion swimming in those deep green eyes. Love and gratitude and something deeper, more profound. Like Connor finally understood he belonged exactly where he was.
Connor’s hands came up to frame Leyden’s face, and then his mate kissed him.
Not the careful, exploratory kisses they’d shared before. This kiss burned with passion, with need, with something fierce and claiming that made Leyden’s wolf surge forward in response.
Leyden kissed back but forced himself to keep his movements gentle, following Connor’s lead even as his pulse hammered. His mate controlled the pace, the pressure, the depth. Leyden let Connor explore, opening for him when Connor’s tongue traced his lower lip.
Connor made a sound low in his throat and pressed closer, eliminating the space between their bodies. His hands slid from Leyden’s face to his shoulders, gripping tight.
Leyden’s arousal spiked hard and fast. He tried to keep his hips angled away, not wanting to overwhelm Connor with physical evidence of his desire, but Connor followed him. Sought him out.
They stumbled backward toward the bed. The back of Leyden’s knees hit the mattress and he sat, Connor immediately following him down. His mate straddled his lap, never breaking the kiss, fingers threading through Leyden’s hair.
Sweet hell, Connor felt perfect. Weight solid against him, lips demanding more, body warm and present in a way that made Leyden’s entire world narrow to this moment.
Connor shifted against him, and Leyden bit back a groan. Through their bond, he caught flickers of Connor’s emotions - love, yes, and trust, but something new threading through. Interest. Curiosity.
Heat.
Connor pulled back suddenly, chest heaving. His pupils were blown wide, lips swollen and red. But uncertainty flickered across his features.
Leyden stopped moving instantly. Kept his hands loose on Connor’s hips rather than gripping like his wolf demanded. He didn’t chase after Connor’s mouth even though every instinct screamed to reclaim those lips.
“You okay?” His voice came out gravelly.
Connor swallowed hard. “I felt something.”
Leyden’s heart kicked. “Something?”
“Not…” Connor’s brow furrowed. “Not full-blown desire or anything. But interest. Like...” He gestured at his pants helplessly. “Like my body actually noticed what we were doing and didn’t hate the idea.”
Pride and affection surged through Leyden. “That’s good, sweetheart. That’s really good.”
“Then I got nervous.” Connor’s gaze dropped. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize.” Leyden cupped his face, tilting it back up. “You never have to apologize for setting boundaries. Ever.”
Connor searched his expression. “You’re not disappointed?”
“Disappointed?” Leyden huffed a laugh. “Connor, you just kissed me like I meant something, you let me hold you, you’re sitting on my lap right now. I’m the opposite of disappointed.”
A smile tugged at Connor’s mouth. “Your body seems pretty disappointed.”
Leyden glanced down at the obvious bulge in his jeans, then back up at his mate. “My body will survive. It’s gotten very familiar with cold showers and my right hand.”
Connor’s smile widened. “I’d like to try that again sometime. Kissing like that, I mean. Not…not everything. But the kissing felt good.”
“Anytime you want.” Leyden traced Connor’s jaw with his thumb. “We have all the time in the world.”
“You mean that.”
“I do.” Leyden pressed their foreheads together. “Although I might need to disappear into the bathroom for about thirty seconds in a minute.”
Connor laughed, the sound bright and genuine. “Thirty seconds? That’s optimistic.”
“I’m a man possessed.” Leyden grinned. “You drive me crazy, mate.”
“In a good way?”
“In the best way.” Leyden kissed his nose. “Now get off my lap before I embarrass myself.”
Connor shifted away, settling on the bed beside him. His hand found Leyden’s, threading their fingers together.
Leyden studied their joined hands, marveling at how natural it looked now. Four weeks ago, Connor flinched from casual touch. Now he initiated it, sought it out, used it to ground himself.
Progress came in small steps. Leyden reminded himself of that every time his body screamed for more.
“Even though it’s the middle of the day,” Connor said slowly, “maybe we could take a nap?”
Leyden raised an eyebrow. “A nap?”
“Everything with the pack meeting drained me.” Connor’s thumb traced circles on the back of Leyden’s hand. “And I thought maybe after, we could get food somewhere. Away from pack house. Just the two of us.”
“You want to ignore pack business for the afternoon.”
“Is that terrible?” Connor worried his lip. “I know you have responsibilities…”
“I think that’s a brilliant idea.” Leyden kicked off his shoes. “The pack can survive without us for a few hours. They’ll probably appreciate the breathing room after that meeting anyway.”
Relief flooded their bond. Connor toed off his own shoes and crawled under the covers, fully dressed. Leyden followed, pulling his mate against his chest.
Connor settled with his head on Leyden’s shoulder, one arm draped across Leyden’s torso. The position was intimate, comfortable, exactly what Leyden craved.
“Your dad would hate this,” Connor murmured.
“My dad can shove his opinions somewhere anatomically improbable.” Leyden ran his fingers through Connor’s hair. “This is perfect.”
“We’re not having sex. We’re just sleeping.”
“Exactly. Perfect.”
Connor tilted his head back to study Leyden’s face. “You really don’t care that we’re basically going to nap instead of dealing with pack stuff?”
“Pack stuff will still be there in three hours. You won’t always be this relaxed and willing to cuddle.” Leyden dropped a kiss on Connor’s forehead. “I’m choosing you.”
Connor’s eyes softened. “I love you.”
The words still hit Leyden like a freight train every time. “I love you too.”
“Even though I’m high maintenance and make you defend me to the entire pack?”
“Especially because of that.” Leyden tucked Connor closer. “You’re worth defending. Worth choosing. Worth everything.”
Connor’s breath hitched. “I’m starting to believe you.”
“Good.” Leyden closed his eyes. “Now sleep. I’ll set an alarm.”
“What if I don’t want to sleep yet?” Connor’s fingers traced patterns on Leyden’s chest. “What if I want to talk?”
“Then we talk.”
“What if I want to kiss some more?”
Leyden cracked one eye open. “Then you’re a menace who’s trying to kill me.”
Connor grinned, unrepentant. “Just checking my options.”
“Your options include sleeping, talking, or giving me a heart attack.” Leyden caught Connor’s wandering hand and brought it to his lips. “Choose wisely.”
“Fine.” Connor snuggled closer. “Sleep first. Then food. Then maybe more kissing later.”
“That works.” Leyden pressed another kiss to Connor’s hair. “Rest, sweetheart.”
Connor’s breathing gradually evened out, his body going lax against Leyden’s. Through their bond, Leyden felt his mate’s contentment—warm and steady and real.
Leyden stared at the ceiling, Connor’s weight a perfect pressure against his side. His wolf rumbled in satisfaction. Mate. Safe. Happy. Theirs.
He tightened his arm around Connor and let his eyes drift shut.
The pack could wait.