Chapter 7 Emilio
Emilio
I ran my fingers through Nico’s sweaty, mussed-up hair. His nose twitched slightly, but there was no sign of him waking. Good. This heat had been relentless, and there was no sign of it stopping any time soon. Nico needed the rest whenever he could manage it.
So did I, really, but I had other things I needed to do as well.
Like talk to Santino. I had managed to avoid it so far, but this was as good as time as any to face my fate and to also catch up on what had been going on while I was focused on Nico.
Just thinking about it had my stomach twisting with nerves.
I had been dreading this moment ever since I’d realized Nico was my mate.
I could very well lose the man I considered my brother, and I had no idea what I’d do if it came down to that.
But stalling wouldn’t help anything, and I knew Santino would respect it more if I came to him and handled it head-on. So I kissed Nico’s forehead, brushing his hair out of his eyes, before I climbed out of bed and grabbed a pair of sweats from my drawer.
Not bothering with any other clothes or shoes, I went in search of Santino.
It was late, so he was probably in his office or his suite.
I started with his office, since he spent 90% of this time there.
The door was slightly ajar and the light was on.
Normally, I wouldn’t even bother with knocking, but I didn’t know where I stood right now, so being cautiously respectful was likely the best call.
“Come in, Lio,” Santino called, his voice soft, but I could clearly hear him. “I’m on the balcony.”
Santino’s back was to me and he didn’t turn around as I walked through the room to the open doors that led to his balcony. He was leaning against the railing, looking out into the garden, though it was too dark to see. His cigarette hung loose in his fingers.
“The bears are all taken care of,” he told me instead of a greeting.
He turned as I took my place beside him, hands shoved in the pockets of my sweats.
I’d never felt so off balance with him before, and I didn’t know how to get my equilibrium back.
I took a deep breath through my nose, trying to place his scent, but Santino was obnoxiously good at regulating it, and I couldn’t get a good sense of his emotions.
There was nothing, and that was somehow worse than the anger or disappointment I had been expecting.
Santino took a long, hard look at me and the state I was in.
I couldn’t imagine what he perceived. Shirtless, baggy sweats, no underwear, barefoot.
My hair was a disaster. I hadn’t bothered showering and I knew I stunk of cum and omega.
His brother. I set my shoulders and met his eyes.
Whatever was about to happen, I wouldn’t look away.
I wished that I had spoken to Nico and Santino before it had come to this, but I was proud of my mate and I would not walk away from him, no matter the consequences.
I didn’t know what Santino saw, but he shrugged and looked the other way before continuing.
“The Grizzlies’ leader swears he had no knowledge of the attack and wants to meet up with us to discuss it once Nico’s heat is over. ”
I grunted in acknowledgement, the lump in my throat dissolving a little. If he wanted me with him, it was a good sign. At least he wasn’t taking my position away . . . hopefully. “Trying to save his own ass, you mean.”
Santino snorted. “Not sure anything could at this point. In the meantime, the borders are closed. No Grizzlies can cross without our permission.” He glanced at me before changing the subject. “Did Nico tell you why he was over there?”
Was this Santino’s way of acknowledging he knew what was going on and gave his blessing?
This, change in subject, however, was not an easier topic.
I’d had no plans to question Nico over his actions until after his heat, but in between waves, he’d started crying and had just spilled everything.
I could barely get ahold of my feelings as he’d told his story.
Part of me was pissed as fuck that he’d gone behind our backs, lied to Carter, and risked himself like that.
I also felt this nearly uncontrollable jealous rage that my omega had been going to give his virginity to some bear.
Which made me mad at myself because if I’d just spoken to him at any point over the last year, that would’ve never fucking happened.
Then, there was the deadly impulse to murder every single fucking one of them who’d dared to try and put their hands on what was mine.
I was irate I hadn’t gotten a chance to kill any of them myself. My wolf demanded blood.
I’d just comforted Nico and told him it would all be okay. He’d sobbed and kept apologizing, and I’d been desperate to fix it. I turned back to Santino, knowing he deserved the truth.
“He was trying to lose his virginity.” I told him the rest of the story with as few details as possible.
Santino winced. “Fuck. That was my fault. He’d been begging me for a chance to date for months and I’d kept denying him. He wouldn’t have snuck away if I wasn’t so fucking overbearing. Wish I didn’t kill Maxim so fucking quickly now.” Same. But there was nothing we could do about it.
I shrugged. We all were a little to blame in the situation.
Santino was too overprotective, I was a coward and didn’t share my feelings, and Nico had made some bad decisions out of desperation and likely a little rebellion.
I couldn’t even say we wouldn’t act the same again.
Nico was both our weak spots. He had to be protected at all costs.
Santino shook the thought away. “Well, I guess you got that handled now, huh? No more sneaking out to fuck?”
Even the thought of it made me want to raze whole villages, but I swallowed that down and focused on trying to get a read on my best friend. There was no anger in his scent.
I met his eyes. “Nico’s my mate.”
He sighed heavily. “Yeah, I kinda figured.”
My face scrunched in confusion. “You did?”
“I saw the way you both reacted to each other in the alley. Not to mention, you smell like him, Lio. You two are the only people I care about in this world. You think I wouldn’t notice your scents combining?”
I had no idea what to say about that, so I said nothing.
“Listen, I wasn’t expecting it. But clearly I can’t keep avoiding the fact that Nico is a man now. If he’s got to be with someone, there’s no one I trust more in the world than you.”
My breath came out of me in a whoosh. I hadn’t allowed myself to think too much about what would happen if Santino didn’t give his blessing. But I’d known it would’ve hurt . . . a lot. Hearing him give it was everything I hadn’t realized I needed.
“Thank you,” I replied gruffly.
He gave me a sharp nod. “If you hurt him, I will cut off every one of your limbs and feed them to you. Then I’ll gut you and stand there until you bleed out.”
I snorted, the threat exactly what I would say. “If I hurt him, I’ll let you.” Then Santino hugged me, and I started to cry.
My eyes flickered open as light shone through the crack in the curtains. I glared at it like that would magically shut the fabric all the way. What the fuck was the point of blackout curtains if they weren’t closed correctly?
Something shifting next to me put me on high alert, until my brain caught up and reminded me that Nico would be there, sleeping soundly. I took a second to just take him in. The last three days had been an exhausting whirlwind, and I hadn’t really had the time to appreciate him.
Nico was completely naked, his makeshift nest of blankets, pillows, and my dirty clothes wrapped around him like a cocoon.
I made a mental note to set him up with materials for a real nest in my suite.
Our suite soon, if I had any say about it.
He hadn’t nested before, since this was his first heat, but Nico deserved the best, and there was no fucking way I was going to let him make do with some bullshit.
He might not need it, but I planned to take care of my omega.
Nico looked so beautiful. I never thought I’d ever see him like this, and even in the midst of all the chaos, I was so fucking grateful that I’d get to call him mine.
There was a little bit of drool pooled on the pillow next to him that I would pretend not to notice so I didn’t embarrass him.
I was finally coming out of my own rut-induced haze enough to truly notice the slick and cum stuck to his ass and the backs of his thighs.
Fuck, I needed to do a better job of cleaning him between waves.
Taking care of him was literally my job and I’d done it badly.
Speaking of heat waves . . . I sniffed the air. It still smelled like sex and omega, but the sickly sweetness that indicated his heat seemed to finally be dying down. It was over.
I ran my hands down Nico’s naked spine. This man was actually mine. There was no stopping it now. I might have managed to restrain my wolf enough not to give him the mating bite, but that was only a formality in my mind.
By the time I finished my walk down memory lane, Nico started to stir.
Someone had left us electrolyte drinks and protein bars by the door earlier, and I’d brought them to the side of the bed.
I reached down and grabbed one of each. He would need a real meal, but hopefully this would hold him over till I could get him in the shower.
Nico smiled sleepily at me, his eyes half open.
“Hey.”
“Hey, little wolf.”
“What time is it? I feel different.”
I ran my fingers through his tangled curls. They were softer than mine, and I loved the feel of them. “Not sure, late. And yeah, you’re heat’s over.”
Nico’s eyes flew open as he took stock of his body. “I guess that’s why I’m so fucking sore.”
I laughed. “Yeah, that would do it.”
“And starving.” I kissed his lips.
“Here, drink and eat this for now. After you shower, I’ll get you a real meal.”
Nico grunted. “That means leaving the room, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, unfortunately I can’t keep you in here forever.”
Nico sat up and took the drink from me. He twisted the cap open and drank half of it in one gulp. “Fuck, I was thirsty. I’m guessing everyone knows by now?”
There was something about his tone that had me hesitating.
“Yeah, they definitely do. Why? Do you regret this?”
His eyes widened. “What? No! Of course not. Lio, this is every single one of my fantasies come to life. I feel the bond and want nothing more than to make it official. And you can no longer say my heat is talking.” He took a deep breath.
“I’m just— I feel like an asshole about what I did.
I owe Carter an apology. Not to mention both you and Santino.
A war probably started between us and the Grizzlies and it’s my fault. ”
I grabbed his chin. “Cut that crap out now. Yeah, you definitely owe Carter an apology. And your brother. You already said yours to me, baby. We’re good.
I don’t need anymore. But Nico, if a war’s about to start, you didn’t cause it.
You made a dumb as shit choice, but fuck, we all have at one time or another.
You did your research, and you thought you were being careful.
You didn’t ask them to ambush you or force your heat.
That’s on them. If there’s a war, that’s a consequence of their actions, not yours. ”
Nico shrugged, unsure, but once he talked to Santino and Carter, I was positive he’d start to hear what I was saying.
I gave him a long, lingering kiss. “C’mon, let’s get cleaned up so we can eat and you can start your apology tour.”
Nico knocked into my shoulder but he was grinning, and I knew everything would be okay.