Chapter Eight
Phoenix
Emery did wake up, but I’d been completely unprepared for what that might have meant.
I’d had zero experience with heats, especially a blood mate heat, and neither did either of my best friends.
I had no brothers, and the one time my dad had tried to broach the subject, I’d been too weirded out to listen.
I doubted if anything could’ve prepared me for this. I tried to keep it together. Tried really hard, but then my wolf took over, and I was lost in a maelstrom of pleasure, touch, and heat.
Wet, scalding heat, in fact, and so very needy.
Tasting, licking, sucking. The delicious scrape of teeth.
The grabbing of hands and the scrabbling of two bodies that seemed never close enough.
The scent of Emery seemed to take over my life, my purpose.
Drink, occasional food. Only Esther. I had a vague memory of Kaylan coming into the cottage with spare sheets at some point and me reacting like it was an assassination attempt.
It had only been Esther putting her body in front of his that had stopped me from ripping my best friend completely apart.
Emery was so perfect, I alternated between wanting to scream our mating to the world and, at the same time, wanting to kill anyone else that so much as looked at him.
It was complete insanity. My wolf dominated my body, and I let him, seeming to be sent mad by the taste and smell of Emery’s slick.
I’d never surrendered control quite so completely.
I watched greedily as Emery drank some water, ate some food, then I pulled him to me, eager to take the taste of food off his lips and replace it with my own.
I barely let Emery pull in a breath before I claimed his mouth.
But as always in the last two… three days, Emery didn’t protest. Emery’s mouth and hands worked in tandem to bring me to my knees once again.
He’d rolled at some point, and I entered him from behind.
His exulted cry was the best sound I’d ever heard.
I began slowly pumping my hips against his ass.
As ever, he was so fucking hard, even exhausted.
The only time we lay sated was when my knot kept us still, only for one or the other to wake when it released and start the climb all over again.
Emery went to the small bathroom at some point, and I hadn’t even been able to let him be there alone.
As soon as I heard the water run, I’d barged in and pinned him against the smooth tiles.
If my wolf hadn’t known Emery was precious, I wouldn’t have been able to gentle myself, but the care of Emery was in the forefront of my mind.
Even during the claiming, I would never hurt a hair on Emery’s head.
Sometime later, much later, I opened my eyes to the smell of coffee and the sun shining through the slats of the blinds.
Emery was missing, but my panicked heart settled as I heard him in the bathroom, and I drew in his scent.
The shower turned on, and I stretched. Should I join him?
The desperate urge to fuck had gone, which meant his heat was over.
The lazy attraction still curled in my belly, but I honestly wasn’t sure if I tried to fuck him right this second that my abused cock might simply fall off.
I winced at the visual. If I was sore, how bad was Emery?
Worry had me staggering from the bed and entering the bathroom. The cottage might’ve been small, but the shower was shifter-sized, and I opened the door, bent to my mate, and swallowed the startled eep from his lips.
I let myself be pushed off. “I can’t,” Emery gasped, and I took in his trembling limbs, dark circles under his eyes, and hollowed-in cheeks. Guilt swamped me.
“Let me wash you, baby. Just close your eyes. I’ll take care of you.
” Emery slumped against the tiles, completely spent.
I was gentle but didn’t linger. Emery must have been exhausted, starving, and probably dehydrated.
I was clean enough with the soap and water that covered me from washing my mate, and I turned the shower off, grabbed one of the huge yellow towels that smelled of sunshine and pack, wrapped him in it, and carried him back to bed.
My throat thickened when I carried him into the room.
The window was open, the sheets all changed, and food, water, and juice sat on a tray on the small table.
Emery roused a little at the smell of food, but he was so thirsty I had to keep making him take bites of chicken before he filled his belly too full of water.
He finally toppled forward onto my chest, the half-eaten sandwich dropping from loose fingers, already asleep before I lowered him down and made sure he was comfy.
I ached to do the same, but I needed to check in with Esther and the pack. I remembered I’d nearly tried to kill Kaylan, and horror mixed with guilt. How could I have lost so much control? The silver-skins could have rampaged through the pack, killing everyone, and I wasn’t sure I would have cared.
Taking a breath, I opened the door to find the room empty, but following voices, I stepped out onto the porch. Kaylan and my dad were talking quietly. I was about to combust in shame. My dad jumped to his feet and threw his arms around me. “I’m so happy for you, Son.”
Dad stepped back and gazed at me, not a trace of discomfort or shame in his eyes. I knew my dad loved me, but the alpha shone with so much pride I could nearly feel it. “When we heard the shower go on, we knew you were done, so I changed the bed while Esther grabbed the food.”
I stared at my dad in utter horror. “Please tell me you’re lying.” Fuck, what state had it been in?
Kaylan chuckled. “Well, you tried to kill me last time I came in, so your dad didn’t want to risk it.”
I might have whimpered and collapsed into a chair, head in my hands. “Goddess.”
I looked up, knowing my face was scarlet. “Kaylan—” How did I even start to apologize? Beg for forgiveness.
But Kaylan simply smiled, all trace of teasing gone. “I was honored to help. We thought you might take me as less of a challenge than a wolf, and Esther was tiring.”
“Fuck, where is she?” Please tell me I didn’t hurt her.
“I sent her to rest at her friend’s,” my dad spoke up. “Don’t worry, she’s as thrilled as all the pack is.”
I raised my eyes, speechless for a horrible moment. “Tell me we weren’t loud.” If the pack had heard us, I’d move. Mexico or Alaska, maybe.
My dad scoffed. “Are you kidding? They’re too busy getting drunk, and as we both know, with shifters, that takes some doing.”
“You’re also pretty far out for even the scouts. We had to keep them at a safe distance,” Kaylan said.
“Why?” I swung my gaze to Dad. “What’s happened? The silver—” But my words were cut off when Dad started laughing so hard tears were leaking down his face.
“Son, if you threatened to kill your best friend, what do you think would’ve happened if you’d scented another wolf?”
Heat rushed to my skin again, and I hid my face behind my hands. “I can’t believe I did that.” I lowered my hands, all serious now. “Dad, you need to appoint another alpha.”
My dad frowned. “Whatever for? Are you insane? Are—”
“Dad,” I interrupted. “I lost control,” I admitted. The shame curled around me, knowing I’d been an alpha for all of a few hours and hadn’t cared about my pack at all.
“Emery?” My dad leaned forward, concern in his voice.
“Of course not,” I nearly growled. “I would never hurt my mate.” How dare he even think that?
But my dad was chuckling again. “Son, did you never listen to a word I said about heats?”
Kaylan scoffed. “Of course he didn’t. You’re his dad.”
My dad smiled. “Son, Alpha, this wasn’t just a heat. This was a blood mate heat. It happened exactly as my father told me it would. Your mother had a heat that was maybe a gentle warmth compared to what you two just went through.”
I groaned and closed my eyes. “Please stop talking about you having sex with my mother.”
Kaylan grinned, yawned, and stood. He looked at Dad. “You got this, Draven? Can I go home to sleep now?”
I held my hand out to Kaylan, but Kaylan just rolled his eyes and drew me in for a hug. “See you tomorrow.”
I watched Kaylan go, inhaling slowly. I could pinpoint every pack member that stood guard, knowing they’d come in closer.
“You can scent them,” my dad said. It wasn’t a question.
“I hadn’t expected to at that distance,” I admitted.
My dad nodded. “You’re blood-mated. Changes everything. Look, go back to your mate, but I’m assuming you’ll call a pack meeting tomorrow to introduce him.” That hadn’t been a question either.
“Dad.” I sighed. “And what are they all going to think?” I asked desperately and probably louder than I should have. “He’s a guy.”
Slow handclaps had us both twisting around. A pale but furious Emery was standing there. I could practically see the sparks flashing in his eyes.
“Thanks for that biology update, Alpha,” he announced sarcastically. “I need a ride. This has been pleasant, but I have the rest of my life to start.”
Well, fuck. Could I have screwed up any more?