Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Kip
What the fuck did I just do?
For the first time in my life, I kissed a dude. No, not just any dude—my best dude. I’d been angry because everyone was watching me, expecting me to do this.
Sorry, but I didn’t sign up for this shit.
It was supposed to be me helping Mason get away from Jerome. That was all. We were going to break up not long after. And now?
The whole thing had blown up in our faces, what with the Alphas getting involved. And that led to another thought.
Have any of the girls I’ve gotten busy with been werewolves?
That made my head spin.
Our parents were smiling, except beaming was closer to the truth, and it pissed me off, because I’d probably ruined everything between me and….
Why is Mase staring at me? Why is there something shiny in his eyes?
Oh, crap.
He was upset, and I was the one who was to blame. I should have known better than to give in to peer pressure, just like my parents always told me, even when they were the peers doing the pressuring.
Still, Mason was staring at me and I wanted to pull him close, embrace him, because he shouldn’t look so sad. That kiss, though? What was it about our lips touching? And I’d fucking stuck my tongue in his mouth. What was that about?
Like you don’t already know.
Yeah, I did. The moment Mason went slack in my arms with a whimper, I’d felt an animalistic urge tear through me.
Mason was mine, and everyone needed to know it.
I kissed him deeper, and he’d stood there, letting me do what I wanted.
I realized that it was his so-called submissive tendencies.
When he’d told me about them it had sickened me.
Now? I wanted—needed—him to submit. To let me take what I wanted.
To give up everything to me.
Except that wasn’t who I was. Or, maybe, who I wanted to be.
I’d always been a stickler for equality.
Everyone had the same rights, everyone was as good as the next person.
Now? That was being called into question, and all because my best friend let me take everything he had to offer.
For the first time, I pictured Mase spread out on the bed, his arms and legs wide as I took in his lithe form, and my cock twitched. Except it did more than that.
It hardened, lengthened, and tried to push up my pants.
I needed to talk to my parents. I had to try making sense of what was happening.
“Mom? Dad? Can we talk for a few minutes before you go back to your hotel?”
Mom tilted her head. “Of course. Do you want to talk here?”
Standing in front of the hotel? No, I did not.
Being near Mase was messing with my head.
I wanted to hear that whimper again. To hold him in my arms as I mauled his mouth.
And that led to other thoughts. Me with my hands locked around his head as I rocked my hips, sinking my cock into his willing mouth, his eyes looking up at me.
The very thought sent a hot shiver through me.
I needed to get away, to have time to think for a few minutes.
“How about if we take a walk?”
“Okay.” Her tone was normal, but I wasn’t fooled.
She knows something is wrong.
“Mase, why don’t you go to our room? I’ll be back in a bit, okay?”
He nodded before walking over to his parents.
“Mason,” I said, my voice low and husky. “Come back here.”
He froze, but then did as I’d asked.
Or did I order him?
Shit, what had I just done?
“Yes, Kip?” His tone had an edge to it that was almost pleading.
And then I did it again, because he was mine and I wanted it.
I clutched the back of his head and drew him to me, pressing my lips to his.
He sighed and opened for me, as I’d expected him to do.
Once more I found my tongue slipping into his mouth, almost as though it needed to be there.
When Mase grabbed my shoulders and held me tight, I gave that kiss everything I had.
He moved closer, and I could feel his cock pressing into mine.
If my parents hadn’t been there, I would have shoved him to the ground, yanked down my pants, and drove my cock into his mouth, thrusting until I shot a load deep in his throat.
In the middle of the sidewalk?
Yeah, this was beyond fucked up.
I’d never wanted that with anyone else. No girl had ever made me feel so dominant, so desired. Yet now my best friend was making me crave something with a desperation I’d never felt. It took a supreme effort to drag myself away, but even then Mason chased the kiss.
By the gods, I wanted it too.
“I’ll be back soon,” I promised, cupping his chin. “Be good while I’m gone, understand?”
His eyes fluttered. “Yes, Kip, I will.”
And there was that submission again. It called to every part of me, wanting to know how far I could push it.
“Let’s go,” I said to my parents. We didn’t speak again until we reached their room. As soon as the door closed behind us, Dad locked gazes with me.
“What was that?”
I sighed. “That was a problem.”
“We cannot tell you how happy we are that you and Mason got together,” Mom said. “We dreamed about it when you were younger. The two of you were always a perfect match.”
I was about to protest when my phone pinged. I glanced at the screen and groaned.
Mason: Going to take a bath if that’s ok.
Mason was killing me. The thought of watching him in the tub, the water swirling around him.
Kneeling beside him and scrubbing his back, which led to another kiss.
Sliding my hand down into the warmth, then pressing a finger into that tight ring of muscle, feeling it yield to my insistence. Hearing Mason’s groan as I went deeper.
You don’t have to ask permission to take a bath. Then I erased the message and typed another. Yeah, okay. No touching yourself. I pressed Send.
Why had I done that? It would solve a lot of my current problems if Mase got himself off so I wouldn’t have to think about it.
Now was not the time to have those images invading my mind.
“I’m… not sure this is right,” I said.
Mom stared at me. “Which part? You being with Mason?”
I nodded. “Yeah, that.”
She clucked her tongue. “That’s just silly. We knew from how you behaved when you were kids that the two of you were right for each other. I’d never in my life seen anyone as protective as you. But…”
“But?”
“Kip,” Dad interjected, his brow furrowed. “We love that you and Mason finally got together. We really do. But—”
I knew what was coming.
“I know. I have to talk to him. You don’t need to tell me again. And I will tell him, but not right now. We’re figuring out our lives and things aren’t going as well as we’d hoped.”
“And that’s why you need to talk to him. Let him know—”
“Yes, I’m aware, Mom!” I snapped. Then guilt swamped me. “I’m sorry. To both of you.”
“No, don’t be.” Mom’s eyes were pained, her face tight. “I know we’re pushing. We just don’t want there to be any… misunderstandings.”
Oh, there would be a few of those, I had no doubt. No matter what I said or when I said it, things were going to be messy.
Mason
The water was much warmer than I thought it would be, but it felt heavenly as it sluiced over my skin. Only, it didn’t chase away the chill.
Something is wrong. Why didn’t Kip come back with me?
As soon as he’d told me to get back here, my heart stuttered. My wolf had accepted him as our Dominant, and I couldn’t argue, as much as I wished I could. With nothing more than words, he’d conquered me. He did what Jerome would never be able to do, even if we were together a hundred years.
And it would fucking kill me when this charade ended and Kip went back to living his life.
Watching him walk away, knowing my wolf and I couldn’t follow, would break our hearts. I’d known him for years, and yet somehow, in the space of one day, he’d burrowed his way beneath our skin and set up a home.
One we couldn’t be part of.
I’d told myself I’d be fine with Kip fucking every girl we met, but now? The thought of seeing him with someone else would send me spiraling. My wolf—I— wanted to be his one and only. It made no sense to me. I’d never been interested in Kip, not like that.
I knew what it was, though. Almost from the moment I could speak I’d been told an Omega needed their Dominant.
That they required someone who’d give them a clear path in life, who’d navigate the twists and bends and curves that lay ahead.
I’d thought I could do that for myself, that I never needed anyone to be my Dominant. That I was strong enough.
Kip showed me how wrong I was.
My phone rang and I scrambled from the tub, sloshing water everywhere, trying to make a grab for it, hoping it might be Kip.
It wasn’t.
“Hey, Mom. What’s up?”
“Are you doing okay?” she asked.
My whole world had shifted on its axis, and now I was longing for Kip. My straight best friend.
How could I be okay with that?
“I’m not sure.”
“Well, we wanted to say how happy we are that you and Kip found each other. We—me and your dad—used to talk about how much we hoped you two would end up together.”
So even back then they’d had this idea in their heads?
“Then why did you want me to marry Jerome?” My heart felt as if my chest was squeezing it.
“Because as an Omega you need someone. An Omega never does well on their own. They’re always listless, unable to focus. You were headed down that path—at least, you were until you met Kip. Then it was as though he turned you around and set you on the right path.”
“But he was never my Dominant,” I protested.
“Are you sure? Who decided where you’d go? What you were going to do? Whatever he came out with, you’d happily follow him. You needed him, honey.”
“But he’s straight!” I blurted out.
“His sexuality isn’t at question. It’s your needs that were important.”
He kissed you, remember?
But only because I’d pressured him. Shit. What would I do if he walked away now? My two halves were never as close together as they were at this moment. Kip had done that. He’d pulled the two parts of me close, almost stitching them into a whole.
“I don’t know what to do, Mom,” I cried.
“Follow him in all things, like you always have. If there is one thing I’m certain of, it’s that Kip would never let you fall.”
I knew that, I truly did, but it didn’t keep me from being afraid.
There were so few things in my life that were important to me.
My parents, Kip’s parents, his siblings, and Kip, who topped that list. If something happened, if my neediness pissed Kip off and he walked away, I would lose more than a friend.
I would be out a part of my family.
The door opened and Kip entered the room. He stood there, his gaze raking over my naked form. I didn’t want to gross him out, so I blurted to Mom that I had to go, disconnected, then grabbed the towel and wrapped it around my waist.
“I’m sorry,” I said softly. “I’ll dress right away.”
“I don’t think so.” He smiled. “I rather like you as you are.”
What the…
“You do?”
“I do,” he confirmed. He narrowed his gaze. “Did you play with yourself while I was gone?”
“No, Kip.” I lowered my voice. “I did as you asked.”
He moved closer and threaded his fingers in my hair. “Good boy.”
My skin pebbled at those words.
“What are you doing?” My voice cracked.
“What would you do if I told you to get on your knees?”
Instead of answering, I dropped down, kneeling in front of him.
“You really are submissive, aren’t you?”
“I said I was. Did you think I was lying?” I snapped.
Kip smirked. “Excuse me? When you give me that attitude, are you really being submissive?”
A comeback was on the tip of my tongue, but he was right. I wasn’t being submissive at all. “No. I’m sorry, Kip.”
He chuckled. “I don’t want a submissive.”
My heart broke.
“You don’t?” I squeezed my hands into fists.
Is this where he walks away?
Then his thumb was on my chin, stroking over my heated skin. “No, I don’t. I’ll be honest. I don’t know what’s happening between us, but if I know you—and I do—you’re worrying that I’m going to walk away. Right?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
“Well, you don’t need to worry about that. I’m not sure what’s happening, but regardless, I will never walk away from you. If you need me as your Dominant, then that’s what I’ll do.”
His words rattled me. “Really?”
“Really,” he replied. “You might not realize this, but you’re one of the most important people in my life.”
I’d always known that, but I needed the reminder, because my mind was all over the place.
“Now, dry off, then get ready for bed.”
“Yes, Kip.” I suddenly felt exhausted. I stood and he put a hand on my shoulder and turned me around. Then he kissed me so sweetly on the lips, I could have combusted on the spot.
“I can’t make any promises, but I want to see what this is between us. Would that be okay?”
It was more than I’d ever expected.
And way more than I’d ever hoped for.