Chapter 13
Thirteen
Wyatt heard Winter leave, but he waited in the kitchen for a while, giving Bel some time alone with his thoughts.
It didn’t help that he was torn over the position he’d put Bel in.
If it was just him, Wyatt wanted to believe that he’d have the strength to walk away, to leave Bel and his family in safety.
But with River at his side, he hesitated.
River was smart, strong, and resourceful. But he was also young when it came to their kind, and he’d already suffered too much between their former clan and life on the run.
And as much as he hated to admit it, Wyatt was struggling to keep him safe by himself.
“Stop,” River said sharply.
Wyatt looked up to find River standing opposite him at the center island, brushing the crumbs off his fingers as he chewed up the last of the second sandwich he’d devoured. Wyatt’s appetite was missing, his mind on what Winter and Bel had been discussing when they left.
“What?”
“Whatever you’re thinking in that crafty brain of yours, just stop thinking it.”
Wyatt forced a smile. “What if it’s—”
“It’s not,” River said, cutting him off.
He plopped his hands on his hips and frowned.
“You think I don’t know you after all these years, but I do.
You’re worrying about Bel and his family.
You’re worrying about the danger we’ve put them in.
I wouldn’t put it past you to be thinking of slipping out during the day. ”
Wyatt’s smile became a little more genuine, even if it remained sad. “You do know me.”
“And it’s not fair to Bel to take the decision out of his hands after we were the ones to drop it in his lap in the first place.” River sighed. “If you think we should leave, then…then I think you should tell Bel. Give him a chance to make a choice.”
Walking around the island, he pulled River into his arms and kissed him slowly.
He was so fucking lucky to have found River.
He’d known from an early age that he was gay, but he’d thought he’d hide it, bury it down deep inside of himself and just pretend.
The pack was everything. It was life. And being gay in the pack wasn’t an option.
But then he’d met River. It had been such a freak, unexpected moment.
Wyatt had been living on the edge of pack land, so he could more easily commute to and from school.
A friend of his family had asked him to help with adding a deck to their house one summer, and River had been there to work as well.
Young and full of life, River had been a sparkling shaft of light in his otherwise gray existence. Their eyes met, and it was like a bolt of electricity had surged through him. And by the answering smile spreading across River’s lips, he knew the young man had felt it too.
Being together was impossible.
Wyatt did what he could to avoid River and the temptation he represented.
In the beginning, they went an entire year without seeing each other, but then fate would bring them back together.
Accidental encounters at grocery stores.
Running into each other at pack meetings.
Tripping over each other at weddings of mutual friends.
When Wyatt finally broke down and grabbed River for that first stolen kiss, he’d known he found home and he never wanted to let go again.
“You know I love you, right?” Wyatt murmured, his lips brushing against River’s.
He could feel the wolf’s answering smile. “Still? After all this time?”
“Forever.”
River tilted his head up, kissing him. He nibbled at his lower lip before plunging his tongue into Wyatt’s mouth. The young wolf moaned softly, and Wyatt eagerly swallowed the noise down.
“I don’t say it often enough, but thank you for taking care of us. For always working so hard to keep us safe.”
“I’ve tried.”
“You’ve succeeded. I know it hasn’t been easy, and you’ve had to make some very difficult decisions. I think you’ve done a wonderful job. I would be lost without you.”
“And you are my everything.” Wyatt kissed him again, loving the little growly sounds rumbling up River’s throat. He was such a vocal and generous lover. Just touching him lit a fire within Wyatt.
“Well, almost,” River corrected. Wyatt pulled away to take in River’s smirk. “There’s also a vampire who is quickly becoming your everything.”
“You don’t mind?”
River shook his head. “Of course not.” Wrapping his arms tighter around Wyatt, River pulled him closer so he could snuggle into his neck. “You know this isn’t just sex. For fun in bed, we don’t need to add a third. Beltran Varik is ours. He fits us perfectly. He needs us, and we need him.”
Wyatt hummed with pleasure, closing his eyes as he rested his cheek on the top of River’s head. “Yes.”
It had always been like this between them, as if they shared one brain. He agreed completely with River. Bel was theirs. Of course, he wasn’t sure if Bel understood that yet, but he would with time.
“Then why are we hiding out in the kitchen when we could be wrapped around an adorably cute vampire, making him very, very happy?”
“That is a good point. We should go check on him.”
“Distract him, you mean.” River pressed a kiss to his chin before releasing him.
Wyatt was smiling as he followed River from the kitchen to the living room. His man was all about action. It meant that he was more than a little impulsive at times, but he also kept Wyatt from getting bogged in useless thoughts and not doing anything.
As he’d expected, Bel was sitting on the couch, almost exactly how they left him, his gaze distant, as if he wasn’t even aware of where he was or that he was no longer alone. River sat on one side of him, laying his head on his shoulder. Bel jerked and blinked up at Wyatt and down at River.
“Winter is going to look into the local wolf pack,” Bel said.
“That’s nice of him.” River murmured. He nuzzled closer, rubbing the tip of his nose against Bel’s neck. A soft gasp left Bel’s parted lips, and his eyes started to close.
“Yes, well, I think part of it is that Winter is simply curious about werewolves.” Bel smirked up at Wyatt. “My younger brother prides himself on knowing a little bit of something about everything.”
“Do you need anything?”
“What?” Bel blinked as if trying to focus his thoughts and failing. River had turned his head, and he could imagine the wolf teasing along Bel’s ear. He knew firsthand the magic his mate was starting to weave.
Fuck. He was getting hard just seeing them cuddled on the couch together.
“Do you need something to drink or eat? Do you need to feed?”
“Oh, no. I’m fine. Thank you.”
Wyatt stretched out his hand toward Bel. “Then let’s go to bed. It’s late.”
There were still a few hours until sunrise, but he had no problem with wearing Bel out until he collapsed in a tangled pile of sweaty limbs.
“Oh…I…”
River lifted one hand to cup the side of Bel’s face, turning his head so that their noses were rubbing together. “Please, Bel. You promised you’d let me show you my fantasy.”
Wyatt was starting to have his own fantasy of sitting in the corner, stroking his dick, while River and Bel fucked each other. There would be nothing more beautiful in this world.
“You’re sure?”
“Definitely. Want to taste you,” River said in a harsh whisper.
“Okay,” Bel said in a shaky whisper. He turned slowly toward Wyatt and took his hand, letting himself be pulled to his feet.
Wyatt kept tugging until Bel’s long, slender body crashed into him. Bel was only a little shorter than him, and Wyatt growled at how perfectly they lined up from knees to lips. Bel’s hard cock brushed against his and Wyatt shifted his hips while grabbing Bel’s ass, holding them tightly together.
A long, low moan rose from Bel’s lips before Wyatt could capture his mouth. Bel was his, the same way River was his. Every moan and every shudder, he wanted to taste them on his tongue.
When he lifted his head, Wyatt looked over his shoulder at River, still seated on the couch, one hand shoved down the front of his pants as he stroked himself.
“We need to get upstairs now,” River said through clenched teeth. Wyatt was not going to argue.
Wyatt kept Bel tucked into him as they cut across the living room and up the stairs.
He didn’t hesitate as he turned them toward the guest bedroom he and River had been using.
The orders for various clothes and household supplies had included several bottles of lube.
Wyatt also couldn’t be sure of the sleeping arrangements, but he wanted to ensure that Bel’s scent was in their sheets for at least one night.
River moved around them and flipped on one of the floor lamps on the far side of the room. Just enough light to cast everything in a soft, warm glow.
Standing in the center of the room, Wyatt pulled Bel in front of him again, lining their bodies up so that he could feel each of Bel’s ragged breaths and the rapid beat of his heart.
His face was beautifully flushed, and his lips were parted.
There was such need and hunger stamped on his features, but there was a nervous wariness in his eyes.
Wyatt placed his palms on Bel’s tense shoulders and pushed down, running his hands along the muscles of his back to knead his ass, molding that slender body to his.
“When we’re together like this, it’s all about pleasure.
What makes you feel good. What makes River feel good. What makes me feel good.”
River took his shirt off and pressed along Bel’s back, nuzzling his face into Bel’s shoulder before kissing his jaw. “We want to make you happy, Bel.”
“But I don’t know how to make you happy,” Bel said, his voice falling off into a moan.
“That will come later.”
“But—”