“Did it… did you feel that way when I pushed you away?” Seth whispered, dropping his gaze from Kasey’s.
Kasey debated teasing his mate but decided it would just be cruel to do so. “No,” he said, noticing with a grin when Seth looked disappointed. “Because I never doubted you’d give in to my charms.”
Seth’s head jerked up at his words, and he opened his mouth to make a smart remark but didn’t have the chance. What he’d been about to say was cut off by Kasey’s mouth on his. The words flew from his mind as he became lost in the pleasure of his mate’s kiss. Dazedly he felt Kasey turn him in his embrace and start to move them toward the bed. Their lips never parted as they fell across it. Seth nearly groaned when the weight of Kasey’s body pressed him into the mattress. Common sense kicked in at a sound from the hallway, and he broke the kiss with a gasp. “We should… ah… go back downstairs,” he panted, his head lolling to the side as Kasey blazed a wet trail down his throat.
“I’d rather have you for dinner,” Kasey murmured, sucking hotly at Seth’s neck just over where the pulse beat beneath it. The scent of Seth’s arousal called to his wolf, sending a rumbling growl through his chest. “You taste so good.”
Hands entwining in Kasey’s hair, Seth pulled him tighter into him. If they’d been anywhere else, he’d have lost all self-control by then and started tearing at Kasey’s clothing to be closer to him, skin to skin. But they weren’t somewhere else, and he didn’t want to disrespect Kasey’s parents. “Kasey… stop,” he begged. “You’ll embarrass me in front of your parents.”
Reluctantly, Kasey released the bit of skin he’d been nibbling on. Rising onto his elbows, he gave his mate a rueful smile as he brushed a strand of hair from Seth’s cheek. “You make me forget anything else exists, pup.”
Blushing, Seth wrinkled his nose up at Kasey. “If we were anywhere except here, I’d forget anything else exists, but I can’t forget we’re in your parents’ home. But we most definitely will continue later when we get home.”
Groaning at his mate’s lusty expression, Kasey stood abruptly, holding out his hand. “Come on, pup, before I forget my resolve and take you right here, my parents be damned.”
Seth laughingly took Kasey’s hand and allowed him to pull him from the bed. “I don’t think your mom would be too happy if we made love in her house when she only invited us over for dinner.”
“Made love?” Kasey asked in a soft tone, a question buried in its depths.
But before Seth could answer his question, Kasey’s mom shouted up from the bottom of the stairs, “Dinner’s ready, boys.”
Kasey almost growled at the interruption but managed to stifle it. They’d continue the conversation later. “Come on, pup. She’ll get real impatient if we don’t show up immediately.”
Seth breathed a sigh of relief inwardly, thanking Kasey’s mom silently for the excuse to not answer. He followed Kasey down the stairs to the dining room, where a man, presumably Kasey’s father, sat at the head of the table. The man looked young enough to be Kasey’s brother, not his father! The same strong chin, the high cheekbones that seemed to be a signature of the Cheyenne, and well-defined nose made him the spitting image of Kasey and Thayne. Shyness overwhelmed Seth then, and he looked at the floor. “Hey, Dad,” Kasey bid from beside him before making his way around the table to give his dad a hug.
“So this is your mate,” Jeremiah Whitedove said, staring with shrewd eyes at Seth. “My wife tells me your father was Eric Hawthorne.”
Looking up in surprise, Seth stared at him. “I told Mom,” Kasey explained at his mate’s reaction. “Come have a seat and talk to my father. I’m going to go help bring dinner to the table.”
Seth swallowed a sound of protest at Kasey leaving him alone with his father. He nervously moved to the seat beside the imposing Alpha. “Ye—” His voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. “Yes, my father was Eric Hawthorne.”
Jeremiah sensed the same thing Charlie had reported almost immediately after tending to the pup. The boy was a Rho. Peace and healing exuded from the young wolf, tangible, almost. “Your father told me there were others out there like himself.”
“I wouldn’t know aside from my parents, my friend, and everyone I have met since I came to Senaka. They never told me about others. Not even the Created.” Seth felt slightly bitter about it. It should have been his choice to hide. They had taken away part of who he was by hiding him all those years, and if he’d known of the Created, been educated about them, perhaps he would have been able to prevent his mistake in believing Taggart to be his mate.
Reaching out, Jeremiah set his hand on top of Seth’s. “I may not have known your father long, but I do know he was a great man. A great wolf. And he did what he thought best, trying to protect you. You are a Rho, Seth. Do you know what that is?”
The warmth of Jeremiah’s hand on his reminded him of his own father, and it sent a shaft of longing through him. He missed his parents. “Only what my friend Nick told me. I’m supposedly something special among a pack, and there are many who would try to claim me against my will.”
“Rhos are very rare. They are only born every so many generations, and each is born with a unique ability. My son tells me you have a healing capability beyond anything he’s ever seen. This is an amazing gift, son. And many would try to take advantage of such a gift. Your father must have known this, and though keeping you in the dark about your heritage was not something I agree with, he did it to protect you.”
The bitterness melted away, and Seth felt chagrined that he’d thought so negatively of his parents. He knew they loved him and never would have done anything to hurt him. “Thank you, sir,” he murmured.
Jeremiah waved away the respectful title. “There is no need to call me sir. You may call me Dad if you wish, or Jeremiah, as you are my son’s mate. Sir makes me feel old and stuffy.”
“Will you tell me everything you knew about my father?” Seth sat forward eagerly, like a child waiting with bated breath to hear a great tale of heroism.
“First you need to eat,” interjected Kasey, a steaming plate of meatloaf in his hands, which he set in the middle of the table. His mother stood just behind him, holding a bowl of mashed potatoes and a plate of biscuits. Kasey gave a stern look at Seth, who rolled his eyes.
“Yes, Dad,” Seth replied sarcastically.
“Impertinent pup,” Kasey drawled at him, earning a glare. He settled his long frame into the chair next to Seth’s and, after placing a couple slices of meatloaf on his plate, passed it to Seth.
Jeremiah hid a grin behind his glass of water, and Emily gave the two of them a knowing look. It warmed her heart to see her son so happy, and though Seth might not have accepted him at first, it clearly showed that Seth had grown fond of her son. The only concern she had now was the Created one terrorizing her new son-in-law.
For the next hour Jeremiah regaled Seth with tales of the interactions between him and his father. Eric Hawthorne had been sent by his pack to seek out others. They were having the same troubles with finding their true mates. Jeremiah had refused the request of having some of the others in his territory, believing it would stir panic and fear in his pack, but it had pained him to do so after getting to know Eric.
“Your father was certainly an Alpha. I am surprised he didn’t go off and start his own pack. But I suppose it wasn’t possible after you were born,” Jeremiah mused.
“Had he already met my mother by the time you met him?” Seth barely noticed Kasey sliding his arm along the back of his chair or the way his fingers teased the strands of hair brushing his collar.
“He hadn’t met his mate yet, but about six months after he left, I received a letter from him. I still have the letter if you’d like to see it.” Jeremiah could see Seth’s adoration for his father. The man would have made a wonderful leader for a pack, kind, generous, and strong.
“Oh yes! I would like to very much.”
“You miss your parents.” It was a statement, not a question. “If you don’t mind my asking, how did your parents pass?” Jeremiah’s voice held a sympathetic tone.
Seth’s face went void of emotion, and his tone was flat when he said, “They were on a road trip for their anniversary. It was just before Christmas, and they were on their way home. They hit a patch of ice and spun out of control. A witness said my father tried everything to stop the car, but there was nothing he could do to keep it from going over the edge. They were in the mountains in North Carolina. The car exploded on impact.”
Kasey stroked the side of his mate’s neck in sympathy. The anguish Seth felt rolled off him in waves. Wolves might be able to heal more quickly than humans, but even they could not survive something like that. “I am very sorry to hear it,” Jeremiah said solemnly.
“Thank you,” Seth replied woodenly. “I do miss them very much.”
The conversation changed quickly after to avoid such a depressing topic during dinner. Before long Seth sat laughing as Emily told one particularly hilarious tale about one of the scrapes Kasey had gotten into as a child. Of course the story prompted her to pull out the baby pictures after dinner, when they were relaxing in the living room. “Mom,” Kasey groaned and covered his face with his hand.
“What? You were adorable!” She held a picture of Kasey dressed in his skivvies with a pair of his father’s underwear on his head. “He was two years old at the time I took that.”
Seth wiped tears from his eyes and grinned broadly at Kasey. “You were cute,” he teased.
If anyone else had said it, Kasey would have hit them, but he merely let out an indignant huff and tickled Seth in his ribs. “You’ll pay for that later,” he muttered into Seth’s ear, causing him to flush.
Worry about Nick constantly niggled at the back of Seth’s mind. Where had his friend gone? He didn’t have a key to Seth’s home and didn’t know anyone else in town aside from Chessie at the clinic. The thought froze him. Would Nick drown his sorrows in Seth’s receptionist?
He better not
, he thought fiercely.
When they were in Kasey’s truck on the way home, Kasey asked, “Are you okay?”
“I’m just worried about Nick,” he admitted quietly.
Kasey took his hand. “He’ll be fine, pup. He’s a grown man, and I’m sure he just needs time to himself right now.”
“I’m sure you’re right.” Seth bit his lip pensively as he stared out the window at the trees flying by. When Kasey turned onto a small dirt road leading into the forest, Seth was pulled from his thoughts. Seth looked at him curiously. “Where are we going?”
“Well, it occurred to me we haven’t had the chance to run together,” Kasey explained, turning the truck into a small clearing off the road. “I want to run with you, pup. Will you run with me?”
Though Seth had been in his wolf form with Kasey several times already, they’d never run together. The only time they’d been truly near each other in their true forms was the night they’d mated. Seth’s skin itched at the thought of shifting, and he nodded. “I’d like that.”
The night air felt cool with a hint of a breeze, and the moon, almost full, shone brightly in the inky blackness overhead. They shifted in the middle of the clearing, and two black wolves, one larger than the other, rubbed against each other before the smaller wolf raced into the trees and the second gave chase. Paws crushed leaves, padding with soft thuds along the forest floor. A long, joyful howl issued from Kasey, and Seth echoed it, truly reveling for the first time in being a wolf.
Kasey felt as if life couldn’t be any sweeter. He had his true mate, and his mate was slowly extending him his heart. Though Seth hadn’t said it yet, he grew more certain as time passed that the younger male loved him. He could sense it in the way Seth touched him, the way he kissed him. The look in his ocean-blue eyes whenever he gazed at Kasey spoke volumes. The threat of Taggart still hung over them like a black cloud, but he didn’t fear the Created one. He would protect Seth no matter what, even if he had to give his own life.
Finally Seth let Kasey catch him, and they wrestled around like two puppies in the empty clearing they’d reached. Kasey growled playfully and nipped at Seth’s neck, and Seth responded by rolling him abruptly and pinning him beneath his body. Even though Kasey was bigger and stronger than Seth, he didn’t fight it, merely grinned a sappy, tongue-lolling smile up at Seth. He would never use his strength against Seth, even if only in play. The thought of his mate ever being afraid of him sent daggers stabbing between his ribs and straight at his heart.
Sides heaving, Seth collapsed on top of Kasey’s prone form and just lay there, his ear twitching occasionally. For the first time in his life, he felt as if maybe everything would work out and he could be happy. God knew he’d never felt as happy as he did right then. He never wanted this moment, however brief, to end. If he could stay right there beside Kasey, he’d never want for anything else.
But their time grew short. Seth nuzzled at Kasey’s throat for a brief affectionate moment before dragging himself up and encouraging Kasey to head back toward the truck. Just inside the trees, they shifted back to human form. “You all right?” Kasey asked Seth as he opened the passenger door for him.
“I’m fine,” Seth murmured before slipping into the front seat.
Kasey picked up Seth’s hand once they were on the main road, entwining their fingers together and letting them rest on his thigh. Tension wafted from his mate. He squeezed his fingers reassuringly. “Nick will be okay, pup. I’m sure he’ll be waiting for us at your house when we get there.”
Seth gave him a grateful smile and squeezed back. The warmth of Kasey’s palm on his and the feel of the hard thigh on the back of his hand reminded him of what he intended to do to Kasey tonight. Anticipation spiraled through him, and he twitched in his seat as he felt his cock respond to his thoughts. He could hardly wait to feel Kasey inside him again.
But those thoughts only lasted as long as the drive, for when they arrived back at the house, several lights were on, and the front door stood wide open. His eyes widened in surprise. Nick didn’t have a key, so how did he get in?
Nick stepped off the porch, a strange look on his face, the instant the truck came to a halt. He met Seth as he opened the passenger door. “Stay in the truck, Seth,” Nick stated in a strained voice.