Chay kissed him right there out in public, in front of his apartment where anyone could see. It was a soft, gentle kiss, tender.
Keaton sighed into Chay’s open mouth. He should pull back…for Chay’s sake, but it was too nice. His cock throbbed, getting more and more uncomfortable. He quickly decided to pull back for his
own
sake.
Chay let him. “I’m not like that, Bit. I’m sorry you got hurt, but I’m here for the long haul. You’re stuck with me. This isn’t some sort of sexual identity crisis for me. You are
my
mate.
Mine.
You belong to me. And quite frankly, even if you didn’t, I think I’d want you.”
Whoa.
Keaton felt like the ground moved out from underneath him. He was speechless, but it was a good speechless. He knew Chay told the truth. It was still hard to believe, but he did believe it. Keaton grinned.
Chay grinned back. “Does that mean you’ll spend the weekend with me?”
He nodded. “Yeah, I will. Let me get some clothes and Pita’s bowls and dog food. We can go meet your pack leader, and I’m all yours until Sunday night.”
“I like the sound of that. But you don’t need to get anything for Pita. I bought him stuff for my house too.” Oh boy. That smacked of commitment.
Keaton launched himself at Chay, forcing the man to catch him. He kissed Chay breathless. He didn’t even realize Chay held him off the ground until Chay set him on his feet and pulled back.
Chay started laughing and glanced at his feet.
Keaton heard the growling and saw the slight sway Chay made and looked down.
Pita had a hold of Chay’s scrub pants again, growling and shaking his head. The pup’s tail was going ninety to nothing.
* * *
When they drove up to John Carter’s house, the place was surrounded by cars. It looked like a pack meeting. That was odd. Chay racked his brain trying to recall a reason the whole pack would be here, but couldn’t think of any.
“Hey, isn’t that your dad?” Bit started waving to someone.
Sure enough, it was his dad, standing out in the yard with a couple other pack members. His father waved at them. “Yeah.” Chay waved back and parked his truck by the curb several yards from the pack leader’s house.
“Uh, Chay?”
“Huh?”
“Why are there so many people here?”
“I have no clue. I thought we were only going to introduce you to John. Normally that’s how things work. You meet the pack Alpha, then you run with the pack for a couple of full moons, then you’re either admitted to the pack or not.”
“Yeah, that’s how it works in my pack too.”
“Well, whatever it is, it’s not bad. My dad would’ve warned me. You ready?”
Bit nodded, scooped Pita up from between them and into his arms. “Yeah, lets go.”
They got out of the truck and his dad met them. “Hey, boys. What have you got there, Keaton?”
Bit smiled and held the puppy up. “This is Pita.”
Joe scratched the puppy’s head. “Hey there, little fella.”
“I can see where Chay got his love of animals.” Bit winked at Chay.
Oh man! His Little Bit was flirting with him. Chay grinned, ignored the fluttering in his stomach and clapped his dad on the shoulder. “What’s going on? Why is everyone here?”
Joe looked up from petting Pita. “Well, to welcome Keaton into the pack of course.”
What?
“But, Dad, Keaton hasn’t even met John yet.” Chay glanced over at Bit.
Bit shrugged, seeming as puzzled as Chay felt.
Joe took Pita out of Bit’s arms and grinned. “John is waiting for the two of you in the kitchen. I’ll watch Pita. I’m going out back to grab a hamburger. I’ll see the two of you when you’re done.” He turned and walked off. Immediately several cubs who’d accompanied their fathers to the meeting, rushed at him wanting to pet the Golden Retriever.
Okay, something strange was going on. Why would John admit Keaton to the pack without meeting him first? Granted Chay’s father was one of the pack Betas, but John had never let someone in without meeting them first. Chay frowned. Unless… Did they know Keaton was his mate?
“What? You look like something is bothering you.” Bit touched his arm.
Chay looked at him and shook his head. “Nothing. Come on, let’s go meet John so we can eat. Smells like they’re grilling burgers.”
Bit raised a brow at him but didn’t question him further.
They found John and his wife Mary in the kitchen, gathering up condiments, plastic utensils and paper plates. John came to them as soon as they entered, his brown eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled. “Chayton.”
“John.”
The pack Alpha’s eyes widened when he meet Keaton’s gaze.
Keaton immediately turned his head, baring his throat in a show of respect.
John frowned and cocked his head, a lock of his short salt and pepper hair falling into his eyes. “Why in the world aren’t you leader of your own pack?”
Bit raised his head and met John’s gaze. “I’ve no desire to lead. I’m actually next in line for the position in my birth pack, but I have no intention of taking the job.”
Lead?
Chay frowned. What had he missed?
John nodded and extended his hand to Bit. “John Carter.”
Bit greeted him with a handshake. “Keaton Reynolds. Nice to meet you, sir.”
“It’s nice to meet you too, Keaton. Joe has had nothing but nice things to say about you. He said you were powerful, but…” He whistled. “You don’t want to run your own pack? I don’t think I’ve ever met a wolf who has three forms who wasn’t a pack leader.”
Three forms? Bit had three forms?
Chay stared at Bit like he’d never seen him before. How had he not realized that?
It was extremely rare to find a wolf that had three forms. All wolves could shift from human to wolf, but a rare few could also shift into a half-wolf, half-man form.
John chuckled. “You look shocked, Chayton. Didn’t you know? Can’t you feel the energy coming off of him?”
Chay shook his head. He was too busy trying to control his errant cock when Keaton was around. The only energy he felt was due to their mate bond.
“Ahh, interesting. Your senses are confused because of who he is to you.”
Bit’s gaze shot to his.
His shot to Bit.
What did that mean? How did John know Keaton was his mate? Before he could ask, John patted Bit’s shoulder and smiled.
“I have to admit, I’m a little leery of your power, but you can sense that already, can’t you?”
Keaton nodded. “Yes, sir. I’m used to it.”
John smiled, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes becoming more pronounced. “I bet you are. Because of Chay, I’m going to do something I don’t usually do.” He extended his hand toward Keaton again. “Welcome to the pack, Keaton.”
Keaton shook John’s hand again. “Thank you.”
“Come, let me introduce you to my wife Mary and then I’ll take you outside so you can meet the pack. Then we can all eat. It’s nice outside, we decided to set up tables out back. I figured this may be the last nice day we have this autumn. Don’t you agree, Chay?”
“Yes, sir. It is nice.”
John led Keaton over to Mary while Chay stood there, shell-shocked. How had John known about them? Did his dad somehow guess? And how in hell had he not realized Bit was as powerful as he was? Chay had never met a wolf with all three forms before, but he was sure he’d recognize it if he had. He could tell when a wolf was an alpha wolf or not, and he hadn’t even realized Bit was that dominant. It was clear he wasn’t an omega wolf, but Chay hadn’t thought Bit was even more of an alpha than he and his dad.
“Chay? Would you mind helping me carry this stuff out?”
Chay looked up at Mary and blinked. When had Keaton and John left the room? “Sure, Mary.” He grabbed the ice chest she indicated and opened the door, allowing her to pass with the plates and a picnic basket full of condiments.
“I like your friend, Chay. He’s very polite. He looks very young though. Such a pretty boy.”
Chay grinned. Yeah, Bit was pretty all right. Prettiest man he’d ever seen, with that smooth pale complexion, those big blue eyes… Oh damn, his cock stirred. “Yes, he is.” He wasn’t sure which statement he responded to, but Mary didn’t question it, and he didn’t bother clarifying.
After helping Mary set up, Chay was bombarded by questions about Keaton by pack members. Everyone wanted to know where he was from and why he wasn’t a pack leader. And the most frequent question was about his age. Chay decided not to tell Bit about that, knowing he wouldn’t be amused.
“Chay.”
Chay turned to find his father, John Carter and Frank Red Hawk standing behind him. “Yes?”
John motioned him over. “Chay. I talked to Keaton about the shooting the other night and he seems to agree with Frank that it was poachers. What do you think?”
“Well, we haven’t had poachers on pack land, or in the reservation in years, but I don’t see any evidence that says it’s not poachers.”
His father nodded. “That’s what I said.”
John dipped his head. “Given that Keaton’s new here and no one has a reason to want him dead, I think that is the most logical conclusion too. We need to keep an eye out though, just in case. Chay, you let us know if you get any more animals with gunshot wounds.”
“Yes, sir. I will.”
“And, Frank, you’ll keep us updated from your end as well?”
“Sure will.”
“Good, good. I’m going to go find my mate.” John waved and left, leaving him with his father and Frank.
Frank smiled. “It looks like our little white wolf is grown after all. A college professor, huh? Nice fellow. When John introduced us, I apologized to him for tranqing him.”
Chay grinned. Yeah, his mate was a nice fellow when you got to know him. It made Chay feel good that others could see that too. “Yeah, he teaches Ancient Civ. Beware. He has quite an interest in the Apache. He’s relentless with his questions.”
Frank laughed. “I know. John told him my brother was tribal chief when he introduced us. Bobby came to my rescue. Said they met the other night at a poker game.” Frank’s stomach growled, making him chuckle. “I guess that’s my cue. I’m going to go get myself a burger. Talk to you gentlemen later.”
“Later, Frank,” his dad called out.
Chay waved.
His dad smiled. “Keaton seems to fit in well. John and I took him around and introduced him to everyone.”
Chay nodded. “Where is he?”
“Last I saw, he was eating a burger and talking to Bobby.”
“Dad, what’s going on? Why did John allow Keaton into the pack so quickly? I’m not complaining, but—”
“Joe.” A couple of his dad’s friends came up and started talking to him. Chay’s presence was soon forgotten.
Chay sighed and shook his head. Oh well, he’d find out later. It wasn’t like he didn’t know where to reach his dad. He went in search of food then Bit. He was walking around eating a burger, drinking a coke, when he found his missing mate. He heard Pita before he spotted Bit.
Bit rolled around in the grass playing with Pita and four little boys. It was the cutest thing. The boys, Bit and the puppy were all in a pile, laughing and tickling each other.
God, the man was sweet. He wondered if Bit had any idea how appealing he was when he laughed. Chay had the urge to go join the fun, but figured people might not appreciate him rolling around on the ground kissing the life out of Bit with their cubs present.
He’d known Bit didn’t feel comfortable among people his age. He should have known Bit would get along well with children.
Pita saw Chay first. The pup bounced over and grabbed Chay’s pants, growling and tugging.
Chay laughed, reached down and petted the pest.
Smiling, Bit caught Chay’s gaze, his eyes shining. “Hey.” He pushed himself up and jogged over to Chay, leaving the kids playing together behind him. “They rescued me.”
“Rescued you?”
Bit leaned in and whispered, “Yeah, look to your left.”
Chay looked and noticed three of the pack member’s teenaged daughters, giggling and staring at Keaton. Chay threw his head back and laughed. Apparently, Bit wasn’t comfortable around females either.
Chapter Seven
What a strange evening. Nice, but strange nonetheless.
Keaton adjusted the water temperature in the shower and started undressing. He smelled like a dog from rolling around in the grass. He’d forgotten how much fun it was to play with the cubs. In his birth pack he’d always gotten along better with the cubs than he had the adults.
Now, he was a member of Chay’s pack. Unlike his birth pack, everyone had been friendly. He’d actually felt welcome. The big question was would he still feel that way after his new pack found out about his sexual orientation? Strangely, judging from this evening, he thought he just might.
He strongly suspected John Carter knew he was Chay’s mate. The man never came right out and said anything, but he hinted at it. Keaton had kept quiet, he wasn’t about to spill the beans. It was up to Chay when, where and who to tell about their relationship. Although, if he wasn’t mistaken Joe Winston knew too, but again he wasn’t positive.
“Hey, Bit—”
A sharp intake of breath, then the scent of arousal filled the bathroom. He suppressed the urge to smile and finished pulling off his underwear before turning around. “Yes?”
Chay stood there staring, his mouth ajar. “Damn, just…damn.”
The heat in Chay’s gaze made Keaton a tad bit self-conscious, but he quickly pushed it aside in favor of checking Chay out. He was shirtless and barefooted, wearing only his blue scrub pants. The man’s chest was a work of art. Nicely defined muscles without being bulky. There wasn’t a hair in sight on that beautifully tanned chest or those toned abs.
Oh boy.
His very impressive erection was clearly evident in those loose pants.
Wow.
That was for him. It had to be. Keaton’s own cock started to fill.
Chay still stood in the doorway, looking him over, his eyes wide, his mouth turned up at the corner in a seductive grin.
Keaton swallowed. How could this beautiful man stand there and stare at him like he was some sort of Adonis or something? He didn’t get it. What could Chay possibly see in him? He was…well scrawny was the best word for it. He didn’t have the nice chiseled body Chay had. He was short and thin and…