9. Waylan

Chapter 9

Waylan

I couldn't look at Joe for very long. I felt terrible for trapping him like this. Here was this young, gorgeous man with his whole life ahead of him, and I'd just thrown everything off track.

"Joe, I didn't mean for this to happen. I'm so sorry. I can't choose my mate." My words came out in a tumble. "But being a shifter is really great. I think you'll learn to love it. And I swear, I'll leave you alone, you can leave if you want or you can stay and keep doing work. I'll still pay you, obviously."

Joe's brow furrowed for a moment, and then he leaned forward and kissed me. Smiling, he pulled back and put one finger on my lips, as if to shush me.

That was all it took.

My desire for him took over, and we fell back onto the blankets, kissing like I'd never kissed before. I reached down and caressed his hard and pulsating cock. Joe moaned and closed his eyes as he began to thrust his hips into my hand.

The aroma of his slick sent me into a frenzy as I grabbed his hips and guided him on top of me so I could admire his whole. I wrapped my fist around his dick and continued to stroke back and forth, harder and faster.

Now that I knew some of his story, the sadness that was etched into his face made more sense to me. But seeing pleasure move in on his beautiful face pushed the sadness aside and brought something to life within me.

My coyote, normally mischievous and wiley, was intent and focused. Like we were hunting, and Joe was our prey. Our omega. Our mate.

Joe reached around and took my own throbbing cock in his hand and began to caress and stroke me. My eyes drifted shut, and I groaned with pleasure. It had been a long time since I'd been with anyone.

As much as I wanted to take my time, that wasn't possible. Seeing Joe on top of me, offering himself to me so completely, I had to have him. With his head thrown back and breathy moans coming from his lips, I lifted his hips just enough to position his wet opening above my cock, and I lowered him onto me.

He sucked in a sharp breath and squeezed my shoulders but quickly relaxed as he took all of me into his slick channel. "Fuck me, alpha."

Fuck me, omega. I lifted him up by his thighs and set a quick pace, lowering him as I thrust up and then dropping him all the way back down onto me. "I'm gonna give you my knot, omega. Are you ready?"

He nodded and grabbed his cock, gliding his hand down just a few times before coming in thick streams over my chest.

As he tightened around me, I came too, holding him down as my knot expanded inside him.

Joe collapsed on top of me, breathing heavily as he caught his breath. When he realized he'd just smeared his come all over us both, he laughed. "Oh, sorry about that."

"Don't apologize for giving me the best orgasm of my life, omega." I brushed his hair back so I could see into his blue eyes. "You're so beautiful."

"I need a haircut." He barked out a laugh. "But yeah, that was amazing." He wiggled his ass and sighed. "And I love that you're stuck to me."

I nodded and kissed all over his face. "Forever, I'm afraid." I buried my face in his neck and inhaled. "Do you know that you smell like cinnamon?"

"What?" He laughed and playfully nipped at my shoulder.

"You do. It's true. It was the first thing I noticed about you."

Joe reached up and caressed my cheek. His expression was so eager and open, it brought reality rushing back to me. Everything was perfect, but deep down, I knew that being with me was being sentenced to perpetual loneliness.

I didn't like people, right?

Joe's eyes closed, and he looked completely at peace. Why did he have to be so young? Couldn't he have gone out and lived some life first before getting stuck with me?

Once my knot finally released our bodies, I got up and started folding the blankets. Joe opened his eyes, then hopped up to help me. An awkwardness settled over us that I didn't know how to fix.

Truthfully, I needed some space, some time, to think about everything that had happened in just a few short hours.

When we were both dressed, I cleared my throat. "Listen, I'll bring some dinner to the trailer in a bit, but I think we should make it an early night." I couldn't look at him while I spoke.

"Yeah, okay." When we left the barn, we went in our opposite directions.

I could tell he felt confused, but so did I. I didn't know how to make him understand who I was. We'd known each other for such a short time, and everything was new to both of us.

When I brought his dinner to him, I still didn't have a plan of what to say.

His face was worried when he opened his trailer door. "Hi."

I handed him the tray. "Um, that was really nice, today. I…just need to think on things."

He nodded and kept his eyes locked on mine. "I understand. Thank you for dinner."

I started to walk away, but he didn't let me get too far.

"Waylan?"

I turned to look at him, curious as to what he had to say.

Joe gave me a sincere smile. "I'm glad I'm a fox."

"Me too." Back in my place, I tried to sleep, but it wasn't happening. Eventually, I gave up and shifted to my fur.

As had become my nightly routine, I walked to Joe's trailer and curled up outside his window. It was the only place I was finally able to sink into a deep sleep.

I was nervous to see Joe in the morning. Part of me felt like I should just tell him to leave, but I also knew I wasn't strong enough to do that. The best I could hope for was that he'd decide to leave on his own.

All day long, I tried my hardest to show him the real Waylan. I let The Quiet take over completely. I was dark, I was moody, I was hard to read.

But Joe didn't seem deterred.

At lunch, we both shifted into our fur without saying anything to the other, as if we had the same thought at the exact same moment. I laid down for my nap, which I liked to do in my fur whenever I could. Joe curled up next to me, and I couldn't help but give him an affectionate lick on the top of his head.

He smiled and nuzzled my fur.

The afternoon was more time with Quiet Waylan, but I was finding that Joe didn't seem bothered at all. In fact, it was like he knew exactly what to do. While most people got flustered around me in this mood and tended to steer clear, Joe moved in harmony with me all afternoon.

He handed me the tool I needed without me asking, passed my water thermos when I felt thirsty, and by the end of the day, I actually felt my mood beginning to brighten.

That evening, I paced my house while he was in the outdoor shower. My skin prickled to be with him. As much as I tried to talk myself out of him, I just couldn't. I thought that if he left, my feelings might subside…but I knew they wouldn't.

Joe was the one for me. The only one for me. I just didn't know if I should be the one for him.

When I brought him dinner later, he had a sad look in his eyes. I shook my head and tried to speak, but in the end, I just muttered something incoherent and walked away. I was trying to tell him I was sorry, but words just didn't always come to me.

Once again, I shifted to my fur and slept outside his trailer.

On the morning of the third day after making love to him, I could no longer deny what was happening. Joe was going into heat. I'd been aware of his growing scent since our time in the barn but was trying my damnedest to ignore it.

The smell of cinnamon hung over me wherever I went, getting stronger by the hour. But it was changing, too. There was a new allure to it.

I'd smelled omegas in heat before, but it had never affected me like this. I had a constant hard-on and was having trouble focusing on anything but claiming my omega for real. Forever.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Joe—his ripped chest, hard ass, that lock of hair across his forehead.

I cooked our normal breakfast, but I was sweating and had to keep wiping my eyes so I could see. Joe wasn't standing beside the truck like he usually was when I stepped outside with the burritos and coffee. "Joe?"

All I heard was the clucking of the hens. I wondered if he had left, but his scent was stronger than ever. I walked to the trailer and knocked gently. I heard movement inside. "Joe?"

Silence.

"I'm coming in, okay?"

I tried the door handle, but it was locked, which struck me as odd. I jiggled the handle and yanked on the door. Nothing. As the seconds ticked by, I started to feel afraid. I called Joe's name again, and then pulled it hard enough to make it fly open.

I stepped inside, scared of what I might find. Had Joe hurt himself? I had been cruel these past two days, pushing him away. But he was in bed, blankets and pillows piled around him and on top of him.

He lifted his head to look at me as I stepped toward him.

If I hadn't spent so many years learning to control my moods, the desire that came over me would have driven me crazy at that moment. "Are you okay?"

He nodded as I stepped closer and brought his hand to his face.

That's when I realized he was crying. Without a second thought, I slipped my shoes off and climbed into bed beside him. I got under the covers, and he crawled into my open arms. "What's wrong, baby?"

He buried his face in my chest. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me."

I took shallow breaths, trying to keep my head about me. The entire trailer was filled with his intoxicating scent as I stroked his head. "It's okay."

My cock had swelled to a massive size, and I worried I might lose control. I needed to explain to Joe that he was in heat, but even finding the words was difficult. "Joe…" I was already taking off my clothes while rubbing against him.

He wiped his tears away, still crying even as he started to kiss my bare chest. "Don't you want me, Waylan?"

"Fuck yeah, I do." I began to rip off his clothes, kissing his tears away at the same time. "I need you."

Raw instinct took over, and it was too late for explanation or control or resistance.

He was mine.