12. Joe

Chapter 12

Joe

Esteban told Waylan to keep the foxes captive for now but didn't give further instructions beyond that. It was weird watching Waylan talk to his boss on the phone. Waylan struck me as such a loner, someone who wouldn't have a superior, so thinking of him belonging to a whole pack was strange, especially a pack I didn't belong to.

I spent so much time enjoying the ways Waylan and I were alike that I rarely thought about this one big difference between us—he was a coyote and I was a fox. It never seemed to matter before, but now, members of his pack were coming out here. What would they think of me?

But I kept my fears to myself, not wanting to bring any of this up to Waylan. He was stressed enough by having six random foxes to take care of. It added a lot of work to his day, having to cook for them, take them out for walks, and give them water. Fortunately, we were so far away from any neighbors that it didn't matter how much noise they made.

And those jerks could howl .

The way they sniveled and were so afraid whenever we went down there, I was amazed they'd had the nerve to even attempt a stunt like that.

But I guess they didn't expect Waylan to fight back. They didn't expect to find a mated alpha out here.

We took a day to deal with the foxes and then resumed our work as if nothing had happened. We just kept packing the pawflower while the foxes yipped below ground. The noise was getting on Waylan's nerves, but he ignored it and kept working, just with a bit of a scowl to his expression.

That evening, we roasted chicken in batches for the foxes. Waylan had run out to the store, and I was pulling the latest batch out of the oven when the phone rang. Without thinking, I answered it. "Hello?"

"Waylan?"

Shit. Maybe I shouldn't have picked up. "No, he's out. Can I take a message?"

The voice on the other end was surprisingly gentle. "Um, sure. Can you tell him that Mateo called, and we'll be there tomorrow afternoon?"

I paused, trying to place the name, and then it clicked. He was Esteban's partner. I was talking to a West Coast Coyote, and he didn't seem to know about me. I felt a pit in my stomach. "Sure, I'll let him know."

By the time Waylan got home, that pit had morphed into feeling like I was getting sick. He immediately knew that something was wrong and walked over to pull me into his arms. "What is it?"

"Mateo called. They'll be here tomorrow."

Waylan's smile changed to worry.

"See!" I pulled away and sat down. "You're worried about them meeting me. Are you embarrassed or something?"

"What? No, not at all." He sat down across from me and took a moment to gather his words. "It's just that you don't know what it's like to be part of a pack, and it's hard to explain. I never thought I'd find a mate, but I really didn't think I'd find a mate who wasn't a coyote. It never occurred to me. I'm sure Este will be fine with it, but…he might need to assert his dominance."

I drew back and scowled. "What does that mean?"

Waylan laughed and shook his head. "Probably nothing as bad as what you're thinking. I just mean that if you're…my mate, you're also going to be part of my pack. So Este will need to make sure you understand that he's the pack Alpha."

"I see." I crossed my arms over my chest to put some space between us. "And why did you hesitate before you said mate?"

"Did I?" He furrowed his brow like he really didn't realize he did it.

"Yes." I stood up and walked to the other side of the room, feeling a little dizzy now. "You know you did, Waylan. Just admit it. You're embarrassed of me. I'm just one of those sniveling little foxes out there, and you don't want your famous West Coast Coyotes to know about me."

I didn't want to admit that I'd felt a little jealous of Waylan's pack ever since he first told me about them, but knowing the Alpha and his mate were going to be here in the morning made my jealous feelings intensify.

Waylan stood and walked over to me. "I'm not embarrassed of you, Joe. I love you, you know that. I hesitated because I haven't actually marked you, and I didn't know if you would really want to stick around."

"Why wouldn't I stick around?" And what did mark mean.

"Because, now you've had a chance to get to know me, to see what I'm really like, so why would you stay? I'm not happy, Joe. I have never been happy, and I don't know that I ever will. The happiest I've ever felt is with you, but even that's only because you know that I have The Quiet and fully accept it."

I nodded and some of my hurt feelings evaporated. And part of me still thought that maybe someday, if he loved me enough, he'd finally be happy. But on the other hand, that was Waylan. That was who he would always be. Closing the distance between us, I put my arms around his waist. "I love you, Waylan, exactly as you are. I don't want you to change."

I hadn't seen Waylan cry before, but when he looked down at me, he had tears welling in his eyes. "I love you too, Joe. And trust me when I say I'll leave the West Coast Coyotes before losing you."

It was my turn to feel tears stinging my eyes as I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him. Then I gave his butt a playful smack. "Help me put these chickens in the fridge and then I have something I need to ask you."

He raised his eyebrows but dutifully went over to the chickens. We took a few down to the foxes, then put the rest away.

I was washing my hands at the sink when Waylan came up behind me and put his arms around me. He caressed my stomach and kissed my neck. "What do you need to ask me, my Cinnamon?"

I smiled at the cute nickname then turned and caught his next kiss on my lips. For another moment, I bit and sucked his lower lip, one of our signs that we wanted more than just kissing.

Waylan groaned and lifted me by my waist before he set me on the counter. Smiling, he lifted my shirt and began kissing my chest.

Not wasting a moment, I pulled my shirt over my head and leaned back, enjoying the feeling of his mouth on my nipples. His fingers found the buttons on my jeans and began to undo them.

"Take me to the bed, alpha."

Waylan easily lifted me up and carried me to the bed he'd built. Like everything Waylan made, it was sturdy and beautiful. He put me down in the middle of it and pushed me to my back as he climbed on top of me. As his mouth closed over mine, he reached down and unbuttoned my jeans to stroke my hard dick.

I pulled his shirt over his head. His eyes were playful in a way I rarely got to witness. "What were you going to ask me? You'd better say it now or I might have to get up and do some more work."

"Don't you dare." I grabbed his thick biceps and pulled him closer as I wrapped one leg around him and flipped him onto his back.

Waylan laughed, surprised by my strength as I unbuttoned his jeans then quickly pulled them off him. His dick, which I'd grown to love, was full and pulsating. "I love seeing you hard for me." I leaned down and took him into my mouth.

He moaned loudly and pulled my head toward him. "I love being hard for you."

I sucked and licked, knowing most of his favorite spots by now. I liked to tease him a little, drawing out his pleasure. He would get pretend-irritated with me and sometimes he'd growl and take over, letting his alpha energy dominate me.

I loved that we could play games together in the bedroom. This was where Waylan's least serious side emerged.

When he was good and excited, I sat on top of him and grabbed his wrists, pinning them to the bed. "What I want to know, Waylan, is what this marking thing you mentioned is all about."

His eyes were serious and the smile faded from his lips. "It means you'd be mine. Forever."

My heart raced, and I spoke quickly. "I want forever."

He took a shuddering breath. "Also, it hurts."

"I don't care. I already am yours, Waylan."

A look I'd never seen moved into Waylan's eyes. It was a mixture of fear plus excitement plus something else, something I didn't recognize. His eyes locked on mine, and he lifted my hips as he silently slid inside of me.

I gasped at the size, as if his knot were already expanding before we even got started. My alpha hadn't felt that big since the the first time he fucked me. He sat up and groaned, pulling me against him.

I locked my lips onto his as I started to move above him. I didn't know what it meant to be marked, only that it was going to hurt, but I would endure any pain in the world to belong to Waylan.

I was his, and I wanted the world to know.

We moved in perfect synchronicity, him thrusting in and out of my slick ass with one hand holding me against him and his other hand stroking my cock. I kissed him and waited for the marking to occur.

Our breaths sped up, and we moved faster. Just when I was about to come, I felt his fangs sink into the spot on my neck that he loved so much. The spot he always said smelled like cinnamon.

It was both painful and strangely euphoric at the same time. Something inside me rushed up to meet his bite. I wanted it to end, and I wanted it to last forever. Then I exploded with pleasure as Waylan came inside me, knotting me as he fully claimed me as his omega. His mate. Forever.

We collapsed on the bed with Waylan on top of me, sucking on my neck where he'd bit me. I could feel blood coming out of the spot he'd bit. "Are you drinking my blood?"

He groaned and sucked as his hips twitched.

I smacked his ass. "Oh my god, you little vampire!"

He laughed and pulled back. "It's delicious. I want to eat you up."

I hugged him close. "So that's it? Am I officially marked now?"

"Uh-huh." He raised his head and smiled at me. "You're officially mine. Forever."

"I didn't even know marking was a thing."

He nodded. "There's a lot you don't know."

"Oh yeah? Like what? Tell me everything."

"Well…" He smiled and slid one hand down to my stomach. "For starters, did you know you're carrying our baby?"

I wanted to laugh and protest, but I immediately knew it was true. I'd been feeling something for the past few weeks, but I'd been afraid to believe it. But now, feeling the raw wound on my neck and seeing Waylan's proud smile, I felt ready for anything. "A baby," I whispered.

Waylan's eyes glowed with a deep happiness. "A baby."