by Aria Grace
“C’mon, man. You really think that's a good idea? Why don't you just tell them you're not interested in dating, or better yet, start dating.” Even as I said it, I didn’t want that to happen. I didn’t want to watch him date someone else.
“Nah,” Curt said. “I just haven't been feeling it. My wolf is not interested in anyone. He’s been super quiet since I broke up with the guy from Northbay.”
“So, tell them that. Your parents will appreciate that you're listening to your animal. There's no reason to concoct some story.”
“Of course, there is,” Curt said. “You don't get my parents. They want more grandbabies.”
I chuckled. I was halfway tempted to agree to this nonsense already. But it seemed silly to even think of doing something like that.
“Oh, yeah,” I said. “And what would this fake boyfriend business entail? Would I get any benefits?”
“All of them,” Curt said. “You'd be with me for one. That's a hell of a benefit.”
I groaned. Gotta love a cocky alpha. “I'm not—" My phone beeped indicating I had another incoming call. “Just a minute, Curt, my parents are calling.” I put him on hold and switched over to my parent’s call. “What's up?” I said.
“Are you almost home?” my omega father asked.
“Yes,” I said carefully, wondering why everyone was so hell bent on me getting back. They knew it was a long drive.
“Great. Because we have a lot of activities planned for the new moon dinner tomorrow. And we really don’t want you to be left out.”
“Left out how?” I said.
“Well, you're the only one of your cousins that isn’t mated right now.”
My heart rate kicked up another notch. What was everybody's fascination with being mated lately?
“Dad—”
“Listen, there are several eligible alphas in the pack. I was thinking you could meet with Trevor. He's a young beta that is unmated. And then there's Darren, he's another alpha in the pack that I think you could get along with really well.”
I rolled my eyes at both those suggestions. I knew those guys, both were older than me, and perfectly nice, but if they were mine, my wolf would have told me so. It might seem old fashioned, but I was sort of waiting for my fated mate and I trusted my wolf to tell me who that was.
“We were hoping that you would meet someone in Ashcliff, but that clearly didn't happen.”
“Because I'm already dating someone,” I said. And then immediately wanted to slam my head against the steering wheel. Oh, shit. What had I just done?
“Oh, really? Who?” my dad asked.
“Curt,” I said with a clenched jaw. “We’ve just been taking things slow since I’ve been gone for four months. But I figured now was as good a time as any to tell you.”
“Oh, well, that’s perfect then. Please invite him to come to our new moon dinner.”
“Okay.” I grimaced. Fuck. What had I just done?
“That's really wonderful news, sweetheart. Your father and I couldn't be happier for you. We just want to see you settle down with a family of your own.”
“Of course,” I said. Because what good was an omega if they weren't spitting out babies? I gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles were white.
I hung up with my dad and I switched back to my call with Curt, surprised that he had held on.
“Okay,” I said. “My parents are apparently on the same ride as yours are. Is there something in the water there?”
Curt laughed. “Everybody's been finding their fated mates left and right. So, now all of us young ones are getting the pressure. So, you'll do it? Be my fake boyfriend for a while.”
“Yeah,” I said. “I don't love the idea. We'll have to plan a breakup.”
“I’m offended by that,” Curt said. “Don't be so sure that you'll want to get rid of me.”
I chuckled because I couldn't say anything else. I mean, if he was actually interested in me, I would love to actually date him. But if he wanted it to be real, he would have asked for real, not fake. Now I had to figure out how to keep my heart guarded against heartbreak if we were going to fake this whole thing.
“Come see me as soon as you get home, okay?”
“Yeah, I'll get settled and we'll catch up tonight or tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Tyson. You won't regret this.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said, knowing that I already sort of did. What in the world had I gotten myself into?
2. Curt
Curt
Once I hung up the phone with Tyson, I began to rethink my plan. Perhaps I should have waited until I saw him in person to broach the idea. I didn't want to pressure him into lying to his parents or mine for that matter. But when I’d thought of this idea, just last night after my parents asked me for the five thousandth time who I was going to bring to the winter solstice celebration, I decided it was worth a shot.
It had been four months since my wolf had been silent. Sure I could shift, and he was there, but it was almost like he was sulking since Tyson had left. He had slipped into a depression, and nothing I did could drag him out of it.
If things didn't change soon, I was likely going to have to speak with Lissy about it. Although, since I had never heard of this happening to anyone else, I didn't particularly want to have the conversation. But ever since last night and my idea to have a fake relationship with Tyson, my wolf had perked up. Now that we had talked to Tyson and he’d agreed, my wolf was really excited.
Even now, he clawed at the edge. Wanting to romp and play and be let free. But first I had a family dinner to get through. At least tonight I could tell them that I didn't need to be hooked up with anyone. I didn't need any fixed setups. I had a date for all of the holiday festivities. Maybe even longer than that, if things worked out. Maybe dating Tyson wouldn’t have to be fake…
It wasn't beyond the realm of possibility that he and I would be compatible, but it had never occurred to me before. The idea didn't seem so crazy as I mulled it over in my mind.
I sat down at the dining room table where the rest of the family was already seated. My oldest brother Archer held his newborn little porpoise shifter Kristoff in his arms, and his mate Sanford sat next to him. Both of them doting on their little darling. I had to admit my nephew was cute.
My middle brother Ben sat with his mate, Sarah. She was due to give birth any day now. And then there were my parents, eyeing me like I had something to prove, or perhaps I was just seeing things.
“Hello everyone,” I said.
“Curt, how was your day?” my dad asked.
“Good, nothing too exciting to report,” I replied.
“There are some very nice young omegas in the pack that we'd like to invite over for the winter solstice celebration,” my mom said casually.
I grinned. Perfect segue. “Actually, Mom. Tyson is home from studying with the Ashcliff pack,” I said.
“That's great,” she said.
“Well, he and I have been seeing each other for some for some time now, and I'd like him to be my date for our solstice dinner.” There. I’d said it. No going back now.
Her eyes went wide, and she glanced at my father.
“Why haven't you told us about this son?” my dad asked.
“Yeah, Curt,” Ben said. “Seems odd and awfully convenient for you to all of a sudden have a boyfriend.”
I growled, my wolf coming alive. How dare these people question my relationship with Tyson. But, timeout. It wasn't real, so of course, they would question it. I needed to play it up more.
“With him gone to Ashcliff for a while, we thought it was a good idea to keep things quiet in case absence didn't make the heart grow fonder,” I said. Yeah. That sounded totally reasonable. I was smart.
“How come you haven't visited him?” Archer asked, real confusion on his face. He wasn’t being a butthead like Ben was. Archer didn’t really have that sort of malice in him.
“What's up with the third-degree guys? He and I are
seeing each other. That's that. He'll be my date. Now, can we just stop talking about it? It’s not a big deal,” I said. Had I not thought this through? Could they see right through me? That seemed more likely. Either way, the stage had been set. Throughout the next few weeks when they saw the two of us together they would see that this was real. But it was fake… But they didn't know it was fake. Damn, this was going to get confusing.
“We'll be having a new moon dinner and going on a pack run with his family tomorrow,” I said. “So, don't expect me for dinner.”
My mom grinned. “That's so sweet, honey. Goodness, I just spoke with Tyson’s parents the other day and they didn't say a word.”
I shrugged. “Like I said, we've kept it quiet.” And nonexistent.
“Well,” my dad said, “I think it’s great, and I’m happy to see you finally getting serious. Tyson has always had such a crush on you.”
“What?” That wasn’t true. We were friends, had been for years, but there was no crush. Sure, Tyson was an attractive omega, and we had been teased a time or two by people who thought we ought to be together, but I didn’t want to lose the friendship I had with him.
“Oh, he used to follow you around. And when he started getting into all the cooking, he made sure to learn my recipe for that tomato soup you like. I dare say he makes it better than I do now.” My mom laughed.
Was that true? How had I not known any of that?
“He’s a one-of-a-kind,” I said.
3. Tyson
I didn’t know why I was so nervous for the new moon dinner. It was a tradition my family took part in every year. It wasn’t a big deal. But it wasn't every year that I brought a guest along. Curt had been busy working throughout the day, so I never got a chance to see him.
I spent my day meeting with Mia and Charles to talk about my position as secondary chef to the pack. Everyone's own household made their own meals. But when we had large gatherings, it was nice to have some coordination among people as far as who was bringing what, making what dish, and that was partially what my role would be. Also elderly pack members tended to have meals delivered to them so they didn't have to create their own, that would be another piece of what I would coordinate. I couldn't wait to get started in my new role. Finally contributing to the pack. It was exciting.
I put the finishing touches on the two dishes that I had made for the new moon dinner. My omega dad sat at the breakfast nook, watching me work. He was drinking a cup of coffee.
“What is it?” I said. “You keep smiling at me.”
“Nothing. It's just this is kind of nice. For years, I've put on the family meals and today I get to sit back and watch you do it. It’s nice. I’m really proud of you.”
I grinned. “Well, you're the one who helped foster my love for cooking.”
“Soon you'll be cooking for your own pups.”
I bit back a groan. “But first I'll be cooking for the entire pack,” I said.
“Of course.”
There was a knock on the door and my dad shouted, “Come in!”
We didn't really worry about who it might be. Anyone was welcome in anyone's home on pack lands.
Curt came through the door; I could scent him from two rooms away. Within a minute, he walked into the kitchen. This was the first time I’d laid eyes on Curt since coming back. My breath stuck in my throat.
“Hi,” I said.
“Oh,” my dad's squealed. “You two probably want a minute alone. Honestly, sweetheart, I don't know why you didn't just go visit him yesterday when you got back.”
Curt grinned at my omega dad, ever the charmer. “That’s okay Thomas, I know Tyson was busy yesterday. He missed you and Stephen quite a bit while he was away.” He turned to me. “It's good to see you, Tyson.” He walked up to me and with zero hesitation, put his arms around me and pressed his lips to mine.
Holy shit. My first kiss with Curt. Something I dreamed about many times in my teenage years. My wolf howled in delight. I could feel Curt’s wolf too, just beneath the surface, clamoring to be free. He was a strong alpha, that I hadn't realized before.
So much had changed in the four months since I'd been gone.
Curt stepped back. I pressed my fingertips to my lips, still tingling from our kiss. They were warm. I wanted to kiss him again. Would it always tingle like that? Would I get to find out or would we keep the kissing to a minimum?
“Hi,” I said.
“Hi,” he smiled. “It's really great to see you.”
“You too,” I said. “Thanks for coming to dinner.”
He laughed and threaded his fingers into mine. “Who could resist your amazing talents? I promise I'm not just after your skills as a chef though.”
My cheeks hated. Damn he was laying it on thick. He had had time to prepare and put together some moves. Meanwhile, I didn't have anything.
“Dinner is just about ready. Why don't we all sit down?” I said.
Curt kept the conversation going over dinner, filling in my parents with the story of us deciding to date—the fake story. Since this wasn’t real and I needed to remember that.
“I have always had feelings for Tyson. But it wasn't until a few months ago when he told me that he was going to leave the pack for a while that I thought I might bring them up,” he said.
“Weren't you dating that wolf from Northbay?” my alpha dad, Stephen, asked.
Curt choked on his roll and took a sip of water. “Yes, yes I was. But only for a short minute and it wasn't anything serious,” he said.
“Of course,” my dad said. “It's great that the two of you are finally together.”
“Yes,” he said and he laced his fingers into mine. “And my wolf cannot wait to go on this new moon run with you. Isn't it the best time of year?”
My omega dad let out a sigh. “It really is. We were mated on the full cold moon, you know?”
“Yes, Dad,” I said. “Everyone has heard the story.”
“I haven’t,” Curt said. “My parents were mated on a harvest moon, which is one of the more popular moons to be mated on, according to my brother in law Sanford, but the full cold moon is supposed to bring good luck, right?”
“Yes, it absolutely is. Stephen asked me to be his mate while the two of us were building a snowman on the first snowfall of that year. It was in November, and we spoke with Byrom’s father, he was alpha at the time, and we had our ceremony in December. It was beautiful, the day before we’d had ten inches of snow,” my father said he took a sip of his coffee and looked at us over the rim of his mug. “I don't believe there's any matings scheduled this month, if you two wanted to talk to Byrom.”
“Okay,” I said. “That's enough of that.” We were just about finished with dinner now, thank goodness. “Dads, would you mind if Kurt and I get started on this run early?”
“Absolutely, boys. Go have fun,” my omega dad said. “After all, you made dinner Tyson. It's only fair that your father and I clean up.”
“Oh, but I couldn't possibly go—” Curt began.
“Go,” my alpha said. “Have a good time.”
I grasped Curt's hand and we headed out the door.
My wolf was itching at the surface to be let loose. I didn't even bother with an explanation. I just tossed my clothes and shifted. He did the same and the two of us took off running in to the night.
4. Curt
I followed Tyson into the woods without question. Since seeing him for the first time in four months my wolf had woken up and taken notice. He’d come out of his slumber and desperately wanted to be wherever Tyson was. I wanted to roll in his scent until I didn’t know where I began and he ended. More importantly, I wanted my scent on Tyson in a way I’d never wanted before.
What this all meant, I didn’t have a clue and I hadn’t stopped long enough to think about what it might mean.
Tyson hadn’t changed much in the four months, but it was as if I was looking at him with new eyes. His hair was slightly longer, curling around his ear
s and at his neck. It was thick and brown. I wanted to run my fingers through it.
His wolf was fast, but I kept up with him as we ran through the woods. He’d jump over logs, and I’d follow. We caught scent of a rabbit and followed it through the thickest part of the forest, until it retreated to its burrow.
For hours we ran, until the moon was high in the night sky.
I scented water and followed it to a stream. I needed a drink and I was sure Tyson did too.
I lapped at the cool stream for a moment, then the hairs on my neck stood on end. I stilled, looking for what could be causing my wolf to become alarmed.
Then it hit me. Tyson pounced. His body slammed into mine and we were both on the ground, his wolf took hold of the scruff of my neck, pinching lightly. It was all for fun, for play.
I yipped and turned, bucking him off me. That’s when I tackled him. He hit the dirt with a thud and I stood over him. I had my jaws on his neck, his scent tickling my nostrils. My wolf whined and retreated, though we had the upper hand.
I didn’t plan on shifting, but I did so involuntarily.
One second I was all fur and claws, the next I was exposed skin. Suddenly, I was over top of Tyson. My lips planted against his neck, his very human neck. He had shifted too.
My cock was impossibly hard and it rested against Tyson’s equally hard one. I tried to stay still, but it was if my brain was thinking one thing and my heart another.
“Curt,” Tyson said.
“I—I’m sorry, I don’t—” He silenced me by putting his lips against mine. I groaned as his taste invaded my senses.
My wolf howled in delight. Mate. Mine. Mate.
Mate? Was it possible? Was Tyson mine? Was that what this draw was? This insatiable hunger I had for him?