by Macy Blake
“Want to go watch a movie?” Shaq asked. If he didn’t stop this now, he didn’t know if he would be able to. He wanted to keep touching, to explore Drew. To let Drew keep touching him. But he didn’t want to rush Drew. That wasn’t how this was supposed to work. Drew had to have a chance to choose him once he’d proven himself.
“Yeah,” Drew said. The quiet moment lasted a little longer before Drew scooted forward and slid down from his perch on the counter. Their bodies pressed together, and Drew titled his head back to look up at Shaq. He could see forever in Drew’s eyes and he hoped Drew would soon understand that they were meant to be.
Drew
Drew sighed and wiggled back into the warmth behind him. Then he opened his eyes with a frown. Memories flooded back and he glanced down at the heavy weight over his side. The weight was an arm, and the arm was attached to an alpha hellhound. Shaq. The thought didn’t freak him out this time, unlike the night before when he was pretty sure he’d hyperventilated. A key fumbled in the lock and Drew turned his attention to the front door. They were on the couch, Shaq tucked in close behind him, his arm wrapped protectively around Drew’s waist. Holding him close. He’d not slept so well in… Drew couldn’t actually remember the last time he’d woken up feeling well-rested.
The last thing he remembered was them sitting together on the couch, watching a movie. Shaq had handed him the controls after they’d finished dinner. He’d given Shaq a teasing eight-out-of-ten for his burger, and the poor guy had pouted for twenty minutes until Drew upped his score to a nine. It was actually one of the best burgers he’d ever eaten, but, as he’d pointed out to Shaq, it would have been better on the grill.
There was another rattle at the front door, along with whispered voices. Drew grabbed Shaq’s hand and squeezed. “Shaq.”
He felt the alpha wake, his body tensing as he did.
“Someone’s trying to get inside.”
He wasn’t actually that scared, but they were also laying there in plain view and… well, just in case.
“Solomon and Cody,” Shaq rumbled. “Coming for the cookout.”
The cable box under the television had the time and Drew glanced at it quickly. It was two in the afternoon. They’d not gone to sleep until after six. It wasn’t a lot of sleep, but it didn’t seem to matter. Drew kept holding onto Shaq’s hand as the front door opened and a young guy he hadn’t seen before walked inside. He caught sight of Drew and Shaq on the couch and froze.
“Out of the way, Cody. This shit is heavy.”
The guy scrambled to the side and Solomon walked inside holding two ginormous, foil-covered trays. “Afternoon, bossman.”
“Stop calling me that,” Shaq grumbled. “Cody, how’re you feeling?”
His voice was still sleep-growly, and it vibrated Drew’s back every time he spoke. Drew chose to ignore the way his body responded to that rumble, but needless to say, he liked it. He liked it more than he probably should.
“Better,” Cody said softly. “Still a little tired.”
“Take it easy today then,” Shaq ordered. “We’ll handle the food.”
Cody nodded and followed Solomon into the kitchen.
“Who’s that?” Drew asked once they were out of sight.
“Bartender. He’s been out sick. Got some flu bug or something. You ready to get up or you want to go lay down in my room for a while and get some more sleep?”
“I’m awake,” Drew said.
“How’d you sleep?”
Drew gave Shaq’s hand another squeeze. “Really well.”
Shaq rumbled again and tugged him closer, not that there was an inch of space between them to start with.
“Shaq?”
“Yeah?”
“Is this… you know… normal?”
Shaq leaned up a little and looked over Drew’s shoulder. Drew turned his head so he could see Shaq’s expression. “Is what normal?” Shaq asked.
“I mean… us. This. I mean, is this an alpha thing? Is this what you do? Just sort of… snuggle everyone better?”
Drew heard a burst of laughter from the kitchen and figured Cody must have said something funny. Shaq glared that direction before turning his attention back to Drew. “No, Drew. This is an us thing, not a pack thing.”
“Oh,” Drew said. His cheeks heated and he looked away. “Okay.”
Shaq nuzzled the top of his head and breathed against his hair. “Okay. Want to get a shower? Everyone will be here soon.”
“That’s a good idea.”
Drew stayed where he was though, curled up in front of Shaq, holding his hand and just enjoying the moment. He had more questions, the main one being what exactly an us thing meant, but he kept it to himself. He’d honestly had enough questions for one day and he didn’t think he could handle anything else.
The front door opened again, and another man Drew didn’t know walked inside. “Hey, Al—”
He jerked to a stop, suddenly seeing Drew lying on the couch with Shaq. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open. A woman walked in behind him, talking to someone else, and she plowed into his back. “Fuck, Vice. What the hell, man? Why’d you sto—” She froze as well, her eyes locked onto Shaq and Drew.
Drew squeezed Shaq’s hand and started to move, but Shaq tightened his hold and let out a low rumble. Drew shivered and pushed back against Shaq’s chest, trying to get a little more of the feeling against his back.
“Pack,” Shaq murmured against Drew’s hair.
He wasn’t entirely sure that announcement helped. There were still strangers staring at him like he was on exhibit at a zoo or something. A third person came in the room, carrying a huge cooler. He bumped into the two already there and growled. “Out of the way, assholes.”
“Could you three be any more annoying?” Shaq grumbled.
The new guy stopped and stared as well.
“I think I want to get up now,” Drew said.
Shaq sighed. “Yeah, I guess we better.”
The newcomers continued to stand there staring while Drew untangled himself from Shaq’s hold and rose.
Finally, a familiar voice came from behind them. “Out of the way, you idiots.”
Walt pushed his way inside, holding a big plastic bowl in his hands. The other three moved to the side, and Walt moved to Drew. He gave him a once over and nodded. “You look better. Good. Come help me.”
“O-okay,” Drew said.
Walt pushed the bowl into Drew’s arms and went into the kitchen. He gave Shaq another quick look before following. Solomon had the back door open and was prepping the grill. Cody sat on one of the bar stools, looking tired. Drew set the bowl on the counter and stepped up to the guy. “You look like you need a break,” Drew said quietly.
“Just tired,” Cody said. “I’ll be okay.”
“You… you could lie down in the guest room,” Drew suggested. “I can wake you up when food is ready.”
Cody looked a bit interested in the idea. He glanced around nervously. “I really am tired.”
“Come on,” Drew said. He led the way back into the living room and found Shaq talking to the others. He paused when he saw Drew and Cody.
“Okay?” Shaq asked.
Drew nodded and led Cody down the hall to the room he’d slept in… well, not last night but the night before. His duffel bag was still sitting on the dresser. He pointed to the bed and Cody yawned before crawling beneath the covers. “I’ll bring you some water,” Drew said. “Have you taken any meds or anything?”
Cody shook his head. “I took something earlier.”
“I’ll see what Shaq has.”
Cody gave him a strange look, so Drew paused at the door. “What is it?”
“You and Shaq. That’s new.”
“Yeah,” Drew said. “Very new.”
Cody nodded. “He’s nice to me. Not everyone is.”
Drew had no idea how to reply, but since Cody closed his eyes, he didn’t figure he had to. He carried his clean clothes across the
hall to the bathroom and placed them on the counter before heading into the living room. “Hey, Shaq. Do you have any Tylenol or anything?”
“I’ve got some in my purse, honey,” Shelly said. “You have a headache?”
“No, Cody needs it.”
“Oh, that poor baby. He doesn’t take care of himself.” Shelly popped open the cooler the one guy— Vice, Drew thought Shaq had called him— had sat down on the living room floor and pulled out a bottle of water. She snagged her handbag from beside the door next and made her way down the hall.
Shaq left the others standing there and moved to Drew’s side. He cupped his hand around Drew’s neck and smiled down at him. “Thanks for looking after Cody. He’s pretty stubborn sometimes.”
“You seem to like stubborn people.”
Shaq grinned and squeezed his neck again. He ran his thumb over Drew’s jaw, and Drew closed his eyes, basking in the alpha’s attention. “I do. You going to grab a shower?”
Drew nodded and opened his eyes again. “Yeah. I’m not… I need a minute before all the people.”
“Not a problem. Take your time. Walt’s going to make barbeque ribs for us.”
Drew grinned. “Won’t be as good as your burger.”
Shaq laughed and slipped his arms around Drew’s waist. “Now you’re just sweet-talking me.”
“What am I even seeing right now?” Vice asked. He yelped a second later and Drew looked over to see that the lady had him in a headlock.
Shaq growled. “Go shower while I deal with this idiot.”
“Okay,” Drew said.
He hurried down the hall, stopping only to peek into the guest room to check on Cody. The guy was sound asleep. He closed the door softly and went across the hall to the bathroom. After starting the water, he leaned against the wall and breathed. He had to do that a lot, just focus on taking one breath after the other. Once he took a few more fortifying breaths, he stripped and got into the shower. The hot water helped pull the last of the nervous tension from him. He let it pound on the back of his neck for several minutes after he finished washing his body.
By the time he’d gotten dressed and headed back into the kitchen, there was food everywhere. Walt bossed everyone around like he owned the place, and Shaq stood outside with a huge platter of ribs as Solomon loaded individual racks onto the grill. Shelly chopped veggies at the counter and the other people, the ones he hadn’t met, were standing around looking at him awkwardly. Drew slipped between them and stopped beside Walt.
“Can I help?”
“I don’t know, can ya?” Walt asked.
Drew nudged him with his elbow so Walt glared over at him. “No privacy in here.”
Drew could imagine that would be upsetting, especially since Shaq had already told Drew that Walt preferred to be tucked away in the back of the bar where no one could see him. “If it helps, I think they’re staring at me.”
Walt turned to glare at them. “Out of the kitchen! Right now! Go!”
They scurried outside, but not before Drew noticed that their eyes flared with the same flames as Shaq’s did. He did breathe a little easier knowing they were no longer staring at him like he was an oddity. “That was weird.”
Walt shrugged and handed Drew a carton of eggs. “These are already hard-boiled. Peel ‘em. Also, you’ll get used to the weird. Meshaq’s just gotta introduce them to you. Gotta admit it must have been weird for them to walk in and see a stranger all cuddled up with their alpha.”
Drew nodded as he tapped the first egg onto the edge of the sink to crack it. He began peeling and glanced up to find Shaq watching him. He smiled at Drew, who couldn’t help but smile back, then went back to work with Solomon at the grill.
“You two sure are sweet on each other,” Walt said.
Shelly walked outside with a pan of what appeared to be foil wrapped corn on the cob.
“Takes one to know one,” Drew replied.
Walt scoffed and continued adding ingredients to his giant bowl.
“Also,” Drew said as he continuing peeling, “I don’t even know why. This whole thing is weird.”
“Not really,” Walt said. He took the eggs Drew had already peeled and started slicing them in half. He popped the bright yellow yolks into a separate dish and placed the empty whites onto a plate.
“What do you mean?” Drew asked.
“It’s a pack thing. Like when I came. Shaq just knew I fit. He kept me, I guess you could say.”
“But he didn’t make you stay.”
“Course he didn’t. But he’s not making you stay either, now is he?”
Drew couldn’t argue with that. “Is that what happened with Shelly and Cody?”
“Shelly was around before my time, but from the way I hear it, she came in to apply for a job and stayed. You know my story. Cody, well, at one point, he was paired up with one of our customers. Not sure what the whole story is, but that guy doesn’t come around anymore and Cody does.”
“Uh, Walt,” the woman who’d walked in earlier stopped on the other side of the counter. She was pretty, but intimidating. There was a toughness to her that had Drew paying attention to her movements. For the first time since he’d been in Shaq’s home, he felt like prey. Then she looked at him and smiled a bit and his unease faded.
“What?”
“Shaq says we need to introduce ourselves to Drew and not be animals.”
Walt cackled. “What? He gonna put you in the doghouse otherwise?” Walt nudged Drew with his arm and laughed harder. “Get it? Doghouse?”
Drew rolled his eyes but had to admit it was fun hanging out with Walt. “I’d say he needs to have them on a tighter leash.”
Walt lost it, doubling over at the counter laughing. Shaq poked his head in the door and Drew looked at him innocently.
Shaq just smirked at him and walked back out.
“So, I’m Calliope. Everyone calls me Calli.”
Drew grinned at her. “Hi, Calli. I’m Drew. Sorry for the bad joke, but honestly, making this guy laugh is kinda fun.”
“Hey, as long as he keeps making me magic nachos, I don’t care what jokes he makes.”
She gave them a quick salute and went back outside.
Drew finished peeling another egg and passed it to Walt. “I keep hearing about these magic nachos.”
Walt shrugged and began stirring together some sort of salad. “I’ll make you some next week. Now, Calli, she’s a tough one. When Shaq or Solomon can’t take a job, they send her. I don’t think there’s an official pecking order, but if there was, I’d say she’s Shaq’s third.”
Drew nodded. He could see that. Solomon definitely seemed like Shaq’s right hand man. The other guys he’d met the first night were tough as well, but she definitely had a raw power about her that even Drew could feel.
Another one of the guys walked in. He looked like a Viking or something. He had blond hair but the sides were shaved, and his beard was longer than any of the other men in Shaq’s pack. “I’m Jedrek,” he said.
“Drew.”
He gave Drew a nod. “Make me some spicy eggs, Walt?”
“I’ll think about it. Make sure they don’t char my ribs.”
“Will do,” Jedrek said as he walked back outside.
Drew finishing peeling the last of the eggs and handed them over to Walt. “What next?”
“You know how to pipe?”
Drew frowned. “Um…”
Walt sighed and grabbed a zip top bag. “I’ll show ya.”
He finished adding the yolks to the bowl and mixed them up with the ingredients he’d already added. Once he had a creamy mixture, he spooned it into the bag and cut off the tip. He squeezed gently and some of the mixture came out into one of the empty egg whites. “Like that.”
“Oh, I get it. Yeah, I can do that.”
Walt handed over the bag and went back to work on the other bowl. Drew actually loved deviled eggs, and he hadn’t even realized that’s what he was helping Walt make until t
hat moment. He focused on getting the mixture evenly into the egg whites until a throat cleared from the other side of the counter.
“What now?” Walt grumbled.
Drew looked up and found the final of the newcomers standing there watching them. “I’m Drew,” he said automatically.
“Viceroy. You can call me Vice.”
This one looked like he should be in some rock and roll band. His dark hair was slicked back and messy. He wore a T-shirt with a faded band logo on the front and had a pair of fancy sunglasses hooked onto the neck. “Vice,” Drew repeated.
“Need a beer, Walt?” Vice asked.
Walt shook his head so Vice went back outside with the others.
“They are so weird,” Drew said.
“That they are. But they’ve all been introduced now. Looks like Teague and Achim just pulled up outside.”
“They did?”
“Yeah, look outside.”
Drew did, and noticed that the entire pack had turned in the direction of the front of the house. It took Drew a second to figure out what Walt was trying to tell him. “So they heard them. They can hear really well, huh?”
“You’d better get the hang of that. Cause you talk shit about them and they’ll know it.”
“That’s… good to know.”
Drew wondered if he’d already said things that he shouldn’t have. “What else can they do?”
“That’s a question for Meshaq. You done with those eggs yet?”
“I am.”
“Good. Go on and take the plate outside. You hang out there with them for a bit. No one’s gonna mess with you.”
Drew washed his hands before picking up the plate to do as Walt had asked. He stopped beside him and leaned against Walt’s arm a bit. “Thanks for understanding,” Drew whispered. “I’m just a little overwhelmed, you know?”
Walt huffed, but he pressed his arm against Drew’s in return. “Go get Shaq to tell you about the time the cheerleading squad tried to make Solomon their mascot.”