Ani didn’t fully understand how shifters could eat other animals when they were in their shifted form, but then he wasn’t a shifter, so it wasn’t something he could understand. Still, he had been living with enough of them to know that it was normal, an instinct they could not suppress, and it wasn’t the first time he’d witnessed it.
He had given the wolf his space and had ended up sitting under Dominic’s window, fully knowing that he was hiding in his office. He knew his mate liked the calm, and the house was anything but today. He was impressed that he had offered to help Jeremy and Denver like that even though the only thing he wanted was to hide. It made him want to run into his mate’s arms, even if he knew he wasn’t good enough for Dominic.
“You done, wolfie?”
Adam’s white fur was dirty with blood. Ugh. Should he clean the kid before taking him to Jeremy? He now knew the two mates were in Dominic’s suite, so he wasn’t sure they would be able to clean the kid up, and the tie around the wolf’s neck was definitely ruined, so he would have to be dressed again, and his clothes were in Jeremy’s suite. Maybe he should just grab Adam and take him there, bathe him and dress him before handing him over. It wasn’t like it would be the first time he’d done this, since he was one of Adam’s regular babysitters.
The white wolf yipped and stood up, racing to Ani and bounding around his legs. “Come on, Adam. We don’t have time to play today. This is a very special day for your dads, so we’re going to get you cleaned up and dressed, then I’m going to go help uncle Dominic, okay?”
Adam rolled over and presented his belly to Ani. He knew it was a submissive gesture, but he wasn’t sure if Adam just wanted him to scratch it or if he was telling him that he would do as Ani had said. Oh, well, he was going to rub Adam anyway, so it didn’t matter.
Ani leaned over and rubbed Adam’s belly, laughing when Adam relaxed. He took advantage of that to grab him and hold him close to his chest, even if Adam was still a bloody mess. He hoped Denver would soon teach the kid how to clean up after he ate in his wolf form, because—yuck! Ani was going to have to change after this too.
Holding Adam tight even when he tried to jump down, Ani made his way through the house, avoiding nearly everyone. It wasn’t like they were looking for him anyway, so it wasn’t that difficult, and he didn’t want anyone to find out where Jeremy and Denver were hiding. Passing in front of the living room door he saw Dominic standing there, his face frozen as he watched the flurry of movement.
Ani chuckled. It was obvious the Alpha was out of his element, and Ani wanted to help him, but he didn’t know how. He wasn’t used to weddings. In his tribe people mated without ceremonies, and it was considered a private thing, although he could understand why someone would want the world to witness it. It sounded nice to have someone publicly declare that he was his, to have everyone know that Ani was good enough to have that. But it wouldn’t happen to him.
He would still try to help his mate, though, and while he wouldn’t know what to do and where to begin, he knew someone who would be perfect. He just didn’t know where Keenan was, and he had to take care of Adam first, so he quickly climbed the stairs and entered Denver’s suite. He knew he was welcome there—they’d even given him a spare key, not that they usually locked the door, but still. It made him warm inside to know that someone trusted him that much.
He filled the tub and gently placed Adam inside it after cutting the tie away from his neck, stroking his canine fur to take the blood out. He shampooed and rinsed, and soon Adam was a clean, happy wolfie. “Come on, shift. I want to make sure you’re a clean kid, too.”
Adam whined, indicating he didn’t want to, but Ani insisted. “Come on, we have to go find your dads.”
Adam yipped and licked Ani’s face, making him laugh as only the kid could, and Ani saw the air shimmer around him. Adam was back, and to Ani’s relief, the kid was clean, so he only had to take him out of the tub and dry him before finding something appropriate for him to wear for his parents’ wedding. He’d had to look that up on the internet when Jeremy had announced they were getting married, and Finn had helped him to buy a suit for himself.
Ani had never worn one, had never even seen one before, and he thought he looked weird in it, but Finn and Bryce had insisted that he looked good. Still, he very much preferred his usual t-shirt and cotton pants. They were more comfortable, and he didn’t need to wear a tie with them.
Luckily for him Jeremy knew his son well, and he found a tiny suit and another three ties to go with it in the kid’s dresser. It took a bit of convincing to put everything on, but he managed, even if Adam was whining that he didn’t want to. Then he hauled up the kid and walked to Dominic’s suite.
He would never tell anyone that he knew the place quite well, at least the bedroom, and not because Dominic had invited him in. Ani felt like a peeping tom, but he couldn’t help it. He shimmered into Dominic’s bedroom almost every night and just stood there, watching his mate sleep. Watched how Dominic’s face relaxed in his sleep, how he mumbled and talked even then, how he hugged his pillow as if he needed someone there with him.
Ani knew it was the nearest he would ever come to being with his mate, and even knowing that what he was doing was wrong, he needed those short moments just to savor his mate’s presence. He just hoped Dominic never found out about it.
Ani knocked on the door after balancing Adam on his hip. It wasn’t a comfy position since he was so short and Adam was heavy, but it was the easiest one if he wanted to have at least one hand free. The door creaked open, just a bit, and Jeremy peeked out.
“Oh! Adam!”
Jeremy opened the door wide and Ani saw Denver on the couch, watching TV. “He found me in the library. I don’t know who should have been watching him, but maybe you should let them know that you have him. He, uh, he ate in his wolf form, so I bathed him and dressed him. I hope it’s okay. I went into your suite without telling you, but I knew you wanted to relax, so...”
“It’s perfect. Thank you so much, Ani.” The smile Jeremy gave him was warm and made him think of family.
“I won’t tell anyone where you are, but I have to go. I know Dominic said he would take care of everything, but he seemed...it looked like he was having trouble.”
“Sure, go ahead and help your mate.”
Ani turned around and hurried to the stairs. He had to find Keenan.
* * * *
Dominic didn’t know what to do. He was standing in the entrance of the living room, looking as his friends moved furniture around. They were going to keep the doors between the living room and the dining room open to create a huge space to hold the reception. There was even going to be the space to dance.
“Something’s wrong?”
Dominic turned to look at Bryce. “I think I got myself in something too big for me.” He had thought that being the Alpha, the others would listen to him, but he wasn’t so sure anymore. He usually didn’t use his position to boss people around except when it was a security matter, and this clearly was not.
Bryce snickered. “I don’t know what you did, but you won’t be able to boss Marian around. She kind of took over everything, and we lost both Denver and Jeremy, so she’s doing anything she wants.”
Right then Jayden entered the room with a huge floral arrangement in his arms. The thing was so big they couldn’t even see the top of his head, and he definitely couldn’t see anything because he caught his foot in the red carpet that now ran along the middle of the room, and started to fall down.
Bryce and Dominic moved, Dominic taking hold of the small weasel shifter while Bryce grabbed the vase and water sprayed everywhere, including Dominic’s face.
“Oh god, I’m sorry! I didn’t see the carpet, I’m so sorry!” Jayden exclaimed, wringing his hands together. Dominic didn’t really know Jayden’s story, but he knew the man had been abused by his old Alpha, and it was obvious he thought Dominic would do the same thing.
“It’s fine, Jayden. It’s only water.” Dominic used his t-shirt to clean his face and smiled at the man, trying to look harmless. He wasn’t sure he managed it, but Jayden’s body lost a bit of tension. Damn, it wasn’t easy dealing with the guys they had rescued. Dominic felt as if he was walking on eggshells most of the time, especially around Ani.
He helped Jayden gather the flowers that had fallen from the vase but refused to give it back. It was too damn big for the small man, so he just asked him where he had to put it down. Once he had done that he stepped away and looked at the thing. Yeah, it was pretty, but it was big, too big—like, as big as the chairs they were going to sit on. Who had put Marian in charge? Everyone in the pride knew how she was, and this was only the latest demonstration of it. Of course, Jeremy hadn’t been a pride member for long, so he wouldn’t have known.
“I heard you needed help?” Keenan asked from behind him, and Dominic nearly sobbed in relief. Keenan was the guy, the one who could give a sense to the whole thing and help him! How could he not have thought of him? Dominic turned around, his brows shooting up when he saw Ani hiding half behind Keenan, Keenan’s hand on the smaller man’s waist. Dominic had to reign in his lion at the sight, but he knew better. Keenan had met his mate, even if Jonah had left, and he knew Ani was already spoken for. There was no way he was going to do anything.
“Keenan. Yeah, I need help.”
The man smirked. “Ani told me what you did.”
“Hey, you promised you wouldn’t tell him!” Ani whispered to Keenan, but Dominic heard anyway. It made him feel funny to know that his mate had wanted to help him, even if he did wonder how Ani had found out about it.
“I also promised that you could go back to your room but I still dragged you here. I lied, sue me.” Keenan crossed his arms on his chest and raised a brown at Ani, silently challenging him.
Poor Ani looked ready to disappear, and Dominic didn’t want that, but how could he stop him? Keenan gave him a wicked smile and moved, letting Dominic fully see his mate. The first thing he saw was the blood on his mate’s t-shirt, and he immediately jumped to Ani, grabbing his shoulders as gently as he could. “Are you hurt? What happened? Did someone do something to you?” Shit, his heart was beating so hard it seemed it was trying to get out of his chest. Dominic didn’t scare easily, but where his mate was concerned...
Ani looked shocked, but at least he didn’t shimmer away. “What? Why?”
“The blood on your shirt.”
Ani looked down and chuckled. The sound was music to Dominic’s ears, and he knew he would do anything to hear it again and again. “Oh, no, I’m fine. Adam caught a squirrel and had dinner, so I had to clean him up. I left him with Jeremy and Denver.”
So Ani knew where the couple was. That meant he had heard what had happened in Dominic’s office, so maybe he was keeping tabs on him? Dominic knew very well that the Nix shimmered in his room at night, even if he’d never said anything. If Ani didn’t want him to know, he would act like he didn’t. He was just glad that his mate cared at least a little.
Happy to know that Ani was fine, Dominic gave in to the need, hoping he wouldn’t scare his little mate. He moved forward, engulfing him in his arms and pulling him to his chest until Ani’s head leaned against him. He stroked his cheek on his mate’s silky blond hair and inhaled the green apple and grass scent he loved so much.
He did feel Ani tense in his arms, but his heart soared when small hands went around his waist and clutched at his shirt. “I’m fine,” Ani whispered, so low that only Dominic could hear him.
Keenan cleared his throat beside them. “Guys, I hate to interrupt this lovey-dovey moment since I’m sure it’s the first time you two have actually hugged, but we have work to do and I have to get ready. I’m the best man, you know? Ani, why don’t you shimmer to your room and change while I start planning?”
Ani started to move but Dominic stopped him and kissed the top of his head before letting go. The shy smile he got in return made him so hard that he just knew he could pound nails with his cock, so he was grateful when the Nix shimmered away. He didn’t want to scare his mate.
“Aww, you guys are so cute together!” Keenan crooned, and Dominic felt the odd sensation of heat on his cheeks.
“So, you can help me?” He hadn’t meant to be gruff, but he wanted to take Keenan’s focus away from him and Ani. God knew that when Keenan fixated on something, he was like a dog with a bone. “I have to find someone to perform the wedding because the guy can’t come, and then there’s...this.” Dominic made a gesture to indicate the room around them, finishing with the huge vase.
Keenan tapped his finger on his chin. “Okay, so here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to fire Marian from whatever she’s doing. She’s not going to be happy, but it has to be done. Next we have to tone down the flowers. I guess we can take most of them to the cemetery and maybe some nursing homes, but we’ll have to check if they will take them. I’m sure we can find smaller vases somewhere around the house. The food should be all right since Casey and Isaiah are in charge and they would never listen to Marian. We also have to take down those things,” he said, indicating the white garlands hanging on the walls. There were at least a dozen of them. On each wall.
“What about the ceremony?”
Dominic didn’t like the smile that appeared on Keenan’s face. “Oh, I already know who’s going to do it.”
“Okay. Don’t you need to call him?”
“Nope. You’re right there.” Keenan turned around and started to walk to Marian before it registered in Dominic’s mind.
“What? Keenan, I can’t do that! I’m not a priest or whatever!”
“You don’t need to be. It’s not like this is going to be registered anyway. It’s just a symbolic ceremony since it’s not legal in Wyoming, but if you really want to you can go on the internet and get a license.”
With that he walked away, leaving Dominic alone and once again wondering what the fuck he had gotten himself into.
Chapter Two
Ani had to change into his suit, and he didn’t want to. Yeah, he knew he was whining, but still. He didn’t want to go down there and be in the middle of all those people, he didn’t want to listen to all those conversations. What he really wanted was to get his mate into his bed and make love until morning.
Ani groaned and pressed his palm on his hard-on, wondering if he should take care of it now or after the wedding. He didn’t want everyone to see he had a boner, but he wasn’t sure he had time right now. He knew he was running late.
After putting on a clean t-shirt he had gone down again and had helped Keenan get rid of most of the flowers. Keenan had made them put them all in the upstairs living room, and he was going to distribute them the following day, but for now it would have to do. The living room looked less stuffed with only small vases next to each row of chairs, plus the ones on the arch under which Denver and Jeremy were going to say their vows.
Ani knew Dominic was going to be the one performing the wedding, and he knew his mate was nervous, even if he hid it well. It was endearing to see, really, and he was glad to be the only one to know. Well, Keenan probably had noticed it too, but Keenan noticed a lot of things and he never talked about them, so Ani knew Dominic’s secret was in good hands.
A knock on the door made him hurry to put on at least the pants, but it wouldn’t have mattered since it was Finn. “Hey. Ready?”
Ani looked at his naked chest. “Not quite, but I won’t be long. Want to come in?”
He moved and Finn sat down on the bed as Ani hurried to grab his shirt and tie and put them on the bed. He could feel his cousin’s eyes on him, following him as he moved around the room. “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”
Finn blushed. “Nothing’s wrong. I was just wondering...”
As Ani grabbed the jacket, he saw a flower falling to the floor. Picking it up, he recognized one of the flowers they had put away, but this
one had a message attached to it, wrapped tight on the stem. Ani opened it, knowing very well who it came from.
I don’t know if you know the language of flowers, but this represents perfectly what I feel for you, or at least a part of it. It would take an entire bouquet to convey all my feelings, but for now this will do. If you don’t know what it means, I’ll be happy to tell you. I’ll see you downstairs. D.
Ani held up the flower so that Finn could see it but he kept the message hidden in his hand. “You know what this flower means?”
Finn stood up and walked over to him, looking at the pink camellia in Ani’s hand. “Longing. It means that whoever left this for you, and I have a pretty good idea of who it was, longs for you.” Finn smiled at Ani, but he didn’t really see it. He knew this was what Dominic was feeling, he had told him enough times in all his messages. This felt more important, though, even if Ani couldn’t understand why.
He fingered the petals, and he just couldn’t keep everything inside. Finn was his cousin, his only family. Ani hoped he would understand. “I’m not good enough for him.”
“What? What are you talking about?” Finn reached for Ani and made him sit on the bed before kneeling in front of him.
Ani’s eyes never left the flower. He was too afraid of what he would see in his cousin’s eyes.
“I’m...used.” God, it hurt to even say it. “After what Leold did to me all these years, how can Dominic want me? I’m used.”
“Ani.” He felt Finn’s fingers on his chin, moving it so that his cousin could look him in the eyes. Ani braced himself for the disgust and pity he was about to see, but there was none of that. Instead he saw pain for him and love, but no judgment. “You’re not used. Someone abused you, but you’re still a virgin. Leold raped you, it wasn’t love. No one has ever made love to you.”
A sob rose in Ani’s chest. “But what if that’s what Dominic thinks?”
Ani [Whitedell Pride: 7] Page 2