by Marcy Jacks
“Are you all right?”
Chris opened his mouth then closed it. He sighed. “So, what does this mean? About you? About…”
About last night.
Declan gave him that hard look again. Chris knew this. This was Declan trying to think about how he should be tactful, what he should say to break the news gently instead of pushing through a glass shop like a wild horse.
“I want you to be my mate.”
If Chris had heard that last night before they’d had sex, he would have been over the moon. Hearing it now, however…
“All right.”
Declan tilted his head, his thick brows furrowing. “That’s it? Just all right?”
Chris leaned back in his chair. He looked down at the little feast he’d made.
He wasn’t hungry anymore. “What do you want me to say?”
“I don’t know. I suppose this is a good thing, but usually you’re easier to read.”
Chris snorted. “That means a lot coming from you.”
“But you’re not happy with this.”
Chris shrugged. “Nothing to be happy or sad about. Wait, are you saying you want me to be your mate, or are you saying that I am your mate?”
“Do you know what this difference is?”
Chris glared at him, but he supposed he couldn’t blame the other man for being cautious after he’d just learned Chris knew very little about himself.
“I know that werewolves can choose a mate, but sometimes a mate is chosen for them based on instinct. Are you saying that I am your mate or that you want me for one?”
Declan didn’t blink. “You are my mate. You always have been.”
Chris nodded. Still not over the moon about this. “And is this because I’m a wolf soul?”
“No.”
“How do you know that?”
Declan crossed his arms. “I just know it.”
That didn’t inspire a lot of confidence, but Chris supposed it was what they had to work with.
“All right.”
“You’re still not happy?”
Chris shook his head. “I don’t know what I am right now.”
Chapter Five
Chris had to go to work.
He didn’t have to, but he was sure as hell going to get out of the apartment when Declan was there and he had all of this to think about.
So he went to the nursing home where he worked and asked if they could use his help.
Luckily for him, one of the servers had called in sick, so at least there was something for him to do for the day.
Not that it helped. Chris still couldn’t take his mind off of Declan, what he’d said, and the fact that Chris’ parents had known about it this entire time.
“What’s the matter, sweetie?”
Chris jumped, forcing a smile for Mrs. Maghulicutty. “Nothing. I think I’m just miles away right now, you know?”
“You should take your vitamins. They will help with that sort of thing. Especially for when you get to be my age.”
Chris nodded at this sage advice, knowing better than to argue with her. “Sure thing. Thanks so much for the help.”
How many times had he walked by shifters or come into contact with them over his adult life and never known it? Jesus, there were a few elderly shifters who lived here. Not that Chris worried about them, but didn’t his parents think about what would happen to him when he got out in the world not knowing this sort of thing?
And Declan wanted him, for a mate. The man didn’t just want Chris in his life. He didn’t want to fuck Chris, or even stay just friends. He wanted to be life mates.
That was supposed to make Chris feel good. He should be over the moon with news like that, and yet he still couldn’t bring himself to feel anything other than misery.
So he went to ask Mr. Ziegler about it. He was one of the resident werewolves.
Apparently, he was about two hundred and ten years old. A miserable old fuck that everyone tried to avoid at all costs.
To be fair, why the hell wouldn’t he be miserable? The guy had lived through world wars, the horrors of communism and Nazism, came to America to thrive, and now he was surrounded by humans in his old age.
Not the last of his pack from what Chris understood, but still alone.
Like the human population, it seemed shifters liked to put away the elderly people they couldn’t take care of, too. Mr. Ziegler made it no secret how much he hated this place and everyone who ran it.
For that reason, Chris was a little concerned about paying him a visit in his room.
He knocked softly on the door, half hoping the older man wouldn’t hear him.
Of course, that was a stupid thing to hope for when the wolf in question was…well, a wolf.
“I can smell you out there! You might as well get in here. Little cowardly shit.”
Chris nearly turned and walked away, but he opened the door.
Mr. Ziegler sat in his electric chair by the window. He had his oxygen in today, but his eyes were as clear and mean as they ever were when they landed on Chris.
“Not sure what you’re doing here, unless you volunteered to clean out my piss pan.”
“No, uh, I was just wondering how you were doing today, Mr. Ziegler?”
The old wolf’s eyes blazed bright red. The rest of his body was wasting away, but his eyes were as sharp as ever.
“I’m waiting to die in here! What’s it look like?”
“Please don’t say things like that. You have people who want to see you around for a long time.”
Mr. Ziegler snorted. “Right. A long time is what they’ll get. You humans, so damned lucky. You get old and you die. That’s it. Some of you don’t get old at all. I should have died a long time ago in a blaze of glory, covered in the blood of my enemies and soaked in my own. If I had known living this long would lead me here, I’d have ended it a long time ago.”
Chris wondered if he should let someone know Mr. Ziegler was talking like that. It couldn’t be good for him.
Of course, it wasn’t common for wolves to get as old as he did for just the reason he listed.
They fought with each other too much. Over territory, resources, even men and women to breed with. Humans and other shifters alike.
Because their life spans were a little over double that of a humans, it meant their old age lasted longer, too.
That was a long time to feel helpless and in pain.
“I can bring you something to make you feel better if you like?”
Mr. Ziegler raised a brow at him. “You really want to make me feel better? Order me a whore, good booze, and a slab of meat I can sink my teeth into.”
Mr. Ziegler didn’t have many teeth left to speak of, so even if Chris was able to get him those things, he doubted the man would be able to eat his food.
“I’ll see what can be done about the, uh, whore and booze.”
Mr. Ziegler snorted.
Might as well go all the way. He’d come in here to pester an elderly man, after all.
“Mr. Ziegler, I have a question. I need your help with something.”
The other man’s red eyes suddenly zoned in on him. He stared at Chris hard, almost with the same intensity that Declan did at times, and he said nothing.
Chris cleared his throat. “I, uh, just found out that I might be a wolf soul. I was wondering…did you—”
“Yes.”
Chris blinked. Mr. Ziegler snorted, looking back out the window where the sky shone blue and bright, and a dog barked somewhere in the distance.
“Is that a yes, you knew?”
The other man rolled his eyes. “No, it was a yes I did bang your granny during the Second World War. Of course it means I knew.”
Chris tensed. He knew better than to talk back to the other man, so he didn’t.
This guy could remember a time before buttons on shirts was a common thing. At least, that was what Chris had heard. He wasn’t sure the man was that old, but still, there was somet
hing amazing about being in the presence of a man who had a childhood where indoor plumbing and electricity weren’t the norm.
Mr. Ziegler rolled his eyes. "Yes, I can smell it. Smelled it on you and all over this place the minute you started working here. It's everywhere."
That horrified Chris to some extent. He couldn't help but tilt his head to the side a little to try and catch a sniff of himself, as though he would catch a whiff of sour body odor.
Mr. Ziegler yelled at him for that one. "Don't do that! Idiot! You won't be able to smell it."
"I know," Chris muttered, though he didn't have a good excuse for what he'd done.
"Idiot," Mr. Ziegler growled.
Chris tried not to let it get to him. He really did.
"So if you can smell it, and it's that strong—"
"Why did I never try to jump you?"
Chris wished the old guy would stop finishing his sentences. "Yeah, something like that."
Mr. Ziegler looked down at himself, taking care to make sure Chris noticed the way he looked at the wheels of his wheelchair, at his oxygen tank, and his legs, which needed a blanket over them in order to stay warm.
"You're not too smart there, are you, boy?"
"I suppose not."
Why did he get the feeling that if he were to try to strangle this old man, Mr. Ziegler would still be able to rip his head off?
And he would get fired.
Mr. Ziegler chuckled. "You're all right, though. No, don't worry. Your smell is strong, but it's not that strong. Or I'm too old to notice it."
"But do you think that if you were closer to my age or…"
"I would make the attempt to seduce you, without a question, but my generation is different from yours. Everyone wants to fuck, but no one wants to settle in and do their duties to their packs or their kind."
"What do you mean?"
Mr. Ziegler waved his hand. "You know what I mean. It's on the news all the time. Wolves and humans alike out there trying to sell wolf souls, the poor bastards, to anyone who will take a second look at them. People are so stupid. No one thinks anymore. Granted, you shouldn't get yourself too riled up about it. It's still a rare occurrence."
"Right, yeah." Chris had to give the man that. Sure, there were people out there who had bad intentions, who wanted to take what didn't belong to them, and even kidnap and sell people on the black market, but not everyone did that sort of thing. It wasn't even most people.
That wasn't normal, but it still happened, but Chris was living proof that it wasn't that bad. He'd been walking around for his entire adult life without knowing this was something he needed to worry about. Nothing had ever happened. No one had ever touched him or propositioned him.
He was probably making a bigger deal out of something than he needed to.
"Besides, you've clearly got protection."
Chris was about to take his leave before those words stuck into his brain. "Uh, yeah, what do you mean?"
Mr. Ziegler raised a thick shaggy brow at him.
Chris shrugged. "I really don't know what you mean. I'm sorry."
Mr. Ziegler shook his head. "You need to work that out with your mate, then. This isn't for me to get involved in."
Chris tensed. "Wait, how do you know I have…right. You can smell it on me."
Oh God, could he smell the sex he and Declan had the night before?
Mr. Ziegler barked a laugh. His eyes changed from red to a bright gold color. He was clearly pleased with himself.
"Smell it on you? I've been able to smell it on you for damn near two years. Even when you had the stink of some other fool on your skin. You really need to be mindful that you work around shifters.”
“Right. I will. I’m sorry.”
“You should be. Shifters come around here all the time sniffing for you. I can smell one outside right now.”
Chris tensed. “You can?”
Mr. Ziegler snorted. “It's definitely an alpha."
This had to be Declan. Chris swallowed. "How do you know it's a he?"
"You seem like the type, and males give off a certain smell. Not all the time, just most of the time.”
Chris narrowed his eyes at the seemed like the type comment. "I thought all wolves were bisexual."
The old shifter chuckled at him, and with that, Chris realized he wasn't going to get any further with this, so he decided to get out of there.
That had been something of a waste of time. He hoped his supervisor didn't hear about this little conversation. He didn't want to get into any more trouble than he already was.
By the time he left for the night, Chris had changed into a clean shirt from his locker, grabbed his wallet, keys, and phone, and then noted how his texts had blown up.
Declan had been trying to get in touch with him.
A whole lot of Where are you? Please answer the phone. And even the mention of an emergency.
Okay, this was a bit much. Chris called back Declan's number on his way out the building, waving to Clare at the front desk as he left.
Declan didn't pick up the phone. He was right there, waiting out front for Chris, phone in hand.
Considering what Mr. Ziegler had said earlier, Chris wasn’t shocked. He had to wonder why Declan hadn’t come in and asked for Chris at the front desk if it was such an emergency.
But then Chris stopped caring about that as he took the other man in. Clean shaven. He wore a simple pair of jeans and a white T-shirt that seemed a little too small as it stretched over the perfection of his pectorals.
Heat and lust got Chris in all the right ways.
If Declan had hair to gel back, he could have looked like a more buffed-out version of James Dean.
Chris put his phone away, ending the call.
He approached the other man, ready with his apologies, but Declan stopped him quickly, kissing him hard on the mouth.
Chris wanted to sink into it. He really did, but he was in front of workplace, so he pushed back.
Declan's eyes looked sad, but he recovered quickly.
"We need to get out of here."
Chris didn't even get the chance to comfort the other man, to explain that he wasn't pushing Declan away because he didn't want him.
What he'd said caught Chris a little too off guard.
"Wait, what are you talking about? What's wrong?"
"I didn't say anything was wrong."
He tried pulling Chris' hand, but he wouldn't move.
"It's all over your face. What's going on?"
Declan looked at him, as though he really didn't want to have to explain this. Chris glared at him. "Tell me what's going on. You're not going to hide something like this from me for over a decade again."
Declan winced. His hand fell away from Chris', and that stunned him more than anything.
He didn't want Declan to stop holding his hand, even if they were in front of the building where he worked.
"I told you that my pack was interested in you because of your status as a wolf soul, right?"
Chris tensed. "If you tell me that your pack is trying to come and find me again after all these years, there is no way in hell I'll believe you."
"Not the pack, but someone in it."
"Oh, fuck off! Are you serious? There's no way! I've been fine this whole time, and now you're telling me someone out there might want to come looking for me? For real?"
"For real.”
"That makes no sense."
He couldn't get over it. His brain wouldn't wrap around that concept. That he hadn't known he was a wolf soul, and then last night he’d managed to get Declan, not only in his life, but as a lover…
And now this.
"Are you sure you aren't mistaken? I mean that sounds kind of overly dramatic."
And he wanted to go home now. Chris wanted to go home, climb back into bed with his mate, maybe fuck again, and forget this day ever happened and that Declan was telling him this weird shit.
Declan looked at him for what felt li
ke a long minute before he stepped forward and grabbed Chris by his shoulders. His grip was tight, but reassuring.
"I am so sorry I did this to you. I know you like things a certain way, but this is happening. I need to keep you safe."
"Because I'm your wolf soul, right?"
"No, because I fucking love you."
Chris blinked wide, looking up at the other man and hardly able to believe he'd heard it.
"You—"
Declan leaned in and kissed him again, and this time, Chris couldn't bring himself to pull away, despite where he was.
The pope could walk by and see him kissing his mate, and Chris wouldn't give a damn.
Unfortunately, the kiss didn't last long. This time it was Declan who pulled back, his eyes blazing bright red as he looked up toward the edge of the parking lot.
"What is it?"
Chris turned and looked. The sun was still up, sort of. The shadows were getting long, and the sky was yellowing, but he could still see perfectly.
He saw nothing there, but Declan was tense. His arms around Chris felt more like a tank trying to wrap him up in safety instead of a lover.
"We need to go. Right now."
Maybe it was the fact that he couldn't see whatever it was that had Declan acting like this, but Chris nodded, only too eager to go along with him.
Now he knew why Declan hadn’t come inside to ask for Chris. Because he hadn’t been here when Mr. Zeigler picked up that scent.
Someone else had been lurking around the building. Someone alpha and male.
"Yeah, sure thing."
Chapter Six
Chris let Declan drive his car this time. He didn't think he was in a state to be driving when he was a jittering mess every time they so much as hit a stop light.
Chris wasn't sure he wanted to know how Declan had made it all the way to his workplace without a car.
"Did you take an Uber over or something?"
"I ran," Declan said, matter-of-factly. He kept both his hands on the wheel, his focus straight ahead.
"In your wolf form?"
Declan nodded, and as he did, Chris got the impression he was looking for something. That he was aware of the roads and trees and sidewalks every time the car came to a stop.