by Aspen Grey
The stuff I wore at the brothel wasn’t exactly classy. It was designed to do one thing – attract men. But now I didn’t need to do that. In fact, I needed to do the opposite.
The world needed to know I was with Kitchi, and the mark on my chest would definitely help that. I wanted to display it with pride and let everyone know that I was taken. I understood how tattoo owners felt now, always wanting to show off their “new ink.” Well, Kitchi’s bite was my new ink and there was no question behind its meaning.
“Want some breakfast?” he asked me. “Actually, that’s a silly question. What do you want for breakfast?’
“Oh, whatever you’ve got,” I said as I buttoned my shirt.
“Scrambled eggs?” he asked. “Omelet? Bacon and toast?”
“Whatever you’d like,” I said with a smile. I couldn’t remember the last time someone had made breakfast for me – in fact, after I left home I don’t think anyone ever had.
“I’ll see what Kyle’s doing in the kitchen,” he told me, pulling me close and kissing me on the forehead. “And I’ll bring you something back.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, holding his hand as he turned to go.
“For what?” he asked.
“For – for being so nervous around the pack,” I said, feeling embarrassed. “I think I just need time.”
“Take all the time you need,” he told me. It was hard to imagine a sweeter voice or a more caring alpha. “There’s no rush.”
He kissed me again on the forehead before heading outside. A soft breeze of the morning summer air blew in as he stepped out the door and I took a deep breath, doing my best to focus on how I was feeling.
This is your new home, I thought as I watched him go. That’s mine.
It was like a little secret between us, knowing that my mark was on his chest and his was on mine. Sure, other alphas had their own connections, but I couldn’t help but feel like ours was more special. It was just me being stupid, I knew that, but I didn’t care. After the life I’d led, was it wrong to get caught up in my new romance?
Kitchi
It was the best I’d ever felt in my life.
Walking back toward the main lodge, I felt like I was a new person – a changed man. How far had I come in two days?
There I’d been, at the Steel Mill bar, wallowing in the misery of my life, and now I was back at the lodge, my fated mate back in my cabin, with the proof of our love throbbing on my chest.
The morning sun seemed brighter than normal and the air was crisp and clean. I felt…alive.
My life had felt stagnant for so long. Even though I’d found a new pack where I had been more than welcome, everyone else had been finding their mates, having children and making families together. Everyone except me.
But now, I’d found a new future, and he was in the cabin behind me.
When I thought about all he’d been through, and what his life must have been like before the brothel and during his stay there, I wanted to tear the world to pieces. So I tried not to think about it as I stepped up the back porch and pulled the door open that led inside to the kitchen.
I’d expected to find Kyle at the stove as usual – Kyle was Tate’s omega, his fated mate, and loved nothing more than cooking and feeding the pack – but instead, I found Red with his hand on a frying pan.
“Kitchi,” he said with a nod as I came inside. “How are you?”
“Good,” I replied, looking around the kitchen. Osana was working on a pot of tea as usual, but the lodge was uncharacteristically quiet. “Where is everybody?”
“Class trip,” Red chuckled as he flipped bacon.
“What?”
“Tate took everyone to Blue Hole to go swimming,” Osana replied, taking the pot off the stove. “He wanted to make sure you and…your new friend had space.”
I couldn’t help but smile. That was Tate for you. There was a reason he was pack leader. He wasn’t just a big strong alpha, he was considerate and looked out for everyone too. And he enjoyed his position.
“What are you making?” I asked Red. It was odd to see him at the stove. When we’d first come here, Red had been our alpha, and in many ways he still was. We deferred to Tate on most things related to the larger pack and the lodge, but Red was still the leader of the foxes. I’d never once seen him prepare a meal since we’d gotten here.
“He’s making bacon,” Osana chimed in. “After burning about seven scrambled eggs.”
“Do you hear someone talking?” Red asked me with a devilish grin. “I could have sworn I heard something, but…”
“Hey, don’t be mad at me because you can’t even cook scrambled eggs,” Osana replied, shouldering herself in front of Red and taking over the pan. “Kitchi, can you hand me some from the fridge?”
A few of the omegas had taken to raising chickens and had built a small coop on the edge of the trees. I honestly couldn’t stand the smell, but it did mean that we had plenty of fresh eggs all the time, which was nice. I handed the bowl to Osana. She cracked a few, tossed them into a fresh pan and started frantically stirring.
“Soooooo,” she said with a sly look in my direction. “Tell us all about him.”
Romance gossip.
Suddenly, I felt like a little kid again and I couldn’t help but smile.
“His name is Toby,” I told them. Red, free of his kitchen duties, leaned back against the cabinets with his arms crossed, eyeing me with curiosity. He’d never seen this side of me. “I met him in Courtland.”
“Courtland?” he asked.
I nodded. “I was having…a couple of drinks on my own,” I replied.
“And you met him at the bar?” Osana asked.
“Not…exactly,” I said slowly, chewing my lips. Did I really have to admit this part of our relationship to them? It was going to have to come out eventually, and I didn’t want to hide it from them and make Toby think that I was ashamed of him, or ashamed to be with him. “I, uh…I met him at Thatcher’s.”
For a brief second, Osana stopped stirring the eggs. She knew what Thatcher’s was, and so did Red. I felt like a bit of a sleazeball admitting that to them, but there was no way around it. If Toby and I were going to be together, healing through the love of our relationship, this was how things were going to have to be. Better they find out now than later.
“I see,” was all Red said. I could hear the judgment in his voice. Red was a controlled man that never showed weakness, and I couldn’t picture him sitting alone at a bar or seeking companionship at a brothel.
“Was he…seeing someone there too?” Osana asked tentatively. “Do alphas work there as well?”
“No, Osana,” I said, a little too curtly than I’d intended. “He was working. He’s had a really hard life. But so have I.”
“I see,” Red said again. He didn’t sound like he approved, but I could hear from his tone that he was trying to understand.
“He’s my fated mate,” I told them. “I knew it from the moment I smelled him. Before I even saw him I knew.”
That got their attention.
Osana stopped stirring the eggs and pulled the pan off the burner, and Red uncrossed his arms.
“You’re sure?” he asked me.
“I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life,” I replied. “Now I can understand what Tate and Kyle must be feeling.”
“Or any of the other happy couples around here,” Osana grumbled. “What’s a girl gotta do to find a good man?”
“Let’s not rain on Kitchi’s parade, Osana,” Red scolded her. He stepped up to me and extended a hand. I took it and we shook. “If you’re happy – I’m happy.”
“Thank you, Red,” I said. It was a load off my back that he was accepting of my new relationship. I guess I didn’t really think he ever would really have any major objections, but I wasn’t sure. And when I looked at Osana, I saw she felt the same way.
“We’re happy for you, Kitchi,” she smiled, pulling me in for a hug.
“He�
�s just a little nervous right now,” I told them. “He…he’s not used to being around a family like this. He’s scared to meet some of you.”
“Well, you tell him not to worry,” Red said firmly. “Kitchi’s mate is more than welcome here.”
“Thanks, guys,” I smiled. “Now, hurry up with those eggs, Osana! I’m starving!”
Toby
Kitchi and I spent the entire day together. It had started with just lying in bed, doing absolutely nothing other than just fawning all over each other like a couple of hopeless lovesick puppies. And that wasn’t too far off from what we were either.
He’d brought me breakfast and let me know that the rest of the pack, at least the foxes, were happy that he’d found a mate and were excited to meet me, and I was trying not to let that make me even more nervous.
After that, Kitchi had given me a tour of the lodge, showing me the main cabin that had been Tate’s father’s before he died, the barn and the small chicken coop.
“It’s come a long way since the beginning,” Kitchi had told me, smiling fondly at the lodge. “It was Tate’s father’s dream to fix the place up, but he died before he could. Tate took over and made this place what it is now.”
My life felt like something out of a fairytale or a romance novel.
This can’t be happening to me…It was all I could think as I walked with my new mate. It was the first day in what seemed like forever that I had nothing to do but enjoy the day.
I’d taken a midday nap. I don’t know if it was actual physical exhaustion or simply the feeling of being overwhelmed by everything, but I could barely keep my eyes open after we’d come back inside. Osana had made us both tea but I was asleep before it had cooled enough to drink.
When I’d woken up, it wasn’t to the sounds of the Johns downstairs, a bed knocking against the wall or the screech of old bedsprings, it was to the soft breathing of my mate, lying beside me with his arm wrapped around me. It was almost too much to process.
And now, standing naked at his side, staring out at the tree line behind the cabin, I was forcing myself to come to grips with the fact that this was actually my life now.
“How long’s it been?” he asked me.
“At least a year,” I replied sheepishly.
“That’s not right,” Kitchi shook his head. “You might as well just be a human!”
“Well, what are we waiting for then!?”
That’s all I needed to say. Instantly, Kitchi shifted beside me. When I saw his gorgeous red fur, shining in the sun beside me, I almost fucking melted right then and there.
I shifted next, and almost fell over from the sensation. It had been so damn long since I’d taken my fox form that I’d almost forgotten how incredible it felt.
It had been Kitchi’s idea.
“We should go for a run,” he’d said. I hadn’t shifted in so long I didn’t even realize what he meant. I thought he meant that we should go for a jog, to like, get some exercise.
I glanced at him and saw the fire in his eyes, just as he kicked off the ground and darted into the woods.
He’s fast! I thought as I chased after him. My movement was sloppy, but as I raced through the woods behind him, it came back to me.
Just like riding a bike, I thought as the trees streaked by. I felt my confidence returning with each step. I leapt over logs, ducked through holes in bushes and danced my way through the trees, all the while following my mate.
The ground sloped up hard as we made our way up the mountain.
“There’s a water tower up there,” Kitchi had told me. “It’s a good run.”
That’s where we were headed now. The wind whistled in my ears as I pushed myself harder and harder, doing my best to catch Kitchi, but he was fast. He leapt over a boulder in front of us and glanced back over his shoulder in my direction. I could see the smile in his eyes, urging me to keep up with him.
I jumped, clearing the boulder and forcing myself on.
Faster! Faster!
My legs were on fire as I pushed on, up the sloped terrain, feeling alive as my fox ran free beneath the sun, hot on the heels of my fated mate, his scent filling my lungs.
Something large and white came into view as we ran. It was the water tower, a tall white cylinder at the top of the slope. We were almost there. Kitchi was going to beat me.
Summoning all my strength, I kicked hard off the ground and forced myself forward. My chest was on fire as I ran, and my legs felt like they were ready to give out, but there was no way I wasn’t going to catch him.
There was a steep cliff in front of us, maybe twenty feet high. Kitchi was maneuvering to go around it, but if I could make the jump, I’d beat him to the water tower.
It was high, even for someone in perfect shape. I wasn’t even close to top condition now. But I was going for it anyway.
A fallen branch lay at the foot of the stone face. It wasn’t large, and it was questionable whether it would even support me. But I was going to take the chance. Beating Kitchi to the top was all that was on my mind.
I leapt forward, and my feet found the branch. It creaked beneath my weight, and definitely would have snapped beneath a wolf, but it held firm for me. I kicked hard and threw myself into the air.
The jump was higher than it looked, and I wasn’t sure I was going to make it.
Come on! I screamed inside as I hurtled through the air.
My front paws hit the top of the cliff and slid out from underneath me. Rocks spilled back over the edge behind me to clatter to the ground below as I scrambled to get my footing.
My back foot found something hard to brace myself against, and that was all I needed.
I pushed off and surged forward, carrying my momentum into my run. Looking up, I saw the water tower standing tall right in front of me.
Something moved in my left peripheral, and I saw Kitchi streaking toward me, a crimson blur among the trees.
Gotcha!
He looked shocked as he sprinted after me, but it was too late. I’d beaten him.
Triumphantly, I leapt into the air and skidded to a halt at the base of the tower, my heart about to explode in my chest and my lungs on fire. Quickly, I shifted back to human form and threw my arms in the air above my head.
“Victory!”
Kitchi slid to a stop and shifted, and I giggled when I saw the look on his face. He was pissed! But in the most loving of ways.
“How did you do that!?” he asked as if I’d just blown his mind.
“Jumped up the cliff,” I giggled. “What’s the matter? Can’t make that high of a jump, tough guy?”
Kitchi scowled at me, snatched me up in his arms and started tickling the shit out of me.
“Stop! Ah, stop!” I laughed as his fingers probed my sides.
“This will teach you!” he growled in a silly voice. Panting, I leapt away from him and pressed my back against the cool steel of the water tower. As I looked at my mate, suddenly something felt…different.
“What is it?” he asked instantly – again, like he could read my mind.
“Kitchi,” I stammered, putting a hand on my belly. “I – I’m pregnant.”
Kitchi
“Are you sure!?” I gasped, feeling like someone had hit me right in the chest. But when I looked at him, somehow I knew.
“Yes,” Toby replied, a new excitement in his face. “I don’t know how I know…I just…know.”
“That’s a lot of ‘knows,’” I smiled, moving in close to him.
“You’ve got some potent sperm,” Toby grinned as I placed my palms on his sides. “Probably knocked me up the first time!”
My child is in there…I thought with amazement. It was exactly what I wanted, what we both wanted, but I hadn’t expected it to happen so fast.
“Well, what did you expect?” I joked. “Don’t you know I’m the biggest, baddest fox alpha in existence?”
“There’s no doubt in my mind,” Toby replied, kissing me softly. I’d expected a sarcasti
c retort from him, but I could see that the realization of his pregnancy had changed his mood. Our relationship had taken another step forward, and I knew we’d embarked upon a journey together, one that would change us both, but the one thing that would never change? Our love.
“I love you, Toby,” I told him, never having meant anything more in my life. He looked up at me, and I saw a flicker of hesitation in his eyes. But before he could doubt himself, before his mind could slip back into that place of doubt and anxiety, I pulled him closer. “And you love me. Don’t you?”
“Yes,” he blurted out instantly. “I love you, Kitchi.”
“We’re going to have a baby!” I told him, feeling the excitement swell within me. “Can you believe it!?”
“Well…” he giggled. “That’s what’s happen when you…do what you did to me.”
“I was counting on it,” I winked, kissing him again. “Come on. Let’s go home.”
“Home,” Toby said softly, almost to himself. Then, he raised his eyes to me. “That’s nice to hear.”
Without even saying anything, we shifted together. It was like we were both operating on the same wavelength, our bodies resonating at the same frequency. We understood each other now. No, we always did. And that’s why there was no doubt in my mind that this would work.
We raced through the trees together, the wind at our backs as we streaked down the slope back toward the cabin. I’d never felt freer, and I couldn’t imagine how Toby was feeling.
Life at Thatcher’s must have been hard on him, and getting out like this and letting his fox run free must have felt like Heaven.
I don’t know if it was finding my mate, or hearing the news that Toby was pregnant, but as we ran back to the cabin, I couldn’t help but think about my own parents.
How could my father have done what he did to me?
It was a question I’d asked myself over and over, countless times through my life until I realized I’d never know the answer. But now, thinking about what kind of father I wanted to be, knowing that soon I would be responsible for a life, I couldn’t fathom ever becoming anything like my father.