Chasing Seth

by Loveless, J. R.

  Shivering, Seth stilled his hands, resting them on the dresser drawer, and he leaned back into Kasey. “Do you… do you want me to go out and get them?” he asked breathlessly.

  “I’d rather save them for tomorrow, pup,” Kasey replied meaningfully, gently tightening his hold on Seth while waiting for an answer.

  “O-okay,” Seth sighed, his heart beating faster at the thought of Kasey holding him throughout the night.

  Kasey could hear the sound of Seth’s heart rate pick up, and he took Seth’s stutter as uncertainty. His smile dropped from his face. “Unless you’d rather I went home….”

  “What? No. I said okay.” Seth frowned, turning around in Kasey’s arms to look up at him. “You want to stay, right?”

  “Do you want me to stay?” Kasey countered.

  Seth reached up to tug on a strand of wet hair lying on Kasey’s shoulder. “Didn’t I say that?”

  Kasey lifted an eyebrow, his tension easing at the obvious acceptance from Seth, but not wanting to let his mate off the hook quite so easily. “I didn’t hear it, no.”

  Giving Kasey a perturbed look, Seth stated it plainly: “I want you to stay.”

  “Are you sure?” Kasey teased, brushing the tips of his fingers along Seth’s cheek. He liked watching the emotions playing over his pup’s face. It fascinated him to see the way his mate’s eyes changed from a bright blue to a stormy blue-gray with the change of his disposition.

  Seth pushed at Kasey’s chest, heaving a strained sigh, knowing his mate was teasing him. The thought brought him up short, and he froze, his hands still pressed on the warm skin. His mate? When had he started to think of Kasey as his?

  When he’d admitted to himself he was falling in love with the man, that’s when. But the realization just made him even more afraid. The closer he got to Kasey, the more it would hurt if he lost him.

  “I think we should order pizza. It won’t take long for them to deliver it,” Kasey said, interrupting Seth’s thoughts.

  He nodded. “That’s fine. Nick is probably ready to eat a horse. I can’t believe I forgot he was here.”

  “I should hope you weren’t thinking of him,” Kasey said dryly. He pressed a brief kiss to Seth’s forehead. “Come on, get dressed, and we’ll see about ordering pizza. What kind do you like?”

  “Pepperoni and mushroom,” Seth said in bemusement as he watched Kasey pulling on his clothes and covering up his delicious physique.

  “Sounds good. I’ll check on your friend and call Franco’s. They’ve got the best pizza in Wyoming.” Kasey tossed Seth a grin before leaving the bedroom.

  The rest of the house was dark, and after a brief scent of the air, he knew Nick wasn’t there at the moment. Somehow, he hadn’t expected him to be. He noticed a note on the bar next to the phone and picked it up to read while dialing the number he knew by heart. Ah, so Nick had gone out to give them some privacy. He wondered if it was for a different reason but shrugged it off as he spoke his order into the phone.

  Seth lazily ambled his way out to the living room, stopping when he didn’t see Nick. “Where’s Nick?”

  Kasey silently handed the note over to Seth. He walked into the small kitchen and pulled out a couple of plates after searching for a moment. Seth remained quiet behind him. When he turned around, he found Seth staring at the paper as if his heart had been cut out. He set the plates down and quickly made his way to his mate’s side. “What’s wrong?”

  “All this time he’s been lying to me,” Seth whispered, remembering what Nick had revealed earlier. “How can he be any better than Taggart?”

  “Hey, hey,” Kasey chided softly. He slid one hand under Seth’s chin while the other combed his still-damp hair back. “Nick is your friend. His Alpha commanded him not to tell you, and not many can go against their own Alpha. He cares about you, Seth. He does. I know it hurt you that he didn’t tell you, but he’s been there to protect you, Seth. If it weren’t for him, I’d have never met you, known you. I owe him my life.”

  Seth’s eyes fluttered open in confusion. “Why do you owe him your life? It’s me that owes him mine.”

  Sighing, Kasey looked at him seriously. “You still don’t understand, do you, pup? Your life is my life, and mine is yours. If he had not been there for you, you wouldn’t have been able to escape Taggart, and quite possibly would have been killed one day by him. Nick saved my life by saving yours.”

  Tears welled up in Seth’s eyes, and his heart twisted painfully inside his chest. He flung himself at Kasey, tightly wrapping his arms around the lean waist while burying his face in the firm chest. The words he wanted to speak so badly stuck in his throat, though. He still couldn’t speak them, couldn’t open himself to such pain again. Not yet. But Kasey’s words cemented the growing love he’d felt, causing it to blossom into the deepest emotion possible. The kind that sends you to your knees and gives your entire being meaning.

  Kasey didn’t try to get him to talk. He just held his mate in his arms and let him know he was there. It wasn’t until the pizza arrived that he released him. “I have to get the door, pup. Why don’t you put the plates on the table while I pay for the pizza, okay?”

  Seth nodded and reluctantly pulled away from Kasey without looking him in the face. His hands shook as they reached for the plates, shook so badly he was afraid he would drop the plates as he carried them the short distance to the small table. Trotting back to the kitchen area, he grabbed a few napkins and opened his fridge to pull out a couple of beers. Kasey had set the box on the table when he turned around. The fragrant smell of pizza filled the room, and his mouth watered, sending his stomach into another growling fit.

  “Pizza and beer,” Kasey said, grinning as he dished out a slice on each of their plates. “The staples of men.”

  It broke the discomfort Seth felt, and he laughed hoarsely. “It’s all I’ve survived off of for the last couple of years. Despite the fact I love to cook, it’s hard to have the decent equipment to do it when you move around so much.”

  Kasey worked on distracting his pup from his thoughts by asking questions about the places he’d been. It surprised him that he’d even been overseas to England and Scotland. His mate seemed to be very well traveled. Once again he found himself captivated by the play of emotions across Seth’s face as he talked. At times he shined so brightly it almost hurt to look at him. At others the light dimmed so quickly it sent a stab of pain straight through his chest. He still didn’t know how Seth’s parents had died, but he didn’t want to bring it up right then. Perhaps Seth would tell him when he was ready. “Will you have dinner at my parents’ tomorrow night, Seth?” he asked abruptly.

  Seth halted, his second slice of pizza halfway to his mouth. “What?”

  “Have dinner tomorrow night at my parents’ home. With everything that’s happened since the other night, there hasn’t been a chance, but they want to meet you. And I’m sure my mom will try to embarrass me by dragging out my old baby pictures.” Kasey grimaced at the thought of the one where he wore nothing but a hat and cowboy boots.

  The thought of seeing baby pictures of Kasey made Seth smile. Seth couldn’t help but wonder what Kasey’s parents were like. If the way Kasey treated him was any indication, they must be wonderful people to have raised a son like him. Aside from being prejudiced about white people. “Won’t they care I’m not Cheyenne?” he said doubtfully. “You had a problem with me being white at the beginning. Why wouldn’t they?”

  Kasey blanched at the memory of his reaction to his mate being white, and he gave his pup a sincere, apologetic look. “They aren’t stupid assholes like I am,” he muttered. “They don’t care if you’re white, black, Asian, or even if you were purple. They only care that you’re my mate.”

  Eyeing the taller man, Seth ignored the little voice telling him not to go and agreed. “All right, but Nick has to go too.”

  “Agreed. But you have to make sure to cloak your scent whenever you’re outside my parents’ home. The pack belie
ves only Native Americans can be true born wolves. And if they know what you are, they may believe, like I did, that you’re a Created.”

  Seth tilted his head to the side in confusion. “I always keep my scent wrapped up in my power.”

  His statement brought Kasey’s eyes sharply to Seth’s face. “Even now? This very moment?”

  “Yes.” Seth nodded. “Why?”

  “Because I can smell you. I thought you dropped it because you were around me.” Kasey let out a loud expletive and stood, pacing back and forth. Was it possible Seth’s scent had changed when they’d mated? But would it matter to the way he covered his scent? “Shit… shit….”

  Seth sat there, flabbergasted and pale. If he couldn’t hide his scent, he couldn’t protect himself. “I… I can’t….”

  Kasey realized how upset his mate was and immediately went to his knees next to Seth’s chair, cupping his cheek in one hand. “Hey, pup, don’t panic. I’m here to protect you now. I am a dominant, heir to the Alpha, and I have claimed you. No one can contest my rights to you. There is no need to fear the others will fight over you any longer. As long as I continue to claim you, mark you, then you will be safe. It is not my pack mates I am worried about.”

  The explanation calmed Seth down enough that he could relax slightly. “Then what are you worried about?” he asked fearfully, afraid of the answer.

  “It is what I said before. If you cannot cover your scent, then the others will believe you’re a Created one. Fear makes others do stupid things. And I will not lose you when I just found you,” Kasey growled, eyes flashing angrily. “We will wait until your friend returns to the house and see if he is able to smell you. If he can detect you are wolf, then we must figure out why.”

  Seth stared at the hard, angular features of his lover, thinking of what could have possibly changed. When Kasey claimed him, had it changed something in his physiological makeup? Did his DNA alter or change? Mutate, perhaps? “The only thing that’s changed since my arrival was mating with you.” His cheeks flushed, but he went on, “Perhaps when you c-claimed me, it altered my scent in some way? Or is it possible that because you are my… my mate you can smell me in my human form when others can’t?”

  Kasey didn’t miss the way Seth’s voice cracked when he called him his mate. But what really grabbed his attention was the light entering his pup’s eyes when he said it. It took all he had not to grin joyfully. Seth had begun to accept they were mates. It would only be a matter of time before Seth accepted it all, accepted him. “Unfortunately, we’ve never had this happen before,” he said in a thoughtful voice.

  “Maybe Nick will know something?” Seth’s expression shone in hope and eagerness. “It could possibly be something the pack I’m from has seen before.”

  “Perhaps. We’ll ask when he returns, but until then, eat,” Kasey instructed, standing from his kneeling position beside Seth and returning to his own seat.

  It was hours before Nick returned. When Seth heard the front door open from where he lay wrapped up in Kasey’s arms, he carefully sat up, extricating himself from the larger man. He padded barefoot out to the living room to see his friend staring broodingly up at the ceiling. “Nick,” he said softly.

  Nick rolled his head slightly toward the entrance of the hallway, and his emerald-green eyes, sorrowful and unhappy, opened to look at Seth. “Hey, babe,” Nick replied gently, almost hesitantly.

  Seth dropped down onto the couch next to his best friend and put a hand on his forearm. “I’m not mad anymore, Nick. I understand you had no choice in lying to me because you were ordered to do so. But you were only appointed my bodyguard, nothing more. You didn’t have to be my friend all this time, listening to me, helping me in other ways.”

  Some of the sorrow dissipated from Nick's expression, but not all. Seth could practically feel the despair emanating from his friend. It seemed almost like a tangible breath wafting across his skin. “Nick? Did… did something happen tonight?”

  A pained laugh rattled in Nick’s throat. Seth noticed Nick’s shirt then, ripped and bloodstained. “Nick!” He sat up straight in horror.

  “It’s fine, Seth.” Nick waved his hand carelessly. “It’s already healed.”

  “What happened?” Seth demanded, his eyes flashing fiercely with the thought of someone hurting his friend.

  Nick shook his head ruefully. “You know, I never thought by coming here it would really change anything. But I guess you can’t always guess how your life is going to go. I never wanted it to be like this. I certainly never pictured it would be this way.”

  “What the hell are you talking about, Nick?” Seth moved to sit on the coffee table in front of his friend so he could see his face. A pain he’d never seen before shone from those emerald-green eyes. He made a low noise in his throat and lifted his hand to touch Nick’s cheek. “Tell me what happened.”

  “I found—” Nick’s voice cut off when a low growl came from the hallway. His gaze shifted there, and he immediately tensed at the sight of a very angry wolf. “Seth… I think it would be best if you moved away from me.”

  Seth frowned, glancing toward the hallway as well. His eyes widened at the absolute fury on Kasey’s face. The dark eyes had shifted, and it appeared his mate had a very tight hold on himself, his skin trembling finely. Dropping his hand, Seth stood up and walked to where Kasey stood. Kasey immediately crowded him against the wall while still glaring at Nick. Seth sighed and slapped a hand on Kasey’s chest. “Hey,” he fairly ground out between clenched teeth.

  When Kasey still didn’t look away from Nick, Seth reached up and turned his mate’s face toward him. The dark eyes were in their canine phase. “Nick is my friend. Nothing happened. You are my mate, Kasey. Even if I wanted to do anything with him, I couldn’t, because you are the only one I can smell, the only one I can taste, and the only one my body craves. Now snap out of this!”

  Each word Seth spoke slammed into Kasey’s chest like an invisible arrow, causing his wolf side to start to pull back the longer Seth talked. Seth believed they were mates! When he’d walked out of the bedroom and found the two of them so close together, Seth’s hand on Nick’s face, not unlike how he’d touched Kasey only hours before, a red haze had drifted over his consciousness. The rage from seeing his pup’s hands on another allowed the wolf to slip through unrestrained. He wrapped his arms around Seth tightly. “I’m sorry, pup. I just feel that he has a greater hold on you than me, and my wolf knows it,” he muttered into Seth’s ear even though he knew if Nick chose to he could hear every word.

  “Nick has been my best friend for fourteen years, Kasey. We’ve only known each other a few days. You have to give me time,” Seth chided gently. “And I’m a touchy person. I cannot stop myself from touching other people. Maybe it’s the healer in me, but either way, I do it without even thinking about it.”

  Kasey didn’t want to ruin the tenuous hold he had on Seth, but his wolf beat at him, demanding he fight anyone near Seth. He was the future Alpha and whoever touched his mate challenged his claim of the younger man. “I’ll try to control myself, Seth, but it’s not going to be easy.”

  “Nothing worth something ever is,” Seth growled quietly into Kasey’s ear before nipping at the sensitive lobe with his teeth. He still had not taken control of their lovemaking, but he had learned of some of the hot spots on Kasey’s body. It seemed the man loved to have his ears licked, sucked, and nibbled on. Seth grinned lasciviously when he felt the big body resting on his quiver with awareness. The scent of Kasey’s arousal stung his nose, and he laughed, gently pushing Kasey away. He took the sheriff’s hand in his and tugged him to the couch. “Come on. We need to discuss things with Nick.”

  Nick gave Kasey an apologetic look. “Sorry, Sheriff.”

  “It’s fine. Not your fault. But I do believe I told you to call me Kasey,” he said as he sank down into the easy chair, pulling a disgruntled Seth into his lap.

  “I can sit on the couch,” Seth grumbled, hiding the f
act Kasey wanting him close made him want to grin idiotically. He gave a resigned sigh after a halfhearted attempt to get away and snuggled into his mate.

  Kasey glanced at Nick’s face and blinked at the pure longing on the man’s features. But with a twitch of Nick’s eyelids, his expression returned to being the usual placid emotion. Was Nick thinking of Seth just then? Or maybe Nick wanted his own mate. Sympathy flowed through Kasey. He knew how the other felt. The arm wrapped over Seth’s legs pulled him in tighter.

  “So tell me what it is you need to talk to me about,” Nick said, interrupting Kasey’s thoughts.

  The two of them outlined their conversation from earlier, explaining about the change in scent and the fact Kasey could still pick it up despite Seth’s “shield” being in place. When they were finished, Nick frowned, leaning forward. “So you are saying you are fully shielding yourself now?”