by Alex Jane
It was perhaps a little discourteous of him to have the image of Asher's well-formed ass as he bent over to clean the horses' hooves, or the way his shirt pulled taut across the breadth of his muscular shoulders as he brushed them down, at the forefront of his mind in the dead of night when Emmanuel's hand slipped beneath his underwear to find his cock aching to be touched. If not the thought, then the frequency for sure. But Emmanuel wasn't shocked by his wants. It wasn't the first time he had been struck by thoughts of desiring another man. It was a little disconcerting that he found nothing else even vaguely satisfied him anymore, and even more so since returning from Plum Creek. His fantasies had become so mundane and pedestrian that simply remembering the way Asher had smiled at him over coffee had him getting warm inside and wet on his fist.
Finding the man attractive was one thing but imagining there could be something between them, a relationship, seemed…unlikely. At least to Emmanuel. His parents had smirked and patted his hand as if he was somehow being deliberately slow. Otis had outright laughed at him and his uncles had seemed confused at best. Thankfully, Asher appeared oblivious. Once or twice he'd asked Emmanuel if he was all right, that he was acting strangely quiet, but Emmanuel had blown him off, successfully—he thought.
Only a few days later, Emmanuel caught sight of Asher leading Ephraim into the stable. It had been a fine day and with his parents due to visit briefly before returning to New York, Emmanuel had been busy cleaning and fussing, making so it appeared he wasn't entirely helpless without them. Still, he felt irked he hadn't been invited to whatever conference they might be having. He didn't manage to stave off his curiosity for long before he leaned his hoe against the side of the house and marched down to join his visitors.
Emmanuel found the two of them leaning their forearms on the stable door, watching the gray twitching and pacing before lying down again. He jutted his chin by way of a question as he walked in when Asher looked over to him.
"Looks like it could be tonight," Asher said, calm as you like and with a small, somewhat nervous, smile on his lips.
"What does your second opinion think?" Emmanuel asked quietly so as not to disturb the horse too much.
"He thinks that looks right," Ephraim said, not bothering to drag his eyes from the mare. "You want me to stick around?"
The question was directed to Asher who nodded politely. "If that's all right. I've only done this a handful of times, but she's not in the best of condition still so…"
Emmanuel appreciated it when Asher looked over at him for the final say. "You want to ask Joshua down? I'll make supper and we can make an evening of it. I'll break out the canasta."
Asher snorted but Ephraim nodded. "I think we have a while yet. Sounds good."
When Ephraim returned from home, he brought a bottle of good whiskey to either toast or commiserate, depending on how the night panned out, but no Joshua. He'd worn himself out and his back was paining him so he'd taken a draft and headed to bed early. Which left the three of them to eat—supper was roast pork and the ugliest apple pie he'd ever made—and drink and play cards, taking turns to check on developments in the barn until it was well into the night.
Emmanuel was starting to drift off, sitting in his grandfather's old chair by the fire, the whiskey warming his insides and making him sleepy, when a whistle roused him. That and the way his uncle jolted awake in the chair opposite. They both glanced at each other, sleepy-headed, and chuckled before levering themselves out of their respective chairs and heading for the door.
Asher was stood in the yard, waiting for them. "It's started," was all he told them before turning and heading back. Both Weres appeared dead calm with little urgency in their actions, but Emmanuel couldn't help but be rather excited about the prospect of what was to come. He'd seen a few births before but this would be the first one in a while.
The interior of the stable was lit by a single lamp, which was enough for Emmanuel to be able to observe what was going on. They had kept the cows out in the field, being the weather was mild and dry and they didn't mind, so it was dead quiet. Emmanuel was happy to sacrifice half a day's milk to the calf on this occasion rather than find some other way of keeping them apart overnight.
Smoke was pacing more urgently now, making as if she was about to lie down but then turning a circle in the stall again. She walked with her tail up, panting and twitching as her belly contracted, the light sheen of sweat over her back shimmering in the golden lamplight.
The three men watched her for a while from the stall next to her, not speaking, simply waiting. That was until Asher's head tilted to the side.
"She look right to you?" he asked Ephraim softly.
Ephraim shrugged one shoulder. "So far so good I'd say."
Asher hmmed and slowly pulled away from the divide and walked around the door. Smoke didn't seem to mind much when he joined her in the stall, the only noise the sound of the straw shuffling around as they moved with each other, Smoke circling and Asher rubbing her nose before running a hand down her flank to her rear end. She didn't mind either when he held up her tail and inspected her back end, first only looking and then putting his hand on her.
It only took three words for the night to devolve into chaos.
"Shit. Red bag."
Ephraim swore under his breath and launched himself into the stall, saying, "Take her head," at the same time as Asher was already grabbing the bridle from the hook on the post and getting it on the horse's head. Smoke wasn't happy about having yet another wolf in the stall with her and scooted away, swinging her great body in Emmanuel's direction. He reared back, slipping and falling to the ground, even though he was in the safety of the other stall. His heart was pounding and he couldn't quite get his breath. He wanted to run back to the house, but when Ephraim called out, "Manny, we need you!" his whole body froze, his muscles contracting painfully, before he somehow got his body moving and scrabbled toward the gate.
He'd seen this before once and heard about it more often. The placenta had detached too soon and the foal was suffocating inside its mother. Even if they got the young one out, there was no guarantee that the foal would make it. The three men had to be quick or they might lose both horses. Still, the urgency didn't stop Emmanuel's hands from shaking as he stepped into the stall.
"What do I do?" he asked, his voice barely audible above Asher's cursing as he struggled to keep the whinnying horse still.
"Come here," Ephraim said, rolling his sleeves up to his elbows before pushing what looked like his whole arm inside the horse. He closed his eyes, grimacing as his body lurched around with Smoke as she stamped her feet and swayed, ignoring Asher's gentle words of reassurance. When Ephraim finally drew back, he pulled out first one spindly leg then another, nodding and saying aloud for Asher's benefit, "His legs are in order at least." Then to Emmanuel, "Take hold, will you."
"Take what?"
Ephraim at least had the humor to laugh. "Here. Take hold of his legs. Just as I am. Keep tension on him but don't pull, all right?"
Not having the wit to agree or disagree, Emmanuel did as he was told, grasping each slimy black leg as firmly as he could and bracing himself. Thankfully, Smoke seemed to have calmed some, snorting loudly as she breathed through her nose, but no longer trying to fight them. Emmanuel glanced away when Ephraim's hands went back inside the horse, but curiosity got the better of him, and when he looked back, Ephraim was grunting as he eased the foal's head from its mother. Before it was all the way out he stopped, releasing his hands so he could tear the membrane and free its mouth and nose to give it a chance to breath.
"Don't let go, for god's sake," Ephraim panted as Smoke shifted her position. The movement made Manny take an involuntary step back, and he wanted to cry out from the fear that was smothering him. He wanted to say he wouldn't, but it was getting more and more difficult to keep hold as the thin bony legs wanted to slip through his fingers. But then Ephraim was right there, pulling gently on the foal as Smoke's belly contracted har
der, the foal gradually emerging, sliding out in one glistening movement along with a rush of fluid. Even as Ephraim took its weight in his arms and lowered its motionless body to the ground, Emmanuel didn't let go, simply sinking to the floor with the animal until he felt Ephraim's hand cover his. Then he released his grip and scuttled back until he hit the wall of the stall.
He sat there, breathless and shaking, with his knees drawn to his chest as he watched Ephraim clearing the mucus from the animal's face, and Asher releasing the mare and encouraging her to look at her baby. It took seconds for the foal to react, twitching its legs and sitting upright. The movement stirred Smoke and she went to him, looking him over and then practically chewing at his shoulder as she started to clean him.
Looking exhausted but happy, Asher and Ephraim beamed at each other before they both laughed, Asher reaching out to shake Ephraim's hand in gratitude and relief, neither of which needed saying aloud. But when their attention came to Emmanuel, he could only scramble to his unsteady feet, barely able to mutter his excuses before he staggered out of the stall and ran back to the safety of the house.
He couldn't get back there fast enough, no matter that his legs didn't want to work and his lungs couldn't expand far enough given the band that was tight around his chest. The dark all around him was palpable, pressing on him, burying him. It would have if he hadn't been able to keep his eyes on the light from the house. It calmed him as the pool of light grew larger, and when he crashed through the gate and stumbled up onto the porch, he clung to the post there beneath the lamp for a second, feeling the warm wood against his cheek, wanting to sob but fighting not to.
Grabbing the bucket next to the rain barrel, he drew out a load, not wanting to sully the whole barrel, and then plunged his arms into the cold water and grabbed the soap that was kept out. Usually he would allow himself a quick scrub down if he'd been out in the field or had gotten filthy dealing with the cows. In that moment, though, he wanted to get the slime and scent of horse off him as quickly as he could. He could smell blood too, even with his frail human senses, and he felt about ten seconds away from throwing up. So he scrubbed and scratched at his hands and arms, splashing water and suds everywhere. He ended up ripping off his shirt and his undershirt, scrubbing at his face and his neck in the icy water. By the time Asher came to find him, his skin was raw and he was shivering uncontrollably, kneeling on the stoop in the pool of lamplight under the stars.
"Jesus Christ," Asher muttered, sounding half-angry as he slipped an arm around his waist and pulled Emmanuel to his feet, any protest ineffectual against his strength and determination. Wrestling Emmanuel inside, Asher took him to the chair by the fire and sat him down before finding a blanket and wrapping it tightly around his shoulders. Grimacing at Emmanuel's chattering teeth, the Alpha moved quickly around the room, stoking the fire before putting water on to heat up and handing Emmanuel a large glass of brandy from the liquor cabinet before settling across from him with a glass of his own.
It was somewhat of a relief when Asher didn't try to talk to him or ask what was wrong. They simply sat there for a spell, staring into the firelight, until Emmanuel found the wit to ask, "E-Ephraim?"
"Gonna stay with her tonight. Just in case. She looks all right, though. The foal too."
"H-he's g-gonna m-make it?"
Asher nodded. "Looks like. Seemed to have all his wits about him once his momma started fussing over him. Stood fine and she let him nurse right away." He paused and looked over, his expression neutral without an ounce of concern. "You did good in there. I know that couldn't have been easy for you."
The praise stung so Emmanuel ignored it in favor of saying, "So, a b-boy, huh? What happened to your feeling?" He found he could smile a little and was pleased when he saw Asher's stoic expression melt into something far more pleasing as he fought to fight off an embarrassed smile.
"Yeah, well. Can't be right all the time." He glanced over a couple of times and Emmanuel could see the amusement change into the exact expression he'd been dreading, as Asher asked, "Are you…well?"
Resisting the urge to lash out, Emmanuel gave a curt nod and stared unblinking into the fire. "Fine. Thank you for…" the blanket, the drink, stopping me from laying out on the porch all night. Emmanuel wasn't sure exactly what he was trying to say.
Asher shrugged as if his kindness wasn't a big deal. "You need anything else?"
The sentiment wasn't anything more than politeness, but Emmanuel's blood rose. He tried to stave his anger off, knocking back the brandy in his glass in one swallow, but all it did was burn a path to his gut, and he found himself biting out, "Oh, I see. Ephraim watches the horse while you're to watch me, is that it? Like I'm some kind of invalid? Did you draw straws or make some other arrangement?" Bolting to his feet, he threw the blanket to the floor, and the glass along with it, not caring where they fell. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."
Of course, as he turned to storm up the stairs, he immediately stumbled and would have fallen if it hadn't been for Asher's quick reflexes. The Alpha's arm was around his waist, his body pressed against his back in the blink of an eye, and Emmanuel's brain just about short-circuited. He was still angry, but also humiliated by proving himself wrong. And given how aroused he was by the suggestive position he could do nothing else but wrench himself away from Asher. He could have left it, should have, but instead turned and, with both hands on Asher's chest, pushed him back. "What is wrong with you? What are you even doing here, for god's sake? Why can't you just leave me alone!"
It was a mistake. Emmanuel knew it immediately. Something flared in the Alpha's eyes and Asher shoved Emmanuel, hard enough to make him take a step back but with enough reserve to be able to tell he still had control. "You think I wanna be here? You don't think I'd much rather be home, with my family? You're so goddamn selfish, you know that? Not to mention stupid. Jesus Christ, I thought you were supposed to be the smart one with all that book learning, you…you…"
The one golden rule for dealing with angry Alpha wolves was to avert your gaze, be still and small and back away slowly. The precautions had been drummed into Emmanuel his whole life, being one of the few human members of a pack who regularly hosted other packs, Alphas and people of high standing with whom good relations were essential.
Emmanuel glared at Asher, and kept glaring as he walked right into Asher's space, until there was only a hair's breadth between them and he could feel Asher's breath on his face. Emmanuel was at every disadvantage. A fraction shorter, definitely less broad, human verses wolf was no contest, and he was naked to the waist, but he would be damned if he was going to be afraid in the face of such disrespect in his own home.
"Go on," Emmanuel growled. "Say it. Pathetic human? Wolfless? I'm pretty sure you've called me that once or twice. Aberration? Come on. Spit it out. It's not like I haven't heard it all before—"
He was expecting something, some barb or a punch even. Asher surging forward and taking his mouth in a biting kiss was not anywhere on the list. Asher's lips were hot and he tasted like the brandy they had been drinking and something else that made Emmanuel want to devour him whole. Emmanuel gasped and pulled back on instinct. From the wide-eyed panicked look Asher had on his face, Emmanuel wasn't the only one who'd been taken by surprise. It only took a split second for Emmanuel to realize he would regret pulling away forever if he didn't do something, so, taking Asher's face in his hands, he drew him in and kissed him back just as fiercely.
There was nothing frenzied about the way in which Asher responded but there was no doubt of the urgency in his movements as he crowded into Emmanuel, his hands coming up to cradle Emmanuel's arms and shoulders, his touch hot and rough against Emmanuel's bare skin. Emmanuel shivered under it, curving into Asher as the Alpha pressed closer, moving into him and giving him no choice but to walk back until he hit the wall at the bottom of the stairs.
Asher caged him there, kissing him wet and messy, swallowing down the gasps Emmanuel couldn't keep in e
very time the rough cotton of Asher's shirt grazed his nipples. When Asher's hips rolled against him he cried out and threw his arms around Asher's neck, holding him fast while canting his pelvis up to respond in kind.
Asher's head dropped to Emmanuel's shoulder as he found Emmanuel's ass with his possessive hands. Drawing him in, they rucked against each other, making no move to undress. They were both hard enough to feel each other through their pants and as they kept up the grinding undulations, it was as if neither one wanted to risk stopping.
Given the sounds they were making, Emmanuel figured Asher had to be as close to completion as he was and threw his head back and to one side. Anyone might have done the same in the throes of passion, but he knew what it meant and evidently so did his Alpha, given the way Asher growled and put his mouth on him, practically lifting Emmanuel off the ground as his thrusts became almost violent.
Emmanuel cried out when he came, the pool of heat in his belly erupting most unexpectedly in the face of Asher's domination. Asher didn't appear to mind given how he seemed to do the same, grunting and panting before stilling and leaning heavily against him.
They stood there for a while, getting their breath. Emmanuel's mind was still, and surprisingly untroubled by what had just happened. That was until Asher raised his head and looked at him. He was wrecked and his expression so full of guilt, Emmanuel didn't know quite what to think. Except when Asher started to pull away, Emmanuel wouldn't let him go.
"Don't," he pleaded, quiet enough his words might have been lost to anyone but a wolf. "Stay with me. I want you to stay."
For a moment, Emmanuel wasn't sure Asher was going to respond. When he finally nodded, Emmanuel took his hand and led him up the stairs, wanting only to get out of his sticky clothes and crawl into bed with his wolf.
Chapter Six
There were worse ways to wake up than under the heavy arms of a wolf, Emmanuel decided as consciousness slowly came to him. He had no real desire to shake off sleep, partly as he was still exhausted from the night's excitement and partly as the hot body pressing against the line of his back felt deliciously comfortable. And comforting. It wasn't the first time he had shared a bed but he preferred sleeping alone, not interested in getting his limbs tangled up with anyone else or having to fight for the covers. Clearly, his previous partners had been less than adequate given he was quite prepared to abandon his animals to fend for themselves and never leave Asher's side again.