by Skyler Snow
Slowly, he peeled himself away from Parker and made sure he stayed asleep. Honestly, he wasn’t surprised. He’d taken his time, and once again he’d knotted the beta who somehow had started behaving as if he was in heat. There's no way that’s possible. He’s a beta, and they don’t have heats. There were still things he couldn’t explain, though, like his scent, the slick, and the way his body was hot to the touch.
Jed tugged on his boxers and jeans before he walked back to the bed. Parker shifted around a bit, but stilled as soon as Jed kissed his temple. The beta mumbled something in his sleep and held onto his pillow a little tighter. A grin tugged at Jed’s lips, and he decided that after all of their fun, he would let Parker rest up.
Feeding the animals and making sure all of them were content was his main goal, but his mind still strayed to Parker. The man was his friend, but his wolf continued to howl mate in an utterly deafening way that refused to calm down. He laid feed down and felt arms slip around him.
“I thought you’d gone home again,” a sleepy voice whispered against his back.
“No, I didn’t. I wouldn’t have gone yesterday, either, but I ended up going for a run and not thinking about it.”
Parker walked around him, and Jed was distracted by his topless body. There was a mark on his shoulder and bite marks littered downward before they disappeared into his low hanging jeans. Jed was completely distracted by the sight of him so much that Parker had to shake his arm to get his ears to work again.
“You ran all the way back to your place?” Parker asked as he tilted his head. “How the hell did you manage that? It’s not like you live around the corner.”
Jed hadn’t even realized what he’d said. The words had tumbled out of his lips, and he realized just how quickly he had almost outed himself. He quickly changed the subject. It’s not time to tell him. Not yet.
“I work out quite a lot these days,” he said as he brushed it off. “I need to finish up and then head home for the night. Are you going to be okay here?”
Parker nodded, but Jed felt the disappointment as it emanated from him in waves. He reached out and ran a hand down his arm before he squeezed his palm. Parker smiled a bit and the disappointment quieted down somewhat.
“I’ll be back first thing in the morning to help out again.”
“Does it have to be soon, or can you wait a while?” He asked quietly as he shifted from foot to foot.
Jed smiled. “If you want to ask me to stay, you can, you know.”
Parker pushed his fingers through his hair and glanced up. “Can you stay until I fall asleep?” He laughed under his breath. “That sounds fucking pathetic, but I’m still... hot like this, and I want you to stay until it goes away and I get to rest.”
“I’ll stay for you. Of course I will,” Jed said as he pulled Parker against his body.
Arms wrapped around his waist and Jed buried his nose in the softness of his friend’s hair. That scent was still there, strong and intoxicating, and Jed knew he would spend the rest of the night tangled up in Parker’s bed sheets until he was asleep.
“Are you done here?” Parker’s voice cut into his thoughts. “Can I help with anything?”
Jed shook his head. “I just finished up. Why don’t we go back to your room, and I can fuck you until you pass out for the night?”
Parker jolted. “You can’t just say things like that!”
A grin tugged at Jed’s mouth, and his lips crashed against Parker’s. He could still feel the heat that poured off his body, and already he wanted to rip the jeans off him. Jed’s hand tugged at them, and his fingers pulled at the button and forced down the zipper as Parker held on and moaned against him.
“I don’t think I’m going to make it to the house,” Parker muttered as he gasped for air. “I need you now.”
“Ask more nicely than that,” the alpha growled in his throat.
“Please,” Parker groaned as he held onto his shirt. “I need you. Please, fuck me.”
The grin that touched Jed’s lips spread and a mischievous sparkle glinted in his eyes. “Well, since you begged like a good boy...”
Parker slapped his arm. “Don’t make me change my mind,” he panted. “Not that I would. God, it feels like I’m going to burn up! Stop teasing me.”
“Fine, no more teasing. I’ll make sure you can’t move until the morning, and then you won’t miss me so much.” he grinned.
“Bastard,” Parker muttered, but the smile on his face told Jed he was far from angry.
I can’t stop. Parker was so beautifully addictive to him and his wolf. As soon as he was in Jed’s arms again, the alpha felt relieved and at home. There had to be something there, and it was more than the crush he’d had on his friend when they were young and stupid.
Jed finally slipped out when Parker was sated and sleeping. He gave him one last lingering kiss and headed home. I’m sleeping with him tomorrow night. If Jed’s mother hadn’t texted him to tell him that his grandmother had stopped by for a surprise visit, he would have stayed, but it had been ages since he’d seen her.
I wish I could take Parker with me. As he pulled down the road, his teeth slipped across his lip. He knew he needed to find some way to figure out what was going on with Parker and the bond that he felt between them. Eventually, everyone would know, and trying to introduce a human to the pack wasn’t going to be easy—fated or not.
“There he is!” His mother called as he walked into the living room with its comfy—if not slightly worn—couches and the big TV that hung over the fireplace. The fire was lit and warmed up the house with that familiar scent of burning wood that Jed had come to think of as homey. “I was just about to call you,” she said as she placed a tray of mugs down on the coffee table.
Jed kissed her cheek. “Sorry I was so late. I had a lot of work to do.”
The woman frowned slightly. “I hope you’re not overworking yourself out there on Parker’s ranch.”
Jed raised a brow. “How did you know about that?”
“I ran into his parents,” she said as she picked up a mug and handed it to him. Jed could smell the warm apple cider and cinnamon, and he took a sip of it. “Nancy told me how much trouble he was having in New York and that he bought that place. I could have found out from you if you’d been around the past few days.”
Sheepishly, Jed rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry, I know I’ve been kinda out of it. That’s why I made sure I showed up tonight. Where’s Nan?”
“Your father joined her for a walk around the land. She should be back any minute, though. Help me grab the desert. Your brothers are letting the pups run off some energy.”
Jed followed her into the kitchen and grabbed the plates while she gathered the pie. He glanced out the window and saw his brothers with their mates and their pups all bundled up and running around in the golden fallen leaves. He felt a twinge in his belly, and that longing for a family of his own came back full force.
“You’ll have one soon,” his mother said as her hand rubbed against his back. “When it’s time, the Goddess will give you your mate as well.”
Jed chuckled under his breath. “How do you always know what I’m thinking about?”
She grinned. “It’s my job. One day, you’ll be the same way with your kids. Now, let’s get this set up so everyone can enjoy it when they come inside.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
They fixed up the plates with slices of pie and relaxed before everyone trudged back inside. The pups were quick to run for pie, but Emmett quickly scooped Aiden up and held him back.
“You’re still too little for sweets,” he lectured.
“Ah, let him have some,” Nathan said as he popped a piece of warm apple pie into his mouth. “It won’t hurt him.”
Emmett narrowed his eyes as he juggled the squirming pup. “Absolutely not. I’m the one that’s going to have to deal with the toothaches. Stop being a bad influence.”
“You two remind me of me and my mate.” Nan
Lucy laughed as she sipped her drink. “We were always arguing. It would have been easy for him to say he was the alpha and to do it his way, but I think he liked arguing with me. It kept things alive.” she winked.
Jed’s father groaned. “Oh, Goddess,” he muttered. “I don’t think anyone needed to hear that.”
Lucy slapped his hand. “Don’t be that way. It’s natural.”
“For the love of everything, please stop,” he begged.
Everyone cracked up at his obvious discomfort of the situation. As Jed glanced around at how happy everyone was, the longing only grew. I wish Parker was here. He wanted him to be around for these moments and enjoy them the same way he did.
As the conversation wound on and the pups fell asleep in their parents’ arms, Jed worked up the courage to ask something. He had to know what was going on with Parker, why he was suddenly like an omega, and if there was something wrong with him.
“Nan Lucy. There’s no way a beta could exhibit traits of an omega, right?” Jed asked.
“What makes you ask that?” She said as she tilted her head curiously.
“I have a friend that’s going through it, and I’m wondering if there’s something going on with him. I know it’s not possible he’s an omega, but something has to be up with him, right?”
Nan Lucy raised a brow at him, and Jed tried to look nonchalant about his question. It was almost as if she could see right through him. I should have kept it to myself. As much as he wanted to keep quiet about it, he needed an answer to his question.
“That’s not entirely true. Ages ago, wolves knew that betas could evolve and become omega’s if they were marked by an alpha. It raises the chances of multiple births, and it ensured that more pups would be born to continue packs if they ended up with more betas than omegas.” She sipped from her mug and sighed softly. “They exhibit all of the signs of being an omega, and they stay that way.”
Jed’s mouth fell open. “Why haven’t I ever heard of this?”
“A lot of things that happened in the old days of pack living aren’t the same anymore. The world moved on, and we lost a lot of our ways. That’s why I was so surprised to hear that your brothers had found fated mates. It’s such a beautiful thing, and I thought it would never happen again. One day, you’ll find yours as well, Jedidiah... if you haven’t already.”
It took everything to avoid that searching gaze, and he cleared his throat as he stood up. His wolf wanted Parker, and so did he, but he was sure there was no way he was getting out of the house without rousing even more suspicion.
“I better get some rest. I need to make sure I’m up early for work tomorrow.” Jed walked over and placed a kiss on his Nan’s forehead. “Are you sticking around for a while?”
“Just for a week or so and then I’m going back home. Don’t be a stranger while I’m here,” she said as she wagged her finger at Jed.
“I won’t,” he smiled. “Goodnight, everyone.”
The collective goodnights reached his ears as he turned and headed for the stairs. He had so much to think about, and even more to tell Parker. How was he going to tell him that he was a wolf? And then he would have to explain to Parker that he was an omega now. When had everything gotten so complicated?
So, he really was in heat. The thought of his friend suddenly being an omega still baffled him, but it explained so much. There was still a lot about their own culture that he didn’t know, and he wished he would have learned before he’d bitten Parker and assumed that nothing would happen.
Oh yeah. I’ll have to explain that mark to him as well. He’d already caught Parker trailing his fingers over the scar more than once, but he was sure that he had no idea what it meant. The longer things went on, the more Jed was going to have to talk to him about in the very near future.
Jedidiah yanked his shirt over his head and tossed it into the waiting hamper. When he was down to his boxers, he climbed into his bed and stared up at the ceiling. The biggest problem was that he had no idea how Parker was going to react.
What if he hates me? What if he’s terrified of me? The what-ifs grew as he laid there unable to fall asleep. Even with all of the pressure that mounted on his shoulders, he couldn’t stop wishing he was back on the ranch with Parker’s warm body wrapped around him.
Chapter 9
Parker
Parker only rolled out of bed when someone knocked on the door. He grumbled to himself as he tied his robe around his waist. He had given Jed the spare key the night before so that he could let himself in, so he was sure it wasn’t him. He pushed his feet into soft blue slippers and yawned as he made his way to the bottom of the stairs.
What if it is Jed? Parker’s heart hammered in his chest immediately. Just the thought of the tall, muscled redhead and he was ready to pounce on him. A smile curled his lips as he thought about him, and he yanked the door open with a grin that quickly dissolved. Both of his parents stood on his porch, and he instantly groaned.
“Don’t give me that young man,” his mom lectured as he moved out of the way and she swooped into the house. “We’ve been calling you nonstop, but you won’t pick up the phone. If you had, we could have told you we were coming.”
“You should have tried texting me,” Parker said as he followed her into the kitchen. “That’s what a cellphone is for.”
She sighed. “It’s too early in the morning to deal with your sass, son. We’re just over to give you your allowance and check up on things since you haven’t been responding.”
Parker crossed his arms over his chest. “I can see you’re going to continue to reiterate that the entire visit,” he mumbled as he poured himself a cup of coffee and added creamer to the mug. “Dad, what are you doing?”
His father opened each cabinet and peered inside before he moved around the food and dishes inside. When he was done with those he moved on to the pantry and peered inside. Parker cleared his throat and his father closed the door.
“I’m checking the place out.”
“You’re checking out my pantry?” Parker asked as he cocked a brow. “I would think you’d want to see the bedrooms or the animals, or anything else that you don’t think is a hiding place for the drugs or alcohol you obviously think I’m hiding.”
“Can you blame us?” His mother sniffed.
Parker’s hand gripped the hot mug harder, but he couldn’t even feel the heat from it as the rage coursed through him. Once again, he was reduced to a child. The only one he even remotely didn’t mind doing that to him was Jed. He didn’t need it from his parents. Parker’s body was already sore from the night before, and all he wanted to do was rest until Jed came over and they did the chores for the day.
“I don’t need anyone to watch me like I’m five years old,” Parker said as he poured a bit of sugar into the coffee that was way too bitter for his tastes. “I’m not doing anything besides working here.”
“Don’t get an attitude with your mother. She’s just worried about you,” his father said as he walked over and held his hand out for the envelope that his mother placed in his palm. “Just remember, if it wasn’t for us bailing you out and getting you a good lawyer, you could have been sitting in a jail cell instead of the brief stint you did in rehab. Do I need to remind you of that?”
Parker glanced away from them and sipped at his coffee. As much as he hated being treated like a child, he was more than aware that it was because of them that he had been brought home and didn’t have a record.
“You guys know I appreciate that,” he said quietly as he sat at the table with his mother. “I’m just not used to this. At least in New York I was able to do everything on my own.”
“And that was part of the problem, wasn’t it?” His mother asked gently. “Sometimes, when people have too much freedom, they do things that they wouldn’t normally do, and I think that’s what happened in your case. You’re not a bad person. You’ve just had a hard time of things.”
“You have to say that because you’re my moth
er,” Parker muttered.
“You’re right, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true,” she said as she smiled softly and patted his leg. “We’re concerned about you, but that’s our job.”
“I know,” he sighed. “Is that all? I have a lot of work to do today.”
“You’re trying to get rid of us already?” His father asked as he helped himself to a cup of steaming hot coffee. “We thought we would stick around for a little while and catch up.”
That’s the last thing I want. If Jed wasn’t coming over, he wouldn’t have minded as much, but he didn’t want him and his parents to get too chummy. They knew how comfortable he was with Jed, and they would talk much too freely in front of him. Parker wasn’t ready to spill everything about what happened before he returned home.
“Seriously, I’m not trying to rush you guys out but—”
Parker’s stomach churned, and he quickly sat down his coffee mug. Suddenly, he was hot—too hot—and sweat collected on his head. When his mouth started to water, Parker sprang up from his seat and dashed to the bathroom where he slammed the door behind him.
There wasn’t much in his stomach after only drinking coffee and skipping dinner in favor of more pleasurable activities the night before, but he still couldn’t move until his stomach was completely empty. Slowly, he staggered to his feet and turned on the water. A knock echoed through the bathroom, and his mother’s voice quietly called to him.
“Are you okay?”
Parker could hear the concern in her voice and nodded. “I’m fine. I’ll be out in a few minutes once I get cleaned up. I probably should have eaten before I drank that coffee.”
“Are you sure you’re not sick?”
“Maybe,” Parker muttered. “I’ll be out in a few.”
Once he heard her footsteps recede, he rinsed out his mouth and closed his eyes. Even though his stomach was empty, it still cramped and squeezed as if he’d be sick again. Maybe mom’s right. I’m probably getting sick after all. He groaned and slowly shut off the water after he’d washed his hands. Parker headed down the hall prepared to ask his parents to visit him another day when he heard their whispered tones.