by Noah Harris
Adam opened his arms out wide. “I’d like to see you try.”
Karen snorted, leaning up against the truck and resting her beer against her lips. “I’d pay to watch Tom get his ass kicked.”
“Where’s the love and support?” Tom cried.
“We give it to Adam.”
“Uh, rude?”
“Stop being dramatic,” Ben said, pushing Tom aside, who stumbled away and made faces behind the older man’s back. He shook Josh’s hand. “Name’s Ben. I live across the hall from Adam. Ignore Tom. He’s a drama queen.”
“Am not!”
“But we love him, anyway.”
“Thank you.”
“And this here lovely woman is my wife and mate, Megan,” he continued, pulling her up next to him.
She smiled warmly, shaking Josh’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Josh. Welcome to our home.”
Josh’s smile was still shy and small but no less warm. “Thank you.”
They stood around for a moment, awkwardness creeping back in as no one could think of anything more to say. Then the moment was shattered as Karen slapped a hand down on the body of the truck, the sound causing everyone to jump and stare as she chugged the rest of her beer. “Alright, enough standing around. Let’s get to work finishing up on this truck before dinner.”
There were murmurs of agreement and soft chuckles. While Karen and Ben slipped back under the car, Adam leaned over the hood to work on the engine from above. Megan went to get them around round of beers, to which they all called their grateful thanks. Tom poked around, pointing things out and generally making a nuisance of himself. They tried to explain things to him, but he obviously didn’t really want to learn. They eventually shooed him away, and he sat on the nearby curb to play on his phone and make commentary from afar.
Josh hovered near Adam, watching him work with wide, curious eyes. He asked innocent questions, but unlike Tom, he was actually interested in hearing the answers. Adam told him about his truck, how he’d had it for years. He told him all the things that were wrong with it, explained all the parts he ordered, detailed what they had done and what they still needed to do. Josh listened attentively, asking questions of Karen and Ben, too. He even got on the ground and crawled beneath the body of the car so Karen could point out what they were doing down there.
When he came up, Adam smiled, reaching out to wipe a spot of grease from his cheek. It smeared more than anything, but it was cute. Josh blushed, and Adam could smell the shift in his scent. It was subtle, and he could tell the omega was keeping a leash on it. But it awakened something in Adam all the same.
When Gwyn came home, she bounded up to them, a bundle of energy with bouncing curls, bright eyes, and a bright, excited smile. She shook Josh’s hand enthusiastically and shot rapid-fire questions at him, barely giving him time to answer before she was on to the next.
“Gwyn, give him space to breathe!” Karen chastised, coming up from beneath the car, wiping her hands off on a cloth.
Gwyn frowned, bottom lip sticking out as she crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m just trying to get to know him! It’s not often Adam makes friends outside the pack, let alone another wolf.”
Adam scowled at her, and she just stuck out her tongue. He did the same, and Josh snickered. “It’s fine...” he said, hands fidgeting and eyes downcast despite his smile. “I don’t mind.”
“See?” Gwyn said, gesturing to him.
Karen rolled her eyes. “Just play nice.”
Not long after, Megan re-emerged from her apartment and asked the others if they’d like to help making dinner. Gwyn was on board right away, and Josh, surprisingly, accepted the invitation. When Adam glanced at him, one eyebrow raised in question, he shrugged. “I like cooking, and I like being useful. Besides, they seem nice.” Adam had smiled at that, waving him off as he followed the two women.
Tom, seeing as he didn’t want to help with either the food or the truck, was sent on a beer run, which he did so begrudgingly.
Karen slid up next to Adam as he bent beneath the hood and bumped his shoulder lightly. Ben had gone off to use the bathroom, leaving the two of them alone. “He’s cute,” she said. “And really nice, even if he’s a little shy.”
Adam’s grin was wide, and he was unable to stop it. “I know.”
“I think he’s a keeper.”
Adam straightened, looking back over his shoulder to the apartments. When he tapped into his inner wolf, calling on his enhanced senses, his hearing sharpened. He was able to hear the faint sounds of Megan, Gwyn, and Josh laughing through the open windows, smell the food cooking.
“Yeah,” he said, wind combing through his hair, a lazy smile on his lips. “I think he is, too.”
As he stepped out of his boss’s office, he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Tension eased out of his shoulders, and he ran his fingers through his hair, sweeping the strands back from his forehead. He glanced down the hall to the forest of cubicles, then turned the other way, heading for the break room instead. The coffee there was plain, boring, and strong, but it was exactly what he needed.
There were a few others in the break room, but they barely spared him a glance as he fixed himself a cup and headed out. He trudged back to his cubicle, practically dragging his feet along the carpet. When he got there, he all but collapsed into his chair, leaning back and letting it spin.
His cubicle had once offered him a place of sanctuary and peace, a place where he knew what he had to do and could do it without question. But for some reason, it now only held a suffocating loneliness and irritating solitude. The chair stopped spinning, and he toed it around the rest of the way to glare at his computer. Emails. He had so many emails. Work lined up from now till next month. And when that month came, he’d have more work. It was never ending, the same old thing. And where that consistency had once filled him with a sense of purpose and peace, he now felt restless. His inner wolf paced beneath his skin, like a caged animal hungry for escape.
That was why so few of their kind worked in office jobs, but Adam had never had a problem with it before. Things had shifted, and he wasn’t sure what or why.
His eyes drifted upward as he was unable to focus on his computer screen for long. His gaze settled on the poster across the hall. That godforsaken poster.
Kites rise against the wind, not with it.
He felt irritation twitching at his brow, tugging the corners of his lips downward. What the hell was that supposed to mean anyway? Physically, yes, kites rose against the wind, but it was pinned up on a poster like it had some existential meaning. What bullshit. When the wind was against you, you didn’t rise. You were battered and beaten down. You sank.
And Adam felt like he was sinking with no life preserver in sight.
“Hey, man, why the long face?”
Adam started, spinning his chair around to find Rob leaning against the wall of his cubicle, arms propped atop it and chin resting on his forearms. His eyes were full of wary concern as he looked him over, a small smile on his face.
“What?” Adam said intelligibly. He was surprised to say the least. Rob rarely came around this time of day.
He shrugged. “Saw you come out of your boss’s office, and you looked a little down. Kinda zombie-lookin’. Thought I’d come check on you. Everything alright?”
Adam sighed, leaning his head back and turning so he could stare over the cubicles and avoid eye contact. “Yeah, it’s fine. He just offered that promotion again.”
Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Rob’s eyebrow shoot upward, surprise written across his features. “Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but that doesn’t seem like something to be down about.”
Adam shrugged. “I still don’t think I want it. It just doesn’t feel right, you know? Doesn’t feel like it’s the best step for me.”
There was a thoughtful pause, then careful words. “Well, what is the best step for you?”
Adam opened his mouth to respond, but fou
nd he had nothing to say. He shut it again. What was the best step for him? He didn’t even know. A few months ago, he would have said without hesitation that it was to stay where he was, a cog in the machine, a quiet but essential part of their business. He would have said that he was happy to just do his work and go home to socialize with his pack. He’d thought that was all he’d needed and wanted.
Now, he wasn’t so sure.
“I... don’t know.”
Rob’s smile was small and kind, voice low and soothing. “Seems like that’s what you gotta figure out then. Don’t let the boss man push you into doing what he wants. Gotta figure what you want, you know?”
“Yeah... Yeah, thanks, Rob.”
“No problem, man. I’ve just noticed you’ve seemed a little off for a while.”
He glanced at him, one eyebrow raised. “Off?”
“Yeah, you know... just, off? Not as, maybe not happy, but not as content as you used to be. You seem restless. Happier to go home than you used to be.” He paused, obviously hesitant before continuing in a low, pointed voice. “Obviously more happy on Mondays and Wednesdays.”
Adam looked at him sharply. But Rob was just smiling at him, a knowing gleam in his eyes but not a hint of judgement. Adam sighed, looking away. “Yeah...” Let Rob take from that vague answer what he would.
“Seems to me—and I may not know the details of your life, but I do like to think we know each other pretty well, but anyway—seems to me that you’ve come to a crossroads in your life. Those things sneak up on us with no warning sometimes. We can either keep going the way we have been, or we can take a risk and blaze a new trail. I think you, my friend, have got some soul searching to do.”
“It’s more complicated than that.” Adam grunted, running his fingers through his hair as he looked away, a frown persistent on his lips. He couldn’t do whatever he wanted anymore. He had responsibilities. He was the Alpha now, and there were people who looked to him for leadership and guidance. His life was no longer solely his own. His decisions had heavier consequences than they did in the past.
“As I said, I don’t know all the details, but I do know that sometimes the risk is worth the reward. Gotta do what makes you happy, you know? Otherwise life isn’t worth living. And only you know what’ll make you happy.”
Adam cracked a wry smile, glancing sideways at his friend and co-worker. “Thanks, Rob.”
He nodded, leaning away from the cubicle wall. “Anytime, man. So what’d you say to some ping pong?”
Adam glanced at his computer. “I haven’t really gotten much done today.”
He shrugged. “Set up some programs to run data analysis and meet me in the break room while they run. It’ll take about an hour, anyway.” He paused, grinning. “Unless you’re scared I’ll beat you this time.”
Adam laughed with a genuine smile. “In your dreams, man. I’ll meet you down there in thirty minutes.”
“Alright, you’re on.”
Rob left him alone to get his work set up, and Adam set to it, that ball of uncertainty and anxiety still tight in his gut, but his shoulders feeling lighter than before.
_________________________
“It smells good in here.” Adam said, padding into the kitchen in bare feet.
Josh pausing stirring in the stove for a moment. A soft, content smile was on his lips as his green eyes looked Adam up and down with unhidden hunger. Adam reveled in it, letting his omega drink in the sight of him, standing up tall and squaring his shoulders, letting his scent be strong enough to saturate the room. It wasn’t necessary. This was his apartment, and so his scent was everywhere. But he still wanted it thick enough to drive Josh crazy, to coat him in it, so he left smelling like Adam.
Josh merely hummed in appreciation, saying more with the sweetness of his own scent and the smile on his lips than he could with words. He turned back to the food as Adam stepped up behind him, automatically slipping his arms around the smaller man’s waist, holding him close. Josh instantly leaned back into the embrace, resting his head on Adam’s shoulder, hips pushing back until that small, round ass was pushed flush against his hips.
Adam buried his face in the crook of Josh’s neck, inhaling deeply and sighing shakily as his scent filled him, danced across his skin, called out to him in a way that had his inner wolf rumbling.
Josh reached back with his free hand, running his fingers through Adam’s still damp hair. “You smell good,” he murmured.
Adam chuckled, breath ghosting across Josh’s skin. “I should hope so. I just took a shower.”
Josh shook his head. “No, not the shower... you.” His hips pushed back and his back arched.
Adam ran his hands up and down Josh’s front, along his waist, his hips. His fingers slipped below the hem of his shirt, lifting the fabric and allowing his calloused hands to roam over the soft skin of Josh’s stomach. He ran his fingers lightly over the skin just above the hem of his pants, from hip bone to hip bone, enjoying the way the omega shuddered and his muscles twitched beneath his touch.
“You smell good, too,” he hummed, nosing along Josh’s shoulder before playfully nipping at the exposed skin. “Good enough to eat.”
Josh giggled, tilting his head to give Adam better access. “Adam, I’m trying to make dinner.”
He nipped and licked along his shoulder and neck, nosing behind his ear. “I’m not stopping you.”
“No, but you’re making it difficult.”
“Sorry, I’m...” He wrapped him up tight, pushing his hips forward to Josh could feel just what kind of effect he had on him. “Distracting.”
“How are you...? Already?” Josh breathed, automatically pushing back, hips swaying slightly as he rubbed against Adam’s thickening length.
“You just have that effect on me, babe.”
The omega shivered, scent sweet and strong as he breathed in heavily. “I’m okay with that.” He turned his head, eyes narrowed into a glare but lips tugging up into a smile. “You have to let me finish dinner, though.”
Adam grinned, nuzzling into him. “I wouldn’t dream of standing in your way.”
Josh chuckled but went back to work. Adam wasn’t sure what he was making, and he didn’t care. It smelled delicious, and Josh had proven himself to be a good cook. More than that, he insisted on cooking for Adam whenever he was over. It seemed a little old-fashioned, but if he insisted and it made Josh happy, then Adam wasn’t going to stop his omega from doing it.
He just stood there while Josh cooked, showering him with the attention and adoration he deserved. Adam didn’t think he could stop touching Josh even if he’d wanted to. His hands roamed of their own accord, the man’s scent driving him crazy as he continued to nuzzle and kiss and lick his way around Josh’s neck, his jaw, and his shoulders. His skin was addicting, the feel of him perfect against Adam’s body.
Josh merely hummed occasionally, happy little noises of contentment, hips swaying slightly with Adam’s own.
“How’re you so good at this?” Adam asked, voice muffled against Josh’s neck.
“At what?”
“Cooking. Everything. I swear my apartment is homier every time you leave, and it only has about fifty percent to do with your scent being everywhere.”
Josh chuckled at that, soft and reserved, and then shrugged. When he spoke, however, his voice was much more subdued. “It’s just what I’ve always done.”
Adam paused, hips and hands stilling. “What’d you mean?”
Another shrug. “Cooking and cleaning have been part of my responsibilities since I was a young teenager.”
The gears turned in his mind. “Since you...?”
A nod. “Since I presented as an omega, yes.”
“That’s so old-fashioned.”
“It’s not so bad.”
Something stirred in him, something protective. He thought about the way Josh’s co-workers treated him, like he was there for nothing more than to finish their work. Josh was too soft-spoken and submissi
ve to say no to them or to protest, especially when they simply gave it to him like they expected it done and walked away. And they were only humans. Humans who couldn’t sense his omega gender but simply saw him as weak. Adam hadn’t thought about how that might carry over into his pack—a pack of werewolves who could scent his omega, who did see him as less than a servant.
They were in an area with fairly intolerant and old-fashioned packs. Omegas weren’t exactly valued, nor were those who were in same-sex relationships with them. At least... that was how his pack was. He had no idea about Josh’s, but he had his suspicions.
“Do they force you to do work like this?” he asked slowly, carefully.
“They don’t force me—”
“Is it expected of you?”
“...Yes.” He sounded small. Adam didn’t like it when he sounded small.
“You shouldn’t be forced into these duties,” Adam said, straightening behind him, pulling him in, dwarfing him and wrapping him up like that could protect him.
“Everyone in the pack has their duties. Everyone works for the pack. That’s how it is,” Josh said, though it almost sounded like he was trying to convince himself. “Besides, I like cooking and cleaning and organizing, I just...”
“Wish they gave you a choice or even some gratitude?”
He sighed. “Is it that obvious?”
“If it’s anything like how your co-workers treat you, then yes.”
“I’m sorry...”
He blinked. “What’re you sorry for? You have nothing to be sorry about.”
“I’m weak,” he said softly, sadly. His shoulders hunched. “I always have been. You’re an Alpha, and you deserve someone stronger. Someone who can lead with you. I... I don’t know if I can do that.”
“I think you can,” he said without hesitation, squeezing him tight. “You’re stronger than you think, Josh. Maybe not physically, but here”—he laid his palm against Josh’s chest, fingers splayed wide—“you’re one of the kindest, most understanding and patient people I know. That’s a rarity. I don’t think you let people step all over you because you’re weak, I think you do it because you want them to be happy. You want to make people happy. I’m just here to let you know that you’re allowed to want to make others happy, but you should also take your own happiness into account. It’s okay to say no sometimes, and it’s okay to do things for you.”