His Forgotten Mate

by Giovanna Reaves

  Cullen stepped back from their embrace and stared at Maverick. "The next time you call my little brother a liar, Mister Knox—"

  "No need to say anymore. It's one of the reasons I'm here." Maverick turned and looked at him. "I'm sorry for what I said about the baby. I'm so used to people trying to use me for my money, and not having my memories of that night, I cast you in the same light."

  Alexis looked from Maverick to Cullen, who nodded his head.

  “All right, I’ll forgive you this one time," Alexis said.

  "Mister Knox," Cullen said as he walked out of the house.

  Alexis closed the door then leaned against it looking at Maverick who seemed larger than life in his home.

  "Can I get you something to drink?"

  "Coffee, if it's not too much trouble."

  "It's not. But I have to warn you, coffee isn't my friend right now. The smell makes me nauseous."

  "I could drink something else."

  "No, it's okay. It only lasts for a couple of minutes. Take off your coat and follow me to the kitchen."

  He went to walk into the kitchen, but Maverick stopped him. "I'm really sorry for thinking you were lying to me."

  Alexis looked into Maverick's eyes, saw his sincerity, and nodded his head. "Come on, let's get you warmed up.”

  Chapter Four

  Maverick

  Maverick followed Alexis into the kitchen, peering through the two-sided fish tank that separated the living room and kitchen.

  On the other side of the kitchen was a large dining room with French glass doors draped in red and gold velvet. Christmas decorations were sprinkled around the room—a big box filled to the brim with more decorations sitting on one of the chairs.

  “I see you’re getting ready for Christmas.”

  “Yup,” Alexis said looking over his shoulder. “I like to get started right after Thanksgiving. But this year, I felt like decorating early.”

  “I don’t see why not—Thanksgiving is two weeks away.” Maverick sat at the table, and Alexis set the cream and sugar in front of him.

  “If you’re going to be coming around a lot, I think I need to warn you.”

  “About what?”

  “I’m a holiday freak.”

  A holiday freak? Does he get turned on by the holidays or something?

  “I can tell what you’re thinking just by the look on your face.” Alexis chuckled.

  “What am I thinking?” Maverick asked raising an eyebrow.

  “That I must get turned on by the holidays.” Alexis gave him a cocky smile.

  “Well, don’t you?” Maverick drawled.

  “No,” he said, then he tilted his head to the side. “Well, maybe. I do have quite a lot of sex around this time of the year.”

  Maverick didn’t comment, although he wanted to growl mine.

  “But that’s not what I meant. I love the holidays. I get a bit obsessed with decorations and buying everyone presents. And it’s not only around Christmas.”

  Maverick wasn’t sure what to say. He liked the holidays, but he saw Thanksgiving and Christmas as another day. Sure, he celebrated it with his pack and family, and bought presents for the ones he loved. But that was as far as things went.

  “Okay, I’ll keep that in mind,” Maverick acknowledge.

  Alexis set a cup of coffee in front of him, and he nodded his thanks.

  “So, how are we going to do this?”

  Alexis leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. Maverick’s gaze was drawn to the man’s stomach. The blue shirt he was wearing seemed a bit roomie, but that still wasn’t an indication he was pregnant. However, he knew the truth. The man was having his child.

  Fuck, I’m going to be a father.

  He felt flushed and started to sweat. His hands started to shake. His tie felt like a noose around his neck—squeezing the life out of him. Maverick felt as if his lungs were burning, and he couldn’t breathe. Spots danced in front of his eyes, and Alexis looked blurry as his world went dark for a second. He blinked his eyes open, trying to ignore the ringing in his ears. He wasn’t sure what the hell was happening to him.

  Alexis was kneeling in front of him, and he had no idea when the man had moved. Through blurry eyes, he could see Alexis’s mouth moving, but his voice sounded choppy and muffled.

  “Mav…erick okay …at….” He reached out to touch Alexis, but his arm wouldn’t move, as if he had no control over his body. “List…to m…oice. Take de…breaths.”

  He could see Alexis touching his arms rubbing them slowly, but he couldn’t feel the man’s hand on his body.

  Maverick closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

  “That’s it.” Alexis’s soothing voice came back into focus. “You’re doing good, Maverick. Just keep breathing in and out. When you feel calm enough, you can open your eyes.”

  They stayed that way for a bit. Maverick pried open his eyes and was greeted by Alexis’s smiling face. Alexis’s eyes seemed darker, if that was possible. A shiver passed through him as if he were standing outside naked in the snow. Alexis trailed a hand over Maverick’s face stopping at the center of his chest, and then he was warm again.

  “Feeling better?” Alexis whispered.

  “Yes. Thank you.” He sighed dragging his fingers through his hair. Thankful he was able to move again. He took in another deep breath and let it out slowly. He looked at Alexis who had concern in his eyes. “I’m fine, really.”

  “If you’re sure.”

  Alexis stood and went over to the sink, wetting the cloth in his hands. He walked back over to him, dabbing it on Maverick’s face and neck. Maverick was transfixed as he gazed at the warlock who was taking care of him. He reached up, touching the ends of his long dark hair. It felt natural as if he’d done it before.

  An image appeared in his mind. It was of him and Alexis dancing, the ends of his hair brushing against his fingers as they swayed to the music. Another image appeared of him trailing his fingers down Alexis’s spine, stopping at the crack of his ass. Of Alexis crying out for him to hurry up and fuck him when Maverick wanted to take his sweet time.

  “We danced that night, didn’t we?” he asked, leaving out the other things he’d seen.

  Alexis stopped his movement with the cold cloth pressed to his neck and looked down. “What else do you see?”

  Maverick closed his eyes as more images of them in the bar appeared. “We were still in the bar, and I leaned down and kissed you while we danced. You circled your arms around my neck, and I lifted you off your feet. You wrapped your legs around my waist. I set you down on one of the tables and our kiss deepened.”

  “I’m surprised we didn’t break the table with how hot and heavy we were kissing.” Alexis snickered.

  Maverick opened his eyes and looked at Alexis. “How come I can remember?”

  “You’ll start remembering more things over the next few days,” Alexis said, without answering his question.

  “You didn’t answer my question.” Maverick reached up and touched his hand.

  “It’s the least I could do,” Alexis said looking at him. “I didn’t think your memories would come back so quickly. This is my way of taking responsibility for what just happened.”

  Maverick looked at him trying to figure out what he meant. “What are you talking about?”

  “The night we met...I doubt either one of us was looking for more than a good time, and now you’re going to be a father. When the doctor told me I was pregnant, I destroyed his office. He told me never to come back.”

  “Don’t worry, we’ll find a new doctor,” Maverick assured him.

  “It’s all right. I found a new, better one, who doesn’t mind if I get upset now and then.”

  Maverick sighed and nodded. At least he’s seeing to the baby’s needs. “How did you know that’s why I was freaking out?”

  “It was written all over your face.” Alexis smiled patting him on the shoulder.


  “I’ll give you full control of C. A. Silver,” Maverick stated. The plan he wanted to present to Alexis was thrown out of the window. He hadn’t counted on a panic attack or getting his memories back.

  “We might need to hold off on that or any other deals for now,” Alexis stood and went to stand by the sink.

  “Why? I thought you would want your company back?”

  “I do. C. A. Silver is my first love. Signing it over to you was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do. And until you knocked on my door, I thought my brother was going to run the company with me, again. He’s ready to search for his own path. We’ve done everything together since the day I could say his name.”

  Alexis pressed a hand to his stomach, and Maverick could see how hard it was for him to walk away from his company.

  “And as much as I don’t want to think about it, much less admit it. I’ve been neglecting to take care of myself. Sure, I go to the doctor and eat when I’m hungry. But I’ve been putting everything else first. When he or she needs to be my top priority.”

  Maverick got up and was glad his legs didn’t shake, and he was calm enough to stand. He took the short steps over to the other man.

  “No, it’s our priority. I need to start wrapping my head around that, too. So, let’s do it together.”

  Maverick wanted to get to know the man standing in front of him. The aspect of remembering what happened on their first night together was important, but he didn’t know Alexis.

  “What are you doing tonight?”

  Alexis tilted his head to the side. “I planned of decorating the rest of the house. Why?”

  Maverick stepped back and unbuttoned his shirt sleeve rolling them up. He went to undo his tie and realized he didn’t have it on.

  Maybe Alexis took it off during my panic attack.

  “Need some help?” Maverick asked smiling. They needed to start working together and doing something simple as decorating is a good place to start.

  Alexis

  Alexis gazed at Maverick and realized what the wolf was trying to do. They'd both offered each other an olive branch, so to speak.

  He recognized the signs of a panic attack. He’d known by the way Maverick had been staring at his stomach the realization of them having a baby had smacked the man in his face.

  He hadn’t been kidding when he’d told Maverick about tearing the doctor's office to shreds. Months ago, when he'd thrown up every day after eating his lunch, he’d known something was wrong.

  He couldn't judge Maverick for his reaction. They were both entering into a situation neither expected to find themselves in. He still felt ill-prepared and wasn't sure if he was up to the task of becoming a parent.

  In a business meeting, he was confident and knew his shit, with men he was coy and flirtatious, but how was he supposed to be as a parent? He wasn't sure, and it was something he couldn't admit to anyone other than Cullen. The good thing was, he had six more months to figure everything out, and he wasn't alone.

  "All right, let's do this."

  "Lead the way."

  They walked into Alexis's living room and started working in comfortable silence for a bit before his stomach growled. He froze and prayed Maverick didn't hear it. He'd snacked throughout the day but hadn't taken the time to eat a real meal.

  He looked at the box a few feet away from the Christmas tree they were decorating—they had a few more ornaments before they were done and then he'd eat. He went to pick up the angel he liked having in front of the tree when his stomach growled even louder. He looked over to Maverick when he heard a snort.

  "Are you laughing at me?"

  Maverick looked at him, and Alexis could tell he was trying to hold in his laughter. "Let's take a break."

  "But we're almost done," he whined.

  "And you're hungry." Maverick stepped closer to him. "What do you feel like eating?"

  "Seafood ramen," he answered quickly.

  "You have a favorite spot you want to go to?"

  "Can't we order in? I don't feel like going back out in that weather." He pointed to the window showing it had started snowing again.

  "Yeah, you're right," Maverick said, turning around to look outside. "It's going to be a bitch to drive home in that tonight."

  "You don't have to." Alexis wasn’t sure if he was doing the right thing, but he’d thrown the offer out there. It was too late to take it back.

  Who said anything had to happen? Maverick could sleep on the couch in his office. If he wants to.

  "I don't have to do what?" Maverick turned his gaze back to him.

  "You don't have to go home. You could spend the night, here," Alexis clarified.

  Maverick stared at him for a few minutes as if trying to assess if Alexis was serious. Alexis couldn't take the tension between them. They were walking around on eggshells, afraid to say what they wanted. They were adults who’d had a passionate night together that had resulted in them having a baby and being mated.

  "Are you sure? I don't mind dri—"

  Alexis wrapped an arm around his neck and smashed their lips together, shutting up whatever else he had to say. He licked Maverick's lips as a hand went to the back of his neck and the other around his waist, pulling him closer.

  Alexis had been dying to taste the werewolf’s lips since the man had walked into his house. His lips were soft and his scent was driving Alexis crazy. He wasn't sure how he’d held back from wanting to be in the man's strong arms. Maverick's hands moved down to his ass, rubbing and squeezing—pushing their erections together.

  "Oh fuck," Alexis moaned against Maverick’s mouth.

  "Why do you taste so good?"

  Alexis slowly opened his eyes, meeting Maverick's light blue ones. "Do I need to answer that right now?"

  Maverick smiled and retook his lips. He went to deepen their kiss when his stomach growled, reminding him of their initial objective.

  "I guess we need to get you fed," Maverick whispered when their mouths separated.

  "Yeah."

  They stepped back from each other and smiled. The tension had eased between them a little.

  "I'll get the menu," Alexis said. "I forgot to ask, do you even like Japanese food?"

  "I'll eat just about anything," Maverick answered.

  "All right."

  Alexis went and got the menu. He had a feeling that everything was going to be all right between them. It might take some time, but everything would be fine.

  Chapter Five

  Maverick

  Maverick chuckled as he took a sip of his wine.

  "It's not funny," Alexis pouted.

  "Yes, it is," he said between chuckles.

  They were sitting on the floor in front of the lit fireplace in Alexis’s living room. The lights were dimmed down low, giving it a romantic atmosphere. Even with empty cartons of food between them and smooth jazz playing in the background, he couldn’t stop staring at the handsome man in front of him. Maverick could see why he was instantly attracted to the other man the night they met.

  They were taking the time to get to know each other. It was comforting after the kiss they'd shared earlier. He was starting to see why he’d been drawn to the man the night they’d met. Alexis had a sense of humor that had him laughing at every story he told about growing up.

  "So, you're telling me that my kid might be a troublemaker like you?"

  "That sounds weird, doesn't it?"

  "What sounds weird?"

  "The whole ‘my kid’ part," Alexis said. “It’s going to take some time to wrap my head around it.”

  "I guess it does sound strange. But I think the more we talk about it, the less weird it will sound."

  "True," Alexis said, taking a sip of his water. "I know it's too late to ask this, but do you want kids?"

  "I do," Maverick answered. "As the Alpha to my pack, I need to have kids to continue our bloodline. But personally, I've always wanted to have them. Just not so soon after meeting my mate."

 
"I can understand that." Alexis groaned and rested his head on the seat cushion behind him. "Tell me your pack is okay with inter-supernatural relationships. I cannot deal with close-minded people."

  "It won't be a problem," Maverick answered honestly. "Besides, no one would dare talk against the pack Alpha, and I won’t let shit like that go on anyway."

  "That's good to know."

  "What about your family? I already get the feeling your brother doesn't like me."

  Alexis chuckled. "My parents won't care. They know the world we live in and that fate has a hand in mating. As for Cullen, he doesn't hate you. He's just protective, and it's partially my fault."

  Maverick brows furrowed at the last statement. "What do you mean?"

  "Growing up, whenever I was bullied in school by some idiot I'd go and complain to him, and he'd take care of it. I became dependent on him to fix everything in my life, not realizing what was going on with him."

  Maverick wondered if he did the same thing with his brothers. Granted, they were alphas, except for Misha, and knew how to fight their own battles. But there had been a few times he’d had to step in to be the big brother making things right again. Those times served as a reminder that his brothers counted on him, and he was thankful they needed him. He could assume Cullen felt the same way.

  "As a big brother, I can tell you Cullen liked that you depended on him. I did the same thing with my brothers. And I'm guessing you did the same thing when it came to your sister."

  "I did." Alexis nodded. "I saw protecting her as a rite of passage. Cullen did as well, but I was the one who promised to keep her safe. I know she hated it sometimes."

  "Just like you did."

  Alexis stared at him, and Maverick wondered what was going through that beautiful mind of his. Maverick reached up and brushed a lock of hair away from his face, tucking it behind his ear, and then trailed a finger down the side of his neck.

  Alexis tilted his head to the side—it was then Maverick saw his mating mark. He rubbed his finger against the healed bite mark and watched Alexis shiver. He rubbed his thumb against Alexis's chin and then his soft lips. Setting the wine down, he moved closer to the other man, brushing his lips against Alexis's, who gasped, allowing Maverick to claim his mouth.