by Parker Skye
“Hello, Alpha. This is Adam Harris. I hear you’ve been looking for me.”
Chapter 32
Ben
Ben didn’t want to wake up. He was immersed in the best dream ever. He and his mate were lying together on a warm beach, the surf sounding in the distance, the warm sun shining down on both of them. His mate was slowly running his hand through Ben’s blonde waves, causing goosebumps to erupt all over his body. It was a delicious sensation. The smell of his mate was all around and he could feel Adam’s happiness flowing through him.
Unfortunately, Ben’s body was not on board with staying asleep. Wolf shifters and wolves in general, were not usually late sleepers. When the sun began to peak over the horizon, Ben’s internal alarm kicked on and he was forced to face the day. He dreaded opening his eyes as he was certain Adam would have come to his senses and fled. Finally forcing his eyes open, Ben was surprised to find himself still curled around Adam in their bed. Adam was touching him, slowly running his hand through Ben’s hair, just like he’d been dreaming. Adam was humming quietly as if he hadn’t a care in the world. Ben looked up in confused pleasure. Adam’s wide smile greeted him.
“Morning, babe. You hungry? I’m starved,” Adam said, still smiling.
.
“Um, sure?” Ben replied uncertainly.
“I think we still have eggs and ham. Come on, lazy bones. It’s time to be up and at ‘em. We don’t want to be late for school,” Adam continued, pulling Ben to his feet.
Still confused, Ben pushed the food around on his plate, for once his appetite having left him. He watched as Adam polish off enough food for a small army. Adam looked up, cheeks bulging, the worry line deepening between his eyes. He forced himself to swallow the too-big bite and washed it down with orange juice.
“Something wrong, baby? Did I not cook the eggs right?” Adam asked, innocently.
“Um, no, they’re fine,” Ben said, forcing himself to take a bite. The food tasted like ashes, but not because Adam hadn’t prepared everything correctly. Ben swallowed and put his fork down, exhaling loudly. He rolled his shoulders and met Adam’s gaze, looking for any distress in his mate’s body language.
“How can you not still be mad at me this morning?” Ben asked softly.
“Oh, don’t get me wrong. I’m still mad. Livid actually. But I’m not going to let that come between us. Not after all that’s happened to us, not just to me, but to both of us. Besides, we’ve got our whole lives to hash out the details of who was right and who was wrong in this debacle. I’m just glad it’s over so we can move forward.”
Ben was torn between being thrilled that his mate wasn’t going to leave and mortified that Adam was so clueless as to the struggles they still had before them. They still had his alpha and his pack to deal with. If Adam stayed with him for real, he was going to have to give up everything. Ben couldn’t let him do that. His mate’s wants and needs were so much more than his own.
“How can you be so blasé about everything that happened last night? Did you not hear me about my alpha wanting you? We need to run if you are going to have any hope of staying out of his clutches. We’ll figure out how you can get your degree from another school or online or something. I’m so sorry you’re going to have to give up your graduation and being valedictorian, but Adam, we need to go. We can’t wait another day to get out of here. My alpha isn’t going to wait forever before he sends someone looking for us.”
“You worry too much, Ben,” Adam replied, still happily chewing. Ben sat, open-mouthed, shocked into silence by Adam’s lack of concern. “You know,” Adam continued, “you wolves really need to work on your communication skills.” Ben closed his mouth and blinked, afraid of the next words he could feel coming.
“Adam, what did you do?”
“I fixed it,” Adam replied, taking another drink of orange juice and wiping his mouth on his napkin. He stood up from the table and took his now empty plate to the sink. Ben stood and followed, his own plate abandoned. He touched Adam’s shoulder and waited for him to turn and face him.
“Adam, tell me. What did you do?” Ben’s hand trembled where it rest on Adam’s shoulder.
“Don’t look so worried, Ben. I’m telling you, it’s all fine now. I called your alpha last night and we talked. That’s all. It’s going to be fine. We’re going to be fine.”
“You called my alpha?!! Fuck!” Ben bolted from the room. Adam chuckled and followed behind at a more sedate pace. He found Ben in their bedroom furiously packing his bags with both their clothes.
“Ben, baby,” Adam started, having to repeat himself more firmly to get through to his mate. “Ben, seriously, stop!” Ben froze, a stack of folded shirts held in mid-air above his bag, and turned to face Adam again.
“Stop freaking out. It’s going to be fine. Alpha Leikos and I made a deal. Turns out you and I are going to Florida for Spring Break and then he will let us come back to finish the school year. He swore on his honor as a wolf,” Adam explained.
“How do you know you can trust him? That he’ll just let you go once you’re there?” Ben asked, still obviously worried.
“More importantly, don’t you trust him, Ben? He’s your alpha. Is he trustworthy to you?”
“Of course. I would trust him with my life. I have trusted him with my life,” Ben replied.
“Then that’s all the faith I need. If you trust him to keep his word, then so do I.” Adam replied, calmly.
“Why would you do this? Why would you risk everything like this?” Ben asked, still dumbfounded at his mate putting everything on the line like this.
“Ben, there’s no need for you to play the martyr here. I’m doing this for both of us, not just for you and not just for me. I can’t have either of us looking over our shoulders for the rest of our lives. And, no matter what happens, I won’t throw you to the wolves just to save my own skin. Pun intended. You are mine as much as I am yours. It’s my job to protect you, too. Now quit worrying so much. Everything is going to be fine. I have faith.”
Ben stood dumbfounded as Adam casually took the stack of shirts from Ben’s hands and put them back in the the drawer.
“I’m going to go take a shower before we have to leave for school. You coming?” Adam quipped. The gleam in his eyes was back full-force as he stepped backwards through the doorway. Ben stayed frozen in place for moments, still in shock. He took a few calming deep breaths and fought not to laugh maniacally. His mate may be the death of him, but he couldn’t have been more proud. He left the bedroom shedding clothes along the way. He pushed the bathroom door open and let himself be swallowed up by the steam.
Chapter 33
Adam
They were late for school after all. Adam realized they should have showered separately if they truly wanted to be on time. Once they were under the spray hot, wet, and naked, keeping their hands and mouths to themselves just wasn’t an option. Adam sat in English Lit with the goofiest smile plastered across his face, remembering how loud Ben had cried out Adam’s name when he came. Adam’s ears had rung for a while afterwards, but he wondered if his own cry was actually louder when Ben finally pushed him over the edge. They had run out of hot water by the time they got out, but that was probably for the best. Otherwise, they never would have made it to school at all.
When they walked into school hand in hand, people stared, but Adam didn’t care. This town was already in the rearview mirror in Adam’s mind. He was ready to graduate and get the hell out of here. He wasn’t going to waste a second with Ben trying to fit their small-minded picture of acceptability. The way Ben kissed him gently at the locker before parting for their first class apart confirmed he was on the same page. Fuck ‘em.
Adam could tell there were some students in his classes that morning that wanted to say something nasty to him, but they were too afraid. Ben had shown himself to be one scary fucker and Adam had an invisible wall of protection around him now. Surprisingly, he caught a few people looking at him with more acceptance than he expe
cted. He was secretly pleased that there were at least some people in this stupid town who were open-minded.
By the time chemistry rolled around, Adam was rolling on a high. When Ben walked into class, he nearly vibrated in his need to touch his mate. Ben’s answering smile was evidence he could feel the pull, too. They sat close enough that some part of them was always touching as they worked through the lab. Mr. Hanson approached them toward the end of class and seemed to notice their new closeness.
“Well, boys, I take it working together worked out after all,” Mr. Hanson said fighting to hide a smile, obviously pleased.
“Um, you could say that,” Adam replied, fighting not to blush while Ben just laughed and took his hand again.
“Excellent. Well, I’ll leave you both to it. Try to still get some work done, though,” Mr. Hanson said, laughing quietly as he went to check on the other students’ work.
******************
The next two weeks passed much the same. Adam had never been happier in his life. His days spent at school were no longer the high point of his day. Now, he imagined his thoughts about school mirrored many of his classmates’ feelings. He couldn’t wait for the day to be over so the rest of his day could begin. His lone class and lunch period with Ben were all that made the day tolerable.
Adam was positive his grades were slipping, but this late in his senior year it didn’t really matter. His rank was already set in stone. His college already had the grades they found important. He just didn’t care enough anymore to keep fighting for every point. He had more important things to do with his time, namely mapping every freckle on Ben’s body in great detail.
Adam was proud of his mate for having the courage to call his alpha himself and confirm Adam’s take on their conversation. Ben had finally been reassured Adam’s assessment of their conversation was accurate. Once that worry had lifted from Ben’s shoulders, Adam felt the strength of their growing bond even more powerfully.
Now Adam could even feel Ben’s emotions from a distance. It brought him peace he didn’t know he was missing. Adam wondered what further changes he could expect in the future. He’d asked Ben more about the changes happening between them, but since Ben didn’t know of any other soul-mate pairs, he had as many questions as Adam.
Ben had been able to tell him more about his developing transformation. It explained why he was now eating so much and why his internal clock had shifted. Adam had never been a morning person before, but now found it difficult to sleep after the sun had risen. He also found he functioned much better with a nap around four in the afternoon, usually preceded by orgasms for both of them; but Adam had a feeling he would need the nap even without the naked sexy times. He couldn’t fall asleep until at least midnight now either which Ben assured him, was normal for most wolves.
Adam was nervous for his first shift to happen, which Ben reassured him wouldn’t happen until the next full moon. Born wolves, like Ben, could shift at will. Bitten wolves, however, could only fully shift at the full moon. Bitten wolves were still stronger and healed faster than regular humans, but they didn’t have all the capabilities of born wolves. Adam’s first shift would conveniently happen while they were with Ben’s pack in Florida. Adam wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or bad, but it was what it was.
The last day before Spring Break, Adam was counting the minutes until the school day would be over. He guessed that’s why he was so distracted he didn’t notice the gang until they were already upon him.
Chapter 34
Ben
Ben was suffering. He just wanted the day to be over. Why was it taking so long? It was like time had stopped. Every time he looked at the clock, no time at all would have passed. He could feel Adam’s anxious anticipation through their bond, as well, which wasn’t helping any. Only two more classes to go and they would be out of here for the week. He was looking forward to showing Adam his home and introducing him to his pack as his soulmate. Thankfully, his alpha had responded positively when Ben had broached the subject with him.
Ben trusted his alpha and, therefore, wasn’t questioning his veracity after his conversation with Adam. He had called home mainly to clarify the timing of their trip and to let his alpha know in advance his intentions towards Adam. If Alpha Leikos was going to get pissed about Ben taking Adam as his mate, then he wanted to know that while they were still several states away. Thankfully, his alpha had been more than pleased with this news. It still made no sense to Ben why he had been sent to retrieve Adam, but he knew better than to question his alpha’s motives. If he wanted Ben to know, he would have told him already.
Just before their last class of the day was to start, Ben felt pain pulse through their bond. His wolf was instantly on alert. His mate was in danger somewhere. Not listening when the teacher tried to call him back, Ben rushed from the room, his bond leading him in Adam’s general direction. This new development in their bond was truly unfortunate for the five boys who had the dumb idea to attack his mate.
Ben burst into the men’s room to find his mate surrounded. Adam’s lip was split and bleeding and his left cheek was bruised. Otherwise, he was on his feet and appeared to be holding his own. Every one of the five boys surrounding him was wounded in some way. Ben recognized Theo Green among them and was surprised at his sheer stupidity. When was this guy going to learn? Theo appeared to have fared worse than the others, obviously getting too close to Adam’s mouth. His right forearm sported an obvious bite wound that was oozing blood freely. Two of the attackers sported split lips, and Ben’s wolf preened with pride at the strength of his mate.
Adam’s relief was palpable when Ben burst into the room. The boys at this point must have realized their mistake but stubbornly decided to try to fight their way through anyway. Ben’s wolf howled with joy as he proceeded to teach the group a lesson, only stopping when all five were on the ground, no longer fighting back. Adam finally pulled Ben off, not wanting to risk accidentally killing anyone. They were bigoted bullies, but that didn’t warrant death in Adam’s opinion. Ben, on the other hand, would have loved to end them for even thinking of harming his mate.
When Mr. Hanson burst into the bathroom and took in the scene, Adam put on good show, pretending to be more injured than he really was. He pointed the finger at the five boys and lavished praise on Ben for coming to his rescue. Thankfully, the school’s principal seemed to want to push the incident under the rug once Adam’s accusations of gay-bashing and discrimination were uttered. No public school in America, even in deep East Texas, wanted that kind of media attention. Ben was even thanked by the principal for coming to Adam’s aid despite grave risks to his own personal safety. Adam was assured the five instigators were to be expelled and there would be no more trouble once school started back after the break.
Ben was visibly relieved when he finally had Adam home safe and sound. He didn’t know how much more of this backwards town he could stand. He pushed Adam to the bathroom, insisting he shower the stink of redneck off his mate. When Ben went so far as to throw the clothes he was wearing in the garbage, Adam balked.
“Hey, I like those jeans. I can just wash the blood out. Sure the shirt’s trashed, but the jeans aren’t,” Adam griped, pulling his jeans back out of the garbage. Ben growled audibly and claws ripped through the denim as he tried to take the jeans back. Adam froze and looked up to notice his mate was half-shifted, fangs overlapping his lower lip and eyes glowing golden yellow.
“Well, never mind then,” Adam acquiesced quickly, dropping the argument and his now ruined pants. Ben could smell the faint edge of fear in the air surrounding them. While the shower was warming up, he did his best to calm down, pushing his wolf back inside. Adam seemed to be studying the process intently which made Ben feel like an insect pinned for display. Once steam had filled the room, Ben pulled back the shower curtain and motioned Adam to get in.
Hesitatingly only a moment, Adam climbed into the shower and let the warm water spray across his face and chest. Ben c
limbed in after him and mechanically scrubbed his mate with the shower gel they shared. The smell of coconut became almost overpowering from the thorough ministrations. Adam’s face was worried and slightly sad by the time Ben had decided he smelled clean again. Ben wrapped his arms around Adam’s waist loosely and rested his chin on Adam’s shoulder. He felt a shiver run down his mate’s spine and hoped it wasn’t due to fear or worse, disgust.
“I’m sorry for scaring you, Adam. I wouldn’t hurt you and neither would my wolf. I just needed to get the smell of those other men off you.”
“I know, Ben. It’s okay. Do I smell better now?” Adam asked a sad note still present in his tone of voice. Ben nodded in the affirmative, chin still resting on Adam’s shoulder.
“Is it okay if we pack in the morning? I’m tired,” Adam asked in almost a whisper.
“Sure, babe. Whatever you need. I’m tired, too,” Ben replied.
He reached around Adam and turned off the water. Stepping out, Ben dried Adam from head to toe with his largest, fluffiest towel. Adam looked ready to fall asleep standing upright and Ben watched as he slowly shuffled off to their room, still wrapped in the towel. Following close behind, Ben started to ask Adam what he wanted for dinner. He found Adam already curled up on his side of the bed, a pillow tucked under his cheek. Ben doubted he was already asleep, but agreed the mood was too raw between them at the moment. He turned off the overhead light and joined his mate in the bed. The distance between them yawned wide but neither made a move to close it.
