Keenan

by Catherine Lievens

  * * * *

  Jonah woke up at the sounds of giggles. He stirred, happy to feel the weight and warmth that indicated that Keenan was still in his arms. He hugged his mate closer and pressed a kiss on his hair, but that only made the giggles sound again. He cracked open one eye, shooting up when he saw two kids, sitting at the foot of the bed and watching him and Keenan. Then he remembered he was buck naked under the sheet and he stopped himself before getting up.

  Calming down, or at least trying to, Jonah arranged the sheet to cover both him and his mate, then looked back at the kids. The little girl had to be four or five and had a red dress on, but the boy was just as naked as Keenan and Jonah were. He seemed to be a little younger than the girl. “Uh, hello?”

  They both grinned at him. Jonah smiled back even as he tried to get Keenan to wake up, shaking him a bit. Not that shaking him worked. He hadn’t even reacted when Jonah had sat up and dislodged him from his chest.

  Jonah shook a little harder, adding his voice to the mix. “Keenan. Keenan!”

  Keenan groaned and tried to hide his head under his pillow, but Jonah was having none of it. He didn’t know these kids, and he wasn’t sure he actually knew how to deal with them or with kids in general. “Keenan! Who are they?”

  Keenan opened one eye and looked toward their feet, chuckling when he saw the kids. “Melissa, Adam, what are you two doing here?”

  The boy, Adam, grinned. “Uncle Finn says breakfast is ready.”

  “Okay, we’re coming. You know you should have knocked on the door before coming in, though.” The kids nodded, obviously unmoved by Keenan’s words. They were just acting as if they were repentant, but not really feeling it. “Okay, then. You can go.” Keenan shooed them away, but it seemed that Adam had something to say.

  “Why are you naked? Did you shift too?”

  Keenan laughed. “No, no. I don’t shift. But Jonah is a wolf shifter, just like you.” Well, that explained why the kid was naked, at least.

  “Is he white?”

  Keenan looked at Jonah. “I’m not sure. I haven’t seen him in his wolf form yet.”

  Jonah shook his head and turned to Adam. “I’m not white. I’m a normal gray wolf.”

  Adam nodded. “I’m white.”

  “That’s, uh, nice?” Jonah looked at his mate, searching for help, but Keenan was just grinning like a loon. Jonah scowled at his mate. “Give me a little help, please.”

  Keenan chuckled. “Come on, guys. You two go ahead and tell Uncle Finn we’ll come down in a few minutes.”

  Jonah let out a deep sigh when the kids finally stepped out and closed the door. He plopped down on his pillow, relieved to be once again alone with Keenan.

  “Does it happen often?”

  “What? Finding kids on my bed in the morning?” Jonah nodded and Keenan settled next to him, his head on Jonah’s shoulder. “Yeah. No one in the pride locks the doors, at least usually, so the kids pretty much run around freely, especially Adam. He’s Jeremy and Denver’s son.”

  Jonah remembered someone had told him Denver had a son. “Do you think we should lock the door next time?”

  “Maybe we should, at least until they learn they can’t barge in like they used to. I never stopped them because I didn’t have anything to hide from them, but now that we’re mated... ”

  Jonah smiled and hugged Keenan tightly. He still had a hard time believing he was mated. “I need to breathe, Jonah!” Jonah loosened his hold on Keenan, but only so much that the man could breathe.

  “So, do you want to go eat breakfast?”

  “Sure.” Keenan disentangled himself from Jonah’s arms and disappeared in the bathroom. Jonah knew he should go too, at least to clean up after last night, but he also knew that Keenan and him, naked together in a bathroom, didn’t make for a quick shower, so he decided to wait in bed.

  “Who’s going to be there?” He wasn’t sure he was ready to face the entire pride. He knew Keenan was loved by almost every single member of the pride, based on the little chats he’d had with several of them when the fact that he was Keenan’s mate had surfaced. Jonah had never been told not to do something—in this case, not to hurt Keenan—so many times, and he had never been threatened so much either. It was good to see that Keenan had friends and a family, but having something like twenty people telling Jonah to be careful was a little intimidating.

  “Don’t know. It’s very rare to have everyone together for meals, and it’s not like we could all fit at the table anyway,” Keenan said from the bathroom, his voice barely audible under the noise of the shower. “And usually the families who live in the cabins eat there, but since Adam is in the house, Jeremy and Denver will probably be eating with us, plus most of the other kid-less couples, I guess.”

  Jonah groaned. He was sorely tempted to hide in Keenan’s bed for the rest of the day, just to avoid seeing all those people. He had nothing against them, really—they were just... too much. He had lived a solitary life even before ending up in the labs, and he wasn’t used to that many people all together. Jonah couldn’t even imagine what would happen when they saw the bite on Keenan’s neck. Maybe he could hide it or something.

  Keenan exited the bathroom, his creamy skin still damp and glistening under the sunlight that streamed in from the window. Jonah licked his lips at the sight, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to convince Keenan to stay in bed with him. He got up and took his turn in the shower, even if he didn’t like the fact that he had to put his dirty clothes back on. He didn’t have a choice anyway.

  Jonah stopped short as he walked back into the bedroom. He had thought Keenan would wear a button-down, like he always did when he had to work. It was a workday after all, and it would have kept his new bite mark hidden, and given Jonah a bit more time to, well, he didn’t know what he needed the time for, but he didn’t exactly feel ready for everyone to know they had mated.

  But no, Keenan didn’t have a button-down on. Instead, he had a yellow T-shirt with a wide collar that showed off a lot more skin than it should, including the part of the neck that presented the mating bite. The shirt framed his collarbones, exposing both them and the higher part of Keenan’s shoulders. While it made Jonah want to grab his mate and push him back on the bed, it also made the bite more than obvious, especially since it was still a bit reddened.

  “What are you wearing?”

  Keenan looked down. “A T-shirt.”

  “I can see that!” Jonah sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn’t want to fight with Keenan right now. “So you want everyone to know we mated?”

  Keenan narrowed his eyes at Jonah. “Yeah, why? You don’t want them to know?”

  “Keenan, I would scream it from the roof top if I could, it’s just... I was lectured by a lot of them, and I feel like I’m about to go down and face twenty fathers or brothers, and they’re all going to go for my ass when they see your bite.”

  Keenan grinned and sauntered to Jonah, reaching around him and squeezing a naked ass cheek. “Nuh uh, this ass is mine and I’ll be the only one having it. Now come on, wolf. If we wait too long we won’t have anything left to eat. Those guys can be ravenous when they want to. I swear they would eat the table if it was edible.”

  Jonah still wasn’t convinced, but he didn’t really have a choice. He might not know Keenan too well, but one thing he did know was that the man was stubborn and didn’t care about what other people thought. When he wanted something, he worked to get it, and he had just gotten Jonah. There was no way Keenan was going to be discreet about it.

  So he just threw on his clothes and followed his mate out the door and down the stairs. Keenan grabbed his hand when he noticed that Jonah was standing still in the hallway while he was already entering the kitchen. “Come on. I’ll protect you if they try to eat you.”

  Jonah scowled at his mate. “I don’t need protecting.” He thought about it. “Well, I hope I won’t.”

  “I’ll throw myse
lf in front of you if they as much as breathe your way.” Keenan’s whole face was lit up in amusement, and Jonah thought his being scared to face Keenan’s family might be worth it, just to see him like that. He was always beautiful, but with a big smile on his face and mirth dancing in his eyes, he was incredible.

  “Fine. Let’s go.”

  Keenan pulled on Jonah hand and entered the kitchen. It took all of five seconds for everyone to look up at Keenan and let out a collective gasp. God, Jonah was screwed.

  * * * *

  Keenan had to work on keeping in the laugh that was bubbling in his chest—it just begged to be let out. He knew exactly what he was doing when he chose to wear this particular T-shirt this morning. He wanted everyone to know Jonah had claimed him. They would all have known anyway, even if he told only his friends. Nothing remained a secret for long in the mansion.

  Everyone was still sitting at the kitchen’s table except for Nate and Jayden, who were leaning against the counter. Thankfully, the kids were nowhere to be seen, because someone was probably going to say stuff they shouldn’t hear.

  All the men wore the same expression. Mouths open, eyes wide, hands still in whatever they were doing. All eyes were on Keenan, and he found it funny that Jonah was trying to hide behind him, because, come on, there was no way he actually fit there. Keenan was five foot eight and Jonah six foot six, for Christ’s sake!

  Keenan looked at everyone, finally laughing when the jelly on top of Jamie’s toast slid down and plopped in his plate. “Good morning, everyone. Did ya’ll have a good night?”

  Keenan pulled on Jonah’s hand and directed him to sit on the one free chair. He looked horribly uncomfortable, glancing from one man to another, probably to make sure no one was going to kill him.

  Keenan sat down on Jonah’s lap, mildly annoyed when his mate looked at him in alarm. “Oh, hush. They won’t hurt you. They’re just shocked right now.”

  The only one who was already over it was Dominic, who was quietly snickering in his chair and attempting to hide behind Ani, who was sitting on his lap. It didn’t work any better than it had for Jonah, though, and Keenan smiled at him. “What’s so funny?”

  Dominic openly laughed and Keenan was happy to see that most of the men sitting around the table turned to look at him. “Oh, nothing. I’m just so happy that you live here right now. Things never were so entertaining when it was only us unmated shifters.”

  That seemed to jolt the other men into motion. Jamie jumped from his chair, his toast abandoned on his plate as he stomped toward Keenan. “What did you do? You’ve known him for, for thirty seconds, for fuck’s sake!”

  Keenan felt the arm Jonah had wrapped around his waist tighten, but he knew he had to be clear with Jamie, so he got up and faced his brother. “Jamie, I know you’re worried for me, and I thank you for that, but I’m an adult and I know what I’m doing.” He fingered his neck, stroking the now scarred skin. “I wanted this. I was the one to ask Jonah to mate with me, and I was the one who convinced him even when he wasn’t sure about it. It’s none of your business, just like what you do with Ward is none of mine.”

  Ward snorted and both Keenan and Jamie turned to him. Keenan smiled back at him, because everyone knew just how nosy and bossy he was. “It might not be your business, but you didn’t have any problems putting your nose right in it. I remember a certain note you left me, and a strip of condoms.”

  Keenan smirked. “Ah, yes. I remember.” He waggled his brows. “Aren’t you glad you did as I said, though?”

  “Guys, we’re not talking about this right now!” Jamie yelled, but the tension in the room had lessened, and Jamie really was the only one so wound up. Ward got up and walked to his mate, sliding his arm around Jamie’s waist. “I know, but Keenan’s right. He’s an adult, and he knows what he’s doing. He’s lived with shifters long enough to know exactly what being mated means, Jamie. It was different for us. You didn’t know about shifters and you wanted to wait. He’s known about Jonah for months, even if they had problems.” Ward looked at Keenan and smiled. “I’m glad you solved them. Congrats.”

  Keenan let out a relieved sigh, but he knew he wasn’t out of it yet. Jamie meant the world to him. He was the only family he had, and it would hurt if he decided to push Keenan away, but Keenan couldn’t live for Jamie. To be honest, he hadn’t even thought about other people’s reactions when he decided he wanted Jonah to mate with him, but he didn’t regret anything.

  He watched Jamie, praying his brother would understand. Jamie was still frowning, his eyes going from Keenan to Jonah, but in the end he nodded, albeit grudgingly. “Fine. I know I have nothing to say about this, and it’s not like you can undo it anyway.” His expression softened as his eyes locked with Keenan’s. “I’m just worried, you know?”

  Keenan knew. Their parents had died a few years before, and even if Jamie was older only by three years, he had taken care of Keenan.

  Keenan moved and hugged his brother. “I know. I’m happy, Jamie. I wanted it.”

  He felt Jamie nod against him before he moved away and sat back at the table. Most of the other guys were looking everywhere but at them, except for Finn, who was grinning like a loon, and Oliver, who wasn’t far behind. Jonah seemed a tiny bit relieved as he played with a napkin and carefully avoided looking at anyone.

  “Come on, guys! Jonah is going to be living here, so you all might as well start talking to him!”

  Breakfast was a bit more relaxed after that, but it didn’t last long enough for Keenan’s taste. Jonah had to go back to Gillham, both to see how his friends were doing and to gather his things. “So, you’ll be back on Saturday? You sure you don’t want to go dancing with us?” Keenan asked as he walked Jonah to his car.

  “It’s only a day, Keenan.”

  Keenan pouted. “Well, if you count today, it’s two days, and a half!”

  Jonah chuckled and cupped Keenan’s cheek. “Okay, two and a half days. We’ve been apart for two months, two days will fly past, you’ll see. I’ll be back on Saturday afternoon to help with the party.”

  Keenan huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. “Fine. I won’t miss you anyway.”

  Jonah laughed before kissing Keenan. “I’m sure of that.” Keenan grabbed his mate around the neck and pulled him down for a last, long, deep kiss. They wouldn’t see each other for a few days, so he had to make sure Jonah would remember what he was leaving behind.

  He felt smug when he felt Jonah’s hard length press into him as he dragged him even closer, and even more when he saw his mate’s flushed cheeks and his dilated eyes when they separated. Jonah’s lips were pink and glistening with their joined saliva, and he had never been so hot and desirable. “Remind me why you have to go again?” Keenan asked, his hands kneading the hard flesh of Jonah’s ass.

  Jonah laughed and gave Keenan one last kiss before separating them and climbing in his car. He closed the door and opened the window. Keenan just had to lean in and steal another kiss. He never seemed to have enough of those, and why would he want to?

  “You’ll have fun. You’ll be with your friends and I bet you won’t even think of me.”

  Keenan raised a brow. “Oh, I will. I will think of you tomorrow night while I’m dancing. I’ll think about how it would feel better to dance with you rather than with Oliver, how your body would feel against mine as we sway together. I’ll also think of you tonight, when I’m alone in our bed. Maybe I’ll even touch myself and imagine it’s you doing it.”

  Jonah groaned and visibly readjusted his cock in his pants. “You’re trying to kill me.”

  “Nope. I’m trying to make sure you know what you’re going to be missing.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s working.”

  Keenan smirked and turned away, waving at Jonah. “My job is done, then.”

  * * * *

  Breakfast had been... uncomfortable. Still, it had gone a lot better than Jonah had thought it would go, so he was s
atisfied. More than satisfied, really.

  He felt as if for the first time in years he was finally happy.

  He had found and claimed his mate and had rescued his friends. They were hurt, but they would heal, hopefully completely. It wasn’t so much the physical aspect that worried Jonah, but the mental and emotional one. He would be there for them, though, and he would do what he could to help.

  That was why he was back in Gillham. If it were up to Jonah, he would never come back there. Sure, he knew Erskine was dead and that Kameron was as different from the old Alpha as he could be. Nevertheless, the place held too many bad memories, and too many people who thought like the old Alpha. He just hoped his friends would be able to heal there, but if they couldn’t, he would work to find them another place to live.

  Jonah parked the car in front of Kameron’s house. He had already been at the motel and had packed all his things, not that he had much. He had been free for only two months, and he hadn’t had a home during that time. It made him wonder what had happened to his things when he disappeared. He knew the house was still there. He’d driven there after taking Elliott home, but he didn’t know if his things were still inside. Jonah wouldn’t put it past Erskine to burn everything just in spite. As if he needed to do that after selling Jonah.

  Jonah hesitated before knocking. Kameron had told him he could come in any time he wanted, just like any other pack member, but Jonah didn’t consider himself a pack member, not anymore. He hadn’t talked with Dominic yet, but he knew he was going to become a pride member pretty soon. That was going to be a bit weird, because the pride lived differently than the pack, but he’d get used to it.

  The cat shifters lived all together in the same house, while the wolves were more scattered, which meant that they were more isolated and could go days without seeing each other if that was what they wanted. That wouldn’t work in the pride, as breakfast had demonstrated. It would take a while to get used to having all those people around, and Jonah wasn’t sure he would ever be completely comfortable, but he didn’t mind doing it for Keenan. It was weird how the man had become the center of his life in such a small amount of time, but then he’d had two months to think about Keenan and get used to the idea of the man being his mate.