by Sky Winters
“Well, I’m not going to ask you what happened. You’re entitled to your privacy. It’s kind of against the code here to go prying into other people’s past.”
That was a relief. “Thanks.”
Paul didn’t acknowledge my gratitude. Instead, he bellowed, “Here we are!”
My heart sank as I looked upon a dilapidated little house that, if it had been within city limits, would have been condemned long ago. A feeble woman was slowly making her way outside, squinting at us from her porch.
“That you, Paulie?”
“That’s right, ma’am. And company. Krane’s boy is here.”
The old woman paused for a moment, her face slacking in disbelief. “You don’t mean lil’ Decker?”
“That’s right, ma’am.”
To my surprise, the old woman started crying.
“Well you folks come on in,” she said, turning toward the doorway without bothering to wipe her tears. “I reckon we have some visiting to do.”
Chapter 10
If I thought the little town was antiquated, it was nothing compared to Ol’ Lady Allestar’s place. Going through her doorway was like walking into another century. Alex glanced at me.
“You okay?” he whispered.
“Yeah,” I said. But the truth was, I was shaken. All these people who knew me, or really, who had known my father. Were all of them rogue bear shifters? I had never even dreamed a place like this was possible.
“Sit down boys,” the old woman said. She sank down in a big armchair, and up close I saw that her body was seized with tremors.
“I’m gonna bring out some lemonade,” Paul said, disappearing from the room. “Mrs. Allestar here makes the best in the world.”
“What did those bastards do to you, boy?”
The old woman looked hard at me, and I was shocked by how she cut to the chase. “You aren’t hurt, are you?”
I was hurt. More hurt than anyone could imagine. But she surely meant physical wounds. I had managed to get out in time.
“No, ma’am.”
The old woman’s lips creased into a smile. “Polite boy. Miriam did right by you.”
I frowned and looked down at my hands. My mother had refused to take me to see my father for so many years. And when he did come by, it was in the dead of night, when she could hardly refuse him without making a scene. I had taken to sleeping less and less to make sure I wouldn’t miss him.
“How is Miriam?”
Another dagger twisted in my heart. “Dead.”
“Oh,” the old woman said, more to herself than to me. “I’m sorry.”
I shrugged. No matter how sorry anybody was, it wouldn’t bring my parents back.
“You have a home here, boy,” the old woman said, looking hard at me. “But don’t let that make you complacent. You were born to lead. Don’t you dare give up after one setback. You know where you belong.”
Alex looked from the old woman and back to me inquisitively. Our conversation must have been quite a sight.
“Lemonade!”
The dire look left her face and Mrs. Allestar smiled sweetly. “Thank you, dear boy.”
Paul beamed and sat a tray down on the coffee table in front of us. He hadn’t been exaggerating; it was the best lemonade I had ever had, and stirred another memory from deep within me.
“All right,” Paul said once all our glasses were empty. “Let’s get started.”
Chapter 11
Work went by with surprising speed, and Paul decided to treat us to drinks at the tavern once the roof was finished.
“Did you see Ol’ Lady Allestar’s face when we left?” Paul asked. He seemed delighted by the old woman, and it was no wonder. She treated him like a favored son.
“She was really happy that she won’t have to fish out buckets to catch water anymore,” Alex agreed, smiling broadly.
Although it felt nice to do a good deed, I just couldn’t summon up the ability to smile. The old woman had unlocked questions and memories I would just as soon forget. On top of everything that had happened with Jake the day before, I just couldn’t seem to find any reason to smile.
We drank late into the night, and Paul left first.
“Have some work to do in the mornin’,” he told us apologetically. I was honestly a little relieved to see him go. I was tempted to ask him all he could tell me about my father’s life in the Bayou.
Once we were alone, Alex and I sat at a quiet booth together. He was across from me, and I had a chance to really take him in for the first time. His face was strong, and had a dependable quality that made him seem instantly likeable. His hair was short, and he had a strong neck and broad shoulders. He was strong, and, more compelling, he was a bear shifter.
“Hey, listen,” Alex said, sipping on his beer. “I know Paul said it’s frowned upon to ask people what their stories are. But if you ever want to talk about it…I’m here. I won’t judge you.”
I was surprised by the offer, but more surprised by how quickly after it was given that I felt compelled to spill my guts.
“Thanks,” I said quietly, fighting back the urge to do so. I wasn’t sure how many people in town were shifters, but I was beginning to notice more and more of the mysterious amulets that seemed to disguise the bear’s scent.
“It’s getting late,” Alex said, glancing at his watch. “I think we should head back now. Miss Abby’ll have a fit if we’re out too late. She doesn’t like us coming and going at all hours.”
“What’s it matter to her?” I asked. “We pay to live there, she’s not our mother.”
Alex’s eyes widened. “Well she worries, Decker. It’s not particularly safe hereabouts. There are lots of rogue shifters who wanna take all their anger out on anyone they can find. Lost many a good man that way.”
I mulled this over as Alex led me through the dirt streets, back toward the boarding house. We were both too drunk to drive, and clumsily made it up the long row of steps at the house when we got back.
“C’mon,” Alex said, turning the corner of the porch instead of heading inside.
I followed him, and was surprised to find that there was a whole back porch linked to the front; this one with a porch swing on it.
“Sit with me,” Alex said, plopping heavily into the porch swing.
“All right,” I said reluctantly, sitting down on the edge of the seat beside him. “What’s on your mind?”
“Oh, I’m just not ready to go in yet,” Alex said, smiling at me. I couldn’t tell if it was the alcohol or if his eyes lingered on me a little too long. I felt a little forbidden thrill course through me, but quickly fought it away. There was no way I could be thinking about sex right now. Not after what had happened with Jake. He was the only man who I had ever let touch me.
“All right.”
We were quiet for a moment before Alex began to speak again.
“I came here a year ago,” he said, looking off into the distance. Our view from the back porch was actually really beautiful. The porch looked over an overgrown garden and a deep marsh. The sound of bullfrogs and cicadas in the night was actually really comforting. I expected there to be mosquitoes, but for some reason they seemed to leave this place alone.
“I never thought I’d leave my home,” Alex continued. “I wouldn’t be here if I had a choice.”
I almost asked what happened, but remembered that it wasn’t polite. Thankfully, Alex answered my unasked questions. There was something so remarkably transparent about him. It was nothing like Jake, who was dark and secretive. I had a feeling Alex would have none of the possessive and competitive qualities that Jake had.
“I’m the omega in our pack,” Alex said. “Or I was. I don’t have a pack anymore, not really. We’re all just a quilt work of rebels out here. That’s why we wear the amulets. We don’t want anyone from our former packs to find this place we have in the Bayou. It’s our refuge. Our only home now. But god I miss the city.”
“What city?” I asked.
<
br /> “Las Vegas,” Alex said. I was surprised. I guess I had assumed only flashy types were from Las Vegas. Alex seemed anything but flashy.
“Wow,” I said. “That’s far.”
Alex grinned. “I was alone a long while before I found this place. But as soon as Miss Abby saw me, she gave me this amulet and set me up a room. I don’t plan on staying. I want to settle into a city somewhere. I just haven’t had a chance to save very much.”
“I wouldn’t have pegged you for a city boy,” I said with a small laugh. “Least of all Los Vegas.”
“It’s not like I was raised inner city,” Alex said, raising an eyebrow at me. “I just really like the hustle and bustle of it all. It’s just too quiet for me here. I feel like I’m just too alone. Alone with my thoughts…even alone with everyone else around here. It’s a fishbowl, you know. Only the same people to talk to and watch every single day of my life.”
“Hm,” I said, mulling this over.
“Not that I’m not grateful!” Alex said quickly. “I love everything they’ve done for me here. I’d never be able to repay them. But this just isn’t my end game, you know?”
I knew. I had been thinking the same thing myself. I nodded and Alex seemed to relax.
“I don’t know if I can stay here long-term either,” I said, looking down at the pants that Alex had lent me. They were surprisingly comfortable, though I was a little bit taller than he was, so his shirt occasionally bared my navel.
“I reckon that’s why we’re both here at the boarding house,” Alex said with a laugh.
I smirked. “I reckon.”
We fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes, but it was soon interrupted by Alex jumping up from the porch swing, leaving me swinging wildly for a moment. “Fireflies!”
I furrowed my eyebrows and peered out over the marsh, and my drunk mind became just as captivated by nature’s light show as Alex was.
“Come on,” he said, jumping off the porch. “Let’s go look closer.”
I glanced back at the big house, knowing I didn’t want to face the rest of the night inside alone.
“All right,” I said, following on Alex’s tail.
He was surprisingly fast, and it took a little more effort than I thought it would to keep up. He stopped suddenly on the edge of the marsh. Unfortunately, I was a little too drunk to stop and skidded into him.
Alex fell forward with a laugh.
“Whoa!” he exclaimed with a huge splash. I scrambled into the water to help him out, but he stood up on his own and grinned. “You just wanted to see me wet, didn’t you?”
I was dumbfounded, but he laughed again, a pleasant, pure sound that was a nice change from Jake’s malicious cackle. I stared at Alex, unable to figure out if he had pegged my sexual orientation or if he was just being playful.
Alex swept his arm across the water as I was working the question in my head like a puzzle, and soon, my whole torso was drenched.
“Gotcha!” he exclaimed triumphantly. He doubled over laughing again, his shirt soaking wet and clinging to his muscular chest. He looked so brilliant in the moonlight, his smooth, clear features so easy to understand. He didn’t seem the type to hide a thing in the world.
An unexpected growl started in my throat, and Alex froze, looking at me in fear. I would have been able to hold myself back if I was sober, but I guess in most situations, I did what I wanted anyway. I was an alpha, after all. Even if I had made a mistake by letting a parasite like Jake get too close to me.
“Whoa!” Alex exclaimed again. This time though, it was because I had sprung forward, tackling him into the water. The fear and confusion in his eyes only seemed to fuel me more, and without any ceremony about it, I kissed him hard on the lips.
He resisted for a moment, but soon I felt him grow still under the heat of my body, and his soft, warm lips began to tug eagerly at mine. I stood up and dragged him out of the marsh by his shirt. He followed willingly, stumbling and falling on top of me. His handsome face lit up with a smile, and for a brief moment I was completely transfixed.
Alex seized my lips again, and soon we were rolling in the damp grass, Alex laughing quietly. I struggled to remove his shirt, but with his back pinned to the ground and my motor skills impaired by alcohol, it was difficult. He sat up and stripped the shirt off himself, and I was awe-struck by his unbelievable torso. It was more than I could have asked for; nothing like Jake’s lean, scrawny muscles and beer gut. Alex was solid.
“Your turn,” he said, hoisting my shirt over my head. I was about to protest, the memory of Jake throwing me off my game, but instead I stifled a moan when Alex’s hand found its way inside my jeans.
A surge of bliss made my knees weak. I hadn’t wanted anything to do with sex because of Jake, but right now I felt spiteful and bitter. What did it matter what I did with this stranger? I didn’t owe anything to our joke of a relationship! Whether I thought I was emotionally ready or not, it was happening. And it felt fucking good. Screw Jake.
I shoved Alex against the grass, violently tearing his pants and boxers off. I was impressed by the size of his cock; it was long and thick, and felt perfect against my skin. I could see Alex’s abdominal muscles rippling as he breathed heavily, trying to bite back grunts of pleasure as I began working his shaft in my hands.
He began to rock his hips against me, and I couldn’t resist tugging him gently until I was gratified by the sound of his voice.
“Fuck,” Alex whispered, his shaft growing thick in my hand.
His clear eyes bore into mine, and I was captivated by him as he received my touch. Alex’s every slight movement set me ablaze. I was frustrated so much by what had happened with Jake. All I wanted to do was find a way to get back in control of my life.
Alex grunted when my aggression reared its head, and I flipped him roughly to his hands and knees. I knelt behind him, wasting no time before shoving myself inside of him. Alex yelped, and I wasn’t sure whether it was pleasure or pain that he was feeling. In the heat of the moment, I hardly cared. All I wanted to do was feel myself again. To feel like an alpha.
I reached around and gripped his cock to keep it from dangling in the air as I used his body for my gratification. He moaned then, and electricity shot through my loins. It was warm inside him. Jake had rarely let me express myself like this in the bedroom. He thought it was novel that he could top the alpha. But with Alex I felt a shocking need to assert myself. To let him know who was really in control here.
To my surprise, Alex seemed to be loving every second of it. Jake would have fought his way from under me by now. He would have tried to do something to make me submit and serve him. But Alex glanced back at me and we stared at each other, sparks shooting from his eyes to mine. He was challenging me. He wanted me to give him everything I had.
I hissed in pleasure as my cock swelled inside him. I had been drunkenly operating at half-mast until then, but now I wanted him to know that he had no choice in the matter. He was mine.
Alex moaned when I squeezed his shaft, running my hand along the thick cylinder of his cock and down to its round, weeping head. Heat pulsed through my loins and I could feel his body tight around me. Every slight movement was electrifying.
I had never dreamed of feeling this good with Jake. Our relationship had mostly focused on Jake being pleasured by me and using my body as he liked. It hadn’t felt particularly satisfying, but I had loved him so much that his immaturity in the bedroom had seemed like part of his charm. Now, though, I knew the truth. He had suppressed my alpha ways intentionally. He had always been after more power. Who knew how long he’d been plotting this mutiny?
Alex grew limp against the grass, bracing himself with his knees dug deep in the dirt and his arms extended outward. He was breathing heavily, and my eyes roamed the muscular curves of his back, illuminated to perfection by the moonlight. What had taken me so long to really embrace this side of myself?
My desire to dominate Alex began to grow in intensity
the more he seemed to submit to my power. He was groaning in pleasure with every thunderous thrust of my hips, and I could feel a hot tingle beginning to build up low in my abdomen.
When I knew I couldn’t hold back any longer, I gripped Alex’s shaft hard and began pumping my hand around it. He writhed in pleasure and struggled against me. I held him still and rammed my hips against him until he was gasping my name.
We erupted together at the same time. I threw my head back in rapture as I emptied myself inside of Alex. I could feel the hot liquid bursting from the pit of his loins. The feeling of his cock tense in my hand enhanced the power of my climax, and soon we were panting on the ground together.
“Well,” Alex said, finally sitting up and pulling his boxers back on. He cast a sidelong look at me. “Are you okay?”
I was surprised by the question. Jake never would have bothered asking. He would have gone off to do his own thing by now.
“Fine,” I said.
“Cool. Then I’ll pick you up for work in the morning.”
Alex grabbed his wet clothes and headed toward the boarding house. My eyes followed him until he disappeared safely inside.
Chapter 12
I tossed and turned that night, my mind flooded by horrible memories of my time with Jake. I couldn’t believe I had already allowed myself to be sexual with another person. Even though I knew Jake had done so long ago; I had to be honest with myself, it seemed way too soon.
And the worst part was that I had basically just used Alex for my own means. He wasn’t exactly my top priority when I had been using his body for my gratification. He was a second thought. I might as well have done to him what Jake had always done to me. I felt terrible. How was I going to face him again?
Eventually, the alcohol took over and I was pulled into a dark oblivion. I was torn out of it far too soon by urgent rapping on my door.
“Breakfast, Mr. Decker,” Penelope said. I groaned and rolled out of bed. I was used to my routine with Jake, where we did as we pleased and stayed in bed late. He was happy to live on my inheritance, and I hadn’t thought anything of it. I just felt good to be able to take care of the man I loved. It was the alpha in me. And I was growing more convinced that Jake had known exactly how to take advantage of that.
