by Aspen Grey
“What do you think about making the trip tomorrow?” I asked him. I’d been meaning to broach the subject with him for a couple of days now, but he’d needed his rest, so I let him have it.
Keiran sighed and sat back on the couch, cradling Dorian against his chest.
“We’ve got to go eventually,” I told him. “We have to.”
“I know, I know,” he groaned. “It’s just – what if it goes terribly?”
“It won’t,” I told him firmly.
“But, what if it does?”
“It won’t,” I repeated. “I’ll be with you. The boys will be with you. No matter what else happens, we have each other, and that’s all that matters.”
Keiran took a deep breath and looked down at his son in his arms. I could see his mind working. “All right,” he finally replied. “Tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow.”
29
Keiran
The dilapidated double-wide trailer made my heart sink. I hadn’t seen my old home in years, not since I ran off at thirteen, and I hadn’t anticipated just how much it would hurt to see the place again.
The steps, which were already rotting away and giving out when I was a kid, still hadn’t been replaced. Someone had propped them up on one side with a half a cinderblock, and the kitchen window had been covered with a piece of cardboard.
The paint was still there, but half the trailer was covered in a speckled green and black mold and the roof definitely looked like it was leaking. It looked like the same pale blue curtains that had hung in my bedroom window when I was a boy were still there. It was almost as though the whole place had frozen in time after my departure.
“I’m gonna throw up,” I told Cole, who was sitting beside me in the driver’s seat.
“It’ll be okay,” Daphne told me from the back. She had volunteered to come along with us to watch the boys, which someone would have to do if things went according to plan.
We were here to find my mom, and my stomach had been in knots all day. I’d barely slept, and not just because Zach was up crying all night, but because all the feelings I’d pushed aside since I’d left home were flooding back to me in anticipation of this moment.
“You’ll be all right,” Cole assured me, rubbing my knee with his hand.
“No, really,” I replied, feeling my mouth water. “I honestly might puke.”
“Well, throw up then,” Cole chuckled. “And we’ll go say hi to your mom and introduce her to her grandchildren.”
I swallowed again and leaned my head back against the seat. I wasn’t sure exactly what I was so nervous about, but I was practically shaking.
“What if…he’s there?” I asked Cole, closing my eyes.
He as in my mom’s abusive boyfriend who’d been the reason I’d left home in the first place. My mother wasn’t the most assertive woman in the world, and I couldn’t see her actually forcing him out of the house or breaking up with him. So it made sense that he’d be in there too. And I didn’t know how I’d react if I saw him.
“He can’t hurt you now,” I told him. “I’m here.”
He was right, and that made this a little easier, but it was still the hardest thing I had ever had to do in my life. Childbirth was painful – physically – but coming back here after all these years was like opening up all those wounds I’d managed to heal.
“Fuck it,” I growled, shoving the door open. I hopped out into the cold and heard Cole get out on the other side. The snow crunched under my boots as I walked up the driveway toward the trailer.
The old boat that had belonged to the previous owner was still out back by the trees, lying upside down under a foot of snow. A pickup truck that I didn’t recognize was parked by the steps, but Bill was always buying and selling old pieces of shit so that didn’t surprise me.
The old steps buckled under my weight as I stepped up to the front door. Summoning every bit of courage inside me, I raised my hand and knocked.
The old door felt like plastic under my knuckles, and that probably wasn’t far from the truth. It felt like the whole trailer shook beneath my hand and I took a deep breath as I heard footsteps inside.
You’re about to see your mom again, I thought as the doorknob turned. Just be cool. This is for the best.
The door opened, and I put on my best smile, but the face I found staring out at me was not my mom. It wasn’t even close. Hell, it wasn’t even a woman.
“Who the fuck are you?”
The guy looked like a fisherman, and one that wasn’t too friendly and probably had a shotgun in the house. He was the size of a refrigerator and had a set of yellow teeth that made my stomach turn.
“Oh, uh…” I was stammering. “I’m Keiran? Keiran Green?”
“Yeah, so what?” he growled, lifting a cigarette to his lips.
“I’m looking for Demi Green? She used to live here?”
“Jesus Christ, kid,” the man laughed, blowing smoke like a dragon. “How long you been out of town? That woman don’t live here no more!”
It was like a vacuum sucking all the energy out of me. After all that, I’d come all this way and prepared myself for this moment, and she wasn’t even here.
“Yeah, I guess I should have expected that,” I muttered, turning around and heading back down the steps.
“Hey, wait a second, kid,” the man called after me. I stopped and turned around. “Where you going?”
“You said she doesn’t live here anymore.”
“Yeah, she don’t live here,” he laughed, pointing over my head across the trailer park. “She’s down on J Street. Number twelve.”
With that, he slammed the door and I heard his heavy footsteps inside, probably heading back to the couch. I turned and looked at Cole, who looked about as shocked as me.
“J Street,” I repeated.
“Well, let’s go,” Cole replied.
30
Keiran
This time I wasn’t hesitating. The worst part was already over with. I’d gone through this five minutes ago, and I wasn’t going to torture myself again. I marched right up the steps, which thankfully weren’t rotting away, to the baby blue double-wide and knocked.
The wind had started blowing viciously on our way here, and I huddled down in my collar as a cold breeze swept over me. I didn’t hear anything inside, so I knocked again. Was it possible that after all this, she wasn’t actually home?
I raised my hand to knock again, feeling my heart starting to shake, but before I got the chance, the door opened.
“Hello—?”
“Mom,” I blurted out. It was her. Standing in front of me, was my own mother, and I just couldn’t handle it.
Tears burst from my eyes as our eyes met. She was older, but still as beautiful as I remembered her. I’d gotten my amber eyes and blond hair from her, which was starting to grey, and she was wearing a big chunky sweater just like I remembered she used to wear.
“K – Keiran?” she stammered. “I don’t – what are you doing here? Oh my God, my baby boy is home!”
My mother threw her arms around me and I wrapped mine around her. I was crying like a baby – a complete blubbering mess, and so was she. But neither of us cared.
She smelled exactly as I remembered, and it was one of those scents that brings you right back to a place and time in your life, and the waves of nostalgia hit me hard, like storm waves crashing on the beach.
“I thought I’d never see you again!” she cried into my shoulder.
“I’m sorry, mom,” I sobbed back. “I’m so sorry.”
She broke away from the embrace and held me at arm’s length, looking me over as though she’d almost forgotten what I looked like. I knew that wasn’t the case. She just hadn’t seen me in years and was taking it all in again.
“Oh, look at you,” she exclaimed happily. “You’re all grown up!”
“I know, right?” I smiled, wiping my eyes. I turned around and motioned toward Cole who came up behind me. “Mom, this is Co
le. My mate. My fated mate.”
My mom looked so shocked with delight I thought it was a real possibility that she might explode into a million pieces right then and there. Cole smiled and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, my mom had her arms around him and was squeezing him with all her strength.
“I must be dreaming!” she cried out. Cole coughed as she squeezed all the air out of his lungs and looked at me with an enormous smile. “Come in, you two! Get out of the cold!”
My mother let go of Cole and motioned for us to come inside, but I hesitated.
“He’s – not here, is he?”
My mother’s face sank slightly at my words. She knew who I was talking about.
“He’s gone, honey,” she replied. “He – he left me a couple of years ago.”
“He left you?” I roared, unable to believe what I was hearing. “But why?”
My mom shrugged, and I knew this was going to be a long conversation in the future. “I don’t know, honey. I just don’t know…”
“So, you’re alone here?” I asked her. My mother nodded sadly.
“Well, tell you what,” Cole chimed in. “Why don’t you come with us? We’re staying at a place not far from here. Keiran actually has another surprise for you waiting in the back seat.”
My mother quickly glanced over Cole’s shoulder to the car and then back to me. A glimmer in her eye let me know she had an idea of what he was talking about.
“No…” I simply smiled and let the realization sink in. “No! Are you serious?”
I nodded as my mom burst into a blubbering mess of tears. Cole smiled at me as she threw her arms around me again and squeezed like she was trying to pop me.
“Gah, you’re gonna kill me, mom!”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” she replied, easing her grip and stepping back to wipe her eyes with a sleeve.
“Come on, Demi,” Cole said, motioning to her. “Come with us. There’s plenty of room where we’re staying now for you.”
“No more trailer park, ma,” I told her happily. “Come on. Come meet the boys.”
“Boys?” she gasped. “You mean, there’s more than one?”
“Two actually,” I smiled, taking her hand. “Do you have your key?”
Flabbergasted, my mom quickly reached inside and snatched her keychain from a hook. I closed the door behind her and led her down the steps to the car.
“This is too much, Keiran,” she told me as we reached the car. “I might just have a heart attack!”
“She sounds like you,” Cole laughed as he opened the back door for her. Daphne waved as my mom looked in at our two boys sitting side by side in their carrier.
“Mom, meet Zach and Dorian,” I said proudly. My boys kicked their legs and looked up at their grandmother with all their youthful wonder. “They have your eyes. Like I do.”
My mom couldn’t even speak. She just stared at my boys in awe before leaning her head against my shoulder. I helped her into the car and crammed myself into the seat beside her. Cole got in and we headed out, back for the cabin, leaving the trailer park behind me for the second time in my life, and hopefully the last.
Epilogue
Cole
Spring had broken through and we had all finally been able to put our big winter coats away. The slope of the mountain behind the cabin had started to bloom in small purple and yellow flowers. I had no idea what their names were, but they brightened the whole place up.
The air here was so much different than in the city. It was crisp, clean and there wasn’t a hint of smog or pollution. On top of that, it was quiet. And I mean quiet.
Even in my house in Los Angeles, you could hear the sounds of the city from the back yard, or in the main room when the windows were open. But up here, the most we ever got was the sound of a small plane overhead, and even that was a rare occurrence. And you could actually see the stars here too. So many stars. I’d almost forgotten what they looked like.
Now that spring was here, the birds were out and waking us all up in the morning. But that was all right. I’d grown accustomed to not really sleeping much thanks to my two beautiful boys, but now that Demi had moved in, we were all sharing night-time duties when they woke up.
I’d met the rest of the pack as well. Red was the pack alpha and had been here for many years. He was a great guy, despite the way he talked. He honestly felt like a king that had stepped out of a book from the Middle Ages or something. He pretty much let us do whatever we wanted and live how we wanted to live, but this place was his and he held the authority.
Then there was Kitchi, a really interesting alpha. He was mated to an omega named Toby, and they were the perfect picture of happiness. Kitchi was a tough guy, and had all kinds of stories of the shit he’d gone through with the wolves, who had a lodge just down the mountain a ways.
There were so many wolves I couldn’t even keep track of them all. Their leader was Tate, of course, a real stand-up guy, and the crib he’d given us for the boys was gorgeous and probably would have cost a few grand back in Los Angeles.
Then there was Kyle, his mate and their daughter Scarlet. And Martin, Bryce, Clarence, Seth…and too many others to remember. They really needed a cheat sheet on the wall with everyone’s names and photos for us newcomers. Everyone was really nice, so they forgave any blatant social missteps that I was always making, but it still sent my head spinning every time we went down for a meal.
The firm was doing fine without me, taking a little time before committing to another multi-year case. I figured we’d spent most of our time here, and I could fly back in a few months to check in and get some business done.
Retirement was definitely an option, but I didn’t want to completely abandon everything I’d built back on the West Coast, and having my place out there for next winter would be incredible. Maybe some of the other foxes could come with us and ride out the cold months.
“Okay,” Keiran said, coming out the front door and stepping up beside me. “The boys are with Daphne, mom’s down with the wolves, Red and Kitchi went out somewhere, and Osana is cooking with Kyle. It is time.”
I grinned and felt my pants tighten as I turned to look at him. I knew exactly what he was talking about. It had been months since he and I had really had some time together to get…frisky.
My box of toys had come finally. I’d ordered a whole new set of things for us to play with, and now that we had the cabin to ourselves, we were going to really make good use of our time.
“Ready for me to wear that ass out?” I asked him, grabbing him by the waist and slapping his ass with one hand.
“I’m ready for you to try,” he teased, provoking me. I squeezed his butt, leaned in and kissed his lower lip.
“Big talk,” I growled, sliding my hand quickly down his pants and gripping his cock, which was already almost at full attention. “You won’t be teasing me like that when I’ve got your arms tied behind your head and I’m having my way with you.”
“Oh, you think I’m just going to let you do that, huh?”
“Oh, you don’t have any choice in the matter,” I joked, unbuttoning his top button. “I’m going to tease you until you’re ready to explode, make you come and then have my way with you.”
“Yeah?” he asked, rubbing his hands over my chest.
“And then I’m going to make you come again,” I told him. “And only then am I going to give you my seed.”
Keiran looked up at me, biting his lower lip in a way that let me know he had something else on his mind.
“You know…it’s my heat today,” he told me.
“I know,” I replied. “I smelled it this morning.”
“And I was thinking…why don’t we make another baby?”
His suggestion surprised me. I hadn’t been expecting that, but when I looked into his eyes, and thought about just how much I loved him, my response was instantaneous. It wasn’t even a decision. I knew.
“Yes,” I nodded. “Absolutely.”
>
“I love you, Cole.”
My heart swelled as I held my mate. “I love you too, Keiran.”
The End
Afterword
Thank you so much to my ARC readers, my new friends and anyone who bought this book! This is Book 3 of the Scarlet Mountain Pack, and there will be more books coming soon!
If you haven’t yet, sign up for my Newsletter, check me out on Facebook and stay tuned for more.
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Amazon US
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Aspen Grey
Also by Aspen Grey
Claiming His Mate - Scarlet Mountain Pack Book 1
Claiming His Love - Scarlet Mountain Pack Book 2
Claiming His Baby - Scarlet Mountain Pack Book 3
Claiming His Fate - Scarlet Mountain Pack Book 4
Claiming His Future - Scarlet Mountain Pack Book 5
Claiming His Miracle - Scarlet Mountain Pack Book 6
Omega’s Submission - Foxes of Scarlet Peak Book 1
Omega’s Submission
Chapter 3
Kitchi
Vanilla and peppermint. It was the smell of the omega standing in front of me that was invading my nostrils like a foreign army setting up camp in my scent glands.
Fuck!
Every muscle in my body was tense as the shock of seeing something so beautiful hit me like a ton of bricks. I felt like a blast of cold water had hit me in the face, right as a wave of heat swelled in my feet and rose through my body to my face.
Don’t blush!
“Toby,” Thatcher said with a smile. “I’d like you to meet – uh, what did you say your name was, sir?”
“K—Kitchi,” I replied, stuttering like a fool. I swallowed, praying my cheeks weren’t red as I felt my cock swell beneath my jeans.
