by Walsh Maggie
“I don’t blame him. The noises that come out of that room would scare small children,” Taylor teased with a smile.
“Oh really?” Aaron asked. “Well guess what, Taylor? As long as these young men are staying here, you and Gabriel can’t fu…um…all over the house.” Aaron gave Taylor a smirk and Rory stuck out his tongue.
Taylor smirked back. “Yeah, but my man can just freeze time, and we can do whatever we want while you all are just frozen there not knowing what’s going on.”
“Oh gods, no. Tell me you haven’t done that already?” Aaron asked.
“You’ll never know. Ha-ha-ha-ha,” Taylor said mischievously as he walked from the room.
Micah covered his mouth with his hand to hide the smile. “Raith can you get everyone settled in before hot chocolate and cookies?”
“Sure, Micah. I’ll just put Maddy and his mates next to Crew, Haven, and Laylen,” he said laughing as he grabbed Aaron and Rory’s hands and walked toward the door.
“I don’t think I like the sound of that,” Maddy grumbled as they all stood to follow Raith.
“Ooh, can I be in the room next to Taylor? Or if Maddy doesn’t want it, I don’t mind being in the room next to Crew and his gorgeous mates,” Sage offered as they left.
Jesse laughed and shook his head as he stirred the pot. Micah walked up behind him, wrapped his arms around his waist, and kissed his neck. “So is it okay with you having all these extra mouths for a day or two? They say we’ll be getting blizzard conditions by midnight. They may be here for a while.”
Jesse looked over his shoulder at Micah and gave him a quick kiss, then turned back to what he was doing. “It’s fine by me. Think about it. While they are all here, Evan will be all alone in that house with…”
Micah chuckled and squeezed Jesse tight. “Dad.”
“Exactly. It’s better than me locking them in a room or you locking my fathers in a cave. They’ll be snowbound. I think it’s the perfect thing for them to spend some alone time, get to know each other, maybe mate. Who knows?” Jesse shrugged his shoulder.
“That’s my love. Always the romantic.” Micah kissed his cheek.
“Absolutely. I want everyone in our family to have what we have.”
* * * *
“Oh my gods, Raphael. Get in here out of that weather,” Evan offered as he opened the front door to find a very snow-covered Raphael. Evan grabbed his elbow and helped him inside. Raphael’s arms were full of boxes. Evan knelt in front of him and started unlacing his boots. He helped his mate pull them off and then straightened. “What in the world are you doing out in this storm?”
“I thought you and the boys may need some provisions. You may be stuck in here for the next few days, and I wanted to make sure you had enough food. Everything was fine until I got a little over halfway here. Then the storm picked up and the snow got heavier. It’s damn near whiteout out there.”
Evan looked at Raphael in awe as he just stared at the man.
“What?” Raphael asked as he adjusted the boxes in his arms.
“It’s just that…no one has ever helped me with the boys before or worried if we were all right during something like this. Usually the packs just ignored that we were there.”
“Well not anymore. So how about we take these into the kitchen? Maybe some of the boys can help us put these away.”
Evan’s eyes opened wide. “Oh, Raphael, I’m sorry. Please let me take one.” Evan grabbed one of the boxes. He turned and headed for the kitchen. “The boys aren’t here. Sage was supposed to meet Shelby at the club, and the others went into town to try to pick up groceries and stuff before the storm hit.”
“They went out in this?” Raphael asked in annoyance.
Evan turned to look at him from the tone in his voice. “As I said, they left before it got too bad. They’re okay, though. Jesse called and said they made it over there safe. Apparently Shelby called to tell Sage not to go to the club, but if he still wanted to practice he could go to the alpha house. So the boys were going to drop him off there and then hit town. By the time they reached the pack house the storm was raging, so Jesse told them to stay and wait it out there. He called to let me know they were okay and to check if it was all right with me.”
“That son-in-law of mine is a godsend. He is the sweetest thing I have ever met. My son is very lucky to have him,” Raphael beamed as he placed the box he was holding on the table. “Mmm. It smells wonderful in here.”
“Thanks, I was making stew for the boys when they got back. I figured it’s so cold out there that there’s nothing better than beef stew to warm you up on a cold winter’s day.”
“Very true. It goes well with a hot toddy.” Raphael laughed and began to pull things from the box.
“Oh, that sounds good. I haven’t had one of those in…I don’t remember how long.” Evan laughed as he started pulling things from the box he carried.
Raphael stripped off his snow-covered coat, placed it on a hook in the mudroom, and then returned to help Evan put the groceries away.
“There’s so much food here. How much do I owe you?”
“Nothing. I can’t take money from you. Besides, I didn’t buy all of this. When I told Micah I wanted to run to the store and pick up some things for you all, then come and check on you, he insisted I take things from the pantry instead of fighting the crowds at the market.”
“That man has done too much for us already. I need to repay him somehow.”
“He’s your alpha. That’s what he’s supposed to do―make sure his pack is taken care of.”
“Not any alpha I’ve ever known, and not to the extent that Micah goes to. I’m sure he hasn’t gone out to all the members of the pack and made sure they had enough food to get through the storm.”
“And that’s where you would be wrong,” Raphael said with a chuckle.
Evan turned to look at him. “He went to everyone in the pack?”
“No, but he did have the market order extra provisions days ago in case the storm came this way. Then he told the manager at the market to not charge anyone for the next week. He also had all the enforcers taking shifts to help anyone that needed help bringing those supplies home. Then they made sure they had everything they needed. Shovels, rock salt, firewood, whatever.”
“He really is the best alpha I have ever heard of. You did an amazing job raising him.”
“Thank you. He is an amazing man,” Raphael said proudly.
They continued to put all the groceries away in silence. Once they were done Evan insisted Raphael stay until the storm was over. He grabbed two bowls from the cupboard, ladled stew into them, and then placed them on the table across from each other. He went to the fridge and pulled out grated cheese, hot sauce, and a loaf of Italian bread. Placing the items on the table, he sat across from Raphael.
“All the fixings I like. How did you know?”
“Those are all the things I like with my stew, too,” Evan explained.
“See, we were made for each other,” Raphael said with a flirting smile. Evan blushed and looked down at his food. Raphael smiled again and reached for the hot sauce. After putting a few drops in his stew, he put it on the table and reached for the grated cheese. Just as he grabbed it, Evan did, as well, and their hands touched. Neither pulled back, leaving their hands where they were. Their gazes locked, and Raphael could see the heat in Evan’s eyes. After a few moments, Evan pulled his hand back and grabbed the hot sauce. He cleared his throat and looked down at his meal again.
They ate in silence except for Raphael’s appreciative moans on how good the food was. Evan gave him a few smiles in thanks. When they were done, Evan washed the dishes. Raphael dried them and then put them away. He smiled as he placed the spoons back in the drawer. Everything they did was so domestic, and he loved it. He wanted to do this with Evan by his side for the rest of his life.
Evan grabbed the pot of stew and placed it in the fridge, then collected the other items from their meal and p
laced them in, too. He grabbed a soapy rag and went to wipe the table. Raphael stood frozen, his back against the counter as he watched Evan’s every move. His motions were smooth, and Raphael enjoyed watching his mate’s tight ass sway back and forth as he wiped the table. Evan straightened and turned. His cheeks pinked up again as he noticed Raphael staring at him. He retrieved a clean cloth, went back to the table to rinse off the soap, then turned and put his hands on his hips as he narrowed his eyes at Raphael.
“This would be a lot easier if you weren’t standing there staring at my ass.”
“But it’s such a work of art. It needs to be looked at and appreciated,” Raphael said with a smirk.
Evan burst out laughing as he walked back to the sink. “Really? Well, I have to give it to you. That was a good answer.”
Raphael reached out and slid an arm between Evan and the counter, grabbing his hip and pulling the man against him. Evan gasped and placed his hands on Raphael’s chest. Raphael’s eyes filled with heat as he stared into Evan’s eyes. He dropped his gaze to Evan’s lips and then brought it back up to meet his gaze. Raphael raised his other hand and cupped Evan’s cheek. “I really want to kiss you,” he whispered.
Evan was breathing heavy as he stared at his mate. “Okay.”
Raphael lowered his head and softly brushed his lips against Evan’s. He pulled back slightly, met Evan’s eyes, and then dove back in. He captured Evan’s lips with his with more pressure. Raphael slid his tongue from his mouth and licked across Evan’s seam, asking for permission. Evan opened to him, and Raphael slid his tongue between Evan’s lips and tangled his with Evan’s.
Evan’s hands ran up Raphael’s chest and wrapped around his neck as he pressed his body against Raphael’s. Raphael held Evan tighter and tilted his head, deepening the kiss. His head felt light and his chest tight. He loved the slight taste of stew and hot sauce on Evan’s lips, but he really loved the taste of Evan underneath it. Raphael wanted to stand here kissing Evan forever. His stomach began to flutter like it was filling with butterflies, and his knees grew weak.
Yes, he had kissed Evan before but never like this. He never wanted to push his mate or force himself on him, but he couldn’t fight it anymore. He needed to feel his mate in his arms. He needed to taste him, and he wasn’t disappointed. Evan pressing against him felt better than anything he had ever felt before, and his kiss was euphoric.
Raphael didn’t want to break the kiss, but they both needed to breathe. He slowly pulled back, but only slightly. Evan opened his eyes, and Raphael felt a wave of desire rush through him from the sight of Evan’s glazed eyes. The heat and need he saw in his mate’s gorgeous green eyes almost had him stripping the man right there, but he held his wolf back as the creature pressed against him, wanting to come out and claim their mate. They stood there wrapped in each other’s arms as they stared into each other’s eyes. The storm raged outside, and the wind whipped against the windows, then the lights went out.
* * * *
“Hey! That was no fair, Taylor! You’re not supposed to hide behind your invisible mate,” Shelby admonished.
“All’s fair in love and snowball fights,” Taylor yelled back over the wind as he laughed. Suddenly, a few snowballs flew through the air and pelted Taylor in the head. He spun around to find Sage, Syn, and Josh laughing their asses off.
“Oh no, Taylor. We promised no powers. These young’ns don’t have any to fight back with,” Xander called out. He ran up behind Shelby, grabbed him around the waist, and picked him up. Shelby let out an unmanly yelp and grabbed onto Xander’s shoulders.
Lexi snuck up behind Bailey, grabbed the waistband of his pants, and then dumped snow down the back. Bailey screeched out and spun around. “Lexi! You’re such an asshole sometimes!” Bailey shoved his hands in his pockets, pouted his bottom lip, and stormed away toward the tree line.
“Wait, pretty baby! I was only playing.” Lexi took off after his mate. When he reached Bailey, Lexi touched his shoulder to stop him, but Bailey pulled his shoulder away and walked faster, trying to get away from Lexi.
“Hey, no more doing anything to piss off mates. I really don’t feel like sleeping on the couch with Lexi tonight,” Crew called out and threw a snowball at Laylen, hitting him in the chest.
“You better not be sleeping on the couch with my mate. I’ll rip your eyes out,” Bailey growled from behind Crew. Bailey’s voice surprised him and Crew jumped then turned to look at him.
“How the hell did you get back here so fast?”
“Um…I think the better question is, Bailey, how are you here with us, but also over there with Lexi?” Laylen asked and pointed toward where Lexi stood, trying to get Bailey to talk to him.
“Because I have skills now,” Bailey said with a shit-eating grin. He closed his eyes and then opened them as he began to laugh. He pointed toward Lexi and Bailey, who had been standing next to Lexi and was now gone. Lexi turned and stalked back over toward them. Everyone stared at Bailey in awe.
“How did you do that?” Josh asked.
“Pretty baby,” Lexi growled as he got closer.
“What?” Bailey answered innocently. “Oh you mean this?” Bailey smiled brightly, and suddenly there were two Baileys standing in front of them. Then four, then six. Bailey kept multiplying until there was a horde of him circling them.
“Oh shit!” Taylor said as he turned in a circle looking at all of the Baileys. He turned back and looked at the original Bailey. “Oh, I gotta try that. Can I siphon your power?”
“Go ahead, but you need to do it from the original, not a copy, and how do you know which one is really me?” Bailey began to laugh.
Lexi stepped forward and wrapped an arm around Bailey’s shoulders, but he fell through. “Nope, not that one,” Bailey said and started laughing again, all the copies of him doing the same. He bent down and made a snowball, and all of the Baileys did, too. He cocked his arm back and threw it forward, releasing the snowball. All the Baileys released their snowballs, and they all hit Lexi. He raised his arms and turned from the onslaught.
“What the hell!” Micah’s big, booming voice called out over the wind. Everyone stopped and turned their attention toward him. “Bailey? What the…How did you…You got your powers? But you’re only nineteen,” Micah said in awe as he and Jesse stepped closer. Both of them wore shocked expressions on their faces.
Suddenly, all the Baileys disappeared except for one who stood behind them all. “I found out a week ago,” he said softly. They all spun in surprise from his voice behind them.
“Bailey, that is so cool. How many times can you copy yourself?” Josh asked.
“I don’t know. Lexi and I only tried it a few times. I’m up to fifty,” he said proudly.
“Wow. I’m impressed. What can you do with that?” Micah asked.
Just then, the back door burst open, and Bastian came rushing out. He was dressed in only sleep pants. Aaron was racing behind him.
“Micah! Jesse! It’s time!” Bastian screamed out in a panic.
Micah and Jesse ran toward Bastian, and they, along with Aaron, disappeared into the house.
“I guess Noah’s about to have his baby,” Christian said. He wrapped his arm around Raffy’s waist and pulled him close. “You’re shivering, angel. Let’s get you inside and warmed up.” Christian bent, lifted Raffy off his feet, and carried him to the house.
“It is starting to get too cold out here. How about we go in, get changed into our PJs, make some popcorn, and watch a movie?” Taylor offered.
“Sounds like a good idea,” Xander said. He picked up Shelby and raced toward the house.
“So how long do we wait for the mated couples to warm each other up before we start said movie?” Tucker grumbled.
Milo threw his arm over Tucker’s shoulders as they all walked toward the house. “Don’t worry, Tuck, your mate will come along some day. Until then, we’ll meet you all in the den in about…two hours.”
Milo chuckled and released
Tucker. He ran toward Josh and picked him up, throwing him over his shoulder. Maddy laughed as he followed them. They all entered the kitchen from the back door as they brushed the snow from themselves and took off their boots.
“There’s fresh coffee and a pot of hot chocolate,” Zane informed them. He sat at the center island with Demetrius, drinking hot cocoa.
“Thanks, Zane. You two should have joined us. We had a blast,” Xavier said as he stepped farther into the room, allowing the others to move in.
“It’s too cold out there for Demi. He’s not used to extreme weather where he comes from,” Zane explained.
“I like hot temperatures, not cold,” Demetrius answered.
“So I’m guessing Micah and Jesse took off?” Xander asked as he poured two cups of hot cocoa.
“Yeah, Bastian came tearing in here, and then they, along with Aaron, Phenex, and Ryland, took off through the wall,” Zane answered.
A loud gasp came from Demetrius, and his eyes went wide. Everyone turned to look at him and saw the shock on his face. They then shifted their gazes to where he was staring. Mitchell stood by the back door, frozen to the spot. His eyes locked on Demetrius. He had the same look on his face as Demetrius.
“I found you. You’re here,” Demetrius whispered, his voice full of surprise.
“I-I-I can’t believe this,” Mitchell whispered back.
“What’s the matter, Mitch?” Milo asked in concern as he moved closer to Mitchell.
“That’s my mate,” he answered.
Everyone’s eyes went wide as they looked at Mitchell and Demetrius.
Chapter 6
Evan sat on the couch curled up in Raphael’s arms as they stared at the fire. He leaned against Raphael’s side, his head on his chest, hand on Raphael’s stomach, and his legs pulled up and off to the side. Raphael’s arm was around his shoulders, holding him close, and his other hand lay over Evan’s on his stomach. They had moved the couch closer so they could feel the heat coming from the fire. With the power off, the heat wasn’t working, and the house had begun to get cold.
