by Kasey Belle
Nick chewed his lower lip. “I guess so.”
Mal squeezed his mate’s hand. “It’ll be fine. I promise. My pack is nothing like yours.”
“That’s not why. I mean...” Nick sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. “I’m not like you. You’re sure they won’t mind… me?”
He wasn’t sure where his mate was going with that line of thought. He only knew he didn’t like it. “I’m missing something here, baby. Can you explain that to me?”
“I probably should have mentioned this sooner, but I didn’t want you to not want me.” Nick’s shoulders slumped forward. “I’m uneducated. Summer and I had to leave home after my freshman year. I was never able to finish high school.” He dropped his eyes looking even more defeated than he had moments ago.
Mal placed a finger under Nick’s chin and tilted his head up. “Let’s get something straight. I could never not want you. So get that out of your head. Saying you’re uneducated makes it sound like you think you’re stupid. You my mate are anything but stupid.”
“We’ve known each other for less than twelve hours. You can’t possibly know that.”
“I can and I do. Twelve hours or twelve years―” Mal shrugged. “―doesn’t change the fact that I can see how brilliant you are. High school was out of your control. You can always get your GED if the lack of diploma is really an issue for you. Oh, and FYI, it doesn’t bother me. What else is worrying you?”
Nick sighed. His perfectly groomed blond eyebrows bumped together. “You’re a―” He waved his hand up and down at Mal’s body. “―guy.”
Wait. What? Mal stared at Nick surprised by his unexpected statement. “Obviously. You are too last time I checked.” Mal shot him a wink and a lascivious leer. “I didn’t think that was a problem since we’re both gay.”
“Yes. I mean, no.” Nick growled in frustration and ran his fingers through his hair. Mal probably shouldn’t have found his frustrated attitude sexy, but he did. Everything about Nick was sexy. “You’re a guy guy. Big. Muscular. Masculine. And I’m not. I’m―”
Mal didn’t want to hear the rest. He wrapped his hand around Nick’s nape and tugged. He pressed his lips against his mate’s and kissed him until he was breathless. Mal couldn’t help his cocky smile when he looked into his mate’s dazed eyes. “You’re beautiful. Vibrant. Sexy. Mine.”
“Small for a wolf shifter. I’m a runt.” Nick added then pointed to his hair. “I love color and this is pretty tame actually.” He pointed at his eyes. “I wear make-up.” He huffed. “It’s been an issue before.”
“It’s not for me. I wouldn’t change a single thing about you. You’re perfect, Nico.” He placed a finger over Nick’s lips to stop the rebuttal Mal knew was coming. “It won’t be a problem for anyone in our pack either. They are some of the most accepting and least judgmental people I know. Our family is going to love you.” He removed his finger and gave his mate a quick peck on the lips. “Oh, and FYI, Fiona changes her hair color like I change underwear. This month it’s purple highlights. She’s gonna take one look at you and make you her new GBF.”
Nick cocked his head. “GBF?”
“Gay best friend. You’re going to be a stereotype, baby.”
Nick giggled. Damn. Mal loved that sound. “I think I can live with that. She can’t be that bad if she’s sporting purple in her hair. Everyone knows purple is the most awesome color in the rainbow.” Nick gave him a shy smile. “Next to green, of course.”
Like his eyes. Mal couldn’t resist kissing his mate again. He didn’t stop until Nick’s body was completely relaxed. “Let’s go. If you’re good, I’ll give you more later.” He wagged his eyebrows.
“Awfully presumptuous.” Nick snorted a laugh and rolled his eyes before letting himself out of the truck.
Mal opened his door and hopped out. He ran around and met Nick on the other side. Nick carefully removed a sleeping Leo from his car seat and Mal grabbed the baby bag and slung it over his should. Nick held Leo to his chest lightly patting his back when he stirred. Mal placed a hand on the small of his mate’s back and escorted him up the steps to the front door.
Mal opened the front door and motioned for Nick to go first. He shook his head. “We shouldn’t just walk in unannounced, Mal.”
“They’re expecting us, baby.” Mal gave Nick a gently push to get him moving.
Although his family was in residence―he heard their voices coming from the kitchen―none of them greeted him and Nick as they entered. His family was giving Nick some space before he was inundated with introductions and new faces. Their care and concern for his mate, even though expected, warmed Mal’s heart. He glanced down at Nick, who stood frozen in the entry way and seemed to grow paler by the minute. Nick’s pulse beat rapidly in his neck. He looked ready to pass out or flee. Mal needed to do something to calm his mate, but what? A brilliant idea hit him when a certain pixie’s giggle floated down the hallway. If anyone could put his mate at ease, it was Emma Grace with her big guileless heart and never met a stranger attitude “Baby, look at me. That’s better. Before we make our way to the kitchen and introduce you to the family, there’s someone special I want you to meet first.”
“Before the Alpha?” Nick stared at him wide eyed. “That’s totally against protocol. Are you trying to get us killed?”
Mal would have laughed if Nick didn’t look so freaked out. “We don’t follow a lot of that around here and nobody is killing anybody. It will be fine I promise. Trust me.”
“I do trust you, but if the alpha kills me I’m going to be really pissed at you.”
Mal chuckled. “Okay, baby.”
Nick cocked his head and brows wrinkled with confusion. “Who do you want me to meet? Your brothers?”
“Nope,” he replied. “Someone better and way cuter. Watch this.” He shot Nick a wide smile. “Hey?” Mal shouted. “Where’s my E.G.?”
A little girl’s happy squeal then the swift pitter-patter of tiny feet running down the hallway proceeded Emma Grace before she turned the corner and came into sight. “Uncle Mal,” she shouted when she spotted him. She was wearing a pair of red cowgirl boots, jean shorts with white lace ruffle around the hem, and a wonder woman t-shirt. Her long, dark curls bouncing around her shoulders and a big, dimpled smile adorned her cute face. When she was close enough, Emma Grace took a running leap trusting Mal to catch her, and he did.
She wrapped her little arms around his neck and hugged him tight. “I missed you, Uncle Mal. It’s about time you showed up. Mommy said you went to go get a friend because he needed your help. That was forever ago.”
“I left last night and you were asleep for most of it, crazy girl. I brought my friend with me. This is Nick.” He nodded his head in Nick’s direction. Emma Grace looked over at Mal’s mate and smiled. “Hey, pixie? Wanna know a secret?”
“Oh, yes, please. I’m good at keeping secrets.” Emma Grace nodded.
“Nick is more than my friend. He’s my mate.” Mal said the last part in a loud whisper.
Emma Grace squealed and clapped her hands. “You have a mate? Oh Uncle Mal. I’m so happy.” She turned her attention to Nick. She flashed him a grin. “Welcome to the family Uncle Nick. I like your eyes. That’s eyeliner, right? Mommy wears it. It makes your eyes look extra big and blue. Oh, I like your hair, too. It’s got blue like your eyes. Mommy’s hair is purple.” Emma Grace leaned over and held out her arms. Nick, looking awestruck, met her halfway, and she wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight hug then kissed his cheek. Leo gurgled and fussed. Emma Grace gasped and jerked back. “You have a baby?” She held her fisted hands to her chest in a dramatic fashion. “Oh, I love babies. My mommy is having a Christmas baby,” she told Nick. “Is this a boy baby or a girl baby?”
“A boy. His name is Leo.”
Emma Grace softly caressed the baby’s cheek as he settled back into a deep sleep. “Hi, Leo. My name’s Emma Grace. I’m your new cousin. Right Uncle Mal?”
“That’s right, pixi
e.” He winked over her head at Nick who still looked shell-shocked. Emma Grace had that effect on people.
“Luke and Jay are coming to say hi.” Emma Grace peered over her shoulder in the direction she’d just come from. Mal followed her eyes and saw Jay and Luke coming around the corner. She squirmed so Mal set her on her feet. Emma Grace waved the boys over. “Come meet Nick and Leo.” The boys trotted over and craned their necks trying to get a glimpse at the baby. Nick squatted down so the boys could get a better look.
Luke peered down at Leo. “He’s cute. His hair is fuzzy.” As if to prove the point, Luke ran his hand over Leo’s downy hair. He glanced up and his eyes zeroed in on Emma Grace’s hand where it rested on Nick’s shoulder. Luke narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest as he studied the interloper. “I’m Luke. That’s Jay.” He nodded his head in Jay’s direction. “Emma Grace belongs to us.”
Subtle. He pinched the corners of his lips to stop himself from grinning at the not so veiled threat. Luke might as well have said, hands off our woman, asshole. Nick looked up at Mal. He noticed Nick wasn’t fairing any better. His mate’s eyes watered as he worked to control his laughter.
Nick cleared his throat and held out his hand. “I’m Nick,” he replied in a solemn voice before shaking Luke’s hand then Jay’s. “I belong to Mal.” Mal puffed up with pride at his mate’s declaration.
Luke’s suspicious gaze studied Nick. “You’re Uncle Mal’s mate?” Nick nodded. “Good.”
“Congratulations, Nick,” Jay said with an enormous smile before turning his attention to Mal. “You too, cousin.” Mischief sparkled in the cub’s eyes. “About time you found a mate. Some of us were beginning to worry we were going to have to put up with your sad sack face moping around here forever.”
Mal narrowed his eyes and growled. “Those dumbass brothers of mine put you up to that?”
“Uncle Mal!” Emma Grace scolded. “Bad word. And yes, they did. I heard them.” She shot him a dimpled grin.
Jay tilted his head and studied Nick. His eyebrows furrowed then he laid his hand on Nick’s shoulder next to Emma Grace’s. “Don’t worry. Everyone will like you. It’s okay if you’re different. Everybody is unique in their own way. You’re good in here.” Jay pressed a palm to Nick’s chest. “That’s all that matters.”
Emma Grace moved her hand and laid it over Jay’s and Luke took her other hand and held it. Mal felt Jay’s calming influence surround them. Nick gasped, “omega.” His eyes shot to Mal. He gave his mate a quick nod. Nick’s eyes widened more in return. He turned his stunned eyes back to the cubs.
Jay patted Nick’s shoulder and took a step back. Both boys now held Emma Graces hands.
“Thank you. I feel better.” Nick shared a fist bump with Jay then stood. “I guess I should stop being nervous and making everyone wait, huh?”
The cubs nodded. Mal reached over and took Nick’s free hand and brought it to his lips. His eyes never left Nick’s as he placed a kiss to his knuckles. “Will y’all give me and Nick a minute.”
“Sure,” Emma Grace chirped. “Come on, Jay and Luke.” She tugged on the boy’s hands. “We’ll tell everybody you’ll be in there soon, ‘kay?”
“Okay, pixie.”
“See you soon, Uncle Nick. You too, Leo.” Emma Grace held on to Luke and Jay’s hands and led them away. They followed her willingly down the hall.
Once they were out of sight, Nick shook his head and snickered. “Wow, she has them wrapped around her little finger.” He turned his attention to Mal. “They’re mates?”
Mal nodded. “They are. I thought Luke was going to challenge you to a duel. Pistols at dawn.”
Nick snorted a laugh. “I know, right? The little cub, Jay, is an omega, but, Emma Grace and Luke, they’re special too, aren’t they?”
Usually, Mal wouldn’t discuss the trio’s abilities with anyone, but this was his mate. He saw no reason to keep the information from Nick. He knew Declan and Cade would understand. “Yes. The technical term for what Emma Grace and Luke are is conduit.”
“I’ve heard the term. I can honestly say I’ve never met one. I’m not sure if my old pack had an omega. The cubs’ secret is safe with me.”
Mal cupped his mate’s cheek. “I know.” He couldn’t resist placing a slow kiss on Nick’s lips. “Let’s get this done so we can go home and get you and Leo settled.”
Chapter 7
They entered the kitchen, and the room plunged into silence as all eyes turned on them. Nick’s body went rigid. Mal gave his mate’s hand a squeeze letting him know it was okay and they were in this together. “Hey, everyone. We’re here. Way to make it awkward.” He rolled his eyes.
Paul and Kell glanced at his and Nick’s joined hands then shared a look with each other. Mal mentally groaned when he saw his brothers’ sly grins and the calculated torment that would soon be coming his way.
They made a move toward him and Nick and Declan held up his hand. “Stop,” he ordered in an authoritative voice. “I don’t think Nick is ready for your antics yet.” Declan made a shooing gesture when Paul and Kell didn’t move immediately. Their expressions fell and they stepped back.
Kell caught his eye and mouthed, “Later.”
Declan, Cade, and Fiona stepped forward and greeted them together. “So.” Declan dropped his eyes to his and Nick’s linked hands. “Is there something you wish to announce, Malcolm?”
“Sorry, cousin.” Mal cleared his throat. “Alpha Creed, Beta Creed, My―” He stopped talking when Fiona growled and narrowed her eyes in warning. Ah. Right. He winked at her. “―Fiona allow me to officially present my mate, Nick Speer.” The room erupted in howls and cheers which immediately stopped when Leo cried.
Mal plucked a very pissed off Leo from Nick’s arms. He bounced the cub in his arms and patted his back. It only took a few seconds to soothe him. Leo laid his cheek against Mal’s chest and gave a shuttering sigh. He popped his little thumb between his lips suckling until he drifted off again. It wasn’t until Leo closed his eyes that Mal noticed everyone had gone silent and he was the center of attention. All the women in the room, including Emma Grace, looked at him with that universal ‘aww he’s adorable and we don’t mean the baby’ dreamy look in their eyes. All the men looked impressed. Was his mate impressed? He probably should have asked if Nick wanted Mal’s help. He hadn’t stopped to consider his actions before he took Leo. Mal chanced a look at his mate. He let out the breath he’d been holding. Nick looked at him like he hung the moon and stars. Mal shrugged feeling a bit self-conscious at all the attention. “I have a way with cubs.”
“One in particular, I’d say,” Nick responded in a soft voice.
Declan cleared his throat and smiled at Nick. “Nice to finally meet you in person, Nick. This is my brother and beta, Cade and our mate, Fiona. I’m so happy you made it here safely.”
“Please call me, Nick. Thank you for offering us sanctuary, Alpha Creed.”
Declan arched an eyebrow. “Declan.”
“Right, sorry. Declan” A flush worked its way up Nick’s neck to his cheeks. He inclined his head exposing his neck.
Mal’s heart nearly stopped. He knew Nick submitted out of respect. Hell, all shifters presented themselves when meeting an alpha, but watching his mate open himself up for judgement and perhaps a swift death did not sit well with Mal. Declan wasn’t a threat to Nick, but that didn’t stop Mal’s wolf from wanting to jump in and defend his mate to the death if needed. Cade snorted a laugh. Mal narrowed his eyes and glared at his cousin. “You got something to say?”
Amusement danced in Cade’s eyes. “Having trouble with your wolf, cousin?”
Mal’s wolf surfaced. His eyes glowed amber, and he growled. Cade just grinned harder. Annoying asshole.
Fiona’s eyes bounced between him and Cade. She jerked her hand from Cade’s and smacked him in the chest. “Stop it! Nick is nervous enough without you two acting like children.”
Mal hadn’t noticed until Fiona said
something that Nick’s hand trembled against his. Mal’s shoulders sagged as guilt weighed them down. He and Cade always gave each other shit. They didn’t mean anything by it, but his Nico didn’t know that. Mal felt like shit for scaring his mate. He gave Nick’s hand a gentle squeeze. Nick glanced up at him and returned the gesture. Mal breathed a little easier.
Fiona held her hand out to Nick. “Hi. Fiona or you can call me Fee, but not Alpha Femme, My Queen, or whatever other weird names shifters feel the need to label me with. I don’t like it.”
Nick looked to Declan for permission to touch his mate. Declan nodded. Nick removed his hand from Mal’s grasp and shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, Fiona.”
“Who is this cutie pie?” She pointed at the Leo.
“My nephew, Leo. He is―” Nick cleared his throat “―was my sister’s cub. Hers and Daniel’s.”
“I’m so sorry for your loss, Nick.” Fiona blinked back unshed tears. Declan and Cade wrapped her in their arms. She was no doubt thinking of her first husband, David, who died when Emma Grace was two weeks old. David, a Navy SEAL had been killed in action. He and Kell had been on the same team and best friends. A mission had gone wrong due to bad intel and David was gravely wounded. He bled out in Kell’s arms. Fiona sniffed and smiled up at her mates. “I’m okay. Thank you.”
Declan kissed her temple. “Anytime, love.”
“What he said, baby.” Cade playfully nuzzled her neck making loud yummy noises.
She scrunched up her shoulder blocking Cade and swatted at him. “Cut it out.”
“Boy, behave yourself.” Mal’s Aunt Maddie scolded Cade as she pushed him out of the way. “Why doesn’t everyone make their way to the table so we can get some food in this young man?” Maddie pulled Mal’s head down and she kissed his cheek. “Hi, sweetheart.” She gave Leo a little peck on his fuzzy head.
“Hey, Aunt Maddie.”
“Nick,” Fiona said. “This is Maddie. Paul, Kell, and Mal’s aunt and Jay’s grandmother. She keeps everything running smoothly at the main house and pretty much mothers us all.”
