Arren

by Caitlin Ricci

  Cole gave him a gentle kiss. “You’ll never be spanked in public. I’ll grab your ass, or I might give you a light tap, but I’ll never punish you in front of the pack. I’m not asking for your humiliation, which I’m pretty sure is how you’d take that. The goal in a punishment is to get you to learn from it make better decisions.”

  Arren could live with that. “Okay. But what if I’d refused to go even after a spanking?”

  “You could have come to work with me and sat next to your father for the whole morning. Every boring meeting, every whiny pack member to listen to, every stupid minute-to-minute decision that I have to make, you could have been right there for. Would you rather work in the kitchens or join me for a day?”

  That wasn’t a decision Arren had to think about for more than a moment. “The kitchens are fine.”

  Laughing, Cole pulled Arren into his arms. “That’s what I thought.”

  The next morning Arren didn’t need to be reminded to get up. He was still groggy, and still didn’t want to go, but it was better than going to work with his ass stinging from a spanking. He spent that time that he would have been getting his punishment curled up in Cole’s lap.

  “This is a better way to spend the morning,” he sleepily said.

  Cole kissed his temple. “Yes, it is.”

  When Arren got to the kitchen, he was surprised to see Bastian standing in front of the dishwashing station. He went over, leaned against the wall, and said, “Hey.” They weren’t friends anymore, but he could still be nice to the rest of the pack, no matter how Bastian felt about him.

  Bastian looked him over. “I heard that you and Cole got mated.”

  “Trial period to show my father that we can be good mates for each other. We’ll be officially mated in a month,” Arren corrected him.

  “You moved out of your house.”

  Arren nodded. “Mates live together.” People were starting to file in for the morning shift. “Are you doing the dishes from now on?”

  Bastian gave him a dark look. “I had a fight with one of the guys in my room in the barracks, and I ended up having to change jobs so that we weren’t around each other much anymore.”

  Arren could have said something nice and encouraging, but it was early, and he still wasn’t feeling all that warmly toward Bastian anyway. He wasn’t sure where they’d gone so wrong, but he didn’t necessarily want to fix their friendship either. For him, they were okay how they were. People changed and friendships faded, and just because they lived in the same pack, and likely would for the rest of their lives, didn’t mean that Arren had to try to make a friendship with Bastian work. He walked away, going to the station he’d been assigned, and began peeling potatoes. He could go home when all hundred pounds were peeled and chopped. He found a stool and got to work.

  When Arren was done he went to the lake. It wasn’t even eleven yet, and though he was sure he wouldn’t get the smell of raw potato out of his hands anytime soon, he was glad that he’d rushed through work. The lake wasn’t too busy, so he shifted and went swimming. As a coyote, he was good at swimming. Maybe not as good as a bear, but he was still decent at it.

  He couldn’t just float as a coyote, though, so he shifted back to looking human, and lay back in the cool water. Arren didn’t need a month to know that he and Cole would be good mates for each other. They were perfectly fine as they were. He pursed his lips and continued to float through the calm lake. He wasn’t sure what his father expected from them. Maybe if Cole didn’t complain about him too much over the next few weeks, his father would see that Cole was a good mate for him, and that he could be good for Cole too.

  The water moved under him, and Arren ignored it, at least at first. He wasn’t alone in the lake, and plenty of people in the pack could turn into the kinds of shifters that would make that kind of disturbance.

  When someone deliberately bumped into him, though, that was much harder to ignore. He stopped floating and started to swim to shore, expecting whoever was trying to get his attention to show themselves.

  He didn’t have to wait long before David, someone who could loosely be considered an ex, surfaced beside him. “If you want to talk to me, you’re going to have to shift,” Arren said. “I don’t understand anything you say while you’re a dolphin.”

  It took David a few minutes, but eventually he shifted. “Rumors are going around that you’re going to be mated to Cole.”

  Arren shrugged. “Yes, and?” He wasn’t close to David. There was no reason David should have been asking about his mating to Cole.

  “I heard it’ll just be happening to make Leo happy, that you’re not actually mating him. That you’re still going to be looking to play.”

  By his grin, Arren knew that David would have loved an invitation back into his bed. But all Arren wanted was to be able to drown a dolphin. “You heard wrong.”

  David’s grin faded fast and Arren swam the rest of the way back to shore. He was standing on the rocky sand at the edge of the lake and trying to yank his shorts on when David grabbed his arm. Arren wasn’t interested in anything that David had to say to him, though. He twisted out of David’s grip and shoved him hard enough that he fell back into the water.

  Having Cole come charging up as a huffy, pissed off bear was unnecessary, but Arren appreciated him being there all the same.

  “I’m fine,” Arren promised as he ran his hands over Cole’s furry shoulder. “He hit on me, is all. Thought I would still be available despite our mating.”

  Cole’s deep growl made Arren smile. It made David dive back into the water and shift to get away faster. Laughing, Arren shook his head and leaned against Cole’s massive shoulder. “He always was an idiot. Maybe he can kill some of the rumors, though. I’m yours. You’re mine. When we are officially mated, that will still be the same.”

  Cole gave him a nod, followed by a huff. Arren appreciated his grumpiness. “Thanks for rushing over when you thought I was in trouble.”

  Cole shifted, and they walked home together, Arren’s hand tucked neatly in Cole’s. “I thought he had grabbed you in some way. I was ready to do a lot more than simply growl at him.”

  Arren kissed his shoulder. “That’s good to know, assuming anyone else is ever stupid enough to hit on me again.”

  “I hope not.”

  “Me too.” Cole wouldn’t get in trouble for defending him, if that was what he would have to do, but he would get yelled at if he was just picking fights simply because it was something to pass the time.

  It wasn’t more than an hour after they had gone home that Arren’s father came to their front door. Arren opened the door for him, glad that they had decided to keep clothes on for a while and wondering what his dad wanted with them.

  “I want to talk to you,” his father said to him.

  Arren looked back at Cole, who remained sitting on the couch, then faced his father again. “I’m not mating with anyone besides him. You want me mated, that’s my choice. And I do want to be mated too. Just only to him.”

  His father snarled at him. Arren hadn’t flinched at his father’s sign of irritation since he was a child. Now he simply waited for his father to get over whatever tiff he was in at the moment. “That’s what I wanted to come talk to you about. I gave Cole a month, believing it would take him less time than that to figure out how you aren’t a good match for him. You’re impulsive, you never stick with anything for long, much less a lover, and—”

  Cole got up and joined them, putting his hand on Arren’s hip. “Leo, as my alpha I respect your opinions. As the father of my mate, though, I have to ask you to stop insulting him.”

  Arren smirked at his father. He didn’t need Cole to come protect him, but he was glad to have him there with him all the same.

  Leo looked between the two of them. “Yes, as I was saying, all of those things were true about you. Then I heard about the altercation at the lake today. And I thought to myself, they couldn’t possibly
be talking about my son. My Arren, who has never once been loyal to anyone besides himself. My little boy who has never been in a relationship because that would require commitment, which he was never good at, and I realized that, Arren, you’ve changed. Cole is the same as he always has been, but you, my son, you’re actually worthy of a mate now. And so I give you both my blessing and I recognize you as mates.”

  “Thanks.” Arren waved him away. “You can go now.”

  Cole clamped his hand over Arren’s mouth, which Arren didn’t appreciate, but breath play was another of his kinks, so whatever. “He meant to stop at thanks. And we do appreciate it, Leo. Thank you.”

  His father didn’t look convinced, not that Arren really expected him to. He was happy just getting his blessing. As soon as his father was gone, Cole released him and Arren kissed him. “You know, you’re not always going to be able to save me by shutting me up.”

  Cole chuckled. “No, but I can certainly try. Come on, let’s get back to the couch.”

  Arren was only too happy to do that, as he cuddled up with Cole and got comfortable next to his mate.

  The End

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  Wildflowers and Lace

  Caitlin Ricci

  Excerpt

  I was pretty much ready to grab my bag and leave when a woman with a big, noisy purse and dirty jeans sat down next to me.

  “Hey, is this seat taken?” she asked.

  I shook my head. “No, it’s not.” My voice was too quiet. I was never so soft spoken. I was still stuck between going and staying, but class was about to start and this woman was at least willing to share breathing space with me, so maybe it wouldn’t be all bad. “Hi. I’m Lyssa.” My name was getting easier to say. It should be. I’d practiced saying it out loud hundreds of times by now.

  She stuck out her hand and smiled at me. “I’m Cindy.”

  We shook hands. I made sure to be gentle. Every stereotypical feminine thing was rushing through my head. Be delicate. Smile but don’t show teeth. Don’t laugh too loudly. Sit up. Keep my knees together. Cross my ankles.

  It was all just too much.

  “Oh, good. They have donuts for us. I’m going to go get some. Would you like me to bring you back any?”

  I was momentarily distracted from my panic. “I like donuts.”

  “Me too. I’ll be right back.”

  Cindy didn’t seem to be troubled by what it meant to be a woman by traditional standards as she shuffled noisily up to the buffet table and started piling her plate high with various donuts.

  She came back to our table and took one of the powdered sugar ones for herself. I chose a custard-filled. “Do you come to these art classes often?” I asked her between mouthfuls.

  Cindy shook her head and licked her fingers clean as she finished off the first donut and reached for another. Everyone else had taken one donut, if they’d taken any. But I didn’t mind. I appreciated that she wasn’t worried about what other people thought as she ate as many as she wanted.

  “I had some extra time today and the class still had some spots open,” Cindy answered. “How about you? Have you tried watercolors before?”

  I laughed softly. “Not at all. But...it looked like fun.”

  The scheduled social time ended, and the artist leading the class handed out materials. We each got a few sheets of watercolor paper, along with a handful of brushes and a palette of watercolors. We were making loose wildflowers, which I hadn’t understood the meaning of until she explained that it was just flowers without definite edges and details.

  I wasn’t bad at it. But I wasn’t exactly good either. I wasn’t any worse than Cindy, though. She was laughing at herself and working through her mistakes. I tried to take her lead and not stay so focused on my imperfections either.

  Her soft laughter and the momentarily touches she gave me as our legs bumped together, as accidental as they were, were distracting. But they made the class a lot more enjoyable than it would have been if I had stayed by myself.

  “This was fun,” she said as the class finished up. “I’m glad I came.”

  “Me too.” I gathered my things, but I wasn’t ready to go back to my quiet apartment and be alone again yet. “Would you like to get some coffee or tea or something? There’s a little cafe across the street.”

  Cindy took out her phone, then frowned. “I would, really, but I’ve got to go pick up my son. How about another time?”

  She looked like she was probably early thirties so her kid was probably kindergarten at most and, I assumed, that she was still very much with his dad. Not that Cindy had given me any indication that she might be interested in a date, but I wasn’t willing to discount anything at this point.

  “How old is your son?” I asked her. Even if she couldn’t meet for coffee, maybe we could just keep the conversation going for a little bit. Since coming out and starting to transition, I’d lost most of my friends. I had one friend left, but he was pretty busy these days. He worked nights in an understaffed nursing home and was constantly working overtime.

  Cindy smirked. “Fifteen. Almost sixteen. My ex is really starting to freak out about how soon Kyle will be driving and then dating. The horrors.”

  She did not look at all old enough to have a teenager. And his dad was an ex too, so that was good information to have. Not that I was at all looking at the possibility of dating her. It was just an attraction. I didn’t even know if she was interested in women. “Maybe I’ll see you at the next watercolor class?” At least she’d sat next to me. Maybe there could be a friendship in our future after all.

  Cindy took out a business card and flipped it over. She quickly wrote her number on the back, then handed it to me. “I think they only have these things once a month. Maybe we could get that coffee next week?”

  I expected the card to be her business card, but it was for a horse trainer named Cameron. The horse in the photo, a big gray one, was pretty. The guy looked good too—not that I was into men, but I could appreciate them aesthetically. “Do you help train horses?”

  Cindy giggled. “No. Though I do enjoy riding them. Cameron is my ex’s younger brother. You’re welcome to come riding sometime if you want. Cameron trains horses, and he’s always got a few that are really gentle that anyone could rider. My ex, Gavin, and his brothers and their cousins all share this big farm about an hour north of here in Missouri. Cameron has the horses, Gavin has sheep. It’s a pretty place.”

  I hadn’t pegged her as a farmer’s wife. Or ex-wife, as the case was. I smiled at her. “That sounds really lovely. Maybe we could start with coffee before I embarrass myself in front of you on a horse though.”

  “Trust me, you wouldn’t be embarrassing yourself any more than I already do. After years of riding, I’m still not very good and I’m pretty sure Cameron has stopped trying to teach me how to ride better. It’s all good, though. I haven’t been thrown in a while and I have fun when I’m out there. But yes, coffee would be great. However, right now I do need to run.” She rolled up her watercolor and stuffed it into her already overflowing purse.

  “See you soon.” I was already anticipating that coffee date with her.

  “Yes. Absolutely. Bye.” She took off in a rush and I sat back, still smiling to myself. It had just been a little conversation. But Cindy hadn’t treated me any differently because I wasn’t cisgender. Her being friendly had made me feel really at ease in a way that I’d definitely needed today.

  About the Author

  Caitlin Ricci has been writing professionally since 2012 and since then has released over a hundred stories including some award winners. Though she writes in many genres, all of her stories are about finding love and happily ever after. She lives on a small farm in Missouri with her dogs, goats, and husband.

  authorcaitlinricci@gmail.com