Page 8 of Claimed By His Omega Dragon’s Fire (Nesting Ever After: Season Two)

8

Brock

“Thank you so much for one last mocha,” Theo says, his voice deep and jolly. He is never putting the Santa allegations to rest. “We’re going to miss having you here.”

“We really are,” Elias says, taking the iced latte from me. “Having you around has really fueled my caffeine addiction. I’ll have to talk Theo into getting us an espresso machine.”

“I’m not sure you need this much caffeine on a regular basis,” Theo says teasingly, wrapping his free hand around Elias’ back. Elias leans against him. The two of them make an adorable pair.

“Thank you again for letting me set up my truck here. You have no idea how much I appreciate the kind gesture.”

“It was our pleasure,” Elias says with a wide grin. “We got coffee and we got to see another wonderful connection form,” he adds, giving me a little wink that leaves my cheeks bright red despite myself.

Theo gives me a knowing look. “It’s our favorite part of owning the lodge.”

“Oh,” I say, not really knowing what else to add. They leave shortly after that, wandering back into the main lodge and leaving me alone to finish cleaning my truck.

Pulling out my phone, I send a quick message to my brothers, letting them know everything that’s happened. I fill them in on my upcoming festival, on meeting Aiden, on our instant connection, and how I’m trying to figure out what the hell I’m supposed to do next.

It doesn’t take long before I get a response, telling me to stop being an idiot and follow my instincts. Raphael reminds me that he wouldn’t have met his wonderful new mate if he hadn’t taken a chance and that maybe, now it was my turn to jump into the unknown.

Sounds scary but what’s life without taking a few chances?

It’s the end of my little vacation. My truck is fully stocked, everything has been replaced, and I’m ready to get everything tied down in preparation for my next journey. My only hesitation is wondering where that journey will actually lead me.

I could make my way to the fair I’m scheduled to appear at. It’s a few days away but I can always park and chill there while I wait for the festivities to begin. Or I could plan a little detour to Aiden’s village.

The decision takes care of itself when Aiden bounds over to my truck, looking bright eyed this morning. His smile disarms all the worries threatening to build up inside my chest. Being around Aiden is easy . Why wouldn’t I want to continue being around him? Why wouldn’t I want to enter his pack lands and see what it is about it that makes him go all soft around the edges?

“Hey,” he says as he steps over to me, leaning down to kiss my cheek. His nose runs across my skin as he scents me. When he pulls back, his cheeks are pink. “Sorry about that. You just smell extra good for some reason.”

“It’s fine,” I say with a grin, patting his chest.

“I was thinking--” he starts to say, his words breaking off as he suddenly looks unsure. I wait for him to continue. “Would you be interested in maybe following me home?”

“Like a lost puppy?”

Aiden snorts, shaking his head. “Something like that,” he murmurs softly. “I can’t imagine just leaving this place without you, Brock. I don’t want to hold you back or weigh you down, but I also can’t just go back to life without you by my side.”

I place both of my hands on his chest. After a moment of hesitation, Aiden places his hands on my hips. “Lucky for you, I don’t want to be without you either,” I tell him, the vulnerability of the confession making me ache. “I still have a festival to attend in a couple of days. And I’m not giving up my truck. But yes, I’ll follow you home.”

Aiden’s big hands cup my face, his eyes growing serious. “Brock. I would never ask you to give anything up for me. I like that you have your own truck. I like that you’re so independent. I downright adore that you’re so fucking fiery. Please don’t even think about changing.”

My heart swells inside my chest. His words leave me warm all over, a faint blush across my cheeks. Gods, how the fuck am I supposed to keep myself from falling head over heels for this man when he says shit like that ? Then again, do I really wanna keep myself from falling? Falling for Aiden feels not only inevitable but it also feels safe .

If I give my heart to this alpha, I know he’ll hold it gently.

“Okay,” I say softly, a little smile tugging at my lips. “When are you checking out?”

“Already done. You?”

“I’m good to go.”

“Perfect,” Aiden says, giving my forehead a soft kiss before pulling away. “Follow me?

“I’ll be right behind you.”

I watch Aiden walk away towards his vehicle. I was expecting this moment to be nerve wracking or anxiety filled. Instead, it feels right. It feels like we were destined to meet. We’ve slotted together in a way that feels almost supernatural in nature and instead of fighting against that, I sink into it, letting it fold around me like a well-loved blanket around my shoulders.

I quickly climb into my truck and get it turned around. When Aiden pulls out of his cabin, I follow behind. Flipping on the radio, I let myself relax as we drive away from the lodge and towards Aiden’s home.

It takes around an hour and a half before we’re pulling into a little town. It’s the kind of place where everyone knows everyone. The type of place to settle down, have the white picket fence and the backyard of kids and a dog. It’s simple yet so incredibly homey .

It’s not necessarily the type of place I imagined myself being in but now that I’m here, that surge of warmth is back. This feels like the type of place I could see myself in for the long haul. I could see myself meeting the neighbor and causing good-hearted shenanigans to keep everyone on their toes. I could even see a couple kids with Aiden’s eyes running around, keeping us busy. It’s not what I imagined but now that I can see it, I want it more than words can say.

Aiden pulls his vehicle into the driveway of a little gray house. I park my truck on the street. I get out and stretch, feeling my legs pull from sitting so long. Aiden runs over to me, pulling me into his arms. I can’t help but chuckle.

“Well, fancy meeting you here,” I say with a grin. Aiden grins right back.

“Maybe I shouldn’t be hugging you out here in the open if I don’t want my pack to be pounding on the door asking who you are. But I couldn’t help it. I was away from you far too long.”

I roll my eyes. “It wasn’t even two hours. Stop being dramatic.”

“Dramatic? Me? No, that doesn’t sound like me.”

“Yeah, and I’m actually a queen pretending to be a commoner,” I say with a giggle, reaching into my truck and grabbing my bag. “Can I steal your washer?”

“You can steal whatever you want but I have to warn you, you’ve already stolen my heart.”

I turn and look at him slowly. He’s making a playful joke yet my heart somehow swells even further. If I’m not careful, it might actually grow in size with how sweet this alpha is! “That was terrible but I kinda love that you said it.”

Aiden grins as he takes my hand and leads me into his home. Just like the outside, it’s adorable in here. The biggest room turns out to be the dining room and Aiden explains he hosts a lot of dinner parties with the pack. He has an office, a large, spacious bedroom, a little laundry cupboard, and a fairly good sized kitchen.

“We’ll need to add an espresso machine in here,” I murmur as Aiden gives me the tour. Then I freeze. What the fuck? I can’t just assume I can stay here long term. I can’t just move myself in without talking to Aiden about it first. I’m about to apologize but can’t before Aiden’s mouth is planted firmly against my own.

I make a noise of surprise at the back of my throat as he kisses me. He pushes his tongue into my mouth and my knees grow weak with the intensity of emotions he’s pouring into the kiss. This is a claiming kiss, one that makes me feel like his . His omega. His mate. His .

We pull back and Aiden runs his nose over mine, a gesture that’s so achingly soft and domestic that it steals my breath. “I like the sound of that,” he says softly, his breath fanning over my face. “Anything else you’d like to add?”

“That wasn’t too presumptuous?”

“Maybe it is, but I don’t care. Only you and I get to dictate how this relationship works. We get to decide what’s too fast and what’s not fast enough. I want you here, Brock.”

“Okay,” I say softly. “Okay, yeah. I want to be here.”

“We’ll get an espresso machine for the kitchen. What else?”

“I’m not about to make changes to your house, Aiden,” I say, slapping his chest playfully. “I’m already turning your world upside down by arriving so suddenly.”

“That might be true but my world needed to be shaken up. I needed someone feisty to come along and light my heart on fire.”

“That’s why you were so drawn to me? You got a thing for redheads?”

Aiden shakes his head, smiling fondly at me. His hands tighten around my hips. “Come on, I’ll show you where the washer and dryer are.”

I lean up on my toes and kiss his cheek. It doesn’t take long before I have my clothes going in the washer while I wear a pair of Aiden’s pajama pants and a shirt. They’re both way too big on me but I kinda like that. It also helps that Aiden keeps staring at me like he’s starving and I’m the last meal he’ll ever see.

I’m about to actually do something about that look when there’s a knock on the door. Aiden gives me a pensive look before he walks over and opens the door.

“Hi, Harry. Hi, Alex!”

“We saw your car in the driveway,” a masculine voice says, “I hope you don’t mind that we stopped by to say hello and ask how your trip was.”

“I don’t mind at all,” Aiden says, opening the door wider and welcoming Harry and Alex into the house. For a moment, I’m self conscious but the feeling quickly passes. Aiden trusts me to meet part of his pack and I trust him to know best when it comes to things like this.

“Did you just get back?”

“Like an hour ago,” Aiden says as he guides his guests further into the room. Aiden comes and sits beside me while two men stand still, looking between me and Aiden.

“Gods, we’re so sorry, Aiden. We should have realized you had a guest when we saw the food truck outside.”

“That’s okay. Come sit down. I’d love for you to meet Brock.”

“Hello,” I say, giving a little wave.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Harry,” the taller of the two says before waving at his partner. “And this is my mate, Alex.”

“It’s a pleasure. Sorry this might not be the best first impression,” I say, gesturing towards my clothes. “My clothes are in the wash and Aiden was chivalrous enough to let me borrow some of his.”

“That does sound like him,” Alex says with a soft chuckle.

“Brock and I met at the lodge. He had his food truck parked there.”

“What sort of food do you make?”

“It’s actually a cafe on wheels. Do you like coffee?”

The four of us jump into a conversation about coffee. Harry and Alex are just as lovely as Aiden described them and I can see they both care about him a lot. By the time our conversation comes to a close, I can feel the way they’ve softened around me. They’ve put me at ease and accepted me just as quickly as Aiden has.

“Everything has been running smoothly while you were gone,” Harry says to Aiden. “Just like we told you it would.”

“Okay, okay. There’s no need for I told you sos,” Aiden replies with a chuckle. “It was a lovely vacation but I missed being home. Just being back here makes me feel more at ease, like the land was welcoming me home.”

“It probably was,” Alex says with a shrug. “I’ve heard of weirder things than a pack alpha having a connection to his territory.”

“That’s true.”

“Will you be opening your truck tomorrow?” Harry asks. “I’d love to try what you have.”

I turn towards Aiden, raising my brow. I’d bought extra supplies so I should have an overabundance for the fair and for the pack. “Would you like to help me open the truck tomorrow?”

“It would be an honor.”

“Great,” Harry says with a grin. “I’m going to spread the word so everyone can come meet you and since Aiden will be working with you, they can check up on him.”

“That sounds perfect. Thank you both for your extra work while I was away. In case I don’t say it enough, I appreciate everything you do.”

Alex and Harry stand up. “We appreciate what you do too, Aiden.” Harry looks at me. “It was really nice to meet you, Brock. Thanks for being gentle with our alpha.”

Aiden and I both blush, our words coming out sputtered. Alex gives me a knowing smile before the two of them are heading out.

Aiden lets out a long sigh, running his fingers through his hair. “Okay, that was only slightly embarrassing.”

“I thought it was adorable. You should have seen how red your face got.”

Aiden’s eyes narrow for a moment before he’s pushing me back against the couch and crowding against me. He buries his face against my throat, blowing a raspberry against my skin.

“My face? You should have seen your face!”

I wrap my arms around Aiden’s back, giggling as he continues to blow raspberries against my throat. I’m overwhelmed by how happy I am. Apparently I can slot myself into this life with Aiden, with his pack, in this house. I feel welcomed. And I can’t stop thinking about Aiden as my alpha, wearing his mark proudly in the place he’s currently raspberrying.

It’s a scary thought but, I think I could get used to this.