Page 19

Julian

Andreas grilled chicken thighs and steaks as I sat at the iron table and chairs he had on the back porch. He’d pulled out a bowl of potato salad along with garlic bread that he would grill once the meat was done.

“You’re really great with Reed,” Andreas said, turning around and smiling at me over his shoulder.

“I was thinking the same about you. You’re a good father.”

“I try every day.” He came over and got the bread and had it grilled up in no time. We had a baby monitor on the table next to the food so we could see if Reed woke up.

“Everything smells delicious.”

“Thanks. Please, dig in.”

We ate in silence for a while. Reed wasn’t the only one wiped out by the day outside. We were almost finished with our meal when Andreas put his fork and knife down. “I have to ask you something.”

“You can ask me anything, Andreas.”

He nodded. “Are you feeling the mate bond as well? Please tell me it’s not just me.”

I turned to face him more. He had scooted his chair closer and closer as the meal progressed, and I thought it was adorable. “It’s not just you, alpha. My wolf told me you were my mate almost instantly. But you didn’t seem available or willing. Then you asked me out and then froze me at the door. Even still, my wolf never wavered. I’m your mate and you are mine—100 percent.”

Without warning, Andreas grabbed me up by both arms and planted me on his lap. I laughed out loud as he peppered kisses all along my face and neck. “I can’t believe I didn’t trust the instinct. I was so afraid you’d reject me because of Reed.”

“No way. You’re not getting rid of me. You or Reed.”

“Are you sure? It’s a big commitment with me. You get a mate and an instant kid.”

I threw my head back and groaned. This guy. So I decided to seal my promise with a kiss. I leaned forward and claimed his mouth before he could say another word of nonsense. I wrapped my arms around his neck and after the shock, he planted his palms on my lower back. “I’m yours, alpha. No more questioning me. I know you have trust issues, but you don’t have to with me. Trust that my words are true. Please.”

He nodded and kissed me once more. “I’ve got an idea.”

“What?”

“What if we shift together?”

I pointed to the monitor. “What about Reed?”

“I will still be able to hear him. We won’t leave the backyard. Just stay here. Let our wolves bond. Please. It will help me accept that you’re really mine.”

“Okay.”

In a bold move, I got off his lap and stripped right there and shifted before he could change his mind. He crouched low and ran his fingers through my fur, telling me how soft I was. How I was so beautiful as a wolf. My animal soaked it all up, reveling in the praise from my mate. Andreas shifted next. His wolf mimicked his human form. His fur was thick and dark like his human hair. Even as a wolf, he kept those green eyes. He was taller than my wolf but a bit leaner.

Every part of my alpha was perfect.

We played a bit in the confines of his backyard. Nipped at legs and rubbed against one another, each marking the other with scent.

The bonding that occurred there, in his backyard, under the twinkling stars was beyond what I’d ever imagined.

Our animals solidified what our human sides had started. He was mine. And I was most definitely his.

We both stopped when Reed made a sound on the monitor, and shifted back to huddle around the screen. We were both still naked. “He’s asleep. Must’ve been dreaming.”

“Alpha?” I asked.

“Yes, mate? Yes, my beautiful mate?” He turned to me and ran his hands down the length of my arms.

“If I asked you to take me to bed, would you deny me again?”

“I don’t think I could deny you if I tried, omega mine. I’m dying to get you to the bedroom.”

We shared a kiss. Our cocks rubbed as we got closer, exploring each other’s bodies right there under the moon and night sky. “Take me to bed, mate. Please.”

“You don’t have to beg.”

He scooped me up, much like he had Rhys the first night I met him, and carried me inside and to the bedroom along with the monitor. He closed the door and then paused, looking at me. “After this, there’s no going back. You’re mine, Julian.”

“Show me, Andreas. I’ve wanted you since the beginning. Show me I belong to you.”