Michael's Mate (3 page)

The hollow of Justin’s neck looked like an inviting hiding place, so he buried his face in his mate’s skin, breathing in his comforting scent.

“Oh, Michael. I didn’t know.”

“I know,” he mumbled. “It’s not like we have much choice, but it’s been bugging me.”

Justin didn’t say anything else. He simply held Michael close. It was one of the things he loved most about Justin. He didn’t try to fix Michael. He just gave him what he needed without making a big deal.

Eventually, someone knocked on the door.

He raised his head, grimacing when a familiar scent tickled his nose. “It’s your brother.”

“Do you want me to tell him to go away?”

The prickle of tears pressed on him again, but he blinked them away. He knew with absolute certainly Justin would send the Eagle Elder on his way if Michael said the word. “No. He would simply force his way in anyway.”

Slipping out of his lap, Justin padded to the door. Michael ground his palms against his eyes and tried to pull himself together.

“You do know it’s bad luck for the grooms to see each other before their mating, right?” Rylan’s voice echoed through the house.

“You don’t really believe that,” Justin said.

“Nope. But it’s tradition, or at least I’m told it’s tradition by Declan. So I’m here to take you away for the night. Hey, Michael,” Rylan said as he stepped into the kitchen.

“Hello, Elder.”

He smirked at the man’s snort of derision. “How many times have I told you to call me Rylan?”

“Too many,” Michael responded. He stood up and shook the eagle’s hand. “Still, you are an Elder, and you deserve that respect.”

“True. But I’m soon going to be your brother-in-law, so I think we can do away with the formalities.”

Michael grinned, relieved that Justin’s brother seemed happy enough that they were mating. “Where are you taking the man of the hour?” he asked.

“I booked him a room at the hotel I’m staying at. I figured we could order in and catch up. Talking on the phone is nice, but I always find it easier to carry on a conversation when I’m face-to-face with him. Don’t worry, I’ll have him back in time for the ceremony.”

Justin looked like he wanted to protest but Michael snagged him around the waist and pulled him close. He kissed him full on the mouth, even going so far as to trace the seam of his lips with the tip of his tongue. “I’m not worried.”

His mate’s smile would be more than enough to keep him going for the rest of his life.

“By the way, I stopped over at Declan’s before I came. He asked me to tell you to go over to his place.”

And since it was never a good idea to say no to an Alpha, Michael kissed Justin one last time before leaving.

***

Quinn greeted him at the door with a smile, a beer and a handful of chocolate chip cookies. “Um, thanks?”

The omega laughed and led him inside. “I know, I know. Cullen has been laughing at me for about an hour now. I figured cookies are always a sure thing and a bachelor party should always have some kind of alcohol.”

Quinn’s enthusiasm was infectious and he smiled back. “I agree.”

The little wolf’s face pulled into a pout. “With Cullen?”

“No, you nut. You.”

“Oh. Well, I always knew there was a reason I love you the most.”

Declan’s low growl was playful. “You’d better not love him the most.”

The omega immediately abandoned Michael’s side and wrapped himself around the Alpha. “Okay. I love him second best. Come on, we’ve got food and poker.”

The evening passed quickly enough. Declan had invited the betas, Gray and Shannon, and Micah and Shea had shown up about an hour later, Shea looking utterly mussed and blissed out.

“Where are all the kids?” Micah asked.

“The twins are with Trina for the night and the girls are with their grandmother,” Quinn answered.

“So it’s just us, beer, and the poker table.”

Michael grinned and grabbed a sandwich from a platter. “Let’s get this bachelor party started.”

He played with them until midnight. Declan had disappeared for about an hour halfway through the game, presumably to take a phone call from a demanding client, but he’d come back just as Quinn was pushing the last of his Oreo cookies in Michael’s direction.

“You lost?”

Quinn nodded glumly. “I wanted to eat those, too.”

One of the other wolves snorted. “Then we shouldn’t use your favorite cookies to bet with.”

“It’s not like Declan will let me play strip poker with you lot.”

And that’s my cue.
“It’s been fun guys. But I have a mating ceremony tomorrow, so I really should get some sleep.”

“Yep,” Declan said with a smile. “You should get some sleep…upstairs.”

Michael frowned. Upstairs? He wanted to go home and sleep. In the bed he shared with Justin. Surrounded by blankets and covers that smelled like his lover.

His foster brother had always been able to read him like a book, even when he’d tried his best to close himself off from everyone, and grabbed his elbow to redirect him toward the staircase. “Humor me, just this once.”

The room was exactly how he’d left it. Declan’s parents had insisted on brand new everything when he’d moved in and, apparently, the Alpha made a point to make sure the room was kept clean when he’d taken over the pack.

He crawled under the covers. Instantly, memories of his first night here assailed him. Every joint in his body had ached from his father’s beating. But it was nothing compared to the gaping hole in his chest where his heart had been ripped out. Figuratively speaking, of course.

He lay in the dark and searched his mind for the pain he usually kept buried. It was so well hidden, only the omegas Quinn and Pierce, and occasionally Declan, knew it was there.

And Justin.

Once Justin had moved in with him, he’d taken that plunge and shared his heartbreak with his lover.

The eagle had held him through countless nightmares, through bouts of self-pity, and through episodes of insecurity.

Unable to find the pain, he thought about the mating ceremony he was about to have and waited for the shame his parents had instilled in him.

He waited until his eyelids were heavy and the digital clock flipped to one o’clock.

Instead of pain and shame, all he found was peace and love.

Chapter 5

“It’s just the gym, Dec, I swear.”

The Alpha shook his head again. “Not going to happen, Mikey. We have a treadmill and some weights in the basement you can use if you want.”

Michael swallowed a groan of frustration. All of the equipment Declan had in the basement was probably top of the line. And Quinn was no doubt a riot when exercising.

But despite the peace he’d felt when falling asleep, he was still a little jealous that the two of them were going to be witnesses to Justin’s pleasure. All he wanted to do was get away for a while and exercise the unwanted emotions out of his system.

Quinn popped his head in and smiled. “Breakfast. Come and get some before the heathens get here.”

Breakfast consisted of cold cereal and coffee.

“I haven’t mastered breakfast yet,” Quinn admitted.

It was better than the protein bars he usually wolfed down in the morning at least. He’d finished his first bowl when he heard the front door open and the little footsteps sounded on the hardwood floor.

Two blond toddlers skidded into the kitchen and headed straight for Quinn, who bent down and caught them easily. They took turns babbling at him, squishing his cheeks between their tiny palms and kissing him.

“Hey,” the Alpha said. “Don’t I get a hug?”

The look the two children gave their father could curdle milk. As one, they turned their faces into Quinn’s neck, completely ignoring Declan.

Michael burst out laughing. He immediately felt bad at his Alpha’s glum expression. “What did you do?” he asked.

Quinn answered for his mate, “They’re holding a grudge because Declan was the one who dropped them off at Trina’s. In their mind, he’s the only one to blame.”

“You knew this would happen, didn’t you?” Declan accused, though it was clear from the amusement on his face he wasn’t actually angry.

“Maybe,” Quinn admitted.

The chuckle bubbled up Michael’s throat before he could stop it. The twins reared back at the new voice, searching the room for the person they hadn’t noticed before. They squealed as soon as they saw him, pushing away from their father and scrambling to him.

Before he knew it, he had two little eagle shifters trying to scale his legs.

He chuckled again, knowing exactly what they wanted. For some reason, every child he’d ever met had decided he made the best jungle gym in the world.

And he loved it.

Obligingly, he stretched out on the floor and let them crawl all over him.

He tightened his abs as the boy, Taggart, bounced on him. Isabella found the hollow of his throat and snuggled up.

He glanced up and found Declan and Quinn watching the three of them. The Alpha had his arm around the omega’s waist and there was such a soft look of love on both of their faces as they gazed at their children, Michael’s heart constricted.

What would it be like to have babies of his own? To have the warm little bodies of his own children pressed against his heart while Justin looked on? To see Justin cradle a sleepy baby late at night and know that his family was totally and completely safe?

Rylan had said there were plenty of orphaned eagle children. The Eagle Council had allowed Declan and Quinn, both wolf shifters, to adopt the twins. They would probably let him and Justin adopt, especially since Justin was an eagle himself.

Did Justin even want children?

“Daddy,” Taggart announced from his seat on Michael’s belly. “Milk.”

Isabella sat up and echoed the demand.

The Alpha moved to the fridge but Taggart howled. “No. Naughty Daddy Dec. Daddy Quinn.”

Michael choked on his laughter, dislodging the twins. They glared at him before rushing to Quinn and clinging to his legs. Who knew a couple of two year olds could hold a grudge for so long?

Declan rolled his eyes and extracted a couple of sippy cups from the fridge. He knelt down and offered a red cup to his son, who simply turned his back on the Alpha, muttering about naughty daddies.

Isabella stuck her thumb in her mouth and looked at Declan with teary eyes.

“Oh, baby girl. Daddy’s sorry. But didn’t you have fun at Trina’s? Look at your pretty fingernails.”

The little girl let go of Quinn’s leg and waved her hand in Declan’s general direction. “Pink,” she said around her thumb.

“Yes, they are. And they’re so pretty.”

She stepped into Declan’s arms and accepted her cup. “Not naughty,” she announced.

Taggart peeked out from behind Quinn’s leg but didn’t seem ready to forgive Declan. Declan would be back in the little boy’s good books by the end of the day though, especially if he bribed them.

Trina laughed from the doorway. “Was staying with me that bad?”

Both children shook their heads.

“Thanks for watching them,” Quinn said, bending down to pick up his son. Taggart reluctantly accepted the cup Declan held out for him, still refusing to look at him.

“It was fun. I’ll see you guys tomorrow. Mikey, have fun with your mate.”

Startled, he hauled himself to his feet and followed her to the front door. “You’re not coming to our mating party?”

“Of course I am,” she said, patting him on the arm. She slipped into her shoes and was out the door before he could remind her the mating party was only a few hours away.

A tug on his pants drew his attention downward, where Taggart stared up at him.

“Daddy Declan naughty,” the little boy whispered.

Michael heard Declan’s sigh from the kitchen and took pity on him. He scooped up Taggart and tickled his tummy. “Nope. Daddy Declan’s not naughty. He’s nice. Who else sneaks you cookies when Daddy Quinn says no more?”

“Hey,” he heard Quinn squawk.

It worked though, and Taggart brightened. “Daddy, cookie?”

Michael spent the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon with the little family, basking in the easy love Quinn showered on him and preening under the steady stream of pride Declan kept pulsing through their pack bond.

“I should probably get ready,” he said as Quinn settled the twins into their highchairs for an early dinner.

“Declan will have your clothes ready when you’re out of the shower,” Quinn said as he dropped a few strawberries in front of the babies.

What clothes?
He’d only been planning on wearing a simple t-shirt and jeans because he’d have to strip down to nothing but skin before the ceremony started.

He didn’t think much of the cryptic statement until he’d left the steamy shower only to find a pristine suit spread out across the mattress.

Declan smirked at him from the door. “Consider the suit a mating gift.”

He eyed it again. He’d never, in his entire life, worn something so fancy. Then again, why not look nice for the ten seconds Justin was going to see him before they got naked?

Thankfully, he recognized the underwear as his own and he slipped it on before Declan helped him into the suit.

“I’m going to have a hell of a time getting out of this,” he remarked when the Alpha had to help him button his cuffs.

“Oh, I’m sure Justin will be more than willing to help you out.”

The omega grinned when he came down the stairs. “Well, you clean up well. Have a good night.”

He waved as Isabella threw a cube of cheese in his direction. “Bye, Daddy.”

Declan ushered him out of the house. “Come on. Your man’s waiting for you.”

Something was going on and, judging from the look on Declan’s face, he was going to like whatever it was.

The Alpha walked him straight to his house but stopped at the bottom of the porch steps. “See you tomorrow. But not too early. Come over around five or so.”

“But…Dec? What’s going on?”

The other man’s smile was mysterious. “You’ll see.”

He recognized his Alpha’s expression. He wasn’t going to get anything more out of him.

The door was open a crack and he slipped through, toeing off his shoes in the foyer because there was nothing Justin hated more than tracks in the house. He bent down to arrange them neatly on the mat.