Page 11 of Unsanctioned
“Have you decided on a name?”
Ashka paused in the middle of folding clothes. “Ashka is a family name, passed down through the women in my family. As much as I hate breaking tradition, I loathe the idea of calling my daughter by my name. So, we chose a compromise. Randall’s dad’s name is Lee. We went with Ashlee.”
“That’s a good name. She looks like an Ashlee.” Waylon stood and gently placed her in the bassinet. “Thank you for allowing me to visit. I worried about you.”
Ashka eyed him. Her gaze moved over his mark, showing him as mated. “I worry about you. You don’t seem happy for someone newly mated. Not that I know anything about it. I haven’t left the house to hear any town gossip.”
“Don’t think about me. You have too much on your plate.” He sat on the opposite side of her pile of laundry and started folding. “Where’s your useless man? He should be doing this for you.”
Ashka laughed. “He’s asleep. Don’t be too hard on him. He stayed up all night with Ashlee so I could sleep.”
Waylon nodded, humming his approval. He wouldn’t hear of any laziness in his pack. They all worked together. That was howpacks survived. They sat in silence, folding clothes. He tried hard to keep his mind blank. The reason he had come here was half out of duty and partially from a need to focus on something beyond himself. He didn’t have the luxury of letting Audor destroy him.
“Have you tried flowers?”
Ashka’s question pulled him from his thoughts about not thinking. “What?”
“For your mate. When I first met Randall, he gathered a bunch of wildflowers from the field to bring to me. You should take your mate flowers.”
That was one hundred percent a wolf thing. They loved flowers and pretty rocks. He doubted vampires gave a shit about such things. Audor was a Viking, after all. “Thanks for the suggestion.” The more he thought about it, the less ridiculous the idea sounded. Maybe not flowers, but Waylon hadn’t tried wooing Audor. He had simply accepted Audor’s sexual favors and comfort. Had he ever given Audor the same peace? Likely not. The idea of caring for his mate grew, making the wolf inside him grumble with possessive pride. Audor was his. He was an alpha’s mate. Audor was owed all the nice words and attention. He deserved licks and gifts. Just more of everything than he had gotten.
Waylon finished helping Ashka with her chore and stood. “It was good seeing you. If you need anything, let me know.”
A sweet smile stared up at him from the couch. “I will, and same. Whenever you’re ready, I’d love to meet your mate.”
Waylon dipped his chin. “Have a good one.” Eventually, the entire pack would expect him to formally introduce his mate. The longer he waited, the more people would talk. He walked away with his mind stuck on how to make Audor happy. Waylon cared way more about that than pleasing anyone else. He had felt Audor’s return last night from wherever he had been hidden. While Waylon had wanted to continue begging Audor to come to him, he hadn’t. Now Waylon was grateful for it. He knew where Audor was and he shouldn’t have to come to Waylon. For once, Audor would be the chased one. An evil smile stretched Waylon’s lips. The wolf inside relished the idea of catching his other half. Audor didn’t stand a chance.
Audor wasn’t sure why he still didn’t go to Waylon. He was home. Audor felt his other half every second of the day. He wasn’t upset any longer. Seeing Odin had definitely impressed upon him how much of a miracle this was, but every time he thought about going to Waylon, something inside him couldn’t do it. He had always gone to Waylon. He didn’t want to this time. Waylon had embarrassed him at Frost’s gathering. He didn’t feel good when he thought of that night. Audor had marked Waylon’s skin, claiming him in Waylon’s customs, but Waylon had never drunk Audor’s blood. He hadn’t claimed Audor. Something about them just didn’t feel settled. While Audor had no desire to put Waylon behind him, he needed more than a ‘well, this is our life now because Celeste says so.’ He wanted to be fucking wanted. For real.
A knock at the door pulled Audor from the rabbit hole he kept falling into. He felt him. Waylon was on the other side. Audor was on his feet with his hand wrapped around the doorknob before he could stop himself. He took a breath and pulled the door open.
Waylon looked like hell. He also looked unsure of his welcome. Audor’s chest hurt. Why couldn’t Waylon love him for real? Audor had given him everything. He waited for Waylon to speak.
“I thought about getting you flowers, but I didn’t think you’d care about that. But I remembered you like these salty caramel candies.” He held up the bag in his hand. “I had to get them delivered from two towns over since I couldn’t find them here and I can’t leave.”
Audor bit the inside of his cheek. He would bet good money Waylon had never done anything like this for anyone. “I don’t have anything against flowers. But I prefer the ones picked. Those come from the heart. Obviously, it’s a bad time of year for that.” Audor didn’t know why he rambled.
Waylon shifted from foot to foot when Audor didn’t invite him in. “I’m sorry. I’m not very good with words. The last thing I want to do is say something stupid and have you disappear before I can explain again. I don’t usually talk this much.”
He was adorable. Asshole. “You could’ve stopped at you’re sorry.”
Waylon nodded. “Okay. I’m sorry. Seriously. Before I well and truly ruined everything, I was trying—badly—to say I was happy I found you. You’ve made my life feel good.” He swiped his hand over his eyes and Audor bit back a smile. “I don’t know what words to use.”
“It’s okay. I can hear your thoughts.”
Waylon shifted from foot to foot again. “Oh. Okay.” He held out the bag to Audor. “I’ll leave you alone.”
Audor didn’t take the gift. He snagged Waylon’s shirt instead, slowly reeling him closer. “What if I don’t want to be left alone?”
The hope in Waylon’s eyes nearly broke Audor. Waylon was this huge alpha, but if anyone bothered to look, they’d see how vulnerable he was. He was sad and lonely. No one checked onhim because he was the strong one. Sometimes Waylon was scarily close to giving up.
“I can’t read your thoughts the way you can mine.”
That confession sounded like it hurt Waylon’s chest. As an ancient vampire, very few people could see inside his head. As his mate, it was Waylon’s right and Audor was denying him. “Only one of us can remedy that.”
He watched something solidify inside Waylon. His determination became like a physical thing. The space between them disappeared. Waylon kept moving, forcing Audor inside. He kicked the door closed behind him. The alpha had come out to play. As soon as they were closed away from the world, Waylon’s mouth covered Audor’s. There was no denying him. It felt like Waylon was everywhere. This was his mate. Possessiveness roared to life inside Audor. He couldn’t tell any longer if it was his or Waylon’s. It didn’t matter. The bag of candy dropped. His feet left the floor as Waylon lifted him, holding two handfuls of ass. He marched toward Audor’s bedroom, kissing a path down Audor’s neck. His fangs brushed Audor’s skin, making goosebumps cover his body.
Audor’s back hit the bed.
