Page 27 of All That We Keep
"I need you to find out everything you can about Luke Ellis, Hudson Carter, Kai Vizant, and Hearthstone."
There's a long whistle on the other end of the line."Damn, those are some pretty hot names right now. Especially Hearthstone. What do you need with them?"
"You'll find out once you get all that information," I say grimly. "Let's just say things are twisted up. They're dealing with my Omega and threatening to take him away from me. I need them not to do that."
"Yeah, I get that,"Damien says, his voice growing more serious.
The understanding in his voice has me wondering what’s changed over the years. "Hold on, are you a packed up man now?"
He chuckles on the other end of the line."Stranger things have happened. Mind your business,"he snaps playfully, before softening his tone."When do you need this by?"
"I needed it yesterday."
"It's gonna cost you."
"Anything," I say without hesitation. "I would give you anything at this point because it's to protect my pack. I have people coming at me from all sides, and I'm done waiting and playing the nice Alpha. They're about to get the claws and teeth."
Damien's laugh is genuinely delighted."Well, damn, it's about time. I was wondering if you were always just gonna play the family man. I got you. I'll let you know when I have something."
The line goes dead, and I lean further back in my chair, looking at Maceo as I grab my glass for another sip. Silence filters between us but it’s comfortable, the kind that comes from years between old lovers or friends, weighted with understanding rather than awkwardness.
"What do you feel about your place in the pack?" I ask eventually. "Where you want to be, what your role is?"
Maceo considers the question for a long moment before answering. "I don't mind still being the family lawyer. I like using my law degree, being that part of the business." He pauses, swirling the whiskey in his glass. "However, I think I might also want to move into being Luca's protector until he finds where he wants to be and what he wants to do. Right now he doesn't know what's going on with his life."
"I agree," I say immediately. "Take all the time you need to figure out what you want. We only have a couple weeks until the babies get here, and after that it's going to be an entirely new dynamic." Maceo grins, and there's something almost boyish about the expression that makes me smile in return. "I didn't take you for a stay-at-home dad type," I tease.
"I'm not," he says, still grinning. "But I think I want to try. I know I'll have to fight Grayson for that position, but I like the different bits and pieces. I can do that with some of the legal cases I take, but watching that glow between Blake and Luca... I think I want a little bit more of it."
"You know what? Sold," I say, raising my glass in a mock toast. "Now, let's get back in that nest with our mates before one of them starts whining that they can smell us in the house."
Maceo starts laughing before cutting off the sound, his gaze darting to the couch to see if he woke them. "Alpha, with all due respect, they've already noticed we're here. Blake has more than once tried to drag me back into the nest and almost tried to get me to fuck him as well."
We both dissolve into laughter at that, the tension of the day finally breaking as we stand and make our way toward the colorful pillows, Blake’s eyes immediately snapping open the moment I come around the couch. He waits just long enough for me to slip off my shoes and shirt before dragging me into the nest to use as a pillow. I’ll never get tired of this version of Blake.
16
Blake
I wake up feeling renewed, my body sinking into the soft pile of blankets in our nest. The weight of exhaustion has finally lifted. For the first time in weeks, I’m well-rested, experiencing a bone-deep calm I haven’t felt since before the chaos of Hudson’s arrest and the lingering shadow of Hearthstone. The nest smells like home, all of my mates’ scents wrapped up in the pillows and blankets surrounding me, a cocoon of warmth and safety I don’t want to leave.
Twisting around, I find Luca beside me, his chestnut curls a mess against the pillow, his lips parted as a snore hits the air. I snort at that and press a soft kiss to his cheek, then another to the corner of his mouth. His lashes flutter, a sleepy giggle bubbling up as he stirs, eyes cracking open to meet mine. “Bear,” he mumbles, voice thick with sleep, a smile spreading as he reaches for me, fingers brushing my jaw.
“Morning, cupcake,” I whisper, kissing him again, this time on the lips, savoring the taste of him. He giggles again, and I can’t help but laugh too, peppering his face with more kisses along his nose, his forehead, and the soft curve of his cheek.
His hands find my hair, tugging gently at the unruly strands until we’re a tangle of limbs and laughter. His ocean scent sweetens until it’s almost thick and syrupy, mine answering as pear thickens in the air, the both of us losing ourselves in the giggles and the simple happiness of being us.
There’s no added arousal in this moment, no slick gathering around my hole, no sudden neediness. I almost miss it but realize that I can focus on Luca that much more when I’m not writhing for a knot. Some part of me still hopes that I’ll be able to take knots in the future but the other part of me is ecstatic that I can just focus on fucking Luca silly.
The nest shifts behind me as Luther slides his arms beneath me and airlifts me away from Luca, a yelp tearing from my throat. Luca’s laughter chases me as Luther hoists me over his shoulder like I weigh nothing. “Time for a shower, love,” he rumbles, his voice laced with gruff affection. I squirm, half-laughing, half-protesting, but his grip tightens around my waist, his free hand immediately stuffing two fingers into my ass.
A groan spills from my lips as I sag against him, slick coating the intrusion but definitely not as much as usual. “Fuck, Alpha. That’s so much…”
He just chuckles, slowly pumping his fingers in and out of me as he heads up the stairs to one of the bathrooms. To say that my Alpha is multi-talented…
I squirm against his shoulder, both seeking for friction and relief before I sag again, my cock unloading against his arm. “Shit. Fuck, sorry.”
“Oh, I’m not,” Luther muses as he steps into the bathroom.
