A Trip To Love
Chapter 1: Jonathan’s POV
I sat looking at the nearly empty gauge on my way back to my parent’s house. I knew I wouldn’t make it, but spotted an off ramp that showed a gas station close by. Right off the exit the station sat near the corner so it wasn’t hard to get to. I pulled up to a pump, climbed out, and began to fill the SUV. I caught my reflection in the glass of the pump and realized how much time had passed already searching for a mate.
I finished filling up and pulled to the side of the station to hit the restroom. After a moment I figured I should call home and give a heads up that I was coming. I always dreaded this call. The phone barely rang and it was answered.
“Hi Jon. Any luck?”
It was my father. Caller ID made calling home both easier and harder, mainly due to mom.
“No. Just no luck.”
“You coming home? I know being on the road isn’t easy.”
Ten years of searching for the man who would be my mate sure wasn’t easy. That was just part of the problem.
“Yeah. I’m heading home. Just don’t tell mom, yet. She is only going to start in and I really don’t want to have the same fight again.”
“I know son. But she wants the best for her cub.”
Yeah that is the problem with being a werebear, mom wants grandchildren in the worst way.
“I’ll be home in about an hour or so Dad. Love you.”
I hung up before he could say anything. I had some thinking still to do on the way home. Mom would fight to see me, but then she would fight to get me to marry some woman. As a gay bear that so wasn’t going to happen.
All too soon I was pulling into my parent’s driveway and I still was not ready to see my mom. I parked my suburban and just sat there for several minutes before getting out, grabbing my bags, and heading into the house.
I managed to get my bags upstairs without being seen but as I came down to get a drink from the fridge she saw me.
“Jon, you’re finally home,” exclaimed my mom.
“Yeah, mom I’m home but for how long will depend on you,” I replied.
“Jonny, I understand that you are looking for your mate, but I wish you would be home a little more. I’m sure that you can find someone around here to mate with,” commented his mother.
“Ma, you know that I only want my fated mate. I will not settle for second best.”
“How do you know that your mate is a guy and not a woman if you have never been with anyone?” she stood there with her hands on her hips and tapping her foot waiting for my reply.
“I just know, Ma.” I sighed and shook my head slowly as I prepared to go through this with her yet again. “I’ve never had any desire to be with girls. I mean it, Ma. I only look at men, which is how I know that my mate is a guy. Look, I know not everyone waits for their fated mate, but I am. I will not be untrue to him, just because you want me home and married. I’m sorry, but that is just how it is!”
It was getting harder and harder to come home and face this barrage every time I walked through the door. I keep hoping that maybe my mate was just younger than me and wasn’t able to recognize me as his mate.
“Look here, Jon,” my mother began placing one hand on her hip as she began to point at me, “don’t you go being disrespectful to me. I was just trying to point out some alternatives to you. I mean, ten years of looking, wasting your time running around the country searching for someone who may not even be out there. You could be settled down with children by now.”
“Ma, I am not going to go through this again. Why don’t you want me to find my mate? Don’t you want me to be as happy as you and dad are?”
“Of course I do, but what if something happened to her and she has died?”
“If he has died then I will deal with it when that time comes. I am not going to take away someone else’s mate just because I haven’t found mine yet.”
I turned and left the house so that I could have some time to myself. I couldn’t believe how mom was talking. She started this crusade a couple of years ago. She never accepted that I was gay, she just felt I hadn’t met the right woman yet.
“Why can’t she just leave me alone?” I roared a little as I marched into the forest barely containing the anger of my bear.
I stayed in the woods for hours just waiting for my dad to come home from work. I didn’t think that I could take any more time alone with my mom. I was glad that I was only going to be home for a few more days.
When I got home mom was irate with me. Apparently she had a female werebear come by to meet me and I didn’t come home in time to meet her.
“Where have you been?” she growled.
“I went for a walk in the woods to clear my head.” I glanced over her shoulder to see a pretty woman calmly examining me. I sighed and turned my attention back to my mother. “If you don’t stop this I am going to go and not come home until I find my mate. I don’t care how long it takes me!”
“Son, you don’t mean that. Your mom is just trying to look out for you. She has missed you and is just trying to find a way for you to be happy,” came my dad’s voice from behind me.
“Dad, you know I won’t be happy until I have found my fated mate, you should want that for me. She just doesn’t want to accept that I am gay and probably won’t have any cubs,” I said with frustration as I turned and faced him.
I went into the kitchen to find something to eat before heading up to my room. On the way to my room, I passed my youngest brother, Tyler, in the hallway.
“Hey bro, I’m glad you’re home. Don’t take mom seriously. She just wants all of her cubs to be home and happy,” said Tyler as he jumped on me and gave me a hug.
I clasped him and the shoulder and stated, “Thanks, little man. I know she wants me to be happy but she wants me happy with a girl and that just isn’t going to happen.”
I turned and headed into my room as Tyler went downstairs. I had come to the decision that I was leaving in a day and a half before my mom could find more women for me to meet.
That night while I slept I dreamed about finding my mate again. It was the same dream that I had been having for the last three years. I saw a man a few years younger than me from across a diner, but I knew the second I looked into his eyes, that he was my mate.
I never saw any clear details, just that he was a well-built man with the clearest blue eyes that I had ever seen. Then I would wake up reaching for someone who wasn’t there and feeling a pang in my heart as I longed for my other half.
I looked at the clock and saw that it was only three o’clock in the morning, but I knew that I would not be able to go back to sleep any time soon. I decided to go down to the basement where my dad and brothers had their own gym.
The gym sort of became a necessity at home because my family was pretty intimidating when they all were out together. Even my youngest brother was huge compared to most grown men. Instead of going to one of the chain gyms in town, dad decided to build a gym of his own so we could all work out in peace at home. Instead of going into town to one of the chain gyms, my dad had decided to build our own so that they could work out in peace. I was never happier about it then I was right then.
Timothy’s POV
“Turn right at the next corner.”
I barely listened to the GPS as I was now on familiar roads coming home to Charlottesville, Virginia. I loved the Blue Ridge Mountains and wished I could spend more time here with my dad, but I had been traveling all over the east coast.
“I’m going to find my mate if it kills me.”
I wiped the tears away as I spotted my childhood home. I was so grateful to know my father supported me and I couldn’t wait to see him again.
I pulled into the driveway of my childhood home with the mountains in the background and saw my dad waiting for me on the front porch. I was really looking forward to some home cooking and spending time with Dad. It was good to be home, but my search was weighing heavily on my mind. I have been looking for my mate for the last two years. I would have started at the age of sixteen when I was able to shift for the first time but dad insisted that I finish high school first.
All through high school, I had struggled with my sexual identity. I finally came to the face the fact that I was gay. I never looked at any of the she wolves but then I hadn’t been attracted to anyone.
I had decided to stop and see my dad before heading for the Midwest section of the United States. I was lucky that my dad was so understanding. Dad insisted that I get my college degree but he also understood the need to find my mate, so he agreed to pay for it if I worked on my degree while I travelled I was attending college online so that I could still get that degree.
Since I was working on my college degree, dad would make sure that I had all the traveling money that I needed. If I ran short I would sometimes take odd jobs in whatever pack I was visiting at the time.
“Hey Dad, how have you been?” I asked as I came in, dropped my bags just inside the door, and gave him a hug.
“Hey, Tim. God, it’s good to see you in person. You know I love talking to you, but Skype isn’t as great as having you home again. Damn, boy you are still growing. So how are you really?”
“Trying not to get too down about not finding him yet, Dad. The chances I have to talk to you help keep me going and let me keep a positive outlook. It isn’t easy and I can’t thank you enough.”
“I am glad that I can help in any way possible. I know that I took it a little hard when you told me that you are gay, but it was because I knew that you would have a hard road ahead of you.”
“I know Dad, and I also know that you were disappointed that it didn’t look like you would be able to have any grandkids to carry on the family name.”
“It’s ok son, as long as you are happy I will be fine. Are you tired from your drive? It’s kind of late, why don’t you go ahead and go to bed,” dad said as he grabbed one of my bags that I had dropped by the door and started towards my room.
“Alright, I will see you in the morning, Dad. Get some sleep.”
“I will sleep better now that you are here. Goodnight.”
I grabbed my bags and headed up to my room. Six years ago, my mother died giving birth to my sister. Unfortunately, she didn’t live long after my mother, passing within an hour. It was devastating for both of us, but Dad had never gotten over the loss. He now made sure that I was always as happy as he could possibly make me. It was something I was always something I knew about and tried not to take advantage of.
That night while I slept I had the same dream that I had been having for the past three years.
I saw this large man with these silvery grey eyes that seemed to look right through me. When he entered the diner where I was getting something to eat, I was hit with the strong aroma of pine and wild berries. I knew that this was my mate.
I could never see any clear details but I knew that I had to find this man and soon.
The next morning I got up and headed down for breakfast. Whenever I was home dad always made a huge breakfast, one that was big enough to feed an army. He fixed scrambled eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage (both patties and links), waffles, potato slices, and hash browns. He easily had enough for two people to eat both breakfast and lunch. There were about plates piled high with pancakes and waffles, what looked like pounds of bacon, a large bowl of eggs, heaping pan of potatoes, plates full of sausage patties and sausage links.
“Good morning, son. How did you sleep?”
“I slept pretty well until I had that dream again. I know that I have a lot of ground to cover but it gets a little depressing sometimes. Almost like I will never find him,” I tried to cover a yawn. I was embarrassed when my stomach chose that moment to growl in hunger.
“You will find him when the time is right,” Dad replied with a chuckle.
“I know, Dad. I am actually thinking about heading to the West Coast before going to the Midwest Territories. What do you think?”
“I know you are getting antsy, but shouldn’t you go from East to West?”
“Normally I would but something in my gut is telling me to go to the West Coast.”
“Well, if you are feeling so strong about it than I think you should do it.”
“Thanks Dad. I am going to do some laundry today so that everything before I head out tomorrow.”
There was a knock at the door. I turned to dad and asked, “Are you expecting anyone?”
“Not that I know of. Let me go see who that is. Maybe it’s one of your friends that wants to see you before you head out.” Dad headed toward the front door to find out who our unexpected guest was.
“Hey Mr. Collins, is Tim home?” came a female voice.
I recognized that voice immediately. In fact, I would know Stephanie Lewis’s voice no matter where I heard it. She was a she wolf who couldn’t take “no” for an answer.
“Yes, Tim is home but he’s busy at the moment. I‘ll tell him that you stopped by,” My father moved to prevent Stephanie from trying to come in like she had last time.
“Oh, okay.” There was a pause and you could hear the dejection in her voice when she spoke to my father again. “That would be great Mr. Collins.”
“Son, that girl is not going to give up until she finds her mate. You would think that she would go out and look for him, instead of knocking on our door knowing that you aren’t her mate,” he said when he came back into the kitchen.
“I know, Dad. I have told her several times that I am not interested in her or any female for that matter. She just won’t accept the fact that I am gay and she does nothing for me.”
Chapter 2: Jon’s POV
The steaming water allowed my worries to vanish for a while. The nice thing about being here was the idea I would get to recharge my batteries and get a home cooked meal. The aroma of bacon, eggs, and pancakes invaded the bathroom and soon had my stomach growling its hunger. I rushed through the shower and got dressed. As I took the stairs three at a time the food only smelled better and I could hear the sounds of my family in the kitchen.
My mother was in the refrigerator getting something else out for breakfast as I hurried over to an empty seat at the table.
“Morning.” I grabbed my plate as I looked at the mountain of food my mother had cooked. The delicious smell of bacon and maple syrup had me ready to devour everything in front of me.
“Good morning, Jon. Welcome home.” Kyle smiled as he stabbed a piece of sausage off the plate mom had in the middle of the table. “I’m glad to see you. How long are you staying?”
“I’m happy to see you too, bro. I wish I could spend some time with you, but I have to head out again tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” Mom froze where she was, a frown on her face. She straightened her back and stared at me from across the table. “You can’t leave so soon. You only just got home. Why would you go so quickly?”
“Ma, you knew that I was only going to be here for a short time.”
Mom slid the last of the blueberry pancakes on the platter in the center of the table, shaking her head the whole time. “You simply can’t go yet Jon. I mean, you barely got home as it was.” Mom set the platter down and then smiled sweetly at me. “Besides, sweetheart, I made plans for us tomorrow. I know you wouldn’t want me to change them.”
“What kind of plans, ma?” I sighed, suspecting exactly what she might have planned for me, again. “Please, tell me you haven’t arranged another introduction to yet another available female, because I have lost track of how many times I’ve told you I’m gay and don’t find them attractive.”
“As your mother it is my duty to see you settled down and if that means introducing you to eligible women, that is what I’ll do.” Mom crossed her arms and stared at me. Her face was red and she had a scowl on her face that I remember from every time I had ever gotten into trouble.
There was silence around the table as my brothers looked from me to my mother. I guess everyone was afraid to speak, fearing I would just stand up and march out the house.
“Now, Jennie,” my father’s calm voice broke through the silence, drawing all our attention to him. He shook his head before he spoke again. “Just leave the boy alone. How many times does he have to tell you that he is looking for his fated mate? We were lucky dear, I found you almost immediately. Jon is just having a bit of trouble, and you know he is gay so stop already."
“Thomas, you know that with a male mate he will never have cubs.”
“Jennie, my love, there have been so many wonderful advances in medicine.” Dad stood up and walked over to Mom, pulling her gently into a hug. “If the time comes that he wants to have a cub, well they can find a surrogate to carry it for them."
Dad kissed Mom and then shot me a wink.
“Thanks Dad.” I sighed, but I knew I had to try one more time to get my mother to understand. “Mom, you have to agree to let me do this my way. I will never be with a woman, it just doesn’t work for me. I want you to understand this, okay. If you insist that I meet these women you keep finding to mate with, I will leave this house and not come back until I have finally found my mate. It could take me a week or ten years, but I will not set foot under this roof again if you push me one more time. Do you really want that to happen?”
My father shook his head sadly and walked back to his seat leaving my mother standing there. She stared at me like she had never seen me before in her life. I wasn’t sure what she was going to do. She took a moment and smoothed down the dress she was wearing then walked over and gently set her arms on my shoulders.
“Jon, you know that is not what I want, I just want you to be completely happy and I just don’t see that happening with a male mate.”
“Mom, I will not be completely happy unless I’m with my fated mate, no matter how many cubs that I have.”
Mom hugged me and then pushed me back toward the table to eat. My brothers gave me little high signs to let me know they had my back and then began to pile the food on their plates. It took a few minutes but finally things got back to normal with everyone asking questions as we tried to catch up with one another, now that we were all together. We all helped Mom clean off the table and then my brothers pulled me off to the side.
“Come for a run with us,” Alex begged. “You haven’t done that in forever.”
“Sure, let’s go.” I followed the three of them out the door and out into the woods behind the house. This was something that I had really missed while I was traveling, being able to run with my family.
Once we were well within the forest, we all stripped down, putting our clothes in a hollowed out tree. In a moment three large bears and a smaller one stood where the brothers had been.
Kyle and I are large reddish brown bears. Alex is a large dark brown bear. Tyler is the oddball of us boys, he is a medium sized jet black bear.
Of the boys I’m the oldest, followed by Kyle and Alex who are fraternal twins, and then there is Tyler. He is the baby of the family at sixteen years old, while the twins are both eighteen years old.
So far none of us have found our mates, although my brothers aren’t really trying right now. I just always felt like there was a part of me that was missing, which is why I’ve been looking so hard for my fated mate, he is my other half.
We ran in our bear forms for a little over three hours till we got to a favorite spot of ours deep in the woods. The smell of pine and the roar of the rapids had me feeling happy to be home. The four of us took to the water and fished, which is a sight to see. Alex proved to be the fastest of us, and soon we had six large bass. After a meal of fresh fish we began to slowly amble our way home, feeling full and happy. We followed the stream and weren’t too far from home when Tyler jumped on top of Kyle, which started a wrestling match that Kyle easily won.
I can just imagine what someone would have thought if they had come by and seen four large bears playing in the stream. It seems that no matter how old we were, when we are together we are like a bunch of cubs. I could hear the birds singing in the trees. It was a beautiful day but, dang that water was cold.
We reached the spot where we had placed our clothes and switched back to human form. We were laughing and joking as we made our way back to the house. Due to the path we had chosen to come home on we could see our driveway clearly. I spotted a blue car.
“Hey, guys, do any of you recognize that car?”
“Nope. I don’t” Alex shrugged.
I turned to look at Kyle and Tyler who also just shook their heads. As we got a bit closer I could smell the scent of a female shifter. I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, but didn’t want to let my brother’s know. “Race you to the house,” I called as I made a mad dash toward the back of the house.
We came into the house through the kitchen door laughing and shoving like brothers tend to do.
“Jon, can you come in here please?” Mom’s voice called from the living room.
“I’m with the guys, Mom.” I tried to be calm as I entered the living room. “Did you need something?”
“Did you have fun?” Mom got up from the couch and called down the hall before I could say anything, “Boys, why don’t you go over to the ice cream store? I left money on the counter. Bring back some for your father as well. You know his favorite.”
There was the sound of feet and the door slamming closed as my brothers headed off to get some ice cream.
My mother stood there smiling, “Jon, I want you to meet Jackie Johnson, she just moved here from Texas about a month ago. She’s a new teacher at the junior high school in town.”
I gritted my teeth, sent Mom a glare before turning and looking at the woman sitting on the couch next to my mom.
“Hello, Jackie, it’s nice to meet you. How do you like Spokane so far?” I asked.
Jackie’s face lit up and she leaned forward allowing me a clear view of her big breasts. “Hi Jon, it’s a pleasure to meet you as well.” She shook my hand and held on a bit longer than necessary. “I’ve been enjoying myself so far. Everyone has been so nice and helpful.”
I tried to smile and feign interest.
“I ran into your mother shortly after I moved here and she told me about her handsome son. You know that she has been telling me how you have been traveling all over the country in search of your mate, but haven’t found anyone yet.” She lowered her head and looked at me through her lashes, dropping a voice to a whisper. “I bet you have seen some beautiful scenery as you have gone throughout the country.
I looked at Jackie and said, “I have seen some breathtaking countryside.” I looked at mom and said, “I’m sure that my mom has been singing my praises, hasn’t she?”
“I hope you have been taking pictures. I bet you could fill up a couple of scrapbooks if you have.” Jackie leaned back into the couch and looked at my mother. "You were right, he is very handsome, Jennie."
I swallowed and tried not yell at my mother in front of company, but before I could say a word Jackie turned her charms back on me.
"As a matter of fact your mother has been talking about you, Jon. All of it has been very complementary. I feel as if I have known you for years. She has even shown me pictures of you as you grew up."
“If you will excuse me Jackie, it was nice to meet you, but I need to get cleaned up.” I smiled as politely as I could and turned to my mother. “Mom, I have some stuff to finish before I go.”
Jackie stopped me in my tracks when she surprised me with a question. “Jon, would you like to go out with me this evening?”
I could barely contain my anger as I looked at my mother who sat there with a huge smile on her face. I took a deep breath and turned to face Jackie. “Look, you seem like a really nice girl, and I don’t want hurt you. I don’t know if my mother told you, but I’m gay. There is just no way this would ever work out. I hope you understand.”
I shot my mother a look who suddenly seemed upset.
“Jon, your mother already told me that you believe you are gay. We talked about that at length.”
I turned to face Jackie, completely surprised.
“The thing is, especially after having met and talked to you in person, neither of us really believe you are. I think with some time spent together getting to know one another might just offer you what you have been searching for.”
I stood there torn between disgust and disbelief. How could anyone simply dismiss my feelings so completely and seem happy about it. I turned and walked away before I said or did something that I would be ashamed of.
I stomped up the stairs, allowing my anger and disbelief to be heard as headed towards my bedroom. I was alone with my thoughts and none of them were very happy. It was as I closed the bedroom door that I finally caught the smell of sweat. I was in need of a shower, rather badly.
“Good, I hope she could smell the funk. With my luck it might have turned her on.”
I glanced back at the door for a moment then proceed to strip, heading into the bathroom. I adjust the water in the shower till it was so hot I could barely stand it and then climbed in. As the scalding water warmed my skin, it matched my mood. I couldn’t believe my mother dismissed all we had talked about at breakfast. Then that woman thought she could talk me out of finding my mate and being gay, like that was something you could turn on and off. I lost track of how long I was in the shower because by the time I decided to get out the water had run cold. The shower had not only given me time to get clean, it had also allowed me to make up my mind about what I wanted to do. I climbed out of the shower, dried off and stormed back to the bedroom to find some clean clothes.
It took a bit of searching, but I was soon redressed. I raced around like maniac stuffing all my dirty laundry into a laundry bag I had brought home with me.
I hadn’t realized how long I had been in the shower, but a few moments later Tyler came into my bedroom with a worried look on his face.
“Hi, Tyler.”
He took a look at the bag in my hand and shook his head. “Your leaving already, aren’t you?”
I could see the tears in his eyes and it broke my heart.
“Yeah, little man, I am. I warned mom not to do this anymore. But she won’t listen to me. I can’t do this with her anymore, Tyler. I’m sorry, but I have to go.”
“Are you still going to call weekly? I miss not having you around,” he said as tears started to roll down his face and his voice wavered a little bit as well.
“I’ll do you one better, I will still call weekly but I will also talk to you and the twins on Skype whenever I can. Will that work for you?”
“Yeah, I’m good with that.” Tyler gave me a sad little smile. “I just wish you weren’t leaving so soon.”
I pulled him into a hug. “Call me whenever you feel the need to talk to me, ok?”
“Thanks bro, you better go say bye to the twins before you leave.”
I patted him shoulder, before I turned to the twins’ room. I knew I would have to pack the car up before I left, but I need to do this first. I knocked on their door and waited for one of them to answer it.
Kyle opened the door and shook his head sadly as he looked at me. “Let me guess, she did it again, huh?”
“Yep, she wanted me to meet the new teacher in town. This woman Jackie, had the nerve to say that neither she nor mom believe that I’m actually gay.”
“Is Mom crazy?” Alex threw his hands up and shook his head. “How could Mom do this to you? I mean you are her first born. Did she think you would lie about something like this? I mean come on, dammit.”
“I honestly don’t know what she’s thinking anymore. I have warned her numerous times. I just feel that if I don’t follow through this time then it will continue to happen. I do love her but this is getting ridiculous.”
“We understand bro. You got to do, what you got to do. Just stay in touch with us.” Kyle shifted from foot to foot barely looking at me or Alex. Kyle crossed his arms as he stared at me almost daring me not to stay in touch.
“I will, I told Tyler that I would still call weekly and Skype when I can. Also, feel free to call whenever, even if it’s just to say hi.”
“Will do. Just make sure you let Dad know why you’re leaving early, because he’s not going to like it.” Alex glanced nervously between me and Kyle.
“I will. I’ll call him once I am on the road. Can one of you help carry my stuff down?”
“Sure,” Kyle and Alex replied in unison.
All three of us laughed at that. We headed to my room to grab my bags, only to find that Tyler had already grabbed some of the bags. Kyle and Alex quickly grabbed what was left.
“Why don’t you go tell Mom you’re leaving? This way you can leave as soon as you talk to her,” suggested Kyle.
“Ok, thanks guys. I’ll call you when I get to the motel that I will be staying at tonight. I plan on going to the Laundromat to get my clothes washed this afternoon.”
“Alright bro, talk to you tonight. Stay safe,” replied Alex.
We went downstairs, the boys went outside and I went to look for Mom. I found her in the living room, picking up things from her visit with Jackie.
“There you are, Jon. You were incredibly rude to Jackie earlier. I’m very disappointed in you,” Mom’s voice held a note of dissatisfaction as she scooped up the remaining plate of cookies off the table.
I had to laugh at that comment.
“Mom, you acted like I was five and ignored me and my desires. I mean, come on now, how many times have I told you that my fated mate is a male? That I’m gay? That no woman will ever be my mate? But have you listened to me at all? Not only are you trying to find women for me, but you are telling them I’m not even sure I am gay. You really don’t love me at all do you?”
Mom looked at me as if I had grown a second head.
“How dare you! I have nothing but your best interest at heart.”
“I told you before, if you couldn’t respect my decisions and how I live my life, well then, I just wouldn’t stay here for you to interfere. I’m leaving Mom, and I won’t be back until I have found my mate.” I headed towards the door, a growl slipping out as I did. “And so you know, I won’t be calling you either.” I let the front door slam shut behind me as I stormed off to the SUV. I was in such a foul mood that I nearly didn’t realize my brothers were all standing there waiting for me.
“We’re going to miss you bro, don’t forget to call us,” said Tyler as they each gave me a hug.
“Bye, guys, I’ll call you tonight and each week as promised,” I replied before turning and getting into the SUV.
I climbed into the SUV and got ready to pull out. My brothers all stood in the driveway waving at me and I couldn’t help but wave back. As I began to pull out I spotted my mother standing at the living room window watching me pull out. I put the SUV into gear and pulled away without looking back.
I stopped in town and filled up with gas. When I got back in the SUV, I noticed that I had a missed call from Dad, so I called him back.
I got his voicemail, so I left him a message.
“Hey, Dad, I saw that I missed your call while I was filling up with gas, I’m sure Mom called you to say that I left early. When you get this give me a call back so we can talk. Love you, Dad.” I looked at the phone in my hand and noticed how my hand shook. To be honest, I don’t know if I was upset at how my mother had treated me or how I had treated her when I left. Neither of us were exactly acting like the grownups we were supposed to be.
I drove to the next town over, pulling over when I saw a Laundromat so that I could wash my clothes. I knew that if I had stayed in town, Mom would have gone looking for me and she would have tried to get me to come home. I just wasn’t looking for anymore drama today.
Dad called me back while I was waiting for my clothes to dry.
“Hey, Dad, I guess you got my message.” The smell of bleach and laundry powder filled the small Laundromat. There were people at every machine and children playing games waiting for their parents to finish up. This wasn’t the sort of conversation I wanted everyone in here to be a part of, so I headed outside so I could talk to my dad in peace.
“Hey, Jon, yeah I got your message and a hysterical call from your mother saying that she doesn’t know why you left early,” stated Dad with frustration in his voice at being caught in between his wife and his son.
“Dad, she knows why I left early. The boys and I went for a run and when we came back Mom had Jackie Johnson there waiting to meet me. Jackie asked me out, I said no, and told her that I wasn’t interested.”
“Well that makes more sense now. After you boys left, you mother handed me a list of stuff she wanted from Walmart. You know as well I do, I hate driving to go there, and I mean it is an hour away. I took as long as I could but your mother nearly pushed me out the door. Jackie must have been on her way, and your mother didn’t want me there to stop her. You warned her that if she did set you up, you would leave. I have to say I admire you for sticking to your guns, Jon, but I wish you would have stayed a little longer.”
“That wasn’t even the worst part. I was absolutely shocked and disappointed when I found out that Mom had already ousted me to Jackie. This makes me wonder who else she has told. It’s not that I’m ashamed of being gay, but it’s no one’s business but mine and Mom had no right to tell anyone.”
“You’re right, she shouldn’t have done that, and not everyone needs to know it. Granted most will figure it out once you find your mate. Just remember that she does love you. Please be safe son, I love you.”
“I love you, too, Dad. I love Mom as well but she can be very irritating at times regarding this issue. I will call tonight once I’m settled to talk to the boys. Talk to ya later, Dad.”
“Bye, son, please be careful.”
I went back in to check on my laundry, when I saw that I still had some time to wait, pulling out my Twilight book in order to pass the time while I was waiting.
Tim’s POV
I got up and decided to get all of my laundry done so that I would have more time to spend with my dad and friends. Then I wanted to go online to check my email, and check to see if any of my favorite books on Wattpad have been updated.
Since I loved to read and didn’t want to lug around multiple books while I travelled, I used my e-reader that Dad had gotten me so that I could have most of my favorite books at my fingertips.
I gathered up all of my dirty clothes, separating them into dark colors, light colors, and whites. Once they were all separated I took the loads downstairs to get it started. I came out of the laundry room and heard the doorbell ring.
Dad was busy making breakfast so I called out, “I got it Dad.”
When I opened the door and saw Stephanie standing there I really wished that I had let Dad get the door. I did not want to deal with her today or ever for that matter. She has been trying to get me to go out with her for the last four years and would not take “No” for an answer.
“Hi Stephanie, what can I do for you?” I asked through gritted teeth.
“That’s no way to talk to a lady Tim,” she said with a shy smile on her face.
“You’re right Stephanie. Is there something I can help you with?”
“I just came to see if you wanted to go to a movie tonight,” she said as she lowered her head and looked at me through her lashes, just trying to seduce me.
“I’m sorry, I already have plans for tonight. Besides, I have told you before that I’m not interested in dating anyone who is not my mate. Also, I have told you numerous times that I’m gay, so you do absolutely nothing for me. Now if you’ll excuse me I need to do some household chores and laundry before I leave tomorrow.” I stepped back and closed the door in her face.
“Who was at the door, Tim?” Dad asked as he came out of the kitchen.
“It was Stephanie, she wanted me to go out with her this evening. I told her that I already had plans and that there was no point in her continually asking me out since I’m gay. Then I politely shut the door in her face.”
“Well, come eat some breakfast. I just made some scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, and toast since you got up a little later than normal this morning,” Dad said as he gave me a hug before turning and going back to the kitchen.
“Why don’t you call some of your friends and spend some time with them before you head out of here tomorrow. Take some time and reconnect with them. I know that you communicate via phone, text, and email while you are gone but spend some face time with them. I bet they would love that,” Dad suggested while we were eating.
“Ok, Dad I will call Jeremy after breakfast and see what he and the guys are doing today. Maybe we can go to a movie and out to eat for dinner,” I suggested after taking a bite of eggs.
“That sounds like a good plan. Why don’t you go ahead and give Jeremy a call and I will clean up the kitchen,” Dad said as he finished what was on his plate.
Being with my friends and family is what I miss most when I’m on the road. The one nice thing about being a wolf is no matter which pack you visit you are always treated as a member of the family. However, nothing beats being with those who have known you your whole life, the ones who love you and know everything about you. Family is something that is very important in the werewolf world.
I went upstairs to get my cellphone so that I could call Jeremy. Once I found his number in my contact list I hit the dial button and waited for him to answer.
“Hello,” Jeremy said when he answered the phone.
“Hey Jeremy. How are you bud?” I asked as I sat down in my desk chair.
“Tim! It’s great to hear from you. Are you coming home soon?” Jeremy asked excitedly.
“I actually go home last night. Doing some laundry right now. I wanted to see if you and the guys wanted to hang out tonight. Maybe go to a movie and get something to eat,” I suggested as I put my feet up on my desk.
“That sounds awesome. I’ll call the guys right away and let you know who’s able to come and get back to you,” he replied.
“Cool, thanks man. It’s good to be home and able to spend time with my friends and family,” I said sitting upright in my chair again.
“So have you met anyone interesting on your travels?” he asked.
“I’ve met some nice people but not that special one. It’s getting hard being on the road all the time but it will all be worth it when I meet him,” I said as I got up and started walking around my room.
“Ok, well I will give the guys a call and see what we can round up to do this evening,” Jeremy stated.
“Sounds like a plan. Thanks dude, I can’t wait to see you guys. I’ll talk to you later.”
“See ya this evening,” Jeremy said before hanging up the phone.
I set my phone on my desk and headed downstairs to check on my laundry. The first load was ready for the dryer so I switched the load over and put in the next load to be washed.
I walked into the living room and asked, “Hey Dad, want to go for a run?”
“That sounds like a wonderful idea. I’ve missed going on runs with you,” Dad said as he folded his paper and placed it on the side table next to his recliner.
We headed through the kitchen and out the back door, going towards the hollowed out log that we always placed our clothes before shifting into our wolves. After shifting we took off for the tree line at the edge of our property. I have to admit that I have missed going for runs with my dad, it’s always been a special and bonding time for us.
We ran through the woods and came to a clearing of wildflowers of varying shades of blues, purples, and pinks. Wildflowers are my favorite type of flower, with their varying shades and looks.
When we got to the center of the clearing Dad started to nip at my heels and we started to wrestle in our wolf forms.
“Son, you know you can’t beat me,” Dad said through mind link.
“I know Dad, but it’s so much fun to try,” I replied with a wolf huff.
“I know son, maybe in a few years you will be able to get me,” Dad said as he tackled me to the ground.
We played like that for what seemed like hours before we decided to head back to the house. We got to the hollowed out log, got our clothes, and got dressed after shifting back to our human forms.
“That was great Dad, I’ve missed going on runs with you,” I said as we walked into the house.
“I enjoyed myself too, Son. I’ve missed our runs also. The guys come by from time to time to go for a run with me but it’s not the same as going for a run with you,” stated Dad.
Once inside, I went to check on my laundry. I pulled my darks out of the dryer, placed my lights in the dryer, and put my whites in to wash. I quickly folded my clothes and took them upstairs to get them packed away.
“Tim, lunch is ready,” Dad called from the kitchen.
“Be down in a minute, Dad,” I answered back as I finished putting the clothes in my suitcase.
I went downstairs and saw that Dad had fixed sub sandwiches, with chips and some pickles. When I sat down at my plate I noticed that he had made my favorite, roast beef with provolone cheese and extra roast beef. He also had Clausen pickles (yummy!!) and Baked Potato Ruffles potato chips. He knew just what I liked and he always tried to make me happy when I was at home after traveling for a while.
After lunch I checked on my laundry and switched the clothes out and folding the light colored clothes that had been in the dryer before taking them up to my room. Once they were packed away, I got online to check my e-mail and play a few games on Facebook. I really like the game Criminal Case, a search and find game that has a list of things for you to find in order to get clues to solve a case.
I checked my phone and saw a couple of text messages from Jeremy.
be ready at six
meet at ur place
I read the texts and responded, cya then.
I looked at the time and saw that I had some time to kill so I decided to get a shower and clean up so that I would be ready to go when they got here. While I was waiting for the water to warm up I took a glance in the mirror.
I saw a young man with a swimmer’s build. I had a six pack set of abs, well-toned arms, short dirty blond hair, and crystal clear blue eyes. I knew that most people find me handsome but I wondered if my mate would as well.
Once the water was warm I got in and got washed up. It doesn’t take me long and within minutes I am out of the shower. After getting dried off I got out a pair of boxer briefs, socks, pair of dark blue jeans, and a pale yellow polo shirt. I got dressed and slid my sneakers on.
I went down and checked on the last of my laundry, finding that it was done I emptied it out of the dryer and took the basket back up to my room. While I was folding my clothes I briefly wondered where Dad had gotten off to but didn’t really worry about it.
I was upstairs putting the last of my laundry in my bags when I heard a car pull into the driveway. I looked out the window and saw that it was my best friends Jeremy, Tony, Jason, and Justin. When all my friends had come inside, we greeted each other with a fist bump and a nod of the head.
“Hey guys, glad we could get together before I leave again tomorrow,” I stated.
“No luck finding your mate, huh? That’s a shame,” asked Jeremy. He was my best friend and I had been emailing him some of the funnier moments while I was on the road.
“Nope, not yet, I’m heading out to the West Coast tomorrow to look at the packs out there. Something in my gut is telling me that is where I need to go,” I replied.
“Man that sucks, I hope you find him soon,” said Jason. He was usually the comedian of the group except when we are talking about mates.
“Have you ever thought that maybe he’s not a wolf, that he may be human or another type of shifter?” asked Tony, the thoughtful one of our little group.
“No, I just always assumed that he would be a wolf.” I stopped and scratched my head thinking about what Tony had just suggested. I felt foolish for not having thought of it before now. “I’ll talk to the Alpha before I leave tomorrow to see if he knows of any other times when a wolf has been mated to another type of shifter and who I would need to talk to in order to enter their territories.”
“That would be a good idea, son,” stated my dad as he got up from his chair, squeezing my shoulder on his way to the kitchen.
Justin had his thinking face on before he said, “Him being another species makes sense since you haven’t found him yet. You’ve been focusing on the wolf packs of the east coast. He may even be right under your nose.” This really made me rethink my plans for going out west but something in my gut was telling me to go.
“Come on guys, let’s head to the theater before all the good seats are taken,” said Tony.
Watching Non-Stop with Liam Neilson was awesome. I have really wanted to see it since it was first advertised. His movies are usually all action packed like Taken. We all enjoyed it and had a blast just hanging out together again.
After the movie we went to Applebee’s for dinner and to just hang out some more before I had to get home to finish packing and getting ready to leave tomorrow. We placed our orders quickly when Jeremy’s phone rang. He looked at the caller id before answering it.
“Hey babe…Sally, I’m with Tim and the guys…Tim’s leaving tomorrow and we wanted to spend some time together before he leaves…We’re at Applebee’s having dinner, I should be there in about an hour and a half…No I don’t think I can get there that quick…I drove and they would be stranded if I left now…Alright, I’ll see you when I get there…Love you too…Bye.” He turned and looked at us before saying, “Guys she is really anxious for me to get to her house. It’s as if she thinks I’m messing around on her. Tim you did it right by not dating until you met your mate.”
“I tried to warn ya. Now when you do meet your mate, you’re gonna have to break her heart,” I replied with a shake of my head.
“I know that, I should break up with her but I don’t want to hurt her,” Jeremy said as he took a sip of his Coke.
“Dude, you’re gonna hurt her even worse if you wait until you meet your mate,” said Justin thoughtfully.
“I know, I know. I just don’t know how to do it,” he whined.
“Just tell her the truth that you want to go find your mate and that the relationship is not going anywhere because you want your mate,” Tony suggested.
We stopped talking as our waitress brought us our food and we dug in.
“I’ll tell her tonight when I see her. I may need to hide out somewhere for a little while because she is not going to be happy,” Jeremy stated.
I reached out and put a hand on his shoulder and suggested, “Come crash at my place. Dad won’t mind and he could use the company while I’m gone. We have the extra room, let me talk to Dad when I get home. Before you go talk to Sally, go home and pack some clothes so that you have it in your car. That way you don’t have to go home for a little while and give her time to cool off. After you talk to her, head over to our place if it goes badly for you.”
We settled up the check when we were done, leaving a nice tip for our waitress because she was considerate when she saw that we were having a conversation and only came over when we needed something.
All too soon I was back home and getting everything packed up so that I would be ready to go in the morning. When I got up to my room I noticed that Dad had placed something on my bed. I went over to see what it was and saw that it was an e-ticket and itinerary for a flight out tomorrow afternoon that was landing in Seattle, Washington tomorrow evening.
I went back downstairs and found my dad in the living room reading the newspaper.
“Thanks, Dad for the ticket. How am I supposed to get all of my suitcases on the plane though?” I asked as I bent down to give him a hug.
“Well, you see son, you will be staying with the Everglade Pack when you get there. Go ahead and pack two suitcases, as well as a carry on with your laptop in it. You can take those on the plane with you. If you need anything else, give me a call and I will overnight it to you. There will also be a rental car waiting for you to pick up when you land,” replied my dad.
“How will I get to the pack house?”
“The rental car has a GPS, I have the address of the pack house for you to enter into it. When you are ready to head back out this way let me know and we will see about getting you an inexpensive car for you to drive back here.”
“Wow, Dad! I don’t even know what to say other than thank you.”
“Thanks is all I need. My dad would have done the same for me if I’d had to go traveling to find my mate.”
“Dad, will you be ok if my mate is a different type of shifter?”
“Who am I to say that it is wrong or not allowed if your mate is a human or another form of shifter? If that is who is destined for you then I will be happy,” Dad replied as he grabbed my shoulder and giving it a squeeze.
“Thanks, Dad, I love you.”
“I love you too, son. Now go finish your packing,” he said with a ruffle of my hair.
“Dad, you may have a houseguest for a while. Jeremy is breaking up with Sally tonight and we aren’t expecting it to go very well. I told him that it should be ok for him to stay here for however long he needed to,” I said as I gave him a hug.
“That’s fine Son, you know I think of all those boys as additional sons. He is welcome to stay here as long as he needs. He still needs to go to his classes though,” Dad said with a smile.
As I stepped out of the hug I heard a car in the driveway, a car door slamming, followed by another slam. I went over and opened the door just before Jeremy knocked.
“Come on in, man. I’m guessing it didn’t go well?” I asked as we gave a fist pump.
Jeremy sighed, set his bags down, and said, “No it didn’t, she got hysterical and started throwing things at me. I had to get out of there. I already called my parents and let them know what was going on, giving them a head’s up that they may be getting some angry phone calls tonight and tomorrow. They were sad and relieved at the same time, they want me to find my mate.”
“Well, you know where the guest room is, make yourself at home and I will see you boys in the morning,” Dad said before heading to bed.
Before we headed upstairs, I grabbed a drink to take with me.
“Night Jer. Cya in the morning buddy,” I said as I headed to my room.
“Night Tim. Try not to stay up too late, big day tomorrow,” he said going into the room next to mine.
I set my alarm before I forgot to, then started sorting through my clothes and deciding what I would take with me. I decided that I needed to look at the weather for that part of the country before I could pack anything.
I knew that the Washington area supposedly got a lot of rain but that is all that I knew of the area. I also wanted to get a general idea of where the Everglade Pack was located so that I would be somewhat confident with knowing where I was going.
It didn’t seem like it took me long to pack but when I looked at my clock I saw that it was ten o’clock at night and my alarm was set for seven in the morning.
I decided to quickly check my e-mail and Facebook before packing up my laptop for the flight. There were no new e-mails but I posted a new status message for myself on Facebook.
“I am heading to Washington in the morning. Wish me luck!”
It was time for bed.
Chapter 3: Jon’s POV
The boys tried to get me to talk to mom last night when I called them. I was still too raw from what had happened to be able to talk to her without getting upset. Besides I didn’t think that she had changed her opinion in just a few hours.
I needed to find some wooded area so that I could go for a run. I could feel my inner bear wanting to get out.
I contacted the Clan leader, Collin Jackson, in this small town. Leader Jackson informed me that there is also a wolf pack here called the Pacific Northwest Pack and gave me the information for the Alpha. Courtesy required that I inform him of my presence and request his permission to be on their lands.
I decided to give him a call and make sure that I would be able to go for a run without any problems. It is always good to stay in good graces with other shifters. You never knew when you might need their help.
“Good morning, Alpha Remington. My name is Jon Blumer and I travelled into your area last night. I just wanted to touch base and let you know that I am in the area, as well as to get your permission to go for a run in the woods,” I requested over the phone.
“Good morning, Mr. Blumer, may I call you Jon?” he asked.
“Of course, sir, I would be honored,” I replied.
“Alright Jon, Mr. Jackson called and let me know that you were here and if it is ok with you, I would like to meet you. I just like to get to know other shifters before giving an open invitation onto our land. We have had issues in the past. I don’t want you to think that this is because of you,” he replied.
“That’s fine with me, I would be honored to meet with you,” I responded.
“I understand that you have been searching for your mate. That seems to be going around. One of my friends from Virginia, his son is coming out this way to find his mate as well. Why don’t you come over around ten o’clock and we can get acquainted and let you have a run through the woods.”
“Yes, sir, I have been searching for the past eight years but I’m not giving up. Ten o’clock sounds good to me that gives me time to get some breakfast.”
“Alright, than I will see you then. Do you need directions?”
“No, sir, Mr. Jackson gave me directions to your pack lands last night. Good bye, sir.”
“Good bye Jon.”
After I hung up, I took a shower, dressed, packed my luggage into my SUV, and headed to the cafe’ down the street to get something to eat and kill time before heading to the pack house.
When I walked in the diner, I could tell that there were other shifters there. I tried to look as non-threatening as I possibly could. It was hard just because I am so big.
I took a seat at the counter and looked at the menu.
“Good morning, my name is Tiffany, and I will be your server. What can I get ya?” asked the waitress.
“Good morning, Tiffany. I would love some coffee, pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, and fruit cup, please.”
“Alright, sweetie, will have that out to you quickly,” she said as she walked away.
She came back and placed my coffee on the counter, “Do you need any cream?”
“No, ma’am, black is just fine for me.”
She left but came back a few minutes later with my breakfast. Once she set everything down, I dug in and started to eat. The food smelled wonderful, I just knew that it was going to be a little on the greasy side but that was half the fun of eating in a fifties style diner.
I looked at my watch and saw that I only had a half hour before I was to meet with Alpha Remington. I asked for the check and paid my bill before heading back outside.
I reached the pack house about twenty minutes later. I went up to the door and knocked. Soon the door swung open and there was a young man, about twenty two standing there.
“You must be the bear shifter coming to see the Alpha. Please come in,” he said as he stepped out of the way and let me into the house.
I looked around as he was showing me to the Alpha’s office down the hallway.
When he knocked on the door there was a gruff response, “Come in.”
“Alpha, there is a shifter here to see you,” the young man stated before turning around and leaving the closing the door on his way out.
“Good morning, you must be Jon, I’m Alpha Remington but please call me Jeff,” stated the man behind the desk as he held his hand out for me to shake.
“Good morning, Alpha Jeff, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” I replied.
“Please have a seat. Would you care for any coffee or something else to drink?”
“No, thank you sir, I am fine.”
“Now, you’ve been looking for your mate for about eight years correct?”
“Yes sir, I have travelled to different clans throughout the United States but have so far, drawn a blank. I know he’s out there I just haven’t found him yet,” I stated and then realized exactly what I had said.
I looked at him and waited to see if he caught what I had said and what his reaction would be if he had.
“Don’t worry, I completely understand. I know that some people can be cruel and hateful but you won’t find that here,” he stated as there was a knock on the door. “Come in, James,” he said.
“Hey babe, is this a bad time?” the man who came in asked.
“No, it’s fine. James, I would like you to meet Jon Blumer, he’s a bear shifter that is passing through and is looking for his mate. Jon, this is my mate James.”
I knew that I had a surprised look on my face when Alpha Jeff started chuckling.
“Yes, my mate is a man, so as I said you have no worries in that regard. Have you thought that maybe your mate isn’t a bear?” he asked.
“Until recently I had always assumed he would be a bear or human. If he is another type of shifter my mom will have a fit. For her, it’s bad enough that I’m gay. She has pushed every eligible female bear in my direction every time I go home,” I replied.
“Well, you are welcome to stay here for a few days and see if maybe your mate is here. You can stay here in the pack house and take some time to get to know everyone,” offered Alpha Jeff.
“That would be wonderful, thank you sir.”
“Why don’t we get you settled in and then you can go for your run?”
“Ok, sounds like a plan to me.”
The three of us headed out to my SUV and got my suitcases and laptop bag. I followed Alpha Jeff and James up to the second floor of the pack house and they stopped in front of the second door on the right.
“This will be your room for as long as you are here,” stated Alpha Jeff.
“Thank you, Alpha Jeff, you have been so kind.”
My luggage was brought in and set on the bed so that I could unpack at my leisure.
“Would it be possible for me to go on my run?”
“Sure, do you want some company or would you rather be by yourself?”
“Well, I need to do some thinking, so I would prefer to go by myself.”
“Not a problem, I will send a message over the pack link that we have a bear shifter in the woods and to leave you be. Will you be joining us for dinner?”
“Actually, I was going to go to the diner that I ate at this morning and then go see a movie.”
“Ok, well we will see you later then. Enjoy your run,” Alpha Jeff said before heading back downstairs.
I changed into some sport shorts, t-shirt and sandals before heading outside and into the woods. Once I was far enough in, I found a hollowed out tree log, stripped down, placed my clothes in the log and shifted into my bear.
I took off and lumbered through the woods, I came across several of the pack wolves but they let me be and didn’t bother me. As I was running I found a small stream that I stopped at to get a drink and do some fishing.
The stream was ice cold but tasted so refreshing. I only caught a couple of fish because I didn’t want to deplete the supply. This is something that I loved to do and it gives me plenty of time to think about all that has happened over the past couple of days.
The field surrounding the stream was ripe with wildflowers with just about every color imaginable. It was so peaceful that I laid in the sun and just relaxed, which caused me to doze off.
When I woke up after a several hours, I noticed that the sun was beginning to set. I have always loved watching sunsets with the pinks, oranges, and other colors that were evident in the sky.
I decided that it was time to head back to where I had left my clothes, get washed up, and head in to the diner for dinner. I don’t know why but I felt that I needed to eat dinner there tonight.
Once I was cleaned up and dressed, I headed downstairs to my suburban and drove to the diner for dinner. This time when I went in I sat at one of the booths in the corner so that I could see people as they came and went.
I was eating my dinner when I heard the bell over the door chime, I didn’t think much of it until I heard the customer give his order to the waitress. Something about his voice called to me, a reaction that I have never before had. I looked up to see who had made the melodious sound.
I looked over and was shocked to see a well-built man, approximately two hundred pounds with the clearest blue eyes that I had ever seen. It was as if I was looking into a crystal lake and I knew without a doubt that this man was my mate.
Tim’s POV
I awoke when my alarm went off at seven in the morning. I knew that I had awhile before we had to leave for the airport but I wanted to spend as much time with my dad as I could. It’s a two hour drive from our house to Reagan International Airport and from there it was going to be a six hour flight with a few different layovers along the way.
I went downstairs and found dad already in the kitchen making breakfast, I guess he had the same idea of spending as much time as possible together.
“Morning, Dad, what’s the plan for this morning?”
“Well, I thought we could have breakfast and then go for a run together before you got cleaned up and ready to go.”
“Sounds good to me, I miss running with you and the rest of the pack.”
Dad finished cooking breakfast and we sat down to eat. As soon as we were done, dad loaded our dishes into the dishwasher and then we headed out for our run.
“Son, let’s go down to the stream and into the meadow,” Dad said through mind link.
“Alright, Dad, lead the way,” I replied following him into the woods.
We ran for about a half hour before we came to the stream, on the other side of it laid a meadow of wildflowers blowing in the wind. Before mom died this was her favorite spot, when she died we had her and my sister buried here.
When we shifted we tied our shorts to a leg, when we got to the headstones we shifted back to our human forms and slid the shorts on.
“Hey, Lizzie, it’s Jasper and Tim. Tim is leaving today to head back out and look for his mate. You would be so proud of the young man that he has become. I wish you were here to share this with,” Dad said with tears streaming down his face.
“Hi, Mom and Tina, it’s me. I am heading out to Washington to see if my mate is there. I know that you are watching over me but I miss you guys,” I stated with my hand on her headstone and tears in my eyes.
Dad and I just sat there for a little while before he said, “It’s time to head back to the house so that you can get cleaned up and the car loaded with your bags.”
We stripped, tied our shorts to our legs, and shifted back into our wolf forms.
We made it back to the house, shifted back, and pulled on the shorts before heading inside.
“Alright, let’s go get cleaned up we have about an hour before we have to absolutely leave,” stated Dad.
“Ok. Dad,” I replied as I headed upstairs to my bathroom to get cleaned up.
After my shower, I got dressed, made sure that I had everything, and took my suitcases, plus my computer bag downstairs. I could hear Dad moving around in the kitchen so I went in to make sure that he was ready, only to find him making us some sandwiches.
“Sit down and eat your sandwich so we can get on the road.”
We quickly ate the sandwiches before loading up the car and heading to the airport.
All too soon dad had parked in the short term parking and helped me get my bags out of the trunk. We walked into the airport and got me checked in. Since dad couldn’t go past the security area to the gate area, we stopped there to say our goodbyes.
Dad handed me an envelope and said, “Don’t open this until you’re in your rental car. Please be safe and call me when you land.”
“Ok, I will, Dad,” I replied as I took the envelope and placed it in my computer bag before giving him a hug.
When we pulled apart we both had some tears in our eyes but we knew that this would just be a short goodbye and not forever.
“Bye, Dad.”
“Bye, Tim.”
With our goodbyes said, I turned, went through the metal detector, turned to wave before heading to my departure gate. I got to the gate and saw that I still had some time before we were going to start boarding, so I sat down, pulled out my e-reader, and started to read a book.
I got so wrapped up in the book that I almost missed the boarding call for my flight. I stood up and went to the gate with my ticket in hand to stand in line before boarding the plane.
Once boarded, I took out my e-reader and MP3 player, put my computer bag up and sat in my seat. Thankfully, I had the window seat, so I wouldn’t have to move every time the person next to me needed to go to the bathroom.
With my size, I was sincerely hoping that all three seats would not be filled so that I would have some room to breathe.
I waited until we were in the air and I was allowed to turn on an electrical device before turning on my e-reader, plugging in my headphones, opening the music application, and continuing my book.
Once again I got so caught up in my book that I didn’t hear the announcement to put away all electrical devices until the stewardess came and got my attention. I turned everything off and got ready for landing in the first of my layovers.
This developed into a routine for the rest of my trip. Soon we were descending into Seattle, Washington.
I waited for my chance to grab my computer bag out of the overhead compartment so that I could exit the plane. Once I was able to grab my belongings, I exited the plane and headed to the baggage claim to wait for my luggage to come around on the carousel.
After I retrieved my suitcases I headed to the car rental kiosk to pick up my car and head out to the Pacific Northwest Pack in Moses Lake, Washington, about halfway between Seattle and Spokane.
I got my car, put my luggage in the trunk, except for my computer bag, which I put in the passenger seat next to me after getting behind the wheel. I pulled out the envelope that my dad had given me before I left.
When I opened the envelope, I just about died because not only had he had included the address for the pack house but also about a thousand dollars with a note.
“Son,
This is to help pay your expenses while you travel. Let me know if you need more and I will gladly send it to you. Please be safe and call as often as you possibly can. I will miss you while you are gone but I look forward to the day that you introduce me to your mate.
Love Always,
Dad
I could not believe his generosity. He has already paid my expenses as I travelled along the East Coast, now he was paying my expenses here.
This was the best time to call him.
“Hello,” came his voice over the phone.
“Hey, Dad, wanted to let you know that I arrived in Seattle safely and that I have gotten my rental car. Thank you for the money and all the support that you have given me over the last two years.”
“Hi, Tim, I am glad that you made it safely, don’t worry about the money because your happiness means everything to me and I would do anything to make sure of it. What time is it out there?”
“It’s about four thirty here, I gained a few hours coming west.”
“Alright, call and let me know how Alpha Remington is doing and that you arrived at the pack house safely.”
“Ok, Dad, I will. I’m probably going to stop somewhere between here and Moses Lake to get something to eat but will call after I meet with Alpha Remington. Love you, Dad, bye.”
“Love you too, Son, bye.”
I hung up with dad and looked at the pack information again. I decided to call Alpha Remington when I am closer to their pack lands. I plugged in the directions into the GPS console and headed towards Moses Lake.
About three hours later I came to the town limits of Moses Lake. I found a quaint little diner and decided to stop there and have dinner.
After I pulled into a parking spot, I pulled out the contact information for Alpha Remington and decided to go ahead and give him a call before going into the diner.
“Hello,” said the person who answered the phone.
“Hi, may I speak with Alpha Remington, please?” I asked.
“May I ask who is calling?” responded the voice on the other end of the phone line.
“Yes, this is Tim Collins, I believe he is expecting my call,” I replied.
“Ok, just a moment.”
After a short time I heard, “This is Alpha Remington.”
“Good evening, Alpha, this is Tim Collins; Jasper Collins’ son. I wanted to let you know that I have arrived in Moses Lake but have stopped at the diner for dinner.”
“Well, good evening, Tim. I am glad to hear from you and glad that you have made it safely. We will see you when you get here,” replied Alpha Remington before hanging up the phone.
I hung up and got out of the car to head into the diner. I no sooner had walked into the diner when this amazing smell of pine and wildflowers hit my nose. I walked to a corner booth and sat in the far right hand corner of the diner so that I could look around the restaurant.
The waitress came and took my order. Once my order was placed I started scanning the other diner. As I looked into the corner opposite me I was met with a silvery grey gaze that made my heart stop.
All it took was looking into the big man’s eyes and I heard my wolf say, “Mate.”
Chapter 4: Jon’s POV
I could not believe that I finally found my mate! I was so happy that my search was over. I eagerly sniffed the air to see what type of bear he was, only to figure out that he wasn’t a bear but a wolf.
Oh boy, mom was going to have a fit about this. I didn’t care because he was the one that was made specifically for me.
He was so handsome. He had the clearest, bluest eyes I had ever seen. They were the color of a clear blue lake. I could get lost in his eyes forever.
I waited to see what his response was going to be but I wanted to go over to him so badly. I was so nervous because I didn’t want to do something that could ruin this moment. I soon realized that he was standing up and walking towards me with an assurance that I didn’t have. As he got to the table I stood up to meet him.
“Hello, my name is Tim. What’s yours?” the young man asked in a clear, strong voice as he held his hand out to me.
“Hi Tim, I’m Jonathan, but you can call me Jon,” I replied as my voice changed part way through my response.
“Do you mind if I sit with you?” Tim asked confidently.
“Please do, I would love that,” I said as I gestured for him to join me in my booth. Even though I was still nervous, I could not pass up the opportunity to get to know my mate
“Are you from around here?” he questioned as he took a sip of his drink.
“No, I am from Spokane. What about you? You have a sort of twang in your voice,” I responded.
“I’m from Virginia. I came out here looking for my mate. I never thought my mate would be a bear though.”
“Are you disappointed?”
“Not at all, I’m just glad that I found you,” he replied.
Around that time the waitress brought my food, she had a look of shock on her face when she saw that Tim had moved and was sitting with me. She soon came out with his meal as well.
“How old are you?” I asked Tim as I started to eat my French fries.
“Twenty years old, what about you?” Tim asked while turning the salt and pepper shakers in his fingers. I guess he’s just as nervous as I am.
“I’m twenty-six years old and have been looking for my mate for the last ten years.”
“Did you ever think that your mate wouldn’t be a bear?”
“I only realized recently that there was a good chance that my mate was either human or a different type of shifter. Since I was eighteen, I have been travelling to different clans to see if my mate was amongst them but could never find him.”
“Were you always sure that your mate would be a guy?” asked Tim.
“Yeah, ever since I was about fourteen I knew that I wanted nothing to do with the opposite sex, much to my mom’s dismay. She still has not come to terms that I am gay. What about you?”
“I knew in high school that my mate would be a guy and thankfully my dad has been supportive of that fact. While I was home this last time, my friends suggested that maybe my mate was not a werewolf. Do you think that with us being different species is going to cause problems with your family?” he questioned after taking another drink.
“I don’t think that my brothers will have a problem with it, not sure about my dad but I know that my mom will be livid. As much as I love my family, I will not let them interfere with my life and being with my mate.”
“How many brothers do you have?”
“I have three of them, two are eighteen, and one is sixteen, no sisters. Do you have any siblings?”
“Technically I have one sister but she died during childbirth, along with my mom. It has just been dad and I since I was fourteen.”
“My mom has wanted me to settle down with a female werebear so that I could have cubs. Why can’t she be happy that she will have grandbabies from my brothers? Besides, we could always use a surrogate or even adopt. That is if you wanted to.”
“I think adopting or using a surrogate would be a great idea, when the time is right. Does this mean that you accept me as your mate?” he asked before taking a bite of his burger.
“Of course I accept you as my mate, I have been looking for you for so long. I feel as if I have known you for a lot longer than an hour. Where are you staying while you are in town?” I asked as I reached across the table and took his hand in mine.
“I was actually on my way to the Pacific Northwest Pack to see if my mate was there,” Tim replied.
“Ok, that’s funny, because I am staying there to see if maybe my mate was a member of that pack. I have pretty much exhausted looking through all of the clans so I was going to try other shifters,” I responded with a chuckle.
“That is funny, we were both going to stay with the same pack to try and find our mates. I wonder what Alpha Remington is going to say about this?” Tim questioned with a chuckle.
“I think he will find it funny as well. He and his mate seem welcoming, I mean after all they welcomed a bear inside of their pack.”
We finished our dinners and just sat there and talked, getting to know each other better. I still couldn’t believe that this gorgeous man was mine for eternity. He looked even better than he had in my dreams.
“Do you want to follow me back to the pack lands? Then we can get you settled into your room. Maybe we can go for a run tomorrow, if you want to.”
“A run sounds good. I need to call my dad when we get to the pack house to let him know that I made it safely and to let him know about you. Would you like to talk to him on Skype with me?”
“I would be honored to, I need to let my family know as well. Maybe after we Skype your dad we can Skype my family. I’m so glad that I found you, I’ve felt like there was a part of me missing for as far back as I can remember.”
“Sounds like a plan, you ready to head out then?” asked Tim.
“Yeah, let me just take care of the check,” I responded as I grabbed both of our checks and went to the register.
“You don’t have to pay for my meal,” protested Tim.
“I know I don’t have to but I would like to if that’s ok with you, that’s just how I was raised.”
“Ok, how about this? You get this one and I’ll get our next meal out. How does that sound?”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” I replied.
I followed him out to his car and pulled him into a hug.
“I’m looking forward to getting to know you better,” I said as I nuzzled into his neck.
“Me too,” replied Tim as he nuzzled my neck.
I watched him get into his car before walking over to my suburban. All of a sudden I remembered that I was going to go see a movie, so I jogged back over to Tim’s car.
When he saw me coming back over, he rolled down the window and asked, “Did you forget something?”
“Yeah, I had forgotten that I was going to go see a movie. Would you like to go or do you just want to head to the pack house?”
“Well, I am a little tired from travelling most of the day. How about we do the movie tomorrow?”
“Ok, sounds good, that will give us time to look at the paper and see what’s playing that we would want to go see.”
I reached in and placed my hand on his shoulder before turning and jogging back to my suburban.
Soon he was following me back to the pack house. My heart was bursting with joy and love. I had finally found my other half. I used my Bluetooth to call my brothers to let them know.
“Hey, Jon, it’s a little early for your weekly call, you miss us that much?” asked my brother Tyler when he answered the phone.
“Of course I miss you guys, but I was calling to let you know that I am going to Skype you guys in a few hours so make sure that you are on, ok?”
“Sure, bro, I will make sure that Alex and Kyle are in my room so that we can talk without mom butting in. Are you ok? Nothing wrong is there?”
“I am fine, no there is nothing wrong. I will tell you what’s going on when we talk on Skype later. Gotta go, talk to you later, little bro. Love ya.”
“Love you, too, be safe.”
I disconnected the call as we pulled into the driveway of the pack house. Tim pulled up next to me before getting out and popping the trunk of his car.
I walked over to see if he needed any help while he grabbed his suitcase out of the trunk. Once he closed the trunk he followed me up the front steps of the pack house.
“I called and talked to my youngest brother, Tyler, and told him that I wanted to Skype with him and the other two later this evening. I would like for you to join us so that they can start to get to know you.”
“I can’t wait to get to know them too. Let me meet with Alpha Remington and then we can Skype my dad, then your brothers,” replied Tim.
Tim left his suitcase in the entryway before going and knocking on the Alpha’s door.
“Come in,” came the gruff reply from the other side of the door.
Tim opened the door before grabbing my hand and pulling me in with him.
“Good evening, Alpha Remington. I’m Tim Collins, thank you for letting me come and visit your pack.”
“Good evening, Tim. I see you have met Jon Blumer, he’s a bear shifter that is also visiting us. By the way, you can call me Alpha Jeff while you are here,” replied Alpha Jeff before looking, seeing that our hands were clasped.
“Yeah, I met him at the diner in town, it turns out that he’s my mate,” answered Tim.
“Well congratulations! I’m guessing that you won’t be needing the room that we prepared for you?” asked Alpha Jeff.
“Actually, if it’s ok with everyone, I would like to use that room until Jon and I have had a chance to really get to know each other. I’m just not the type of person that would immediately move in with someone.”
Tim turned and looked at me before saying, “Please don’t be offended, now that I’ve finally met you, I would like to get to know you before we finish the mating.”
I looked at Tim and could see that he was struggling with what he had just said, so I pulled him into my arms and replied, “We will take this as slow as you want to. Make no mistake that I will never reject you no matter what.”
“Jon, why don’t you show Tim to his room, he’s in the room right next door to you.”
“Sure thing Alpha Jeff.” Turning to Tim I said, “Follow me.”
Tim turned back and asked, “Alpha, is there internet that we can use? I need to Skype with my dad?”
“There is an unsecure network that you can access from your rooms or anywhere in the house.”
“Thank you, Alpha,” Tim said as we turned to leave the office.
We left the office, grabbed Tim’s suitcase, and headed upstairs. I showed him which one was my room and then directed him next door to his room.
“Let me know when you want me to join you with your talk with your dad, ok? I will let you get settled,” I said as I turned to leave the room.
“You don’t have to go anywhere, let me just get my clothes put away and my computer setup, then we can talk to my dad. I also want to send a couple of e-mails to some friends back home. Why don’t you have a seat at the desk and I should be done shortly,” Tim said with a quick kiss on the cheek.
The first thing he pulled out was his laptop, he plugged it in and turned it on to let it boot up while he was unpacking. I noticed he pulled out what looked like a tablet and set it on the nightstand next to the bed before unpacking his clothes hanging them up in the closet or putting them into the dresser.
He was soon done unpacking, as he walked over towards the desk, I couldn’t help myself and pulled him into a hug to let him know that he was cared for.
Tim hugged me back, wrapping his arms around me. I couldn’t believe that he was almost as tall as me. I’m six foot eleven, and he had to be six foot seven. Where I am bulky, he is trim and lean. He fit into my arms perfectly.
“Alright, let me get ahold of my dad and tell him to get on the computer,” he said as he pulled his cellphone out of his pocket.
“Hey Dad! I’m at the pack house, do you think that you could get on Skype?” I asked with the phone on speaker.
“Sure Tim. I’m guessing you met with Alpha Jeff and you’re settled into your room. Let me log into the computer and I will be with you shortly.”
“Ok, Dad, see you soon,” replied Tim.
Tim logged into his Skype account and waited for his dad to come online. I was nervous as to how his dad was going to react to me being a werebear and not a werewolf. I know that Tim had said that he would be fine with it but its one thing to say its ok and something else for them to actually believe it.
I heard Tim’s computer ping and knew that his dad was now online. I decided to stay off to the side until Tim was ready to introduce me to his dad.
“Hey Dad!”
“Hey son! Glad you made it safely. Now what is it that you couldn’t tell me over the phone? Is Alpha Jeff treating you well? Have you met his mate yet?” His dad fired question after question at him.
“Yes, Alpha Jeff is treating me great, no I have not met his mate yet. As for why I wanted to talk to you this way is so that I could see your face when I tell you this next bit of news.”
“Well, come on, don’t keep me in suspense.”
“Ok, Dad. You know that the whole reason for me travelling has been to find my mate. Good news is that my search is over. Dad, I’d like you to meet Jon, my mate,” Tim stated as he waved for me to come around to the front of the computer.
I walked around until I could see the computer screen, I saw a man who looked to be in his early to mid-forties with dark blond hair and blue eyes.
“Hello, sir, it’s nice to meet you. I look forward to coming out and getting to know you in person.”
“Hello, Jon, where are you from?”
“I am from Spokane, Washington.”
“Have you been looking for your mate or did you just happen to come across my son?”
“To be honest, sir, I have been actively looking for my mate for the last eight years and I did just happen to run into your son. We were both visiting the Pacific Northwest Pack to look for our mates.”
“So you are about twenty-five, twenty-six years old? How do you think your parents are going to feel about your mate being a man? By the way you can call me Jasper.”
“Jasper, I am twenty-six and my parents knew that my mate would most likely be male but my mom has refused to accept it, maybe now she will.”
“So when can I expect you to be coming to visit me? Son, it seems like you have done well for yourself, just make sure that his Alpha calls ours when you come to visit.”
“Thanks dad, we’re not sure when we are going to head that way probably in about two weeks. Since we are in this area we will go and spend time with his family and I am sure that I’m not the only one who wants to spend some time by ourselves before we visit with our families,” replied Tim looking at me for confirmation before turning back to his dad.
“Are you guys going to fly or drive?”
Tim looked at me and I said, “It’s up to you, we can either drive my suburban, or we can fly. I know that I would feel more comfortable driving because of my size but I will go with whatever you decide.”
“I think we will drive the suburban that will give us more time to spend together by ourselves. I will make sure that his Clan Leader calls Alpha Jack for him to have permission to enter our territory.”
“Clan Leader? Don’t you mean Alpha?” his dad asked with a puzzled look on his face.
“No, Dad I mean Clan Leader, Jon is a bear,” Tim replied. He seemed calm while I was very anxious waiting for Jasper’s response.
“Alright, I will give Alpha Jack the heads up that he will be receiving a phone call about this. You look surprised at my response Jon.”
“Honestly, yes sir. I know that mating with a different shifter species is not unheard of and that most of the time it is frowned upon even if the two involved are fated mates.”
“Well, you will never have that problem with me boys. I’m just glad that Tim has found his other half and I will do anything in my power to make it easier for the two of you. Now why don’t you guys go spend some time together and we will work out the travel arrangements in a few days when you are more certain of some of the details.”
“Ok, Dad, we will talk to you later. Love you.”
“I look forward to meeting you in person Jasper and the rest of your pack. Have a good night.”
“Good night boys, I too look forward to meeting you in person Jon, as well as getting to know your family and clan,” Jasper stated before logging off of Skype.
“Your dad seems like a nice man and I am looking forward to getting to know you and him better. I hope my family can be as accepting of us as he is.”
“I’m sure they will be fine. Are you ready to call them?”
“Well, I spoke with Tyler on the way back here and told him to have our brothers on hand when I Skype them tonight but I didn’t tell him why. Let’s head over to my room and we can talk with them,” I said before taking his hand and leading him out of his room.
While I was getting my computer set up, Tim sat off to the side out of range of the camera and was watching me get everything set up, like I had when he first started talking to his dad. Although I’m sure that Tyler has probably figured something out by now because of me calling and telling them to be on Skype tonight.
As soon as I logged into my Skype account I noticed that the boys were already online and waiting for me to connect with them.
“Hey guys! How is everyone?” I asked with a wave.
“We’re all good, kind of curious as to why you’re Skyping with us already,” stated Kyle.
“Has mom realized what she did was wrong yet?”
“Nope, she still insists that you are being overly sensitive and that you need to mate with a female human or a female bear and just get it over with,” replied Tyler.
“She even had Jackie over here and apologized for your behavior the other day. She told her that you would come to your senses soon enough. They were looking at wedding catalogs and dresses. Dad tried to warn her but she wouldn’t listen to any of us,” commented Alex.
“Well, mom and Jackie are going to have a long wait because I don’t think Tim, my mate, is going to share me so easily.”
“Did you just say that your mate’s name is Tim? So you’ve met him then?” asked Tyler.
“You always were the quick one Ty. Yes, I said my mate Tim, I met him today at the diner in town.” I turned and looked at Tim before saying, “Why don’t you come say hi to my brothers.”
As I said that Tyler got up and ran away from the computer, the only thing that I could guess is that he was going to get my dad.
“Hi, guys, now which one is which?” asked Tim.
“Well the one who just ran out of the room was Tyler, I’m Alex and this is Kyle. Kyle and I are fraternal twins. It’s nice to meet you Tim.”
“It’s good to meet you guys, as well. Being an only child I am looking forward to having brothers.”
We watched Tyler come back into view with my dad right behind him.
“What’s this I hear, son? I hear congratulations are in order.”
“Hi, Dad, yes I’ve met my mate. This is Tim, he’s from Virginia and flew out here looking for his mate.”
“Well hello Tim, it’s nice to meet you. I can assume that you guys’ll be coming to visit us soon?”
“Well, sir we’re going to spend some time together, just the two of us, then we’re planning on coming to visit you guys before heading to Virginia for Jon to meet my dad,” replied Tim.
“It’s just your dad, no other family?”
“Yes, sir, it’s just the two of us, my mom died six years ago.”
When I heard this again, it made me feel for my mate. I reached over and grabbed his hand, rubbing circles over the back of his hand with my thumb.
“What kind of bear are you?” asked Tyler.
“Well, I’m not a bear, I’m a wolf,” replied my mate and I could tell that he was just as anxious about my family’s response as I was about his dad’s reaction.
“Well, Tim that doesn’t matter to me or the boys, we’re just happy that Jon has finally met you. His mother, on the other hand, may give you some problems. I will deal with her when the time comes. We’re going to go now so that you can have some time to yourselves. Good night.”
“Good night guys!” echoed my brothers.
“Good night everyone,” Tim responded with a wave.
“Talk to you guys later,” I said before closing the connection.
I looked over at Tim and saw that he had a worried look on his face.
“Don’t worry about my mom, Dad will take care of her. If she causes us any problems then we won’t visit as often as she would like. She has already seen that I will follow through when I warn her about something.”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“Well, I warned her that if she continues to throw female shifters at me as possible mates every time I came home I would leave and not come back until I had met my mate.”
“Ok, so I’m guessing that she did it again and it has something to do with this Jackie person that your brother mentioned?” asked Tim.
“Yeah, this last time when I went home she had Jackie come by the house to meet me. See, she had just moved to the area and Mom wanted her to meet me because Mom felt that she would make a suitable mate for me to settle down and have cubs with. Come to find out that neither Jackie nor my Mom felt that I was truly gay and that it was just a phase that I was going through. I left that night and drove this way, I had decided to check with other shifters in the area to see if maybe my mate was a shifter, just not a bear,” I responded.
“Well, I’ve only been searching for the last couple of years, so I sort of know what you were going through trying to find your mate. I could only hope that I would have been able to continue to look after eight years. Wolves are pack creatures and cannot live by themselves. I probably would have just lived at home with my dad. I’m just glad that I had the gut instinct to come to Washington instead of going to the Midwest like I was planning on doing,” Tim stated.
“Are you planning on going to college?”
“I’m actually taking classes through an online school, my next class starts in a couple of weeks. What about you?” he asked.
“I also did my degree online while I was travelling, now I can settle down and put my degree in Business to use.”
I looked at my watch and realized that we had been talking for a while now. I knew that Tim had had a long day and must be tired when I caught him trying to cover a yawn.
“Why don’t we call it a night, I can tell that you’re tired and that you’ve had a long day. We can talk more tomorrow,” I stated while pulling him to his feet.
“Alight, you’re right I am tired and this time difference is killing me. I will see you in the morning. Goodnight,” he said as he gave me a hug before walking towards the door.
I walked him next door and made sure that he was ok before going back to my room.
“Thank you Great Spirits for bringing my fated one to me,” I thought while getting ready for bed.
Chapter 5: Jon’s POV
Tim and I spent the next few days getting to know each other in both human and animal form. I still could not believe that after years of looking that I had finally found my mate and that he accepted me even though I was not a wolf or that he was not a bear.
We had gone on several walks and had even gone on a few runs together. The first time that I saw his wolf I was simply amazed. He’s a dark grey wolf that stands about five feet tall from his paws to the top of his head. I was glad to see that his eyes stayed that clear, deep blue.
When I shifted into my bear I could see the amazement in Tim’s eyes and it made me feel proud that he saw me in that way. I just hoped that he never tired of seeing me in my bear form because I know that I could never get tired of seeing him in his wolf form.
“Tell me more about your family. Do you and your brothers get along? Are they all as big as you?” Tim asked while we were sitting beside the lake that I found on the property my first day here.
“Well my dad is a corporate lawyer but he never pressured me into following his footsteps in the field of law. He always said that I should do what makes me happy. Kyle and Tyler are both into sports. Kyle plays football and Tyler plays basketball. I wish Kyle and I were been closer in age because I think it would have been fun to be on the same team as my brother. Alex is more the silent type, he’s really into computers and anything that has to do with technology. Dad got tired of us having to go into town to work out at the gym, so he decided to set one up in the basement. Mom wasn’t fond of the idea but eventually accepted the fact that whether she liked it or not it was going to be set up. Working out became our male bonding time. My brothers became my best friends.”
“How did they handle it when you told them that you’re gay?” Tim asked.
“Well, Dad and my brothers handled it better than I expected them to and have never treated me any differently. Mom, on the other hand has always insisted that it’s a phase that I am going through and has been trying to set me up with any available female that she has found so that I could have cubs.”
“I am so glad that Dad never made a big deal about it when I told him that I’m gay. I mean sure he was disappointed but he has made sure that I know that he loves me no matter what,” Tim replied.
“You want to continue our run?” I asked.
“Sure, I’m still amazed at what your bear looks like.”
“I love your wolf. He is absolutely beautiful.”
We each stripped and shifted into our animal forms. I will never get tired of looking at Tim in his wolf form, or for that matter, in his human form. Either way he is something to see.
We spent a couple of hours in our animal form. We ran into some of the members of the pack but no one gave us any problems. While we were running, Tim would chase after me, nipping at my heels making me try to run a little faster. It was fun to watch him because he would go up to some of the wildflowers, sniffing at them and then sneezing when he took too deep of a sniff. All too soon we were back at the lake and shifting back into our human form.
“You ready to go get something to eat?” Tim asked.
“Sure, let’s head back and get cleaned up before dinner,” I replied.
The last few days we would go out to eat to be able to have a somewhat private meal in order to get to know each other better. This was the first time that we ate in the pack house.
We joined Alpha Jeff for dinner in the main dining room and Tim was finally met Alpha James. I could tell by the look on Tim’s face that he was shocked that both of the Alphas of this pack were men and fated mates.
The cook had put out a hug buffet style dinner, with things like baked potatoes, corn on the cob, potato salad, green beans, bar-b-que chicken, and grilled steaks. Everything smelled absolutely delicious and it was making my stomach growl. I was so embarrassed.
“Has anyone had an issue with you guys being mates and Alphas?” asked Tim as he started to fill his plate.
“Well there were a few who had an issue with us being Alphas with a male as our mate but that was only because they didn’t see us as being able to have children to carry on the Alpha line,” replied Alpha James from behind him.
“Does your pack know that you’re gay Tim?” asked Alpha Jeff.
“My friends do, it’s never really been an issue. Most of the kids in my school didn’t date until they found their mate so it wasn’t a big deal that I never had a girlfriend or even a boyfriend,” replied Tim as he sat down at the table before taking a drink of his Pepsi.
“How about you Jon?” Alpha James asked as he sat down.
“I knew when I was about sixteen that I was gay and when I told my parents. My mom insisted that I go out with some of the girls in my class because she didn’t believe that I was really gay. To this day she still insists that it’s a phase that I’m going through and still tries to set me up with eligible female bear shifters so that I will settle down and have kids.” Alpha James and Alpha Jeff looked at each other with a look of disbelief on their faces.
“I can’t believe that a mother would do that, not that I don’t believe you but how could she do that to you?” asked Alpha James after taking a drink.
“Well, see family is important to her and nothing says family like grandkids. However, I’ve told her that if she continues to try and set me up I will leave and not come back until I have my mate and that if she disrespects my mate, I will go and live close to his family.”
“My dad never once said anything bad about me being gay and without me having kids our family line ends with me,” stated Tim while cutting his steak into pieces.
“See my dad don’t care because he knows that he will have grandkids from my three brothers and he just wants me to be happy,” I commented as I scooped up a forkful of potato salad.
Alpha Jeff nodded and stated, “Well just so you guys know, if you ever need a place to stay or live I would be honored to have you as a part of my pack.”
I looked back and forth between Alpha Jeff and Alpha James with a look of absolute shock. I couldn’t believe that they would make that type of offer. I looked at Tim to see what his reaction was and saw that it was the same as mine.
“Alphas, I think I can speak for Jon and myself in that we are honored by that you would make this generous offer and we will consider it, if that’s ok?” requested Tim.
“I couldn’t have said it any better Tim,” I commented.
“Tim and Jon that is fine with us. We just wanted to let you know that it is an option for you,” replied Alpha James.
“Thank you both so much,” I turned and looked at Tim and asked, “Are you ready to go see American Hustle?”
“Yeah, we had better get going to make it to the next showing,” he replied after looking at his watch.
We got up, took our dishes into the kitchen, and headed upstairs to grab our wallets before heading out to the cars.
“Which car do you want to take?” I asked.
“Let’s take yours since it’s a good deal bigger and I don’t want to scrunch you up,” Tim replied.
So we walked over to my suburban, I opened the door for him to climb in before closing the door and walking around to my side of the vehicle.
“You keep this really clean, I’m impressed. I was not expecting it to be this clean with the amount of travelling that you’ve been doing,” Tim commented.
“Thanks, I was known as the neat freak of the family. I’m not compulsive about it but I do like to keep my things in good condition, especially my vehicle.”
“Personally I think that is an admirable quality to have. Personally I like to keep my things in good condition as well, especially my car back home.”
We continued to talk and get to know one another on the drive into town. Turns out that we both like to read crime novels, are both into computers, and being out in nature.
“Who is your favorite author?” I asked as I looked deep into his eyes.
“I really like Iris Johansen but I also like James Patterson,” Tim replied.
“I like James Patterson too. I haven’t read any Iris Johansen, I will have to find some and read them.”
About that time the movie previews started. Unfortunately we couldn’t talk during the movie but that’s ok we sat there and held hands, occasionally looking over at the other. We made sure to sit in the back of the theater so that my large frame wouldn’t block anyone’s view of the screen.
Soon the movie was over and we could talk again. We waited for most of the theater to clear out before walking out still holding hands. It was a good movie but I would have been content to just go for a stroll, all that mattered to me was being able to be with my mate.
On the way back to the pack house we were talking about our love for being outdoors and I so wanted to go camping with him. We both liked to camp under the stars in tents but we also liked to go hiking and backpacking.
“Tim, how would you like to go camping with me on our way to Spokane? I would love to show you the area around this part of Washington.”
“That sounds like a wonderful idea. I can’t think of anything that I would rather do than to go camping with you,” stated Tim.
“Where is your favorite spot to go camping?” I asked.
“I have enjoyed camping in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. The mountains are absolutely beautiful.”
“I did some camping while I was in Iowa, in a small town called West Branch,” I replied.
All too soon we were back at the pack house and I knew that we would be separated by a wall of our bedrooms and that was the last thing that I wanted. I knew that it had only been a few days since we had met but I couldn’t get enough of him and wanted to be around him always. However, I had promised him that we would take this at his pace and I refused to rush him.
As we got in front of our rooms, Tim pulled me in for a hug. As we pulled apart he looked into my eyes, I didn’t know what he was looking for but I hoped that he could see the love in them.
“Jon will you sleep in my room tonight? I’m not ready for us to complete the mating but I just can’t stand the thought of being apart from you tonight.”
“I feel the same way. Let me get my pajamas, clothes for tomorrow, and my book before I come over.”
“I’ll just wait for you right here while you get your stuff. What book are you reading?”
“I’m reading Guilty Wives by James Patterson,” I replied as I walked into my room to gather the things I would need that night and for the next day.
Tim looked kind of surprised when I grabbed my e-reader out of my computer bag.
Soon I had the things that I needed and met him at the door of my room before we headed next door to his room.
“Go ahead and change out here, I’ll change in the bathroom,” suggested Tim as he got his pajamas out from under his pillow and headed for the bathroom.
I quickly changed into my pajamas, hung my clothes up in the closet and put my e-reader on the other bedside table as I waited for Tim to come out of the bathroom.
Tim soon opened the door and motioned for me to come in so that I could brush my teeth and wash my face. Once that was done we both climbed in bed from opposite sides.
“I don’t know about you, but I’ve never had anyone else in my bed,” stated Tim.
“The only ones who have been in my bed has been my brothers when they were younger and they had gotten scared. Every now and then when I come home after being gone for a long time Tyler will spend my first night back with me so that I know just how much he missed me. Even though there is ten years between us he’s the brother that I am closest to.”
“Do you know why that is?” asked Tim.
“I think it’s because the twins were born with their best friend and Tyler sometimes feels left out of things. He’s got friends but none that he is really close to. He’s popular because he’s a basketball player but it’s usually people that are looking to become popular by association and he doesn’t like that.”
“I think it’s a good thing that you are close with your brothers. I wish I had siblings to grow up with.”
I pulled him into a sideways hug and said, “You do realize that you have now inherited three brothers?”
“Yeah, but it would have been nice to grow up together, ya know?”
“I understand what you’re saying.”
“Do you think they’ll like me?”
“I think they have already started liking you with our Skype conversation that we had with them the other day. My dad was taken with you as well.”
“I think my dad liked you, too. He’s happy that I have finally found my mate and he’s looking forward to getting to know you better,” stated Tim.
He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek before grabbing his e-reader and opening his current book. I grabbed mine and opened my book and we just sat there next to each other and read for a little bit before turning in for the night.
When I woke up the next morning I was spooned up behind him with my left arm draped over his side and my fingers were splayed across his abdomen. His hand was laid out over top of mine and his head was nestled in between my head and right shoulder.
I soon felt him stirring and I knew that he could feel my erection pushing into the crack of his butt and it was taking everything in me not to hump him or move my hand down to his own erection.
He rolled over and looked into my eyes and said, “Good morning, how long have you been awake?”
“Good morning. Just a short time, I was enjoying watching you sleep but now I need to use the bathroom, my bladder feels like it’s going to burst,” I replied as I climbed out of bed and headed to the bathroom.
I didn’t close the door all the way so I didn’t hear him come into the bathroom with me. The next thing I knew, he was standing there at the toilet next to me peeing. When we were done we both headed over to the sink and brushed our teeth at the sink.
“Why don’t you go ahead and take your shower? I’m going to go check my e-mail. Can I use your computer to check it or do I need to get my computer?” I asked.
“It’s ok for you to use mine, I have nothing to hide,” he replied as he went out into his room to get his clothes for the day.
I sat down and turned his laptop on and waited for it to boot up as I heard the shower turn on. It was taking everything in me to not go and join him.
I looked back at the computer and saw that it was now online so I went to my Hotmail account to check my e-mail. I saw that I had a message from Steve, one of the guys that I met while I was travelling and had become friends with.
Hey Jon,
It’s been awhile since we talked. Any luck on finding your mate yet?
Are you going to be coming through Iowa again anytime soon? I haven’t been able to find my mate yet but I’m not giving up. I know I will find them sooner or later.
I hope to hear from you soon.
Steve
I heard the shower shut off. I got up to gather my things to get ready for my shower just as Tim walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his trim waist.
“Hey babe, how would you feel about going through Iowa on our way to Virginia? I’ve got some friends there that I made during my travels and I want you to meet them,” I asked as I pulled him into a hug.
“Sounds like a plan to me. I’m guessing you got an e-mail from one of them?” he asked.
“Yeah, my friend Steve e-mailed to see if I had found my mate yet and asked when I was coming that way again.”
“Well respond and tell him that you have and that we will be heading that way in about a week, if you want to that is,” replied Tim.
I went back to the computer and hit the reply button and composed an e-mail back to Steve.
Hey Steve,
Yeah I have finally found my mate a few days ago. His name is Tim and he is from Virginia. We will be heading in that direction in approximately a week and he is looking forward to meeting you guys.
You will find your mate when the time is right don’t give up.
Jon
I showed Tim the e-mail before sending it. After closing my e-mail I got up and grabbed my clothes and headed for the shower. I took a quick shower before getting dressed and joining Tim back in the bedroom. When I came in the room he was writing an e-mail of his own to someone.
I walked over and sat on the bed to put my shoes on before walking over to the desk that Tim was sitting at.
“You about ready to go down for breakfast?” I asked.
“Yeah let me just send a quick e-mail to my best friend Jeremy. You want to read it?” he asked.
“I don’t have to.”
“I asked if you wanted to, ya big goof.”
“Ok.”
Hey buddy!
Just wanted to let you know that I have found my mate. His name is Jon and he is a werebear. We will be heading in that direction in about a week. We are going to meet his family in a few days and spending some time with them.
I’ll send you a picture as soon as I can get one taken and loaded onto my laptop.
Love ya bro,
Tim
“He’s the closest thing that I have to a brother. We grew up together, played sports together, and hung out together. Most of our other friends were dating or finding their mates. We had both made the decision to wait until we found our fated mate.”
“I can’t wait to meet him, he sounds like a great guy.”
He shut down his laptop and we headed down for breakfast holding hands. When we got down there, the Alphas were sitting at the table with a couple of other people.
“Good morning Tim, Jon. Did you enjoy your movie last night?” asked Alpha James.
“Yes, sir, it was good but to tell you the truth I was happy just being able to spend some one on one time with Tim,” I replied.
“So this is the bear that’s been running around on pack lands,” commented the man sitting next to Alpha Jeff.
“Simon, that’s enough. He has my permission to be on our lands and he has not done anything wrong. He has been nothing but a perfect guest,” responded Alpha Jeff with some authority in his voice.
“All due respect sir, he took a visiting wolf out last night. It’s just not right,” replied Simon.
“Simon, not that it’s any of your business but Tim and Jon are fated mates and have every right to go out on dates,” said Alpha James.
“I’m sure his parents aren’t going to allow this mating. It’s wrong!”
Tim shook his head and said, “Simon, my dad has been introduced to Jon via Skype and he knows that Jon is a bear and has no problem with it. For that matter, Jon’s dad and brothers have no problem with me being a wolf either.”
Tim and I got some cereal and came back to the table.
“Guys, I’m sorry. These are the Betas, the one to my left is my Beta, Simon and the one on the other side of Alpha James is his Beta, Jake,” stated Alpha Jeff.
“It’s nice to meet you gentlemen. Thank you for allowing us on your land. I’m Jon and this is my mate Tim,” I stated trying to be nice to Simon.
“Jon, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Please forgive the Simon's rudeness. His feelings are not a consensus of the pack, he has some outdated beliefs,” responded Jake.
“Thank you, Beta Jake. I mean no harm to anyone, especially not to my mate.”
“Please just call me Jake, we don’t stand on ceremony here.”
“Speak for yourself Jake, he needs to address me as Beta Simon. I will not be on friendly terms with a werebear,” snarled Simon.
“Simon, that’s enough. We will speak in my office, go in and wait for Alpha James and I. Jake you can wait outside if you want or you can stay here and get to know our guests a little better,” said Alpha Jeff.
He turned to us and said, “Guys I’m sorry for the disrespect that he has shown you.”
“Alpha Jeff, it’s not your fault. Everyone has their own opinions and it is something that we will need to address from time to time I’m sure,” I replied.
“Even so, he should not have shown the disrespect, especially after he was already cautioned. Well, we are going to go and talk to Simon. You guys enjoy your breakfast and we can talk later,” responded Alpha Jeff.
Alphas Jeff and James got up and went to their office to speak with Simon, leaving Jake, Tim, and I at the table. Tim and I started to eat our cereal and tried to forget what had just happened.
“So what do you guys have planned for today?” asked Jake.
“Well if Jon is ok with it I think we will go return my rental car and just drive through the countryside, maybe go for a picnic and just spend some alone time together,” Tim replied.
“That sounds like a plan to me, Babe. We don’t need both vehicles here. When did you want to go camping?”
“Babe, huh? Ok, I can deal with that. How about we head out tomorrow for the camping trip and then head to your parents’ house from there?”
“Well we could but I would kind of like to be clean when we get there, so maybe leave some of our stuff here, camp for a couple days, and come back here to shower and finish packing before heading to Spokane. How does that sound?”
“I like that plan very much,” replied Tim.
“You guys sound like you have everything planned out. Where are you going to go camping?” asked Jake.
“Not really sure, haven’t been to this area very much. Is there someplace that you could recommend?” I asked.
“Well since I am sure that Jon will also want to do some fishing and that you guys are going to want to run in your animal forms, I would suggest that you go to Beda Lake,” suggested Jake.
“I think I remember seeing signs for it on the drive here,” stated Tim.
“Well alright then, let’s go camping at Beda Lake. How would you feel about starting our camping trip today instead of tomorrow?” I asked.
“Ok, we should pack a few things of clothes for the next few days. We can load them into your suburban. We can also stop at a store when we get close to the campsite for food for the next couple of days. How about that?”
“Sounds like a plan Tim. Let’s go get packed,” I replied.
We went upstairs to pack a few clothes for the next few days, then we headed out to take the rental car back to the airport. We got our provisions and found the campgrounds, which started our camping trip.
Chapter 6: Jon’s POV
Tim and I enjoyed our time at Beda Lake, we spent time fishing in both our human and animal forms, swimming, hiking, and going for a run together. It's a shame that our time there was so short, but all too soon it was time to head back to the pack house to gather the rest of our belongings, before heading to my parent's house in Spokane.
We went on one final run together before packing up our camping equipment. Tim can be a fast little bugger when he shifts into his wolf form. Once we had both shifted he took off at quick pace while I lumbered along behind him. He would stop every few minutes so that I could catch up with him before taking off again.
When he finally stopped he was breathing a little heavy but had a wolfie smile on his face letting me know that he was happy and having fun. I walked up to him and nuzzled into his neck before he decided to rub up against me. He ran into the lake splashing me, daring me to follow. I lumbered in, and he backed deeper into the lake. Suddenly he was doggy paddling while I still had four paws firmly planted on the lake. I ducked under the water and swam under him. Tim yelped in fear as he found himself suddenly riding "bear" back. I ducked under the water again and Tim was swimming under his own power. He headed quickly back to shallower water where we splashed each other. After some time frolicking in the lake, we headed back to our campsite to load up and head out.
The closer that we got to the pack house, the quieter Tim got. I knew that he was nervous about meeting my family, and how they would react when they learn that he is a wolf and not a bear.
I knew that my dad and brothers will love him for the fact that he’s my mate alone, the only wild card was my mom.
“Babe, are you ok?” I asked.
“Yeah, just nervous, I mean in a few hours I will be meeting my in-laws, and I know there is one for sure that is not going to like me,” Tim replied with a chuckle.
I reached over and held his hand, reassuring him that everything would be fine.
Soon we pulled up in front of the pack house and I stopped the suburban. Tim looked over at me before opening his door and getting out of the vehicle.
As we walked in the front door, we were met by Alpha Jeff.
“I hope you guys had a good time camping,” stated Alpha Jeff.
“Yeah, it was an amazing couple of days,” replied Tim.
“Tim before I forget, your dad called looking for you. Apparently you didn't check in before you guys took off, and he was worried about you.”
“Oh man, I knew that I forgot to do something,” Tim smacked his forehead.
“Tim, don't worry about it, I explained to your dad that you and Jon went camping for some alone time before heading off to meet the family.”
“Thank you Alpha, for making sure that Dad knew what was going on while we were gone. Well, I guess I had better get a hold of him, and let him know that we are still alive, as well as letting him know of the current travel plans to Spokane,” Tim replied.
Tim and I shook hands with Alpha Jeff before heading upstairs to our rooms to finish packing and calling his dad.
“Let's call my dad and then we can get in touch with your family before loading up to head out,” stated Tim.
“Sounds like a plan to me,” I replied.
We separated to finish packing. Since I had packed most of my things before we went camping, it didn't take me long.
Once all of my bags were packed I grabbed them and left the room. I knew that we would both need to do some laundry, but I figured that could wait until we got to my parent's house later in the day. I placed them in the hallway just outside of Tim's door before knocking.
“Come in.” came from the other side of the door.
I opened the door and saw Tim sitting at the desk with his computer in front of him. It appeared that he was checking his e-mail.
“Have you called your dad yet?” I asked.
“Yeah, I let him know that we were still alive and that we are getting ready to head to your parent's house in Spokane. I also apologized for not letting him know that we were going to be away from civilization for a little while. I can't believe that I forgot my cellphone here.”
“I can, we did kind of pack in a hurry,” I nodded.
“Have you called your parents to let them know that we are on our way?”
I chuckled and said, “No, not yet, was thinking of calling them right before we got to my parent’s. I don't want to give Mom too much notice because she will probably have someone at the house that I just have to meet.”
We grabbed our bags and headed downstairs and out to the car where Alpha Jeff and Alpha James were waiting for us.
“You fellas have a safe trip and enjoy your time with your families,” Alpha James helped us load our bags into the suburban.
“Remember that you are always welcome here. Stay in touch, here are our e-mail addresses, so that you can stay in touch. Please be safe in your travels,” said Alpha Jeff as he handed me a slip of paper that had two e-mail addresses on it, as well as a phone number on it.
“Thank you for your hospitality, I know that I will never forget both of you or the time that I spent here,” I put the paper in my wallet for safe keeping.
“Yes, thank you,” agreed Tim.
“You are both welcome, I enjoyed seeing someone meet their mate for the first time. It reminds me of a breath of fresh air,” replied Alpha Jeff as he pulled each of us into a hug.
We walked to Tim's side and I opened his door for him to get in before going around to my side of the vehicle. Once inside we waved to Alpha Jeff and Alpha James as we pulled out of the drive, heading towards Spokane.
A few hours later we were pulling into my parent’s driveway. I was relieve that both Mom's and Dad's cars were gone. I was a little worried about what my mom’s reaction was going to be. We got out of the SUV, grabbed our suitcases and headed inside.
“Anybody here?” I called out once we were inside.
I heard a herd of elephants coming down the stairs. My three brothers tackled me.
“Hey Bubba, welcome home,” said Tyler as he, Alex, and Kyle wrapped me in a group hug.
“Guys, I would like you to meet my mate, Tim,” I said as I pulled Tim to stand next to me. “Tim, these are my brothers Kyle, Tyler, and Alex,” I pointed in turn to each of my brothers.
“Welcome to the family, Tim,” chuckled Alex as each of my brothers pulled Tim into a hug.
Tyler, the ever helpful younger brother, grabbed our suitcases and took them upstairs while Alex and Kyle got to know Tim a little better.
“So where are you from Tim?” asked Kyle.
“I’m from Charlottesville, Virginia, which is in the Blue Ridge Mountains,” replied Tim.
“Do you have any brothers or sisters?” asked Alex.
“Well, I did have one sister but she died during childbirth, along with my mom.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Alex commented as he pulled Tim into another hug.
“It’s ok, it happened a long time ago. I still miss my mom though, but I know that she and my sister are in a better place, watching over me. She would’ve loved to have met you guys, especially you, Jon.”
I pulled him into a hug and kissed the side of his forehead. I knew that he was still deeply affected by the death of his mom, but that he was trying to not show weakness in front of my brothers.
Tyler came bounding down the stairs and asked, “So, who’s ready for a run?”
We all decided to go for a run in the woods before Mom and Dad got home. We led Tim to the hollowed out log where we placed our clothes before shifting into our bear forms.
When we had started to undress, Tim turned and looked in the other direction. Once we were changed he went behind a tree, removed his clothes, and shifted into his wolf. He picked his clothes up in his mouth and brought them over to the log, setting them inside.
Tim saw a black bear, a brown bear, and two reddish brown bears. He knew that I was one of the reddish brown one, so he followed his nose over to me and rubbed up against him.
“Guys, let’s go to the river and show Tim around the property,” I mind linked with my brothers.
“Sounds like a plan to me,” responded Alex before taking off at a jaunt, with the rest of us following behind
Tim obviously figured out that he needed to follow us since I couldn’t mind link him yet. I will be glad of when we finally mate because, for one thing, then we would be able to communicate telepathically.
The boys ran ahead of us, while I showed Tim different areas that I enjoyed visiting when I go for a run. We came across the clearing where I go to get away from mom for a little while. The multicolored carpet of wildflowers shimmered in the wind. The yellow, purple, white, blue and pink heads nodded to us as if nature recognized the fated mates.
We continued on to the stream where my brothers and I usually go fishing and play in the water. Alex greeted us with a huge splash of the cold, clear water. The war was on! With our bigger paws we easily created larger waves than Tim could. However, I had underestimated my mate's cleverness. Four paws at full speed through the stream threw up quite a wave. What seemed like hours later, 4 soaked bears and one tired wolf left the now muddied stream. It was great to be with my brothers, I miss them every time that I had to leave. I was glad that they accepted my mate and that he them.
When we had worn ourselves out, we headed back to where we had stashed our clothes. We needed to get home so Tim could meet our parents.
Once dressed, we walked, strolled or something similar back to the house. Mom and Dad’s cars were both in the driveway. Apparently Mom thought that by parking behind me she would prevent me from leaving early again.
My brothers went inside first while Tim and I stood outside for a minute so that I needed to get myself under control. I didn't want to go off on my mom.
Tim took my hand in his, looked me in the eyes, and said, “Its ok, babe. I will be right by your side, and I will not let anything that she says get to me. You are my fated mate and nothing will change that.”
“Thanks babe, I just don’t want her starting any of her nonsense,” I replied.
With that said we walked into the house with our hands clasped and found mom, dad, and the boys in the living room waiting for us.
“Hi, Mom and Dad. I would like you to meet my mate, Tim Collins, from Charlottesville, Virginia.”
“Welcome Tim, it’s good to meet you in person,” Dad walked over to shake Tim’s hand before saying. “Welcome to the family, son.”
“Thank you, Sir and Ma’am, it’s a pleasure to meet you in person. I have heard a lot about you both,” Tim replied.
When Tim turned to look at me, he missed the look of utter disgust on my mom’s face, but I saw it and it was pissing me off.
My expression must have given it away because Tim noticed and asked, “Babe, what’s wrong?”
“Hun, it’s ok. I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding. Right, Mom?”
Tim turned around at my words and looked at my mom with a questioning look on his face. She replaced the look of disgust with a smile.
“Tim, why don’t you go up and take a shower? I’ll be up in a few,” I suggested.
“Ok.”
Facing my mom I growled out. “If you try any of your bull, I will move to Virginia to live. You will never see me again.”
I looked at my Dad before turning, heading upstairs to shower, and check my e-mail. I figured that there was probably one from Steve and I knew that Tim wanted to talk to his Dad and let him know where he was.
When I got upstairs I overheard Tim talking to his Dad, letting him know that he was safe and where he was.
“Yeah, Dad, we’re at his parent’s house in Spokane…We’re planning on being here for about a week before heading East…Yes, we’re driving…Ok, I love you too. Talk to you soon…Bye.”
Tim ended his call as I came into the bedroom.
“Is everything ok?” Tim questioned as he pulled me into a hug.
“Yeah, just Mom and her usual bull. I warned her that if she pulled any of her crap that we would start our cross country journey early and I would move to Virginia on a permanent basis.”
“Give her a chance babe. Maybe now that she has seen that your mate is in fact a guy, she will leave you alone.”
“I hope so, but you didn’t see her face downstairs. She directed a look of absolute disgust at us. I will not put up with anyone messing with you,” I stated. “How’s your dad? He doing ok?”
“Dad’s fine, he wants to Skype tonight so that he can get the chance to meet your family and start getting to know them.”
“That would be awesome. I know Dad would want to meet him and to talk to him. I’m sure the boys would like to meet him as well. Now go get your shower.”
“Actually, I was hoping that you would join me in the shower. I’m not ready for us to complete the mating but that shouldn’t stop us from having a little bit of fun,” he said with a shy grin.
“That sounds like a really good idea. We don’t have to do anything other than wash each other’s backs if you don’t want to,” I said with a smile of my own. I just couldn’t get the Cheshire grin off of my face.
“Well, then let’s go,” he grabbed my hand. We grabbed our toiletries and he pulled me to the bathroom.
In the bathroom, Tim locked the door. He grabbed the hem of my shirt, and slowly inching it upwards until he had me lift my arms and took it off of me.
I repeated the gesture with him before unbuttoning his jeans and slowly lowering them, along with his boxers, to the floor. He grabbed ahold of my shoulders while I was kneeling in front of him to steady himself, as he stepped out of his jeans and boxers.
Once they were pooled on the floor next to me, I stood up and pulled him in for a deep and passionate kiss. I was falling more and more in love with him with each passing day. As we were kissing, he reached in between us, running his hands down my chest to my waist and unbuttoned my pants.
He slid his hand inside the waistband of my boxers.
I could not believe that this was happening. His hand felt amazing. He trailed slow kisses down my chest as he lowered my pants and boxers to the floor. Once he had them to my ankles I used his shoulders to support myself while I lifted each leg so that he could remove each pant leg.
Once the pants were removed he stood up on tiptoes, giving me a hard and long kiss. After several seconds he broke the kiss and I pulled him into a hug, running my hands up and down his back.
I turned on the water in the shower and we waited for it to get to the right temperature. Once the water was at the right temperature, Tim and I got in the shower. We spent time kissing and running our hands all over each other. Finally we got the soap out and soaped each other up, washing every square inch of the other person.
All too soon the water started to cool off and it was time to get out of the shower. Once out of the shower we dried each other off and went back into the bedroom to get dressed. We both dressed in jeans and a t-shirt.
As we were exiting my room, we ran into Tim in the hallway, who warned, “Someone has come to visit.”
I sniffed the air and growled low in my throat.
“Babe, what’s wrong?” he wondered.
“My mom has invited Jackie over. You remember me telling you about the she-bear that said she doesn’t believe that I’m gay?” I asked.
“It’ll be ok, babe,” Tim took my hand in his and started to rub small circles with his thumb on the back of my hand.
With our hands still clasped, we headed downstairs to deal with whatever my mom had planned. I couldn’t believe that she would invite Jackie over. Maybe I’m overthinking it and they had become friends, but something in my gut told me that was not the case.
“Hello ladies,” Tim said as we came into the living room.
Jackie saw me and came over and tried to pull me into a hug before kissing me on the cheek.
I took a couple of steps back, wiped my cheek, and demanded, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“I was just saying hello,” Jackie smirked.
“Jon behave yourself and apologize this instant,” growled Mom.
“There is nothing for me to apologize for. If anyone needs to apologize, it’s Jackie. She had no business doing what she just did. Especially in front of my mate,” I growled back.
“She did nothing wrong. She didn’t know that Tim is your ‘supposed’ mate,” Mom replied snidely.
“I guess you don’t want us to stay for very long, do you?” I glared at mom.
“You are welcome to stay as long as you want but that wolf is not welcome here,” Mom argued.
“JENNIE!! You will stop that right now,” yelled Dad coming in from the backyard just as Mom made the last comment and it pissed him off.
I looked at her and growled, “If he leaves, I leave and I think that’s what we’re going to do.”
Dad pleaded with me, “Jon, please wait and leave in the morning. Spend some time with your brothers and let them get to know your mate better. I understand that you are upset but don’t let your mother’s actions cause any unnecessary hard feelings.”
I looked at Tim to see him nod his head and told Dad, “All right Dad, we will stay until morning but then we are leaving. I told Mom that if she did not stop, I would move to Virginia with Tim. That’s precisely what’s going to happen.”
“Well, before you guys leave, would you go out with me, Tim?” Jackie coyly asked.
Tim looked at her like she had grown a second head.
“Lady, you’re nuts. Not only do I have a fated mate but you’re not my type at all,” Tim said with his voice dripping with disgust.
Tim and I turned our backs on them before going out the back door to get away from them.
I pulled Tim into my arms and whispering, “I’m sorry babe, I don’t know what has gotten into Mom. She used to be the nicest woman in the world but when I started searching for my mate, she started to parade all of the she-bears that she knows in front of me hoping that one of them would take my mind off finding my fated mate.”
Tim took my face in his hands while standing on his tiptoes leaning in to give me a quick kiss before saying, “Babe, it’s all right. I know that you had nothing to do with what happened and that you have had nothing to do with Jackie. Even if you had done something with Jackie before we met, I know that it would have ended as soon as we saw each other. I trust you.”
I could not believe my luck that I would have such a trusting and loving mate. He was everything that I had ever hoped for and I knew that we were going to have a wonderful life together.
Grabbing his face in my hands, I slowly leaned in to initiate a slow and deep kiss that was powerful enough to curl my toes and take my breath away.
“All right break it up you two.” came the laughing voices of Kyle and Alex.
I slowly lifted my head, never taking my eyes off of my beautiful mate. While pulling my face away I ran my fingertips along his jawline and could feel the trace of stubble.
Giving my brothers a mock glare, I said, “What do you two want?”
“Just wanted to give you a hard time,” teased Alex.
“Well ya did, now go away.” I playfully growled.
“Now where’s the fun in that?” asked Kyle.
“Face it babe, the only way for us to get some privacy is to lock ourselves away in your room,” joked Tim, joining the teasing.
“I know, but still they could have let us have a little bit of time by ourselves,” I grumbled.
Tim chuckled as he pulled my face down for a quick kiss.
“How about the five of us go out for dinner?” asked Tim. “I think we could use some time away from here and sometime bonding as brothers.”
“I think that’s a great idea,” remarked Kyle.
“I’m gonna go let Dad know, and get Tyler so that we can go. Let’s take your suburban Jon,” suggested Alex.
“Ok, when you let Dad know, ask him if he could move Mom’s car so that we can get out,” I replied as Alex turned to go inside, nodding his head to show that he heard me.
“So Tim, are you taking any college classes?” questioned Kyle.
“Yeah, I am studying Business Administration through an online school,” responded Tim.
“Cool, Jon got his English Degree through an online school as well. You guys really do have quite a bit in common.”
Alex bounded out the back door, “All right guys, let’s go. Tyler is already out front and Dad is moving Mom’s car even though she’s not happy about it.”
“All righty then, let’s go around front and get going, I’m hungry,” my stomach growled proving the point.
“You’re always hungry, Jon.” responded Alex with a chuckle.
I attempted to swat him on the back of the head as he took off running around the front of the house with me chasing behind him.
I could hear Tim chuckle as he asked Kyle, “Are they always like this?”
“Yep, they sure are.”
I rounded the front of the house and saw that Tyler was sitting in the front seat with Alex in the back seat.
“Nope, sorry Tyler but you get to be in the back with the other two, Tim gets the front seat,” I said with a chuckle while trying to catch my breath.
“Aw man, that’s not fair,” whined Tyler.
Tim giggled, “Sorry man.”
I had never heard a more beautiful sound than when Tim giggled at that moment. It was like music to my ears.
Tyler got out of the suburban, getting into the back with Kyle and Alex, while I held the door open for Tim, only shutting it after he was safely inside. I quickly jogged to my side before getting in and starting the engine.
“So, where do you guys want to go eat?” I asked.
“Let’s go to Qdoba’s.” suggested Alex. “Mexican food sounds really good right about now.”
“Their fajitas are delicious and I could go for some really good, authentic tacos right now,” I said as my stomach growled.
“Well, I guess he’s really hungry,” Tyler chuckled.
I got on Interstate 90 going West towards downtown Spokane, exiting onto Pines Road. The whole trip took about fifteen to twenty minutes and my stomach was growling loudly the whole time.
The food could be smelled as soon as someone opened the door. I examined the interior as I follows the waitress to the table and noticed that not much had changed since the last time that we came here. The walls were a taupe kind of brown with tasteful cactuses drawn on the wall and authentic Mexican decorations scattered throughout the restaurant.
Glancing over the menus once we were seated, we gave our orders.
“I’ll have a double portion of steak fajitas, Spanish rice, but only a single serving of the refried beans, with a Pepsi to drink,” ordered Tyler, which was soon followed by same for me by Alex and Kyle.
“I’ll have the chicken enchiladas, with an order of steak tacos on the side, with water to drink,” Tim told the waitress when it was his turn.
“I’ll have the steak fajitas, steak tacos, and beef enchiladas with a Pepsi and water to drink,” I ordered when it was my turn. What can I say, I’m a big guy.
“What do you plan to do when you are done with school?” Alex started the conversation.
Tim thought for a minute before answering, “Well, now that I’ve found my mate, I will probably look for a position close to where we settle down. I have always been interested in construction, so I will probably look to get in with a construction company on the administration side of things.”
“Sounds like a good plan. How much longer do you have on it?” Tyler questioned.
“I still have about two years to go on it but I have an Associates in Business right now,” Tim replied.
Our food came and the table got quiet as we all dug into our food. The smells alone caused my stomach to rumble in anticipation of the coming food. You would have thought that we hadn’t eaten all day the way that we were devouring the food in front of us.
The waitress brought our check and Tim beat me to paying the bill. I chuckled as I shook my head in resignation, remembering that I had told him he could get the next meal. I just wasn’t expecting it to be with my three brothers.
As we pulled into the driveway, I made sure that I couldn’t be blocked in again by Mom or anyone else. We all got out of the suburban, I pocketed my keys and walked over to the passenger side of the vehicle and took Tim’s hand in mine.
Tim looked at his watch, “Babe, it’s almost time for me to Skype with Dad.”
“Ok, let’s get going then. Don’t want you to be late.”
“Do you think your dad and brothers would want to meet him tonight?”
Tim asked as we walked in the door.
I looked in his eyes, “Why don’t you ask them? I’m sure they would love to meet him.”
We walked in and were met by my irritated mom.
“Where have you been? I had dinner waiting for everyone,” she growled.
“Mom, if you had asked Dad he would have told you that we went out to eat,” I replied barely containing my impatience with her.
“Well, then why were we not invited?” she asked trying to appear innocent.
“You weren’t invited because of your attitude towards Tim earlier. I am not going submit him to your attitude and manipulations.”
Tim and I walked away, and headed upstairs so that he could set up his computer to Skype his dad.
“Get back here, I’m not done talking to you!” Mom screeched.
Tim wanted to turn around but I kept him going up the stairs and said, “Just ignore her.”
Once we got in ‘our room’ Tim immediately set up his computer. While he was doing that I sought out my brothers. I found them in Alex and Kyle’s room.
“Hey guys, do you want to meet Tim’s dad? He’s getting ready to Skype him,” I said from the doorway.
“Sure, we can say hi. Does he want Mom and Dad to meet him as well?” Kyle question when he stood up from his desk chair.
“Dad, yes. Mom, no. She demanded to know why they weren’t invited to go eat with us,” I said with disgust.
All three of the boys were dumbfound before Tyler said in frustration, “I can’t believe her! She is less than welcoming to your mate and she wonders why you don’t want her around for dinner?”
“I know but she is going to have to get used to him being around because that is something that is never going to change,” I said with conviction.
“I’m gonna go get Dad and meet you guys in your room Jon,” Tyler said
“Ok, I’m gonna go check and make sure that Tim is all set up to talk to his dad,” I turned to head back to ‘our room’.
“You ready, babe?” I asked as I walked into the room.
“Yeah, was waiting for you to get back before I dialed Dad,” Tim walked over to me before going up on tiptoes and giving me a quick kiss.
Tim returned to my desk where he had set up his laptop. I walked over, placing my hands on his shoulders giving them a few squeezes to let him know that I’m there.
“Tyler went to go get Dad and the boys should be in here soon,” I said just as there was a knock on the door.
“Hey guys, you ready for us?” asked Kyle, as he and Alex came into the room.
“Sure am. Why don’t you have a seat on the bed while I get ahold of my dad,” said Tim as he clicked on the video call button.
There was another knock on the door and I saw Tyler and my dad standing in the doorway.
“Come on in, guys,” I smiled. “Dad, Tim’s dad is Jasper and he should be coming on shortly.”
“Hey Dad! How are you?” Tim asked when his dad came on the screen.
“Hi son. Hi Jon. I’m good. How are you boys?” asked Jasper.
“We’re doing good Dad,” replied Tim.
“Sir, I would like to introduce you to my brothers, Tyler, Alex, and Kyle. Also this is my Dad, Thomas,” I said as I introduced my family to him, pointing at each one as I named them off.
“Gentlemen, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I hope Tim has been behaving himself,” Jasper chuckled.
“Jasper, it’s a pleasure to meet you and Tim has been a model guest. It has been a pleasure getting to know him. I know the boys have been having a blast today,” replied Dad.
“That’s good to know,” replied Jasper with a chuckle. “How old are you boys?”
“Sir, I am sixteen, Alex and Kyle are both eighteen,” said Tyler as he pointed to each of them in turn.
“Kyle and Alex are you still in school? Have you found your mates yet?” asked Jasper.
“We just graduated this past May and no we haven’t met our mates yet,” replied Alex with a laugh.
“Sir, it was a pleasure to meet you but I am going to let you talk with Tim and Jon for a little bit,” stated Kyle.
“Me too, Sir,” Alex smiled.
“All right, boys. You have a good night and it was nice meeting you,” acknowledge Jasper.
“Night,” Alex, Tyler, and Kyle said in unison.
“So Jasper, tell me about my son in law,” Dad grinned.
“Well, he has always excelled at sports, smart as a whip, a great sense of humor, and very respectful. He has done his father proud in so many ways,” Jasper said with a fond look on his face.
“Sounds like he will make a fine mate to Jon. Jon also excelled at sports, has a wicked sense of humor, is respectful but has a clear cut set of values and nothing will sway them, he is also very smart,” Dad said with pride in his voice.
“Babe, I think we should let our dads talk and get to know each other. I’m gonna take out our clothes for tomorrow and pack the rest of our stuff in the suburban so that we will have an easier time getting out of here in the morning.”
“All right, I will bag up our dirty clothes so that everything is in one place, making it easier to grab in the morning,” Tim replied with a quick kiss before going and bagging up the dirty laundry.
Once the packing was taken care of, we each sat on the bed with our e-readers and read while the dads continued talking.
After about an hour Dad stood up and said, “Well, goodnight boys. Tim it was a pleasure talking to your dad and getting to know him. I meant what I said when I told him that you make a fine mate for Jon. I am proud to call you my son-in-law because whether you have completed the mating yet or not, you are bound to us and I will do whatever I can to make you boys happy.”
“Thank you, sir. I am honored to be a member of your family and I will do my best to make you as proud of me as you are of Jon and his brothers,” Tim said while blushing from the compliment.
I pulled Dad in for a hug and said, “Good night, Dad. We will see you in the morning before we leave. I’m sorry that it has come to this but unless Mom changes her attitude, you won’t be seeing us as much as I would like. You will always be welcome in our home, Dad.”
As Dad left our room, Tim looked at me and said, “I love you, babe.”
“I love you, too,” I replied before leaning in and kissing him passionately.
Chapter 7: Jon’s POV
Waking early I just watched Tim as he slept peacefully without a care in the world. I wanted to show him that I was not going to let Mom cause a rift between us. I know that her inability to accept him as my mate hurts him even though he won’t admit it.
I just can’t understand how she can be so rude and ugly to him. I’ll have to ask Dad and see if he knows what’s going on with her. This isn’t the same mom that we had while growing up. She was loving and compassionate to everyone, not just the family.
I felt Tim start to stir and when I looked at his face, I saw his blue eyes looking into mine.
“Good morning, babe,” I said as I leaned in to give him a good morning kiss.
“Good morning, love. How long have you been awake?” he asked after returning the kiss.
“Only for a little while, I’ve enjoyed just watching you sleep. You look so peaceful and I didn’t want to wake you up.”
“I’ve been thinking about what your mom said about Jackie not knowing that we’re mates,” Tim ran his fingers along the side of my face and gazed into my eyes.
“Don’t think about what Mom or Jackie said, and don’t let it pressure you to do something that you’re not ready for,” I stated as I pulled him closer to me before leaning in to give him a quick peck on the lips.
“I’m not letting them pressure me into something but it did give me food for thought. What if we mark each other but hold off on completing the mating just a little while longer?”
“Are you sure? Because I don’t know if I would be able to stop at just marking you,” I started really thinking about what he was suggesting. I don’t really know about wolves mating but for us bears, once the process is started the urge to complete the mating gets stronger with each and every day.
“Yes, I’m very sure of this, more than anything else, you are my other half.” He rolled us until he was laying on top of me and I could feel his morning erection pressing into my hip.
I lifted my head and gently kissed him. The kiss soon turned deep and passionate. Tim started to grind his hips against mine as the kiss continued and deepened. I started to run my hands down his sides with a feather-like touch, from his shoulders down to his hips.
He pulled his lips away as he started to moan and gasp for breath. When he looked into my eyes I saw that they had darkened with passion and could see that his wolf was just under the surface. I could see his teeth start to elongate and knew that he would be marking me at any moment. I have been trying to hold back on marking him because I knew that he wasn’t ready, so it made my heart soar when he said that we could do the marking and finish the mating later.
Tim leaned in to nuzzle my neck and I knew that was where he was going to put his mark. I could smell his intoxicating scent and lifted my nose to the area between his neck and shoulder inhaling deeply.
Tim started to lick my shoulder, nipping it lightly causing me to moan, “Babe, I love you.”
“I love you too.”
He was still grinding against me bringing both of us closer to orgasm. As the orgasm rolled through us, we simultaneously clamped down on each other’s shoulders while riding out the immense pleasure that came from claiming our mate. Boy, was I glad that Dad had the rooms soundproofed when each of us reached puberty.
When we separated, Tim went into the en-suite, getting a warm, damp washcloth before coming out. He cleaning both of us before placing the washcloth in the hamper and climbing back into bed.
We laid there cuddling for several minutes before he rolled over to look at me and said, “That was amazing, I can only imagine how intense it will be when we finally finish the mating process.”
“Just so you know waiting is going to be difficult now, plus I’m going to be even more protective and possessive of you until the mating is complete.” I climbed out of bed, grabbed his hand to help him up, and headed for the bathroom so that we could take a shower and get ready to go. I glanced in the mirror while waiting for the water to warm up and saw the outline of a howling wolf. This was the mark that would show others that I am mated, to humans it just looks like a tattoo.
Tim took his time and washed me from head to toe before I returned the favor, paying close attention to the mating mark on each other’s shoulder. Right now it was just the imprint of the teeth marks and a faint outline like a tattoo that needs to be colored in, while Tim’s looked a bear paw print.
We got out of the shower, drying each other off which had a mutually satisfying result before we got dressed and finished packing our bags. While we were tidying up there was a knock on the door and I could smell that it was my dad.
“Come in Dad,” I called out as I zipped my suitcase shut.
“Son, can I talk to you guys for a minute?”
“Sure Dad, have a seat because I have a feeling that this is going to be a long talk.” Tim and I took a seat next to each other on the side of the bed, while Dad sat in my desk chair facing us.
“Well, I wanted to do some explaining but we need to wait for your brothers because they need to hear this too.” Just as he said that the boys were knocking on the door.
“Come on in guys and pull up some floor to sit on,” I chuckled.
“Shut the door behind you, Tyler,” suggested Dad.
Once the door was closed, Dad closed his eyes before he started to speak. “I think that it’s fair to let you guys understand why your mom is so against mates. You see, she and I are not fated mates. My mate died in a car accident just after we met when we were about seventeen. Your mom never met her fated mate, not even to this day has she met him. We met when we were in college and fell in love. I never expected to fall in love again since my mate had died, but then here was this beautiful woman that was showing an interest in me. As you know bears, unlike wolves, do not have a second-chance mate but we are able to fall in love with someone else after our mates have died or never met.”
“Dad, are you sure that she never met her mate?” asked Alex.
“Yeah, I’m sure. Either that or she met him after we were married and didn’t want a divorce, because we had already had Jon. I do remember a time where she got sullen and depressed just after Jon was born, but I just assumed it was postpartum depression and got her into counseling. After a while she was fine and things went back to normal.”
“So she doesn’t believe in the pull of mates and that we can easily go on and fall in love with someone who is not our mates?” asked Kyle.
“No she doesn’t. I don’t know what her issue about Jon being gay is, but that is why she isn’t concerned about you mating with someone who isn’t your fated mate.” Dad looked at me with sorrow in his eyes.
“Dad, it’s not your fault. You didn’t know that she would do this. It does make sense as to why she has been acting like she has but it doesn’t explain everything. But I’m willing to sit down with her and talk about why she is so against me being gay.”
“I will talk to her Son and let you know what she says.” Dad got up and headed towards the bedroom door before saying, “I want to have a family cookout before you guys leave and that will give you time to speak to your mom.”
The room was silent after Dad left as we were all digesting what he told us. “This means that unless she changes her mindset she will do this to us as well when that time comes.” Tyler shook his head as everyone stood up and headed towards the door.
As we exited the room we could hear Mom and Dad arguing downstairs.
“I will not let you chase away our oldest son! You need to decide what is more important, a relationship with your children or your misconceptions,” Dad bellowed.
We all looked at each other with stunned expressions on our faces. We had never heard Dad so mad. I started to head downstairs when Tim grabbed my arm and shook his head.
“I smell Jackie,” was all Tim had to say before I looked back down the stairs.
“I can’t believe you are going to make me choose,” cried Mom.
“I’m not making you choose, you’re doing that all on your own. But know this, you continue to push this and I will leave and take the boys with me if they want to come,” Dad responded somewhat calmer.
I could not believe what I was hearing. Even though they are not fated mates, I know that they love each other. I motioned for us to go back to my room just before I heard, “Tom you really shouldn’t be making these demands of Jennie. It’s not fair.”
“Jackie, you really need to stay out of something that is none of your business. This is a family matter and you are not family. In fact, why don’t you go ahead and leave?” suggested Dad with a slight growl.
“Now Thomas, I invited her for the cookout and it would be rude to make her go now,” Mom said desperately.
“Jennie, the cookout is a family event before Jon and Tim leave for Virginia. Like I just said, she is not family. If you want to spend time with her then she either needs to come back this evening or tomorrow but she is not welcome at the cookout.”
We got into our room before Tyler almost exploded with frustration. “What the HELL was she thinking inviting Jackie to a family event? Can you believe what Dad said to her and to Jackie?”
“Tyler calm down.” I pulled him into hug and whispered, “It will all be ok, don’t worry. Trust Dad, he knows what he’s doing.”
“I do trust Dad, but I don’t want my family to be split apart. You and Tim are leaving for Virginia, the twins won’t be at home for much longer either.” Tyler cried into my shoulder.
“Shhh. Tyler it will be ok. I honestly don’t think Mom would let that happen, you know how she is about ‘family’.” I rubbed circles on his back hoping to calm him down.
Tyler started to hiccup and I looked at Tim. I was at a complete loss at what to do, I had never seen Tyler break down like this. I knew that he had a gentle spirit but didn’t realize just how gentle until now.
Alex and Kyle came over joining in the hug to help our youngest brother feel better. When I looked at Tim I saw pride on his face and tears in his eyes. I waved him over to join the hug but he shook his head no and mouthed, “Its family time.”
I looked at him in shock. I could not believe that he didn’t feel that he was family and that hurt. He must have seen the hurt in my eyes because he came over and whispered in my ear, “We are family but he needs you guys right now.”
Tyler heard him and said, “You’re my brother too, now get in here.” He reached over and pulled Tim into the family hug between the two of us. I leaned over and kissed Tim on the side of his head to let him know that he is loved.
“Ok guys, enough with the mushy stuff,” Alex chuckled. There was a knock on the door.
“Come in, Dad,” I called out as we stepped apart.
After Dad had come in and shut the door he said, “I know that you heard part of my conversation with your mother and she has agreed to talk to you about her problem with you being gay, Jon. She won’t tell me what it is but is hoping that you will understand after she tells you.”
“I will listen Dad, but I can’t guarantee anything, she has done a lot of damage to our relationship and I still feel that some space is warranted.”
“Listening is all I can ask of you. Just know that I love all of you boys, and yes Tim that includes you, with all my heart and that no matter what, I’m behind all of you one hundred percent.”
“Thanks Dad. Is Jackie still down there, because I will not try to talk to Mom while Jackie is here? It’s none of her business what Mom and I talk about. Now if Mom wants to tell her that’s her decision.”
“No, Jon, Jackie has left. I told her that while you are here she is not welcome here, your mom can go visit her but she is not to come here because of her attitude."
Tim and I left my dad and brothers in the room to head downstairs to try and talk to Mom. I had my doubts that she would be completely honest with us but I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. As we turned the corner into the living room I saw Mom standing in front of the picture window looking outside. By the slump in her shoulders she just seemed as if she was defeated.
“Mom, are you ready to talk to us?” I asked as we took a seat on the loveseat and waited for her to turn and face us.
Without turning around she said, “Yeah I’m ready to talk to you, but I only want to talk to you, not Tim.”
“Too bad Mom. He is my mate and this affects him too, so he will be a part of this discussion no matter what.”
“Fine,” she grumbled. “As I’m sure your father has already told you, we are not fated mates. When we met and fell in love I had not met mine. I never really thought that I would find him. After a year we were married and had you by our second anniversary. I went into town to do some grocery shopping and felt this tingling at the back of my neck just before I smelled the most tantalizing scent.”
“You met you fated mate didn’t you?” Tim asked before looking at me.
“Yes, I met my fated mate. His name is Trevor and he was visiting the area with his husband. When we came face to face he looked absolutely shocked to find me. He asked me if we could talk, so the three of us went to the park. He told me that since I had mated with someone else and had a child that he would not mate with me, also that he was gay, therefore he would not leave his husband for a woman.”
“So because your mate rejected you for another man, you refuse to accept that my fated mate is male. That you are insisting that I mate with a woman. Just because you didn’t wait for your fated mate, doesn’t mean that I will give up my fated mate for your own satisfaction.”
“I just want you to be happy and I don’t see you being happy with a male.” Mom finally turned around to look at us and I could see tears running down her face. I looked at Tim before standing up to go and give her a hug.
“Mom, don’t cry. I know in your own way that you want me to be happy but what you need to understand is that I won’t be happy without my fated mate. I’m glad that you stayed with Dad but just because you were rejected by your mate does not mean that I should reject mine to make up for your past.” I walked back over to Tim, taking his hand in mine before sitting back down next to him.
Mom walked over to the couch and sat down looking at her clasped hands in her lap before looking up and saying, “Son, I can’t say that I understand you wanting to be with a man and I don’t really think that he is your fated mate but if that is what you want I will support you and will not continue to bring women around for you to possibly mate with.”
“Thank you for that Mom but you need to understand that me being gay is not a choice. Yes, your fated mate choose to be with someone that was not his mate but it was not a choice for him to be gay. I appreciate everything you have done for me throughout the years and we are willing to give you a chance. To put your mind at ease about us being fated mates I want you to look at Tim’s shoulder and see his claim mark.” Tim pulled his shirt collar to the side so that Mom could see his mark of the paw print. I pulled my shirt collar to the side so that she could see the outline of the howling wolf on my shoulder.
Mom looked at both shoulders and gasped, “I never thought that two men could be fated mates.”
“So in other words you didn’t believe me.” I was disgusted that she would let her opinions and issues to color her judgment and her to doubt her own flesh and blood. Tim grabbed my hand, rubbing small circles across the top of it to calm me down.
I looked over at Mom and shook my head. “Tim let’s go find Dad to see when this cookout is happening so that we can determine when we want to leave.”
“Are you still wanting to leave today, Babe?”
“Yeah.”
“Even after talking with me, you’re still going to leave early?” Mom was incredulous. Tim and I got up to head upstairs to talk to Dad.
Dad and the boys were still in our room when we got upstairs. After closing the door I asked Dad, “Did you hear what she said?”
“Yeah, I did and I can’t believe that she never told me that she had met her fated mate. Ok, well that’s in the past let’s move forward from here. You’re still planning to leave today?”
“Yeah, I think that would be for the best. I’m willing to give her the benefit of the doubt that she will change her attitude towards Tim but I think that we need some space so that we can think this through.” I pulled Tim into my arms because I just needed to smell his scent to calm my nerves.
“It’ll be ok, Babe.” Tim wrapped his arms around me, leaned in on tiptoes, and placed a swift kiss on my lips just letting me know that he’s there for me and that he loves me.
“Well, I’m gonna head to the store and pick up the meat and other items for the cookout. Why don’t you guys go ahead and wash up your dirty laundry so that you can pack it and then pack your SUV so that we can just focus on being a family and spending time together.”
“Sure thing, Dad. Tim, can you grab the bag with the dirty laundry in it and I will meet you downstairs?”
“Sure thing, Hun.” Tim grabbed the bag and followed Tyler out of the room.
“Dad, do you think this change of heart that Mom has had will last?” I asked as I sat on the edge of the bed.
“Yeah, I do think it will last. I think she has realized just what she almost lost.” Dad clasped my shoulder before leaving me alone in the room to think. When I didn’t come downstairs Tim came up and found me sitting on the bed looking out the window.
“Babe, you ok?” Tim sat on the bed next to me, wrapped his arm around my waist and leaned his head on my shoulder. I could feel the love he has for me just radiating from him through our partial mate bond.
“Yeah, I’m fine, just stunned is all. Tyler get you squared away on the laundry?” I rested the side of my head against his.
“Yeah it’s in the washer as we speak. I’m gonna check my e-mail if you’re ok,” he hesitated before I nodded my head and he walked over to the desk where his laptop was sitting.
“Hey Jon, come look at this. I got an e-mail from my best friend Jeremy.” I went over to the desk and looked over Tim’s shoulder to read the e-mail.
Hey Buddy,
Guess I should let you know that I may not be here when you get here. It seems that my mate is visiting with Alpha Jefferson to build pack relations with a pack out of Texas.
You know that I have no problem with you being gay but I never thought that my mate would be a guy. He’s the Theta to Alpha Jamie Hannah.
I don’t know what to do. I need your advice.
Laters,
Jer
“I never saw that coming. Now I’m really glad that he broke up with Sally.” Tim sat back in the chair and rubbed his forehead.
“What ya thinking, Babe?” I asked as I rubbed his shoulders to relieve some of the tension from the last couple of days.
“I’m thinking that I’m glad he found his mate but I’m just sad that he may be moving away. I mean his mate is a Theta in another pack, he’s gonna need to go home eventually and he’s gonna take Jeremy with him.”
“Well, you had better e-mail him back and let him know that it’s ok for him to go and to treasure his mate always.”
“You’re right. I’m positive that he’s freaking out over his mate being a guy but I think he will be ok with it after he has time to really think about it.” He clicked the reply button and began to type.
Jer,
It’s awesome that you have found your mate. I wish I was there to help you out a little better.
Here’s my advice: stop overthinking and treasure your mate. He was made specifically for you. He’s not gonna hurt you but will love and protect you. If he has to go back to Texas, go with him and build a life with him. Your family will understand.
Call me tonight and we can talk more about it.
Jon says hi and I will see you in about a week.
TTYL,
Tim
“There, e-mail sent, I just hope that he calls tonight. I know that he will make the right decision for him. I just hope that Sally leaves them alone. I heard your dad get back and can smell the charcoal already. Let’s go see if he needs any help and check on the laundry.” Tim stood up from the desk and wrapped his arms around my waist, laying his head against my shoulder.
I hugged him back before we broke apart and headed downstairs to see what all Dad had bought. Turns out he almost bought out the butcher with steaks, burgers, chicken, and pork chops. Well we are bears, it takes quite a bit of food to fill us up. Mom had been in the kitchen making potato salad, macaroni salad, and preparing corn to go out on the grill.
Our clothes were ready to go in the dryer so Tim transferred everything over so that we could spend time with my family and just hanging out. Alex brought out the Frisbee and we spread out to toss it back and forth while Dad manned the grill.
When it was time to eat Dad called us over to the picnic tables that we have in the backyard. I helped Mom carry the salads out of the kitchen and out to the tables so that we could all sit down and eat.
It was as if the last couple of years had never happened and we were the happy family again. It seemed as if a switch had been flipped in Mom, there was no mention of mating with a female to produce cubs, no snide or ugly comments about my mate being male.
“So how long are you planning to be gone for?” Dad asked as he quickly glanced at Mom.
“Not sure, we were kind of thinking of living in Charlottesville and coming back for visits.” I grimaced as I saw the disappointed look on Mom’s face.
Tyler reached over and grabbed some of the potato chips off of my plate before I could stop him.
All too soon we were done eating and were cleaning up the tables taking everything inside. Tim left to go get the clothes out of the dryer and take them up to our room to finish packing.
Tyler pulled me aside and asked, “You are coming back right?” My leaving was always the hardest on him and he always felt like I was abandoning him.
I pulled him into a hug before replying, “I will never abandon you, I will always be your brother, and even if I move to Virginia you will always be welcome there.”
“Ok.” I could tell that he was still emotional because I could hear the sniffles as he was trying to not cry so that I wouldn’t feel guilty about leaving with Tim. I could hear Tim coming down the stairs as Tyler pulled out of my arms and wiped his eyes. “Damn allergies.”
“It’s ok to cry, it doesn’t make you any less of a man.” Tyler and I headed to the front door where Tim was standing next to the bags that he, Alex, and Kyle had brought down. When Alex and Kyle saw us they grabbed the bags and started taking them out to the SUV so that we could get on the road. I looked in the living room and saw Mom and Dad standing there looking out the window but I could see that Mom was crying by her reflection in the glass.
I looked at Tim before heading into the living room to say good-bye to my parents.
“Mom, we will be back but I think that for now we need to just take baby steps in rebuilding our relationship. Ok?” I pulled her into a hug, rubbing my hand up and down her back in a soothing manner
“Son, give us a call to let us know that you made it to Iowa safely, ok?” Dad clasped me on the shoulder and I saw him wave Tim into the room with his other hand. “Tim get in here and say good-bye to us too.”
Tim came in and gave Dad a hug and glanced at Mom trying to get a read on what she might be thinking.
“Come give me a hug, Tim. I’m sorry I have been so rude to you while you’ve been here. Be safe on your trip and let us know that you have arrived safely. Take good care of my son, and welcome to the family.” Mom stepped out of my arms only to hold her arms out to Tim waiting for him to give her a hug.
Once everyone had hugged us good-bye we loaded up in the SUV to head out for our first stop which was going to be Billings, Montana. As I pulled away from the curb I saw Mom crying into Dad’s chest, along with Kyle and Alex on either side of Tyler. I glanced at Tim as he reached over, took my hand, and gave me a smile before turning and looking out the windshield.
Chapter 8: Tim’s POV
It took us two days but we finally reached West Branch, Iowa. Jon was really looking forward to seeing Steve again but I didn’t know how I felt about that. I knew that Jon loves me and that he had said that he hadn’t been with anyone else but the doubts were still in the back of my head. I needed to learn to completely trust my mate, but there was an uneasy feeling passive tense, change it to despite the uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“What’s wrong, Babe?” Jon pulled into the gas station to fill up before heading to where the Hoover Clan lived.
“I don’t know, I just feel a little uneasy. I mean, I am a wolf going to visit a bear clan that you are not a part of.” As Jon put the SUV in park, I jumped out and decided to walk around a little bit to stretch my legs out after the long hours trapped inside. My wolf really wanted to go for a run, but I knew that now was not the time.
I looked around and saw the change in colors of the leaves on the trees around us. I was amazed at the deep orange and burgundy colors that surrounded me. I was used to the lighter shades on the trees that surrounded my home in Charlottesville, Virginia. I watched as a leaf fell off a tree and floated ever so slowly down to the ground.
I could feel the calmness coming through our forming mate bond. I knew that Jon was trying to ease my worries and I decided that I would just take things as they come. Jon said that this clan was very informal and that everything would be fine with a wolf visiting them.
I thought back to the conversation that I had the night before with Jeremy about meeting his mate. He was concerned because the dreams that he’d been having had been about a guy and he never had any inclinations about being with a guy. I listened to his concerns about being with a guy and explained that his mate wouldn’t do anything that he wasn’t comfortable with because he would love him completely and not want to hurt him in any way.
I explained to him about the dreams that I had been having before meeting Jon, and how it went when the two of us finally met. I also reminded him that this man was created especially for him by the Moon Goddess herself and that he would be missing the other half of himself that he has been longing for. By the time that we got off the phone he was calmer and more assured about how he was going to handle himself with his mate.
When I got back to the SUV and Jon was nowhere to be seen, I wasn’t worried because I could tell that there was nothing wrong so I figured that he had gone inside to use the bathroom, which sounded like a good idea to me. I chuckled when I walked in and saw Jon standing in front of the candy selection. While traveling, I found out just how big of a sweet tooth he had, he’s worse than a kid is when it comes to candy and junk food. I signaled that I was heading to the restroom as he made his selections and headed to pay for them.
Outside I could see him on the phone and eating a Twizzler with the engine idling. As I climbed in he had disconnected the call. Glancing at me as he handed me a bottle of water and said, “That was the clan leader. I was getting permission for us to enter his territory and also gave him the heads up that you are a wolf. He was fine with it as long as you didn’t start any trouble.”
“Me start trouble? That’s ridiculous!” I huffed while crossing my arms.
“Babe, I know he says that to everyone that visits. He knew that I wouldn’t cause any problems because I have been here before and he didn’t have any issues with me. He’s really not a mean or uptight guy.”
“I trust your opinion and will keep an open mind while we are here. How far away are we anyway?”
Jon plugged in an address into the GPS on the dashboard. “Turn right in two hundred feet.” He put the SUV in gear, pulling out of the gas station, and turning to the right.
“We should be there in about fifteen minutes. It’s outside of town in the country. There are groves of trees so that we can shift without scaring the people in town.”
Jon’s phone rang. “Hey Steve… Yeah, we’re almost there… Ok, see you in a few.” He hung up the phone and said to me, “That was Steve and he’s gonna meet us at the border of the territory to take us to meet the clan leader, and then take us to his house to get settled in before dinner.”
“Ok, that sounds like a plan. I’m looking forward to meeting him,” I said as I looked at the passing scenery and was amazed at the blending of colors that looked as if they were right out of a photograph. Jon reached over and clasped my left hand in his, rubbing his thumb in circles on the top of my hand. I glanced over at him and gave him a small smile.
We got to the outer edge of town and I saw a burgundy Ford F-150 sitting there idling. When they saw us they pulled out in front and led us up the road to a three story farm house that looked like it was right out of a magazine. White flowers led the way to a porch lined with red and yellow roses.
I explained to him about the dreams that I had been having before meeting Jon, and how it went when the two of us finally met. I also reminded him that this man was created especially for him by the Moon Goddess herself and that he would be missing the other half of himself that he has been longing for. By the time that we got off the phone he was calmer and more assured about how he was going to handle himself with his mate.
When I got back to the SUV and Jon was nowhere to be seen, I wasn’t worried because I could tell that there was nothing wrong so I figured that he had gone inside to use the bathroom, which sounded like a good idea to me. I chuckled when I walked in and saw Jon standing in front of the candy selection. While traveling, I found out just how big of a sweet tooth he had, he’s worse than a kid is when it comes to candy and junk food. I signaled that I was heading to the restroom as he made his selections and headed to pay for them.
Outside I could see him on the phone and eating a Twizzler with the engine idling. As I climbed in he had disconnected the call. Glancing at me as he handed me a bottle of water and said, “That was the clan leader. I was getting permission for us to enter his territory and also gave him the heads up that you are a wolf. He was fine with it as long as you didn’t start any trouble.”
“Me start trouble? That’s ridiculous!” I huffed while crossing my arms.
“Babe, I know he says that to everyone that visits. He knew that I wouldn’t cause any problems because I have been here before and he didn’t have any issues with me. He’s really not a mean or uptight guy.”
“I trust your opinion and will keep an open mind while we are here. How far away are we anyway?”
Jon plugged in an address into the GPS on the dashboard. “Turn right in two hundred feet.” He put the SUV in gear, pulling out of the gas station, and turning to the right.
“We should be there in about fifteen minutes. It’s outside of town in the country. There are groves of trees so that we can shift without scaring the people in town.”
Jon’s phone rang. “Hey Steve… Yeah, we’re almost there… Ok, see you in a few.” He hung up the phone and said to me, “That was Steve and he’s gonna meet us at the border of the territory to take us to meet the clan leader, and then take us to his house to get settled in before dinner.”
“Ok, that sounds like a plan. I’m looking forward to meeting him,” I said as I looked at the passing scenery and was amazed at the blending of colors that looked as if they were right out of a photograph. Jon reached over and clasped my left hand in his, rubbing his thumb in circles on the top of my hand. I glanced over at him and gave him a small smile.
We got to the outer edge of town and I saw a burgundy Ford F-150 sitting there idling. When they saw us they pulled out in front and led us up the road to a three story farm house that looked like it was right out of a magazine. Entering through the formal front door, we walked across polished hardwood floors that reflected pictures hung on the coffee brown walls. Through the archway into the front room, I spied tan suede furniture: a sofa, loveseat, and an oversized chair with matching ottoman. Steve led us further down the hall to an open door, most likely the Clan Leader’s office, where he knocked on the door frame.
“Come in Steve. It’s good to see you Jon,” he said as he came around his desk and shook Jon’s hand before turning to me. “You must be Jon’s mate, Tim. I’m Clan Leader Tom. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I know that Jon has been looking for you for years. I’m glad that he has finally found you.”
“It’s nice to meet you too, Sir.” I shook the hand that he was holding out to me.
He gestured for us to sit down and I noticed that Steve had taken a seat on the love seat which left a chair for either me or Jon to sit in and the other to sit on the love seat next to Steve. I was hurt when Jon sat down next to him, but that was short lived when he pulled me onto his lap with his chin on my shoulder.
“I know that there are going to be many broken hearts now that he has found you. There were several men and women here that fell for him the last time that he was here. Just try not to cause any trouble while you’re here because not everyone is going to be happy that he is mated to a wolf.” Clan Leader Tom sat back in his chair, but was tapping his fingers on the desk in front of him as if he was nervous about something.
“I’m sure that they will be happy that I have found my mate Leader Tom. I know that they may be apprehensive of him being a wolf, but once they get to know him, they will like him.” Jon wrapped his arms around my waist and planted a quick kiss to my cheek when I turned my head to look at him.
While my head was turned I noticed the glare on Steve’s face and heard him go, “Pfft.” I narrowed my eyes at him and knew that I would need to keep an eye on him while we’re here. Now I knew why Leader Tom looked nervous a minute ago.
“Why don’t I get you guys settled in and then maybe Jon and I could go for a run.” Steve stood up, I looked up at Steve like he had lost his ever loving mind. There was no way in hell that I was going to have Jon go on a run alone with Steve.
Jon must have felt me tense because, he said, “Actually, we’re both a little tired from our journey so we’re gonna lay down for a bit, then the three of us can go for a run after dinner.”
He tapped my leg as a signal for me to stand up. Leader Tom came back around the desk to shake our hands before we headed out of the office. Following Steve to his house, my gut still told me that I shouldn’t trust him. I didn’t know what it was but there was just something that seemed off to me. After getting settled in, Jon and I laid down to just rest for a little bit before dinner and ended up sleeping through the night.
Steve’s POV
I can’t believe that Jon is mated to a wolf. Didn’t he know that our species should not mate with wolves? He’s going to ruin his bloodline by mating with that wolf. I would be a much better mate to him, I mean at least we would be the same species.
I bet his mom was livid. I knew that she wasn’t a fan of the idea of him being gay, so this must have sent her over the top. Maybe I should give her a call and see if she would agree to work with me to split the two of them up since I could tell that they hadn’t completed the mating yet.
I listened for sounds coming from “their room” and all I could hear was some faint snoring. I couldn’t believe that Jon insisted on him and that mutt sharing a room. I had it set up so that I would be able to sneak into Jon’s room at night and finally make my move on him. I have been in love with him since the first time that he came to our territory looking for his mate. Maybe I should have let him in on how I felt over the years, but I didn’t want to lose his friendship.
I decided to go ahead and make the call before I chickened out. The ringing of the phone was making me nervous, but I knew that this was something that needed to be done because Jon needed to see that he would never be truly happy with a wolf for a mate.
“Hello, who is this?” I felt my stomach tighten and knew that there was no turning back now.
“Hi, Mrs. Blumer. You don’t know me, my name is Steve Timberline from West Branch, Iowa. I’m a friend of Jon’s and wanted to see if maybe we could work together on something.” I waited for her reply with bated breath because I didn’t know how this was going to go over.
“Please call me Jennie. What can I do for you Steve?” I could tell that she was curious about why I was calling by the hesitation in her voice.
“Well, I’m sure that you’re not happy about your son being mated to a wolf and I was thinking that we could maybe help each other out.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“Well, I was thinking that I could make a move on Jon and hopefully the mutt would leave him. When that happens, you won’t give us a problem with Jon and I mating.” I smiled evilly and could just see it happening in my mind.
“What in the hell makes you think that I want to break Tim and Jon up? I have come to terms with my son being gay and I won't stand in the way of him being happy. Tim is his mate and I will not come between them. If anything, and I do mean anything happens, I will let Jon know of this little talk and you can forget your friendship. I won’t hurt my son again.” The phone was slammed in my ear. I couldn’t believe that she actually growled at me. I thought for sure that she would be on my side just to get him away from that mutt.
I stormed outside and shifted into my bear tearing my clothes in the process. I couldn’t be in the same house as them right now. I ran all the way to the grove that has been my secret place for the last couple of years. This is where I had planned to mate with Jon when he couldn’t find his mate. This is where I wanted to build our dream home. I knew that he loved me, I just had to make him see it and get him away from that mutt. He’s not worth me even saying or thinking his name.
I looked around and saw wildflowers in full bloom. For as far as I could see I saw prairie sunflowers, pink wild rose, blue violets, and yellow violets. It was a beautiful sight to see and I couldn’t wait to share it with Jon.
After laying in the grove for a couple of hours, I decided that it was time to head back to the house and see if Jon was up so that we could have dinner. All the way back to the house I thought about what I was going to fix and finally decided on grilled steaks, baked potatoes, and a salad. I would make enough for the three of us, but I was only serving mine and Jon’s meals, that wolf could serve himself. I just needed to figure out how to drug the mutt’s so that he would be knocked out so that I could have Jon to myself for the night.
When I got home, I realized that they were still asleep, but figured that they would wake up with the smell of the steaks on the grill. I set about getting everything ready, starting the grill, putting the steaks in a garlic herb marinade and putting them back in the fridge for a while to marinate, prepared the potatoes to go on the grill, and then finally cutting up the carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, and onion for the salad.
As soon as the grill was ready I placed six potatoes on the grill to get started while I was waiting on the steaks. As everything was cooking, I looked at my watch and wondered why they weren’t up yet. I was sure that they could smell the food cooking so after I pulled the steaks and potatoes off of the grill I went to wake them up. I had decided to go ahead and make the mutt’s plate, and mixed some ground up sleeping pills in with the butter spread that I put on his potato.
When I opened the door to their room, I was filled with rage. Jon was curled around that mutt and they both looked like they didn’t have a care in the world. So I closed the door and stormed down the stairs to go to the kitchen where I promptly threw all of the food into the trash can. I left to go see Jacob, I knew that he would be an easy lay and it would take my mind off the whole situation with Jon.
Jon’s POV
I woke up and could hear Tim mumbling something in his sleep. I didn’t know what was going on but he was tense and I could feel his unease through our mate bond. Even though we hadn’t completed the mating yet, the bond was enough to feel each other’s emotions. To try and ease his tension I rubbed my hand up and down his back in gentle circles. It helped to ease the unease that he was feeling, but there was still a tension there that I didn’t know what to do about.
In his sleep Tim pulled me closer to him, slid his right leg over mine, and buried his nose into the crook of my neck. This seemed to alleviate some of the remaining tension, but he was still mumbling under his breath and I was trying to catch what he was saying with my advanced hearing, but was only able to catch, “…love him…leave…go to hell.”
This confused me to no end because I don’t know who he could possibly be talking to. Maybe he was stressing about how his pack will react to him being mated to a bear. So I did the only thing that I could think of and that was to lean my head in and placing a kiss on the top of his head in affection, while continuing to run my hand along his back. I could feel Tim slowly waking up as he stretched and rubbed his hand slowly over my chest and across my nipples causing me to shudder.
“Baby, you’re gonna be in trouble if you keep doing that.” How on earth is my voice that husky in the morning? It wasn’t normally like that.
“Good morning, Babe.” I could see the blush start to form on his face when he realized what he was doing to me so I pulled him in for a hug before flipping us so that I was above him.
I knew that he was ready for us to complete the mating and I was worried about hurting him. I was surprised when he wrapped his arms around my neck and pulled me down for a kiss as I ground my hips into his. This caused him to deepen the kiss. I pulled away slightly and looked deep into his eyes.
We were both panting heavily. “Babe, if we don’t get up we’ll end up completing the mating and I don’t want to rush you.”
I climbed off of him, reaching my hand out to help him up. We were both severely aroused. I loved him more and more each day and there was nothing that was going to change that. I looked at the clock and saw that it was only eight in the morning. I couldn’t believe that we slept so long, but I know that I was exhausted from traveling and I could only assume that Tim was too, besides I always sleep harder when I am with him.
I was concerned how Steve was handling this because I knew that he had feelings for me. I just hope that he will respect that Tim is my fated mate and that nothing will happen between us, not that anything would have happened anyway. While I like Steve, it was and could only be as a friend. He is too free with himself with those who are not his fated mate and I refused to be another notch on his belt.
“Babe, I’m gonna get a shower if you want to join me.” Tim pulled me out of my thoughts as he gathered his clothes for the day to head to the bathroom.
I could hear him laughing as I rushed around to get my clothes and follow him into the bathroom. He was already stripped down and waiting for the water to warm up, so I quickly followed suit.
As the water beat down on us I pulled him into a tight embrace and kissed him, this was something that I could easily see myself doing for the rest of my life. I was brought back by the sensation of Tim wrapping his hand around my cock and felt like my legs were going to give out from under me causing me to grab the top of the shower to avoid falling.
“Babe, you’re gonna be the death of me yet.” I moaned as he slowly started to move his hand up and down along my shaft while he started kissing along my jaw to my collarbone. When he reached his mark, that he gave me, I was in ecstasy. He continued to kiss down my chest and before long he was engulfing me in his warm mouth.
I couldn’t believe that this was happening. I just felt really weird doing this in someone else’s house, especially someone who isn’t related to either one of us. All of a sudden Tim stopped what he was doing and growled low in his throat.
“Babe, what’s wrong?” Tim stood up still growling and it started to concern me.
“Steve is just outside the door listening to us,” he growled out.
When he said that I noticed that his erection had gone down and mine was starting to as well. I couldn’t believe that Steve would do that to us. There’s such a thing as common courtesy. I would never dream of listening to someone else having any form of sex, especially if it was between mates because that is something that is very special.
“STEVE, GET AWAY FROM THE DAMN DOOR!” I bellowed. We were gonna have to have a serious talk about boundaries today.
We quickly finished our shower, dried off to get dressed before heading downstairs. I noticed that Steve had made breakfast and had three plates sitting on the table with pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, and hash browns. I was still upset with him, but I was hungry since we slept through dinner.
Tim went to the sink and got a glass of water. “Hey Steve why is there so much food in the trash?”
“Well, I made dinner, but when I went to wake you guys up I realized how tired you must’ve been so I couldn’t bring myself to wake you up.”
I looked at him and something seemed off. I thought I had heard the door open last night, close and then someone stomping down the stairs. I thought I had imagined it, but I guess I didn’t. But why would he throw it all away and not just put it in the fridge?
“Steve, why didn’t you just save it? We could’ve had it today for lunch or even dinner so that no one had to cook tonight.” I looked at Tim because I could feel his unease about something and I knew that we would have to talk about what he was feeling.
“Honestly, I just didn’t feel like putting everything away and then I went to see Jacob and hang out with him since you guys were asleep.” He shrugged his shoulders and dug into his plate of food.
Tim kept sniffing like he was smelling something. “What are you smelling?” I asked him.
“I don’t know, but I can smell some sort of chemical that I’ve smelled before, I just can’t place it.” He looked over at Steve and asked, “Do you taking sleeping medication?”
Steve looked panicked before he relaxed. “Yeah, sometimes I have insomnia so the doctor prescribed them for me. Why do you ask?”
“Well, I can smell them, but not on you. What I’m smelling is coming from the trash can.”
“Yeah, I threw out my old prescription when the doctor changed it the other day.” That sounded reasonable. I quickly glanced at Tim because I could tell that he was uneasy about something.
“Steve, do you have any fruit? I’m not very hungry.” That’s weird because I have known a werewolf to not be hungry, especially hungry for meat.
“Sure, is everything ok?” He handed Tim an apple and a banana.
“Thanks man. I think it’s because of all the junk food that we ate while traveling, my stomach just doesn’t feel up to a heavy breakfast.” I didn’t know why he said that because he didn’t eat a lot of junk food while we were traveling He was the one that always grabbed fruit or granola bars when we stopped for gas.
After breakfast Steve pulled me aside and asked, “Jon, can I talk to you outside for a minute?”
“What about Tim? Anything you have to say to me can be said in front of him.”
“I would prefer for it to just be the two of us. You’re more than welcome to tell him what we talk about, but I would prefer to have this conversation in private.”
I looked at Tim and he nodded his head, letting me know that he would be fine. I followed Steve out to the front porch and we each took a seat on the large swing while I waited for him to speak.
“Jon, why won’t you reject Tim? Bears and wolves are not meant to mix together. You will be considered the laughing stock of your clan. Not only that, but have you considered how Tim’s pack and family will react to him being mated to a bear?”
“I know how his family will react because I have already spoken to his father and he is behind us one hundred percent. I will not give up my fated mate. My Clan Leader is ok with our match and wishes us well. I never thought you would be so prejudiced. I thought we were friends. A friend would be happy that I’ve found my fated mate, not trying to convince me to reject him.” I stood and walked to the other side of the porch staring out at the open area to the left of the house.
“I love you Jon. Can’t you see that? We would make a better pair than you and that mutt!” I couldn’t believe that Steve just growled at me.
“I feel nothing for you but friendship. I thought of you as a brother, but your behavior is changing that as we speak. You WILL NOT disrespect my mate and you WILL NOT disrespect me.” I growled in anger.
He came over to me and attempted to pull me into a hug, but I slapped his arms away from me as I turned to go inside. I couldn’t believe that he would pull a stunt like this. “Were those really old sleeping pills that you threw away?” I demanded.
“Of course they were,” he exclaimed as he turned to face me. “Why would you ask me something like that?”
“You of all people should know that you are supposed to flush any unused medication and not to throw it away. How much you want to bet that if Tim was to look through the food that you threw away some of it would be tainted with the sleeping medication.”
I stormed inside without waiting for a response and found Tim standing by the stairs with our bags by his feet. “I guess you heard all of that?”
“Yeah, I did and just so you know there was sleeping medication in the butter. I don’t know who it was planned for and right now I don’t care. Honestly, I just want to get out of here.” Tim stepped up to give me a hug. “I know that you considered him a brother, but take some time and maybe the friendship can be mended later on down the road.”
“I will give it some time and think about it, but if his attitude doesn’t change then I will have nothing more to do with him.” I kissed him on the head before grabbing our bags and headed out to the car.
Once on the road Tim asked, “So, how far are we going today?”
“We will stop for the night in Dayton, Ohio. Thank you for being you and so understanding.” I reached for his hand and brought it to my lips for a quick kiss as we hit the I-80 headed east.
Chapter 9: Tim’s POV
I couldn’t believe the stunt that Steve tried to pull. Thanks to my heightened hearing I was able to her their entire conversation, even from our room upstairs. From the fighting I knew that we weren’t going to continue to stay here so I packed our bags and brought them downstairs.
There was something that was still bothering me about the whole sleeping pill incident so I went to the trash can. Looking through it, I couldn’t find the bottle of sleeping pills but I did find the baked potatoes from last night and when I picked one of them up the smell of the medication was really strong. I just knew that the potato had been drugged somehow. I just didn’t know how. The only thing that I could see on the potatoes was that there was butter already on them. From the smell of the melted butter that was where the medication had been mixed in.
With my hearing I could still hear their conversation on the front porch. “I feel nothing for you but friendship. I thought of you as a brother, but your behavior is changing that as we speak. You WILL NOT disrespect my mate and you WILL NOT disrespect me,” Jon growled angrily.
I knew that it wouldn’t be long before Jon came inside and I wanted our things to be ready to go when he did. I couldn’t believe that someone who claimed to be a friend would do something like this. Even if Steve was in love with Jon he should want him to be happy and that would mean being with his mate. What was Steve going to do when he met his mate? Reject him or her for Jon?
I must have gotten lost in my thoughts because all of a sudden Jon stormed in the house to find me by the stairs with our bags at my feet. “I guess you heard all of that?”
“Yeah, I did and just so you know there was sleeping medication in the butter. I don’t know who it was planned for and right now I don’t care. Honestly, I just want to get out of here.” I stepped up to give him a hug. “I know that you considered him a brother, but take some time and maybe the friendship can be mended later on down the road.”
“I will give it some time and think about it, but if his attitude doesn’t change then I will have nothing more to do with him.” He kissed me on the head before he grabbed our bags and headed out to the car.
Once on the road I asked, “So, how far are we going today?”
“We will stop for the night in Dayton, Ohio. Thank you for being you and so understanding.” He reached for my hand and brought it to his lips for a quick kiss as we hit the I-80 and headed east.
A few hours later I woke up from a short nap, what can I say, long car trips make me sleepy, to find that Jon had pulled into Taco Bell for lunch and it was a good thing because I was starving after only having fruit for breakfast.
I would have preferred to visit the Herbert Hoover Library while we were in Iowa but with everything that happened this morning, I was glad to be away from the tension and able to spend some alone time with Jon. We were soon back on the road traveling through Indianapolis on our way to Dayton, Ohio.
Since Jon was driving I figured that I should call Jeremy and let him know that we should be there sometime tomorrow, as well as give him the heads up that Jon’s a bear and not a wolf. I don’t think he really believed me when I sent him the e-mail just after I had met Jon.
“Hey Tim!”
“Hey Jer! How’s it goin?”
“It’s goin good. Mom absolutely hates the fact that my mate is a guy but Alex seems like a pretty cool guy. I’m still not sure about my mate being a guy but I know that he was designed for me and is my other half. He makes me feel complete and I don’t want to be without him.”
“That’s how Jon makes me feel. I’m sorry that your mom doesn’t like him but hopefully that will change as time passes by. So, is he joining our pack or are ya leavin me?” I turned and grinned at Jon who just winked at me.
“I will be joining his pack. He’s the Theta for Alpha Jamie. His pack has two male Alphas which is kind of cool since my mate is a guy. Alpha Jefferson seems like he can’t get rid of the guy fast enough but he doesn’t want to piss off Alex’s Alphas by being rude to him.”
“So where is he from exactly? I need to know where I can go visit you.”
“Corsicana, Texas. He says it’s really pretty there with the blue bonnets and Indian paintbrush that grows there.”
“Well, then I guess we’ll be coming to Texas as often as possible, that is if they will allow Jon in the territory. Dad still hasn’t gotten back to me about if Alpha Jefferson is going to allow Jon, who is a bear, in our territory.”
“I wouldn’t hold my breath. He doesn’t seem to like it when a set of mates are two guys. Oh it turns out that Sally rejected her fated mate so that she could mate with me.”
“Well that was pretty dumb of her to say the least. Did she honestly think that you would reject your mate as well?”
“Yeah she did. Plus Mom said that if she didn’t ‘approve’ of my mate than I was to reject them and mate with Sally.”
“Wow, your mom sounds similar to what Jon has been going through with his mom. If it makes you feel any better his mom has come a long way from that kind of thinking.”
“That does make me feel better. Maybe when she realizes that I won’t stick around here but will be leaving with my mate she will come around. Any way got to go, Alex is here and we’re going on a date.”
“Ok will talk to ya later. Have fun.” I heard the line click in my ear before putting my phone back in my pocket.
Jasper’s POV
I’ve seen how Alpha Jefferson has treated Alex and Jeremy since learning that they’re mates and it does not give me hope for Jon and Tim, to top it off, Jon’s a bear and I don’t know how my Alpha will react to that. Might as well get this over with, I decided as I headed out the door to go to the pack house to talk to Alpha Jefferson.
“Come in,” Alpha Jefferson said when I knocked on the door of his office. “What can I do for you Jasper?”
“Well Sir, Tim is coming home to get his things before moving out West with his mate and I was wondering if you would give his mate permission to enter the territory. They should be here sometime tomorrow.” I was sweating bullets because I didn’t know how he would take it when I disclosed the gender and species of Jon.
“Tim found his mate? That’s great news. Of course I will allow her to enter the territory.”
“Um Sir, the thing is, Tim’s mate is a male bear shifter.”
“A bear shifter?” he asked.
“Yes Sir.”
“Did you say a male bear? Absolutely not. I will not allow a male bear into this territory. It is unnatural for a male to be mated with another bear, let alone a wolf mated to a bear,” he snarled.
“But Sir, they are fated mates.” I bent my head to the side in submission when he continued to snarl and growl at me.
“Don’t you dare question me. I AM your Alpha and you will show me some respect.”
“Yes Sir.”
“Now get out of my office and my sight. I can’t believe that you would be ok with your son mating with a male bear,” he snarled in disgust.
I quickly left his office and headed home. Now I just had to let Tim know that unfortunately Jon was not going to be allowed in our pack territory. I was not looking forward to that phone call but I knew that I had to make it before they got any closer.
Tim’s POV
I felt my phone ringing in my pocket but I was still groggy so I didn’t want to answer it so I let it go to voicemail. When it immediately started vibrating again I figured it must be important so I looked at the caller Id and saw that it was my dad.
“Hey Dad! What’s going on?” I looked at Jon worriedly because Dad wouldn’t have called like that if there wasn’t something wrong.
“Tim can you put me on speaker phone so that Jon can hear this as well?”
“Sure thing Dad, give me a sec.” I fumbled with the screen and finally got it on speaker, “Ok Dad, Jon can hear you now.”
“Good evening Mr. Collins,” Jon said as he kept his eyes on the road.
“Now Jon, I have told you to call me Jasper or Dad. Are you where you can pull off the road for a bit?”
“Sure there’s a rest area just up ahead. Give me a sec to pull off.” Jon turned on the turn signal and made his way to the off ramp for the rest area before pulling into a parking spot.
“Ok Dad, we’re parked. Now what’s wrong?” I was nervous because this had to be bad for me to have to put the phone on speaker and for us to pull off the highway.
“Well boys, I went and spoke with Alpha Jefferson today to get permission for Jon to enter the territory. Unfortunately, when he found out that Jon is your mate he immediately refused. I get the feeling that if Jon enters the territory he will be arrested and put in the pack prison. I don’t want that to happen so I have made arrangements for Jon to stay at a motel just outside Charlottesville while you and I get the house packed up because I will not stay where my son can’t bring his mate home for holidays. Jeremy has agreed to help and volunteered Alex to help so that it won’t take so long to get accomplished. In fact they are out getting boxes right now. I figure that it will take a couple of days between the four of us and will be on the road before you know it. I will meet you guys at the motel and bring Tim back to the house.”
“Sounds like a plan. Have you told Alpha Jefferson that you’re leaving?
“No I haven’t. I was planning on letting him know after we had loaded the moving truck and are ready to get on the road. I’ve already called Alpha Jeff and he has agreed to let me join his pack and has even offered me a position as the pack’s legal counsel.”
“That’s awesome because he has agreed to let us join his pack as well. I really liked him and Alpha James. They have already accepted us into their pack and found us a house to rent when we get there.”
“Well boys, Jeremy and Alex are back with boxes so we are going to get started with the packing. Alex brought the moving truck back with him so as we pack it will get loaded in the truck, big things first then the boxes. Jeremy got Tony, Jason, and Justin to help with loading the big things. We’ll be sleeping on air mattresses for a night or two.”
“I’m gonna miss the guys but I’m glad they’re going to help. I just wish they could meet Jon. It sucks that we both have to leave because we can’t exactly bring mom and sis with us.” I started to get choked up with the thought of never being able to visit their grave sites ever again.
“I know Son but I’m sure they would understand and they will always be with us in our hearts.”
“I know Dad.” Jon reached over and wiped a tear off my face before reaching for my hand and rubbing his soothing circles on the back of it.
“Boys, I’m gonna go so that we can get started. We will leave your room alone except for the furniture. That way you can load your stuff separately even though everything is going to the same pack. Get some rest and don’t drive for too much longer.”
“Ok Dad, we will talk to you soon. We’re stopping in Dayton for the night and will call you when we get closer to Charlottesville so that you can meet us at the motel. Love you Dad.”
“See you soon Jasper,” Jon said as he put the car into gear and pulled out of the parking space.
“Night boys. Love you too Tim.” I heard the click in my ear and knew that he had hung up.
I put my phone away and looked out the window. I couldn’t believe that Alpha Jefferson would do this to us. What kind of Alpha would refuse a pack member’s mate from entering the territory to meet friends and family? Now I’m glad that we ain’t staying here and that Jeremy will be joining Alex in Texas.
“You ok, Babe?” Jon asked worriedly.
“Yeah, just thinking about what an ass my former Alpha is.” I turned to look at the profile of my handsome mate. The sun was just starting to set which caused his profile to look angelic with the reflection of the light.
We had just crossed into Ohio when dad had called, so we were getting close to Dayton but still about an hour out. I had made the decision that night would be the night that we completed the mating, I just had to make sure that he agreed with me. I knew that he wanted to complete the mating, I could see it every time that he looked at me. The only thing I am unsure of tonight is that it would be in a hotel room and not my house, but then there are too many people there at the moment and I would feel uncomfortable.
“Babe, you hungry?” Jon took a quick look and saw me nod my head. I knew that he was worried about me.
“Yeah, I am.” I saw a Chili’s sign and pointed to it. “How about Chili’s?
“Sounds good to me,” he said as he flicked on the turn signal and exited the highway.
After about an hour we were back on the road and headed towards Dayton. I knew that we needed to talk if I was gonna convince him to complete the mating tonight but I wasn’t sure how to start the conversation.
“Babe, I can tell that you’re nervous about something. I can feel it through our bond. What’s on your mind?” Jon asked while guiding the SUV down the highway.
“Well, Iwasthinkingthatmaybewecouldcompletethematingtonight,” I said very quickly because I wasn’t sure that I would be able to get the words out otherwise.
“Now slow down and repeat what you just said, Babe. There’s no reason to be nervous with me.”
“I was thinking that maybe we could complete the mating tonight.” I looked out the window because I knew that my face was bright red, I could feel it burning. I could feel the SUV start picking up speed and turned and saw that he was doing about 80 mph. “Babe you might want to slow down, we don’t want to get a ticket, now do ya?”
“You’re right, I don’t want a ticket. That would just slow us down.” He eased off the accelerator slowing us down to 70 mph, which was right at the speed limit.
After about forty-five minutes we were once again pulling off the highway and into the parking lot of the local Motel 6 where we would be staying for the night and make plans for the remainder of the trip into Charlottesville. I thought I knew which hotel or motel Dad was talking about and it was confirmed when he sent me a couple of text messages.
Best Western Plus Waynesboro Inn and Suites at 109 Apple Tree Ln Waynesboro, VA
Cya tomorrow
“Babe, Dad sent me the address of the hotel/motel that he’s booked you into for tomorrow.”
“Ok, we will figure that into our itinerary when we get ready to leave in the morning. Wait here and I will get us checked in.” Before I could reply he was out of the SUV and walking like a man on a mission. Gee, I wondered what he was thinking about. Note the sarcasm. Jon came back out and immediately jumped back into the driver’s seat. Throwing the SUV into gear, he drove us around to the back of the building and parked.
Walking around to my side and opening the door, he assisted me out and treated me like I was his most treasured possession and I guess to a point I was. He grabbed our suitcases out of the back before leading me to the door of our room where he unlocked the door and lifted me into his arms to carry me over the threshold. It was a moment that I will treasure forever because even though we weren’t officially married, by performing that ritual it meant that in his eyes we were.
He carried me into the room and placed me gently onto the bed. He quickly went back, grabbed the suitcases from the doorway and swiftly placing the Do Not Disturb sign on the door. He stalked towards me as if he was the hunter and I was his prey. There was a look of hunger and lust in his eyes.
I scooted up the bed until my back was against the headboard, waiting to see what he was going to do next. I could feel the lust and passion through our partial mate bond. If he wanted me this much now, I couldn’t fathom how I would feel when the bond was complete.
As he stalked me, he slowly started to remove articles of clothing starting with his shoes. I began to pull my shirt over my head when he growled, “No!”
His growl radiated shivers from my neck, down my spine and I could feel the hair standing up on my arms, along with the nape of my neck. I immediately dropped my hands to stare at him with my eyes open wide.
“Come here, Little One.” The way he crooked his finger and the arch of his brow let me know that there was to be no refusing him.
I walked over to him with my head held in submission. He was the alpha in this relationship but I knew that he would never do anything to hurt me. When I stopped in front of him he lifted my face which caused me to whimper before he said, “Don’t worry.”
He grabbed the back of my head and pulled me in for a deep and passionate kiss, letting me know that he’s boss. I immediately opened my lips and granted him access to my mouth. I ran my hands up his chest and around the back of his neck, grabbing on to his hair as if my life depended on it. I locked my arms and held on tight.
He ran his hands down my sides and around my back before reaching my ass. He grasped so tightly that he lifted me off my feet. I wrapped my arms tighter around his neck and wrapped my legs around his waist clinging to him and deepening the kiss.
After what felt like forever, I felt him start to move before I was gently lowered to the bed as if I was a precious treasure. He stepped away from me and I was able to look in his eyes. They had gone black with desire which caused my heart to speed up.
He leaned away from me, reaching down to grasp the bottom of my shirt and started to lift it up. I lifted my arms so that he would have easier access to getting it off of me. He kneeled in front of me, and in between my legs, so that we were at eye level.
Leaning in he started to pepper my face with kisses. I got impatient by reaching my hands up and pulled his lips to mine as I wrapped my legs around his waist to pull his body in closer. All of a sudden I started a tongue duel with him trying to show my dominance in kissing. He grabbed a hold of the sides of my face and asserted his dominance causing me to whimper in desire.
All too soon he was pulling away from the kiss and unwrapping my legs before standing up. I reached out to unbutton his jeans but he pushed my hands away from him. “Hold on Little One. I want this moment to last and be etched in your memory forever,” he said soothingly.
He sat back on his heels and started to take my sneakers off, one shoe at a time. I knew he was trying to make this special for me but I was so hard at that moment in time that I felt like I was going to break in half, and that was just from kissing him.
“Babe, you gotta hurry up. I’m dying here,” I whimpered.
“Shhh,” he whispered as he placed a finger on my lips. “Soon My Love. Soon”
He stood me up and started to unbuckle my belt before unbuttoning my jeans. I was really regretting wearing snug jeans at the moment because I felt so confined and couldn’t wait to get them off. He started to kiss along the waistband of my boxer briefs and right about now I wished I had grabbed my boxers instead because even though my jeans had been pulled down I was still confined and I could feel the precum that I was leaking. He pulled my jeans down my legs, trailed by kisses as he gently pushed be back onto the bed so that he could remove them leg by leg.
Jon stood up and slowly unbuttoned his jeans, letting them fall to the floor before stepping out of them. His boxers were severely tented and it started to concern me about how he was gonna fit inside of me, but I wasn’t about to let my fear guide me. I knew that he would never intentionally hurt me and I was sure that he would properly prepare me for entry.
He gestured for me to scoot to the middle of the bed. He leaned over me and started to reign kisses along my jaw, forehead, and eyelids. When I started to whimper he slowly made his way down the side of my neck to the juncture of my shoulder, nibbling on his mark causing me to moan wantonly. I felt like there was fire running through my veins and that it was about to consume me.
Moving down my chest he paid extra special attention to my nipples. Kissing and nibbling them, using his tongue to send shudders to ripple through my body. As soon as he realized the effect that he was having he moved down my chest, rubbing his hands along my ribcage causing sparks to erupt where his hands travelled.
He got to the waistband of my boxer briefs and seductively started to remove them with his teeth, my cock caught on the elastic only to be freed a minute later with a wet slap as my cock bounced straight back resting in the hollow between my abs. My back arched as I lifted my hips up to make it easier for him to slide them down my legs. As he was pulling them down, his moist, silky smooth lips trailed them down. He ran his hands over my sensitive thighs before grabbing ahold of my boxer briefs and pulling them down to my feet.
I was new to all of these feelings, the emotions being shared over our bond made me feel that I was going to be driven to madness with the love and care that my mate was showing me. I was starting to float on a cloud of lust causing me to desperately wanting my bear of a man inside of me but I just had a feeling that wasn’t going to be happening for a while.
He began to tease and tickle the sole of my foot with his warm breath, it took my mind off my painfully hard erection. He started to nibble on my toes causing me to gasp in utter delight. Who knew that your toes could cause such a reaction? I sure didn’t but I was going to file the information away for use later on.
Beginning to kiss his way up my calves, he licked and nibbled on the back of my knee causing me to buck and shake. I looked down to see his pitch black eyes were shining with absolute lust and desire. This was having just as much of an effect on him as it was on me. Jon lifted one leg and then the other, nipping the back of my quivering thighs coming to rest at my hip bones, inhaling deeply groaning in delight as he licked and nuzzled my crotch sending shivers up my spine.
I reached down and grasped his shoulders trying to get his attention to shift up to my face. I wasn’t sure what I wanted but I knew that I wanted him to hurry up because I didn’t know how much more of this I could take. He continued to nibble until he was at my bellybutton where he proceeded to delve his tongue as his hands grasped me by the hips to keep me from humping myself into his collar bone. After what felt like agonizing minutes he continued his journey upward, nibbling again on my nipples that had gotten rock hard thanks to his ministrations before going once again to his mark and up my neck before claiming my lips in a fiery kiss.
“What’s the matter, My Love?” Jon asked as I sucked air back into my lungs.
“You’re killing me, Baby. I can’t take much more of this.”
“You’re capable of more than you know. Just know that I want to bring you nothing but pleasure.” His lips claimed mine once more, his hand encircle my shaft and started to stroke me, he made light twisting motions as he stroked. I gasped into the kiss which he took advantage of sucking my tongue into his mouth, which caused me to elicit another moan in ecstasy.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his torso closer to me as I grabbed a handful of his silky, jet black hair. I could feel his hard length as it pushed against my thigh and again wondered how that was gonna fit inside of me, he felt like he had a steel pipe down there. Heaven help me but I wanted it inside of me and soon.
I finally decided that two could play this game and I used all my strength to flip us over so that I was straddling him. He looked surprised before his lips contoured into a broad grin, anticipating what was about to happen. I had broken our kiss before raining kisses all over his face as I felt him grasp my hips.
I ground my hips down into his and could feel that the front of his boxers were slick with precum. I kissed and nibbled my way to my mark which caused his to groan in pleasure. I moved quickly down on his chest to his nipples, licking and nibbling as I went. His nipples were as hard as pebbles begging for attention.
He moaned as he thrust upwards with his hips, I reached down, pushing him into the mattress to restrain his movement. I slowly continued teasing my way down to his belly button, darting my tongue in and out. My ass came in contact with his toes as I started to pepper kisses and nibbles across his hipbones and the side of his ass cheeks as I slowly pulled his boxers down his legs causing his cock to slap up against his stomach leaving a smear of precum. He flicked his feet upwards to bounce them against my ass.
I moved my hips side to side across the top of his feet before nibbling my way down his legs as I pulled his boxers off. I continued nibbling until I got to his toes where I started to lick and suck on them which caused him to moan in ecstasy before I moved back up his quivering legs.
I went back to his hips and could tell that it wouldn’t take much to send him over the edge but I wanted to torture him with pleasure like he had done to me. I nuzzled his crotch and could smell his musky aroma and it drove me crazy, it made me want him that much more. I just had to see if he tasted as good as he smelled and boy did he. I started at the base of his cock and licked my way to the tip, like a lollipop.
He let out an excited moan as I twirled my tongue around the tip of his glands, licking up the escaping precum. He had a slightly salty taste but it was all man and he was all MINE. I slid my hands slowly up his torso, rubbing his nipples on my way to his lips. He sucked the tip of my finger into his mouth as he swirled his tongue around before popping it back out.
I slipped the tip of his cock into my waiting mouth and went as far as I could before I started to gag. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to take his entire eight and a half inches into my mouth, it wasn’t so much the length but his massive six inch diameter cock, squeezed my throat to its limit. This made me realize just how much preparation would have to be done for me to be able to take him. I slid my finger back into his waiting mouth. His sucking motioned caused me to moan against his shaft which caused his hips to jerk, almost making me gag, I lifted my mouth to make sure that my teeth didn’t dig into him.
I licked my way back down his cock, down to where his musky smell was the most prominent, lapping slightly at his balls and the area just behind them causing him to moan with excitement. I tapped my finger gently on the entrance of his hole making him jump a little. He abruptly grabbed my shoulders and pulled me back up his chest, roughly claiming my mouth with his.
With a growl he flipped me over so that he was towering above me, trapping my cock in between us as he attacked my mouth with a frenzy. He pushed his hips down into me and I could feel his cock as it brushed against my balls causing me to shiver in delight. Suddenly he stopped, pulling up off the bed going over to the suitcase. I couldn’t see what he was getting but I had an amazing view of his muscular ass.
He came back to the bed and I could see a bottle with clear liquid in it, wasn’t sure what it was but I was looking forward to finding out. He set the bottle on the night stand as he climbed back into the bed crashing his lips into mine for a deep kiss. Jon pulled away from me panting heavily and leaned his forehead against mine.
“Babe, I love you so much that my heart feels like it’s about to burst.” He leaned forward and gave my forehead a chaste kiss. “Are you ready for this, Baby? I don’t want to intentionally hurt you.”
“Baby, I’ve never been surer of anything in my life.”
Moving down my lips he nibbled and kissed down the center of my chest, using his tongue to leave a slick trail south. He rubbed his hands along my ribcage again which caused me to buck slightly with lust. He continued even more south in between my abs and eventually to my forest of pubic hair. Looking up at me with those eyes so full of lust he continued south towards my cock, he licked up from the base of my cock to the tip and down the other side. However he continued tracing the vein on the underside of my cock over my balls, lapping at them slightly and having a deep inhale which caused him to moan and shudder slightly.
He readjusted my position so that I was on the end of the bed before he opened my legs further apart. He continued to trace the vein until he got to my hole. He looked up at me to make sure I was okay, I looked down and smiled at him through half closed eyes. Jon took this in haste and drove his tongue in deep, into my bud causing me to moan deeply as sparks flew through my body. I began to squirm through all the action he was giving me driving his tongue in deep making me moan with lust, I couldn't take much more of this. Jon was shivering with lust the feelings obviously being transferred through our bond. I whimpered "please" and he took my meaning that I was ready for him now, I just knew it as instinctively as I knew my wolf.
He reached for the bottle on the night stand and poured some onto his fingers before he inserted his first finger adding some lubrication to my open hole. My hole had already been opened up by his tongue and found little resistance. Jon probed his finger around my love tunnel until he found my sweet spot. He pressed and bounced his finger against my prostate and I gasped and moaned in pleasure at the pressure he was applying. He removed his first finger but immediately added a second, and then a third which had me writhing in my feelings, Jon was shivering himself in anticipation. I knew that he was just making sure that I was adequately prepared for him but I knew that if he didn’t hurry up I was gonna scream, this was torture.
I suddenly felt empty as he pulled his fingers out. When I looked at him I saw him grab the bottle of lube again but this time he added a generous portion to his rock hard cock that was dripping large amounts of precum. I felt the head at my entrance, when I looked into his eyes I could see that he wanted to make sure that I was ready so I briefly nodded my head.
I could feel myself stretched to the max and it was slightly uncomfortable but I knew that I was made just for Jon and I was glad that I had waited for this moment with him because it was such a special moment. What killed me was the fact that Jon went so slowly that it felt as if time had come to a complete stop.
“Babe, you’re killing me. Go faster!”
“I don’t want to hurt you, you’re SO TIGHT,” he growled.
“I’m not hurting, Baby. Please hurry,” I panted.
When it didn’t look like he was gonna do more than inch his way, I took it upon myself and pushed myself down until I felt completely fulfilled. Jon grabbed my hips to stop me from moving any further. He leaned over me and I could tell that he was trying to show restraint but at this point I just wanted him to fuck me.
Since I couldn’t lift my hips I wrapped my legs around his hips and pulled him the rest of the way into me. He just looked at me with disbelief that I was able to take all of him and that I wouldn’t let him enter slowly.
“Baby, I can’t believe how tight you are. It feels like I’m in a vise grip. If you don’t stop moving you’re gonna make me cum too soon.” He stopped moving to give me time to completely adjust to his size.
I looked into his eyes and could see the love that he felt for me reflecting back at me. “Baby, if you don’t get movin’ I’m gonna scream. Give it to me Big Boy!”
That was all it took, he leaned in to give me a passionate kiss while he started to slowly slide in and out of me. He went slow and steady until I couldn’t take it anymore and growled, “Move FASTER!”
I felt him slowly start to quicken his pace which caused my breath to come out in quick pants that were in time with his thrusts. He leaned down to kiss me before going to the crook of my neck and inhaling my scent. When he started to nuzzle at his mark I started to go crazy, it was so sensitive that it didn’t take much. Thankfully I could return the favor with him in this position and started to nuzzle and nip at my mark on him which caused him to speed up his thrust even more, so that his hips were snapping into me.
We were both moaning loudly as he pistoned in and out of me, hitting my prostate with every thrust. “HARDER, Babe!” He grabbed the headboard that was mounted to the wall, so hard that I heard it crack.
He made me feel like I was soaring with the emotions that were coming through the mate bond which was getting stronger with every minute that passed. I could feel that he was getting close but was trying to hold off so that I could climax with him. He reached one hand between us, grabbed my cock spreading the precum around to make it slicker as he started to stroke me. I could feel my own climax as it got closer and started to moan uncontrollably. He brought his head down to the crook of my neck, licking and nibbling the closer that we got to our climaxes.
“I’M CUMMING!!” I screamed just before I clamped my moth onto his shoulder as I emptied myself onto my stomach. Jon grunted and bit into my shoulder as I felt spurt after spurt hit deep within me.
We stayed in that position for several minutes as our breathing returned to normal before he pulled out with a slurp. He got up to grab a warm washcloth in order to clean us both up. He tossed it towards the bathroom before cuddling up to me. I laid my head on his shoulder and could hear his heart just thumping away, it felt as if it was beating in time with my own.
“I love you Baby,” he said as he rested his head against mine.
“I love you, too Babe,” I murmured into his chest before we both slipped into sleep, feeling completely sated and relaxed.
Chapter 10: Tim’s POV
I woke with Jon’s arms wrapped around me, feeling like I was home. I couldn’t believe the night that we had last night, to be able to finish our mating and feel complete for the first time in my life. I was sore, but I felt better than I had in my whole life. I really looked forward to seeing my dad and my friends again even though it hadn’t been very long since I had seen them last.
“Good morning, Baby,” Jon whispered while rubbing his hand through my hair.
“Morning, Babe.” I wrapped my arm a little tighter around Jon’s stomach, tucking my head under his chin. I could hear his heart beating in a rhythmic fashion that let me know that he was just as affected as I was by last night.
“You ready to get on the road?”
I leaned up and said, “Not really. I just want to lay here with you like this. I’m glad that we waited to really get to know each other before completing the mating.”
“Me too, Babe. Me too.”
I leaned up and pressed my lips to his, running my tongue along his lips trying to seek entrance. When Jon wouldn’t open I reached between us, tweaked his nipple causing him to gasp and slipped my tongue inside his mouth. However, he wasn’t going to let me dominate the kiss as he rolled over me.
“Are you sure? You’re not too sore are ya?”
“I’m sore, but not too sore for another round or two with you.” I grinned. He reached for the bottle of lube. I still couldn’t believe that we went at it four times last night, each time better than the last.
He quickly applied some lube to his fingers and his cock before lining up at my entrance. He slid in with very little resistance. He leaned in licking and nipping at his mating mark. He kissed his way up my neck to my jawline, over my eyelids, and finally getting to my mouth where he kissed me deeply. He came up for air as he started to rhythmically slide in and out causing me to moan with desire.
Steadily he built up the speed of his thrusts until the mattress was thumping the wall in a steady, heavy rhythm. We were both panting hard by that time and I could feel him getting bigger, if that was even possible.
All of a sudden he stopped and pulled out of me, and I whimpered in displeasure. I couldn’t believe that he just stopped like that. He bent down and took my straining erection into his warm, wet mouth.
I could’ve sworn he was trying to kill me by sensory overload because right before I was about to cum, he stopped in mid stroke. He nibbled his way along my pubic area until he came to my balls where he licked them, sucking them into his mouth one at a time before continuing towards my hole that felt void and was waiting for something to fill it.
“Baby, you’re driving me crazy,” I panted as he inserted one and then a second finger, proceeding to finger fuck me until I was moaning in ecstasy with my eyes closed.
A short time later he pulled his fingers out of my ass and added some more lube to his straining erection. As soon as he was lubed back up he ever so slowly reinserted himself into my waiting ass until I could feel his pubic hair against me.
When I opened my eyes, I could see the lust and passion in his eyes. I knew by just that look that he loved me as much as I loved him. He started moving slowly in and out until he had a steady rhythm, every so often he would speed up his thrusts just a little bit until he was slamming into me.
All of a sudden I felt my balls pull up into me just before I went off like a rocket. I could tell that Jon was close, I pulled his head down and smashed our lips together, lightly nipping at them. I could feel my canine teeth elongate before nipping hard enough to draw blood. I sucked on his bleeding lip which set him off because the next thing I knew he was spurting shot after shot inside of me.
As the spurts became less frequent, so did his thrusts until he came to a complete stop with his forehead leaning against mine.
“Damn, Baby that was intense,” he said as he slowly slid out of me while pulling me into his chest.
“I’m not sure I’m gonna be able to sit in the car for the next seven hours,” I said with a chuckle as I relaxed into his warm embrace.
“Do we need to get you a cushion?” I looked over my shoulder and could see that he was trying to keep a straight face but he lost the battle and started laughing. “You said you weren’t too sore.”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t mean that it won’t be a little uncomfortable for me.”
“Let’s get showered and dressed so that we can get on the road. We have to be checked out by noon, but I want to be a few hours away by that time.” Jon crawled out of bed and held his hand out to me to help me up.
Once I showered and dressed, I carried the bags out to the SUV while Jon went to the desk and checked us out of the room. By the time he got in the SUV, I had pulled out the map and was looking at the route that we were taking and trying to decide where we would pull over for lunch.
“How does Burger King sound for breakfast? I mean we are getting a later start than I had planned on.” Jon smirked at me.
“Oh, you know you had as much fun as I did,” I said as I lightly slapped him on the arm. “Burger King sounds fine. Let’s get it to go and then stop somewhere near Charleston for lunch.”
“Sounds like a plan Babe.” He started the SUV and we were off.
To save time we went through the drive thru at Burger King and we were soon on US-35 headed towards West Virginia. I just knew that I was going to doze off shortly after getting on the highway, but I was determined to keep my eyes open as long as possible.
***
I awoke to the sound of my phone ringing. “Hello.”
“Wakey, Wakey Tim.” Jeremy chuckled.
“You know how I am on long trips.” I pouted.
“I know buddy, just wanted to check in and see how far out you guys are from us.”
“Hang on let me check.” I turned to Jon and asked, “Hey Babe, whereabouts are we?”
“We’ve crossed into West Virginia headed towards Charleston.” He reached over and took my hand in his, rubbing circles into the back of my hand.
“Hear that Jeremy? We’re in West Virginia and headed towards Charleston. We should be pulling over for lunch here soon.”
“Ok cool, just give your dad a call when you have crossed into Virginia so that he will know when to meet you in Waynesboro,” Jeremy commented before I heard a voice in the background call out. “Don’t tell him the other part yet!”
“Who was that and what aren’t you supposed to tell me?” I questioned.
“That was Tony and I don’t know what he’s talking about. We’re all over here packing up your dad’s house so that you won’t be separated from Jon for very long.”
“What do you mean separated from Jon?!” I demanded.
“Well, you do know that he’s not allowed in the territory right?”
“Well, yeah, but I don’t plan on being separate from him.”
“So you’re not going to come do any of the packing?” he asked.
“Damn, forgot about that. This is gonna be hard because I don’t want to be away from him. Like I don’t want him out of my sight. That’s weird for me, I know.”
“You must’ve completed the mating then.”
“Yeah, last night. How’d you know?”
“That is one of the side effects to a recent mating, or so I’ve heard,” chuckled Jeremy.
“Thanks a lot Bubba. You will find out for yourself soon enough. We’ll see you soon, say hi to the gang for me.”
“Will do. It’ll be good to see you again, even though you’ve only been gone a short time this time.”
“Later buddy.” I heard the click in my ear signaling that Jeremy had hung up.
I couldn’t wait to introduce Jon to all of my friends. I just know that they will absolutely love him. I just wished that I would be able to show him around where I grew up.
“You ready for lunch, Babe?” I turned and looked at Jon when I heard his voice, but before I could answer my stomach decided to make itself known and answered for me by growling loudly. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he chuckled.
“Yeah Babe, I’m hungry.”
“How does KFC sound?”
“Sounds good to me.” Jon flicked on the turn signal and started to exit the highway at the next exit.
***
We returned to the road after stopping for about an hour while we ate lunch. I knew that it would only be a couple more hours until we pulled into the hotel that Dad had reserved for us. Knowing Dad, he would be taking us out to dinner before we headed back to the house to get the packing finished up so that we could head out as quickly as possible. I still could not believe Alpha Jefferson was not allowing Jon to enter the territory just because he’s a bear.
After eating, we returned to the SUV, where I got my e-reader out of my bag hoping that it would keep me awake the rest of the way to Waynesboro. I scrolled through my books before deciding on Impractical Magic by M.J. O’Shea.
***
“Babe, you better call your Dad and let him know that we’re in Virginia.” I was so lost in the book that I hadn’t been paying attention to road signs and had not seen the Welcome to Virginia sign.
I pulled out my phone and dialed my Dad.
“Hello,” he answered the phone.
“Hey Dad. Just wanted to let you know that we’ve crossed into Virginia and should be in Waynesboro in a couple of hours.”
“Good to know, Son. Everything going ok with you guys?”
“Yeah, Dad, everything’s great,” I softly chuckled.
“Alright, well I will see you in a couple of hours.”
“See ya soon, Dad.” I heard a soft click as he hung up.
“So you ready to meet everyone?” I turned to look at Jon.
“I’m actually kind of nervous. There’s a part of me that is fine with meeting your dad in person, but then there’s the part of me that is concerned that he’s not going to like me when he actually meets me face to face.”
“You’ll be fine. Dad already sees you as another son. I just wish you could come into town with us so that you can meet my friends. I’m sorry my Alpha is being such a homophobic asshole.”
“It’s not your fault. There are those out there who will never accept us and there’s nothing that we can do about it except to just be ourselves.” Jon reached over, grabbed my hand and simply held it while he drove.
***
The next couple of hours flew by and the next thing I knew we were pulling off the highway and turning into the parking lot of the hotel. I quickly looked around and spotted my dad parked close to the lobby door. What I wasn’t expecting was the dark blue Dodge Charger that was parked next to him.
As soon as they saw us my friends piled out of Jeremy’s car. “Babe, looks like you’ll be meeting my friends after all.”
“Oh boy, let’s do this. I’m positive that once I meet everyone my nerves will settle down.” When I turned and looked at him I noticed that he was rubbing his hands on the legs of his jeans.
“Babe, it’ll be fine. I’m gonna be right there next to you,” I said as I gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.
“Thanks, Hun. Knowing that you will be there with me, I know everything will be fine.” He turned the ignition off and we both climbed out of the SUV to go and meet everyone.
All of a sudden I was in the middle of a group hug as my buddies ran over to me and grabbed a hold of me. When I heard the growl I knew that I needed to comfort my mate.
“Babe, it’s ok; they’re not going to hurt me.” I extracted myself from my friends and pulled Jon into a hug.
I could tell that it was taking everything in him not to pull the guys off of me. I guess the guys also noticed this because they quickly took a step back while I tried to calm Jon down. As he finally calmed down, Dad made his way over to us.
“Hello Sir, it’s a pleasure to meet you in person.” Jon held his hand out to Dad, but instead of shaking Jon’s hand he pulled him into a hug.
“Hello Jon, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m glad that Tim has finally found you. Welcome to the family."
“Babe, I would like you to meet Jeremy, Tony, Jason, and Justin. They are my four closest friends.” It was then that I noticed a guy just standing next to Jeremy’s car. “Hey, Jer, who’s that?” I asked.
“That is my mate Alex.”
“Well, do I get to meet him or is he just going to stand over there?”
“He wanted to give us some time to say hi; plus, he’s a little nervous to meet you guys.”
“Well, have him come over. I want to meet him.” Jeremy waved the young man over.
“Tim, Jon, I would like you to meet my mate Alex from the Lonestar pack in Texas.” He turned to Alex and said, “This is my best friend Tim and his mate Jon.”
“He’s a bear,” Alex replied.
“Yeah, he is, but he’s a teddy bear,” I chuckled.
“I’m sorry that sounded very rude. I have nothing against bears, I was just surprised to see one mated to a wolf.”
“It’s ok Alex, we are used to the shock that people show when they realize it. It’s nice to meet you.” I shook Alex’s hand.
“Yes, it’s good to meet you Alex,” Jon said as he reached out to shake his hand.
“The pleasure is mine. I’ve heard so much about you Tim; it’s good to finally meet you,” chuckled Alex.
Dad pulled out a room key and handed it to Jon. “I’m sorry the Alpha is being a prick about letting you into the territory. I got you a room for the night because I know my son and he will not tolerate being separated from you for very long. In fact I figure he will spend most of the night packing and will come back here as soon as he’s done.”
“I’m sure you’re right Jasper, especially now that the mating has been completed.”
I felt my cheeks burst with heat and knew that I had gone as red as a tomato. “JON!! I can’t believe you just said that!” I slapped him on the arm; he just chuckled at me causing the rest of the guys to chuckle as well.
“Babe, it’s not like they didn’t already know. I’m sure that’ve been able to smell me on you already.”
“Doesn’t mean that it needs to be vocalized. I mean, Come On!” I pouted.
“Aww, Babe, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you,” Jon said as he pulled me into a hug and kissed me on the temple.
“Ok, all embarrassment behind us, let’s go get some dinner before we head back to the house to finish packing,” suggested Dad.
Jon and I rode with Dad to the Wood Grill Buffet for dinner. I’ve missed eating here, the food is really good, plus it’s a buffet so we could eat as much as we wanted; after all seven of us were werewolves and then don’t forget about the bear.
“So Jon, what do you do?” asked Jeremy.
“I have been travelling across the country, so I’m unemployed at the moment, but I have an English degree with a minor in education. So once we are settled in I will be trying to get a position at one of the local schools. While I was on the road I would do odd jobs helping people out in the clans that I visited.”
“Well it’s good to know that you aren’t afraid of hard work,” Jeremy replied.
“Guys, I know you mean well, but is it really necessary to give him the third degree?” I chuckled.
“But Tim, it’s so much fun to see him squirm,” laughed Tony.
“Babe, it’s ok. They’re just looking out for you. It shows how much they care about you.”
“What age group do you want to teach?” questioned Alex.
“I’ve not really thought about it but with my English degree I would probably teach high school English.”
“I have my teaching degree and when I get home I will be looking for teaching positions in either the high school or middle school. Not really sure which I would prefer more,” .
“So have the rest of you found your mates yet?”
“No we haven’t. I’m thinking of travelling like you guys to go looking for my mate,” stated Tony.
“Me too,” said Zack.
“Do you think your mate will be a wolf? Or is it possible for it to be another shifter species?” Jon asked.
“I would hope she’s a wolf, but wouldn’t have an issue with her being another type of shifter,” replied Tony.
“Same here,” replied Nathan and Zack in unison.
“Well guys, why don’t you come with us and then fly home? We’re gonna need an extra driver to drive Tim’s car. That way each vehicle will have two people to help with the driving responsibilities,” suggested Dad.
“That’s a great idea Dad. That will give us a chance to spend some time together while we’re on the road”
“Jasper, that’s a good idea but I can’t afford a plane ticket back,” said Justin.
“That’s fine, since you boys would be doing me a favor I have no problem with paying for your tickets home as my way of saying thank you.”
“But, Sir, I can’t accept that. Besides my parents won’t let me do it just because Tim’s mate is male. Ever since they found out that Tim’s gay they have not wanted me to be friends with him. If they found out that his mate is a bear they would be even more adamant that I should cut my ties with him. They don’t understand how you can be so accepting of him being gay,” protested Justin.
“Then just tell them that you are helping me move and that I’m paying for your help,” Dad suggested with a smile.
“That could work, Sir.” Justin smiled back and continued eating.
“What about you two? Can you come too?”
“Sure, especially if I take some time to go to a couple of packs to look for my mate. My parents would be thrilled if this trip led to me finding my mate,” replied Jason.
“My parents would also be happy if I can find my mate, but I don’t know if they would be happy if he was from a different shifter species,” said Tony.
“Wait, did you just say ‘he’?” I questioned.
He turned a little red in the face before he nodded and shyly said, “Yeah.”
I looked at Jon and just shook my head. Tony had never given any indication that he was gay. I had to admit that I was a little bit hurt that he didn’t feel like he could tell me this. I guess I must have a strange look on my face because he looked away from me and it broke my heart.
“Tony, it’s ok. I just wish you would have told me so that I could help you through your feelings.”
“I know but I wasn’t willing to admit it because my parents would disown me if they ever found out.”
“Well, why don’t you join us and move to Washington? I’m sure that alpha Jeff will welcome you into the pack with open arms. In fact, let me give him a call just to make sure,” I suggested as I pulled out my phone.
The phone rang four times when I heard the phone answered, “Hello.”
“May I speak with Alpha Jeff?” I asked.
“This is he,” he replied.
“Alpha Jeff, this is Tim Collins. I was in your territory a couple of weeks ago.”
“Ah, yes. Hi Tim, how are you and Jon doing?” he asked.
“We’re good, Sir. I wanted to touch base with you because I just found out that one of my friends is gay and his parents will disown him when they find out. Would it be possible for him to move there as well as my Dad?”
“That would be fine. Would you mind if I speak to him for a minute?”
“Sure, let me hand him the phone. Just a second.” I handed the phone to Tony and said, “Here talk to Alpha Jeff.”
He took the phone and said, “Hello, Sir…My name is Tony…Yes, Sir, they will disown me for sure. They have already voiced their displeasure over me being friends with Tim when they found out that he's gay…Uh huh...Sure…Ok, then we will see you in a few days. Thank you so much.” He handed the phone back to me with a grin and said, “Thank you Tim. It looks like I’m moving with you.”
“Awesome! Dad is there going to be room in the moving truck for some of his stuff?” I asked.
“Sure there is, and since his Jeep gets the worst gas mileage, let’s put on a car carrier behind the moving truck. That way we can pack that if we need to,” Dad suggested.
“Tony, why don’t you and Justin head to your house and pack up the things that you absolutely can’t live without, while we head to my house and get started there?” I suggested.
“That sounds like a sound plan to me; Jon are you ok with Tim driving your SUV to the house and packing it up?” Dad asked.
“If he needs to that is fine with me. What time do you want me ready in the morning?”
“I was thinking we could head out about nine o’clock if everyone is agreeable,” Dad suggested as he looked around the table to see all of us nodding our heads yes. “Alright, then lets head out so we can take Jon back to the hotel so we can head to the house before it gets too late and get started,”
***
After dropping Jon off, I followed Dad back to the house. I was thankful that Tony decided to ride with me so that we could do some one on one talking.
“So Tony, when did you figure it out?”
“I guess I’ve always known, but knew that I could never come out to my parents because of their views. I didn’t want to lie to you guys, but I also didn’t want it getting back to my parents on accident. I know that you guys would not have let it slip, it just scared me.”
“Are you ok with us knowing now?”
“Yeah, because I’ll be leaving in the morning. I’m gonna leave them a note letting them know what is going on but I can’t live a lie anymore. Besides I know that my mate isn’t here, so if going to Washington will bring me closer to my mate I will go.”
“It’ll be good to have you there.”
“I will be glad to be able to be myself and not have to put on a front for my parents. I just don’t know what I’m gonna do for work.”
I flicked on the turn signal and exited the highway when we reached Charlottesville. I had missed being here even if I wasn’t gone for very long this time, but what I had missed most was my friends and my Dad. I hurt to leave the meadow where my Mom and sister were buried, but the move would be good for all of us. I was soon pulled into the driveway and noticed that we were the last to arrive.
“Thanks for talking with me, Tim.”
“You’re welcome, Bud; that’s what friends are for.” We climbed out of the SUV and headed into the house.
“Tony, you and Justin head over to your house and get things packed up so that we are ready to go in the morning,” said Dad.
“Ok, there’s not much that I’m gonna be taking with me so we should be back fairly soon. Let’s head out Justin,” stated Tony.
They got in Tony’s car and headed out to his house. I looked at Dad and just shook my head because Tony still had some reservations about leaving his parents.
“Hey Dad, I’m gonna go for a quick run. Want to go say bye to Mom and Tina.”
“Alright, Son. I understand.” He clasped me on the shoulder before turning and heading into the house with Jason, Jeremy, and Alex following behind him.
I went into the woods and stripped down, tying my jeans to my leg before I shifted and took off for the meadow.
***
I slipped on my jeans just in case someone came around while I talked to Mom and Tina. “I found my mate, Mom. You would love Jon, he’s like my own personal teddy bear. He truly loves me. I wanted to come and say goodbye because I am moving to Spokane, Washington tomorrow morning. So, unfortunately, I won’t be able to come and see you guys anymore. Dad will also be moving because he doesn’t want to live in a pack that won’t allow his son’s mate to come and see him; all because Alpha Jackson refuses to accept that my mate is a male, as well as a bear. I miss you guys so much. I love you both and will always carry you in my heart.”
I wiped my eyes before I got ready to head back to the house. I wanted to get everything packed and head back to the hotel before it got too late. I already missed Jon and we hadn’t been apart that long.
“Dad, I’m back. What still needs to be packed?”
“Well, your room still needs to be done, along with the kitchen, and my office. Alex and Jeremy are working on the kitchen. Jason is going to help me with the office. The only big things that are left are your bed, dresser, desk, and my desk that is in the office.”
“Ok, where are the boxes?”
“I had Jason put some boxes and tape in your room so you should be good to go.”
“Got it. I will be upstairs if you need me.” I headed upstairs to get started on my packing.
When I got to my room, I turned on the radio to listen to some music as I got started with my packing. I found several boxes sitting on my bed along with a thing of packing tape and a black marker. I noticed that my bed had already been stripped, which was good because I didn’t want to have to move dirty sheets.
I decided the easiest would be to start with my clothes. Soon I found my rhythm going and was dancing around my room while I packed. I was so lost in the music that I didn’t notice Tony standing in my doorway until I heard some clapping. When I saw him I was embarrassed because I never let anyone see me dance because I have absolutely no rhythm, but I like to move to music even if it looks funny to everyone else.
“Hey man, we’re back. Need some help?” he asked.
“Yeah could you start taking these boxes down to Jon’s SUV?”
“Sure, no problem. Zack is helping your Dad andNathan is in his office getting all his files boxed up.” He grabbed the nearest box and headed downstairs.
I then started packing my desk and pictures from my dresser. I came to one of the last pictures that I had taken with Mom before she died. We were sitting on the porch swing and I had my head on her stomach listening to my little sister move around. I stood there looking at the picture when Dad cleared his throat.
I looked up with tears in my eyes, “I still miss her so much.”
“I know Son, I do too. You will never not miss her, but it will get easier in time. I think this move is why these feelings are surfacing again. You know that she loved you and that she is watching out for you from above.”
“Yeah, I know. I just wish she could’ve met Jon. I think she would’ve liked him.”
“I think so too. She would’ve said that as long as you were happy she would be too.” He pulled me into a hug. There are those times when you just need your parent and this was one of those times.
“Well, I just need to get these pictures packed and then I’m done. Let’s get the guys to start getting the bed downstairs and by the time that is done these will all be packed up.”
“Alex, Jeremy, can you come up here?” called Dad.
“Right here, Boss.” Jeremy snapped off a salute, which caused us to all break up with laughter.
“You’re a dork, Jer,” I laughed.
“You looked like you could use a laugh so I aim to please.” They pulled the mattress off and headed downstairs. Next thing I knew Zack and Tony were coming in to grab the box springs.
I quickly cleared off the dresser so they could grab that next before moving on to the pictures on the wall and my desk. Within thirty minutes my room was clear of all furniture and boxes. I took one last look at what had been my room for twenty one years and said goodbye. With the SUV loaded and the house packed, I headed back to the hotel to get some sleep before we headed out in the morning after breakfast.
***
Morning came all too soon for me. I arrived at the hotel at around midnight and Jon had set the alarm for seven to give us both time to get a shower and dressed before Dad and the guys got there to go to breakfast so that we could get on the road fairly early because we had approximately twenty five hundred miles. This was going to be one long trip to caravan.
We were on the road by nine thirty, heading towards West Virginia with Dad in the lead with the moving truck as it was the slowest moving vehicle in our group. Since I was still groggy from last night I put my pillow against the window and went to sleep for the next few hours.
***
I woke up when I felt the SUV change speeds and slow down. I looked around, but couldn’t tell where we were.
“Where are we Babe?”
“We just entered Huntington. Dad signaled that he needed to exit.”
We pulled into a gas station and we all decided to top off our gas tanks, along with getting some drinks and snacks for the trip. It was also a good bathroom stop. While Jon went inside to use the bathroom, I started pumping the gas while I waited.
Nathan came over and asked, ”Enjoy your nap?”
“Yeah, I actually did. By the time I got back to the hotel and was so exhausted that I just fell onto the bed. I’ve gotten to where I hate driving plus I missed Jon. I felt like there was a part of me missing the whole time we were apart.”
“I bet. I wish I would meet my mate. Mom and Dad said that since I was going to be in Washington I should go ahead and look for my mate before I head back home.”
“Well, at least they’re ok with that. I’m worried about Tony though. I know he loves his parents and with having to leave before being disowned has to be hard on him.”
“Yeah, it is. I’ve tried talking to him, but he doesn’t want to talk about it.”
“Maybe he and I should ride together, since he is driving my car and all.”
“NO! Absolutely not,” growled Jon from behind me, causing me to jump.
“Jon, you scared me!” I exclaimed once my heart calmed down a little bit.
“You will not be in a confined space with an unmated male if I am not with you,” he snarled.
I knew that I had to get him to calm down, so I pulled him into my arms and held him tight. “Babe, it’s ok. I’m not leaving you but I do need to talk to Tony privately.”
“Not happening, unless you talk to him here. I’m sorry but no.”
“Why are you being so opinionated and adamant about this?” I asked dumbfounded.
“Son, you’re not going to win this one. It tends to happen with newly mated males. You probably don’t feel it as much because he is the more dominant male. Would you feel better if I talk to Tony? He can ride in the truck with me, leaving Nathan and Zack to ride together.” A light bulb went off over my head and I suddenly understood.
“Oh god, I’m so stupid! Of course. Babe, I am so sorry; can you forgive me?”
“Baby, you just can’t be by yourself with an unmated male. I’m sorry but it can’t happen.”
“Don’t you trust me?” I asked.
“Of course I trust you; but I don’t know Tony other than meeting him last night. I’m sure he’s a great guy and all. Right now I just don’t trust any unmated male, females either for that matter.”
“Ok, Dad if you would ride with Tony I would appreciate it. I know that he’s got to have a lot on his mind right now and he needs a parental figure to talk to about what is going on with him.”
“I will. Go be with your man and get him calmed down.” I pulled Jon to me and tucked my head under his chin, just to let him know that I was there, not going anywhere.
He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a kiss on the top of my head. I knew then that everything was going to be ok.
Once everyone was ready we all loaded up and followed the moving truck back to the highway, being safely on our way once again. This time though I decided to stay awake so I took over the driving duties for a little while. I knew that Jon hadn’t slept well until I got back to the hotel, so I knew that he could use a nap, which is exactly what he did.
This gave me some time to think about what we were going to be walking into when we got back to Washington. I knew that one of the Beta’s wouldn’t like having Jon live amongst the pack but I also knew that Alphas Jeff and James were going to have our backs. I was very thankful that Tony had decided to be himself and move out there with us. I knew I would miss Jason and Justin, as well as Jeremy. I think I will miss Jeremy the most with me moving to Moose Lake and him to Corsicana.
***
I was so lost in my thoughts and worries that I didn’t notice Jon waking up next to me. “Babe, you ok?”
Startled, I looked at him before I replied, “Yeah, was just doing some thinking; enjoy your nap?”
“Yeah, I did. I didn’t realize just how tired I was until I sat in this seat and we were underway. Thank you for taking over the driving, I really needed that nap.”
“No problem, Baby. We’re a team and that’s what teammates do, we look out for each other.” I reached over and grabbed his hand, just to hold it.
“Where are we?” he asked.
“We’re on I-90 W heading towards Chicago. We should be pulling over soon for dinner.” Almost as soon as I said that my phone started to ring. “Babe can you grab that for me?” I pointed to the cup holder in the console.
He answered the phone and said, “Tim’s phone…Hey Jasper…Ok, see ya in a few and I will let him know…Bye.”
“Obviously that was Dad. What’s up?”
“He wanted to give us the heads up that we are taking the next exit and pulling off for dinner.”
“Ok, cool. My stomach is starting to rumble and yours was rumbling in your sleep.” I saw the exit coming up so I flipped on the turn signal and followed the two vehicles in front of me off the highway.
***
An hour later we were back on the road with a switch of drivers. Dad’s plan had been for us to drive straight through, while I didn’t feel that we needed to rush; he felt that it was important for us to get there. However, we would have to make one overnight stop because not all of the vehicles had two people in them. Wet hadn’t decided whether to go straight to Moose Lake or visit Jon’s parent’s house first.
I voted for getting settled first. Alpha Jeff had been kind enough to set us up in two houses. Jon’s and mine has been temporarily furnished except for the bedroom since we had that furniture. Tony would be staying with Dad until he felt comfortable enough in the area to move into his own place.
We had been on the road for about an hour when Jon said, “Babe, can you call your Dad and let him know that we need to stop for gas?”
“Sure thing.” I grabbed my phone and dialed Dad’s phone.
When Tony answered it I was surprised. “Hey Tim. What’s up we just left the restaurant?”
“Jon just looked at the gas tank and feels we should stop for gas and snacks.”
I could hear him talking to my dad, when he came back on the phone and said, “We'll pull off at the next exit so that we can all top off and pick up some snacks.”
“Sounds good to me, I will let Jon know. Can you call Nathan, as well as Zack and let them know what the plan is?”
“Sure can, enjoy your time with your man.” He chuckled before I heard the click that signaled he had hung up.
“We’re gonna pull off at the next exit and they are letting Jason, along with Justin, know the plan.”
“Awesome; I could use some caffeine right about now,” he said with a chuckle.
“Me too, plus something to snack on to keep me awake so that I can keep you awake.”
We soon saw the turn signals come on and knew that we prepared to exit the highway. All four vehicles pulled into the Shell station. As the drivers jumped out to start pumping the gas, Tony and I ran inside the store to make a bulk purchase of sodas, chips, pretzels, and candy to be split up amongst the vehicles. Within twenty minutes we were fueled and loaded with snacks being able to quickly get back on the road.
Four hours later we started to exit the highway to stop for the rest of the night. I couldn’t speak for everyone, but Jon and I were exhausted so I was pretty sure that everyone else was too. Sure enough while Dad went in to get the rooms I looked at Nathan and Zack and saw that they both looked absolutely exhausted. I felt bad because they hadn’t had anyone to relieve them from driving.
Dad came back with two room keys and I was a little confused until he handed one to me before turning to the guys and said, “Jon and Tim have a room and you three are bunking with me. Our room has two full beds and a sleeper sofa. I don’t think any of us want to share a room with them.” Of course the guys thought that was hilarious and to be honest so did we.
“Alright, Dad; you’re so funny.” I chuckled.
“Well, would you want to share a room with a newly mated couple and not have your mate?”
“I know, I know. You’ll find any reason to bust my chops, won’t ya?”
“Of course I would. What kind of father would I be if I didn’t?” he chuckled.
The way he has been so accepting of not only my mate being a man but also a bear makes me really glad that I was not moving across the country from him and that he had come too. I was also really glad that he stood up for me and Jon with Alpha Jefferson. I just hope Zack and Nathan weren’t going to be in a lot of trouble for helping us move.
Jon grabbed our bags and headed off to our room. I noticed that we were right next to Dad’s room and that made me a little self-conscious. I mean who wants their parents to hear them having sex? Definitely not me; it’s bad enough that he knows that I’ve had sex, it just freaks me out and makes me embarrassed. As Jon unlocked the door he looked at me and chuckled.
“I know what you’re thinking.”
“Oh, really? What’s that big guy?”
“You’re anxious about your dad hearing us doing stuff, aren’t you?”
“Well, yeah there is that, but also the guys too. I guess you could say I’m a prude but I don’t like people knowing what goes on in our bedroom.”
“I know, Babe. We’ll do our damnedest to keep it down tonight. Just think as of tomorrow we will have our own place and we’ll be able to be as loud as we want.”
“Ummm, Babe you do realize that wolves have excellent hearing and that they would probably be able to hear us even being outside the house?”
“Damn, hadn’t thought about that. Ya know what I don’t care. If they have an issue with me loving my mate then they can kiss my ass.” He dropped our bags and pulled me into a hug.
I could hear what was going on next door and it made me nervous. I could hear all the guys laughing and whispering; couldn’t make out what they were saying though because of the whispers.
I guess Jon could see the anxiety on my face because he leaned in and gave me a quick peck on the lips, which led to several pecks before he locked his lips to mine in a passionate kiss. He grabbed my hips and pulled them into him as he probed my mouth with his tongue causing me to moan.
When he ended the kiss he took a step away from me and started to untuck my shirt before sliding it up my arms taking it off me quickly.
“Babe, I don’t know if I can do this with them in the next room.”
“Tim, it’ll be ok. I don’t want to pressure you and if you say stop, we stop. I love that you’re my shy guy and I wouldn’t change that for the world. I love you.” He leaned in and kissed me again.
I don’t know what it is about his kisses but they tend to make me forget about everything else that is going on so that I can focus completely on him and him alone.
I felt his hands run down my sides to my hips. It wasn’t long before I felt my jeans come open and his hands running along my waist. He slipped his hands inside the waist of my boxer briefs and ran them around to my back. His right hand slipped lower until he grasped my ass causing me to let out a moan.
“You like that Babe?” he whispered in my ear. All I could do was nod my head as I felt his other hand grasp the other butt cheek pulling me closer to him.
I slid my hands under the hem of his shirt and began to rub my hands all over his back as he leaned down and claimed my lips once more. I dropped my hands and grabbed the hem of the shirt and started to slowly lift it up his torso before breaking the kiss so that I could remove his shirt.
Once his shirt was off, I leaned in and flicked my tongue across his left nipple. When I felt him shudder I moved over to the other side. While I was licking and nipping at that nipple I was rubbing the other between my fingers to keep it hard as a pebble. He couldn’t hold back the shudders, so I eased away from his nipples while grabbing his hips and pulling him into me.
“Babe, you’re killing me,” he groaned.
“Oh no, can’t have you dying on me yet. You wanted me to forget they’re next door and now you’re gonna live up to your unspoken promise,” I said as I unsnapped and unzipped his jeans. I slid my hand under his waist band and reached behind him to cup his nice bublebutt; he had plenty there to grab onto.
I kneeled in front of him, grabbed the waistband of his jeans and boxers before starting to slide them down his muscular legs. When I got down to his feet I lifted each foot and slid his sneakers off before having him step out of his jeans. His socks quickly followed.
His rock hard cock had slapped against his belly and I could see a drop of precum glistening against his stomach where his cock had hit. I leaned forward and inhaled the musky scent that was uniquely him before sliding my tongue along the underside of his cock going to the tip.
I swirled my tongue around his tip, licking up the precum that was building there before engulfing him into my mouth causing him to groan with pleasure.
As I was bobbing up and down his shaft, he stilled my head and gestured for me to stand up, which I was happy to do. He grabbed ahold of the waistband of my jeans I kicked my shoes off. He knelt down sliding my jeans down my legs as he went. I grabbed onto his shoulders and lifted each foot so that he could slide my jeans off them, followed by my socks.
He started to nuzzle me at the base of my hard and leaking cock. I could hear him take a deep breath and when he released it I felt his warm breath glide across my skin. He grabbed onto my hips as he licked my cock from the base to the tip where he immediately engulfed me into his warm, moist mouth. It felt heavenly to me and I couldn’t help but let out a moan.
He worked my cock and when I felt my balls tighten up I knew that it wouldn’t be long before I would blow. He must have sensed this because he suddenly pulled off of me causing me to let out a frustrated groan. He stood up and pulled me over to the bed. After he sat me down on the bed he went over to his bag to grab the lube.
He came back to the bed to find that I had moved all the way to the top of the bed with my legs stretched out in front of me. He tossed me the bottle before climbing on the bed and crawling up to where I sat.
Leaning in he gave me a passionate kiss with his hands on either side of my face and his tongue demanding entry. Our tongues battled for dominance but I knew that I would never win unless he let me but it sure was fun trying.
He pulled away and we were both breathing fairly heavily. He scooted to the middle of the bed and grabbed the bottle of lube. All of a sudden he grabbed my legs and pulled me down the bed until I was laying down flat, he bent my legs at the knees until my feet were flat on the bed.
Opening the now well used bottle of lube, he poured some onto to his fingers where he rubbed it around to warm it up. Once it was warmed up he took his finger and slowly started to tap at my entrance before slowly sliding his finger inside of me. He felt around until he hit that sweet spot causing me to moan in pleasure.
After a short while he removed his finger and added some more lube before he inserted two fingers. He twisted and scissored his fingers to open me up and get me ready for him. He soon added a third finger.
By that time, I was moaning and pleading for him to “Fuck me.” I didn’t care who heard me or what they thought because I was in ecstasy and only wanted more.
All of a sudden I felt empty and when I opened my eyes I saw him kneeling there in all his glory, with his cock jutting out in front of him. He poured some lube into my hands so that I could lube him up.
I took his cock into my slick hand and started to slowly stroke him. After a few strokes he removed my hand, grabbing my legs to settle them on his shoulders and lined up at my entrance. I felt his head tapping at the door and relaxed my muscles so that he could gain easy entrance.
As he started to slip in I felt the burn of being stretched. He got in just a little bit before he stopped to let me get accustomed to his size. When I nodded my head he slipped just a little bit further into me.
I knew that he wanted to take it easy on me and to be gentle but I wanted him all the way inside of me and I wanted it right then and there. As he pushed in, I pushed down so that he was fully inside of me. Once he was fully sheathed he held his position so that I could adjust to him completely.
He started to slowly move within me. I could feel him as he slid over that sweet spot, hitting it with each and every thrust. He gradually sped up until the bed was slapping the wall in time with his thrusts. Periodically I would tighten my muscles around him as he thrust in, causing him to moan in delight.
I lifted myself up on my elbows and claimed his lips with my own. He slid my legs off his shoulders and around his waist before wrapping his arms around my back and shifting so that he was seated with me on his lap, which caused the position of his cock to shift just a little bit, earning a moan from me.
He slid his legs out to the side so that I straddled his lap and wrapped my arms around his shoulders.
“Babe, ride me,” he said before claiming my lips once more.
I wanted him to be comfortable so I pulled off him, and had him scoot to where he was leaning against the wall with his legs in front of him and not at a crazy angle out to the side. Once he was in position I straddled his lap once again and slowly lowered myself down on to his cock. My ass was nestled into his hips when I wrapped my arms around him and started to slowly raise and lower myself building up to a steady rhythm. He started to nuzzle my shoulder where his mark sits, licking and nipping at it.
I could feel myself getting close, so I would tighten around him as I went up, rocking my hips back and forth. I leaned my head in and rested it against his shoulder. I could hear his breathing change to where there was a slight hitch in his breath on each stroke. I could feel my teeth starting to elongate and knew that it was only a matter of time before I was going to erupt from the constant friction of rubbing my cock across his abdomen. Jon met me with one last thrust as he latched onto my shoulder and he emptied inside of me. I was just a second behind him when I erupted between us and latched onto his shoulder.
I don’t know how long we sat there trying to catch our breath but I loved every minute of it. Once our breathing had regulated, I lifted myself off his lap with a slurp, which cussed both of us to chuckle.
“I love you,” I said before I quickly ran to the bathroom and got a warm washcloth to clean both of us off. As soon as we were cleaned up we crawled under the covers with Jon spooned up behind me and his right arm wrapped around me holding me close to him. We were soon fast asleep.
Chapter 11: Tim’s POV
I woke to someone pounding on our hotel door. “Come on Tim, get your butt out of bed and let’s get a move on!” shouted Jason.
I groaned and looked at my handsome mate who was also just waking up. When he saw me looking at him he smiled and said, “Good morning, Baby.”
“Good morning,” I replied as I leaned over for a kiss.
“We need to get cleaned up and down to the vehicles so that we can get on the road. We are almost there.” He got up out of bed and swapped me on the ass as he headed for the bathroom.
We decided that we didn’t have time for any playtime that morning so we just quickly washed up and dressed. When we walked to the cars everyone grinned and laughed at us. This only caused my face to flush red and try to hide my face into Jon’s chest. In the pleasure the previous night I had forgotten that they were right next door and had heard everything.
“Let’s load up,” said Dad as he and Tony headed for the moving truck.
“Jason, why don’t you and Justin ride together and I will drive my car for this next leg of the trip,” I suggested.
“Sounds good to me. Are you sure you want to part from your sexy bear?” Jason asked with a chuckle.
“Yeah, I think I can handle it. At the next stop one of you can take over and I will ride with Jon again.”
***
We switched drivers after about five hours when we stopped for lunch. I went back to Jon’s SUV, Jason took over driving my car, Tony took over driving the moving truck, and Justin drove Dad’s car.
By eleven o’clock that night we were pulling into Pacific Northwest territory. I was nervous and excited at the same time. I was excited about my Dad moving here and about my relationship with Jon, but I was nervous on how the rest of the pack would react when they found out that a bear was now a part of the pack. I knew of one member that wasn’t very happy about it but I decided that there was nothing that I could do about it.
When I called Alpha Jeff earlier, he gave me the addresses and directions for the two houses that were going to be ours and that he would leave the keys in the mailbox for us.
As we pulled into the area, I looked at the address and realized that they are probably going to be across the street from each other. As we turned on the street I looked for the addresses. About halfway down the street we found them and I was right. Ours was on the left hand side and Dad’s was on the right hand side of the street.
When I pointed it out, Jon pulled into our driveway and turned off the ignition. I looked out at the house. What I saw was a simple one story house with white columns by the front door. Couldn’t tell what color the house was because of it being so dark out but when the headlights hit it as we pulled in, it looked like it was a shade of dark blue.
We climbed out of the SUV and I just had to stretch, my back was killing me from being in the car for so long but it was something that had to be done. We drove for about seventeen hours that day plus all the driving from the day before and I was exhausted. And couldn’t wait to get in a bed but I knew that we had to get it unloaded first. Either that or sleep on an air mattress for the night and the more I thought about it, the better the air mattress sounded since it would let us get to sleep faster.
Everyone decided to crash at Dad’s new house with air mattresses scattered throughout the living room so that we could all get up about the same time and get started with unloading the truck and cars.
***
"I don’t wanna get up,” I complained when Jon started to shake my shoulder the next morning.
“Babe, the sooner we get started the sooner we’ll be done. Besides your dad needs to get the truck back today so that he’s not charged for an extra day.”
“Oh, alright,” I grumbled as I got up and tried to find the bathroom to relieve my bladder.
By the time I had washed my face and got back out to the living room, all of the air mattresses had been deflated and bundled up. The front door was open and I could hear the guys outside directing traffic on what needed to go where. Dad’s was a cute two bedroom one story house with a study. I absolutely loved the kitchen, stainless steel, dark wood cabinets, and open to the rest of the main living areas.I walked outside to see that my desk, dresser, and bed were sitting on the outside of the truck while everyone was starting to grab Dad’s furniture and boxes.
Within a couple of hours we had the truck completely unloaded, just had to move my stuff across the street. Jon and Jason each grabbed an end of the dresser and carried it across the street, while Dad and I grabbed the frame for the bed and followed behind them. We even had Tony’s truck Jeep of belongings unpacked in the extra bedroom in Dad’s house.
When I walked in I was amazed at the beige walls with white trim. Also, the furniture that was already in there looked great. It was all simple but had obviously been picked because it looked sturdy enough to support a bear. There was enough furniture but not so much as to overwhelm the house. We followed the sounds of Jon and Jason laughing to find the master bedroom that was done in like a light sea foam green paint.
“Babe, where you want the dresser set up?” Jon asked.
“How about next to the window?” I suggested as they walked it over there. I was in love with the window seat that was in the room and knew exactly where I would be doing my reading.
Dad and I got the frame set up while Tony and Justin were bringing in the box springs. Jon and Jason had gone to get the mattress so I decided I would have a look around while we waited for them. I went into the other bedroom and saw that it had been set up as a possible office. There were bookshelves along the far wall. I could just imagine my desk sitting about two feet in front of the shelves facing the doorway.
Apparently I had taken quite a bit of time in my touring because all of a sudden I heard Jon shout, “Babe, where you want the desk?”
“In the second bedroom. It’ll make the perfect office for us.”
They brought the desk in and I realized that except for the boxes in the SUV we were done. “Who’s gonna go with Dad to return the truck?”
“I will Babe; you guys can get started with the unpacking while we’re gone. We shouldn’t be no more than an hour.” Jon and Dad left with Jon driving Dad’s car and the moving truck following behind him.
***
By the time they got back all the boxes were in the house, clothes were put up, photos out and displayed. We had just gotten over to Dad’s house to start unpacking him when they got back from returning the truck and with lunch. With six adults it didn’t take long for everything to be unpacked and put away
“Ok, since its early evening, how about we make it an early night and then head to Jon’s parents in the morning after breakfast?” Dad suggested.
“Sounds like a plan to me,” I replied while Jon nodded his head.
“Ok we’ll find something to do while you guys are gone,” said Jason.
“Oh, no no no, you’re coming with us Bubba,” I said with a chuckle.
“But his parents don’t know us and wouldn’t be expecting this many people.”
As soon as Jason finished speaking Jon had his phone out and was already dialing.
“Hey Dad!...Yeah we made it in late last night…Uh huh…I was wondering if it would be ok if Tim’s friends that helped with the move and his dad could come with us tomorrow?...Awesome, thanks Dad…Alright see you tomorrow. Bye.” He hung up and looked at Jason when he said, “They are expecting ALL of us tomorrow afternoon.”
“Thanks for making that call Babe.”
“I should warn you though.”
That worried me. “What’s wrong?”
“Steve showed up this afternoon and Kyle let it slip that we would be there tomorrow. They don’t know what happened in Iowa so they agreed to let him stay the night. I figured we could deal with him together tomorrow. Apparently Mom isn’t too thrilled about him being there but she won’t tell Dad what the problem is.”
“Ok, we will deal with him tomorrow then. I’m not going to worry about him because I am happy. I have my mate, my Dad, and most of my best friends with me. There’s nothing more I could ask for.” I sat on his lap and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
***
The night flew by, probably because we were so exhausted. When I woke the next morning wrapped in Jon’s arms, I wondered how I had been so blessed to have him as my mate. He was my other half and completed me in ways that I had never thought were possible. I was happy that all of my friends loved him and my Dad just adored him.
I looked at the clock on the bedside table and saw that we had about an hour before we were supposed to be leaving to head to Jon’s parent’s house. I really wasn’t looking forward to dealing with Steve and Jon’s mother. I knew that she had started to change the way that she thought but I wasn’t for sure how long that would last.
Jon’s arms tightened around me and I knew that he was starting to wake up and I could feel his morning wood pressing into my butt crack. I would love to fool around but I knew that if we didn’t get moving soon, we would be running late. Oh well, they could just wait; I needed some loving even if it was just a blowjob or jack off. I needed some of my man.
“Good morning, Babe,” Jon rasped in my ear, sending shivers down my spine.
I turned in his arms so I could look in his eyes. “Good morning, lover. Sleep well?”
“Boy did I! I always sleep best with you in my arms.” He leaned in and gave me a quick kiss while he humped my leg.
“I see someone’s wanting a little loving this morning,” I said with an impish grin.
“I could do with loving from you all the time,” he said with a lecherous grin.
I reached between us and started to stroke his hard rod that was rubbing against my leg. He leaned in and nuzzled against his mark on my shoulder before he started to nibble and lick it, which caused me to shudder.
I shifted down just a little bit before I started to nibble along his jawline and down his neck when he threw his head back in the through of passion. I licked over my mark on his shoulder as I made my way down his chest nibbling and licking first one nipple and then the other.
He groaned in pleasure as I made my way to his cute, innie bellybutton. I loved it as I continued to stock his cock using his leaking precum as lubrication. I was soon following his treasure trail down into the pelvic area but skipped past his straining erection. I nibbled across his hip bone as he pumped his hips against me.
I nuzzled into him smelling his unique, musky scent that drove me crazy, licking my way to his balls, where I sucked in one and then the other before I licked and nibble the area just behind his balls that led to his hole.
I licked my way back to the base of his cock salivating at what I was about to do next. I licked him from the base of his cock to the lip where he was dripping large amounts of precum that I licked off like I would an ice cream cone before taking him into my mouth.
I had not yet been able to go all the way down on him without my gag reflex kicking in but I went as far as I could and wrapped my hand around the base and stroked in time with my bobbing up and down. I groaned around his cock as I could feel a tingling sensation deep in my core. After several minutes I felt his balls tighten up until they were just under my hand.
As I came up, he arched off the bed and shot his first volley into the back of my throat, spurt after spurt before he slowly stopped as he sunk back into the mattress with a happy smile on his face. When I looked down I realized that I was all sticky from cumming myself. I felt like a silly pubescent teenager that didn’t have to be touched in order to have an orgasm.
“WOW, Babe! What a way to get the juices flowing in the morning,” he said with a satisfied smirk on his face.
“I’m so embarrassed right now.” I couldn’t even look at him I was so embarrassed.
“Why are you embarrassed?”
“I came without even touching myself.” I went to get off the bed so that I could go into the bathroom to get cleaned up.
“Babe, that’s not a bad thing. It just means that you were really turned on just by what you were doing for me. I am a little disappointed that I couldn’t return the favor but I will just have to return it later today after we get home.” He smiled as I watched him climb off the bed and follow me into the bathroom.
He pulled me into his arms and tilted my face so that he could look me in the eyes. Out of the corner of my eye I could see that my cheeks were red from embarrassment.
“I never thought that would happen to me.”
“Babe, it’s ok. I don’t think any less of you. In fact it makes me feel pretty good that you were that turned on by me.” He leaned in and gave me a kiss. “Now let’s get cleaned up so that we can get over to your dad’s house.”
“Ok.” I leaned up and gave him a quick peck before turning to start the water in the shower.
***
“Tim, can I talk to you for a sec?” Tony asked as we were getting ready to head out the door.
“Sure, bud; what’s on your mind?”
“Well, the last couple of nights I’ve been having these weird dreams. They’re of a guy that I don’t know but I feel safe with him. Didn’t you have dreams of Jon before you met him?”
“Yeah, I did. Maybe one of his brothers is your mate; or maybe one of the wolves in this pack,” I suggested excitedly.
“I don’t know, but I feel uneasy for some reason.”
I pulled him into a hug and said, “I’ll be right here for you, so will Jon and my Dad. You’ve already gained a second family.” I could hear a growl coming from behind me so I quickly let go of Tony and headed over to where Jon was standing with a scowl on his face.
“What was that about?” he demanded.
“Babe, relax.” I rubbed my hand up and down his arm to soothe him. “He had a question for me and needed a little cheering up because he’s worried about something. There was nothing but friendship in that hug.”
“I know it was a friendship hug, but I still don’t like it when unmated males touch you.”
“I know Babe; I’ll keep that in mind from now on, ok?” He nodded his head as I stepped in for a hug. “I don’t know about you but I’m uneasy about Steve being at your parent’s house. What could he possibly want?”
“I don’t know but it makes me uneasy too.”
Jason and Justin rode with Jon and me, while Dad rode with Tony. We had decided to get Jon’s stuff packed up while we were at his parent’s house.
“What’s up with Tony?” Jason asked.
“I can’t say much, but he said that he had an uneasy feeling. That seems to be going around; because we have an uneasy feeling too. One of Jon’s friend’s, who we’ve had an issue with, is at his parent’s house and we don’t know why he’s here.”
“What makes you uneasy about him?” Justin asked.
I looked over at Jon to see him nod his head to signal that it was ok to let them know. “Well, Steve is the one that we had stopped in Iowa to see on our way to Virginia. While we were there he tried to get Jon to reject me and mate with him. We found out that he had put some sleeping medication in the butter that we would have used for the dinner that he ended up throwing out. I don’t know what he’s doing here but I don’t think it’s a good thing.”
“That ASSHOLE! How dare he do that. A mate is a special thing; I feel sorry for whoever ends up being his mate,” Jason said.
“Me too, Jase. Me too,” I replied.
The rest of the trip was silent except for the radio that was playing softly in the background. The uneasiness got worse the closer we got to their house. As we turned onto his parent’s street I felt like I was going to throw up. When we pulled up to the curb I saw Steve’s red Dodge truck and I wanted to slash his tires. I’m not a vindictive person but I was still pissed at his previous behavior.
As we got out of the SUV Tyler came barreling out of the house as if it had been months since he had seen us.
“I’m so glad you guys are back and that you’re staying in Washington. I wish you were living here but at least we’re in the same state and Moses Lake isn’t that far from here, so we’ll see each other often. Right Jon?” Tyler asked with a huge grin on his face.
“Sure thing, little man. Let us get settled and you guys can come spend some time with us. Right Babe?” he asked me.
“Yep, give us a couple of weeks to get settled and maybe find some jobs and you guys are more than welcome to come see us,” I said with a grin as I gave Tyler a hug.
“Who are these guys?”
“Well, Ty, let’s go in the house so we only have to do introductions once,” suggested Jon.
I looked at Tony and saw that he was trying to discreetly scent the air which told me that his mate was close by. I just hoped it was one of the twins and not Steve. I would have some serious issues with that one.
All of a sudden the door came flying open and Steve came running out sniffing the air. I growled at him upon sight when I noticed that he was headed straight for Tony. Jon must have noticed it too because he stepped in front of Tony and made Steve stop.
“Get out of my way Jon. I will hurt you if you don’t step away from my mate,” Steve snarled.
“OH HELL NO!!!” Jason, Justin and I hollered in unison. We all walked over and made a barrier between Steve and Tony.
When I glanced at Tony I noticed that he looked perplexed that we would separate him from his mate. Justin must have also noticed because he leaned over and whispered something in his ear. The next thing I knew he was growling and pushing his way through us.
He stormed up to Steve who has now smiling since he could now see his mate. He was smiling that is until Tony stepped up and punched him in the face.
“How dare you try to make Jon reject his fated mate! You can go to hell.” Tony turned and stormed up to the front porch.
We all stood there speechless. I never thought I would see him do that. I mean who would strike their mate. Jason and Justin went to stand by Tony but Tyler led them into the house. Dad looked a little confused and I knew that he wanted to know what was going on, to make me stand between one of my best friends and his mate.
“Dad, this is Steve. He was Jon’s best friend. We’re not sure where their friendship stands right now.”
“Son, what’s going on?”
“Well, you see, Steve here decided that Jon shouldn’t be with a wolf and that he should reject me so that he could be Jon’s mate. He went to so much trouble that he put a sleeping agent in food that he was going to serve us.”
Dad turned and glared at Steve who was standing there with his head hanging down.
“How dare you mess with what fate has put together. They are fated mates and that should not be interfered with. Tim, I will let the two of you decide how to handle this while I go comfort Tony,” he said before walking up to the house.
“Steve, what are you doing here? I thought I made myself perfectly clear a couple of days ago,” Jon demanded.
“Well, I originally came to see if I could get your mom on my side, but that plan went out the window as soon as I smelled my mate.”
“Have you no shame? Do you honestly expect him to accept you knowing what you have done and were planning to do?” I asked
“Stay out of this wolf it doesn’t concern you,” Steve snarled.
“In case you’ve forgotten, Jon is my fated mate, so anything that concerns him, concerns me. Tony is one of my best friends and deserves better than you for a mate.”
“Steve, don’t you dare speak to Tim like that again because I will hurt you,” Jon said with a glower as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder.
“I said I was going to do that but I only want my mate now.”
I heard a gasp come from the front of the house. When I looked over I saw Tony standing there. He stormed over and grabbed ahold of Steve’s arm to swing him around. As Steve turned Tony swung his fist and punched him in the face for a second time.
“I, Tony Maxwell Stephenson, do hereby reject you…” he looked at Jon for help with Steve’s name.
“Steven Alexander Johnson,” Jon said.
“I, Tony Maxwell Stephenson, do hereby reject you Steven Alexander Johnson. Have a nice life,” he growled before he turned and stormed back into the house as Steve let out the most god awful growl. Everyone else came running outside to see what was going on.
I had never heard anything so painful and could not believe that Tony had just done that. My duty was to my friend, so I ran into the house to make sure that Tony was all right. Jason, Justin and my Dad all followed me into the house. I found Tony sitting on the couch crying. We all went over to him and put our arms around him as best we could.
“Let’s go up to Jon’s room for some privacy,” I suggested when I heard everyone coming back inside.
As a group we headed up the stairs with me leading since I knew where I was going. With Dad being the parent he wrapped his arm around Tony and walked him up the stairs with Jason and Justin following.
When we got into Jon’s room Tony broke out in sobs. “Why…did…I…..get ….such…a…asshole for a mate,” he cried.
“Tony, I don’t know what to tell ya but we’re all here for you. Whatever you need,” Dad said as he wrapped him in a hug.
I heard footsteps running up the stairs and just knew that it was Jon so I poked my head out the door to make that he knew where we were. What I wasn’t expecting was Steve running up right behind him. Jon came in the room but when Steve tried to Jon shoved him out of the room and slammed the door flipping the lock.
“Tony, take your time. Tim, can you come with me for a minute?” Jon asked.
“Sure Babe.” I gave Tony a quick hug before following Jon out of the room.
I couldn’t imagine what was going on but I knew that Jon would fill me in when we got wherever we were going. He took me to Tyler’s room, I was so thankful that the bedrooms were soundproofed. When we got in the room I saw all of his brothers in the room waiting for us.
“Guys, what’s going on?” I asked.
“Well, you see, we wanted to let you know what’s been going on here the last few days,” said Alex.
I looked at Jon a little confused. “I know that Steve came with the intention of trying to get your mom to break us apart. What they didn’t know is that we are now fully mated so it would have been for nothing.”
“Well that’s good to hear and know that you knew that but what you don’t know is that after you came inside Steve said he was going to have his mate and he didn’t care what he had to do to get him,” Alex replied.
“Crap! That’s not good.” I looked over at Jon with worry in my eyes.
He pulled me into his arms and said, “We won’t let anything happen to Tony. Steve doesn’t know where we live and we can let Alpha Jeff know what is going on. That way he can prevent Steve from entering his territory. In fact let me call him right now.”
Jon pulled out his phone and stepped to the other side of the room. The guys pulled me into a hug and Kyle said, “It’s good to have you guys back even if it’s only for the day. I think it would be best if you guys were to head back home now though. There’s no telling what Steve will do.”
I was about to say something when I heard a crashing noise come from down the hall. We all ran out into the hallway and saw Dad and Steve fighting. Jon’s dad came running up the stairs, grabbed Steve by the scruff of his neck and flung him down the stairs.
“GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE NOW!!!” Thomas bellowed as he kicked him in the ass right out the front door. Jon ran into the guest room and grabbed Steve’s duffle and headed downstairs.
I went into Jon’s room to make sure that everyone was ok. Tony looked like he was shaken up but seemed fine otherwise. I looked at Dad and saw that his hair was disheveled, his shirt was untucked and he had what look like a bruise forming on his face. Thankfully, it wouldn’t be there long.
“Dad, you ok?”
“I’m fine. He got a lucky shot in that’s all.”
“Ok, now tell me what happened.”
“Well, when you and Jon left we didn’t relock the door. We were talking when all of a sudden the door opened and Steve was standing there. When your Dad saw him he pushed Tony behind him which caused Steve to growl. When he charged at us your dad stepped up and blocked him. He tried to get pass your dad but he stood his ground and shoved Steve out of the room.”
Jon came upstairs and if it was possible there would’ve steam coming out of his ears so I went over to him and wrapped him into a hug to try and calm him down.
“Is everyone ok?” Jon asked.
“Yeah, Dad’ll have a bruise for a little bit but that’s all. Tony is shook up but he should be ok in time,” I replied.
“Dad’s gonna escort Steve to the edge of the clan territory before coming home so that we have time to get out of here without the possibility of Steve following us home. Are you guys ready to leave?”
“Whenever you are ready to go Babe. Aren’t we going to pack your room up?” I asked.
“I’m gonna see if my brothers will pack everything and bring it down in a couple of days that way we can leave immediately.”
“Ok, I think that would be best,” I replied.
“We can do that,” Tyler said from the doorway.
“Thanks little man. I’ll make sure you guys have the address. I’ll text the address to you later so that we can get going.”
“Ok, I’ll go get some boxes so that we can get everything packed up and head that way whenever you’re ready for us.”
“Let’s head out then guys,” Jon said.
We trooped out of the room. I felt bad for Thomas because he’ll have to repair the door frame from where Dad and Steve busted it out. Couldn’t have used the doorway, they had to hit the doorframe. We got downstairs and were headed for the front door when Jon’s mom stopped us.
“Boys, can I talk to you for a minute before you go?” she asked.
“What do you want Mom?” Jon asked.
“I know I haven’t been supportive of you and Tim being mates and for that I’m sorry. After you left for Iowa Steve called and wanted me to help him break the two of you up. I told him absolutely not. I was going to tell you this anyway when you got here. I wasn’t expecting Steve to show up at the front door.”
“Mom, we know that he was trying to get you to help him still break us up. My question is if you’re now ok with us, why would you let him stay here when you knew what he wanted?”
“I didn’t realize that was why he came here.”
“No but you knew once he was here what his intentions were but you didn’t throw him out. How does that make you any better than him? We know that Dad had told him to leave but you said he could stay. Now why would you do that knowing why he was here?”
“I didn’t want to turn your friend out…”
Jon cut her off by raising his hand as he said, “Mom, I love you but stuff it. If he was really a friend he wouldn’t have been trying to conspire with you to break us up. I can’t believe you. Just so you know it is definitely useless now because we have fully mated and the only thing that will separate us is death.” He pulled the collar of his t-shirt to the side so that she could see the filled in mark signifying the completion of the mating.
She just stood there and looked at the mark. Jon finally let go of his collar, grabbed my hand and we headed out the door.
As we were getting in the SUV we heard her shout, “You’re no better by getting that wolf to reject poor Steve. Shame on you!”
Jon stormed up to her and snarled, “That was Tony’s choice, we had no say in that. You can forget about us coming back. Dad and the boys can come visit us but you are no longer welcome. You are dead to me.” He turned and came back to the SUV, jumped in and started the ignition before pulling away from the curb. I glanced in the side view mirror and could still see her standing there as we pulled away.
I sat looking at the nearly empty gauge on my way back to my parent’s house. I knew I wouldn’t make it, but spotted an off ramp that showed a gas station close by. Right off the exit the station sat near the corner so it wasn’t hard to get to. I pulled up to a pump, climbed out, and began to fill the SUV. I caught my reflection in the glass of the pump and realized how much time had passed already searching for a mate.
I finished filling up and pulled to the side of the station to hit the restroom. After a moment I figured I should call home and give a heads up that I was coming. I always dreaded this call. The phone barely rang and it was answered.
“Hi Jon. Any luck?”
It was my father. Caller ID made calling home both easier and harder, mainly due to mom.
“No. Just no luck.”
“You coming home? I know being on the road isn’t easy.”
Ten years of searching for the man who would be my mate sure wasn’t easy. That was just part of the problem.
“Yeah. I’m heading home. Just don’t tell mom, yet. She is only going to start in and I really don’t want to have the same fight again.”
“I know son. But she wants the best for her cub.”
Yeah that is the problem with being a werebear, mom wants grandchildren in the worst way.
“I’ll be home in about an hour or so Dad. Love you.”
I hung up before he could say anything. I had some thinking still to do on the way home. Mom would fight to see me, but then she would fight to get me to marry some woman. As a gay bear that so wasn’t going to happen.
All too soon I was pulling into my parent’s driveway and I still was not ready to see my mom. I parked my suburban and just sat there for several minutes before getting out, grabbing my bags, and heading into the house.
I managed to get my bags upstairs without being seen but as I came down to get a drink from the fridge she saw me.
“Jon, you’re finally home,” exclaimed my mom.
“Yeah, mom I’m home but for how long will depend on you,” I replied.
“Jonny, I understand that you are looking for your mate, but I wish you would be home a little more. I’m sure that you can find someone around here to mate with,” commented his mother.
“Ma, you know that I only want my fated mate. I will not settle for second best.”
“How do you know that your mate is a guy and not a woman if you have never been with anyone?” she stood there with her hands on her hips and tapping her foot waiting for my reply.
“I just know, Ma.” I sighed and shook my head slowly as I prepared to go through this with her yet again. “I’ve never had any desire to be with girls. I mean it, Ma. I only look at men, which is how I know that my mate is a guy. Look, I know not everyone waits for their fated mate, but I am. I will not be untrue to him, just because you want me home and married. I’m sorry, but that is just how it is!”
It was getting harder and harder to come home and face this barrage every time I walked through the door. I keep hoping that maybe my mate was just younger than me and wasn’t able to recognize me as his mate.
“Look here, Jon,” my mother began placing one hand on her hip as she began to point at me, “don’t you go being disrespectful to me. I was just trying to point out some alternatives to you. I mean, ten years of looking, wasting your time running around the country searching for someone who may not even be out there. You could be settled down with children by now.”
“Ma, I am not going to go through this again. Why don’t you want me to find my mate? Don’t you want me to be as happy as you and dad are?”
“Of course I do, but what if something happened to her and she has died?”
“If he has died then I will deal with it when that time comes. I am not going to take away someone else’s mate just because I haven’t found mine yet.”
I turned and left the house so that I could have some time to myself. I couldn’t believe how mom was talking. She started this crusade a couple of years ago. She never accepted that I was gay, she just felt I hadn’t met the right woman yet.
“Why can’t she just leave me alone?” I roared a little as I marched into the forest barely containing the anger of my bear.
I stayed in the woods for hours just waiting for my dad to come home from work. I didn’t think that I could take any more time alone with my mom. I was glad that I was only going to be home for a few more days.
When I got home mom was irate with me. Apparently she had a female werebear come by to meet me and I didn’t come home in time to meet her.
“Where have you been?” she growled.
“I went for a walk in the woods to clear my head.” I glanced over her shoulder to see a pretty woman calmly examining me. I sighed and turned my attention back to my mother. “If you don’t stop this I am going to go and not come home until I find my mate. I don’t care how long it takes me!”
“Son, you don’t mean that. Your mom is just trying to look out for you. She has missed you and is just trying to find a way for you to be happy,” came my dad’s voice from behind me.
“Dad, you know I won’t be happy until I have found my fated mate, you should want that for me. She just doesn’t want to accept that I am gay and probably won’t have any cubs,” I said with frustration as I turned and faced him.
I went into the kitchen to find something to eat before heading up to my room. On the way to my room, I passed my youngest brother, Tyler, in the hallway.
“Hey bro, I’m glad you’re home. Don’t take mom seriously. She just wants all of her cubs to be home and happy,” said Tyler as he jumped on me and gave me a hug.
I clasped him and the shoulder and stated, “Thanks, little man. I know she wants me to be happy but she wants me happy with a girl and that just isn’t going to happen.”
I turned and headed into my room as Tyler went downstairs. I had come to the decision that I was leaving in a day and a half before my mom could find more women for me to meet.
That night while I slept I dreamed about finding my mate again. It was the same dream that I had been having for the last three years. I saw a man a few years younger than me from across a diner, but I knew the second I looked into his eyes, that he was my mate.
I never saw any clear details, just that he was a well-built man with the clearest blue eyes that I had ever seen. Then I would wake up reaching for someone who wasn’t there and feeling a pang in my heart as I longed for my other half.
I looked at the clock and saw that it was only three o’clock in the morning, but I knew that I would not be able to go back to sleep any time soon. I decided to go down to the basement where my dad and brothers had their own gym.
The gym sort of became a necessity at home because my family was pretty intimidating when they all were out together. Even my youngest brother was huge compared to most grown men. Instead of going to one of the chain gyms in town, dad decided to build a gym of his own so we could all work out in peace at home. Instead of going into town to one of the chain gyms, my dad had decided to build our own so that they could work out in peace. I was never happier about it then I was right then.
Timothy’s POV
“Turn right at the next corner.”
I barely listened to the GPS as I was now on familiar roads coming home to Charlottesville, Virginia. I loved the Blue Ridge Mountains and wished I could spend more time here with my dad, but I had been traveling all over the east coast.
“I’m going to find my mate if it kills me.”
I wiped the tears away as I spotted my childhood home. I was so grateful to know my father supported me and I couldn’t wait to see him again.
I pulled into the driveway of my childhood home with the mountains in the background and saw my dad waiting for me on the front porch. I was really looking forward to some home cooking and spending time with Dad. It was good to be home, but my search was weighing heavily on my mind. I have been looking for my mate for the last two years. I would have started at the age of sixteen when I was able to shift for the first time but dad insisted that I finish high school first.
All through high school, I had struggled with my sexual identity. I finally came to the face the fact that I was gay. I never looked at any of the she wolves but then I hadn’t been attracted to anyone.
I had decided to stop and see my dad before heading for the Midwest section of the United States. I was lucky that my dad was so understanding. Dad insisted that I get my college degree but he also understood the need to find my mate, so he agreed to pay for it if I worked on my degree while I travelled I was attending college online so that I could still get that degree.
Since I was working on my college degree, dad would make sure that I had all the traveling money that I needed. If I ran short I would sometimes take odd jobs in whatever pack I was visiting at the time.
“Hey Dad, how have you been?” I asked as I came in, dropped my bags just inside the door, and gave him a hug.
“Hey, Tim. God, it’s good to see you in person. You know I love talking to you, but Skype isn’t as great as having you home again. Damn, boy you are still growing. So how are you really?”
“Trying not to get too down about not finding him yet, Dad. The chances I have to talk to you help keep me going and let me keep a positive outlook. It isn’t easy and I can’t thank you enough.”
“I am glad that I can help in any way possible. I know that I took it a little hard when you told me that you are gay, but it was because I knew that you would have a hard road ahead of you.”
“I know Dad, and I also know that you were disappointed that it didn’t look like you would be able to have any grandkids to carry on the family name.”
“It’s ok son, as long as you are happy I will be fine. Are you tired from your drive? It’s kind of late, why don’t you go ahead and go to bed,” dad said as he grabbed one of my bags that I had dropped by the door and started towards my room.
“Alright, I will see you in the morning, Dad. Get some sleep.”
“I will sleep better now that you are here. Goodnight.”
I grabbed my bags and headed up to my room. Six years ago, my mother died giving birth to my sister. Unfortunately, she didn’t live long after my mother, passing within an hour. It was devastating for both of us, but Dad had never gotten over the loss. He now made sure that I was always as happy as he could possibly make me. It was something I was always something I knew about and tried not to take advantage of.
That night while I slept I had the same dream that I had been having for the past three years.
I saw this large man with these silvery grey eyes that seemed to look right through me. When he entered the diner where I was getting something to eat, I was hit with the strong aroma of pine and wild berries. I knew that this was my mate.
I could never see any clear details but I knew that I had to find this man and soon.
The next morning I got up and headed down for breakfast. Whenever I was home dad always made a huge breakfast, one that was big enough to feed an army. He fixed scrambled eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage (both patties and links), waffles, potato slices, and hash browns. He easily had enough for two people to eat both breakfast and lunch. There were about plates piled high with pancakes and waffles, what looked like pounds of bacon, a large bowl of eggs, heaping pan of potatoes, plates full of sausage patties and sausage links.
“Good morning, son. How did you sleep?”
“I slept pretty well until I had that dream again. I know that I have a lot of ground to cover but it gets a little depressing sometimes. Almost like I will never find him,” I tried to cover a yawn. I was embarrassed when my stomach chose that moment to growl in hunger.
“You will find him when the time is right,” Dad replied with a chuckle.
“I know, Dad. I am actually thinking about heading to the West Coast before going to the Midwest Territories. What do you think?”
“I know you are getting antsy, but shouldn’t you go from East to West?”
“Normally I would but something in my gut is telling me to go to the West Coast.”
“Well, if you are feeling so strong about it than I think you should do it.”
“Thanks Dad. I am going to do some laundry today so that everything before I head out tomorrow.”
There was a knock at the door. I turned to dad and asked, “Are you expecting anyone?”
“Not that I know of. Let me go see who that is. Maybe it’s one of your friends that wants to see you before you head out.” Dad headed toward the front door to find out who our unexpected guest was.
“Hey Mr. Collins, is Tim home?” came a female voice.
I recognized that voice immediately. In fact, I would know Stephanie Lewis’s voice no matter where I heard it. She was a she wolf who couldn’t take “no” for an answer.
“Yes, Tim is home but he’s busy at the moment. I‘ll tell him that you stopped by,” My father moved to prevent Stephanie from trying to come in like she had last time.
“Oh, okay.” There was a pause and you could hear the dejection in her voice when she spoke to my father again. “That would be great Mr. Collins.”
“Son, that girl is not going to give up until she finds her mate. You would think that she would go out and look for him, instead of knocking on our door knowing that you aren’t her mate,” he said when he came back into the kitchen.
“I know, Dad. I have told her several times that I am not interested in her or any female for that matter. She just won’t accept the fact that I am gay and she does nothing for me.”
Chapter 2: Jon’s POV
The steaming water allowed my worries to vanish for a while. The nice thing about being here was the idea I would get to recharge my batteries and get a home cooked meal. The aroma of bacon, eggs, and pancakes invaded the bathroom and soon had my stomach growling its hunger. I rushed through the shower and got dressed. As I took the stairs three at a time the food only smelled better and I could hear the sounds of my family in the kitchen.
My mother was in the refrigerator getting something else out for breakfast as I hurried over to an empty seat at the table.
“Morning.” I grabbed my plate as I looked at the mountain of food my mother had cooked. The delicious smell of bacon and maple syrup had me ready to devour everything in front of me.
“Good morning, Jon. Welcome home.” Kyle smiled as he stabbed a piece of sausage off the plate mom had in the middle of the table. “I’m glad to see you. How long are you staying?”
“I’m happy to see you too, bro. I wish I could spend some time with you, but I have to head out again tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” Mom froze where she was, a frown on her face. She straightened her back and stared at me from across the table. “You can’t leave so soon. You only just got home. Why would you go so quickly?”
“Ma, you knew that I was only going to be here for a short time.”
Mom slid the last of the blueberry pancakes on the platter in the center of the table, shaking her head the whole time. “You simply can’t go yet Jon. I mean, you barely got home as it was.” Mom set the platter down and then smiled sweetly at me. “Besides, sweetheart, I made plans for us tomorrow. I know you wouldn’t want me to change them.”
“What kind of plans, ma?” I sighed, suspecting exactly what she might have planned for me, again. “Please, tell me you haven’t arranged another introduction to yet another available female, because I have lost track of how many times I’ve told you I’m gay and don’t find them attractive.”
“As your mother it is my duty to see you settled down and if that means introducing you to eligible women, that is what I’ll do.” Mom crossed her arms and stared at me. Her face was red and she had a scowl on her face that I remember from every time I had ever gotten into trouble.
There was silence around the table as my brothers looked from me to my mother. I guess everyone was afraid to speak, fearing I would just stand up and march out the house.
“Now, Jennie,” my father’s calm voice broke through the silence, drawing all our attention to him. He shook his head before he spoke again. “Just leave the boy alone. How many times does he have to tell you that he is looking for his fated mate? We were lucky dear, I found you almost immediately. Jon is just having a bit of trouble, and you know he is gay so stop already."
“Thomas, you know that with a male mate he will never have cubs.”
“Jennie, my love, there have been so many wonderful advances in medicine.” Dad stood up and walked over to Mom, pulling her gently into a hug. “If the time comes that he wants to have a cub, well they can find a surrogate to carry it for them."
Dad kissed Mom and then shot me a wink.
“Thanks Dad.” I sighed, but I knew I had to try one more time to get my mother to understand. “Mom, you have to agree to let me do this my way. I will never be with a woman, it just doesn’t work for me. I want you to understand this, okay. If you insist that I meet these women you keep finding to mate with, I will leave this house and not come back until I have finally found my mate. It could take me a week or ten years, but I will not set foot under this roof again if you push me one more time. Do you really want that to happen?”
My father shook his head sadly and walked back to his seat leaving my mother standing there. She stared at me like she had never seen me before in her life. I wasn’t sure what she was going to do. She took a moment and smoothed down the dress she was wearing then walked over and gently set her arms on my shoulders.
“Jon, you know that is not what I want, I just want you to be completely happy and I just don’t see that happening with a male mate.”
“Mom, I will not be completely happy unless I’m with my fated mate, no matter how many cubs that I have.”
Mom hugged me and then pushed me back toward the table to eat. My brothers gave me little high signs to let me know they had my back and then began to pile the food on their plates. It took a few minutes but finally things got back to normal with everyone asking questions as we tried to catch up with one another, now that we were all together. We all helped Mom clean off the table and then my brothers pulled me off to the side.
“Come for a run with us,” Alex begged. “You haven’t done that in forever.”
“Sure, let’s go.” I followed the three of them out the door and out into the woods behind the house. This was something that I had really missed while I was traveling, being able to run with my family.
Once we were well within the forest, we all stripped down, putting our clothes in a hollowed out tree. In a moment three large bears and a smaller one stood where the brothers had been.
Kyle and I are large reddish brown bears. Alex is a large dark brown bear. Tyler is the oddball of us boys, he is a medium sized jet black bear.
Of the boys I’m the oldest, followed by Kyle and Alex who are fraternal twins, and then there is Tyler. He is the baby of the family at sixteen years old, while the twins are both eighteen years old.
So far none of us have found our mates, although my brothers aren’t really trying right now. I just always felt like there was a part of me that was missing, which is why I’ve been looking so hard for my fated mate, he is my other half.
We ran in our bear forms for a little over three hours till we got to a favorite spot of ours deep in the woods. The smell of pine and the roar of the rapids had me feeling happy to be home. The four of us took to the water and fished, which is a sight to see. Alex proved to be the fastest of us, and soon we had six large bass. After a meal of fresh fish we began to slowly amble our way home, feeling full and happy. We followed the stream and weren’t too far from home when Tyler jumped on top of Kyle, which started a wrestling match that Kyle easily won.
I can just imagine what someone would have thought if they had come by and seen four large bears playing in the stream. It seems that no matter how old we were, when we are together we are like a bunch of cubs. I could hear the birds singing in the trees. It was a beautiful day but, dang that water was cold.
We reached the spot where we had placed our clothes and switched back to human form. We were laughing and joking as we made our way back to the house. Due to the path we had chosen to come home on we could see our driveway clearly. I spotted a blue car.
“Hey, guys, do any of you recognize that car?”
“Nope. I don’t” Alex shrugged.
I turned to look at Kyle and Tyler who also just shook their heads. As we got a bit closer I could smell the scent of a female shifter. I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, but didn’t want to let my brother’s know. “Race you to the house,” I called as I made a mad dash toward the back of the house.
We came into the house through the kitchen door laughing and shoving like brothers tend to do.
“Jon, can you come in here please?” Mom’s voice called from the living room.
“I’m with the guys, Mom.” I tried to be calm as I entered the living room. “Did you need something?”
“Did you have fun?” Mom got up from the couch and called down the hall before I could say anything, “Boys, why don’t you go over to the ice cream store? I left money on the counter. Bring back some for your father as well. You know his favorite.”
There was the sound of feet and the door slamming closed as my brothers headed off to get some ice cream.
My mother stood there smiling, “Jon, I want you to meet Jackie Johnson, she just moved here from Texas about a month ago. She’s a new teacher at the junior high school in town.”
I gritted my teeth, sent Mom a glare before turning and looking at the woman sitting on the couch next to my mom.
“Hello, Jackie, it’s nice to meet you. How do you like Spokane so far?” I asked.
Jackie’s face lit up and she leaned forward allowing me a clear view of her big breasts. “Hi Jon, it’s a pleasure to meet you as well.” She shook my hand and held on a bit longer than necessary. “I’ve been enjoying myself so far. Everyone has been so nice and helpful.”
I tried to smile and feign interest.
“I ran into your mother shortly after I moved here and she told me about her handsome son. You know that she has been telling me how you have been traveling all over the country in search of your mate, but haven’t found anyone yet.” She lowered her head and looked at me through her lashes, dropping a voice to a whisper. “I bet you have seen some beautiful scenery as you have gone throughout the country.
I looked at Jackie and said, “I have seen some breathtaking countryside.” I looked at mom and said, “I’m sure that my mom has been singing my praises, hasn’t she?”
“I hope you have been taking pictures. I bet you could fill up a couple of scrapbooks if you have.” Jackie leaned back into the couch and looked at my mother. "You were right, he is very handsome, Jennie."
I swallowed and tried not yell at my mother in front of company, but before I could say a word Jackie turned her charms back on me.
"As a matter of fact your mother has been talking about you, Jon. All of it has been very complementary. I feel as if I have known you for years. She has even shown me pictures of you as you grew up."
“If you will excuse me Jackie, it was nice to meet you, but I need to get cleaned up.” I smiled as politely as I could and turned to my mother. “Mom, I have some stuff to finish before I go.”
Jackie stopped me in my tracks when she surprised me with a question. “Jon, would you like to go out with me this evening?”
I could barely contain my anger as I looked at my mother who sat there with a huge smile on her face. I took a deep breath and turned to face Jackie. “Look, you seem like a really nice girl, and I don’t want hurt you. I don’t know if my mother told you, but I’m gay. There is just no way this would ever work out. I hope you understand.”
I shot my mother a look who suddenly seemed upset.
“Jon, your mother already told me that you believe you are gay. We talked about that at length.”
I turned to face Jackie, completely surprised.
“The thing is, especially after having met and talked to you in person, neither of us really believe you are. I think with some time spent together getting to know one another might just offer you what you have been searching for.”
I stood there torn between disgust and disbelief. How could anyone simply dismiss my feelings so completely and seem happy about it. I turned and walked away before I said or did something that I would be ashamed of.
I stomped up the stairs, allowing my anger and disbelief to be heard as headed towards my bedroom. I was alone with my thoughts and none of them were very happy. It was as I closed the bedroom door that I finally caught the smell of sweat. I was in need of a shower, rather badly.
“Good, I hope she could smell the funk. With my luck it might have turned her on.”
I glanced back at the door for a moment then proceed to strip, heading into the bathroom. I adjust the water in the shower till it was so hot I could barely stand it and then climbed in. As the scalding water warmed my skin, it matched my mood. I couldn’t believe my mother dismissed all we had talked about at breakfast. Then that woman thought she could talk me out of finding my mate and being gay, like that was something you could turn on and off. I lost track of how long I was in the shower because by the time I decided to get out the water had run cold. The shower had not only given me time to get clean, it had also allowed me to make up my mind about what I wanted to do. I climbed out of the shower, dried off and stormed back to the bedroom to find some clean clothes.
It took a bit of searching, but I was soon redressed. I raced around like maniac stuffing all my dirty laundry into a laundry bag I had brought home with me.
I hadn’t realized how long I had been in the shower, but a few moments later Tyler came into my bedroom with a worried look on his face.
“Hi, Tyler.”
He took a look at the bag in my hand and shook his head. “Your leaving already, aren’t you?”
I could see the tears in his eyes and it broke my heart.
“Yeah, little man, I am. I warned mom not to do this anymore. But she won’t listen to me. I can’t do this with her anymore, Tyler. I’m sorry, but I have to go.”
“Are you still going to call weekly? I miss not having you around,” he said as tears started to roll down his face and his voice wavered a little bit as well.
“I’ll do you one better, I will still call weekly but I will also talk to you and the twins on Skype whenever I can. Will that work for you?”
“Yeah, I’m good with that.” Tyler gave me a sad little smile. “I just wish you weren’t leaving so soon.”
I pulled him into a hug. “Call me whenever you feel the need to talk to me, ok?”
“Thanks bro, you better go say bye to the twins before you leave.”
I patted him shoulder, before I turned to the twins’ room. I knew I would have to pack the car up before I left, but I need to do this first. I knocked on their door and waited for one of them to answer it.
Kyle opened the door and shook his head sadly as he looked at me. “Let me guess, she did it again, huh?”
“Yep, she wanted me to meet the new teacher in town. This woman Jackie, had the nerve to say that neither she nor mom believe that I’m actually gay.”
“Is Mom crazy?” Alex threw his hands up and shook his head. “How could Mom do this to you? I mean you are her first born. Did she think you would lie about something like this? I mean come on, dammit.”
“I honestly don’t know what she’s thinking anymore. I have warned her numerous times. I just feel that if I don’t follow through this time then it will continue to happen. I do love her but this is getting ridiculous.”
“We understand bro. You got to do, what you got to do. Just stay in touch with us.” Kyle shifted from foot to foot barely looking at me or Alex. Kyle crossed his arms as he stared at me almost daring me not to stay in touch.
“I will, I told Tyler that I would still call weekly and Skype when I can. Also, feel free to call whenever, even if it’s just to say hi.”
“Will do. Just make sure you let Dad know why you’re leaving early, because he’s not going to like it.” Alex glanced nervously between me and Kyle.
“I will. I’ll call him once I am on the road. Can one of you help carry my stuff down?”
“Sure,” Kyle and Alex replied in unison.
All three of us laughed at that. We headed to my room to grab my bags, only to find that Tyler had already grabbed some of the bags. Kyle and Alex quickly grabbed what was left.
“Why don’t you go tell Mom you’re leaving? This way you can leave as soon as you talk to her,” suggested Kyle.
“Ok, thanks guys. I’ll call you when I get to the motel that I will be staying at tonight. I plan on going to the Laundromat to get my clothes washed this afternoon.”
“Alright bro, talk to you tonight. Stay safe,” replied Alex.
We went downstairs, the boys went outside and I went to look for Mom. I found her in the living room, picking up things from her visit with Jackie.
“There you are, Jon. You were incredibly rude to Jackie earlier. I’m very disappointed in you,” Mom’s voice held a note of dissatisfaction as she scooped up the remaining plate of cookies off the table.
I had to laugh at that comment.
“Mom, you acted like I was five and ignored me and my desires. I mean, come on now, how many times have I told you that my fated mate is a male? That I’m gay? That no woman will ever be my mate? But have you listened to me at all? Not only are you trying to find women for me, but you are telling them I’m not even sure I am gay. You really don’t love me at all do you?”
Mom looked at me as if I had grown a second head.
“How dare you! I have nothing but your best interest at heart.”
“I told you before, if you couldn’t respect my decisions and how I live my life, well then, I just wouldn’t stay here for you to interfere. I’m leaving Mom, and I won’t be back until I have found my mate.” I headed towards the door, a growl slipping out as I did. “And so you know, I won’t be calling you either.” I let the front door slam shut behind me as I stormed off to the SUV. I was in such a foul mood that I nearly didn’t realize my brothers were all standing there waiting for me.
“We’re going to miss you bro, don’t forget to call us,” said Tyler as they each gave me a hug.
“Bye, guys, I’ll call you tonight and each week as promised,” I replied before turning and getting into the SUV.
I climbed into the SUV and got ready to pull out. My brothers all stood in the driveway waving at me and I couldn’t help but wave back. As I began to pull out I spotted my mother standing at the living room window watching me pull out. I put the SUV into gear and pulled away without looking back.
I stopped in town and filled up with gas. When I got back in the SUV, I noticed that I had a missed call from Dad, so I called him back.
I got his voicemail, so I left him a message.
“Hey, Dad, I saw that I missed your call while I was filling up with gas, I’m sure Mom called you to say that I left early. When you get this give me a call back so we can talk. Love you, Dad.” I looked at the phone in my hand and noticed how my hand shook. To be honest, I don’t know if I was upset at how my mother had treated me or how I had treated her when I left. Neither of us were exactly acting like the grownups we were supposed to be.
I drove to the next town over, pulling over when I saw a Laundromat so that I could wash my clothes. I knew that if I had stayed in town, Mom would have gone looking for me and she would have tried to get me to come home. I just wasn’t looking for anymore drama today.
Dad called me back while I was waiting for my clothes to dry.
“Hey, Dad, I guess you got my message.” The smell of bleach and laundry powder filled the small Laundromat. There were people at every machine and children playing games waiting for their parents to finish up. This wasn’t the sort of conversation I wanted everyone in here to be a part of, so I headed outside so I could talk to my dad in peace.
“Hey, Jon, yeah I got your message and a hysterical call from your mother saying that she doesn’t know why you left early,” stated Dad with frustration in his voice at being caught in between his wife and his son.
“Dad, she knows why I left early. The boys and I went for a run and when we came back Mom had Jackie Johnson there waiting to meet me. Jackie asked me out, I said no, and told her that I wasn’t interested.”
“Well that makes more sense now. After you boys left, you mother handed me a list of stuff she wanted from Walmart. You know as well I do, I hate driving to go there, and I mean it is an hour away. I took as long as I could but your mother nearly pushed me out the door. Jackie must have been on her way, and your mother didn’t want me there to stop her. You warned her that if she did set you up, you would leave. I have to say I admire you for sticking to your guns, Jon, but I wish you would have stayed a little longer.”
“That wasn’t even the worst part. I was absolutely shocked and disappointed when I found out that Mom had already ousted me to Jackie. This makes me wonder who else she has told. It’s not that I’m ashamed of being gay, but it’s no one’s business but mine and Mom had no right to tell anyone.”
“You’re right, she shouldn’t have done that, and not everyone needs to know it. Granted most will figure it out once you find your mate. Just remember that she does love you. Please be safe son, I love you.”
“I love you, too, Dad. I love Mom as well but she can be very irritating at times regarding this issue. I will call tonight once I’m settled to talk to the boys. Talk to ya later, Dad.”
“Bye, son, please be careful.”
I went back in to check on my laundry, when I saw that I still had some time to wait, pulling out my Twilight book in order to pass the time while I was waiting.
Tim’s POV
I got up and decided to get all of my laundry done so that I would have more time to spend with my dad and friends. Then I wanted to go online to check my email, and check to see if any of my favorite books on Wattpad have been updated.
Since I loved to read and didn’t want to lug around multiple books while I travelled, I used my e-reader that Dad had gotten me so that I could have most of my favorite books at my fingertips.
I gathered up all of my dirty clothes, separating them into dark colors, light colors, and whites. Once they were all separated I took the loads downstairs to get it started. I came out of the laundry room and heard the doorbell ring.
Dad was busy making breakfast so I called out, “I got it Dad.”
When I opened the door and saw Stephanie standing there I really wished that I had let Dad get the door. I did not want to deal with her today or ever for that matter. She has been trying to get me to go out with her for the last four years and would not take “No” for an answer.
“Hi Stephanie, what can I do for you?” I asked through gritted teeth.
“That’s no way to talk to a lady Tim,” she said with a shy smile on her face.
“You’re right Stephanie. Is there something I can help you with?”
“I just came to see if you wanted to go to a movie tonight,” she said as she lowered her head and looked at me through her lashes, just trying to seduce me.
“I’m sorry, I already have plans for tonight. Besides, I have told you before that I’m not interested in dating anyone who is not my mate. Also, I have told you numerous times that I’m gay, so you do absolutely nothing for me. Now if you’ll excuse me I need to do some household chores and laundry before I leave tomorrow.” I stepped back and closed the door in her face.
“Who was at the door, Tim?” Dad asked as he came out of the kitchen.
“It was Stephanie, she wanted me to go out with her this evening. I told her that I already had plans and that there was no point in her continually asking me out since I’m gay. Then I politely shut the door in her face.”
“Well, come eat some breakfast. I just made some scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, and toast since you got up a little later than normal this morning,” Dad said as he gave me a hug before turning and going back to the kitchen.
“Why don’t you call some of your friends and spend some time with them before you head out of here tomorrow. Take some time and reconnect with them. I know that you communicate via phone, text, and email while you are gone but spend some face time with them. I bet they would love that,” Dad suggested while we were eating.
“Ok, Dad I will call Jeremy after breakfast and see what he and the guys are doing today. Maybe we can go to a movie and out to eat for dinner,” I suggested after taking a bite of eggs.
“That sounds like a good plan. Why don’t you go ahead and give Jeremy a call and I will clean up the kitchen,” Dad said as he finished what was on his plate.
Being with my friends and family is what I miss most when I’m on the road. The one nice thing about being a wolf is no matter which pack you visit you are always treated as a member of the family. However, nothing beats being with those who have known you your whole life, the ones who love you and know everything about you. Family is something that is very important in the werewolf world.
I went upstairs to get my cellphone so that I could call Jeremy. Once I found his number in my contact list I hit the dial button and waited for him to answer.
“Hello,” Jeremy said when he answered the phone.
“Hey Jeremy. How are you bud?” I asked as I sat down in my desk chair.
“Tim! It’s great to hear from you. Are you coming home soon?” Jeremy asked excitedly.
“I actually go home last night. Doing some laundry right now. I wanted to see if you and the guys wanted to hang out tonight. Maybe go to a movie and get something to eat,” I suggested as I put my feet up on my desk.
“That sounds awesome. I’ll call the guys right away and let you know who’s able to come and get back to you,” he replied.
“Cool, thanks man. It’s good to be home and able to spend time with my friends and family,” I said sitting upright in my chair again.
“So have you met anyone interesting on your travels?” he asked.
“I’ve met some nice people but not that special one. It’s getting hard being on the road all the time but it will all be worth it when I meet him,” I said as I got up and started walking around my room.
“Ok, well I will give the guys a call and see what we can round up to do this evening,” Jeremy stated.
“Sounds like a plan. Thanks dude, I can’t wait to see you guys. I’ll talk to you later.”
“See ya this evening,” Jeremy said before hanging up the phone.
I set my phone on my desk and headed downstairs to check on my laundry. The first load was ready for the dryer so I switched the load over and put in the next load to be washed.
I walked into the living room and asked, “Hey Dad, want to go for a run?”
“That sounds like a wonderful idea. I’ve missed going on runs with you,” Dad said as he folded his paper and placed it on the side table next to his recliner.
We headed through the kitchen and out the back door, going towards the hollowed out log that we always placed our clothes before shifting into our wolves. After shifting we took off for the tree line at the edge of our property. I have to admit that I have missed going for runs with my dad, it’s always been a special and bonding time for us.
We ran through the woods and came to a clearing of wildflowers of varying shades of blues, purples, and pinks. Wildflowers are my favorite type of flower, with their varying shades and looks.
When we got to the center of the clearing Dad started to nip at my heels and we started to wrestle in our wolf forms.
“Son, you know you can’t beat me,” Dad said through mind link.
“I know Dad, but it’s so much fun to try,” I replied with a wolf huff.
“I know son, maybe in a few years you will be able to get me,” Dad said as he tackled me to the ground.
We played like that for what seemed like hours before we decided to head back to the house. We got to the hollowed out log, got our clothes, and got dressed after shifting back to our human forms.
“That was great Dad, I’ve missed going on runs with you,” I said as we walked into the house.
“I enjoyed myself too, Son. I’ve missed our runs also. The guys come by from time to time to go for a run with me but it’s not the same as going for a run with you,” stated Dad.
Once inside, I went to check on my laundry. I pulled my darks out of the dryer, placed my lights in the dryer, and put my whites in to wash. I quickly folded my clothes and took them upstairs to get them packed away.
“Tim, lunch is ready,” Dad called from the kitchen.
“Be down in a minute, Dad,” I answered back as I finished putting the clothes in my suitcase.
I went downstairs and saw that Dad had fixed sub sandwiches, with chips and some pickles. When I sat down at my plate I noticed that he had made my favorite, roast beef with provolone cheese and extra roast beef. He also had Clausen pickles (yummy!!) and Baked Potato Ruffles potato chips. He knew just what I liked and he always tried to make me happy when I was at home after traveling for a while.
After lunch I checked on my laundry and switched the clothes out and folding the light colored clothes that had been in the dryer before taking them up to my room. Once they were packed away, I got online to check my e-mail and play a few games on Facebook. I really like the game Criminal Case, a search and find game that has a list of things for you to find in order to get clues to solve a case.
I checked my phone and saw a couple of text messages from Jeremy.
be ready at six
meet at ur place
I read the texts and responded, cya then.
I looked at the time and saw that I had some time to kill so I decided to get a shower and clean up so that I would be ready to go when they got here. While I was waiting for the water to warm up I took a glance in the mirror.
I saw a young man with a swimmer’s build. I had a six pack set of abs, well-toned arms, short dirty blond hair, and crystal clear blue eyes. I knew that most people find me handsome but I wondered if my mate would as well.
Once the water was warm I got in and got washed up. It doesn’t take me long and within minutes I am out of the shower. After getting dried off I got out a pair of boxer briefs, socks, pair of dark blue jeans, and a pale yellow polo shirt. I got dressed and slid my sneakers on.
I went down and checked on the last of my laundry, finding that it was done I emptied it out of the dryer and took the basket back up to my room. While I was folding my clothes I briefly wondered where Dad had gotten off to but didn’t really worry about it.
I was upstairs putting the last of my laundry in my bags when I heard a car pull into the driveway. I looked out the window and saw that it was my best friends Jeremy, Tony, Jason, and Justin. When all my friends had come inside, we greeted each other with a fist bump and a nod of the head.
“Hey guys, glad we could get together before I leave again tomorrow,” I stated.
“No luck finding your mate, huh? That’s a shame,” asked Jeremy. He was my best friend and I had been emailing him some of the funnier moments while I was on the road.
“Nope, not yet, I’m heading out to the West Coast tomorrow to look at the packs out there. Something in my gut is telling me that is where I need to go,” I replied.
“Man that sucks, I hope you find him soon,” said Jason. He was usually the comedian of the group except when we are talking about mates.
“Have you ever thought that maybe he’s not a wolf, that he may be human or another type of shifter?” asked Tony, the thoughtful one of our little group.
“No, I just always assumed that he would be a wolf.” I stopped and scratched my head thinking about what Tony had just suggested. I felt foolish for not having thought of it before now. “I’ll talk to the Alpha before I leave tomorrow to see if he knows of any other times when a wolf has been mated to another type of shifter and who I would need to talk to in order to enter their territories.”
“That would be a good idea, son,” stated my dad as he got up from his chair, squeezing my shoulder on his way to the kitchen.
Justin had his thinking face on before he said, “Him being another species makes sense since you haven’t found him yet. You’ve been focusing on the wolf packs of the east coast. He may even be right under your nose.” This really made me rethink my plans for going out west but something in my gut was telling me to go.
“Come on guys, let’s head to the theater before all the good seats are taken,” said Tony.
Watching Non-Stop with Liam Neilson was awesome. I have really wanted to see it since it was first advertised. His movies are usually all action packed like Taken. We all enjoyed it and had a blast just hanging out together again.
After the movie we went to Applebee’s for dinner and to just hang out some more before I had to get home to finish packing and getting ready to leave tomorrow. We placed our orders quickly when Jeremy’s phone rang. He looked at the caller id before answering it.
“Hey babe…Sally, I’m with Tim and the guys…Tim’s leaving tomorrow and we wanted to spend some time together before he leaves…We’re at Applebee’s having dinner, I should be there in about an hour and a half…No I don’t think I can get there that quick…I drove and they would be stranded if I left now…Alright, I’ll see you when I get there…Love you too…Bye.” He turned and looked at us before saying, “Guys she is really anxious for me to get to her house. It’s as if she thinks I’m messing around on her. Tim you did it right by not dating until you met your mate.”
“I tried to warn ya. Now when you do meet your mate, you’re gonna have to break her heart,” I replied with a shake of my head.
“I know that, I should break up with her but I don’t want to hurt her,” Jeremy said as he took a sip of his Coke.
“Dude, you’re gonna hurt her even worse if you wait until you meet your mate,” said Justin thoughtfully.
“I know, I know. I just don’t know how to do it,” he whined.
“Just tell her the truth that you want to go find your mate and that the relationship is not going anywhere because you want your mate,” Tony suggested.
We stopped talking as our waitress brought us our food and we dug in.
“I’ll tell her tonight when I see her. I may need to hide out somewhere for a little while because she is not going to be happy,” Jeremy stated.
I reached out and put a hand on his shoulder and suggested, “Come crash at my place. Dad won’t mind and he could use the company while I’m gone. We have the extra room, let me talk to Dad when I get home. Before you go talk to Sally, go home and pack some clothes so that you have it in your car. That way you don’t have to go home for a little while and give her time to cool off. After you talk to her, head over to our place if it goes badly for you.”
We settled up the check when we were done, leaving a nice tip for our waitress because she was considerate when she saw that we were having a conversation and only came over when we needed something.
All too soon I was back home and getting everything packed up so that I would be ready to go in the morning. When I got up to my room I noticed that Dad had placed something on my bed. I went over to see what it was and saw that it was an e-ticket and itinerary for a flight out tomorrow afternoon that was landing in Seattle, Washington tomorrow evening.
I went back downstairs and found my dad in the living room reading the newspaper.
“Thanks, Dad for the ticket. How am I supposed to get all of my suitcases on the plane though?” I asked as I bent down to give him a hug.
“Well, you see son, you will be staying with the Everglade Pack when you get there. Go ahead and pack two suitcases, as well as a carry on with your laptop in it. You can take those on the plane with you. If you need anything else, give me a call and I will overnight it to you. There will also be a rental car waiting for you to pick up when you land,” replied my dad.
“How will I get to the pack house?”
“The rental car has a GPS, I have the address of the pack house for you to enter into it. When you are ready to head back out this way let me know and we will see about getting you an inexpensive car for you to drive back here.”
“Wow, Dad! I don’t even know what to say other than thank you.”
“Thanks is all I need. My dad would have done the same for me if I’d had to go traveling to find my mate.”
“Dad, will you be ok if my mate is a different type of shifter?”
“Who am I to say that it is wrong or not allowed if your mate is a human or another form of shifter? If that is who is destined for you then I will be happy,” Dad replied as he grabbed my shoulder and giving it a squeeze.
“Thanks, Dad, I love you.”
“I love you too, son. Now go finish your packing,” he said with a ruffle of my hair.
“Dad, you may have a houseguest for a while. Jeremy is breaking up with Sally tonight and we aren’t expecting it to go very well. I told him that it should be ok for him to stay here for however long he needed to,” I said as I gave him a hug.
“That’s fine Son, you know I think of all those boys as additional sons. He is welcome to stay here as long as he needs. He still needs to go to his classes though,” Dad said with a smile.
As I stepped out of the hug I heard a car in the driveway, a car door slamming, followed by another slam. I went over and opened the door just before Jeremy knocked.
“Come on in, man. I’m guessing it didn’t go well?” I asked as we gave a fist pump.
Jeremy sighed, set his bags down, and said, “No it didn’t, she got hysterical and started throwing things at me. I had to get out of there. I already called my parents and let them know what was going on, giving them a head’s up that they may be getting some angry phone calls tonight and tomorrow. They were sad and relieved at the same time, they want me to find my mate.”
“Well, you know where the guest room is, make yourself at home and I will see you boys in the morning,” Dad said before heading to bed.
Before we headed upstairs, I grabbed a drink to take with me.
“Night Jer. Cya in the morning buddy,” I said as I headed to my room.
“Night Tim. Try not to stay up too late, big day tomorrow,” he said going into the room next to mine.
I set my alarm before I forgot to, then started sorting through my clothes and deciding what I would take with me. I decided that I needed to look at the weather for that part of the country before I could pack anything.
I knew that the Washington area supposedly got a lot of rain but that is all that I knew of the area. I also wanted to get a general idea of where the Everglade Pack was located so that I would be somewhat confident with knowing where I was going.
It didn’t seem like it took me long to pack but when I looked at my clock I saw that it was ten o’clock at night and my alarm was set for seven in the morning.
I decided to quickly check my e-mail and Facebook before packing up my laptop for the flight. There were no new e-mails but I posted a new status message for myself on Facebook.
“I am heading to Washington in the morning. Wish me luck!”
It was time for bed.
Chapter 3: Jon’s POV
The boys tried to get me to talk to mom last night when I called them. I was still too raw from what had happened to be able to talk to her without getting upset. Besides I didn’t think that she had changed her opinion in just a few hours.
I needed to find some wooded area so that I could go for a run. I could feel my inner bear wanting to get out.
I contacted the Clan leader, Collin Jackson, in this small town. Leader Jackson informed me that there is also a wolf pack here called the Pacific Northwest Pack and gave me the information for the Alpha. Courtesy required that I inform him of my presence and request his permission to be on their lands.
I decided to give him a call and make sure that I would be able to go for a run without any problems. It is always good to stay in good graces with other shifters. You never knew when you might need their help.
“Good morning, Alpha Remington. My name is Jon Blumer and I travelled into your area last night. I just wanted to touch base and let you know that I am in the area, as well as to get your permission to go for a run in the woods,” I requested over the phone.
“Good morning, Mr. Blumer, may I call you Jon?” he asked.
“Of course, sir, I would be honored,” I replied.
“Alright Jon, Mr. Jackson called and let me know that you were here and if it is ok with you, I would like to meet you. I just like to get to know other shifters before giving an open invitation onto our land. We have had issues in the past. I don’t want you to think that this is because of you,” he replied.
“That’s fine with me, I would be honored to meet with you,” I responded.
“I understand that you have been searching for your mate. That seems to be going around. One of my friends from Virginia, his son is coming out this way to find his mate as well. Why don’t you come over around ten o’clock and we can get acquainted and let you have a run through the woods.”
“Yes, sir, I have been searching for the past eight years but I’m not giving up. Ten o’clock sounds good to me that gives me time to get some breakfast.”
“Alright, than I will see you then. Do you need directions?”
“No, sir, Mr. Jackson gave me directions to your pack lands last night. Good bye, sir.”
“Good bye Jon.”
After I hung up, I took a shower, dressed, packed my luggage into my SUV, and headed to the cafe’ down the street to get something to eat and kill time before heading to the pack house.
When I walked in the diner, I could tell that there were other shifters there. I tried to look as non-threatening as I possibly could. It was hard just because I am so big.
I took a seat at the counter and looked at the menu.
“Good morning, my name is Tiffany, and I will be your server. What can I get ya?” asked the waitress.
“Good morning, Tiffany. I would love some coffee, pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, and fruit cup, please.”
“Alright, sweetie, will have that out to you quickly,” she said as she walked away.
She came back and placed my coffee on the counter, “Do you need any cream?”
“No, ma’am, black is just fine for me.”
She left but came back a few minutes later with my breakfast. Once she set everything down, I dug in and started to eat. The food smelled wonderful, I just knew that it was going to be a little on the greasy side but that was half the fun of eating in a fifties style diner.
I looked at my watch and saw that I only had a half hour before I was to meet with Alpha Remington. I asked for the check and paid my bill before heading back outside.
I reached the pack house about twenty minutes later. I went up to the door and knocked. Soon the door swung open and there was a young man, about twenty two standing there.
“You must be the bear shifter coming to see the Alpha. Please come in,” he said as he stepped out of the way and let me into the house.
I looked around as he was showing me to the Alpha’s office down the hallway.
When he knocked on the door there was a gruff response, “Come in.”
“Alpha, there is a shifter here to see you,” the young man stated before turning around and leaving the closing the door on his way out.
“Good morning, you must be Jon, I’m Alpha Remington but please call me Jeff,” stated the man behind the desk as he held his hand out for me to shake.
“Good morning, Alpha Jeff, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” I replied.
“Please have a seat. Would you care for any coffee or something else to drink?”
“No, thank you sir, I am fine.”
“Now, you’ve been looking for your mate for about eight years correct?”
“Yes sir, I have travelled to different clans throughout the United States but have so far, drawn a blank. I know he’s out there I just haven’t found him yet,” I stated and then realized exactly what I had said.
I looked at him and waited to see if he caught what I had said and what his reaction would be if he had.
“Don’t worry, I completely understand. I know that some people can be cruel and hateful but you won’t find that here,” he stated as there was a knock on the door. “Come in, James,” he said.
“Hey babe, is this a bad time?” the man who came in asked.
“No, it’s fine. James, I would like you to meet Jon Blumer, he’s a bear shifter that is passing through and is looking for his mate. Jon, this is my mate James.”
I knew that I had a surprised look on my face when Alpha Jeff started chuckling.
“Yes, my mate is a man, so as I said you have no worries in that regard. Have you thought that maybe your mate isn’t a bear?” he asked.
“Until recently I had always assumed he would be a bear or human. If he is another type of shifter my mom will have a fit. For her, it’s bad enough that I’m gay. She has pushed every eligible female bear in my direction every time I go home,” I replied.
“Well, you are welcome to stay here for a few days and see if maybe your mate is here. You can stay here in the pack house and take some time to get to know everyone,” offered Alpha Jeff.
“That would be wonderful, thank you sir.”
“Why don’t we get you settled in and then you can go for your run?”
“Ok, sounds like a plan to me.”
The three of us headed out to my SUV and got my suitcases and laptop bag. I followed Alpha Jeff and James up to the second floor of the pack house and they stopped in front of the second door on the right.
“This will be your room for as long as you are here,” stated Alpha Jeff.
“Thank you, Alpha Jeff, you have been so kind.”
My luggage was brought in and set on the bed so that I could unpack at my leisure.
“Would it be possible for me to go on my run?”
“Sure, do you want some company or would you rather be by yourself?”
“Well, I need to do some thinking, so I would prefer to go by myself.”
“Not a problem, I will send a message over the pack link that we have a bear shifter in the woods and to leave you be. Will you be joining us for dinner?”
“Actually, I was going to go to the diner that I ate at this morning and then go see a movie.”
“Ok, well we will see you later then. Enjoy your run,” Alpha Jeff said before heading back downstairs.
I changed into some sport shorts, t-shirt and sandals before heading outside and into the woods. Once I was far enough in, I found a hollowed out tree log, stripped down, placed my clothes in the log and shifted into my bear.
I took off and lumbered through the woods, I came across several of the pack wolves but they let me be and didn’t bother me. As I was running I found a small stream that I stopped at to get a drink and do some fishing.
The stream was ice cold but tasted so refreshing. I only caught a couple of fish because I didn’t want to deplete the supply. This is something that I loved to do and it gives me plenty of time to think about all that has happened over the past couple of days.
The field surrounding the stream was ripe with wildflowers with just about every color imaginable. It was so peaceful that I laid in the sun and just relaxed, which caused me to doze off.
When I woke up after a several hours, I noticed that the sun was beginning to set. I have always loved watching sunsets with the pinks, oranges, and other colors that were evident in the sky.
I decided that it was time to head back to where I had left my clothes, get washed up, and head in to the diner for dinner. I don’t know why but I felt that I needed to eat dinner there tonight.
Once I was cleaned up and dressed, I headed downstairs to my suburban and drove to the diner for dinner. This time when I went in I sat at one of the booths in the corner so that I could see people as they came and went.
I was eating my dinner when I heard the bell over the door chime, I didn’t think much of it until I heard the customer give his order to the waitress. Something about his voice called to me, a reaction that I have never before had. I looked up to see who had made the melodious sound.
I looked over and was shocked to see a well-built man, approximately two hundred pounds with the clearest blue eyes that I had ever seen. It was as if I was looking into a crystal lake and I knew without a doubt that this man was my mate.
Tim’s POV
I awoke when my alarm went off at seven in the morning. I knew that I had awhile before we had to leave for the airport but I wanted to spend as much time with my dad as I could. It’s a two hour drive from our house to Reagan International Airport and from there it was going to be a six hour flight with a few different layovers along the way.
I went downstairs and found dad already in the kitchen making breakfast, I guess he had the same idea of spending as much time as possible together.
“Morning, Dad, what’s the plan for this morning?”
“Well, I thought we could have breakfast and then go for a run together before you got cleaned up and ready to go.”
“Sounds good to me, I miss running with you and the rest of the pack.”
Dad finished cooking breakfast and we sat down to eat. As soon as we were done, dad loaded our dishes into the dishwasher and then we headed out for our run.
“Son, let’s go down to the stream and into the meadow,” Dad said through mind link.
“Alright, Dad, lead the way,” I replied following him into the woods.
We ran for about a half hour before we came to the stream, on the other side of it laid a meadow of wildflowers blowing in the wind. Before mom died this was her favorite spot, when she died we had her and my sister buried here.
When we shifted we tied our shorts to a leg, when we got to the headstones we shifted back to our human forms and slid the shorts on.
“Hey, Lizzie, it’s Jasper and Tim. Tim is leaving today to head back out and look for his mate. You would be so proud of the young man that he has become. I wish you were here to share this with,” Dad said with tears streaming down his face.
“Hi, Mom and Tina, it’s me. I am heading out to Washington to see if my mate is there. I know that you are watching over me but I miss you guys,” I stated with my hand on her headstone and tears in my eyes.
Dad and I just sat there for a little while before he said, “It’s time to head back to the house so that you can get cleaned up and the car loaded with your bags.”
We stripped, tied our shorts to our legs, and shifted back into our wolf forms.
We made it back to the house, shifted back, and pulled on the shorts before heading inside.
“Alright, let’s go get cleaned up we have about an hour before we have to absolutely leave,” stated Dad.
“Ok. Dad,” I replied as I headed upstairs to my bathroom to get cleaned up.
After my shower, I got dressed, made sure that I had everything, and took my suitcases, plus my computer bag downstairs. I could hear Dad moving around in the kitchen so I went in to make sure that he was ready, only to find him making us some sandwiches.
“Sit down and eat your sandwich so we can get on the road.”
We quickly ate the sandwiches before loading up the car and heading to the airport.
All too soon dad had parked in the short term parking and helped me get my bags out of the trunk. We walked into the airport and got me checked in. Since dad couldn’t go past the security area to the gate area, we stopped there to say our goodbyes.
Dad handed me an envelope and said, “Don’t open this until you’re in your rental car. Please be safe and call me when you land.”
“Ok, I will, Dad,” I replied as I took the envelope and placed it in my computer bag before giving him a hug.
When we pulled apart we both had some tears in our eyes but we knew that this would just be a short goodbye and not forever.
“Bye, Dad.”
“Bye, Tim.”
With our goodbyes said, I turned, went through the metal detector, turned to wave before heading to my departure gate. I got to the gate and saw that I still had some time before we were going to start boarding, so I sat down, pulled out my e-reader, and started to read a book.
I got so wrapped up in the book that I almost missed the boarding call for my flight. I stood up and went to the gate with my ticket in hand to stand in line before boarding the plane.
Once boarded, I took out my e-reader and MP3 player, put my computer bag up and sat in my seat. Thankfully, I had the window seat, so I wouldn’t have to move every time the person next to me needed to go to the bathroom.
With my size, I was sincerely hoping that all three seats would not be filled so that I would have some room to breathe.
I waited until we were in the air and I was allowed to turn on an electrical device before turning on my e-reader, plugging in my headphones, opening the music application, and continuing my book.
Once again I got so caught up in my book that I didn’t hear the announcement to put away all electrical devices until the stewardess came and got my attention. I turned everything off and got ready for landing in the first of my layovers.
This developed into a routine for the rest of my trip. Soon we were descending into Seattle, Washington.
I waited for my chance to grab my computer bag out of the overhead compartment so that I could exit the plane. Once I was able to grab my belongings, I exited the plane and headed to the baggage claim to wait for my luggage to come around on the carousel.
After I retrieved my suitcases I headed to the car rental kiosk to pick up my car and head out to the Pacific Northwest Pack in Moses Lake, Washington, about halfway between Seattle and Spokane.
I got my car, put my luggage in the trunk, except for my computer bag, which I put in the passenger seat next to me after getting behind the wheel. I pulled out the envelope that my dad had given me before I left.
When I opened the envelope, I just about died because not only had he had included the address for the pack house but also about a thousand dollars with a note.
“Son,
This is to help pay your expenses while you travel. Let me know if you need more and I will gladly send it to you. Please be safe and call as often as you possibly can. I will miss you while you are gone but I look forward to the day that you introduce me to your mate.
Love Always,
Dad
I could not believe his generosity. He has already paid my expenses as I travelled along the East Coast, now he was paying my expenses here.
This was the best time to call him.
“Hello,” came his voice over the phone.
“Hey, Dad, wanted to let you know that I arrived in Seattle safely and that I have gotten my rental car. Thank you for the money and all the support that you have given me over the last two years.”
“Hi, Tim, I am glad that you made it safely, don’t worry about the money because your happiness means everything to me and I would do anything to make sure of it. What time is it out there?”
“It’s about four thirty here, I gained a few hours coming west.”
“Alright, call and let me know how Alpha Remington is doing and that you arrived at the pack house safely.”
“Ok, Dad, I will. I’m probably going to stop somewhere between here and Moses Lake to get something to eat but will call after I meet with Alpha Remington. Love you, Dad, bye.”
“Love you too, Son, bye.”
I hung up with dad and looked at the pack information again. I decided to call Alpha Remington when I am closer to their pack lands. I plugged in the directions into the GPS console and headed towards Moses Lake.
About three hours later I came to the town limits of Moses Lake. I found a quaint little diner and decided to stop there and have dinner.
After I pulled into a parking spot, I pulled out the contact information for Alpha Remington and decided to go ahead and give him a call before going into the diner.
“Hello,” said the person who answered the phone.
“Hi, may I speak with Alpha Remington, please?” I asked.
“May I ask who is calling?” responded the voice on the other end of the phone line.
“Yes, this is Tim Collins, I believe he is expecting my call,” I replied.
“Ok, just a moment.”
After a short time I heard, “This is Alpha Remington.”
“Good evening, Alpha, this is Tim Collins; Jasper Collins’ son. I wanted to let you know that I have arrived in Moses Lake but have stopped at the diner for dinner.”
“Well, good evening, Tim. I am glad to hear from you and glad that you have made it safely. We will see you when you get here,” replied Alpha Remington before hanging up the phone.
I hung up and got out of the car to head into the diner. I no sooner had walked into the diner when this amazing smell of pine and wildflowers hit my nose. I walked to a corner booth and sat in the far right hand corner of the diner so that I could look around the restaurant.
The waitress came and took my order. Once my order was placed I started scanning the other diner. As I looked into the corner opposite me I was met with a silvery grey gaze that made my heart stop.
All it took was looking into the big man’s eyes and I heard my wolf say, “Mate.”
Chapter 4: Jon’s POV
I could not believe that I finally found my mate! I was so happy that my search was over. I eagerly sniffed the air to see what type of bear he was, only to figure out that he wasn’t a bear but a wolf.
Oh boy, mom was going to have a fit about this. I didn’t care because he was the one that was made specifically for me.
He was so handsome. He had the clearest, bluest eyes I had ever seen. They were the color of a clear blue lake. I could get lost in his eyes forever.
I waited to see what his response was going to be but I wanted to go over to him so badly. I was so nervous because I didn’t want to do something that could ruin this moment. I soon realized that he was standing up and walking towards me with an assurance that I didn’t have. As he got to the table I stood up to meet him.
“Hello, my name is Tim. What’s yours?” the young man asked in a clear, strong voice as he held his hand out to me.
“Hi Tim, I’m Jonathan, but you can call me Jon,” I replied as my voice changed part way through my response.
“Do you mind if I sit with you?” Tim asked confidently.
“Please do, I would love that,” I said as I gestured for him to join me in my booth. Even though I was still nervous, I could not pass up the opportunity to get to know my mate
“Are you from around here?” he questioned as he took a sip of his drink.
“No, I am from Spokane. What about you? You have a sort of twang in your voice,” I responded.
“I’m from Virginia. I came out here looking for my mate. I never thought my mate would be a bear though.”
“Are you disappointed?”
“Not at all, I’m just glad that I found you,” he replied.
Around that time the waitress brought my food, she had a look of shock on her face when she saw that Tim had moved and was sitting with me. She soon came out with his meal as well.
“How old are you?” I asked Tim as I started to eat my French fries.
“Twenty years old, what about you?” Tim asked while turning the salt and pepper shakers in his fingers. I guess he’s just as nervous as I am.
“I’m twenty-six years old and have been looking for my mate for the last ten years.”
“Did you ever think that your mate wouldn’t be a bear?”
“I only realized recently that there was a good chance that my mate was either human or a different type of shifter. Since I was eighteen, I have been travelling to different clans to see if my mate was amongst them but could never find him.”
“Were you always sure that your mate would be a guy?” asked Tim.
“Yeah, ever since I was about fourteen I knew that I wanted nothing to do with the opposite sex, much to my mom’s dismay. She still has not come to terms that I am gay. What about you?”
“I knew in high school that my mate would be a guy and thankfully my dad has been supportive of that fact. While I was home this last time, my friends suggested that maybe my mate was not a werewolf. Do you think that with us being different species is going to cause problems with your family?” he questioned after taking another drink.
“I don’t think that my brothers will have a problem with it, not sure about my dad but I know that my mom will be livid. As much as I love my family, I will not let them interfere with my life and being with my mate.”
“How many brothers do you have?”
“I have three of them, two are eighteen, and one is sixteen, no sisters. Do you have any siblings?”
“Technically I have one sister but she died during childbirth, along with my mom. It has just been dad and I since I was fourteen.”
“My mom has wanted me to settle down with a female werebear so that I could have cubs. Why can’t she be happy that she will have grandbabies from my brothers? Besides, we could always use a surrogate or even adopt. That is if you wanted to.”
“I think adopting or using a surrogate would be a great idea, when the time is right. Does this mean that you accept me as your mate?” he asked before taking a bite of his burger.
“Of course I accept you as my mate, I have been looking for you for so long. I feel as if I have known you for a lot longer than an hour. Where are you staying while you are in town?” I asked as I reached across the table and took his hand in mine.
“I was actually on my way to the Pacific Northwest Pack to see if my mate was there,” Tim replied.
“Ok, that’s funny, because I am staying there to see if maybe my mate was a member of that pack. I have pretty much exhausted looking through all of the clans so I was going to try other shifters,” I responded with a chuckle.
“That is funny, we were both going to stay with the same pack to try and find our mates. I wonder what Alpha Remington is going to say about this?” Tim questioned with a chuckle.
“I think he will find it funny as well. He and his mate seem welcoming, I mean after all they welcomed a bear inside of their pack.”
We finished our dinners and just sat there and talked, getting to know each other better. I still couldn’t believe that this gorgeous man was mine for eternity. He looked even better than he had in my dreams.
“Do you want to follow me back to the pack lands? Then we can get you settled into your room. Maybe we can go for a run tomorrow, if you want to.”
“A run sounds good. I need to call my dad when we get to the pack house to let him know that I made it safely and to let him know about you. Would you like to talk to him on Skype with me?”
“I would be honored to, I need to let my family know as well. Maybe after we Skype your dad we can Skype my family. I’m so glad that I found you, I’ve felt like there was a part of me missing for as far back as I can remember.”
“Sounds like a plan, you ready to head out then?” asked Tim.
“Yeah, let me just take care of the check,” I responded as I grabbed both of our checks and went to the register.
“You don’t have to pay for my meal,” protested Tim.
“I know I don’t have to but I would like to if that’s ok with you, that’s just how I was raised.”
“Ok, how about this? You get this one and I’ll get our next meal out. How does that sound?”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” I replied.
I followed him out to his car and pulled him into a hug.
“I’m looking forward to getting to know you better,” I said as I nuzzled into his neck.
“Me too,” replied Tim as he nuzzled my neck.
I watched him get into his car before walking over to my suburban. All of a sudden I remembered that I was going to go see a movie, so I jogged back over to Tim’s car.
When he saw me coming back over, he rolled down the window and asked, “Did you forget something?”
“Yeah, I had forgotten that I was going to go see a movie. Would you like to go or do you just want to head to the pack house?”
“Well, I am a little tired from travelling most of the day. How about we do the movie tomorrow?”
“Ok, sounds good, that will give us time to look at the paper and see what’s playing that we would want to go see.”
I reached in and placed my hand on his shoulder before turning and jogging back to my suburban.
Soon he was following me back to the pack house. My heart was bursting with joy and love. I had finally found my other half. I used my Bluetooth to call my brothers to let them know.
“Hey, Jon, it’s a little early for your weekly call, you miss us that much?” asked my brother Tyler when he answered the phone.
“Of course I miss you guys, but I was calling to let you know that I am going to Skype you guys in a few hours so make sure that you are on, ok?”
“Sure, bro, I will make sure that Alex and Kyle are in my room so that we can talk without mom butting in. Are you ok? Nothing wrong is there?”
“I am fine, no there is nothing wrong. I will tell you what’s going on when we talk on Skype later. Gotta go, talk to you later, little bro. Love ya.”
“Love you, too, be safe.”
I disconnected the call as we pulled into the driveway of the pack house. Tim pulled up next to me before getting out and popping the trunk of his car.
I walked over to see if he needed any help while he grabbed his suitcase out of the trunk. Once he closed the trunk he followed me up the front steps of the pack house.
“I called and talked to my youngest brother, Tyler, and told him that I wanted to Skype with him and the other two later this evening. I would like for you to join us so that they can start to get to know you.”
“I can’t wait to get to know them too. Let me meet with Alpha Remington and then we can Skype my dad, then your brothers,” replied Tim.
Tim left his suitcase in the entryway before going and knocking on the Alpha’s door.
“Come in,” came the gruff reply from the other side of the door.
Tim opened the door before grabbing my hand and pulling me in with him.
“Good evening, Alpha Remington. I’m Tim Collins, thank you for letting me come and visit your pack.”
“Good evening, Tim. I see you have met Jon Blumer, he’s a bear shifter that is also visiting us. By the way, you can call me Alpha Jeff while you are here,” replied Alpha Jeff before looking, seeing that our hands were clasped.
“Yeah, I met him at the diner in town, it turns out that he’s my mate,” answered Tim.
“Well congratulations! I’m guessing that you won’t be needing the room that we prepared for you?” asked Alpha Jeff.
“Actually, if it’s ok with everyone, I would like to use that room until Jon and I have had a chance to really get to know each other. I’m just not the type of person that would immediately move in with someone.”
Tim turned and looked at me before saying, “Please don’t be offended, now that I’ve finally met you, I would like to get to know you before we finish the mating.”
I looked at Tim and could see that he was struggling with what he had just said, so I pulled him into my arms and replied, “We will take this as slow as you want to. Make no mistake that I will never reject you no matter what.”
“Jon, why don’t you show Tim to his room, he’s in the room right next door to you.”
“Sure thing Alpha Jeff.” Turning to Tim I said, “Follow me.”
Tim turned back and asked, “Alpha, is there internet that we can use? I need to Skype with my dad?”
“There is an unsecure network that you can access from your rooms or anywhere in the house.”
“Thank you, Alpha,” Tim said as we turned to leave the office.
We left the office, grabbed Tim’s suitcase, and headed upstairs. I showed him which one was my room and then directed him next door to his room.
“Let me know when you want me to join you with your talk with your dad, ok? I will let you get settled,” I said as I turned to leave the room.
“You don’t have to go anywhere, let me just get my clothes put away and my computer setup, then we can talk to my dad. I also want to send a couple of e-mails to some friends back home. Why don’t you have a seat at the desk and I should be done shortly,” Tim said with a quick kiss on the cheek.
The first thing he pulled out was his laptop, he plugged it in and turned it on to let it boot up while he was unpacking. I noticed he pulled out what looked like a tablet and set it on the nightstand next to the bed before unpacking his clothes hanging them up in the closet or putting them into the dresser.
He was soon done unpacking, as he walked over towards the desk, I couldn’t help myself and pulled him into a hug to let him know that he was cared for.
Tim hugged me back, wrapping his arms around me. I couldn’t believe that he was almost as tall as me. I’m six foot eleven, and he had to be six foot seven. Where I am bulky, he is trim and lean. He fit into my arms perfectly.
“Alright, let me get ahold of my dad and tell him to get on the computer,” he said as he pulled his cellphone out of his pocket.
“Hey Dad! I’m at the pack house, do you think that you could get on Skype?” I asked with the phone on speaker.
“Sure Tim. I’m guessing you met with Alpha Jeff and you’re settled into your room. Let me log into the computer and I will be with you shortly.”
“Ok, Dad, see you soon,” replied Tim.
Tim logged into his Skype account and waited for his dad to come online. I was nervous as to how his dad was going to react to me being a werebear and not a werewolf. I know that Tim had said that he would be fine with it but its one thing to say its ok and something else for them to actually believe it.
I heard Tim’s computer ping and knew that his dad was now online. I decided to stay off to the side until Tim was ready to introduce me to his dad.
“Hey Dad!”
“Hey son! Glad you made it safely. Now what is it that you couldn’t tell me over the phone? Is Alpha Jeff treating you well? Have you met his mate yet?” His dad fired question after question at him.
“Yes, Alpha Jeff is treating me great, no I have not met his mate yet. As for why I wanted to talk to you this way is so that I could see your face when I tell you this next bit of news.”
“Well, come on, don’t keep me in suspense.”
“Ok, Dad. You know that the whole reason for me travelling has been to find my mate. Good news is that my search is over. Dad, I’d like you to meet Jon, my mate,” Tim stated as he waved for me to come around to the front of the computer.
I walked around until I could see the computer screen, I saw a man who looked to be in his early to mid-forties with dark blond hair and blue eyes.
“Hello, sir, it’s nice to meet you. I look forward to coming out and getting to know you in person.”
“Hello, Jon, where are you from?”
“I am from Spokane, Washington.”
“Have you been looking for your mate or did you just happen to come across my son?”
“To be honest, sir, I have been actively looking for my mate for the last eight years and I did just happen to run into your son. We were both visiting the Pacific Northwest Pack to look for our mates.”
“So you are about twenty-five, twenty-six years old? How do you think your parents are going to feel about your mate being a man? By the way you can call me Jasper.”
“Jasper, I am twenty-six and my parents knew that my mate would most likely be male but my mom has refused to accept it, maybe now she will.”
“So when can I expect you to be coming to visit me? Son, it seems like you have done well for yourself, just make sure that his Alpha calls ours when you come to visit.”
“Thanks dad, we’re not sure when we are going to head that way probably in about two weeks. Since we are in this area we will go and spend time with his family and I am sure that I’m not the only one who wants to spend some time by ourselves before we visit with our families,” replied Tim looking at me for confirmation before turning back to his dad.
“Are you guys going to fly or drive?”
Tim looked at me and I said, “It’s up to you, we can either drive my suburban, or we can fly. I know that I would feel more comfortable driving because of my size but I will go with whatever you decide.”
“I think we will drive the suburban that will give us more time to spend together by ourselves. I will make sure that his Clan Leader calls Alpha Jack for him to have permission to enter our territory.”
“Clan Leader? Don’t you mean Alpha?” his dad asked with a puzzled look on his face.
“No, Dad I mean Clan Leader, Jon is a bear,” Tim replied. He seemed calm while I was very anxious waiting for Jasper’s response.
“Alright, I will give Alpha Jack the heads up that he will be receiving a phone call about this. You look surprised at my response Jon.”
“Honestly, yes sir. I know that mating with a different shifter species is not unheard of and that most of the time it is frowned upon even if the two involved are fated mates.”
“Well, you will never have that problem with me boys. I’m just glad that Tim has found his other half and I will do anything in my power to make it easier for the two of you. Now why don’t you guys go spend some time together and we will work out the travel arrangements in a few days when you are more certain of some of the details.”
“Ok, Dad, we will talk to you later. Love you.”
“I look forward to meeting you in person Jasper and the rest of your pack. Have a good night.”
“Good night boys, I too look forward to meeting you in person Jon, as well as getting to know your family and clan,” Jasper stated before logging off of Skype.
“Your dad seems like a nice man and I am looking forward to getting to know you and him better. I hope my family can be as accepting of us as he is.”
“I’m sure they will be fine. Are you ready to call them?”
“Well, I spoke with Tyler on the way back here and told him to have our brothers on hand when I Skype them tonight but I didn’t tell him why. Let’s head over to my room and we can talk with them,” I said before taking his hand and leading him out of his room.
While I was getting my computer set up, Tim sat off to the side out of range of the camera and was watching me get everything set up, like I had when he first started talking to his dad. Although I’m sure that Tyler has probably figured something out by now because of me calling and telling them to be on Skype tonight.
As soon as I logged into my Skype account I noticed that the boys were already online and waiting for me to connect with them.
“Hey guys! How is everyone?” I asked with a wave.
“We’re all good, kind of curious as to why you’re Skyping with us already,” stated Kyle.
“Has mom realized what she did was wrong yet?”
“Nope, she still insists that you are being overly sensitive and that you need to mate with a female human or a female bear and just get it over with,” replied Tyler.
“She even had Jackie over here and apologized for your behavior the other day. She told her that you would come to your senses soon enough. They were looking at wedding catalogs and dresses. Dad tried to warn her but she wouldn’t listen to any of us,” commented Alex.
“Well, mom and Jackie are going to have a long wait because I don’t think Tim, my mate, is going to share me so easily.”
“Did you just say that your mate’s name is Tim? So you’ve met him then?” asked Tyler.
“You always were the quick one Ty. Yes, I said my mate Tim, I met him today at the diner in town.” I turned and looked at Tim before saying, “Why don’t you come say hi to my brothers.”
As I said that Tyler got up and ran away from the computer, the only thing that I could guess is that he was going to get my dad.
“Hi, guys, now which one is which?” asked Tim.
“Well the one who just ran out of the room was Tyler, I’m Alex and this is Kyle. Kyle and I are fraternal twins. It’s nice to meet you Tim.”
“It’s good to meet you guys, as well. Being an only child I am looking forward to having brothers.”
We watched Tyler come back into view with my dad right behind him.
“What’s this I hear, son? I hear congratulations are in order.”
“Hi, Dad, yes I’ve met my mate. This is Tim, he’s from Virginia and flew out here looking for his mate.”
“Well hello Tim, it’s nice to meet you. I can assume that you guys’ll be coming to visit us soon?”
“Well, sir we’re going to spend some time together, just the two of us, then we’re planning on coming to visit you guys before heading to Virginia for Jon to meet my dad,” replied Tim.
“It’s just your dad, no other family?”
“Yes, sir, it’s just the two of us, my mom died six years ago.”
When I heard this again, it made me feel for my mate. I reached over and grabbed his hand, rubbing circles over the back of his hand with my thumb.
“What kind of bear are you?” asked Tyler.
“Well, I’m not a bear, I’m a wolf,” replied my mate and I could tell that he was just as anxious about my family’s response as I was about his dad’s reaction.
“Well, Tim that doesn’t matter to me or the boys, we’re just happy that Jon has finally met you. His mother, on the other hand, may give you some problems. I will deal with her when the time comes. We’re going to go now so that you can have some time to yourselves. Good night.”
“Good night guys!” echoed my brothers.
“Good night everyone,” Tim responded with a wave.
“Talk to you guys later,” I said before closing the connection.
I looked over at Tim and saw that he had a worried look on his face.
“Don’t worry about my mom, Dad will take care of her. If she causes us any problems then we won’t visit as often as she would like. She has already seen that I will follow through when I warn her about something.”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“Well, I warned her that if she continues to throw female shifters at me as possible mates every time I came home I would leave and not come back until I had met my mate.”
“Ok, so I’m guessing that she did it again and it has something to do with this Jackie person that your brother mentioned?” asked Tim.
“Yeah, this last time when I went home she had Jackie come by the house to meet me. See, she had just moved to the area and Mom wanted her to meet me because Mom felt that she would make a suitable mate for me to settle down and have cubs with. Come to find out that neither Jackie nor my Mom felt that I was truly gay and that it was just a phase that I was going through. I left that night and drove this way, I had decided to check with other shifters in the area to see if maybe my mate was a shifter, just not a bear,” I responded.
“Well, I’ve only been searching for the last couple of years, so I sort of know what you were going through trying to find your mate. I could only hope that I would have been able to continue to look after eight years. Wolves are pack creatures and cannot live by themselves. I probably would have just lived at home with my dad. I’m just glad that I had the gut instinct to come to Washington instead of going to the Midwest like I was planning on doing,” Tim stated.
“Are you planning on going to college?”
“I’m actually taking classes through an online school, my next class starts in a couple of weeks. What about you?” he asked.
“I also did my degree online while I was travelling, now I can settle down and put my degree in Business to use.”
I looked at my watch and realized that we had been talking for a while now. I knew that Tim had had a long day and must be tired when I caught him trying to cover a yawn.
“Why don’t we call it a night, I can tell that you’re tired and that you’ve had a long day. We can talk more tomorrow,” I stated while pulling him to his feet.
“Alight, you’re right I am tired and this time difference is killing me. I will see you in the morning. Goodnight,” he said as he gave me a hug before walking towards the door.
I walked him next door and made sure that he was ok before going back to my room.
“Thank you Great Spirits for bringing my fated one to me,” I thought while getting ready for bed.
Chapter 5: Jon’s POV
Tim and I spent the next few days getting to know each other in both human and animal form. I still could not believe that after years of looking that I had finally found my mate and that he accepted me even though I was not a wolf or that he was not a bear.
We had gone on several walks and had even gone on a few runs together. The first time that I saw his wolf I was simply amazed. He’s a dark grey wolf that stands about five feet tall from his paws to the top of his head. I was glad to see that his eyes stayed that clear, deep blue.
When I shifted into my bear I could see the amazement in Tim’s eyes and it made me feel proud that he saw me in that way. I just hoped that he never tired of seeing me in my bear form because I know that I could never get tired of seeing him in his wolf form.
“Tell me more about your family. Do you and your brothers get along? Are they all as big as you?” Tim asked while we were sitting beside the lake that I found on the property my first day here.
“Well my dad is a corporate lawyer but he never pressured me into following his footsteps in the field of law. He always said that I should do what makes me happy. Kyle and Tyler are both into sports. Kyle plays football and Tyler plays basketball. I wish Kyle and I were been closer in age because I think it would have been fun to be on the same team as my brother. Alex is more the silent type, he’s really into computers and anything that has to do with technology. Dad got tired of us having to go into town to work out at the gym, so he decided to set one up in the basement. Mom wasn’t fond of the idea but eventually accepted the fact that whether she liked it or not it was going to be set up. Working out became our male bonding time. My brothers became my best friends.”
“How did they handle it when you told them that you’re gay?” Tim asked.
“Well, Dad and my brothers handled it better than I expected them to and have never treated me any differently. Mom, on the other hand has always insisted that it’s a phase that I am going through and has been trying to set me up with any available female that she has found so that I could have cubs.”
“I am so glad that Dad never made a big deal about it when I told him that I’m gay. I mean sure he was disappointed but he has made sure that I know that he loves me no matter what,” Tim replied.
“You want to continue our run?” I asked.
“Sure, I’m still amazed at what your bear looks like.”
“I love your wolf. He is absolutely beautiful.”
We each stripped and shifted into our animal forms. I will never get tired of looking at Tim in his wolf form, or for that matter, in his human form. Either way he is something to see.
We spent a couple of hours in our animal form. We ran into some of the members of the pack but no one gave us any problems. While we were running, Tim would chase after me, nipping at my heels making me try to run a little faster. It was fun to watch him because he would go up to some of the wildflowers, sniffing at them and then sneezing when he took too deep of a sniff. All too soon we were back at the lake and shifting back into our human form.
“You ready to go get something to eat?” Tim asked.
“Sure, let’s head back and get cleaned up before dinner,” I replied.
The last few days we would go out to eat to be able to have a somewhat private meal in order to get to know each other better. This was the first time that we ate in the pack house.
We joined Alpha Jeff for dinner in the main dining room and Tim was finally met Alpha James. I could tell by the look on Tim’s face that he was shocked that both of the Alphas of this pack were men and fated mates.
The cook had put out a hug buffet style dinner, with things like baked potatoes, corn on the cob, potato salad, green beans, bar-b-que chicken, and grilled steaks. Everything smelled absolutely delicious and it was making my stomach growl. I was so embarrassed.
“Has anyone had an issue with you guys being mates and Alphas?” asked Tim as he started to fill his plate.
“Well there were a few who had an issue with us being Alphas with a male as our mate but that was only because they didn’t see us as being able to have children to carry on the Alpha line,” replied Alpha James from behind him.
“Does your pack know that you’re gay Tim?” asked Alpha Jeff.
“My friends do, it’s never really been an issue. Most of the kids in my school didn’t date until they found their mate so it wasn’t a big deal that I never had a girlfriend or even a boyfriend,” replied Tim as he sat down at the table before taking a drink of his Pepsi.
“How about you Jon?” Alpha James asked as he sat down.
“I knew when I was about sixteen that I was gay and when I told my parents. My mom insisted that I go out with some of the girls in my class because she didn’t believe that I was really gay. To this day she still insists that it’s a phase that I’m going through and still tries to set me up with eligible female bear shifters so that I will settle down and have kids.” Alpha James and Alpha Jeff looked at each other with a look of disbelief on their faces.
“I can’t believe that a mother would do that, not that I don’t believe you but how could she do that to you?” asked Alpha James after taking a drink.
“Well, see family is important to her and nothing says family like grandkids. However, I’ve told her that if she continues to try and set me up I will leave and not come back until I have my mate and that if she disrespects my mate, I will go and live close to his family.”
“My dad never once said anything bad about me being gay and without me having kids our family line ends with me,” stated Tim while cutting his steak into pieces.
“See my dad don’t care because he knows that he will have grandkids from my three brothers and he just wants me to be happy,” I commented as I scooped up a forkful of potato salad.
Alpha Jeff nodded and stated, “Well just so you guys know, if you ever need a place to stay or live I would be honored to have you as a part of my pack.”
I looked back and forth between Alpha Jeff and Alpha James with a look of absolute shock. I couldn’t believe that they would make that type of offer. I looked at Tim to see what his reaction was and saw that it was the same as mine.
“Alphas, I think I can speak for Jon and myself in that we are honored by that you would make this generous offer and we will consider it, if that’s ok?” requested Tim.
“I couldn’t have said it any better Tim,” I commented.
“Tim and Jon that is fine with us. We just wanted to let you know that it is an option for you,” replied Alpha James.
“Thank you both so much,” I turned and looked at Tim and asked, “Are you ready to go see American Hustle?”
“Yeah, we had better get going to make it to the next showing,” he replied after looking at his watch.
We got up, took our dishes into the kitchen, and headed upstairs to grab our wallets before heading out to the cars.
“Which car do you want to take?” I asked.
“Let’s take yours since it’s a good deal bigger and I don’t want to scrunch you up,” Tim replied.
So we walked over to my suburban, I opened the door for him to climb in before closing the door and walking around to my side of the vehicle.
“You keep this really clean, I’m impressed. I was not expecting it to be this clean with the amount of travelling that you’ve been doing,” Tim commented.
“Thanks, I was known as the neat freak of the family. I’m not compulsive about it but I do like to keep my things in good condition, especially my vehicle.”
“Personally I think that is an admirable quality to have. Personally I like to keep my things in good condition as well, especially my car back home.”
We continued to talk and get to know one another on the drive into town. Turns out that we both like to read crime novels, are both into computers, and being out in nature.
“Who is your favorite author?” I asked as I looked deep into his eyes.
“I really like Iris Johansen but I also like James Patterson,” Tim replied.
“I like James Patterson too. I haven’t read any Iris Johansen, I will have to find some and read them.”
About that time the movie previews started. Unfortunately we couldn’t talk during the movie but that’s ok we sat there and held hands, occasionally looking over at the other. We made sure to sit in the back of the theater so that my large frame wouldn’t block anyone’s view of the screen.
Soon the movie was over and we could talk again. We waited for most of the theater to clear out before walking out still holding hands. It was a good movie but I would have been content to just go for a stroll, all that mattered to me was being able to be with my mate.
On the way back to the pack house we were talking about our love for being outdoors and I so wanted to go camping with him. We both liked to camp under the stars in tents but we also liked to go hiking and backpacking.
“Tim, how would you like to go camping with me on our way to Spokane? I would love to show you the area around this part of Washington.”
“That sounds like a wonderful idea. I can’t think of anything that I would rather do than to go camping with you,” stated Tim.
“Where is your favorite spot to go camping?” I asked.
“I have enjoyed camping in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. The mountains are absolutely beautiful.”
“I did some camping while I was in Iowa, in a small town called West Branch,” I replied.
All too soon we were back at the pack house and I knew that we would be separated by a wall of our bedrooms and that was the last thing that I wanted. I knew that it had only been a few days since we had met but I couldn’t get enough of him and wanted to be around him always. However, I had promised him that we would take this at his pace and I refused to rush him.
As we got in front of our rooms, Tim pulled me in for a hug. As we pulled apart he looked into my eyes, I didn’t know what he was looking for but I hoped that he could see the love in them.
“Jon will you sleep in my room tonight? I’m not ready for us to complete the mating but I just can’t stand the thought of being apart from you tonight.”
“I feel the same way. Let me get my pajamas, clothes for tomorrow, and my book before I come over.”
“I’ll just wait for you right here while you get your stuff. What book are you reading?”
“I’m reading Guilty Wives by James Patterson,” I replied as I walked into my room to gather the things I would need that night and for the next day.
Tim looked kind of surprised when I grabbed my e-reader out of my computer bag.
Soon I had the things that I needed and met him at the door of my room before we headed next door to his room.
“Go ahead and change out here, I’ll change in the bathroom,” suggested Tim as he got his pajamas out from under his pillow and headed for the bathroom.
I quickly changed into my pajamas, hung my clothes up in the closet and put my e-reader on the other bedside table as I waited for Tim to come out of the bathroom.
Tim soon opened the door and motioned for me to come in so that I could brush my teeth and wash my face. Once that was done we both climbed in bed from opposite sides.
“I don’t know about you, but I’ve never had anyone else in my bed,” stated Tim.
“The only ones who have been in my bed has been my brothers when they were younger and they had gotten scared. Every now and then when I come home after being gone for a long time Tyler will spend my first night back with me so that I know just how much he missed me. Even though there is ten years between us he’s the brother that I am closest to.”
“Do you know why that is?” asked Tim.
“I think it’s because the twins were born with their best friend and Tyler sometimes feels left out of things. He’s got friends but none that he is really close to. He’s popular because he’s a basketball player but it’s usually people that are looking to become popular by association and he doesn’t like that.”
“I think it’s a good thing that you are close with your brothers. I wish I had siblings to grow up with.”
I pulled him into a sideways hug and said, “You do realize that you have now inherited three brothers?”
“Yeah, but it would have been nice to grow up together, ya know?”
“I understand what you’re saying.”
“Do you think they’ll like me?”
“I think they have already started liking you with our Skype conversation that we had with them the other day. My dad was taken with you as well.”
“I think my dad liked you, too. He’s happy that I have finally found my mate and he’s looking forward to getting to know you better,” stated Tim.
He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek before grabbing his e-reader and opening his current book. I grabbed mine and opened my book and we just sat there next to each other and read for a little bit before turning in for the night.
When I woke up the next morning I was spooned up behind him with my left arm draped over his side and my fingers were splayed across his abdomen. His hand was laid out over top of mine and his head was nestled in between my head and right shoulder.
I soon felt him stirring and I knew that he could feel my erection pushing into the crack of his butt and it was taking everything in me not to hump him or move my hand down to his own erection.
He rolled over and looked into my eyes and said, “Good morning, how long have you been awake?”
“Good morning. Just a short time, I was enjoying watching you sleep but now I need to use the bathroom, my bladder feels like it’s going to burst,” I replied as I climbed out of bed and headed to the bathroom.
I didn’t close the door all the way so I didn’t hear him come into the bathroom with me. The next thing I knew, he was standing there at the toilet next to me peeing. When we were done we both headed over to the sink and brushed our teeth at the sink.
“Why don’t you go ahead and take your shower? I’m going to go check my e-mail. Can I use your computer to check it or do I need to get my computer?” I asked.
“It’s ok for you to use mine, I have nothing to hide,” he replied as he went out into his room to get his clothes for the day.
I sat down and turned his laptop on and waited for it to boot up as I heard the shower turn on. It was taking everything in me to not go and join him.
I looked back at the computer and saw that it was now online so I went to my Hotmail account to check my e-mail. I saw that I had a message from Steve, one of the guys that I met while I was travelling and had become friends with.
Hey Jon,
It’s been awhile since we talked. Any luck on finding your mate yet?
Are you going to be coming through Iowa again anytime soon? I haven’t been able to find my mate yet but I’m not giving up. I know I will find them sooner or later.
I hope to hear from you soon.
Steve
I heard the shower shut off. I got up to gather my things to get ready for my shower just as Tim walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his trim waist.
“Hey babe, how would you feel about going through Iowa on our way to Virginia? I’ve got some friends there that I made during my travels and I want you to meet them,” I asked as I pulled him into a hug.
“Sounds like a plan to me. I’m guessing you got an e-mail from one of them?” he asked.
“Yeah, my friend Steve e-mailed to see if I had found my mate yet and asked when I was coming that way again.”
“Well respond and tell him that you have and that we will be heading that way in about a week, if you want to that is,” replied Tim.
I went back to the computer and hit the reply button and composed an e-mail back to Steve.
Hey Steve,
Yeah I have finally found my mate a few days ago. His name is Tim and he is from Virginia. We will be heading in that direction in approximately a week and he is looking forward to meeting you guys.
You will find your mate when the time is right don’t give up.
Jon
I showed Tim the e-mail before sending it. After closing my e-mail I got up and grabbed my clothes and headed for the shower. I took a quick shower before getting dressed and joining Tim back in the bedroom. When I came in the room he was writing an e-mail of his own to someone.
I walked over and sat on the bed to put my shoes on before walking over to the desk that Tim was sitting at.
“You about ready to go down for breakfast?” I asked.
“Yeah let me just send a quick e-mail to my best friend Jeremy. You want to read it?” he asked.
“I don’t have to.”
“I asked if you wanted to, ya big goof.”
“Ok.”
Hey buddy!
Just wanted to let you know that I have found my mate. His name is Jon and he is a werebear. We will be heading in that direction in about a week. We are going to meet his family in a few days and spending some time with them.
I’ll send you a picture as soon as I can get one taken and loaded onto my laptop.
Love ya bro,
Tim
“He’s the closest thing that I have to a brother. We grew up together, played sports together, and hung out together. Most of our other friends were dating or finding their mates. We had both made the decision to wait until we found our fated mate.”
“I can’t wait to meet him, he sounds like a great guy.”
He shut down his laptop and we headed down for breakfast holding hands. When we got down there, the Alphas were sitting at the table with a couple of other people.
“Good morning Tim, Jon. Did you enjoy your movie last night?” asked Alpha James.
“Yes, sir, it was good but to tell you the truth I was happy just being able to spend some one on one time with Tim,” I replied.
“So this is the bear that’s been running around on pack lands,” commented the man sitting next to Alpha Jeff.
“Simon, that’s enough. He has my permission to be on our lands and he has not done anything wrong. He has been nothing but a perfect guest,” responded Alpha Jeff with some authority in his voice.
“All due respect sir, he took a visiting wolf out last night. It’s just not right,” replied Simon.
“Simon, not that it’s any of your business but Tim and Jon are fated mates and have every right to go out on dates,” said Alpha James.
“I’m sure his parents aren’t going to allow this mating. It’s wrong!”
Tim shook his head and said, “Simon, my dad has been introduced to Jon via Skype and he knows that Jon is a bear and has no problem with it. For that matter, Jon’s dad and brothers have no problem with me being a wolf either.”
Tim and I got some cereal and came back to the table.
“Guys, I’m sorry. These are the Betas, the one to my left is my Beta, Simon and the one on the other side of Alpha James is his Beta, Jake,” stated Alpha Jeff.
“It’s nice to meet you gentlemen. Thank you for allowing us on your land. I’m Jon and this is my mate Tim,” I stated trying to be nice to Simon.
“Jon, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Please forgive the Simon's rudeness. His feelings are not a consensus of the pack, he has some outdated beliefs,” responded Jake.
“Thank you, Beta Jake. I mean no harm to anyone, especially not to my mate.”
“Please just call me Jake, we don’t stand on ceremony here.”
“Speak for yourself Jake, he needs to address me as Beta Simon. I will not be on friendly terms with a werebear,” snarled Simon.
“Simon, that’s enough. We will speak in my office, go in and wait for Alpha James and I. Jake you can wait outside if you want or you can stay here and get to know our guests a little better,” said Alpha Jeff.
He turned to us and said, “Guys I’m sorry for the disrespect that he has shown you.”
“Alpha Jeff, it’s not your fault. Everyone has their own opinions and it is something that we will need to address from time to time I’m sure,” I replied.
“Even so, he should not have shown the disrespect, especially after he was already cautioned. Well, we are going to go and talk to Simon. You guys enjoy your breakfast and we can talk later,” responded Alpha Jeff.
Alphas Jeff and James got up and went to their office to speak with Simon, leaving Jake, Tim, and I at the table. Tim and I started to eat our cereal and tried to forget what had just happened.
“So what do you guys have planned for today?” asked Jake.
“Well if Jon is ok with it I think we will go return my rental car and just drive through the countryside, maybe go for a picnic and just spend some alone time together,” Tim replied.
“That sounds like a plan to me, Babe. We don’t need both vehicles here. When did you want to go camping?”
“Babe, huh? Ok, I can deal with that. How about we head out tomorrow for the camping trip and then head to your parents’ house from there?”
“Well we could but I would kind of like to be clean when we get there, so maybe leave some of our stuff here, camp for a couple days, and come back here to shower and finish packing before heading to Spokane. How does that sound?”
“I like that plan very much,” replied Tim.
“You guys sound like you have everything planned out. Where are you going to go camping?” asked Jake.
“Not really sure, haven’t been to this area very much. Is there someplace that you could recommend?” I asked.
“Well since I am sure that Jon will also want to do some fishing and that you guys are going to want to run in your animal forms, I would suggest that you go to Beda Lake,” suggested Jake.
“I think I remember seeing signs for it on the drive here,” stated Tim.
“Well alright then, let’s go camping at Beda Lake. How would you feel about starting our camping trip today instead of tomorrow?” I asked.
“Ok, we should pack a few things of clothes for the next few days. We can load them into your suburban. We can also stop at a store when we get close to the campsite for food for the next couple of days. How about that?”
“Sounds like a plan Tim. Let’s go get packed,” I replied.
We went upstairs to pack a few clothes for the next few days, then we headed out to take the rental car back to the airport. We got our provisions and found the campgrounds, which started our camping trip.
Chapter 6: Jon’s POV
Tim and I enjoyed our time at Beda Lake, we spent time fishing in both our human and animal forms, swimming, hiking, and going for a run together. It's a shame that our time there was so short, but all too soon it was time to head back to the pack house to gather the rest of our belongings, before heading to my parent's house in Spokane.
We went on one final run together before packing up our camping equipment. Tim can be a fast little bugger when he shifts into his wolf form. Once we had both shifted he took off at quick pace while I lumbered along behind him. He would stop every few minutes so that I could catch up with him before taking off again.
When he finally stopped he was breathing a little heavy but had a wolfie smile on his face letting me know that he was happy and having fun. I walked up to him and nuzzled into his neck before he decided to rub up against me. He ran into the lake splashing me, daring me to follow. I lumbered in, and he backed deeper into the lake. Suddenly he was doggy paddling while I still had four paws firmly planted on the lake. I ducked under the water and swam under him. Tim yelped in fear as he found himself suddenly riding "bear" back. I ducked under the water again and Tim was swimming under his own power. He headed quickly back to shallower water where we splashed each other. After some time frolicking in the lake, we headed back to our campsite to load up and head out.
The closer that we got to the pack house, the quieter Tim got. I knew that he was nervous about meeting my family, and how they would react when they learn that he is a wolf and not a bear.
I knew that my dad and brothers will love him for the fact that he’s my mate alone, the only wild card was my mom.
“Babe, are you ok?” I asked.
“Yeah, just nervous, I mean in a few hours I will be meeting my in-laws, and I know there is one for sure that is not going to like me,” Tim replied with a chuckle.
I reached over and held his hand, reassuring him that everything would be fine.
Soon we pulled up in front of the pack house and I stopped the suburban. Tim looked over at me before opening his door and getting out of the vehicle.
As we walked in the front door, we were met by Alpha Jeff.
“I hope you guys had a good time camping,” stated Alpha Jeff.
“Yeah, it was an amazing couple of days,” replied Tim.
“Tim before I forget, your dad called looking for you. Apparently you didn't check in before you guys took off, and he was worried about you.”
“Oh man, I knew that I forgot to do something,” Tim smacked his forehead.
“Tim, don't worry about it, I explained to your dad that you and Jon went camping for some alone time before heading off to meet the family.”
“Thank you Alpha, for making sure that Dad knew what was going on while we were gone. Well, I guess I had better get a hold of him, and let him know that we are still alive, as well as letting him know of the current travel plans to Spokane,” Tim replied.
Tim and I shook hands with Alpha Jeff before heading upstairs to our rooms to finish packing and calling his dad.
“Let's call my dad and then we can get in touch with your family before loading up to head out,” stated Tim.
“Sounds like a plan to me,” I replied.
We separated to finish packing. Since I had packed most of my things before we went camping, it didn't take me long.
Once all of my bags were packed I grabbed them and left the room. I knew that we would both need to do some laundry, but I figured that could wait until we got to my parent's house later in the day. I placed them in the hallway just outside of Tim's door before knocking.
“Come in.” came from the other side of the door.
I opened the door and saw Tim sitting at the desk with his computer in front of him. It appeared that he was checking his e-mail.
“Have you called your dad yet?” I asked.
“Yeah, I let him know that we were still alive and that we are getting ready to head to your parent's house in Spokane. I also apologized for not letting him know that we were going to be away from civilization for a little while. I can't believe that I forgot my cellphone here.”
“I can, we did kind of pack in a hurry,” I nodded.
“Have you called your parents to let them know that we are on our way?”
I chuckled and said, “No, not yet, was thinking of calling them right before we got to my parent’s. I don't want to give Mom too much notice because she will probably have someone at the house that I just have to meet.”
We grabbed our bags and headed downstairs and out to the car where Alpha Jeff and Alpha James were waiting for us.
“You fellas have a safe trip and enjoy your time with your families,” Alpha James helped us load our bags into the suburban.
“Remember that you are always welcome here. Stay in touch, here are our e-mail addresses, so that you can stay in touch. Please be safe in your travels,” said Alpha Jeff as he handed me a slip of paper that had two e-mail addresses on it, as well as a phone number on it.
“Thank you for your hospitality, I know that I will never forget both of you or the time that I spent here,” I put the paper in my wallet for safe keeping.
“Yes, thank you,” agreed Tim.
“You are both welcome, I enjoyed seeing someone meet their mate for the first time. It reminds me of a breath of fresh air,” replied Alpha Jeff as he pulled each of us into a hug.
We walked to Tim's side and I opened his door for him to get in before going around to my side of the vehicle. Once inside we waved to Alpha Jeff and Alpha James as we pulled out of the drive, heading towards Spokane.
A few hours later we were pulling into my parent’s driveway. I was relieve that both Mom's and Dad's cars were gone. I was a little worried about what my mom’s reaction was going to be. We got out of the SUV, grabbed our suitcases and headed inside.
“Anybody here?” I called out once we were inside.
I heard a herd of elephants coming down the stairs. My three brothers tackled me.
“Hey Bubba, welcome home,” said Tyler as he, Alex, and Kyle wrapped me in a group hug.
“Guys, I would like you to meet my mate, Tim,” I said as I pulled Tim to stand next to me. “Tim, these are my brothers Kyle, Tyler, and Alex,” I pointed in turn to each of my brothers.
“Welcome to the family, Tim,” chuckled Alex as each of my brothers pulled Tim into a hug.
Tyler, the ever helpful younger brother, grabbed our suitcases and took them upstairs while Alex and Kyle got to know Tim a little better.
“So where are you from Tim?” asked Kyle.
“I’m from Charlottesville, Virginia, which is in the Blue Ridge Mountains,” replied Tim.
“Do you have any brothers or sisters?” asked Alex.
“Well, I did have one sister but she died during childbirth, along with my mom.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Alex commented as he pulled Tim into another hug.
“It’s ok, it happened a long time ago. I still miss my mom though, but I know that she and my sister are in a better place, watching over me. She would’ve loved to have met you guys, especially you, Jon.”
I pulled him into a hug and kissed the side of his forehead. I knew that he was still deeply affected by the death of his mom, but that he was trying to not show weakness in front of my brothers.
Tyler came bounding down the stairs and asked, “So, who’s ready for a run?”
We all decided to go for a run in the woods before Mom and Dad got home. We led Tim to the hollowed out log where we placed our clothes before shifting into our bear forms.
When we had started to undress, Tim turned and looked in the other direction. Once we were changed he went behind a tree, removed his clothes, and shifted into his wolf. He picked his clothes up in his mouth and brought them over to the log, setting them inside.
Tim saw a black bear, a brown bear, and two reddish brown bears. He knew that I was one of the reddish brown one, so he followed his nose over to me and rubbed up against him.
“Guys, let’s go to the river and show Tim around the property,” I mind linked with my brothers.
“Sounds like a plan to me,” responded Alex before taking off at a jaunt, with the rest of us following behind
Tim obviously figured out that he needed to follow us since I couldn’t mind link him yet. I will be glad of when we finally mate because, for one thing, then we would be able to communicate telepathically.
The boys ran ahead of us, while I showed Tim different areas that I enjoyed visiting when I go for a run. We came across the clearing where I go to get away from mom for a little while. The multicolored carpet of wildflowers shimmered in the wind. The yellow, purple, white, blue and pink heads nodded to us as if nature recognized the fated mates.
We continued on to the stream where my brothers and I usually go fishing and play in the water. Alex greeted us with a huge splash of the cold, clear water. The war was on! With our bigger paws we easily created larger waves than Tim could. However, I had underestimated my mate's cleverness. Four paws at full speed through the stream threw up quite a wave. What seemed like hours later, 4 soaked bears and one tired wolf left the now muddied stream. It was great to be with my brothers, I miss them every time that I had to leave. I was glad that they accepted my mate and that he them.
When we had worn ourselves out, we headed back to where we had stashed our clothes. We needed to get home so Tim could meet our parents.
Once dressed, we walked, strolled or something similar back to the house. Mom and Dad’s cars were both in the driveway. Apparently Mom thought that by parking behind me she would prevent me from leaving early again.
My brothers went inside first while Tim and I stood outside for a minute so that I needed to get myself under control. I didn't want to go off on my mom.
Tim took my hand in his, looked me in the eyes, and said, “Its ok, babe. I will be right by your side, and I will not let anything that she says get to me. You are my fated mate and nothing will change that.”
“Thanks babe, I just don’t want her starting any of her nonsense,” I replied.
With that said we walked into the house with our hands clasped and found mom, dad, and the boys in the living room waiting for us.
“Hi, Mom and Dad. I would like you to meet my mate, Tim Collins, from Charlottesville, Virginia.”
“Welcome Tim, it’s good to meet you in person,” Dad walked over to shake Tim’s hand before saying. “Welcome to the family, son.”
“Thank you, Sir and Ma’am, it’s a pleasure to meet you in person. I have heard a lot about you both,” Tim replied.
When Tim turned to look at me, he missed the look of utter disgust on my mom’s face, but I saw it and it was pissing me off.
My expression must have given it away because Tim noticed and asked, “Babe, what’s wrong?”
“Hun, it’s ok. I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding. Right, Mom?”
Tim turned around at my words and looked at my mom with a questioning look on his face. She replaced the look of disgust with a smile.
“Tim, why don’t you go up and take a shower? I’ll be up in a few,” I suggested.
“Ok.”
Facing my mom I growled out. “If you try any of your bull, I will move to Virginia to live. You will never see me again.”
I looked at my Dad before turning, heading upstairs to shower, and check my e-mail. I figured that there was probably one from Steve and I knew that Tim wanted to talk to his Dad and let him know where he was.
When I got upstairs I overheard Tim talking to his Dad, letting him know that he was safe and where he was.
“Yeah, Dad, we’re at his parent’s house in Spokane…We’re planning on being here for about a week before heading East…Yes, we’re driving…Ok, I love you too. Talk to you soon…Bye.”
Tim ended his call as I came into the bedroom.
“Is everything ok?” Tim questioned as he pulled me into a hug.
“Yeah, just Mom and her usual bull. I warned her that if she pulled any of her crap that we would start our cross country journey early and I would move to Virginia on a permanent basis.”
“Give her a chance babe. Maybe now that she has seen that your mate is in fact a guy, she will leave you alone.”
“I hope so, but you didn’t see her face downstairs. She directed a look of absolute disgust at us. I will not put up with anyone messing with you,” I stated. “How’s your dad? He doing ok?”
“Dad’s fine, he wants to Skype tonight so that he can get the chance to meet your family and start getting to know them.”
“That would be awesome. I know Dad would want to meet him and to talk to him. I’m sure the boys would like to meet him as well. Now go get your shower.”
“Actually, I was hoping that you would join me in the shower. I’m not ready for us to complete the mating but that shouldn’t stop us from having a little bit of fun,” he said with a shy grin.
“That sounds like a really good idea. We don’t have to do anything other than wash each other’s backs if you don’t want to,” I said with a smile of my own. I just couldn’t get the Cheshire grin off of my face.
“Well, then let’s go,” he grabbed my hand. We grabbed our toiletries and he pulled me to the bathroom.
In the bathroom, Tim locked the door. He grabbed the hem of my shirt, and slowly inching it upwards until he had me lift my arms and took it off of me.
I repeated the gesture with him before unbuttoning his jeans and slowly lowering them, along with his boxers, to the floor. He grabbed ahold of my shoulders while I was kneeling in front of him to steady himself, as he stepped out of his jeans and boxers.
Once they were pooled on the floor next to me, I stood up and pulled him in for a deep and passionate kiss. I was falling more and more in love with him with each passing day. As we were kissing, he reached in between us, running his hands down my chest to my waist and unbuttoned my pants.
He slid his hand inside the waistband of my boxers.
I could not believe that this was happening. His hand felt amazing. He trailed slow kisses down my chest as he lowered my pants and boxers to the floor. Once he had them to my ankles I used his shoulders to support myself while I lifted each leg so that he could remove each pant leg.
Once the pants were removed he stood up on tiptoes, giving me a hard and long kiss. After several seconds he broke the kiss and I pulled him into a hug, running my hands up and down his back.
I turned on the water in the shower and we waited for it to get to the right temperature. Once the water was at the right temperature, Tim and I got in the shower. We spent time kissing and running our hands all over each other. Finally we got the soap out and soaped each other up, washing every square inch of the other person.
All too soon the water started to cool off and it was time to get out of the shower. Once out of the shower we dried each other off and went back into the bedroom to get dressed. We both dressed in jeans and a t-shirt.
As we were exiting my room, we ran into Tim in the hallway, who warned, “Someone has come to visit.”
I sniffed the air and growled low in my throat.
“Babe, what’s wrong?” he wondered.
“My mom has invited Jackie over. You remember me telling you about the she-bear that said she doesn’t believe that I’m gay?” I asked.
“It’ll be ok, babe,” Tim took my hand in his and started to rub small circles with his thumb on the back of my hand.
With our hands still clasped, we headed downstairs to deal with whatever my mom had planned. I couldn’t believe that she would invite Jackie over. Maybe I’m overthinking it and they had become friends, but something in my gut told me that was not the case.
“Hello ladies,” Tim said as we came into the living room.
Jackie saw me and came over and tried to pull me into a hug before kissing me on the cheek.
I took a couple of steps back, wiped my cheek, and demanded, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“I was just saying hello,” Jackie smirked.
“Jon behave yourself and apologize this instant,” growled Mom.
“There is nothing for me to apologize for. If anyone needs to apologize, it’s Jackie. She had no business doing what she just did. Especially in front of my mate,” I growled back.
“She did nothing wrong. She didn’t know that Tim is your ‘supposed’ mate,” Mom replied snidely.
“I guess you don’t want us to stay for very long, do you?” I glared at mom.
“You are welcome to stay as long as you want but that wolf is not welcome here,” Mom argued.
“JENNIE!! You will stop that right now,” yelled Dad coming in from the backyard just as Mom made the last comment and it pissed him off.
I looked at her and growled, “If he leaves, I leave and I think that’s what we’re going to do.”
Dad pleaded with me, “Jon, please wait and leave in the morning. Spend some time with your brothers and let them get to know your mate better. I understand that you are upset but don’t let your mother’s actions cause any unnecessary hard feelings.”
I looked at Tim to see him nod his head and told Dad, “All right Dad, we will stay until morning but then we are leaving. I told Mom that if she did not stop, I would move to Virginia with Tim. That’s precisely what’s going to happen.”
“Well, before you guys leave, would you go out with me, Tim?” Jackie coyly asked.
Tim looked at her like she had grown a second head.
“Lady, you’re nuts. Not only do I have a fated mate but you’re not my type at all,” Tim said with his voice dripping with disgust.
Tim and I turned our backs on them before going out the back door to get away from them.
I pulled Tim into my arms and whispering, “I’m sorry babe, I don’t know what has gotten into Mom. She used to be the nicest woman in the world but when I started searching for my mate, she started to parade all of the she-bears that she knows in front of me hoping that one of them would take my mind off finding my fated mate.”
Tim took my face in his hands while standing on his tiptoes leaning in to give me a quick kiss before saying, “Babe, it’s all right. I know that you had nothing to do with what happened and that you have had nothing to do with Jackie. Even if you had done something with Jackie before we met, I know that it would have ended as soon as we saw each other. I trust you.”
I could not believe my luck that I would have such a trusting and loving mate. He was everything that I had ever hoped for and I knew that we were going to have a wonderful life together.
Grabbing his face in my hands, I slowly leaned in to initiate a slow and deep kiss that was powerful enough to curl my toes and take my breath away.
“All right break it up you two.” came the laughing voices of Kyle and Alex.
I slowly lifted my head, never taking my eyes off of my beautiful mate. While pulling my face away I ran my fingertips along his jawline and could feel the trace of stubble.
Giving my brothers a mock glare, I said, “What do you two want?”
“Just wanted to give you a hard time,” teased Alex.
“Well ya did, now go away.” I playfully growled.
“Now where’s the fun in that?” asked Kyle.
“Face it babe, the only way for us to get some privacy is to lock ourselves away in your room,” joked Tim, joining the teasing.
“I know, but still they could have let us have a little bit of time by ourselves,” I grumbled.
Tim chuckled as he pulled my face down for a quick kiss.
“How about the five of us go out for dinner?” asked Tim. “I think we could use some time away from here and sometime bonding as brothers.”
“I think that’s a great idea,” remarked Kyle.
“I’m gonna go let Dad know, and get Tyler so that we can go. Let’s take your suburban Jon,” suggested Alex.
“Ok, when you let Dad know, ask him if he could move Mom’s car so that we can get out,” I replied as Alex turned to go inside, nodding his head to show that he heard me.
“So Tim, are you taking any college classes?” questioned Kyle.
“Yeah, I am studying Business Administration through an online school,” responded Tim.
“Cool, Jon got his English Degree through an online school as well. You guys really do have quite a bit in common.”
Alex bounded out the back door, “All right guys, let’s go. Tyler is already out front and Dad is moving Mom’s car even though she’s not happy about it.”
“All righty then, let’s go around front and get going, I’m hungry,” my stomach growled proving the point.
“You’re always hungry, Jon.” responded Alex with a chuckle.
I attempted to swat him on the back of the head as he took off running around the front of the house with me chasing behind him.
I could hear Tim chuckle as he asked Kyle, “Are they always like this?”
“Yep, they sure are.”
I rounded the front of the house and saw that Tyler was sitting in the front seat with Alex in the back seat.
“Nope, sorry Tyler but you get to be in the back with the other two, Tim gets the front seat,” I said with a chuckle while trying to catch my breath.
“Aw man, that’s not fair,” whined Tyler.
Tim giggled, “Sorry man.”
I had never heard a more beautiful sound than when Tim giggled at that moment. It was like music to my ears.
Tyler got out of the suburban, getting into the back with Kyle and Alex, while I held the door open for Tim, only shutting it after he was safely inside. I quickly jogged to my side before getting in and starting the engine.
“So, where do you guys want to go eat?” I asked.
“Let’s go to Qdoba’s.” suggested Alex. “Mexican food sounds really good right about now.”
“Their fajitas are delicious and I could go for some really good, authentic tacos right now,” I said as my stomach growled.
“Well, I guess he’s really hungry,” Tyler chuckled.
I got on Interstate 90 going West towards downtown Spokane, exiting onto Pines Road. The whole trip took about fifteen to twenty minutes and my stomach was growling loudly the whole time.
The food could be smelled as soon as someone opened the door. I examined the interior as I follows the waitress to the table and noticed that not much had changed since the last time that we came here. The walls were a taupe kind of brown with tasteful cactuses drawn on the wall and authentic Mexican decorations scattered throughout the restaurant.
Glancing over the menus once we were seated, we gave our orders.
“I’ll have a double portion of steak fajitas, Spanish rice, but only a single serving of the refried beans, with a Pepsi to drink,” ordered Tyler, which was soon followed by same for me by Alex and Kyle.
“I’ll have the chicken enchiladas, with an order of steak tacos on the side, with water to drink,” Tim told the waitress when it was his turn.
“I’ll have the steak fajitas, steak tacos, and beef enchiladas with a Pepsi and water to drink,” I ordered when it was my turn. What can I say, I’m a big guy.
“What do you plan to do when you are done with school?” Alex started the conversation.
Tim thought for a minute before answering, “Well, now that I’ve found my mate, I will probably look for a position close to where we settle down. I have always been interested in construction, so I will probably look to get in with a construction company on the administration side of things.”
“Sounds like a good plan. How much longer do you have on it?” Tyler questioned.
“I still have about two years to go on it but I have an Associates in Business right now,” Tim replied.
Our food came and the table got quiet as we all dug into our food. The smells alone caused my stomach to rumble in anticipation of the coming food. You would have thought that we hadn’t eaten all day the way that we were devouring the food in front of us.
The waitress brought our check and Tim beat me to paying the bill. I chuckled as I shook my head in resignation, remembering that I had told him he could get the next meal. I just wasn’t expecting it to be with my three brothers.
As we pulled into the driveway, I made sure that I couldn’t be blocked in again by Mom or anyone else. We all got out of the suburban, I pocketed my keys and walked over to the passenger side of the vehicle and took Tim’s hand in mine.
Tim looked at his watch, “Babe, it’s almost time for me to Skype with Dad.”
“Ok, let’s get going then. Don’t want you to be late.”
“Do you think your dad and brothers would want to meet him tonight?”
Tim asked as we walked in the door.
I looked in his eyes, “Why don’t you ask them? I’m sure they would love to meet him.”
We walked in and were met by my irritated mom.
“Where have you been? I had dinner waiting for everyone,” she growled.
“Mom, if you had asked Dad he would have told you that we went out to eat,” I replied barely containing my impatience with her.
“Well, then why were we not invited?” she asked trying to appear innocent.
“You weren’t invited because of your attitude towards Tim earlier. I am not going submit him to your attitude and manipulations.”
Tim and I walked away, and headed upstairs so that he could set up his computer to Skype his dad.
“Get back here, I’m not done talking to you!” Mom screeched.
Tim wanted to turn around but I kept him going up the stairs and said, “Just ignore her.”
Once we got in ‘our room’ Tim immediately set up his computer. While he was doing that I sought out my brothers. I found them in Alex and Kyle’s room.
“Hey guys, do you want to meet Tim’s dad? He’s getting ready to Skype him,” I said from the doorway.
“Sure, we can say hi. Does he want Mom and Dad to meet him as well?” Kyle question when he stood up from his desk chair.
“Dad, yes. Mom, no. She demanded to know why they weren’t invited to go eat with us,” I said with disgust.
All three of the boys were dumbfound before Tyler said in frustration, “I can’t believe her! She is less than welcoming to your mate and she wonders why you don’t want her around for dinner?”
“I know but she is going to have to get used to him being around because that is something that is never going to change,” I said with conviction.
“I’m gonna go get Dad and meet you guys in your room Jon,” Tyler said
“Ok, I’m gonna go check and make sure that Tim is all set up to talk to his dad,” I turned to head back to ‘our room’.
“You ready, babe?” I asked as I walked into the room.
“Yeah, was waiting for you to get back before I dialed Dad,” Tim walked over to me before going up on tiptoes and giving me a quick kiss.
Tim returned to my desk where he had set up his laptop. I walked over, placing my hands on his shoulders giving them a few squeezes to let him know that I’m there.
“Tyler went to go get Dad and the boys should be in here soon,” I said just as there was a knock on the door.
“Hey guys, you ready for us?” asked Kyle, as he and Alex came into the room.
“Sure am. Why don’t you have a seat on the bed while I get ahold of my dad,” said Tim as he clicked on the video call button.
There was another knock on the door and I saw Tyler and my dad standing in the doorway.
“Come on in, guys,” I smiled. “Dad, Tim’s dad is Jasper and he should be coming on shortly.”
“Hey Dad! How are you?” Tim asked when his dad came on the screen.
“Hi son. Hi Jon. I’m good. How are you boys?” asked Jasper.
“We’re doing good Dad,” replied Tim.
“Sir, I would like to introduce you to my brothers, Tyler, Alex, and Kyle. Also this is my Dad, Thomas,” I said as I introduced my family to him, pointing at each one as I named them off.
“Gentlemen, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I hope Tim has been behaving himself,” Jasper chuckled.
“Jasper, it’s a pleasure to meet you and Tim has been a model guest. It has been a pleasure getting to know him. I know the boys have been having a blast today,” replied Dad.
“That’s good to know,” replied Jasper with a chuckle. “How old are you boys?”
“Sir, I am sixteen, Alex and Kyle are both eighteen,” said Tyler as he pointed to each of them in turn.
“Kyle and Alex are you still in school? Have you found your mates yet?” asked Jasper.
“We just graduated this past May and no we haven’t met our mates yet,” replied Alex with a laugh.
“Sir, it was a pleasure to meet you but I am going to let you talk with Tim and Jon for a little bit,” stated Kyle.
“Me too, Sir,” Alex smiled.
“All right, boys. You have a good night and it was nice meeting you,” acknowledge Jasper.
“Night,” Alex, Tyler, and Kyle said in unison.
“So Jasper, tell me about my son in law,” Dad grinned.
“Well, he has always excelled at sports, smart as a whip, a great sense of humor, and very respectful. He has done his father proud in so many ways,” Jasper said with a fond look on his face.
“Sounds like he will make a fine mate to Jon. Jon also excelled at sports, has a wicked sense of humor, is respectful but has a clear cut set of values and nothing will sway them, he is also very smart,” Dad said with pride in his voice.
“Babe, I think we should let our dads talk and get to know each other. I’m gonna take out our clothes for tomorrow and pack the rest of our stuff in the suburban so that we will have an easier time getting out of here in the morning.”
“All right, I will bag up our dirty clothes so that everything is in one place, making it easier to grab in the morning,” Tim replied with a quick kiss before going and bagging up the dirty laundry.
Once the packing was taken care of, we each sat on the bed with our e-readers and read while the dads continued talking.
After about an hour Dad stood up and said, “Well, goodnight boys. Tim it was a pleasure talking to your dad and getting to know him. I meant what I said when I told him that you make a fine mate for Jon. I am proud to call you my son-in-law because whether you have completed the mating yet or not, you are bound to us and I will do whatever I can to make you boys happy.”
“Thank you, sir. I am honored to be a member of your family and I will do my best to make you as proud of me as you are of Jon and his brothers,” Tim said while blushing from the compliment.
I pulled Dad in for a hug and said, “Good night, Dad. We will see you in the morning before we leave. I’m sorry that it has come to this but unless Mom changes her attitude, you won’t be seeing us as much as I would like. You will always be welcome in our home, Dad.”
As Dad left our room, Tim looked at me and said, “I love you, babe.”
“I love you, too,” I replied before leaning in and kissing him passionately.
Chapter 7: Jon’s POV
Waking early I just watched Tim as he slept peacefully without a care in the world. I wanted to show him that I was not going to let Mom cause a rift between us. I know that her inability to accept him as my mate hurts him even though he won’t admit it.
I just can’t understand how she can be so rude and ugly to him. I’ll have to ask Dad and see if he knows what’s going on with her. This isn’t the same mom that we had while growing up. She was loving and compassionate to everyone, not just the family.
I felt Tim start to stir and when I looked at his face, I saw his blue eyes looking into mine.
“Good morning, babe,” I said as I leaned in to give him a good morning kiss.
“Good morning, love. How long have you been awake?” he asked after returning the kiss.
“Only for a little while, I’ve enjoyed just watching you sleep. You look so peaceful and I didn’t want to wake you up.”
“I’ve been thinking about what your mom said about Jackie not knowing that we’re mates,” Tim ran his fingers along the side of my face and gazed into my eyes.
“Don’t think about what Mom or Jackie said, and don’t let it pressure you to do something that you’re not ready for,” I stated as I pulled him closer to me before leaning in to give him a quick peck on the lips.
“I’m not letting them pressure me into something but it did give me food for thought. What if we mark each other but hold off on completing the mating just a little while longer?”
“Are you sure? Because I don’t know if I would be able to stop at just marking you,” I started really thinking about what he was suggesting. I don’t really know about wolves mating but for us bears, once the process is started the urge to complete the mating gets stronger with each and every day.
“Yes, I’m very sure of this, more than anything else, you are my other half.” He rolled us until he was laying on top of me and I could feel his morning erection pressing into my hip.
I lifted my head and gently kissed him. The kiss soon turned deep and passionate. Tim started to grind his hips against mine as the kiss continued and deepened. I started to run my hands down his sides with a feather-like touch, from his shoulders down to his hips.
He pulled his lips away as he started to moan and gasp for breath. When he looked into my eyes I saw that they had darkened with passion and could see that his wolf was just under the surface. I could see his teeth start to elongate and knew that he would be marking me at any moment. I have been trying to hold back on marking him because I knew that he wasn’t ready, so it made my heart soar when he said that we could do the marking and finish the mating later.
Tim leaned in to nuzzle my neck and I knew that was where he was going to put his mark. I could smell his intoxicating scent and lifted my nose to the area between his neck and shoulder inhaling deeply.
Tim started to lick my shoulder, nipping it lightly causing me to moan, “Babe, I love you.”
“I love you too.”
He was still grinding against me bringing both of us closer to orgasm. As the orgasm rolled through us, we simultaneously clamped down on each other’s shoulders while riding out the immense pleasure that came from claiming our mate. Boy, was I glad that Dad had the rooms soundproofed when each of us reached puberty.
When we separated, Tim went into the en-suite, getting a warm, damp washcloth before coming out. He cleaning both of us before placing the washcloth in the hamper and climbing back into bed.
We laid there cuddling for several minutes before he rolled over to look at me and said, “That was amazing, I can only imagine how intense it will be when we finally finish the mating process.”
“Just so you know waiting is going to be difficult now, plus I’m going to be even more protective and possessive of you until the mating is complete.” I climbed out of bed, grabbed his hand to help him up, and headed for the bathroom so that we could take a shower and get ready to go. I glanced in the mirror while waiting for the water to warm up and saw the outline of a howling wolf. This was the mark that would show others that I am mated, to humans it just looks like a tattoo.
Tim took his time and washed me from head to toe before I returned the favor, paying close attention to the mating mark on each other’s shoulder. Right now it was just the imprint of the teeth marks and a faint outline like a tattoo that needs to be colored in, while Tim’s looked a bear paw print.
We got out of the shower, drying each other off which had a mutually satisfying result before we got dressed and finished packing our bags. While we were tidying up there was a knock on the door and I could smell that it was my dad.
“Come in Dad,” I called out as I zipped my suitcase shut.
“Son, can I talk to you guys for a minute?”
“Sure Dad, have a seat because I have a feeling that this is going to be a long talk.” Tim and I took a seat next to each other on the side of the bed, while Dad sat in my desk chair facing us.
“Well, I wanted to do some explaining but we need to wait for your brothers because they need to hear this too.” Just as he said that the boys were knocking on the door.
“Come on in guys and pull up some floor to sit on,” I chuckled.
“Shut the door behind you, Tyler,” suggested Dad.
Once the door was closed, Dad closed his eyes before he started to speak. “I think that it’s fair to let you guys understand why your mom is so against mates. You see, she and I are not fated mates. My mate died in a car accident just after we met when we were about seventeen. Your mom never met her fated mate, not even to this day has she met him. We met when we were in college and fell in love. I never expected to fall in love again since my mate had died, but then here was this beautiful woman that was showing an interest in me. As you know bears, unlike wolves, do not have a second-chance mate but we are able to fall in love with someone else after our mates have died or never met.”
“Dad, are you sure that she never met her mate?” asked Alex.
“Yeah, I’m sure. Either that or she met him after we were married and didn’t want a divorce, because we had already had Jon. I do remember a time where she got sullen and depressed just after Jon was born, but I just assumed it was postpartum depression and got her into counseling. After a while she was fine and things went back to normal.”
“So she doesn’t believe in the pull of mates and that we can easily go on and fall in love with someone who is not our mates?” asked Kyle.
“No she doesn’t. I don’t know what her issue about Jon being gay is, but that is why she isn’t concerned about you mating with someone who isn’t your fated mate.” Dad looked at me with sorrow in his eyes.
“Dad, it’s not your fault. You didn’t know that she would do this. It does make sense as to why she has been acting like she has but it doesn’t explain everything. But I’m willing to sit down with her and talk about why she is so against me being gay.”
“I will talk to her Son and let you know what she says.” Dad got up and headed towards the bedroom door before saying, “I want to have a family cookout before you guys leave and that will give you time to speak to your mom.”
The room was silent after Dad left as we were all digesting what he told us. “This means that unless she changes her mindset she will do this to us as well when that time comes.” Tyler shook his head as everyone stood up and headed towards the door.
As we exited the room we could hear Mom and Dad arguing downstairs.
“I will not let you chase away our oldest son! You need to decide what is more important, a relationship with your children or your misconceptions,” Dad bellowed.
We all looked at each other with stunned expressions on our faces. We had never heard Dad so mad. I started to head downstairs when Tim grabbed my arm and shook his head.
“I smell Jackie,” was all Tim had to say before I looked back down the stairs.
“I can’t believe you are going to make me choose,” cried Mom.
“I’m not making you choose, you’re doing that all on your own. But know this, you continue to push this and I will leave and take the boys with me if they want to come,” Dad responded somewhat calmer.
I could not believe what I was hearing. Even though they are not fated mates, I know that they love each other. I motioned for us to go back to my room just before I heard, “Tom you really shouldn’t be making these demands of Jennie. It’s not fair.”
“Jackie, you really need to stay out of something that is none of your business. This is a family matter and you are not family. In fact, why don’t you go ahead and leave?” suggested Dad with a slight growl.
“Now Thomas, I invited her for the cookout and it would be rude to make her go now,” Mom said desperately.
“Jennie, the cookout is a family event before Jon and Tim leave for Virginia. Like I just said, she is not family. If you want to spend time with her then she either needs to come back this evening or tomorrow but she is not welcome at the cookout.”
We got into our room before Tyler almost exploded with frustration. “What the HELL was she thinking inviting Jackie to a family event? Can you believe what Dad said to her and to Jackie?”
“Tyler calm down.” I pulled him into hug and whispered, “It will all be ok, don’t worry. Trust Dad, he knows what he’s doing.”
“I do trust Dad, but I don’t want my family to be split apart. You and Tim are leaving for Virginia, the twins won’t be at home for much longer either.” Tyler cried into my shoulder.
“Shhh. Tyler it will be ok. I honestly don’t think Mom would let that happen, you know how she is about ‘family’.” I rubbed circles on his back hoping to calm him down.
Tyler started to hiccup and I looked at Tim. I was at a complete loss at what to do, I had never seen Tyler break down like this. I knew that he had a gentle spirit but didn’t realize just how gentle until now.
Alex and Kyle came over joining in the hug to help our youngest brother feel better. When I looked at Tim I saw pride on his face and tears in his eyes. I waved him over to join the hug but he shook his head no and mouthed, “Its family time.”
I looked at him in shock. I could not believe that he didn’t feel that he was family and that hurt. He must have seen the hurt in my eyes because he came over and whispered in my ear, “We are family but he needs you guys right now.”
Tyler heard him and said, “You’re my brother too, now get in here.” He reached over and pulled Tim into the family hug between the two of us. I leaned over and kissed Tim on the side of his head to let him know that he is loved.
“Ok guys, enough with the mushy stuff,” Alex chuckled. There was a knock on the door.
“Come in, Dad,” I called out as we stepped apart.
After Dad had come in and shut the door he said, “I know that you heard part of my conversation with your mother and she has agreed to talk to you about her problem with you being gay, Jon. She won’t tell me what it is but is hoping that you will understand after she tells you.”
“I will listen Dad, but I can’t guarantee anything, she has done a lot of damage to our relationship and I still feel that some space is warranted.”
“Listening is all I can ask of you. Just know that I love all of you boys, and yes Tim that includes you, with all my heart and that no matter what, I’m behind all of you one hundred percent.”
“Thanks Dad. Is Jackie still down there, because I will not try to talk to Mom while Jackie is here? It’s none of her business what Mom and I talk about. Now if Mom wants to tell her that’s her decision.”
“No, Jon, Jackie has left. I told her that while you are here she is not welcome here, your mom can go visit her but she is not to come here because of her attitude."
Tim and I left my dad and brothers in the room to head downstairs to try and talk to Mom. I had my doubts that she would be completely honest with us but I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. As we turned the corner into the living room I saw Mom standing in front of the picture window looking outside. By the slump in her shoulders she just seemed as if she was defeated.
“Mom, are you ready to talk to us?” I asked as we took a seat on the loveseat and waited for her to turn and face us.
Without turning around she said, “Yeah I’m ready to talk to you, but I only want to talk to you, not Tim.”
“Too bad Mom. He is my mate and this affects him too, so he will be a part of this discussion no matter what.”
“Fine,” she grumbled. “As I’m sure your father has already told you, we are not fated mates. When we met and fell in love I had not met mine. I never really thought that I would find him. After a year we were married and had you by our second anniversary. I went into town to do some grocery shopping and felt this tingling at the back of my neck just before I smelled the most tantalizing scent.”
“You met you fated mate didn’t you?” Tim asked before looking at me.
“Yes, I met my fated mate. His name is Trevor and he was visiting the area with his husband. When we came face to face he looked absolutely shocked to find me. He asked me if we could talk, so the three of us went to the park. He told me that since I had mated with someone else and had a child that he would not mate with me, also that he was gay, therefore he would not leave his husband for a woman.”
“So because your mate rejected you for another man, you refuse to accept that my fated mate is male. That you are insisting that I mate with a woman. Just because you didn’t wait for your fated mate, doesn’t mean that I will give up my fated mate for your own satisfaction.”
“I just want you to be happy and I don’t see you being happy with a male.” Mom finally turned around to look at us and I could see tears running down her face. I looked at Tim before standing up to go and give her a hug.
“Mom, don’t cry. I know in your own way that you want me to be happy but what you need to understand is that I won’t be happy without my fated mate. I’m glad that you stayed with Dad but just because you were rejected by your mate does not mean that I should reject mine to make up for your past.” I walked back over to Tim, taking his hand in mine before sitting back down next to him.
Mom walked over to the couch and sat down looking at her clasped hands in her lap before looking up and saying, “Son, I can’t say that I understand you wanting to be with a man and I don’t really think that he is your fated mate but if that is what you want I will support you and will not continue to bring women around for you to possibly mate with.”
“Thank you for that Mom but you need to understand that me being gay is not a choice. Yes, your fated mate choose to be with someone that was not his mate but it was not a choice for him to be gay. I appreciate everything you have done for me throughout the years and we are willing to give you a chance. To put your mind at ease about us being fated mates I want you to look at Tim’s shoulder and see his claim mark.” Tim pulled his shirt collar to the side so that Mom could see his mark of the paw print. I pulled my shirt collar to the side so that she could see the outline of the howling wolf on my shoulder.
Mom looked at both shoulders and gasped, “I never thought that two men could be fated mates.”
“So in other words you didn’t believe me.” I was disgusted that she would let her opinions and issues to color her judgment and her to doubt her own flesh and blood. Tim grabbed my hand, rubbing small circles across the top of it to calm me down.
I looked over at Mom and shook my head. “Tim let’s go find Dad to see when this cookout is happening so that we can determine when we want to leave.”
“Are you still wanting to leave today, Babe?”
“Yeah.”
“Even after talking with me, you’re still going to leave early?” Mom was incredulous. Tim and I got up to head upstairs to talk to Dad.
Dad and the boys were still in our room when we got upstairs. After closing the door I asked Dad, “Did you hear what she said?”
“Yeah, I did and I can’t believe that she never told me that she had met her fated mate. Ok, well that’s in the past let’s move forward from here. You’re still planning to leave today?”
“Yeah, I think that would be for the best. I’m willing to give her the benefit of the doubt that she will change her attitude towards Tim but I think that we need some space so that we can think this through.” I pulled Tim into my arms because I just needed to smell his scent to calm my nerves.
“It’ll be ok, Babe.” Tim wrapped his arms around me, leaned in on tiptoes, and placed a swift kiss on my lips just letting me know that he’s there for me and that he loves me.
“Well, I’m gonna head to the store and pick up the meat and other items for the cookout. Why don’t you guys go ahead and wash up your dirty laundry so that you can pack it and then pack your SUV so that we can just focus on being a family and spending time together.”
“Sure thing, Dad. Tim, can you grab the bag with the dirty laundry in it and I will meet you downstairs?”
“Sure thing, Hun.” Tim grabbed the bag and followed Tyler out of the room.
“Dad, do you think this change of heart that Mom has had will last?” I asked as I sat on the edge of the bed.
“Yeah, I do think it will last. I think she has realized just what she almost lost.” Dad clasped my shoulder before leaving me alone in the room to think. When I didn’t come downstairs Tim came up and found me sitting on the bed looking out the window.
“Babe, you ok?” Tim sat on the bed next to me, wrapped his arm around my waist and leaned his head on my shoulder. I could feel the love he has for me just radiating from him through our partial mate bond.
“Yeah, I’m fine, just stunned is all. Tyler get you squared away on the laundry?” I rested the side of my head against his.
“Yeah it’s in the washer as we speak. I’m gonna check my e-mail if you’re ok,” he hesitated before I nodded my head and he walked over to the desk where his laptop was sitting.
“Hey Jon, come look at this. I got an e-mail from my best friend Jeremy.” I went over to the desk and looked over Tim’s shoulder to read the e-mail.
Hey Buddy,
Guess I should let you know that I may not be here when you get here. It seems that my mate is visiting with Alpha Jefferson to build pack relations with a pack out of Texas.
You know that I have no problem with you being gay but I never thought that my mate would be a guy. He’s the Theta to Alpha Jamie Hannah.
I don’t know what to do. I need your advice.
Laters,
Jer
“I never saw that coming. Now I’m really glad that he broke up with Sally.” Tim sat back in the chair and rubbed his forehead.
“What ya thinking, Babe?” I asked as I rubbed his shoulders to relieve some of the tension from the last couple of days.
“I’m thinking that I’m glad he found his mate but I’m just sad that he may be moving away. I mean his mate is a Theta in another pack, he’s gonna need to go home eventually and he’s gonna take Jeremy with him.”
“Well, you had better e-mail him back and let him know that it’s ok for him to go and to treasure his mate always.”
“You’re right. I’m positive that he’s freaking out over his mate being a guy but I think he will be ok with it after he has time to really think about it.” He clicked the reply button and began to type.
Jer,
It’s awesome that you have found your mate. I wish I was there to help you out a little better.
Here’s my advice: stop overthinking and treasure your mate. He was made specifically for you. He’s not gonna hurt you but will love and protect you. If he has to go back to Texas, go with him and build a life with him. Your family will understand.
Call me tonight and we can talk more about it.
Jon says hi and I will see you in about a week.
TTYL,
Tim
“There, e-mail sent, I just hope that he calls tonight. I know that he will make the right decision for him. I just hope that Sally leaves them alone. I heard your dad get back and can smell the charcoal already. Let’s go see if he needs any help and check on the laundry.” Tim stood up from the desk and wrapped his arms around my waist, laying his head against my shoulder.
I hugged him back before we broke apart and headed downstairs to see what all Dad had bought. Turns out he almost bought out the butcher with steaks, burgers, chicken, and pork chops. Well we are bears, it takes quite a bit of food to fill us up. Mom had been in the kitchen making potato salad, macaroni salad, and preparing corn to go out on the grill.
Our clothes were ready to go in the dryer so Tim transferred everything over so that we could spend time with my family and just hanging out. Alex brought out the Frisbee and we spread out to toss it back and forth while Dad manned the grill.
When it was time to eat Dad called us over to the picnic tables that we have in the backyard. I helped Mom carry the salads out of the kitchen and out to the tables so that we could all sit down and eat.
It was as if the last couple of years had never happened and we were the happy family again. It seemed as if a switch had been flipped in Mom, there was no mention of mating with a female to produce cubs, no snide or ugly comments about my mate being male.
“So how long are you planning to be gone for?” Dad asked as he quickly glanced at Mom.
“Not sure, we were kind of thinking of living in Charlottesville and coming back for visits.” I grimaced as I saw the disappointed look on Mom’s face.
Tyler reached over and grabbed some of the potato chips off of my plate before I could stop him.
All too soon we were done eating and were cleaning up the tables taking everything inside. Tim left to go get the clothes out of the dryer and take them up to our room to finish packing.
Tyler pulled me aside and asked, “You are coming back right?” My leaving was always the hardest on him and he always felt like I was abandoning him.
I pulled him into a hug before replying, “I will never abandon you, I will always be your brother, and even if I move to Virginia you will always be welcome there.”
“Ok.” I could tell that he was still emotional because I could hear the sniffles as he was trying to not cry so that I wouldn’t feel guilty about leaving with Tim. I could hear Tim coming down the stairs as Tyler pulled out of my arms and wiped his eyes. “Damn allergies.”
“It’s ok to cry, it doesn’t make you any less of a man.” Tyler and I headed to the front door where Tim was standing next to the bags that he, Alex, and Kyle had brought down. When Alex and Kyle saw us they grabbed the bags and started taking them out to the SUV so that we could get on the road. I looked in the living room and saw Mom and Dad standing there looking out the window but I could see that Mom was crying by her reflection in the glass.
I looked at Tim before heading into the living room to say good-bye to my parents.
“Mom, we will be back but I think that for now we need to just take baby steps in rebuilding our relationship. Ok?” I pulled her into a hug, rubbing my hand up and down her back in a soothing manner
“Son, give us a call to let us know that you made it to Iowa safely, ok?” Dad clasped me on the shoulder and I saw him wave Tim into the room with his other hand. “Tim get in here and say good-bye to us too.”
Tim came in and gave Dad a hug and glanced at Mom trying to get a read on what she might be thinking.
“Come give me a hug, Tim. I’m sorry I have been so rude to you while you’ve been here. Be safe on your trip and let us know that you have arrived safely. Take good care of my son, and welcome to the family.” Mom stepped out of my arms only to hold her arms out to Tim waiting for him to give her a hug.
Once everyone had hugged us good-bye we loaded up in the SUV to head out for our first stop which was going to be Billings, Montana. As I pulled away from the curb I saw Mom crying into Dad’s chest, along with Kyle and Alex on either side of Tyler. I glanced at Tim as he reached over, took my hand, and gave me a smile before turning and looking out the windshield.
Chapter 8: Tim’s POV
It took us two days but we finally reached West Branch, Iowa. Jon was really looking forward to seeing Steve again but I didn’t know how I felt about that. I knew that Jon loves me and that he had said that he hadn’t been with anyone else but the doubts were still in the back of my head. I needed to learn to completely trust my mate, but there was an uneasy feeling passive tense, change it to despite the uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“What’s wrong, Babe?” Jon pulled into the gas station to fill up before heading to where the Hoover Clan lived.
“I don’t know, I just feel a little uneasy. I mean, I am a wolf going to visit a bear clan that you are not a part of.” As Jon put the SUV in park, I jumped out and decided to walk around a little bit to stretch my legs out after the long hours trapped inside. My wolf really wanted to go for a run, but I knew that now was not the time.
I looked around and saw the change in colors of the leaves on the trees around us. I was amazed at the deep orange and burgundy colors that surrounded me. I was used to the lighter shades on the trees that surrounded my home in Charlottesville, Virginia. I watched as a leaf fell off a tree and floated ever so slowly down to the ground.
I could feel the calmness coming through our forming mate bond. I knew that Jon was trying to ease my worries and I decided that I would just take things as they come. Jon said that this clan was very informal and that everything would be fine with a wolf visiting them.
I thought back to the conversation that I had the night before with Jeremy about meeting his mate. He was concerned because the dreams that he’d been having had been about a guy and he never had any inclinations about being with a guy. I listened to his concerns about being with a guy and explained that his mate wouldn’t do anything that he wasn’t comfortable with because he would love him completely and not want to hurt him in any way.
I explained to him about the dreams that I had been having before meeting Jon, and how it went when the two of us finally met. I also reminded him that this man was created especially for him by the Moon Goddess herself and that he would be missing the other half of himself that he has been longing for. By the time that we got off the phone he was calmer and more assured about how he was going to handle himself with his mate.
When I got back to the SUV and Jon was nowhere to be seen, I wasn’t worried because I could tell that there was nothing wrong so I figured that he had gone inside to use the bathroom, which sounded like a good idea to me. I chuckled when I walked in and saw Jon standing in front of the candy selection. While traveling, I found out just how big of a sweet tooth he had, he’s worse than a kid is when it comes to candy and junk food. I signaled that I was heading to the restroom as he made his selections and headed to pay for them.
Outside I could see him on the phone and eating a Twizzler with the engine idling. As I climbed in he had disconnected the call. Glancing at me as he handed me a bottle of water and said, “That was the clan leader. I was getting permission for us to enter his territory and also gave him the heads up that you are a wolf. He was fine with it as long as you didn’t start any trouble.”
“Me start trouble? That’s ridiculous!” I huffed while crossing my arms.
“Babe, I know he says that to everyone that visits. He knew that I wouldn’t cause any problems because I have been here before and he didn’t have any issues with me. He’s really not a mean or uptight guy.”
“I trust your opinion and will keep an open mind while we are here. How far away are we anyway?”
Jon plugged in an address into the GPS on the dashboard. “Turn right in two hundred feet.” He put the SUV in gear, pulling out of the gas station, and turning to the right.
“We should be there in about fifteen minutes. It’s outside of town in the country. There are groves of trees so that we can shift without scaring the people in town.”
Jon’s phone rang. “Hey Steve… Yeah, we’re almost there… Ok, see you in a few.” He hung up the phone and said to me, “That was Steve and he’s gonna meet us at the border of the territory to take us to meet the clan leader, and then take us to his house to get settled in before dinner.”
“Ok, that sounds like a plan. I’m looking forward to meeting him,” I said as I looked at the passing scenery and was amazed at the blending of colors that looked as if they were right out of a photograph. Jon reached over and clasped my left hand in his, rubbing his thumb in circles on the top of my hand. I glanced over at him and gave him a small smile.
We got to the outer edge of town and I saw a burgundy Ford F-150 sitting there idling. When they saw us they pulled out in front and led us up the road to a three story farm house that looked like it was right out of a magazine. White flowers led the way to a porch lined with red and yellow roses.
I explained to him about the dreams that I had been having before meeting Jon, and how it went when the two of us finally met. I also reminded him that this man was created especially for him by the Moon Goddess herself and that he would be missing the other half of himself that he has been longing for. By the time that we got off the phone he was calmer and more assured about how he was going to handle himself with his mate.
When I got back to the SUV and Jon was nowhere to be seen, I wasn’t worried because I could tell that there was nothing wrong so I figured that he had gone inside to use the bathroom, which sounded like a good idea to me. I chuckled when I walked in and saw Jon standing in front of the candy selection. While traveling, I found out just how big of a sweet tooth he had, he’s worse than a kid is when it comes to candy and junk food. I signaled that I was heading to the restroom as he made his selections and headed to pay for them.
Outside I could see him on the phone and eating a Twizzler with the engine idling. As I climbed in he had disconnected the call. Glancing at me as he handed me a bottle of water and said, “That was the clan leader. I was getting permission for us to enter his territory and also gave him the heads up that you are a wolf. He was fine with it as long as you didn’t start any trouble.”
“Me start trouble? That’s ridiculous!” I huffed while crossing my arms.
“Babe, I know he says that to everyone that visits. He knew that I wouldn’t cause any problems because I have been here before and he didn’t have any issues with me. He’s really not a mean or uptight guy.”
“I trust your opinion and will keep an open mind while we are here. How far away are we anyway?”
Jon plugged in an address into the GPS on the dashboard. “Turn right in two hundred feet.” He put the SUV in gear, pulling out of the gas station, and turning to the right.
“We should be there in about fifteen minutes. It’s outside of town in the country. There are groves of trees so that we can shift without scaring the people in town.”
Jon’s phone rang. “Hey Steve… Yeah, we’re almost there… Ok, see you in a few.” He hung up the phone and said to me, “That was Steve and he’s gonna meet us at the border of the territory to take us to meet the clan leader, and then take us to his house to get settled in before dinner.”
“Ok, that sounds like a plan. I’m looking forward to meeting him,” I said as I looked at the passing scenery and was amazed at the blending of colors that looked as if they were right out of a photograph. Jon reached over and clasped my left hand in his, rubbing his thumb in circles on the top of my hand. I glanced over at him and gave him a small smile.
We got to the outer edge of town and I saw a burgundy Ford F-150 sitting there idling. When they saw us they pulled out in front and led us up the road to a three story farm house that looked like it was right out of a magazine. Entering through the formal front door, we walked across polished hardwood floors that reflected pictures hung on the coffee brown walls. Through the archway into the front room, I spied tan suede furniture: a sofa, loveseat, and an oversized chair with matching ottoman. Steve led us further down the hall to an open door, most likely the Clan Leader’s office, where he knocked on the door frame.
“Come in Steve. It’s good to see you Jon,” he said as he came around his desk and shook Jon’s hand before turning to me. “You must be Jon’s mate, Tim. I’m Clan Leader Tom. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I know that Jon has been looking for you for years. I’m glad that he has finally found you.”
“It’s nice to meet you too, Sir.” I shook the hand that he was holding out to me.
He gestured for us to sit down and I noticed that Steve had taken a seat on the love seat which left a chair for either me or Jon to sit in and the other to sit on the love seat next to Steve. I was hurt when Jon sat down next to him, but that was short lived when he pulled me onto his lap with his chin on my shoulder.
“I know that there are going to be many broken hearts now that he has found you. There were several men and women here that fell for him the last time that he was here. Just try not to cause any trouble while you’re here because not everyone is going to be happy that he is mated to a wolf.” Clan Leader Tom sat back in his chair, but was tapping his fingers on the desk in front of him as if he was nervous about something.
“I’m sure that they will be happy that I have found my mate Leader Tom. I know that they may be apprehensive of him being a wolf, but once they get to know him, they will like him.” Jon wrapped his arms around my waist and planted a quick kiss to my cheek when I turned my head to look at him.
While my head was turned I noticed the glare on Steve’s face and heard him go, “Pfft.” I narrowed my eyes at him and knew that I would need to keep an eye on him while we’re here. Now I knew why Leader Tom looked nervous a minute ago.
“Why don’t I get you guys settled in and then maybe Jon and I could go for a run.” Steve stood up, I looked up at Steve like he had lost his ever loving mind. There was no way in hell that I was going to have Jon go on a run alone with Steve.
Jon must have felt me tense because, he said, “Actually, we’re both a little tired from our journey so we’re gonna lay down for a bit, then the three of us can go for a run after dinner.”
He tapped my leg as a signal for me to stand up. Leader Tom came back around the desk to shake our hands before we headed out of the office. Following Steve to his house, my gut still told me that I shouldn’t trust him. I didn’t know what it was but there was just something that seemed off to me. After getting settled in, Jon and I laid down to just rest for a little bit before dinner and ended up sleeping through the night.
Steve’s POV
I can’t believe that Jon is mated to a wolf. Didn’t he know that our species should not mate with wolves? He’s going to ruin his bloodline by mating with that wolf. I would be a much better mate to him, I mean at least we would be the same species.
I bet his mom was livid. I knew that she wasn’t a fan of the idea of him being gay, so this must have sent her over the top. Maybe I should give her a call and see if she would agree to work with me to split the two of them up since I could tell that they hadn’t completed the mating yet.
I listened for sounds coming from “their room” and all I could hear was some faint snoring. I couldn’t believe that Jon insisted on him and that mutt sharing a room. I had it set up so that I would be able to sneak into Jon’s room at night and finally make my move on him. I have been in love with him since the first time that he came to our territory looking for his mate. Maybe I should have let him in on how I felt over the years, but I didn’t want to lose his friendship.
I decided to go ahead and make the call before I chickened out. The ringing of the phone was making me nervous, but I knew that this was something that needed to be done because Jon needed to see that he would never be truly happy with a wolf for a mate.
“Hello, who is this?” I felt my stomach tighten and knew that there was no turning back now.
“Hi, Mrs. Blumer. You don’t know me, my name is Steve Timberline from West Branch, Iowa. I’m a friend of Jon’s and wanted to see if maybe we could work together on something.” I waited for her reply with bated breath because I didn’t know how this was going to go over.
“Please call me Jennie. What can I do for you Steve?” I could tell that she was curious about why I was calling by the hesitation in her voice.
“Well, I’m sure that you’re not happy about your son being mated to a wolf and I was thinking that we could maybe help each other out.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“Well, I was thinking that I could make a move on Jon and hopefully the mutt would leave him. When that happens, you won’t give us a problem with Jon and I mating.” I smiled evilly and could just see it happening in my mind.
“What in the hell makes you think that I want to break Tim and Jon up? I have come to terms with my son being gay and I won't stand in the way of him being happy. Tim is his mate and I will not come between them. If anything, and I do mean anything happens, I will let Jon know of this little talk and you can forget your friendship. I won’t hurt my son again.” The phone was slammed in my ear. I couldn’t believe that she actually growled at me. I thought for sure that she would be on my side just to get him away from that mutt.
I stormed outside and shifted into my bear tearing my clothes in the process. I couldn’t be in the same house as them right now. I ran all the way to the grove that has been my secret place for the last couple of years. This is where I had planned to mate with Jon when he couldn’t find his mate. This is where I wanted to build our dream home. I knew that he loved me, I just had to make him see it and get him away from that mutt. He’s not worth me even saying or thinking his name.
I looked around and saw wildflowers in full bloom. For as far as I could see I saw prairie sunflowers, pink wild rose, blue violets, and yellow violets. It was a beautiful sight to see and I couldn’t wait to share it with Jon.
After laying in the grove for a couple of hours, I decided that it was time to head back to the house and see if Jon was up so that we could have dinner. All the way back to the house I thought about what I was going to fix and finally decided on grilled steaks, baked potatoes, and a salad. I would make enough for the three of us, but I was only serving mine and Jon’s meals, that wolf could serve himself. I just needed to figure out how to drug the mutt’s so that he would be knocked out so that I could have Jon to myself for the night.
When I got home, I realized that they were still asleep, but figured that they would wake up with the smell of the steaks on the grill. I set about getting everything ready, starting the grill, putting the steaks in a garlic herb marinade and putting them back in the fridge for a while to marinate, prepared the potatoes to go on the grill, and then finally cutting up the carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, and onion for the salad.
As soon as the grill was ready I placed six potatoes on the grill to get started while I was waiting on the steaks. As everything was cooking, I looked at my watch and wondered why they weren’t up yet. I was sure that they could smell the food cooking so after I pulled the steaks and potatoes off of the grill I went to wake them up. I had decided to go ahead and make the mutt’s plate, and mixed some ground up sleeping pills in with the butter spread that I put on his potato.
When I opened the door to their room, I was filled with rage. Jon was curled around that mutt and they both looked like they didn’t have a care in the world. So I closed the door and stormed down the stairs to go to the kitchen where I promptly threw all of the food into the trash can. I left to go see Jacob, I knew that he would be an easy lay and it would take my mind off the whole situation with Jon.
Jon’s POV
I woke up and could hear Tim mumbling something in his sleep. I didn’t know what was going on but he was tense and I could feel his unease through our mate bond. Even though we hadn’t completed the mating yet, the bond was enough to feel each other’s emotions. To try and ease his tension I rubbed my hand up and down his back in gentle circles. It helped to ease the unease that he was feeling, but there was still a tension there that I didn’t know what to do about.
In his sleep Tim pulled me closer to him, slid his right leg over mine, and buried his nose into the crook of my neck. This seemed to alleviate some of the remaining tension, but he was still mumbling under his breath and I was trying to catch what he was saying with my advanced hearing, but was only able to catch, “…love him…leave…go to hell.”
This confused me to no end because I don’t know who he could possibly be talking to. Maybe he was stressing about how his pack will react to him being mated to a bear. So I did the only thing that I could think of and that was to lean my head in and placing a kiss on the top of his head in affection, while continuing to run my hand along his back. I could feel Tim slowly waking up as he stretched and rubbed his hand slowly over my chest and across my nipples causing me to shudder.
“Baby, you’re gonna be in trouble if you keep doing that.” How on earth is my voice that husky in the morning? It wasn’t normally like that.
“Good morning, Babe.” I could see the blush start to form on his face when he realized what he was doing to me so I pulled him in for a hug before flipping us so that I was above him.
I knew that he was ready for us to complete the mating and I was worried about hurting him. I was surprised when he wrapped his arms around my neck and pulled me down for a kiss as I ground my hips into his. This caused him to deepen the kiss. I pulled away slightly and looked deep into his eyes.
We were both panting heavily. “Babe, if we don’t get up we’ll end up completing the mating and I don’t want to rush you.”
I climbed off of him, reaching my hand out to help him up. We were both severely aroused. I loved him more and more each day and there was nothing that was going to change that. I looked at the clock and saw that it was only eight in the morning. I couldn’t believe that we slept so long, but I know that I was exhausted from traveling and I could only assume that Tim was too, besides I always sleep harder when I am with him.
I was concerned how Steve was handling this because I knew that he had feelings for me. I just hope that he will respect that Tim is my fated mate and that nothing will happen between us, not that anything would have happened anyway. While I like Steve, it was and could only be as a friend. He is too free with himself with those who are not his fated mate and I refused to be another notch on his belt.
“Babe, I’m gonna get a shower if you want to join me.” Tim pulled me out of my thoughts as he gathered his clothes for the day to head to the bathroom.
I could hear him laughing as I rushed around to get my clothes and follow him into the bathroom. He was already stripped down and waiting for the water to warm up, so I quickly followed suit.
As the water beat down on us I pulled him into a tight embrace and kissed him, this was something that I could easily see myself doing for the rest of my life. I was brought back by the sensation of Tim wrapping his hand around my cock and felt like my legs were going to give out from under me causing me to grab the top of the shower to avoid falling.
“Babe, you’re gonna be the death of me yet.” I moaned as he slowly started to move his hand up and down along my shaft while he started kissing along my jaw to my collarbone. When he reached his mark, that he gave me, I was in ecstasy. He continued to kiss down my chest and before long he was engulfing me in his warm mouth.
I couldn’t believe that this was happening. I just felt really weird doing this in someone else’s house, especially someone who isn’t related to either one of us. All of a sudden Tim stopped what he was doing and growled low in his throat.
“Babe, what’s wrong?” Tim stood up still growling and it started to concern me.
“Steve is just outside the door listening to us,” he growled out.
When he said that I noticed that his erection had gone down and mine was starting to as well. I couldn’t believe that Steve would do that to us. There’s such a thing as common courtesy. I would never dream of listening to someone else having any form of sex, especially if it was between mates because that is something that is very special.
“STEVE, GET AWAY FROM THE DAMN DOOR!” I bellowed. We were gonna have to have a serious talk about boundaries today.
We quickly finished our shower, dried off to get dressed before heading downstairs. I noticed that Steve had made breakfast and had three plates sitting on the table with pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, and hash browns. I was still upset with him, but I was hungry since we slept through dinner.
Tim went to the sink and got a glass of water. “Hey Steve why is there so much food in the trash?”
“Well, I made dinner, but when I went to wake you guys up I realized how tired you must’ve been so I couldn’t bring myself to wake you up.”
I looked at him and something seemed off. I thought I had heard the door open last night, close and then someone stomping down the stairs. I thought I had imagined it, but I guess I didn’t. But why would he throw it all away and not just put it in the fridge?
“Steve, why didn’t you just save it? We could’ve had it today for lunch or even dinner so that no one had to cook tonight.” I looked at Tim because I could feel his unease about something and I knew that we would have to talk about what he was feeling.
“Honestly, I just didn’t feel like putting everything away and then I went to see Jacob and hang out with him since you guys were asleep.” He shrugged his shoulders and dug into his plate of food.
Tim kept sniffing like he was smelling something. “What are you smelling?” I asked him.
“I don’t know, but I can smell some sort of chemical that I’ve smelled before, I just can’t place it.” He looked over at Steve and asked, “Do you taking sleeping medication?”
Steve looked panicked before he relaxed. “Yeah, sometimes I have insomnia so the doctor prescribed them for me. Why do you ask?”
“Well, I can smell them, but not on you. What I’m smelling is coming from the trash can.”
“Yeah, I threw out my old prescription when the doctor changed it the other day.” That sounded reasonable. I quickly glanced at Tim because I could tell that he was uneasy about something.
“Steve, do you have any fruit? I’m not very hungry.” That’s weird because I have known a werewolf to not be hungry, especially hungry for meat.
“Sure, is everything ok?” He handed Tim an apple and a banana.
“Thanks man. I think it’s because of all the junk food that we ate while traveling, my stomach just doesn’t feel up to a heavy breakfast.” I didn’t know why he said that because he didn’t eat a lot of junk food while we were traveling He was the one that always grabbed fruit or granola bars when we stopped for gas.
After breakfast Steve pulled me aside and asked, “Jon, can I talk to you outside for a minute?”
“What about Tim? Anything you have to say to me can be said in front of him.”
“I would prefer for it to just be the two of us. You’re more than welcome to tell him what we talk about, but I would prefer to have this conversation in private.”
I looked at Tim and he nodded his head, letting me know that he would be fine. I followed Steve out to the front porch and we each took a seat on the large swing while I waited for him to speak.
“Jon, why won’t you reject Tim? Bears and wolves are not meant to mix together. You will be considered the laughing stock of your clan. Not only that, but have you considered how Tim’s pack and family will react to him being mated to a bear?”
“I know how his family will react because I have already spoken to his father and he is behind us one hundred percent. I will not give up my fated mate. My Clan Leader is ok with our match and wishes us well. I never thought you would be so prejudiced. I thought we were friends. A friend would be happy that I’ve found my fated mate, not trying to convince me to reject him.” I stood and walked to the other side of the porch staring out at the open area to the left of the house.
“I love you Jon. Can’t you see that? We would make a better pair than you and that mutt!” I couldn’t believe that Steve just growled at me.
“I feel nothing for you but friendship. I thought of you as a brother, but your behavior is changing that as we speak. You WILL NOT disrespect my mate and you WILL NOT disrespect me.” I growled in anger.
He came over to me and attempted to pull me into a hug, but I slapped his arms away from me as I turned to go inside. I couldn’t believe that he would pull a stunt like this. “Were those really old sleeping pills that you threw away?” I demanded.
“Of course they were,” he exclaimed as he turned to face me. “Why would you ask me something like that?”
“You of all people should know that you are supposed to flush any unused medication and not to throw it away. How much you want to bet that if Tim was to look through the food that you threw away some of it would be tainted with the sleeping medication.”
I stormed inside without waiting for a response and found Tim standing by the stairs with our bags by his feet. “I guess you heard all of that?”
“Yeah, I did and just so you know there was sleeping medication in the butter. I don’t know who it was planned for and right now I don’t care. Honestly, I just want to get out of here.” Tim stepped up to give me a hug. “I know that you considered him a brother, but take some time and maybe the friendship can be mended later on down the road.”
“I will give it some time and think about it, but if his attitude doesn’t change then I will have nothing more to do with him.” I kissed him on the head before grabbing our bags and headed out to the car.
Once on the road Tim asked, “So, how far are we going today?”
“We will stop for the night in Dayton, Ohio. Thank you for being you and so understanding.” I reached for his hand and brought it to my lips for a quick kiss as we hit the I-80 headed east.
Chapter 9: Tim’s POV
I couldn’t believe the stunt that Steve tried to pull. Thanks to my heightened hearing I was able to her their entire conversation, even from our room upstairs. From the fighting I knew that we weren’t going to continue to stay here so I packed our bags and brought them downstairs.
There was something that was still bothering me about the whole sleeping pill incident so I went to the trash can. Looking through it, I couldn’t find the bottle of sleeping pills but I did find the baked potatoes from last night and when I picked one of them up the smell of the medication was really strong. I just knew that the potato had been drugged somehow. I just didn’t know how. The only thing that I could see on the potatoes was that there was butter already on them. From the smell of the melted butter that was where the medication had been mixed in.
With my hearing I could still hear their conversation on the front porch. “I feel nothing for you but friendship. I thought of you as a brother, but your behavior is changing that as we speak. You WILL NOT disrespect my mate and you WILL NOT disrespect me,” Jon growled angrily.
I knew that it wouldn’t be long before Jon came inside and I wanted our things to be ready to go when he did. I couldn’t believe that someone who claimed to be a friend would do something like this. Even if Steve was in love with Jon he should want him to be happy and that would mean being with his mate. What was Steve going to do when he met his mate? Reject him or her for Jon?
I must have gotten lost in my thoughts because all of a sudden Jon stormed in the house to find me by the stairs with our bags at my feet. “I guess you heard all of that?”
“Yeah, I did and just so you know there was sleeping medication in the butter. I don’t know who it was planned for and right now I don’t care. Honestly, I just want to get out of here.” I stepped up to give him a hug. “I know that you considered him a brother, but take some time and maybe the friendship can be mended later on down the road.”
“I will give it some time and think about it, but if his attitude doesn’t change then I will have nothing more to do with him.” He kissed me on the head before he grabbed our bags and headed out to the car.
Once on the road I asked, “So, how far are we going today?”
“We will stop for the night in Dayton, Ohio. Thank you for being you and so understanding.” He reached for my hand and brought it to his lips for a quick kiss as we hit the I-80 and headed east.
A few hours later I woke up from a short nap, what can I say, long car trips make me sleepy, to find that Jon had pulled into Taco Bell for lunch and it was a good thing because I was starving after only having fruit for breakfast.
I would have preferred to visit the Herbert Hoover Library while we were in Iowa but with everything that happened this morning, I was glad to be away from the tension and able to spend some alone time with Jon. We were soon back on the road traveling through Indianapolis on our way to Dayton, Ohio.
Since Jon was driving I figured that I should call Jeremy and let him know that we should be there sometime tomorrow, as well as give him the heads up that Jon’s a bear and not a wolf. I don’t think he really believed me when I sent him the e-mail just after I had met Jon.
“Hey Tim!”
“Hey Jer! How’s it goin?”
“It’s goin good. Mom absolutely hates the fact that my mate is a guy but Alex seems like a pretty cool guy. I’m still not sure about my mate being a guy but I know that he was designed for me and is my other half. He makes me feel complete and I don’t want to be without him.”
“That’s how Jon makes me feel. I’m sorry that your mom doesn’t like him but hopefully that will change as time passes by. So, is he joining our pack or are ya leavin me?” I turned and grinned at Jon who just winked at me.
“I will be joining his pack. He’s the Theta for Alpha Jamie. His pack has two male Alphas which is kind of cool since my mate is a guy. Alpha Jefferson seems like he can’t get rid of the guy fast enough but he doesn’t want to piss off Alex’s Alphas by being rude to him.”
“So where is he from exactly? I need to know where I can go visit you.”
“Corsicana, Texas. He says it’s really pretty there with the blue bonnets and Indian paintbrush that grows there.”
“Well, then I guess we’ll be coming to Texas as often as possible, that is if they will allow Jon in the territory. Dad still hasn’t gotten back to me about if Alpha Jefferson is going to allow Jon, who is a bear, in our territory.”
“I wouldn’t hold my breath. He doesn’t seem to like it when a set of mates are two guys. Oh it turns out that Sally rejected her fated mate so that she could mate with me.”
“Well that was pretty dumb of her to say the least. Did she honestly think that you would reject your mate as well?”
“Yeah she did. Plus Mom said that if she didn’t ‘approve’ of my mate than I was to reject them and mate with Sally.”
“Wow, your mom sounds similar to what Jon has been going through with his mom. If it makes you feel any better his mom has come a long way from that kind of thinking.”
“That does make me feel better. Maybe when she realizes that I won’t stick around here but will be leaving with my mate she will come around. Any way got to go, Alex is here and we’re going on a date.”
“Ok will talk to ya later. Have fun.” I heard the line click in my ear before putting my phone back in my pocket.
Jasper’s POV
I’ve seen how Alpha Jefferson has treated Alex and Jeremy since learning that they’re mates and it does not give me hope for Jon and Tim, to top it off, Jon’s a bear and I don’t know how my Alpha will react to that. Might as well get this over with, I decided as I headed out the door to go to the pack house to talk to Alpha Jefferson.
“Come in,” Alpha Jefferson said when I knocked on the door of his office. “What can I do for you Jasper?”
“Well Sir, Tim is coming home to get his things before moving out West with his mate and I was wondering if you would give his mate permission to enter the territory. They should be here sometime tomorrow.” I was sweating bullets because I didn’t know how he would take it when I disclosed the gender and species of Jon.
“Tim found his mate? That’s great news. Of course I will allow her to enter the territory.”
“Um Sir, the thing is, Tim’s mate is a male bear shifter.”
“A bear shifter?” he asked.
“Yes Sir.”
“Did you say a male bear? Absolutely not. I will not allow a male bear into this territory. It is unnatural for a male to be mated with another bear, let alone a wolf mated to a bear,” he snarled.
“But Sir, they are fated mates.” I bent my head to the side in submission when he continued to snarl and growl at me.
“Don’t you dare question me. I AM your Alpha and you will show me some respect.”
“Yes Sir.”
“Now get out of my office and my sight. I can’t believe that you would be ok with your son mating with a male bear,” he snarled in disgust.
I quickly left his office and headed home. Now I just had to let Tim know that unfortunately Jon was not going to be allowed in our pack territory. I was not looking forward to that phone call but I knew that I had to make it before they got any closer.
Tim’s POV
I felt my phone ringing in my pocket but I was still groggy so I didn’t want to answer it so I let it go to voicemail. When it immediately started vibrating again I figured it must be important so I looked at the caller Id and saw that it was my dad.
“Hey Dad! What’s going on?” I looked at Jon worriedly because Dad wouldn’t have called like that if there wasn’t something wrong.
“Tim can you put me on speaker phone so that Jon can hear this as well?”
“Sure thing Dad, give me a sec.” I fumbled with the screen and finally got it on speaker, “Ok Dad, Jon can hear you now.”
“Good evening Mr. Collins,” Jon said as he kept his eyes on the road.
“Now Jon, I have told you to call me Jasper or Dad. Are you where you can pull off the road for a bit?”
“Sure there’s a rest area just up ahead. Give me a sec to pull off.” Jon turned on the turn signal and made his way to the off ramp for the rest area before pulling into a parking spot.
“Ok Dad, we’re parked. Now what’s wrong?” I was nervous because this had to be bad for me to have to put the phone on speaker and for us to pull off the highway.
“Well boys, I went and spoke with Alpha Jefferson today to get permission for Jon to enter the territory. Unfortunately, when he found out that Jon is your mate he immediately refused. I get the feeling that if Jon enters the territory he will be arrested and put in the pack prison. I don’t want that to happen so I have made arrangements for Jon to stay at a motel just outside Charlottesville while you and I get the house packed up because I will not stay where my son can’t bring his mate home for holidays. Jeremy has agreed to help and volunteered Alex to help so that it won’t take so long to get accomplished. In fact they are out getting boxes right now. I figure that it will take a couple of days between the four of us and will be on the road before you know it. I will meet you guys at the motel and bring Tim back to the house.”
“Sounds like a plan. Have you told Alpha Jefferson that you’re leaving?
“No I haven’t. I was planning on letting him know after we had loaded the moving truck and are ready to get on the road. I’ve already called Alpha Jeff and he has agreed to let me join his pack and has even offered me a position as the pack’s legal counsel.”
“That’s awesome because he has agreed to let us join his pack as well. I really liked him and Alpha James. They have already accepted us into their pack and found us a house to rent when we get there.”
“Well boys, Jeremy and Alex are back with boxes so we are going to get started with the packing. Alex brought the moving truck back with him so as we pack it will get loaded in the truck, big things first then the boxes. Jeremy got Tony, Jason, and Justin to help with loading the big things. We’ll be sleeping on air mattresses for a night or two.”
“I’m gonna miss the guys but I’m glad they’re going to help. I just wish they could meet Jon. It sucks that we both have to leave because we can’t exactly bring mom and sis with us.” I started to get choked up with the thought of never being able to visit their grave sites ever again.
“I know Son but I’m sure they would understand and they will always be with us in our hearts.”
“I know Dad.” Jon reached over and wiped a tear off my face before reaching for my hand and rubbing his soothing circles on the back of it.
“Boys, I’m gonna go so that we can get started. We will leave your room alone except for the furniture. That way you can load your stuff separately even though everything is going to the same pack. Get some rest and don’t drive for too much longer.”
“Ok Dad, we will talk to you soon. We’re stopping in Dayton for the night and will call you when we get closer to Charlottesville so that you can meet us at the motel. Love you Dad.”
“See you soon Jasper,” Jon said as he put the car into gear and pulled out of the parking space.
“Night boys. Love you too Tim.” I heard the click in my ear and knew that he had hung up.
I put my phone away and looked out the window. I couldn’t believe that Alpha Jefferson would do this to us. What kind of Alpha would refuse a pack member’s mate from entering the territory to meet friends and family? Now I’m glad that we ain’t staying here and that Jeremy will be joining Alex in Texas.
“You ok, Babe?” Jon asked worriedly.
“Yeah, just thinking about what an ass my former Alpha is.” I turned to look at the profile of my handsome mate. The sun was just starting to set which caused his profile to look angelic with the reflection of the light.
We had just crossed into Ohio when dad had called, so we were getting close to Dayton but still about an hour out. I had made the decision that night would be the night that we completed the mating, I just had to make sure that he agreed with me. I knew that he wanted to complete the mating, I could see it every time that he looked at me. The only thing I am unsure of tonight is that it would be in a hotel room and not my house, but then there are too many people there at the moment and I would feel uncomfortable.
“Babe, you hungry?” Jon took a quick look and saw me nod my head. I knew that he was worried about me.
“Yeah, I am.” I saw a Chili’s sign and pointed to it. “How about Chili’s?
“Sounds good to me,” he said as he flicked on the turn signal and exited the highway.
After about an hour we were back on the road and headed towards Dayton. I knew that we needed to talk if I was gonna convince him to complete the mating tonight but I wasn’t sure how to start the conversation.
“Babe, I can tell that you’re nervous about something. I can feel it through our bond. What’s on your mind?” Jon asked while guiding the SUV down the highway.
“Well, Iwasthinkingthatmaybewecouldcompletethematingtonight,” I said very quickly because I wasn’t sure that I would be able to get the words out otherwise.
“Now slow down and repeat what you just said, Babe. There’s no reason to be nervous with me.”
“I was thinking that maybe we could complete the mating tonight.” I looked out the window because I knew that my face was bright red, I could feel it burning. I could feel the SUV start picking up speed and turned and saw that he was doing about 80 mph. “Babe you might want to slow down, we don’t want to get a ticket, now do ya?”
“You’re right, I don’t want a ticket. That would just slow us down.” He eased off the accelerator slowing us down to 70 mph, which was right at the speed limit.
After about forty-five minutes we were once again pulling off the highway and into the parking lot of the local Motel 6 where we would be staying for the night and make plans for the remainder of the trip into Charlottesville. I thought I knew which hotel or motel Dad was talking about and it was confirmed when he sent me a couple of text messages.
Best Western Plus Waynesboro Inn and Suites at 109 Apple Tree Ln Waynesboro, VA
Cya tomorrow
“Babe, Dad sent me the address of the hotel/motel that he’s booked you into for tomorrow.”
“Ok, we will figure that into our itinerary when we get ready to leave in the morning. Wait here and I will get us checked in.” Before I could reply he was out of the SUV and walking like a man on a mission. Gee, I wondered what he was thinking about. Note the sarcasm. Jon came back out and immediately jumped back into the driver’s seat. Throwing the SUV into gear, he drove us around to the back of the building and parked.
Walking around to my side and opening the door, he assisted me out and treated me like I was his most treasured possession and I guess to a point I was. He grabbed our suitcases out of the back before leading me to the door of our room where he unlocked the door and lifted me into his arms to carry me over the threshold. It was a moment that I will treasure forever because even though we weren’t officially married, by performing that ritual it meant that in his eyes we were.
He carried me into the room and placed me gently onto the bed. He quickly went back, grabbed the suitcases from the doorway and swiftly placing the Do Not Disturb sign on the door. He stalked towards me as if he was the hunter and I was his prey. There was a look of hunger and lust in his eyes.
I scooted up the bed until my back was against the headboard, waiting to see what he was going to do next. I could feel the lust and passion through our partial mate bond. If he wanted me this much now, I couldn’t fathom how I would feel when the bond was complete.
As he stalked me, he slowly started to remove articles of clothing starting with his shoes. I began to pull my shirt over my head when he growled, “No!”
His growl radiated shivers from my neck, down my spine and I could feel the hair standing up on my arms, along with the nape of my neck. I immediately dropped my hands to stare at him with my eyes open wide.
“Come here, Little One.” The way he crooked his finger and the arch of his brow let me know that there was to be no refusing him.
I walked over to him with my head held in submission. He was the alpha in this relationship but I knew that he would never do anything to hurt me. When I stopped in front of him he lifted my face which caused me to whimper before he said, “Don’t worry.”
He grabbed the back of my head and pulled me in for a deep and passionate kiss, letting me know that he’s boss. I immediately opened my lips and granted him access to my mouth. I ran my hands up his chest and around the back of his neck, grabbing on to his hair as if my life depended on it. I locked my arms and held on tight.
He ran his hands down my sides and around my back before reaching my ass. He grasped so tightly that he lifted me off my feet. I wrapped my arms tighter around his neck and wrapped my legs around his waist clinging to him and deepening the kiss.
After what felt like forever, I felt him start to move before I was gently lowered to the bed as if I was a precious treasure. He stepped away from me and I was able to look in his eyes. They had gone black with desire which caused my heart to speed up.
He leaned away from me, reaching down to grasp the bottom of my shirt and started to lift it up. I lifted my arms so that he would have easier access to getting it off of me. He kneeled in front of me, and in between my legs, so that we were at eye level.
Leaning in he started to pepper my face with kisses. I got impatient by reaching my hands up and pulled his lips to mine as I wrapped my legs around his waist to pull his body in closer. All of a sudden I started a tongue duel with him trying to show my dominance in kissing. He grabbed a hold of the sides of my face and asserted his dominance causing me to whimper in desire.
All too soon he was pulling away from the kiss and unwrapping my legs before standing up. I reached out to unbutton his jeans but he pushed my hands away from him. “Hold on Little One. I want this moment to last and be etched in your memory forever,” he said soothingly.
He sat back on his heels and started to take my sneakers off, one shoe at a time. I knew he was trying to make this special for me but I was so hard at that moment in time that I felt like I was going to break in half, and that was just from kissing him.
“Babe, you gotta hurry up. I’m dying here,” I whimpered.
“Shhh,” he whispered as he placed a finger on my lips. “Soon My Love. Soon”
He stood me up and started to unbuckle my belt before unbuttoning my jeans. I was really regretting wearing snug jeans at the moment because I felt so confined and couldn’t wait to get them off. He started to kiss along the waistband of my boxer briefs and right about now I wished I had grabbed my boxers instead because even though my jeans had been pulled down I was still confined and I could feel the precum that I was leaking. He pulled my jeans down my legs, trailed by kisses as he gently pushed be back onto the bed so that he could remove them leg by leg.
Jon stood up and slowly unbuttoned his jeans, letting them fall to the floor before stepping out of them. His boxers were severely tented and it started to concern me about how he was gonna fit inside of me, but I wasn’t about to let my fear guide me. I knew that he would never intentionally hurt me and I was sure that he would properly prepare me for entry.
He gestured for me to scoot to the middle of the bed. He leaned over me and started to reign kisses along my jaw, forehead, and eyelids. When I started to whimper he slowly made his way down the side of my neck to the juncture of my shoulder, nibbling on his mark causing me to moan wantonly. I felt like there was fire running through my veins and that it was about to consume me.
Moving down my chest he paid extra special attention to my nipples. Kissing and nibbling them, using his tongue to send shudders to ripple through my body. As soon as he realized the effect that he was having he moved down my chest, rubbing his hands along my ribcage causing sparks to erupt where his hands travelled.
He got to the waistband of my boxer briefs and seductively started to remove them with his teeth, my cock caught on the elastic only to be freed a minute later with a wet slap as my cock bounced straight back resting in the hollow between my abs. My back arched as I lifted my hips up to make it easier for him to slide them down my legs. As he was pulling them down, his moist, silky smooth lips trailed them down. He ran his hands over my sensitive thighs before grabbing ahold of my boxer briefs and pulling them down to my feet.
I was new to all of these feelings, the emotions being shared over our bond made me feel that I was going to be driven to madness with the love and care that my mate was showing me. I was starting to float on a cloud of lust causing me to desperately wanting my bear of a man inside of me but I just had a feeling that wasn’t going to be happening for a while.
He began to tease and tickle the sole of my foot with his warm breath, it took my mind off my painfully hard erection. He started to nibble on my toes causing me to gasp in utter delight. Who knew that your toes could cause such a reaction? I sure didn’t but I was going to file the information away for use later on.
Beginning to kiss his way up my calves, he licked and nibbled on the back of my knee causing me to buck and shake. I looked down to see his pitch black eyes were shining with absolute lust and desire. This was having just as much of an effect on him as it was on me. Jon lifted one leg and then the other, nipping the back of my quivering thighs coming to rest at my hip bones, inhaling deeply groaning in delight as he licked and nuzzled my crotch sending shivers up my spine.
I reached down and grasped his shoulders trying to get his attention to shift up to my face. I wasn’t sure what I wanted but I knew that I wanted him to hurry up because I didn’t know how much more of this I could take. He continued to nibble until he was at my bellybutton where he proceeded to delve his tongue as his hands grasped me by the hips to keep me from humping myself into his collar bone. After what felt like agonizing minutes he continued his journey upward, nibbling again on my nipples that had gotten rock hard thanks to his ministrations before going once again to his mark and up my neck before claiming my lips in a fiery kiss.
“What’s the matter, My Love?” Jon asked as I sucked air back into my lungs.
“You’re killing me, Baby. I can’t take much more of this.”
“You’re capable of more than you know. Just know that I want to bring you nothing but pleasure.” His lips claimed mine once more, his hand encircle my shaft and started to stroke me, he made light twisting motions as he stroked. I gasped into the kiss which he took advantage of sucking my tongue into his mouth, which caused me to elicit another moan in ecstasy.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his torso closer to me as I grabbed a handful of his silky, jet black hair. I could feel his hard length as it pushed against my thigh and again wondered how that was gonna fit inside of me, he felt like he had a steel pipe down there. Heaven help me but I wanted it inside of me and soon.
I finally decided that two could play this game and I used all my strength to flip us over so that I was straddling him. He looked surprised before his lips contoured into a broad grin, anticipating what was about to happen. I had broken our kiss before raining kisses all over his face as I felt him grasp my hips.
I ground my hips down into his and could feel that the front of his boxers were slick with precum. I kissed and nibbled my way to my mark which caused his to groan in pleasure. I moved quickly down on his chest to his nipples, licking and nibbling as I went. His nipples were as hard as pebbles begging for attention.
He moaned as he thrust upwards with his hips, I reached down, pushing him into the mattress to restrain his movement. I slowly continued teasing my way down to his belly button, darting my tongue in and out. My ass came in contact with his toes as I started to pepper kisses and nibbles across his hipbones and the side of his ass cheeks as I slowly pulled his boxers down his legs causing his cock to slap up against his stomach leaving a smear of precum. He flicked his feet upwards to bounce them against my ass.
I moved my hips side to side across the top of his feet before nibbling my way down his legs as I pulled his boxers off. I continued nibbling until I got to his toes where I started to lick and suck on them which caused him to moan in ecstasy before I moved back up his quivering legs.
I went back to his hips and could tell that it wouldn’t take much to send him over the edge but I wanted to torture him with pleasure like he had done to me. I nuzzled his crotch and could smell his musky aroma and it drove me crazy, it made me want him that much more. I just had to see if he tasted as good as he smelled and boy did he. I started at the base of his cock and licked my way to the tip, like a lollipop.
He let out an excited moan as I twirled my tongue around the tip of his glands, licking up the escaping precum. He had a slightly salty taste but it was all man and he was all MINE. I slid my hands slowly up his torso, rubbing his nipples on my way to his lips. He sucked the tip of my finger into his mouth as he swirled his tongue around before popping it back out.
I slipped the tip of his cock into my waiting mouth and went as far as I could before I started to gag. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to take his entire eight and a half inches into my mouth, it wasn’t so much the length but his massive six inch diameter cock, squeezed my throat to its limit. This made me realize just how much preparation would have to be done for me to be able to take him. I slid my finger back into his waiting mouth. His sucking motioned caused me to moan against his shaft which caused his hips to jerk, almost making me gag, I lifted my mouth to make sure that my teeth didn’t dig into him.
I licked my way back down his cock, down to where his musky smell was the most prominent, lapping slightly at his balls and the area just behind them causing him to moan with excitement. I tapped my finger gently on the entrance of his hole making him jump a little. He abruptly grabbed my shoulders and pulled me back up his chest, roughly claiming my mouth with his.
With a growl he flipped me over so that he was towering above me, trapping my cock in between us as he attacked my mouth with a frenzy. He pushed his hips down into me and I could feel his cock as it brushed against my balls causing me to shiver in delight. Suddenly he stopped, pulling up off the bed going over to the suitcase. I couldn’t see what he was getting but I had an amazing view of his muscular ass.
He came back to the bed and I could see a bottle with clear liquid in it, wasn’t sure what it was but I was looking forward to finding out. He set the bottle on the night stand as he climbed back into the bed crashing his lips into mine for a deep kiss. Jon pulled away from me panting heavily and leaned his forehead against mine.
“Babe, I love you so much that my heart feels like it’s about to burst.” He leaned forward and gave my forehead a chaste kiss. “Are you ready for this, Baby? I don’t want to intentionally hurt you.”
“Baby, I’ve never been surer of anything in my life.”
Moving down my lips he nibbled and kissed down the center of my chest, using his tongue to leave a slick trail south. He rubbed his hands along my ribcage again which caused me to buck slightly with lust. He continued even more south in between my abs and eventually to my forest of pubic hair. Looking up at me with those eyes so full of lust he continued south towards my cock, he licked up from the base of my cock to the tip and down the other side. However he continued tracing the vein on the underside of my cock over my balls, lapping at them slightly and having a deep inhale which caused him to moan and shudder slightly.
He readjusted my position so that I was on the end of the bed before he opened my legs further apart. He continued to trace the vein until he got to my hole. He looked up at me to make sure I was okay, I looked down and smiled at him through half closed eyes. Jon took this in haste and drove his tongue in deep, into my bud causing me to moan deeply as sparks flew through my body. I began to squirm through all the action he was giving me driving his tongue in deep making me moan with lust, I couldn't take much more of this. Jon was shivering with lust the feelings obviously being transferred through our bond. I whimpered "please" and he took my meaning that I was ready for him now, I just knew it as instinctively as I knew my wolf.
He reached for the bottle on the night stand and poured some onto his fingers before he inserted his first finger adding some lubrication to my open hole. My hole had already been opened up by his tongue and found little resistance. Jon probed his finger around my love tunnel until he found my sweet spot. He pressed and bounced his finger against my prostate and I gasped and moaned in pleasure at the pressure he was applying. He removed his first finger but immediately added a second, and then a third which had me writhing in my feelings, Jon was shivering himself in anticipation. I knew that he was just making sure that I was adequately prepared for him but I knew that if he didn’t hurry up I was gonna scream, this was torture.
I suddenly felt empty as he pulled his fingers out. When I looked at him I saw him grab the bottle of lube again but this time he added a generous portion to his rock hard cock that was dripping large amounts of precum. I felt the head at my entrance, when I looked into his eyes I could see that he wanted to make sure that I was ready so I briefly nodded my head.
I could feel myself stretched to the max and it was slightly uncomfortable but I knew that I was made just for Jon and I was glad that I had waited for this moment with him because it was such a special moment. What killed me was the fact that Jon went so slowly that it felt as if time had come to a complete stop.
“Babe, you’re killing me. Go faster!”
“I don’t want to hurt you, you’re SO TIGHT,” he growled.
“I’m not hurting, Baby. Please hurry,” I panted.
When it didn’t look like he was gonna do more than inch his way, I took it upon myself and pushed myself down until I felt completely fulfilled. Jon grabbed my hips to stop me from moving any further. He leaned over me and I could tell that he was trying to show restraint but at this point I just wanted him to fuck me.
Since I couldn’t lift my hips I wrapped my legs around his hips and pulled him the rest of the way into me. He just looked at me with disbelief that I was able to take all of him and that I wouldn’t let him enter slowly.
“Baby, I can’t believe how tight you are. It feels like I’m in a vise grip. If you don’t stop moving you’re gonna make me cum too soon.” He stopped moving to give me time to completely adjust to his size.
I looked into his eyes and could see the love that he felt for me reflecting back at me. “Baby, if you don’t get movin’ I’m gonna scream. Give it to me Big Boy!”
That was all it took, he leaned in to give me a passionate kiss while he started to slowly slide in and out of me. He went slow and steady until I couldn’t take it anymore and growled, “Move FASTER!”
I felt him slowly start to quicken his pace which caused my breath to come out in quick pants that were in time with his thrusts. He leaned down to kiss me before going to the crook of my neck and inhaling my scent. When he started to nuzzle at his mark I started to go crazy, it was so sensitive that it didn’t take much. Thankfully I could return the favor with him in this position and started to nuzzle and nip at my mark on him which caused him to speed up his thrust even more, so that his hips were snapping into me.
We were both moaning loudly as he pistoned in and out of me, hitting my prostate with every thrust. “HARDER, Babe!” He grabbed the headboard that was mounted to the wall, so hard that I heard it crack.
He made me feel like I was soaring with the emotions that were coming through the mate bond which was getting stronger with every minute that passed. I could feel that he was getting close but was trying to hold off so that I could climax with him. He reached one hand between us, grabbed my cock spreading the precum around to make it slicker as he started to stroke me. I could feel my own climax as it got closer and started to moan uncontrollably. He brought his head down to the crook of my neck, licking and nibbling the closer that we got to our climaxes.
“I’M CUMMING!!” I screamed just before I clamped my moth onto his shoulder as I emptied myself onto my stomach. Jon grunted and bit into my shoulder as I felt spurt after spurt hit deep within me.
We stayed in that position for several minutes as our breathing returned to normal before he pulled out with a slurp. He got up to grab a warm washcloth in order to clean us both up. He tossed it towards the bathroom before cuddling up to me. I laid my head on his shoulder and could hear his heart just thumping away, it felt as if it was beating in time with my own.
“I love you Baby,” he said as he rested his head against mine.
“I love you, too Babe,” I murmured into his chest before we both slipped into sleep, feeling completely sated and relaxed.
Chapter 10: Tim’s POV
I woke with Jon’s arms wrapped around me, feeling like I was home. I couldn’t believe the night that we had last night, to be able to finish our mating and feel complete for the first time in my life. I was sore, but I felt better than I had in my whole life. I really looked forward to seeing my dad and my friends again even though it hadn’t been very long since I had seen them last.
“Good morning, Baby,” Jon whispered while rubbing his hand through my hair.
“Morning, Babe.” I wrapped my arm a little tighter around Jon’s stomach, tucking my head under his chin. I could hear his heart beating in a rhythmic fashion that let me know that he was just as affected as I was by last night.
“You ready to get on the road?”
I leaned up and said, “Not really. I just want to lay here with you like this. I’m glad that we waited to really get to know each other before completing the mating.”
“Me too, Babe. Me too.”
I leaned up and pressed my lips to his, running my tongue along his lips trying to seek entrance. When Jon wouldn’t open I reached between us, tweaked his nipple causing him to gasp and slipped my tongue inside his mouth. However, he wasn’t going to let me dominate the kiss as he rolled over me.
“Are you sure? You’re not too sore are ya?”
“I’m sore, but not too sore for another round or two with you.” I grinned. He reached for the bottle of lube. I still couldn’t believe that we went at it four times last night, each time better than the last.
He quickly applied some lube to his fingers and his cock before lining up at my entrance. He slid in with very little resistance. He leaned in licking and nipping at his mating mark. He kissed his way up my neck to my jawline, over my eyelids, and finally getting to my mouth where he kissed me deeply. He came up for air as he started to rhythmically slide in and out causing me to moan with desire.
Steadily he built up the speed of his thrusts until the mattress was thumping the wall in a steady, heavy rhythm. We were both panting hard by that time and I could feel him getting bigger, if that was even possible.
All of a sudden he stopped and pulled out of me, and I whimpered in displeasure. I couldn’t believe that he just stopped like that. He bent down and took my straining erection into his warm, wet mouth.
I could’ve sworn he was trying to kill me by sensory overload because right before I was about to cum, he stopped in mid stroke. He nibbled his way along my pubic area until he came to my balls where he licked them, sucking them into his mouth one at a time before continuing towards my hole that felt void and was waiting for something to fill it.
“Baby, you’re driving me crazy,” I panted as he inserted one and then a second finger, proceeding to finger fuck me until I was moaning in ecstasy with my eyes closed.
A short time later he pulled his fingers out of my ass and added some more lube to his straining erection. As soon as he was lubed back up he ever so slowly reinserted himself into my waiting ass until I could feel his pubic hair against me.
When I opened my eyes, I could see the lust and passion in his eyes. I knew by just that look that he loved me as much as I loved him. He started moving slowly in and out until he had a steady rhythm, every so often he would speed up his thrusts just a little bit until he was slamming into me.
All of a sudden I felt my balls pull up into me just before I went off like a rocket. I could tell that Jon was close, I pulled his head down and smashed our lips together, lightly nipping at them. I could feel my canine teeth elongate before nipping hard enough to draw blood. I sucked on his bleeding lip which set him off because the next thing I knew he was spurting shot after shot inside of me.
As the spurts became less frequent, so did his thrusts until he came to a complete stop with his forehead leaning against mine.
“Damn, Baby that was intense,” he said as he slowly slid out of me while pulling me into his chest.
“I’m not sure I’m gonna be able to sit in the car for the next seven hours,” I said with a chuckle as I relaxed into his warm embrace.
“Do we need to get you a cushion?” I looked over my shoulder and could see that he was trying to keep a straight face but he lost the battle and started laughing. “You said you weren’t too sore.”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t mean that it won’t be a little uncomfortable for me.”
“Let’s get showered and dressed so that we can get on the road. We have to be checked out by noon, but I want to be a few hours away by that time.” Jon crawled out of bed and held his hand out to me to help me up.
Once I showered and dressed, I carried the bags out to the SUV while Jon went to the desk and checked us out of the room. By the time he got in the SUV, I had pulled out the map and was looking at the route that we were taking and trying to decide where we would pull over for lunch.
“How does Burger King sound for breakfast? I mean we are getting a later start than I had planned on.” Jon smirked at me.
“Oh, you know you had as much fun as I did,” I said as I lightly slapped him on the arm. “Burger King sounds fine. Let’s get it to go and then stop somewhere near Charleston for lunch.”
“Sounds like a plan Babe.” He started the SUV and we were off.
To save time we went through the drive thru at Burger King and we were soon on US-35 headed towards West Virginia. I just knew that I was going to doze off shortly after getting on the highway, but I was determined to keep my eyes open as long as possible.
***
I awoke to the sound of my phone ringing. “Hello.”
“Wakey, Wakey Tim.” Jeremy chuckled.
“You know how I am on long trips.” I pouted.
“I know buddy, just wanted to check in and see how far out you guys are from us.”
“Hang on let me check.” I turned to Jon and asked, “Hey Babe, whereabouts are we?”
“We’ve crossed into West Virginia headed towards Charleston.” He reached over and took my hand in his, rubbing circles into the back of my hand.
“Hear that Jeremy? We’re in West Virginia and headed towards Charleston. We should be pulling over for lunch here soon.”
“Ok cool, just give your dad a call when you have crossed into Virginia so that he will know when to meet you in Waynesboro,” Jeremy commented before I heard a voice in the background call out. “Don’t tell him the other part yet!”
“Who was that and what aren’t you supposed to tell me?” I questioned.
“That was Tony and I don’t know what he’s talking about. We’re all over here packing up your dad’s house so that you won’t be separated from Jon for very long.”
“What do you mean separated from Jon?!” I demanded.
“Well, you do know that he’s not allowed in the territory right?”
“Well, yeah, but I don’t plan on being separate from him.”
“So you’re not going to come do any of the packing?” he asked.
“Damn, forgot about that. This is gonna be hard because I don’t want to be away from him. Like I don’t want him out of my sight. That’s weird for me, I know.”
“You must’ve completed the mating then.”
“Yeah, last night. How’d you know?”
“That is one of the side effects to a recent mating, or so I’ve heard,” chuckled Jeremy.
“Thanks a lot Bubba. You will find out for yourself soon enough. We’ll see you soon, say hi to the gang for me.”
“Will do. It’ll be good to see you again, even though you’ve only been gone a short time this time.”
“Later buddy.” I heard the click in my ear signaling that Jeremy had hung up.
I couldn’t wait to introduce Jon to all of my friends. I just know that they will absolutely love him. I just wished that I would be able to show him around where I grew up.
“You ready for lunch, Babe?” I turned and looked at Jon when I heard his voice, but before I could answer my stomach decided to make itself known and answered for me by growling loudly. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he chuckled.
“Yeah Babe, I’m hungry.”
“How does KFC sound?”
“Sounds good to me.” Jon flicked on the turn signal and started to exit the highway at the next exit.
***
We returned to the road after stopping for about an hour while we ate lunch. I knew that it would only be a couple more hours until we pulled into the hotel that Dad had reserved for us. Knowing Dad, he would be taking us out to dinner before we headed back to the house to get the packing finished up so that we could head out as quickly as possible. I still could not believe Alpha Jefferson was not allowing Jon to enter the territory just because he’s a bear.
After eating, we returned to the SUV, where I got my e-reader out of my bag hoping that it would keep me awake the rest of the way to Waynesboro. I scrolled through my books before deciding on Impractical Magic by M.J. O’Shea.
***
“Babe, you better call your Dad and let him know that we’re in Virginia.” I was so lost in the book that I hadn’t been paying attention to road signs and had not seen the Welcome to Virginia sign.
I pulled out my phone and dialed my Dad.
“Hello,” he answered the phone.
“Hey Dad. Just wanted to let you know that we’ve crossed into Virginia and should be in Waynesboro in a couple of hours.”
“Good to know, Son. Everything going ok with you guys?”
“Yeah, Dad, everything’s great,” I softly chuckled.
“Alright, well I will see you in a couple of hours.”
“See ya soon, Dad.” I heard a soft click as he hung up.
“So you ready to meet everyone?” I turned to look at Jon.
“I’m actually kind of nervous. There’s a part of me that is fine with meeting your dad in person, but then there’s the part of me that is concerned that he’s not going to like me when he actually meets me face to face.”
“You’ll be fine. Dad already sees you as another son. I just wish you could come into town with us so that you can meet my friends. I’m sorry my Alpha is being such a homophobic asshole.”
“It’s not your fault. There are those out there who will never accept us and there’s nothing that we can do about it except to just be ourselves.” Jon reached over, grabbed my hand and simply held it while he drove.
***
The next couple of hours flew by and the next thing I knew we were pulling off the highway and turning into the parking lot of the hotel. I quickly looked around and spotted my dad parked close to the lobby door. What I wasn’t expecting was the dark blue Dodge Charger that was parked next to him.
As soon as they saw us my friends piled out of Jeremy’s car. “Babe, looks like you’ll be meeting my friends after all.”
“Oh boy, let’s do this. I’m positive that once I meet everyone my nerves will settle down.” When I turned and looked at him I noticed that he was rubbing his hands on the legs of his jeans.
“Babe, it’ll be fine. I’m gonna be right there next to you,” I said as I gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.
“Thanks, Hun. Knowing that you will be there with me, I know everything will be fine.” He turned the ignition off and we both climbed out of the SUV to go and meet everyone.
All of a sudden I was in the middle of a group hug as my buddies ran over to me and grabbed a hold of me. When I heard the growl I knew that I needed to comfort my mate.
“Babe, it’s ok; they’re not going to hurt me.” I extracted myself from my friends and pulled Jon into a hug.
I could tell that it was taking everything in him not to pull the guys off of me. I guess the guys also noticed this because they quickly took a step back while I tried to calm Jon down. As he finally calmed down, Dad made his way over to us.
“Hello Sir, it’s a pleasure to meet you in person.” Jon held his hand out to Dad, but instead of shaking Jon’s hand he pulled him into a hug.
“Hello Jon, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m glad that Tim has finally found you. Welcome to the family."
“Babe, I would like you to meet Jeremy, Tony, Jason, and Justin. They are my four closest friends.” It was then that I noticed a guy just standing next to Jeremy’s car. “Hey, Jer, who’s that?” I asked.
“That is my mate Alex.”
“Well, do I get to meet him or is he just going to stand over there?”
“He wanted to give us some time to say hi; plus, he’s a little nervous to meet you guys.”
“Well, have him come over. I want to meet him.” Jeremy waved the young man over.
“Tim, Jon, I would like you to meet my mate Alex from the Lonestar pack in Texas.” He turned to Alex and said, “This is my best friend Tim and his mate Jon.”
“He’s a bear,” Alex replied.
“Yeah, he is, but he’s a teddy bear,” I chuckled.
“I’m sorry that sounded very rude. I have nothing against bears, I was just surprised to see one mated to a wolf.”
“It’s ok Alex, we are used to the shock that people show when they realize it. It’s nice to meet you.” I shook Alex’s hand.
“Yes, it’s good to meet you Alex,” Jon said as he reached out to shake his hand.
“The pleasure is mine. I’ve heard so much about you Tim; it’s good to finally meet you,” chuckled Alex.
Dad pulled out a room key and handed it to Jon. “I’m sorry the Alpha is being a prick about letting you into the territory. I got you a room for the night because I know my son and he will not tolerate being separated from you for very long. In fact I figure he will spend most of the night packing and will come back here as soon as he’s done.”
“I’m sure you’re right Jasper, especially now that the mating has been completed.”
I felt my cheeks burst with heat and knew that I had gone as red as a tomato. “JON!! I can’t believe you just said that!” I slapped him on the arm; he just chuckled at me causing the rest of the guys to chuckle as well.
“Babe, it’s not like they didn’t already know. I’m sure that’ve been able to smell me on you already.”
“Doesn’t mean that it needs to be vocalized. I mean, Come On!” I pouted.
“Aww, Babe, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you,” Jon said as he pulled me into a hug and kissed me on the temple.
“Ok, all embarrassment behind us, let’s go get some dinner before we head back to the house to finish packing,” suggested Dad.
Jon and I rode with Dad to the Wood Grill Buffet for dinner. I’ve missed eating here, the food is really good, plus it’s a buffet so we could eat as much as we wanted; after all seven of us were werewolves and then don’t forget about the bear.
“So Jon, what do you do?” asked Jeremy.
“I have been travelling across the country, so I’m unemployed at the moment, but I have an English degree with a minor in education. So once we are settled in I will be trying to get a position at one of the local schools. While I was on the road I would do odd jobs helping people out in the clans that I visited.”
“Well it’s good to know that you aren’t afraid of hard work,” Jeremy replied.
“Guys, I know you mean well, but is it really necessary to give him the third degree?” I chuckled.
“But Tim, it’s so much fun to see him squirm,” laughed Tony.
“Babe, it’s ok. They’re just looking out for you. It shows how much they care about you.”
“What age group do you want to teach?” questioned Alex.
“I’ve not really thought about it but with my English degree I would probably teach high school English.”
“I have my teaching degree and when I get home I will be looking for teaching positions in either the high school or middle school. Not really sure which I would prefer more,” .
“So have the rest of you found your mates yet?”
“No we haven’t. I’m thinking of travelling like you guys to go looking for my mate,” stated Tony.
“Me too,” said Zack.
“Do you think your mate will be a wolf? Or is it possible for it to be another shifter species?” Jon asked.
“I would hope she’s a wolf, but wouldn’t have an issue with her being another type of shifter,” replied Tony.
“Same here,” replied Nathan and Zack in unison.
“Well guys, why don’t you come with us and then fly home? We’re gonna need an extra driver to drive Tim’s car. That way each vehicle will have two people to help with the driving responsibilities,” suggested Dad.
“That’s a great idea Dad. That will give us a chance to spend some time together while we’re on the road”
“Jasper, that’s a good idea but I can’t afford a plane ticket back,” said Justin.
“That’s fine, since you boys would be doing me a favor I have no problem with paying for your tickets home as my way of saying thank you.”
“But, Sir, I can’t accept that. Besides my parents won’t let me do it just because Tim’s mate is male. Ever since they found out that Tim’s gay they have not wanted me to be friends with him. If they found out that his mate is a bear they would be even more adamant that I should cut my ties with him. They don’t understand how you can be so accepting of him being gay,” protested Justin.
“Then just tell them that you are helping me move and that I’m paying for your help,” Dad suggested with a smile.
“That could work, Sir.” Justin smiled back and continued eating.
“What about you two? Can you come too?”
“Sure, especially if I take some time to go to a couple of packs to look for my mate. My parents would be thrilled if this trip led to me finding my mate,” replied Jason.
“My parents would also be happy if I can find my mate, but I don’t know if they would be happy if he was from a different shifter species,” said Tony.
“Wait, did you just say ‘he’?” I questioned.
He turned a little red in the face before he nodded and shyly said, “Yeah.”
I looked at Jon and just shook my head. Tony had never given any indication that he was gay. I had to admit that I was a little bit hurt that he didn’t feel like he could tell me this. I guess I must have a strange look on my face because he looked away from me and it broke my heart.
“Tony, it’s ok. I just wish you would have told me so that I could help you through your feelings.”
“I know but I wasn’t willing to admit it because my parents would disown me if they ever found out.”
“Well, why don’t you join us and move to Washington? I’m sure that alpha Jeff will welcome you into the pack with open arms. In fact, let me give him a call just to make sure,” I suggested as I pulled out my phone.
The phone rang four times when I heard the phone answered, “Hello.”
“May I speak with Alpha Jeff?” I asked.
“This is he,” he replied.
“Alpha Jeff, this is Tim Collins. I was in your territory a couple of weeks ago.”
“Ah, yes. Hi Tim, how are you and Jon doing?” he asked.
“We’re good, Sir. I wanted to touch base with you because I just found out that one of my friends is gay and his parents will disown him when they find out. Would it be possible for him to move there as well as my Dad?”
“That would be fine. Would you mind if I speak to him for a minute?”
“Sure, let me hand him the phone. Just a second.” I handed the phone to Tony and said, “Here talk to Alpha Jeff.”
He took the phone and said, “Hello, Sir…My name is Tony…Yes, Sir, they will disown me for sure. They have already voiced their displeasure over me being friends with Tim when they found out that he's gay…Uh huh...Sure…Ok, then we will see you in a few days. Thank you so much.” He handed the phone back to me with a grin and said, “Thank you Tim. It looks like I’m moving with you.”
“Awesome! Dad is there going to be room in the moving truck for some of his stuff?” I asked.
“Sure there is, and since his Jeep gets the worst gas mileage, let’s put on a car carrier behind the moving truck. That way we can pack that if we need to,” Dad suggested.
“Tony, why don’t you and Justin head to your house and pack up the things that you absolutely can’t live without, while we head to my house and get started there?” I suggested.
“That sounds like a sound plan to me; Jon are you ok with Tim driving your SUV to the house and packing it up?” Dad asked.
“If he needs to that is fine with me. What time do you want me ready in the morning?”
“I was thinking we could head out about nine o’clock if everyone is agreeable,” Dad suggested as he looked around the table to see all of us nodding our heads yes. “Alright, then lets head out so we can take Jon back to the hotel so we can head to the house before it gets too late and get started,”
***
After dropping Jon off, I followed Dad back to the house. I was thankful that Tony decided to ride with me so that we could do some one on one talking.
“So Tony, when did you figure it out?”
“I guess I’ve always known, but knew that I could never come out to my parents because of their views. I didn’t want to lie to you guys, but I also didn’t want it getting back to my parents on accident. I know that you guys would not have let it slip, it just scared me.”
“Are you ok with us knowing now?”
“Yeah, because I’ll be leaving in the morning. I’m gonna leave them a note letting them know what is going on but I can’t live a lie anymore. Besides I know that my mate isn’t here, so if going to Washington will bring me closer to my mate I will go.”
“It’ll be good to have you there.”
“I will be glad to be able to be myself and not have to put on a front for my parents. I just don’t know what I’m gonna do for work.”
I flicked on the turn signal and exited the highway when we reached Charlottesville. I had missed being here even if I wasn’t gone for very long this time, but what I had missed most was my friends and my Dad. I hurt to leave the meadow where my Mom and sister were buried, but the move would be good for all of us. I was soon pulled into the driveway and noticed that we were the last to arrive.
“Thanks for talking with me, Tim.”
“You’re welcome, Bud; that’s what friends are for.” We climbed out of the SUV and headed into the house.
“Tony, you and Justin head over to your house and get things packed up so that we are ready to go in the morning,” said Dad.
“Ok, there’s not much that I’m gonna be taking with me so we should be back fairly soon. Let’s head out Justin,” stated Tony.
They got in Tony’s car and headed out to his house. I looked at Dad and just shook my head because Tony still had some reservations about leaving his parents.
“Hey Dad, I’m gonna go for a quick run. Want to go say bye to Mom and Tina.”
“Alright, Son. I understand.” He clasped me on the shoulder before turning and heading into the house with Jason, Jeremy, and Alex following behind him.
I went into the woods and stripped down, tying my jeans to my leg before I shifted and took off for the meadow.
***
I slipped on my jeans just in case someone came around while I talked to Mom and Tina. “I found my mate, Mom. You would love Jon, he’s like my own personal teddy bear. He truly loves me. I wanted to come and say goodbye because I am moving to Spokane, Washington tomorrow morning. So, unfortunately, I won’t be able to come and see you guys anymore. Dad will also be moving because he doesn’t want to live in a pack that won’t allow his son’s mate to come and see him; all because Alpha Jackson refuses to accept that my mate is a male, as well as a bear. I miss you guys so much. I love you both and will always carry you in my heart.”
I wiped my eyes before I got ready to head back to the house. I wanted to get everything packed and head back to the hotel before it got too late. I already missed Jon and we hadn’t been apart that long.
“Dad, I’m back. What still needs to be packed?”
“Well, your room still needs to be done, along with the kitchen, and my office. Alex and Jeremy are working on the kitchen. Jason is going to help me with the office. The only big things that are left are your bed, dresser, desk, and my desk that is in the office.”
“Ok, where are the boxes?”
“I had Jason put some boxes and tape in your room so you should be good to go.”
“Got it. I will be upstairs if you need me.” I headed upstairs to get started on my packing.
When I got to my room, I turned on the radio to listen to some music as I got started with my packing. I found several boxes sitting on my bed along with a thing of packing tape and a black marker. I noticed that my bed had already been stripped, which was good because I didn’t want to have to move dirty sheets.
I decided the easiest would be to start with my clothes. Soon I found my rhythm going and was dancing around my room while I packed. I was so lost in the music that I didn’t notice Tony standing in my doorway until I heard some clapping. When I saw him I was embarrassed because I never let anyone see me dance because I have absolutely no rhythm, but I like to move to music even if it looks funny to everyone else.
“Hey man, we’re back. Need some help?” he asked.
“Yeah could you start taking these boxes down to Jon’s SUV?”
“Sure, no problem. Zack is helping your Dad andNathan is in his office getting all his files boxed up.” He grabbed the nearest box and headed downstairs.
I then started packing my desk and pictures from my dresser. I came to one of the last pictures that I had taken with Mom before she died. We were sitting on the porch swing and I had my head on her stomach listening to my little sister move around. I stood there looking at the picture when Dad cleared his throat.
I looked up with tears in my eyes, “I still miss her so much.”
“I know Son, I do too. You will never not miss her, but it will get easier in time. I think this move is why these feelings are surfacing again. You know that she loved you and that she is watching out for you from above.”
“Yeah, I know. I just wish she could’ve met Jon. I think she would’ve liked him.”
“I think so too. She would’ve said that as long as you were happy she would be too.” He pulled me into a hug. There are those times when you just need your parent and this was one of those times.
“Well, I just need to get these pictures packed and then I’m done. Let’s get the guys to start getting the bed downstairs and by the time that is done these will all be packed up.”
“Alex, Jeremy, can you come up here?” called Dad.
“Right here, Boss.” Jeremy snapped off a salute, which caused us to all break up with laughter.
“You’re a dork, Jer,” I laughed.
“You looked like you could use a laugh so I aim to please.” They pulled the mattress off and headed downstairs. Next thing I knew Zack and Tony were coming in to grab the box springs.
I quickly cleared off the dresser so they could grab that next before moving on to the pictures on the wall and my desk. Within thirty minutes my room was clear of all furniture and boxes. I took one last look at what had been my room for twenty one years and said goodbye. With the SUV loaded and the house packed, I headed back to the hotel to get some sleep before we headed out in the morning after breakfast.
***
Morning came all too soon for me. I arrived at the hotel at around midnight and Jon had set the alarm for seven to give us both time to get a shower and dressed before Dad and the guys got there to go to breakfast so that we could get on the road fairly early because we had approximately twenty five hundred miles. This was going to be one long trip to caravan.
We were on the road by nine thirty, heading towards West Virginia with Dad in the lead with the moving truck as it was the slowest moving vehicle in our group. Since I was still groggy from last night I put my pillow against the window and went to sleep for the next few hours.
***
I woke up when I felt the SUV change speeds and slow down. I looked around, but couldn’t tell where we were.
“Where are we Babe?”
“We just entered Huntington. Dad signaled that he needed to exit.”
We pulled into a gas station and we all decided to top off our gas tanks, along with getting some drinks and snacks for the trip. It was also a good bathroom stop. While Jon went inside to use the bathroom, I started pumping the gas while I waited.
Nathan came over and asked, ”Enjoy your nap?”
“Yeah, I actually did. By the time I got back to the hotel and was so exhausted that I just fell onto the bed. I’ve gotten to where I hate driving plus I missed Jon. I felt like there was a part of me missing the whole time we were apart.”
“I bet. I wish I would meet my mate. Mom and Dad said that since I was going to be in Washington I should go ahead and look for my mate before I head back home.”
“Well, at least they’re ok with that. I’m worried about Tony though. I know he loves his parents and with having to leave before being disowned has to be hard on him.”
“Yeah, it is. I’ve tried talking to him, but he doesn’t want to talk about it.”
“Maybe he and I should ride together, since he is driving my car and all.”
“NO! Absolutely not,” growled Jon from behind me, causing me to jump.
“Jon, you scared me!” I exclaimed once my heart calmed down a little bit.
“You will not be in a confined space with an unmated male if I am not with you,” he snarled.
I knew that I had to get him to calm down, so I pulled him into my arms and held him tight. “Babe, it’s ok. I’m not leaving you but I do need to talk to Tony privately.”
“Not happening, unless you talk to him here. I’m sorry but no.”
“Why are you being so opinionated and adamant about this?” I asked dumbfounded.
“Son, you’re not going to win this one. It tends to happen with newly mated males. You probably don’t feel it as much because he is the more dominant male. Would you feel better if I talk to Tony? He can ride in the truck with me, leaving Nathan and Zack to ride together.” A light bulb went off over my head and I suddenly understood.
“Oh god, I’m so stupid! Of course. Babe, I am so sorry; can you forgive me?”
“Baby, you just can’t be by yourself with an unmated male. I’m sorry but it can’t happen.”
“Don’t you trust me?” I asked.
“Of course I trust you; but I don’t know Tony other than meeting him last night. I’m sure he’s a great guy and all. Right now I just don’t trust any unmated male, females either for that matter.”
“Ok, Dad if you would ride with Tony I would appreciate it. I know that he’s got to have a lot on his mind right now and he needs a parental figure to talk to about what is going on with him.”
“I will. Go be with your man and get him calmed down.” I pulled Jon to me and tucked my head under his chin, just to let him know that I was there, not going anywhere.
He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a kiss on the top of my head. I knew then that everything was going to be ok.
Once everyone was ready we all loaded up and followed the moving truck back to the highway, being safely on our way once again. This time though I decided to stay awake so I took over the driving duties for a little while. I knew that Jon hadn’t slept well until I got back to the hotel, so I knew that he could use a nap, which is exactly what he did.
This gave me some time to think about what we were going to be walking into when we got back to Washington. I knew that one of the Beta’s wouldn’t like having Jon live amongst the pack but I also knew that Alphas Jeff and James were going to have our backs. I was very thankful that Tony had decided to be himself and move out there with us. I knew I would miss Jason and Justin, as well as Jeremy. I think I will miss Jeremy the most with me moving to Moose Lake and him to Corsicana.
***
I was so lost in my thoughts and worries that I didn’t notice Jon waking up next to me. “Babe, you ok?”
Startled, I looked at him before I replied, “Yeah, was just doing some thinking; enjoy your nap?”
“Yeah, I did. I didn’t realize just how tired I was until I sat in this seat and we were underway. Thank you for taking over the driving, I really needed that nap.”
“No problem, Baby. We’re a team and that’s what teammates do, we look out for each other.” I reached over and grabbed his hand, just to hold it.
“Where are we?” he asked.
“We’re on I-90 W heading towards Chicago. We should be pulling over soon for dinner.” Almost as soon as I said that my phone started to ring. “Babe can you grab that for me?” I pointed to the cup holder in the console.
He answered the phone and said, “Tim’s phone…Hey Jasper…Ok, see ya in a few and I will let him know…Bye.”
“Obviously that was Dad. What’s up?”
“He wanted to give us the heads up that we are taking the next exit and pulling off for dinner.”
“Ok, cool. My stomach is starting to rumble and yours was rumbling in your sleep.” I saw the exit coming up so I flipped on the turn signal and followed the two vehicles in front of me off the highway.
***
An hour later we were back on the road with a switch of drivers. Dad’s plan had been for us to drive straight through, while I didn’t feel that we needed to rush; he felt that it was important for us to get there. However, we would have to make one overnight stop because not all of the vehicles had two people in them. Wet hadn’t decided whether to go straight to Moose Lake or visit Jon’s parent’s house first.
I voted for getting settled first. Alpha Jeff had been kind enough to set us up in two houses. Jon’s and mine has been temporarily furnished except for the bedroom since we had that furniture. Tony would be staying with Dad until he felt comfortable enough in the area to move into his own place.
We had been on the road for about an hour when Jon said, “Babe, can you call your Dad and let him know that we need to stop for gas?”
“Sure thing.” I grabbed my phone and dialed Dad’s phone.
When Tony answered it I was surprised. “Hey Tim. What’s up we just left the restaurant?”
“Jon just looked at the gas tank and feels we should stop for gas and snacks.”
I could hear him talking to my dad, when he came back on the phone and said, “We'll pull off at the next exit so that we can all top off and pick up some snacks.”
“Sounds good to me, I will let Jon know. Can you call Nathan, as well as Zack and let them know what the plan is?”
“Sure can, enjoy your time with your man.” He chuckled before I heard the click that signaled he had hung up.
“We’re gonna pull off at the next exit and they are letting Jason, along with Justin, know the plan.”
“Awesome; I could use some caffeine right about now,” he said with a chuckle.
“Me too, plus something to snack on to keep me awake so that I can keep you awake.”
We soon saw the turn signals come on and knew that we prepared to exit the highway. All four vehicles pulled into the Shell station. As the drivers jumped out to start pumping the gas, Tony and I ran inside the store to make a bulk purchase of sodas, chips, pretzels, and candy to be split up amongst the vehicles. Within twenty minutes we were fueled and loaded with snacks being able to quickly get back on the road.
Four hours later we started to exit the highway to stop for the rest of the night. I couldn’t speak for everyone, but Jon and I were exhausted so I was pretty sure that everyone else was too. Sure enough while Dad went in to get the rooms I looked at Nathan and Zack and saw that they both looked absolutely exhausted. I felt bad because they hadn’t had anyone to relieve them from driving.
Dad came back with two room keys and I was a little confused until he handed one to me before turning to the guys and said, “Jon and Tim have a room and you three are bunking with me. Our room has two full beds and a sleeper sofa. I don’t think any of us want to share a room with them.” Of course the guys thought that was hilarious and to be honest so did we.
“Alright, Dad; you’re so funny.” I chuckled.
“Well, would you want to share a room with a newly mated couple and not have your mate?”
“I know, I know. You’ll find any reason to bust my chops, won’t ya?”
“Of course I would. What kind of father would I be if I didn’t?” he chuckled.
The way he has been so accepting of not only my mate being a man but also a bear makes me really glad that I was not moving across the country from him and that he had come too. I was also really glad that he stood up for me and Jon with Alpha Jefferson. I just hope Zack and Nathan weren’t going to be in a lot of trouble for helping us move.
Jon grabbed our bags and headed off to our room. I noticed that we were right next to Dad’s room and that made me a little self-conscious. I mean who wants their parents to hear them having sex? Definitely not me; it’s bad enough that he knows that I’ve had sex, it just freaks me out and makes me embarrassed. As Jon unlocked the door he looked at me and chuckled.
“I know what you’re thinking.”
“Oh, really? What’s that big guy?”
“You’re anxious about your dad hearing us doing stuff, aren’t you?”
“Well, yeah there is that, but also the guys too. I guess you could say I’m a prude but I don’t like people knowing what goes on in our bedroom.”
“I know, Babe. We’ll do our damnedest to keep it down tonight. Just think as of tomorrow we will have our own place and we’ll be able to be as loud as we want.”
“Ummm, Babe you do realize that wolves have excellent hearing and that they would probably be able to hear us even being outside the house?”
“Damn, hadn’t thought about that. Ya know what I don’t care. If they have an issue with me loving my mate then they can kiss my ass.” He dropped our bags and pulled me into a hug.
I could hear what was going on next door and it made me nervous. I could hear all the guys laughing and whispering; couldn’t make out what they were saying though because of the whispers.
I guess Jon could see the anxiety on my face because he leaned in and gave me a quick peck on the lips, which led to several pecks before he locked his lips to mine in a passionate kiss. He grabbed my hips and pulled them into him as he probed my mouth with his tongue causing me to moan.
When he ended the kiss he took a step away from me and started to untuck my shirt before sliding it up my arms taking it off me quickly.
“Babe, I don’t know if I can do this with them in the next room.”
“Tim, it’ll be ok. I don’t want to pressure you and if you say stop, we stop. I love that you’re my shy guy and I wouldn’t change that for the world. I love you.” He leaned in and kissed me again.
I don’t know what it is about his kisses but they tend to make me forget about everything else that is going on so that I can focus completely on him and him alone.
I felt his hands run down my sides to my hips. It wasn’t long before I felt my jeans come open and his hands running along my waist. He slipped his hands inside the waist of my boxer briefs and ran them around to my back. His right hand slipped lower until he grasped my ass causing me to let out a moan.
“You like that Babe?” he whispered in my ear. All I could do was nod my head as I felt his other hand grasp the other butt cheek pulling me closer to him.
I slid my hands under the hem of his shirt and began to rub my hands all over his back as he leaned down and claimed my lips once more. I dropped my hands and grabbed the hem of the shirt and started to slowly lift it up his torso before breaking the kiss so that I could remove his shirt.
Once his shirt was off, I leaned in and flicked my tongue across his left nipple. When I felt him shudder I moved over to the other side. While I was licking and nipping at that nipple I was rubbing the other between my fingers to keep it hard as a pebble. He couldn’t hold back the shudders, so I eased away from his nipples while grabbing his hips and pulling him into me.
“Babe, you’re killing me,” he groaned.
“Oh no, can’t have you dying on me yet. You wanted me to forget they’re next door and now you’re gonna live up to your unspoken promise,” I said as I unsnapped and unzipped his jeans. I slid my hand under his waist band and reached behind him to cup his nice bublebutt; he had plenty there to grab onto.
I kneeled in front of him, grabbed the waistband of his jeans and boxers before starting to slide them down his muscular legs. When I got down to his feet I lifted each foot and slid his sneakers off before having him step out of his jeans. His socks quickly followed.
His rock hard cock had slapped against his belly and I could see a drop of precum glistening against his stomach where his cock had hit. I leaned forward and inhaled the musky scent that was uniquely him before sliding my tongue along the underside of his cock going to the tip.
I swirled my tongue around his tip, licking up the precum that was building there before engulfing him into my mouth causing him to groan with pleasure.
As I was bobbing up and down his shaft, he stilled my head and gestured for me to stand up, which I was happy to do. He grabbed ahold of the waistband of my jeans I kicked my shoes off. He knelt down sliding my jeans down my legs as he went. I grabbed onto his shoulders and lifted each foot so that he could slide my jeans off them, followed by my socks.
He started to nuzzle me at the base of my hard and leaking cock. I could hear him take a deep breath and when he released it I felt his warm breath glide across my skin. He grabbed onto my hips as he licked my cock from the base to the tip where he immediately engulfed me into his warm, moist mouth. It felt heavenly to me and I couldn’t help but let out a moan.
He worked my cock and when I felt my balls tighten up I knew that it wouldn’t be long before I would blow. He must have sensed this because he suddenly pulled off of me causing me to let out a frustrated groan. He stood up and pulled me over to the bed. After he sat me down on the bed he went over to his bag to grab the lube.
He came back to the bed to find that I had moved all the way to the top of the bed with my legs stretched out in front of me. He tossed me the bottle before climbing on the bed and crawling up to where I sat.
Leaning in he gave me a passionate kiss with his hands on either side of my face and his tongue demanding entry. Our tongues battled for dominance but I knew that I would never win unless he let me but it sure was fun trying.
He pulled away and we were both breathing fairly heavily. He scooted to the middle of the bed and grabbed the bottle of lube. All of a sudden he grabbed my legs and pulled me down the bed until I was laying down flat, he bent my legs at the knees until my feet were flat on the bed.
Opening the now well used bottle of lube, he poured some onto to his fingers where he rubbed it around to warm it up. Once it was warmed up he took his finger and slowly started to tap at my entrance before slowly sliding his finger inside of me. He felt around until he hit that sweet spot causing me to moan in pleasure.
After a short while he removed his finger and added some more lube before he inserted two fingers. He twisted and scissored his fingers to open me up and get me ready for him. He soon added a third finger.
By that time, I was moaning and pleading for him to “Fuck me.” I didn’t care who heard me or what they thought because I was in ecstasy and only wanted more.
All of a sudden I felt empty and when I opened my eyes I saw him kneeling there in all his glory, with his cock jutting out in front of him. He poured some lube into my hands so that I could lube him up.
I took his cock into my slick hand and started to slowly stroke him. After a few strokes he removed my hand, grabbing my legs to settle them on his shoulders and lined up at my entrance. I felt his head tapping at the door and relaxed my muscles so that he could gain easy entrance.
As he started to slip in I felt the burn of being stretched. He got in just a little bit before he stopped to let me get accustomed to his size. When I nodded my head he slipped just a little bit further into me.
I knew that he wanted to take it easy on me and to be gentle but I wanted him all the way inside of me and I wanted it right then and there. As he pushed in, I pushed down so that he was fully inside of me. Once he was fully sheathed he held his position so that I could adjust to him completely.
He started to slowly move within me. I could feel him as he slid over that sweet spot, hitting it with each and every thrust. He gradually sped up until the bed was slapping the wall in time with his thrusts. Periodically I would tighten my muscles around him as he thrust in, causing him to moan in delight.
I lifted myself up on my elbows and claimed his lips with my own. He slid my legs off his shoulders and around his waist before wrapping his arms around my back and shifting so that he was seated with me on his lap, which caused the position of his cock to shift just a little bit, earning a moan from me.
He slid his legs out to the side so that I straddled his lap and wrapped my arms around his shoulders.
“Babe, ride me,” he said before claiming my lips once more.
I wanted him to be comfortable so I pulled off him, and had him scoot to where he was leaning against the wall with his legs in front of him and not at a crazy angle out to the side. Once he was in position I straddled his lap once again and slowly lowered myself down on to his cock. My ass was nestled into his hips when I wrapped my arms around him and started to slowly raise and lower myself building up to a steady rhythm. He started to nuzzle my shoulder where his mark sits, licking and nipping at it.
I could feel myself getting close, so I would tighten around him as I went up, rocking my hips back and forth. I leaned my head in and rested it against his shoulder. I could hear his breathing change to where there was a slight hitch in his breath on each stroke. I could feel my teeth starting to elongate and knew that it was only a matter of time before I was going to erupt from the constant friction of rubbing my cock across his abdomen. Jon met me with one last thrust as he latched onto my shoulder and he emptied inside of me. I was just a second behind him when I erupted between us and latched onto his shoulder.
I don’t know how long we sat there trying to catch our breath but I loved every minute of it. Once our breathing had regulated, I lifted myself off his lap with a slurp, which cussed both of us to chuckle.
“I love you,” I said before I quickly ran to the bathroom and got a warm washcloth to clean both of us off. As soon as we were cleaned up we crawled under the covers with Jon spooned up behind me and his right arm wrapped around me holding me close to him. We were soon fast asleep.
Chapter 11: Tim’s POV
I woke to someone pounding on our hotel door. “Come on Tim, get your butt out of bed and let’s get a move on!” shouted Jason.
I groaned and looked at my handsome mate who was also just waking up. When he saw me looking at him he smiled and said, “Good morning, Baby.”
“Good morning,” I replied as I leaned over for a kiss.
“We need to get cleaned up and down to the vehicles so that we can get on the road. We are almost there.” He got up out of bed and swapped me on the ass as he headed for the bathroom.
We decided that we didn’t have time for any playtime that morning so we just quickly washed up and dressed. When we walked to the cars everyone grinned and laughed at us. This only caused my face to flush red and try to hide my face into Jon’s chest. In the pleasure the previous night I had forgotten that they were right next door and had heard everything.
“Let’s load up,” said Dad as he and Tony headed for the moving truck.
“Jason, why don’t you and Justin ride together and I will drive my car for this next leg of the trip,” I suggested.
“Sounds good to me. Are you sure you want to part from your sexy bear?” Jason asked with a chuckle.
“Yeah, I think I can handle it. At the next stop one of you can take over and I will ride with Jon again.”
***
We switched drivers after about five hours when we stopped for lunch. I went back to Jon’s SUV, Jason took over driving my car, Tony took over driving the moving truck, and Justin drove Dad’s car.
By eleven o’clock that night we were pulling into Pacific Northwest territory. I was nervous and excited at the same time. I was excited about my Dad moving here and about my relationship with Jon, but I was nervous on how the rest of the pack would react when they found out that a bear was now a part of the pack. I knew of one member that wasn’t very happy about it but I decided that there was nothing that I could do about it.
When I called Alpha Jeff earlier, he gave me the addresses and directions for the two houses that were going to be ours and that he would leave the keys in the mailbox for us.
As we pulled into the area, I looked at the address and realized that they are probably going to be across the street from each other. As we turned on the street I looked for the addresses. About halfway down the street we found them and I was right. Ours was on the left hand side and Dad’s was on the right hand side of the street.
When I pointed it out, Jon pulled into our driveway and turned off the ignition. I looked out at the house. What I saw was a simple one story house with white columns by the front door. Couldn’t tell what color the house was because of it being so dark out but when the headlights hit it as we pulled in, it looked like it was a shade of dark blue.
We climbed out of the SUV and I just had to stretch, my back was killing me from being in the car for so long but it was something that had to be done. We drove for about seventeen hours that day plus all the driving from the day before and I was exhausted. And couldn’t wait to get in a bed but I knew that we had to get it unloaded first. Either that or sleep on an air mattress for the night and the more I thought about it, the better the air mattress sounded since it would let us get to sleep faster.
Everyone decided to crash at Dad’s new house with air mattresses scattered throughout the living room so that we could all get up about the same time and get started with unloading the truck and cars.
***
"I don’t wanna get up,” I complained when Jon started to shake my shoulder the next morning.
“Babe, the sooner we get started the sooner we’ll be done. Besides your dad needs to get the truck back today so that he’s not charged for an extra day.”
“Oh, alright,” I grumbled as I got up and tried to find the bathroom to relieve my bladder.
By the time I had washed my face and got back out to the living room, all of the air mattresses had been deflated and bundled up. The front door was open and I could hear the guys outside directing traffic on what needed to go where. Dad’s was a cute two bedroom one story house with a study. I absolutely loved the kitchen, stainless steel, dark wood cabinets, and open to the rest of the main living areas.I walked outside to see that my desk, dresser, and bed were sitting on the outside of the truck while everyone was starting to grab Dad’s furniture and boxes.
Within a couple of hours we had the truck completely unloaded, just had to move my stuff across the street. Jon and Jason each grabbed an end of the dresser and carried it across the street, while Dad and I grabbed the frame for the bed and followed behind them. We even had Tony’s truck Jeep of belongings unpacked in the extra bedroom in Dad’s house.
When I walked in I was amazed at the beige walls with white trim. Also, the furniture that was already in there looked great. It was all simple but had obviously been picked because it looked sturdy enough to support a bear. There was enough furniture but not so much as to overwhelm the house. We followed the sounds of Jon and Jason laughing to find the master bedroom that was done in like a light sea foam green paint.
“Babe, where you want the dresser set up?” Jon asked.
“How about next to the window?” I suggested as they walked it over there. I was in love with the window seat that was in the room and knew exactly where I would be doing my reading.
Dad and I got the frame set up while Tony and Justin were bringing in the box springs. Jon and Jason had gone to get the mattress so I decided I would have a look around while we waited for them. I went into the other bedroom and saw that it had been set up as a possible office. There were bookshelves along the far wall. I could just imagine my desk sitting about two feet in front of the shelves facing the doorway.
Apparently I had taken quite a bit of time in my touring because all of a sudden I heard Jon shout, “Babe, where you want the desk?”
“In the second bedroom. It’ll make the perfect office for us.”
They brought the desk in and I realized that except for the boxes in the SUV we were done. “Who’s gonna go with Dad to return the truck?”
“I will Babe; you guys can get started with the unpacking while we’re gone. We shouldn’t be no more than an hour.” Jon and Dad left with Jon driving Dad’s car and the moving truck following behind him.
***
By the time they got back all the boxes were in the house, clothes were put up, photos out and displayed. We had just gotten over to Dad’s house to start unpacking him when they got back from returning the truck and with lunch. With six adults it didn’t take long for everything to be unpacked and put away
“Ok, since its early evening, how about we make it an early night and then head to Jon’s parents in the morning after breakfast?” Dad suggested.
“Sounds like a plan to me,” I replied while Jon nodded his head.
“Ok we’ll find something to do while you guys are gone,” said Jason.
“Oh, no no no, you’re coming with us Bubba,” I said with a chuckle.
“But his parents don’t know us and wouldn’t be expecting this many people.”
As soon as Jason finished speaking Jon had his phone out and was already dialing.
“Hey Dad!...Yeah we made it in late last night…Uh huh…I was wondering if it would be ok if Tim’s friends that helped with the move and his dad could come with us tomorrow?...Awesome, thanks Dad…Alright see you tomorrow. Bye.” He hung up and looked at Jason when he said, “They are expecting ALL of us tomorrow afternoon.”
“Thanks for making that call Babe.”
“I should warn you though.”
That worried me. “What’s wrong?”
“Steve showed up this afternoon and Kyle let it slip that we would be there tomorrow. They don’t know what happened in Iowa so they agreed to let him stay the night. I figured we could deal with him together tomorrow. Apparently Mom isn’t too thrilled about him being there but she won’t tell Dad what the problem is.”
“Ok, we will deal with him tomorrow then. I’m not going to worry about him because I am happy. I have my mate, my Dad, and most of my best friends with me. There’s nothing more I could ask for.” I sat on his lap and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
***
The night flew by, probably because we were so exhausted. When I woke the next morning wrapped in Jon’s arms, I wondered how I had been so blessed to have him as my mate. He was my other half and completed me in ways that I had never thought were possible. I was happy that all of my friends loved him and my Dad just adored him.
I looked at the clock on the bedside table and saw that we had about an hour before we were supposed to be leaving to head to Jon’s parent’s house. I really wasn’t looking forward to dealing with Steve and Jon’s mother. I knew that she had started to change the way that she thought but I wasn’t for sure how long that would last.
Jon’s arms tightened around me and I knew that he was starting to wake up and I could feel his morning wood pressing into my butt crack. I would love to fool around but I knew that if we didn’t get moving soon, we would be running late. Oh well, they could just wait; I needed some loving even if it was just a blowjob or jack off. I needed some of my man.
“Good morning, Babe,” Jon rasped in my ear, sending shivers down my spine.
I turned in his arms so I could look in his eyes. “Good morning, lover. Sleep well?”
“Boy did I! I always sleep best with you in my arms.” He leaned in and gave me a quick kiss while he humped my leg.
“I see someone’s wanting a little loving this morning,” I said with an impish grin.
“I could do with loving from you all the time,” he said with a lecherous grin.
I reached between us and started to stroke his hard rod that was rubbing against my leg. He leaned in and nuzzled against his mark on my shoulder before he started to nibble and lick it, which caused me to shudder.
I shifted down just a little bit before I started to nibble along his jawline and down his neck when he threw his head back in the through of passion. I licked over my mark on his shoulder as I made my way down his chest nibbling and licking first one nipple and then the other.
He groaned in pleasure as I made my way to his cute, innie bellybutton. I loved it as I continued to stock his cock using his leaking precum as lubrication. I was soon following his treasure trail down into the pelvic area but skipped past his straining erection. I nibbled across his hip bone as he pumped his hips against me.
I nuzzled into him smelling his unique, musky scent that drove me crazy, licking my way to his balls, where I sucked in one and then the other before I licked and nibble the area just behind his balls that led to his hole.
I licked my way back to the base of his cock salivating at what I was about to do next. I licked him from the base of his cock to the lip where he was dripping large amounts of precum that I licked off like I would an ice cream cone before taking him into my mouth.
I had not yet been able to go all the way down on him without my gag reflex kicking in but I went as far as I could and wrapped my hand around the base and stroked in time with my bobbing up and down. I groaned around his cock as I could feel a tingling sensation deep in my core. After several minutes I felt his balls tighten up until they were just under my hand.
As I came up, he arched off the bed and shot his first volley into the back of my throat, spurt after spurt before he slowly stopped as he sunk back into the mattress with a happy smile on his face. When I looked down I realized that I was all sticky from cumming myself. I felt like a silly pubescent teenager that didn’t have to be touched in order to have an orgasm.
“WOW, Babe! What a way to get the juices flowing in the morning,” he said with a satisfied smirk on his face.
“I’m so embarrassed right now.” I couldn’t even look at him I was so embarrassed.
“Why are you embarrassed?”
“I came without even touching myself.” I went to get off the bed so that I could go into the bathroom to get cleaned up.
“Babe, that’s not a bad thing. It just means that you were really turned on just by what you were doing for me. I am a little disappointed that I couldn’t return the favor but I will just have to return it later today after we get home.” He smiled as I watched him climb off the bed and follow me into the bathroom.
He pulled me into his arms and tilted my face so that he could look me in the eyes. Out of the corner of my eye I could see that my cheeks were red from embarrassment.
“I never thought that would happen to me.”
“Babe, it’s ok. I don’t think any less of you. In fact it makes me feel pretty good that you were that turned on by me.” He leaned in and gave me a kiss. “Now let’s get cleaned up so that we can get over to your dad’s house.”
“Ok.” I leaned up and gave him a quick peck before turning to start the water in the shower.
***
“Tim, can I talk to you for a sec?” Tony asked as we were getting ready to head out the door.
“Sure, bud; what’s on your mind?”
“Well, the last couple of nights I’ve been having these weird dreams. They’re of a guy that I don’t know but I feel safe with him. Didn’t you have dreams of Jon before you met him?”
“Yeah, I did. Maybe one of his brothers is your mate; or maybe one of the wolves in this pack,” I suggested excitedly.
“I don’t know, but I feel uneasy for some reason.”
I pulled him into a hug and said, “I’ll be right here for you, so will Jon and my Dad. You’ve already gained a second family.” I could hear a growl coming from behind me so I quickly let go of Tony and headed over to where Jon was standing with a scowl on his face.
“What was that about?” he demanded.
“Babe, relax.” I rubbed my hand up and down his arm to soothe him. “He had a question for me and needed a little cheering up because he’s worried about something. There was nothing but friendship in that hug.”
“I know it was a friendship hug, but I still don’t like it when unmated males touch you.”
“I know Babe; I’ll keep that in mind from now on, ok?” He nodded his head as I stepped in for a hug. “I don’t know about you but I’m uneasy about Steve being at your parent’s house. What could he possibly want?”
“I don’t know but it makes me uneasy too.”
Jason and Justin rode with Jon and me, while Dad rode with Tony. We had decided to get Jon’s stuff packed up while we were at his parent’s house.
“What’s up with Tony?” Jason asked.
“I can’t say much, but he said that he had an uneasy feeling. That seems to be going around; because we have an uneasy feeling too. One of Jon’s friend’s, who we’ve had an issue with, is at his parent’s house and we don’t know why he’s here.”
“What makes you uneasy about him?” Justin asked.
I looked over at Jon to see him nod his head to signal that it was ok to let them know. “Well, Steve is the one that we had stopped in Iowa to see on our way to Virginia. While we were there he tried to get Jon to reject me and mate with him. We found out that he had put some sleeping medication in the butter that we would have used for the dinner that he ended up throwing out. I don’t know what he’s doing here but I don’t think it’s a good thing.”
“That ASSHOLE! How dare he do that. A mate is a special thing; I feel sorry for whoever ends up being his mate,” Jason said.
“Me too, Jase. Me too,” I replied.
The rest of the trip was silent except for the radio that was playing softly in the background. The uneasiness got worse the closer we got to their house. As we turned onto his parent’s street I felt like I was going to throw up. When we pulled up to the curb I saw Steve’s red Dodge truck and I wanted to slash his tires. I’m not a vindictive person but I was still pissed at his previous behavior.
As we got out of the SUV Tyler came barreling out of the house as if it had been months since he had seen us.
“I’m so glad you guys are back and that you’re staying in Washington. I wish you were living here but at least we’re in the same state and Moses Lake isn’t that far from here, so we’ll see each other often. Right Jon?” Tyler asked with a huge grin on his face.
“Sure thing, little man. Let us get settled and you guys can come spend some time with us. Right Babe?” he asked me.
“Yep, give us a couple of weeks to get settled and maybe find some jobs and you guys are more than welcome to come see us,” I said with a grin as I gave Tyler a hug.
“Who are these guys?”
“Well, Ty, let’s go in the house so we only have to do introductions once,” suggested Jon.
I looked at Tony and saw that he was trying to discreetly scent the air which told me that his mate was close by. I just hoped it was one of the twins and not Steve. I would have some serious issues with that one.
All of a sudden the door came flying open and Steve came running out sniffing the air. I growled at him upon sight when I noticed that he was headed straight for Tony. Jon must have noticed it too because he stepped in front of Tony and made Steve stop.
“Get out of my way Jon. I will hurt you if you don’t step away from my mate,” Steve snarled.
“OH HELL NO!!!” Jason, Justin and I hollered in unison. We all walked over and made a barrier between Steve and Tony.
When I glanced at Tony I noticed that he looked perplexed that we would separate him from his mate. Justin must have also noticed because he leaned over and whispered something in his ear. The next thing I knew he was growling and pushing his way through us.
He stormed up to Steve who has now smiling since he could now see his mate. He was smiling that is until Tony stepped up and punched him in the face.
“How dare you try to make Jon reject his fated mate! You can go to hell.” Tony turned and stormed up to the front porch.
We all stood there speechless. I never thought I would see him do that. I mean who would strike their mate. Jason and Justin went to stand by Tony but Tyler led them into the house. Dad looked a little confused and I knew that he wanted to know what was going on, to make me stand between one of my best friends and his mate.
“Dad, this is Steve. He was Jon’s best friend. We’re not sure where their friendship stands right now.”
“Son, what’s going on?”
“Well, you see, Steve here decided that Jon shouldn’t be with a wolf and that he should reject me so that he could be Jon’s mate. He went to so much trouble that he put a sleeping agent in food that he was going to serve us.”
Dad turned and glared at Steve who was standing there with his head hanging down.
“How dare you mess with what fate has put together. They are fated mates and that should not be interfered with. Tim, I will let the two of you decide how to handle this while I go comfort Tony,” he said before walking up to the house.
“Steve, what are you doing here? I thought I made myself perfectly clear a couple of days ago,” Jon demanded.
“Well, I originally came to see if I could get your mom on my side, but that plan went out the window as soon as I smelled my mate.”
“Have you no shame? Do you honestly expect him to accept you knowing what you have done and were planning to do?” I asked
“Stay out of this wolf it doesn’t concern you,” Steve snarled.
“In case you’ve forgotten, Jon is my fated mate, so anything that concerns him, concerns me. Tony is one of my best friends and deserves better than you for a mate.”
“Steve, don’t you dare speak to Tim like that again because I will hurt you,” Jon said with a glower as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder.
“I said I was going to do that but I only want my mate now.”
I heard a gasp come from the front of the house. When I looked over I saw Tony standing there. He stormed over and grabbed ahold of Steve’s arm to swing him around. As Steve turned Tony swung his fist and punched him in the face for a second time.
“I, Tony Maxwell Stephenson, do hereby reject you…” he looked at Jon for help with Steve’s name.
“Steven Alexander Johnson,” Jon said.
“I, Tony Maxwell Stephenson, do hereby reject you Steven Alexander Johnson. Have a nice life,” he growled before he turned and stormed back into the house as Steve let out the most god awful growl. Everyone else came running outside to see what was going on.
I had never heard anything so painful and could not believe that Tony had just done that. My duty was to my friend, so I ran into the house to make sure that Tony was all right. Jason, Justin and my Dad all followed me into the house. I found Tony sitting on the couch crying. We all went over to him and put our arms around him as best we could.
“Let’s go up to Jon’s room for some privacy,” I suggested when I heard everyone coming back inside.
As a group we headed up the stairs with me leading since I knew where I was going. With Dad being the parent he wrapped his arm around Tony and walked him up the stairs with Jason and Justin following.
When we got into Jon’s room Tony broke out in sobs. “Why…did…I…..get ….such…a…asshole for a mate,” he cried.
“Tony, I don’t know what to tell ya but we’re all here for you. Whatever you need,” Dad said as he wrapped him in a hug.
I heard footsteps running up the stairs and just knew that it was Jon so I poked my head out the door to make that he knew where we were. What I wasn’t expecting was Steve running up right behind him. Jon came in the room but when Steve tried to Jon shoved him out of the room and slammed the door flipping the lock.
“Tony, take your time. Tim, can you come with me for a minute?” Jon asked.
“Sure Babe.” I gave Tony a quick hug before following Jon out of the room.
I couldn’t imagine what was going on but I knew that Jon would fill me in when we got wherever we were going. He took me to Tyler’s room, I was so thankful that the bedrooms were soundproofed. When we got in the room I saw all of his brothers in the room waiting for us.
“Guys, what’s going on?” I asked.
“Well, you see, we wanted to let you know what’s been going on here the last few days,” said Alex.
I looked at Jon a little confused. “I know that Steve came with the intention of trying to get your mom to break us apart. What they didn’t know is that we are now fully mated so it would have been for nothing.”
“Well that’s good to hear and know that you knew that but what you don’t know is that after you came inside Steve said he was going to have his mate and he didn’t care what he had to do to get him,” Alex replied.
“Crap! That’s not good.” I looked over at Jon with worry in my eyes.
He pulled me into his arms and said, “We won’t let anything happen to Tony. Steve doesn’t know where we live and we can let Alpha Jeff know what is going on. That way he can prevent Steve from entering his territory. In fact let me call him right now.”
Jon pulled out his phone and stepped to the other side of the room. The guys pulled me into a hug and Kyle said, “It’s good to have you guys back even if it’s only for the day. I think it would be best if you guys were to head back home now though. There’s no telling what Steve will do.”
I was about to say something when I heard a crashing noise come from down the hall. We all ran out into the hallway and saw Dad and Steve fighting. Jon’s dad came running up the stairs, grabbed Steve by the scruff of his neck and flung him down the stairs.
“GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE NOW!!!” Thomas bellowed as he kicked him in the ass right out the front door. Jon ran into the guest room and grabbed Steve’s duffle and headed downstairs.
I went into Jon’s room to make sure that everyone was ok. Tony looked like he was shaken up but seemed fine otherwise. I looked at Dad and saw that his hair was disheveled, his shirt was untucked and he had what look like a bruise forming on his face. Thankfully, it wouldn’t be there long.
“Dad, you ok?”
“I’m fine. He got a lucky shot in that’s all.”
“Ok, now tell me what happened.”
“Well, when you and Jon left we didn’t relock the door. We were talking when all of a sudden the door opened and Steve was standing there. When your Dad saw him he pushed Tony behind him which caused Steve to growl. When he charged at us your dad stepped up and blocked him. He tried to get pass your dad but he stood his ground and shoved Steve out of the room.”
Jon came upstairs and if it was possible there would’ve steam coming out of his ears so I went over to him and wrapped him into a hug to try and calm him down.
“Is everyone ok?” Jon asked.
“Yeah, Dad’ll have a bruise for a little bit but that’s all. Tony is shook up but he should be ok in time,” I replied.
“Dad’s gonna escort Steve to the edge of the clan territory before coming home so that we have time to get out of here without the possibility of Steve following us home. Are you guys ready to leave?”
“Whenever you are ready to go Babe. Aren’t we going to pack your room up?” I asked.
“I’m gonna see if my brothers will pack everything and bring it down in a couple of days that way we can leave immediately.”
“Ok, I think that would be best,” I replied.
“We can do that,” Tyler said from the doorway.
“Thanks little man. I’ll make sure you guys have the address. I’ll text the address to you later so that we can get going.”
“Ok, I’ll go get some boxes so that we can get everything packed up and head that way whenever you’re ready for us.”
“Let’s head out then guys,” Jon said.
We trooped out of the room. I felt bad for Thomas because he’ll have to repair the door frame from where Dad and Steve busted it out. Couldn’t have used the doorway, they had to hit the doorframe. We got downstairs and were headed for the front door when Jon’s mom stopped us.
“Boys, can I talk to you for a minute before you go?” she asked.
“What do you want Mom?” Jon asked.
“I know I haven’t been supportive of you and Tim being mates and for that I’m sorry. After you left for Iowa Steve called and wanted me to help him break the two of you up. I told him absolutely not. I was going to tell you this anyway when you got here. I wasn’t expecting Steve to show up at the front door.”
“Mom, we know that he was trying to get you to help him still break us up. My question is if you’re now ok with us, why would you let him stay here when you knew what he wanted?”
“I didn’t realize that was why he came here.”
“No but you knew once he was here what his intentions were but you didn’t throw him out. How does that make you any better than him? We know that Dad had told him to leave but you said he could stay. Now why would you do that knowing why he was here?”
“I didn’t want to turn your friend out…”
Jon cut her off by raising his hand as he said, “Mom, I love you but stuff it. If he was really a friend he wouldn’t have been trying to conspire with you to break us up. I can’t believe you. Just so you know it is definitely useless now because we have fully mated and the only thing that will separate us is death.” He pulled the collar of his t-shirt to the side so that she could see the filled in mark signifying the completion of the mating.
She just stood there and looked at the mark. Jon finally let go of his collar, grabbed my hand and we headed out the door.
As we were getting in the SUV we heard her shout, “You’re no better by getting that wolf to reject poor Steve. Shame on you!”
Jon stormed up to her and snarled, “That was Tony’s choice, we had no say in that. You can forget about us coming back. Dad and the boys can come visit us but you are no longer welcome. You are dead to me.” He turned and came back to the SUV, jumped in and started the ignition before pulling away from the curb. I glanced in the side view mirror and could still see her standing there as we pulled away.
Book 2 |