Everything That You Are Read online

  Kaden hid his face behind his long fall of bangs, a pose Michael was beginning to realise was his way of hiding from the world…or from difficult questions. Michael stepped closer and gently placed two fingers under his chin, lifting his face, but Kaden stubbornly kept his eyes lowered.

  “Baby, if I say anything wrong, you’ve got to let me know. I want to know everything about you, including what you don’t like.”

  “Including my scars?” Kaden whispered.

  Michael tried to understand what his mate was getting at, when the answer came to him. “You don’t want me to see your scars.” Michael could see the barely restrained tears held back by his thick lashes, and pulled him into a hug. “There is nothing about you that I don’t find attractive. Those scars may have been made in pain, but they’re part of who you are, and I want all of you, not just the good aspects. Besides, if you got those scars because of my neglect, then they should be on my body. Would you think any less of me if they were?”

  “No!” The response was immediate. “But you would never let someone do this to you. You’re not weak like I am.” His soft-spoken words held a wealth of self-contempt and Michael had to rein in his temper, afraid Kaden would mistakenly perceive his anger as directed at him.

  Michael pulled away to grip his mate’s shoulders. Kaden still refused to look him in the eye. “You. Are. Not. Weak. You’re one of the strongest men I’ve ever met, and you didn’t let someone do that to you. There will always be another who is stronger and meaner than any of us. It doesn’t make us weak, and everyone needs a little protection every once in a while. Even me.”

  “I’m not strong…”

  “Really? How many people do you know can grow up alienated from those that should have protected them, support their families, raise a teenage girl, survive a hell no one should have to endure only to do something productive and kind with a gift that was abused, and still be able to smile? If you think that kind of strength can be found in just anyone, you’re wrong.”

  Kaden shuffled and squirmed out of his grasp. “Please, I just…I can’t.”

  Michael relented, not wanting to push his mate too far. “Okay, no swimming. At least not today.” He stepped forward again and bent to kiss Kaden’s forehead, then took his hand and led him over to the tree the backpack was laid against. He put the shorts back in and took out the sandwiches he’d packed, handing one to Kaden before leaning back against the tree and starting in on his own.

  They ate in comfortable silence, enjoying the heat of the sun and the sound of the wind blowing through the trees. Kaden had only taken four bites when his eyes began to droop closed. Michael suppressed the urge to tell him to eat more, not wanting to take the chance of breaking the pleasant mood, and opened his arms in invitation.

  Kaden hesitated at the gesture and chewed adorably at his bottom lip before setting aside his food and laying his head down on Michael’s lap. The moment the man’s head grazed his crotch, fire raced through his body and he could feel his cock come to life.

  It took him several moments to breathe through his sudden arousal, which he was sure Kaden was fully aware of, before he could relax again and enjoy the feel of the slight weight pressing into him.

  “Thank you,” he said.

  “For what?” Kaden asked sleepily.

  “For giving me this. For giving me you.” He stared down in wonder at the young man he was beginning to admire more and more, for both his strength and his courage. He stroked the blond locks away from his beautiful face and became fascinated with the soft texture of the strands.

  After a while, he felt Kaden’s breathing even out, indicating he had fallen asleep. He wanted to stay awake to revel in the feel of his mate lying so restfully in his lap, but soon his own eyelids began to droop, and he gave in to the tranquillity of the moment.

  * * * *

  The sun was setting by the time they arrived back at the house, lighting the clouds afire in vibrant shades of purples, pinks and yellows. He’d kept in constant physical contact with Kaden during the return trip, delighting in every peek of emotion he was able to discern.

  It was becoming easier now, but he wasn’t sure if that was because of their growing bond or because the smaller man was consciously letting his guard down. Either way, he was grateful for it.

  His hand now rested on Kaden’s forearm and he squeezed it gently to wake him up as his driveway came into view. The pup must have been exhausted from the past several days’ events.

  “Wake up, sweetheart. We’re home.” It felt so good to say that, even if it was a little pre-emptive. Michael parked the truck just as Kaden opened his eyes and blinked blearily at him. “Feel like going to bed, or do you want to stay up and watch a movie? I can order some pizza if you’d like.”

  The young man furrowed his brow, then opened and closed his mouth several times.

  “Kaden? What is it?”

  Kaden hesitated for a few more seconds before asking, “Why are you being so nice to me?”

  Michael was slightly taken aback by the question, but quickly recovered. “You’re my mate.” He continued hastily before Kaden could get out the argument he could see forming on his face. “Because you make me feel good. I was a fool when we first met. I thought that being mated would take my independence from me, force me to take on responsibilities I didn’t think I was ready for yet, and I didn’t give myself the chance to realise what a great person you are. Wait!” he said before the man could voice his next objection.

  “Let me finish. When I saw you in that barn, I felt the same fears, but now that I’ve gotten to know you a little, I don’t have those fears anymore. You add to everything I am instead of taking anything away. I also know that you don’t believe me yet, but I’m working on that. You promised me two weeks, remember?” He smiled to take the reprimand out of his words and was relieved when Kaden sent him a tentative smile back.

  “Now, what’s it to be? Movie, or bed?” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, which brought out the intended light laugh from his mate.

  “Movie, please,” Kaden said softly.

  Michael grinned at his shyness and turned to get out. Grabbing the backpack from the bed of the truck, he led the way to the front door and asked, “What do you want on your pizza?”

  “Umm…meat lover’s?”

  Michael laughed and said, “My kinda man. Meat lover’s it is.” He moved to allow Kaden to enter first, then locked the door behind him. He usually didn’t take such precautions, having a house that was a good mile from the road, but there was still the nasty business of the murder they needed to address, and he wasn’t taking any chances. “The DVDs are in the shelves below the television. Why don’t you pick something out while I call in for the food?”

  Kaden nodded and left while he dialled the only pizza place that delivered this far out and placed the order. He spotted a note from his mom on the kitchen table telling him that she and his father had taken Missy with them to a late barbeque at the Ratchet’s home and would be back in time to put her to bed.

  Grabbing two sodas from the fridge, he joined his mate in the living room and put the comedy he’d chosen into the DVD player while relaying the information. There wasn’t too much concern over the safety of his sister, which meant that his mate was learning to trust his parents.

  By the time he was done turning everything on and adjusting the volume, he looked back to see that the man was sitting on the far end of the couch. He sat a few feet away but positioned his body to angle himself towards his mate. “Kaden, I won’t touch you if you don’t want me to, but if you do, I promise not to try anything tonight. I just love having you close to me.”

  Kaden nodded his head vigorously, as though wanting to change the subject, and Michael reluctantly turned his head back to the TV but kept his attention on the small form next to him. Five minutes into the movie, he began to notice that whenever the man fidgeted, he would move his body closer to him.

  Ten minutes later, he tried to ta
mp down his excitement when a fine-boned hand touched his thigh, and twenty minutes after that, he had to mask a sigh of contentment as Kaden snuggled into his side and rested his head on Michael’s shoulder. All too soon afterwards, the doorbell rang and Michael felt the loss of that delicious heat as the man sat up.

  “Pizza guy,” he said, and pulled his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans as he rose to answer the door.

  Michael paid for the order and stacked some plates from the kitchen atop the box before taking everything into the living room. Watching his gorgeous mate dig in to the pizza was more satisfying than any five-star meal could ever be. The man actually devoured four whole pieces before leaning back against Michael’s side on the couch.

  Shortly after they’d finished their meal, the doorbell rang again and he glanced at the clock on the VCR. It was a little early to be his parents and he hadn’t been expecting any other company.

  With a frown, he stood up and said, “I’ll be right back. Keep my spot warm.”

  He caressed Kaden’s cheek, noticing that the bruises were gone thanks to the rapid healing abilities of all werewolves, and made his way again to the front door. He opened it, expecting to find one of his Betas, but instead was shocked to see Eileen standing there dressed scantily in a mini-dress and heels. Though it was considerably cool outside, her were blood allowed her body temperature to regulate itself in almost all weather conditions.

  “Eileen. Hi. What are you doing here?” He knew exactly what she was doing here dressed like that, but he didn’t want to feed into her desires. They’d dated on and off for about a year before Michael had first met Kaden, and even though their breakup had been mutual, she’d been trying to seduce him ever since he had taken his father’s place as Alpha of their pack.

  He hadn’t minded at first, amused by her more outrageous antics, but after the desire for his mate had turned into a burning need to find and claim the man, they had quickly become annoying. He’d tried every polite way to tell her that he wasn’t interested anymore, but she knew that he hadn’t been with anyone for the past four years and he’d been reluctant to tell her the reason why.

  He supposed he was partly at fault for her presence on his doorstep right now. He had yet to tell her—or most members of his pack, for that matter—that he’d found his mate and had no plans to be with anyone else. But he still couldn’t bring himself to shut her down rudely.

  “Michael,” she breathed in a sultry voice, “Are you here alone again? Your mom was telling me the other day that you were feeling kind of lonely, so I thought I might drop by to cheer you up.”

  The shock of her blatant lie almost made him laugh in her face, but he managed to school his expression into one of blankness. His mom knew very well he wouldn’t settle for anyone other than his mate.

  “Well, I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but I’m actually a little busy at the moment. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?” He started to close the door, but she wedged the tip of her pointed heel underneath the bottom of the door to stop it and stepped in with her other foot, effectively inviting herself into his house.

  “You know, I’ve been regretting the fact that we never really gave our relationship a chance to grow, and I know you miss me. You’ve hardly been with anyone else since we broke up the last time.”

  Michael couldn’t retreat fast enough before she pressed her body into his, rubbing her scent and curves along the hard planes of his body.

  “Who are you?” a soft, low voice said from behind.

  Michael closed his eyes and prayed to Mother Earth to end this nightmare he was in. But it didn’t end. He gently pushed Eileen away and turned to face his mate, who had the most adorable expression of jealousy on his face that Michael had ever seen.

  Eileen didn’t seem to notice the distance he had put between them as she sized his mate up. “I’m his girlfriend.” Without pause, she turned back to Michael as though she couldn’t be bothered with Kaden’s presence and asked, “Who is this scrawny little pup, a stray you picked up? I love that you have such a big heart.”

  Kaden let out a surprisingly deep growl and launched himself at the offending woman. Michael barely managed to catch him before he could reach her, wrapping his arm around his mate’s waist and lifting him a few feet into the air before pulling him back to a safe distance further into the foyer.

  “Kaden! I’ll explain this later. Right now I need you to return to the living room.”

  Kaden sent him a look of such outrage that it actually made him proud. In a twisted sort of way, he was ecstatic over the fact that his mate cared about him enough to try to keep away other suitors. Not that Eileen had a snowball’s chance in hell.

  “No. You’re my mate, and I’ll be damned if I let some woman shove everything but her pussy in your face while I sit idly by!”

  Michael was so shocked by Kaden’s words that he barely heard Eileen’s sharp bark of laughter.

  “Your mate?” She cackled again before saying in an icy tone, “Boy, you may look like a girl, but this man is not gay. He’s never been with another male in his entire life and you think he’s going to give it up for you? Oh, this is too good.”

  Michael cringed at her callous words and was still holding onto Kaden when he felt the man go absolutely still in his arms. Looking down into his face, he watched as Kaden swallowed convulsively then, slowly, as if in a daze, raised his gaze to search Michael’s eyes.

  “You’re not gay?” he whispered.

  Michael wanted to say yes, to deny all of Eileen’s hateful words, but he was still touching Kaden and his mate would be able to tell whether he was lying or not. Truthfully, he knew he wasn’t gay, had never felt anything for another man in his entire life. But when it came to the gorgeous being in his arms, sexuality no longer mattered.

  “No,” he replied in a low voice. “I’m not, but you are still my mate.”

  Eileen—was she still here?—let out another snort of laughter which brought Kaden’s attention back to her.

  “Oh shit, that’s the reason you were embarrassed by me, isn’t it? It’s why you left.” Kaden paused for an answer, and it absolutely killed Michael not to be able to deny his accusation. Kaden knew the truth without needing an answer. He could see it in Michael’s eyes. Michael saw tears glisten on his lashes before Kaden wrenched his body from his grasp and ran into the kitchen.

  He sighed heavily and turned back to the woman still standing in his doorway.

  “Michael, what the hell was that all about? And why did you call him your mate?” The sarcasm had left her voice and only concern lined her face now. Apparently her bravado had run out along with the presence of the threat to her desired position as an Alpha’s mate.

  “Eileen, that man is my mate, and from now on, you will give him the courtesy due his position. Now, if you don’t mind, I have to try to rectify this disaster with him.” He started to veer her out of the door with his body without having to touch her, but she was having none of it.

  “You can’t be serious. Michael, you’re not gay. We fit so well together, even your mom thinks so. Are you pulling this crap to get back at me because I broke up with you?”

  Michael could only stare, stunned, until her words finally sank in. When they did, his rage at her lies robbed him of thought for another couple of seconds. Before he could start in on her, he saw his father’s SUV making its way towards the house.

  He silently sent a prayer of thanks to Mother Earth for their early arrival and a grin broke out on his face as he turned back to Eileen to say, “Well, there’s my mom. Perhaps you’d like to have her tell me how much she thinks we should be together?”

  The woman’s face paled as she swung around to see his father park and get out of the vehicle, his mother helping Missy from the back seat. Eileen swung back with a furious look on her face, knowing her bluff had been called.

  “Fine. I lied about your mom, but you can’t deny that we would be the best match for our clan to prosper. Are you really
going to throw away the livelihood of those that depend on you to prance around with a boy that looks like a little girl?”

  Michael didn’t even have time to react to that new insult before Katherine bounded up the steps leading to his front door and grabbed Eileen by the throat, hauling her out onto the porch and banging her into the side of the house.

  “That’s my son you’re talking about, little girl, and if I ever hear you insult him like that again, I will rip your tongue from your mouth and feed it to you along with your disgusting, little black heart. Do you hear me?” His mom actually raised Eileen half a foot into the air before slamming her back against the wall for emphasis. Her treatment was rough, but wouldn’t cause much damage to a were.

  His ex-girlfriend barely managed, “Yes, m—ma’am,” before she was tossed, one-handed, off the porch, where she landed with her now-torn dress hiked up to her waist, revealing a red backside. Eileen hastily picked herself up and ran as fast as she could back to her car as his mom growled at her with all the fury of a mother protecting her cubs.

  Michael had never seen his mom like this and was highly impressed, but waited until Eileen’s car had disappeared around the bend in the road before saying, “Damn, Mom. Remind me never to piss you off.”

  As if transforming into a completely different person, she turned to him with a coy look on her face and said, “I just don’t take kindly to people out to hurt my sons. Now, where is the other one? I made him and Missy some clothes and I want them to try them on before we hit the sack.”

  Michael sent his father a bewildered look and gestured towards his mom, but Sam simply shook his head and shrugged. “Never come between a female were and the happiness of her cubs. It’s not a pretty sight.”