ALEK

     "Do you want to go inside?"

     Ahote's question could be completely innocent, but his body language made me read it differently—it was so much more than a simple suggestion, and I had a feeling of where this was going.

     It made me nervous.

     I didn't reply to his question, instead, I tore my eyes away from him and fixed them on the flowers below. It wasn't that I didn't want to sleep with Ahote. I did — I really did, but I was worried that something had sparked in him to suddenly want this. If I knew anything about Ahote it was that he wasn't hasty and he ruminated over his thoughts for days before deciding on something. This seemed too sudden.

     "Is everything alright?" The worry in Ahote's tone made me look up at him. I bit my bottom lip, feeling bad for making him panic. His face was flushed, and he looked panicked.

     "Everything's fine," I replied, reaching out to hold his arm. His eyes moved to my hand that was touching his skin before it looked back at me. We shared a knowing gaze, and I could see the lust from before return in his eyes. As much as it excited me it also left me puzzled. I wondered if he was on heat and was masking his scent. I couldn't think of any other reason why he would suddenly be like this.

     "You should come inside before you freeze to death." I smiled at Ahote's continued attempt to get me inside the house. Sure, it was a little chilly because it was still early in spring, but I was far from being cold.

     "Alright," I replied, deciding to go inside. I knew for a fact that once I got anywhere near him, he would keep edging me. His roundabout way of going about things was cute. I was used to him being blunt about what he wanted and how he wanted it, but I guess spontaneous Ahote was a little shyer about his decisions.

     Ahote gave me a smile when he heard my answer. He took his hands away from the window sill before disappearing into the kitchen. I headed for the front door, realizing that he was planning to meet up with me. As I waded through the crowd to get to the stairs leading to the front door I got a few nods of acknowledgment as well as some smiles here and there. It made my chest feel warm, and it in a way reminded me of the times I would group up with some wolves during my travels before disbanding later on. We didn't know each other too well, but we were acquainted enough to at least acknowledge each other's existence when we met later in other regions and countries.

     Throughout the time I've been here, I still felt out of place, but the trip with the hunters made me feel more welcome. Within the three days of the hunting trip, I had bonded with the wolves, and they seemed to be impressed by the knowledge I brought along with me from being a Kappa in my previous pack. Lapu also warmed up to me during the time and he had pulled me aside earlier today to talk with me. Lapu had given me a hard time when I first got to Peace River, but after our talk, I could say that I understood his perspective more and to have his blessing to be with Ahote made the situation ten times better.

     I chuckled a little as I shook my head. I had wanted to talk to Ahote about that, but he hadn't been paying attention. The one thing I've noted that is taken seriously here is family. Although we were gone for three days, the hunters spent most of the time hunting talking about their families. I would admit to feeling left out because I didn't have much to talk about, but I had been edged to talk a bit about my former park and my parents and friends from before. I'd lost everything, but it was nice to dwell in the memories of the past — the memories before things became unbearably lonely.

     "You took your sweet time," Ahote whispered when I walked past the door. He had been standing to the side of it and had now positioned himself in front of me with folded hands. His doe brown eyes twinkled under the red fluorescence light, and he had a teasing smile on his face — flirty. He closed the space between us before moving in to hug me. I noticed how the fingers of his hands traced my back through my clothes, and I felt the feeling bulge press between my thigh for a millisecond before he pulled away. I blinked when he chuckled a bit and took my hand, leading me through the crowd of mostly omega female wolves that had just witnessed the scene. I don't think I've ever experienced Ahote flirting and the thought suddenly made my chest feel full and my heart rate quickened. Here was the man I wanted wanting me back in full and putting it on display. I guess I was used to a shyer unsure version of him that played push-pull with our undefined relationship and my emotions.

     "Where's Elan?" I asked as Ahote pulled me past the small prayer room that connected to the many hallways.

     "He's asleep you'll meet him in the morning," Ahote mumbled as we walked through the hallway that led to his room. I felt the beating of my heart in my ears, and the sound of my blood pumping through my veins when Ahote pushed his door open and pulled me into his room with him. He didn't waste any time and he turned immediately to take a hold of my face before pressing his soft lips against mine.

     I had expected things to play out exactly like this, but it wasn't enough to subdue the shock that had taken over me when Ahote moved to kiss me. I let out a low grunt, reaching out to steady him from the small of his back before turning the both of us until he was pressed against the redbrick walls. He let out little mewls that got lost in the sound of our tongues meeting and breaths hiking.

     He put a hand between our chests, letting his palm brush me through the thin cloth before letting his palm settle on the belt of my jeans. He let it sit there as he pushed the material of my shirt up a bit with his lean fingers, playing with the little blonde hairs I had in the area as he pressed his knees upwards to tease me. I swallowed down the moan I was about to let out, coughing up a shaking sigh instead as I leaned in to kiss him with a feverish passion.

     "Are you in heat?" In the middle of our rendezvous, I still shut my sex-preoccupied brain to ask the important question. Ahote just blinked, looking at me with a little frown that seemed to be his way of saying no, but I refused to accept nothing but words as answers. "Are you?" I asked again, making him mutter a little no as his face deepened in color. He licked his lips, leaning forward so that he could kiss the stubble of my beard.

     "I didn't see you for three days," he said as if it explained his sudden change in behavior. I didn't want Ahote to do something he would regret later. Pushing my way into his life and forcefully occupying space wasn't something I wanted to do, at all.

     "I want a baby."

     If I was lost in my thoughts before, I certainly wasn't when Ahote said those words. I pulled away from him, shocked, to say the least. I took a few steps back until the back of my legs met the wooden bed frame. I sat down, looking at Ahote who was still leaning against the wall. He didn't look deterred. He looked surer of this than of anything he had ever been sure of before.

     "Today I looked at you in the crowd and I thought that—that I wanted a baby," he said, keeping eye contact with me. "I—" he started but paused as if he had decided against telling me something he was going to. He looked away, staring down at his nails as he picked at them.

     "Of course, it's not like that would happen now, I'm not in heat if that's what you're worried about..." he trailed, seemingly rambling to himself. "And it doesn't mean I'm going to just insist on having one with you. I don't necessarily want one with you. It's just an instinct you get as an omega if you really like someone, you know." Ahote kept rambling in an attempt to explain himself, and I guess my silence wasn't helping matters. I would talk, but I was just too shocked to form any words.

     "I know it's weird and probably unnerving but—"

     "Ahote." The man looked at me with uncertainty. He looked scared — like he had just noticed the gravity of his words. If only he knew that deep down, I had more obscure fantasies. I wanted kids. I wanted a family. These are things I've always thought about but when I imagined a mate by my side and the children I would have the faces would be blurred, but now I saw Ahote, and I saw his little boy Elan, and that's why my senses were flooded with happiness and I couldn't stop myself from playing back the words Ahote had told me.

     "Come here," I said, tapping the space beside me on the bed. He stared at it, and after some hesitance, he strolled over before taking a seat in the space beside me. We both sat in silence for a while. I turned to him, staring at his tensed-up figure. His shoulders were stiff, and he had his legs brought together and fisted hands rested on his lap.

     I reached out to take hold of his hand, rubbing it until he loosened the fist and let me entwine his fingers in mine. His fingers were leaner—softer, and I loved everything about the feel of them.

     "I just wanted to make sure where things were going was where you wanted them to," I said, trying to address the scene that had played out.

     "Lapu and I made up, I'm not sure if you heard me when I told you out by the window," I said, still talking in a soft voice as I rubbed a circle into his palm. I wanted to ease Ahote up and make him feel less tense.

     "That's great," Ahote finally said something in reply, joining me to change the subject.

     "Though, I'm not quite sure what he would think if he woke up the next morning and got a whiff of us." Werewolves could smell anything on each other, and few things were as strong or similar in scent to sex. If you had sex with someone everyone within a smelling radius from you in the next twenty-four hours knew. Ahote chuckled at my joke, and I smiled, happy to see the frown leave his face.

     I moved in and watched as Ahote turned to face me with wide eyes. I gave him an assuring smile before capturing his lips with mine. We kissed for a bit, and Ahote's hand found a way under my shirt. One of my hands went to steady his back as the other pushed strands of his long dark hair away from his face. He was wearing it freely today. No tied pieces, no braids, no nothing.

     Ahote bucked against me when I moved a hand between us to touch him between his thighs. His face got redder and his eyes had gotten wider and more lustful.

     "Alek."

     "Hmm?"

     "I have to tell you something," he said in a breathy voice as I rubbed over his bulge one more time before moving to unzip his pants. He didn't say anything after that, and I assumed he had forgotten what he was about to say, or he was waiting for me to give him the go-ahead.

     "What is it?" I asked after a while, slipping my hands into his underwear and watching him buck again. He was more or less sitting on me now. He held on to the fabric of my shirt as I touched him, and the little whimpers he made had my heart racing and my wolf pacing.

     "I'm not very good at this," he muttered in a low breath as I hoked my finger on one of the belt loops of his trousers before pulling down. I took off his underwear next, and soon he was sitting on my lap with just a loose top on. I've seen Ahote naked plenty of times before, but there was something about getting to touch and feel him that made the experience of seeing his clothes get peeled away enchanting. His toned legs were pressed together, holding the hand I had between them in place.

     "I've only had sex two—no, three times," Ahote said the last part in a short breath, shaking in my hands when I moved a hand under his shirt. I let my hands feel his cool skin for a while before tugging upward and helping him take it off. "It all happened so fast, I can't really remember what I did... or what he did. Everything happened very fast," he continued talking, falling into his habit of over-explaining things.

     "I want this. I want this a lot, but I'm not sure if you'll enjoy it too because I don't know how to do anything," he continued saying as I kissed his jawline and moved lower until I flicked my tongue over his nipple. He sucked in a breath and I peppered his chest with kisses. I didn't say anything in response to Ahote's words since it seemed more like he was venting and just needed my ears, not my input.

     I raised my head, picking him up before laying him on the bed and hovering over him. I started taking off my clothes too, and I saw a look of both fear and anticipation take form on Ahote's face.

     "Are the things we got that day here?" I asked, and Ahote nodded, understanding that I meant the condoms and lube from the convenience store when we took the road trip. I got up from the bed, heading over to his drawers to receive them before heading back. Ahote had curled up into a little ball before I got back—hugging his knees to himself. I sat at the edge of the bed, rolling a condom on myself since Ahote didn't look like he was ready to help me with that. When I was done, I opened the bottle of lube, shifting closer to Ahote before touching his waist.

     "You'll have to spread your legs a bit for me, alright?" I whispered, wondering where his self-asserting performance had gone. He didn't say anything, but he turned, laying on his back before pressing the soles of his feet on the mattresses and spreading his legs. I could hear his heart beating, it was loud and fast like the flapping of a small bird's wings. I was trying my best to avoid anything that would be too risqué. Ahote had lived here all his life, had sex with one person who didn't take time to experiment with him, and would probably be shocked beyond comprehension if I moved into foreplay that he wasn't familiar with. I kept reminding myself that there were going to be other opportunities, and I could limit myself to just this one.

     I pressed a finger against him, easing it inside before performing a stroking motion. He eased up to me quickly and I was soon able to go for the second and third. I've had sex with humans and other rogue wolves here and there—men and women alike. Omega men just had an easier time adjusting to things, but that didn't mean I wouldn't help Ahote ease up first.

     He was shaking and bucking his hips as he let out low moans. I used my free hand to stroke him, keeping eye contact as I gradually moved to kneel between him, I brought both my hands to hold on to his waist, positioning him properly before easing myself into him. He tensed up for a while, but eased up, reaching out to hold my arms. He ran his fingers over them as I hovered over him. I leaned in, pressing a kiss on his lips as I started moving. If I thought Ahote's moaning was cute before, I thought they were one hundred times more endearing now that he was tightening around me with every thrust and doing most of the moaning against my ears.

     Things didn't last very long. I guess just the experience of being inside Ahote caught me off guard, but he didn't seem bothered by it at all. Ahote looked content. He kept running hands over my back, arms, and face. I wasn't moving anymore, but he seemed just fine grinding underneath me at his own pace. He soon came, staring at me as a labored gasp left his lips while the warmth of his ejaculation coaxed my stomach. He looked beautiful like this—wide-eyed and overwhelmed by his pleasure. I looked at his lips, watching them open and close until they curled into a drowsy smile as I rested my forehead against his. I smiled too, closing the distance between our lips to kiss him—knowing that we had both committed to something we couldn't back out of now.