Avery
At the first sounds of the fight, Avery wrapped the blanket on the couch over his shoulders and rushed outside, coming to a dead stop as he saw his older brother, foaming at the mouth, eyes wild, lunge at his mate. Blinking stupidly, it took several moments to absorb the absolute absurdity of his brother trying to kill his new mate.
Cory had gone completely over the deep end this time. Avery didn’t know whether to feel furious or terrified, though he was leaning more toward the furious side. Damn it, he was going to break both of Cory’s legs for this. Just as he was about to run toward the melee in an attempt to get between the two wolves, a hand came down to rest firmly on his shoulder. He looked up with wide eyes at Jack.
“Don’t worry,” Jack said. “Jarrett’s not gonna hurt your brother.”
“I’m not worried about my brother,” Avery said shakily. “Seriously, if he survives this, I’m going to fucking kill him myself.”
“Sure you are,” Jack said gently. “Don’t be worried about Jarrett either. We’ve got his back if this goes south.” He nodded toward JJ and Harold who had joined them, both ready to intervene. Though both looked tense, there was a kind of morbid amusement on their faces.
Avery didn’t see what was so amusing about this, and he really didn’t want to know what their definition of going south was. He watched the two wolves, the two most important people in his life, snap and snarl and circle each other. As he looked closer though, he could see Jarrett was calm and on the defense, while Cory was enraged and not thinking clearly. His eyes were clouded and his movements were clumsy. He wouldn’t stand a chance if Jarrett decided to attack now.
Anger, white and hot, flared through him. If it weren’t for Jack’s hand on his shoulder, he’d be jumping into the fray himself. Cory had no right. No right at all. His brother had completely snapped. To Avery’s surprise, he heard Jack chuckle. “Remember that story Dad told us? When he first mated with Mom?”
JJ nodded and looked over to Avery. “Mom’s brother Mike had already had it out for our Dad. When he and Mom finally tied the knot, Mike tried to tear his head off. As far as he was concerned, his baby sister was completely off limits.”
“Don’t be too hard on your brother,” Jack said. “It's just that alpha overprotective streak.”
That didn’t do much to alleviate Avery’s anger. His face was flushed and he refused to look at the crowd he knew was formed behind him. He flinched as Cory’s jaws got dangerously close to Jarrett’s throat. If Jarrett didn’t kill Cory, Avery was definitely going to finish the job. He trembled and had to bite down hard on his knuckle to keep from shifting. The shifters seemed locked in a stalemate. Jarrett was unwilling to hurt Cory too bad and Cory was too emotional to fight properly. He had a good amount of stamina though. This fight could last quite a while at this rate.
With a huff, he stepped forward. Time to end this. “Hey Cory!” he shouted. “Have you ever sucked a dick? Cause I tell you, it’s life-changing, man!”
His obscene words had the desired effect. Cory came to a halt, eyes wide and staring. Jarrett saw the opening and took it swiftly. At once he was on top of the alpha, pinning him to the ground by his neck. Cory snarled and howled, struggling against him, but Jarrett had him well pinned by the neck and back, teeth biting into his ear. There was no way he was getting up.
Avery stepped forward and crouched down beside his brother. He took a deep breath, willing his voice to sound calm. “Listen,” he said, “I appreciate you…defending my honor, or whatever, but seriously, I’m fine.” He reached out and placed a hand on his brother’s head. “Really, I’m fine. And if Jarrett does ever hurt me-” He ignored the indignant growl beside him.“I know you’ll kick his ass for me. Okay? Just…please, stop this.”
For a second, Cory just stared at him, then to Avery’s relief, he relaxed against Jarrett’s hold. Jarrett immediately released him and backed away. It was then that Cory finally seemed to realize that they had an audience of curious, nervous, and amused pack members watching them. Embarrassment flooded Cory’s features, looking almost comical on his furry face, as he pulled himself to his feet and shook himself off. There were small beads of blood forming on his ear from where Jarrett bit him. Avery inspected the tender skin. It wasn’t deep.
“Alright, show’s over,” Jack said loudly. “Everyone go back to whatever it was you were doing. Go on, shoo!”
The crowd dispersed, leaving Avery alone with his brother and his mate. He breathed a sigh of relief. Jarrett shifted back to his human form and gave Cory a small grin. “So, want some coffee? I’ve got an extra pair of pants you can borrow.”
Cory nodded, keeping his eyes averted and followed them back into the house. He was staring at the ground. If he was in his human form, his face would probably be red. He was clearly embarrassed about his outburst. Avery couldn’t muster up much sympathy for him, though. His own face was still pink from embarrassment.
Jarrett disappeared up the stairs and returned a minute later in a fresh pair of pants, a second pair clutched in his hand. Cory shifted back, and just like Avery suspected, his face was flushed. Jarrett tossed the clothing to him and he quickly dressed. He sat down on the couch with his arms crossed.
“Sorry,” he mumbled. “That was…uncalled for.”
“Damn right,” Avery muttered. He gave his brother a light punch on the shoulder, letting him know that he was mostly forgiven.
Jarrett poured another cup of coffee and handed it to Cory. “Water under the bridge,” he said with a grin. “Don’t worry. My uncle pulled the same thing when my parents mated.”
“I just…” Cory rubbed his eyes before looking to Avery. “I’m sorry. I was an asshole, alright? A first class asshole. It’s just…You haven’t seen what I have. The packs I ran with and the way they treated omegas…I wasn’t embarrassed by you. I was scared, alright? Whenever you’d wander off, all I could think about was how I needed to protect you. Or if you said the wrong thing to the wrong alpha…”
The hurt eased a bit. Not completely, but it helped to understand his brother’s motives. Once again, he thought about how sheltered he’d been. What his brother had had to go through to keep him safe. That was more than enough to forgive him. He looked over to Jarrett, who looked thoughtful. Cory continued. “I’m not saying that the all the northern packs were like that. Some were fine, if not a bit harsh, but a lot of them…and the Blackhounds…I couldn’t let anything happen to you.”
Jarrett finally spoke up. “Man, I get it. I do. But we’re different here. You’ve seen the omegas in our pack. Do any of them look unhappy or abused?”
“No,” Cory admitted with a sigh.
“Right,” Jarrett nodded. “And if anyone were to hurt Avery, even before…” He made a small gesture between them. “They would have had the wrath of the pack down on them in a heartbeat.”
Cory still didn’t look at ease, but maybe that would disappear over some time.
“So,” Jarrett said, voice light, “wanna go for a beer?”
“Sure.”
Avery moved into Jarrett’s house the next day, ignoring Cory’s disapproving looks. He had to give his brother credit, though; Cory had kept whatever thoughts running through his head to himself. Jarrett had offered to help him get his things from Marian and Freddy’s house, but he confessed he didn’t really have anything to collect. The clothes he wore had been given to him by Hugo. He wasn’t used to the thought of material possessions. When it was just him and Cory, he wore fur and leathers. He had a cooking pot and a rack for grilling meat, but they were easily replaceable, and they’d been ditched when Cory had suddenly shown up and hurried him away.
For several days, it was nothing but the greatest pleasure Avery had ever known. He decided that nothing in the world was better than sex, and Jarrett could barely keep him away. The alpha had affectionately explained that he was going through his heat, and that it made him irresistible to alphas. It also made him constantly wet and needy. Not that Jarrett complained. He was more than happy to help Avery through this rough time.
They spent most of their time naked and tangled up in each other. When Jarrett would get up in the morning to make breakfast, Avery would slip up behind him and wrap his arms around the alpha’s waist. Sometimes, they’d sit at the table and Jarrett would feed him every bite. Every night Jarrett took him from behind, pushing his large cock into Avery’s hole. Avery’s moans would be muffled as he bit down hard on his pillow. And when Jarrett would knot, filling him in a way that nothing else could, he would join his alpha and their howls would shake the walls.
One evening, Jarrett sat in the armchair reading a new book that Olivia lent him. He would read out loud to Avery, who enjoyed the story of a shifter who found himself stranded in a human city and had to blend in. When the shifter started to fall in love with a human, Avery found his cock stirring. He pushed himself between Jarrett’s legs and took his alpha’s cock into his mouth, closing his eyes and letting the sound of Jarrett’s voice wash over him. That was definitely one of his favorite moments so far.
Jarrett was showing him old family pictures. Avery had practically squealed when he found a picture of a nine-year-old Jarrett sitting on his mother’s lap. Jarrett had flushed scarlet and tried to grab it back, but Avery had shoved it into his pocket. “You’re so adorable. I’m keeping it.”
Their mother was beautiful. It was hard to tell from a picture, but she looked tall and willowy. Avery could picture her as a wolf, slender and powerful. “Her name was Kari,” Jarrett said with a wistful smile. “She couldn’t cook for shit, but for some reason, her brownies were amazing.”
“How did she die?” Avery asked.
“She just got sick,” Jarrett replied. “It happens sometimes. It was a long time ago. We don’t bring it up, but I don’t think Jack remembers much of her.”
Avery wanted to ask him about his dad. He knew his mate was still carrying that weight, and he wanted him to find relief. He hadn’t known if he should ask, or just wait for Jarrett to come to him.
“I don’t remember my parents,” Avery said. “Maybe images here and there, but I don’t even know if they’re real memories or if I dreamed them. Cory doesn’t like to talk about them either. He said I’m better off not knowing. I think he might be right.”
“He never told you anything?”
Avery shrugged. “As you’ve seen, Cory loves talking things out. If he’s keeping this from me, it’s for a pretty good reason. Besides, he’s the only parent I’ve ever had. That’s all that really matters in the long run.” He meant every word too. Cory had been his brother, father, and mother. Was he perfect? Of course not. But he was enough.
Jarrett held a picture in his hands. His father stood proudly, surrounded by his now teenage sons. Avery saw the wetness in his mate’s eyes and placed a hand on his thigh. Jarrett’s shoulders hitched slightly. Over a month of pent up emotion ready to spill.
Avery wrapped his arms around his alpha’s waist and rested his head against his shoulder.
“You look like him,” he said.
Jarrett's breath hitched and he was suddenly pulling Avery close, burying his face in Avery’s hair. Avery didn’t say a word, even as he felt moisture against his skin.
Avery had reluctantly wondered when the pack would call them to go hunting again. He didn’t like to think about it, but a small part of him felt guilty that they were spending their days lounging around.
“Don’t worry about it,” Jarrett said. “We’re honeymooning.”
Avery couldn’t help but laugh at the word. “Honeymooning?”
“It’s mostly a human thing,” Jarrett explained. “When humans mate, or as they call it ‘marriage’, the couple takes time off from whatever work they do to just…”
“Have sex?” Avery snuggled into his alpha’s chest.
Jarrett carded a hand through his hair. “Yep. Pretty much. Olivia and Harold disappeared for three weeks when they mated.”
That eased Avery’s concern. Though he was looking forward to hunting again, especially with his mate, he was glad that they could take their time. He was enjoying this and was selfish enough to want it to keep going. He didn’t see what it had to do with honey or the moon, though.
“Why is it called a honeymoon?” he asked. “That’s a pretty funny word.”
“No clue. You’re right though. It does sound pretty funny.”
Jarrett seemed lighter now. Tension Avery hadn’t even noticed he’d been carrying was gone. His eyes were brighter, and the near constant bags under his eyes had faded completely. His forehead was smooth, not a worry line in sight. He looked about ten years younger.
They got their first visitor after four days. Kain had returned with supplies from the human cities, including a large box of clothes for Avery as well as batteries and spices they didn’t grow in the village.
“I also picked this up,” Kain said, handing him a small package. “Requested specifically.”
Jarrett took the box of clothes upstairs quickly, before nearly sprinting back down. He thanked Kain before hurrying Avery into the living room. His eyes were shining and he radiated excitement. “Go on,” he said, “open it.”
Avery gave him an odd look, but did as he asked. As he pulled back the rough brown paper, something shiny poked out. His eyes grew round as he held up the bracelet of deep green, polished stones, the shade of pine trees. He slipped the bracelet on his right wrist and looked up at Jarrett who was beaming.
“Do you like it?”
Avery opened his mouth, but closed it again. He’d never been given a gift like this before. He ran a finger over the smooth stones. There were lighter and darker rings of green decorating them. It looked right, hanging from his wrist. A gift from Jarrett, specially made just for him. “It’s like I’ll always have a bit of you now,” he murmured.
“So you like it then?” Jarrett asked again.
“I love it,” Avery said.
With a grin, Jarrett swept him up into his arms, pulling the omega onto his lap. Avery giggled as Jarrett planted a kiss on his neck. “I’m glad. You said you never had anything of your own. I wanted to be the first to give you something.”
Resting his head against his mate’s shoulder, Avery smiled. He couldn’t remember ever being this happy. He didn’t think he was unhappy with his life before. He hadn't really wanted for anything, and visits from his brother always made him smile. He had been content. The pure joy that filled his chest now was so unfamiliar that it nearly overwhelmed him.
He then realized that everything was quiet. No constant chatter and footsteps to make his head spin. Just two heartbeats and two lungs breathing in and out. He hadn’t even noticed when the noise that had driven him mad for so long had finally gone silent.
“I love you,” he said.
Jarrett gave him a shining smile. One that Avery hadn’t seen since before the pack alpha died. His heart soared as he realized he’d completed his goal. He’d made his alpha happy again. Made him smile and forget the sadness that had haunted him for far too long.
“I love you too,” Jarrett said. “I love you so fucking much.”