Chapter 8
Brighton
Brighton barely felt the pain in his ribs as the forest flew by them. He just knew that it had been far too long since he felt the wind through his fur and dirt under his paws. His leg was stiff from being locked up for so long, but in no time at all, it began to loosen up.
He glanced to his side where Josh had no trouble keeping up. The omega's eyes were bright and shining, and Brighton wondered how long it had been since he had gotten to run like this.
Josh's reddish brown fur lit up in the moonlight. It was shaggy and wild, so unlike his usual neat cut that Brighton had gotten used to. His wolf body was sleek and elegant. While Brighton ran like a cannonball through the brush, Josh was an arrow, silent and deadly.
The forest was bathed in blue. Bats flew overhead, followed by the occasional owl. Field mice squeaked from the bush. In the far distance, another wolf howled. Brighton paid them no mind. They were far, far away.
They ran side by side, leaping over rocks, roots and fallen trees. Josh took the lead and Brighton gladly followed.They broke through the trees and into a glade. Josh slowed down before throwing himself into the grass. Brighton watched, amused, as he rolled onto his back like a puppy. He shifted back into his human form and stared up at the sky.
"It's been so long since I've done this," he said.
Brighton shifted back to his human form and sat down beside him. "Yeah?"
"Jacob hasn't shifted yet. I never go out of earshot from the house. It's why I needed the smokehouse so badly. I don't hunt very often because that means leaving him alone."
"He's lucky to have you," Brighton said.
Josh snorted. "Hardly. I could have joined another pack. I could have given him a proper upbringing."
"If you don't mind me asking, why didn't you join another pack?"
"I guess I was just done." Josh shrugged. "I thought that packs weren't worth the heartache. I was wrong, though. I see that now."
Brighton didn't say anything for a minute. "What happened? In your old pack I mean?"
Josh chuckled bitterly. "It's not pleasant. You sure you want to hear it?"
"Only if you want to tell me."
Josh pulled his arms over his head, hiding his eyes. "I was part of a pack in the north. Born into it. We were nomadic, like most packs, always moving from place to place.
"Our alpha, Slade, he was a real alpha, you know? Tough and rugged and sexy as hell. He was mated, but it didn't stop us from admiring him. He had all the omegas in the pack tripping over themselves to get to him." Josh smiled wistfully before it quickly turned bitter.
"When he brought me into the forest, away from the pack, and told me that he had chosen the wrong mate, I actually believed him. I never liked his omega, at least that's what I told myself. He seemed cold and angry. I guess I know why now."
Brighton couldn't believe what he was hearing. What kind of an alpha was this guy? Slowly, the pieces in his head started to form together.
"We did this for months. After everyone else was asleep, we'd sneak away. Slade told me he was trying to find a way to break his bond with Tate. I was sixteen and stupid and I actually believed him."
"When I...got pregnant..." Josh choked on the last word. "I went to him. I told him that we could figure something out. I thought Slade would be happy. He'd told me he was getting close."
Josh let out a small sob. "He kicked me out. My parents were in that pack and he made me leave in the middle of the night."
Brighton's hands balled into fists, making his knuckles crack. He swore if he ever ran into this guy, he'd make him suffer.
"I made it to the Foxhold pack, but by then, I was done. I didn't want anything to do with them anymore. They helped me a bit and I managed to build the homestead. Then Jacob came along."
"He's a great kid," Brighton said quietly.
"He is," Josh agreed. "Nothing like Slade. Most days he's what keeps me going."
Brighton draped an arm over his shoulder. "You deserved so much better than you got. You deserve a real alpha. One that would take care of you two." One like me.
Josh looked up at him with watery eyes. He looked sadder than Brighton had ever seen anyone and he desperately wanted to be the one to make Josh look happy again.
In the moonlight, Josh's usually sun-kissed skin was soft and pale. Brighton could see every smooth curve. Every line of muscle in his arms and legs. His hair was a silky, coppery waterfall.
Before Brighton could stop himself, he leaned in and pressed their lips together. It was soft and chaste, and a current of electricity made Brighton almost shudder. He blinked, saw Josh's wide eyes, and immediately reeled back.
Stupid. Fucking stupid. What on earth was he thinking? Here Josh was, baring his soul, and Brighton couldn't even help himself for one damn minute. What kind of person was-
His train of thought was swiftly derailed as Josh leaned in, covering Brighton's mouth with his. Brighton didn't hold back. His hand went up to tangle in Josh's hair. He nipped at the omega's lower lip, tongue poking out to nudge Josh's teeth apart. He wanted to taste the omega so badly. Josh's arms wrapped tightly around his neck, clinging almost desperately.
Brighton's mind was screaming wrong wrong wrong! But his wolf didn't care. His wolf snarled back, blocking everything else out. All there was was the omega in his arms.
Josh pulled back and squirmed out of Brighton's grip. For one horrible second, Brighton thought that the omega was turning him down. That thought was quickly derailed as Josh knelt down in front of him. Thin fingers wrapped around Brighton's thick cock before it disappeared between plush lips.
Brighton groaned, head tilting back. Josh's tongue twirled circles around the head. His lips sucked like they were made for it.
"Fuck, Josh," he growled. He grabbed Josh's head, fingers tangling in his hair. He thrust into Josh's mouth. He could practically feel his tip touch the back of Josh's throat. He stiffened, right on the cusp of coming, when Josh slid all the way down, lips clamping around his base. He came with a loud moan, dick pulsing as his balls emptied down Josh's throat. Josh swallowed everything without so much as a drop escaping, throat milking Brighton's cock for everything it had. He finished with one last loud swallow and pulled free with a noisy slurp.
Brighton flopped back into the grass. He opened his eyes lazily to see Josh smirking at him. Temporarily robbed of words, he gave the omega a small wave. It had been a very long time since an omega had gone down on him, and even then, he didn't think it had ever felt that good.
"That was..." He trailed off. He couldn't think of a word that would do it justice.
The omega just grinned impishly. His hand wrapped around Brighton's cock again. He stroked it gently while Brighton tried to collect himself. It didn't take long for his cock to begin to stir again. He sat up, wrapping an arm around Josh's waist. He pressed his face against Josh's smooth chest and nipped at his pec.
"That was fucking glorious," he finally said.
"It's not over yet," Josh replied.
"No, it's not," Brighton agreed. "Climb on up."
Josh seemed more than happy to obey. He crawled up onto Brighton's lap, straddling him, legs twisting around his waist. His hard cock pushed against Brighton's stomach. Brighton slid a hand down his back, cupping his ass. His fingers felt the wet there. He lifted the smaller wolf up and brought him down on his waiting cock.
Josh moaned and it was the most beautiful sound Brighton had ever heard. And fuck,Josh was so fucking tight. Brighton let out a groan of his own as pleasure shot through his cock.
Brighton pressed his face against Josh's shoulder, sucking and nipping at the tender skin of his neck. He tasted salt and woodsmoke. How he wanted to bite the skin there. To leave his mark permanently so that every shifter would know who had left it.
Josh rocked against him, making the prettiest noises that had Brighton's cock twitching. Brighton's hands gripped Josh's hips tight enough to leave bruises. His balls were tight again. He rocked them harder, bracing himself for the ensuing explosion. What happened instead was even better.
Josh's hole suddenly felt impossibly tight. The omega's arms tightened around him. His hole clenched, sending sparks through Brighton's body. Brighton froze, the muscles in his legs quivering. He let out a ragged yell.
"Oh, god!" Josh croaked.
That was enough to send Brighton over the edge. Unbearable heat filled his body and he howled as he pumped his seed into Josh, wrapping his arms around the omega. His vision whited out and the world disappeared around them.
They lay against the cool grass, spent and gasping. Josh curled against him, a hand across his chest, face nuzzled against his shoulder. He kissed Brighton's neck.
The pleasure started to ebb away as Brighton realized what he had just done. His body felt sated, boneless, but he was left with confusion and doubt. Less than an hour ago, he'd been preparing himself to leave this place and not look back. Now everything had been turned upside down.
He looked down to Josh. The omega's eyes were dark. He looked up at Brighton with a soft smile. "Thanks," he said, "I really needed that."
Brighton smiled back. "Me too," he said.
Already his mind was racing. This was as clear a sign as he ever saw one. He had to think about what he was going to tell the others; that he had found his mate. Nothing in his life had ever felt as right as this did. He moved over to pull Josh further against him.
"I could stay," he murmured before he could stop himself. "I could stay here and look after you and the kid. I could hunt for you, protect you, and this wouldn't have to end."
It wasn't exactly how he'd pictured his proposal going, but it felt right.
Josh just sighed and the growing flare of hope in Brighton flickered and died with his next three words. "No. I'm sorry."
Brighton blinked in surprise. He opened his mouth and it took several seconds for him to find his voice again. "I just...I thought..."
"I'm sorry," Josh said again.
Apparently, that was the only explanation Brighton was worthy of. Hurt and confusion filled his chest. He gently pushed Josh off of him and stood up stiffly. "Well, thanks for the fuck, I guess."
He didn't look back as he shifted. Ignoring Josh's plea to wait, he ran back toward the house, leaving the omega behind. By the time he reached the house again, the hurt had been replaced with anger and disbelief.
The house came into view and Brighton was quick to throw his clothes back on. He stormed back into the house and collapsed on the couch, pulling his pillow over his face. He suddenly felt stupid, hiding under his pillow like a baby.
"Late night?" Aidan said sleepily. Brighton could practically see the smirk in his voice.
"Aidan..." Brighton squeezed his eyes shut. "Just...don't. Please."
Aidan must have heard something in his voice. The next time he spoke, his voice was softer. "Get some sleep, buddy."
He didn't fall asleep. He lay there through the long hours, trying to work through the layers of anger and hurt. He told himself that he shouldn't have expected anything more. That Josh certainly didn't owe him anything. But it was so fucking hard knowing that what turned out to be the best night of his life, was merely a way of blowing off steam for Josh.
It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that Brighton realized that he never heard Josh come inside.
When the others started to stir, Brighton finally hauled himself up. If the concerned looks he was getting was anything to go by, he looked terrible. Thankfully, no one said anything.
They got their stuff together. Josh slipped inside and made them all breakfast. Brighton swallowed his pride and remained polite, keeping a hollow smile plastered to his face.
Jacob refused to come down and say goodbye and Brighton's chest ached. He reminded himself that Josh had been good to them, that last night was just a mistake and he'd get over it. He ignored just how much of a lie that was.
"Good luck," Josh said. He couldn't look Brighton in the eyes.
"You too," Ivan answered.
They turned away from the house and began the walk toward Foxhold, and hopefully toward omegas that actually wanted mates.
Brighton didn't look back.