Chapter Seven
Joe had stayed in the Cove for just long enough to be comfortable with his new shifter abilities. Dara and Seth were coping well with their new arrivals and Axel had long since returned home. Things between them were left hanging, a door reopened that Joe had thought was long closed. Returning to the den, he found some solace in his routine. It helped that Liam’s arrival kept him busy, the omega needing a lot of care and attention for the first few weeks.
He found his thoughts drifting to Axel, wondering what the alpha was doing, if he was thinking about him.
“You’re coming, right?”
Cade’s voice jolted him from his thoughts. “What? Coming where?”
“To the Gathering,” Cade said, eyeing him curiously. “What Ollie and I have been talking about for the past half an hour. Where have you been?”
“Sorry, I was miles away.”
Cade and Ollie exchange a look. “I think we have an idea where you were.”
Joe shook his head, trying to bring himself back to the present. “You think I should come with you?”
“It’d be nice to have someone there who can straddle the divide between the dens and the packs. Plus, we could do with an extra pair of hands to help with the preparations. The rest of the omegas are going to the event and then Ollie will follow me to the Cove for the Gathering,” Cade said.
“Axel will be there,” Ollie added with a grin.
Joe groaned. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
Cade slung an arm around his shoulders. “I’m sorry. We know this isn’t easy. If it’s too much of an ask, no one will blame you for giving it a miss.”
Joe steeled himself. Running away from his feelings hadn’t made things any easier. And as much as he loved the den, the Cove was his home. “No, I’ll come with you.”
Cade and Ollie were sporting matching grins and Joe got the feeling they were up to something.
“Great,” Cade said, giving him a sideways hug. “That’s great.”
Helping set up everything for the Gathering took all of Joe’s attention on his return to the Cove. Any free time was spent helping out with Dara and Seth’s babies. The little ones had reached that age where they shifted frequently and it was all hands on deck keeping them out of trouble. And with all the other packs about to descend on them, tensions and spirits in the Cove were high.
The first two days of the Gathering, Joe had been roped into babysitting duties. He kept an ear out for trouble but his attention was taken up with four stroppy babies who’d picked up on the mood of the pack and were too excited to sleep much.
He missed the Presenting, where the women, beta males, and omegas looking for mates were introduced, but Cade asked him to help out at the ‘mixer’ party. It was something the omega had requested, a party thrown for anyone looking for a mate. He manned a drinks table, watching the excited prospective mates meeting each other. The chair next to his was pulled back and a familiar scent hit him as the other person took a seat.
“Hey.” Axel announced his presence quietly.
“Hi.”
“Cool party.”
“People seem to be enjoying themselves. Are um… are you…”
“Here looking for love?” Axel grinned.
“That is what this party is for.”
“I don’t need to look for what I already know is there,” Axel replied, slipping his hand into Joe’s. Even though their hands were hidden behind the table, it was still a risky move.
“Your father…”
“Is busy right now. Jessa and I are coming clean as soon as the Gathering is over. Not just about breaking off our mating plans. About you.”
“He won’t be happy.”
“I’m less concerned about his happiness than I am about mine and yours. I’ve been miserable for so long, Joe. All my happy memories are from before, when you and I…”
Axel trailed off, glancing away.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Joe said softly. Axel’s reply was a brilliant smile, his fingers squeezing Joe’s hand gently.
“Me, too.”
The Choosing was similar to ones Joe had seen in the past, with one clear exception. There was an omega standing prominently in the center of the circle, overseeing every match. Cade, Dara, and Ollie were taking turns doing their role. For the most part, they just watched. Most of the hard work had been done beforehand.
Joe had heard they’d intervened and stopped three potentially bad matings by having words with the individuals involved, their family, and the pack alphas. They’d also made a point of introducing some shifters to one another during the mixer, leading to some unexpected results at the Gathering.
The first polyamorous mating Joe had ever seen had everyone talking, when an alpha stepped forward to choose both a woman from one pack and a beta male from another. The grapevine had it the alpha had been torn, in love with both and unable to hurt one by choosing the other. The omegas had shown him another way, by introducing his two prospective mates to each other and letting nature take its course.
They’d left space at the end for the omegas to do a spot of matchmaking for those shifters who would likely be mating the following year. Joe found himself pushed forward, noting Axel was as well, and his supposed mate, Jessa. It was awkward for all three of them and they each kept their distance. But Joe couldn’t help noticing Ollie taking Jenna by the arm and introducing her to a tall, burly alpha from a pack to the south. She looked genuinely surprised and the alpha looked pleased.
A tap on Joe’s shoulder had him turning. Cade.
“Enjoying yourself?”
“I’d be lying if I said yes. This is almost over, right?”
“Almost. We’ve matched all the ones we could. Just one pair left.”
“Who is it?” Joe asked, looking around. He knew a lot of the wolves there, had grown up seeing them at gatherings.
Cade smiled, took him by the elbow and turned him. Dara was standing behind him, Axel next to him.
“You, of course,” Cade said, giving him a gentle shove toward Axel.
Joe stumbled, tripping over his own feet, but Axel caught hold of him steadying him.
“I guess the secret’s out of the bag,” the alpha said with a grin. He turned his head and nodded toward Jessa who was thick as thieves with her prospective match. Joe panned around, looking for the one person he knew would stand against them. Axel’s father Shane stood at the edge of the crowd, his face like stone, his eyes fixed on Joe and Axel.
“Well, at least we’re omega approved,” he joked. “Not that it’ll mean much to your dad.”
Axel snorted, seeing what Joe was looking at. “Let’s give him something to look at then, huh?”
And then the alpha’s hand was on the back of his neck, pushing him closer, his lips crushing against Joe’s. The touch was enough for Joe to forget his embarrassment and fear, and to remember how much he wanted what he and Axel had.
The alpha pulled back, taking Joe’s hand. The group around them was beginning to disperse, the Gathering coming to an end. They slipped away, walking hand in hand toward the cliffs.
“We might be missed,” Joe said, glancing back. He should probably be helping Dara with the kids or the other omegas with the cleanup.
“You’ve done more than your fair share,” Axel said, as if reading his mind. “We have a few hours, let’s make the most of them.”
They avoided the beaches, sticking to the cliffs and following along the shoreline.
“Where are we going?” Joe asked, having a suspicion but wanting to be sure he was right.
“Lover’s Cove,” Axel said, raising his eyebrows and grinning. “What better place to get a bit of privacy.”
Joe tugged on his arm, slowing the alpha’s pace.
“I need us to take things slowly. I want this but I…”
He wasn’t sure he could cope if they went all the way with things only for them to be torn apart again.
Axel wrapped his arms around him and Joe laid his head on the alpha’s chest.
“I don’t want to rush this either. But now things are out in the open, I want us to talk, properly, about the future. Make plans. I’ll need a plan b, in case there’s fallout when I get home.”
Axel said it like he knew there would be. Joe could believe it. He’d seen the look on Shane’s face after they’d kissed, the alpha near apoplectic.
“Then let’s talk.”
“Maybe some kissing, too,” Axel murmured against him.
Joe swallowed a moan, grabbing the alpha’s shirt and tugging him down to press their lips together.