“It’s your turn,” Jaden said, breaking the silence.

“My turn?”

“I told you all about me.”

Cale laughed. “You did. I suppose it is my turn. Not that I have much to tell, I’m afraid. Maple Ridge born and raised. My brother and I were brought up knowing our roles. He’s taking over here and I’m starting a new pack… not much else to tell.”

“That is pretty boring,” Jaden said, flashing a grin to show he was kidding.

“In fairness, I suppose it was rather intense. There’s a lot of pressure knowing what you’re expected to do when you grow up. And we did all sorts of training and shadowing around the territory to learn how to run a pack. I used to envy Conner, not because he gets to take over here, like a lot of people assume I’d envy him for, but because I have so many other logistical things to deal with.” He sighed. “I guess it’s my turn to explain why I don’t want a true mate…”

“Only if you want.”

“Well, if anyone deserves to know, it’s you.” Cale thought for a moment before speaking. “My father is… I suppose he’s the sort of omega that you don’t want to be. My mother was largely the one responsible for teaching me about running the pack; he just took care of us domestically. He works in the rotation around the territory – everyone does – but he’s never bothered to cultivate a skill. He works the minimum hours we require and then takes care of the house and the family. But he’s never really adapted to the hectic schedule of an alpha pack leader, and my mother hasn’t really slowed down for him. Although she’s starting to.”

“What do you mean?” Jaden asked.

“For example, my dad cooks us all dinner, right?”

“Typical domestic omega,” Jaden said, hoping it wouldn’t come across as offensive.

“Exactly. Only, something pack-related comes up and my mother never shows. Sure, she calls to tell us she’ll be late… but I can see my father’s disappointment as he bags up her leftovers for her. They hardly ever get to see each other. And when she does get home all they have to talk about is his day cleaning the house and her day dealing with mostly tedious pack stuff. Now, they are true mates, mind you. I know they’re still very much in love and happy with each other. But, they just seem to live two different lives. And I don’t want that for me. I don’t want a true mate I never see and, at least for the near future, that’s how it will be setting up a new pack. I don’t want to know that my mate is waiting at home with a hot meal that I won’t share or staying up to wait for me, only to fall asleep on the couch when I get stuck working late… ”

Jaden nodding in understanding.

“And my mom really didn’t spend much time with us until she started teaching us the alpha ropes.” Cale sighed. “I know that it’ll be like that anyway… but it’s going to be so much worse while I’m getting my pack started. I don’t want my first couple of years with a new mate, not to mention kids, to be me holed up in my office and running all over the territory the entire time.”

“You sound like you do want a true mate someday.”

Cale frowned and considered it. “I don’t know… I mean, I guess I do want a family eventually… I’ve never thought much about it, to be honest.”

Jaden looked at him skeptically. “Then what was all of that you just told me?”

The alpha chuckled. “I mean, I’ve never thought much about the future after starting my pack. That’s sort of been my main focus since, oh as long as I can remember really. So, I’ve thought a lot about how I don’t want a mate, of any kind, until my pack is established and stable. But, when I do stop and think beyond that, I suppose I do usually imagine a family…” He trailed off and sighed. “Although if what they say is true, I guess you’re it for me now that we’ve met.”

Jaden tried to smile reassuringly, but the declaration made his stomach knot.

“But, I know you’re not looking for a true mate,” Cale added, suddenly unsure about how that made him feel. “I certainly don’t want one at least until my pack is ready. That could be a good five years down the road. If you never want me to claim you, well, I would never do it against your will.”

“Really?”

Cale’s heart went out to the omega at the innocent, hopeful question. “To know that you were unhappy being mated? Never. I’d rather be without you than force you into a life you don’t want.”

Jaden smiled again, this time in relief. The idea of mating didn’t seem quite as horrific as it had only a day ago.

“There’s a lot,” he said slowly, “that I swore I’d never do…” Cale regarded him curiously and he continued. “I never wanted to join a pack, yet I spent the last few years wondering if I should try and talk my father into it… and now here I am. I’m not entirely happy here, yet, but your brother convinced me to at least give it a try. If nothing else, I don’t have any money, so I’ll have to stay long enough to earn a bit. And then I never wanted kids, but Maddie…” Jaden smiled at the thought of the infant. “I don’t know if it’s just because I haven’t spent much time around kids or because she’s my niece, but I’m just wrapped around her finger. So, maybe… maybe a true mate, someday, wouldn’t be so bad.”

Their eyes met and a strange feeling of calm, almost of acceptance, passed through them both. A comfortable silence fell. Jaden took advantage of the lull in conversation to stoke up the fire again. Cale watched him as he worked.

“You said you don’t have much money?” he asked. He had never wanted for anything and the idea of anyone, but especially Jaden, struggling bothered him. Cale remembered something else Jaden had said earlier. “You usually only earned enough to get to your next destination and then just worked random jobs?”

“Yeah.” Jaden returned to the couch and sat down. “We basically blew everything to get here once my dad heard about Niles. Your mother, by the way, has been incredibly supportive in not forcing us to work yet. It’s really helped give us time with Niles. Not to mention the baby.”

Cale smiled. “My mother’s a good alpha.”

“One reason to really consider staying.”

“You should anyway.” At Jaden’s frown Cale quickly added, “If nothing else, just to earn some money. You can’t beat a guaranteed job and free housing. You could actually save up enough to have a little buffer, not just what you need to skip town.”

Jaden nodded. “That’s not a bad point. I just don’t have any skills.”

“I’m sure you do.”

“No,” the omega said sadly. “I’ve never really worked a job long enough to get good. I mean, we’re talking about washing dishes to get a free meal, or organizing files for a pack for enough money to buy a bus ticket, or answering some phones to get a place to stay for the night. Once I vacuumed every hallway in a hotel in exchange for a room.”

“Packs made you work instead of letting you stay?” Cale asked.

“Depended on the pack. Some were happy to give us a place to stay for a while and some lent us money. But, others weren’t thrilled to have a couple of free-loading omegas who made it clear we had no intention of swearing loyalty. Can’t complain though, we were never turned away. If they hemmed and hawed we offered to work some odd jobs, they’d give us a crappy one or two, and we’d get some shelter and money.”

Cale shook his head sadly. He decided that his pack would be welcoming to wandering lone wolves. Maple Ridge certainly wasn’t bad, but he’d make sure his pack would be even better.

“Well, we’ll still find work for you here. If the dicks running those packs could find you something, we certainly can. And we’ll make sure you get training as well.” Jaden smiled, but didn’t look convinced. Cale couldn’t resist the urge to put a comforting hand on the omega’s leg. “I mean it,” he said firmly. “You said you washed dishes, right? Hell, you could start there. After a little while you’d be given the option to wait tables, if you wanted. Maybe even move up to manager. And if you don’t like it, we’d find something else for you.”

“Like what?”

Cale shrugged. “You’d talk to…” He chuckled. “Actually, you’d talk to Tanner. He’d go over what you like and don’t like about the job and find one more suitable. Say, you enjoy the work but think the lodge is too chaotic, you could move to one of our smaller restaurants. Or you like the people, but not serving food, we could give you a try in one of our stores. We have some pack members who never settle down; they work until they’re bored at one job and then rotate on to another.”

“You sound confident I’ll find something.”

“I am.”

Jaden smiled weakly. He put a hand on the one still resting on his knee. The touch of bare skin on bare skin sent a shiver through both of them. “What now?” Jaden asked quickly, pulling his hand away.

Cale removed his as well. “Well, I’m not tired, so it can’t be night. And I’m not hungry, so it’s not dinner time?”

The omega laughed. “It’s still light out anyway.” He nodded toward the dim window.

“Then, I guess we keep talking?”

“I think we’ve pretty much covered our pasts. And… I honestly don’t know that there’s much more to say about our futures either.”

“I was thinking small talk,” Cale admitted. “I don’t even know your favorite color.”

Jaden laughed. “Blue. You?”

“Green,” Cale answered with a chuckle.

They traded silly questions back and forth, relieved to have moved away from the more serious topics. The conversation suddenly clicked and they found themselves talking freely. Each subject led easily into the next and time flew by. Around the time Cale’s stomach started growling, Jaden noticed he was feeling chilly. He turned to see the fire was nearly out.

“Crap!” He jumped up and rushed over to bring it back to life. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Cale stood and stretched, surprised by how stiff he was. “I’m the one who was facing it.”

Jaden realized his throat was actually feeling rather dry from how long they had been talking. “Do you want some water?”

“Please.”

When he was done with the fire, Jaden filled a couple of glasses with the melted snow. He was about to bring one to Cale, but found the alpha had joined him.

“Looks like the sun is down,” Cale commented after he finished drinking.

“And it’s dark in here,” Jaden said. “I’ll light some candles.”

Cale nodded and helped himself to the cupboards. “What do you want for dinner?”

Jaden turned in surprise. “Are you… cooking?”

The alpha shrugged as he looked the shelves over. “I’m not exactly incapable of doing so. Soup again?”

“Sure. If you don’t really mind…”

Cale shook his head and went about setting up the soup. The top of the stove was more than hot enough and the soup heated up quickly. He and Jaden returned to the couch and ate by candlelight again. It was easy to pick their conversation back up. They talked all through dinner, and well after, stopping only to put their dishes away, get more water, and throw more logs on the fire.

As the night went on, the lulls in their conversation started to feel a bit more uncomfortable than they had earlier. Each silence became punctuated by the thought that, sooner or later, it would be time to go to bed. Even though they had already had sex and spent the night together, something about having a conversation about their immediate futures, and agreeing that neither wanted to be mated, made the prospect of another night together seem awkward.

When Jaden yawned, Cale couldn’t fight the urge to do the same. They looked at each other, then glanced toward the bed.

“So, I guess...”

“It’s probably time…”

Jaden pulled the blanket partway off of the back of the couch, fiddling with the corner. “Where should we…?”

“The cot is probably more comfortable,” Cale said.

“Not much. But, yeah, a bit. It’s also closer to the stove than the couch is.”

“We do need a good night’s rest if we’re going to try to make it back to the lodge tomorrow. I figure we want to try again.”

“Absolutely,” Jaden agreed quickly. “No need to stay here longer than necessary.”

“Right.”

They dragged out the getting ready for bed process. Jaden spent as long as he could fiddling with the fire. At last, he decided he didn’t have much more of an excuse and headed over to the bed. Once he started removing his outer layers he felt the chill, especially since he had been right by the fire. He shivered and quickly slipped under the covers on the cot. He tensed as Cale joined him.

For a moment it was an awkward tangle of arms and legs. Too much touching? Not enough touching if it got colder? The cot was narrow and uncomfortable. And then, everything just fit. They relaxed against each other with twin sighs of contentment.

It was far from the first time Jaden had spooned with someone, but it had never been so comfortable. They fit together in all of the right ways. Even though they were practically fully dressed, it felt more intimate than anything either had experienced before. Jaden’s head tucked perfectly under Cale’s chin.

“Goodnight,” Jaden said softly. He usually hated the heavy arm draped over him and the feel of someone’s breath on the back of his neck. With Cale, the arm was just warm and comfortable. He wanted to snuggle closer and ask for Cale to hug him tighter. And each warm breath was like a gentle caress.

“Night.” Cale always rolled over shortly after spooning. The little spoon’s hair poked up his nose and his arm would fall asleep. But the scent of Jaden made him want to press his nose against the bare skin and just breathe. His arm didn’t feel useless, it felt like it was right where it should be. The alpha took a deep breath, basking in what was probably the last night with his true mate for years, if not forever. Cale realized instantly that he had made a huge mistake.

Jaden was trying not to think about how cold his bed was going to be without Cale, when he felt the unmistakable press of an erect penis. It was hardening by the second, pushing against his ass. Jaden froze, trying not to even breathe. He swore he could feel the heat from Cale’s dick. He tried to shift his weight away from it, but the movement sent a shiver through the alpha that Jaden felt. Cale’s breath rushed against his neck as he shuddered. Jaden felt his own dick growing in response.

“I’m sorry,” Cale whispered. “You just smell… so…” He swallowed audibly, and Jaden felt the alpha’s dick push urgently against him.

“It’s okay,” Jaden said. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to just breathe evenly. But with the scent of his true mate surrounding him, it didn’t work. His cock strained against his pants as memories of the night before flooded through him. He reached down, planning to adjust his pants in the hopes of relieving the pressure, but just the mere touch of his hand on the fabric sent a jolt through him. Jaden cupped a hand around himself, just for a moment. He wondered if there was any way he could get himself off without Cale noticing and dismissed the thought immediately. Not only would that be impossible, he doubted it would reduce his desire for the man in bed with him.

Jaden was hardly aware his hand had started moving until he felt the heat of Cale’s skin beneath his own. The alpha stiffened at the touch on his hand. What the hell am I doing? Jaden asked as he guided Cale’s hand wordlessly down to his crotch. The alpha’s touch, even through fabric, was like fire as he palmed Jaden. He pressed back gently, questioningly. All hesitation vanished as Jaden thrust against him with a moan. Cale responded with another push of his own and ground himself against Jaden’s ass.

The omega leaned his head back and felt the alpha adjust. Cale’s nose burrowed against the side of his neck, lips kissing and nibbling as he nuzzled. Jaden felt his hips jerk of their own accord. Cale matched him thrust for thrust. He worked a hand down into Jaden’s pants and wrapped a hand around him.

“Yes,” Jaden groaned. He pressed the side of his face harder in the pillow, raising his neck to the gentle nips. He groaned again as Cale began to stroke him. The neck nips increased in intensity as Cale’s hips thrust faster.

Jaden whimpered as the hand pulled away. The alpha shuffled around and Jaden realized Cale was pulling his pants down. He quickly wiggled out of his own, forcing them down to his knees. They both gasped in delight as they came back together. Cale’s bare cock pressed up against Jaden’s ass and the omega eased back into his touch.

Cale returned a hand to Jaden’s dick and started stroking, sliding his other hand around the curve of his hip, coming to rest just between his cheeks. One finger probed gently, asking.

“Fuck me,” Jaden growled.

That was all Cale needed to hear. He slipped his finger in and quickly found the magic spot. Jaden bucked against him as the finger hit home, not even noticing how quickly Cale added a second. Cale’s teeth clamped against the side of his neck and Jaden moaned. Jaden’s hands felt useless. He reached back and grabbed Cale’s hip with one hand. The other he curled above his head, grabbing for a fistful of the alpha’s hair. He tugged Cale against him, encouraging the dominant bite. Cale obliged. Inspiration struck and Cale bit down hard. Jaden’s yelp turned into a howl as Cale slipped his fingers out and replaced them with his dick at the same moment.

Jaden arched his back and slammed back against the alpha. He gasped as the movement drew Cale’s knot in. Cale released his neck with a cry of ecstasy and thrust against the omega. They rocked together, Cale making sure to keep stroking Jaden as they fucked.

It was quick and dirty, but somehow the best quickie either had ever had. They came at the same time and sagged against each other. Cale nuzzled the bite marks he left, and Jaden relaxed against him. Cale pulled up the blanket that had slipped and made sure they were both warm and cozy underneath. The alpha took a deep breath and sighed contently. They were asleep before his knot even released them.