“You know you can ask me anything you want?” Axel’s voice interrupted his racing thoughts.
“I know. I think I just need a bit more time to process.” Alfie sighed and turned on his side so he was facing Axel instead of staring at the ceiling.
“You’ll never find a better person than Malachi,” Axel said. “Of course that doesn’t include Malek,” he added, a wide grin on his face, his eyes lighting up.
He wondered what it would feel like to light up just thinking about another person.
You don’t have to wonder,a voice in his head supplied.
Alfie knew he would have to talk to Axel and ask him more questions, but for right now, his brain was trying to catch up to what his heart was pushing him to.
“You know I can hear you thinking over there,” Axel said.
Alfie sighed and turned so he was on his back again. There was a lot to think about, and ninety-six per cent of his thoughts featured Malachi. The man hadn’t been far away from his mind all day.
Alfie wasn’t sure about what this being mates stuff meant, but all he knew was that he was drawn to the man.
* * *
It was much laterin the evening, after Alfie had napped again. He was in the kitchen helping Axel with dinner. He’d even taken another shower and borrowed some clothes from Axel.You know, in case Malachi shows up.
The only good thing about avoiding so far was he kind of felt better. That plus the hot shower and a painkiller meant he wasn’t even that sore anymore.
He’d also blocked Rupert’s number on his phone.
Alfie glanced over at Axel as he scooped another potato into the mash he was making for the shepherd’s pie they would have for dinner. He poured in some grated cheddar and continued mashing. Alfie paused and looked Axel’s way again. His brother was stirring the mince mixture in a large saucepan. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again, shaking his head.
“Spit it out, Alf. You look like you may choke on the questions you keep swallowing,” Axel said. When he looked up again, he caught his brother’s gaze on him.
“Fuck off, I’m processing. Not every day my brother tells me stuff that would usually have him committed to a psychiatric unit, you know.”
Axel burst out laughing. “If I’m crazy, then how is it you have a little nephew? Besides, don’t you think you’ve been processing long enough?”
“Adoption?” Alfie suggested, but he shook his head. “…but that’s not possible… he looks exactly like you. And for the record, this isn’t exactly you dying your hair to a new colour or shaving your head kind of processing.”
“Mmm,” Axel hummed, before adding, “Feel free to keep processing out loud, but make sure you keep mashing. They have healthy appetites and Malek will be hungry after work.”
“Men can’t get pregnant… actually, I should rephrase that. Cis-gendered men can’t get pregnant.”
“I showed you the pictures.” Axel pointed out.
“Yeah, well, Hollywood’s been making not-pregnant people look pregnant, and besides, if Mason is two months old, how is he so big?” Alfie tested his nephew’s name.Fuck, if he really believed what Axel was saying, then he had a nephew. A biological nephew his brother had carried.
“Apparently pups grow quicker—or maybe I ought to saybigger—than human babies,” Axel said. His brother said pups like that was a thing humans—normal people—said.
“Pups… you call him apup?” Alfie knew his voice was like twenty decibels higher than it was supposed to be, but he couldn’t help it.
“Well, that’s what he is, or I guess I should say will be when he shifts.” Again, his brother was saying things like shift as if it was a normal part of the human vocabulary.
“This is notTwilight,Axel. I know you had a thing for Jacob, but honestly…” Alfie’s voice trailed off as his brother’s mate—that was what Axel had called him—walked into the kitchen. He immediately walked over to Axel and nuzzled his neck with his hands around his waist. The man had to bend almost in half with how small Axel was, not that he was much taller.
The height difference between him and Chi—Malachi not Chi—would be similar since the brothers were built along the same lines.
Alfie immediately shut out that thought. He wasn’t going to think about what Axel had shared with him. He already had enough to process.
“Good to know you have a thing for wolves,” Malek said to Axel. His brother giggled like a high-school boy with his first crush, but he sounded happy.
“Go away.” Axel’s voice was full of joy as he spoke. “You’re distracting me,” Axel added, although Alfie noted there was no sincerity in his brother’s voice.
