"Oh, Mom." His heart sank a little. How much worry had he been causing her? She was the shifter in the family, and his father was human. He wondered if she had blamed herself for his issues with being a shifter over the years. Knowing her, she probably had. "I'm so sorry."
"Why are you sorry?" She clicked her tongue. "You've never done a thing wrong in your life."
Wes smiled softly. "You're just saying that because you love me."
"Very true. To be fair, I couldn't see you ever doing anything to break my heart." She chuckled. "I'm glad you've met such a good man. He's related to the other brothers, right?"
"He is! I really didn't expect that to happen, but it's like I can't resist him, Mom. Every time I tried to push him away, my tiger went nuts, and I missed the hell outta him, but we just met!"
"Congrats," she laughed. "You've met your perfect mate. Your fated. There's nothing better than that, or more fulfilling."
Wes knew exactly what she meant. He'd never felt so happy and upbeat before. Marcellus was perfect for him. He pushed himself up and rested his cheek on his palm.
"I think I'm falling for him."
"You'll know." She paused. "Your tiger will know. It's there to guide you, Wes. It's a part of you."
Wes nodded. "I won't shut it out anymore."
"You'll be happier, trust me."
"I started up the shower!" Marcellus called from the hallway. He stepped into the entrance of the bedroom and smiled. "I hope you like it hot."
Wes' eyes went round. Slowly, he shifted so that Marcellus could see the phone, and he pointed at it. Marcellus' mouth dropped open.
"Shit."
"Well, he sounds gorgeous," Wes' mother teased. "Go have fun, darling. Call me soon."
Wes cleared his throat. "Uh… y-yeah. Love you, Mom."
She chuckled. "Love you too. Can't wait to meet him. Ta-ta."
Wes glanced at the phone and then up at Marcellus. "Really?"
The alpha groaned. "I'm just going to go hide forever now. The fact that it was your mom?" He shook his head. "Excuse me while I ask the goddess to open up the ground and swallow me."
“I think swallowing you is my job.” Wes winked at Cellus and loved the stunned look that appeared on the alpha’s face. Yup, it was definitely his jobandhis pleasure.
Nine
Marcellus
"You're hanging out with Marcellus again?"
"Don't judge me, Carla." Wes grinned as he packed up his things and tugged his messenger bag over his shoulder. "I'm going to work on some new pieces."
"Is he your muse now?" She grinned.
"I'm going to quit." Wes stuffed his pencils into his bag. "As God is my witness, I will bloody quit."
"Draw him like one of your French girls!" she called after Wes as he tried to retreat.
He could already hear Sandra cracking up with laughter. God, they were never going to let him live it down. Marcellus had come to his job one too many times over the past few weeks. Usually, he brought lunch or took Wes out. Sometimes they just made a beeline for Wes' apartment and ended up fucking their way through lunch. He smiled. Those were his favourite times.
As soon as he stepped out of the museum, Marcellus was waiting for him. He'd rented a sleek, black BMW that somehow suited him really well. The alpha leaned against it, his arms folded over his broad chest and a smile on his lips. People that walked by him stopped and stared before they moved on again, but kept their eyes locked on him. Wes had even seen someone almost trip and fall from staring at him so long.
Yeah, his alpha was hot. They could fuck right off. He blinked. Did he refer to Marcellus ashisalpha? He groaned. Maybe he was hanging around him a little too much. Wes smiled at him and closed the space between them quickly. Just as he was about to claim his daily hug and kiss, a guy stopped and started introducing himself to Marcellus.
