That was nearly the end of everything.
Kip
Life changed completely after we started therapy. Mase was sleeping better, laughing more, and as for the sex? Fuck, there were times I worried my dick would fall off because we used it so much.
But Mase was happier, and because of that, I was too. He was more settled in his skin, and he’d taken to pleasuring me pretty much all the time. I don’t mean just sexually, although those timeswereoff the chart. He spent more time in the kitchen, humming softly as he set to creating culinary yummies for our food. He packed incredible meals for my lunch every day, still keeping within a strict budget. The other guys would stand around salivating as I dug in. One of them even asked if I’d be willing to allow him into our polycule so Mase could cook for him too.
“Sure,” I’d said with a grin, and his face had lit up. “But you’d also have to bottom.” He’d replied that for foodthatdelicious, it would be worth it. When I’d repeated the conversation to Mason, he’d gotten real quiet before saying “No, absolutely not.”
As for money, the town had released enough funds to give me a little extra, but I was still pretty far from where I should’ve been. But Mase and I discussed it, and he agreedwhat I was doing was a good thing for the pack, even if we were cash-strapped too often.
And then there was Mason.
This Mase was a melding of the Mason I’d known since I was a kid and the one I’d fallen in love with as an adult. He acknowledged he was my submissive, but that didn’t stop him from having his own opinions, even if he deferred to me.
This Mase was, quite literally, the best of both worlds.
As for me, finding out Dr. Briggs was a werewolf Omega and a submissive helped me learn a lot about being a Dominant. She didn’t back down if I raised my voice, but showed she had authority she wasn’t afraid to wield. That kinda surprised me.
She’d smiled. “I’ll be honest, it took Chris a few years to break me of the habit of giving in simply because of who I was. He worked with me constantly, reminding me I was important not only to the packs, but also to the individuals.” Mase was the only other Omega she’d ever met, and she said he reminded her of the person she’d been before she’d met Chris.
During one of our joint sessions, Mase asked again if I wanted a polycule, only this time his voice didn’t waver.
“Because if we do, I can work on that.”
That was when it hit me. He was still hung up on what I’d considered a throwaway comment by my coworker. Mase hadn’t seen it that way.
Man, my boy is thick as a brick.
I took a deep breath.
“I don’t want anyone but you, Mase. And I’ll let you know something right now. I would get jealous as fuck if I found someone touching you.” I managed a shrug. “It’s okay, though. I will tell you every single day until we’re old and gray, if I have to.” I looked him in the eye. “You. Are. Mine. Period. End of sentence. Please get it through your delightfully pretty cranium.”
Dr. Briggs had nodded. “Listen to him, Mason. Hear his words. Do you believe what he’s saying to you?”
“I do. With my whole heart.” That lift of his chin allowed a small amount of defiance to creep into his words, however.
Finally. We’d made a small breakthrough, but an important one. He had to believe what I said, because that was the one thing preventing me from telling him my own secret.
The thought of which scared me to death.
Growing up, I was told my secret had to remain hidden. No one could ever know. Yet, my parents said I should confide in Mase.
Why? What was so different about him? Was it because I was his Dominant? Or was there something else at work that they knew, but hadn’t bothered to share with me? Knowing my parents, that was the most likely choice. Dad had lived a long time, and he knew things most people couldn’t. Mom wasn’t as old as Dad, but she’d studied all manner of books, and from them gleaned some of the more esoteric knowledge available.
As for me, I was still learning. After seeing my parents’ thirst for knowledge, it set me on my own course. I wanted to knoweverything. The only thing getting in the way of that goal was my own wellspring of anger that was constantly seeking a target. Being around Mase kept that part of me buried. I never wanted him to be afraid of me. I loved his look of adoration whenever he glanced in my direction.
Where Mase was concerned, I was a simp. I honestly believe that was what scared me the most. Seeing fear or loathing in his eyes would break me.
Mom was right, though. He needed to know. And Iwouldtell him.
Eventually.
Mason
I breathed deep, inhaling the scents of the flowers my Mom had planted. They weren’t used for tea, but they made the yard smell amazing.
“How’s it going?” Kip asked from the doorway.
