“Oh yeah.” Derek chuckled. “Dinner’s ready. Do you want to move to the table or eat here?”
Cal frowned and tried to figure out how his body was feeling. “I’ll try to move. I need to take a leak anyway so might as well do it all in one go.”
“Okay. Kit, you go ahead and eat, I’ll help Cal to the bathroom first.”
Kit did as told and Derek came closer to the bed, ready to grab Cal if needed.
Swinging his legs off the bed was easy, so was standing. He’d gotten a few solid kicks to his stomach and he was bruised now, but the worst were the bites. He swayed when any movement made the muscles of his arm and shoulder radiate with pain.
Derek grabbed his good arm. “At your pace, love. No rush.”
Love.Cal closed his eyes and soaked in the word. Derek probably hadn’t realized what he’d said, so he’d think Cal was battling the soreness. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“Noah said you being close will help,” he spoke as he started an experimental shuffle out of the room.
“Yeah, that’s how mates work, right?”
“Uh-huh,” Cal grunted as he turned sideways just so the door frame wouldn’t bump his shoulder.
Who knew one dog could get him this sore. It hadn’t even been a bad fight, even though it must’ve looked horrible to Derek.
It took them ten minutes to maneuver to the bathroom and get Cal settled at the table.
“Chicken soup?” He threw a glance at Derek. “Really?”
Kit was smirking. He’d already eaten and got up to take his dishes to the counter.
“It was good,” he said. “Hey do you mind if I stay at with the wolves tonight? They’re doing sauna and I want to go, but then I don’t want to walk back here after?”
Derek was the first to reply. “No, go ahead. Just be safe and if you need to come home for any reason, you just call us or just walk on your own.”
Cal wondered if he should’ve felt weird for Derek taking over like this, but he didn’t. He cleared his throat. “Yeah, what Derek said. If you walk back, do it in human form though.” Kit was smaller than most things that went bump in the night around these woods.
“Yeah, of course. Thanks dads.” Kit’s smirk was wicked as he bounced to his room to get his stuff.
Derek had gone a bit stiff next to Cal. When they’d called bye after Kit and the front door closed, Cal turned to Derek.
“You know we’re a package deal, right?”
“Yeah, I just… I never thought I’d be anyone’s parent, you know?” Derek gave him a wavering smile.
“Honey, you’ve been parenting him since you got here. And you’ve done a great job. He loves you already, his fox and my cat recognize you as my mate and part of the family.”
Tears glimmered in Derek’s eyes, and Cal leaned toward him for a kiss, but his shoulder stung like a bitch and he hissed.
“Just stay still,” Derek murmured, leaned to him instead, and kissed him gently. When he pulled back, Derek said, “Now let’s eat and get you back to bed. You need rest.”
“Yeah,” Cal agreed roughly. He needed sustenance, rest, and his mate.
