Grabbing a bottle of body wash from the counter, Sawyer opened the shower door and turned on the water before stepping in. As much as he wanted to rush through his shower, he slowly lathered his cock before jerking off. He meant what he said to his mate about getting to know each other first before anything else, including claiming. And after the orgasm Alex gave him that afternoon, Sawyer knew it would be impossible to keep his hands to himself if he didn’t wank off before he arrived.
Rinsing off, Sawyer turned off the water before sliding the door back and stepping out. After toweling himself dry, he hurried to the bedroom, and wriggled into a clean pair of sweatpants.That’ll work, especially if Alex wants to sit outside.After throwing on a t-shirt and grabbing a hoodie, Sawyer rushed into the kitchen, checking the time on his phone. “Oh shit!” Poking his head into the freezer, he rummaged through the containers until he found the one he was looking for. Grabbing it, he headed outside, making a beeline for his mate’s campsite.
Showered and changed, Alex waffled back and forth on where they should eat, finally choosing the picnic table outside his trailer, hoping Sawyer would understand. His beasts objected, but sitting outside gave Alex a feeling of safety—just in case his mate reacted badly to what he was going to say. Looking at his phone, Alex’s stomach roiled as the time drew closer for the arrival of his mate. After arranging some wildflowers in a vase and lighting some scented candles Alex sat down on one of the benches, his arms wrapped around his torso in an effort to quell the butterflies in his stomach while waiting for Sawyer.
Bursting out of the woods, Sawyer skidded to a stop, pain coursing through him as he stared at Alex. His mate’s face reflected loneliness and distress as he sat huddled at the table with his eyes closed. For the first time in Sawyer’s life, the need to protect filled him and, at that moment, he understood nothing would ever stand in his way of making sure Alex knew he was loved and wanted. Taking a step forward, Sawyer whispered, “Alex, never again…do you hear me…never again will you be alone…I’ll always be there for you…I promise you that.”
Hearing words he’d waited a lifetime for, Alex opened his eyes, locking his gaze on Sawyer’s. “Do you mean it? No matter what I tell you? Regardless of who I am?”
Sawyer took another step closer before replying. “I swear Alexandre Fouché…no matter what secrets you’re afraid of telling me or whoever you are…I will always be there for you…for the rest of time…I’m yours and you’re mine.”
Though Alex wanted to believe his mate, a lifetime of rejection made him wary of his mate’s pledge. Shaking his head slightly, tears slowly dripped down his cheeks. “I’m sorry…I just can’t…”
Quickly covering the distance separating him from his mate, Sawyer was intent on one thing only, convincing Alex he meant those words. Reaching the picnic table, Sawyer straddled the bench to face his mate. “Sweetheart, please look at me.” And when Alex finally turned towards him, Sawyer continued. “Give me a chance to prove it. Tell me everything…everything you think will drive me away, okay? All of your secrets…tell me who you are…please! Everything, sweetheart, because I’m giving you my vow, right here, right now, that nothing you have to say will change my commitment to you. I swear it!”
Staring at his mate’s eyes, Alex found only the truth of Sawyer’s words in their depths, reminding him of the wolf protector in his dream. Slowly nodding, he took a deep breath, then began. “I don’t know who I am…I mean, I don’t know who my parents were, or where they came from or what happened to them. I just know one of them died a couple months ago. My earliest memories are hazy, but I remember someone hugging me when I was sad, rocking and singing to me before putting me in bed…and I have other faint memories of his voice and laughter…but I don’t know who it was…or even if he was real.”
“But you were very young then.”
“I think you’re right…but I can’t put a face on him. Occasionally, when a teacher was nice to me, I would ask if they knew my parents, but no one ever did. When I was younger, I used to daydream about a mysterious man showing up at school one day claiming to be my father, come to bring me home.”
“But I take it that never happened.”
“No, it was just wishful thinking on my part. The first person I remember was a nanny who took care of me until I was old enough to go to school. One day, after breakfast, she packed my clothes and stuff into three big suitcases, then brought me to an old massive building and left me there. What I didn’t know was that it would be my home until I turned eighteen.”
“What happened then? Did you go to college?”
Shaking his head, Alex looked down and then, seeing the container of frozen food his mate brought, said, “We should eat.”
“Okay…but why didn’t you go to college? You didn’t want to? Oh shit, sorry…I mean…I didn’t mean to pry but you know there’s no shame in being poor.”
Raising his eyes, Alex stared at his mate. Seeing Sawyer’s concern so clearly etched on his face, warmed his heart. The belief that Sawyer would always be there for him was going to take some getting use to after a lifetime of never thinking anyone would. “Honestly, I never thought about it while I was in school because my only focus was on being free when I turned eighteen. That’s all I cared about.”
“I don’t understand…what do you mean ‘being free’? Was the school holding you against your will? What about your father? The one who just died? Did he know what was happening to you?”
“No, no…” Alex protested. “How can I describe it? I lived at the school same as my classmates, only they went home for the holidays and over the summer…but no one wanted me…not even my father…a father I didn’t even know existed at the time.”
“So you stayed at the school year-round?”
“Yes…and as long as I was there, I had to follow their rules…like when to get up, when to eat, when to go to bed…and I dreamed of the day I could sleep until noon, or stay up late reading…even all night if I wanted to…and don’t even get me started on food. My classmates would return from their summer vacations, talking about all the great stuff they’d eaten…I tried not to be envious, but it was so hard, Sawyer. Cotton candy…hot dogs…when I first heard someone mention them, it sounded horrible. Cotton didn’t seem to be tasty and, after all, who wants to eat a dog much less a hot one? I asked my roommate about it. All I can say is I was glad he sorted me out on it because I really didn’t want that picture in my mind.”
Chuckling, Sawyer asked, “Ever have a hot dog?”
Grinning, Alex said, “Oh yes! After my father died, I was finally free so I went to Coney Island…that’s where the housekeeper suggested I go…and I spent the day eating cotton candy, hot dogs and ice cream. It was the best day ever!”
“Alex, why weren’t you free before your father died? You said he didn’t want you so how come you were his prisoner? I don’t get it.”
Exhaling loudly, Alex didn’t respond immediately, trying to figure out how to explain what happened. Then, he began. “It was the last day of the school year, and I was finally packing all my belongings, eager to leave the regimented life I lived behind me. I really didn’t know what I was going to do, but I managed to save most of the money I made tutoring my classmates, so my plan was to buy a one-way bus ticket out of New York.”
“Where were you headed?”
Shrugging, Alex replied, “Wherever the first bus leaving was headed…I didn’t care…I just wanted to put as much distance between me and the school as possible.”
“But I gather that didn’t happen.”
“Nope…Just as I locked my suitcase, the headmaster knocked on my door, insisting I come with him because there was a visitor in his office who wished to speak to me.” Pausing, Alex’s eyes stared unseeingly into the woods, as he remembered that day?the day his world came crashing down. Refocusing, he turned his gaze to Sawyer. “The ‘visitor’ was a lawyer…who was there with several bodyguards. According to him, my father…a man I never met, never talked to, and who never wanted me…arranged for an apartment, and get this…the same person who couldn’t even be bothered meeting me had even arranged for a housekeeper/cook, a bodyguard and an assistant for me. The fucking lawyer had the nerve to inform me how very lucky I was to have a parent who cared so much for me.
“I just stood there, staring at the pompous ass, wondering how the hell he could say such crap to me. All I could think about was why wasn’t I good enough for my father to let me come home for the holidays…or summer? I would’ve done anything he asked if he’d shown me just a tiny bit of affection. But nothing…fourteen long and very lonely years I spent there. And nothing! Not even a card for my birthday. And that fucker had the audacity to tell me I was lucky because my father had arranged for a place for me to live.”
