Page 1 of Shifting Fate
Dallon
You wanna know what’s worse than one wailing baby? That’s right—twowailing babies. Jesus fucking Christ, my ears were bleeding and not even a headache-inducing amount of screamo could drown them out.
I didn’t get it. What was so great about kids? All they did was eat, sleep, shit and bitch, twenty-four seven.
After one too many “na na na’s” from the godly Gerard Way, I yanked the headphones off my head and stomped downstairs. Guess I’d take my chances with this craptastic weather.
“Where are you going in such a hurry?” Tegan asked. He crossed his arms over his chest in such a way that had the muscles in his biceps flexing. Mmm. Bad Dallon, no looking at your Alpha’s mate. Jesus, I really needed to get laid. I flicked my gaze back to his, only to see him raise a single brow. Judging me. Silently.
“Out,” I replied with a huff. “Can’t stand another fucking minute of this shit, dude. For real, I’m about to lose my marbles. Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. Gonna head over and see what the Foxgrove gang are getting up to. You know, the usual.” I lifted my shoulder, then let it drop in a halfway-there shrug.
Tegan frowned. “You really shouldn’t be running the woods alone. Not now.”
I heaved a dramatic sigh. “I’ll befine. It’s not like I’m going that far, and if I do get into trouble, I’m sure Arias will rescue me.” I bounced my brows and laughed, then waved a hand in the air. “If you’re that worried, check the cams, but really? Ta.”
Flinging the front door open, I made my great escape. I stripped from my clothing and called upon my inner-wolf, who was all too willing for a romp—in more ways than one. Fully shifted, I raised my muzzle and breathed in the damp air. The skies were gray, the clouds hanging heavy above me. They spit rain, but I couldn’t have cared less.
So I’d get a little wet. Oh well.
I took off in the direction of the lake, happy to finally have some peace and quiet. I swear, every time one of the babies cried, the other one joined in. It was like musical wails and god, I was already so sick of it. I knew one thing for certain—no babies would be coming out of this sack, no sir.
Good thing I was gay, huh?
My paws treaded over the soggy ground, kicking up mud behind me. I sprinted through the forest, weaving between trees, stopping momentarily to relieve myself on a particularly smelly rock. The pee-rock, I called it. Gage and I used to make a game of it, marking it every time we’d go for a run to see whose scent would last the longest.
Now Gage was a dad, and I was just…here.
I sighed, feeling oddly lonely.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
My ears perked at the sound of someone splitting wood. I sniffed the air, to no avail, but then again, Arias LaRue didn’t seem to have a particular scent. It was always just out of reach, like, I’d get the tiniest whiff of it and then it was carried off by the breeze. Even standing right beside him, I couldn’t smell him.
It drove me batshit crazy.
I stalked closer to the source of the sound, keeping myself tucked just out of sight. Peering through the bushes, I saw him—and good lord, he was fuckingmagnificent. Tall and broad-shouldered with a wide chest that tapered down to slimmer hips. Long legs, svelt arms, elegant fingers. I had a thing for a guy with long fingers.
Not to mention, he had the face of a model, all sharp angles in high definition. He wore his blond hair in a messy fade with the top worn a little longer. If he used a little makeup, he could’ve pulled off the rockstar look maybe even better than Ryker, but then again, I didn’t have a crush on my Alpha’s distant brother.
I watched, rapt, as Arias drew back the axe. Each powerful swing split the logs in two with a sharpcrack. Rivulets of sweat and rain dripped down his forehead and nose. Resting the axe at his side, he pulled up the hem of his t-shirt to wipe his face, giving me the perfect view of those lickable abs.
I swooned. I wasn’t sure what it was about this guy, but man… I had a crush to end all crushes. I hadn’t wanted someone so badly since I was a junior, pining over the highschool quarterback. Never tapped that. Alas, he was straight as a board.
Not that my chances with Arias were any less slim.Woe is me.
We’d been friends for awhile now, but I always got the nagging feeling that Arias didn’t really want me there. Unfortunately for him, I didn’t give a single fuck. He was nice eye-candy, at the very least, plus he was fun to pester.
Just then, Arias looked up. His ice-blue eyes drilled a hole through my heart. His lips curved into a small smile. “Give it up, Dallon. I know you’re over there. Might as well come out.”
I laughed.“Busted.”
“You’re hardly stealthy,” he retorted.
I trotted out from behind the bushes, wagging my tail. Brushing up against Arias’s leg, I made sure to rub my scentallover his jeans. Maybe it would drive him nuts. I could only hope. When I pulled away, my gray hairs clung to the black denim. Perfect.
He nudged me with one foot, grumbling as he resumed swinging his mighty axe. “You’re in the way.”
“Someone’s grumpy today,”I singsonged, flopping down on my side a couple paces away.“Is the weather bringing you down, darling?”My tail thumped against the ground.
