Page 56 of Abel's Omega
Abel turned to Bax, his lips twitching. “Can’t argue with that.”
Bax snorted. “At least I know which one to watch the closest.”
“Yes. Fan.” Abel grinned and pulled Bax gently to him. “I’ll be watching you,” he whispered, and dropped a light kiss on Bax’s lips. Then he let go and turned back to Fan. “Okay, time to change!”
Fan stared at Abel for a moment, then began to struggle out of his clothes, refusing all help.
Bax met Abel’s eyes and shrugged. “Pups,” was all he said, and began to undo the fastenings of his own clothing.
Abel stripped quickly and changed in his wolf form. When he looked up, Bax was just finishing his own change, white fur flowing over his body like water. He’d seen Bax’s wolf form before, but that did nothing to lessen the effect. As it was, he could only stare and bless the luck that had dropped Bax on his doorstep.
Bax stood up and shook himself, then trotted over to Fan, who still squirmed on the ground, halfway done. Abel walked over to nose at the half-shifted pup, letting his own power support Fan’s whenever he got a little stuck. Shortly after, they were all on four feet, and Abel yipped, turning his nose in the direction of a section of the wood that was likely to be quieter.
Before they left, he grabbed the pheasant. Might as well bring some entertainment.
In the woods, he raced ahead, hiding behind a tree until Bax and Fan trotted past. He let Bax go unmolested, but Fan…oh he had plans for Fan. Abel left the pheasant on the ground and leaped out from behind the tree to bowl the pup over, careful not to hurt him.
Fan yelped in surprise and jumped back to his feet. He barreled after Abel, going straight for his rear hock.
Abel danced sideways and grabbed Fan’s tail gently between his teeth. He tugged once, then let go and ran away, panting a wolf laugh.
Fan gave a hunter’s yip and came after him, eyes bright, a complete alpha even at this age. They wrestled in the dead leaves, neither one seeming able to win. Abel was stronger, but Fan was small and wiggly and damned hard to hang onto.
All of a sudden, another weight landed on him. Bax laughed a wolf’s laugh at him and held him down so Fan could get a good grip on Abel. He went for Abel’s ear at first, but Bax redirected him with a poke of his snout, and Fan had to settle for gnawing on the top half of Abel’s front leg.
Abel craned his neck to see Bax.Traitor.
Bax laughed again and got off, racing around the back of the tree. He came back with the pheasant and dragged it in front of Fan. Fan completely forgot about Abel and took off at full puppy speed after his bearer.
They ended up in a tug of war, both of them growling and shaking their heads, though Abel, relaxing at the edge of the clearing, noticed that Bax was careful not to pull hard enough to make Fan lose his grip.
Abel got to his feet and trotted over. Fan had one of the pheasant’s wings in his mouth, and Bax had the tail. Abel reached in and grabbed the other wing, adding his strength to Fan’s. He shot a wicked look at Bax, whose eyes widened, then narrowed, accepting the challenge. Bax braced his feet and dug his teeth solidly into the fabric of the toy, whipping it back and forth.
Fan growled and tugged back, his little feet churning away at the damp soil. Abel huffed at Bax, and added his own steady pull to the toy. Slowly, they dragged Bax forward, step by reluctant step.
It looked like a slow loss for Bax, until the pheasant split in two and dumped them all on their asses.
They sat and stared at each other in stunned silence for a moment, then Fan jumped to his feet, howled at the moon, and bolted into the trees. The two adults looked at each other, and took off after him.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Abel had already sent Louise home for the evening, and now it was just him and Bax, alone in the pack offices. He leaned out the door between his and Bax’s office and whistled to get Bax’s attention. “Did you get hold of Bram?”
Bax looked up from his computer. “Yes. He’ll be by around eight, if that’s okay.” His smile had changed, the uncertainty in it mostly lost in his excitement over his new life. The tipping point had been Roland’s agreement to let him stay—it was if it had lifted the shadow of the past five years off of him.
Tonight was their third date, only a month since he’d convinced Bax to have faith in both himself and Abel. It had probably been cheating, but Abel had taken note of the novels in Bax’s belongings and done some discreet investigating into their meaning.
Okay, he’d pinned Jason down and pestered him with questions. He’d also engaged Louise as his accomplice, and they plotted together to give Bax the romance of his dreams.
The obvious anticipation in Bax’s expression was encouraging and Abel grinned as he withdrew into his office again to clear the last of his responsibilities of the day. And maybe to sneak back into the apartment and do a little preparation.
True to his promise, he was taking things slowly. They’d had a meal at the restaurant and watched a movie that was being shown in the social center the first time, keeping their interactions public. The movie had been something sweeping and emotional recommended by Louise, and he’d wiped silent tears from Bax’s cheeks and comforted him when emotion had overwhelmed him. Their second date had been in wolf form, running in the trees to the north of the town without Fan’s company to distract them. He was still in awe of how Bax’s human beauty translated to his wolf form, and he’d spent most of that evening following Bax around with both his figurative and literal tongue hanging out. Bax had been bemused by it at first, then amused, and he’d spent the last part of the evening gently and respectfully teasing Abel, with only a few awkward moments, until they found a quiet clearing to curl up together in and bask in each others’ scents. Abel smiled as he replayed the memories, pouring out some of the cider Bax had enjoyed so much at full moon.
At five after eight, a tentative knock sounded on his apartment door. Abel wiped a cloth around the kitchen counter, turned some music on low, then went to open the door for Bax.
“Hi,” Bax said awkwardly, as if they hadn’t spent the entire day working together.
“Come in,” Abel said, standing aside and making a sweeping motion with his arm to usher him in. Bax was gorgeous, in a dark, clear green that made his eyes shine. Not that Abel ever thought he was less than beautiful, but the deep, pure colors Bax tended to choose suited him wonderfully and only added to the mesmerizing effect he had on Abel.
