To Feel Again [Welcome To Wolf's Peak]

Chapter Twelve - Niko

Niko

I looked at the time on my phone seeing that it was almost one in the morning. Owen was on shift so Adrian and I were keeping an eye on his house from the shadows of the back yard. I hadn't yet caught Mark, the punk ass kid who'd been hanging around the house and sniffing around Ginny. Id caught traces of his scent a time or two but he was always gone by the time Owen called me. 

"Do you think he'll show up tonight?" Adrian whispered near my ear. I felt a small thrill at the warmth of his breath against my chill skin.

"If he knows Owen is working all night at the station he might." I kept my eyes trained on the side of the house. Ginny's bedroom window faced the back yard and the only way to get into the yard was by walking through the small gate at the side of the house.

"Have I done something to piss you off?" 

My gaze shot to Adrian. "What? No, why are you asking that?" I had no idea why he thought I was angry with him.

"Are you sure? Because you've barely spoken to me since our mating. In fact you didn't really talk to me during our mating," he said sounding hurt.

This wasn't really a conversation I wanted to have while crouching in among the plants in Owen's garden. I didn't know how to properly explain how I felt and I'd probably end up messing up the explanation anyway and make him mad at me. "I'm not much of a talker, Adrian. Just ask anyone."

"I don't care about what anyone else has to say. I'm not just anyone, I'm your mate just like Owen is and you talk to him all the time. Why am I different?"

I gave up any pretense of watching the house and unceremoniously sat down in the dirt with my knees bent, arms resting on them to hang between my knees. "Because you are different. Owen is fragile and craves hugs and attention constantly. He's full of life but he's human. He needs me, he needs my protection and I need to be his protector. It's not like that with you. You may not be as skilled as I am at fighting but you're also not fragile, you don't need me to fight your battles. I don't know my place with you, I don't know where I stand."

Adrian sat beside me leaving a small space between us. "Just because Owen is human doesn't mean that he's fragile. I've seen him get his diva on when he's needed to so he doesn't need you to fight all his battles for him either. I think what makes us different isn't what we need from you, but your own perception of that."

I crave attention too. I'd welcome any hugs you might want to give me and I wouldn't shy away from that just because I'm another alpha type. Isn't there room in this mating for two alpha's?" Adrian placed a hand on my wrist and turned his upper body to face me. "I know our personalities and need to be in charge might conflict from time to time but don't you think that could be hot too? Fighting each other for dominance and the right to top? I need you just as much as Owen does but you don't need to treat me like I'm a breakable human. I want your sweet side but you can show me your animalistic side too. I can take it and I can give it back to you too."

I was choosing my words to reply to him when the feint sound of the side gate caught our attention and sent both of us looking in the direction it had came from. The darkly dressed figure of a boy came into view and immediately moved to the grassy area beneath Ginny's window. An object glowed in his hand and then there was an exhaled puff of smoke ringing his head. The strong scent of weed worked it's way on the wind to our hiding place and I almost gagged.

"That smells horrible how do humans smoke that stuff?" Adrian whispered once again lowering his voice to a level that only someone with our superior hearing could pick up on.

"I don't know. Are you ready to put our plan in motion?" I started taking off my clothes and shoes while keeping the boy in my view. 

"Are you sure that's him?"

"Yes I recognize his scent."

"Okay," Adrian said. "Let's do this."

I let my shift overtake me and then shook out my fur and stretched to remove any lasting spasms in my muscles from shifting so fast and then stepped out into the open yard with Adrian on my heel. "What are you doing here at this hour?" Adrian asked his voice carried in the silent yard and Mark startled before turning to face him with a sneer on his face. A sneer that froze and vanished when he saw me in my wolf form with my teeth exposed beneath my curled in lips.

"Is that a wolf?" Mark's eyes grew impossibly wide and stay trained on me.

"I asked you a question first. Why are you here?" Adrian sounded pissed at having to repeat himself.

"I don't have to explain myself to you, you don't belong here any more than I do. This isn't your yard." Mark seemed to grow brave again and even attempted a sneer.

"Wrong," Adrian said matter-of-factly. "I do belong here. I'm one of Owen's partners."

Mark's face contorted into a look of disgust. "One of? As in he's sleeping with more than one person at a time? That's fucking disgusting."

I let out a loud growl, gnashing my teeth and allowing a little drool to escape my mouth for affect. This kid was trying my patience for stupid. He needed someone to teach him a lesson and if he stayed in my presence much longer I'd teach him a lesson he wouldn't soon forget.

"Shouldn't that thing be on a leash?" He pointed at me backing up when I took two menacing steps towards him.

"Not in his own back yard," Adrian informed him. "You're the one trespassing and he has a right to defend his property." That sounded good. My yard, my property. I'd love to be able to say that for real. I'd love to live with my mates in a house we all shared. "Get the hell out of here and stay away from Ginny, we'll be watching you."

Mark looked ready to say something else distasteful but I flattened my ears to my skull, lowered my head and let forth the most menacing sound I could muster while maintaining eye contact with him, letting him know that I wasn't going to back down if he gave me a reason to attack. "Goddamn faggots!" He mumbled turning on his heel and leaving the yard.

I waited until I knew he'd left the area before shifting again. "That kid got on my last fucking nerve," I growled.

"I got a bad vibe from him. I'd feel better if at least one of us was here every night. Can you cover the nights I'm working?" Adrian discreetly looked down at my naked form before returning his eyes to my own.

"I'll talk to Bram and Jason, I'm sure they'll have no problem in changing the patrol schedule for us." I snaked an arm around Adrian's middle and pulled him closer. "Now, before we were interrupted I believe you were saying something about me showing you my animalistic side."

"I also said I'd fight you for the right to top," Adrian reminded me with a satisfied grin. I froze when a finger caressed over my crease. I'd never bottomed in my life. "Niko?" Adrian's smile turned into a frown. "What's wrong?"

"I've never done that. I've always topped when I've had sex," I admitted feeling suddenly embarrassed and shy. 

"Oh!" His eyes widened and his wondering finger retreated. "Is that something you'd maybe want to try?" he asked hopefully.

"I-" Was it? I'd never wanted to bottom for anyone I hadn't even been curious about it. But this was Adrian, my mate, would I bottom for him? "Yes." 

"Yes?" Adrian looked surprised by my answer. 

"Yes," I repeated trying to sound more confidant than I felt. I was a shaking blob of jello on the inside. I was scared at the thought of giving up control. But I knew I couldn't be in better hands. And maybe the only way for me to realize where my place was in this mating was for me to do just that, relinquish control.

"Thank you." Adrian kissed me and unlike the kiss we'd shared during our mating, this one was soft and spoke of understanding and gratitude. I opened to him and let him take the lead for a moment before he pulled away. "I'll make everything perfect for your first time, I promise. But now isn't the time and Owen's back yard definitely isn't the place for that."

I hadn't realized I was holding my breath until I let it out on a relieved huff of air. "Okay. When?" I asked stealing myself for the loss of my virginity. 

Adrian smiled fondly and brushed a lock of hair behind my ear that had fallen over one of my eyes. "When the time is right we'll know."