Moving Forward

Huh (14)

Max hadn't expected to mark River, but River didn't seem the slightest bit put out. In fact, he appeared to be inordinately... happy.

After Max had sunk his teeth into the werewolf, River just grinned and cuddled him close. He was absolutely beaming, he was so happy, and the thought made Max more than a little curious, remembering the expressions of River's mother and brother.

"Why wasn't your family surprised?" Max asked, soft voice barely audible.

River sighed, taking a moment to be silent before replying. "How do jaguar shifters choose a mate?"

The question threw Max a little. "We don't normally. Most aren't very good at having closed relationships." He thought for a moment. "We choose the one we think is best and then we have children with them. Obviously, that doesn't work for the gay pairings, but they still don't always last very long."

"And you?" River asked, sound a little strained. "Are you going to get bored of me?"

Max sat up and glared. "Firstly, you misunderstood me. Pairings don't get bored of each other. The majority just don't work out." There was a hint of a snarl in Max voice. "And secondly, I have no fucking idea what's happening with us." Besides, Max had already proved he was a weird one, staying with the same man since he was sixteen until now. But of course, River didn't know that. River barely knew anything about Max and that frustrated Max to no end.

River, apparently not one to lie down and take it, pushed right back. "Are you serious? You fucking marked me! Do you not know what that means for a wolf?"

Max couldn't stop himself from baring his teeth. "Of course I don't. I'm not a wolf. I'm a fucking half-breed jaguar. Do you think I did that on purpose?"

That stopped River for a second, his voice lowered to a less angry volume as he sat back on his haunches. "Half-breed?"

Max snarled, and then he sighed and crossed his legs. "My dad is a lion shifter. My mom is a jaguar shifter. Jaguar genes are surprisingly dominant, so I got most everything from my mother. But I don't think my dad's genes were completely ignored, I just don't know what I got."

River opened his mouth but Max got there first.

"Lion shifters tend to be polyamorous." Max said. "But I don't want polygamy. I'm bad at sharing."

River didn't say anything for a moment, those smothering eyes staring at Max for long moment. Max couldn't hold them for too long, but he could feel them. The longer River looked at him, the more difficult it was for Max to breathe.

"Kyle," Max murmured, breathless. "I didn't mean to mark you. But I don't want to take it back."

River nodded. "Marking for a wolf is a claim. We don't just choose mates, either. It's more... simple than that."

"How so?"

He shrugged. "We meet our mate, and our body tells us immediately. My family saw the signs as soon as I got back from helping you with the moving truck."

That seemed like a bit of a cop out to Max. "What, so your mate could be a complete asshole to you and you'd still have to be with them?"

River chuckled. "Pretty much. You are able to walk away... but that tends to be rather painful for both halves." River's eyes met Max's once again. "Max... you're mine."

Huh. Speechless, Max nodded. Eyes and hands locked on the fabric of River's shirt, nothing really registered. River could've still been speaking, but Max wasn't listening. Couldn't hear him. The only thing Max was really understanding was the echo of River's words.

"You're mine." 

That... that couldn't be right. Could it? Max was a jaguar shifter. Sure, he was lonely sometimes, but River's presence wasn't necessary for him to function. Was it? It couldn't have been. And how was River so calm about this? Max was on the verge panicking. He wouldn't but... it was very close.

It was... was... a promise that River wouldn't let him go and Max wasn't sure what to do with that. There was no guarantee for Max that River was the one. The thought that he was River's mate... it made Max's heart race, the beat uneven and pounding. Like he was on the verge of having a heart attack. It was painful. But... did he want that to stop?

Something about the thought of there being someone specifically for Max soothed a small part of him. That tiny part that just wanted to curl up into the blankets and hide away from the rest of the planet - warm, safe, and with someone who hadn't even thought to reject the claim Max had unintentionally made on him.

Max remembered the one time he'd asked Luke if he could mark him. Luke had been furious. "I'm not an object, Max," he'd railed. "You can't write your name on me!" He hadn't understood. It wasn't writing Max's name. It was accepting that he and Max were a pair. To let other shifters know he was taken and avoid jealous fighting. Luke hadn't understood.

But Kyle. Kyle didn't even question it. His arms tightened slightly around Max and Max couldn't help but melt a little into the sense of security that Kyle offered.

"Say it again." Max murmured into Kyle's shirt.

Kyle's breathing hitched. "Say what?"

Sitting up, Max met Kyle's once again bottomless brown eyes. "Tell me I'm yours."

There was no hesitation there. Kyle's expression turned firm and determined, as if he was willing to do just about anything for Max - and that made Max's heart swell to almost bursting. Against him, he could feel Kyle's own heart beating fast, matching pace with his. It was almost ridiculous how much Max wanted to hear those two little words.

Kyle growled, and pulled Max closer, killing any distance between them. "You're mine."

Max just about died inside, he was so happy.

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A/N
Ok, so real quick, this chapter is a little shorter than usual, but it's got what it needs, so yeah.
Also, quick thanks to @MemesTequilaTacos for the awesome cover that I meant to put in last week's chapter and just completely forgot, so yeah, thank you