Bel’s eyes skimmed over the surrounding woods. There were so many things that needed to be done, but first he needed to take care of his wolves. The rest of his plans could wait for now.
15
The trek to Bel’s house seemed to take three times as long, and Bel had to fight the urge to try to pick Wyatt up the entire time. River would run ahead to check for intruders, then run to check on Wyatt before running behind them to make sure they weren’t being followed. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell the young wolf that Bel knew exactly when intruders stepped onto his land, but the constant movement gave River something to do other than worry over his mate.
Of course, Bel hadn’t known when a wolf had been killed on his property. But in his defense, Wyatt and River were very good at distracting him.
Pulling his phone from his pocket, he quickly shot off a text to Winter, updating him on how the local pack leader had increased his threats.
It was only when Bel had the door unlocked that both wolves shifted into their human form. A pained gasp escaped Bel when he saw Wyatt’s beautiful body covered in ugly scratches and bite marks. Blood streaked his sweaty skin and matted his dark hair. Bel had felt none of it, proving very clearly that Bel’s link to them was limited to only thoughts and emotions.
“Oh, Wyatt.” Bel’s voice broke.
Wyatt managed a pained, crooked smile as he leaned against the doorjamb. “Would it help if I told you that I’ve been hurt far worse than this and recovered?”
“No. No, it doesn’t help at all,” Bel cried. He lifted his hands to pull Wyatt into his arms, but he hesitated, afraid of hurting the man even more.
Wyatt solved the problem by pulling both him and River into his arms. “I’ll be fine.”
“You were so amazing,” River said, and Bel nodded. He really had been amazing.
“Thank you.” Wyatt pressed a kiss to the top of River’s head. “And I’m proud of you for not jumping in. Thank you for letting me handle it and protecting Bel.”
“I knew it’s what you would have wanted. I’ll always keep our Bel safe.”
River’s murmured words struck straight into Bel’s heart. Was this what it was like to have a pack? To have someone always there at your back? Thanks to his brothers, Bel had grown up with this, but he’d always wondered if others understood this feeling of family. Of intense love and kinship. A place of belonging.
Somehow, Bel had been blessed with it twice. He just had to figure out how to fix the rift with his first family while protecting his new family.
“We need to get you cleaned up and resting,” Bel said, trying to make his voice brisk and more businesslike when he just wanted to curl up with his wolves somewhere safe and hidden. “I know you said werewolves heal fast, but you still need to rest.”
“Sounds good to me,” Wyatt said on a sigh.
Bel carefully settled Wyatt’s arm across his shoulders. “We’ll take you to my bathroom. It’s closer to the top of the stairs. River, go into the pantry. On the floor, you’ll find an old-fashioned doctor’s bag. Can you get it and bring it to the bathroom?”
With a nod, River ran to the kitchen while Bel started getting Wyatt walking toward the stairs.
“Bel, can I ask you a potentially insulting question?” Wyatt started.
A slow grin tugged at Bel’s lips as he turned his head enough to meet Wyatt’s gaze. “I just admitted to being in a threesome to a bunch of hostile naked men in the woods. I think most things are going to roll right off my back tonight.”
Wyatt chuckled, but it was cut off with a wince as they managed the first stair. “True.”
“What’s your question? I’m sure your intention is not to insult me.”
“Does the blood bother you?”
Bel shook his head. “No, of course not. I—” He cut off what he was going to say when the real meaning of Wyatt’s question hit him. “You’re wondering if the smell or appearance of it makes me hungry.”
“Yes.”
The smile on Bel’s lips was more than a little self-deprecating this time. “In an effort to always be honest with you…yes, there is a baser part of my makeup, the animal instinct part of the vampire, that is hungry at the smell. But it is nothing in comparison to the horror I feel at seeing you hurt. Or the heartache I feel.” Bel paused as Wyatt swayed a little against him. He waited until Wyatt was ready to proceed up the stairs before he continued talking. “I care…I care a great deal for you and River. I never want to see you hurting or injured. I will never hurt you or River because I can’t control my need to feed.”
Wyatt cupped Bel’s cheek when they reached the top of the stairs. “I’m not afraid of you hurting me or River. I trust you with my life, with River’s life, completely.”
“Thank you,” Bel whispered, lost in the spell of Wyatt’s warm, deep voice.
“I am worried about making you uncomfortable since I know you won’t feed from us.”
Bel smirked at Wyatt. It had been a while since Wyatt had brought up the subject of Bel using the wolves as blood donors, and it was becoming very obvious that he was seeing it more of a slight than an unwanted obligation.
“I’m not uncomfortable, thank you. You and River have become a lot of things to me, but you are not a meal.”
“Guys,” River said from behind them, amusement clear in his voice. “While this heart-to-heart is adorable—and we are definitely revisiting this ‘who gets to feed Bel’ topic—Wyatt is dripping blood all over the carpet. We need to move this along to the bathroom.”
“Who gets to feed Bel,” the vampire muttered while getting Wyatt to shuffle along to the master bedroom. “You make it sound like I’m some poor foundling left on your doorstep in a basket. I am one hundred and seventy-six years old. I am quite adept at feeding myself.”
“Better than making you sound like the old man you are,” River said.
“Old man!”
Whatever Bel could have pulled together as an argument was drowned out by Wyatt’s loud laughter. It didn’t matter. Just that sound made Bel’s heart lighter. Leaning Wyatt against the counter, Bel stepped away to turn on the shower and adjust the water temperature. When he turned back, River was standing between Wyatt’s legs and holding him gently while sipping up sweet kisses.
“River, help Wyatt clean his wounds in the shower. I’ll lay out the gauze, tape, and ointment for when you get out. I’ll also grab some clean clothes from your closet. You can both rest in my bed until he has healed.”
“You’re not getting in the shower with us?” River inquired.
A little shaft of longing went up, but Bel shook his head. “The shower is plenty big for two. Not three. This is about helping Wyatt heal and making him comfortable. Not-not…other things.”
Bel started to leave the bathroom as it filled with steam, but Wyatt’s strong hand wrapped around his wrist, stopping him.
“You will be in the bathroom when I get out of the shower.”
He didn’t know if it was a statement or a question, but Bel found himself mindlessly nodding. Wyatt’s voice had dipped into that deep, commanding tone that left Bel wanting to follow his every instruction.