A Love that Lasts Forever Ch. 12

"That's...generous." Caleb ran a hand through his hair as he thought over Quinton's words.

"Something wrong?"

"No." Caleb shook his head. "It's just...you're such a strong leader. You're loved by all your pack and they follow you because they love you, not because they fear you."

"That's how a pack should be run." Quinton told him. "No pack should ever fear their Alpha and any Alpha who needs to gain control through violence and intimidation doesn't deserve to be Alpha."

"Someone should have told Bowden that." Caleb laughed nervously. "Though, I doubt he'd listen anyway."

"No." Quinton smiled sadly. "I doubt he would have. Bowden may have the rank of Alpha but he's nothing more than a bully in a school yard. Respect is a far better motivator than fear. If Bowden ever found himself in real danger, he might find himself abandoned by those he thought would stand behind him."

"That would never happen to you." Caleb said, looking Quinton in the eyes. "Your pack would die for you, and so would I."

"Well, let's hope it never comes to that." Quinton stood up and began to clear the dishes from the table.

"Alpha, please. Let me do that." Caleb was on his feet in a second, ready to take the dishes from Quinton but Quinton only waved him off.

"It's no trouble, really. Besides, I know the pups been keeping you up at night, and you've been busy all day. Let me do this and take some time for yourself before Rhylan over there gets his second wind and starts howling like the wolf he is."

"Thank you." Caleb smiled warmly at his Alpha. "I appreciate your help."

"I'm happy to help." Quinton told him. "Now, go and relax some. You deserve it."

Caleb nodded then walked around Quinton to scoop Rhylan up carefully from the bassinet. "Just going to lay him down then I think I may soak in a hot bath, if that's okay. It's been awhile since I've had that luxury."

"It's fine with me." Quinton began filling the sink with hot soapy water. "Just be careful you don't fall asleep in there and drown."

"Now you sound like Rhys." Caleb giggled to himself as he carried the pup out of the dining room and disappeared down the hall.

Quinton smirked. "Sure." He said to the empty room. "Rhys would have just crawled in there with you to make sure." Quinton reached for a plate to start cleaning when he stopped, suddenly struck with an image of Caleb laying naked in the tub, a strong, masculine body sliding in behind him only, it wasn't Rhys body he pictured wrapping strong arms around the delicate, little omega, it was his own.

His shook the thought out of his head quickly and took a deep breath. "Not cool." He scolded himself. "Not cool at all." He tried to remind himself that despite their current situation, Caleb was Rhys widow and that made the man off limits. "He's not mine." He told himself. "And he never will be." Somewhere deep inside, Quinton's wolf growled. It was in that moment that Quinton decided that the dishes could wait. He needed to run and clear his head before anymore images of wet, and naked omegas invaded his thoughts. Wolf God help him. Maybe he wasn't as strong as he'd thought.

***

When Quinton returned to the house he knew he couldn't have been gone more than half an hour at the most. When in wolf form it was difficult, if not impossible, to keep track of the time yet there was just this nagging feeling in his gut that wouldn't allow him to stay gone too long, or too far, from Caleb and the pup. His first priority was the safety of both and leaving the pup unattended while Caleb was in the bath just didn't sit well with Quinton.

Leaving Caleb alone for that matter didn't feel right either. He was probably just being overly paranoid but Caleb had seemed so run down and worn out lately that Quinton couldn't help but worry. He had this reoccurring image of finding the young man dead in the tub after having fallen asleep with no one around to help him. It was silly. Quinton knew plenty of single parents who managed just fine but then again, there were the occasional stories in the human papers that told of a man or woman so exhausted that they'd fallen asleep in the bath and drowned.

He tried to push his fears aside and tell himself that he was just being dramatic but his wolf refused to stop being it's over protective self. That's what being a mate did he supposed. Whether the mating was real or not, the responsibility he felt towards his temporary family was real enough to drag him back to house after only a short sprint through the woods to check on Caleb and the pup.

To Quinton's relief, everything seemed to be perfectly fine. He'd dressed quickly in the clothes he'd left on the porch then quietly made his way into the house and towards the back guest room that Caleb now occupied. The light in the room was dimmed down to just a soft glow but the light from the bathroom seeped beneath the partcially opened door spanning a length of golden warmth across the floor to where the crib sat.

Rhylan was awake and laying on his back batting at the stuffed moon and stars hanging from his mobile. He seemed content with his wide, wondering eyes exploring the tiny things hovering above him. When he caught sight of Quinton standing near the rail he smiled brightly and cooed. Quinton smiled back and for a moment was tempted to pick up the baby but then withdrew, too worried he might accidentally harm him.

"He won't bite." Quinton was startled at first by the voice that came from behind him, not realizing that Caleb was standing there. "Well, he might actually, but it won't hurt. Not yet anyway." He gave a soft chuckle as he walked to the bed and sat down.

"I've never been good with babies." Quinton confessed. "I'm clumsy and awkward around them."

"Most alphas are but that changes when they have their own pups. I think the desire to protect supersedes the fear of squishing them."

Quinton turned, about to argue that he'd never get over his fear of breaking the fragile little things when he stopped suddenly and froze, his eyes fixed on the sight before him. Caleb was sitting on the bed, a towel barely covering the lower half of his body, and his long, auburn, hair hanging in silky, wet, ringlets down his slender back. His slender, bare, back. The tips of his hair barely reaching the top of his ass that was partcially exposed as the towel dipped down past his narrow hips.

Quinton's breath caught and he fought hard to turn away but his body suddenly refused to obey him. Wolf God help him but Caleb was beautiful. His skin was flawless, perfect, like ivory. Why had Quinton never noticed that before. Well, he noticed it now and how could he not? With Caleb sitting there, exposed, yet still so innocent looking. Then he turned his head and looked at Quinton with those huge, amber, eyes of his and Quinton nearly lost it.

He watched as Caleb reached back and pulled his hair to the side, letting it spill over his shoulder and down his chest which was somewhat obscured by the angle at which he sat. Quinton thanked the stars and moon above for that or he might have launched himself at the young man without thinking. Caleb picked up a hair brush and began dragging it through his gorgeous locks, little droplets of water trickled down his exposed shoulder and Quinton groaned internally.

"You okay?" Caleb asked, looking a bit worried now. "You don't seem like yourself. Did something happen?"

Quinton quickly shook his head. "I'm alright." He barely got out. "Just been a long day. I went for a run. Guess I'm just out of breath."

"Hm. Maybe you should lie down."

"I'll be fine." Quinton dropped his gaze, refusing to meet Caleb's eyes as the omega watched him with concern. His eyes instead went straight to Caleb's mouth and wolf God what a mistake that was. The man had a beautiful mouth. So full and sensual...the perfect mouth for kissing.

'Stop it!' Quinton told himself. 'He's your brother's mate.' But, he wasn't, was he? Not anymore. Quinton couldn't think that way though. He couldn't think of Caleb as...his. Caleb wouldn't like that. It might even frighten the young omega away. Especially after Quinton had assured him that he expected nothing from the man. If Quinton didn't watch himself he could fuck up and drive Caleb away.

'No! That can't happen.' His wolf growled at him. 'He belongs here. With us!' At least Quinton and his wolf agreed on that. They couldn't risk chasing him away. Quinton had to find a way to tame the wild beast raging inside him and he wasn't just thinking about his wolf but, that was easier said than done. There was just something about Caleb, something so alluring that it had Quinton wanting to run his fingers over that soft, smooth flesh. He wanted to touch his lips, taste them even. The way he almost had the other day before Shelby had interrupted them.

Quinton suddenly wondered if Shelby hadn't walked in at the exact wrong moment on purpose. Her way of protecting Quinton from her imagined danger. Damn her and her stupid suspicions anyway. As aggravating as the interruption was though, she might have saved him from making a total ass of himself. And here he was now, in danger of making the same mistake only this time there was no one to save him from himself.

That's when it suddenly hit him. Caleb wasn't the danger in this situation. Quinton and his over active libido were. He had to do the responsible thing and put some distance between himself and Caleb before it was too late. After everything that Caleb had been through, the last thing he needed, or wanted, was some over zealous alpha drooling all over him. Of that, Quinton was sure.

"You're probably right." Quinton said, slowly backing out of the room. "I just came in to check on you and the pup but now that I see you're fine I should probably call it a night. Got an early morning anyway." Quinton didn't wait for a response. He quickly turned and rushed out of the room. He was up the stairs and in his own bedroom and before he even knew what he was doing, he was standing naked under a cold shower.

Caleb had watched Quinton rush out and sprint down the hall with a mix of confusion and disappointment. Had he done something or said something to upset the Alpha? Maybe he'd met up with Shelby on his run and now was upset that he hadn't reprimanded Caleb for his actions earlier. Caleb sighed as he pulled his hair back into a pony tail then he looked at Rhylan, happily giggling to himself as he kicked the air, oblivious to the goings on around him. "I think Daddy messed up." Caleb groaned. "I just don't know what I did wrong."

He turned to the nightstand beside his bed and picked up the half moon necklace that Quinton had given him. He'd removed it before getting into the bath but now slipped it back over his head, letting the shimmering charm rest against his bare chest. It was the first time he'd taken it off since Quinton had given it to him though he hadn't thought about it at the time, but maybe that was why Quinton seemed so upset.

Maybe seeing that Caleb had removed it had seemed like a rejection somehow. Caleb wasn't sure but he decided then and there that he would not take it off again. Not unless he needed to shift. That way, when Quinton saw that Caleb was still wearing the gift, he'd know how much he appreciated it, and Quinton. He hoped that was all it was. It was a simple misunderstanding that could be easily fixed. If not, then something else was going on that Caleb was apparently clueless about. He really wished he knew what was going on with his Alpha but the man was still a mystery to him. Quinton and Rhys were alike in so many ways but also totally different in so many others.

Oh well. Caleb had time to figure it all out and worrying himself about it now wasn't going to solve anything. He'd worry about it in the morning, once they'd both had a good nights sleep. Caleb pushed himself up from the bed, slipped on a pair of lightweight sleep pants then changed the baby before finally getting into bed himself. It was only slightly past ten at night but Caleb was exhausted. Sleep came easy and soon he was lost in his dreams. And they were good dreams. Tranquil dreams. The dreams of an omega who'd finally made peace with his past, and was ready to move on to a new and brighter future.