Iron Claws and Fragile Hearts
Chapter 56: Stupid Feelings
There was something insidious about the darach's heartbeat. It was like Stiles' but with the wrong rhythm. The first thump was too hard and the second thump too soft, as though it were building up energy for something dastardly. Iron Claw's heartbeat was sinister too. It was quieter than Scott's, as though Iron Claw kept it partially hidden so he could pounce on his victims from the relative hush.
Aiden's heartbeat was just as vile as the uncanny twins of Isaac's other enemies. It was strong and steady like Ethan's, but it lacked the distinctive reverberating thump that put Isaac at ease around Ethan. The unnerving difference set Isaac's teeth on edge as Aiden opened the door of the loft.
A scowl was etched across the former alpha's face as he wordlessly stepped back for Isaac to enter. Despite the scowl, he looked good and he smelled happy. If Isaac hadn't already hated him, he might have enjoyed stepping through his personal space. As it was he half-expected Aiden to attack him.
"Ethan's on the phone," Aiden said in a neutral tone as he closed the door behind Isaac.
Isaac instinctively extended his hearing to Ethan's room and caught the familiar tenor of his voice before tuning out again in respect of his privacy.
Malia nodded to him. She was standing in the kitchen holding a whisk and a large ramekin. An array of ingredients were spread out on the counter around her: cracked eggs, a stick of butter, a bottle of lemon juice, and shakers of seasoning. The aroma of potatoes baking in the oven made Isaac's stomach rumble. "Aiden's showing me how to make his holiday sauce."
"Hollandaise sauce," Aiden corrected as he reached around her to dip his finger in the yellow concoction. He puckered his lips and sucked the sauce off the pad of his finger.
A flush of warmth spread across Isaac's skin. Aiden and Malia were standing very close, his biceps bulging beneath the cuffs of his rust red t-shirt, and her smooth, shapely legs stretching impossibly high in her denim shorts.
"Delicious," Aiden murmured against the shell of her ear.
"Yeah." Isaac cleared his throat as they both looked at him. "It, uh, smells good from here."
Malia nuzzled back against Aiden as she sampled the sauce for herself. She licked her lips, and Isaac tried not to stare. "Mmm, I did a good job."
"Yeah, you did," Aiden answered, his hands on her hips.
She turned to face him and gripped his ass as she writhed against him. "Let's go to your room and have sex to celebrate."
Isaac choked and Aiden cut him a sharp look.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Lydia's still teaching me about manners." She curled a leg around the back of Aiden's thighs and gyrated against his waist. "Would you like to join us for sex, Isaac? I didn't mean to make you feel left out."
"Um, no thanks."
She tilted her head and scented the air. "Really? Because I can tell you want to. Is this one of those situations where I'm supposed to ask two or three times to be polite before you accept?"
"If he does accept, I'm going to cook our dinner," Ethan said with a laugh as he walked out of his room.
"Oh no!" Malia gasped and lowered her leg as she separated from Aiden. "I'm sorry, Isaac, I don't know how good you are in bed, but I know how bad Ethan is in the kitchen. It's not worth it."
"I wasn't going to go along with it," Aiden told her as he gathered up the ingredients she had used for the sauce.
"But I'm curious about threesomes." She looked between Aiden and Ethan, the sweet, earthy scent of her desire thickening in the air. "How about the three of us?"
Both brothers shuddered dramatically.
"No," Ethan said.
"Definitely not," Aiden answered.
"But isn't tonight all about the two of you getting along better? This could help."
"Sticking with no." Aiden tossed the eggshells in the trash.
"Damn." She frowned but then her face lit up. "Ooh, I know, how about the two of us and Lydia? You used to like having sex with her. I bet you'd still enjoy it."
Aiden smirked at her as he washed his hands at the sink. "Sure, go ahead and set that up."
"Sweet!" She threw her arms around him and kissed him. "I'm so lucky to be dating a guy who's willing to hook up with his ex."
"Yeah, he's a real keeper," Ethan drawled as he crossed the room to Isaac.
Aiden flicked water at him.
"Hey," Isaac said quietly as their eyes met.
"Hey." Ethan leaned in for a kiss, but Isaac dodged it by lurching forward and hugging him instead.
Isaac whimpered at how good it felt, at the way their bodies seemed to mold together and all but melt against each other. Ethan's muscles were firm and warm beneath the soft cotton of his slate blue v-neck. It was Isaac's favorite color and the same shirt Ethan had worn the night they had sex for the first time. That realization sent the blood rushing to Isaac's crotch.
"Easy now, we're not alone," Ethan whispered into Isaac's ear, a tinge of smugness in his voice.
"Dick," Isaac whispered, nosing at the space beneath Ethan's jawline and drawing his scent as deeply into his lungs as possible.
"Asshole," Ethan whispered with a playful lilt. He might as well have stuck his hand down Isaac's pants for the effect it had on him.
Aiden clanked a skillet against the stove and growled. "Do I need to get the hose?"
"Where would the hose go? And would they take off their clothes if they got wet?" Malia eyed Isaac and Ethan up and down as she slid her hand under Aiden's shirt and rubbed his stomach. "How similar are you and Ethan naked? I wanna know if I'm picturing it right."
"Stop picturing it." Aiden tugged her hand away and checked the timer on the oven.
Isaac forced himself to end his embrace with Ethan and avoided eye contact with everyone as he went to the bar separating the kitchen from the living room, intent on obscuring his arousal behind it. Yet, while he was avoiding everyone's faces that left his eyes free to wander across Ethan's swollen bulge as he joined Isaac at the counter.
Fucking visible outlines.
Ethan nudged his shoulder against Isaac's and gave him a roguish smile. "Brett says hi."
"Is Brett what you call your penis?" Malia asked as she leaned on the bar across from them.
"It's not," Ethan answered, unperturbed.
Isaac gaped at her, but his hand furled into a fist on the countertop as anger replaced surprise.
"What's wrong?" Ethan asked, bumping his hip against Isaac's.
"He hurt Liam."
Aiden was bent over pulling food out of the refrigerator, but his head snapped up at Isaac's words. "Who hurt Liam?"
The way Aiden's body tensed and his eyes narrowed, Isaac almost believed he cared, but he was probably just being nosy. Isaac answered anyway for Ethan's sake. "Brett and the guys from the Devenford team trapped Liam in an abandoned zoo enclosure and pummeled him with lacrosse balls after a game they lost last season."
Surprise flashed across Ethan's face, and a growl rumbled from Aiden's throat.
Malia shrugged. "Was it his fault they lost? He might have had it coming."
"He didn't have it coming." Isaac glared at her, then shifted his attention to Ethan. "Why were you talking to Brett anyway?"
"Where does this guy live?" Aiden set a plate of steaks on the counter with a thunk. The scent of raw meat blended eerily well with the bloodlust wafting from his pores. It figured he would look for any reason to attack someone. "Is he that werewolf you fucked from the Buddhist pack?"
"Oh that guy?!" Malia grinned and glanced over Isaac's shoulder to the area of the room where Isaac had blown Brett and Ethan had unloaded across his back. She took a deep breath and sighed happily. "His pheromones are incredible. Can I have his number?"
Aiden flinched and jealousy spiked in his cloud of primal, aggressive emotions.
Isaac crowded closer to the counter and discreetly slid his hand into his pants to adjust the uncomfortable angle of his erection. Aiden's primal, aggressive emotions smelled very similar to Ethan's primal, aggressive emotions, and Isaac associated that scent with clutching hands, snapping hips, power-laden commands, and best of all the throbbing, satisfying ache of a big cock plunging inside him and fucking him till he was stretched wide and dripping cum. If anything the scent of Aiden's aggression was even more raw and dangerous.
"Where does this guy live?" Aiden repeated, yanking a bundle of asparagus out of a wispy grocery store produce bag. Isaac had masked his scent as soon as Aiden's began affecting him, so no one paid him any attention.
Ethan shook his head and held eye contact with his brother. "You are not fighting with a member of Satomi Ito's pack, much less her adopted son."
Adopted son?
"Oh that guy. I hated that guy." Aiden growled and turned on the water at the sink to wash the asparagus. "He was such an arrogant prick."
Malia giggled. "Speaking of pricks..."
Aiden laughed and rolled his eyes at Malia before smirking at Ethan. "You see what happens when I deprive her?"
Images of Malia naked and wild-eyed, her breasts heaving as she rode Aiden's sweaty, muscular body flashed through Isaac's mind. He made a point of saving those visuals for later as he turned to Ethan. "Why did you call Brett?"
"To get Satomi's number so I could warn her that Megan and her pack are coming for us." Ethan's eyes filled with the same tortured regret as earlier that afternoon, and Isaac's lust faded in an instant. Ethan's sadness was the ultimate boner-killer. He rubbed Ethan's back and fought the urge to wrap him up in his arms.
Aiden glowered as he shut off the water and shook the asparagus. "It's none of her damn business. We're in Scott's territory."
"We're omegas, Aiden, and we routinely cross into her territory too. We can't afford to piss her off."
"So what did she say?" Isaac asked quietly, squeezing the back of Ethan's neck. It was a purely platonic gesture of support and totally didn't make Isaac's fingers tingle.
"She was vehement that there was to be no bloodshed in her area."
"Does that include Brett?" Aiden asked with a dark smile as he chopped the ends off the asparagus spears.
"Does it?" Isaac inquired innocently. He wasn't only feeling protective toward Ethan. Brett deserved an ass-kicking for what he had done to Isaac's packmate.
"You like Brett. Stay out of the drama between him and Liam." Ethan's tone rang with enough authority to make Isaac's eyes drop in submission...and his cock twitch with interest. Ethan addressed Aiden in the same tone but to less effect. "And don't you even think about picking a fight with someone else. We're in enough trouble as it is."
"Well that's not exactly my fault, now is it?"
Ethan winced and looked away.
Isaac opened his mouth to rip into Aiden, but to his surprise Aiden frowned at Ethan and the bitter tang of...remose leaked into the air.
Isaac and Aiden accidentally made eye contact, and Aiden's face hardened. "How do you like your steak cooked?"
Isaac smirked at him. "By someone I trust."
Aiden smiled, the tips of his fangs extending. "Then I'll just let Ethan cook yours."
Isaac's eyes widened and his stomach turned. "Medium rare, please."
Ethan swatted Isaac's arm and laughed. The tension in the room eased and–
"I don't understand why you smell so guilty," Malia said.
Ethan's shoulders sagged, and Isaac couldn't help but wrap his arm around them and glare at Malia.
"You remember what I told you about his ex-boyfriend?" Aiden said quietly as he seasoned the steaks.
"Yeah."
"That's why."
Malia furrowed her brow. "But didn't your alpha say you had to kill him?"
Ethan nodded without looking up.
"And didn't he threaten to do horrible things to you and Aiden if you ever disobeyed him."
"Yes." Ethan gave her an irritated scowl.
"Then I don't understand."
"He feels guilty anyway," Isaac squeezed Ethan's shoulders and tried to silence her with his eyes.
"Oh. That's stupid." She patted Ethan's arm where it rested on the counter. "Ethan, your feelings are stupid."
Ethan's heartbeat and scent disappeared, and he pulled away from Isaac and strode out of the room. His door clicked shut a moment later.
At first Isaac was too stunned by Malia's behavior to react. He was about to go after Ethan when Aiden raised his palm and shook his head.
"I'll talk to him," Aiden said as he washed his hands at the sink.
Isaac wanted to protest but didn't. He and Ethan were friends, but Aiden was his brother and he had lived through the ordeal with him. As much as Isaac hated it, it was Aiden's place to talk to Ethan, and he didn't want to intrude.
"You want me to come with you?" Malia asked cheerfully.
Aiden didn't look at her as he walked out of the room. "No. Stay here."
Malia followed Aiden with her eyes until he disappeared from view. "That's weird. I think he's upset with me."
"Uh yeah, do you not see what you just did?"
"No?" She frowned and shook her head. "What did I do?"
"You hurt Ethan's feelings." Isaac couldn't keep the anger out of his voice.
"His stupid feelings." She stretched out against the counter. "He shouldn't feel that way. I was helping."
Isaac took a deep breath. "You can't tell someone their feelings are stupid."
"I can't?"
"No."
"Even if they are?"
"Yes."
"That's a dumb rule." She sniffed the air and her face fell. "Wait, you're mad at me too?"
Isaac folded his arms and nodded.
"Because you care about Ethan's stupid feelings?"
"Yes," he answered with a clenched jaw.
She growled and slapped the countertop. "Ugh, being a human is so complicated! All I wanna do is have sex outside under the moonlight, sleep inside on a bed, and chase the occasional deer or two, but everyone has all these weird expectations for me. My dad won't let Aiden sleep over, I'm not supposed to tell Ethan his feelings are stupid, and Lydia's trying to make me wear a bra to school tomorrow. How does any of that make sense?"
Isaac's anger deflated as his fragile packbond with Malia fluttered with despair and frustration. Their bond was too fragile. She had been his packmate for slightly longer than Liam, yet this was their first one-on-one conversation since he had gone to her house to confirm to Scott that he was okay with her joining the pack.
"I'm sorry." He unfolded his arms and leaned against the bar so they were at eye level. "I know you need more support."
Malia looked down at her chest and sighed with irritation. "Fine, I'll wear that damn bra."
"I meant from me."
"Normally I'd take you up on that, but I'm not in the mood right now. You can support them later."
Isaac stared at her chest and got lost in a fantasy before shaking his head to clear it.
"Let's try this again." He made eye contact and gave her a reassuring smile. "I know it's overwhelming being a human after all those years living by yourself as a coyote."
"It is." She let out a long breath. "I wasn't trying to hurt Ethan's feelings. I wanted to make a good impression on him tonight."
"Really?" Isaac arched his brow, surprised that she was bothering...and also at the way she had gone about it.
"Yes, I'm grateful to you and Ethan for finding me and giving me my life back, and we're getting along fine" –she motioned between them– "but Ethan is more distant."
"It's because you don't have a packbond with him," Isaac answered.
"No, I think it's because he doesn't like it when I have orgasms."
Isaac's eyes widened. "I'm pretty sure he doesn't mind that."
Malia shook her head insistently. "No, he does. My orgasms make him very grumpy. Aiden's orgasms piss him off too. They had a huge fight about it on Friday."
"He just wants to be able to sleep."
Malia clicked her tongue. "Who ever heard of sleeping through an orgasm?"
"But they're not his orgasms."
"That's why I asked him to join me and Aiden, well part of the reason. I think he'd mind our orgasms less if he had some with us."
"That is logical," Isaac conceded, "but you know he's gay, right?"
"I know, that's why Aiden would be involved. Ethan could enjoy Aiden's body, Aiden could enjoy mine, and I'd get to have them both. It would be perfect!"
Isaac snickered and gave up arguing. "That would be hot."
"Right?!" She smacked Isaac's arm and shook her head wistfully. "I don't know why they're not into the idea."
"Weirdos," Isaac agreed with a nod.
"And it's not like you and Ethan are monogamous."
"What?!"
"Well you're not, I mean unless you really suck at it."
"Oh uh, we're just friends."
"But you had that threesome with Brett." She laughed. "I smelled you all over the apartment. You smell good too by the way, although unless it would make Ethan mad, I think you should get off more. You're always so full of pent up sexual frustration. It's like you thing. Liam always smells angry, and you always smell horny."
Isaac's cheeks burned and he looked away. "I always smell horny?"
"Always." She squeezed his shoulder and ran her hand down his arm, her thumb stroking his bicep. "Like right now."
Isaac swallowed as she swept her hair back with her other hand and trailed her fingers across her throat and down her chest.
"I know you want" –she caressed his forearm– "to support me."
"Malia, I–"
"Come support me, Isaac." She pressed her thumb into his palm and massaged his knuckles with her fingertips.
"What about–" Stiles? Ethan? "Aiden?"
"I just became human after eight years, and I'm experiencing everything for the first time. I'm not ready to settle down, and he gets that. We have an open relationship." She tilted her head and gave him a sultry smile. "And you and Ethan are just friends so..."
"I can't." Isaac pulled his hand away and stepped back.
She glanced meaningfully at the raging erection he was sporting.
"Oh I could." He spread his hands over his tented crotch. "But it wouldn't be fair to–" Stiles! Ethan! "Aiden."
Her face fell and a burst of shame filled the air around her. "You're right. He can't stand you. Even if it wouldn't be cheating, it would be wrong with you. I got carried away. I'm sorry."
"No harm done," Isaac answered, taking a deep breath and trying to relax.
"Yeah, but now we're both horny."
"We already were." He winked at her.
"That's true." She nodded and realization sparked in her eyes. "Hey, maybe that's my thing too."
"I think it might be," he answered.
"At least it's better than Liam's thing."
"Oh for sure," Isaac said with a laugh.
They both sighed and stared off into the distance. Isaac wasn't sure about her, but he was thinking about Liam's thing. After a little while, they smiled at each other and shared a knowing look.
"So what did you mean earlier about the point of tonight being for Ethan and Aiden to get along better?" he asked.
"That's why they set this up and invited us. Basically they have a truce, and part of the deal is Aiden putting up with you, and Ethan not getting mad at me when I have loud orgasms. You can have a loud orgasm too, and Aiden's supposed to tolerate it."
"They actually had these negotiations?"
"I'm parenthesizing based on what Aiden told me, but that's the gist of it. The people they're seeing have to be welcome, and they won't fight over stupid stuff." She furrowed her brow. "I don't know if that includes Ethan's feelings or not."
"You're paraphrasing," Isaac said, still reflecting on the twins' truce.
"Oh I'm sorry." She stood up straight and her scent disappeared. "I'm still turned on. I didn't mean to."
"No, that's not–"
"You're still paraphrasing too by the way." She licked her lips and sniffed the air. "We're probably making each other paraphrase."
Isaac blinked at her but then sealed off his scent. "Better?"
"No, but yes." She groaned and turned around, leaning backward against the counter and looking at Isaac over her shoulder. "Do you think I should tell my dad the truth about what I am? Lydia and Aiden think I should wait, but I think they're biased because their dads are dead."
"My dad's dead too," Isaac answered quietly.
"Oh, then I guess I'll ask Stiles or Liam. Their dads are alive and know about us."
"You should talk to Scott too."
"Is his dad alive? I thought Melissa was a single parent."
"He's alive, but he's not involved in Scott's life. I just meant you should talk to Scott about it because he's your alpha."
They looked up as Ethan's door opened and the twins walked out.
"Yeah sure, I'll get his opinion," she shrugged at him before smiling apologetically at Ethan. "I'm sorry I brought up your stupid feelings."
Isaac groaned and covered his face with his hand.
"It's okay, I feel better now." He reclaimed his place at the bar beside Isaac.
Acting on impulse, Isaac hugged Ethan and scented his neck. He smelled good, relaxed and content. The only unpleasant scent was Aiden but...well Aiden didn't smell bad, not objectively, but his scent was full of negative connotations.
Ethan cradled the back of Isaac's head and kissed his jaw, and all scents except the soft, plush blanket of Ethan's affection vanished. Pools of warm chocolate filled Isaac's eyes, and a torrent of emotion swelled in his chest. It felt too good to label, and Isaac trusted Ethan too much to be afraid of it. Whatever it was made him stand there, grinning like an idiot as it consumed him.
The sizzle of meat snapping and popping in the corner of Isaac's awareness reminded him that they weren't alone. An instant later he remembered something much more important: Stiles.
Fuck, Isaac wasn't doing a very good job telling Ethan about his new relationship.
"I have to talk to you about something after dinner," Isaac whispered.
"Okay." Ethan stroked Isaac's cheekbone with the pad of this thumb. "Aiden's taking Malia home after we're done eating. We'll talk then."
Isaac let out a shaky breath, realizing too late that it blew across Ethan's lips. "Are you going to take me home?"
Ethan grazed his knee against Isaac's leg, and cool rings of blue glimmered around the edges his brown eyes. "Eventually."
"No rush," Isaac murmured, lost in how ridiculously handsome Ethan was with his strong yet boyish features and full, pink lips.
Aiden cleared his throat. "Do you like lemon pepper, Isaac? That's how I was going to spice the asparagus, but I could do a garlic butter. Malia and Ethan like both."
Isaac's cheeks burned as he let go of Ethan and took a couple steps back. Everyone in the room was going to wrongly think he had romantic feelings for Ethan. Was that why Aiden was being civil to him, why the twins' truce had involved making Isaac feel welcome? Did Aiden...did Ethan think there was something going on between them beyond friendship?
"Lemon pepper's fine." Isaac shifted awkwardly and added a mumbled, "thanks."
Aiden grunted an acknowledgment and reached for the pepper mill.
A smile tugged at the corners of Ethan's mouth as he looked between Isaac and his brother. Isaac was such a tool for leading him on.
Dinner was ready a little while later, and after plating it Aiden retrieved a decanter of red wine from the table and wine glasses from a cabinet. Isaac cringed, but before he could say anything Ethan separated two of the glasses.
"Isaac and I are going to have sparkling grape juice." He threw a smile at Isaac and opened the fridge to get the beverage. Isaac breathed a sigh of relief.
"You're not even going to try the wine?" Aiden's tone signaled he was personally offended as he glared at Isaac. "It pairs well with steak, that's why I got it."
"Aiden, he doesn't–"
"I know." Aiden spoke over his brother. "His old man was an alcoholic, but it's not like he can even get drunk. Just try it."
"Drop it." Ethan's voice resonated with authority.
Aiden growled at Ethan and gave Isaac a hateful look. He filled the other two wine glasses and shoved one across the bar to Malia. "Here."
She picked it up, sniffed it, and scrunched her face. "I don't like it."
"You didn't taste it, and you have to try it with the steak."
Malia shook her head and turned to Ethan as he opened the sparkling grape juice. "Can I have some of your fizzy drink? It smells better."
"Sure." Ethan snickered and poured a glass for her.
Rage billowed off Aiden as he grabbed the rejected wine and took it to the sink.
Ethan crossed the kitchen and curled his fingers around the glass just as Aiden was about to pour it out. "I'd enjoy some wine instead. You always choose so well."
A measure of anger eased from Aiden's face, but he didn't say anything as he passed Ethan the glass and took his plate and drink to the table.
Isaac got a glass of grape juice, and they all grabbed their plates and joined Aiden at the table.
Isaac's mouth watered as he cut into his steak. It was moist, tender, and aromatic, and he couldn't help but moan as he tasted it. "Muhhn, this is so good."
Ethan laughed and clapped his brother's shoulder. "Congratulations, he usually only makes that sound for me."
Malia smacked her lips and shoved a large forkful of meat into her mouth. "Mmm, yeah, I'm very satisfied too."
Aiden sniggered and sipped his wine. "But how's the steak?"
Malia gave him a dull look and cut a second piece. "I just said it was good."
Isaac sampled the potatoes next. When he'd first walked in and smelled them in the oven, he thought Aiden was making baked potatoes, but it turned out to be a potato casserole. "This is delicious," he mumbled, glancing in Aiden's direction but not making eye contact.
"Wait till you try his asparagus," Ethan said, giving his twin another proud smile.
Aiden grumbled but his scent filled with pride.
"I forgot the Holland sauce!" Malia jumped up and went to the kitchen. She reheated the sauce and returned a little while later with the ramekin.
"Can I have some?" Isaac asked, eying the yellow sauce and enjoying its creamy, tangy aroma.
"No." She covered it with her hand and growled at Isaac, fangs bared.
Ethan and Aiden laughed.
"Lydia would be disappointed if you didn't share, babe," Aiden said.
"Well Lydia's not here!" She tossed her head back and dumped the entire dish of sauce all over her plate. "You can lick the bowl if you want," she offered, pushing it toward Isaac with her fork.
"No, thank you," he answered crisply as he sipped his sparkling grape juice, which Ethan had bought for him but she was drinking too – whatever, Isaac wasn't going to be petty about that.
Ethan's phone buzzed, and he pulled it out of his pocket. Before he could check it Aiden snatched it away.
Aiden looked at the display and growled. "It's that bitch again."
"Lemme see." Ethan held out his hand.
Aiden shook his head and typed in a passcode. "I'm deleting it and blocking the number."
"No!" Ethan jumped out of his chair. "Give it back!"
Aiden turned and blocked Ethan's attempts to reach around him with his elbow as he clutched the device to his chest and tapped at it.
For a moment Isaac considered joining the fray and helping Ethan, but then he realized that...he agreed with Aiden. Ethan got upset every time he read one of the threatening texts, and if he really wanted to he could just unblock the number again. Even his attempts to yank the phone away from Aiden were half-hearted at best.
"You should have deleted that number two years ago," Aiden said as he handed the phone back to Ethan.
"It was Rick's number," Ethan said quietly as he stared at the screen.
"Yeah, well now it isn't," Aiden answered, his fork and knife clinking against his plate as he cut up his food.
Ethan hesitated, but instead of unblocking the number, he slid the device back into his pocket and sat down.
Isaac brushed his foot against Ethan's under the table and gave him a small smile.
"Thanks," Ethan muttered, and Isaac wasn't sure if he was talking to him or Aiden.
"When are you going to get your phone replaced?" Malia asked Aiden. "I just had the most amazing idea! You know how they have cameras on them? We could take nude photos of ourselves and send them to each other over text message!"
Ethan broke into laughter and Isaac facepalmed.
"I bought a new phone after I dropped Liam off this afternoon." Aiden's smile widened. "So let's go for it."
"You can get in serious trouble if you do that," Isaac said to his packmate.
"What? Why? It's my body and my business."
"It's still a crime," Isaac answered, ignoring the hot glare Aiden was shooting him. "Consider it another one of those dumb rules."
"Ugh, humans are the worst." She folded her arms and addressed Aiden. "What was that word you used for Ethan the other day?"
"Cockblock," he answered, smirking at his brother.
"Yeah, that's it. Humans are cockblocks." She grumbled and impaled a spear of asparagus with her fork.
"You don't have a cock," Isaac pointed out.
"I have a really tiny one. I didn't know about it at first, but Aiden found it for me." Her scent flushed with arousal and she grinned at Aiden. "It's the best thing ever!"
"Happy to help," he answered, still smirking, "and it's called your clitoris."
"Right, my clitoris. I love my clitoris! And Aiden is so good at stimulating it."
Isaac shifted in his seat as heat pooled in crotch, and a fresh round of vivid images flashed through his mind.
"With his tongue, his fingers, his penis – he really knows how to make my clitoris hum."
Aiden's scent dripped with pride. It would have normally annoyed Isaac, but this time he found it sexy.
Ethan groaned. "Can we not discuss your clitoris at the table?"
"See, he hates my orgasms," Malia whispered to Isaac.
"What?!"
"Well you do."
"I do not."
"Toldja he didn't," Isaac said, nudging Ethan's foot again under the table.
"You really don't?" she asked.
"I really don't," he answered in a serious tone.
"I'm enjoying this dinner way more than I expected to," Aiden commented with a chuckle.
"Me too," Isaac admitted with a nod, still picturing Aiden stimulating Malia.
Ethan sighed. "It's going about how I predicted."
"Fine we'll talk about something you're interested in." She took a big bite of potatoes and washed it down with a noisy sip of juice. "How many people are coming to kill you?"
Ethan's fork clanked against his plate.
"Malia seriously!" Isaac glared at her.
"What?" She held up her hands and looked around the table. Even Aiden was annoyed. "Lydia says the key to making good small talk is asking people about topics they care about." She looked at Ethan in confusion. "Do you not care about this topic? Because I think you should."
Isaac started to object, but Ethan spoke first.
"It is important. I've been thinking about it for the last couple days. Megan and her cousin Byron were the oldest wolves in the pack who weren't invited to Deucalion's party. There were a couple others about our age or a little younger, and then about six or seven kids."
"But there were also a couple of adult pack members missing from the body count," Aiden said.
"Right, another werewolf and one of the humans," Ethan said. "They must have been babysitting the kids or just didn't attend the party for some reason. Assuming they left with Megan and the others, and that only the werewolves are going to come to fight–"
"–and only the ones older than about fourteen or fifteen," Aiden added.
Ethan nodded. "Then that would be Megan, Byron, the adult wolf, the two older teens, and maybe one or two of the kids who are teens now."
Malia counted them off on her fingers. "So six or seven."
"Yeah." Ethan swirled his wine around the glass and swallowed the last of it.
"It must have been a big pack," Isaac said before popping his final bite of steak into his mouth.
"Wolfpacks vary a lot in size," Ethan said as he covered his plate with his napkin. "Anything from three or four to thirty or forty."
"Six to twelve active werewolves and an emissary is about standard." Aiden pushed away his nearly empty plate. "It gets larger when you include humans, allies, and children."
Malia scraped the last few slices of potato onto her fork and smeared Hollandaise sauce on them with her knife. "Do werecoyotes form packs?"
"It's not unheard of," Aiden answered, "but typically only with their families or if they need to for protection because there are hunters or other threats in the area. There are no true alpha werecoyotes, though of course there are leaders when packs do form. Membership is looser too. Werecoyotes don't have the same pack instincts as werewolves, so they come and go as they please."
Malia smiled and rolled the final spear of asparagus through the sauce on her plate. "I like that. I don't wanna be controlled by a pack."
"But you have a pack." Isaac flashed his eyes at her and tried to channel a sense of solidarity through their thin packbond. He had thought his bond with Malia was weaker because he hadn't spent enough time with her yet, but was this the real reason? "And we won't control you; we'll protect you."
"I can protect myself. I'll stay with the pack as long as I want and no longer." She smiled at him, her eyes glowing blue. "But I want to for now."
Sadness, anger, and fear warred for control of Isaac's emotions. For now wasn't the type of commitment he was looking for from his packmate. Everyone always left...or died. Was it even worth bonding with her?
Ethan nudged Isaac's foot and stroked Isaac's ankle with his socked toes.
Isaac masked his scent and forced a smile. He could think about Malia inevitably abandoning the pack later. "So is Megan their alpha now?"
The look in Ethan's eyes said that he recognized Isaac's question as the deflection that it was, but he answered anyway. "No, not unless she's somehow become one in the meantime, but she didn't get her mother's spark. Deucalion absorbed it."
Isaac was relieved. The last thing they needed was another homicidal alpha in town. They already had Iron Claw to deal with.
After dinner concluded, Aiden left to take Malia home.
"I'll help with the dishes," Isaac said as he stacked his plate atop Malia's and leaned across the table for Aiden's.
"Don't worry about it," Ethan answered, leaving his own plate and glass where they sat. "That maid service I mentioned is coming tomorrow while we're at school."
"Oh yeah." Isaac snickered as he recalled the disaster area Ethan had made of the kitchen yesterday morning when he had tried to make breakfast. "So I take it you called them for an emergency visit this weekend to clean and get groceries for tonight?
"Nah." Ethan plopped onto the couch. "Aiden and I cleaned up and went to the store ourselves."
Isaac affected a faux-impressed expression as he sank into the space next to Ethan. "Wow, the rich boy had to do something for himself."
Ethan rolled his eyes and turned to face Isaac more fully, tucking his foot under his leg and leaning back against the arm of the couch. "After Keith killed our family, he moved into our house and we basically became his slaves. Aiden did all the cooking obviously, and I did the groundskeeping. We both cleaned and did laundry and other random shit. He'd beat us when we made mistakes or weren't fast enough. He used to lend us out to the rest of the pack too. They were even more violent with us, like they were trying to prove they had no loyalty to our family and dead packmates."
"I-I um..." Isaac's face was on fire. "I didn't know that. It was a dumb joke. I shouldn't have–"
"It's fine." Ethan dropped his hand on Isaac's arm where it was propped on the back couch cushion. "I wasn't offended. That just seemed like something I should tell you."
"It did?"
"Yeah." He gently squeezed Isaac's elbow and smiled. "I'm serious about being open with you."
It was a good thing Isaac was already blushing because if he hadn't been, that comment would have done it.
"Anyway, I think that's why we kept using the maid service after Deucalion left town. Chores and housework have very bad associations for us, and since we can afford it" –he shrugged– "why not?"
"That makes sense." Isaac shifted closer, his knee brushing Ethan's shin through their pants. "I didn't mean to be judgmental."
"You weren't." Ethan's fingers dipped beneath the cuff of Isaac's shirt and massaged the skin there.
Isaac needed to set the record straight about his relationship with Stiles right away before his resolve faltered or things got out of hand, but Ethan wasn't done discussing his childhood.
"Cooking is an exception for Aiden. It's something he enjoys. Our dad taught him when he was little, and they used to cook together several nights a week up until the murders."
"He didn't teach you?"
Ethan laughed, his eyes crinkling. "He tried to a few times, but I'm pretty sure if we hadn't been a family of werewolves, I'd have given us all food poisoning. My parents didn't let Gretchen eat anything I made just in case."
Isaac chuckled, recalling that Gretchen had been Ethan's human nanny and part of the family.
"Dad taught us about wine too. I know a good bit, but Aiden has more of a knack for pairing it with foods."
"Wait, I thought..."
"Hmm?"
Isaac hesitated but continued. "Didn't you say your parents were killed when you were thirteen?"
The smile faded from Ethan's face. "Yeah, that's right."
"Your dad gave you wine that young?" Isaac didn't bother to keep the judgment out of his tone. That was really fucked up, especially since it sounded like something that had been going on for years before that. He had a mental flash of the twins as eight-years-olds swilling wine.
Ethan withdrew his hand from Isaac's arm and scowled. "And why shouldn't he? It had absolutely no effect on us. The culture is completely different for born werewolves in that regard. There's no such thing as underage drinking or alcohol abuse, and it wasn't bad for us."
"Still seems messed up," Isaac muttered.
"Would it seem messed up if we had been drinking grape juice?"
"Well no but–"
"We basically were, just with a lot more variation and a more nuanced flavor profile."
Isaac's frown deepened. Ethan's argument made logical sense but–
"You shouldn't drink though," Ethan said in a softer tone as he bumped Isaac's leg with his knee.
"I shouldn't?"
"No. You have understandable negative associations with alcohol. It's like how I cringe every time I smell mulch, or how Aiden's heart beats faster when he sees an iron."
"I didn't know that."
"It's kinda specific." Ethan shrugged one shoulder. "But my point is, just because I'm never going to like gardening, doesn't mean there's anything wrong with other people enjoying it or sharing it with their kids...stabbing the kid in the gut with a garden trowel for over-pruning the rose bushes, that's fucked up; but teaching them how to plant and water flowers, that's fine."
Isaac winced and glanced at Ethan's midsection.
Ethan snickered and lifted his shirt. "I'm okay now."
Isaac swallowed hard as he stared at Ethan's rippling abs and sculpted v-lines. For the first time that Isaac had ever seen, Ethan's sinewy stomach wasn't perfectly smooth. A thin line of stubble was just visible against his tan skin as it descended from his taut bellybutton. Isaac didn't get to have an opinion about Ethan's treasure trail or lack thereof, but if he had gotten to have an opinion, he'd have requested that Ethan let it grow it out. Imagining those short little hairs grazing his cock while Ethan fucked him and he rubbed off on Ethan's abs was enough to make him audibly whimper.
"You want me to take off my shirt?" Ethan asked in a hopeful tone.
Fuck yeah I want you to take off your shirt! And your pants. And just fucking burn your underwear!
"No, don't." Isaac groaned as Ethan released the shirt and let it re-cover his stomach.
Ethan laughed. "I'm getting some mixed signals here, Isaac."
"That's what I need to talk to you about."
Ethan's face became serious. "Go on."
"I care about you a lot." Isaac made eye contact with Ethan, and as soon as he did, his chest constricted and his heart missed a beat. "Like a lot."
Ethan leaned forward and took both Isaac's hands in his own. His voice was as nervous and unsteady as Isaac had ever heard it when he spoke. "I care about you a lot too."
Isaac let out a shaky breath. "That's why I'm really glad that we're friends now. But, um, we need to keep things strictly platonic from now on because I'm seeing–"
"No." Ethan rubbed the back of Isaac's hands with his thumbs and shook his head. "I can't do that."
"What?"
"Isaac, this just friends thing is killing me."
"What?"
"That threesome with Brett Friday night made me realize something." Ethan stared into Isaac's eyes and rumbled in the back of his throat. "I don't want to share you. I don't want to be your friend with benefits, and I certainly don't want to be just your friend."
Isaac swallowed. "You don't?"
Ethan released one of Isaac's hands, and pulled the other into his lap, sandwiching it between his own. "I tried, Isaac. I tried to keep my distance because that's what you said you wanted. And you were right. What we were doing wasn't working, and we were making ourselves and each other miserable."
"Yeah," Isaac whispered, regret pulsing through him. He had been such a dick to Ethan, and so ashamed of himself for what they were doing.
Their eyes locked and Ethan's voice was thick with emotion as he spoke. "But that's not how it is anymore. We're not bad for each other now. You forgave me."
"I did," Isaac answered, needing to reaffirm it, unable to bear the thought of resentment or animosity between them.
Ethan raised Isaac's hand to his lips and kissed his fingers. "I couldn't have gotten through this crisis with Megan without you." His eyes shone with gratitude. "And instead of making me feel worse about Rick, you comforted me."
Isaac squeezed Ethan's shoulder with his free hand and massaged it with his thumb. Damn right he had comforted Ethan. He would always comfort Ethan.
Determination formed on Ethan's face, and his scent pulsed with confidence as he held Isaac's hand in the air between them, "And I know I make you feel good too. I make you happy."
"Ethan–"
"Tell me I'm wrong." He closed his fingers around Isaac's wrist, and Isaac gasped.
A flood of memories swept over him: that first night in the woods, pine needles and moonlight, running up the side of the cliff Ethan, Ethan's arms holding him, keeping him safe from falling, catching him as he stepped backward off the edge.
Ethan's thumb massaged the bone of his wrist and he thought about the strip show Ethan had put on for him, the way he had kept his distance and placed no demands on Isaac as he performed, the way he had given Isaac his tank top to cover himself with.
Isaac's wrist tingled as he remembered their first dinner together, Ethan teaching him flavor isolation and how to super-taste, how to enjoy the moonlight. Oh god, and had Isaac ever enjoyed the moonlight. Ethan had given him his first moon'gasm, and he had fucking worshiped Isaac's body and made him truly appreciate his cock for the first time.
Isaac covered Ethan's fingers and clutched them more tightly to his skin. Ethan had taught him so much. He had shown Isaac how to mask his scent and hide his heartbeat. He had been there for him after his crisis with Scott. He had given him the rough fuck he needed and the tender aftercare he couldn't admit he craved. He had come to Isaac's aid without question against Iron Claw, and he had nearly died protecting Isaac.
And Ethan had opened up. He had trusted Isaac with his past and told him about his family. He had let Isaac see the worst parts of himself, the murderer who had betrayed Rick, the shame and self loathing he carried as a result. Ethan was honest with him, honest about who he was and what he had done.
And Isaac didn't even have to open up in return. Ethan already knew him completely. He knew everything about Isaac's past. He had seen Isaac's abuse first hand through Isaac's own eyes. He understood Isaac's insecurity and guilt, the gnawing voice in the back of Isaac's head that told him he was worthless and weak, a selfish waste of oxygen who had turned his loving father into a monster. Ethan knew Isaac's fantasies too, even the really fucked up ones. He knew Isaac sometimes got off on feeling like shit. He understood Ethan's baggage and personal demons – and he had known all that before ever pursuing anything with Isaac.
"Yeah, um" –Isaac stared at Ethan's fingers as he trailed his own over them– "you make me feel really safe and happy."
"I want you, Isaac." Ethan caught his eye and gave him a meaningful look. "I want you."
Isaac let out a ragged breath and tapped at Ethan's fingers, too overcome to respond directly. "You haven't done this in a while...I missed it."
Ethan tightened his grip. It was gentle but firm, strong. "I was holding back."
"Yeah?" Isaac huffed out a laugh. All that since the full moon had been Ethan holding back?
"I won't anymore." Ethan gave Isaac a look that dared him to argue. "We're good for each other. We're complicated, but we work."
"Yeah." Isaac breathed the word, barely able to get even that much air out of his lungs.
"I want you," Ethan repeated, eyes glowing blue.
"Yeah." Isaac nodded. He was getting that message loud and clear.
"So?"
"So?"
Ethan smirked at him. "Can I have you?"
There was something, a little niggling voice in the corner of Isaac's mind telling him that he had to say no.
...but it was a quiet voice, and every one of Isaac's other instincts were screaming at him to say–
"Yes."
-000-
End Notes: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It was obviously a huge turning point for Isaac and Ethan, so any feedback is greatly appreciated!
Also please feel free to weigh in on whether or not you want to see some Ethisaac smut next chapter. I was initially leaning toward no, but now I'm leaning toward yes, but I could still go either way. The next long run of chapters (after the smut if there's smut) will be very plot heavy. I have quite a lot planned, and I'm very excited to get into it!
