Pretty Baby(11)

"I'm not sure I understand exactly what you mean by Tommy's claim on me.  I know he said wolves mate for life and I'm his mate. I get that. I  just don't understand exactly what you're asking."

"If Tommy mates you, it will be for life, yours and his."

Elliot leaned forward to set his glass down on the floor then clasped  his hands together between his knees. His forehead wrinkled as he  frowned at Daniel. "Okay, look, I'm not stupid, but you seem to be doing  everything to make me feel that way. I get it that you don't like me  and you don't want me to be with your son. There's nothing I can do to  change that. So, if you want an honest answer from me then you need to  give me more information to form an opinion and stop beating around the  fucking bush."                       
       
           



       

Tommy blinked in surprise. He couldn't remember ever hearing anyone talk  to his father in that manner, not even his mother. He was also a little  bit shocked by the vehemence he could hear in Elliot's voice. The man  looked like he was starting to get pissed. Tommy just hoped his father  didn't get too pissed by Elliot's words.

"If Thomas has sex with you and bites you at the same time, it will  create a bond between the two of you that will only end when one of you  is dead. Wolves do mate for life and so do we, which means that Thomas  will never be with anyone except you. You will be his mate. However, you  will be his human mate, which means in our pack, he is the dominant one  between the two of you."

Much to Tommy's shock, Elliot started laughing. "Oh please, Tommy's the  dominant one between us now. How is his being a wolf supposed to change  that?"

"For one, I am the alpha of this pack," Daniel said. "That means I'm the top dog and what I say goes."

"Are you trying to tell me that you can say whether Tommy and I are together or not?"

"No, but if you ever speak to me the way you have while we're in front  of other pack members, I will see it as a challenge to my position as  alpha and fight you. And, Elliot, a challenge for leadership is always  to the death."

Tommy expected Elliot to grow all scared and stuff. Any sane person  would have. Instead, Elliot's head tilted to one side as if pondering  Daniel's words. He didn't even drop his eyes from Daniel's, a move that  could be seen as a challenge.

"So, you're basically saying that, as alpha, you have the right to treat  me like shit, but since I'm a human, I can't say anything about it? And  if I do, you're going to kill me?" Elliot reached down and grabbed his  glass of the floor then the bottle of alcohol and stood to his feet. He  tilted the glass towards Daniel in a small salute. "Congratulations,  Daniel Nash, you are my father."

Tommy waited until Elliot walked out of the room before shifting back to  his human form. He pressed his lips together and ignored his father as  he jerked his jeans up his legs and buttoned the bottom two buttons.

He couldn't remember that last time he was this pissed off, and he had  anger issues. Drawing in a deep breath, Tommy turned to glare at his  father. "I think you need to leave."

"Thomas."

Tommy held his hand up to stop his father from saying whatever it was  that the man felt he needed to say. Tommy didn't care. All that mattered  to him was getting to Elliot and convincing the man he was not like  either of their fathers.

"You've said more than enough, Dad."

"Thomas, you need to understand-"

"No, you need to understand," Tommy snapped as he took a step toward his  father. "Elliot is my mate, mine. You do not have the right to come in  here and scare him or threaten him. Right now, I would be perfectly  within my right to challenge you for threatening my mate, and you know  it."

"Thomas, if his father-"

"This is not about Elliot's father. This is about you. Elliot is right.  You're acting just the way you keep saying his father would act." Tommy  pushed his hand over his bald head as he let out a little laugh. "I  don't know why I expected anything less from you. Ever since I refused  to become a member of law enforcement like everyone else in the family,  you've come down on every decision I've made."

"That's not true, Thomas."

"It is true." Tommy's hand waved wildly through the air. "Did you act  this way when Joe found Nate and brought the Teacher into our valley, or  when Jim found Donovan and suddenly announced that he was gay? No. You  just accepted their decisions and their mates. You won't even give  Elliot a chance."

"It's not about giving Elliot a chance, Thomas. I'm the alpha of this  pack and it's my duty to protect it. Philip Spencer is a big threat to  us. He could destroy this pack. Why won't you understand that?"

"And why won't you understand that this is not about Philip Spencer?" Tommy shouted. "This is about Elliot."

"Tommy, could you drive me back to my car?"

Tommy whipped around to see Elliot standing in the kitchen doorway. His  heart sank when he saw Elliot wringing his hands together. His eyes were  cast down at the floor as if he didn't have the courage to look him in  the face. He looked … sad.

"Elliot."

"Please?"

"Elliot, baby, no, we can talk about this." Tommy hurried over to  Elliot's side. The man looked so dejected and Tommy didn't know how to  fix it. He lifted Elliot's chin, but the man kept his eyes downcast.  "There's nothing we can't work out, pretty baby, as long as we stand  together."                       
       
           



       

"I can't stay where I'm not wanted, Tommy," Elliot whispered. "I don't  know what I've done that is so bad, but it's obvious your family can't  accept me and I can't stay here if I know I'm causing a wedge between  you and them."

Tommy drew in a quick breath. Elliot was going to leave him. He couldn't  allow that to happen. The mating bond between them had already been  started when he bit Elliot's neck. He couldn't lose the man now.

"Okay, pretty baby, just give me a moment to pack a bag and we can go."

"Wha-no." Elliot's eyes snapped up as he grabbed Tommy's arm. "Tommy,  you have to stay here with your family. You need them as much as they  need you."

Tommy cupped Elliot's face in his hands and tilted the man's head back. "I need you more, pretty baby."

"Tommy, I can't-" Elliot shook his head. "I can't come between you and your family."

"Elliot, this isn't a choice." Tommy tried to find the words to explain  to Elliot what the man meant to him. "And even if it were a choice, I'd  still choose you."

Elliot just looked confused, his forehead wrinkling and his eyebrows  drawing together. "Why? I mean I know things got pretty hot and heavy  between us, but you're talking about a lifetime commitment here and  we've barely known each other a few hours. How can you be so sure?"

Tommy grinned. That he knew how to explain. "Because everything in you  calls to me, pretty baby, the way you smell, the way you taste, hell,  even the way you sound when you chatter incessantly. Everything about  you excites me. Just seeing you smile makes me feel good. It makes me  feel like I could conquer the world."

"Tommy," Elliot whispered, his baby blue eyes huge and round on his pale face.

"I don't want to be away from you even if you're just in another room. I  was attracted to you the minute I saw you, but when Carl started  talking about you, I wanted to beat the shit out of him. And then I  wanted to take you away and protect you from the world. I wasn't going  to let anyone talk about my pretty baby that way."

Elliot's breath seemed to hitch in his throat as he inhaled, almost as  if he was trying not to break down. Tommy could still see tears coating  the man's long dark eyelashes as Elliot blinked up at him.

"Okay."

"Okay? That's it?" Tommy chuckled. "That's all you have to say, pretty baby?"

Elliot nodded.

"And what about me shifting into a wolf?" Tommy's heart pounded faster. "How do you feel about that?"

Elliot shrugged. "I guess I'll invest in flea powder."

Tommy gaped at Elliot for just a moment before he wrapped his arms  around the man and hugged him tightly in his arms. He buried his face in  Elliot's hair and inhaled his mate's welcoming scent.

"You won't regret this, Elliot," Tommy whispered. He closed his eyes  when tears sprang up in them, his heart overwhelmed by Elliot's  willingness to accept him in any form. "I promise, pretty baby. I'll do  everything I can to make you happy."

Tommy held Elliot in his arms a moment longer then leaned back to look  down at him, cupping the side of Elliot's face in his hand. "Just give  me a minute to grab some clothes and stuff and we'll be on our way."