"Well, aren't you just the sweetest thing," Maryann said as she pet Elliot's tummy. Everything seemed to be going fine, the relief in the room almost palatable, until Ben stepped into the kitchen.
Elliot stiffened and rolled over so fast that Tommy barely had time to reach over and catch his mother, preventing her from falling to the floor. Elliot's claws scraped across the floor as he rushed over to stand between Tommy and Maryann, and the new threat that came into the room.
"Elliot, no!" Tommy sank his fingers into Elliot's fur and tried to pull him back.
"Thomas, you'd better control him," Daniel snapped.
"What in the hell do you think I'm trying to do?" Tommy wrapped his arms around Elliot's neck and pulled until the wolf relented and stepped back into the apex of Tommy's thighs. He was still snarling, but it had lessened to a low rumble.
"Um, did I miss something?" Ben asked from his position across the room.
"This is Elliot, my mate."
"And he wants to tear my head off because?"
"He doesn't know you."
"That doesn't explain why he tries to go after everyone else, Thomas," Daniel added. "With the exception of your mother, and maybe Nate, Elliot has tried to attack everyone else in this room."
"Actually," Nate said, "that right there might explain it."
"Would you care to explain that statement, babe?" Joe asked. "None of us have made a single threatening move towards Elliot and yet he continues to growl at us if we step anywhere close to him or Tommy."
"And every single one of you that he goes after have accused Elliot of being trouble or a problem. You won't accept Elliot's right to be with Tommy."
Tommy felt his mouth drop open as he looked across the room at Nate. The man was absolutely correct. Elliot wasn't going after Nate or his mother because they accepted him as Tommy's mate. Joe and Daniel didn't.
"You won't accept my mating of Elliot," Tommy whispered in wonder. "That's why he keeps trying to attack you. You're threatening our bond."
"I think it's more than that, Tommy," Nate said as he pushed away from Joe. "Elliot, in human form, didn't fully accept the mating either. In wolf form, he's attacking anyone he sees as a threat to you and him being together."
"I just said that, Nate," Tommy insisted.
Nate jerked away from Joe when the man tried to hold him back then walked across the room to kneel down in front of the white wolf. Elliot didn't growl or snarl. He didn't even bare his teeth, just cocked his head to one side, his ears perking up as if confused.
Nate moved slowly, reaching out to touch Elliot. "Hey, Elliot, I just want to feel you, okay? I'm not going to hurt you."
"Nate," Joe whispered harshly.
Tommy could understand his brother's concern, considering Elliot's actions to date, but he was pretty sure Elliot wasn't going to make a move towards Nate when he just sat there. Nate ignored Joe and stroked his hands through Elliot's fur, sinking them in deep as he closed his eyes.
Tommy tensed when Nate inhaled sharply. His eyes were filled with worry when he opened them. "What?"
Nate shook his head. "Elliot's not here."
"What do you mean he's not here?" Tommy snapped.
"I can't feel him. Elliot's human side is gone."
Chapter 8
Tommy felt heavy breathing on his face before he opened his eyes. Dark blue eyes stared back at him from a white-furred wolf face. The stare was intense, searching in a way, as if the wolf needed to know something. Tommy just didn't know what.
He reached over and sank his fingers into the fur around Elliot's neck and breathed deeply. "Hey, pretty baby, did you sleep okay?" Tommy asked the question even though he didn't expect an answer.
The wolf just continued to stare at him and Tommy's heart felt like it was going to tear in two. This was his mate, for better or worse. As happy as he was at finding Elliot, the thought of never being with the gorgeous little man again made Tommy want to rant at the world at large.
This wasn't the way a mating was supposed to go. They were supposed to have forever together, to build a life together, both in human form and wolf form. He wasn't supposed to spend the rest of his life with just the wolf.
"Even like this, I can't give you up," Tommy whispered as he stroked his fingers through Elliot's soft fur. His heart cried out for the human side of Elliot, but gloried in the fact that he still had the wolf side of his mate. "I just wish you'd come back to me."
The wolf whimpered. Tommy chuckled when Elliot leaned forward and swiped a long wet tongue across his cheek. He buried his face in Elliot's fur, inhaling the sweet scent that was unique to his mate no matter what form he was in.
"Where are you, Elliot? Where did you go?" Tommy felt like crying. He squeezed his eyes shut to keep his tears at bay. Even after laying there staring at the wolf that was his mate for most of the night, Tommy was still reeling from Nate's announcement that Elliot was gone. Tommy just couldn't understand how that happened. It didn't make sense.
None of this made sense.
Elliot wasn't even supposed to be able to shift. He was human, and yet there he lay, white fur and teeth, just staring at Tommy with his deep blue eyes. Tommy just didn't understand how it could have happened or how he could have missed it. His mate was a wolf.
"Thomas?"
Tommy lifted his head and looked toward the bedroom door when he heard his mother's voice and a soft knock. Elliot growled. Tommy patted him gently and sat up. "It's just Mom, Elliot."
"Thomas?" his mother called again. "Are you awake?"
Tommy chuckled. It wouldn't have mattered if he had been awake or not. Once his mother knocked on the door, he was up. "I'm up, Mom," Tommy called out. He swung his legs over the side of the bed just as the door opened and his mother walked in.
"Good morning," Maryann said. Her eyes went from Tommy to Elliot then back. "How are you?"
Tommy shrugged.
Maryann clasped her hands together as she looked back over at Elliot. "And how is your mate today?"
"Missing." Tommy snorted.
"I'm not sure I believe that, Thomas."
"Meaning what?"
"Elliot couldn't have just left, Thomas." Maryann waved her hand at Elliot. "He has to be in there somewhere."
"Nate said he was gone."
"Nate could be wrong, you know." Maryann walked over and sat on the side of the bed next to Tommy. Elliot crawled over and butted at her hand as if asking for a pet, making Maryann laugh. "No, he's in here somewhere, Thomas. You just need to find him."
"How, Mom?" Tommy grimaced. "I don't even know where he's gone."
"Then it's up to you to find him, isn't it?"
Tommy gaped at his mother. His mind reeled with confusion. How was he supposed to find Elliot when he didn't even know how to look for him? He knew, logically, that the wolf and the human sides coexisted with each other. But what happened when one side went away?
Tommy had heard stories when he was growing up of wolves that buried their human side when great tragedy struck. The loss of a mate, the death of a child, even the aftermath of a battle, all of these things could be attributed to the stories he'd heard. Tommy just didn't understand how any of these events pertained to Elliot.
"Any suggestions, Mom?"
"Well, you could start by getting your mate some breakfast," Maryann said as she stood to her feet and walked to the door. She paused and glanced over her shoulder, a smile on her face. "I imagine he's pretty hungry right about now. You both missed dinner last night."
Tommy nodded. His Mom was right. After hearing Nate's news, Tommy just wanted to get away from everyone and think. Taking Elliot with him to the guest room seemed like the only thing to do under the circumstances. Leaving him with anyone else wasn't an option.
For better or worse, human or wolf, Elliot was still Tommy's mate, and he'd do anything to protect him. Tommy reached back and sank his fingers into Elliot's fur again, needing the connection to his mate.
"We'll be right down, Mom."
"Breakfast should be on the table by the time you get there. Nate's making French toast."
Tommy waited until the door shut behind his mother before standing up and walking into the bathroom. He used the facilities then went to wash his face. Tommy was staring at himself in the mirror, noting the dark circles under his eyes when he heard click of claws on the floor. He looked down to see Elliot walking into the bathroom.