"Yeah, well." Kam barked out a laugh. "He's not human."
"Excuse me." Maurice moved forward, tucking his legs underneath him. "Is he a shifter too?"
"Yep. I just don't know what kind." Kam ran his hand over his head.
"Who is it?" Asa asked. "If he's a shifter I'll know who he is and what he is."
Asa shared alpha responsibilities with the main alpha of the Nehalem pack, Devon Carsten. The two worked together and shared the duties of alpha when it came to Silver Creek. Asa was still pretty young and going to school, and Devon didn't want to overwhelm the guy. But one of the duties of an alpha is to meet all new shifters that came into their town. So that meant Asa would know what exactly Henson was.
"Coach Henson." Kam squeezed his eyes shut when he blurted out the name. Not only was his mate a man, but also he was the coach of Kam's baseball team.
"No shit." Asa started to laugh. "That's outstanding."
"What's so funny?" Kam asked, but Asa didn't answer him. He was too busy laughing.
"Babe, come on." Maurice slapped Asa on the arm. "Spill it." Maurice snapped his fingers.
"I can't." Asa shook his head. "Henson is a good man who has done nothing wrong, so that means I can't share his secrets, not even with you my love." Asa leaned in to kiss Maurice on the tip of his nose.
"You're joking, right?" Kam shifted on the bed to get a better look at his friends. "You said you could help me?"
"No. I said I would know what he was, not that I could tell you." Asa shrugged. "If Henson were to do something illegal and cause harm to a member of our pack, then yeah, sure I could tell you what he is, but unless that happens you're going to have to ask him yourself."
"Fuck!" Kam groaned. He got up to start pacing again. "Come on, Asa." Kam pleaded with his friend, but Asa just shook his head. This wasn't fair. Kam was living a peaceful existence until he met Henson. He'd been eager to start the team, go to school and meet a nice woman to date, but after that one kiss Henson had stolen, all he could think about was Henson. That was it.
"He has done something wrong." Kam turned toward Asa. "He turned me gay, and he kissed me."
"Man, you can't be serious." Asa laughed. "That's not a crime unless you said no. Did you say no?"
Kam rocked back and forth on his heels. His fingers fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. No had not been a part of his vocabulary when Henson touched him.
"Hell no, he didn't say no." Maurice pointed at Kam. "He probably was begging for more."
"Hey!" Kam felt outraged that his friend could see what was so clearly painted across his face.
"Don't get all defensive with me, Kamden." Maurice stood and walked over to him. He placed his hands on Kam's shoulders. "I'm not going to lie and say I know what you are going through, but you have to find a way to accept it. This man, he's your mate. There's no changing that, and I think if you think really hard about it, you don't want to change that. I get this is new and scary since up until recently you were a straight man, but things have changed."
Did he want to change the way things had ended up for him? That was a good question, one he was at odds with. All his life he thought he would settle down with a nice woman and have a few kids, live in Silver Creek next to his dads and brother. But did that really all have to change just because his mate was a man?
"Also look at it this way." Maurice cupped his hand on Kam's cheek. "Yes, your mate might be a man, but are you really gay? I mean do you find other men attractive? Do you feel the need to hop on every hot guy you see?"
"No." Kam smiled and shook his head. "I don't! The other day when I was with you and Carson at the coffee shop, I tried to see what Asa saw in you. You're a good looking guy but my dick was as limp as a noodle. You do nothing for me. I have no desire to ever see you naked or kiss you."
"Hey!" Maurice tapped him lightly on the cheek with his hand.
"And that's a good thing." Asa stood up and wrapped an arm around Maurice's waist. "I'm the only one allowed to have those kinds of thoughts about my mate."
"I'm glad I make you feel like a straight man." Maurice rolled his eyes. "But what I'm saying is that just because your mate is a man doesn't mean you're an entirely different person. You're still you. Being gay or straight is just a label the judgmental assholes of the world want to give everyone. It means nothing, Kam."
"So what you're saying is I'm still straight and only gay for my mate?" In a weird way it made since. Kam wasn't attracted to other men, but now that he thought about it, he hadn't found himself looking at any women in a sexual way since meeting Henson, which made sense since he'd found his mate. Kam wasn't sure how all the sex stuff would work out, but he had to admit he was interested in finding out. The way Henson made him feel from just one kiss made his body hunger for more.
"No what I'm saying, Kam, is to not put yourself in a category." Maurice took his hand. "Love should have no boundaries or limitations. You love who you love, and that should be good enough for yourself and the rest of the world. Don't be small-minded."
It took a moment, but what Maurice said started to sink into Kam's thick skull. His friend was right. It didn't matter if a person preferred women over men or men over women. All that matter was finding that one special person to fall in love with.
"I love it when you get all deep." Asa moved behind Maurice, wound his arms around Maurice's chest, and started kissing along his mate's neck.
"Hello!" Kam shouted. "I'm standing right here, dude. Can you not fondle my best friend in front of me?"
"Then you better leave"-Asa flashed him a wide grin-"because a whole lot more than fondling is about to happen in here."
Kam winced at the open display of groping going on in front of him. He turned for the door.
"Oh, Kam, wait a minute." Maurice grabbed his arm to stop him. "I got something for you." Maurice dug around in his closet and pulled out a package. Maurice smiled as he handed it over.
"What's this?" Kam asked as he opened the plastic bag. "Oh my god!" Inside the bag was a thin purple penis-shaped dildo. "What the hell, man?"
"What?" Maurice's eyes widened. "I haven't used it yet. I just thought it might help with you know … "
"What is it?" Asa grabbed the bag and looked inside. Once he saw what was in it he started laughing. "Babe, he's going to need something a lot bigger than that to get him ready for what PJ's packing."
"What makes you think I'm going to be playing catcher to his pitcher?" Kam wasn't naïve. He had two dads and a gay brother, for heaven's sake. He knew the ends and out of man-on-man sex, but what made his friend think he'd naturally be the bottom bitch.
"I'm not saying you are." Maurice was quick to reassure him. "I'm just saying be open to the possibility because, Kam, it feels so good." Maurice waved his hand in front of his face, fanning himself.
"Oh trust me, babe." Asa kissed Maurice on the cheek and smiled up at Kam. "Kam here will be on the bottom."
"You guys suck!" Kam spun around and walked out of their bedroom, the bag still clutched tight in his hand.
Kam walked out of the apartment and took the steps down two at a time. He stepped out into the night air and took a deep breath. His pulse had slowed down a bit. Kam got into his Jeep, tossed the bag onto the passenger seat, then headed back toward campus.
The night had been an eye-opener for Kam. His entire life had changed but not necessarily in a bad way. It was just different now. He wasn't ashamed to have Henson for a mate. The man looked and was built like a Greek god. Any one in their right mind would want to get a chance with him and he was Kam's. It was a little exciting to know that.
There were still questions lingering in his mind about Henson, mostly what type of shifter he was. Kam imagined it was something big because the man was huge. Kam was also interested in knowing what type of roll Henson wanted Kam to play in their mating. All the sex stuff was negotiable, that didn't worry Kam. They could work that out. No, it was what Henson's expectations were. If Henson was looking to find a mate to stay at home and take care of the house, then he was going to be disappointed. Kam had dreams of his own he wanted to accomplish. He didn't want to be selfish, but he also didn't want to live by someone else's rules either. Coach Henson had an intimidating presence and no doubt liked things his way, but Kam wasn't some push over.