Rejected? Deuces! A Gay Werewolf Novella
Chapter Eighteen (Homecoming, pt. 2)

I smoothed out the invisible wrinkles of my cream-colored suit as I faced my reflection in the panoramic mirror of my temporary bedroom (the basement was out of the question since it was now barred by the Werewolf Council and turned into a storage area and my permanent residence was still needing further construction). I was surprised by who I was seeing in the mirror. The young man in the mirror was more masculine and lusher than before and his hair was closely cropped and washed carefully and (thanks to Mama McNeese at the hospital) he was thoroughly fed with the finest home cooking by the motherly nurse and her friends and family of witches (cool beans right there). He was dressed in the finest tuxedo (Thanks to the Altimare Hunting Dynasty0 and had an air of confidence and excitement. I was that young man in the mirror, a far cry from the emaciated and near-death omega that was used as a whipping boy and a punching bag before turning human and being comatose.

“You look stunning, love.”

I turned around to face the red-headed merman (dressed only in a pair of skintight pants that matched his sea-green eyes that were as bewitching as he was sexually handsome. “Oh, I thought you might be one of the maids who was bringing me some ginger ale,” I replied, feeling my cheeks flush with giddiness. “I ought to put a bell on you so you won’t scare me.”

Alain grinned. “Tss, my Moon Wolf. I’m sorry,” he purred, walking to the mirror and standing beside me. “You and I make a fine pair, don’t you think?”

I looked at our reflection to see that he and I were indeed a fine pair, his large hands wrapping around my waist. “I- I, um... I don’t know what to say right now,” I stammered, trying not to be too frazzled. “I mean, you and I just met and all that at the hospital with the others.”

“Ah, but you forget that my friends and I already claim you as ours as much as we do with each other,” Alain reminded me as he led me to the bed. “It’s a long story how the eight of us met, but I can tell you that we never leave each other and we’d never be dishonest or trustworthy. And since we claimed you as our mate and knew that we’d be your second-chance mates, we’d promised that you will be loved like the charming young man and treated like you’d needed to be treated from the start.”

“Wow,” was all I could say. “I’m betting that-”

Alain placed a finger to my lips, cutting me off. “Let’s not mention the boy who nearly snuffed out your flame,” he said, his eyes slightly darkening at the thought of Regan. “He was a fool to reject and attempt to kill such a beauty like yourself. Back in my kingdom in the seas, anyone who dared to harm their mates would face the sharks and be eaten alive. And the same applies to beating up such a beauty like yourself. When Regan did all of that and killed you the first time before the Moon Goddess made things right, I’d wanted to kill him myself with my trident. I’d wanted him to feel the same amount of pain that you felt all this time- make him pay for all the sins committed against you. But it was Her who ended things and set things right. It was your Mother’s job to make Regan pay, not mine and not our other mates. Our job is to make sure that you are loved beyond all comparison.”

I was floored. “You mean that?” I asked.

Alain nodded. ”Tha bòidhchead a chaidh a chuir bho adhar na Màthair gu h-àrd airidh air a bhith air a làimhseachadh mar seud beannaichte le a gaol. That means, ’A beauty sent from the skies of the Mother Above deserves to be treated like a jewel blessed by her love,’” he replied softly, looking into my eyes with longing and passion in his. “And that’s the promise of all my fellow mermen and my brothers.”

I smiled softly. “Thank you,” I said. “I don’t even speak Gaelic and I could tell that you’re a man of my word.”

Alain grinned wildly. “Ah, my chocolate wolf. By the time you and I mate, I plan to have you speaking my Scottish tongue,” he drawled. “Oh, how I want to mount you right here and now, make you moan and groan my name over and over in my palace in the seas. I can have you cause many storms of passion near the islands of Ireland. But since today’s your welcome home party, you and I must wait. I want to court you properly with everything you deserve.”

There was a knock at the door before Arianna and Bianca came inside, the latter bringing me a cup of ginger ale. “Apologies for disturbing your time together, but the festivities will have to be delayed for a few minutes,” Bianca explained. “One of the bakers had a fit because-”

I held up a hand to cut the harried huntress off. “I can wait a little longer,” I assured her. “Right now, I just need a moment to close my eyes and catch my breath.”

“But of course,” Alain said as he got up and led the ladies out of the room. “We’ll see you later, love.”

The three of them left just as I began to drink my glass of ginger ale. So far, Alain was already making the moves on me and I was liking what he planned to show me. I just hoped that the other seven were going to show me what they planned to offer me as we begin our separate courtships.

Finishing the glass, I headed back to the mirror, smoothing out the wrinkles of my tuxedo. Boy, I can only imagine what was going to happen next!