Staring at the photo, Mac smiled. “Yeah…his name is Sawyer.”
“Huh…that’s unusual.”
“Why do you say that?”
Shrugging his shoulders, Ollie replied, “Parents usually pick names that start with the same first letter for identical twins…like Tom and Tim, but they didn’t with you and your brother.”
Chuckling, Mac said, “They did…my first name is Sam, but I hated it so I changed it.”
“What was wrong with Sam?”
“Kids used to call me Sammy and my brother knew how much it pissed me off, so he used to beat them up. But after getting in trouble with my parents for fighting, he suggested I change my name.”
“So you chose Mac? Why?”
“My mother used to play Fleetwood Mac’s songs when I was growing up, so it was the first thing that popped into my headwhen Sawyer asked me for a name. And since I could imagine all the names the other kids would taunt me with if Fleetwood was my name, I chose Mac.”
“Fleetwood, eh?” Ollie said, grinning. “I rather like it.”
“No, you don’t,” Mac said, shaking his head.
Setting the frame back down, Ollie turned around and leaned against Mac’s desk before placing his hand over his mate’s heart and softly saying, “I would’ve loved it if you had picked it.”
Covering Ollie’s hand with his, Mac murmured, “Good to know.” Then, deciding he couldn’t wait any longer, leaned forward and pressed his lips against Ollie’s, swallowing his mate’s soft gasp. It was better than he ever thought it could be, and, for the first time, he understood Sawyer's behavior when he’d found Alex. Mac knew there would never be a time when he wouldn’t want to kiss Ollie and savor his taste on his tongue. Deepening their kiss, he pressed closer until their chests were nearly touching, losing himself in Ollie’s scent, which swirled around them.
Mac wasn’t sure how long the kiss lasted, but eventually he felt Ollie pull back and they both inhaled some much-needed oxygen. Leaning his forehead against his mate’s, Mac murmured, “You taste of sweet honey. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of it.”
Before Ollie could reply, there was a rapping of knuckles at the door, causing him to step back from Mac. Glancing over his mate’s shoulder, he saw Jackson grinning at them. Not sure what to do, he shifted his gaze to his mate and whispered, “Help.”
Giving Ollie a quick nod, Mac turned around, concealing his mate behind him, and said, “Hey, where’s Theo?”
Ducking under Smokey’s arm before squeezing past Jackson, Theo flung out both arms and announced, “Voilá, here I am!”
“What the hell was that?” muttered Smokey.
“I think Ki is rubbing off on Theo,” Jackson laughed.
Peering over Mac’s shoulder, Ollie grinned at his cousin, seeing the happiness shining in Theo’s eyes. Stepping away from Mac, he moved toward his cousin, but his mate grabbed his hand, halting his approach.
“Wait a moment, Oliver,” Mac murmured. Then, turning his gaze to Jackson, Mac tilted his head in submission before saying, “Alpha, Theo’s cousin, Oliver, is my Fated Mate. Is he welcome in your pack?”
Suddenly, Ollie understood why his mate had prevented him from approaching Theo. So eager was he to find his cousin, he’d forgotten about asking permission to enter the territory of a wolf pack—especially a pack with an Alpha whose power was off the charts. Jackson could kill him without any help from the rest of the pack if he wanted to. Drawing on his years of experience with Alpha wolves, Ollie lowered his head and kept his eyes on the floor, showing the respect Jackson was due.
When the room remained silent, Ollie’s shoulders fell in dismay. The Alpha would not forgive him for the slight, and that meant he would have to leave.But how can I leave Mac behind?He couldn’t, but he wouldn’t have a choice if his mate stayed. Upset at the thought that he might have to leave his mate, Ollie didn’t notice that Jackson had walked over and stopped in front of them.
“Congratulations on finding your Fated Mate, Mac,” Jackson said, softly, “and he is very much welcomed in my pack.”
Looking up, Mac smiled. “Thank you, Alpha.” Then, tugging his mate’s hand to get his attention, he continued, “Jackson, this is Oliver, who’s also Theo’s cousin.” Then, turning to his mate, Mac added, “Ollie, this is Jackson Blackwood, Alpha of the Blackwood Pack.”
Looking up at the Alpha, Ollie found a face with sparkling blue eyes and a wide smile gazing down at him. Forgetting to filter his response, he said the first thing that popped into his head, “Whew…I was afraid you were gonna kill me!”
“No!” Rushing over to his cousin, Theo planted himself in front of Ollie and glared at Jackson. “Why would you do that to my cousin? He’s my cub’s cousin and the only member of my family who didn’t betray me.”
“I didn’t say…” Jackson began.
“Honeybunch,” Norm murmured, joining the group and wrapping his arms around Theo, “no one is gonna hurt Ollie.”
“But my cousin said…”