Feral Northern Shifters 2

He glanced at Liam and cleared his throat. “Would you like to finish the coffee?”
“God no. I’ve had my fill. Go ahead.” Liam gestured encouragingly.
“Thanks.” Bram really wanted to disappear back into the bedroom with his cup, but he was obedient and polite, so he sat at the table. And promptly couldn’t think of a thing to say.
It didn’t take him long to realize that Liam didn’t know what to say either. Huh. So beautiful didn’t mean knowing how to navigate gracefully past awkward social pauses. Bram decided to cut through the bullshit. “What do you want from me?”
Liam slowly took a seat opposite, as if the question was an invitation to sit. “Nothing.”
Bram tried keeping quiet for a while, as that often shook loose those alphas who liked to play games. Silence bored them and they cut to the chase.
It worked as Liam added, “I just came to visit. We like to make sure Ethan’s okay.”
Bram deliberately lifted his gaze to Liam’s, stared, and didn’t look away.
Liam laughed, a little humorlessly. “You don’t have to challenge me, Bram. I think I’d better bring my husband next time.”
“Well, Liam, why don’t you do that.”
Liam frowned, like he was examining an interesting phenomenon.
“What?”
“Nothing.” Though Liam clearly thought something.
“Sometimes a rogue would visit the pack. They were always curious about me. Know why?” Liam actually dropped his gaze away. “You were omega.”
“Got it in one.”
“I don’t always agree with Trey.” Liam sipped his own coffee. “But he may be right about his claim that omega isn’t a personality type, it’s a pack position. At least, you don’t seem very submissive to me. You’re spoiling for a fight with me.”
Bram had always been submissive, it was just that it made him sick.
“What are you so angry about?”
There was no answer to such a question. Bram turned to anger to get him through most situations. This was no different. He shook his head.
“Ethan cares about you. I hope you appreciate that.”
Bram felt his eyes burning, with anger, with guilt. “Ethan is perfect,” he declared, then stiffened at the sound of his fervent words. He hadn’t meant to say it out loud to Liam. It sounded stupid, here in the kitchen, with a stranger. It only sounded right when he said it to Ethan, who always softened at the words. Because Bram meant them. He loved Ethan, but he wasn’t ever saying that aloud.
“Have you told him?” Liam asked quietly, and Bram could see that Liam might be alpha but had no interest in going alpha on him. It was a question, not a direction. He seemed to actually be concerned.
“Told him what?” Bram took a large gulp of coffee. He needed to wake up properly and stop blurting out stupid things.
“That you see him as your mate. Ethan knows about wolves and mates.”
It wasn’t in Bram to deny it. He couldn’t deny Ethan to Liam. He stared at his empty coffee cup as he spoke. “It’s too early. We barely know each other, and our first week together was wrong. Forced. He was my prisoner.”
“It might not be too early.” But Liam didn’t push it. Instead he asked Bram if he wanted to go for a walk, and Bram seized on the idea because anything was better than this golden wolf who saw too much and asked too many questions.
~ * ~
    Ethan got home late and tired, and he and Bram simply slept that second night Liam was visiting. Then Ethan drove Liam to the airport and talked about God knows what. Probably what a mess Bram was. He cleaned up the house as best he could, even baked something, because Ethan deserved many things big and small.
    When Ethan returned, he came right into the kitchen and grabbed Bram in a hard hug. “What was that for?” Bram demanded, even if he welcomed it.
“I’m glad you’re here.”
“What did Liam say?” He tried not to sound suspicious.
“Well,” Ethan said portentously. “Liam proposed, but I turned him down.”
“All right,” said Bram. “I wasn’t that jealous, was I?”
“You were the right amount of jealous.”
Despite himself, Bram laughed. “But, really, what did Liam say?”
“About you? What would he say about you?”
Bram swallowed. He wasn’t ready to talk about mates, not in a world where Doug existed. “Aw, Bram, he just said you’re still scared.” Ethan rocked him a little. “But I knew that.” “Sometimes I think I’m not scared so much as angry.”
“Yeah?” Ethan moved his mouth to Bram’s ear. “You still angry