Page 31 of The Chosen One Universe: Volume One

Vaughn

The moment Sam knelt in front of him, Vaughn’s world calmed and a feeling of complete and total rightness settled in his soul. His human’s heart was beating so fast.

Vaughn could scent the fear on him yet he still knelt and bared his neck. So much bravery. It was hard to remember that before yesterday, Vaughn hadn’t seen Sam in years, hadn’t even thought of him in years before that.

He licked Sam’s neck, his first taste in this form, and it exploded on his tongue.

Right.

Mine.

Mate.

Joy.

He raised his head and stared into Sam’s eyes for a long moment. Then Vaughn threw back his head and howled. The cubs joined him, answering their alpha’s call. Even Ben let out a loud growling roar while Natasha answered his cry with her fox’s shriek.

The sounds washed over him, his new family sharing his joy. More voices joined theirs, the calls of his pack echoing around the property as anyone within hearing distance of his cry added their happy sounds to his.

Henry giggled and let out a whoop. He nudged Sam even as the cubs turned into little lunatics and began bouncing all over the place. Vaughn couldn’t help but join them, nipping and chasing them around the clearing, letting them pounce on him and play hunt.

His father’s wolf ran to them, his mother not far behind. Nana came next, and then the giant hulking form of the hellhound guard Meshaq had left behind.

“What’s going on?” Sam asked.

Henry grinned and plopped down on Sam’s lap.

He was nearly too big but Sam simply wrapped his arms around Henry and held him tight, like a good parent. A good mate. Vaughn nearly howled again.

“I don’t know,” Henry answered. “But he’s really, really happy. I can feel it. It’s awesome.”

Vaughn wanted to explain, to shift back and pull Sam into his arms, but it wasn’t the time. Not when they were surrounded by everyone else. He’d wait until later, once the cubs were worn out, fed, and in bed. His wolf preened at the idea and he couldn’t help sneaking over to Sam and nudging him.

“Hey! Your nose is cold!”

Vaughn nudged him again, drawing another laugh out of him and one from Henry as a bonus. Sam pushed Henry in between them as a shield and the boy giggled and tried to squirm away. Vaughn stuck his nose in Henry’s neck, too, and both of his human family members were laughing and smiling.

The other cubs bounded over. Ollie pounced onto Sam’s back, knocking him to the side. Vaughn gave him a warning huff, reminding him he needed to be gentle.

Ben lumbered over to Sam and Henry after only a few minutes, stretching out beside them in his bear form and closing his eyes. Vaughn could sense his contentment from across the yard. The rest of them played for over an hour, the adults joining into a shifter version of tag with the cubs.

Ben was the first to shift back, after having enjoyed a nap curled up next to Sam and Henry. He grabbed his clothes and pulled them on before sitting back on the ground next to Sam and Henry.

“Okay?” Sam asked.

Ben nodded, but his stomach growled angrily and the boy blushed.

Vaughn decided play time was over and barked at the rest of the cubs. They ran over to him and began shifting back into their human forms. Nana and his parents herded them all together and waited until they’d gotten dressed before approaching Vaughn.

He brushed their cheeks together, leaving his wolf’s scent on them, and then began shifting himself. Once he was back in his human form, he smiled and gave them all pets with his human hands.

“Thank you for helping,” Vaughn murmured. “Get changed and come for dinner, okay?”

Nana and his parents darted off to do as he’d asked. Vaughn grabbed his jeans and tugged them on, noticing that Sam looked everywhere but at him during the process. He’d grown up surrounded by nudity, and it always astounded him when humans were embarrassed by naked flesh. Sam would hopefully get used to it after a while, because Vaughn planned on keeping him around for a very long time.

They headed back inside, and Vaughn went to get Ben a protein drink while they waited to get dinner cooked. Sam got the cubs settled in the living room with the nature channel on television, and then settled down with his tablet on the couch.

Ollie cuddled with him, never wanting to let Sam out of his sight for more than a few minutes. He had no idea how he was going to manage Sam being gone for hours the following day for school.