Naughty Elf: Evan (Santa’s Naughty Elf Mates)

8. Holden

Chapter 8

Holden

When I woke up in my fur and beside Evan on the tiny bed, I almost shifted into my skin. But he seemed happy that we were there, sliding his fingers into my fur and falling back to sleep as if it were just a dream.

I didn’t usually let my wolf take control, especially when I was sleeping, but he was the smarter one of us, and when he insisted we sleep beside Evan, I didn’t have the will to argue. It was just too tempting to cuddle up to the adorable elf whose lips fluttered when he breathed like a cartoon character.

If my eyes had stayed open, I would have stared at him all night.

But I passed out, and when I woke up human and completely naked, I knew it was time to excuse myself. My cock was hard as a rock, and if I didn’t get some fresh air, I was bound to do something stupid…like kiss him.

Without jostling the bed at all, I slipped away and went straight for the back door. “Time for a run. Again.”

Just a moment later, my wolf was running through the woods, hopping over branches and following rabbit tracks until we hit the creek. It was mostly frozen, but there were a few spots that had water bubbling from open patches of ice. We stopped for a drink before turning back around so I could get home to Evan. I didn’t want him to wake up and be frightened because I wasn’t there.

When I opened the back door, my senses were assaulted by many things. Pancakes and eggs were clearly waiting for me, but the most powerful scent that surrounded me was omega.

Omega in heat.

“Evan.” I held the door open to let some of the pheromone-laced air dilute. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah.” He was sitting at the table with a towel pressed to his forehead. “Just a little overheated.”

That was the understatement of the year. “Have you had a heat before?”

His head jerked toward me. “You can tell?”

“Yeah, it’s kinda hard not to.” Fuck, that wasn’t the best choice of words. Accurate, but still a little too on the nose. “Do you have supplements or anything?”

Evan’s eyes got glassy, and he wrapped his arms around himself. “No. I haven’t experienced this before. I mean.” He wiped his eyes and held his shoulders back, projecting a brave face. A sweetly terrified brave face. “Well, I’ve had a heat once, but it was light. Like, barely a heat. I just slept it off. But being so close to an alpha has made it…strong.”

It was definitely strong. “What can I do?”

He choked out a laugh. “I don’t think there’s anything to do. Just have to wait it out. Maybe I should stay in your shed or someplace else so you don’t have to smell it.”

There were a lot of things I wanted to do, but putting him out in the shed was not one of them. “You’re not going anywhere, omega.” I cleared my throat of the rocks that suddenly filled it and closed the door. “I’ll give you some space. If you need me, I’ll be right outside. But if you’re able to just sleep it off, then I’ll leave you be.”

“But…” His tears were back, and he turned away. “Never mind. There’s food here if you wanna eat.” And then he disappeared down the hallway and the bedroom door slammed shut a moment later.

“Fuck.” I opened the door and took a deep breath of the fresh air. I knew I’d said or done something wrong, but I had no idea what.

I piled the eggs on a few pancakes and ate them like tacos from the back porch then started on my chores. The chicken coop needed to be cleaned out to keep the hens laying through the winter, and there was a fallen tree blocking my tractor. I didn’t plan to use it for a while, but there was no time like the present to get that wood chopped up and in the shed.

After dealing with the chickens, I grabbed my chainsaw and headed for the Ponderosa pine. I started at the base and cut off four-foot lengths. But as I got closer to the top, I realized it was basically a perfect Christmas tree. With my new house guest literally being from the North Pole, I didn’t think it was okay to skip a tree, so I cut the tree eight feet from the edge and shaped the branches into a perfect cone before carrying it back to the cabin. I used some two-by-fours to make a simple stand and then left the tree on the porch before going back to get the logs.

I was about to chop them up for firewood when I remembered what Evan had said about being a woodworker. I didn’t know what kind of wood he needed for dollhouses, but if this could help him earn some money and independence, I was happy to provide it for him. So I humped log after log along the edge of my land until it was piled just outside my woodshed. The woodshed that was about to be converted to a woodshop.

My wolf wanted me to go check on Evan to see if he needed anything. More specifically, my knot. But it was too soon for that. If he thought he could sleep it off, then that was the right thing for him to do. Me trying to impose myself upon him was definitely not the right thing.

At least…it probably wasn’t.

Not yet, bud. We’ll go if he calls for us. I looked back at the cabin to the window for Evan’s room. The curtains were drawn shut so I couldn’t see inside, not that I’d be able to determine anything from my distance. But I stared for just a moment anyway, hoping he would pull back the curtain and give me a wave to let me know he was feeling alright.

It was after lunchtime, but I wasn’t hungry. Not for food, anyway.

I distracted myself by organizing the shed, moving all my firewood to the wall by the door, and clearing the tables for Evan to work on if he wanted to. I needed to get some replacement blades for the table saw and jig because I hadn’t used them in a while, but that was the perfect excuse to kill a few more hours by driving into town.

When I couldn’t find anything else to do in the shed, I headed up the porch steps and put my hand on the door. As soon as I opened it, his enticing aroma would invade all my senses, burrow into me, and beg me to take action.

But unless Evan was the one begging, I had to be strong. I would be strong.