Crossing the Moon - 6. Vampire Smuggling

Pax woke up to a slight weight on his chest and over his right leg. Having gotten used to sleeping with two other men, the weight itself wasn't a problem. It wasn't until the golden-eyed werewolf took in a deep breath that he realized that the scent he was taking in wasn't Mateo's or Eli's. He turned his head slightly as his eyes fluttered open. The room wasn't completely pitch black, a small night light plugged into the wall provided light since no sunlight shone through the thick curtains. So, his eyes adjusted quickly enough to recognize the lovely, sleeping face of January.

His following breath of air felt a lot heavier, but he knew that it was more of a mental weight than a physical weight. Only a couple weeks had passed since he was first found by Eli's stone, and now their new mate was a vampire. He was the most vulnerable and beautiful vampire that the silver-haired werewolf had ever seen, not that he knew many vampires. When Jany wept, something ached deep inside Pax, and he knew that his other mates had felt it, too.

Just how the hell were they gonna bring him home?

With a shaky sigh and a slight groan, Pax carefully slipped out of the impressive bed and walked over to the kitchen, buck naked. As he began to look around, he was surprised to find so much food. There was a container full of a mixture of all kinds of berries in the fridge along with a few jars of juice, sparkling water, a carton of eggs, and even bacon. Knowing from experience that his beloved mates would rouse to the smell of food, he began to fry several eggs and strips of bacon on the stove. Everything inside January's house screamed quality and durability. Not a single piece of the eggs stuck to the pan.

As the golden-eyed werewolf cooked, he thought about their future. Khonsu stones were never wrong. He didn't even need the stone in order to feel how January was meant to be with them. The redhead was a part of them, and they were all one. But, the way that Khonsu's devotees urged the Omegas to report anything unusual made Pax feel uneasy. What would happen if they found out about Jany?

::

The scent of cooking bacon snuck through the rooms, finding the wolves asleep on the bed next to their vampire. Eli woke first, his nose wrinkling adorably moments before Mateo blinked awake.

"Hnn, bacon," Elias mumbled.

"Mmm," Mateo responded.

They both seemed to realize at the same moment that they were either sprawled across or curled around January. Both jerked away, Elias letting out a soft yip. They looked at the vampire with wide eyes.

"I've never..." Elias swallowed hard. "Never been so close to a vampire." The Omega blushed. "Last night doesn't count."

"I've never woken up with a vamp." Mateo grinned. "There was that one time I banged one my senior year when we all went out clubbing. But, there was no actual sleeping involved."

"Pig," Eli giggled, then looked back to January. "He doesn't look dead," Elias whispered. "I thought they were supposed to be all dead when the sun is up."

"Yeah, I - Oh, shit, I just saw him breathe." Mateo leaned forward. "Should he be breathing?"

The wolves stared intensely at the vampire, anticipation cranking higher as they waited. After half a minute or so, the pale chest rose and fell gently. Eli jumped like a gunshot had gone off. Mateo just kept grinning. The larger wolf reached out, pressing a fingertip on January's bare shoulder and giving a little push.

"He's cool, but not cold," Mateo whispered. "This is awesome."

"Goddess, don't poke him." Eli frowned. "You shouldn't poke your mate."

Mateo caught Eli's eye and waggled his eyebrows. Elias rolled his eyes.

"You shouldn't poke your mate with your finger," the Omega added.

Mat continued his lascivious look.

"Oh, for the sake of Khonsu, You know what I mean."

Mateo chuckled in amusement, watching as Elias hesitantly laid his palm against January's sternum. Eli nibbled his lower lip, waiting...and waiting until he felt a gentle thump.

"Wow, feel this," Elias said softly, rubbing his hand against January's cool skin. "His heart is beating. It's really slow, but it's there." The Omega smiled gently down at the vampire. "He's really beautiful, huh?"

Mateo laid down with his cheek to January's chest, wanting to clearly hear the soft thud of the vampire's heart. Sitting up, he couldn't make it out over the regular tick of Eli's heartbeats.

"Yeah." Mateo smiled, throwing an arm across January's waist as he heard the vampire's slow but sure heartbeat. "He's sexy as hell, but he was very sweet with you while you were all stumbly drunk and crawling all over him."

"Hey, in my defense, I've never been drunk before," Eli pouted, peeking quickly under the sheet covering January before cuddling up on the vampire's chest. The Omega was face-to-face with Mateo, wanting to hear Jany's heart as well. "I'm glad we found him. He feels lonely."

"Yeah, I'm glad, too."

Pax found them like that, snuggled against January's chest, counting their mate's slow heartbeats and whispering to each other as though trying not to disturb the vampire's sleep. The sight made his heart clench tightly in his chest. Why would the same goddess whose very power united soulmates become so wary of change?

Not wanting to worry his mates with his concerns, the silver-haired man schooled his face into a more neutral expression and softly called out to them. “Come have some breakfast,” he urged. “I made fried eggs, bacon, and sweet potato hash browns. There’s even a loaf of Cuban bread on the counter.” His gaze fell on the sleeping man between them. “We can wake him up after we’ve finished eating.”

When the three of them were seated at a round table in the dining room with food on their plates and different drinks, Pax decided to broach the subject.

“Not even a day after the Khonsu devotees told Eli to report any oddities,” Pax began. “We find out that we have a vampire mate.” He interlaced his fingers and leaned his elbows on the table as he regarded the other two werewolves. “What are we going to do? Should we report it to the Khonsu devotees or should we just sneak January into the house somehow?”

"What will they do if they find out about him?" Eli asked worriedly.

"The God of the vampires, Anubis, is the nemesis of our Khonsu," Mateo said with a frown. "My grandmother used to talk about her grandparents' time when there was a lot more fighting between wolves and vamps. Did they teach you about it in school, Eli?"

The Omega shook his head, chewing his lower lip. He didn't like where this was going.

"Apparently, things only settled down in our town because of a wolf and a vampire who were sick of the fighting and worked together for peace." Mateo leaned forward. "My grandma said her grandfather was close to that wolf and she said there were rumors that the wolf and vampire were close. Very close." Mat's eyebrows lifted suggestively. "Grandma said the devotees of Khonsu tried to have the vamp killed because of it. Not because of them working together, but because of them sleeping together."

"We can't tell them," Eli blurted, tears gathering in his eyes. "We have to hide him."

Pax reached out to place a comforting hand on Eli's head. "Even if we have to take it up with our goddess Khonsu herself, we will keep Jany safe."

"I'll ask my grandma what happened to grandfather and how he avoided getting killed," Mateo added. "There's gotta be something we can do."

"Hmm, for the first time ever, I don't mind seeing others talking about me," January greeted with a smile as he walked over and sat in the remaining chair at the table. His red-violet hair was a mess, but it did nothing to take away from his sultry aura. "There isn't much that can wake me up during a bright and sunny morning, but the sound of my name on any one of your lips would do it." He admitted with a wink towards Pax, which actually prompted a slight blush to form on the mocha-skinned werewolf's cheeks.

"So, your goddess doesn't like Anubis or his vampires very much, myself included..." Jany surmised. "...and you can't bear to part from me so much that you're willing to smuggle me into your home? Pinch me. I must still be dreaming. I feel weak-kneed at the very thought."

Elias jumped up, rushing over to nearly knock January over with a hug.

"We won't let anybody hurt you," the Omega said fiercely, looking up at the vampire's handsome face. "I will seriously bite the crap out of anybody who even looks at you funny."

The smile that Jany gave the Omega could melt chocolate on the spot. "Has anyone told you how sexy you are when you're being fiercely protective?" He practically purred. "I believe every word."

"So, are we all in agreement to not tell the Khonsu devotees about January just yet and sneaking him into the house?" Pax asked aloud. Elias nodded, blushing as he stayed close to his vampire.

"If he is alright with that plan," Mateo answered before looking to Jany. "But you have to know that we don't want to have to hide you. We're not ashamed of you, or anything like that. And it can't be forever, just until we can figure out a plan, yeah?" Mat grinned. "Although I'm not sure how long I'm going to be able to keep it from my family, but they can keep a secret. Some of them might have some good advice."

January actually felt tears welling up in his eyes at Mateo's thoughtfulness. But, he blinked them away and leaned over to the dark-haired werewolf's ear. "I'm going to have to keep a notepad to track how many blow jobs I'm going to give you, cariño." He whispered heatedly. (cariño= sweetheart)

Oblivious to what was happening across the table, Pax stood up and grabbed the three used plates to place them in the dish washer. "So, should we wait until night fall?" He asked.

Jany shook his head. "I can travel in the daylight. My skin's just very sensitive to the sun. Five-second sunburn, five-minute skin cancer kind of sensitive. So long as I'm covered from head to toe, I should be fine. I actually have an outfit for such an occasion. Though, the mask is a bit...outdated."

"We'll dust it off, and we can tape over any cracks that might let in light since it's old," Eli supplied. The Omega turned to his wolf mates, green eyes sparkling. "Okay, so we hafta get him inside quick, right? And without anybody noticing."

Elias continued hugging January's arm to his chest as he spoke, not noticing the sweetly bemused look on the vampire's face as he looked down at the little Omega.

"We can collect a bunch of blankets and stuff. I'll carry some, too, so it doesn't look suspicious." Eli bounced, warming to his idea. "Mateo, you're super strong, right."

"Umm, yes?" Mat answered.

"Right, so we wrap Jany up in blankets, and you can carry him inside." Elias nibbled his lip thoughtfully. "It will have to be a lot of blankets so no one can tell Jany's under there, though. Can you carry a fuck-ton of blankets with him buried under there?" The Omega turned to Pax. "Do you want to carry blankets? Or maybe you can get the door...or I can get the door, and you can carry blankets..."

"If he's in the car, no one will really see him," Pax suggested. "And though I rarely use it, I can just park in the attached garage, and no one will even see him getting out of it."

"Oh, yeah, of course." Elias looked at the floor, cheeks burning. "Forgot about the garage."

"Hey, we can still use a couple of blankets to hide him in the car, to be on the safe side," Mateo said quickly.

"Yes, and I can lay down on your lap during the drive," January added.

"That sounds like a plan. Are we all in agreement?" Pax asked.

Elias perked back up quickly, smiling happily as everyone nodded. The Omega very much liked the idea of the vampire snuggled up to him for the drive.

"Do you have any boxes?" Mateo asked. "For anything you'd like to bring, January? We could probably fit quite a bit into Pax's trunk."

"I'll just grab a small bag with clothes, my phone, and wallet. That's all I need," January responded. "In fact, I'm going to do that right now." He said. He gave the Omega a soft kiss on the lips and then lifted him right up into his arms. "Want to come help me, Eli, my emerald?"

"Em-emerald?" the Omega asked, blushing pink as he wrapped his arms around January's shoulders.

"Yes, your lovely eyes remind me of the rarest of emeralds," January admitted as he walked back over to his room with the werewolf in his arms. "They're quite beautiful."

Just as Mateo was about to walk after them, Pax placed a hand on his elbow. "There's something I'd like to ask before we join them," he explained. "Your grandmother, how do we get in contact with her?"

Mateo smirked, fishing his phone out of his pocket. He tapped the screen a few times and held it out to show Pax. The contacts screen showed a picture of a lovely woman with dark, sparkling eyes and black hair shot with streaks of silver. She was blowing a kiss at the camera. A phone number was listed beneath it.

"Call or text?" Mat asked, laughing. "Abuela is never far from her phone. She can't stop playing Candy Crush and Plants versus Zombies."

"Usually when we come across a new mate, we get another week off from work," Pax explained. "But, we can't report January as our new mate just yet. So, I have to go back to work on Monday. When do you think would be a good time to go see her?"

"Tomorrow, if that's not too soon," Mateo told him. "Uh, she'll be out tonight with her girlfriends. Saturday is, well, Bitch's Night, apparently." Mat's cheeks burned. He didn't ever want to know what those women got up to on Saturdays.

"Tomorrow sounds great," Pax replied with a smile. "We can ask her about her grandpa and the gods...and how to protect Jany."

Mateo was about to speak when he heard a giggle and a soft gasp from Elias in the other room, followed by January's seductive voice.

"We should probably head out before Jany and Eli get too...distracted," Mateo said with a grin.

"Good point!" Pax agreed as the two of them rushed over to the vampire's room.

The four them did end up distracted for a while, but eventually, January finished packing his clothes and suited himself up for the drive to Pax's house. He wore a pair of tight jeans, ankle boots, and a grey hooded sweater that had long sleeves. He had on a pair of black leather gloves to cover his hands, and he carefully pulled on a macramé mask that covered his entire face except for his eyes.

"I know, I know," Jany apologized. "I look like I'm either part of the JabbaWockeez dance crew or some kind of Mardi Gras thief. But, it's my best defense for the sun's rays."

"I think it's kinda sexy," Elias said, fingertips trailing across the golden swirls of the mask. "Mysterious."

Jany's purple eyes glimmered as he wrapped his arms around Elias's waist to tug him closer. "Oh? Ever dream about getting pinned by a mysterious man against the wall at a masquerade party?" He purred sultrily into the werewolf's ear. He then glanced at Mateo. "How about you, mon grenat?" (mon grenat= my garnet)

Elias sucked in a breath as a shiver swept him. It was a good thing the vampire was holding him, the Omega's knees felt awfully wobbly. His new mate was so damn hot it was ridiculous.

"If I didn't before," Mateo admitted, his voice rough. "I do now."

"Hmm, then we should host our own little masquerade one day," January mused aloud.

"Right now, our first step is getting Jany home, is it not?" Pax insisted.

"Huh?" Elias whispered, gazing at the violet eyes that seemed to shimmer with shades of lilac and deeper purple behind the intricate mask.

January chuckled. "How about we go home so we can find a wall to pin you up against, hmm?" He suggested.

Elias couldn't hold back a moan, which turned into a squeak as Mateo swept the Omega into his arms, deciding to speed up the process by carrying him to the car. Mat suddenly stopped, turning to his mates.

"We went through your portal thing," the big wolf said. "How do we get to the car?"

"Like this," January offered as he held out his hand towards the wall and opened a portal to the parking lot of the Black Orchid club, where he assumed that Pax had parked his car.

"That was amazing!" Eli chirped, hanging over Mateo's shoulder so he could face January. "How did you do that? Can all vampires do that stuff? Can you do other cool stuff?"

"Yes, I can do quite a few things...but, maybe it's best if I explain some of them on the ride?" January prompted as he lifted his bag of clothes in one hand and a quilt with the other.

"Agreed," Pax replied as the four of them walked through the portal.

"Ah, sorry," Elias said with a blush. "I get too excited about stuff."

"We like how enthusiastic you are about things, Eli," Mateo said as he deposited the Omega in the backseat of Pax's car, delighted his little mate had allowed himself to be carried. "You don't have to apologize for it."

They tossed Jany's bag in the trunk, Mateo sat in the front seat, and the vampire really did lay down across Eli's lap with the quilt covering him.

Elias smiled at the form of his vampire hidden under the quilt.

"Thanks for coming with us," Elias whispered, feeling the need to be quiet as they snuck January home. "I'm glad you decided to. I'm really sorry we have to hide you. Are you sure you're okay with everything?" Eli was quiet for a moment. "Not just the hiding, but being a mate to werewolves. It had to have been unexpected."

Even though his hand was covered in a glove, January made the effort to take hold of one of Eli's hands. "Eli, I've lived and suffered through a lot over the years. But, hiding out in a home with my mates? That doesn't even sound like hiding to me. It sounds like paradise," he confessed.

"Good," Elias said in obvious relief, squeezing January's hand. "And you don't have to suffer ever again. We won't let anything happen to you."

"I wouldn't mind suffering for any one of you," Jany admitted softly.

"And we'd do anything for you, too," Mateo said, turning around in the front passenger seat. "We wouldn't be able to stand to see you hurt, though. Being mates is kind of crazy intense in the whole taking care of your mate sense."

Eli nodded in agreement, then paused.

"Hey, weren’t you going to tell me all the amazing things you can do?" the Omega asked curiously.

"The car ride would end long before I told you about everything I could do," Jany admitted. "But, for starters, I make a very cute bat. At least, I've been told I'm a lot cuter than other vampires as a bat, in any case."

Elias covered his mouth, overcome with the idea of an adorable little January bat.

"Will you do it for me sometime?" Eli begged.

"Oh, my gem, I will do it as soon as we're indoors," the vampire promised. "...in the dark with artificial lighting."

"Does the light hurt your eyes?" Mateo asked.

"Only direct sunlight does, so if the curtains are drawn, I should be fine," January explained. "But, unless a lightbulb's on, Eli won't' be able to see me properly. My bat form's all black except my big purple eyes."

"I can't wait," Elias blurted. "Can you do other things?"

"I can walk on walls and the ceiling if I concentrate the power to my feet..." January continued. "And, in extreme circumstances, I can move very, very fast."

"Could you, uh, maybe carry something while you were walking on the ceiling?" Elias looked thoughtful, then blushed bright red. "Does it take tons of focus? Can you do other... things while on the ceiling?"

Mateo burst out laughing. "Jany, I think Elias is propositioning you for upside-down sex." He grinned back at a sputtering Eli and bobbed his eyebrows. "Can I watch?"

"There is a way, yes..." January confirmed. "Two ways, actually...and of course, you can watch, my garnet."

"Yesssssss," Mat said, pumping a fist while Eli hid his burning face under the blanket.

"We'll just have to be careful not to bump your head to the sealing wall the first time," Jany pondered aloud. "As I usually start mid-way up the wall first..."

"I probably wouldn't feel it," Eli muttered, squirming his hips back to avoid poking January with a part of his anatomy was was becoming inconveniently excited with the subject matter.

"In any case, it would be better not to have your head bash against the ceiling," Pax piped up. He had been busy concentrating on the road, but it was difficult when his mates were talking about odd forms of sex.

"Would you like to watch, too, Pax?" Mateo teased.

"I'd like to participate, as well," Pax pointed out. "Perhaps taking you while we both watch?"

"Yeah?" Mat asked, feeling his pants suddenly get a bit tighter, but unable to stop himself from continuing to tease his mate. "You gonna be able to compete with ceiling sex?"

"I can if I have you facing their direction, so you have a front row seat while I pound into you," Pax responded, the slightest of smirks tugging on his lips.

Mateo's breath stuttered in his chest, and he could feel his nipples tightening under his mesh shirt and hoped no one would notice.

"Can we watch Pax and Mat fucking while they watch us?" Eli whispered, the sweet scent of Mateo's arousal making his own body respond.

"Of course," January said with a chuckle.

Not a moment later, Pax pulled up to the driveway of his house and drove his car into the attached garaged. When the garage door was completely shut, the four of them got out of the car. January was urged to stay in the garage while the werewolves shut all the blinds and pulled all the curtains closed. They eventually decided to gather into a guest room that had only one window. They ensured that the curtains on the window were thick and let no sunlight in.

"Alright, it should be safe for you to pull off the mask now," Pax prompted after he led the vampire into that room.

January did just that and gave a quick glance about as he pulled off his gloves, as well.

"Umm," Elias said shyly, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. "Is it okay? How do you like it?"

"It's perfect," January replied with conviction as he unzipped his hoodie and took it off. "And it accommodates all of us. Though, to be honest, I don't care where we live so long as we're together."

"I can get the light-blocking drapes for the house Monday," Mateo said. "Will that be soon enough?"

"Yes, I could sleep in this guest room in the meantime, since it's the darkest," Jany replied.

"Is the bed going to be big enough for all of us?" Elias asked Pax.

"We can move the beds over here in the mean time?" Pax suggested.

"I can help by making a large enough portal, so you don't have to go too far," Jany offered.

"We don't want you to waste your energy," Mateo said, flexing his pecs to make his mesh shirt bulge. "I could carry it myself if it weren't impossible to balance."

"It wouldn't be that much energy at all, " Jany insisted.

"And then we can get in bed faster, Matti." Eli giggled. "I think Pax said something about you and pounding when we were talking earlier, yeah?"

Mateo was quickly convinced, and the bed was nearly as quickly situated in the room.

Jany took in the sight of his three werewolf mates, who had flopped onto the massive bed. The small lamp on the bedside table was the only light. "As promised," he began as he walked towards the edge of the bed. "I'm going to show you my other form."

The vampire then began to glow a purple hue before the top of his head, and the bottom of his feet seemed to quickly shrink until a tiny bat flapped his wings in Jany's place. He slowly flew over to land in Eli's hands, his large purple eyes looking up at him.

"Jany, you're so cute!" Eli chirped, holding the adorable little bat close to his face as Pax and Mateo leaned close.

January's fur was inky black and soft as velvet. His small, leathery wings were tucked at his side as he looked up at his mates. The vampire's head resembled that of a flying fox than an actual vampire bat. Jany's little black nose didn't have the strange shape of many bats, instead it looked bit like a dog or fox nose. His ears were large, rounded triangles atop his head. The vampire's big violet eyes would have made them immediately recognize him, even without his scent.

Eli giggled mischievously as he gently rubbed the top of January's softly-furred head.

"Noooo," Elias quoted in a tiny, high-pitched voice. "Stop touching me! I am the night!"

"But, I'm not the night," January responded telepathically. "And I want you to keep touching me!"

Elias squeaked, nearly dropping his currently tiny mate.

"You can talk with your mind!" Eli said, eyes wide with excitement. "And you want me to pet you while you're a cute little bat?" The Omega peeked at Mat and Pax. "Did you hear him, too?"

"Yes, loud and clear," Pax replied.

"Yes, pet me, mon joyau" January pleaded. "Pet me everywhere." (mon joyau= my jewel)

Eli smiled in delight as January leaned into his finger as the Omega gently stroked the bat's furry cheek. Mateo reached out and then pulled his hand back.

"You're really small. I don't want to squish you," Mat admitted.

"Oh, please touch me, Mat," Jany pleaded. "Don't be afraid. You too, Pax."

Mateo's touch was feather-light, stroking down January's back.

"Wow, so soft," Mat whispered.

"I know, right?" Eli said with a grin. "Cutest thing you've ever seen right?"

"You and Jany are tied for that," Mateo said with a wink.

Eli blushed so hard, January thought he could even feel the Omega's hands warm from it.

Pax chose to gently pet his leathery wings. "Come to think of it, we haven't even shown ourselves our wolf forms," he commented.

"You guys can if you want," Eli said quickly, wondering if they meant right then. The Omega wanted more time to explain how he looked as a wolf. "I'm, umm, holding Jany. Someone should keep petting him."

"What if I want to see your wolf form?" Jany asked Elias.

"I'll go first," Pax suggested as he pulled off his clothes and began to shift. If werewolves shifted with their clothes on, the clothes would disappear in the process. Legend told that there was another dimension that held nothing but miscellaneous werewolf clothing. Pax’s shift was smooth and fast, as if he just morphed into a wolf before their very eyes. His pelt was pure silver, the golden-hued eyes were a stark contrast. There was an inner ring of darker gold in the canine eyes, as well.

"You're very pretty, Pax," Mat said, leaning forward to run his fingers through the wolf's thick silver ruff.

"Very, very," Eli agreed, holding January in one hand so he could stroke Pax's side.

The Omega grinned, setting January's tiny body atop Pax's head between the wolf's triangular ears. Elias kept smiling as he rubbed his face in Pax's smooth fur.

Pax kept perfectly still so that Jany wouldn't fall from the top of his head. He didn't realize how much willpower it took not to flip over to his stomach to have his mates pet his underbelly. His tail swayed as he let out a soft bark of invitation to Mateo.

Mat scooted back on the bed, letting the change take him. He closed his eyes as he felt a tingle of magic flow through him. When his deep brown eyes opened, he was a massive black wolf with tan markings on his chest, paws, and one ear.

"Oh Goddess, you have little brown socks!" Elias said with a happy bounce. "That's so cute."

Mateo's tongue lolled from his open mouth in a wolfish look of amusement before giving Eli a big, wet lick to one cheek. Mat snuffled at the diminutive bat who was now hanging upside-down from one of Pax's ears.

Pax carefully gave Mat a lick along his muzzle in affection and then turned his golden gaze towards Elias expectantly.

"Umm, okay, so...I'm not a very good wolf," Elias began nervously.

Both canine heads tilted, causing January to swing gently from Pax's ear as the three mates watched their Omega.

"I mean, like, I'm pretty small and I'm not all burly like a wolf should be." Eli fussed with the tip of Pax's tail. "And I've got weird markings..."

"Oh, my beloved Elias," Jany called out, since he was the only one that could communicate that way in animal form. "Size means nothing to me. I'm certain you are as gorgeous in your wolf form as you are in your human form. I am quite eager to see it."

Elias smiled gratefully at January's encouragement, and let his body shift. As a wolf, Eli was small, as he'd said. He was nearly half the size of an average werewolf. It was small, even for an Omega, who tended toward being petite. His legs and body were slender, almost sinuous, flowing more like a fox's than a wolf's. His large fluffy tail added to the resemblance, though it was nowhere as full as a real fox's would be. He was a wolf, certainly, but next to Pax and Mateo, Elias looked practically dainty.

The Omega's fur was red and gold, darker red around his face and body, flowing to shining gold at his ear tips, feet, and tail. A golden circle with waving lines coming off it surrounded one eye, looking very much like a sun against the dark red fur.

Elias whined softly, gold-tipped ears pinned to his head. His family had always made a big deal about how different he was in this form, how strange it was. They never meant to make him feel bad, like an odd-looking runt, but he'd heard so many times how small he was…how the lines of his body were too slim and delicate, how out of the ordinary his coat and markings were. It had left him painfully self-conscious. When his pack had run in the woods, Eli had always tried to stay hidden between his parents, head down and tail low.

A small charge of electric energy was felt as January dropped off of Pax’s ears and he transformed back into a vampire. Unlike when werewolves shifted, vampires did keep their clothes on the shift back. He laid an arm on Pax and Mateo to help right himself as his wide purple eyes gazed openly at Elias. "My emerald, you are the most beautiful wolf I have ever seen," he gasped as he reached out to gently pet his face and the top of Eli's head. "My topaz and garnet are gorgeous, as well, don't feel like you're any less. But, Elias...you are breathtaking."

Eli's ears flicked uncertainly, but were no longer pressed tight to his head. He peeked up at the vampire, seeing nothing but sincerity and admiration shining in January's violet eyes. A shiver traveled from the Omega's head and flowed downward, making his red-gold tail floof even more. Elias let out a soft yip before jumping into his vampire's lap, The sun-kissed wolf nuzzled enthusiastically under January's chin, occasionally stealing a lick to the vampire's cheek as Eli very nearly vibrated with happy relief.

January let out a trill of joy as he reached out to gently tug Pax and Mateo closer, as well. He rubbed his face in each of the wolves' fur. "I adore each and every one of you. I would never have guessed that I would end up with so many mates!" He admitted.

Pax shifted back into his human form in order to speak, once again naked. "Actually, Jany...there is still at least another mate out there. Eli's bonding stone isn't fully opaque."

Mateo's tongue lolled happily, excited about meeting their next mate, before he leaned forward to begin licking Eli's furry face, the motions causing the Khonsu stone still around Eli's neck to swing. The Omega hopped out of January's lap to nuzzle under Mat's muzzle, his gold-tipped wagging tail threatening to smack January in the face. The size difference between Mateo and Elias was obvious with the Omega's position. Eli could have walked underneath Mat's and would only have needed to duck his head down for clearance. Mateo chuffed softly, resting his muzzle on top of Eli's head. The Omega sighed in contentment, his fear and anxiety ebbing away.

Both January and Pax were distracted by the two wolves' tender displays of affection. Then, January gently took hold of Eli's stone, noting their intertwined colors. Pax's yellow was speckled from top to bottom. His purple seemed to be in clusters near the bottom and the top. Mateo's was heavily clustered near the bottom. But, the amount of color was equal. The more he gazed at the clear spaces, the more he wondered. "What if we have two mates left?" He questioned aloud.

Eli yipped, falling over dramatically to express his surprise at the idea. Mateo stepped so he could stand over the Omega's smaller body. The big wolf licked the tip of Eli's nose, making the wolf sneeze. Elias shifted back to his human form, giggling and reaching up to rub the soft tan fur on Mateo's broad chest.

"You know, if you'd asked me before I met Pax how I felt about maybe having, shit, five mates..." Eli shook his head but continued smiling. "I would have lost it. I mean, Pax can tell you, I fainted like some chick in a romance novel. But now...I dunno. Seeing you guys, I think maybe it's gonna be amazing. If they are like you all, it's going to be the best thing that could happen."

The phone ringing startled their peaceful thoughts. Pax reached over to answer it. "Hello?" He greeted.

"Good morning, this is Tatiana speaking, head devotee of our Khonsu temple," Tatiana responded on the other side. "I apologize for interrupting your bonding time with your new mate, but our goddess Khonsu has felt a disturbance in regards to her Omegas. We would like to remind all Omegas to report anything suspicious."

"Understood," Pax replied. After he hung up the phone, he turned towards his mates with a frown on his face. "That was Lady Tatiana. She said the goddess felt that something's off and wanted to remind all Omegas in the area to report anything odd. I think it's time we give your grandmother a phone call, Mat."

Mateo stole another lick to Eli's, now human, nose, making the Omega sneeze again before the wolf shifted back. Mat grabbed his phone, quickly sending a text to his grandmother, receiving a response almost immediately.

"She said she's free now," Mateo announced.