Wolf's Pack (Wolves Next Door #3) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,115

clearly remember the whole talk about how saliva breaks down the virus so kissing wasn't a problem, and um, I was thinking, you know, normal. But..." She shifted back and forth nervously. "I didn't think about the blow job thing. I mean, that's just blatant, right? But, um..."

"It's not sex," Nik blurted out.

"It's called oral sex for a reason," I told him. "Now, blush as much as you want, and stammer as bad as you need, but tell me exactly what happened."

"He, um, kinda..." Nik glanced at Gabby, but she just waved for him to go on. "He sucked my dick but he didn't swallow." It all came out in a rush, the words tumbling over each other.

"But you came in his mouth?" I asked. "So, he spit?"

"Mom!" Gabby groaned.

"Go upstairs if you can't take it," I told her, "but this is important. I'm not asking to be nosey. I'm asking so we can take care of Nik's boyfriend."

"Yeah," Nik finally said. "We, um, were fooling around, and he kinda did that, and I said he had to be careful, but the mouth's fine, I thought."

"Saliva is fine," I told him. "Just like with HIV. But if he has a cut in his mouth? Bit his tongue? There's still a risk. A small one, but a risk. The problem is that seminal fluid doesn't have the same digestive enzymes to break down the virus. Yes, I asked Dr. Bridget all about this. So, you basically gave him a mouthful of infection, Nik, and there's a very good chance he caught it."

"No," Nik breathed. "But he wanted to wait. He wanted to be a wolf!" Then the boy's head snapped up. "Dad."

"We're going to figure this out," I promised.

"You don't understand," Nik snarled. "My father will kill me. How exactly would Theo, of all people, end up a tiger and not a wolf, huh?" And he slapped his chest. "Because of me, and that means he's going to... Fuck."

"Hey, hey, hey," I said, pushing to my feet to wrap the boy in my arms. "It's ok, Nik. We'll figure this out together. Your pack is here. We're going to make sure this works out."

And slowly, the kid's arms closed around my back. His face pressed against my shoulder. For a long moment, that was all, but then he gasped, proving he was fighting so hard not to cry.

"It's ok," I soothed. "Your dad seems to be a good man, and maybe he'll be shocked, but we're not abandoning you. I promise, Nikolai. You're a part of this pack now, and I will take care of you."

"How do I tell my dad that I like guys?" he whimpered.

"One word at a time," I told him.

He pulled back to look at me. "Can you do it? I mean, just tell him it was an accident, and, um, if he hates me, then I don't have to see it?"

The boy's hands were shaking, but he was trying so hard to look tough. His chin was up, his face was as close to stoic as he could get, but his eyes were a bit too wide and his skin much too pale.

"Nik, this is something you should probably do. That way you can answer questions and - "

"No," he whimpered. "He'll hate me, Elena. You don't understand. Dad grew up in Russia, and that's not ok there. Men are men, and when they like other men, they were beaten to death!"

"And he doesn't live in Russia now," I countered. "Nikolai, your father seems like a fair man."

"So long as I'm manly enough," he breathed. "Please, Elena? He's going to know. If Theo turns, Dad will find out, and..." He paused to swallow. "Just... Please?"

"Ok," Heather said, moving closer to turn Gabby for the stairs. "You kids go make sure Theo's ok. Find out if there's anything he needs. Elena and I have to talk to Lev anyway, because we've never seen a tiger turn. So, there's no reason we can't tell him for you while we're there, Nik. Right, Elena?"

"Right," I agreed, watching as Nikolai visibly relaxed. "Ian and the betas may be over while we're gone. Just tell Gabby to deal with it." I grabbed for my keys. "Is your dad even home, Nik?"

"Just got home," Nik told us. "Gabby sent a text saying she had to borrow me, so I barely had time to say hi before I was leaving to come here."

I nodded, then pointed at the stairs. "Go take care of