I stretched and felt utter contentment as I opened my eyes. Zoey was finally our claimed mate! I felt like I could float with how happy I was. And from the smell it looks like she was already up and downstairs working on breakfast. I jumped up and quickly dressed and headed down the stairs. Ash and Deke looked over at me smirking.
"Well well, look who decided to finally join us this morning."
"Fuck you, Ash. It was a long night."
He grinned and saluted me with his coffee cup. "Yep, it was. And Deke and I had the same night you did and yet WE were up on time."
"Well congratulations to you. Want a cookie?"
Deke laughed. "Yep." He looked over at Zoey. "Can we have a cookie, baby?"
I looked as she leaned against the counter, her whole body shaking with laughter.
"Goddess, I love you guys! No Deke, you can't have cookies before breakfast. What are you? Five?"
I snorted as I sat down and nudged Deke in the ribs.
"Ooohhh the boss has spoken. You're in trouble now."
"Just like you and your teddy bear marshmallow shit, right?"
I gave him a devilish grin as I filled my coffee from the pot in the middle of the table. I took my time stirring in my creamer as he looked confused at my expression.
"Ahh, but I have a method to my madness."
"Oh really? Care to share with the class?"
"Sure, Ash. But you can't be getting all jealous since I thought of it first."
"Just spill already."
"Well, if I misbehave then I have to be punished right? And who do you think does the punishing?"
They just sat there and looked at me in shock.
"You devious son of a bitch. That is just fucking genius!"
Ash's voice held a note of awe and Deke started to give a slow clap. I stood and took a bow as Zoey came and set a platter of pancakes on the table. I sat back down and grabbed her wrist and tugged her down for a good morning kiss. She sighed in happiness as stood back up.
"Damn. You guys are just too delicious in the morning. Now eat up cause I know you guys wanna hit the gym. But can I come watch?"
Ash looked confused but I knew what she was after.
"Wanting to ogle some hot guys, love?"
"Just three very specific hot guys." She shrugged with a grin. "Hey, I can't help it that watching your bodies move and get sweaty gets me going. Plus, I get the benefit of helping you shower and then taking you to play and get you all sweaty again."
My cock went hard as a rock, and I moaned. Now all I could think about was fucking her against the gym wall, fucking her in the shower again, and then letting her go wild on me in the playroom.
"You are an evil evil woman, love. You drive us crazy in all the best ways."
"Good. Cause you three do the exact same to me. And I have some fun gym fantasies to live out. Now eat."
The kitchen was silent as we all dug into our pancakes. I moaned as the first bite hit my tastebuds.
"This is amazing love. I'm betting they're scratch made. What the hell do you put in there that makes it taste so good?"
"Cinnamon and almond extract. Amps up the flavor but doesn't overpower anything. I'm glad you like it."
"I love it! It's so so good."
I waited until we were finished with the food and were just sitting with our coffee. Something had been bugging me about last night.
"Hey, love?"
"Yeah, Jer?"
"I got a question."
"Sure. What's up?"
"Who's Arian?"
"What do you mean?"
"Last night you said let's do this Arian before you shifted. I just wondered who Arian is."
She gave me a strange look.
"My wolf. Well, her full name is Arianrhod but she said I could call her Arian for short."
Ash looked startled.
"You gave her a name?"
"No. She already had one, duh. I asked for her name since I didn't just want to call her wolf."
I sat stunned. Something so simple that we would ask any human, and we never asked our wolves if they had names.
'Do you have a name? I feel like a dick now for never asking. You've always just been a part of me, so I never questioned it.'
I felt his amusement.
'Yes, Jericho. I have a name. My name is Toth."
'Well now I feel like an asshole. I'm sorry Toth.'
'Don't feel bad. No one ever asks for our names. Like you they feel like we are a part of them. Your mate is unique. First, it is just her nature to think to ask anyone their names. I'm sure she would have gotten around to asking our names today anyway. Secondly, since her wolf was so long in meeting her, it makes sense that your mate would ask for her name. For her this is someone new. She looks at her wolf as a separate being sharing her body. You, as well as pretty much all shifters, consider us a part of you so there is no thought that we are separate from you.'
'Still, I was raised better than that. My momma would have had my hide if I showed that level of bad manners.'
'Yes, yes she would have. But I will let you in on a secret…'
'What?'
His voice dropped to a whisper in my head and his amusement and affection washed over me in a warm rush.
'She never asked her wolf for her name either.'
I snorted laughter and couldn't hold in it. Zoey, Deke, and Ash just looked at me like I was crazy.
"You ok over there, man?"
"Yeah. I was just chatting with my wolf. He said to tell you that you are an exceptional human, love."
She looked startled. "Why?"
"It never occurred to any of us to ask if our wolves have names. They've always been there our whole lives, so they are just part of us, ya know? But you are the first he can think of in a long time that asked for their names."
"But I haven't asked for theirs yet."
"He could sense you were going to, love. And that endears you to him even more than you already were."