“Knows what?” Landon asked.
“That my panther has chosen you,” Noah stated. He didn’t sound angry, nor did he sound sad at the revelation. He sounded…relieved.
“No one knew you were gay, right?” Landon asked, taking a seat at the small table Noah kept in his kitchen.
“Not until you came around,” Noah smiled. “It’s refreshing to know that my pride is starting to realize it.”
“Why don’t you tell your brothers?” Landon asked, bringing up the elephant in the room. “At least tell Talon.”
“I will,” Noah nodded. “With time.”
“Someone will tell him,” Landon narrowed his eyes. “Do you want that to happen?”
“At this point, I don’t really care,” Noah breathed as he shed his coat and hung it on a peg by the front door. “I am who I am, and with your brother mating Dane, it’s given me hope. Hope I could find my soul mate, too.”
“That being me?” Landon asked.
“Yes, that being you,” Noah nodded.
Landon’s heart fluttered in his chest. The male had finally come right out and said he knew they were mates. “But how? I don’t see humans and shifters together here. My brother and Olivia had to be turned.”
“They did,” Noah agreed. “Although, their story was different. They were both almost killed.”
Landon thought for a moment, but didn’t speak. Noah’s eyes were gradually glowing with amber sparks. His panther was close to the surface, but it didn’t scare him.
“Wait, you have to turn me?” Landon gasped, realization hitting him square in the face.
“I don’t have to, but I want to,” Noah admitted, coming to stand so close Landon could feel the heat radiating from the shifter’s body. “I’m selfish, and I want you to be like me so we can properly mate.”
“And how is that?” Landon had heard bits and pieces of the mating ritual, but he never paid attention because it never concerned him. Now, it did, and he was royally confused. “How do two males actually mate?”
A knock on the door paused their conversation. When he opened it and revealed his brother and the alpha, Talon Shaw, Landon felt his palms sweat. He wasn’t afraid of Talon; quite the opposite, he respected the hell out of him. He was, however, a little worried about how he would take Noah’s mating scent.
The leader of the panthers began to speak, and Landon’s world slowed, almost coming to a complete stop when Talon lifted his nose to the air, scenting what his brother was putting off. Behind him, Guardian Winter was sniffing the air like a cat looking for some fresh catnip.
Landon cleared his throat and stood from his seat. He walked closer toward the door, but Noah shot his hand out, signaling for him to stop where he was. A little bit of panic raced through his veins when Talon’s eyes narrowed and landed on him. Noah didn’t need to tell Landon to be still, because his brother’s eyes did that for him.
“Is there something you’d like to tell me, Noah?” Talon’s voice echoed throughout the tiny cabin. Or, maybe, just maybe, Landon was on the verge of passing the hell out.
“I really don’t think I need to discuss it further,” Noah said, standing his ground. “My scent doesn’t lie, brother.”
“Are you okay with this?” Talon asked the question with a confused look. Landon wanted to urge Noah to just spill the beans, but he didn’t have to. Noah did that for himself.
“Talon, I’m gay,” he admitted, sighing heavily. “Mom was the only one who knew.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Talon’s voice softened, and he looked at his brother with concern.
“You were always so busy with our father, learning to be an alpha, and Kye was too young to understand.” Noah stepped aside. “Come in so we can talk.”
“I will leave since this a private conversation,” Winter offered. Talon said a few things over his shoulder. Landon picked up a part of it, and it didn’t have anything to do with them. He’d distinctively heard the word “Gadaí”.
“So, Landon is your mate,” Talon began as he took a seat at the little table. His large body caused the chair to creak.
“We don’t know,” Noah replied. “We haven’t touched.”
“Okay,” Talon nodded. “I’m hurt you never came to me, Noah.”
“What was I going to say?” Noah said through his gritted teeth. “I’m gay, and I want to be a Guardian, but don’t worry, males, I won’t look at you sexually?”
Noah took to the other seat after moving it halfway around the table. When he sat, his knees were touching Talon’s. The two brothers looked so much alike, and you could tell they were close. Landon could see in Talon’s eyes how the revelation hurt his feelings.
“They would’ve accepted you as you are, Noah,” Talon stated, wiping his hand down his face. “Brother, I love you, and you are free to love whomever you choose. No one here will look at you any differently.”
“Or you’ll order them to be nice to your middle brother?” Noah asked with a smirk.
“I’ll order them to shower you in praise every day for the rest of their lives,” Talon teased, reaching for Noah. The two males stood and embraced, bringing a tear to the corner of Landon’s eye. He knew the importance of bonding with your brother.
“Thank you for understanding,” Noah finally said once Talon released him.
“I wish you’d have told me sooner,” Talon scolded, again.
“Sometimes, we like to keep some things to ourselves, Talon,” Noah preached. “It’s not that I was ashamed or feared being kicked out of the pride. I just wanted to live my life as normally as possible.”
“And you will,” Talon promised. “You are a damn fine Guardian, and I trust you with my life and the life of my mate and cubs.”
“Thank you.” Anyone could see how much Noah looked up to Talon by the way his eyes watched him. Landon had been told Noah didn’t have an alpha gene and would rather just be a Guardian. He was proud of Noah for gaining that position even if it was before they’d ever met.
“I’ll leave you two alone, but I’ll need to see you in my office tomorrow before you head out for your shift.” Talon turned to Landon. “Take care of him.”
“I plan on it,” Landon vowed, shaking the alpha’s hand.
“Talon, wait!” Noah called as his brother stepped out the door. Noah rushed to Talon’s side and closed the door to his home.
“What is it?” Talon frowned as he turned to look at him.
Noah’s heart was still beating nine hundred miles an hour after telling the alpha he was gay. Somehow, he knew his news would be received well, but it still scared him to death to say the words aloud.
“I want to change Landon,” he blurted, mentally kicking himself for being so quick on the idea.
“What does Landon want?” Talon retorted.
“I don’t know,” Noah shrugged. “We haven’t talked about it. Well, I was going to speak to him tonight at dinner. We were starting the discussion when you arrived.”
“You know I won’t stand between you and your mate,” Talon began. “If he agrees, and you give him all of the details, I will be beside you in your decision.”
“Talon, thank you,” Noah replied. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”
“You’re welcome,” Talon answered and started to turn. The alpha stopped and looked over his shoulder. “Don’t keep these things from me again. We are family, and family supports each other.”
“Okay, promise,” Noah vowed, feeling the weight of his secret lift from his chest. As he turned to go back inside, he scented Landon’s cologne, and his panther growled with need. He didn’t waste time pushing the door open to find his potential mate pacing the floor.
“What did he say?” Landon asked, his sapphire blue eyes wide.
“He supports us,” Noah mentioned as he traced the sharp edges of Landon’s jawline with his gaze. The male was his, and he wanted to touch him. It was well past time they make the connection to see if what they were feeling w
as the mating pull. “He supports you becoming what I am, too.”
“I heard that it’s painful…for us both,” Landon said, his lids lowering to cover his beautiful eyes. “I don’t want you to be in pain.”
“And I don’t want you to be in pain?” Noah scoffed. “It’s going to be a long three days, and although the healer has a sedative they’ll give you, you’ll still feel it. There’s always a chance I could lose it, and the males are posted there to ensure I don’t hurt the healer, another pride member, or myself, because most mated males can’t handle seeing their mates in pain. They go feral.”
“This is okay for you?” Landon gasped. “You’d go through that?”
“For you, I think I’d do anything,” Noah promised as he reached for the male. Heat boiled just under his hypersensitive skin. There was anticipation in Landon’s eyes, but it was behind something else…uncertainty. Noah knew it was up to him to make the contact, because Landon wouldn’t take the first step. Time was up, and he didn’t want to wait any longer. “I’m going to touch you now, Landon.”
With a strong hand, Noah cupped Landon’s face and pressed his lips against the human male’s. The bolt of electric power that struck him caused Noah to growl deep in his chest. A tingling of something magical swirled around him, connecting his soul to Landon’s human one.
“What was that?” Landon whispered once Noah released him.
“A mating.” Noah smiled as he relished in the feeling of their connection. It was as strong as the others had talked about when finding their mate. There was no doubt Landon was sent in his path by a higher force. Noah silently sent up a thank you to them as he inhaled his own mating scent.
“What happens now?” Noah wanted to take him like an animal, but he knew there was going to be some hesitation on Landon’s part. Noah needed to be strong for the male, and let him know he would cherish him regardless of the scars on his back.
“Now,” Noah growled, cupping Landon’s erection through the gray sweatpants he was wearing. “Now, we mate.”
“Noah,” Landon warned, closing in on himself, but Noah grasped the male’s face, turning it toward him when he went to look away.
“I know what happened to you, and I’ve already seen the scars,” Noah admitted. “I shouldn’t be locked out because of them. You are mine…you are my Landon, and I will not look upon you with disgust…ever.”
“You promise?” Noah hated the fact Landon needed conformation to continue with what they were about to do.
“I vow on my Guardianship,” Noah replied, placing a fist over his heart. “Now, will you be my mate?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” Landon replied after a moment of silence. He wrapped his fingers around the back of Noah’s neck, pulling him back for another scorching kiss. Their tongues dueled, their hands explored, and Noah’s beast demanded he bite the male to mark him.
“I will take you from behind,” Noah declared, his entire demeanor changing as he took control over his need for the male. “When I pull your back against my chest, I will bite your neck and leave a mark. Once you are turned, you will do the same to me.”
Noah followed up his promise with a kiss and nip to the spot on Landon’s neck where he wanted to place his mating mark. His hands were strong and steady as he lifted Landon’s shirt from his body, pulling the male by his hand as he redirected them to his bedroom.
No, their bedroom.
Noah took his time, preparing Landon for their mating. The room was dark; only a soft light from a lamp in the hallway casting a glow across the bedroom floor. Each touch from Noah primed Landon for what was coming.
Noah reached into his side table and grabbed a condom, tearing it with his teeth. Landon’s body shivered slightly, his muscles tightening.
“Don’t tense up,” Noah said, but paused. When Landon shivered, Noah worried he was pushing the male too far. “Wait…what’s wrong?”
“Nothing, I’m just…I mean, can you see it? My scar?” Noah sighed, knowing Landon was thinking about what he would see when he mated him properly.
“Your scar does not define you, Landon,” Noah replied. “You have to remember something. I was there when you were in the hospital. I know what it looks like, and my beast and human side have chosen you because of what’s inside you. The outside doesn’t matter to me.”
“It bothers me,” Landon whispered, but the admission was loud enough to break Noah’s heart.
“Let me show you how I feel,” Noah urged, leaning over Landon’s back and placing a kiss to his shoulder. “Let me make love to you and mark you as my own.”
“Okay,” Landon replied after a long pause. “Okay, Noah.”
They kissed and touched for what seemed like hours, but once Noah was finally seated, all sense of his scars and trauma went out the door. Landon moaned when Noah began to move, his lubed hand reaching around to wrap around Landon’s cock. “Tell me to mate you.”
“Mate me, Noah,” Landon panted when Noah rocked into the spot that craved attention.
Noah’s growl was the only notice Landon had before the male released him and dug his fingers into his hair, pulling Landon up so his back touched Noah’s chest. With them on their knees in the middle of the bed, Noah could switch hands and resume stroking Landon, matching his thrusts. Noah felt Landon’s fingers digging into his thighs as he reached back to hold on for the mating.
“You are my mate, and I vow to protect you for the rest of our lives,” Noah said through his thick canines.
Landon didn’t scream out when Noah’s teeth sank into his neck. There was a thickness to the air and a spark of something wild enough to cause both of them to climax at the same time. Noah removed his teeth and licked across the bite with his rough tongue, taking his new mate with him when he fell to the side. Noah pulled Landon against him and let his panther settle from the mating.
A little while later, Noah quietly went to the bathroom and returned to change the sheets on the bed. Landon was a little dizzy from the bite, and Noah refused his help. “Stay in that chair. We are going to climb right back in this bed once I put on clean sheets.”
Landon smiled warmly at Noah when he finished making their bed. “Thank you.”
“You never have to thank me,” Noah replied, walking over to pull Landon by the hand. They climbed in the bed and pressed their bodies close together as they closed their eyes, resting on the eve of their official coming out and connection. Noah knew he’d never tire of that feeling.
Chapter Ten
Talon had given Noah two days off to be with his mate, and that time had come to an end entirely too soon. As his boots met the pavement in a downtown alley, he really wished he could go back in time. The air was colder tonight, the moisture in the air causing a shiver. Calling upon his panther, he felt the beast half shift to provide some fur under his human clothes to warm him against the bitter cold.
“Storm and Lucky are waiting on us,” Taze mentioned as they rounded an abandoned building, heading to a location where they’d gotten word shifters were using it as a shelter.
Noah spotted the two Guardians posted up at the next street, sticking to the darkened shadows of the building where the street lights didn’t reach. Leaves circled along the road as the wind picked up out of the north. In that concrete jungle, Noah wondered where the hell they’d come from since he hadn’t seen a tree since getting off the interstate.
“Seen anything yet?” Noah asked the two Guardians.
“No activity yet.” Lucky appeared bored, using his knife to clean under his nails. “No one has heard or seen anything, but the night’s still young.”
All of their eyes shot toward the sound of someone approaching. Well, more like…someones. Noah widened his stance as Storm’s panther cackled, the sound echoing softly into the night. The scent of wolves was thick in the air, and from the four figures coming down the street, they knew their night was about to get very interesting.
“Here we go, boys,” Storm snickered. The
male was one of the quiet ones, but he didn’t fool Noah. He knew Storm was a brutal fighter.
The wind changed, and all four of them froze. The scent of two males and two females crossed their noses. “Fuck,” Lucky mumbled.
“Really could use Evie and Hope right about now,” Noah said as the wolves stopped a block away once they scented the panthers.
With lightning speed, they separated, running off in several different directions. Noah took chase after one of the females. His panther resisted, but he pushed himself to ignore the beast. Now was not the time to let ancient rules come into play. The female needed to be caught.
As he rounded the corner on Riverside Drive, he came to a halt. The female was holding a human male hostage, a knife to his throat. “You don’t want to do that. Put the knife down. I’m here to get you some help.”
“Help?” the female werewolf snarled. “I’m a fucking animal! I have no free will, and if I try to run away, there’s a force inside me that wants to hurt people. This man…he…oh god.” She started to cry, but her hand kept tightening on the knife.
She was under the alpha’s control and couldn’t speak about the alpha or her voice would close up. That much was obvious.
“Release the male,” Noah ordered again as Taze arrived on the scene. He heard his partner growl low in his throat. They both knew they would have to restrain the female, and it wasn’t going to be easy. “I promise you we can stop you from doing these bad things.”
“What…who are you?” she stammered, her eyes turning a hazy yellow. “No, no, no.” She was resisting the shift, and Noah knew it was close. He only had a second to react.
The woman screamed as he called upon his beast and used its strength to launch himself through the air, ripping the human male from her arms. Taze cursed as they fell, sliding on his knees to help Noah restrain the female.
“Please, don’t hurt me,” she begged softly. Noah felt Taze pause at his side, the spiked collar dangling from the tips of his fingers.
Her voice, and the softness to it, caused his panther to snarl and buck against his skin. He knew she wasn’t hurt, but his instincts were to release her…give her aide. It didn’t matter that he was with Landon. Women were always protected, and it physically hurt him to put pressure on her body to hold her to the ground.
Noah (Rise of the Pride, Book 10) Page 10
