“Why would you think we would?”
“Well, because, normally, people who live together and sleep together mate each other,” Justin said as though speaking to a dolt.
“We aren’t normal,” Canaan said. “Duncan has no desire for a mate. And we don’t live together.”
“Might as well. And you desire one.”
Canaan shot Justin a look, but he knew he couldn’t hide his true feelings from the omega, who knew him well. “I can live without a mate. Having one isn’t important.”
Having zipped up Oscar’s coat, Justin stood and faced Canaan. “Of course it is. With the bond comes security. And so much more, Canaan. Now that I’m mated to Milo, I can see that the bond we shared with Stone wasn’t complete. Or something. I don’t know, but it wasn’t the way it was supposed to be. You and Duncan should mate.”
Canaan looked away. “I’m content with what I have, Justin.” He handed Tyler’s backpack to him. “I’ll see you boys on Monday.”
When Justin and his kids had left, Canaan sat at his desk and stared into space.
Justin was right, of course. Canaan would love to be mated to Duncan. But the alpha had never mentioned it, and, frankly, Canaan was surprised things were going the way they were between them. That Duncan spent so much time with Canaan was just short of a miracle in Canaan’s opinion. He’d never thought he’d get this much of the stoic alpha’s attention. The arrangement they’d spoken of had never included sleeping pressed up against one another or having meals together. Those things had just happened with time, and Canaan didn’t know what to think of them. And now they were in each other’s beds every night. Justin had been right when he’d said they might as well live together.
And something else Justin had said had rung true. Canaan and Duncan were living much like mated people did, but neither of them had the benefits the mating bite brought. The sense of ownership, security, heightened awareness and connection. Justin’s thoughts on their mating with Stone hadn’t surprised Canaan. He’d long suspected something had gone wrong there. Perhaps Stone hadn’t completed the bite with any of his four mates. Possibly on purpose. He wouldn’t put it past the mean alpha to have withheld that from them.
“Be happy for what you’ve got with Duncan. It’s so much more than what you had with Stone,” he told himself. “Don’t ruin a good thing.” He could handle not being mated to Duncan if it meant he could continue to be the alpha’s plaything, take Duncan’s orders, and warm the dominant werewolf’s bed.
“Are you coming home with me, or are you just going to sit there?” Duncan’s voice jerked Canaan out of his thoughts.
“Fuck, you startled me!”
Duncan chuckled. “I stomped onto the porch and inside just like I always do. You were just sitting here, staring off into space.”
Canaan stood and tidied his papers. “I’m ready to go.” He grabbed his jacket from the coat rack.
They decided to eat at the dining hall. Henry had made pot roast, and that was Canaan’s favorite. The place was filling up fast. Phillip and Henry had recently mated, and Phillip now helped Henry run the dining hall. Several teens helped serve, including Roanan’s twins. Canaan thought they did more flirting than serving. He could clearly see the alpha in them. They were going to be a handful.
“I hear Xavier and Christopher are moving to Cascade City,” Duncan said. Canaan could feel the alpha’s eyes on him as he ate.
“I’ll be sorry to see them go,” Canaan said, and noticed that Duncan tensed.
“Why’s that?”
Canaan paused in mopping up gravy with his homemade roll. “Because I like them,” Canaan said, frowning. “Don’t you?”
Duncan shrugged. “I don’t like people.”
Canaan laughed. “Okay.”
“What are you laughing at?”
“Just you acting like you’re so separate from everyone when I know you’re not.”
Duncan scowled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Canaan shrugged. “You have feelings, that’s all.”
“Of course I have feelings. I’m not dead. What I don’t have is attachments.”
“Don’t I know it,” Canaan mumbled.
“What’s that?”
“Why do you care if I’ll miss X and Christopher?” Canaan asked.
“I just thought you’d gotten over your crush on that big piece of muscle, that’s all.”
Canaan forced back the smile that wanted to break out on his face. Duncan was jealous.
“He’s a difficult alpha to get over,” Canaan said, just to see what Duncan would do.
“Finish eating,” Duncan growled.
Pretending innocence, Canaan slowly ate his food. When he put his fork down, Duncan abruptly stood. “Let’s go.”
The alpha muttered to himself all the way to the woods. When they drew close to Canaan’s home, the beta stopped.
“I think I’ll stay here tonight.” He wanted to see what Duncan would do. They hadn’t spent a night apart in over a month.
To Canaan’s shock, Duncan shoved him against the outer wall of the shed at the edge of the property. Leaving less than an inch between them, the alpha looked down into the beta’s face.
“I’ll show you someone who’s hard to get over,” he said before attacking Canaan’s mouth with his own, burning him with lips and tongue until Canaan was nothing but a melting, quivering, whimpering mass in the alpha’s arms.
He clung to Duncan, grasping onto huge biceps with his fingers, afraid of falling if he let go while Duncan took him apart piece by piece. The alpha’s big thigh pushed between Canaan’s legs, and the beta humped it like a dog in heat, completely unable to stop himself.
“Tell me,” Duncan demanded into Canaan’s mouth. “What can Xavier give you that I can’t?”
Dizzy with need, Canaan sighed. “Nothing. Nothing at all. It’s you I want.”
Duncan ripped Canaan’s shirt open, hands all over the beta’s chest while his mouth continued its assault.
“That’s right,” Duncan said between drugging kisses. He yanked down Canaan’s pants, popping off the button in the process, and tore at his underwear until a hole gaped in the back. Swinging the beta around, Duncan pressed into Canaan’s back, fumbled to free his dripping cock, and shoved it home.
Canaan cried out, arching his back and welcoming the pain that preceded the pleasure. Duncan fucked him hard, yanking at Canaan’s hair with one hand while jacking the beta off with the other.
“Who do you belong to?” Duncan rasped into Canaan’s ear.
“You,” Canaan said. “Only you.”
And he meant it with everything in him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Keith
“How is Josh doing?” Grant asked one of the young blond servers at the dining hall. Keith wasn’t sure of his name, but there was another one who looked just like him pouring drinks across the room.
“He’s good,” the server said, setting a basket of homemade bread on the table before giving Keith a look the omega couldn’t read and walking off. As the kid was an alpha, Keith felt the snub keenly.
“I get the feeling that guy doesn’t like me, and I don’t even know him,” Keith said.
Mated over a month, he and Grant had settled into a routine at home. Grant left every morning to work in Duncan’s barn with Bruce and Rick. As for Keith, many trades weren’t suitable to omegas who, even mated, would be a distraction to betas and especially alphas, so Keith concentrated on keeping their home clean, cooking, and helping at the omega den during his free time where Christopher was currently helping his replacement adjust to his new role of caretaker. Keith enjoyed gardening, but the weather had gotten too cold for that. They’d had their first snow earlier in the week, and the ground was hard as a rock. Keith missed the moon runs and hoped they’d be reinstated for omegas soon.
“Don’t take it personally. Lake’s mad at me, not you,” Grant said, dipping a French fry in ketchup before popping it into h
is mouth.
“Why is he mad at you?”
Grant glanced at him. “He and Landon are Josh’s brothers.”
“Josh—Roanan’s son?” Keith had encountered the young omega a few times at the omega den but had never spoken with him. Had Josh been avoiding Keith?
Grant nodded. “Yeah. Josh and I were best friends. When it became evident I was an alpha and he an omega, his dad didn’t want us to see each other anymore. Josh hasn’t gone into heat yet, but I guess Roanan was afraid we’d mate.”
“He didn’t want you to mate his son?” Keith couldn’t help but be indignant for his alpha mate, whom he considered worthy of any omega.
Grant grinned. “Don’t get all puffed up about it. Roanan likes me fine, but he wanted Josh to make an informed decision, not be mounted right off the bat and forced into a relationship. I get it. I think I understood better than Josh. I think he was hurt when he found out I was going to mate you, but it was more about the end of our youth together.”
“Maybe he had a crush on you,” Keith said. It made sense, but he found didn’t like the thought of another omega being in love with his alpha.
“Nah, it wasn’t like that. We were friends for years. It’s just hard to let that go.”
“Do you miss him?”
“Sure, but everything about our friendship is in the past. I mean, I’m too old to take off fishing with him like we used to do, and once Josh goes into heat, he’s going to change and develop new interests like I’ve done. I’m older than he is.”
Keith nodded. “Thanks for telling me about him. It explains a lot.”
Grant studied him. “Has Josh been rude to you?”
Keith shook his head. “No, but he stays out of my way, which I couldn’t help noticing at the omega den where we’re all so close. I’d wondered why.”
“Sorry. He’ll come around. As for Lake and Landon, they’re just sticking up for their brother. They probably think I caused him to get into trouble with their dad.”
“I get it.”
They finished eating and walked home. Keith’s thoughts wandered to his heat, which had subsided a few days ago. He and Grant had spent the entirety of it in the bedroom, and Keith hadn’t expected how different it would feel to have an alpha filling his needs. Wonderfully different. Gone was the feeling of emptiness and being at everyone’s mercy, replaced by the care of his loving alpha.
Yeah, Keith was definitely falling head over heels for his mate.
As they turned the corner and approached their house, Keith spotted someone on the porch.
“Who is that?” he asked Grant.
“Looks like Justin. Hey, Justin!” Grant called out when they got closer.
Justin took a couple of steps back so as not to be too close to the alpha.
“Hi. I was looking for Keith.” Justin turned to him. “A bunch of us are getting together at the omega den, and I thought you might want to come. It’s Christopher’s last night there.”
“Sure,” Keith said. “Sounds fun.” As he turned to leave, Grant tugged him back, surprising Keith with a gentle kiss.
“Have fun. See you when you get back.”
“You’re blushing,” Justin said with a grin as they walked. “I guess mated life’s treating you well.”
Keith chuckled. “You could say that. I’m a little surprised at how great it is.”
“I agree.”
“Where are the pups?” Justin had five, and Keith didn’t know how the omega did it.
“Home with Milo. The place will be a wreck when I get back.”
“I wonder if I’m carrying. My heat ended recently. Sometimes I’m afraid I’m too old.”
Justin glanced at him. “I’ve heard of omegas way older than you are having pups. Don’t worry about it. Grant’s young and virile and will get you pregnant in no time.”
Justin’s words made Keith’s cock twitch. “I hope so.”
The omega den was full. Someone had made a ton of food, and all the omegas were cuddled up on the big couch and cozy chairs. Keith was relieved when Justin sat down with him on the fluffy rug and laid his head on Keith’s chest. Keith wrapped an arm around the smaller omega and leaned back against the chair behind him where Elliott sat with London. The two had become good friends over the past few weeks. London was heavy with his second pup.
“How’s it going?” Keith asked Elliott.
“Good. You?”
Keith smiled and nodded. “Really good.”
A loud whistle cut the chatter, and the room quieted.
“Now that you’re all here,” Christopher said, “I want to say a few words before we eat and chat.” He turned to the dark-skinned beta standing beside him. “I know Terry is going to be great at running the omega den. I’ve been telling him all about each of you, and he’s really excited to begin.”
“I am,” Terry agreed, flashing a smile of straight white teeth. Keith guessed the beta to be in his early twenties. He had lovely light brown eyes and long dreadlocks. “I know you’re sorry to lose Chris, but I’ll do everything I can to make this the kind of place you’re used to coming to. We just found out my little brother Matt is an omega, so one day he’ll be joining all of you here.”
A happy murmur rippled through the room at this news.
“I’m really going to miss you guys,” Christopher said, tears welling in his eyes, and several omegas stood to embrace him. Gabriel started crying. “Don’t,” Christopher said, reaching for the first omega. “You’re going to make me start.” They clung to each other.
“I’m just going to miss you,” Gabriel said. “I know you’re doing the right thing.”
“We’ll visit a lot,” Christopher promised.
Still leaning against Keith, Justin wiped his eyes, and Keith ran his hand soothingly down the small omega’s back. Not having known Christopher or Xavier very long, he didn’t feel the same deep sadness at their leaving, but he did feel all his fellow omegas’ troubled emotions coursing through him.
“Let’s not be sad,” Gabriel said after blowing his nose into a tissue. “We want this to be a happy goodbye and a happy welcoming for Terry.”
Everyone cheered, and Vince began passing around plates while Vaughn uncovered the trays of food. Keith noticed Josh in the corner and smiled at the young omega. He was surprised when Josh tentatively smiled back. He was a handsome guy, with his father’s dark hair and eyes. Keith pushed down the jealousy that tried to rear up. After all, Keith was the one who had Grant. He had no reason to be jealous, especially if the two had only been friends.
A long howl from outside caused everyone in the room to still. Keith looked from one werewolf to another, wondering what was going on.
“That’s a beta guard call,” Justin told him. “It means someone’s outside the compound.”
Christopher walked out onto the front stoop and called to one of the betas who guarded the omega den.
“Got any idea what that’s about?”
Keith couldn’t hear the reply.
Christopher closed the door. “John says Jerry went to find out. He’ll let us know.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Gabriel said to Keith and Elliott. “Probably another pack’s hunting party came a little too close.”
The party continued. Keith got to know a few omegas he hadn’t talked to much before and stuffed himself with delicious food. One by one, the omegas headed for home with their mates who came to escort them. When Grant got there, Keith stepped out on the porch just as one of the beta guards—Keith thought it was John—and Christopher’s boyfriend, X, approached.
“What’s going on?” Grant asked X. Christopher and a few others stepped out of the house to hear the news.
“A strange beta wolf showed up here in poor condition. He has a pup with him. Grey and some others brought them in, and Shane’s trying to help the guy. Canaan offered his place, and they’ve taken them there.”
On their way home, Grant and Keith discussed it.
“Ma
ybe his pack was destroyed, like Emory’s had been,” Keith said.
“Very well could be. I wonder if the pup’s as bad off as they said the beta was,” Grant wondered.
“Poor thing.” Keith couldn’t imagine being out there without a pack and having a pup to take care of on top of it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Duncan
Duncan couldn’t figure Canaan out. The beta said he wanted Duncan and only Duncan, but then he insisted on spending the past week in his own house without the alpha. It made Duncan feel itchy inside, like he couldn’t settle down. He’d grown accustomed to having Canaan in bed with him. He hadn’t meant to, but that was the way it had turned out. Once they’d started falling asleep together after sex, that had been that. Duncan had thought Canaan was enjoying it just as much as he was, but now he had to wonder.
Duncan had also grown accustomed to the sex, and a week without it had been torture. When Canaan had said he’d miss X when the alpha left for Cascade City, Duncan had suspected the beta might have been trying to get a rise out of him, but that hadn’t kept him from being jealous. It infuriated him to think of X even touching the beta. He didn’t know when or why it had happened, but he’d become extremely possessive of his lover.
And why shouldn’t he? Canaan was his to fool around with. They’d made an agreement. He shouldn’t have to tolerate any other alpha even in conversation, and he was pretty certain he’d proved that to Canaan up against the beta’s shed afterward. Only, now he had to wonder if Canaan was thinking of breaking off their agreement. For what other reason could the beta be avoiding him?
Duncan peered into the barn where Rick held a piece of iron over the fire with a pair of long tongs. When the big beta noticed Duncan, he stepped back and lifted the protective covering from his face.
“Hey. Did you need me for something?”
“Did you hear the howl a while ago?”
“Yeah. Bruce went to check it out and came back to say a strange wolf showed up outside the compound. They’ve taken him to Canaan’s house.”
Duncan’s chest tightened. “Canaan’s? Why there?”
Winter's End Page 12
