by Ardy Kelly
He turned, ignoring the protocol between pack leaders, and left through the back gate.
Chet pressed his hands against the ground and chanted. A prickly energy filled the air. The rosebushes along the fence swayed, despite the absence of a breeze.
Their canes began lengthening, wrapping themselves around the exit. The thorns extended to the size of daggers. Within a minute, the gate was sealed off tighter than a maximum-security prison.
Everyone stared. Only Trisha shrugged off the magic. “Fire marshal isn’t going to be happy about that. It’s an emergency exit.”
Mack helped Chet up. “What are you?”
“I’ve got fey blood.”
“I knew it,” Troy said. “You’re too good-looking to be human.” He glanced at Chet’s face. “At least you used to be.”
“What happened in the gazebo?” Chet asked.
“Basically,” Troy replied, “Henry wants David to give him an heir.”
“Not going to happen.” Chet grabbed David, and hugged him close before wincing in pain. “Careful of my ribs.”
“I thought the vortex warned you of crap like this,” David said.
“Not always. Sometimes…I think…things are supposed to happen the way they do.”
David shook his head. “You need to look in the mirror before believing that. This was a total disaster.”
Troy waved his notes. “Are you kidding? I just got the villain for my next book. The Bastard Billionaire’s Beastly Bargain.” He pursed his lips. “I’m still working on the title.”
Adam, upset he had been outmaneuvered, snapped, “You’re not helping.”
Surprised at wanting to defend Troy, David said, “He bought us some time. Troy let Henry know I won’t survive a wolf bite, and childbirth could kill me.”
“No one’s dying,” Mack said. “But we need a plan.”
“I already have one,” Troy replied. “Chet has to claim David.”
David whipped his head around. “Claim?”
“He has to bite him,” Troy explained.
“He can’t if there’s a custody battle,” Adam said.
“We can’t. Chet’s not in a pack. That’s why he has to do it.”
“If he’s not a wolf, his bite won’t be worth anything.”
Troy rolled his eyes. “Since he’s not a wolf, it won’t kill David.”
“How does it help with Henry?” Mack asked.
“The sheriff is not a member of our Lone Wolves, so his bite won’t be our responsibility,” Troy explained. “He bites David, and then we bring Chet into the pack. Problem solved. David didn’t mate a member of our pack but when Chet joins, his mate comes under our protection, too.”
“It might work,” Mack said.
“It better. I’m using it in the book.”
“In case you forgot,” Trisha said. “We still have the Timber Crossing VIPs thinking it’s time for dessert.”
Luckily, Steven, Ricky, and Diana were keeping the humans company and clearing the plates.
David donned the apron and head covering.
“I lost my bow tie,” Chet said.
“You’re done serving,” David declared. He didn’t want to tell Chet his face was an appetite suppressant, so he focused on the clothing. “You’ve got blood on your shirt.”
“I’ll tell them it’s ketchup.”
“Nothing I cooked needs ketchup.”
When Mack laughed, Steven elbowed him. “I didn’t ask for any ketchup.”
“You were going to,” Mack replied. “Go upstairs,” he told Chet. “We’ll figure this out once they leave.”
“I need to protect David,” he replied.
“Unless you can turn my spider plant into a weapon, you’re done protecting for the day,” Trisha said.
“I don’t need to hide,” Chet insisted.
David laid a hand on Chet’s shoulder. “You may not need to, but I’ll feel better. I can’t focus if I’m worried about you.” He smiled. “You’re endangering my chocolate souffles.”
“Ryan and I will stay with him,” Troy offered. He pulled out a couple of packages of frozen peas and the three retreated to the honeymoon suite.
“Back to the table,” Mack said. “In case anyone comes to check, it will look suspicious if we aren’t there.”
Chapter 16
Troy and Ryan snuck the sheriff up the stairs. Once inside the room, Chet tried to slam the door closed, but Troy stuck his foot over the transom. “We’re in stealth mode, remember?”
“You’re my babysitters, I guess,” Chet said.
Troy dropped the frozen peas in Chet’s hand. “I never took you for the petulant type.”
Chet gingerly held the frozen vegetables against his face. “I should be downstairs, protecting David. He doesn’t trust me to protect him.”
“He’s protecting you,” Ryan said. “Omegas do that. It’s infuriating to alphas, but sometimes their instincts about these things are better than ours.”
“It took you long enough to figure it out,” Troy said.
Chet dropped onto the loveseat. “So, what just happened out there?”
As Ryan filled Chet in on wolf politics, Troy puttered around the room. He gathered as many candles as he could carry, arranging them around the bed.
Chet eyed him warily. “What are you doing?”
“Setting the mood.” Troy grabbed another handful of candles from the bathroom. “Glad to see you took my advice. We’re going to need as much romance as we can get for the bite.”
“You really expect me to bite him?”
“Of course. He won’t be considered your mate to Lone Wolves Ranch until you sink your teeth into him.”
“Can’t I just give him a hickey?”
“You’ve got to draw blood.” Troy grabbed Chet’s jaw in his hand. “Open your mouth.”
Chet followed the order before he thought to ask why.
“Thank God they didn’t punch out any of your teeth. But your canines could use a little sharpening. I’ve got a nail file in the car.”
As Troy headed for the door, Chet took hold of his arm. “I am not drawing blood!”
“You drew mine,” Troy replied.
Ryan responded with a growl.
Troy hugged his mate. “He just pricked my finger. He didn’t finger my prick.” He turned in Ryan’s arms. “Honey, show him.”
Ryan’s expression went from grim to confused. “Show him what?”
“How to claim an omega. Don’t tell me you forgot our mating night.”
Ryan gave a throaty laugh. “How could I forget?” He grabbed Troy and pulled him against his chest. While nibbling on his ear, he asked, “Can I draw blood?”
“I don’t want to stain Trisha’s rug.” Troy giggled. “Maybe later. When the kids are asleep.”
Ryan lifted his eyes to Chet while pressing his cheek against Troy’s. “I’ll tell you what my dad told me. Mating is like hunting. You have to be fearless, you have to be committed, but most important, you have to watch for any signals your prey is giving you.”
As Ryan brushed his five o’clock shadow against Troy’s cheek, the omega shivered. “Hunting? Really?”
Ryan nodded. “Oh yeah. The difference is that the bite doesn’t end a life. It starts a whole new one as a couple.”
“Just one second.” Troy pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and started the voice recorder. “I’ll be able to use this in a book.”
“Omegas are easily spooked,” Ryan explained. “They’ve been told all their lives how magical the bite is. Yet the only experience they have tells them wolf bites are deadly. We offer our necks all the time in wolf interactions, but it’s ceremonial. With the mating bite, they have to trust another wolf completely to get past their fear.”
Chet nodded. “What about the alpha’s fears?”
“If neither of them can get past their fear, they aren’t ready to be mated,” Ryan replied. “Are you ready to mate David?”
“Of course.
”
Troy asked, “Why?”
“I don’t know.” Chet held up a hand. “Wait…I mean, I don’t know how I know. I just know. My visions are more than just pictures. I feel things. And what I feel for him is…” Chet paused, searching for the words. “It’s all the things I thought I’d feel: desire, want, need. But it’s none of those things. Because those things are driven by selfishness. And what I feel for him is…something else. It’s not about me. It’s about us.”
Troy sighed. “Tell that to David, and he’ll offer you his neck in no time.”
Ryan cleared his throat. “Are we going to continue the lesson?” When the other two nodded, he released one of his arms around Troy’s waist. “The first step is to get them aroused.” He pointed at Troy. “And it looks like your words already turned him on,” he huffed.
“Oh no, Daddy,” Troy replied. “With my back to you, I can feel your arousal.” Troy wiggled his ass against Ryan’s pants while winking conspiratorially at Chet.
The little white lie soothed Ryan’s ego. “Of all the erogenous zones on a wolf, always begin with the mind and the neck.” He turned Troy to the side and pointed at his ear. “This is for whispering words of love.”
“Or dirty talk,” Troy added.
Ryan dropped his finger lower. “And this is for suckling.” He spun Troy to face him. “Does David have the omega gland?”
“He does,” Chet answered. “I’ve already found it.”
“Knowing where it is, and knowing what to do with it are two different things,” Ryan answered. “Let me demonstrate. It starts with the approach. Lock eyes with his. Let your expression convey exactly what you want. If that doesn’t give him the deer-in-the-headlight expression, pull him in your arms and start whispering your desire.”
Despite his deer-in-the-headlight look, Troy stammered out, “It’s a lot like public speaking: tell ’em what you’re going to tell ’em, tell them, and then tell them what you told them.”
Ryan’s lips hovered by Troy’s ear. “We’ve been mated long enough for me to know what’s going to work. Like when he needs me to remind him just how beautiful I think he is.”
Troy nodded, as if in a haze. “He’s really good at that.”
“But I also know, after he’s had a hard day of saving the world, he needs a strong, dominant man to show him he’ll always be safe.” Ryan nibbled on Troy’s ear. “Give me your neck.”
Troy tilted his head to the side, displaying his mating mark to Ryan’s gaze.
“You need to start gently here,” Ryan explained. “Not too much pressure to start. You’ve got him in the mood, but you need to get his body prepared. I like to lightly run my tongue across the gland, and then blow my breath on it.”
As Ryan demonstrated, Troy quivered. Ryan seemed to be falling in a trance, too. “Maybe we should call your mother to take the kids for the night,” he whispered in Troy’s ear.
Feeling ignored, Chet called, “Guys?”
Ryan’s eyes were half-lidded. “Just follow his breath and heart rate,” he said huskily. “Lightly nuzzle your nose and lips across his neck. Build the pressure up slowly. Wait for a sign.”
Troy moaned, clutching tighter to Ryan while he wrapped a leg around the alpha, as if trying to climb him.
“A sign like that?” Chet asked.
“Almost.” Ryan moved his hand down to Troy’s crotch. “For the bite, you need to get him good and lost in his arousal.” He palmed Troy’s cock trapped under the clothing.
Troy’s second leg came up around Ryan, and he grasped the alpha tightly.
Ryan only had eyes for his mate. “We both know what you need, don’t we?”
When Troy nodded his head, Chet worried they had forgotten he was watching. “And now you bite him?”
Troy laughed. “Only if you want to get a reputation as a premature masticator.”
“He needs to give his consent.” Ryan nibbled at Troy’s neck. “What do you want, baby?”
Troy exhaled. “Bite me, alpha.”
Chet stood, inching toward the door. “What about the rug?”
Troy moaned his answer. “I’ll have Ricky make a new one.”
Ryan pressed his chin deeply into the neck gland. “Why the change of heart?”
“I need your bite,” Troy whispered.
“Even with Sheriff Thompson watching?”
Troy blinked. “Is he still here? I never took him for a voyeur.”
“I’m not,” Chet replied. “This is a lesson, remember?”
Troy pushed Ryan away. “I can’t believe you got me all hot and bothered, and you weren’t affected at all.”
“Oh, I’m affected.” Ryan adjusted the erection straining his pants. “I just kept reminding myself we had company so I didn’t lose complete control.”
Ryan grabbed Troy’s phone, and switched off the voice record. “Now, I’m going to call my mother and have her pick up the kids, and you can explain the rest to Chet.”
Troy splayed out over the bed when Ryan left the room. “I didn’t know I’d enjoy being a Demo Dolly so much.”
“You only showed me the first part,” Chet said. “It’s the actual bite I’m worried about. I don’t want to hurt David.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll be here with you.”
“What? No!”
Troy sat up. “Someone’s got to witness the bite. We should have his sister here, too.”
“David isn’t going to allow that.”
Troy banged his head against the mattress. “If there’s one thing that little demonstration should have proved, it is that a good alpha can make his omega forget everything around them. And Ryan is a really good alpha.”
“I’m not an alpha.”
“You are to David. I’ve seen the way that man looks at you. You just turn on your charm and he’ll be begging for your bite.”
“After I bite him, then what?”
“You have sex, of course. We can stay to witness that too, if you want.”
“No!”
The sheriff’s shout brought Ryan rushing back in the room. “What happened?”
Troy sat up. “He doesn’t like people watching him have sex.” He stood and walked toward the door. “Let me check on David. The sooner we get this settled, the sooner we can go home.”
When Troy left the room, Ryan stepped closer to Chet. “Just so you know, Troy is mine. Exclusively.”
Chet held up his hands. “Trust me. I won’t touch him. In fact, I’m kinda scared of him.”
Ryan smiled. “Glad to hear it.”
Downstairs, David didn’t want to rush the guests, but he wasn’t offering to refill their coffee cups, either.
“That was fabulous,” Tabitha gushed. “Much as I love you, Mabel, I’ve eaten everything on your menu ten times over.”
“You and me both,” Mabel replied. “You’re an excellent cook, David.”
He blushed as he thanked them.
“You should start your own restaurant,” Tabitha said. “There’s an empty storefront right by my office.”
The tall, bald man shook his head. “Don’t marry a Realtor. They are always working.”
“Empty stores on Main Street reflect badly on the community,” Tabitha replied.
“No surprise,” Mabel said. “That Italian restaurant thought they were too fancy to serve us townspeople. Every tourist knows to go to the place where the locals eat.”
Tabitha smiled. “I could talk to the owners. I’m sure they’re anxious for a good tenant.”
“I wouldn’t want to compete with Mabel,” David said.
“Come on, Tabitha,” Mabel protested. “We all know you own the place. And as for you, David, we’d love a new restaurant in town. We’re getting too old to work morning, noon, and night.”
“Don’t go stealing my chef,” Trisha scolded. “I need him to do this every Saturday this month. I’m booked up.”
David blinked. “Already?”
“Every weekend.”
&nbs
p; Troy dashed into the room. “It’s always the cook who eats last.” He grabbed David by the shoulders. “Come on. I’ve got a bite waiting for you.” He hustled David upstairs.
They stopped outside the suite, and Troy pulled off David’s apron. “I realize this isn’t the most romantic way to get mated, but it will have to do. I’m still giving Chet lessons. I figure by your first anniversary, he’ll have the whole romance thing down.”
He ran his fingers through David’s hair, plumping up the places where the hat had flattened it.
David pushed his hands away. “Stop that. Nobody’s biting anybody. We need to discuss this.”
“The time for discussion was over the minute Henry showed up.”
“I declined his offer.”
“It wasn’t an offer. It was a statement. That omega who died in childbirth was his. And the rumor is that the poor boy died trying to escape. We don’t have a lot of options if you want to protect your cubs. But the smartest thing we can do right now is get you mated.”
Troy pushed open the door. “Now walk in that room, sit next to Chet, and say, ‘Bite me, big boy.’”
David’s gaze went to Chet sitting on the bed. An unexpected tremor ran through him, as if his body was anticipating the pleasures of mating.
The tremor ceased when he saw Ryan and Diana on the other side of the room.
“This is so exciting,” Diana squealed. “Dad and Mother are going to be disappointed to miss it.” She paused. “Well, maybe not.”
Chet reached for David’s hand, and tugged him to the space beside him.
“Do all of you need to be here?” David asked.
“They think we need witnesses.” When David sighed, Chet squeezed his hand. “I know. This isn’t what I wanted for us, either. But right now we need to do whatever we can to protect the babies.”
“Let’s not waste any more time,” Troy interjected. “Ryan has something pressing that needs attention.”
“His erection,” Chet whispered to David.
The joke eased some of the tension in David’s shoulders. “I hope that doesn’t need witnesses, too,” he whispered back.
Chet slowly unbuttoned David’s shirt. “I know you wanted to wait until after the babies came. I promise I won’t push for more than you can give.”
