by Nora Phoenix
Still, it was different when it was the alpha and his men. Bray had no desire to see his father and his two boys get it on, though he had to admit his men didn’t object so much. That morning, one of his guys had caught a rather arousing view of Lars getting a spanking and had joked with the others he wouldn’t mind being on the receiving end of one as well.
“You’re staring.” A soft voice startled him in his thoughts.
He averted his eyes and focused on the guy who said it. Kean, who else? Just as observant as his brother and equally stubborn, Bray had discovered the last few months. For a beta, he was damn opinionated, another trait that ran in the family, though Bray couldn’t deny Palani was doing a phenomenal job as second-in-command of the pack. As much as he hated to admit it, he couldn’t think of a single alpha on the ranch that would’ve done better than him at bringing the pack together and expanding their operations, all while researching and blogging about current affairs.
“Just staring into space,” Bray said, annoyed Kean had caught him.
Kean rolled his eyes. “Sure.”
Bray wondered why he always reacted so strongly to whatever Kean did or said. He usually didn’t have that much of a trigger temper, but with Kean, it was different. The beta managed to easily see through his mask, get through his defenses, and Bray didn’t like it one bit. One of these days, he was gonna put him in his place. Maybe they should battle it out sometime, he thought. Just to see who was boss, which would be Bray, obviously. He would never let a beta best him.
It wasn’t the first time he’d considered it, hooking up with Kean. They were both single and neither of them was looking for anything serious. Bray sure wasn’t, still content with his monthly trips to the club. To his disappointment, he’d never run into that omega again he’d fucked through his heat over six months ago. That still stood in his memory as the single best fuck of his life, but who knew, maybe he and Kean could make those sparks between them work in the sack.
It was funny, because the beta wasn’t even his type. Bray preferred omegas, their slender, boyish bodies. He loved the contrast between their build and his, especially when fucking. It was such an arousing sight to see them take his cock, to watch them surrender to his dominance. Then again, he couldn’t deny the idea of conquering Kean appealed to him on a deep, primal level as well. The beta was anything but slender, but what would it feel like to make a body like his submit and take his dick? Hmm, definitely something worth considering.
Bray wanted to react to Kean’s little taunt when the energy in the room shifted, and he went weak and dizzy in an instant. He couldn’t explain it, but it felt like all the power was sucked right out of him, leaving him trembling and boneless in his chair.
Bray’s hand shot out at the table for support, but before he had a hold, Kean grabbed his arm and steadied him. “You okay?” the beta asked.
“Daddy?” Lars called out, his voice filled with concern. Any other day, Bray would’ve been annoyed by that term for his father, but not this time.
Bray blinked, his head light and dizzy. “Is he okay?” he asked Kean. “My dad, is he all right?”
Before Kean could answer, another wave of power hit Bray, but this time it was the opposite. Energy slammed into him so hard it took his breath away, making his body jerk in shock as if he’d been electrocuted. His muscles contracted painfully before releasing with a force that made him feel like he could fly.
And then he knew. Even before they heard the sounds from the bedroom, he knew. He couldn’t explain how, except that his alpha recognized his leader.
When the howl drifted in from the bedroom, Bray sank to his knees on the floor, his body shaking. Around him, the others were doing the same, forced to their knees by a power they couldn’t see, only feel.
Tears started running down his face even as his mouth split wide in the biggest grin he’d ever felt. His body was pumped with adrenaline, his cock rock hard, his whole being emitting energy and joy. He’d never felt this alive, this in harmony with his alpha, who roared with power inside of him.
And when a large, gray wolf slowly stepped into the kitchen a little later, Bray did the same as everyone else. He fell flat on his belly, bowing down to the magnificent creature in front of him. He had no doubt, no qualms, no reservations whatsoever. This was Lidon, their pack alpha, and they owed him their allegiance.
The wolf—Lidon—let out a satisfactory howl, then trotted over to Bray’s father, who lay prostrated on the floor like everyone else. Bray turned his head so he could see what happened. His father lifted his head when the wolf approached, and it recognized him with a big lick over his face. The joy on his dad’s face had to mirror his, Bray thought, still unable to stop smiling.
He’d never seen an animal so magnificent, so majestic and powerful. And to know it was one of their own, their pack alpha…it was hard to believe, except he felt it to be true in the very core of his soul. His breath caught as Lidon made his way over to him. He bowed his head in recognition of Lidon’s power, and then he, too, felt the wolf’s tongue on his face.
It was powerful, that touch, like Lidon claimed him somehow. He was almost ashamed to admit it felt sexual too, his cock growing even harder in his pants. He had to resist the urge to seek friction against the floor, the sexual energy in his body almost too much to take.
Lidon licked them all, one by one, going by rank from alpha to beta to omega, from old to young. It was dead quiet in the kitchen, though a gasp of awe broke the silence every now and then as everyone stared in amazement at what transpired. Bray couldn’t even find the words to describe it himself, and he saw his sense of wonder reflected in the others.
It lasted a few minutes, and then the wolf left them to trot back to the bedroom, where sounds of a crying baby were making Bray’s heart sing. The baby had been born then, and by the sounds of it, it was healthy. Thank god for that.
He wondered if Vieno had been right about it being an alpha son, an alpha heir to Lidon. Then he caught himself. Could he doubt that, after everything that had happened? After what he had witnessed? It had to be true. Everything had turned out to be true. Lidon was the true alpha and the wolf shifters had returned.
Bray threw his head back and let out deafening alpha roar that mingled with one of his father’s, and seconds later, Rhene joined in as well. The wolf shifters had returned.
2
Kean was a little freaked out by what happened. When that massive wolf had trotted into the kitchen, his heart had stopped. Rationally, he’d known it had to be Lidon, but he’d still been scared. No, he corrected himself; it hadn’t been his brain that had recognized the wolf. It had been his beta, his soul. Just like everyone else, Kean had dropped to his knees and then flat on the floor, compelled by a deep desire to honor his pack alpha.
His ears still rang with the deafening roar of the three alphas in the kitchen, and Kean felt its power roll through him. Once Lidon had left, they had all scrambled to their feet, somewhat dazed. The blast of energy that had brought them all to their knees still hummed in Kean’s veins. He was restless, on edge, and undeniably aroused. Man, his cock was throbbing in his pants, and he had to restrain himself to keep his hands off. A quick glance at Bray, who stood right next to him, confirmed he wasn’t the only one.
Hell, Grayson’s two boys were already plastered against him, with Sven shamelessly rutting against his alpha. Grayson’s hand found Lars’s neck as Kean watched, dragging him close for a deep kiss that left little to the imagination of what they were about to do. He wasn’t surprised when seconds later, Grayson and his boys headed to their bedroom, dropping clothes in the hallway. Kean caught a glimpse of Grayson’s bare ass before he entered their room and suppressed a sigh of admiration. The man was built, there was no denying that. And his two boys weren’t a hardship to look at either.
Their departure left Kean, his brother Rhene who looked hyper as fuck, Bray, Lucan, and a dazed and flushed Sando. Kean liked the shy, smart omega and had even hoped for
more of a connection, but there was nothing more than friendship between the two of them. It was for the better, as he was a bit stubborn and strong for the soft-spoken omega.
Bray, however, was a different story. As much as his lazy arrogance infuriated Kean, he couldn’t deny his attraction to the alpha. Hell, he’d been fighting it since they’d met, when he and Rhene had visited Palani for the first time. When Kean’s eyes had caught sight of Bray, something had sparked, something he hadn’t been able to let go of since. Not even the discovery that Bray could be a massive ass had taken it away, sadly.
Bray noticed him too, he was sure of it. There had been lingering gazes, some definite checking out of his ass, which admittedly was one of his best features. That, and his cuddliness. For a beta, he was on the big side, his body toned and muscled from working outside without having the perfectly sculpted pecs or the drool-worthy six-pack Bray had. A friend he’d hooked up with multiple times had called Kean “a cuddly bear but without all the fuzz.”
Apparently, that did not appeal enough to Bray to make a move. That was a damn shame, because he still harbored hope that if they hooked up once, Bray would realize their attraction as well and would want more. Kean had even thought they might be… No, he had to forget about that. If that were the case, Bray would’ve felt it as well, right?
He adjusted himself, resigned to the fact he’d have to make do with his right hand. “I’ll catch you guys later,” he said, hoping he’d come off casual.
He hoped Bray would come after him, but when he didn’t, Kean retreated to his room where he jacked himself off until his cock stopped throbbing so damn much and the muscles in his hand were screaming with fatigue. It worked, but it was a damn downgrade from what being taken by Bray would have been like, he guessed. A guy his size had to pack a big tool, and that would’ve been so much better.
No one got much work done that day, he noted, as they all walked around half dazed and still aroused. What the fuck had happened there to cause that massive blast of power?
The next day, Palani called a pack meeting in the new barn they had built. The living room had become too small considering the pack size, so Jawon and his men had built a large barn and painted it red. It could serve as a meeting room, party barn, and whatever else they needed it for. It was still sparsely decorated, but Palani had ordered a bunch of wooden picnic tables so they had a place to sit and eat if they wanted.
Kean made sure to be there early, wanting to have prime access. He slid his frame into the table at the front, turning his body half around so he could watch the others come in. Everyone was expected to show up, Palani had stressed in his announcement. Kean hadn’t spoken to his brother since the day before, when Lidon had shown up as a wolf, so he had no idea what this was about. They certainly had something to talk about after what had happened. Even Rhene had hung around an extra day, too curious to go back to the city just yet.
Kean studied Bray as he walked into the barn, dressed in his usual tight black shirt and cargo shorts. The man had calves that were as big as Kean’s thighs. He sighed inwardly. Hot damn, he was one sexy motherfucker. What would it be like to be the recipient of that strength? The man would undoubtedly fuck like an animal, and damn if that didn’t appeal to Kean.
Much to his surprise, Bray dropped on the bench next to him. “Hi,” the alpha said after a short hesitation.
Kean suppressed a smile. He didn’t leave Bray as unaffected as the alpha would like to pretend, now did he? Did that mean he was finally getting through to him? Or maybe—he barely dared to hope—the alpha had sensed their bond as well?
“Hi,” he replied, then decided to poke the bear a little, if only because Bray was so fun to tease. Besides, he had nothing to lose. “How’s your right hand doing? Or did you find a willing omega to oblige you?”
Bray’s head shot to the side and his eyes widened. Kean grinned. “You didn’t think you were the only one to walk out of there with a dick hard enough to pound nails, did you?” Bray’s mouth opened, then closed again, and Kean’s grin broadened. “Sorry, little too direct for you?”
“I’m not used to discussing my sex life with others,” Bray said.
“Huh, interesting.”
“What’s that supposed to mean, ‘interesting’?” Bray’s tone was sharp.
Kean shrugged. “Just a little surprised. Wasn’t expecting you to be a prude.”
Bray’s eyes narrowed, but before he could respond, Palani took his position and spoke. “Hey guys, thanks for joining us tonight for a pack meeting. It was an eventful day yesterday, I think it’s safe to say…”
Snickers and laughs rolled through the pack, and Palani grinned. “Eventful covers it nicely, I thought,” he joked, then turned more serious. “I’m sure you all have questions, as do we ourselves, so we’ll try to explain as much as we can and allow you to ask anything. But before we do that, we have something special to show you…or rather, someone special.”
The back door opened and Enar wheeled Vieno in, sitting in a wheelchair, holding his son. Kean’s “Aw…” joined a chorus of similar reactions from the others in the barn. Vieno beamed as he held his son close, who was swaddled in a light blue blanket, only his red little face peeping out.
Lidon stepped forward, bending to kiss Vieno, then gently took the baby from him, holding him with his face turned toward the pack. “Meet our son and alpha heir, Hakon Hayes.”
Kean loved how Lidon said “our,” even though everyone knew damn well it was his biological son and not Palani’s or Enar’s. But these four were a united front as they stood there, beaming with pride.
Then Grayson’s voice rang out. “In the days of old, the pack alpha’s heir was honored by the pack swearing allegiance to protect him. Please join me in renewing this tradition.”
Kean couldn’t get off the bench fast enough, and it was the same for everyone else. Once they stood, Grayson said, “Kneel for your alpha’s heir,” and as one man, they sank down to one knee.
“Hakon Hayes, as our alpha’s son, we swear allegiance to you. We swear to protect you at all costs, and we would lay down our lives to keep you safe. We bless you with a full moon, a loyal pack, and a long life. To Hakon!” Grayson shouted.
Kean’s mouth opened without him realizing, and he joined the rest of the pack as they raised their voices in unison. “Hakon!”
When he rose again, he found his eyes tearing up, and he wiped them, a tad embarrassed until he saw others do the same. He couldn’t explain it, but it was like his soul recognized these traditions, like it knew what to do even though he’d never done this before. And what was even more amazing, was that he had meant every word of the vow that Grayson had spoken. He was willing to lay down his life for Hakon, and wasn’t that the strangest feeling ever? Sure, that tiny little baby was his nephew, but still. He’d never felt this deeply about anything in his life, and it would scare the hell out of him if it didn’t feel so right.
Bray’s head seemed to spin. Or maybe it was his heart, his soul. What the hell had happened? He’d always prided himself on being a rational person, but that moment had been fully emotional. He hadn’t even thought about it, had sunk to his knee and made that pledge without a second’s hesitation. What had motivated him to do that? He had no idea, but he stood by it.
He took his seat again, noticing that Kean seemed just as thrown off-kilter as he was. A quick look around confirmed that everyone looked a bit out of it. This whole pack business was some seriously weird shit at times.
“Wow,” Palani said. “That was a moment so special I can’t even put it into words.”
“If you’re speechless, that’s saying a lot,” Kean called out, and a relieved laughter rolled through the room, breaking the tension.
Palani gave him the finger, which caused more laughter. “You’d better be careful with that with a little one around,” Grayson warned him. “Before you know it, your son will copy that gesture…at one of his dads.”
Palani looked a littl
e embarrassed as he laughed. Enar tapped his shoulder, and at that signal, Palani leaned in to kiss Vieno, who was holding Hakon again. Lidon did the same, and then Enar disappeared, taking Vieno with him. No wonder, the omega probably needed lots of rest the day after giving birth.
Once they had left, Palani turned to face the pack again. “Okay, let’s talk about the shifting, because you all must be curious and have questions. Alpha, your turn.”
As always, Bray felt compelled by Lidon’s quiet power. It hung in the air, even now, when he hadn’t said a word. Over the next few minutes, Lidon explained how he’d felt changes in his body the last weeks of Vieno’s pregnancy, a premonition of the impending shift. This wasn’t news to Bray, as Palani had kept him apprised for obvious security reasons.
Then he talked about the birth of Hakon, discussing how the four of them had shared a power that had given Vieno the strength to get through the dangerous delivery. Bray hadn’t realized how close a call it had been, but Lidon’s quiet words brought that point home with a sobering shock.
“I can’t explain how I shifted,” Lidon said. “I just did. I realize that must sound unsatisfactory to you all, but one second I was a man, and the next I was shifting. It was like my body knew how, or my soul, I don’t know. But it was the baby who brought forth the shift. As soon as I held Hakon, I felt it, that he and I were connected and that we shared power somehow. It was like he transferred power to me and then took it back, or the other way around. I’m not even sure what happened.”
“You also took power from us alphas, alpha,” Grayson said.
Lidon’s eyebrows rose. “I did?”
“Yes. I was in the kitchen with the others, waiting for news, and there was a moment when my alpha powers were sucked right out of me. I almost fainted. You felt that too, right, Bray?”
