"I'm not letting you put me down, Seamus." Keith nipped him, kept touching. "Okay, so that's so not me. Horny? Hungry? Yeah. Feral? No."
"I know. But see, we have this additional thing with the pups. He'll be watching you close, seeing if you have the right instincts and all that shit." That skin. God, it tasted good. "I know you do. But I'm worried that they won't see."
"We'll have to make them see. I'm not leaving you, not leaving our pack." Heat trailed along his neck, nails scratched his flanks. "I belong here."
"Yes. Yeah, babe. There." Searching out the spot on Keith's throat that bore his mark, Seamus licked and sucked, making it dark again.
Soft little growls sounded as the cub exposed the vulnerable throat. Keith rubbed against him, the scent of arousal strong, male, undeniable.
His own arousal grew on leaps and bounds, and Seamus snarled, rolling them to the floor, scattering the pups. Keith's belly was flat and smooth and he rubbed his cheek there, getting more of that amazing fucking scent.
Keith's hands found his hair again, holding on, little cries sounding. The muscles in that belly rippled and jumped, shifting under his touch. Another growl came out of him, this one approval and lust, and Seamus licked down to Keith's sharp hipbones, chin just grazing that sweet cock. The scent of his mate was stronger here, rich and sweet, clinging to the pale, fine skin.
The need made him dizzy. God, how did he ever live without this? Seamus nuzzled, sliding beneath and between to lick at Keith's heavy balls, loving the feel of them, the wild taste. Thin legs parted for him, those hips moving in slow, easy waves. Keith's moans came low and constant now, a familiar song of need and want.
The moans vibrated through him, into him, driving him crazy. He needed. Oh, he needed, those thighs spread wide as he leaned to lick at Keith's hole.
A sharp cry sounded, Keith's legs drawing up and back, opening wide to his touch, his tongue. "Love. Seamus. Please. More."
His. Keith was his and no one, not an Elder, not the pups, no one would take that away. He pushed into Keith with his tongue, making his mate ready for him, loving the sounds he got in return. Each thrust was met by those hips, Keith moving and growling and needing -- fucking dancing for him. For him.
"God." He surged up, covering Keith with his body, unable to wait. His cock slid in, tight heat fucking squeezing him, and he panted, biting and growling. "Love you."
"Yes." Keith arched and pushed down on him, hips grinding. "Not going to let you go, Seamus. Need you."
"Mine. MINE." The cub reduced him to single syllables, for God's sake. Those skinny hips fit his palms perfectly as Seamus lifted and pulled and got them together just right, and he cupped one ass cheek in each hand.
Keith lifted onto his elbows, pushing harder, panting for it. "Yes. Yes. Yours."
Biting down on Keith's throat, Seamus pounded the cub, hips snapping, losing any kind of rhythm. Claiming, that's what he was doing. A howl sounded, his mate's body clenching and rippling around his as the scent of Keith grew heady, intense.
Harder, faster, he drove them both relentlessly, lifting Keith's hips high, pushing all the way in. A low snarl was all he could manage as he shot so hard his ears rang.
When the debris settled and he could hear something beyond the pounding of his own heart, Keith was holding him, lips sliding over his face. "Love you. Not going to let you go, Seamus. I won't."
"No. Not letting anything take you away."
They'd find a way. Hell, he was probably worried over nothing.
But he knew the Elders. And they were always a pain in the ass.
***
The cub was hungry. Not for the hunt, necessarily. Or for a steak dinner. No, Keith needed a good hard fuck, and Seamus was teasing him mercilessly.
The apartment was hot, the air not working quite right, and Seamus stripped down to nothing and proceeded to be domestic and clean up after the pups. Which he never did.
But bending over to pick up chewed up socks gave Keith quite a view, and he could hear the kid panting behind him. Made him hard.
He heard a low growl, felt the brush of hands and breath against his ass. "Seamus..."
"Hmmm?" He kept the chuckle out of his voice and played dumb, spreading his legs and giving his ass a wiggle. God, he loved being stalked.
Thumbs slid over his inner thighs, tickling him. "Want..." The growl was lower, harsh, Keith's tongue against the small of his back.
"What? What do you want, cub?" He let Keith push him down on his hands and knees, arching his back to give the kid more skin.
Teeth scraped over one ass cheek, making him jerk. "You..."
"All yours, babe." Fuck that felt good. Made his muscles bunch, made him sweat harder. Another bite marked him, Keith whining. That hot tongue slid over his skin, tasting him, wanting him. A soft growl rose in his chest. Fuck, yes. "Want your mouth, babe. Use it to get me ready and you can have me."
Thumbs spread him wide and hot, wet touch slid over his hole, tickling and teasing.
"Yeah. Just like that." Hell, yes. That was just what he needed. Just what the cub needed, too, to be the one in control for just a bit.
Keith offered him long, needy sounds, tongue pushing inside him.
Seamus just put his head down and his ass up and let the kid go, spreading wide and panting for it. No more teasing. Just the feel of Keith's mouth against him and the scent of pure lust.
Nails trailed over his side as Keith pushed inside him, tongue sliding deep.
All but howling, Seamus pushed back, riding it for all he was worth. So good and hot and right. "Mine."
Keith raised up, covering his back with the hot belly. "Now. Need."
"Yeah. In me, babe. Now." Seamus relaxed, asking for it with his whole body.
His mate took what they needed, gave what they needed. The thrusts were hard, firm, sudden and fierce and wild and perfect.
They rocked together, Seamus letting Keith set the pace, giving it up as he rarely did. "Love..."
"Love you." Keith's cries filled the bedroom, sharp teeth sinking into his shoulder.
He growled, trying to get his balance to reach for his cock, not able to as Keith pounded his ass. "Babe. Please. Close."
Those teeth tightened, hot fingers closing around his cock and pulling hard.
"Fuck!" He rocked once, twice, and then he was snarling as he bucked back against Keith, shaking with the force of his orgasm. "Hell, yes."
Heat pressed inside him, filling him, Keith's hand moving constantly, sliding on his prick. Oh, fuck. The kid just kept going, making him crazy. Hungry didn't begin to describe the cub tonight.
Keith lifted his head, whispering. "Mine. Mine, love."
"Yours." His skin burned, and his cock throbbed, and Seamus all but screamed when the kid scraped his hot spot.
"Oh. There. Just there, love." Keith started nailing him, one hard push after another.
God. He was gonna melt. He was gonna babble. Hell, he was about to get real fuzzy. The cub was pushing his control that bad. That good.
Keith howled, driving them both higher, harder, faster.
He never went limp, never even got a little soft, just kept on with the hard and the need and Keith was making him crazy, that howl ringing through his bones, and he answered with a snarl of his own, tightening his body deliberately, squeezing hard.
"Seamus! Love!" Keith's teeth sank into his shoulder, sharp and bright, heat filling him.
Heat that shot right up his spine, pulling another ripping spasm out of him, making him howl, making him check to make sure he was still in his human skin.
"Damn, cub. Just damn."
Keith rumbled, nuzzling his shoulder blades, lapping at his skin. "Good."
"Beyond good."
Damn. If that was what he got for teasing his hungry mate he'd have to do it more often. And remember with it that Keith wasn't pack born and raised and didn't have any fucking issues with fucking the Alpha 'til he screamed.
Which was why he love
d the cub so much. Damn. That was good.
~Chapter Twelve~
Shit.
Shitshitshit.
He had to get to the train station. Time to stop dragging his feet and go. Seamus looked around the apartment one more time. Right. Neat as a pin.
"Keith? Babe?"
Keith popped his head around the door, looking fine all in black, dark hair shining. "Yeah, love?"
"I'm off. Be back in a while." God, he sounded like a nervous wreck, which was dumb. They were going to do fine. They were.
"Wait a second!" Keith hurried over, pushed into his arms and gave him a long, sweet kiss. "We'll be waiting."
Oh. That was good. He nuzzled, drinking in scent. "Yeah. It'll be good. It will."
"Yeah." Keith rumbled and licked, eyes warm and happy. "They'll love me, they'll love the pups."
"Yeah." God, he hoped so. He needed his mate. He gave Keith one more kiss and a sharp nod. "Right. Back soon."
"We'll be here, sacrificing a goat for good luck." Keith gave him a wink.
"Just don't make a bloody mess." He grinned, kissed, and left before he got more into the fucking kissing than the going to get the Elder. The Elder who was evaluating his pack.
Seamus' hackles rose, and he growled, making a man on the bus look at him in surprise. His pack. Damn it, it was his pack, his family. What right did they have to come and look at it and poke it and see if they approved?
He would have worked himself into a state, but forced himself to calm instead. The Elders had held their people together for centuries, protected them from the modern world, made sure they thrived.
It was only right.
Too damned soon he was at the train station, and he was actually early, by about five minutes. Which was just enough time to buy a pack of cigarettes and smoke four or five. Keith would frown at him, and whoever they sent to do the evaluation would frown, but it made him feel better.
There it was. Seamus ground out his last butt and went to see who they'd sent. Which crusty old hard ass was going to judge his mate and his pups?
Waiting was agony. Seemed like everyone in the whole fucking world was on that train except the Elder, because Seamus knew them all and so far there was not a familiar face. Until there. The slight figure in the heavy coat, shrieking red hair falling in waves over the dark fabric, a single bag held in deceptively delicate looking hands.
"Hello, Seamus."
The voice was dear, and familiar, and so unexpected that his heart knocked against his ribs so fucking hard he thought he might fall down. They'd fucking sent him one of the oldest of them all. The fucking oracle herself. Grania.
***
The last two hours had been the longest of Keith's life.
Nervous? No, he was a good guy, the pups were healthy.
Scared? Nope.
Wigged out? Hungry? About to go fuzzy?
Nope. Nope. Nope.
But those damned pups were doing their best to assure that Seamus' clean house was... not.
"Bruiser! Put that sock down! Jade, off the sofa! Liz! Quit gnawing on the end table!"
He managed, by the skin of his teeth to keep running behind the little beasts, picking up as he went.
Which, of course, was exactly the wrong thing to think, as it jinxed him. Just as the door opened, announcing the presence of Seamus and their visitor, Bruiser managed to crash into Jade, knocking her into the stand Seamus kept all his CDs on and sending it crashing to the floor.
Bruiser fled, Jade yelped and ran to him for pets and Liz barked her fool head off.
And into that walked Seamus and a small woman with a kind, freckled face and bright red hair. Seamus looked resigned. "Hey, babe."
He grinned up, hands automatically burying in Jade's fur, easing her. "Hey, love, ma'am. Liz! That's enough. Hush."
Liz barked once more, then hushed long enough to throw herself at Seamus.
Seamus laughed and caught her easily, looking at the woman beside him with a wry twist to his mouth. "They're as keyed up as I am. Sorry. Gran, this is Keith, my mate. Keith, this is Grania. Pack Elder."
Keith stood, so proud to hear Seamus introduce him as mate that he knew he was all grins. He held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Grania. Sorry about the crashing. Can I take your bags into the guest room?"
She smiled right back and took his hand, and he had the distinct feeling it was all gonna be okay. If they could just get Seamus to relax. "There's just this one. But that would be lovely."
"Okay. Would you like something to drink?" He took the bag, nudging Seamus towards the couch. Liz kept herself plastered to Seamus' leg, giving him a long glare. "Oh, don't pout, Lizzie. Go get Bruiser and have him say hello."
"Oh, have you any tea?" She sounded normal enough. Which was good. Made it easier. Liz did as he asked dragging Bruiser back out by the tail, Liz growling and Bruiser whining.
"Get your ass over here, Bruiser." Seamus snapped it out, and Bruiser went.
Oh, man. His Seamus was grumpy.
He put the bag away and then headed back in, the pups all whiny and worried. "Tea? We do. Seamus? You want a beer?"
Or a fifth of whisky or some valium or a nice juicy blonde?
"Yeah. That would be... would you sit down or something, Gran? You're making me nervous."
Grania took that completely in stride, slipping out of her coat and handing it to Seamus, or rather, shoving it at him, before perching on the couch and calling the pups over. Keith watched the pups for a second, but they didn't jump and scratch, just gathered around with wagging tails. Oh, good. Good puppies.
He dug out the kettle and filled it up, climbing up onto the cabinet for the box of tea. Before he could climb back down, Seamus was there, pinning him to the cabinet, nuzzling his neck.
"Mmm... hey, love." He relaxed into Seamus' chest, inhaling the rich, male scent that was his lover.
"Hey. God. Can we just leave?" His mate rubbed against him, sharing scent, marking him.
"Okay. The pups sure like her. Maybe she'll baby sit and we can go play."
His love sighed. "Nah. We need to stay. But yeah, they like her. She's that way." The tension just vibrated through Seamus into him.
"Is it bad, then?" He whispered the words, suddenly nervous. "Have I messed up?"
"No! No. You're good. It's all good. It's just... she's important, babe. Really really."
"Oh." He held Seamus' hand for a minute, just holding on until the kettle whistled. Important. Really, really. Wow. And quite possibly, damn.
"Don't, babe. Not you, too. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said... she's. Well, Hell." Seamus pulled the kettle off and let him make the tea while grabbing some beers. Then Seamus grabbed him and kissed him silly. "You'll like her."
He blinked, gasping a little and giving him a nod. "Like who?"
Before Seamus could growl, he'd turned and grabbed the teacup, pouring the hot water, grinning wide.
A low growl sounded and Seamus' teeth grazed his neck. "You're cruising for a bruising, cub."
"Promises, promises, love." Oh, this was much better than worrying.
A soft chuff stirred his hair. "Love you."
"I love you." He picked up the teacup and took a deep breath. "Let's go rescue her from the hooligans."
"Yeah."
They headed back out to find Grania on the floor surrounded by pups, laughing as Liz chewed on her shirttail.
He chuckled, handing Grania the cup of tea before grabbing Liz's pig ear and rescuing the clothes. "Sorry. Lizzie's teething in the back. She likes to gnaw."
"She's a dear. And Bruiser takes after his mentor, hmm?" Bright green eyes, so like Seamus', cut to give his mate a sly glance. "Pouting horribly, and yet obviously the one in charge." She accepted the cup from him and waved toward Bruiser, who was nipping Jade's tail.
Keith sat down by the CD stand and started organizing. He'd be pissed if his seduce-the-Alpha music got nibbled on. Jade came over and settled in his lap, tail wagging and slamming Bruise
r in the face.
He wasn't going to touch that pouting comment with a thirty-foot pole. No way.
"Gee, thanks, Gran." Seamus wasn't going to either, from the looks of it. "You want the twenty five cent tour?"
They got up and Seamus gave Grania the tour and he listened to the murmur of their voices and petted the pups, who were all trying to crawl on his lap.
Keith managed to get them sort of settled, Jade on one leg, Liz on the other -- drooling on her pig ear, and Bruiser putting his feet to sleep. Goofy things. He'd be frustrated if they didn't make him laugh so much.
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