His cub was a little high on nature, maybe. It was hilarious, and also gratifying. He was getting to introduce Keith to a whole new side of himself, of his nature. It was damned good. And also hot, which he tried to ignore, because, you know, the kid.
Keith leaned up and nuzzled his jaw, rumbling softly. "So many smells out here. So different from home."
"Yeah. It's still got that wild edge. You can feel it calling to you, can't you?"
God, his cub was beautiful. Just vibrating with it.
"Yeah. Want to get fuzzy. Want to run with you. Want to play." The look in those gold eyes was happy, sultry, feral.
"Tomorrow, babe. Tomorrow we'll leave the people behind and run. I promise." He grinned, kissing Keith hard and deep, vocalizing a low growl to emphasize his promise.
Keith opened to him, taking the kiss and feeding him with happy little rumbles and growls.
They moved together eagerly, Seamus pushing his tongue deep into the heat of Keith's mouth, hands coming down to hold Keith's hips and rub them together.
Keith's fingers were hot against his scalp, tangling in his hair, one leg wrapping around his thighs.
Oh, damn. Yeah. Just like that. Seamus grabbed the cub's ass, pushing up against him, hard and hot and ready. Their scent hung in the air, sharp and deep and needy, spurring him on.
He could feel the low growl building in Keith's belly, vibrating against his own, steady and wanton, need thick as blood between them.
He pressed up as Keith pressed down, his cock thick and needy, and Seamus bit down on Keith's neck, the taste of copper and earth flooding his mouth.
The scent of Keith's seed filled his nose, warring with the blood on his tongue and the cry in his ears.
"Fuck!" Seamus bit back a howl, rubbing furiously until he spent, shooting hard and fast.
Relaxed and sated, Keith nuzzled into him, eyelashes tickling, breath slowing.
His own blood stopped rushing in his ears, and he relaxed, which was about the time he heard Bruiser whimpering. Damn. The kid was looking at them, shaking, nose quivering. Fuck. They were like fucking teenagers themselves.
"Oh. Oops." Keith's cheek heated against him. "Fuck, that was sort of crap timing, huh?"
"Uh. Yeah. Bruise? Kiddo? You okay? You need some time alone. Or, uh. Some help, or something?" God, he felt like an idiot.
"Cold shower maybe?" Keith leaned back, giving Bruiser a wry grin. "Sorry, Bruiser. It's just so... much out there, yeah?"
Bruiser nodded. "S'okay. I just need to.. I'll be right back." The kid slipped away into the dark and Seamus grimaced.
"Let's get cleaned up, yeah? Get to bed early."
"Yeah. Okay. I'm sorry." Keith backed up off him, dug out some paper towels from their supplies and handed him a handful.
"Oh, cub, no. We're cool." He grinned, leaning down to sniff at Keith's crotch. Damn. He backed off too, not wanting Bruiser to come back and see him licking Keith clean, but damn, it was tempting. They wiped off and got the blankets all set up and by the time Bruise crept back looking flushed and dazed, they were all set to go to bed.
They curled together, Bruiser going fuzzy and nuzzling in between them, nose cold on his elbow, tail brushing his thighs. Keith chuckled, petting and loving on Bruiser. "Gotta take my pets while I can, yeah?"
"Yeah." Seamus laughed. "Wait until tomorrow night. You'll have more puppies that you can stand."
They cuddled together against the cold, and he got some petting of his own in. "Glad you're here with me, cub."
"Yeah. Me too. Need to see it, you know? Where you're from? Where our puppies are going?"
"Yeah. And I'm glad I don't have to do it alone."
Taking Liz and Jade back on his own had been bad. If he'd had to let go of Bruiser and had no Keith? He would never be able to follow the plan. Tomorrow might bring all sorts of things, but if he had Keith to share it with, he was content
~Chapter Twenty One~
It was cold when he woke up, cold enough to see his breath and he cuddled closer, watching the sunrise, warming the flat-lands to a warm gold.
Bruiser was draped over the two of them, entire body covered by blankets, while Seamus was hot and solid behind him. They were going to the packlands today. Grania had warned him it would be hard, and he wasn't sure why yet -- whether he was not enough or too much, too weak, too needy, too human.
Still, he could feel something right beneath his skin. An itch, close to the need to feed, but less painful, less raw. It felt... like wanting something he almost had. Or finding something he needed, that he'd forgotten about.
The best part was that Seamus could feel it too. Keith could smell it on Seamus' skin, hear it in the lower than normal snores. Seamus was different here and he was different here and...
He shook his head, rumbling. This was so not the time to get fuzzy.
"Mmmm. I can hear you, cub. Smell you. Yummy." Seamus was a bit muffled by their combined weight, but the low rumble was right there, raising the hair on his neck.
"Was watching the sun. Thinking." He laughed, the sound wild and strange. "Well, maybe I wasn't thinking so much as feeling."
Seamus always warned him against thinking.
"Yeah. It's easy to just feel out here."
He got a light whap on his rump as Seamus got a hand free, then Bruiser yelped as he got the same treatment. "Lemme up."
"Pushy bastard." He scooted, snuggling with Bruiser before the silly beast jumped up, romping and yipping in the early morning light.
Grinning widely, Seamus grabbed him for a kiss before standing and stretching, joints popping.
Keith admired the view -- long legs, wide chest, hair gone pure copper in the sun. Oh. Yummy.
"Like the view, cub?" Pure animal, that grin, wide and white and feral. "Bruiser! Get your ass back here and pack your shit."
"Love the view, mate." He grinned at Bruiser's hang-dog expression, then laughed at the expression hang-dog. God, he was in a fine mood.
"Cool." That earned him a tiny butt wiggle before Seamus moved to help Bruiser, who was suddenly a lot less fuzzy and a lot more cold.
It didn't take long for Seamus to tear down the camp and fix them all some sandwiches, much neater than Bruiser's the night before, and meatier too.
He bundled up, then helped Bruiser dress and eat and settle, the pup's excitement wild on the air.
"Going to see them today. Jade and Lizzie." Bruiser grinned, the look feral and fierce. "My pack. Mine."
The last word was a rumbling growl filled with pride and want.
"Yup. Yours. But you got a ways to learn how to take care of them, yeah?" Seamus ruffled Bruiser's hair, flipping Keith a saucy wink. "And you'll always be part of our pack, kid."
Bruiser chuffed and nodded, then suddenly grinned wide. "Yes. Have to have Keith's stew when we come home."
He chuckled, shook his head. "I guess I'll be proud my stew won out over ice cream."
"Your stew is a masterpiece, babe." Their bedrolls were the last thing to get packed, and Seamus checked the campsite over carefully before nodding and pointing north and west. "Let's go."
He nodded and followed along, quiet and watching and listening and sniffing and well, okay, watching to make sure they could get home, too.
They traveled for what seemed forever. The air was cold and clear, the sun high. The terrain gave way from flat and grass, to trees and uphill slopes, though it was such a gradual thing that he didn't even notice to begin with. Bruiser was all growl and sniff, whining at Seamus every so often and receiving a warning growl in return.
They didn't talk -- hell, he was fighting the instinct to look, to explore, to follow that trail of scent and this fluttering shape and that dark corner. Still, he was being good, controlling himself, being a good example.
Seamus seemed to be looking for something, scenting the air every so often, closely watching landmarks and every so often touching this tree trunk or that.
They stopped midday for a bite to eat,
Seamus pulling Bruiser down and petting and holding, feeding the distressed pup small bites of meat.
"Soon, kiddo. I promise."
He sympathized with Bruiser. He felt... itchy. Really. Like sincerely, most definitely itchy. He looked at Seamus, moving close enough to touch, rumbling softly.
Seamus petted him as well, growling low, reassuring sounds that soothed the itch. "Soon, babe. Soon. We just have to get close enough that we can drop all of our shit and not worry about it."
Keith nodded. "I know. I know. I just... It's unsettling. I feel odd."
"That's because it's trying to get out, even though there's no hunt, and no danger." Nuzzling first him, then Bruiser, Seamus rumbled, voice low and deep. "It's instinct, yeah? Wanting. We're so close. So close."
"Yeah." He reached out, stroked Seamus' arm, joining their scents together. "Close to the others."
"Mmmm." Rough beard stubble scraped his cheek as Seamus rubbed against him, and Bruiser grumbled, pushing against them, making Seamus chuckle. 'C'mon you two. Let's move. An hour, maybe two."
"Pushy, pushy." He scrambled up before Seamus could nip him, laughing as Bruiser chased him.
They played games, he and Bruiser running relays while Seamus kept score. Stopping at a stream, they skipped rocks, with Seamus the obvious winner on that, getting nine skips out of a single stone. The time passed much more quickly with Seamus coming up with endless amusements.
The itch was there, but banked, held down by Seamus' will.
They were laughing, happy, at peace with each other. It would have been perfect if the girls had been there to join in.
Sometime in the late afternoon, when the sun reached the perfect spot to give the whole world a bright shine, Seamus stopped, tipping his head back to scent the wind. Bruiser stopped as well, looking at Seamus eagerly. As if triggered by some hidden signal, Seamus threw his head back and howled, the sound completely inhuman, raising the hair on the back of his neck.
He shivered, the world going sharp and bright, mouth watering. His own voice vibrated his chest, fighting to be free.
Bruiser repeated the sound, sharper, not as deep or full, but just as telling, echoing through and through.
Seamus gave him a look, bright and laughing and toothy, and before he could even blink, Bruiser was down and furry and running, and Seamus beckoned to Keith to follow.
He was panting as he reached his mate, skin tingling.
Their hands joined, a shock of electricity going through him before Seamus kissed him full on, hard and deep. Then Seamus grabbed all their crap and dropped in on the ground, taking off at a dead run and daring him to follow.
He yipped and let himself run, the grass sliding around him and under him, his mate's scent so strong, so fierce. He moved faster, lean and quick compared to his packmates, overtaking them easily.
Seamus turned, heavy and muscled and red-furred, nipping at him, lupine grin flashing before Seamus turned to bite Bruiser's light colored tail.
He barked, spinning around Seamus, flanking him, teeth threatening that red back, chuffing with laughter, with joy.
The run was everything he'd needed, the itch completely disappearing under the freedom of letting it all go and being free with his pack mate.
They pounced and ran, followed trails and chased rabbits. Their paws slapped against the ground, through the water, chasing the sun.
How long they ran he didn't know, but eventually he noticed other lean forms running through the trees on either side of them. All colors, all shapes, barking and baying. Welcoming them.
He moved closer to his mate, stretching to meet Seamus' pace.
Soon he and Seamus and Bruiser were side by side, running as a single unit, a pack within the pack, just as they should be. Every so often he felt a nip at his heels, pushing him, turning him and Seamus followed, veering here, turning there. Running deep into the packlands.
He'd expected to feel like a stranger, like an outsider, but he was home. With his pack. With the pack. Home.
He howled, Bruiser's voice low beside him.
The howl that answered came from more throats than he could imagine, including his mate's, blending into a single sound.
Home.
***
Seamus was more pleased with his mate than he could say. He'd taken to the wood and the wild like one born there, and instead of fearing the pack, he had blended right into the run like he was meant to, taking his place as the mate of an Alpha.
Bruiser did him proud too, holding the pace, meeting with his yearmates and touching noses and flanks. Maybe this would be easier than he'd feared.
They were funneled right into the heart of the pack by the run, right into the makeshift camp village he remembered so well, pack members both human and wolf everywhere he looked. Young and old, all of them there, looking curiously at them. Joyous barks met them as Liz and Jade bounded out to run circles about them.
Jade tackled him as Lizzie pounced Keith, licking and greeting before they caught scent of Bruiser. As one, the twins started calling, chasing, tails wagging furiously.
Chuffing, Seamus looked about for Grania, knowing she would be with the current pack Alpha, knowing he had to present his mate to them. Finding her finally, human and lovely and no older than when he'd last seen her, he nipped at Keith's tail and made his way over.
Keith followed easily, loping beside him, panting quietly. His mate was fine -- dark and sleek and sensual, no sign that he was not born to the pack.
Fucking beautiful. He could see that Grania thought so too, could see the surprise in her eyes.
Of course, then came the hard part. Presenting himself to the Alpha. Baring his belly and throat. He fucking hated that.
He heard Keith's distressed whimper, knew his mate could smell his distaste in the air. Still Keith didn't growl, didn't move as the huge grey muzzle touched him gently, nosing his vulnerable spots.
As soon as the ritual was done Seamus was on his feet, nosing Keith forward to do the same, to receive the Alpha's approval. Oh, God please.
Keith bared his teeth, lifting his eyes to meet Grania's, then the Alpha's, and he could swear he heard the cub thinking, deciding. Then, before the Alpha growled, Keith presented himself, carriage proud and relaxed, gold eyes watching him.
Oh, yeah. Thank God. The Alpha, chuffed and bent, nosing Keith just as easily as he had Seamus, accepting, and Seamus breathed easily, the breath he held coming out in pants. Grania smiled, lifting a hand to scratch his ears.
"Welcome home, Seamus."
He put his head to her knee, rumbling deep in his chest. It was good to be back, but he realized at that very moment that his home was with Keith. His mate.
~Chapter Twenty Two~
Keith locked the front door, the bags and groceries and supplies stacked around the floor.
Home.
Home.
Oh, he was never leaving again. Not for at least four or five years. Maybe not then.
As much as he'd loved the pack with the clear air and the energy and the feral heat? It wasn't his home with his mate and his bed and his shower and his sofa.
He unloaded groceries, listening to the noises of the city, of his mate, growling and rumbling and barking softly. Bacon. Venison. Chicken. Chicken. Chicken. Steak. Chicken. "Did we get enough poultry, love?"
"I like chicken. And it was cheaper than the beef, yeah. God knows we've got enough mouths to feed. I have a feeling? We're going to be glad of the soundproofing with this batch."
Seamus wandered in, stopping to nibble his neck.
"Batch? Hell, love. We agreed to a litter." He turned, rumbling happily. "Did Jerome stop puking finally? And Hannah? I didn't think they made females that were that Alpha."
"Sure they do. There's always one strong female." A soft chuckle ghosted over his lips. "She and I are going to go rounds. And yeah, he stopped barfing. Sleeping now. They'll all wake up hungry."
"I'll make stew." He took a soft kiss. "Bruiser and the twins shou
ld be here for supper, yeah?"
It had been hard, leaving their first pack behind, but Bruiser was happy with his mates and, well, Grania had made very sure they were too busy to mourn, didn't she? Six puppies.
Six.
"Yeah." Seamus beamed, so damned proud of their first pups that he glowed.
Keith grinned. "Bruiser was making quite the impression, wasn't he? You could see the stars in Jade and Lizzie's eyes."
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