“What do you mean?”
“You left him once already.” Zach opened his mouth to talk but Duncan stopped him, holding a hand out. “I know, you did it to protect him and Ellie, but still, to him it felt like you abandoned him. The fact that you knew he’s your mate made it even worse. You, his mate, left him, even knowing what you were to each other. You didn’t trust him with the truth, didn’t trust he could help you and take care of you. You practically told him he was a lousy mate, and you aren’t even mated yet!”
Zach felt sick. He had never thought about how Kameron would feel. He had just acted in the hope he could keep the people he most cared about safe.
“Then he saved you from a beating, found out he’s your mate. I’m betting he had never been so happy and that he wanted to put everything behind you and him.”
Zach nodded. “He... he told me he wanted to mate with me once he was sure Stan and the others were taken care of. He told me he loved me, had loved me for months.”
“Yeah, he wanted to mate with you even when he didn’t know you were fated mates.”
Zach was feeling worse with every word Duncan was saying.
“So he was planning to mate with you. He took care of the men who had hurt his mate, went home, and you weren’t there. Can you imagine how he felt? How betrayed? He probably thought you had decided you didn’t want him, even after he did his best to take care of you and Ellie, and that had to hurt like nothing else in the world.” Duncan moved toward Zach and put his hands on Zach’s knees. Zach had a hard time looking at the other man, but he did. He had to.
“It didn’t last long, you know. Even if Derick hadn’t come, I could see Kam wanted to do something, and, well, he never told us not to look for you. We worked on it the whole day, even before he decided to look for you. He loves you.”
Zach nodded, tears gathering in his eyes. “I know,” he croaked, his throat dry.
Duncan thumbed away the first tear that fell from Zach’s eyes. “Don’t cry. You know he loves you. He told you what he had done even if he could have waited, so I guess the question is, do you love him enough to forgive him? To put everything behind and have a new start? I know it’s hard and that it won’t happen overnight, but think about it before making rash decisions you’d regret. I know you, and I know Kam. The two of you are made for each other, and we could all see that even before we knew you’re fated mates.”
Duncan kissed Zach’s cheek and moved away, walking back to the trees that bordered the house without saying anything else.
Zach had some thinking to do, and he hoped he would make the right decision.
* * * *
Kameron groaned and rolled over, his hand instinctively searching for Zach. When it encountered only cold sheets, Kameron opened his eyes, keeping them on the ceiling. Why should he have expected Zach to be in bed with him still after what had happened earlier? It seemed obvious that Zach would have wanted to put some distance between them.
Still, it didn’t help make the cold feeling in Kameron’s heart go away. He had the deep-seated fear that once he got up, he would find out Zach had disappeared again, and for good this time.
Kameron smirked deprecatingly. Even if Zach really had left, this time Kameron would find him, even if he had to leave his pack and his Alpha position. He would find Zach and leave him be only when Zach told him he didn’t want Kameron anymore. Kameron wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.
The door clicked open and Kameron froze. He couldn’t see who it was without moving, but the scent... he couldn’t smell a new scent, and since the only scents in the room were his and Zach’s, the person at the door had to be Zach.
Kameron’s heart started beating faster. His mate hadn’t run from him, and he hoped it meant he still had a chance to make things up, to make them right.
“Kam?” Zach’s voice was soft as he tried to find out if Kameron was awake.
“Yeah?”
Kameron heard Zach take a deep breath then the mattress dipped. His heart was just about beating out of his chest by then, because why would Zach climb in next to him if not because he had decided what to do? And since he was climbing in the bed, it had to be a good decision, right?
Zach settled next to Kameron and hugged his knees, and Kameron finally moved. He sat up and looked at his mate, trying to understand what Zach was going to say.
“I talked with Duncan.”
“Yeah?”
“I was angry at you. I felt... betrayed, because you didn’t believe me when I said I was here for good, you know, when we talked right here in this bed?” Zach said, fingering the sheet.
“I know, and I should have believed you.”
Zach nodded. “Yeah, maybe, but it makes sense you didn’t. I never tried to see things from your point of view, but Duncan made me think about it, about how it would have felt to know that I left you even knowing you were my mate. How it looked like I didn’t trust you with the truth. I... I can see it now. I can see how you could have felt betrayed when you didn’t find me here. I’m not over the fact that you didn’t look for me yet, but I know you didn’t do it to hurt me. You did it to protect yourself, and I can understand that.”
Kameron held his breath. “Does that mean that... what are you saying, Zach?” He kept his eyes on Zach, but he avoided looking at his face. He wasn’t sure he wanted to see the emotions in Zach’s eyes, not if they meant Zach was going to leave. Kameron always had to be courageous and brave, but not this time, not with Zach. With Zach he could be himself, and only with him.
A soft hand touched Kameron’s chin, tilting it up until he had to look at Zach. “It means that getting over what happened between us will take some time, both on my side and on yours, but I want to try, if you still want me.”
Kameron got to his knees in front of Zach and Zach let his hand fall. “Of course I still want you. I’ve wanted you for months, even not knowing you were my mate.”
Then Zach did the most incredible thing. He tilted his head, exposing his pale throat to Kameron. “Then I’m yours.”
Kameron moved closer and Zach let his knees go, sliding them between Kameron’s legs. Kameron pushed their chests together, his wolf humming happily in his mind when Zach’s arms encircled his waist as they laid down. He laid his head on Zach’s shoulder and pressed his nose against the soft skin on the crook of Zach’s neck, inhaling deeply.
Zach’s scent was different. Before, it had been muted and unremarkable, nearly aseptic, like a hospital, but now, even with the hospital smell still lingering, Zach’s scent exploded in Kameron’s nose, sending his wolf into a frenzy.
Zach smelled of green apples and snow, of everything Kameron loved.
“Bite me.”
Kameron looked up, his eyes going wide at the suggestion. “You want me to claim you?”
Zach nodded.
“Don’t you want to do it when we make love?” Sure, Kameron had never been mated, but everyone knew it was then that most couples bonded.
“No, I want to do it now. I want to be able to feel what you feel when we, uh, make love.” Zach was blushing, reminding Kameron that he was still a virgin, still inexperienced, and while his wolf was more than happy with that, it made Kameron a bit nervous. He didn’t want to hurt his mate.
The thought was nearly enough to make him back away, but Zach apparently could read him pretty well, because he grabbed Kameron’s shoulders and pulled him close.
Kameron saw a hint of canines in Zach’s mouth right before he ended up being—once again—plastered against his mate, so he knew what to expect, and he didn’t fight it. He felt Zach’s lips, butterfly light, skim on his skin, close on his pulse. Then a sharp pain as Zach’s teeth sank into his flesh.
Kameron couldn’t resist any longer. His mate wanted him, was claiming him, and he wanted to do the same. He opened his mouth, moaning along with one of the strong pulls Zach took from his neck before closing his own mouth on his mate’s neck and
biting down. Zach stiffened as the first wave of blood hit Kameron’s tongue, but he soon relaxed in Kameron’s arms.
Zach’s blood was divine, and Kameron knew he was going to claim his mate often. It recalled his apple and snow scent, and it suited him, so fresh and young, touched yet untouched by evil, still pure.
It didn’t take long for Kameron to start feeling Zach deep inside him, so deep it felt like their souls had merged. Kameron had heard often what the act of mating felt like, but he hadn’t thought it would be so perfect, like a piece he hadn’t known he was missing had finally clicked back where it belonged.
He slowly extracted his teeth from Zach’s flesh, careful not to hurt him more than he already had, and licked the last traces of blood from the wounds. Kameron felt incredibly smug to see his mark right there, where everyone would see it.
He felt Zach doing the same, shivering when Zach’s tongue rasped on the still sensitive skin of his neck.
Kameron decided to take a few minutes to explore the new bond between them before moving. He just hoped he wasn’t squashing his mate.
He prodded lightly at the presence in his soul and a wave of feelings that were not his own threatened to take him under. He could feel love, wariness, hope, fear, hunger, all bundled up together to create a complex image of what Zach felt for Kameron. It was incredible, but also scary, because Kameron didn’t want to let Zach down.
He backed away and looked at his mate. His wolf felt content in his mind now that their bond was complete, but Kameron the man felt as if something was still missing. Not that he was going to push for it, but he had to ask. “I love you.”
Zach’s eyes widened and a smile bloomed on his face. “I don’t think I’ll ever grow tired of hearing you say that.”
“Then I’ll never stop saying it.” Kameron hesitated. “So, what now?”
Zach smirked. “Are you asking me if it’s finally time to get laid?”
Kameron laughed. He couldn’t help it, he had missed this Zach, his Zach, so much over the last months, and it was a relief to have him back. Getting laid was just a bonus. “Yeah. I’ve always thought that bonding and sex went together, but if you don’t feel ready, we’ll wait. I know you don’t have a lot of experience.”
Zach snorted. “A lot? My only experience can be summed in what you did to me the other night.” Zach blushed so prettily when he said that, and it made Kameron want to eat him up.
Zach must have seen it in Kameron’s eyes, because he blushed a little harder and his eyes changed, the emotions shifting to hunger and lust. “I’ve waited for years to finally do this. I’ve waited for you. Now I have you, so why should I wait?”
He didn’t give Kameron the time to answer.
Zach launched himself onto Kameron, knocking him backward. Kameron yelped, not even caring about how unmanly the sound was. He had better things to care about, like the way Zach’s lips felt on his own, the way his mate’s hands were already moving under the T-shirt Kameron had worn to bed to touch skin.
The kiss was the best one Kameron had ever experienced, even with Zach’s lack of practice. It was the man he was kissing who made it so special.
Their lips stayed pressed together for so long that Kameron could have sworn he was about to collapse for lack of oxygen. Luckily for him, Zach had other plans.
With a last nip on Kameron’s lower lip, Zach separated their mouths and went to work on Kameron’s T-shirt.
Kameron chuckled at the frenzy he could see rising in his mate, but he rose a bit to help Zach take the offending fabric off. When Zach attacked Kameron sweats, he stopped laughing. Soft hands skimmed against Kameron’s hard cock as Zach tried his best to pull the pants down, and Kameron could see Zach wasn’t even doing it on purpose. Still, it didn’t help the state of Kameron’s arousal, not when he wanted to feel how those hands would feel wrapped around his shaft.
Kameron felt the pants move down his ass cheeks, and the next thing he knew, he was stark naked on the bed with Zach on his knees next to him. He didn’t even have the time to blink because Zach was taking his own clothes off, but when his naked mate went to straddle him, Kameron stopped him.
He grabbed Zach’s hips and rose to a sitting position, placing a kiss on his mate’s collarbone. “Zach, wait.”
Zach’s smile fell. “You don’t want to...”
“Of course I want to, but there’s no hurry.”
“Yes there is. We have to be downstairs to deal with the new shifters and the Whitedell pride guys in less than an hour.”
“What?”
Zach pushed him on his back again. “Alpha job, remember?” He stopped as he was about to straddle Kameron and turned to the nightstand, his ass on display for Kameron.
Kameron sat up again and reached for the twin mounds, loving the yelp Zach made when his hands made contact. Zach’s hand was still in the drawer, moving stuff around. Lube. Of course.
Kameron kneaded the tender flesh and Zach squirmed, but only a second later Kameron’s hands were empty again. Zach tried to push him back once again and Kameron let him. Another position would have been easier for Zach’s first time, but this way he would be able to decide how hard and fast he wanted it, and he could stop if it hurt too much.
Zach rose above Kameron, his hands already opening the lube he had found in the drawer. Kameron watched as Zach squirted a dollop of gel on his fingers and reached behind himself. “I thought this was your first time?”
Zach scowled at him, but the scowl disappeared immediately to be replaced by a look of bliss, telling Kameron exactly what was happening. “It is,” Zach panted, his hips already moving as he fucked his own fingers. The sight was so hot, so sensual, that Kameron didn’t know where to look.
Maybe at Zach’s flushed face where his eyes were full of heat and want? Or at the way his chest was pink with passion? Or even better, at the hard cock that was moving along with Zach’s hips and dripping pre-cum on Kameron’s stomach?
He was so concentrated on the sight of Zach so full of passion and so sexy, that he nearly missed the rest of the answer.
“I said I had never done anything with anyone... oh, god, this is—it’s, ah,” Zach said, ending the sentence with a moan before moving both his hands on Kameron’s chest, groaning when the one that had been in him left his body. The fingers were slick as they rested on Kameron’s chest, making him think of the place where they had been buried until then. Damn. “But I’m not a monk. I knew I couldn’t be with anyone, but the last time I checked, dildos weren’t considered human beings.”
Kameron gaped at his mate. “Dildos?”
Zach leaned down and kissed him. “It’s blue.”
Before Kameron could say anything else, Zach reached under himself and grabbed Kameron’s erection, squeezing it. Kameron threw his head back on the pillow, his groan loud in the room, mixing with the small mewls Zach was making as he straightened Kameron’s dick and slowly began to slide down on it.
Kameron grabbed his mate’s hips and tried to think about something, anything that wasn’t how tight Zach was, how hot he felt around Kameron. There was no way he was coming already, even if he could do it again soon. Kameron wanted their first time to be perfect, even if they had to hurry.
Zach had to stop a time or two as he slid down, and it was hell for Kameron. Still, he made no attempt to move or to make things go faster. He just held on tight and concentrated on Zach’s face. He learned the tiny grimaces Zach did when it hurt too much and he had to back away for a bit, the way he bit his lower lip and moaned when Kameron’s cock stroked against his prostate, the way his hands tightened on Kameron’s chest with every upward movement he made.
Then finally, finally, Zach was impaled on Kameron’s erection, his ass cheeks touching Kameron’s skin. They both froze for a moment, their gazes glued together, their feelings passing from one to another as they silently declared their love for each other, their want, their passion.
Zach bit his
lower lip again and pushed on his hands, rising until the only part of Kameron that remained inside him was the head of his cock.
He slowly came back down, making them both moan, and from there it was a flurry of up and down movements, of moans and whispered words.
“God, Zach, love, I... this is... shit!” Kameron held onto Zach’s hips tighter as Zach started to slam down on him with abandon, clearly not hurting anymore.
Kameron knew he was close, so close, and he couldn’t go alone. He moved into a sitting position, the movement earning him a loud moan from Zach, and grabbed his mate’s shaft. His hand moved on it quickly as he felt his release get closer. Zach’s arms were around him, holding him and using the hold he had on him to move.
Zach tightened his inner muscles around Kameron right when he sank his teeth into Kameron again, and that was it.
Kameron tightened his hand on his mate’s erection and came, howling his release as he filled his mate. Zach continued to move even as he licked the new wound clean and eased back to look at Kameron.
That was when Kameron struck, biting his mate and claiming him again even as his hand moved faster than ever on Zach’s cock.
A spurt of hot, sticky cum hit Kameron’s stomach as Zach yelled his name. Kameron smiled around the mouthful of flesh still in his mouth and released it, licking it close even as he milked Zach’s orgasm from him.
Zach sagged against Kameron’s chest, their bodies still joined, their torsos sticking together. Kameron inhaled deeply, the scent of sex and blood heavy in the air, and he couldn’t think of anything that smelled as good.
Zach chuckled, his face pressed into Kameron’s neck. “Think we woke the whole house up?”
Chapter Seven
Zach could feel his cheeks burning as he gingerly walked down the stairs. He was more than a little sore, because, come on, Kameron was so much better than a dildo!
And he just knew they had really woken up the whole house. He could hear people talking in the kitchen and wondered just how many people had managed to get in there. There were eighteen people in the house at the moment, more if Duncan or one of the others had decided to pass by.
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