Mission Primal (Men of the Pack Book 1)

by Parker Skye

  When Adam’s fingers ran under the edge of Ben’s jeans, Ben’s groan was loud and broken. Ben put his own fist in his mouth in an effort to be quieter, but Adam pulled his hand free, wanting to hear every noise he pulled from him. When Adam popped the button on his jeans, Ben actually jumped and began to tremble faintly from head to toe.

  Feigning concern, Adam laid his cheek on Ben’s bare stomach and waited for Ben to meet his gaze. The wicked gleam was still in his eyes as he asked Ben if he wanted him to stop. His tone of voice dripped with feigned innocence. Ben groaned, rolling his head back, eyes closed.

  “Oh, my God, I think I’ve created a monster. Please, Adam, either quit teasing me or give me a minute to calm down. I’m going to explode if you don’t,” Ben pleaded.

  “Oh, I think there will be an explosion all right,” Adam replied snarkily as he pulled down the zipper on Ben’s jeans, releasing him from the tight confines. Ben groaned in what sounded like a mixture of relief and pain. Ben was so hard, the rhythmic throb matched his too-fast heartbeat. Adam just laid there for a moment, head on Ben’s thigh and stared. Well, hell. That’s gonna hurt.

  The back of Ben’s hand was firmly back over his mouth, its mate close to taking over to bring himself some relief. When his free hand moved down, Adam slapped it away. “Mine,” was all Adam said before he placed his hand around the wide base and licked a stripe from root to tip. Ben shuddered at that shockingly wet and warm first contact. Adam groaned as he relished the taste of Ben, musky and slightly sweaty, much better than he expected. He continued to assault Ben’s length with his tongue, making sure every inch had been fully explored.

  “Holy shit, Adam,” Ben groaned. “Are you sure you’ve never done this before?” Ben’s groans were loud and uncontrollable. Adam loved the sounds he was pulling from Ben. Pushing him over the edge was Adam’s sole focus right then. As his head continued to bob up and down over Ben’s sturdy length, he felt a hand rest on his head, not pushing, more as a reminder he was not alone in this.

  Adam found his favorite place to lick was right where the head met the shaft. If he reached his tongue into that tiny grove, it brought the most amazingly destroyed sound out of Ben. He continued to torture that spot until Ben’s fast breathing let him know he was close to the edge. Adam thought briefly about pulling off and finishing Ben with his hand but decided if he was going to do this, he was going to do it right. When Ben’s hips began to uncontrollably thrust, Adam gently squeezed his balls, pushing Ben up and over the edge.

  The first blast caught Adam a little by surprise, triggering his gag reflex. He pushed past it, though, and continued his forceful suction, pulling the very essence out of Ben as he groaned and writhed on the bed. When Ben was finally spent, Adam pulled off and looked up at Ben, smiling widely at how literally “blown” he looked. Adam licked his lips as he took in Ben’s shocked expression. Ben’s hair stood up in every direction, obviously having been pulled to keep from grabbing Adam’s hair instead. Ben’s pupils were still blown wide and as he stared at the ceiling and softly repeated holy shit over and over again. Adam sat back on his heels and gloated, thrilled at his stunningly obvious success.

  Chapter 26

  Ben

  When Ben’s brain finally solidified again, he found Adam lying in the curve of his arm, soothing his hand back and forth across his chest.

  “I think I died there for a minute,” Ben said softly, causing Adam to full out laugh.

  “Should I apologize?”

  “Hell, no! That was the best twenty minutes of my life. Give me a few more seconds for my bones to grow back and I’m going to totally return the favor.”

  “Promises, promises,” Adam whispered, placing gentle kisses all along Ben’s chest, slowly circling his nipple with his tongue. When Ben groaned again, Adam bit down just enough to sting.

  “I was right. I have totally created a monster,” Ben groaned. He decided recovery time was for pansies. He was a wolf after all, and wouldn’t be outdone by his mostly human mate.

  *****************

  Ben awoke the next morning happy to find Adam still curled around him in bed. His left arm was mostly asleep, but he still loved the feeling of Adam tucked into the curve of his shoulder, tucked tight against his side. He only regretted the t-shirt and boxers Adam had felt the need to put back on the night before when he’d gotten up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

  Ben lay in bed, taking in the light from the rising sun. A goofy grin was firmly in place as he remembered the night before. He had feared for a long time now that he would never truly be able to claim Adam as his mate, especially with Adam being a human. While last night didn’t make their bond complete, it did bring them much closer to the finish line. His wolf preened as he pulled his love tighter into his side, Adam humming in his sleep in response. Ben drifted back to sleep, unwilling to end this perfect moment. When Ben next awoke, he found the light from the sun had moved farther into the room. He looked down to find Adam staring up at him, eyes wide and smiling gently.

  “Morning, baby,” Ben said, voice still smoky with sleep. Adam’s smile widened as he pushed himself up and over Ben again, brushing a chaste kiss across his lips.

  “Morning yourself,” Adam responded. Adam sat back, hands on either side of Ben’s shoulders. Ben answered his smile with one of his own. He reached up to run his thumb from Adam’s cheek and down across his lower lip, pulling it down slightly. Adam touched the tip of his tongue to the invading digit, eliciting a low growl from Ben as he did. Ben loved Adam’s newfound confidence, happy in the knowledge Adam was starting to trust their bond.

  “Let’s go eat some breakfast. You’re still healing,” Ben said, patting his hand on Adam’s hip in a signal to get up. Adam’s eyes flared with the mention of food. He was obviously hungrier than he had let on. Ben berated himself for not caring for his mate better. He shouldn’t have let him go so long between meals. Not only was he healing, but his body was transforming and Ben knew how much energy that took. He had never had to undergo the process himself since he was a born wolf, but several of his pack mates were bitten, so he knew the basics of the process. He wondered when Adam was going to notice he was changing. Ben actually dreaded that conversation, having already witnessed Adam’s fiery temper several times.

  Ben made double his usual shifter-sized breakfast -- a dozen scrambled eggs, two pounds of bacon, and half a loaf of bread toasted. He was not really surprised as he watched Adam keep up with him bite for bite. Adam was obviously starving and silence surrounded them as he inhaled his breakfast. Several times, Ben had to pull his hand back afraid he was about to get stabbed by Adam’s descending fork. Finally, Adam sat back and pushed his plate away. There was only a lone piece of toast left, which Ben decided to leave on the plate. It wasn’t worth risking bloodshed over a piece of toast if Adam suddenly decided he needed just a touch more.

  As if coming out of a daze, Adam looked around at the empty plates. He hadn’t seemed to notice how he had pulled everything over to his side of the table in his need for food. He looked up sheepishly to find Ben grinning at him fondly.

  “Wow, I guess I really was hungry,” Adam said, wiping crumbs from his shirt.

  “I’d say so,” Ben replied. “You sure you don’t want anything else? I could make more.”

  “No, I think I’m okay for now. We should probably finish the last of our school work for tomorrow anyway,” Adam said, displeasure painted across his face.

  “Ugh, don’t remind me,” Ben frowned back. “I really wish we didn’t have to go back.”

  “You and me both, but I have to finish. I’m too close to stop now. Besides, I’ll lose my scholarship if I don’t graduate on time,” Adam said, rising and taking his plates to the kitchen sink.

  “You have a scholarship for college?” Ben asked nervously. He didn’t know why came as a surprise. Adam was brilliant, after all. Ben was simultaneously proud and regretful at the news. He didn’t want his mate to go off to
college and leave him behind. He’d hoped somehow they would be able to make a life for themselves together after this.

  “Yep, full ride, too. I’m going to the University of Alabama,” Adam replied, clueless to Ben’s growing anxiety. He stood washing dishes and putting them in the drying rack.

  “Oh, well that’s great then,” Ben said, unenthusiastically.

  “What are you going to do after we graduate, Ben?”

  “I don’t really know. I guess I need to start making plans, don’t I?”

  “Um, yeah, you could say that. It’s only 3 months until graduation. You’re kind of pushing it by not having a plan already,” Adam said, turning to shoot Ben a half-smile.

  Chapter 27

  Adam

  Being back in school should have been a relief, but Adam felt so different upon his return that it actually bordered on painful. He couldn’t get back into his normal rhythm. He found himself noticing so many more things than before – how people interacted with each other, conversations he ignored before, the way people looked at him. He felt like he was in sensory overload all morning.

  By the time chemistry rolled around, Adam was a virtual mess. His need to see Ben was palpable. Ben entered the classroom and headed straight for their table, tension obvious in the rigid way he held his shoulders. Adam couldn’t help but stare as Ben entered the room and practically stalked toward him.

  “You okay, babe?” Ben whispered as he got close enough to see Adam’s state. Adam shook his head no and crossed his arms tight over his chest. The worried look on Ben’s face was not helping to calm Adam down, either.

  “What can I do? Do you need to leave? We can go right now and I’ll take you home,” Ben said, conviction in his tone. Adam shook his head no again, trying to breathe deep and center himself. He found it was easier now that Ben was close.

  “I’ll be okay. I just feel odd, that’s all. It’s like everything is super bright and loud today. I feel like people keep looking at me. It’s just freaking me out a little,” Adam said, still speaking quietly. He didn’t want to attract any more attention to himself than he was sure he already had today. Ben took his seat next to Adam and pushed their knees together. Adam uncrossed his arms and reached for Ben’s hand surreptitiously under the table.

  Finally, he felt himself calming down just by the simple contact of Ben’s hand in his. He looked over at Ben again and found Ben’s still anxious gaze looking back. He tried a reassuring smile, and Ben’s answering one was grounding. Adam, finally feeling back in control, got to work on their daily project. Now that he could focus again, he had work to do.

  Adam felt so much better by the time chemistry was over, he was able to eat all of the huge lunch Ben had packed for him. He was somewhat worried he was going to get fat at this rate with all the rich foods Ben seemed to know how to prepare. He’d eaten more protein and fatty foods in the last week than he had eaten in the last year combined. Ben just told him to stop worrying so much when Adam had mentioned it; reminding Adam he was still healing and needed the extra calories.

  While Adam finished off his second triple-decker sandwich, he considered his future. Heady thoughts for lunchtime, but his brain just felt the need to overanalyze things at the moment. Even though he knew Ben was inherently dangerous, he’d never felt safer in his life. Ben had protected him from what Adam considered to be his worst enemy, his own father. And he’d done it so effortlessly. Poof and his father was just gone. No one seemed to be missing the man apparently as no one had come around asking questions. Adam suspected eventually someone would notice Charles was no longer coming around, but hopefully he and Ben would both be gone by then.

  Adam, stuck on this train of thought, worried about what his life would be like once Ben was no longer a constant part of it. He couldn’t expect Ben to follow him off to college and live happily ever after. Ben had his own life and likely his own plans for the future. The thought of separating from Ben in just a few short months was sobering. He was worried he was already too attached. When the time came, he was sure he would be losing a piece of himself when Ben left.

  Adam not only cared deeply for Ben; he owed him his life. He worried, too, about Ben’s seeming lack of concern for his own future. Adam had watched how he played on the internet this weekend instead of catching up on school work. Ben didn’t even have a college plan, for God’s sake. Adam couldn’t leave for school until he was at least sure Ben was going to take care of himself. He knew instinctively that Ben was intelligent and able to do the work; he just didn’t know if he had the motivation. Adam promised himself he wouldn’t let Ben just drift once school was over. Even if it endangered his own future, he couldn’t stand to watch Ben’s life go down the wrong path.

  “I think we should look at colleges for you to apply to when we get home,” Adam said, still picking at the remaining chips in his lunch. Ben looked up from his own meal, smirking.

  “How sweet. Are you worried about me, Adam Harris?”

  “Honestly?” Adam replied, pausing before continuing, “Yes, I am worried about your future. I don’t understand how someone as smart as you hasn’t even applied to college yet. Hell, I had to do my applications without even telling my father and I still got it done. Do you just not plan to go to college? Because, if that’s the case, you are totally wasting your talents, Ben.”

  “Okay, if it means that much to you, Adam, we can look at schools when we get home. But there’s only one I want to go to,” Ben replied, happily munching his own chips while he talked.

  “Really? So you have looked at schools already. That’s good. That makes it easier. I hope they will still accept your application. It’s really late in the year. So where do you want to go?” Adam replied, his own enthusiasm spilling over.

  “University of Alabama,” Ben replied, staring into Adam’s eyes. Adam’s answering smile was blinding.

  Chapter 28

  Ben

  Shit, he hated lying to his mate. Ben decided he would have to tell Adam the truth when they got home. He hoped Adam wouldn’t hate him for what he had done. After they separated for their next classes, Ben didn’t accomplish much in the way of forwarding his educational abilities. He had a hard time focusing, more concerned with how Adam was functioning through the rest of the day than with who conquered who at the battle of whatever.

  Julie Perkins tried to give him shit again in World History, but Ben just did his best to ignore her. She didn’t seem to be able to take the hint, though. As soon as class ended, she grabbed his arm again pulling him to a stop.

  “Hey, Ben, I heard you were sick all last week. I hope you’re feeling better,” Julie said, her voice dripping with false sincerity. “I heard Adam was sick, too. I wonder how you both got sick at the same time? Hmmm, what do you think, Theo?” Julie continued, looking over her shoulder to one of the letter jacket wearing jocks in the next row. Ben was not surprised to see it was the no-neck guy that had pushed him into the lockers on his first day.

  “Don’t you know faggots are really good at giving each other diseases, Julie?” Theo responded, a twisted version of a smile on his piggy face. His eyes were beady and placed too close together. Ben wondered if he was mentally challenged or just played the part.

  “Oh that’s right. They are really good at giving each other diseases, like AIDS, right?” Julie said as she started to laugh. She sounded more like a hyena than a pretty teenage girl. Ben thought it was amazing how ugliness always showed itself eventually.

  “Whatever, guys. This has been fun, but I gotta go,” Ben said, doing his best not to care what these two idiots said about him. He only hoped no one was giving Adam a hard time today. Ben knew he could take it, especially now that he had the calming influence of his mate, but he didn’t want Adam to be hurt by stupid high school nonsense. He worried Adam would be more affected if someone started giving him shit about being gay.

  Ben just didn’t care about anyone else’s opinion of them. He was happy. He loved Adam. He’d alre
ady subconsciously come to the decision he would do whatever it took to stay with his mate. If that meant abandoning his pack and joining Adam in schooling he didn’t really need or desire, he would do it. He just needed to be with Adam, no matter what.

  He floated through the remaining classes of the day, holding out for the glimpses he caught of Adam in between classes. The secret smiles they shared made the rest of the day’s annoyances worth it. After their last class of the day finally ended, Ben made it to the lockers before Adam. He stowed his backpack and leaned back and waited for his mate to show. He felt Adam’s approach before he saw him. He couldn’t suppress the wide smile that erupted when Adam rounded the corner. The smile died when he saw Theo Green grabbing Adam’s jacket collar and spin him around by it.

  “You little faggot! Why don’t you watch where you’re going?” Theo was yelling, brushing at his shirt. Ben noticed Theo’s entire shirt front was drenched and a half empty water bottle was on the floor between his feet, the rest glugging out onto the floor. Ben was positive Adam hadn’t done anything to cause the mess, but Theo was playing the injured party to its fullest. Ben saw Julie and her friend, Margo, standing on the opposite side of the hall watching the show eagerly.