by Zoe Perdita
After he finished rinsing, the beta turned and grabbed the cloth from West's hands. If that bastard could make something as submissive as bathing another person powerful then so could he!
"What are you doing, love?"
The beta answered with a growl and the bar of soap. Stepping close to the other wolf, he rubbed the sudsy washcloth over the man’s sleek flesh and squared his shoulders. If Alex looked down it’d be a dead give away that he was giving in. Instead, the beta glanced at West’s face – the strong cut of the man’s jaw covered with a sprinkling of reddish stubble and his impish nose. His brown eyes, so wide and expressive, burned into the beta’s body with barely disguised lust.
“I didn’t ask you to wash me,” West said and smiled.
“I don’t give a shit if you asked me to or not,” Alex grumbled and furrowed his brows, scrubbing the man’s chest harder than necessary. Even with the cloth in the way, West’s muscles tensed as Alex ran his hands over them, the man’s slippery skin rousing his being with each touch, each brush of flesh against flesh.
“I can’t say I don’t enjoy it,” West groaned and held his arms out.
For a moment, a memory flashed across Alex’s mind. Something about a slightly taller redheaded boy and a lake, but then it slipped from his memory like a snake in the water.
"Don’t you want to wash my arms?" West asked and shook Alex from his thoughts.
"Oh, yeah," Alex grumbled and ran the cloth over his mate's corded biceps and forearms. The taut muscles tensed like iron beneath his fingers.
When the beta finally dropped the cloth to his side, West seemed to be standing much closer than he had before. His smooth chest pressed firmly into Alex's own, their hardened shafts igniting as they slipped against each other, throbbing with passion.
"What are you –"Alex started, but West held a finger to the beta's pouting lips.
"My back?" he asked.
At the moment, cleanliness was the furthest thing from Alex's mind. His entire being ached with longing for his mate, the man's body rubbing and stroking his own into fits of indescribable arousal. Giving in to such thoughts only led him further towards his own weakness. He needed control not submission. To dominate not to be dominated.
Slowly, Alex wrapped his arms around West's body and scrubbed the other wolf's powerful back. Each shift of his limbs made their cocks bump against each other, the friction of their hardened muscles engulfing him. Fuck. How was he supposed to stay in charge when his body begged him to give in – to surrender?
West's breath brushed Alex's cheek and his neck, further encouraging the need in the beta’s groin. Then the wolf licked his succulent lips like he dreamed of tasting the beta – swallowing him whole all over again. Alex's body blazed like a volcano about to explode. How was he supposed to hold out against his mate's come-hither stares and that seductive-as-all-fuck expression?
As his hands trailed off West's back, the other man pinned Alex against the cold tile wall. Goose bumps rose across the beta’s flesh. Hot water rained over their soap slick bodies, and West's heart pounded against the Alex's bare chest. He wiggled to get out from between his mates arms, but the hold was solid and strong.
"Tell me you want me," West whispered in his ear and jolts of sizzling attraction surged through the beta's veins.
The words almost fell from Alex's lips, and he just barely held them back. "Why would I do that?" he growled out of desperation.
"Because I'm your mate." West lips burned against his neck. "Because I can feel your hunger." His hands traversed the beta's tensed muscles, down his chest and stomach. "Because you love me," West groaned and kissed him.
Alex melted into the kiss, his fingers bruising his mate's hips as they gripped on to the firm skin. West overpowered his senses. His whole being begged for the man standing in front of him. In the back of his mind the beta tried to fight it, to push it away, but how could he stand up against such an onslaught of pleasure?
The kiss engulfed him. Their tongues danced and twirled, their teeth nipped and their mouths sucked. As his mate pulled back, Alex took great breaths of the steam thick air, and his body trembled with need, burned for West's powerful touch – the man's calloused fingers trailing over his flesh.
Then the other beta gathered both their hardened cocks in his hand and squeezed them against each other in a firm grip.
"Tell me you want me," he said again.
"Why do you have to ask?" Alex growled as his temper fought with his desire.
West's free hand wound behind Alex's neck and held him steady. "I like to hear you say it."
The throbbing in his groin pounded in time with his heart, and the beta's body won the battle against his mind and his temper. "Yes," he moaned. "I want you."
Smiling, West smashed his lips against Alex's again and stroked both of their cocks. The beta thrust into his mate's powerful hand, his body writhing and twitching – urgent for his release. His fingers roamed up and down the other wolf's back, finally settling on West's strong shoulders.
Every thrust into West's hand ignited his flesh further, lifting him higher, closer to satisfaction. But it wasn't just the release the beta craved – it was West himself. The man's touch, his know-it-all smirk and even his infuriating pet names wormed their way into Alex's heart.
Just a few months before, the beta thought Danny's courtship with the werecat was rushed. How could they know they loved each other in less than a week? Yet here he was with his own mate in the very same position. West claimed he loved Alex, and while the beta didn't want to accept it, he realized it might be true. Someone loved him. Someone without familial obligations loved him. Why?
Another thrust and overwhelming pleasure submerged his being. His body stiffened as his thick cock burst its milky seed all over his lover’s stomach.
"I – oh –" he cried and bit his lip. He almost said it. Almost uttered the three words he could never take back. What the hell was wrong with him?
West licked Alex’s lips as his own load spilt over their heaving chests – the heat of his come dripping down the beta’s flesh. Another kiss, and any thoughts of his near slip up vanished from Alex’s mind in the aftermath of his orgasm.
Smiling, the other beta slowly released their spent cocks and turned the lukewarm water on them.
“We need to take showers together more often,” West panted.
Alex, who couldn’t find words to resist that suggestion, simply frowned.
Alex tried to hide in his bedroom until dinner was ready, but West didn't afford him such a luxury. The new beta dragged him downstairs to sit in awkward silence as Timothy, Gunner and Christian fixed the food.
Both Holden and Jake, the pack's alphas, seemed in good spirits. Jake regaled West with tales of how Holden claimed him and how he, in turn, joined their pack. This led to the obvious discussion of Timothy and his mates.
The omega didn't seem particularly hurt or upset when Christian described how Alex caught them naked on the couch together. However, when the beta caught Timothy's eye, the little wolf turned crimson and looked down.
Alex grit his teeth and balled his hands into fists. No matter how unpleasant, he had to talk to Timothy before the omega broached the subject with the rest of the pack. Explaining the situation between him and West should be his job and not that of another wolf.
When Timothy excused himself to the freezer downstairs the beta took the opportunity and followed. Alone in the basement the conversation of the pack above them dulled to murmurs and barely caught snippets.
Good. They needed to be alone for this.
Timothy turned around slowly and fiddled with his fingers, like he fought not to brush his hair over his eye patch. Looking at him, Alex's heart ached. He still didn't know why Timothy had that blind eye. What kind of beta was he to never ask about his own pack mate's past?
"I haven't told anybody. Not even Christian or Gunner," Timothy burst out, his good eye wide like that of a startled deer.
Alex nodded and swallowe
d the lump in his throat. When he found out Timothy and the Eurasian wolves fooled around, he hadn't hesitated to tell Holden and Jake. Now that the beta had his own mate – his own secret – he understood how Timothy must have felt.
"Why? Why didn't you tell anybody? I told on you."
Timothy shrugged and looked at his feet. "West is already a pack member so it's not my business what you guys do with each other."
Alex frowned, and he took a deep breath to calm his raging temper. He wasn't mad at Timothy. No. The omega didn't deserve his anger. Alex himself deserved it for being so stupid – so blind. He didn't deserve to be a beta at all.
"Is West your mate?" Timothy asked all of a sudden.
Alex glanced at the little wolf – his wavy red hair brushing his pale forehead, the similarities between his boyish good looks and the new beta's careless handsomeness startled him at times.
Then something stung his memory. That redheaded boy, so vague and dreamlike, was it West or Timothy?
"Did we ever go swimming at the lake?" Alex asked instead of answering the omega's question.
Timothy chewed on his bottom lip and screwed up his one good eye. "I don't think so. At least I don't remember. Why?"
The beta shook his head. "Never mind. It's not important anyway."
Alex's stomach turned, twisting it into innumerable knots. If he didn't do it now he never would.
"How did you get that scar?" he asked slowly. It took all his self-control just to form that one sentence.
Timothy stared at him for a moment before he spoke. "Oh. Um, I disobeyed my father. He was the alpha – is the alpha of my old pack."
Alex took a deep breath through his nose. "How did you disobey him?"
The omega dropped his eyes and fiddled his thumbs. The pain of the memory flashed across the little wolf's face, and Alex kicked himself for broaching the subject. Or maybe he kicked himself because he hadn't broached it sooner.
"Well it happened when I was a teenager – just a year before I joined Holden and you. I told my father I'd rather be a lone wolf then part of his pack because he couldn't feed us or take care of us properly. He challenged me to a fight and I lost," he said and touched the eye patch.
Alex had seen the scar over that milky white eye. It ran all the way from Timothy's forehead down to the middle of his cheek. To think an alpha did something like that to his own child made the beta wolf’s stomach turn. While Holden demanded respect he also took proper care of his pack mates. He'd never permanently scar one of them for something so small as a blow to his ego.
"I'm sorry," Alex whispered and shame set his skin alight. "Is that why West wanted to get out of that pack?"
Timothy nodded hesitantly. "Yeah. Our dad was pretty rough on all of us – even him. You guys get along pretty well, right? He seems happy around you."
Alex's cheeks burned brighter but not out of shame. "Happy?"
The omega smiled a secret smile and he nodded. "Yeah. You seem happier too. So, is he your mate?"
The beta's heart thudded in his chest. Happy. He hadn't considered that. West irritated him – drove him crazy – how did that come off as happiness? But the flutter in his stomach, like the wings of butterflies, told a different story.
Clenching his jaw, Alex nodded. "Yeah. He claimed me the first day he showed up."
"He claimed you?"
Alex sighed but nodded nonetheless. Lying about it would be the weak thing to do. “Your brother is a piece of work," he grumbled.
Timothy grinned at him. "Tell me about it. I promise I won't let anyone know until you're ready."
Too grateful to speak, Alex grabbed the bundle of food from the freezer and turned back toward the stairs. "Hurry up. I'm hungry," he said.
The little wolf followed.
Although he no longer worried about Timothy telling the pack, something still nagged at Alex's mind throughout dinner. Every glance from Holden and Jake seemed meaningful – prodding – like they knew something he didn't. Even Gunner’s typical smirks and Christian’s blasé acknowledgment of the beta's existence scratched at Alex's nerves.
As if that weren't enough, the dim memory of the tall, scrawny redheaded boy skirted through his mind. But when he snatched at it, it faded just short of remembrance.
Every nudge from West's elbow, or the pressure from the other wolf's knee brushing against Alex's thigh, brought his mind very much into the present and his unique predicament. He couldn't even eat dinner without the tingling pressure building in his groin and need rolling across his skin.
Dammit.
Once they finished the meal, Timothy and his mates departed for their own home. After waving them off West, infuriatingly, draped his arm around Alex's shoulders. The beta tensed and took a sharp breath.
"We'll help clean up. It's the least we can do for the trouble we caused," the new beta said and his breath brushed Alex's cheek.
Holden and Jake cast each other a meaningful glance. Shit. What the hell was his mate up to?
"I'm not going to complain," Holden said and eyed Alex with a furrowed brow.
The beta scowled at West, but nodded stiffly regardless. "You both look tired," he grumbled.
Jake rubbed his unshaven cheeks and leaned against the counter. “Yeah, but that doesn’t account for your sudden change in attitude. I thought betas didn’t help with housework?”
Alex told both Jake and Holden that in the past, so what right did he have to get angry about it now? It’s not like he could yell at one of the alphas to shut up and leave it alone.
“I had a change of heart,” he said through gritted teeth.
Holden nodded and patted Jake’s back. “Like I said, I’m not going to argue with either of you. We appreciate the help.”
West dug his fingers into Alex’s skin as the alphas turned toward the stairs, his mate’s fingers scorching his flesh. It was the first night all week Jake and Holden got home before midnight. Even in their tiny Idaho town the police work never seemed to be done.
As Holden neared the first step, the beta grabbed West’s free hand and squeezed it.
“We’re mates,” Alex blurted out suddenly and the entire room seemed to go completely quiet.
Even West, with his body pressed against the beta’s side, froze in place. For a moment, neither Jake nor Holden turned around, like time itself stood still.
Then, the new wolf let out a low chuckle. “That’s how you tell them?”
Alex frowned and shrugged off West’s arm. “How would you have done it?”
West, with a playful smile on his lips, shrugged.
The beta glanced at his alpha wolves, steeling himself for their response. Would Holden accept it easily like he had with Nalin? Or not so easily, like he had with Gunner and Christian?
To his surprise, the alpha ran his fingers through his light brown hair and nodded. “I know.”
Jake smirked. “We both knew, actually. You two aren’t as sly as you think you are.”
The beta couldn’t help the blush that crept up his cheeks. Despite his embarrassment, Alex kept his eyes on the alphas. No sudden outbursts of anger were a good thing. “Fine. I just thought you should--”
“As long as we’re being honest,” West broke in, “I told them you were my mate before I ever joined the pack.”
Blood rushed to Alex’s ears, and the sudden frown on Holden’s face told the beta the truth. “What?” he asked and turned to face the other wolf.
West stared back at him, his handsome face wiped clean of his usual smirk. His brown eyes pleaded with Alex. “I’ve known you were my mate since we first met, even if you don’t remember it. That’s why I chose this pack.”
“West,” Jake started and took a step toward them, but Holden held him back.
“You knew he was going to claim me?” Alex spat and glared at the alpha wolves. “Did you do it just to humiliate me? Just to prove how weak and useless I am?”
“No,” Holden said, a warning in his voice. “We accepted West i
nto the pack because of his relation to Timothy. Your courtship is your own affair.”
The beta took a step back, his heart slamming in his chest. How was this happening? Did everyone know West wanted to be his mate besides the most important party – Alex himself? “But you knew he wanted to claim me and you forced me to be alone with him! You made me drive him home!”
Arms wrapped around his body from behind, West’s scent filling Alex’s nose as the man’s taut biceps held the beta still. “They didn’t know. Hell, I didn’t know I was going to claim you that night. And don’t play the victim card. It doesn’t suit you, especially when you wanted to fuck me just as much as I wanted you.”
The heart slamming against his chest gave Alex pause for the first time in his life. “You should have told me,” he growled at the alpha wolves. “You should have warned me.”
Holden frowned, his eyes crinkling in his handsome face.
Jake scratched his cheek and pushed a strand of black hair out of his eyes. “Alex, I know how you feel. Holden claimed me without consent as well, and it’s strange to want something in your bones but not in your mind. You have to believe us when I say we didn’t expect West to claim you like that. If you regret it, we apologize.”
Staring at the former lone wolf, Alex wanted to break free from West’s arms and punch the bastard in the face. Not out of anger, but because he was right. If Holden told him West thought they were mates how would that have changed anything? He knew as soon as he smelled the other beta that they were meant for each other. The desire nearly drowned him every time they were in a room together. Blaming someone else was easy – it was himself he was angry at.
Alex nodded stiffly, although he couldn’t explain to them how he felt. And he had no desire to apologize for his outburst, however childish.
After another minute, the alphas continued up the stairs. Once they reached the top Holden turned. “If you’re going to wrestle again do it outside, for the moon’s sake.”
The beta scowled at the freshly sanded floor and bit his bottom lip to keep from making a nasty remark. Was this some kind of joke to everyone except him?
