by Odessa Lynne
“Then we will fight,” Tanis growled. “Come, challenge me.”
“I…” The wolf seemed to have trouble dragging himself away from Gerald’s skin. “Your mate shouldn’t have been so careless with you. When I defeat him, we will fuck.”
“We can do that, sure.” Gerald carefully gripped the wolf’s wrist, tugging.
The wolf tensed, his grip going painfully tight for one brief moment before he eased his hold. “Your scent…”
“It’s the cum on my shirt, isn’t it?”
The wolf blinked at him.
Gerald bit his bottom lip. The fuck if he knew what drove him to say half the things he said.
“Never mind,” he said, tugging at that hand again. “Go fight my mate so we can fuck.”
Tanis’s growl sounded harsh behind him—and even closer than before.
The wolf pushed Gerald behind him, through the door into the house, hard enough to send Gerald stumbling into what looked like an empty room.
The door slammed, and a roar echoed from beyond, and Gerald rushed to the nearest window.
For a few frantic seconds, he wasn’t sure what was going on—until he saw Tanis tossing the wolf across the ground. The wolf skidded and rolled, jumping to his feet just as Tanis leapt at him, arm slashing through the air.
Where had Leif gone? Where was the other wolf? Who was that racing down the path in their direction?
Too many questions and no answers.
Guilt swamped him. He’d caused that fight and Tanis had been right to call him a fool. He was more than a fool. He was a fucking idiot. He’d known the risks and he’d discounted all of them, because he’d wanted… what?
His own thoughts came back to him. Not to be so fucking bored out of his mind. What a great fucking reason to get people killed.
A scrape sounded behind Gerald and he jerked around quickly, banging his elbow on the windowsill.
A young wolf stood in the opening between the living space and the dining space, his bright eyes fixed on Gerald. “Mama won’t be pleased when she gets back.”
Gerald rubbed his tingling elbow. A roar came from outside and the need to return his attention to the fight beat at his thoughts like a fist. “Huh?”
“Ishikid is her heat mate, and you’ve just stolen him from her. I wonder if she’ll try to kill you?”
Chapter 12
Gerald stared at the young wolf looking back at him curiously. How the hell had he gotten himself into this situation? Had he really let boredom drive him to make such a dumbfuck mistake as the one that had led him here?
“I haven’t stolen anybody,” Gerald said. “He’s got to win first and that’s not—”
“If Ishikid defeats Alpha Paetaniskeille and proves his strength, he mates you, and if he loses, of course mama won’t want to mate him. Why would she?”
He’d spoken in English, except for a few choice words that Gerald was sure were names, but still…
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“She was supposed to breed with Alpha Ishikid. She’ll probably ask Alpha for permission to mate your mate now, even if your mate loses to Ishikid.”
Gerald tried not to let the wolf’s words get to him. Tanis wasn’t up for grabs. Gerald might not be that happy to have a mate, but Tanis was his for the moment, and he wasn’t sharing him with some female wolf who wanted to breed. So his voice was a little tighter than necessary when he spoke. “So she’ll mate my mate if he loses, but she won’t mate this other wolf if he loses?”
“Would you take a mate that fought for another after making an agreement to mate?”
Gerald dragged in a deep breath through his nose and stared at the young wolf. Finally, he asked, “Who are you?”
The wolf flashed his teeth and said some name in the wolves’ language that made Gerald’s eardrum vibrate.
Gerald pressed his lips together. “Do you have a human name I can understand?”
“I like Kill, but mama says I can’t take that name. The humans will object.”
“They would, huh?”
The wolf wrinkled his nose in something that looked like a sneer. “You’re human. Would you object if I called myself Kill?”
“No, but I’d probably think you weren’t that smart.”
The young wolf bristled. “That’s ridiculous.”
“You’re the one who wants to call yourself ‘Kill,’ not me.” Gerald half turned toward the window.
“Kill is a strong name.”
Gerald eyed the young wolf. “If killing someone’s the only choice you’ve got left, it means you’ve messed up somewhere.”
The wolf’s thin eyebrows came together. “You kill your enemies only if you can’t control your instincts. The only time it’s acceptable to lack control is during the heat season. Mama might lack control when she finds out you stole her mate. I understand the law, but what does that have to do with my name?”
“Kill means murder.”
“You would think my name means murder?”
“Look, kid…” Gerald shuffled his feet, glancing over his shoulder.
The wolf huffed softly. “K E I L.”
Gerald’s full attention returned to the young wolf. “Keil? Sounds just like Kill. Nobody I know would under—”
Something banged into the door.
“Shit.” Gerald gave up on the conversation and turned quickly. He smushed his face up against the window and tried to see what was on the other side of the door, but the window was too far from the door and the angle wasn’t right.
The young wolf came up next to Gerald and copied Gerald’s pose. “I see your mate. He’s very strong.” He made a soft sound in the back of his throat. “Mama’s going to be very disappointed. Ishikid is strong too. He might be too injured to mate her even if she decides to forgive him for being distracted by your human scent.”
The window was cool against Gerald’s cheek. He couldn’t see anything. “I need a better window.”
“There’s nothing wrong with this window.”
Gerald smacked the glass with his palm. “I can’t see a damn thing!”
“Alpha Ishikid is choking the life out of Alpha Paetaniskeille.”
Gerald turned a glare on the young wolf. “Is Tanis winning? That’s all I want to know.”
The wolf shoved Gerald’s shoulder and pushed his way into the spot Gerald had been occupying. “Ky has his claws in Alpha Tanis.”
“Shit.” Gerald smushed his face to the glass again, but he still couldn’t see anything—wasn’t even sure why he was trying. The wolves had all ended up on the other side of the house and there was no practical way to see the fight from his current position.
How the hell could the young wolf see what Gerald couldn’t?
Didn’t matter. He didn’t have time to contemplate the answer. He took off running through the house.
Footsteps pounded behind him.
“You shouldn’t—” the young wolf called out.
He burst into the room off the kitchen that probably had the view he wanted and pulled up short.
The room was a bedroom, with pillows piled high on the floor, and the floor was very much occupied at that moment.
Before Gerald had time to react, the young wolf grabbed the door out of Gerald’s hand and slammed it in his face.
“Your human scent is dangerous.”
The sounds from the other side of the door were unmistakable now that he knew what was behind it. He was probably lucky one of the wolves hadn’t taken offense and lunged for his throat.
He shook off the distraction. “I need a better vantage point. I want to know what’s going on out there. That fight is all my fault.”
“Probably,” the wolf said. “You’re not supposed to be here. Alpha looked angry.”
Gerald winced, then asked, “Who’s Alpha?”
“My alpha.”
“No, I mean—forget it.” They couldn’t even avoid misunderstandings when they spoke the same language. “
Just find me somewhere I can see what’s going on out there.”
“I will,” the young wolf said, “if you promise to talk to Alpha about my name.”
“Why would you want me to—Ah shit. Is Tanis your alpha?”
The wolf hesitated before answering. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“Probably not. But sure, I’ll do it. Find me a way to watch that damn fight.”
The young wolf—Keil—hurried toward the stairs that led to the second floor. The stairs were on an outer wall and windows stretched to the ceiling of the second floor but the wall was on the backside of the house and the only thing Gerald saw through it was a wolf running toward the side of the house Gerald couldn’t see.
He was halfway up the stairs, right on the heels of Keil, when one of the downstairs doors crashed open.
“Obetishkeilel!”
That one word was all it took for the young wolf to swing around on the stairs ahead of Gerald.
Gerald twisted, boot slipping on the steep tread, hand sliding along the rail but holding tight. He’d noticed how narrow and steep the wolves tended to design their staircases, but this was crazy. He was going to break his damn neck.
Keil grabbed the back of Gerald’s shirt, stopping his slip and giving him time to regain his footing.
Tanis stood in the doorway, blood soaking the front of his shirt and dripping from wounds at his neck that made Gerald’s stomach turn. Tanis gave Gerald one hard look then said, “Bring my foolish mate to me, Obetishkeilel.”
Gerald barely kept the wince off his face, although he had a feeling Tanis had seen it anyway. At least he knew who’d won the fight.
Keil gripped Gerald’s arm and pushed. Gerald didn’t try to argue. He stumbled his way back down the steps with Keil’s hand on his arm and Keil at his back.
At the foot of the stairs, he hesitated, but Keil didn’t, hauling him forward. Gerald gritted his teeth and moved.
When Keil stopped Gerald in front of Tanis, Tanis nodded. “Very good. Tell Ilylaeseikeille to come see me before we leave First Alpha’s den. I have an offer for her.”
Offer… or a proposition. Or gift. Tanis could’ve meant gift just as easily as he’d meant offer.
And then it hit him that Tanis was probably talking about Keil’s mother and a surge of white hot jealousy burned through Gerald’s gut and he missed half of what Tanis said next.
“…would be proud of your obedience.”
Keil gave Tanis a short, quick nod. “Thank you, Alpha.”
“Go,” Tanis said, but at the same time he reached over and ruffled Keil’s hair.
It was weird to watch, because sure, Keil was shorter than Tanis and much less broad in the shoulders, but the young wolf wasn’t much smaller than Gerald, who was five foot eleven and a lean one hundred and sixty pounds.
Keil smiled and released Gerald. He wandered into the dining area and then disappeared through an opening that led deeper into the house.
Gerald closed his eyes briefly then faced Tanis.
Tanis was watching him with narrowed eyes. One eyebrow had a deep slash above it, but the bleeding had stopped and the wound already looked like it was healing.
“Sorry,” Gerald said, waving his finger at Tanis’s injuries. “I know I—”
Tanis stepped forward and crushed Gerald to him in a tight, hard hold, hand on the back of Gerald’s neck. Gerald grunted as the air rushed out of his lungs and his back stiffened.
Tanis breathed in with an audible sniff, his nose buried against Gerald’s neck.
The warm hug seemed completely out of place, and Gerald had no idea what he was supposed to do.
He’d fucked up and he knew it. This was hardly the reaction he’d expected, despite knowing the wolves had some strange ideas about mates.
Nearly a minute passed before Tanis released him.
Gerald stepped back, clearing his throat and rubbing his finger under his nose, eyes fixed on Tanis, his gaze cautious.
Tanis spoke, his tone firm and his words precise through his accent, “I took you from the mate intended for you, and I’ve failed to consider how stubbornly you cling to your loyalties to your fellow humans. He had already been warned to be cautious and I ignored those same warnings. I won’t make that mistake again, mate. Forgive me for my short-sightedness.”
Gerald looked askance at Tanis. He sounded reasonable, even if what he said didn’t make a lot of sense. “Okay.”
“There are things I must do now, to protect you from yourself.”
Gerald rubbed his palm down his mouth, dread tightening his chest. “Sure, sure.”
Tanis held his hand out. “Come with me.”
Gerald nodded. Now was not the time to argue, despite the blood coating Tanis’s fingers. He gripped Tanis’s hand.
Tanis curled his fingers tightly around Gerald’s. His grip was unyielding and he used it to tug Gerald through the door.
He didn’t release Gerald until they were inside the house they’d been sharing for the last thirteen days.
Once Gerald had his hand free, he wiped it on his jeans, but much of the blood had dried and Gerald was left with streaks of it coating the outside of his hand. He eyed Tanis warily as Tanis walked into the center of the house.
Gerald noticed how Tanis’s gaze lingered on the bowl of stew Gerald had left on the table.
“Go upstairs,” Tanis said.
“Shouldn’t we talk about this or something?”
Tanis didn’t look at Gerald, just started walking toward the kitchen. The distance between them didn’t stop Gerald from noticing the shine of sweat on Tanis’s forehead and cheeks.
“Prepare yourself for mating. The heat fight fired my blood and your scent is too tempting to ignore much longer.”
Gerald pressed his lips together and glared at the back of Tanis’s head as Tanis took a glass from one of the cabinets and filled it with water. After a moment of silence and several deep swallows of the water, Tanis growled out, softly, “Submit, mate.”
Gerald turned away, mouth tight.
Irritation made Gerald’s steps heavy as he climbed the stairs to the second floor. This was exactly why Gerald had never been interested in mating one of the wolves, despite how much he liked them outside of heat season and how much he enjoyed having sex with them. He valued his freedom. He was a fucking grown man and he got to decide what he did and when, and having some alpha wolf ordering him around wasn’t a life he wanted any part of.
He cleaned his hands in the bathroom and worked off his boots at the chair near the window, then dropped his clothes to the floor next to the bed.
By the time he heard Tanis outside the bedroom door, Gerald was propped up against a bunch of pillows sideways on the bed with his fingers sliding in and out of his ass and his other hand on his dick, getting a head start on the action.
At least he was still in control here.
The door opened silently and Gerald raised his head to see Tanis step into the room.
Gerald stopped what he was doing and pulled his legs up, opening himself to Tanis’s view. The very idea that Tanis might go to that female wolf later and breed her made him feel bold and reckless. He slid his hand down below his balls and teased the rim of his hole with his fingertip.
“Is this how you wanted me to submit?”
Tanis’s eyes fastened on the motion of Gerald’s finger, and Gerald decided to go for something a little more visual. He pushed three fingers inside himself, grunting with the stretch, and started fucking his hole again. Still, even those three fingers were nothing compared to how he’d feel when Tanis thrust that large cock of his into him.
Tanis closed the door. “You fight submission even when it’s what you want.”
“What I want is to ride that piece of meat you’ve got.”
Claws became visible at the tips of Tanis’s strong-boned fingers. “Your knees,” Tanis said.
Gerald dug his heels into the bed and thrust his fingers as deep as he could get them. H
e groaned as he worked himself open.
Tanis stalked to the edge of the bed and grabbed Gerald’s wrist, pulling his fingers out of his ass.
“Hey!” Gerald tried to pull his hand back.
“Submit!”
“God, what a pri—ummph…”
Gerald landed face down on the bed, cheek smushed into the corner of a square pillow and Tanis’s claws at the back of his neck.
“Your knees,” Tanis said again.
Gerald couldn’t raise his upper body because his arms were trapped at his sides, but he pulled his knees under him until his ass was high in the air. “There you go,” he said through gritted teeth. “I’m ready. Now kiss my ass, why don’t you?”
Chapter 13
Gerald thought he knew how Tanis would react to his blatant defiance, but Tanis surprised him. Claws pricked the back of Gerald’s neck, but Tanis didn’t roar or demand submission.
Instead, sounding entirely too reasonable, he said, “You tempt me to bury my claws in your neck while I fuck you, but you know how dangerous it would be if I gave in to my instincts. Your human body is weak and fragile compared to mine. You know this, so why do you tempt me? I don’t want to hurt you.”
Gerald let out a soft huff of humorless laughter. “I don’t want you to hurt me either.”
“Then why?”
“What’s it matter? You like it when I struggle. You know you do. It’s the way you guys do things.”
“You’re putting yourself at risk. It’s only because I bred several heat mates this season that I have as much control as I do.” Those claw-tipped fingers flexed against Gerald’s neck as if to emphasize his point. “It’s too dangerous and I want you to stop doing it. Submit the way a mate should.”
Gerald moistened his dry mouth. “I’ll be a much better heat mate if I know you’re going to send me away after the heat season.”
“Never. We’re mated.”
Finally. Tanis had let something slip, even though it wasn’t exactly what Gerald had hoped to hear. “Never’s a long damn time. Thought you were going to die before next season? What’ll happen to me then?”
