Undesirable Mate

by Oliver, Lisa

  “See?” Tristan kept his focus on Kellen, his eyes wide and his lip trembling. Kellen had seen that look before as well, but by now he was immune to all of Tristan’s tricks. “These wolves are mean and nasty and they just want to hurt me. You promised me protection and now you’re letting this wolf-runt insult me.”

  Okay. Tristan had gone too far. Phillip had enough problems with self-esteem without Tristan insulting his size. “It’s not an insult if it’s the truth, is it?” Kellen snapped. “And that runt as you call him is my mate, my Fated Mate. He’s mean, he’s tough and he could take you out in seconds with his bare hands.” Kellen stood up so quickly his chair hit the floor with a bang. Leaning on the table, he glared at Tristan still sitting on the bed. “You came here on Malcom’s orders. You’ve been spying on me, and you were probably trying to spy on this pack. How long has this been going on, and why was Malcom trying to get me killed?”

  His snarling words had Tristan scrambling across the mattress until he was jammed against the wall. Standing at his full height, Kellen walked around the table between them, his fists clenched at his side.

  “Start talking.” Kellen disliked using his strength on prey animals, but for Tristan he’d make an exception. “You seem to forget I’m a wolf shifter too, just like the ones you’ve been insulting since we walked in here. And right now, I’m beyond pissed off. Now start spilling your guts or my claws will be doing it for you.”

  Letting a partial shift come through, he raised his hands; claws long and sharp, poked from the ends of his fingers. Tristan whimpered and tried to crawl through the concrete, and the stench of fear hit the air.

  “Talk!” Kellen yelled.

  “Malcom’s been looking after me,” Tristan cried. “He pays me attention, buys me gifts and gives me money sometimes. I had to do as he said. I’m broke and I needed the money.”

  Kellen looked at Phillip who’d come to stand beside him, his body taut and his own fists clenched. “Lying,” Phillip mouthed to Kellen when he caught his eye and Kellen gave an imperceptible nod.

  “What were you meant to be doing here?”

  “Nothing much. Nothing bad.” Tristan was still crying, his words gasped out between sniffs, his face covering his hands. “Just, you know, what I do. Get friendly with the pack, take notes and get close to the omega. Malcom thought the little guy wouldn’t find me a threat. He said he was worried about the omega because of the vampire.”

  Kellen risked a quick look at Phillip again. “Truth?” Phillip mouthed back, one eyebrow raised. That had been Kellen’s impression as well.

  “You know I came here to kill the vampire, but only if I found him to be a threat to the omega. I haven’t seen anything to indicate he’s a danger to anyone so far.”

  Tristan’s head shot up and Kellen almost took a step back. The sudden hatred in Tristan’s eyes was intense. “Of course that fucking vampire’s a threat to the omega; he’s a threat to anyone smaller than himself. He’d drain me dry in a heartbeat. He’s got no place around shifters at all, and Malcom’s right, any pack that accepts someone like him should be taken out and put down like dogs.”

  “Vampires are almost immortal, and damn hard to kill. What were you supposed to do if this one killed me?”

  “If things had gone according to plan, then it wouldn’t have mattered,” Tristan spat out, and there was no trace left of the frightened young man or Kellen’s lover in his expression. “I would’ve been friends with the fucking omega by then, and he’d have come with me willingly enough. My instructions were to get him to Malcom.”

  “But instead, you’re in here,” Kellen said, thinking fast.

  “Only because you weren’t fucking capable of doing the job you’d been given. If you hadn’t put the Alpha’s back up at that first meeting, then we’d all be sitting pretty; but no, you see one piddly little vampire and you lose your shit. Thanks to you we got no access to the club, the vampire or the omega. Malcom’s going to have your throat for this fuck up.”

  The urge to break Tristan’s scrawny little neck was strong, but Kellen’s morals were stronger. He rested his hand on Phillip’s back and the man who’d been watching Tristan like a hawk, managed a small smile in Kellen’s direction.

  “I think we’ve got all we needed, don’t you?”

  Phillip nodded. Kellen kept his hand on the small of Phillip’s back as they headed for the door.

  “What about me?” Tristan yelled. “What’s going to happen to me?”

  Kellen couldn’t be bothered to answer, and opened the door, intent on leaving. He couldn’t stomach the smell or sight of his former lover anymore. But it seemed his mate’s inner bitch was showing. Phillip half turned, and said over his shoulder. “Why, just what you said of course. Full moon’s in a couple of days and I guess you’ll be coming along for the run. Our subs aren’t very good at hunting larger prey, but I bet they can have some fun with a ferret.”

  Tristan was still yelling “You can’t do this to me, I’ve got friends on the Council,” when Kellen slammed the cell door shut behind them.

  Chapter Twelve

  As soon as they were clear of the cell, Phillip pulled Kellen down to the guard’s room at the end of the corridor. He had responsibilities, they both did, but there was no way he’d be able to go through another strategy meeting without getting his hands in Kellen’s pants first. There was something about Tristan that made his blood boil and his mind wouldn’t stop playing erotic images of his massive Kellen with entwined with that lithe little body. His body thrummed with the need to stake his claim.

  Kellen merely grunted when his back hit the wall, although he moaned when Phillip dropped to his knees and started attacking the zipper on Kellen’s pants.

  “Eager much?”

  Phillip looked up. Was he being too pushy? No, it didn’t seem like it. Kellen’s eyes were full of lust and there was a hint of a smile.

  “You’ve no idea,” Phillip said fervently, as he returned to his work, quickly pulling Kellen’s cock free. Kellen wasn’t fully hard. Loving the feel of a soft cock in his mouth, Phillip leaned forward and swallowed his man down, moaning around the hardening shaft. His mate tasted so freaking delicious. His lips started to stretch as Kellen’s cock reached full size.

  Using all his skill, Phillip sucked hard, teasing the bundle of nerves under Kellen’s cap with every upstroke, burying his nose in the well-trimmed pubic hair on the down. It was a struggle, Kellen’s size effectively cutting off his breath every time he took him deep, but Phillip was determined. He ignored the throb of his own cock, still trapped in his pants, and focused only on his mate. His hands gently rolled heavy, lightly furred balls, while his mouth stayed on track. He wanted Kellen grunting his name while he swallowed the man’s spunk, and he wasn’t stopping until that happened.

  /~/~/~/~/

  Kellen didn’t have a clue what’d gotten into his mate, but he wasn’t complaining. Phillip’s mouth was working him like a pro and Kellen locked his knees to stay upright. His hands loosely gripped Phillip’s hair, that blond mop on top providing the perfect anchorage just as he’d imagined.

  Phillip moaned, the sound sending delicious shivers down his cock. Kellen quickly found himself on the brink of climax. The suction, the wet heat, that devilish tongue and the feel of Phillip’s throat working the head of his cock all proved too much too quickly. With one shallow thrust, Kellen came, grunting his release, just one word, “Phillip,” escaping his lips. Phillip gently suckled and licked him clean, before gently tucking Kellen’s spent member into his pants. Then the handsome man sat back on his heels, his cock outlined like a truncheon in his pants.

  Still breathing hard, Kellen bent and dragged Phillip to his feet, quickly scanning the room; the beat up couch would have to do.

  “We need to get back to Pearson,” Phillip mumbled as Kellen led him to the couch, pushing him flat on his back.

  “He can wait five minutes.” Kellen tugged at Phillip’s button and zipper and within se
conds Phillip’s cock was free and already damp.

  “You’ve got an over-inflated sense of your skills in the cock-sucking department,” Phillip said, but as Kellen had already introduced his mouth to his mate’s cock, the words went up at the end. Kellen pulled off with a slurp.

  “Five minutes, and if you make it that long, you can fuck and claim me after the meeting,” he said with a grin. From the flash in Phillip’s eyes, and the way they both looked at the clock on the wall, he guessed his challenge had been accepted.

  As he bent his head to the task at hand, Kellen wasn’t sure if he wanted to win or lose his challenge. He wondered if he’d mentioned it purely so that he could save face. He’d always been a top, but for Phillip, and a place in a pack, he was considering giving up his ass.

  A pack? Fuck. Kellen had never bothered with any of them since he’d left home. But Pearson had offered, and really, it was probably what Phillip wanted in the long term. But Kellen liked his job, traveling all over the country, meeting new people, never having to stay long in any one place. Maybe Phillip would want to travel with him?

  A sharp tug to his hair pulled him from his thoughts. “I thought you’d put a bit more effort into winning,” Phillip said, his smiling lips still puffy from the blow job he’d given. Kellen flicked his eyes at the clock. Shit. A minute to go, and all he’d been doing was bobbing his head up and down like a robot. Bad move.

  Staying totally in the moment this time, Kellen bent back to his task, his mouth taking Phillip’s girth with minimal effort. He slurped and slobbered, sucking and nibbling, allowing his saliva to run down his mate’s shaft. Dragging his fingers through the mess, Kellen collected enough spit that a brief stab at Phillips hole wouldn’t hurt. Phillip groaned and thrashed beneath him, and Kellen could feel his balls tightening, but Phillip refused to let go.

  Going for the win, Kellen found those nerves under the head of Phillip’s cock and nibbled lightly, while he pushed his finger into Phillip’s tight hole, right up to the knuckle. Phillip shouted, then groaned and seconds later Kellen’s mouth was full of Phillip’s bittersweet essence. He swallowed eagerly determined not to miss a drop. Kellen looked at the clock as Phillip slumped back on the couch. Two minutes had passed and Phillip’s smirk told the story.

  “You were watching the clock? I must be losing my touch,” he said, tucking Phillip’s cock back into his pants.

  “Had to have something to distract me, or I’d have blown in thirty seconds flat.” Phillip cupped his jaw with a strong hand before soft lips brushed over his. “If you’d kept your mind on the job, then you’d have had me with time to spare.”

  “Oddly enough, I’m not disappointed,” Kellen said. He straightened up, ignoring the ache in his knees, and pulling his mate up to his chest.

  “My ass is yours,” he whispered, brushing Phillip’s lips with his own again.

  “I’ll treat it gently,” Phillip whispered back, and from the warmth stemming from those bright blue eyes, Kellen knew he was in safe hands.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “I can’t believe one man could be so stupid and arrogant as to think he could bring down an entire pack without someone finding out he was at fault and there was no basis behind his attack.” Teric had been on a roll for a while, and while Kellen was just as shocked and hurt about the Council’s duplicity as Teric was, rehashing the same details, or trying to explore the why of it all wasn’t helping any of them. They needed solutions, not ranting. Besides it wasn’t the Council per se that were the problem, it was Malcom.

  Pearson’s office was full. The enforcers were there, Steel and Levi, Cain and Prism. The little Omega, Cam was happy and at home under Roger’s arm. Kellen didn’t need to interview either of them to see how happy the omega was. The fond glances the two men shared would have been vomit inducing if Kellen wasn’t feeling a bit the same way. Phillip sat by his side for the past thirty minutes, not offering much in the way of solutions, just listening; and Kellen was strangely comforted by his presence.

  “He’s been in his position a long time; he has to be as old as the hills,” Kellen said, trying to inject calm into the room, which wasn’t easy. “Is it possible Malcom has dementia that hits old wolf shifters perhaps?”

  “No,” Pearson said, his handsome face grave. “Malcom’s always had a problem with gay wolves, and while the species aspect is new, it’s not surprising. I’m just surprised that no one else on the Council has picked up on it.”

  “From all of the intel we could get, the other Council members haven’t got a clue there’s any threat to this pack, or to Devin,” Steel said, his raspy voice cutting across Teric who looked like he still wanted to mouth off.

  “The problem is,” Kellen interjected when he saw Teric open his mouth again, “the other members are not going to just take our word that Malcom’s going rogue. We need proof.”

  “Surely your mission, the orders you were given are proof enough?” It was Dante that spoke this time, so Kellen faced him although he knew the others would be listening carefully.

  “Not if you think about it. There’s nothing wrong with the Council ordering any of its operatives to check on an Omega; or the presence of a vampire in a pack. The misinformation could be easily explained; you didn’t specify who Devin was when you listed him as part of your pack.” Kellen nodded slightly at the vampire who threw him a quick grin. Then Kellen turned his attention back to the Alpha pair.

  “If, and that’s a big if, but if you or members of your pack were under vampire thrall; and if the omega was in danger because of it, then my kill orders make perfect sense. If, and this is something I’m not sure about but I’m sure it can be checked; the coven in New York is causing problems with wolf shifters there, then again, my orders are valid. All Malcom has to do, if questioned about it, is claim he’d received an anonymous tip that the vampire in the Washington pack was from New York; and that would be enough to spark an investigation.” Kellen looked around at the troubled faces. “Face it, without further proof we have nothing except the ravings of a ferret, and even those comments could be explained away by someone who holds the respect that comes with his position.”

  “So we need to make further inquiries,” Pearson said. He reached for his desk phone and tapped in a number. Seconds later his call was answered. Pearson put the phone on speaker.

  “It’s Pearson, Alpha of the Washington Pack. Put me through to Stavia, directly please.”

  Kellen frowned and looked at Phillip who leaned up and whispered, “the leader of the New York coven.”

  Must be nice to have friends in high places and speaking to the source of a conflict is a darned good idea. Kellen nodded and sat back, as Pearson went through the normal pleasantries of any conversation. After enquiries about health, the Omega, who apparently Stavia was very interested in, and the general assurances that all was well with all concerned, Pearson got down to business.

  “So, my friend, I take it our visit a while ago has sparked some wolf lovers among your members? Are you causing problems with the local pack?”

  “Not problems, no, in fact quite the opposite.” Stavia chuckled. “Let’s just say that none of us had considered shifters as possible mates; and since your esteemed vampire found his, and I might have let on I took a shine to your sexy omega; my members are simply expanding their possible mate horizons.”

  “You know the omega is off limits, Stavia,” Pearson warned over Roger’s growl that Stavia heard clearly because the man laughed again.

  “My vampires are men of honor, Pearson, just like your shifters. As a rule, we don’t take unwilling donors; and I’ve heard no tales or complaints about any of my members compelling furry friends into bed, or for a snack. We’ve had a few true matings recently between shifters and vampires, but that has to be a good thing for all concerned, surely?”

  “Anyone finding their true mate is blessed,” Pearson agreed. “However, I must ask you to make inquiries on our behalf. It seems that some are not as forgiv
ing of interspecies matings as you and I might be; and some of that concern seems to come from the highest levels.”

  There was a brief silence, and then Stavia’s controlled voice came across the line, any trace of laughter gone. “I take your cryptic warning in the spirit with which it was intended, my friend, and thank you. I’ll be sure to keep my ear to the ground for any signs of wrongdoing, and drop a warning in the ear of those concerned. Please, let us know if there is anything further we can do for you, from here if that’s possible.”

  It was Pearson who smiled this time. “Prince Devin sends his regards and his thanks, as do I. Later, my friend.”

  Stavia clicked off. Pearson looked at Devin who was sitting on Ace’s lap. “Seems you’re still not welcome in New York.” The small vampire shrugged an elegant shoulder, but didn’t say anything, however the exchange had Kellen thinking. If Devin was old enough to have the New York coven leader running scared, then how old was he? And for that matter, how powerful did that make him?

  “Devin’s not a threat to us,” Pearson said softly, and Kellen blushed, realizing his thoughts must have been all over his face. “However,” Pearson went on, addressing everyone in the room, “A certain Council member certainly is, so the question we need to ask ourselves now is what we do about it?”

  No one seemed to be able to offer up any suggestions, and after a long minute, Kellen said, “we wait.” Everyone looked at him, clearly expecting more, so he added, “we wait until Malcom comes here. And he will if he doesn’t hear from me. All of the information we have suggests that he was looking for an excuse to come into this pack, with force; using Cam as his reason for bringing heat with him. Collateral damage will tear this pack apart as many of you are mated; and if he can take you and or Dante out, this pack is finished. Unless we’re prepared for it.”

  “Or,” Devin said slowly, “You could call and leave a message for this asshole, letting him know the job is done. That the omega is safe, the vampire has been taken care of, and that the pack situation in Washington is secure. Then he’s got no reason to come here at all.”