"That isn't really relevant."
"Hm. I guess it isn't," Frannie replied, disappointed.
"Anyway, Silas showed up, said he was here to get back with Pippen, but Pippen doesn't seem to believe him."
"Does Pippen want to get back with him?" Finn asked.
Where were this pack's priorities? "No, he doesn't."
"How do you know for sure?" Frannie asked.
Conner began to wonder why Luke and Daryl weren't saying anything.
"Because I asked him."
"Why? Were you worried about his loyalties?" Frannie asked.
"What? No. Of course not."
"Then why did you want to know?" Finn asked.
"What is it with you two? Silas could be very dangerous, I think we should concentrate on that issue first. And I asked Pippen because we were out on a date having an amazing time before that asshole Silas showed up."
Finn and Frannie both smiled, looking exactly like the siblings they were.
"Is he alone?" Luke asked finally.
Conner nodded. "Seems that way so far."
"What does Pippen suggest?" Luke asked.
"He didn't say. Just that we should all be aware and wary. He seems to think Silas is after something, but he doesn't know what."
"When are you going on another date?" Frannie asked.
Conner sighed loudly and turned from them. Clearly, they weren't as nervous about Silas as he and Pippen were. They didn't know him like Pippen did. And they hadn't met him as Conner had.
He stalked up the hallway, their laughter sounding from the living room. They didn't seem very concerned. Maybe there wasn't a threat to the pack. Perhaps Conner felt the threat attacking something different. Silas' presence attacked his chances with Pippen, maybe that was why he saw him as more of a danger than the rest of the pack.
He threw his body back on his bed and settled his nerves. He'd give Pippen a few more minutes before going out to retrieve him. The air in his room smelled stale. Or it just lacked Pippen's scent. He stomped to his window and opened it a crack, letting the freezing air flow in and then lay down, closing his eyes, he listened to the silence.
But there wasn't silence. Conner's life was never silent, not with his alpha senses. He heard the television as clearly as if it was in the room with him. He heard Daryl's grumbling about the contestant's jewelry choices.
Beyond the window, he heard cars driving down the busy road one block over. There were murmurs from people talking in their houses, televisions in the many living rooms around him and then there was one voice that he would always hear. The voice wasn't alone.
"Hold on, Pips," Silas' smooth tone reached his ears and Conner was on his feet and through his window. He paused just outside the house.
"No, I told you not to follow," Pippen replied.
Conner stopped his natural instinct to run out there, grab Pippen by the middle, throw him over his shoulder, and carry him into his bedroom. He recognized this moment for what it was. A sneaky way to discover more about Pippen and Conner was too curious about the man.
Silas made a coughing sound that seemed like a laugh. "You knew I would." His voice had changed, less pleading, harder. Conner thought this might be the real Silas, not the repentant version he met in the pub.
"I don't know what you're after, but you won't find it here. There is nothing here for you. I just spoke with Sorell. He doesn't want to see you."
"I'll let my brother be a big boy and tell me to my face."
"Felix won't let your face get very close. He's already on the phone with his pack."
"His pack? Not Isaac?"
"Where did you hear…? No, you know what, I don't care. I'm not getting sucked in. I have a good life here, Silas. A new life, a calm life. Go back to Mississippi and mess with someone else's head."
Conner heard Pippen take a few steps, but then he stopped. He imagined Silas with his hand on his shoulder, his arm, restraining him. Conner just barely held in his growl.
"You keep talking about this new life, this calm life. A little too much, Pips. You can be honest with me. I won't judge you, I never judged you. It's boring, isn't it? You're bored. Pippen, you can tell me. You can do more than tell me. You can come back with me. I have some things in the works back home, things that would flourish if someone lethal like you were at the head."
Conner just about surged out there except he was stopped by the fissure of emotion in Pippen's voice. "I don't want to be that person anymore, Silas. That Pippen is hard. He's loyal to nothing and nobody relied on him. He could come and go because no one gave a shit about him."
Objectively, Conner knew he shouldn't be creeping outside, literally standing behind a bush eavesdropping, but his inner wolf couldn't leave Pippen alone now, not with that other shifter. Even if it meant hearing things he wasn't supposed to.
"You're wrong, Pips. I cared about you. I care about—"
"No, you didn't. You don't care about anything."
There was a long enough pause that Conner might have thought Silas had left, if it weren't for his sensitive hearing and the fact that there were no retreating footsteps.
"I never would have believed it. Never in a million years, would I have believed that the great and powerful Pippen would have his light dimmed by a bunch of ingrates. What is this that I'm hearing? That Pippen you used to be was hard? That Pippen was loyal to nothing? Is that what this new pack of yours is telling you? That you were some sort of dark monster? They told you that because they're afraid of your power. Just like your fucking father was. He saw your power and did everything he could to push you down, hold you below him." He whispered. "But we got rid of that, baby. Together. We got rid of that asshole and pissed on his bones. That's what we do with our enemies. I didn't mind when you left the pack after Sorell because you're Pippen, unrestrained. I can't keep you in a cage. I also can't stand by and let this pussy pack get in your head and make you feel wrong. Come back with me, Pips. I have to demand it."
Conner waited for Pippen to put Silas in his place. He'd been repeating his earlier conversation with Pippen over and over.
Do you want him?
No.
He repeated those words to stay calm but now, he couldn't call them up because of the silence that filled his waiting moments.
"Silas…I…" Pippen's voice wavered.
There could be no more waiting. Conner leapt over the line of bushes and landed in the middle of the street. The disruption of his arrival forced the two shifters who had been having a hushed conversation in the middle of the neighborhood road, apart.
"What the—" Silas exclaimed.
Conner couldn't be bothered waiting to listen. He grabbed Pippen around the middle, damning the repercussions to the wind. Pippen must've been too stunned to respond as he allowed Conner to lift him up and place him over his shoulder. Conner clamped Pippen to him with a firm arm across his lower back and another just below his butt.
He sensed Silas approaching them and spun around, keeping Pippen safely over his shoulder, he bared his teeth and growled. Except, it couldn't exactly be called a growl. It was as if his years of pretending he wasn't an alpha, of living under the radar, had built together into a ferocious noise that reverberated out of him and throughout the city streets. The neighborhood dogs began to bark and howl, sensing an unknown predator. Silas' eyes flung open wide and he stepped back.
Conner turned from him then, showing with his body that Silas was not a threat to him and carried Pippen back to the house. He decided not to use the front door, not wanting to answer any more questions from the peanut gallery. Besides that, he had questions of his own for Pippen, ones that wouldn't be made with an audience.
He carefully slid Pippen in through his window first, trusting the shifter wouldn't run. Still, when he was steady on his feet, Conner uttered a low command. "Stay there."
He turned back to the street and used his alpha senses to scan the nearby area for threats. It was likely that Silas had left, but
Conner needed to be sure.
When he was, he turned back to the house and silently jumped in through the window, rolling once before stretching up into a standing position. He spun around, finding Pippen standing next to the window where Conner had told him to stay.
When it came to Pippen nothing was a guarantee. It wasn't until he saw him standing there that he was sure he actually would stay. Pippen's obedience was like a gift more precious than anyone else's because it was clear it was a gift he didn't give out often or easily.
Pippen leaned against the wall, his hands clasped in front of his body and his face down. He looked defeated. Conner moved to the space in front of him and used his finger under his chin to lift Pippen's face.
"What happened?" Conner asked.
Pippen looked away.
The motion had his inner wolf riling. His wolf demanded Pippen's stare, his touch, his everything. Someone needed to remind his wolf that Pippen couldn't be his mate because right now it wasn't acting that way.
"I was eavesdropping from the very beginning," Conner confessed. He didn't know if it would make it easier for Pippen to tell him what had happened but it would make his own heart lighter. Their relationship was shaky at best. It couldn't handle any more secrets.
Pippen didn't look angry or betrayed as Conner would have thought. His eyes remained downcast, his beautiful lips tilted down in a sad frown.
"Pippen, what?" Seeing him like this was unbearable. Conner kissed the other man's cheeks, the corners of his sad lips, his eyelids. "Tell me, love. What is going on in your head?" When he'd run out into the street, he'd been angry, worried. But he'd expected Pippen's anger in return, not this. "I heard what he said to you. He's getting in your head, Pippen."
"Is he?" Pippen croaked. "It's not a secret that I don't fit in with this pack. Not like Sorell did. Not like you did. In fact, if it wasn't for Sorell or Frannie...or...you, I don't think I would be here. I don't know that I would be anywhere."
Conner held him tightly, operating instinctively. "You've had a lot happen to you. You've been hurt by people who were supposed to protect you, supposed to love you. That's not going to just go away."
"I tried to make it," Pippen whispered into the crook of his neck. "I tried to force the hurt away."
"That doesn't work, love. Believe me, I know how that doesn't work."
"I'm not used to this," Pippen said. "I don't like not being strong."
"Love, you are strong. Strength doesn't look like just one thing though. It isn't measured in your ability to scare people or be distant. It's in living, in allowing yourself to be loved by people who want the best for you. That's strength." Holding Pippen as close as he was felt amazing. The smaller shifter lined up with his body, two pieces of a puzzle.
The timing was inappropriate but he couldn't stop his growing erection. Conner tried thinking of unpleasant things, taking out the trash...toilet cleaning...
Then, Pippen slid his body to the side, slipping Conner's erection more firmly against his body. The little shifter moaned softly. Lifting his black eyes to Conner's he peered into his face as he moved to the side again, creating more friction. His beautiful lips parted open and the softest moan slipped from between them.
"Pippen," he warned. This wasn't the time. It was definitely the place though. His bed was mere steps behind them. Fuck, the wall was right here. Conner wanted to take Pippen on all the surfaces. "You're distraught, love. Let's sit down."
"I don't want to sit down," he nearly pouted. Pippen's tongue flicked out and moistened his bottom lip.
Conner's hands cupped Pippen's face, catching his lip between his teeth. He tasted it, licking the sweet and spicy flavor that was Pippen.
Conner had held his wolf back, had caged his alpha tendencies and now there was no stopping them. He lifted Pippen up and slid him higher up the wall. Pippen's legs wrapped around his middle, forcing the proof of his own arousal against Conner's stomach.
He claimed Pippen's mouth again in a kiss that was not gentle but demanding. His tongue speared past Pippen's teeth, exploring the wet space with abandon. Pippen sucked on his tongue like it was a cock. He groaned low, the sound rumbling over Conner's tongue and down his body until he was sure he felt it in his cock.
"Are you a fan of these pants?" Conner groaned. Pippen shook his head and Conner celebrated. His fingernails lengthened, something that only alphas could do and he used the razor-sharp points to cut through the fabric of Pippen's pants. The sound of slicing fabric was music to his ears.
They fell from the lower half of his body like ribbons. Conner reached the hem of Pippen's shirt and lifted it fluidly off his body. His palms spread over him, relishing in the feel of warm skin against his palms. He wanted this shifter more than he remembered wanting anything in his entire life.
Pippen broke their kiss, letting his head fall back against the wall with a low thud. His eyes locked onto Conner's hands, specifically his nails, still sharp with adrenaline.
"Conner?"
He understood the question even though it hadn't quite been asked. "I'm an alpha," he said, his lips on Pippen's neck as he licked the delicate skin there before nibbling just below the ear. The image of Pippen's pale skin, marked from their lovemaking, urged him on.
"How come you've been repressing it?"
Conner licked Pippen's skin and he shuddered. "You aren't the only one looking for himself. I thought having a stable pack was more important than leading it. Then I realized I couldn't leave if I wanted to. I couldn't leave you."
He'd waited to do this for so long. From the first time he'd seen Pippen sitting in the kitchen, hunched over, not catching his eye. Conner was the newest pack member then, but he still remembered wanting to order everyone out so he could lift Pippen onto the kitchen table and claim him.
Conner shifted Pippen slightly higher against the wall. His hard cock pressed against Pippen's back entrance and Conner paused there, searching Pippen's face for a single sign that he wasn't ready or that he didn't want this.
Instead, Pippen looked up at him and gave him the sweetest smile.
Conner knew the pre-cum from his cock would lubricate the area, it would relax Pippen's entrance, making Conner's sizable cock easier to handle. All shifters were blessed with that particular biological characteristic.
Pippen moaned impatiently. If he felt as good as Conner did, with his cock just barely penetrating his entrance, then Conner knew it would be torture for Pippen as well to remain. He pushed up and his length slid inside of his love. It was so tight and warm and it had been so long for Conner, he gritted his teeth. Coming early was a possibility and he wanted to fuck Pippen for a very long time.
"Oh my, big boy," Pippen said. On anyone else's lips that might have sounded sarcastic but on Pippen's it was clearly a compliment. He bit his bottom lip before uttering a single word. "More."
Conner thrust up, burying himself slowly until he felt Pippen's body against the front of his thighs and stomach. Conner wanted to stay there, allow Pippen time to relax and adjust, but the little shifter was having none of it. He bucked back against the wall and then lunged forward, slamming his mouth hard against Conner's in a kiss that was all fire. Conner was lost to the emotion as he began thrusting with a fierce, unforgiving rhythm. Pippen clenched his inner muscles, tightening his hold and Conner almost lost it.
"Careful, love, or this will end up being the best two minutes of your life."
"I don't care how long it lasts, just fuck me. You feel amazing," Pippen replied, sounding nearly delirious with pleasure.
Conner lifted him up, keeping his cock buried inside of him. The new angle and position brought him a little deeper still, forcing a keening moan from Pippen's lips. Conner loved the noise and vowed to make him do it again. He carried them to the bed and laid Pippen down, all the while retaining their connection. Once Pippen was on his back, Conner adjusted his legs to the side of his body, opening him up completely. He looked down at his slim, fairy-like shifter and thou
ght he could be dreaming. He felt perfect, like Conner's cock was meant to be inside of him. Conner continued his thrusts, knowing without a doubt that he wouldn't last long now. He felt a tickle at the bottom of his spine and then a tension at the base of his cock. He wrapped his hand around Pippen's cock and stroked it, using his own glistening pre-cum as lubrication. Pippen's eyes shot open and he bit his bottom lip to keep from screaming. Conner kept a firm pressure and stroked him in time with his own thrusts. Soon enough, Pippen was whimpering, his dark eyes staring into Conner's and when the first jets of fluid shot from his cock, Conner felt his own orgasm crashing around himself. He thrust hard, burying himself deep as he kept a firm grip on Pippen's dick, relentlessly stroking him to get every last ounce.
Pippen relaxed against the bed just as Conner felt his orgasm ebb. Ignoring the mess, he fell to his side and gathered Pippen in his arms, cradling him until his breathing slowed and he fell asleep.
Chapter Six
When Pippen woke up he noticed one thing first. He was warm. Not uncomfortably hot but pleasant, like hot cocoa by a fire—something he'd never experienced but assumed would be as pleasant as what he felt at that moment. Except, this feeling was more sexual, like drinking hot cocoa in front of a fire spread out naked on a bearskin rug.
He opened his eyes.
What the fuck was he thinking? He didn't drink hot chocolate and he certainly didn't lounge naked on animal skins. Not even fake ones.
A quick glance around him and Pippen remembered, he was still in Conner's room. The sun had yet to rise, judging from how dark it still was and how silent the house. Serena Ann would wake soon, she never slept much past six in the morning. Pippen tensed, preparing to fling his legs to the side off of the bed so he could get up and out of Conner's room before anyone—Conner included—was up to notice. There was still some hope that everyone hadn't heard everything the night before.
The plan was doomed before it began because of Conner's strong arm wrapped around Pippen's chest. The large shifter was asleep still, his steady, soft breathing blew into Pippen's hair, tickling his temple and cheek. Even in sleep Conner smiled. He looked relaxed and satisfied. Speaking of satisfied...
Wolf's Mate Mpreg Romance Box Set Page 54
