Alphas, Secrets and Surprises

by Anya Byrne

  It was truly hypnotic, like a spell Sasha was weaving around Argent, a harmony meant to completely enrapture him. Sasha lowered his head over Argent's nipples and sucked on the bits of flesh, leaving his hands free to roam over the rest of Argent's body.

  And roam they did, tracing the lines of Argent's abdomen—until they reached the exact area where Argent wanted them most. Suddenly, a hot fist enveloped Argent's cock, and the world started to dim around the edges as pleasure began to build up, hotter and brighter.

  Every ounce of attention he could muster through the haze of his pleasure became focused on those areas in his body where Sasha was touching him. He was hyper aware of every move Sasha made, of every breath his mate took. His heart raced a million miles an hour—or maybe that was Sasha's heart? Argent didn't know. He simply couldn't tell the difference anymore.

  And then, Sasha's mouth replaced his fingers on Argent's dick. Argent's gaze zeroed straight on the sight of his mate's dark head bobbing between his legs, and just like that, he was coming, barely able to register the sensations Sasha's tongue coaxed out of him.

  He would have probably been embarrassed for coming so quickly if even the slightest pang of shame hadn't felt like too much effort. As it was, Argent embraced it, embraced the pleasure Sasha gave him and lost all desire to be anyone except Sasha's mate. Sasha didn't seem in the least bit taken aback by Argent's climax. He sucked Argent's cock all throughout the orgasm, making him whimper as he massaged the oversensitive flesh.

  By the time Sasha released Argent's dick, desire was pooling in his belly once more. He just had to look at Sasha licking his lips, cleaning the few drops of cum trickling from the corners of his mouth—and he was rock hard again.

  It was a contrast of sensation, because the orgasm had drained him of all tension, of the urgency and near panicked desperation he'd experienced before. And yet, here he was, still erect, still craving Sasha in every possible way.

  Sasha didn't let him wait for much longer. He flipped Argent on all fours, and while Argent bemoaned the loss of his view of Sasha's eyes, he was compensated for it mere seconds later. Sasha spread Argent's ass cheeks and licked a wet stripe over his crease. The taboo caress almost made Argent shoot right off the bed—and it would have definitely triggered an orgasm had he not come minutes ago.

  Instead, Argent clenched his fists in the sheets and pushed his ass back, unashamedly asking for more. The material tore under his claws, and a whimper escaped his throat, but Sasha didn't acknowledge any of it. He was completely focused on driving Argent wild with that sinfully skilled tongue.

  The slick muscle wormed its way into Argent's body, awakening nerve endings he hadn't even been aware of. The pleasure it aroused mingled with the knowledge of Sasha's end goal—preparing him for a deeper, more fulfilling penetration, for the moment when he'd finally take Sasha inside him.

  It was that knowledge that gave him the strength to push past the ecstasy and the sensual trance Sasha effortlessly held him in. "P-Please," he managed to stammer. "Fuck me."

  Up until that point, Sasha had been holding back admirably, so much so that Argent almost felt self-conscious. Those three syllables put an abrupt and magnificent end to Sasha's control. Argent sensed the moment his mate snapped. Even if their bond wasn't in place yet, it was more than obvious.

  With a hungry snarl, Sasha lifted his head, ceasing his ministrations on Argent's ass. He flipped Argent on his back once more and bent him in half. He spat in his hand and hissed as he slicked his dick up with saliva. His eyes were wild and dangerous when he positioned his cock at Argent's entrance.

  He didn't ask anything. He didn't speak at all, and he didn't hesitate. In one smooth thrust, he buried his prick inside Argent.

  It hurt. Argent had expected it, since Sasha was generously sized even by werewolf standards. But the pain just made everything better. As Sasha impaled him, Argent felt like he was burning from the inside out, branded as belonging to Sasha in the most profound and absolute way.

  He thought he said something, perhaps another call of Sasha's name, but he wasn't exactly sure. Either way, whether he spoke or not, Sasha responded. He pulled out of Argent and slid back inside, his cock unerringly hitting Argent's prostate.

  Argent could do nothing but hold onto Sasha as his mate fucked him with abandon. He'd never felt like this, so lost in another person, and reveling in it. He was a beta—and by nature, he was bound to his duties, to supporting and protecting the Alpha who trusted him. He'd always appreciated that faith, even if he'd ended up faltering and letting good men down.

  Sasha's trust in him was different. There were no strings attached, just freedom, just truth, and a natural feeling of belonging that Argent had hoped to find even when he didn't think it existed. Sasha's eyes were windows to his soul, his emotions right there for Argent to see, to claim, to embrace. As he moved deeper, tightened his hold on Argent, fucked him harder, he gave Argent more than he perhaps realized.

  Every thrust triggered explosions of bliss inside Argent. The scent of sweat, sex and man roused his deepest, more carnal instincts. At the same time, he always remained aware of the true meaning of this moment, of the fact that this was far more than sex. His heart pulsed with emotion, even as his skin sizzled with accumulating, unbearable pleasure.

  The climax came naturally, like the final piece of a puzzle sliding into place, completing the image of beauty Argent had already glimpsed. He tilted his head, instinctively offering himself to Sasha. With one final, hard thrust, Sasha bit down, and a feeling Argent couldn't hope to describe rushed over him. It was pain and pleasure—but so much more than that. Threads of incomprehensible individual sensations mingled together, a dazzling array of colors that exploded over him, almost blinding him.

  Argent came so hard he lost his breath, lost his mind, lost his consciousness. All else faded, and he was propelled into a sort of in-between state, the ‘real' world fading away for the benefit of something far more genuine and true.

  With his mind's eye, he saw the bond click into place, golden and strong, dauntless and vibrating with decision. He felt the echo of Sasha's emotions, his yearning, his conflicted sense of duty, his guilt, his possessiveness and need—and the outburst of his own climax. If Argent had maintained any doubts about Sasha's desire for him, they would have definitely disappeared in the wake of what their connection revealed. His voice drifted into Argent's mind, frantic, yet soothing. "My mate. Argent… Mine."

  "Yes," Argent replied, testing their new bond. "Yours."

  He could not have denied that if he'd wanted to. Even as Sasha released his hold on Argent's neck and licked the wound, their bodies remained tightly bound. Sasha's cock head expanded, and his knot continued to stimulate Argent's prostate, prolonging his pleasure. It was beautiful, powerful and all-consuming, and by the time both he and Sasha descended from the high of ecstasy, Argent felt physically and emotionally drained.

  Sasha slid out of him, still breathing hard even as he collapsed at Argent's side. Argent curled close to his mate's chest, his body still buzzing with the aftermath of their union.

  For the longest time, they just lay there, enjoying the closeness, the contentment, the new bond. Argent set his hand on Sasha's chest, right over his mate's heart. Sasha covered Argent's palm with his own, and his warmth almost brought tears to Argent's eyes.

  "Can we really do this?" he couldn't help but ask.

  "We already are," Sasha replied without missing a beat. "I know it won't be easy, but I'm not going to leave you again."

  Argent was reminded of the guilt he'd glimpsed in Sasha's mind, and he couldn't let it go, even if he had addressed it before. "None of it was your fault. It's not an ideal situation, but I'm not afraid of him."

  Sasha's hold on him tightened. "There's very little he wouldn't do to keep control of the pack. I can't bear the thought of him hurting you again, to get to me."

  "It won't work a second time, Sasha. Besides, we can't exactly stay here and hide."
<
br />   In all honesty, Argent wanted to do exactly that—to stay in Sasha's embrace, forever, to not have to face the hatred, the vitriol, the prejudice. It wasn't meant to be. Before he could say anything else, a sudden knowledge encroached on his consciousness. Both he and Sasha tensed at the same time, although Sasha's demeanor didn't hold the same resentment and hostility as during the meeting with his father.

  The reason for this became obvious when the door to the little cabin burst open. A large black wolf stumbled inside and melted into the form of Sasha's brother, Ivan.

  "What's the matter, Vanya?" Sasha asked, leaving the bed to rush to the side of the fallen werewolf.

  Ivan got up and faced his brother. His expression was grim as he said, "We have a serious problem. Your mate is a silencer."

  ****

  Sasha wasn't exactly a young, untrained pup. For the most part, he'd been through a lot and had seen far too much to be taken aback by sudden revelations. Even his father's behavior hadn't fully surprised him, since he'd anticipated the fact that the older werewolf would see Argent as a weakness he could exploit.

  That didn't mean he was in any way ready for Vanya's words, and judging by the way Argent's face went blank, his mate didn't fare much better. "What do you mean?" Argent asked carefully.

  Vanya licked his lips, and the uncharacteristic display of nervousness spoke volumes of the seriousness of the situation. "You do not remember your parents or your birth pack, correct?"

  Argent's jaw went tight, and he nodded jerkily. "I only know my Alpha's official mate took me in. I asked her about it as the years passed, but she said I would remember on my own when the time was right. She died before I could coax the truth out of her."

  "Well, it turns out that your parents were silencers," Vanya replied with a bluntness he didn't usually employ.

  Sasha lifted his hand, his mind whirling as he tried to process what Vanya was saying. "Wait a moment. Start from the beginning."

  Vanya straightened his back, visibly reining in his agitation. "You know Father doesn't really trust me, even if he tried to turn me against you. I didn't find out about this until today, and by now…" He shook his head, and then met Sasha's gaze, his own eyes glinting with steely determination. "One of the elders approached me. He said that Mother had been in contact with the most reclusive silencer guild in France. Apparently, she approached them shortly before she returned from the United States."

  Argent gasped. "No wonder she allowed me to come here without too much protest. She had her own plans for me all along."

  "Seems like it," Vanya confirmed. "Elder Fyodor doesn't know the details—just that your parents belonged to this guild. There is probably more to it than that, because Mother wouldn't have bothered with such an elaborate scheme if there hadn't been something to gain from it even before we learned you were Sasha's mate."

  Sasha tried to remain calm, but his wolf was already pacing agitatedly, snarling to destroy anyone who might think they had a claim to Argent. "As far as I remember, if a child is born out of the union of two silencers, he or she automatically becomes a silencer as well."

  Vanya nodded, but said nothing else. He was obviously at a loss, not that Sasha blamed him. The guilds were, for the most part, independent. They had their own laws, and while they were compelled to listen to the decisions of the Gathering and the ruling bodies of other shape-shifters, they didn't allow outsiders to interfere with their inner workings. They were also an uncontrollable factor, and something Sasha would have very much preferred to avoid. However, he could see why his parents had decided to go against that policy. If this particular guild was very interested in Argent, they would be in debt with Sasha's mother for finding him. The power of a silencer guild was not to be underestimated.

  Remarkably, Argent didn't panic—at least, not on the outside. His heart was a turmoil of conflicting emotions, and Sasha ached for him, for the abandonment Argent had experienced and the fact that he had to face his past now of all times.

  Still, Argent reined in all those feelings and focused on the facts, in a way that both pained Sasha, and made him proud. "All right. Assuming this is true, does this mean they're coming for me?"

  Vanya nodded. "They are due to arrive soon, which is why Elder Fyodor even learned of it."

  "That means they wish to either force me to become a silencer—which I wouldn't go along with—or punish me for my absence. A… scourging, I believe it's called."

  Sasha couldn't help but growl. "Over my dead body. They're not touching you. I won't let them."

  "I believe Father is relying on that," Vanya said quietly.

  Ignoring the fact that he was still naked—and in Vanya's presence—Argent slid out of the bed and wrapped his arms around Sasha, holding him tight. "But you can't let them win, Sasha. They're relying on you fighting the guild. If you do that, there's no way you'll be able to go through with the challenge against your father."

  Given that they were talking about Argent's potential mutilation and death, Sasha couldn't bring himself to care as much about his previous priorities. And yes, maybe this was exactly what his father wanted, but he couldn't help himself. His mate was more important to him than anything in the world.

  "Whatever happens, no matter what I have to do, they're not taking you, lyubov moya."

  Argent looked pained. "Your pack needs you, Sasha."

  "We're not arguing about this. We'll find another solution. You're not actually a silencer, and I have claimed you as my mate, so it's not a clear cut situation."

  "To be honest, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing," Vanya offered unhelpfully.

  Sasha glared at his brother, not appreciating the reminder that simply having a mate would earn a real silencer a scourging. It wasn't Vanya's fault, though, and snapping at his sibling wouldn't help any of them.

  They only had two options, as far as Sasha could tell. The first was running, leaving Russia altogether and hoping they could evade the guild. That would of course mean Sasha would have to abandon the pack. He would be more than willing to do that, but his main concern was the low likelihood they had of success.

  It hadn't escaped Sasha's notice that Argent hadn't asked about his parents. Truth be told, there were only a handful of reasons why Argent's mother and father would have left him in the care of the Simmons pack. Taking everything into account, Sasha guessed the couple must have tried to flee their guild and had been unable to escape them. In all likelihood, they were dead. And Sasha wasn't foolish enough to think the guild couldn't do that to him and his mate should the two of them leave.

  No, the power was here, in Sasha's position as an Alpha's heir, in the Alpha Gathering that had been willing to make a compromise for Dean Simmons and his human mate. "We will stay," he said. "We will face them, and we'll find a way to make sure you are safe. I won't allow anything different."

  Argent opened his mouth, perhaps intending to protest, but a look from Sasha kept him from actually uttering the words. Sasha let his decisiveness echo through their bond, and was relieved when it actually drew a small, hesitant smile from Argent.

  Vanya seemed encouraged as well. It wasn't obvious, but some of the tension in his shoulders drained away. "You're right, of course. After all, what's a silencer guild when faced with the three of us?"

  Sasha knew better than to think it would be easy. Over-confidence helped even less than hostility against allies. But he would figure out a solution to their predicament. The alternative was unthinkable.

  Chapter Four

  It took quite some time for Argent and Sasha to get ready for the unavoidable confrontation. Argent had no clothes whatsoever, and Sasha's had suffered quite a bit because of the claiming. As such, instead of taking the car, they decided to make the trip back to the mansion in wolf form. While it felt exhilarating to run alongside his mate, Argent was very much aware of the danger they were headed into, and this method of travel was somewhat stealthier.

  The cold wind ruffled his fur, the
instinct to hunt tugging at his insides. A playful part of him wanted nothing more than to nip at Sasha's shoulder and lead his mate on a chase that would culminate in another claiming. But he couldn't do that, not now. The worst thing was that he couldn't be sure he'd ever have the chance to.

  Nonetheless, Sasha's presence and possessiveness encouraged him, and Argent didn't hesitate as they made their way back to the Maximoff residence. It got a little harder from that point on.

  Thankfully, Sasha and Ivan—or Vanya, as he liked to be called—had some tricks up their non-existent sleeves. Staying downwind to avoid being scented, they guided Argent through the shadows. They took cover behind trees and decorative items, until they finally reached a side door that Argent hadn't even realized existed.

  It wasn't, in itself, guarded, although that didn't really surprise Argent. Adding guards to the location would have been useless, since the entire area was crowded with staff running to and fro, apparently in the midst of frantic preparations.

  There was no way they could get inside unseen, but they didn't have to, since the chances of these people stopping them were slim at best. Still in wolf form, Sasha and Vanya burst into the house, with Argent following. Some of the staff members gave them curious glances, but Sasha's demeanor screamed 'I'm supposed to be here' so no one approached.

  They used the same stratagem as they progressed through the house. Argent had actually expected more resistance than this, and its absence worried him. It wasn't that he hadn't realized Sasha's father might expect them to come here and had likely prepared for the confrontation, but that didn't make Argent any more comfortable with it.

  Miraculously, they reached Sasha's quarters without being disturbed. Again, they ran into no guards, and the moment they shifted, Sasha and Vanya confirmed what Argent had already guessed, that this was highly unusual.