By the Light of the Moon

by Sandrine Gasq-Dion

  Nadine turned to look at Sam and winked. “Perfect.” Dakota sat and listened to Nadine talk about her son. He’d tried to help her with dinner and had been told to sit his bony ass down. He didn’t think his ass was bony, was it? Nadine spoke about Sam like he was the best thing to ever come into her life besides her husband. He knew how she felt. He was already falling for Sam. She didn’t ask how long they’d known each other; she didn’t really ask too many questions at all, just talked about her son. He hadn’t even realized she was saying his name.

  “Dakota?” Nadine said.

  Dakota came out of his haze and looked at her, smiling. “I’m sorry, I was in a daze.”

  “I asked about your parents, are you close?” Nadine sat down at the table, wiping her hands with her apron. “ No Mom, Dakota’s parents kicked him out at sixteen for being gay. Told him he was dead to them. In fact, we ran into them at Wal-Mart before we left Fairbanks.” Sam sat down and took Dakota’s hand, squeezing it softly.

  Nadine felt her blood boiling. “How could they do that? You are their flesh and blood!” Nadine took Dakota’s free hand and looked him in the eye. “Don’t you ever feel like you don’t deserve love or compassion. You are a beautiful man, and deserve love just as much as the rest of us.”

  The front door creaked open and boots were heard on the floor.

  “Nay?”

  “In the kitchen, Joe.” Nadine stood up and smiled. “Sam’s Father.” Joe Waters walked in with another man and Dakota saw where Sam got his looks. Joe Waters and his son were the same height. Joe was even bigger than Sam though, and took up most of the room. The man next to him seemed to have ceased breathing and was looking at him with wide eyes. Dakota’s senses kicked in and he realized he was looking at another werewolf.

  “Joe, this is Dakota, Sam’s boyfriend.” Nadine smiled pulling Dakota up out of the chair. “ You want kids, right?” Joe smiled at Dakota. He was maybe five foot nine and his dark hair and grey eyes stood out. Perfect soft features stared back at him.

  “Yes Dad. Mom already went there within the first five minutes of meeting him.” Sam rolled his eyes at his dad. “ You’re slacking, Nadine.” Joe chuckled; he put his hand out to Dakota. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Dakota. This is our Sheriff. He patrols the reservation, John Quinton.”

  Dakota put his hand out and John took it, hand shaking in Dakota’s. “Nice to meet you, John.” Sam watched the display with an arched brow. “So yeah, I’m going to take Dakota out to see the rest of the land, okay? When’s dinner?”

  Nadine looked at the time. “Couple of hours, take your time and have fun.” Sam walked out with Dakota and the screen door slapped shut behind them. They walked a few feet before they heard the hinges squeaking. John stood behind them on the porch. Dakota made his way over and looked at the man in front of him. Fear rolled off him in waves, and Dakota could smell his sweat.

  “ What’s wrong, John?” Sam looked him over. He looked scared to death of Dakota, which honestly, made no sense. The man stood taller than Dakota and outweighed him too.

  Dakota looked John in the eye. “It’s ok, Sam knows. I’d planned on meeting the local pack and introducing myself. I don’t want any problems and I’m not trying to start any.”

  John finally managed to speak. “Where’s your pack?” “ Don’t have one now, they kicked me out for being gay.”

  “They can’t kick you out, you either hand over the pack or fight for it.”

  “They kicked out the Alpha?” John looked confused.

  “I’m not the Alpha, I’m the Omega.” Dakota looked at John. The shock on his face was evident. “ Son, you’re no Omega, I can feel the power emanating from you.” John looked at him. “I’ve only known one other wolf to put off that kind of power. I think when you met Sam, you came full circle. He’s your mate.”

  Dakota let out a soft sigh. “I thought so, but I wasn’t sure. I didn’t get much schooling from my pack on wolf etiquette.”

  potential.” John took his Dakota’s hand. “We look forward to seeing you. Can you come by tonight? Maybe run with the pack?” John looked over at Sam and smirked. “Why am I not surprised you didn’t freak out?”

  “They were, no doubt, trying to keep you from your full Sam laughed and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’ve seen some pretty fucked up things in my life. This did shock me, but I think I held my own. We’ll be there tonight, I brought the tennis ball.”

  Dakota growled at him and Sam laughed. John shook his head and laughed at their antics. “I’ll see you boys tonight.”

  ~~ After a quick tour of the reservation, Sam took Dakota back to the house. The smell of pot roast was strong and Dakota’s mouth watered at the amount of food on the table. Dinner’s conversation consisted mostly of Sam’s father talking about their poaching problem and how the recent rains were affecting the coast line. Dakota ate and ate and ate. He hadn’t had food this good in a long time. Nadine kept piling his plate high, saying he needed to pack on some pounds and chastised Sam for not feeding his man better. Sam took it all in stride, laughing at his mother for babying Dakota. He couldn’t blame her one bit. The man drew you to him, like a moth to a flame. You couldn’t help but want to protect him and keep him safe. Finding out he was Dakota’s mate made the bond even stronger between them. Sam wanted Dakota to make love to him, to mark him and truly make him his.

  Dakota smelled Sam’s arousal and arched a brow at him over the table. He got a wink and a smile from Sam and turned his attentions back to Nadine and Joe. “I want to let you know about a friend of mine. Well, not so much a friend anymore. He could show up and cause problems.”

  Sam nodded and looked at his parents. “Kind of an ex

  boyfriend, or rather, he thought he was. Hewas, and

  he’s a bit aggressive at times. I had to intervene at one point.” “ Well, you’re family Dakota, and we protect our own. So don’t worry about a thing, okay?” Joe took Dakota’s hand. “Welcome son.”

  Dakota tried not to cry. He’d just met these people and they were already treating him as family. It was hard to understand this kind of reaction from total strangers when his own parents had kicked him out without a backwards glance. Sam’s strong hand was in his and he looked up to see brown eyes staring at him. “What?”

  “You’re part of this family now Dakota. I told you, you’re mine.” Sam kissed him softly; right there in front of his parents and Dakota was in shock. He heard a small chuckle and a giggle and Sam pulled away slowly, grinning.

  “Sam? Can you help me with the dishes, please?” Nadine winked at her son. Sam sighed, here came the, Oh-he’s-so-perfect-andwhen-are-you-having-kids, portion of the evening. He kissed Dakota’s forehead and squeezed his hand. “Be right back.”

  Sam hadn’t even made it into the kitchen when his mother attacked him with kisses and hugs. He hugged her hard and pulled away, seeing the tears threatening to spill over. “What’s wrong, Mom?”

  Nadine smiled, Sam looked so happy. “This is all a mother ever wants, to see her child happy and you look so happy, baby. I like him very much, he suits you and you love him.”

  Sam’s jaw dropped. “I haven’t even said that to him.” “ But you do. I can see it all over your face when you look at him and he loves you too.” Nadine took her son’s hand, smiling at him. “He’s been hurt and you’re helping him to heal. You’ve been alone for a long time, Sam. I could see how lonely you were, but now you have Dakota, cherish it.”

  Sam smiled at Dakota; he was in deep conversation with his father. “I do, Mom.”

  ~~ Joe looked Dakota over and smiled. He was very small compared to his son. The look on his face when he spoke of Sam was precious. “Sam is your mate.”

  Dakota spit out his water and coughed. Joe’s hand smacked his back and he blinked eyes wide. “How do you know?”

  Joe smiled and reached for Dakota’s hand. “Nothing on this reservation gets by me. As soon as we hit the front steps, John told me there was a very po
werful wolf in my house.”

  Dakota lowered his voice. “I would never hurt Sam, or try to change him.”

  Joe smiled and winked. “Oh, I know that, you’re in love with my son.” Dakota almost choked again and Joe was back to smacking him on the back. He needed to learn not to drink liquids around Sam’s Dad. “How do you know?”

  “ He’s your mate.” Joe smiled at the look of shock on Dakota’s face. “Didn’t you feel the connection with Sam when you first met?”

  Dakota thought about it. He’d questioned why he felt the way he did around Sam, but not knowing enough about wolf culture except for staying off marked territory, he didn’t have much to go by. Plus, there was the whole ‘Sam not freaking out about him being a werewolf’ thing. “I kind of wondered.”

  Sam came back in the room and took Dakota’s hand. “We’re headed out to go see John and hang out with some friends, but we’ll be back for breakfast. Thanks for dinner, Mom.” Sam kissed her cheek.

  Joe and Nadine watched their son leave with Dakota and Nadine wrapped her arms around her husband’s waist. “Sam is Dakota’s mate.”

  ~~~

  “Tell me something I don’t know, woman.” Joe smiled. Sam pulled up in front of John Quinton’s house and noticed the bonfire going on out back. He smiled, taking Dakota’s hand. He felt the sweat covered palm and pulled Dakota’s face up to his own. Scared grey eyes looked into his and he covered Dakota’s mouth with his own. Asoft moan escaped Dakota’s lips as Sam’s tongue dove in, seeking refuge. He wrapped his arms around Sam’s neck and let himself be devoured. Sam’s cock was rock hard as he pulled Dakota in closer, running his hands up underneath his shirt. Heat radiated from Dakota’s body and Sam broke the kiss, breathing hard.

  “I want you to make love to me.” Sam ran his thumb over Dakota’s bottom lip.

  “I want that too.” Dakota pressed his forehead to Sam’s. “What if they don’t like me?” Sam smiled. “That’s impossible.” They made their way around the truck and Sam felt Dakota’s hand in his, squeezing. He smiled and pulled him forward, towards the group of men all sitting around the huge bonfire in John’s backyard. Dakota’s eyes scanned the group before they walked right into it. He didn’t feel any malicious intent coming from the men. His body was tense, ready to defend his mate if anything started. There was an older man sitting on one of the taller tree stumps that served as seating. Long white hair surrounded a rugged face. He looked up and smiled when his eyes met Dakota’s.

  Sam’s eyes scanned the group and landed on John’s son, Sawyer. “Ahhhh hell.”

  “Whooeee… can ya feel the power from that one?” Sawyer grinned.

  John sighed. “Sawyer, can you keep your mouth shut for a minute?” “ Damn, Pops, can you feel the air? Dude puts off some serious energy.” Sawyer smiled, standing up. He thrust his hand out at Dakota and looked at Sam. “Hey Sammie, what’s shakin’?”

  “ Sawyer.” Sam narrowed his eyes, taking him in. Sawyer Quinton had been a fly in Sam’s ointment as a child. He was seven years younger and drove him up the fucking wall with his ‘what’s this do?’ Which usually meant something had been taken apart that didn’t need to be. Sawyer’s green eyes blazed with excitement as he looked Dakota over. Sawyer had gotten taller. Not Sam tall, but taller. Maybe topped out at six foot. Sam shook his hand, feeling power traveling up his arm. “Damn, you grew up.”

  “Yeah, that shit happens to the best of us. So, this is your boo, huh?” Sawyer smiled at Dakota.

  Sam squeezed Dakota’s hand. “He’s my mate, not my boo.” “ Whatever. Get with the times, old man.” Sawyer smiled, putting his arm around Dakota’s shoulders. “So, you gonna run with the pack tonight, huh? I can’t wait to see you in action.”

  Dakota smiled. Underneath Sawyer’s bravado, unease slipped off of him in waves. “I figured since I’m in your territory, I owe you an introduction.”

  Dakota turned his head and saw the old man stand up, making his way over. The white hair was in a ponytail, but the loose hair surrounded his face. He stepped in front of Dakota and put his hand on his shoulder.

  “We know who you are. We welcome you. If you choose to join us, we would love to have you.” “ Dakota, this is our Alpha, Archer.” John made his way over. “Sam, your Dad told us that Dakota may have some trouble following him.”

  Dakota’s eyes went wide. “Oh God, I shouldn’t be here. Taylor’s going to bring trouble. “ Dakota stepped back from the pack. “I shouldn’t have come.”

  Sawyer stepped forward and looked at Dakota. He grinned, crossing his arms. “Are you sayin’ we can’t hold our own?” Sawyer watched Dakota’s mouth open in protest and he laughed loud. “Dude, we can kick some serious ass. Besides, the power coming off of you? This guy would be nuts to take you on.”

  “But he already has!” Dakota grabbed Sam’s hand. “We shouldn’t have you dragged you into this.” Archer’s hand fell on his shoulder and the old man smiled, massaging it. “You do not need to be afraid for us

  oryourself. You had not realized your power. Your pack

  must have sensed some of it and made you their omega, to keep you beneath them. Now that you have found your mate, he brings you power. Do you not feel the strength from Sam?”

  Dakota felt Sam’s hand in his anddidfeel something;

  he just couldn’t say what for sure. All he knew for sure is that when they were together, sparks flew and he did feel stronger. “I do.” Dakota looked up at Sam and smiled.

  Sawyer took his shirt off and threw it on his tree stump chair. “Let’s go runnin’.” Sam looked at Sawyer and smiled. “I should have known.” Sam shook his head. “Pain in my ass.” Sawyer had a way of making you love him and want to strangle him at the same time. It was a gift he supposed. Sam had run himself ragged when he was younger, trying to keep an eye on Sawyer. Now, knowing what Sawyer was, explained a hell of a lot.

  Dakota took his shirt off and when he reached for his jeans, Sam put his hand on Dakota’s. “Whoa…you’re going to get naked?”

  “ Well, it kinda ruins my clothes if I wear them when I change.” Dakota snickered. “So yeah, I have to get naked.”

  Sam took him aside and stood in front of him. “But there are people around.” Sam lowered his voice. “ I can hear you.” Sawyer laughed. “Don’t get your boxers in a bunch, we all get naked. Although...” Sawyer heard a growl and it wasn’t from Dakota. “Dude, you seriously need to chill.”

  Dakota smiled up at Sam and caressed his face. He pulled him down and kissed his lips softly. “You are my

  mate Sam, you andonlyyou.”

  Sam ran his hand through Dakota’s hair and pulled him in. His tongue trailed Dakota’s lips. He heard a soft whimper as he parted them and slipped inside, tasting him. “Fine, but you undress behind me.” Sam smiled, his lips still on Dakota’s.

  “ Damn, that was hot.” Sawyer chuckled. He felt his Dad smack him upside the head. “Ow! How come I always get the smack to the head? How come the rest of them don’t?”

  John smiled at his eldest son. Although Wyatt, Grayson and Xander had been handfuls growing up, Sawyer had been the most curious. Now that he was older, he was finding out how hard it was to raise teenagers and a young one. “Because you are the closest one.”

  Sam watched as the rest of the pack undressed, setting their clothes down. Dakota handed him his clothing and smacked his ass. Sam’s eyes went wide as most of the people he’d grown up with changed right before his eyes. There was no hiding behind a bush. All of them were out in the open. Sawyer looked up at him just then, green eyes gleaming. He trotted over and sniffed Sam’s hand. Dakota trotted around Sam’s legs and nodded to Sawyer.

  They both circled each other, getting a feel for one another. Sam was surprised. As short as Dakota was, he towered over Sawyer. In fact, he was a lot bigger now than he’d been the day Sam hit him. His black coat shone in the light of the fire and he sat down, looking up at Sam. Jesus, he swore Dakota was smiling at him. Sam crouched dow
n and ran his hand over Dakota’s muzzle, kissing him on his cold nose.

  “ Have fun, ok? I’ll be right here waiting.” Sam smiled as Dakota brushed up against him and ran his muzzle over his face.

  Archer stood and looked at his pack. He was the only one that hadn’t changed. “Go, bring me a rabbit.” Archer chuckled as they all took off. He stood by Sam and smiled. “He is good for you and you for him.”

  “ I never knew you guys were werewolves, how come no one ever told me?” Sam sat down on the stump and watched Archer stroke the fire, deep in thought.

  “ We don’t tell just anyone, we would all be committed. Your Father wanted to tell you when you got older, but then you left and he thought it could wait. We didn’t know you would find a mate and it would be one of us.” Archer sat and looked into the flames. “He’s vulnerable. Just as you make him strong, you also weaken him.”

  “ Everyone has a weakness Archer, it’s how you overcome it that counts. Love is never a weakness.” Sam looked up at Archer.

  “It is if that love is threatened.” Archer sat back and lit his pipe. “He will kill for you.”

  “And I for him.”

  ~~~

  God this feels so good!Dakota ran full blown, no holds

  barred. Sawyer kept up with him and they both ran for the beach, the rest of the pack right on their heels. Dakota sprang forward and hit the sand, running right for the water. Cold spray whipped up, slapping his face and he shook his head, feeling the rush of wind through his fur. Sawyer snapped at his heels and he snapped back, nipping his ear and pouncing on his back, knocking him over.

  They rolled around in the sand and Dakota pinned him down for a second before Sawyer kicked his back feet up, sending Dakota onto his own back. Sawyer looked down at him and nudged Dakota’s face with his muzzle, then took off at full speed again. They chased each other around the beach, then headed back up into the forest and started hunting. Dakota had never felt so free before and he was having fun. As the Omega of his own pack he played a lot, but with the pups. Most of the time, he had to be the submissive one with the older pack members.