by M. A. Church
“Is this the only staircase?” Aidric asked as we walked up to the top level.
“It is, yes. Why?”
“Just wondering.”
“You shouldn’t see anyone on this part of the stairwell outside of you, me, and my two betas. My quarters are off-limits to the pack, and you’re the only guest. If you see anybody outside of the four of us, let me know.” Then I remembered to ask instead of demand. “Please.”
“Sure thing,” Aidric said, perking up.
Maybe I could get more flies with honey than vinegar. Or in his case, catnip. Aidric followed me down the hall into the guest room. I escorted him inside and set his suitcase by the bed. “This is where you’re staying. I’m right next door.”
Aidric wandered around the room. There was a bed, a dresser with the TV on top of it, and a nightstand. He sat on the bed and bounced. “Nice firm mattress. I like the colors also. Blue and brown go together quite well.”
If he didn’t stop bouncing on the mattress, my head was going to explode. “Make sure you close the curtain at night, otherwise the sun will wake you up.”
“I’ll do that.” Aidric stood.
“Why don’t I show you where the bathroom is?”
“Okay.”
I led him out of the guest room and down the hall to the guest bath. I did a quick check and was pleased to find everything had been prepared as I requested.
“There’s shampoo, soap, and a razor in the shower in case you forgot yours. If you need anything, though, let me know, and it’ll be provided.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
I stepped out of the bathroom. “My room is right down here.”
Aidric followed me, and I paused in the doorway. My bed was a king with a pure-black bedspread and satiny sheets. It sat on a black-and-white striped oversized rug. The headboard was black leather too. Against one wall was a long dresser. There was also a master bath visible through the open door.
“Shit,” Aidric whispered.
“What?” I frantically looked around the room, trying to see if I had left something out that would maybe offend him.
“Good goddess, two of the four walls of this bedroom are nothing but floor-to-ceiling windows.”
“Yeah, so?”
“Are you an exhibitionist?” Aidric asked, peering suspiciously at me.
Just like that I had an image of me fucking him against one of the windows, Aidric’s head thrown back and both hands plastered against the glass as I plowed his ass. Anybody could walk past and see me pleasuring my mate. The fading hard-on I had from the kiss in the kitchen was now suddenly back with a vengeance.
I reached down and readjusted myself. This was becoming a habit around Aidric. “I didn’t think I was, but now I’m wondering.”
Aidric hiked an eyebrow but didn’t say anything… and my mind was off and running with his omission. Maybe my socially awkward and slightly uptight mate had a wild side. The thought left me grinning.
“Okay, is that your impression of the big bad wolf?”
That startled a laugh out of me. “Excuse me?”
“You know….” Aidric waved in my general vicinity. “That smile of yours just then.”
“What about my smile?”
“It was all teeth.”
“Indeed.” I winked. “All the better to bite you with.”
“Actually it goes all the better to… ah, know what? Never mind.”
“I know how it goes, and I certainly plan to ‘eat you’ one day soon. I’m going to strip you, put you on your hands and knees, and eat your ass until you beg me to let you come.” I didn’t know who was more surprised by my words, Aidric or me.
“Holy shit.” Aidric gulped. “I, ah… I…. Maybe we should get out of here.”
That wasn’t a bad idea. I don’t know what came over me, but all this sexual teasing wasn’t something I normally did, although I did like to see the sudden flash of color it brought to Aidric’s fair skin.
We went back downstairs, and the smells of lunch greeted us. Aidric followed me to where Shea and Temple were playing pool. Time to formally introduce Aidric.
“Aidric LeClair? These are my betas, Temple King and Shea Yates. Temple is my head beta. Temple and Shea? This is Aidric LeClair of the West Falls Clowder and beta to Alpha Dolfoon Hoyer.”
“Hey. Nice to meet you again.” Temple shook hands with Aidric. “Our Alpha probably told you if he’s unavailable, Shea or I will be with you.”
“Nice to meet you too.” Aidric nodded. “And yes, he did.”
“Welcome.” Shea shook hands with Aidric. “We want you to have a good time, so if there’s anything you need, let us know.”
“Thank you,” Aidric said. “I appreciate that.”
“Why don’t we exchange cell phone numbers? Just, you know, in case,” Shea said.
“Good idea,” Temple said, setting his pool stick down. After phone numbers were exchanged, Temple gestured at the table. “Do you play pool?”
Aidric shook his head. “No, I never have, but I’m willing to learn. Carter’s offered to teach me. It looks fun.”
Shea elbowed me. “You can’t ask for a better teacher. He’s a pool shark.”
I smirked. “The only reason why you’re bragging on me is because you were the one who taught me how to play.”
“Of course. That’s why you’re such a good player,” Shea said.
Temple snickered.
A moment later one of the cooks wandered by, and I quickly introduced Fanny to Aidric. She walked out on the porch, and then there was a loud clanging sound from outside.
Aidric jumped. “Good grief, what was that?”
“The bell for lunch.” Shea put up his pool stick.
“Something sure smells good,” Temple added as he set his stick down too.
“Hungry?” I asked Aidric.
“Seriously?” Bewildered, Aidric glanced at the three of us. “You ring a bell to announce a meal?”
“Sure.” Temple gave Aidric an odd look as he walked around the pool table. “Isn’t that how everybody does it?”
Aidric looked at me helplessly. “I—I have no idea. We don’t do anything even remotely like that.”
“Come on,” I said, glossing over yet another glaring difference between the two species. “Let’s go eat.”
I nodded to several of my pack mates as I escorted Aidric to lunch. Once I got in line, the others quickly fell in behind me.
Aidric glanced at everyone behind us. “Huh.”
“What?” I asked quietly.
“As Alpha, you eat first, right?”
“Yes, why?”
“No reason. Just commenting on the fact that it’s a characteristic your kind share with natural wolves.”
“Indeed.” On a counter at the back of the kitchen were three huge pans full of chili. Next to that were two pans full of spaghetti, along with garlic bread. “We have spaghetti and chili.”
Aidric spoke from beside me. “Some of my favorites, as you know.”
Aidric’s pleased look made me glad I had gone to the extra effort to have something he liked available so quickly. “Then help yourself. We have plenty.”
Temple and Shea fell in behind Aidric. Aidric barely filled his bowl with chili before more members of my pack strolled in and got in line. After we seated ourselves, some of my pack passed us and looked at Aidric, so I quickly made introductions. I let my senses expand but didn’t pick up any outright hostility directed toward Aidric. There was plenty of curiosity, which I expected.
After lunch was finished, I showed Aidric where we put our dirty plates. Since several pack members were hanging around, I continued introducing Aidric as I moved the group out of the kitchen area so Fanny and Shirley could clean up.
The ones who stayed behind to speak to Aidric finally drifted off and returned to their duties. I told Shea and Temple to go do whatever they needed to do, and that I was going to show Aidric around the pack grounds.
“How many vehicles do you own?” Aidric asked, following me to the garage located behind the pack house.
Smirking, I opened the garage. Inside was my truck, plus my pride and joy—a brand-new black Corvette.
Aidric whistled long and loud. “Bet that cost you a pretty penny.”
“It was worth every one of those pretty pennies,” I said. “We’ll take it out later, but first I want to show you around my lands.”
Aidric followed me past the truck into the other side of the garage. On that side I had a small work area set up with my tools, plus my motorbike and four-wheeler. “Ever ridden a four-wheeler?”
Aidric walked around it, his hand traveling across the seat. “I have one at home.”
“You do?” For some reason, that surprised me. Aidric didn’t seem like the sort who’d enjoy riding ATVs.
“I live really far out of town and own several acres around my cabin. Most of that land is left in its natural state. There’s also a stream that runs right outside the front of my home.”
“A cabin, huh,” I said. “You like cabins?”
“I do.”
“You do realize my pack house is a cabin, right?”
“If you say so.”
I snorted. Aidric made it exceedingly clear what he thought about my home. Then the smile fell from my face when I realized he really didn’t care for it. What if he hated it enough he refused to live here? What started out as funny suddenly became a valid concern.
“If you don’t mind, I thought we could use the four-wheeler. We can cover more ground that way.”
“Sure.” Then Aidric frowned. “Damn. Even though the snow has melted, it’s still rather chilly. I didn’t bring anything heavier than this coat.”
What he wore wasn’t heavy enough, even though shifters tended to run hot. “Did you bring any sweatshirts?”
“Nope. Just long-sleeved shirts.”
“That’s not going to work. I have a coat you can borrow. Also got gloves and an extra scarf.”
“Yeah, right. Anything you have is going to swallow me.”
“I have a few things from when I was younger. They’re smaller, so they should fit you. It beats the hell out of being cold, don’t you think?”
“I—I guess so, if you’re sure you don’t mind.”
“You think I’m going to mind you wearing something of mine? Not in this lifetime or the next. Come on, let’s make a quick trip back inside, get what we need, and we’ll be on our way.”
Both my wolf and I were thrilled Aidric would be riding around on my pack land wearing something of mine. My wolf wanted to roll him in our scent so everyone would know to back the fuck off.
After I had him situated, I dragged on my coat, gloves, and watch cap. We returned to the four-wheeler.
“Hold on,” I tossed over my shoulder as I drove out of the garage.
Aidric tightened his arms around my waist, and a shiver ran through me. I couldn’t help but notice his hands were right above my… yeah, best not to think about that. Angling the four-wheeler away from the pack house, I drove toward the nearby woods. The Dark Lake Pack owned a hundred acres of land that was strictly used for the pack.
The trails most often used were relatively clear, but I still drove slowly so I wouldn’t jerk Aidric around too much. The sun was out, and the breeze was crisp and cool. Once I reached the area I wanted, I stopped the four-wheeler.
“Feel like walking around?”
“Sure.”
“Come on, there’s a stream not far from here I want to show you.” We climbed off the vehicle.
“I have one near my cabin too. I really enjoy it.”
Nonchalantly I grabbed Aidric’s hand and started walking. “The stream dumps off into the lake.”
“A lake, huh?” Aidric hurried along beside me. “Slow down some, will you? My legs aren’t as long as yours, and you’re kind of dragging me along.”
“Sorry,” I said, slowing down. I’d never been big on holding hands with another person, so I hadn’t realized until now there was actually an art to this.
“No problem. Is the lake where the name of your pack comes from?”
“It is. The story goes that the Alpha who claimed this land came upon the lake at night, but there was a full moon and a few clouds out. Supposedly he made a comment about how the moonlight shined down upon the dark lake, and the name stuck.”
“That’s a lovely story,” Aidric said.
“I have no idea if it’s true or not, but that’s what’s been passed down through the generations.” Why had I never bothered holding hands with someone before? I was thoroughly enjoying this. His hand fit into mine perfectly.
I stole a quick look at him. He was around six feet, and I’d guess about one hundred sixty pounds. His hair was collar-length and wavy—a flyaway sable brown with reds and blacks in it. But his eyes were what drew my attention. They were an astounding lapis blue. Aidric hadn’t shaved, so he was on the scruffy side.
His upper lip was thin, but the bottom was nice and plump, and that grin of his was quickly worming its way into my heart. He had a dimple in one cheek when he smiled, and it was the cutest thing I’d ever seen.
“How long have you been Alpha?”
“I assumed the position thirty years ago, so not long.” The snow covered a rotten log that we stepped over before continuing on.
“I feel kind of silly admitting this, but I don’t know how old you are.”
“I’m a hundred sixty-five years old.” Although by human standards, I looked to be in my middle thirties.
Aidric stumbled to a stop. “Oh.”
“Is that a problem?” Still holding his hand, I faced him. The sun peeked through a passing cloud, and a beam highlighted the reds and blacks in his hair. I itched to run my fingers through the silky-looking strands.
“No, no. Just surprised that you’re older than me.”
“By how much?”
“Not much. I’m a hundred and fifty.”
I laughed softly. Aidric didn’t look much over twenty-five. I had several inches in height and probably close to one hundred pounds on him. “Fifteen years isn’t that much to a shifter.”
“No, it isn’t. It was just unexpected.”
We continued down the path until we came to a small waterfall that dumped out into Dark Lake. The drop was only seven feet, so I jumped first and landed on the bank next to the fall. For a shifter, the height wasn’t much.
A moment later Aidric landed next to me. I grabbed his elbow to steady him, not that he really needed for me to, since he was a cat shifter. Aidric blinked up at me, his lips parted slightly. That bottom lip was just so plump. I pulled him closer and leaned down to nibble it. Aidric moved into my arms effortlessly.
The taste of him was exquisite, and the kiss was spiraling out of control when he raised his head. After a quick look around, he pushed me toward a huge boulder surrounded by trees. Oh yeah, privacy. I liked where this was going.
Once my back was against the boulder, Aidric paused. “I…. Do you really want me as your mate?”
W-w-hat? Seriously? Fuck, why was he asking this now? “Absolutely.”
“Then, then….” Aidric gulped.
Okay, now he was freaking me out. I rubbed my hands up and down both of his arms. “What’s going on?”
“I need to… I like to…. There’s something—”
“What? Something… what? Something you need?”
“If I’m truly your mate, do you believe I’m incapable of hurting you?”
I’d just thought he was freaking me out a couple minutes ago. Now… now I was officially freaked out. Where was he headed with this? “Yes, I believe mates are incapable of hurting each other. I don’t mean to sound arrogant, but I’m an Alpha and you’re a beta. The likelihood of you seriously harming me is low.”
“Yes, well, in certain circumstances it can be done. Marshell could tell you that.”
“I think there’s a story there, but that’s for later
. But back to what you asked. I don’t think you have some dastardly plan to try to injure me. Is that what you needed to know? What’s going on, Aidric?”
“So you trust me?”
Well now, wasn’t that straight to the point? As a werewolf and an Alpha, the people I trusted could be counted on one hand. I knew next to nothing about Aidric outside of the fact he was mine. He wasn’t even the same species as me. Hell, we didn’t even worship the same god and goddesses. Still, something deep inside me screamed if I couldn’t trust this person, I couldn’t trust anyone.
“Yes, I trust you.” Whatever was going on with Aidric, those words calmed him.
“Okay, good. Then I need you to try to… to just let me.” Aidric unwrapped the scarf from around his neck.
I raised an eyebrow. “Let you… what?”
“You’ll see. Just trust me and go with it.”
“Just go with…. Hey!” Next thing I knew, he’d swung me around to face the boulder.
I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but this certainly wasn’t it. Then I felt the warm, fuzzy material of his scarf wrapping around my wrists. He was tying my wrists together? With a scarf? O-okay, what the hell? Aidric jerked me back around, unzipped my coat, and quickly undid my jeans. He knelt in the dead grass and… and out came my cock and into his hot mouth it went.
Holy. Shit.
Every brain cell I possessed fried. I wiggled my hips, wanting more. My body burned. Need bloomed across my skin. I’d never felt this inescapable desire in any of my other relationships. If I weren’t so fucking horny, I’d bellow at the thought he dared to restrain me. Me. An Alpha werewolf.
The scarf was nothing. It wouldn’t take anything more than a thought to rip it apart. It was the idea of being restrained. Even that thought fell out of my head when he looked up at me. Those eyes. By Fenrir’s right paw, those eyes held me entranced. I was lost in them. Aidric swirled his tongue around the head of my cock, and his eyes grew heavy as he looked up at me as he took me fully inside his mouth.
Oh fuck me, did he just purr? He did. He fucking purred with my dick down his throat. My eyes rolled back as his purring grew louder. I thrust my hips, and he tightened his hands on my ass. Fuck, I wanted to come. Like now. My balls drew up, and I gasped. Then gasped again when Aidric released my shaft.
