by Anya Byrne
The three humans stared at him in shock, although Mathias couldn't imagine why they reacted this way. After all, Ward's ex had repeatedly expressed his suspicion of Ward having some sort of love interest. In any case, Mathias didn't particularly care. "If you want to see him, you can drop by later, or I can tell him you would like him to call you. Who should I say is visiting?"
One of the women recovered her voice at his question. "I'm Ward's sister, Teresa. This is my friend Vera, and my husband, Peter."
Peter. So Mathias had been right. The ex who couldn't let go had decided to pay a visit. What most surprised Ward was that he'd brought the women along. Humans really were strange sometimes. "I'll let him know," he said, deciding it was best to end this conversation before he succumbed to the urge to shift and attack the asswipe in front of him.
"Wait," Peter intervened. "You can't keep us from visiting him. You have no right."
Mathias rolled his eyes. "If there's anyone who has no right to say anything when it comes to Ward, it's you."
He'd have probably added something even more unpleasant, but before he could do so, he felt the stirring at the back of his consciousness. He grimaced when he realized Ward had gotten up. Unfortunately, he only had himself to blame for it. The argument hadn't been noisy enough to stir Ward from his slumber, but Mathias's turmoil and the anger of his wolf definitely were.
"Mathias?" Ward called out from upstairs. "Is everything okay?"
He was far enough from the group of humans that they didn't hear him. Mathias, however, did and he couldn't ignore his mate's question.
A part of him wanted to shroud the house in invulnerable wards and keep his lover safe behind them forever, but he couldn't do that to his other half. "You have guests," he replied instead.
Perhaps their unwanted visitors realized the reason of his words, because they didn't try to address him again. Instead, they just waited. The awkward silence lasted for a few minutes, but finally, Ward came down the stairs and slid past Mathias to face his visitors.
He looked a little disheveled and on the whole, still well-fucked. Several purplish marks were visible on his skin, and Mathias couldn't help a surge of possessive satisfaction at the sight. He wrapped an arm around Ward's waist and felt warm inside when his mate leaned against him.
"What are you doing here?" Ward asked the other humans, his voice thick with anger and exasperation. "I told you I'm fine. I just want to be left alone."
"You're not fine," the woman who'd identified herself as Teresa replied. "I know you're angry about what happened, but after what Peter and I discussed, there's no reason for you to throw this tantrum."
"Tantrum?" Ward repeated in disbelief. "You wanted me to be your husband's toy because you're not in the mood to suck his dick. Thanks, but no thanks."
Mathias couldn't help but tighten his hold on his mate's waist. Despite the fact that they'd bonded the night before, he hadn't seen that memory, which was actually quite comforting since it meant he'd been able to banish that pain from Ward's mind. Nonetheless, finding out about it now bothered him beyond belief.
He couldn't imagine why anyone would agree to such a compromise. He had an uncomfortable moment when he compared it to his own experience with Will, but he pushed back the thought as soon as it came. What he'd shared with his friend was entirely different, and his confusion could not be compared with the empty arrangement these people had suggested. His magic pulsed inside him, furious, just as restless as his beast.
Ward laughed lightly, and the sound cleared Mathias's mind of the haze of fury. "In a way, I owe you, Peter. If we hadn't broken up, I'd have never realized what a broken thing you and I shared. I might have never found Mathias. Sometimes, I can't even bring myself to be angry about what you did. Just do us all a favor and stop pushing."
Peter's eyes were wide as he listened to Ward's reply. "You don't mean that."
"I'm happy now, Peter," Ward answered softly. "I've already told you so on the phone. Leave me be, and do your best with what you have. You're going to have a child. Focus on that."
"But... I love you."
Mathias had the impulse to throttle Peter again, but he held back and let Ward handle it. "No, you really don't," his mate said sadly. "I think the only one you love is yourself."
He turned toward his sister and her friend, but he didn't actually say anything to them. Mathias felt his sadness, and he wished there was something he could say that could comfort his mate, mend this wound that might never truly heal.
Ward nodded toward Vera and Teresa, then turned and retreated into the house. Mathias wanted to snap at the group to never come back here, but he didn't. He simply followed and closed the door behind himself. He should have felt better about the fact that Ward had told them off, but hurt like that couldn't just disappear.
He found Ward seated on the couch, staring blankly at the wall. When Mathias dropped down next to his mate, Ward immediately leaned against his shoulder. Mathias threaded his fingers through Ward's, simply holding on, providing silent comfort.
He didn't mean for it to progress into sex. In fact, he didn't mean for it to progress at all. He just wanted to make his mate feel better, to soothe the wound others had caused. When Ward crawled into his lap and buried his face in Mathias's shoulder, there wasn't really anything sexual about it. If anything, it was reminiscent of the time he and Ward had done exactly the same thing, but with Mathias as a wolf.
But of course, things were different now. Their relationship had progressed and the bond vibrated with a need Mathias desperately ached to fulfill.
He held his mate close and caressed his hair, but it wasn't enough, for either of them. Mathias realized with no small measure of dismay that it was, at least to some extent, his fault. The presence of Ward's ex had stirred the most visceral part of him, his werewolf instincts, and in his focus on Ward, he hadn't quite managed to exorcise the anger and possessiveness.
Even so, it was Ward who eventually took that first step toward what they both needed. He pressed his lips to Mathias's, melting in Mathias's embrace with a choked sob.
The kiss tasted like Ward, tears and need, and Mathias welcomed it, welcomed the way it soothed his wolf. He slid his tongue into Ward's mouth, exploring Ward's wet cavern. It would have been easy for them to fall into the same lustful pattern as before, but they didn't. The desperate arousal bubbled somewhere underneath the surface, but for the moment, it was muted, sedate. They just kissed, taking their time with one another, reveling in the simple intimacy of this moment.
Naturally, Mathias's dick went rock hard, but he felt no pressing urge to deal with it. He only broke the lip-lock to allow both of them to breathe, and took advantage of the moment to suck and lick over Ward's neck. He had the urge to bite down, to claim Ward again, but he didn't. Instead, he swirled his tongue in the hollow of Ward's throat, enjoying the gasps the action drew out of his mate. He swallowed the sweet sound within another kiss, allowing the gentleness to seduce both him and his mate.
He didn't know how much time they stayed there, on the couch, just making out. It was almost weird, because Mathias hadn't spent so much time with simple necking since forever. Somehow, though, it felt right, because it reassured Mathias—both as a wolf and as a man—that he had his mate by his side, that nothing could separate them.
When they finally broke away, Ward met his gaze and smiled shyly. As his mate slid out of his lap, Mathias smiled back. They got up at the same time and reached for each other's hands as if their minds were in complete synch.
Fingers still entwined, they headed up the stairs and into the bedroom. It should have been strange or perhaps anticlimactic. Both of them knew what was going to happen, but Mathias had no desire to manhandle his mate onto the bed or rush things along. For once, he was perfectly happy with taking things one step at a time.
His patience had been tested again and again throughout his relationship with Ward, and he'd allowed it, giving his mate space as Ward got accustomed to e
verything he'd learned about the supernatural. His need for Ward hadn't faded now that he didn't have to hold it back but he just felt it differently.
When they crawled together on the bed, they lay down on their sides, legs entwined, bodies so close they were practically sharing a breath. Between soft and lazy kisses, they managed to take their clothes off—easier since they weren't wearing as much as they had the day before. By now, their cocks were rock hard, and slid against one another as their lips met over and over.
Mathias allowed his hands to roam over Ward's body. He didn't hold back or try to keep his caresses above the waist. He just let things progress naturally, letting go and losing himself in their gentle, yet untamed passion.
Following that flow, he kissed down Ward's neck, wondering if he'd ever found collarbones so sexy. He pressed worshipful kisses to his mate's skin, then continued his journey down Ward's body. Every inch of Ward drew him in like a moth to the flame. He swirled his tongue over Ward's nipples in lazy circles, drawing soft, quiet gasps from his mate. He trailed the lines of his stomach and delved into his navel, treasuring every second he spent on this quiet exploration.
He couldn't have said how it happened exactly, but the world seemed to blur in a whirl of caresses and rightness. He was so taken by Ward, by the need, that the flow of the moment sabotaged his thought processes. Before he knew it, he was sucking the head of his mate's dick, while Ward did the same for him.
Exchanging blow jobs should have been a purely carnal experience, but with Ward, it was different. That didn't come as a surprise—everything was different when it came to his mate. The pleasure they shared echoed within their mate bond, feeding on itself, creating a circle of perpetual togetherness.
In all the centuries Mathias had lived, he hadn't felt anything quite like this. The wet heat of Ward's mouth, the taste of his precum and the weight of his dick on Mathias's tongue—those were things he'd anticipated, looked forward to and embraced. What he did not anticipate was the simple contentment, the fact that he would have been perfectly happy to do this for hours and hours on end.
Ward's energy buzzed over him, as if the human had magic of his own. Mathias knew that wasn't the case, not really, but then again, the way Ward saw the world, the beauty he brought into it—that was magic in itself. He closed his eyes and let the threads of his own energy connect to Ward's, shutting down the part of him that dared to over-think this, to rationalize something that just was.
There were no more thoughts after that, just feelings and sensations. Mathias sucked and licked at his mate's shaft, but Ward gave as good as he got. His muffled whimpers made pleasurable vibrations rush through Mathias, and his sinful mouth stoked that fire inside Mathias that never really extinguished.
All things considered, he shouldn't have been surprised when he felt his orgasm approach. It sort of sneaked up on him, flowing over him like the tide, and when he came, the rush of ecstasy bloomed in every cell of his body with an intensity that belied the rhythm of their lovemaking.
An instant later, Ward followed him over the edge, his dick pulsing in Mathias's mouth. Mathias swallowed every precious drop of his mate's seed, the echoes of Ward's orgasm combining with his own climax, prolonging it and maybe even preventing it from settling into afterglow.
When he pulled away and changed positions, his immediate impulse was to lean into Ward's embrace again. He saw no reason to hold back and pressed their mouths together. Their lip-lock tasted like their spent pleasure, and if Mathias hadn't still been aroused, that would have definitely stirred his libido.
For the first time since Ward had sought comfort in his embrace, Ward finally said something. The silence between them had carried weight—a reverential feeling that acknowledged the importance of their bond—which was why Ward's following plea hit Mathias so hard. "Mathias, please show me."
He didn't have to elaborate on what he wanted Mathias to show, because Mathias understood anyway. Ward craved the claiming, that unique moment when he and Mathias became one. After what they'd shared the night before, Mathias could see it all quite clearly, and he felt the same way.
He pressed his hand to Ward's heart and smiled softly. "I will," he whispered, "just like you show me."
Without another word, he reached for the nightstand and found the tube of lubricant. They didn't have much left, but it was just enough for what Mathias needed today.
Mathias reminded himself that after the night before, Ward would undoubtedly be sore, so he was extra careful as he prepared his mate. At the same time, though, Ward was already stretched, and his flesh yielded easily to Mathias's gentle touch.
When Ward released a low whimper, the sound only held pleasure and encouragement, a wordless demand for more. Mathias gladly complied, adding more lubricant and sliding another finger into his mate's hole.
He crooked them slightly, searching for that spot inside Ward that would make his mate see stars. Despite the mellow mood, he couldn't help a grin when he drew an even louder moan out of Ward. Moon be blessed, he didn't think he'd seen anything more beautiful than Ward writhing underneath him, in the throes of ecstasy.
Enthralled by that beauty, he never once looked away from Ward's face, from his eyes. As their gazes met, Ward stilled, and time seemed to slow, sabotaged by the crackle of the energy building between them.
Like a man in a dream, Mathias pulled his fingers out of Ward's ass and used the rest of the lube to slick up his cock. He positioned himself at Ward's opening and slowly, ever so slowly, slid home. His breath caught as the velvet heat of Ward's body engulfed him. "Ward," he murmured under his breath, just because he had to say something, to express the emotions building up within him.
Ward didn't answer, but he didn't have to. His blissful expression told Mathias everything he needed to know. It urged Mathias on, and he pulled out of his mate, only to thrust back inside mere seconds later. This time, he was rewarded by a beautiful gasp from Ward, and that further encouraged him, fueling his resolve and his desire.
Aiming for Ward's prostate, Mathias started to move. Ward met him thrust for thrust, and they fell into a perfect rhythm that was as fluid and as right as the beating of their hearts. He didn't purposefully set the pace—instead, he let it guide him. Pleasure and rightness engulfed them both, and he stole sweet kisses from Ward's lips even as he lost himself in the haven of Ward's body.
Even if he was the one to move in and out of his mate's channel, Mathias felt claimed as well, Ward's heat clinging to him, branding his skin, making him more aware than ever of their connection. Mathias's magic sang as their energy mingled, until Mathias could no longer tell where he ended and Ward began.
The rapture finally reached its natural conclusion when Ward tilted his head and offered his submission to Mathias. Mathias bit down, and as he buried his fangs in Ward's throat, the flow of the rising sexual pleasure exploded like a geyser, swallowing them both whole.
Given that they'd climaxed just minutes before, Mathias might have expected this second orgasm to be more sedate. He had no expectations, and that was probably a good thing, since even now, after everything the two of them had done and lived through, he was not prepared for what Ward stirred inside of him. For a few beautiful moments, Mathias felt like he ceased to exist—at least, as an individual. He was a part of something greater, each and every one of his atoms in complete union with his mate. As he thrust one last time inside Ward's beautiful body and fell over the edge, the two of them connected at a level beyond the carnal.
He and Ward orgasmed at the same time, his mate's ass muscles clenching around him as Ward spurted jets of hot cum all over their abdomens. Mathias filled Ward with his seed, and the head of his dick swelled as his werewolf nature kept them bound, cementing the closeness and the depth of the moment. It was a biological imperative, a natural response of his body to having intercourse with his mate—but for Mathias, that knot meant something more. It meant Ward was his, and Mathias belonged to Ward in turn.
Ward'
s voice drifted into his mind, sharp, clear, and yet tremulous with rapture and awe. "Yes. Yours. Mine."
"My mate."
Their words, memories, voices and emotions tangled, and at one point, Mathias lost track of himself altogether. He only came to when the haze of orgasm finally started to settle, and he was forced to slide out of Ward's ass.
His mate curled close to his chest, breathing hard, but no longer in any distress. Mathias could empathize. Their bond had banished all of the angry possessiveness he'd felt earlier, leaving behind only the love and the desire to protect. The poison of his fury and jealousy had been chased away by Ward's affection and warmth. The wolf was content.
There was only one thing that Mathias could say now, and it came naturally to his lips, like the easiest thing in the world. "I love you."
Ward kissed his shoulder and smiled. "I love you too."
Mathias closed his eyes and smiled. For two people like them, with so much baggage, an "I love you" carried a lot of weight. In the end, it wasn't the words that conveyed the message best, but the fact that Mathias and Ward had been able to speak them without hesitation.
Starting today, they'd left their pasts behind. Together, they'd build something better, a future for both of them, and perhaps, for a pup. It would take a lot of work, but Mathias was more than ready. His life as a warrior was over, and from now on, he could just be Ward's mate.
Chapter Nine
The thing about Ward's current situation was that, at times, it was unfairly easy to forget he'd been thrust into a world not his own. He supposed that, as a human, he still maintained a level of self-preservation which manifested in denial. Oh, he'd accepted and embraced Mathias's nature, but Mathias was special, and Ward's mate. He didn't count.
For this reason, Ward was far more taken aback than he should have been when, one night, he and Mathias awoke to the shrill sound of Mathias's ring tone. His lover went to take the call, and through the brief exchange that followed, Ward got the message. Will's son, Jessie was finally giving birth.
