Cam’s gaze flicked back down to where he’d bitten him, unable to look away for long. The mark had faded already, changing to the silvery outline that would remain there for as long as they were bonded.
Forever.
Tracing his thumb over it, soft and reverently, Cam forced himself to meet Gareth’s eyes.
A hush settled over the park, as though everything in it knew that something magical had occurred. Cam’s wolf settled, content and happy, and he smiled. “I’m sorry it took me so long to accept that I wanted this.” Standing there, his naked body pressed against Gareth’s under the full moon, he couldn’t imagine anything more perfect.
Gareth leaned in and placed a soft kiss over the mark he’d left.
Cam shivered, and smugness radiated through the bond so clearly it made him laugh. “You like that, huh?”
“Yes.” Gareth straightened enough to look him in the eye—the intensity of his gaze making Cam’s breath catch. “Very much.” Gareth’s voice held the gravelly timbre of a half shift, and Cam glanced down, half-expecting to see his claws out. But they were very much human.
Gareth grinned. “It must be the moon.”
Peering up at the silvery full moon, beautiful in the night sky, Cam grinned. “Must be.”
As much as he wanted to stay out there all night, the sounds of other pack members began to filter back in, as though normalcy had resumed around them. It wouldn’t be long before someone disturbed them.
Cam didn’t believe their tryst had gone unnoticed, but he’d rather wait until at least morning before he had to face members of his pack. He trailed his fingers down Gareth’s arm, eventually holding his hand. “We should go back.” He gave Gareth a gentle tug, smiling when he let Cam guide him back over to the path with no resistance.
“Where to, exactly?”
Possessiveness roared up inside him, and Cam was quick to reply. “My place.” The thought of Gareth going anywhere else made his hackles rise. “I need you to be in my space.” He needed Gareth’s scent all over it, their scent. The thought brought him up short, and he stopped walking, closed his eyes, and inhaled slowly. There it was—their combined scent, an earthy-citrus mix that filled him with a bone-deep satisfaction. He wanted to curl up on the ground and sleep surrounded by it.
Shaking his head to clear it, he tugged Gareth a little harder. “Come on.”
Gareth followed, eyebrows raised. “What if I wanted you at my place?” Squeezing Cam’s hand, he took an exaggerated breath in. “I smell it too, you know.”
Stopping again, Cam turned to face him. He reached up and took Gareth’s jaw in both hands. “We can go to your flat soon, but let me have this tonight. My home won’t feel right. I need my mate’s scent—” Gareth’s eyes darkened, and he licked his lips. Cam’s mouth curved into a grin. “Our scent… all over everything to make this real.” Coaxing Gareth’s head down a little, Cam kissed him, soft but sure. “Please.”
“When you put it like that, how can I refuse?” He let Cam lead him out of the trees to where their clothes were, and they dressed in silence.
Cam glanced around, surprised that they still hadn’t seen anyone. There were definitely wolves out in the park—he could hear them easily enough—but none were coming anywhere near them.
Sighing, Cam fastened his jeans.
“What?” Gareth stopped with his T-shirt around his neck. “What’s wrong?”
“I suspect our secret is out.” Cam gestured around them.
Gareth looked where he pointed, and after a couple of seconds, he hummed in agreement. “Is that a bad thing?” The faint tinge of worry crept over the bond as a frown appeared between his eyes, and Cam quickly stepped forward to smooth it away.
“No, of course not. But I’d hoped we’d have a little more time to enjoy this before….” Before the shit hit the fan, because Cam was under no illusions that this development was going to go down well with the whole pack—despite the show of respect in the park.
“We still have a few hours, don’t we?”
“Maybe.”
Gareth grabbed his hand and pulled him close. “Then let’s make the most of them.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Gareth woke to the sound of the shower turning on.
Something solid and content settled at the back of his mind, and he smiled automatically.
With a yawn, he opened his eyes, but it took him a couple of seconds to orient himself.
Cam’s bed.
Cam’s flat.
Bonded.
Bloody hell.
Gareth’s smile blossomed into a full-on grin as the events from last night came back to him in a rush. He took a moment to bask in the gentle hum of their bond—the connection wrapping around him like the softest, warmest of blankets on a cold day.
Even though Cam had given him hope that this might be the outcome, Gareth hadn’t fully believed it would happen. There seemed so many obstacles in their way—some remained—not least of which was Cam’s guilt over forgetting Mia.
He sat up and leaned against the headboard, good mood faltering slightly.
Is that why Cam’s up and out of bed already? Is he regretting what we did?
His heart stuttered, and he put a hand over his chest, as though to soothe it.
The shower turned off, and a wave of concern hit him immediately after. Cam’s voice followed. “I don’t know what the hell you’re thinking so hard about in there, but I’m pretty sure whatever it is, you’ve got it wrong.”
Despite his concerns, Gareth smiled. He ran a hand through his hair. “This is going to take some getting used to.”
“The bond?” Cam appeared in the bedroom doorway, a towel slung low around his hips and drops of water clinging to his shoulders.
Gareth nodded and checked him over from head to toe, a spike of arousal making him reach under the covers to adjust himself. Cam let out a low growl, and Gareth felt an answering arousal through their bond as Cam stalked towards him.
“It’s one of the best things I’ve ever experienced.” Despite the hungry look in his eye, his voice was soft, reverent.
“Me too.” Gareth swallowed past the lump in his throat, unable to look away as Cam approached.
He sat on the edge of the bed next to Gareth and trailed his fingers along his forearm. The touch went straight to Gareth’s groin, and he sucked in a breath. Cam smiled slyly. “We’ll never leave this room if you keep looking at me like that and smelling like you do.” When he reached Gareth’s fingers, he ran the tips of his claws across the pads of them—like electricity across his skin.
Gareth licked across the edges of his fangs as they eased out a little. “Is that a bad thing?”
“Considering The other betas will be here in about fifteen minutes, I’d say, yes, it could be.” He laughed at what must have been a sour expression on Gareth’s face. “Did you have to have them over so early?”
Cam laughed. “It’s two in the afternoon.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Frowning, Gareth glanced towards the window where the curtains were still drawn, obstructing his view of the sky. Full moon night always left him a little disoriented, but he could have sworn it was morning. “Oh.”
“Don’t look so confused. We did have a rather late night.”
“That’s true.” Gareth’s lips curved into a slow grin as he remembered tumbling into Cam’s bed in the early hours.
Clothes cast aside in a jumbled heap in their race to get naked once more, hands and mouths touching every bare patch of skin revealed. With lube in plentiful supply this time, Cam had wasted no time slicking himself up, and Gareth’s whole body clenched at the memory of him sinking deep inside him.
Claws and teeth left marks as their possessiveness had rushed to the surface, and Gareth wished that some evidence remained, but his skin was as smooth and unblemished as ever.
Their combined scents clung to the sheets and laced the air around them, though. Exactly like
Cam had wanted. Gareth’s chest tightened with each inhalation. Keeping his gaze fixed on Cam’s, he slid a hand along Cam’s thigh and under his towel.
“Gareth,” Cam growled in warning. “They’ll be here soon.”
Gareth’s grin widened. “I don’t care.” He slid his hand a little further up, the hitch in Cam’s breathing spurring him on. But Cam’s hand clamped down on his before he reached his cock.
“As much as I want to…” Claw tips pressed into the skin on the back of Gareth’s hand, showing how close to the edge Cam was. “We can’t.” He sighed. “I have commitments to the pack.”
“Of course.” Feeling chastised and wanting to put some space between them, Gareth pulled his hand back quickly.
Cam grabbed it. “No, don’t feel like that.”
Fucking bond.
He looked away, trying to hide his flush.
Bringing Gareth’s fingers to his lips, Cam kissed the tips of them. “I love how much you want me, how strong our connection is. And believe me, the very last thing I want is to have to leave this room at all today.”
Their bond echoed everything Cam was saying, and Gareth felt bad for cursing it a moment ago. His emotions were all over the place this morning. Managing a small smile, he met Cam’s gaze and prompted, “But?”
Laughing softly, Cam then sighed. “But… I need to speak to my betas before they hear about this from another source. Assuming they haven’t already.” His smile turned wry. “I’m sure after last night, the rumour mill is going crazy with speculation. I doubt we were either quiet or discreet.”
Cam had a point. If he was Alec or one of the others, he’d want to hear it from Cam himself and not from a pack rumour. “You’re right. I’ll leave you alone and get dressed.”
“Thank you.” Cam leaned in to give him what Gareth expected to be a quick peck on the lips, but when their mouths touched, instinct took over and his arms snaked around Cam’s neck, pulling him close until they tumbled back onto the bed.
All that warm skin against his had Gareth hard and ready to go, and he moaned into the kiss, trailing his hands down Cam’s back to tug at his towel.
The next moment, a rush of cool air hit him as Cam leapt up and away from him.
“Fuck.” Cam leant against the far wall, breathing heavily. “I didn’t realise it would be this hard.” Gareth’s gaze immediately dropped to the bulge under Cam’s towel, making Cam huff out a laugh. “Don’t say a word.” He let his head fall back against the wall and closed his eyes.
Gareth wanted to go over to him and finish what they’d started. Almost everything in him said it was the right thing to do, but he clung to that tiny part of him that knew Cam needed to focus on his pack right now. It hurt not to go to him, a physical ache in Gareth’s chest, but he forced himself to remain on the bed. “Get dressed, quickly, then you need to leave so I’m not tempted to jump you every five seconds.”
Cam nodded. “Okay. I’m going.”
He didn’t move a muscle, eyes dark and hungry, and Gareth felt his resolve crumbling. “Cam,” he whined.
Seeming to snap out of it, Cam’s straightened and shook himself. Without a word, he turned, rummaged in the drawers behind him, grabbed some clothes, and left the room.
Gareth flopped back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling.
How does anyone function like this?
He knew from being around some of the others in his pack that the first few days after bonding were intense, but living through it was a different beast altogether. Alec had made it look so easy when he’d bonded with Mark—but then Alec was an exception. Gareth should have known he’d end up behaving more like Nathan—possessive and unable to keep his hands off his mate.
But at least he wasn’t the only one behaving like that.
With more than a little reluctance, he pushed the quilt off and got up, stretching out the muscles in his back and shoulders as he stood. Cam’s room had an en suite bathroom, and Gareth padded in there and started the shower.
The thought that Cam—alpha of their pack— was having just as much trouble dealing with this as Gareth both comforted him and gave him a thrill of excitement. Cam was the one who kept his emotions under a tight rein, rarely lost his composure, and always kept calm in situations that would have made Gareth shift in a heartbeat. Yet now, he was just as much a slave to his instincts as Gareth.
Well, maybe not quite as bad as Gareth—which he should be grateful for, because someone needed to keep their head. But he wasn’t unaffected, and that fact warmed Gareth to his core.
With their bond wide open, emotions on display, Gareth had a fair idea of how Cam felt—even if they’d not talked about it. Rationally he knew that Cam was happy—the warm buzz of contentment as Cam pottered about in the kitchen told him so, but Gareth still half-expected regret to creep in. They’d been impulsive, caught up in the moment, the draw of the full moon like a drug sweeping away all their inhibitions. And it still felt as though they were in some kind of bubble, separate from the rest of the pack.
But that was about to change.
As Gareth stepped under the hot spray, he couldn’t help but wonder if anything else would change with it.
BUGGER.
Gareth stood in the middle of Cam’s bedroom wondering what the fuck he was going to wear. He had no clothes of his own at Cam’s flat. They’d not thought that far ahead last night. He was both taller and broader than Cam, so nothing of his would remotely fit. “Cam?”
A couple of seconds later, Cam poked his head around the open door but didn’t come inside, Gareth noted. “What’s wrong?”
Gareth pointed at the pile of yesterday’s clothes on the floor. “I didn’t bring any spare clothes.” He walked over and picked up his jeans, inspecting them. “I guess I could wear these again.” He picked up his T-shirt and underwear, grinning at the rips in the material of both. “But these didn’t survive.”
Cam shrugged, an air of smugness rolling off him. “You were taking too long last night.”
As Gareth remembered it, no one could have got undressed in the two seconds Cam afforded him before he pounced. “Sooo…. Should I go commando and shirtless?”
The door creaked as Cam’s grip on it tightened. “I’ll have Alec bring you something to wear. His shirts should fit you fine.” He left the room without mentioning underwear.
Commando it was.
Gareth let his towel fall to the floor and stepped into his jeans. Despite showering, the scent of sex and Cam clung to him, and he smiled to himself. His fingers moved of their own accord up to the side of his neck. He couldn’t feel the bite mark, but he knew it was there—felt it inside, pulsing softly in time with his own heartbeat.
He walked over to Cam’s full-length mirror, wanting to see it for himself. The silvery outline of Cam’s bite stood out like a brand—one Gareth wore with pride. He ran the pads of his fingers back and forth, tracing the shape. Desire curled in his belly as he remembered Cam giving it to him.
Had that only been last night?
Voices in the hall startled him out of his daze. Fuck, he hadn’t even heard the door open.
From the sounds of it, everyone had arrived at once.
Swallowing down the sudden wave of anxiety, Gareth walked out of the bedroom to find Cam striding towards him.
He thrust a plastic carrier bag at him and stepped back quickly, fists clenched at his sides. “Put that on, then come join us.” He lowered his voice to barely a whisper. “I’ll try and make this as quick as possible.” The look in his eye left Gareth in no doubt as to what they’d be doing as soon as everyone had gone.
He struggled to stop himself getting hard.
In the bag was a T-shirt, one of Alec’s judging by the faint scent that remained on it. Gareth pulled it out and gave it a sniff—it smelt clean, but definitely a trace of Alec on there too. And it was a little big on him, of course, because Alec was huge. But it fit better than one of Cam’s would have.
Time to face
everyone.
He’d taken one step into the living room when Cam let out a roar that silenced the room.
Gareth’s mouth fell open in shock as Cam’s fangs slid out and his claws sank into the back of the chair in front of him. He looked like he was seconds away from shifting.
“I told you this would happen.” Alec rolled his eyes, seeming totally unaffected by Cam’s current state, while the other betas had all taken a step back where they could.
Cam growled, turning to glare at Alec before focusing his attention back on Gareth.
“Cam?” Gareth’s gaze flicked between Cam and Alec, wondering what the hell was happening. All he got through the bond was a barrage of what felt like mine, mine, mine, mine.
“Get it off,” Cam hissed, words distorted by his fangs.
Gareth hesitated for a second as he tried to decipher what he meant. Then Cam growled again at the same time as Alec said, “The fucking T-shirt, G. It smells of me—take it off before he kills someone.”
Shit.
Why the fuck didn’t I think of that?
Gareth hurried to comply, tugging it over his head before tossing it over towards Alec. When he glanced back at Cam, his fangs and claws had gone, thank fuck, but he still clutched at the chair.
“Come over here, please.” Cam’s voice broke on the please, and Gareth forgot about everyone else in the room.
As soon as he was within reach, Cam let go of the chair and grabbed onto Gareth instead, drawing him close and burying his face in the crook of Gareth’s neck. “So fucking stupid,” he muttered, hot breath washing over Gareth’s bare skin. “Wasn’t thinking.”
When Cam finally eased his death grip on him, Gareth became uncomfortably aware that the room was still silent. He didn’t want to turn around and face them.
With a soft kiss to Gareth’s bite mark, Cam stepped away from him, but not far, and reached for his hand. He met Alec’s gaze. “I’m sorry. I should have trusted your judgement.”
Alec nodded, a small smile curving his lips. “You should. In this instance I have more experience than you do.”
Bitten By the Alpha Page 16
