by Gem Frost
Damn it. Jon wondered how many days Cae had been out here alone, nursing his grievances. Licking his wounds, so to speak. Evidently he’d been here long enough to start slipping back into that angry, unbalanced state that had almost completely taken him over in the city.
Well, he’d pulled Cae out of it once before. He could do it again.
He was already close to Cae, and he pressed his face to the other man’s neck and began dropping kisses there. Cae froze for a long moment, and then his arms tightened around Jon, holding him closer.
“Jon,” he whispered, and all the rage was gone from his voice. “Shit, Jon. I’ve missed you.”
“Me too,” Jon mumbled, although the words were mostly muffled by Cae’s throat. He shifted on Cae’s lap, spreading his thighs and facing the other man, so that their cocks were aligned. His was bare, of course, and Cae wore jeans, but that didn’t seem to matter much. He rubbed his rapidly hardening cock against the swelling in Cae’s jeans, and moaned.
Great Lupus, how did Cae do this to him? He’d found other guys appealing, sure, but he’d never had one that made him go from zero to sixty in two seconds or less. But Cae made him instantly lose control. He couldn’t so much as look at the other man any more without getting a hard-on, damn it.
And the weird thing was that he was pretty sure that was true for Cae, too. But most likely that was simply because Cae was a big hormonal mess right now. Something was going on with his blood chemistry, obviously. He was frankly fucked up. And besides, he was twenty-five and had never had sex prior to their time together in the city, so naturally he was horny and jumped at the first opportunity he was offered to get off. His reactions didn’t mean much, not really.
The problem was that Jon seemed to be a big hormonal mess too. He remembered thinking in the city that Cae had infected him somehow, and maybe it was true. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking of Cae since he’d left town, and that was one reason he’d stayed in wolf form—because human emotions were muted that way. His longing for Cae hadn’t gone away, but it had been a trifle more bearable, a bit less all-encompassing. But now that he was in human form…
It was awesome to feel Cae’s cock stiffening against his own, to hear his low, rumbling moan as his hips lifted, meeting Jon’s. It was even better to feel their cocks starting to rub together in slow and steady strokes. Jon winced slightly at the roughness of the denim, and reached down to unbutton the jeans. Cae didn’t stop him. He simply leaned back, resting his weight on his hands, and let Jon do what he wanted.
As an alpha, Cae was supposed to lead, in bed and out of it, and Jon couldn’t help the shuddering breath that rose from his own throat as he took the initiative. He was the lowest of the low, beneath betas and almost all omegas, and no one had ever let him lead. No one but Cae.
He unbuttoned and unzipped Cae’s jeans with shaking fingers, and shoved his briefs out of the way. Cae’s cock was as beautiful as he remembered, sleek and pink and already beginning to gleam with precome. And enormous. Jon pressed up against it, a bit hesitantly, and Cae reached down between them, wrapped his big hand around them both, and started jacking them in tandem.
They both moaned, heads falling back, and tumbled to earth together, lying side by side on the pine needles that littered the forest floor and rutting eagerly into the circle of Cae’s fingers, their bodies moving in mindless animal instinct. It had been two weeks since they’d found relief together, two endless, lonely weeks, and before long the two of them were groaning, swearing, Cae’s hand slick and wet with the precome surging from them both.
“Thought about this last time,” Cae gasped out. “Coming all over you… making you mine…”
Jon groaned, the image of himself covered in Cae’s come almost too much for him. He shuddered violently, and thrust harder.
“That’s it,” Cae whispered in his ear. “Gonna make you come… all over me… all over everything… you’re gonna come so hard, Jon…”
Jon trembled harder. Cae had never talked dirty to him before, and it was fucking hot. The submissive omega in him liked being told what Cae expected of him, being told what his superior wanted from him.
All he wanted right now, all he craved out of life, was to please his alpha.
Cae held the two of them together in his fist, squeezing tightly, relentlessly, and went on, his voice low and soft and seductive, describing in filthy, graphic detail what he wanted.
You’re so slick, so hot, so wet and sticky already… God, that’s a beautiful dick, Jon, so long and thick and pretty…I’d like to touch it like this for hours, stroke my hand up and down and tease you till you’re begging for me to give you what you need… but you’re so fucking hard already, so damn hard it’s gotta hurt… come on and let it go, don’t hold back… no, don’t try to stop it, just let it happen… oh, yeah, fuck yeah, go on, fall apart for me… Lupus, look at how wet you are, so goddamn ready… oh, fuck… come for me, sweetheart, come everywhere—
And Jon did, coming with a desperate, choked gasp, come bursting from him so hard he thought he might die of the intensity of it. It exploded out of him in long, hot spurts, all over Cae’s hand and stomach and chest, and he sobbed helplessly, lost in rapture. Cae didn’t let up, and Jon’s cock went on spasming violently, twitching and jerking, still shooting out thick white ribbons of come again and again. Cae squeezed and caressed him, his hand relentless, forceful, demanding, and Jon heard himself crying out as still more come gushed from him. He’d never come so much, or so long, or so powerfully.
Cae stroked him through it, drawing out the intense, all-but-unbearable pleasure till his sobs died to whimpers and there was nothing left but a bit of come dribbling from the tip of his cock, till the last little spasms of his orgasm faded away into comfortable warmth and he collapsed back against the leaves, more completely, bone-meltingly satisfied than he’d ever been in his life.
Once he was completely drained, Cae shifted his hand to his own cock and jerked himself hard, crying out as he came almost instantly. Jon felt the other man’s come spatter all over him, sticky and hot, all over his abdomen and chest, and he closed his eyes, feeling tears burning the lids.
Thought about this last time… coming all over you… making you mine…
He was already Cae’s, he thought. No matter what happened between them, no matter if Cae went utterly unhinged, or if he went back to the Pack and abandoned Jon here in the forest, or even eventually fell in love with a woman and mated with her… he’d never stop being Cae’s. He could never stop, not now.
He was marked for life.
Chapter 16
I fucking hate nature.
Dr. Rich Bronson, MD, loped through the woods, his shaggy chestnut-brown coat glistening in the sunlight that shone through the branches and dappled the forest floor. Most wolves enjoyed a chance to get back to the wild, to run free in their canine form, but he despised it. He’d spent long years away from other wolves, first attending college and a pre-med program at the University of Virginia, then going to Johns Hopkins for med school. As a consequence, he’d learned to appreciate all the perks of civilized human life.
And he had grown to deeply loathe the wilderness.
He suspected the Alpha knew that, and had chosen to punish him for his unfortunate lapse of attention by sending him into this godforsaken forest. The guards had come too, but they didn’t hate the woods the way he did, and seemed perfectly happy trotting around, sniffing tree trunks to determine if any wolf had pissed there recently. Rich found that revolting, and steadfastly refused to sniff anything that looked like it might have served as a lupine toilet.
It wasn’t like they were going to find Cae and Jon, anyway. Jon was doubtless in canine form and on high alert, and Cae wasn’t stupid, even if he was less than sane right now. Besides, these woods encompassed millions of acres. The chances of finding any two people—
His bitchy inner monologue cut off as a stray breeze blew a scent toward him. He lifted his head, his nostrils q
uivering.
Ha. Found you.
✽✽✽
“I need you, Jon.”
Jon’s eyes fluttered open, and he looked over at Caeden. After they’d come, the two of them had sprawled on the ground, half-asleep, completely naked, completely unconcerned. Their kind didn’t mind nudity much, whether their skin was bare or covered by a pelt. Jon met Caeden’s eyes, and offered him a small, sleepy smile.
“You just had me, Cae.”
“I don’t mean like that, idiot. I mean, yeah, I need you like that too. But… whatever’s wrong with me… you make it better somehow. I don’t understand why, but… my father was wrong. We shouldn’t be apart. Not ever.”
“I won’t leave you.” Jon’s hand groped for Caeden’s, and took it in a firm grip. “I told you that in the city. I’m yours, Cae.”
“But we can’t…” Caeden blew out a breath in a long, exasperated sigh, and shook his head. “I sometimes think the humans have it easy, Jon.”
Jon blinked at him. “Easy how?”
“I mean, I had the chance to watch them up close while I was in the city. Yeah, they’re sort of wild and undisciplined, and their society is a big mess, and they don’t take care of their cubs and their elders the way they should… but they have more opportunities to do whatever they want. They aren’t locked into their status, the way we are. Anyone can be a teacher, or an engineer, or a doctor. Their alphas aren’t alphas because of their hormones; they’re just people who happen to lead well. And… they can mate with anyone. Anyone they want.”
Jon’s chocolate-brown eyelashes fluttered down, concealing his amber eyes. A slight flush heated his cheekbones. Caeden went on, awkwardly.
“I would—I want you to know I’d mate with you if I could, Jon. I mean, for life. Forever.”
“You don’t mean that.” Jon’s eyes shut, and he threw his free arm over his face, as if to conceal his expression. “I’m not for you, Cae. Even if I were female, I wouldn’t be for you.”
“You’d still be the one I’d choose, if I could.” Caeden spoke the words carefully, shocked at how true they were. He’d never thought of Jon as anything but his best friend until their time together in the city, but he could no longer avoid the truth. Jon was everything he wanted in a mate—loyal, kind, and good. “That’s what I was trying to say about humans. They can bond with whoever they want. Whoever means the most to them. But… I can’t. It’s a matter of biology. I’m sorry.”
Jon nodded beneath his arm. Caeden could see his eyelashes fluttering as he blinked hard, and he knew Jon understood. An alpha male had to mate with a high-ranking beta female, and once he found a satisfactory female, the two of them would make love, and knot. Without a knot, there could be no bonding.
And there could be no knotting between an alpha and a low-ranking omega. That was simply a fact of biology, borne out by experience. After all, the two of them had screwed—had made love—several times, but no knotting had occurred. Which was not in the least surprising.
Knotting was something that could only occur between an alpha and their mate, and it was something that Caeden wanted. Needed. He had never experienced it, of course, but he craved it on an instinctual level. Without that connection, he could never fully bond with someone else. No matter how much Jon meant to him… it would never truly be enough.
“It’s all right,” Jon said. His voice was hoarse, but steady. “I always knew I couldn’t be enough for you, Cae. I just… I’m glad we’ve shared what we have.”
“But I can’t lose you, either.” Caeden held onto his hand, squeezing it, as he struggled to explain. It was important to him that Jon understand that if it were up to him, Caeden would choose him. He fumbled onward, seeking words that he knew must cut into Jon even as they clarified matters. “Even if I mate one day—”
“No.” Jon spoke with uncharacteristic firmness. “If you ever truly mate, you won’t want me anymore. You know you won’t.”
“I can’t imagine not wanting you, Jon. I told you, I need you.”
“I know that. You want me right now, because… well, I’m all you’ve got. So you’re hanging on to me with everything you have. But once you find your true mate, you won’t even look at me. It hurts to think about it, but it’s true. We both know an alpha can’t stray from their mate. They aren’t so much as tempted, not ever. So the two of us… we’re not forever, Cae. We’re just now.”
Caeden swallowed.
“I guess now will have to be enough,” he said.
✽✽✽
Crouched low in a small stream, concealed by brush, Rich glanced away as Caeden and Jonny began sharing long, slow kisses. He wasn’t a voyeur, and he really didn’t want to see what the two of them got up to together.
Damn it. This stream was cold as fuck, and his paws and belly were rapidly going numb. But running water didn’t carry scent, so it was the best way for him to conceal that he’d been here. He didn’t need the two of them to sniff around and figure out he’d been watching them.
His duty now was clear. What he needed to do now was go find those useless shit-for-brains guards, and the three of them could take Caeden into custody and drag his ass home to Wolf Green.
Except…
The words Caeden had uttered, so softly and sorrowfully, still rang in his head. Whatever’s wrong with me… you make it better somehow. My father was wrong. We shouldn’t be apart. Not ever.
Rich was a doctor, and after long years of training in human methods, his first impulse was to turn to human cures, such as the steroidogenesis inhibitor he’d suggested to the Alpha. But he also knew that wolves weren’t human, despite their appearance, and that many if not most drugs simply didn’t work on their kind. He had serious doubts that the inhibitor would help Caeden in the slightest. Even when he’d first suggested it, he’d thought it was a long shot at best.
But Jonny—the kid somehow seemed to be keeping Caeden’s problems in check.
It isn’t Jonny, he thought. Not really. It’s the beginnings of the life-bond. Whatever hormones are involved, they’re helping ease the effects of all that cortisol in his blood.
Which meant that it might be best to leave the two of them alone, and let nature take its course.
There were huge problems with that idea, of course. It was entirely possible that the life-bond couldn’t take full effect. An alpha and a low-ranking beta—well, that might not be biologically possible. And if the life-bond failed, Caeden’s problems might come roaring back with a vengeance at some point.
But if it worked…
He crouched lower in the stream, considering. Caeden seemed under control right now, which was a better result than he’d expected from the course of drugs he’d suggested. So for now, at least, he thought it was best to leave the two of them alone. Besides…
Well, he was pretty fond of Jonny. He’d slept with the kid a couple years before, and they’d had a good time together. But more than that, he admired the way the young man held his head high, despite his low rank. His parents had given up and run away—but he hadn’t. The kid had guts, and even when his family had all passed on and left him alone, he’d stayed in Wolf Green and done his level best to contribute to society, despite the harassment a low-ranked beta had to cope with every day.
Rich hated that part of wolf society. He’d lived among humans enough to feel like maybe people should just be judged on who they were, and not just on their pheromones. And Jonny was a damn good example of why. He was a decent guy who didn’t deserve to be constantly pushed around by wolves who weren’t even fit to lick his feet.
If Jon wound up as the mate to the Alpha—well, Rich felt like things in the Pack might just have to change a little. Or a lot.
And the way he saw it, that couldn’t be a bad thing.
The two of them were lost in one another now, hands all over each other’s skin, mouths exploring, soft, feral noises rising from their throats. Rich made his decision. He turned, careful not to splash in the slightest, and
followed the stream as he slunk silently into the dark depths of the woods. He’d meet up with the guards a long distance from here, claim he’d spotted their quarry, and lead them far, far away from this part of the national forest.
And as for Caeden and Jon—well, he’d leave the two of them to explore the wonders of goddamned nature on their own.
PART FOUR
KNOTTED
Chapter 17
It hurt to know that Cae would find a true mate one day. Well, assuming he was ever able to effect the change, anyway. Some small, petty, unworthy part of Jon kept wishing that Cae wouldn’t ever change, that he’d remain in this state of the rest of his life, so that the two of them could stay together for always.
But when he caught himself thinking that, he tried his best to squelch the thought. It wasn’t fair to Cae. He needed to learn to change, simply for his own sanity. But the Pack needed him, too. The Alpha was growing older, and a new Alpha would be needed eventually. And without Cae—
Well, the Wolf family had led the Pack for over a century now, and without one of them leading the town, there would be a power vacuum. There were always rogue alphas roaming around, looking for a town that they could take over. But Jon couldn’t imagine Wolf Green being taken over by someone who didn’t know the town and its inhabitants, someone who might not have their best interests at heart, but who was only driven by the craving for power and control.
No, Wolf Green belonged to the Wolf family, and always should. The Pack needed Caeden… and he needed the Pack, even if he didn’t want to admit it.
And a mate, too. An Alpha had to have a mate, and cubs. He was pretty sure there had never been an Alpha who remained single, nor a male Alpha who’d mated with a man. It just didn’t happen. One day, Caeden would meet the one perfect woman that he needed to complete him.
