The Linchpin (Tundra Wolves Book 3)

by Maggie Walsh

  “What has you smirking over there?” Marlo asked.

  Alex met his friend’s gaze, then leaned in and whispered, “I was just thinking about Bo and his new man, and wondering how they were getting on.”

  Nelo laughed, and said, “Probably as much as that hot beta wants and in every position. Did you catch the way the man looked at Bo like he wanted to eat him? I think our little Bo is in submissive heaven right now.”

  Alex shivered just thinking about it. “Gods, what would that be like?”

  “Why wonder, gorgeous, when you could always find out for yourself?” Tug’s deep voice came from beside him, and Alex froze.

  He turned his head and came face to fa... large bulging crotch, and his own cock twitched. Alex allowed his gaze to travel up the muscular body before him, and when his gaze locked with Tug’s deep blue eyes, Alex thought he would come in his pants. The man was staring at him with heat and lust in his eyes, like he wanted to bend Alex over the table right now and fuck him, and Alex wasn’t opposed to the idea.

  All Tug had to do was say the word and Alex would have his pants around his ankles, chest lying flat on the table, ass in the air. He would even reach back and spread his cheeks open with his hands if it helped get that extra big cock in his ass faster.

  Tug gave him a knowing smirk, and Alex could feel the blush run up his cheeks. Tug shifted his gaze to his friends, and asked, “Would you two mind if I talked to Alex for a minute?”

  “Of course,” Marlo replied, and he and Nelo scrambled from the booth like the Three Stooges… well, two stooges, faster than you could sneeze.

  Once they were gone, Tug grabbed a chair from a nearby table and brought it close to his side, blocking Alex in, then Tug flipped the chair round, spread his legs and straddled the furniture. Alex’s gaze instantly went to the man's crotch, and when Tug chuckled, Alex got the feeling the man had done the whole ‘I sit backwards on a chair, because I’m cool’ move, to show off his very prominent bulge.

  Alex’s wolf reared up inside him and started panting, then the damn thing dropped to its belly and lifted its ass in the air. Alex had no idea what was happening, but it all felt so right. He could feel the need inside his wolf to submit to Tug as well. His beast was almost going crazy for it, like a cat high on catnip. Alex was very confused by his wolf’s reaction, but he couldn’t ignore the fact that the beast wanted Tug’s wolf to fuck him. Not Tug, but Alex’s wolf wanted Tug’s wolf to fuck him. Shit, that desire was new and trippy, and now that Alex was thinking about it, the thought made him hot and felt... right.

  “Are you with me, little one?” Tug asked, as he crossed his arms over the back of the chair and leaned in.

  Alex blinked his eyes a few times, then focused on what Tug was saying. “What? Oh, I’m sorry. Was there something you needed, Tug?”

  Tug gave him that sexy as sin smirk again, and Alex wanted to pant just like his wolf was doing. “As a matter of fact, Alex, there is. There’s someone here I would love for you to meet,” Tug replied.

  The next thing Alex knew, someone had come up behind him and a large leg lifted over the bench back, and an even larger body dropped down into the seat next to him on his other side. Alex turned his head to see what was happening, and his breath caught. The gorgeous man from the garage who was fixing his snowmobile now sat beside him, looking at Alex like he wanted to eat him too, and his amazing light blue eyes blazed with desire.

  “Alex, this is my man, Raiden. Raiden, meet Alex,” Tug said.

  Raiden reached out a hand and gently touched Alex’s cheek with the tips of his fingers, then dragged the backs down his cheek, and Alex closed his eyes. Another hand touched his thigh and Alex’s eyes sprang open from the shock of electricity that ran through him. It was as if he had literally been struck by lightning.

  From the pair of gasps he heard from either side of him, Alex was sure the two men felt the same thing. He turned his head to look at Raiden and saw the yellow glow of the man's wolf shining in his eyes and his canines had dropped. Alex quickly turned to look at Tug and was shocked to see his wolf was at the surface as well.

  Alex’s wolf began to dance around, barking, panting, and begging. The beast dropped to the floor again, and offered its ass to the two wolves, whining and crying to be taken.

  “W-w-what the h-hell is going on here?” Alex asked, in a small scared voice.

  “All of you to my office at the alpha house, now,” Dell’s voice rang out, loud and clear, and immediately they all stood. Their alpha had given an order, and no matter what else was happening, their wolves would always follow and submit to their alpha.

  Tug moved away first and took Alex’s hand, helping him from the booth, and Raiden stood up behind him. As he reached for Alex’s other hand, Dell growled, his wolf also shining bright in his eyes, and instantly Raiden pulled back and Tug dropped his hand.

  “You two first. My office, now. I’ll bring Alex over with me and we’ll meet you there in five minutes,” Dell ordered.

  “But, Alpha—” Raiden began, but Dell shot him a murderous look which quickly shut the man up. Alex stood by Dell’s side and watched as Tug and Raiden left the pub.

  Dell’s eyes softened, and he gave Alex a gentle smile, as he asked, “Are you okay, Alex?”

  “Yes, Dell, I mean Alpha. I don’t think they were going to hurt me.”

  Dell’s smile broadened. “I don’t think they were either, and I don’t think harming you was on their minds. More like claiming. Come on, there are things you three need to know,” Dell said, and gently took Alex’s hand, then led him across the bar.

  “Claiming?” Alex asked in a daze, as he let Dell escort him out.

  ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

  This was exactly what he and Ridge had been watching for. It was happening. The Reckoning was coming and they were ill-prepared. Throughout his life from the moment he hit puberty, Dell’s father had snuck him away in the middle of the night at least three times a week, into his secret study hidden behind a false wall in his office. There his father would show him old artifacts from their forefathers, books with the true history of the now Tundra Wolves, and the reasons they were destined to be in the place they now called home.

  His father had always warned that The Reckoning would be coming, and from their ancestors’ calculations, it would be within Dell’s leadership of the York pack. It was because of The Reckoning that his pack became the largest and strongest in the region, and why Ridge’s had become the wealthiest. Their packs had been chosen by their gods, Jumala and Akka, to be the leading packs of wolves for the canine paranormals after the purge was complete.

  It was also the reason why their two fathers had finally declared a truce and decided to band together, to create one large pack that stood under two strong leaders, and why they had fought so hard to obtain the land that separated their packs. With Ridge scenting Dell’s little brother, Caleb, as his true mate from the moment Caleb was born, their fathers knew the time had come for them to join.

  Knowing that Ridge would claim a true mate one day, if Dell never met and claimed his true mate, and became one of the victims of the purge, then Ridge would claim both packs as rightful alpha, and lead who was left. Having Caleb, a York descendant, would go a long way in the Tundra Wolves following Ridge’s leadership when the time came.

  The Reckoning would be something that would affect all paranormals in the world, and those who were not claimed as true mates by the time it came would suffer one of two fates. Either they would be stuck in whatever form they were in when The Reckoning came, either human or beast, not both, or, they would die. Only those who had their true mates by their sides would stand strong, and be able to continue their kind by having offspring, whether the child bearer be male or female. It was just another step in evolution.

  It was also told that some of their kind, by the wish and written word of their gods, would find more than one true mate. In the historical archives of old, there were teachings of mating’s between
three, four, and even five. The stronger the true mating’s in a pack when The Reckoning came, the stronger the pack would stand once it was over. It was the true reason Alpha Stuart had attacked.

  Because of the promise and blood oath they had to make to their gods, Dell and Ridge were bound by the oath to keep all of this a secret, and to not tell their true history or anything about The Reckoning to any of their pack until that member had found their true mate. Then, they too would have to take the sacred blood oath of silence or suffer dire consequences. Ridge had explained it all to Jag and Bo upon their return to the Heart pack, but now it seemed the time had come to share their story with the first of his pack.

  As Dell and Alex approached his office, Dell had an idea to test what he already knew to be true. A smile came to his lips when he thought of what would happen, but he quickly schooled his features as he opened the door with one hand and reached out and took Alex’s hand with the other.

  When they walked in, both wolves stood stone still before his desk, but as their gazes fell upon Dell holding Alex’s hand, both Tug and Raiden began to growl. Their wolves glowed in their eyes and their canines dropped. Dell thrust out his alpha power into the room and both men eased back, but neither of their wolves completely left. Their beasts were right there, watching and waiting, eager to strike at any threat, even their alpha, if he was to harm what belonged to them.

  Dell walked Alex to one of the chairs before his desk and sat him down, then made his way around the desk and sat. He looked at the two with a raised brow, then admonished, “Stand down before I whack both of you over the nose with a rolled up newspaper. Now sit. There is a lot we need to discuss.”

  Tug motioned for Raiden to take the empty seat beside Alex, and Tug stood behind them both, then folded his arms across his chest as he looked at Dell with both confusion and concern. Damn this was going to be a long night. Dell thought and released a heavy sigh.

  CHAPTER 7

  Alex didn’t know what to say. He was totally speechless. After everything Dell had just told them, which was really starting to sink in, he could feel the panic beginning to churn and to rise inside him and he knew when it happened it wouldn’t be pretty. At the moment, the one thing that kept flashing across his mind was that Tug and Raiden were actually his true one… or rather, his true ones… his true mates? As in two? Not one mate. Two. Two of the hottest, biggest mates of all time. Two of the hottest, biggest, alpha mates of all time. Two Dominant mates. Well, shit on a stick and shock him with an electric poker.

  Alex suddenly snapped his head in their direction, his eyes wide, and found both men silently staring at him. Both looked just as stunned as he felt with all the information Dell had just dropped on them, but they each still had hunger in their eyes. A burning desire that was about to set his groin on fire.

  “Alex? Are you okay?” Dell asked, as he moved around his desk and sat on the front a few feet from him.

  Alex turned to look at his friend, his alpha, and shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. I mean, you just told us that The Reckoning is coming that will change the face of not only the paranormal world as we know it, but the whole world, and because of it only the strongest will survive, which is like a cleansing of the Earth by the gods, and the only way we can survive it is if we are blessed by those same gods to find our true mates. You said you were bound in a sacred oath by our ancestors to hold all these secrets, and to only reveal them to those who had found their true ones, so that they would be prepared. And now we are expected to also take that oath, which if we break, we will then lose our true mate, and have to face The Reckoning ourselves. Either I will be trapped as a mere human for the rest of my then human life, or trapped as my beast for the length of the beast’s earthly life, but if I am claimed by my true mate, or in this case, mates, then when The Reckoning comes, I… we… will be stronger, and one or all of us will be able to bear children. So, what could possibly be wrong?” He jumped up from his seat and the freak-out started.

  Alex raised his hands shoulder height and started shaking them around as he paced furiously, beginning to hyperventilate. Sweat broke out over his brow and he pulled at the neck of his shirt. Shit it’s getting hot in here. He thought.

  “How about you two?” Dell asked, as he kept his gaze on Alex and waited.

  “Um, Alpha, I mean no disrespect, but shouldn’t we... um…” Raiden asked, as he motioned toward Alex.

  Alex shook his head at the man and continued his rant, repeating everything Dell had told them, mumbling it all under his breath.

  Dell chuckled, which made Alex stop momentarily and glare at the big doofus who sat there with the amused look on his face. If Dell wasn’t their alpha, or if others weren’t in the room, Alex would so go to him right now and give the man a hard noogie.

  “He’ll be fine. This is just how Alex processes things. Give him a minute and he’ll calm down. Then, once he does, you three can go discuss your claiming, or just get to it. The choice is yours. But, before you go, I will need for the three of you to take the blood oath, locking you into the secrets of The Reckoning.”

  Alex stopped short and spun to face Dell, giving him his best angry glare and pointed his finger at the man as he admonished, “You said nothing about blood, buttbag. What, like a pinprick to my finger or here’s a hunting knife, now slit a wrist and pour that crimson juice over this mythical chalice and chant kumbaya?”

  Dell burst out laughing as he stood and came to Alex, then wrapped his arms around him and brought him in for a hug. A pair of growls came from the other side of the room, and Dell laughed harder. “I think your mates want me to let you go. Are you done now, princess, or is there more of that wonderfully creative mind of yours that’s ready to show itself?”

  Alex relaxed against Dell’s chest, and took in a deep breath through his nose, inhaling his alpha’s scent, which always worked to ease him. He sighed and tapped Dell on the chest, then stepped back as Dell released him, smiling. He gave Alex a wink, then returned to his desk.

  “Thanks, Dell, I’m good now, I think, but do I still have the option of another freak-out if I choose?”

  “Of course, I wouldn’t expect anything else,” Dell replied, in amusement, then turned to address Alex’s mates. “And you two? Anything to say?”

  Tug looked between Alex and Dell in confusion, before replying, “This is the craziest meeting I have ever been to in my life. Did my mate... one of my mates, just call my alpha a buttbag, and then admonish him?”

  Dell’s expression turned serious as he stared at Tug. “You and I go back a long way, Tug, but Alex and I go back to his birth. He, along with Jude, Marlo, and Bo, were practically raised in my home. Alex is like a little brother to me, and anyone who says otherwise will have to take that issue up with me. That goes for Marlo, Jude, and Bo too. I know I just dumped a lot on all of you, and everything is a little confusing right now, but everything I told you is true. Oh, and either one of you talks to me the way Alex just did and I will rip you a new one. So, any questions?”

  Raiden looked to Alex then back to Dell. “How can we be sure that Alex is our true mate? I mean, hell, Tug and I have been together for damn near four years, and we didn’t know we are true mates. How is that possible?”

  “Because you hadn’t yet met the linchpin to your mating. I believe you two finding one another and having to work on some things, may have gotten in the way, because of who you each are. It was the god's way of getting you prepared for Alex. There are a few passages in the text of our history pertaining to just this. Once you were completely on the same page, the gods brought your linchpin to you. Alex will be the force that will now allow you two to really claim one another, and Alex, then your bond will become unbreakable. Unless you break the blood oath of course.”

  ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

  Raiden was completely blown away from the things Dell had told them about this Reckoning and the purge, and how this was all the gods work to cleanse the earth, but the biggest thing that af
fected him, was to find out that Tug really was his true mate. They had been together for nearly four years, but neither of them had any idea.

  Raiden thought of the few men they had let into their relationship over the years while trying to find their third and wondered if what they had done would be considered cheating. In their world there were many instances of couples, threesomes, quads, and even more who were in committed relationships, and some, like he and Tug, who had actually bitten one another, even though the bite wouldn’t take, and what they allowed and accepted into their relationships was up to them, but as true mates, had they unknowingly destroyed their chances of a true bonding?

  “Raiden, you look really stressed. What can I do to help you, my friend?” Dell asked.

  Raiden was afraid to say what he was thinking, but in the end he thought confessing the truth would be better, and in the long run less stressful, because at least maybe if he did, he would get the answers. He took a deep breath, then told everyone what he was thinking.

  When he was done, no one said a word for a few minutes, and Raiden started to get nervous. Shit, he knew this wasn’t good. In their quest to find a third to fulfill them, he and Tug had fucked everything up.

  Dell cleared his throat, gaining Raiden’s attention. Once he met his alpha's eyes, a part of him felt relief. There was something in Dell’s eyes that told him his fear could be eased. “I don’t think how you and Tug have been looking for a third to enhance your relationship was cheating on one another, or your future mate. One, you were both on board, and two, it was before you met your true mate, and before your claiming. You can only cheat on a true mating if you do it after claiming. And I do know for a fact that once true mates claim each other, there is no such thing as cheating. The bond is too strong and the love too deep. I know you both, and know that you are each honorable, respectable men. I am sure neither one of you has come to the decision lightly, and most likely you have spent a lot of time discussing and dissecting it. I think somewhere within both of you, because of your mating bond already showing, even though you didn’t know it, your souls already knew there was a missing piece and they were reaching out for it. Neither of you went behind the other’s back, and I am assuming neither of you stepped outside your committed relationship, and that you were always together in those times.”