by Maggie Walsh
“You did?” Dell said in excitement as his cock throbbed. He watched his lover walk closer, then slowly bend over his desk, presenting his ass. Dell almost whimpered when he saw the purple base of the large butt plug peeking out from between two glorious cheeks. He growled deep from his chest as he rose to his feet and ripped his pants off, shredding them. He couldn’t control his baser needs and had to be inside his man now.
Dell grabbed the base of the plug and played with it for a moment, loving the moans coming from the gorgeous man beneath him, then he pulled the plug free, tossed it, and lined up his cock with the hottest hole he had ever seen. The hole he had become addicted to long ago and knew he could never live without.
Dell pushed inside in one stroke, and closed his eyes as he was once again engulfed by his man. The feel and warmth of the silken cave wrapped around his cock was his own personal heaven. Dell grabbed his lover’s hips and started to pound into the man.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Marlo chuckled to himself as he strolled from Dell’s office and made his way to the front door and put his winter gear on. He shook his head as a giggle escaped him. Did Dell really think Marlo didn’t know why he had told him to take a long lunch? Then again, Dell had no idea that Marlo knew all about his secret lover and who the man was. But, it wasn’t his secret to tell anyone, so Marlo would keep playing ignorant. Once he was bundled up, Marlo left, jumped on his snowmobile and headed for the pub to meet Alex.
Marlo walked into the pub and quickly took off his winter coat and hung it on one of the pegs by the door, then shoved his hat, gloves, and goggles into the pockets before he slipped off his thick boots. He left them on the mat and strolled into the room.
He immediately went to the bar, sat on a stool, and waited to get Tug’s attention. After a few minutes the large wolf turned and met his gaze. Giving Marlo a smile, Tug walked over. “Hey, Marlo, can I get you something to drink?”
“Yeah, that would be great, thanks. Can I have a hot chocolate? It’s getting colder out there and all I’ve been thinking about all morning is one of your hot chocolates with the whipped cream on top.”
Tug chuckled. “Sure thing. You looking for my mate?” Tug asked, as he turned and started getting Marlo’s order.
“Yes, is he here yet? I know I’m a bit early, but I was hoping he was here already.”
Tug came back with a large steaming mug and placed it on the bar before him. “Yeah, Alex is here. He’s in the back office with Raiden right now. Why don’t you bring your drink to a table and I’ll go get him for you,” Tug offered.
Marlo’s shoulders slumped as he cursed, “Damn. If he’s with Raiden that means I may never see him today, and I really don’t want to eat alone. Plus, Dell gave me the afternoon off, so I was hoping I could talk Alex into going to a movie with me over at the Shack.”
Tug gave him a bright smile. “I don’t think that will be a problem. Alex was just going to hang out here all afternoon and write a bit, but I don’t think he would object to a movie.”
“A movie!” Alex squealed, as he came into the room from the back hall, Raiden on his heels.
Marlo smiled at his best friend and hugged Alex when he came closer. Once they broke from the hug, Alex took the stool beside him as Raiden made his way behind the bar and joined Tug.
“Yeah. I was just telling Tug that Dell gave me the rest of the day off, so I was hoping we could go check out that new Keanu Reeves movie,” he explained, hopefully.
Alex’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Oh, I would love to go.” He looked to his two mates hopefully.
Both Tug and Raiden chuckled. “You don’t need our permission to go to the movies with your friend, mate. Of course, you can go if that’s what you want. All we ask is that you be careful and send us a text when you get there and when you are about to leave, so we don’t worry,” Tug said.
Marlo wanted to laugh at Tug’s way of telling Alex he was free to make his own decisions, but still needed to check in with them, but he didn’t. He found it endearing actually and wished for a lover or mate just like that. One who would allow him to be who he was, but would also worry about him, which would show him how much he was cared for, loved, and wanted.
Alex squealed, making Marlo flinch back, then Alex leapt over the bar and into Tug’s large arms, kissing his dominant mate. Once he was done with Tug, Alex shifted in Tug’s arms and leaned in to give Raiden the same attention.
When Raiden ran a hand down Alex’s back to cup his ass, making Alex moan, Marlo figured his movie companion for the day had just flown out the window, or into his playroom upstairs with his mates. Alex had told Marlo about the amazing dungeon his mates had created above the pub for them to get away and enjoy each other when the need came. Marlo sighed, thinking about it and how he really wished he could find even one mate who would be as thoughtful and amazing as Tug and Raiden were to Alex.
“No, no. None of that now, love. As much as I would love to take you up on that offer, I really want to spend some time with my friend and see a movie,” Alex protested, as he wiggled in Tug’s embrace.
“Fine,” Raiden huffed in defeat, but Marlo could see the smile tugging on the side of his lips. He knew Tug and Raiden could never deny Alex anything. “But, as our Tug said, please text us when you get there and when you are about to leave.”
Alex smiled lovingly at his men. “Of course, I will. I would never want to cause either of you any stress or make you worry.”
“If it helps any, the movie doesn’t start for another hour and I was hoping we could have lunch first,” Marlo said.
Alex turned his head to look at him. “Yes, we were going to have lunch together today. Let’s get our booth,” he suggested and slid down Tug’s body, his feet hitting the floor. Once Tug released him, Alex kissed them each quickly, then ran around the bar toward their table in the corner of the pub.
Marlo laughed as he picked up his hot chocolate and slid off his stool, then made his way over to join his friend.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
“Where is he?” Silvan demanded, as he swung his arm out and backhanded the man tied to the chair. Silvan’s face was red with rage and he was sweating.
Julius wanted to stop the stupid bastard, but waited his time. He needed to know where Fane had disappeared to, and if this was the only way to get the information, then whether he liked it or not, this was how they would get it. Oberon had completely disappeared in the wind and no one had any idea where he was. With Oberon not having any family left in this world, Julius had no idea where to even begin to start looking for the vampire, but Fane had family in New York City. Two fathers actually, and that was why they were here now.
Julius was beyond enraged that Silvan had opened his big damn mouth and let others know about the Reckoning and the Purge, but what angered him more was the fact that some of his best people had been killed over it. Oberon and Fane were his most trusted guards, even though Fane was a wolf and not a vampire.
Julius sighed in frustration then commanded, “Enough.”
Silvan spun around to face him, the vampire’s eyes glowing red and his face enraged. Julius knew the man was terrified of what would happen to him and his mate if Fane and Oberon weren’t found, but there was something in Silvan’s gaze that had Julius on edge. He hadn’t lived as long as he had and ruled over the New Orleans clan for as long as he did by being stupid and not following his gut or instincts, and right now they were telling him something more was going on here.
“But he’s about to crack, I can feel it!” Silvan argued in a harsh voice, that had Julius’s hackles rising. “I know he’ll talk. Just give me two more damn minutes with him, and if he’s still being stubborn, then I’ll make him watch as I cut his mate’s balls off. Maybe that will get his tongue wagging,” Silvan threatened, as he turned back to face Joseph Heart.
Julius took a deep breath to calm himself before he ripped Silvan apart. As much as he loathed the vampire, Julius had made a promise to Silvan
’s father that he would watch out for him, but some days that promise was too hard to keep. He also knew that no matter what he or Silvan did, neither of Fane’s fathers would ever give up any information about their son. Which was exactly what Julius had suspected from the start.
“I said enough!” Julius raised his voice slightly, and put more emphasis on his demand.
Silvan growled his frustration, making Julius want to go against his promise, go to the man, and rip his fucking throat out. If anyone had pulled this crap and shown him so much disrespect as Silvan was right now, Julius wouldn’t think twice about making that person suffer greatly, but he clenched his fists and his teeth, holding back his rage, then hissed angrily, “I. Said. Enough! If you would like to challenge me for clan leader, then it shall be done. If not, then step the fuck back and walk away as I have ordered.”
Immediately, Julius saw Silvan’s shoulders tense up like he was trying to control his anger, then they relaxed and he spun back around to face Julius, his eyes wide with fear and his shoulders drooped. Julius wanted to believe the man's fear and look of contrition, but something, or everything about the past ten minutes, told him that Silvan was just putting on a show for his sake. Julius would play along for now. As they said, “Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer”, and in this moment, Julius had a sickening feeling that he was looking into the eyes of a wolf in sheep's clothing. No pun to paranormal shifters intended.
CHAPTER 5
“Come!” The voice bellowed from the other side of the door.
Lysander turned to look at them over his shoulder and grinned, then pushed the door open and stepped inside. Fane and Oberon followed and Fane got the first look at his new alpha. Fane wasn’t sure exactly what he expected with Caleb’s alpha brother, but the man he saw sitting behind the big oak desk wasn’t it.
Hell, he knew as an alpha that Dell would be big, but Fane had no idea the man would be as large as he was. Being a pure alpha, Ridge was bigger than him by a few inches and about twenty pounds, but Dell had to be four inches taller and a good forty pounds over Fane, and it was all hard, rippling muscles. Not that Dell’s bigger size did anything for him, because Fane liked his men smaller, but damn, this alpha was probably the hottest he had ever seen.
Yet, the most surprising thing about Dell was the Bohemian look about him. He wore loose-fitting, beige-linen pants, an oversized, long-sleeved, light-gray, V-neck sweater, that had buttons on the V opening, but they were all open allowing his muscular chest to make an appearance, and a multi-colored silk scarf that wrapped around his neck, but hung down low, as well as multiple necklaces of different materials like metals and leather, in multiple lengths. He also had a wide brown-leather cuff around his right wrist and a few rings on his fingers. He reminded Fane of the hot actor, Jason Momoa, but without the beard, although Dell did have a sexy goatee.
Fane half-expected Dell to have many piercings but found none that he could see. The alpha wore his long light-brown hair in a messy man bun and had amazing blue eyes that were so deep they were mesmerizing. They were also friendly and full of happiness.
Seeing the style the alpha had was a bit disconcerting, considering Fane had never seen an alpha like this, but in a way it made Fane feel more relaxed.
“Holy fuck,” Oberon hissed in a whisper beside him, and Fane was sure his friend was thinking the same things he had. The major thing being the alpha was smoking hot.
“You must be Fane and Oberon,” Dell said, with a smile.
“Yes, Alpha York. I’m Fane Heart and this is my friend Oberon Chrisanti. Thank you for having us and giving us a place to come,” Fane replied respectfully, and lowered his head.
He could tell Oberon was still a bit lost on what to do, but after their time with Ridge his friend had caught on fast and followed Fane’s lead, lowering his head as well. He heard a chair roll on the wooden floor, then Dell made his way around the desk. Bare feet came into his line of sight and Fane almost laughed, but held it in. Of course, the man would be barefoot as well.
Dell touched his nape, giving a slight squeeze, showing his acceptance of Fane. He raised his head in time to see the alpha do the same with Oberon before taking a step back and returning to his seat. “Have a seat, gentlemen,” Dell offered.
“Thank you, Alpha,” Fane replied, then he and Oberon sat in the chairs before the alpha’s desk.
Dell then turned his attention to Lysander and smiled. “So, your trip was pretty uneventful. Where’s Legion?”
“Yes, Alpha. Besides the storm, which really wasn’t much, everything was fine. Legion brought the CAT back to the garage and stayed to help the guys move Fane and Oberon’s bikes off to store them for the winter.”
Fane’s brows rose as he protested, “We could have handled that. They didn’t have to do that.”
Lysander sent them a friendly smile. “It’s all good. If you have any objections to them getting your bike’s ready to store for the winter let me know and I’ll give them a call now and stop them.”
“No, I don’t think we’ll be able to ride them anymore now until the spring, but O and I can handle that. We don’t want to put anyone out.”
“No worries, man,” Lysander said with a smile, then looked back to Dell. “Is there anything else you need from me, Alpha?”
“Nope. Thanks, Ly. Oh, your men have been looking for you. They asked that I tell you they’ll be waiting at the pub when you get back.”
Lysander’s smile got even bigger, if that was possible, at the mention of his men. “Fantastic. I missed my guys. I’ll be off then. You guys need any help learning the lay of the land or anything, just give me a call,” he offered, then exited.
“Men?” Oberon asked, quizzically.
Dell turned his attention to Oberon and smirked. “Meaning more than one. Lysander is one of our ménage couples here in the pack. He and his four mates are all good men.”
Oberon’s eyes widened comically as his jaw dropped, causing Fane to laugh. “I told you Tundra Wolves had special matings,” Fane said.
Oberon looked at him. “Yeah, I know, but I always thought you were fucking with me. I mean we’ve known a few tris, but I’ve never met a group of five men in a relationship,” Oberon replied, then looked back to Dell. “And that’s okay with you, Alpha?”
Dell outright laughed, then answered, “Of course it is. As I’m sure Fane has explained, Tundra Wolves are a special breed. Men generally stay with men and women with women. Although we do have the occasional male female couples, like my parents. We also don’t care how many are in a relationship as long as they are all consenting adults.”
“Yeah, Fane told me all that, but seeing it really brings that home. And are they true mates? I mean, five true mates?” Oberon asked.
Dell’s face and eyes softened as he replied, “No, well, that’s a different story and one we need to discuss, but no, Lysander and his men are not bonded mates... yet.”
Fane understood what Dell was referring to, remembering what Ridge had explained to them. “You mean they haven’t met their linchpin yet, right?”
“Exactly.”
“But you already know they’re true mates? Ridge explained it to us, but I still don’t know how either of you know who is and who isn’t,” Fane said.
Dell sat back in his seat and got comfortable. “We each have couplings in our packs, consisting of different numbers of people. Some of them have bitten one another trying to form a mating bond and some haven’t. What Ridge and I have both observed is the couples, or groups, who have actually bitten each other are most likely true mates to begin with, but don’t know it. And without finding their linchpin, their bond is there, but can’t be fully formed. As you know, when true mates bite, they leave a permanent mating mark, but those who are not true mates leave no mark. Ridge and I have both witnessed that these couplings who have bitten one another and we suspect are true mates, do actually leave a mark, but it is so faint that not even the men involved realize it, but
it is there. We think it has something to do with us being alphas that we can see it.”
“So that’s how you both know which of your pack couples are most likely true mates waiting for their linchpin and who aren’t actually true mates,” Fane stated.
“Correct. And those that we suspect are true matings waiting for their linchpin, we both keep a close eye on. I have a threesome here that have recently mated. You’ll meet them soon enough, especially if you head over to the pub for a drink. Tug, he runs the pub for me. He and his true mates, Raiden and Alex, are our first linchpin mating. Tug and Raiden have been together for nearly four years and had bitten one another, which they believed was the ultimate way to show their commitment to one another even though they didn’t think or know that they were true mates. I noticed their small bites and knew what it meant, so I kept an eye on them. Now, Tug has known Alex forever, but neither of them had any idea they were true mates.”
“But how is that possible? I thought true mates knew one another by smell? Well, for shifters anyway,” Oberon asked.
“True. When true mates find each other, their scents call out to one another, but what we are learning from these matings with linchpins, as well as what we have read in the histories—and Alex and his men have proven it—is that it’s not so with these groupings until all the parties involved in the mating are in the same place at the same time. Raiden and Alex had never met before, even though Raiden has been with my pack for almost five years, but the minute all three of them were in the same room at the same time, they all knew. Whether it is the mixture of all their scents combined, or something else, we have no idea, but once they were all together, the bond started,” Dell went on.
“Wow. So, technically, none of us know how many will be in our true mating until we meet them all?” Fane asked.
“Unless you are only a duo.”
“Well shit, I’ve had a few threesomes in my day, but to have that as a permanent thing or even more, I don’t know if I can deal with that much testosterone in one relationship. Although, the thought of having that many men all my own is pretty hot,” Oberon declared, causing Fane and Dell to chuckle. “Wait, do you think that’s only a Tundra Wolf thing, or for any paranormal, like vampires too?”
