by Maggie Walsh
Bo’s vision turned amber and his gaze zeroed in on the vein pulsing before him. He struck, sinking his teeth deep, then started to suck, taking Jag’s life force within himself and binding them together forever. The urge to scratch rolled over him like a Tsunami and Bo reached down, slashing his claws against Jag’s side, marking him, claiming his mate, and Bo’s wolf howled in delight. A rush of heat filled his ass as Jag cried out his name and stiffened above him, his cock buried deep inside Bo. Jag filled him with his cum and Bo had the sudden urge to keep his mate’s seed inside him.
He drew his teeth back and licked his mark. Jag relaxed against him, his hot breath caressing Bo’s face as they both panted hard. A hand reached up and cupped his cheek tenderly, the touch bringing him peace. They now belonged to Jag and Jag belonged to them. They were now one.
CHAPTER 9
They had spent that whole day, that night, and the following day making love, fucking and playing until they fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms, exhausted. Jag exerted his dominance over Bo and his mate took everything he gave him with pure delight. Bo had submitted so beautifully to him and by the time they left the cabin an hour ago, Jag was completely in love with his mate and never wanted to be away from him for even a second. He had never been in love before and Jag found that he really liked it and never wanted the feeling to end. With Bo as his mate he didn’t have to worry about that. That thought and the one of spending his life with the amazing man who was now driving them back to the York pack on his snowmobile, filled Jag with a peace he had never known before.
As they pulled up in front of Dell’s house, Jag smirked as his gaze fell on Dell and Jude sitting out on the porch in rocking chairs, each with a cold beer, watching them pull up. Dell wore a smirk of his own as his eyes twinkled, and Jude just stared at them, as if where the hell have you two been, and what have you been up to, was written all over his face.
Once the mobile stopped, Jag swung his leg off and stood as Bo cut the engine and climbed off.
Jag instantly took his man’s hand and together they approached Bo’s alpha. Climbing the three steps that led onto the porch, they stopped a few feet before Dell and Bo lowered his head in respect, then Jag nodded, lowering his head slightly, showing his respect.
“Well shit, who would have thought getting our little Bo laid by the fierce beta would teach him some respect,” Jude chided. “If we’d known that, Dell, we could have asked Jag to take care of that almost two years ago when the two of them started sniffing each other’s butts.”
Dell chuckled as he shook his head, but his gaze never left Bo’s face. His mate on the other hand shot the beta a deadly look and grumbled, “Asshole,” but kept his head lowered.
“Ow, now he’s hurting my feelings, Alpha, maybe we can have Jag spank his ass behind the toolshed,” Jude said, then started laughing.
“You two should take that show on the road, you’ll probably be able to get a cup of coffee between ya,” Jag sneered.
Dell chuckled as he finally rose and put them out of their misery as he came to them, placed a hand on the back of Bo’s neck, then reached out to shake Jag’s hand. “So I’m assuming everything is done and went okay,” he said, as he stepped back and sat in his chair.
He and Bo moved to the nearby swing and sat and Jag smiled proudly as he replied, “Yup.
Everything's good here. Perfect actually.”
“Good, then things are going as they should,” Dell said, then looked at Bo and smiled at him happily, like a big brother would who was thrilled from his sibling. “I’m happy for you, Bo. You deserve this. Grab onto it with both hands and don’t let go. Just enjoy your life with your true mate.”
Jude sat up straight, sputtering as the beer shot from his mouth and nose. “True mate? What the fuck? I know you said they went off to be alone, but I thought they were just going to fuck like rabbits, then decide how a long distance relationship was gonna work. True mates?” Jude said, and looked at them awestruck.
Jag took a certain amount of pleasure seeing his beta counterpart shoot beer from his nose and be all flustered. Served the ass right for being a dick. Jag held back the chuckle wanting to escape, just barely, and looked to Dell. “So he didn’t know?”
Dell shook his head as that mischievous glint entered his eyes again. “Not my story to tell, but after the shit he just gave you two, I thought a little payback was in order.”
“Thanks, Alpha,” Jude grumbled, and sat back.
“Yes, thanks, Alpha,” Bo added, then stuck his tongue out at Jude. Jag wanted to be angry and reprimand his mate, but then he thought, why? He needed to let his man be who he was. The last thing Jag wanted to do was change Bo. He loved him just the way he was.
“Bo, I spoke with Ridge and Caleb and they have a building all cleared out for you just waiting for us to move your workshop. Marlo was able to get a snowplow truck up here from Fairbanks.
It has plenty of room for your stuff and runs on a track for the snow and ice. It should be here tomorrow. And he has a delivery of shipping material on the way. The plane should be delivering the shipment sometime this afternoon,” Dell explained.
Bo’s eyes went wide, then he released a heavy sigh as his shoulders dropped. Jag didn’t like the look on his man’s face and started to worry that his mate was having second thoughts on their mating. If the move was causing his man this much stress, maybe Jag should consider moving to the York pack instead? Surely there was something he could do around here.
“What’s wrong, Bo? I thought you would be happy with all the developments?” Dell asked with concern.
Bo looked up and met Dell’s gaze. Jag could see the sadness in his mate’s eyes and he stiffened, getting himself ready for the ax to drop on his life. He knew he was too happy.
“No, I am. I’ll have to find Marlo and thank him for everything, and thank you to you too, Dell, I know, even though Marlo made the calls, everything happened because of you, so thank you. It’s just…”
Jag took his hand and gave it a squeeze, drawing Bo’s attention to him. “What is it, mate? Are you having second thoughts about moving to the Heart Pack?” he asked.
Bo’s eyes widened again and Jag could see the panic. “No! I haven’t changed my mind. We’re true mates and we stay together. You’re Ridge’s first beta and that’s where you belong, so that’s where I belong. It’s just that I hadn’t expected it all to happen so fast. I want to say goodbye to my friends and my dads, but if the truck is coming tomorrow all the way from Fairbanks, then I have a shit ton of work to do. Do you have any idea how much crap I have to package just right, so nothing gets damaged? Then there’s letting my clients know that things may be late and smoothing over any crap they give me over it, so I don’t lose their business. Then there’s the other side. I have to set up the workshop there and I have no idea how big the space is. How’s the internet connection? Is there a fax machine? Landline phone system? Crap, then I have to find out about getting my pilot who ships for me and see if he’ll fly the extra distance and how much that’s gonna be.” Bo jumped to his feet and begun pacing around the porch as he did, talking all the while.
Jag didn’t want to laugh at his man, or any of his concerns, because he knew they were all real, but he couldn’t help the smile that came to his face. His mate wasn’t rejecting him, or saying he didn’t want to move, Bo was just frantic about getting everything done.
“Then there’s the fact that it’s gonna take days and Jag’s been here long enough. More than Ridge originally planned on and I’m sure my mate is needed back there, so does that mean we won’t see each other for days, or a week, or what?” Bo worried as he looked to Jag for answers.
Jag stood and went to his man and took his face between his hands. “Breathe, baby. Just take a minute and breathe. Good, now, you’re not alone in this. I’m right here and I will help in any way I can. I’m not going anywhere. Like you said, where you go, I belong. I’ll call Ridge and keep him updated. He still has Mason
there and Caleb. They’ll handle things without me for as long as it takes. Now as far as some of the other things, yes we have internet, landline phones, and faxes.”
Jag looked to Dell and asked, “Do you know what building they’re going to give him for his workshop?”
Dell smiled. “Yeah, Caleb told me it was plenty big enough. About twice the size of your place. Said they used it as a garage for most of their heavy equipment closest to the house, but Ridge is having everything moved out, and a construction company brought in to build a new garage.”
It was comical how his mate’s eyes went so wide all the time and Jag was finding it cute. “But I don’t want him to do that. I don’t want to put him out.”
“Caleb said you would say that and Ridge assured me it was okay. He and Caleb have been talking about building a new garage. Ridge wants to make it top of the line for Caleb when he works in it, so they were going to do it soon anyway.”
“Oh. Okay,” Bo said, and his shoulders relaxed.
“And as for packing things up and loading the truck, our Marlo already has a team of fifty or so who volunteered to come help. Including your dads. Who, by the way, said you owe them an explanation,” Dell said, with another of his smirks.
“Shit, my dads! I am in so much trouble. I didn’t say a word to them and just took off. I wasn’t here for my birthday. Damn it, I’m such a bad son.”
Jag chuckled and wrapped his arms around his mate, then kissed his temple. “You are not a bad son. How about we head over to see your dads now and you can properly introduce me. Then, they can spend the rest of the day interrogating me and my intentions with their son. After that we’ll head back to your place and we can start making a list of what needs to be done. Your friend Marlo sounds like he’s good at organizing things. Do you think he’ll help us?”
“Absolutely, Marlo is the best with that stuff and he’s a great friend,” Bo replied.
“Perfect, then let’s give him a call, then head over to visit your dads.”
“What are you going to do with your house, Bo?” Jude asked.
“Well, Jag and I were discussing that. I don’t want to sell it. At least not yet. We were thinking that maybe with our packs becoming so intertwined, Jag may have to make more trips here for Ridge, so it would be nice for us to have somewhere to stay that’s private when we come. And seeing as I’ll be moving into the alpha house over there, and Jag already has a suite that’s fully furnished, I won’t need to move all my stuff, so we can leave it furnished. I figured I could leave a set of keys with you, Dell, and if you need the place for anyone else who comes for a visit it might be better than always hosting people in your home,” Bo replied.
Dell smiled again, and the pride he held for Jag’s mate could be seen in the alpha’s eyes.
“I think that’s a great idea, Bo, thank you. Especially the part where you said you would come along with your mate for visits. I know how hard you worked to have that house built just the way you like, and I promise to look after it while you’re gone.”
“Thanks, Dell. I guess we should get moving before my dads hear I’m back and come to hunt me down.”
“We’ll gather up some of the troops, so you can see all your friends then, and meet you at your place this evening. We’ll bring food and drinks and we’ll all help out,” Dell offered.
Bo gave his alpha a grateful smile as he nodded. “Thanks, Dell. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”
“That’s what family is for, squirt, and you will always be one of my little brothers, no matter where you go. Just don’t be a stranger.”
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
The next four days were a whirlwind of activity with packing, shipping, talking to clients, saying goodbye to friends and his dads, as well as a thousand phone calls to Caleb to check on things on that end, and through it all, Jag stood by his side helping with whatever he could and giving Bo his total support. Since returning from the cabin they had very few private moments except for a kiss here and there and one blowjob that he gave his mate in the shower, and Bo was feeling the stress of not being with his mate in an intimate way, but he couldn’t complain, not after Jag had been so amazing to him.
The last thing to do before they hit the road in Jag’s truck was for Bo to take care of his vehicles.
He chose to sell his truck, Sno-Cat, and snowmobile instead of paying someone to drive them out to his new pack. Once the last of his stuff was on a truck heading toward the Heart pack, he and Jag said their final goodbyes to Dell, Jude, Marlo, and Nelo.
He was a bit sad that he hadn’t had the chance to say goodbye to Alex, but the man was in the middle of writing a new book and there had just been too much going on for Bo to take a minute to go see him. Then, this morning Bo had expected Alex to be there with everyone else, but he was a no show. Bo wanted to be hurt, but then he thought how tender Alex could be, and figured his friend couldn’t handle saying goodbye to another friend, especially so soon after losing Caleb. Bo figured he would call Alex in a few days and talk over the phone to let him know that even though he wouldn’t be around every day, that Alex could still always count on him. They would always be friends and brothers.
Now Bo sat up straight and stared out the front windshield as the first buildings appeared in the distance. Jag had told him over an hour ago that they had crossed into Heart territory, but in the tundra it wasn’t a surprise to not see the heart of the pack right away.
Bo watched as the buildings grew as if right out of the earth and became bigger as they approached. His mate had explained how in the Heart pack everything was more spread out than built up, and the town was nothing like the York pack which had all appearances of any other typical neighborhood. Bo had a hard time picturing what Jag was describing until this moment.
First, he noticed the ten foot tall wrought iron fence that seemed to go on for miles in either direction. Then, he noticed that there was actually a chain link fence that sat in front of the wrought iron and remembered Jag had said the chain link was electrified to keep out not only enemy packs, but wild animals and even nosy people who seemed to come around once in a blue moon.
As they approached, the gate on the chain link slid open, then the heavier gate of the wrought iron opened inward and Jag drove on. After about a mile, the house came into view and Bo found it stunning, but strange to see a hacienda pop out of the frozen tundra.
The structure was only one story but it was freaking huge in width. The hacienda style house spread out before him like a mansion. It had white stucco walls with a brick-red tiled roof typical of the desert style home, but Jag had told him they weren’t tiles at all but metal, which held up better under their harsh weather conditions. The entryway had a large gable in front covering a brick patio that had several comfortable looking chairs lined up. A beautiful honey-colored wood door with a large window above it made the house look inviting.
As they pulled up to the front, the door opened and a smiling Caleb appeared with his mate by his side. Bo was so excited to see his friend that he barely let Jag put the truck in park before he opened the door and jumped out, running to his friend. Caleb laughed and ran toward him and the two hugged.
Dual growls had them both laughing as they pulled back and looked to their mates, both of them shaking their heads at the larger wolves. Jag came up behind Bo and wrapped his arms around his waist and Bo leaned into the embrace. Damn, he really missed alone time with his man.
“Welcome home, Jag, and welcome to the Heart pack, Bo,” Ridge greeted them as he held out his hand to Bo.
He pulled from his mate’s arms and stepped forward, then lowered his head in respect. Ridge came closer and placed his hand on the back of Bo’s neck and he looked up just as Ridge stepped back, but the alpha still offered his hand in greeting. Bo shook his new alpha’s hand and thanked him,” Thank you, Alpha. It’s good to see you again.”
“You too, Bo, but know that just as with Dell, you don’t need to be so formal. Please ca
ll me Ridge.”
“Thank you, Alpha... um, Ridge.”
“So, butt munch, tell me how the trip was,” Caleb said, and threw an arm over his shoulders and turned him toward the house.
“It was long, but nice. This place is amazing,” Bo replied as they stepped into the house. From behind him he heard his mate grumble about Dell being right, and how he and Ridge were going to be sorry having Bo and Caleb back together again. Caleb must have heard Jag too, because they both burst out laughing at the same time.
Bo stopped short when a pretty little thing with long purple hair smiled at him. The guy was about five foot five, a hundred and thirty pounds with stunning topaz-colored eyes and the brightest, friendliest smile with a mouth full of glimmering white teeth.
Caleb smiled as he brought Bo closer to the little guy. “Blu Dixon, this is my best friend in the world, Bo Hakala. Bo, this is Blu. Without him we wouldn’t get anything done around here. Blu manages the house and is Ridge’s assistant. He’s more like Ridge and Jag’s little brother, so watch yourself. Blu also won’t take crap from you, so be warned.”
Blu giggled and held out his hand in greeting. “Don’t listen to him. It’s all true, but still don’t listen to him, because then it makes it harder for me to sneak up on you when I come for my revenge. I’ve heard what a troublemaker you can be,” Blu said, with his eyes shining. Bo could see the little tease in those gorgeous orbs.
Bo laughed as he shook the little cutie’s hand. “I like you already.”
“Well, who wouldn’t like me? I’m a doll, but I won’t think twice about holding a knife to your sac if need be.”
Bo threw his head back and laughed harder than he had in a long time. Arms came around his waist again and Bo tried to control himself.
“Stop flirting with my mate, pipsqueak,” Jag admonished, but there was no threat in his words, only love and joy.
