by Chris McHart
Even though the man was a monster and these fights were normally to the death, Anthony couldn’t bring himself to do it. But having his father imprisoned here for the rest of his life? That didn’t sound good, either, especially since he had to assume that the alpha hadn’t broken too many laws. Most of what he’d seen here was completely legitimate in the eyes of the current laws. Not only were the superior mates allowed to determine the fate of their partners, but the alpha also seemed to have been a dictator, allowing just that.
Of course, he could pass a law to keep the alpha locked away, but would that work in the long run? He didn’t know.
It was a difficult decision, and no matter which one he made, it was probably the wrong one. That was one of the reasons he’d never wanted to be alpha. There were too many decisions that influenced the future of too many people.
As a tracker, he’d made decisions, too, but that was different. Decisions were based on facts, on what was right for the four trackers and those they were supposed to protect. Decisions here affected the entire pack. It was something else.
Then there was the problem of mating. He couldn’t become alpha until he mated Josh, which was exactly what he’d never wanted. He didn’t want a mate.
D knew why, but no one else did. Only, he didn’t see a way out. What would happen if he didn’t mate? Then he wouldn’t be alpha, and he wouldn’t be able to defeat his father.
Was it worth tying Josh to him forever? Could he ask that of Josh? It wasn’t fair to him, but he didn’t see a better solution.
Josh was strong. He wouldn’t let Anthony treat him badly. But on the other hand, it wasn’t fair he’d have such a partner at all. Josh deserved someone like D: nice, caring, who always had the best interests of his mate in mind. Not someone like him who might become violent, who might not have control over himself… who might have the same tendencies as his father. What if they fought and he lost control?
Should he choose someone else, like Lindsay or Jeremy? Neither of them would let him get away with even looking at them wrong. But, although they were good friends, he couldn’t imagine having a relationship with one of them.
That was a requirement for mating, and he probably should consider the feelings of the two. They didn’t seem interested in mating him at all. Generally, it was a shitty situation. No matter which way he turned it, it wouldn’t end well. He was absolutely sure about that.
He needed to talk to Josh again. Maybe they could find another solution. Even though it didn’t sound so bad to spend the rest of his life with Josh, it just wasn’t fair to him. He couldn’t ask his friend to do that, and he’d come up with another solution.
When a knock sounded at the door, breaking into his thoughts, he looked up to see Josh standing there, looking nervous. “Am I interrupting?”
“No, come on in. Anything new?”
Josh nodded. “Yes, the old alpha’s mate is on her way to a friend. She can rest there for a while. I was able to convince her that she’s no longer in danger. Your father’s still in the cell. Has anything new come up here?”
Anthony shook his head. “No, not really. We’ve been thinking about what to do with the alpha, and I wanted to talk to you again about the mating thing.”
Before Josh could reply, Jeremy, D, and Ash rose. “I think this conversation should be private,” Ash said to D more than Josh or Anthony.
“Yes, I agree. We’ll leave you alone to settle this.”
“Thank you.” Anthony sent a grateful smile in Ash’s direction. Thanks to his abilities, he usually knew how to react in a situation. Or he’d probably guessed they both simply needed some time for themselves until they’d figured out what’d happen next.
Maybe Anthony could come up with a solution that didn’t mean that he’d bind Josh to him forever.
The other three left the room and closed the door behind them.
Josh visibly took a deep breath then slowly approached Anthony. “How are you?”
“Been better.”
Josh came closer to Anthony and sat down next to him on a chair. Neither their legs nor hands touched. He looked tense, which was understandable. “What worries you the most?”
“Everything?” Anthony laughed dryly. “The fact that I’m supposed to take over a pack that I never wanted? The fact that I was supposed to kill my father? The fact that I’m forcing you into a mating neither of us wanted just to save this pack?” Anthony fell silent.
Josh took a deep breath. “I think I’ll first address what concerns me the most, then you might have one thing less to worry about. Yeah, you’re right. I wasn’t ready to mate. That hasn’t changed either, but I have to admit that if I wanted to spend my life with someone, you’d be a very likely candidate. I like you, I know you, and I know we have good chemistry. I could think of worse things than choosing you as my partner. Much worse, to be honest. That doesn’t mean I’m happy with the way things have turned out, and it doesn’t mean we’ll automatically have our happy ending. But I think we’re both mature enough to make this work.” Josh fell silent.
Anthony remained quiet and tried to sort the thoughts in his head. “That’s all right, but what if you fall in love at some point? What if someday you’ll find someone you want to be with? Then you’re still tied to me.” He rested his head on his hands. That was one of his biggest fears.
“Of course it can happen, but it also can happen to you. I don’t know, you don’t know, and right now that’s not the case. Although I think you have it worse than me. I’m choosing to mate with you. You have to mate if you want to survive this fight.”
“Yes, I have to. But you have a choice. You don’t have to do this.”
“But I want to. Even if it wasn’t something I ever intended to do, I want to do it. For you, to prevent you from having to mate with someone you don’t even know, and for this pack.” Josh carefully laid his hand on Anthony’s on his thigh. His hand was warm, much warmer than Anthony’s own icy cold one.
Chapter 11
Josh
* * *
“It all just seems so unfair to me. I don’t want you to ever hate me for forcing you into this.”
“You didn’t. If it’ll come to that, then so be it. But right now, I can promise you it’s not. That’s all I can give you. I don’t know how things are going to be between us. But I like you, and I can see a future with you. I think that’s more than most people can say. And if I’m honest, I don’t like the idea of you having someone else at all.” Josh laughed quietly after he spoke.
‚I don’t like the idea’ was perhaps too weak of an expression. Imagining Anthony with Jeremy or Lindsay was enough for him to make him want to immediately drag Anthony into a corner and demand to be taken. He didn’t know where it came from, but it was there. He couldn’t change his feelings.
“I can’t think of anyone but you right now either. And I’m very honored that you want to do this.” Anthony’s free hand covered Josh’s carefully. He held him tight, his big fingers wound around Josh’s smaller ones, and finally he looked up.
Josh’s eyes met Anthony’s, and he swallowed hard. There was so much worry, sadness, and despair mixed in these large, expressive, dark eyes. His face was grim, and he looked like he’d aged years.
Josh got up and slowly stood in front of Anthony. When Anthony leaned back, he sat on his lap.
Cupping Anthony’s face, he rubbed tenderly over his cheeks. “We can do this. Somehow we’ll manage, even if we’re just good friends. I don’t care. We’re gonna do this now, and then this pack will be safe. Have faith in both of us,” he whispered, then he pressed his lips to Anthony’s.
Anthony’s mouth was warm, but he didn’t react at first. It took half a second, then finally Anthony seemed to tear himself away from his thoughts and returned the kiss. His lips opened slightly, and his tongue came out to play with Josh’s. Finally.
Big, strong hands stroked over his back and pushed him forward, against Anthony’s upper body. He radiated heat and
even more strength and power than usual. Was it because he was about to take over the pack? Josh didn’t know, but at the moment, it didn’t matter. He wanted nothing more than to feel Anthony inside him, to be taken by him, to be owned by him.
With a moan, Anthony broke away from him. “Come on, let’s go to the guest house. I’m not gonna mate you here in this office. You deserve better.”
“Somehow office sex has something wicked about it,” Josh countered.
The thought of being bent over the desk and simply getting taken made his cock twitch.
“If that’s something you want to try out, we can definitely do that. But the first time will certainly not be like this.”
With that sentence, he pulled Josh out the door. Lindsay was still guarding Anthony’s father, and they stopped briefly to see if everything was all right. Lindsay said yes, so Anthony and Josh moved on. They left the prison hand in hand and went toward the guest house.
At least Josh suspected it was the guest house. He hadn’t gotten that far yet.
The large, two-story house that’d probably once been impressive and inviting was now grey like the rest of the village, slightly run-down and shabby.
It was like no one had been interested in what the house looked like for a long time, or like no one had felt responsible for taking care of it.
Anthony pushed the door open, stopping in an empty entrance area. Josh followed him, looking around. Here, it was obvious that it’d never been renovated, although everything was clean.
An elderly woman appeared from a room next door. She looked at them with interest and didn’t seem to know what to do with the two newcomers. Apparently, visitors weren’t common here.
“Can I help you?”
“We need a room. In fact, we’ll need several rooms, as my colleagues and I will spend the nights here until we have found permanent accommodation.”
The woman nodded. She reached behind her and took a key with trembling fingers. “The rooms are all clean, but does the alpha know you’re here? We haven’t had visitors in so long.”
“I’m the new alpha. This is my future mate, Josh.”
“Oh, my God!” The woman put her hand to her mouth. “Are you Anthony?”
“I am.” Anthony nodded, even though he looked surprised. “But I must confess, I don’t remember your name.”
“I joined the pack just before you disappeared.” She laughed quietly. “I can’t believe it finally happened. We’ve waited so long for your return.”
Anthony turned slightly red and held Josh’s hand a little tighter. “Well, here I am. And I’d like to take my mate to a room.” He looked directly at the key she was still holding in her hand.
“Of course, excuse me.” She handed him the key and then bowed deeply. “It’s an honor, Alpha.”
Anthony didn’t bother correcting her. In a few minutes it’d be the truth, and this woman seemed to be very happy that the old alpha had been removed. Not one of the pack members they’d met so far had asked what had happened to him. They didn’t seem to care.
Chapter 12
Anthony
* * *
The room was simple, but it seemed to be freshly cleaned and didn’t smell musty either. Brown carpet revealed a renovation would’ve been necessary a few years ago, because it was definitely not from this century. The same thing could be said about the closet and the bed. It’d been years. If he remembered correctly, these rooms had looked the same in his youth, although he didn’t have much business in the guesthouse back then.
He led Josh in and closed the door behind them. It shut with a too loud click, and Anthony took a deep breath before turning to Josh. Silence surrounded them, and as he looked at his future mate, he saw his shoulders hunched and a solemn expression on his face. Despite all their talk about it, this was a big decision, and he still wasn’t sure they were doing the right thing.
“So… are we doing this now?” Josh chewed on his lower lip, wringing his hands in front of him. He seemed younger than usual, not as confident – quite different from when he’d kissed Anthony a few minutes ago.
Anthony nodded. “We can still… We can still back out.”
“No, we can’t.” With these words, Josh stepped closer to him, put his hands on Anthony’s hips and looked up at him. His teeth were still buried in his lower lip, and Anthony could smell the blood.
His fangs and claws tried to drop. He closed his eyes and concentrated on withdrawing them. If he was going to do this, he’d do it right. Right meant more kissing, and kissing with fangs didn’t work.
It didn’t mean it was easy at all, because the blood called to him, but he managed.
Josh was silent, waiting patiently until Anthony took the next step.
Slowly, Anthony placed his hands on Josh’s hips and pulled him closer. As always, Josh fit perfectly into his arms, just as he’d held him countless times before – and would hold him in the future.
With one last deep breath, Anthony lowered his head and pulled Josh into a kiss.
Josh met him halfway, his lips soft and gentle and tender. He tasted the way he always did. Sweet, seductive, sexy.
Anthony moaned softly. He liked the taste of his future mate, one of the things that’d drawn him from the first kiss. He just couldn’t get enough of it and needed more.
Josh opened his mouth a little, exhaling quietly. Anthony used the opportunity to trace his tongue over Josh’s lower lip to taste the blood mixing with Josh’s already seductive smell and taste.
Damn, that was so hot. He growled deeply, then his tongue touched Josh’s again. Here, the taste was even more intense, and Anthony didn’t hesitate. Instinct took over, and he pushed Josh back, toward the bed.
After a few steps, Josh’s legs touched the edge of the bed and slowly sank onto it, slowly enough not to interrupt the kiss. He came to lie under Anthony, who knelt half over him while trying to keep his body in contact with Josh’s without breaking the kiss.
Impossible. Not even a shifter was that flexible.
Breathless, he interrupted the kiss and licked Josh’s lips one last time to taste them. Damn, he was addicted. He opened his eyes slightly to look at Josh.
He looked like a fallen angel. His lips were red and swollen, and his skin was slightly chafed where Anthony’s beard had scratched him. His eyes were clouded with lust, and his cheeks were flushed a delicate pink. Damn, it was beautiful. So beautiful.
“Slide up a little, please,” Anthony whispered, not wanting to destroy the mood.
Josh moved up until he lay completely on the bed. Immediately, Anthony began to push his T-shirt up and kiss his belly before he leaned onto one elbow and pulled Josh into another kiss.
His free hand wandered under Josh’s T-shirt, and he was rewarded with a sharp gasp as his fingertips brushed bare skin. Josh’s skin was soft and sensitive. That wasn’t something new, but it still fascinated him every time.
They kissed without haste, enjoying a lazy foreplay that got hotter and hotter.
Josh’s hands moved under Anthony’s T-shirt, and he played with the hairs on Anthony’s stomach until his fingers wandered up to his nipples. He caressed them with the tips of his fingers, until Anthony inhaled and pressed his hard shaft against Josh’s hip.
Finally, he needed to stop kissing him, since he couldn’t get enough air in his lungs. Instead, he rested his head against Josh’s shoulder.
His smell was strongest there, and that was where he wanted to be. He wanted to smell it, taste it, feel it, and that was exactly what he’d do right now. He lay half on Josh and pressed his erection against Josh’s equally hard cock. They rubbed against each other, still separated by jeans. Hot breath fanned over his shoulder, then Josh’s hands were on his back, trying to pull the T-shirt over Anthony’s head.
“Take it off. Right now,” whispered Josh, while he himself made no effort to undress.
“Whatever you want.”
Anthony tried to sit up, but Josh held him tight and pul
led him into another kiss.
When they broke apart this time, Anthony didn’t hesitate long. He immediately sat up, pulled his T-shirt over his head and his pants down, removing his boxer shorts with them. Naked, he pressed himself again to Josh and let him feel how excited he was just from their foreplay.
“Oh, that’s nice.” Josh nearly purred as he wrapped his hand around Anthony’s hard shaft. He rubbed up and down a few times, and Anthony hissed. Damn, Josh’s fingers felt good. Even better would be his tight ass, which he’d be in very soon.
“You should try the undressing thing. It’s pretty simple, but the effect is phenomenal.”
“Well, well. You expect me to believe that? You’re just trying to get me in bed.” Josh laughed.
Anthony grinned, too. “It seems to be working. After all, you’re in bed. Now get undressed. I feel stupid when I’m the only one naked.”
“You might be right.” Josh slipped quickly out of his clothes then pressed himself back against Anthony. Instead of letting Anthony lean over him again, Josh turned him on his back. As he straddled Anthony’s hips, their cocks rubbed against each other.
Josh looked at him like he was a piece of cake he wanted to eat. Well, as long as his future mate had that look on his face, Anthony wouldn’t have to worry about some things. That was the last conscious thought, because Josh attacked.
He drew a long line with his tongue from Anthony’s nipples down to his navel. Josh didn’t seem to mind the hair on Anthony’s chest and stomach. He played with it, ran his fingers through it, and caressed it with his tongue. He paused briefly on Anthony’s belly button, then he worked his way down, to Anthony’s cock.
Without any hesitation, he wrapped his lips around the head. Anthony’s upper body rose from the bed, and he breathed out sharply as Josh sucked him deep into his throat.
Heat rose in him as Josh sucked just right to form the perfect vacuum. Josh’s hands were on his hips and when he was confident Anthony wouldn’t thrust up, he started playing with his balls. His tongue played with the slit again and again, while Josh grasped his balls with his hand, rubbing them and stroking them with his fingertips.
