by Lisa Oliver
“But if he’d been raped, then it wasn’t his fault,” Levi said earnestly, leaning forward from his perch on Steel’s knee. “His dad should’ve been praising you, not kicking you out of the pack.”
“I don’t think he was being raped,” Steel kicked in. Dante looked at him, the question clearly evident in his eyes and Steel continued. “I think it was a lover’s tryst, and that this Jerrod probably is gay, or at least bi. You said that when you first heard the two men, you just thought they were going at it - having sex. If Jerrod was being raped, he would have been crying, trying to fight the other guy off, and screaming his lungs out. But all you heard was sounds of sex. When he saw he’d been caught, Jerrod cried rape so that his secret would be safe. That’s why he didn’t want you to involve him in any way.”
Dante knew that what Steel said made sense. Prior to actually seeing Jerrod, Dante did think it was just two men enjoying some solid fucking. But when Dante saw Jerrod’s face, the man looked shocked and really scared. At the time Dante thought it was because the other man was being violated. But what if Steel was right and Jerrod was actually scared, not because he’d been raped, but because he’d been caught out.
“I get what you’re saying,” Dante said slowly, “but it doesn’t help my case any. If Jerrod wasn’t raped, then my killing of Tom was totally unnecessary. It was still an unfair kill and that won’t change, whether Jerrod’s part in this is made clear to the Alpha or not.”
“What position were you in your old pack, Dante?” Steel asked.
“Alpha enforcer. Ten years. I was responsible for the lives and safety of the Alpha, Alpha Mate and their three children, including Jerrod.”
“Then it wasn’t an unfair kill,” Levi said excitedly.
“Er…I think it is,” Dante said confused. “You don’t kill a guy for fucking someone. At least I don’t.”
“No,” Steel said gravelly, “but your job was to protect Jerrod, and he told you that he was being raped. You did your job, based on what someone in authority told you to do. That same someone who then lied by omission and let you get kicked out of the pack. It was a fair kill in that you were responding to the situation as you had been told it. The unfair part came from Jerrod not admitting what he was up to, and he should be made to face up to what he’s done.”
“What does it matter anyway,” Dante said closing his eyes as he laid his head back on his chair. “I lost my home, my job, my position, my car, my money - everything I had. I had one chance at a job with Pearson, and I can’t do that because of my past record. I was banking everything on getting that job.”
He gave a dry laugh. “I’ll be fucking homeless by Saturday, so it was just as well you caught up with me when you did.” He opened his eyes and sat up.
“Look, I really appreciate what you’ve done. Finding me. Bringing me food and stuff. I understand that Pearson can’t afford to have someone on his staff with a kill mark to his name. And if he can’t trust me to work in his club, then he won’t trust me as a mate. Without trust, I can’t be a decent Alpha Mate for the pack. I can’t live with a man that doesn’t trust me, and I’ve already lived with a pack that didn’t accept my true nature. I’m not doing it again.”
Standing up, Dante headed for the door, clearly indicating it was time for Steel and Levi to leave. After a look at each other, the two men got up as well and stood by the door.
“Let Pearson know I will be out of his territory by Saturday, okay?” Dante said.
Levi and Steel shared another long look, and Dante almost thought they were communicating. But that would mean they were double mated, and that was really rare in a BDSM community. The two men said their goodbyes and Dante closed the door behind them.
Going back to the couch, he stretched out and tried to get some sleep. If he was going to be back on the road again in two days time, he’d better get all the sleep he could.
/~/~/~/~/
Outside, in their SUV, Steel pulled out his phone and rang Pearson. He flicked on the speaker phone so Levi could hear the conversation.
“Did you find him?” Pearson’s voice came on the line.
“Yep,” Steel replied. “But you’re right, you fucked up Pearson. He wouldn’t come with us to see you. He doesn’t see the need to talk to you, because he figures you don’t trust him, so he figures you won’t be his mate. He told us to tell you he’s moving out of your territory on Saturday. It seems he’ll be homeless by then seeing as he doesn’t have a job.”
“Oh fucking hell,” Pearson said, his voice breaking. “I can’t let him leave. But with this unfair kill on his record…”
“Yeah, turns out that probably wasn’t his fault,” Steel said. “Did he tell you he was Alpha Enforcer at his old pack?”
“No, it never came up,” Pearson said. Being an Alpha Enforcer was a big deal in any pack and it reinforced in Pearson just how honorable Dante was.
“Well, me and Levi think that this Jerrod bloke probably set Dante up after he got caught enjoying his lover. The way we see it, Dante did what a good enforcer is supposed to do. Jerrod cried rape and the Alpha Enforcer did his job. Dante said he never meant to actually kill this wolf. That just happened as they were fighting. Jerrod is the one who should be done for the unfair kill, because he was the one who lied about being raped. Jerrod knew if he talked to the Alpha about it, then the Alpha would smell any lie that the little shit told, and his dad would know that he was gay.”
“Can we catch this Jerrod out do you think? Try and clear Dante’s name?” Pearson asked.
“I can get some guys on it, but it won’t happen in two days, Pearson, you know that. Dante will be gone before we can do any good.” Steel said.
“Oh no he won’t be.” Pearson sounded determined now. “You get onto clearing Dante’s name. I’ll sort out the rest. Give me the man’s address.”
“What are you going to do, Alpha?” Levi wanted to know, although he pretty well guessed already.
“I’m going to claim the big fucker, and make him Alpha Mate, regardless of the mark against his name. I do believe him and it’s what I should have done the day I met him and this unfair kill business be dammed. You guys have done your bit and I want you to deal with this Jerrod business. I’m going to do what I should have done when I met my mate.”
“Yes, Alpha,” Steel and Levi chorused together. Steel gave Pearson Dante’s address and then clicked off the phone.
“Shall we sit here and wait for the fireworks, little mate,” Steel asked Levi as they sat in the cozy heat of the vehicle. Levi brushed his hand up Steel’s leg and gently cupped his mate’s hardening cock.
“How about we make some fireworks of our own at home,” Levi purred, looking up at Steel as his hand tightened on the man’s namesake. Stifling a groan, Steel got the SUV started, and the vehicle peeled off down the street. Steel loved fireworks, especially when they came from fucking his mate.
Chapter Five
Pearson sat in his SUV staring up at the window of his mate’s small apartment. Shit, Pearson thought, what a dump. He absolutely hated the fact that his mate was forced to live in such circumstances, especially with what he had learned about the man in the past three days. From all accounts Dante had been successful, living a good life and was solid in his pack. His ex-Alpha had admitted to Pearson on the phone that he didn’t want to banish Dante - but for an unfair kill, the man didn’t have a choice. Dante could have been killed just as easily, but Dante’s ex-Alpha hadn’t wanted to do that. The man had pushed Pearson to see if he knew more about why his Alpha Enforcer would up and kill another enforcer for no apparent reason, but it wasn’t Pearson’s place to say anything. As much as Pearson would love to out the Alpha’s son, it wasn’t something he could, or would do. Not without solid proof.
Everything in Pearson’s body was screaming at him to burst into Dante’s apartment, manhandle the man to the nearest flat surface, fuck him and claim him, regardless of his mate’s reluctance to bottom. He was the damn Alpha. It
was within his rights to do exactly that and if Dante had had a sniff of submission about him, Pearson probably would have gone along with his original plan.
The need Pearson had for the man who would be his mate was all encompassing - his wolf was edgy, his skin crawled with the urge to touch and his nose longed to be filled with Dante’s enticing scent. And as for his cock, that was throbbing even now. Pearson had been running around with a hard on for three days and no matter how many times he had tugged himself to release, the damn thing stayed hard. Pearson was going nuts, and the temptation to just bowl in and claim his man was a powerful one.
But Dante had Alpha blood too, and while he didn’t appear to be as strong as Pearson, he was close. For all that Pearson longed to have a full time mate, he didn’t want their lives together to be one constant fight. Being mated wasn’t a guaranteed love match. Regardless of how the two men felt about each other they would still want to fuck each other senseless. Fate was funny like that. But Pearson wanted a mate outside of the bedroom too. He wanted a true Alpha Mate. A man who would stand by his side, care for him when things got tough, and be his equal in every way. Pearson knew he wouldn’t have that with Dante if he forced his claim on the man now.
Smiling, Pearson formulated a new plan. The mate pull worked both ways. Dante would be as compelled to care for him, as he was for Dante. What Pearson needed to do was to trigger the caring side of his mate and let the mate pull work from there. If Dante could feel that he had something positive to bring to their partnership, then he wouldn’t feel so bad about the fact that Pearson would be the one supporting him for a while. Well, only until the claiming anyway. Once wolves claimed each other as mates their property and assets automatically became shared. With one fuck and a well-placed bite, Dante would become a rich man and half owner of the club, plus the house that Pearson owned. But Pearson already knew that Dante had far too much pride to see things that way. Pearson had to convince Dante that he needed him.
Looking down at his clothes, Pearson grimaced. He always looked good and prided himself on his immaculate appearance. It was one of the many intimidation tools he used when putting other wolves in their place. Definitely not the look he needed to go with right now. Pulling off his freshly pressed shirt, Pearson scrunched it up in his hands until it was full of wrinkles, before slipping it back on, leaving the top three buttons undone. Running his fingers through his hair, he gave himself a totally mussed appearance. He couldn’t do much about the rest of him, but to a casual onlooker Pearson looked tired and roughed up. Pearson was genuinely tired - he hadn’t slept since Dante had left the club, so that part was real enough. So too was his scruffy beard. But as Pearson looked down at his appearance again - he needed just a little bit more.
Stepping out of the SUV, Pearson crept quietly down the street to a little brick wall that ran across the front of a house. Without giving it any thought at all, Pearson punched the wall hard a couple of times, with both hands, before looking down at his bruises with a grin on his face. Yep. Chapped and broken skin, a bit of blood that Pearson smeared down his face, and some bruises. Now to get to his mate quickly before his damn shifter genetics healed him up.
Adopting a stagger, Pearson slowly stumbled his way up to Dante’s front door. There was no sound coming from inside, and Pearson could only guess that his mate was asleep. That was good. A sleepy mate wouldn’t be so quick to observe that the only marks Pearson had on him were on his fists. Leaning against the door frame, Pearson pounded on the door. When he heard signs of movement inside, Pearson hung his head, slumped his body and closed his eyes. The perfect picture of a man who wanted, no, needed his mate to look after him.
The door opened and Dante’s delicious scent washed over Pearson like a cool balm on a hot day. His cock immediately rose to attention, after drooping a bit when Pearson punched the wall, and Pearson didn’t even try to hold back his groan. Sexual, or in pain, damn the way his cock was threatening his zipper it could have been either, but whatever the cause, Dante was hooked. As Pearson felt his mate’s strong arm come around his waist, and he let himself be pulled into the tiny apartment, Pearson felt a huge sense of relief. Step one - in the door - success. Now he just had to make sure he didn’t fuck things up again.
/~/~/~/~/
“What the hell happened to you?” Dante grumbled as he slipped under Pearson’s shoulder and encouraged the man through the door and down onto the couch. Pearson hadn’t let go of him and Dante felt himself falling onto Pearson’s lap. Recognizing his mate needed comfort almost instinctively, Dante lifted his head and pressed Pearson’s face into the crook of his shoulder. He felt Pearson take deep breaths and then nuzzle into his skin.
Dante had been shocked to see Pearson at his door, especially in the middle of the night. He had been sleeping on the couch when he heard the knock on the door and had opened it without being fully awake. But the sight of Pearson, looking so wrung out, tired and possibly hurt kicked off Dante’s protective instincts before Dante could fully comprehend what was happening. His immediate thought was that his mate needed him, and Dante reacted on instinct, helping Pearson into his apartment, and closing the door behind him. Pearson’s strong, possessive grip around his waist and the way the man had managed to get him to literally fall into his lap, was a clue that not all that Pearson was projecting was true. But Dante acknowledged that he needed to feel his mate, as much as Pearson apparently needed him. He would go with it for now, at least until he found out what the man wanted.
God, Pearson felt so good in his arms. Dante dropped his head slightly so it rested on his mate’s thick, dark hair. It felt so soft against his skin and Dante fought the urge to revel in it - bury his nose in it and never come out. He took a deep breath, savoring Pearson’s smell - the man smelled of aged oak, stepped in fine whiskey and it was intoxicating. But there was something else there - blood. Pearson’s blood.
Pulling back, Dante looked down at Pearson and noticed the smudge of blood on his cheek.
“You’re hurt,” he said, worry lacing his tone. “Let me see.”
Pearson appeared to be ignoring him, because the man had now decided licking up his neck was an appropriate thing to do. While Dante moaned softly as his mate’s tongue licked a soft trail from his neck, to that really sensitive spot right under his chin, he forced himself to ignore the jolts of lust that were running through his body. His cock was so damned hard it hurt, and Dante could tell from where he was sitting, that Pearson was in the same way. It would be so easy to just give in. Dante had never felt so safe, so warm and so damned horny in his life. But no. Pearson was hurt, and Dante needed to tend to that.
“Pearson, stop,” Dante said firmly. When Pearson raised his head and looked into his eyes, Dante felt himself falling. Falling for a man who didn’t trust him. That thought blasted through Dante like a bucket of cold water and he ignored his aching cock and focused instead on the blood he could smell.
“You’re hurt, Pearson. I can smell the blood. Tell me what happened. Where are you hurt?”
“It’s nothing,” Pearson said in his deep velvet voice. Pearson lifted one of his hands from where it had held fast around Dante’s waist, and held it up so Dante could see. Smudges of blood, chipped skin and inflamed knuckles decorated the back of Pearson’s hand. Dante reached behind him and pulled out Pearson’s other hand to see it was in a similar state.
“What the hell where you punching?” Dante couldn’t smell any other person or wolf on Pearson, for which his own wolf was grateful. His wolf was inflamed by the sight and smell of the blood on his mate and wanted out - wanted to kill whoever had hurt this precious man. Even fully aware that is was the mating bond that caused these feelings, Dante couldn’t prevent the surge of anger he felt that some one might have hurt Pearson. No matter how instinctive, the feelings were very real and Dante wouldn’t rest until he got the story from his mate.
Bending his head, Dante carefully licked the blood from Pearson’s fingers; the action soothing
his wolf. Tending their mate was more important than thoughts of killing or vengeance against an imagined foe. As Dante licked carefully around scratches and bruises his wolf felt content and that was enough to calm the anger that had flared up. The little moan Pearson gave when Dante’s tongue touched him, made Dante’s wolf even happier. Pleasing their mate was something the wolf took inordinate pride in.
Once Dante had finished, and he and his wolf were satisfied there was no other signs of injuries, he said again, “What were you punching, and more importantly, why?”
The man beneath Dante sighed, and rolled his head onto the back of the couch, even has Pearson’s hands found their way back around Dante’s waist. The touch felt hot through Dante’s thin t-shirt and his muscles flexed under Pearson’s slight rubbing motion. Even that tiny bit of touch was enough to send Dante’s senses tingling.
“It’s all so hard,” Pearson began in a tired voice. “Being Alpha all the time. Dealing with the pack, all of the time. This business with Grier. I know there’s a threat to the pack coming and I don’t know what it is, or where it’s coming from. Then I fucked things up with you, and I don’t know…I just don’t think I can cope anymore. I’m constantly tired, frustrated and angry.” Pearson looked up at Dante, his hazel eyes almost golden in their sincerity.
“I can’t do this without you. I need you. I fucking punched a wall because otherwise I would just go out and kill something. My wolf is pissed at me. My staff are pissed at me. No one at the club comes near me. Sitting here with you in my arms is the first time I’ve felt anywhere near normal since you walked into my office. When I met you I found out what my life was missing. My soul mate - my other half and I can’t fucking do without you.”
