by Lisa Oliver
“You’d hunt for me?”
Taken aback by the surprise in Devyn’s tone, Rex just nodded. “It’s what an alpha wolf would do for his mate.” Actually, in his father’s pack, couples hunted together, and he’d fully expected to run with the mate chosen for him by the Fates. But clearly, that wasn’t to be.
“Gregor never… he said…. I don’t shift much.”
Devyn’s head was down, his tone defeated. Rex wasn’t going to accept that. “Shifting is an important part of the bond between the two halves of our nature. But we can talk about how to do that safely later.” He ran his hand up the side of Devyn’s face, tightening his fingers slightly in the front length of his mate’s hair. “Is the other part of the omega legend true?”
“You mean my self-prepping ass?” Devyn moaned softly as Rex tilted his head. “It’s getting uncomfortable in this seat.”
Sniffing up the arch of Devyn’s neck, Rex growled, “then we’d better get inside.”
Chapter Twelve
Everything went exactly as Devyn dreamed. After a slight mishap with the truck rolling, until Devyn showed Rex where the brake was, he was lifted into Rex’s arms, carried into the house and laid on his bed like an offering. His glasses were removed and carefully placed on the bedside table. Kisses and nips accompanied the gentle way Rex took off his shirt, with plenty of stroking in between. Devyn finally had the chance to dance his fingers over Rex’s broad chest, loving how the heat in Rex’s eyes intensified. Between the hard hands, and soft kisses, Devyn was getting restless, but it wasn’t in him to push Rex to go any faster.
It wasn’t until Rex was completely naked and reaching for his pant’s button that Devyn tensed, his dreams of soft seduction crashing headfirst into reality. No one had ever seen his legs except Gregor and that was only when he was younger.
“They have to come off if we want to go any further, babe.”
The lust was still there, on Rex’s face, but Devyn imagined he saw hints of compassion too. “I know. It’s just….” Fuck, how could he explain to a virile, perfectly formed male like Rex that his bottom half just didn’t look like anyone else’s. Rex said himself he’d had sex with other guys. Sloane looked like he’d stepped off a magazine cover, and even Jake had the buff, sexy form so many people idolized. Devyn knew his body didn’t come close to their physical perfection.
But his cock was hard, his ass was hot, and looking down, Devyn saw how Rex’s hardened length was pointed firmly in his direction. As he watched, a pearl cream droplet oozed out of Rex’s slit, and rolled lazily down the purple shaded length. Reaching out, Devyn caught the droplet with his finger, but Rex caught his hand before he could put that finger in his mouth.
“We’re going to be together for a long time, you and I,” Rex said quietly, his eyes watching him intently. “Are you going to deny me the chance to love over every inch of your hot little body? It’s not going to be any easier for you, if we wait a week, a month, or even a year or more.”
“This isn’t me being a bit self-conscious because I have a few extra pounds around my middle, or worried you’d laugh at me because one of my balls is bigger than the other one,” Devyn snapped, stung because he knew his mate was right. It’s not as though it would make any difference, asking Rex to close his curtains. Wolf shifters had excellent night vision in either form. But he was still nervous, sure Rex had never seen a disabled person naked before. “One of my legs isn’t straight. I don’t have feet.”
“You’re breathing,” Rex said, dropping his hand and reaching for Devyn’s pant’s button again. “Thanks to my father, that’s a miracle in itself. But here you are, in my arms, the man deemed perfect for me by the Fates.” Devyn felt his button give under the pressure of Rex’s fingers. “You just have to trust me.”
Trust. Right. Giving into the inevitable, Devyn lay flat on his back, staring at the ceiling as he heard his zipper open, and felt his pants being drawn down over his hips. He wouldn’t look; he wasn’t going to watch the horror or disgust on Rex’s face when he saw how badly his lower half was formed. When the man ran, cursing out of his bedroom, and he would, Devyn was sure of that, he’d cry, and maybe scream at the Fates about the injustices in his life, but then he’d get up and move on, because that’s what Devyn had always done when life slapped him around the face.
“Such gorgeous pale skin.” Devyn frowned at Rex’s whisper. He was pale because he barely ever shifted outside. Not like Rex who didn’t have a tan line on him. He could feel his pants being lowered, inch by excruciating inch and there was a part of him that wished he’d done it himself so the humiliation would be over.
“You can feel sensations, right?” Rex asked, his voice as soft as the caress Devyn felt on his thigh.
He nodded.
“And you don’t have any pain? Anywhere that might hurt if I touch you there?” Rex’s hand was moving down his leg.
Devyn swallowed, blinked away his tears and shook his head, his gaze still fixed on the ceiling. “The muscles in my thighs ache sometimes from sitting down all the time, but that’s all.” Rex’s intoxicating scent so close meant he was still hard, even though he wanted to cry. Why is he being so nice about this?
“You have muscle definition,” Rex’s voice was still quiet, but there was no hatred or censor in his tone. “I didn’t expect that.”
Devyn tried not to tremble as a hand ran over the nub where his left leg ended. “I… I exercise when I can.” The last word came out as a squeak. Rex was brushing his lips over the ends of his legs. No one had ever touched him there before.
“Hmm,” Devyn found himself being rolled to his side. “I bet those exercises are a sexy sight when you’re doing them naked.”
See. He doesn’t get it. Devyn was never naked except when he was showering, or in the time it took to change clothes or shift. He accepted his shortcomings because he didn’t have a choice, but he kept his legs covered as much as possible. He wanted to protest, to roll away, to stop the myriad of emotions flowing through his body, but then Rex’s breath ghosted across his ass and Devyn moaned.
He couldn’t help being horny. It was the mating curse. Put mates together in the same room, and lust took over. It was a combination of instinct, scent, and hormones. Devyn didn’t have any control over his body – not with Rex’s fingers easing his butt cheeks apart. His instincts were screaming at him to arch his back and shove his ass in his mate’s handsome face, but his position on his side, and the way Rex was holding him made it impossible.
“You have such a gorgeous ass.” Yep, the man was insane. Devyn sat on his ass ninety percent of the time. It wasn’t pert and rounded. It wasn’t muscled and flat. It was a patch of skin between his lower back and his legs. That was it. Shit, knowing Devyn’s luck he probably had a giant pimple glowing in the middle of one of his butt cheeks. It wasn’t as though he could see it.
But Rex was licking it. He was licking Devyn’s ass. Devyn scrambled to process his last thought. I didn’t know people did that sort of thing. But Rex was doing it, and if the groans and growls were any indication, the man was enjoying himself. When Devyn felt Rex’s tongue delve into his butt crack, the moans fell out of his mouth unbidden. He pushed his body back, as far as he was able, driven by a need he couldn’t describe or control. It was as if his whole body came to life under Rex’s touch and there was nothing Devyn could do to stop the tsunami of feelings he was swamped with.
“Rex, please.” Devyn didn’t know what he was asking for. Hell, he could barely remember his own name. All his doubts, worries and insecurities drained away, overtaken by lust, and all he felt was a strong clawing need.
“I’ve got you, Omega.” He heard Rex shuffle up the bed beside him. He called me Omega, is that why…? The thought vanished. Everything vanished except a slight burning sensation in his butt as a blunt force pushed against it. Forget against it, Rex was in him. Rex’s cock is in my ass!
Devyn cried out, his feelings overwhelming him. He wasn’t in pain, nothi
ng Rex was doing hurt him, but that clawing need inside of him had to have an outlet. Now their bodies were joined it came back stronger than ever. His limbs twitched – hell, he twitched all over, driven by instincts to get closer to his mate. Hips jerked, his. But Rex’s grip on his hip bones stopped him from moving the way instinct wanted.
“I knew it,” Rex growled in his ear as Devyn’s back was blanketed with his mate’s heat. “I knew your sexy body was made for me in every way.”
You could’ve added feet to your mate order. Devyn writhed, but he didn’t have anywhere to go. Impaled on Rex’s cock, he could only wriggle and pant, gasp and moan, as Rex did all the moving for them both. So, this is sex. Slipping, sliding bodies, a deep ache inside of him and a flutter in his belly that seemed to ratchet up every time Rex’s hips hit his butt.
In the infrequent porn Devyn had seen, the emphasis was all on the eight inches (more or less) of groin areas. Lots of camera shots of cocks sliding into holes, and balls swinging beneath the action. This was nothing like that. Rex was pressed up against his back, his grunts interspersed with muttered compliments Devyn wasn’t sure he could believe. But the growing unfurling in his lower belly signaled his orgasm was building.
Higher, higher. It was right there. A sharp punch of Rex’s hips and Devyn cried out again as pleasure rippled through his insides. Clutching the sheets in a death grip, he pushed back as far as he was able. “Pleeeeease!”
“Come, my omega.” A sharp bite lodged in Devyn’s shoulder, but the pain was washed away almost immediately with bliss that flooded his body.
“Thank fuck,” Devyn moaned as he finally climaxed. His fangs had dropped and unable to help himself, he sank them into Rex’s lower arm. In his mind’s eye he could see his shy wolf embracing his larger alpha counterpart with quivering excitement, and tears suddenly filled his eyes. My spirit animal has four feet, he thought as Rex slumped against his back, brushing butterfly kisses across the nape of his neck.
/~/~/~/~/
We did that. Rex and his wolf were in smug agreement as they watched over their sleeping omega. Naked, the slender man looked more vulnerable somehow, and Rex wondered if his mate knew he used clothes as a barrier – a way of stopping anyone getting too close. Certainly, none of the clothing Rex had seen Devyn in highlighted his attributes – his well-toned shoulders or his slender waist. Thinking back to the first time he saw Devyn, Rex recalled even then, his mate was hiding behind the counter, his head down as though he didn’t want to be noticed.
All because of his lack of feet. That is so fucking sad. Lying as he was, curled up against Rex’s chest, one could almost ignore the fact Devyn’s legs ended just below his calf muscle. His twisted leg was underneath him, the knee misshapen and lumpy, causing the bottom half of his leg to be skewed. But the straight leg looked like any other, except for being marginally skinnier than would be seen on a healthy young wolf shifter.
Giving into his urge, Rex eased Devyn gently onto his chest, settling back against the pillows, stroking down his mate’s spine. I could’ve really fucked up our first time, he thought, his lips twitching as Devyn snuffled against his skin and then snored gently.
Truth was, being a wolf shifter, Rex was raised to see any deformity as a sign of weakness. Prior to Devyn, he’d never considered fucking a guy even if he wore glasses. Looking back on his behavior now, Rex was deeply ashamed of himself. He’d meant what he said about Devyn’s strengths and wondered how many other relationships he might have scuttled, or not even attempted, because he was too busy focusing on how a person looked, instead of how they could make him feel.
It’s not as though I wanted a relationship either, Rex admitted to himself. Sloane was the closest he’d ever come to being in one, and that was more due to Sloane’s persistence than anything else. Unlike his father who believed mates were only put on the earth for the purpose of providing pups, Rex had always hoped, always dreamed that his perfect match would show up one day. Of course, in his vision, his mate would stroll into the bar late one night – their eyes would meet, the guy would start panting over him and five minutes later he’d be screwing the guy in his office.
Rex snorted quietly, and then quickly checked to make sure Devyn was still sleeping. There was no way he wanted Devyn to ever find out how big of an idiot he’d been. In a lot of ways Rex had stuck to his old casual habits, even if after twenty odd years of doing so, he’d been getting bored with his fuck and run approach. From when he’d been sixteen, Rex had been all about getting his rocks off, confident in his father’s assurance that having sex as often as possible was a sure sign of the strength of his wolf.
But in the space of just a few hours, Rex’s entire perspective had changed. In all the years I’ve been fucking around, this little guy has been facing his troubles with nothing but a bear for company. A good bear. Rex would admit that. For all his growl and bluster, Gregor cared about Devyn deeply and had done a damn good job of keeping the little wolf safe. But, Devyn’s confidence in his abilities, the way he had carved out an independent life for himself was all testament to his omega’s strength.
He’s not going to be alone anymore. It’s time to pull my alpha pants on – time to grow up, accept responsibilities and make sure the world is safe for my omega.
Rex’s stomach rumbled, reminding him it was well past his normal dinner time and loving on his mate had given him one hell of an appetite.
I’ll cook. In a minute, I’ll cook for my omega. Providing for him the way an alpha should. But for now, Rex was going to accept the pleasure that came from holding his sleeping mate in his arms. His grumbly stomach could wait.
Chapter Thirteen
“I could get used to this.” Devyn grinned at the sight of his mate bent over, cooking bacon and hash browns in a fry pan on the stove top. It’d been almost surreal, waking up on Rex’s chest, the bigger man stroking him like he took comfort from it. Devyn didn’t have time to feel embarrassed about being naked – Rex took care of that, initiating him into the joys of blow jobs. Now, with a slightly aching throat and the taste of Rex’s come still on his tongue, Devyn was hungry for something more.
“I’m not the world’s best cook, but I get by.” Rex sauntered over, flipping crispy bacon and the slightly over done hash browns onto Devyn’s plate. A pot of coffee was freshly brewed, its smell mingling with the scent of cooked toast. It wasn’t the sort of thing Devyn would normally cook for an evening meal, but he was too hungry to be picky.
Waiting just long enough for Rex to sit and start to eat, Devyn picked up his knife and fork. This is nice, he realized as the two men chewed companionably. He’d never thought about having anyone in his home, cooking on his stove, or sitting at his small dining table. Not even Gregor visited that often after the house had been finished. It was as though the bear acknowledged that by Devyn having a house of his own, his private space should be respected.
“Do you own all this? The house, I mean,” Rex asked once the plates were cleared.
Devyn nodded, sipping slowly at his cup of coffee. “It was a deceased estate. The house wasn’t any good, but it came with fifty acres of land, and it was remote enough to satisfy Gregor’s need for me to be safe. We designed this house two years ago, and I moved in about a year later. No one knows about this address, and Gregor made sure it wasn’t connected to the shop in any way.”
“You’ve done well for yourself.” Rex didn’t say anything about Gregor’s involvement, and Devyn hoped the two decidedly alpha personalities would learn to get along with each other. He frowned as Rex put down his coffee cup and folded his arms on the table. “I’ve got to confess, I always imagined my mate would live with me, in the house I share with my brother. But seeing this…. It’s a solid place and quiet. Really nice. I can see myself living here.”
“You’d want to live with me?” Devyn hoped that squeak was in his mind and not in his voice. He hadn’t thought much about the practicalities of being mated. “Don’t you have a business or something
in town?”
“A bar.” Rex nodded. “It’s not fancy or anything, but it’s clean, we serve decent food, and have a vast range of beers on tap. The locals seem to like it. I can’t wait for you to see it.”
Devyn’s insecurities nudged at the back of his mind, but his concern for his mate was stronger. “It would be my first time going to a bar. Are you sure you want to be seen out with me?”
“What part of us being mates don’t you understand?” Rex thumped the table, making his coffee mug and Devyn jump. As if aware he’d startled his mate, Rex sprung up from his chair, gathering the plates and taking them over to the sink.
“Why wouldn’t I want to be seen with you?” He snarled, his tense back all Devyn could see. “You’re sexy, sweet, and have the face of an angel.” The flow of water from the taps almost drowned out Rex’s rant. “I get it. You’re self-conscious about being in a wheelchair, but for fucks sake. If I have to coax and molly-coddle you just to get you to go anywhere, that’s going to get old very quick.”
“Are you even listening to yourself?” Devyn put down his coffee cup before he did something stupid like throw it at the back of his mate’s head. “You’re making some hellish assumptions here. Yes, I do have issues going anywhere new, but that’s not what this is about. I’ve seen one of the men you went out with, remember? I imagine most of the guy’s you’ve fucked looked very similar.”
He didn’t know what had suddenly flipped Rex’s anger switch, but he wasn’t going to put up with it. “I’m worried about you. Your reputation as a man and an alpha. I imagine it’s what an omega would do, worry about you. I don’t know if your brother is going to accept me. I know for a fact none of the rest of your father’s pack would. What if you have other shifters in this bar of yours? Me being seen with you isn’t going to do you any favors.”
Something he’d said must have gotten through because the tap was shut off and Rex turned, leaning that sexy ass of his against the counter, his arms folded across his still bare chest. “I understand you haven’t been raised in a pack,” Rex said slowly, “but where I come from, it’s an alpha’s job to look after their mate. It’s an alpha’s job to worry about protection, reputations, and whether or not my beta brother will accept you.”
