No Mate of Mine

by Lisa Oliver

  “I trust you.”

  The most beautiful aphrodisiac. As Roger slowly pushed his way into Cam’s inviting heat, it was clear from his man’s face that Cam meant every word. While it wasn’t the most traditional three words that could be spoken during a mating, Cam’s simple trust pierced Roger’s heart and he knew he would love the man beneath him for the rest of his life. His body swirling with feelings of possession, warmth and overwhelming pride, Roger surged forward, stopping only long enough for Cam to get used to his length and girth.

  “I’m good,” Cam said quietly as Roger lost himself in his mate’s amazing eyes. In contrast to the tsunami of emotions that were flooding Roger’s system, Cam seemed almost calm. But there was a confidence on the man’s expression that Roger hadn’t seen before, and damn it all, if that wasn’t as sexy as all get out.

  Never taking his eyes off of his mate’s face, Roger moved. Softly, sensuously, taking the time to show Cam with every stroke, that Roger was totally invested in this moment, in his claiming of his mate. Keeping a firm hold on his wolf, who wanted to rut, possess and climax while taking the claiming bite, Roger kept his movements long and slow, much to Cam’s apparent surprise. Cam’s whimpers were a huge turn on, as was the jagged movements as Cam tried to thrust up, to force Roger to go harder and faster.

  But Roger held firm. He’d been dreaming of claiming his mate since he saw the gangly boy ten years before. In his imagination Cam was as he was now, grown, lean and strong. Sprawled out beneath him, accepting all that Roger had to offer. A beautiful man inside and out, and Roger refused to rush the moment, no matter what his wolf, his hormones and everything else inside of him wanted to do. Wolves had only one claiming, and while the sex was always good afterwards, Roger had waited for a long time for this exact moment, and he wasn’t going to rush it.

  Slowly over time, the sexual tension between the two men increased. When Cam had realized that Roger wasn’t going to speed up he had reached up, softly stroking every part of Roger’s skin he could reach. Every time Roger allowed himself to graze his cock over Cam’s prostate the delicious man groaned and his eyes flickered shut. Then just as quickly they opened as though Cam couldn’t bear not to be looking at Roger’s face. It was intoxicating, being under that heated gaze and Roger wished the moment could last forever.

  But of course it couldn’t. All too soon, Roger could feel the tingles in his body signifying his own release. The fact that he had lasted as long as he had impressed the hell out of him, but the moment was nigh. It was time to take the bite. The one that would cement this gorgeous omega as his own. Feeling his heart swell with pride, Roger leaned over, finally increasing his speed, his balls drawn up tight in readiness.

  “You gonna come with me little wolf?”

  “Say the word.”

  Roger knew the word Cam was waiting for, but that wasn’t what he was going to say. Speeding up until he was slamming into his mate at last, Roger let out a yell as his orgasm hit – “MINE!”

  As Roger ducked his head and took a deep clean bite in the crook of Cam’s neck he felt his mate give out a long moan, before his release coated Roger’s stomach. He drank deeply from Cam’s neck, determined that their bond would be strong, before carefully removing his teeth from the punctured skin and licking the wound closed. In a matter of hours the bite would heal leaving a permanent scar.

  When Roger lifted his head he could see that Cam’s eyes were closed, his head still lolling to one side, after presenting his neck for the bite. Although the little man was panting softly, Roger could tell that his mate had passed out. Chuckling softly to himself, Roger eased himself out and off of Cam’s body, and gathered the man into his arms. A nap was definitely in order and this was something both man and wolf agreed upon. A nap, and then food and then their whole life together.

  Chapter Ten

  Roger was having a lovely erotic dream, where Cam was kneeling beautifully between his legs, deep throating his cock without a murmur of complaint, those green eyes glistening with lust and enjoyment, when the insistent ringtone on his phone pierced his brain. Eyes instantly open, Roger reached over the bed, taking care not to disturb his sleeping mate, snagging his trousers off of the floor. There was only one person who would disturb him while he was bonding with Cam – his Alpha.

  “Good morning Alpha,” Roger said, checking his clock. Sure enough it was just after six a.m. Seemed he and Cam had slept through dinner.

  “I need you to bring Cameron in here, as quickly as possible,” Pearson said without preamble. Roger shook his head, confused, and then said, “Er, no disrespect, Alpha, but I thought all mates were granted three days bonding time before anyone was needed to work, or be presented to the pack.”

  “You’re right, but this affects your mating,” Pearson said gruffly. “I suppose it’s too much to hope that you haven’t claimed him yet?”

  “Of course I’ve claimed him. He’s my mate,” Roger yelled, jumping up off the bed, angry at the thought that Pearson could even remotely suggest that he wouldn’t. It was Pearson that approved the plan to rescue Cam in the first place. What was he meant to do with his mate now he had him at home – teach him to knit?

  “I’m sorry, that was a dumb thing to say,” Pearson said calmly. “How do you feel about living in a coven?”

  “Alpha, it’s a little too early in the day to be making jokes, surely?” Roger said as a feeling of dread replaced his anger, pounding his stomach and making him nauseous. Pearson’s next words confirmed his suspicions.

  “Donoghue isn’t human and he’s demanding Cameron back. Apparently your mate is his primary food source. Get my drift? You have one hour to get in here,” Pearson said, before disconnecting the call.

  Roger stared at the phone in disbelief. Donoghue wasn’t human? How the hell had Steel missed that little titbit of information? Maybe he should ring him, find out what was going on. Roger was just scrolling through his contacts when he heard a soft voice behind him.

  “I have to go back?”

  Cam. Fuck, the pain in his mate’s voice was enough to weaken Roger’s knees and he turned back towards the bed. Cam was sitting up, the sheet pulled up to his neck. The bed hair was totally cute but the look of sheer horror on the boy’s face was anything but. Hurriedly Roger climbed back on the bed, taking Cam’s resistant body into his arms.

  “No little one, that’s not going to happen. The Alpha just wants to see us, that’s all,” he said, trying to be reassuring, but that was really damn hard to do, when all Roger wanted was to grab his mate and flee to the other side of the country. Hell, even another country would be good. Roger had always wanted to go to Europe, or Australia maybe. Anywhere where Donoghue couldn’t get his hands on his mate. There was no way he was going to let Cam go back to his ex-master in any capacity, and Roger would fight his Alpha himself, if he had to.

  “I could hear what you were saying,” Cam said. “Donoghue wants me back, and he will attack the pack if that doesn’t happen. I know he will. I can’t let him do that. Donoghue is not a nice person.”

  “I think it is great that you feel safe enough with me to voice your opinion, little wolf,” Roger said, cupping Cam’s face in his hand, hating the tenseness of Cam’s jaw bone, but loving the softness of his skin. “But you are not going back to Donoghue, no matter what my Alpha, or anyone else says. That is not negotiable.”

  “I couldn’t let anyone in your pack die because of me. I’m a nobody, an Omega. I don’t want anyone to die.” Cam’s lips trembled, tears in those brilliant green eyes, and Roger cursed, unsure if it was at the sight of so much pain his mate had already gone through, or at Donoghue for his sheer existence.

  Running his finger down Cam’s mating mark, which had scarred beautifully, Roger tilted his head and said, “So you would rather I die instead?”

  “What…” Cam’s face was a mask of confusion, but then he registered where Roger was touching and gasped. Roger could see the exact moment his little mate cottoned on t
o what he was saying. Roger couldn’t live without his mate now he had claimed him. It wasn’t an automatic death sentence, but without Cam Roger would be dead in a matter of weeks, a month tops. Cam would probably die a lot sooner, but Roger didn’t think his altruistic mate had even considered that.

  “What are we going to do? You can’t die. My life would be over if anything happened to you,” Cam said, catching Roger’s fingers in his own and kissing each one of them softly.

  “We are going to get up, get dressed and go and see Alpha Pearson,” Roger said firmly. He gave his mate another tight hug and then climbed off the bed, looking for his clothes. He knew he should have a shower – both men reeked of the sex they had enjoyed the night before and wolves had very acute noses. But Roger wanted to make sure any wolf, hell, any paranormal knew that his little mate was taken in every single way.

  Dressing quickly, Roger was fingering his hair, trying to make some semblance of style out of the mess when he noticed in the mirror reflection that Cam hadn’t moved from his spot in the bed.

  “You need to get ready, little one,” he said with a small smile.

  “I am ready,” Cam said sadly. “It’s not as though I have any clothes to put on.”

  Oh shit and damn and fucking hell. His mate was right. Suppressing a sigh, Roger hunted through his dressers trying to find something Cam could wear without him looking totally ridiculous. Cam might be prepared to walk into a wolf pack naked, but Roger wasn’t letting anyone see his mate’s sexy body.

  /~/~/~/~/

  Cam had four years’ worth of experience hiding his emotions and keeping what he felt from his face. But walking into the Bound and Bonded club, home of the Washington pack, came with its own set of problems. Wolves could scent emotions – especially strong ones like fear and the last thing Cam wanted was to be confronted by someone who saw his small size as a weakness. He already knew he was weak, he was an Omega, and he had learned from his last afternoon in his home pack, when he shifted for the first time, how nasty bigger wolves could be when confronted with a weak wolf. He just didn’t want his mate to have to fight anyone, because his big mate would do exactly that. Roger had been bristling with possessiveness from the moment his Alpha had phoned him.

  And it seemed keeping other wolves away from him was high on Roger’s agenda as well. From the moment Roger had parked his fuck-me black SUV out of the back of what looked like a huge converted warehouse with blacked out windows, he hadn’t left Cam’s side. In fact the phrase “stuck together like shit on a blanket” came to mind and Cam would have giggled if the situation hadn’t been so tense. Hustling him through a non-descript back door secured with a keypad, Roger moved Cam quickly but firmly past some back rooms, that were clearly play rooms and around the edges of a large public area filled with a variety of wolves, not stopping or acknowledging anyone until he came to a large wooden door.

  Stopping only long enough to knock briefly, Roger opened the door and ushered Cam inside what appeared to be a large office. A large office, with an equally large desk that was currently being used as a sparring ground for two very big, extremely good looking wolf shifters. Cam could only appreciate the erotic show for a matter of seconds before the two men broke apart, the bigger one plonking down in an executive style office chair and the slightly smaller one sitting on the corner of the desk he had been splayed out on.

  “Damn it Roger, you could have waited till I told you to come in,” the seated man snarled.

  “You said an hour, Alpha, and it’s been an hour. We can go home again if you’d rather,” Roger said, clearly not fazed by the show, or by his Alpha’s growl if the smirk on his face was any indication. Cam was too caught up in the fact that the well-kissed man was the Alpha, which would make the other man who was only slightly smaller, and no less good-looking, Alpha Mate. The two men didn’t seem to have a problem with PDA although the Alpha Mate had a red tinge on his cheeks. Hmmm, but that could have been stubble burn, Cam thought.

  As he watched the two men with a strong dose of nerves, Cam became aware that the both men were looking just as closely at him. Unnerved by the lack of expression on their faces, Cam moved closer to Roger, suddenly needing his mate’s strength. Roger hugged him close and said with a smile, “Pearson, Dante, I have great pleasure in introducing my claimed true-mate, Cameron Slater.”

  “Congratulations on your mating,” Pearson said to Roger, although Cam didn’t think the Alpha was very happy. Then the Alpha turned his dark hazel eyes back to Cam again, and managed a tight smile.

  “Welcome to the Washington Pack, Cameron. If you are prepared to offer me your loyalty and allegiance, you will be accepted immediately as a full member of the pack.”

  “You’re not even going to ask to see the mating mark? I thought all outsiders to the pack had to show their mark to gain admittance to the club since that business with Phillip?”

  Roger sounded stunned and Cam wondered if it was because his mate liked the idea of him being marked in such a definitive way and wanted a chance to show it off. He didn’t know who this Phillip was, but Cam was more than happy to show his bite mark if it would keep Donoghue away from him.

  “Your mate is an Omega wolf,” Pearson said gravely. “If he had approached me at any time he would have been given the care and protection he needs. Your mating is just a bonus of sorts. Do you accept a position here young Omega?”

  Cam dropped his head, unable to meet the glare from such a powerful wolf as the Alpha. He didn’t know what he was meant to say or do. If he said yes, then would that mean he would be treated like the pack punching bag just because of his wolf status?

  “You’ll be safe, little one, I promise you that,” Roger whispered in his ear. “Just say yes, and it will be done.”

  Thinking hard for a long moment, Cam raised his head and tilted his chin at the two men sitting behind the desk. He trusted his mate, but Roger wasn’t the Alpha and Cam couldn’t let his mate go through any pain, if there was a pack problem with who he was. His knees shaking and his body trembling he spoke up for only the second time in his life.

  “I don’t understand what it means to be an Omega in your pack. While I appreciate your offer I have been taught that male Omegas have no value, no skills and are usually used as nothing more than a sex-toy or a punching bag. I have no wish to be in that position and I imagine that it wouldn’t do Roger any good either.”

  To his surprise Roger laughed and even Pearson and Dante looked amused. Pearson gave him a wink, and nodded to a couple of chairs by the side of the desk.

  “Nicely said, Cameron. Why don’t you two sit down, and let me explain why I made you this offer. I don’t do this very often, but for you I will make an exception.”

  Cam let himself be led to a chair, although Roger pulled him onto his lap, rather than letting him take the chair beside him. Figuring that Roger wouldn’t have done that unless he had already known that Pearson wouldn’t have a problem with it, Cam leaned against his mate’s chest and looked back at Pearson. His nerves couldn’t be helped – he wasn’t used to voicing any demands to anyone before. But now, here he was, doing just that to a huge Alpha no less. Go me, he thought.

  Cam wanted to be in a pack, all wolf shifters did. But he wasn’t prepared to go through any more pain if he could help it, and he wasn’t about to let Roger get pulled into a situation that would be untenable to him. Cam didn’t know if Roger was a good person, he could turn to shit within a day. Cam didn’t know enough to make any assertions about how he was going to be treated in their life ahead. But in the short time they had spent together, he did know the big man was important to him. They were mated now and Cam would do anything in his power to keep Roger safe.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Cameron, what I am going to tell you now, I have never told another living soul, except my mate. I am trusting you with my secret, but I think you need to know a bit about my story so you can understand what you will mean to this pack,” Pearson said slowly.

>   “Many, many years ago, I was part of another pack – a big pack that had three female Omega wolves. They were treated well, cared for, the way an Omega should be – they were in a sense, the heart of the pack and life was good for all of us because of that.”

  Cam didn’t want to interrupt the Alpha while he was talking, but he flicked a hand over his body, showing that he clearly wasn’t a female, so he didn’t see Pearson’s point. Pearson gave him a small smile. “I know, Cameron, you’re obviously male, but like many in my pack, I didn’t think at that time that an Omega could be male. That was until my brother was born.”

  “But you’re an Alpha?” Cam didn’t mean to speak out, but he was shocked. How was it possible for an Alpha and an Omega to be born into the same family? From what he could remember, Cam’s parents had both been gamma wolves. The Omega status wasn’t unexpected, it was his sex that was. Before their death, Cam’s parents had thought he would be a gamma wolf like they were, when he shifted for the first time. Fortunately they weren’t alive to see that they were wrong.

  “Yes, I am, and my father was the Alpha and his father before him, and so on and so on and so on. But it seems Omegas can pop up anywhere, when they are needed. Of course no one knew that Michael was an Omega until he’d shifted at fifteen.” Pearson trailed off and looked at Dante, who placed a solid hand on Pearson’s shoulder.

  Taking a deep breath, Pearson looked back at Cam. “It was bad, as you can imagine. Made worse by the fact that Michael’s first shift happened during a pack meeting. No one expected Michael to exhibit Alpha tendencies, he had always been too small for that. But no one, especially my father, expected Michael to be an Omega. When he shifted that first time, his fur gleaming white…” Pearson broke off, shaking his head, clearly reliving old memories. Painful memories.

  “I did my best to save him,” Pearson said after a long moment. “I didn’t care that Michael was going to be gay. I already knew I was, I just hadn’t told anybody in my pack. As soon as I saw him shift, I just wanted to get Michael away from the pack. To take him somewhere where we could both be safe, both be able to live the way the Fates intended us to. His shifting into a white wolf was like a neon sign to me – time to leave my home. But the pack, I couldn’t fight the whole pack. They were like rabid dogs. They just tore Michael to bits right there in the meeting…and my father just stood there and watched them. I couldn’t save him, although I freaking tried and it breaks my heart every day that I couldn’t do more for him.”