Master

by R Phoenix

  He was special.

  As he walked past a group playing what looked like poker, he heard them whisper and laugh. They were trying to be quiet about it, but even werewolves forgot how good their hearing was when the gossip was good enough.

  “No… I’m serious. He fucked a human that kind of looked like a dog.”

  Fuck.

  As much as Aggie kept saying he was welcome at the pack house, he wasn’t sure he believed her anymore. Zain hadn’t just come to the realization that Caleb wouldn't be welcome… He’d figured out that, pack propaganda or not, he wasn’t welcome either.

  He’d tried talking to a few people and explaining things, but that had just made the gossip worse. As crazy as the world had turned out to be, with vampires and werewolves and witches stepping into the leading rules of society, they still held such narrow views of what a relationship should look like. It was insane.

  He and Caleb had been happy. Unconventional but happy.

  “You should’ve heard them when Jake fucked Stacy while he was in ‘wolf form,” a familiar voice remarked from behind him.

  Zain turned to see Brennan, one of the few who had stayed relatively friendly with him, watching him with arms crossed against his chest.

  A smirk curved onto the other man’s lips. “And you probably don’t even want to know how many of them decided to try it after.” He shrugged, letting his arms fall to his sides. “Don’t let them get to you.” He raised his voice so it would carry, “Just a bunch of old ladies with nothing to do but knit and gossip.”

  When everything fell silent, Brennan grinned at him, though it faded as he studied Zain.

  “You look like someone kicked your puppy, man,” he remarked, only to frown. “Did someone kick your puppy-person-thing?”

  Fuck. He hoped not.

  “No.” Even if Zain had been sure what to say, he wasn’t sure sharing more information about his personal life was a good idea. “I’m fine.”

  “You totally look fine,” Brennan said, nodding sagely. “I can tell by the way your shoulders are slumping, you look glum as fuck, and you remind me of said kicked puppy. Yep. Absolutely fine, as long as you’re lying.”

  Zain shrugged. “Just a lot to decide.”

  He thought he was making it pretty clear he wasn’t going to be giving people any more ammunition, but Brennan didn’t seem to be picking up the hint. He just stood there watching Zain like the conversation had been inevitable.

  Finally, Zain tried giving him a little more information in hopes that it would give the guy enough to find something else to do. “Caleb probably can’t stay with Liam long term, so I need to figure out other arrangements. I just have a lot on my mind.”

  “Probably can’t? You didn’t decide who got the family pup when you broke up?” Brennan asked, casually careless.

  That was surprisingly accurate, but Zain wasn’t going to admit it. “Not exactly.”

  He wasn’t a real dog. It shouldn’t be that hard to understand.

  “Did anyone ask the family pup what he wanted to do?” Brennan asked, just a little too sweetly.

  “Look, are you just looking for gossip and shit to spread around? What are you doing here?” Fuck it. If he got beaten up, so be it. Zain was tired of being the brunt of the jokes and the one who got kicked out of his home when assholes showed up.

  “Thought you might need a friend,” Brennan said breezily. “And even though I’m an utter asshole and not really fit to be friends with, I thought you might need someone to talk to anyway.” He nodded down the hallway. “My room’s right down there. You know, if you want to talk.”

  He was so being set up. This just screamed pathetic teenage prank. These fuckers really needed better hobbies. “Listen, I’ve heard all the jokes and the ‘he needs to be put down’ comments. I’m not looking for any more lectures.”

  Brennan just shrugged and lifted one eyebrow. “You got anything better to do? Or better yet, have you figured your shit out yet?”

  Fuck. He was an idiot on so many levels. “Point taken.”

  Brennan started leading them down the hallway, and Zain followed with every eye in the room on them. Nosy fuckers.

  Brennan led him to a small room with a bed shoved in one corner and a chair in another. The room would have looked unlived in if it hadn’t been for the dresser overflowing with clothes. Brennan threw himself down on the bed, so Zain walked over to the opposite side to slouch down in the chair. The curtain over the door opening wouldn’t give them a ton of privacy, but at least he wasn’t being stared at anymore.

  “They’re not just saying those things to be mean,” Brennan said.

  Zain flinched.

  “Well. Not completely, anyway,” Brennan amended. “You gotta think about what this looks like to a bunch of macho-ass werewolves. Weakness isn’t a thing here. After Spencer…”

  When he trailed off, Zain watched him, expecting him to go on. He’d heard whispers about Spencer and someone named Jace, but he’d never been able to figure out what had happened. “After Spencer…?” he prompted.

  The other ‘wolf’s jaw clenched. “He was a weak son of a bitch who should’ve been put down.”

  Zain cringed again. Why had he decided to have this conversation again?

  “Jace was one of ours, man. He was… like a brother to us, just like you are,” Brennan said, a little pointedly. “But he kept protecting this ‘wolf who couldn’t even shift right until, come to find out, he’s a fucking mole and he’s been using us all along. So we’re all a little… on edge, I guess.”

  “It’s not the same thing. I’m not a mole, and Caleb isn’t weak.” Caleb was different, but Zain didn’t know anyone else who would have been strong enough to deal with Liam and find happiness with everything that had happened.

  “It’s close enough to them.” Brennan paused, then admitted, “To us. We don’t think you’re a mole. Aggie’s vouched for you.”

  That was surprising, and he blinked at the other ‘wolf.

  “It doesn’t matter anyway. I know that he can’t stay here, and neither can I. Living at the pack house long term won’t work.” Zain wasn’t sure what else his options were, but he couldn’t live with all the scrutiny and fear of what might happen to Caleb if he left him alone.

  “Listen, you gotta understand…” Brennan drew in a deep breath, glancing at the curtain that obscured the room from the hallway then back. “No one’s gonna think the guy wanted it, okay? So they’re gonna think he’ll do whatever he has to to get out of it.”

  “I get that. To a degree, I understand. But you have to see that if I brought him here, he’d never be able to relax, and neither would I.” Brennan seemed to be listening, but Zain could see that he just didn’t understand. “I shouldn’t have to live constantly worried that someone’s going to help my… help Caleb by slitting his throat or chasing him off.”

  They’d both live in constant fear. There would always be the worry that if he left Caleb alone and his pup couldn’t answer human enough, fast enough, for some ‘wolf that he’d end up dead. With so many ‘wolves seeing Caleb as some kind of defiled prisoner, no one would say anything against the first person who decided to be Caleb’s savior and kill him.

  Brennan slowly nodded after a long moment of silence. “You’re right,” he admitted. “You won’t be able to bring him here. You just… can’t. I know you’re new to this, but we see putting the weak out of their misery as a necessary evil.” He glanced away, licking his lips. “We’ve seen too much.”

  “I’ll never agree that different is evil or weak.” He just couldn’t. Zain looked at Caleb and he didn’t see weak or something to fear like the rest of the pack did. He saw a beautiful pup who most of the time was happy and carefree. “But it doesn’t matter. We can disagree about this all day long, but it doesn’t solve my problem. He can’t stay there, and I can’t bring him here.” And thanks to Liam’s constant badgering that Zain put Caleb first, he hadn’t been able to grow his business enough
to live anywhere else.

  Brennan sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t know, man. Guess your business kinda took a dive when you were playing ass—” He stopped, cleared his throat, and even offered a sheepish look. “Sorry. When you were with the vampire.”

  “Thanks.” It was the first time anyone had realized how fucked up their words were. “I’ll get it back on track. It’s just going to take time.”

  And maybe a new name.

  If he called himself Bob or Jack, he might have a better chance of picking up new clients. Once they figured out his name, every ad he’d responded to either decided they didn’t need a dog walker or wanted him for something a lot more interesting than walking a dog.

  “I have a few people I can talk to,” Brennan offered, a little awkwardly as he shifted on the bed. “If you want. I mean… about the business. I don’t really know of a place you can take… Caleb that’d be safe for either of you except your own apartment or whatever, and those ain’t cheap around here. Could find one in the slums with some humans and kick ‘em out if you wanted, though.”

  That wouldn’t work with Caleb. Liam had been right. Caleb needed a place to run around and relax. He’d never be able to do that in the slums. “No, I’ll figure something out.”

  He wasn’t stupid. It wasn’t like he was trying to take over the world. He just needed a place to live with his pup. Zain knew he could figure it out eventually.

  “Have you tried, you know… talking to the fanger? Vampire,” Brennan corrected himself again with a scrunched-up nose. “I mean, you were living there, and you were taking care of the… dog. Doesn’t he owe you back pay or something? It’s just cold to kick you out with nothing, man. If you actually liked him enough to stay there, there’s gotta be something reasonable in there.”

  Once he’d moved in, getting paid for watching Caleb hadn’t been a priority. If he looked at it from just a business perspective the asshole owed him something at least. “If I got enough back pay… and yeah, he probably owes me a ton, enough so I could get a place.”

  Money wasn’t the only thing they needed to talk about, though. Zain hadn’t liked the way the asshole boss had looked at Caleb. If Liam wasn’t careful, Zain had a feeling that antique asshole would do something to Caleb.

  But would Liam give Caleb up?

  Liam didn’t love Caleb the same way Zain did. The vamp didn’t seem capable of it. But sometimes the way he’d watch Caleb play or mouth off at the beginning certainly looked a lot like the tender emotion. Would Liam see that Caleb couldn’t live like that?

  Thinking back to the conditions that Zain had found Caleb living in when he’d first walked in, he wasn’t sure if Liam would see it or not.

  “Fuck him. That asshole owes me a ridiculous amount of money, and I want my goddamned pup back.” Running a hand over his head, Zain took a deep breath and vowed not to let fear chase him away from what he wanted: his family back.

  Liam might have been willing to throw it all away, but Zain wasn’t. He’d make a life with Caleb no matter what the vamp or his ancient asshole sire had to say about it. His pup needed him.

  Brennan got up, clasping Zain on the shoulder. “Good luck. I have a feeling you’re gonna need it.”

  Yeah.

  Zain had a feeling he was going to need it too.

  Chapter Seven:

  Caleb

  Caleb’s head shot up when he heard the sound of the gate opening, his tail beginning to wag. He didn’t even have to think through why his body was so excited that there was someone there. Shouldn’t he have been barking and trying to growl, to protect his territory? No, not this time. This time, that would’ve felt wrong.

  It all still felt off, somehow, strange, and he couldn’t figure out exactly out what was going on. His body wasn’t responding like he thought it should. Why was his tail…?

  His mind wasn’t, either. Instead of running along the soft, sun-warmed grass, he sat just outside the doghouse and watched and thought, teeth slightly, dutifully bared until he saw his alpha.

  Then there was nothing — no hesitation, no worry, no concern. He didn’t care about anything but getting to the man, and he launched himself across the grass right up until the point he knew he was about to run out of slack on his lead. He knew enough to stop right then, but he sat down quickly, wagging his tail furiously and even giving a few little barks as he looked up at Alpha.

  His alpha seemed tense as he looked around the yard but smiled as his eyes turned to Caleb. “There’s my pup.” Alpha’s smile widened, and his shoulders relaxed as he strode across the yard until he was within reach. “Come here, pup.” Crouching down, he didn’t hesitate as he pulled Caleb into his arms.

  Warm hands ran down Caleb’s body as Alpha petted and cuddled him. Caleb pressed against him, trembling a little, but nosing against Alpha’s shoulder. His alpha had come back.

  It may have been odd, at a strange time, but he was there, and he was going to take care of his pup, and that was that. He peered up at the man, flopping against him right there in the grass then wiggling with his stomach in the air as he wordlessly begged for tummy rubs.

  Alpha laughed, a low chuckle that made Caleb’s cock stir as he wiggled. “Does my pup want attention?” His hand started caressing along Caleb’s tummy, caressing lightly, but Caleb could see the heat in his gaze.

  Caleb gave another low bark then whined as he squirmed and pressed up to beg for more of Alpha’s touch.

  Alpha paused for a moment before his hand kept going lower until he was caressing Caleb’s hard cock. “Yes, my pup looks like he needs lots of attention.” His other hand started caressing over Caleb’s head and ears as Alpha slowly wrapped his fingers around Caleb’s erection. “Is this what you want, Pup? Tell me what you want from me.”

  Alpha’s loose grip around Caleb’s dick was maddeningly frustrating.

  He barked, expecting it to be that lesson all over again. Of course this would be about him speaking as he was supposed to, and he let his tail wag more just for emphasis. He whined, thrusting his hips up so his cock drove up against Alpha’s hand. Surely that was good enough…

  “No, I want words, Pup. Tell me what you want, Caleb, then I’ll let you come.” The fingers of one of Alpha’s hands dragged slowly over Caleb’s cock as his others lightly traced his furred ears. “Tell me what you want, Caleb, and I’ll even let you hump my leg, Pup. I know how much you like that. All the sexy humiliation just running through you while you rub your dick against me. Talk to me, Caleb.”

  A frown slowly formed on Caleb’s lips as he tried to figure out what he was doing wrong. He was behaving. He was being a good pup, just like he was supposed to be. And he was telling him, just not… not in words. But that had been okay before. Why wasn’t that okay now?

  Hazy as the night had been, Caleb remembered bits and pieces of the other night, when Master had had guests over and he’d felt… odd. Things had threatened to fall apart, but he’d behaved. He’d been good.

  He could be good now, too.

  “Please, Alpha,” Caleb offered, the words rough as he offered them.

  “Please what, Pup?” Alpha’s thumb circled the head of Caleb’s cock, making him shiver and whimper. Alpha just chuckled and gave him more of the almost painful caress. “Tell me what you want?”

  You.

  It was obvious — or so Caleb thought. He whined a little, pawing at the man’s arm as he gave him eyes that just begged for more. He didn’t want to try to have a conversation. It was too difficult, took up entirely too much energy and thought, and…

  He licked his lips, squirming and enjoying the feeling of those fingers around the head of his cock. “Alpha. I want Alpha.”

  Alpha’s voice dipped lower, and Caleb heard the emotion coursing through Alpha’s words. “Oh, my beautiful pup. You’ll always have me. I’m not letting you go.” Alpha’s hand tightened, finally giving Caleb more of what he wanted and making his hips reflexively jerk. “Pup or human… tal
king or not… You’re always going to be my pup.”

  Caleb had to swallow hard, suddenly finding tears in the corners of his eyes. He missed this, but it was too close to… to… He pawed again at Alpha, desperate to feel his skin but only feeling the mitts. He suddenly found it within him to ask, his voice raw, the question he’d been wanting to know the answer to. Sort of. Somewhere, deep inside… “Why did you go?”

  Alpha released his cock but sat down on the ground and pulled Caleb into his arms. When Caleb was curled up on Alpha’s lap, held almost painfully tight, Alpha started to speak. “Caleb… Pup… I didn’t have a choice.” Alpha’s voice was tight and filled with sorrow. “I thought they would end up doing something to you if I stayed. That asshole is nuts. I had to figure out what to do first.”

  Caleb was having a hard time understanding the words, even if the tone was there. He could hear them well enough, but it was like listening from through a tunnel. The words were there, but their meaning… That was lost on him, and he frowned, going back to rubbing his cock against Alpha. He had to try to… “What?” he asked, not even sure what he was asking about, but interested in those fingers on his sensitive, untouched cock again.

  Alpha seemed to understand Caleb’s confusion because he started again. “The other man… Liam’s boss. He was angry about what Liam did to you and how we were living. He basically told Liam to get rid of me or he would. I had to leave to keep us both safe.”

  Oh. Suddenly, a few things made more sense, and he paused, trying to trudge his way through the muddiness of his own mind. That had been why…

  Where was that thought? It had escaped him, but it had been something solid. He just knew it. No, all he wanted was to relieve the pressure between his thighs, then he could think. He just needed a little bit of release… He started to rub more against Alpha, whimpering pleadingly.

  Alpha gave a quick, low laugh. “My horny pup. Not yet. I need to know you understand first.”

  Caleb understood enough. He rolled back a little, giving those puppy eyes. He didn’t want to bother to try to understand more words until he got to feel just a teensy bit of pleasure, to have that hand — oh, or that mouth — on him. He whined, pouting, though he felt… clearer somehow, even if he didn’t want to feel clearer.