Zach

by Catherine Lievens

  Zach had fallen in love with Kameron over the years, watching him from a distance he had thought he would never be able to close. Then Derick had asked him to talk to Kameron, and Zach had thought that things would get better, even if he couldn’t tell Kameron who they were to each other. The problem was that during the months he had spent with Kameron, he had realized that what he had felt before had been a crush. What he felt now, had felt for the past few months—that was real love. Kameron was a wonderful man, and Zach hadn’t been able to do anything against the deepening of his feelings. He was going to pay the price for being stupid now.

  “Zach, that’s not what I meant.”

  Zach didn’t want to listen. He rose from the bed, his hand flying to his side and clutching it as pain made him want to throw up. Obviously, the painkillers Jared had given him weren’t working anymore, because he felt like shit.

  Zach wobbled on his feet and headed for the bathroom even as Kameron tried to talk some sense into him.

  “Zach, please. Come back to bed, you need to rest. Zach.”

  Zach didn’t want to listen and he tried to hurry up, but his wolf made him stop when he heard the low growl coming from the man Zach had left in the bed.

  “Zach, come back here, right now.” Kameron was using the Alpha tone, the one pack members couldn’t resist, and Zach was feeling it. He turned around almost against his will and walked back to the bed, taking care to keep his gaze on his feet. “What?”

  Kameron grabbed his hand and pulled lightly.

  Zach went. It wasn’t like he had a choice anyway, and he knew protesting wouldn’t help him, so he just let Kameron arrange him on his side and pulled the covers over both of them again. He stiffened when Kameron lay in front of him and gently wrapped his arm around Zach’s waist, but he still didn’t look up, not even when Kameron sighed dejectedly.

  “I never said I wanted to forget you, nor did I say I didn’t want to mate with you. I just need a little time to wrap my mind around everything you just told me. I also have to deal with Stan and Bud, and with a million other things. It’s just too much for me to tackle altogether. You need to rest, and I need to think. I want you to stay here for the next few days, and I expect you to sleep in my bed every night. I won’t try anything until we talk again, but my wolf needs to know you’re safe. Once you’re better... we’ll talk again.”

  Zach didn’t answer. He just stayed immobile in Kameron’s bed, trying as hard as he could not to reach for his mate.

  * * * *

  Kameron waited for Zach to fall asleep again before he got up. He dressed and headed for the door, but before stepping out, he couldn’t stop himself from looking at Zach again. His mate.

  Everything made sense now, every feeling, every impulse he’d had toward Zach, and he wasn’t going to let Zach go now that he knew, no matter what Zach thought. They were going to work on it, and they were going to solve any problem that came up, but they were going to bond soon.

  Kameron wanted nothing more than to get back into bed and claim Zach, but he needed to deal with a mountain of problems first, and he wanted to give Zach some time to find out what he wanted. Kameron knew Zach hadn’t thought about his future lately, because he had thought he wouldn’t have a future. However, now that he was free, Kameron wasn’t going to bind Zach to him until he was completely sure it was what Zach wanted.

  With one last glance at the blond hair shinning in the last rays of sunlight entering the room, Kameron closed the door behind him and walked down the stairs. He wasn’t surprised to see Nick, Duncan and Andy there, sitting around the table in the kitchen, all of them with a mug of coffee in hand.

  They stopped talking when Kameron entered the room, but Andy quickly got up and handed him a cup of coffee before sitting back down.

  “This looks like a war council, guys,” Kameron said, smiling at his friends.

  “Well, I guess it is. We were discussing the old inner circle and what we can do to flush them out of the pack. Did you talk with Zach?” Nick asked.

  Kameron took a sip and thought about how much he should tell. He trusted these men with his life, so he knew the fact that Zach was his mate wasn’t going to be a problem. “A bit, but he still needs to rest.”

  “So? What happened?” Andy asked, and every eye in the room was on Kameron. He might have been intimidated if he hadn’t gotten used to this in the six months he had been Alpha.

  They wouldn’t understand if he didn’t tell them Zach was his mate, so he decided to bite the bullet. “He’s my mate.”

  Kameron had expected gasps and surprised faces, but it wasn’t what he got. Instead, the men around the table all smiled knowingly. Andy slapped his shoulder, smiling at him as he said, “Congrats, boss.”

  “What, you’re not surprised?”

  “Nope. We all knew the two of you belonged together,” Duncan answered.

  “What we don’t know is why you didn’t know it, and why Zach didn’t smell like mate,” Nick added, going straight to the point as usual.

  Has to be part of his day job as a detective. “Zach’s known we are mates since he was fourteen,” Kameron told them. He then proceeded to explain what Zach had told him only hours before, hoping he wouldn’t mind. When he was done, he leaned back in his chair and waited for the men to react.

  “We have to find out who knew about this. It’s not possible that no one noticed,” Nick growled.

  “We noticed,” Andy pointed out.

  “Yeah, but someone else should have. And what about Zach’s parents? Why didn’t they come to one of us?” Duncan said.

  “I promised Zach I wouldn’t take this out on his parents, even if I’m having a hard time keeping that promise. It’s obvious everyone is still scared of Erskine’s men, and we won’t be able to truly heal the pack until we kick them all out.”

  “Who was involved? We got Stan and Bud, but I’m sure there are others,” Nick asked.

  “Tom knew, and Harvey and Renaldo too, but they never hurt us. Only Stan, Bud and Tom did, but the other two had to watch us, make sure we didn’t run away. Tom was the mind who controlled the whole thing and gave orders,” a voice said from the kitchen’s door. Kameron turned to face Zach. He wanted the man to come to him, to sit on his lap, but Zach was carefully avoiding looking at him. It didn’t matter.

  Kameron held his hand out at Zach, raising a brow when Zach didn’t immediately acknowledge him. “Zach?”

  Zach looked up and sighed, clearly resigned. He reached for Kameron’s hand and let Kameron pull him until he was able to grab Zach’s hips and pull him on his lap, where he belonged. Kameron didn’t like how stiff Zach was, but he wasn’t going to discuss this with everyone else present, so he just traced soothing circles on his mate’s back, hoping it would do some good.

  “Tom, Renaldo and Harvey? What about Roland and Rick?” Nick asked.

  “I never saw them there, but I don’t know if they knew.”

  “I don’t think Rick has anything to do with this. He hasn’t even talked to any other member of Erskine’s circle in months, as far as I know,” Duncan said. “He’s trying very hard to put Erskine behind him, and he’s actually doing a good job of it. We can still talk to him, but I don’t think he’s involved.”

  “What about the pills? Where did Stan get them?”

  Zach shrugged. “I have no idea.” Zach shivered and Kameron held him closer, wanting to reassure him.

  “I’m going to have to talk to Stan and Bud. Nick, I want you to go get Tom and bring him to the jail. I’ll talk to him, too. Duncan, can you take care of Renaldo and Harvey? Just talk to them and see if you can make them talk about what they knew.” They all nodded. “I’m also going to talk to Rick and Roland, but that can wait.”

  “Are you going to finally get rid of them?” Andy asked, and Kameron nodded.

  “It’s time. They did way too much already. I don’t care if I don’t have proof. They’ll be gone as soon as we can
manage.” It felt good to take this decision finally, and to be able to follow with it.

  Everyone stood up and headed out, except for Kameron and Zach. Kameron hadn’t let Zach get up from his lap yet, even if he knew the man wanted to. He cupped Zach’s cheek, wanting him to meet his gaze, but Zach was stubborn. He kept his eyes low.

  Kameron growled a bit. “Zach. Look at me.” When Zach still didn’t comply, Kameron sighed and stood up, grabbing Zach and holding him in his arms, careful of his wounds and bruises. Ignoring the yelp and small growl that came from his mate, Kameron made his way upstairs. He let Zach go only once they were in his room.

  Kameron put him down on the bed and lay down next to him, gathering him to his chest. “Zach, please. I know you’re angry with me because you think I don’t want you.”

  Zach finally looked up, his eyes flashing angrily and full of unshed tears. “That’s what you told me, so why shouldn’t I be angry?”

  “I never said I didn’t want you. I just said that I want to take care of the men who hurt you before being with you, and that I need time to wrap my mind around everything.”

  A lone tear slid down Zach’s cheek and Kameron leaned down, placing his lips on it and sipping it. Zach shuddered under him, and when Kameron tried to move away, he found he didn’t want to.

  Why should he anyway? Maybe this was a good way to show Zach he did want him. Sure, he was scared Zach might disappear again, but it was something he would get over in time, and Zach needed him now.

  Kameron leaned toward Zach’s warmth again, placing soft kisses on his mate’s jaw, on his cheeks, gathering the tears that were coming down harder now, wishing he could make them stop. “What can I do to convince you I do want you, love? I’ve been in love with you for months. I thought I had lost you, but now you’re here, but you’re not happy.”

  Zach’s breath hitched. “You—you’re in love with me?”

  Kameron smiled against Zach’s cheek, giving him one last kiss before leaning back. “Yes. God, Zach, I can’t tell you how hard these last two months have been for me. I wanted to ask you to be with me even if I thought you weren’t my mate, but you left, and I took that as a declaration that you didn’t want me.”

  “I’ve wanted you since I was fourteen, Kameron.”

  “Then have me. I’m going to take care of the men who hurt you. I’m going to heal the pack, and I’m going to claim you.”

  It would take several days before Kameron would be able to boot Tom and the others out, but once that was done... Zach was going to be his.

  * * * *

  Zach wasn’t sure he wasn’t dreaming. He had to be, because Kameron would never be confessing his love for him if this were real. Right?

  “You want to claim me?” he asked hesitantly.

  “If you want it too, yes. I’m still angry that you didn’t tell me you were my mate and that you didn’t come to me when you needed help, but it doesn’t mean I don’t want you. People get angry with each other, they fight, but they’re still in love. I still love you even if I’m angry, Zach. I’ll get over it.”

  Yeah, it had to be a dream, but Zach didn’t want to wake up.

  He wound his arms around Kameron’s neck, needing to be closer to his mate. “So we wait?”

  Kameron gave him a toothy smile. “I want our claiming to be special. I want us to be able to live it completely, without fearing that those guys could do something to hurt you again, but it doesn’t mean we can’t do anything before that.”

  Zach frowned as he tried to understand what Kameron was trying to tell him. “You mean we can still kiss and be together?”

  “Yeah, and we can still do this, too.”

  Before Zach could ask his mate what he was talking about, Kameron had left his arms and was slithering down Zach’s body. Zach felt his eyes bulge as Kameron lay on his stomach between his legs and grabbed the elastic band of his shorts, his intent very clear.

  “Kam, wait!”

  Kameron froze and looked up at Zach. “You don’t want this?”

  “I do, but—”

  Kameron quickly shoved Zach’s shorts down his legs, exposing him to his heated gaze. Zach hadn’t been wearing anything under them since he didn’t have clothes of his own, and his dick was already half hard even as Kameron threw his shorts somewhere in the room.

  Kameron licked his lips as he took in Zach’s lower body, and Zach shivered in response. Still... “Wait, please!”

  Kameron froze again. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing, it’s just that, well, I...” Zach didn’t know how to say this. He could feel his cheeks heating with embarrassment, and he knew he didn’t have to say it, but he wanted Kameron to know. “I’ve known you were my mate since I was a kid, and I couldn’t betray you.”

  Kameron frowned. “What are you telling me?”

  “Well, I knew you were the one for me, so I never, you know...” Zach gestured to his crotch, hoping he wouldn’t actually have to say it.

  Kameron’s eyes widened as his smile grew bigger. “You mean you’ve never been with anyone? You’re a virgin?”

  “Yeah, but it’s not only that I’ve never had, you know, real sex. I’ve never done anything with another guy.” By now, Zach’s cheeks were on fire and his erection was flagging, but at least he had said what he needed to say.

  “No one’s ever blown you?”

  Zach groaned and moved his arm on his face, hiding under it as best as he could. “Yeah, yeah. I’ve never done anything with anyone, okay?”

  When Kameron didn’t answer, Zach was tempted to look down at him, but he wasn’t sure he could gather the courage to do it. He didn’t know if Kameron was going to be happy about that or if he wanted someone with experience.

  Zach jerked when he felt wet heat surround his now mostly soft prick. His eyes flew open and he couldn’t stop them from looking down at his mate, even with the embarrassment still present. And what a sight it was once he did look down.

  Kameron’s lips surrounded Zach’s rapidly growing erection and he gently sucked on it. Zach groaned, nearly not believing how good it was. He had never imagined it would be so, so... yeah, he had no words to describe it.

  It was wet and hot, and the suction... god! Zach went from embarrassed to painfully aroused in two seconds flat, and he knew he was going to be even more ashamed if Kameron continued what he was doing, especially when he felt fingers glide on the wrinkled skin of his balls and tease the patch of skin right behind them. Then Kameron’s tongue entered the game, and Zach was done for.

  He arched his back, his hands tangled in the sheets under him, moans filling the room as Kameron pleasured him. Kameron’s tongue swirled around the head of Zach’s cock, ran along his length before coming back up, his fingers never stopping what they were doing. Kameron sucked on the reddened tip and Zach exploded even as he hid his face in his hand.

  He felt lightheaded, as if Kameron had sucked his brain out of his dick, and he wasn’t sure he was going to ever be able to think clearly again. He did know that he had come embarrassingly fast, though, and as soon as Kameron released him, he turned around on the bed and hid his face into the pillow.

  “Zach? Everything okay? Did I hurt you?” Zach shook his head but didn’t look back. “Zach? Please talk to me.”

  Zach knew he had to. He knew he had been wrong before, when he had avoided talking to anyone about what was happening with Ellie, and even if this situation was as far from that one as it could be, it was still something that could come between them and tear apart the feeble binds they were creating.

  Zach turned his head slightly, just enough so that Kameron could hear him. “I’m sorry. I know this was just too, uh, too fast.” Then it hit him. He’d come way too fast, but Kameron hadn’t come at all!

  He twirled around, not even thinking about how ashamed he was, only to freeze when he saw the smile on Kameron’s face. “I’m sorry. You, uh, you know. You didn’t...”

/>   Kameron chuckled and reached for Zach, pulling him close enough so that Zach was engulfed into strong arms. He kissed Zach’s hair before saying, “Don’t worry, love. The fact that you were so aroused by what I did that you came so fast is actually quite a compliment.”

  Zach smiled. He couldn’t help it, not when his mate was actually happy he had come so soon. He couldn’t really understand why, but he wasn’t going to argue with that. “So, what about you? Do you want me to, you know? Try it? On you?”

  Kameron chuckled and was about to answer when a voice came from downstairs. “Alpha Rhett?”

  Kameron groaned and laid his forehead on Zach’s hair. “Can I have a rain check?”

  Zach moved away and smiled at his mate. He still couldn’t believe that they were doing this—that they were finally together after seven years of longing and dreaming. “Sure.”

  Kameron kissed Zach before getting up. Zach hesitated. He knew it was probably pack business, and while he didn’t really want to have anything to do with it, he was the Alpha’s mate, even if they weren’t bonded yet. Kameron had been working on his own until now, shouldering too many responsibilities and too much work for only one man.

  Zach stood up, deciding that it was time he did his job. He groaned when pain reminded him that he had been in the hospital until only a few hours earlier, but it didn’t matter.

  He moved to Kameron’s dresser, looking for something nicer to wear, and decided on a pair of jeans and a button-down. Everything was way too big for him, of course, but it would have to do.

  Once he was dressed, he padded down the stairs and headed for Kameron’s office. He knocked and waited for Kameron to answer before opening the door, but once he did, he froze.

  He didn’t know what he had been expecting, but it hadn’t been the man who was sitting in front of Kameron’s desk, wringing his hands together and looking distraught.