Elijah nodded. “That’s good to know. He and I still need to iron some things out, though. For my own peace of mind,” he added when Ethan’s expression turned mulish. “We did it the last time.” It was obvious by his expression that he hated bringing up the first and failed mating.
“I was included in those discussions.” Involving the omega was unusual, but given Elijah’s modern ways, not that surprising.
“And you can be for these, as well. I’m not trying to dictate your life, Ethan, any more than I’ve ever been.”
There were a few tense moments while Ethan considered his brother’s words. Then, “No, that’s okay. You know what matters to me, and more importantly, Graydon does, too. He and I have already talked this morning.”
With that statement, he skipped back to his mate and once again, launched himself. This time, he wrapped his legs around his target’s waist and kissed him with the kind of force that made a sound. Graydon accepted the assault with equal fervor, fusing their mouths for so long that Griffin’s lungs started to ache in sympathy.
I want that passion with Ryan. I want Ryan. Now. The strength of his need hit him with as much power as Ethan had Graydon. He knew right then that he truly wasn’t going to last another day without claiming his omega. Tonight. He would speak with Lorcan at the first opportunity and make it so. Not another day would dawn without Ryan and Milo being his family.
When the kiss ended, Ethan whispered something in Graydon’s ear, too softly for Griffin to hear. He didn’t think anyone had. Whatever the omega had said to his mate caused Graydon to frown briefly. He set Ethan down, though, without saying a word. Ethan sauntered toward Griffin, who stepped aside, putting a lot of space between himself and the boy. He didn’t want Graydon to think for one second that he was getting too close to a mate in whelp. Graydon was old school. It wouldn’t surprise Griffin if the guy kept his mate isolated from the other dominants once they returned to Strongblood territory.
Not my problem. Ryan and Milo were. As Griffin contemplated how he might enter the kitchen to get Milo out without sending Graydon into all kinds of fits, Lorcan solved the problem for him.
“Gentlemen, let us go to my office to hash this mating contract out. I know it’s none of my business what you two decide, but I want to make sure everything remains amicable while you’re on my pack lands. Alphas and one beta only, of course. Plus, we can finalize our treaty and enjoy the remainder of the day before you leave in the morning.”
As evictions went, it was very polite, yet firm.
No one balked. The two visiting alphas followed him without a word, although they eyed each other and kept a fair amount of ground between them. Behind each of them trailed the top betas. Deirdre brought up the rear. Once they were out of sight, Griffin jogged up the back stairs and went into the kitchen to retrieve Milo, his pup. The notion put a grin on his face.
****
Keeping his wolf under control proved to be easier than Graydon had expected. Servicing an omega was tiring work, apparently. A languid feeling infused his body, an unfamiliar sensation that he figured he could get used to. He was damn glad that Elijah had backed down on the fight. It would have been a pain in the ass to work up the fury necessary to prevail. More importantly, the outcome pleased Ethan. This was another thing about mating that he hadn’t really contemplated—making Ethan happy had become paramount, second only to his pack’s overall well-being.
Be nice, please. For me. His mate had whispered that plea before leaving him. Graydon was loathe to disappoint. So long as Elijah kept his shit together, Graydon would do the same. He had yet to be involved in a mating contract for himself of course, but pack members had gone and come into the Strongbloods from time-to-time. He was confident it wouldn’t take long, assuming Elijah didn’t try to add in ridiculous provisions from some of his dubious modern thinking.
Lorcan’s conference room was filled with the remnant smells of food and coffee, testament to how it had been occupied for a while that morning. He could imagine Elijah sitting there, fuming, while Lorcan kept a lid on things. He really did owe the Rogue alpha a debt of gratitude for a whole lot of reasons. Not the least of which is that the gathering had given Graydon his fated mate.
Taking a seat to Lorcan’s right, he eyed Elijah from across the table. Ethan’s brother met his gaze head on, although his eyes didn’t contain too much hostility. Progress of sorts, he supposed. He waited for the other man to open the negotiations. He might not care too much about the way this all played out, but he still knew to let his opponent show his intentions first.
Elijah’s mouth tightened before he spoke. “Although I don’t like how this mating occurred, I accept that my brother is happy and this is what he wants. My only interest is in making sure he doesn’t regret his choice.”
Graydon held his tongue. There was nothing to be gained by reminding the man that despite his efforts to the contrary, he hadn’t ensured it the last time. No contract could accomplish that. It was in the hands of the Gods how life turned out, and they had brought Ethan to his one true mate. That was the only certainty.
“I’ll start with the easy stuff,” Elijah continued with a hard stare. “No beatings—ever. Ethan is used to a lot of freedom and can be willful. Any punishment has to be something other than corporal and can’t involve denying him access to food or his pups, nor can it be publicly humiliating. I don’t want his new pack to ever see him being disrespected by you.”
Graydon lifted his eyebrows as he let the first demand sit out there for a few seconds. “I never hit servients and will not start with my own mate. Only a weak alpha resorts to brutality to maintain control. No one in my pack goes hungry, and I don’t use pups to fight my battles.”
Elijah blew out a noisy breath through his nose. “What about the rest?”
“Airing my private grievances in front of my pack has never occurred to me. It goes without saying that I will discuss any problems I have with my mate in the privacy of our quarters.”
Elijah’s gaze turned flinty. “I need it said. In writing.”
Graydon really wanted to bristle at the inherent insult, yet Ethan’s words came back to haunt him and he really couldn’t bring himself to upset his mate. He shrugged instead. “As you wish.”
“Good.” The Green Mountain alpha looked almost disappointed at the ease in which Graydon capitulated. “I get visitation rights twice a year. Either I come to your territory or Ethan comes to mine, whichever makes more sense given both weather and Ethan’s conditions.”
Graydon nodded. “I have no interest in keeping him away from his birth family. I do expect that you will be the one to make the journey for some years, however. Until he reaches an age when breeding is no longer possible, my mate will likely either be in whelp or nursing. In either case, I won’t allow any travel that endangers his or the pup’s health.”
Anger flashed across Elijah’s face. “That’s the next point. I won’t have you wearing him out by breeding him every year. He has to be allowed to space the pups out for his sake and theirs.”
Graydon’s wolf growled at the implication that Elijah would be dictating a mounting schedule, interfering with a dominant’s right to claim his mate when and how he wanted. Graydon had to fight down the impulse to bare his teeth.
He responded once he felt he could without literally biting the man’s head off. “You are trying to control what you can’t. Nature will dictate the spacing of our pups. Although I haven’t sired pups as of yet, I can only assume they will be large and strong no matter their natures. And with demanding appetites. Weening may happen earlier than Ethan will want and my proximity will trigger his heat quickly. Just the way it did here,” he couldn’t help adding with a wolfie grin popping out.
Elijah’s face went through a series of contortions indicating that he was also reining in his reactions. Finally he said, “Fine. The agreement will say that you won’t force him to ween earlier than he wants or the pup’s health requires.”
“Agreed.” This was all really tedious. Plus, it had been a few hours since he’d last mounted his mate. Breeding or not, he wanted the omega with an insatiable need that was both disturbing and delightful.
Elijah continued to drone on about smaller things, such as bringing Ethan’s belongings to him within the next month. Graydon wanted to argue that he would provide his mate with everything he required or wanted. He didn’t bother. Likely his mate had formed sentimental attachments to some things and it did no harm for him to have them.
Lorcan’s female beta wrote each point down as Elijah raised them and Graydon acquiesced. There was nothing objectionable to any of it, and if it made the whole situation easier to resolve, Graydon figured he could be patient and resist the instinctive reaction to be insulted. Really, it was as if the Green Mountain alpha thought Graydon would keep Ethan naked and tied to his pallet. Nonsense, of course. Sticking close to the old ways didn’t mean being barbaric. Except the vision of his mate lying spread out for his consumption was a tantalizing thought. It gave his wolf and his dick all kinds of ideas.
Finally, Elijah had finished with his demands and sitting back, stared expectantly at him.
Rousing himself from his errant fantasies, Graydon asked, “Is that all?”
“For me, yes. What terms do you want?” Elijah folded his arms.
Graydon flicked his gaze upward. “Ethan is all that I want, and as I have him already, there’s nothing on my end that needs to go into a contract. Obviously, my original offer of payment for Ethan stands.”
“I don’t want that.”
“Indeed? What then do you consider adequate compensation for your omega?” Graydon thought his impulsive offer when he’d first laid eyes on the boy, generous but was willing to give more. Ethan was worth anything he had.
Elijah huffed. “Nothing. My brother is not a commodity. I expect you to honor the terms of the agreement, that’s all.”
“I see.” His estimation of the man increased. He’d never known an alpha to be willing to give up something as precious as an omega for no consideration. Perhaps the Green Mountain Pack was so wealthy it didn’t need anything. That couldn’t be true, though. Their treaty involved a fair amount of trading already.
He only wants his brother to be happy.
True understanding of Elijah’s position came to him with that insight. His concern for his brother was genuine and not some front for alpha pride. It went a long way toward easing what little resentment he still held and made it easier for him to be magnanimous.
He put his palms on the table top to show his lack of aggression before leaning forward. “You have my word that I will treasure Ethan for the remainder of my days and ensure that he and our pups are well-cared for even after I’m gone.
“And,” he added with only a slight hesitation, “if ever there comes a time when he says he wants to return to you, I will let him go with all of our pups except the alpha he’s sure to give me. I couldn’t let my successor leave the pack, but Ethan would always be welcome to see him.”
His wolf had a fit over those words, and Graydon couldn’t blame him. Such a promise was unheard of, but it showed the depth of his confidence in his mating bond. Ethan wouldn’t ever want to leave him because Graydon wouldn’t give the omega a reason to want to go. Besides, they were fated to be together. The Gods wouldn’t have matched them if they weren’t meant to spend the rest of their lives together. It was easy to make a promise that he couldn’t imagine having to keep.
And it was just what Elijah wanted to hear. For the first time since entering the room, the Green Mountain alpha relaxed. “Good. I’m glad to hear it. I still want it in writing,” he added with a grin that was more teeth than warmth.
“Naturally.”
He sat back and schooled himself in patience.
While the agreement was finalized, he was offered food, which he refused. He and Ethan had finished the last of the basket that morning before returning. His belly was full, although he hoped his mate was eating again. Being in whelp meant requiring more nutrition. His thoughts kept drifting toward the boy in ways that made him frustratingly hard. He was glad to be seated so that he wasn’t baiting Elijah just as they’d resolved their problems.
There was signing, with ink instead of blood. Not that it mattered to him. This whole thing was pointless in his estimation. His word should have been good enough. Then there was the final terms of the treaty to iron out. More talking, more patience needed. Finally, they were done. He stood with the two other alphas and shook hands in the time-honored way that involved the whole forearm, not merely hands.
With palpable relief, everyone exited the room. Graydon didn’t try to hide his desire to find Ethan as quickly as possible. He passed Lorcan once the hallway opened up into the great room and sought out his mate among the milling throngs of shifters who had finished eating yet hadn’t quite dispersed.
“Graydon!”
His mate’s voice reached him a split second before he saw him. They met halfway, and Graydon scooped him up with barely a hitch to his stride.
Ethan clung to him with a giggle. “Did you miss me?”
Graydon answered with only a low growl.
“I guess so.” Ethan nuzzled Graydon’s neck. “I assume everything is straightened out and that it took amazing restraint on your part.”
Graydon merely squeezed his mate’s ass in response while he thought about where he could take him for privacy.
“I thought so.” Ethan squirmed up to speak directly into Graydon’s ear. “Take me to the caravan. I’ve made sure the area is empty so that we can have time together. I missed you. I need you,” he added in a low, breathy voice.
The sweet smell of the omega’s slick hit Graydon’s nostrils, goosing him to increase speed as he marched out of the longhouse. He tightened his hold “You will have me,” he vowed in a guttural tone. “Forever.”
Chapter Eight
“There, you look perfect.”
Ryan stared at his reflection in the hand-held mirror. He almost didn’t recognize himself. Ben and Loki had braided his hair with small white flowers and Ben had loaned him a soft, shiny red button-down shirt. Paired with black skinny jeans that Kyle had gifted him months ago, it was a lovely affect.
He flicked his gaze up to his friends’ expectant faces, including Kyle, who held Milo. “This is all so wonderful. Thank you. You didn’t have to go to so much trouble for me, especially given that it’s the last night of the gathering.”
Because of the tense extension of the event to accommodate Ethan’s heat, the evening’s festivities would be more muted than had been originally planned. It still required a lot of effort on everyone’s part, and he felt guilty for adding to their workload.
Kyle made an impatient sound. “There’ll be no more of that. You deserve a special mating night like anyone else. I think it’s sweet, actually, that Griffin was so adamant about not waiting any longer. He loves you,” the alpha mate added with a dreamy smile.
Ryan dropped his gaze. “Yeah, he does. I hope I will make him happy.”
Loki snorted and relieved him of the mirror. “You’re breathing, so that’s a given. You should have more confidence in yourself.”
Running his fingers down the front of his shirt, he said “I’m trying.” It was hard, though, and his next words conveyed the difficulty. “Maybe I should change. I’m worried I might spill something on this pretty shirt of yours, Ben.”
The other omega waved his hand. “Don’t be silly, Ryan. Reed and Daniel gave it to me along with a bunch of others that I’ll never have occasion to wear. Sometimes I think they forget I’m not out in the human world the way they are. I’m not worried about it. In fact, I want you to keep it as a mating gift.”
Surprise had Ryan popping his eyes. “Really? No, I couldn’t. That’s not even a thing, mating gifts, I mean.”
“It is in the human world. Please, accept it. It suits you better than it does me, anyway.”
�
��You do look fetching,” Loki agreed. “I bet the only fear you should have is that Griffin will rip it in his haste to mount you,” he added with a sly grin.
“Loki!” Both Ben and Kyle admonished the arctic shifter. Then, they all laughed.
Ryan joined in with a giggle, happiness overriding his natural doubt. “Thanks. All of you.”
He hugged each one in turn, saving Kyle for last. He pressed a kiss against Milo’s cheek at the same time. His pup looked at him with his eyelids half-closed, drooling around his thumb. Teething. Ryan winced at the memory of how the tooth coming in had grazed his nipple a short while ago. It wouldn’t be long now before his son would be fully weened no matter how hard he tried to delay it. The thought didn’t worry him as it had before, however. When it did happen and his heat came on again, Ryan would be mated to a good man, someone who would treat him and his pups with love and caring.
“Thanks for watching him tonight, Kyle.”
The alpha mate gave him a reassuring smile. “I’m happy to. It makes the most sense given that you and Griffin will be right in the suite with us. It will be easy for Griffin to come fetch him from me when you need to nurse later.”
Kyle glanced around the room. “You can’t stay here for long, though. I understand what Lorcan is doing, but this room is too small for three shifters. Milo’s size notwithstanding, Griffin’s will make things cramped.”
Not wanting to cause any trouble between the alpha pair, Ryan jumped to reassure him. “It will be fine. It’s only for sleeping.”
“And mounting,” Loki chimed in. “Tough to do with a pup underfoot.”
Grabbing him by the arm, Ben said, “Come on, Loki, this is no time to stir the pot. Let’s give Ryan a moment to himself.”
“Good idea,” Kyle agreed. “You need to put your feet up anyway, Loki.”
“Yeah,” Ben agreed. “Your ankles are swollen.”
“No, they’re not!” the boy protested as the three of them left the room in a flash.
Omegas Unchained (The Rogue Pack Book 8) Page 15