A Wolf's Life

by Marcy Jacks

  Maxwell observed him, as though waiting for Noah to decide what he wanted to do with him.

  As though he understood right off the bat that something needed to happen here.

  "What do you want me to do?"

  Noah wet his lips. He felt pent up and alive and needy. He couldn't entirely explain what this thing was that he wanted, but he knew only Maxwell could give it to him.

  "I want you to make me feel good. I want…I need…"

  He couldn't say it because he didn't have the word for it.

  Luckily Maxwell knew what he needed without words. He pushed himself up, his hands coming to the back of Noah's head and neck, pulling him closer, crushing their mouths together.

  Noah moaned against Maxwell's mouth, leaning against his massive chest. The other man took control. Noah didn't have to do anything except follow along for the ride.

  And he liked it. This strength that Maxwell had, Noah got off on it. He liked being overpowered, and the fact that Maxwell was so huge, his chest, arms, and legs solid like rocks, made that sensation that much stronger.

  "Fuck me," Noah gasped between kisses. "Fuck me right now."

  Maxwell grinned at him, his eyes transforming into a brilliant shade of red as he showed off the white of his teeth.

  He didn't tease Noah, which was both a good and a bad thing. Normally Noah wasn't opposed to a bit of teasing. He wanted to be teased, to be tormented to within an inch of his life, but not now. Now he wanted to forget. He wanted to be fucked, and he didn't want to take his time about it.

  "All right, sweetheart. I can give you what you need."

  Noah groaned, a rush of relief hitting him. "Thank God."

  Maxwell raised a brow at him. "You really thought I wouldn't give this to you?"

  Noah shook his head. "I don't know what I thought, but right about now, it feels like I'm going to implode if you don't get inside me."

  "Mating rush is back," Maxwell said, pushing the sheets out of the way, exposing Noah's hard cock.

  Noah tensed. He’d been naked beneath the sheets this entire time? Well, he supposed it made a little sense. Skin-to-skin contact was best for mated pairs like this. Why wouldn't Maxwell had stripped him down before getting in bed with him when that would technically be the best medicine for him?

  Maxwell growled, pulling Noah into his lap. Noah didn't think he was particularly short or small, but he sure as hell felt it while sitting there as he was.

  "We have to be quick about this."

  "Why?"

  Maxwell reached over for the nightstand, pulling open the drawer with his long arm and digging around inside. He grabbed the bottle of lubricant and a condom before answering.

  "Because I have to go outside and take care of business soon, baby."

  Heat rushed into Noah's cheeks. He pressed his lips together, trying to hide how embarrassed he was. "Right. Yeah, that makes sense."

  It felt good to be with his mate. It seemed to help him recover, but he couldn't have Maxwell all to himself. That wasn't how this was going to work. This wasn't going to be the perfect ending Noah wanted. There was a lot of work to get done after they finished with each other, and Noah was going to have to let Maxwell do most of that work without him.

  "I'll try not to take up too much of your time," he promised.

  Maxwell’s fingers played around Noah’s hole, making his legs tremble even as he sat on Maxwell’s lap. His words sounded almost like a growl. “I promise to make it worth your time.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Maxwell needed to touch him. His wolf needed to touch him.

  He was a bad leader. He could see that now. He could see how this was affected his own behavior and his mate.

  It wasn't just that he needed to slide his tongue across every inch of Noah's body, but he needed to do it in place of being a responsible alpha.

  Maxwell was purposely going to go out of his way to avoid his own people. He was going to spend time fucking his mate when there were those in his pack who had died.

  But only because Noah needed him. Because Noah needed the reassurance that everything in the world hadn't gone to complete shit.

  And because Maxwell had been terrified last night that he was about to lose the best damned thing to ever happen to him.

  He pushed his fingers inside of Noah's asshole, stretching him open, savoring the little sounds Noah made as he thrust his fingers back and forth, back and forth. And all the while, Maxwell's inner wolf rumbled.

  Totally at peace.

  "I was so fucking scared I'd lost you last night," Maxwell growled, pressing his mouth to Noah's right nipple. He took it into his mouth, loving the way it budded between his lips, the way Noah thrust his chest forward.

  Maxwell put his mouth onto the man's other nipple, moaning when Noah shivered and groaned for him.

  His wolf wanted more, Maxwell could feel it, but he didn't feel so close to losing control of it this time around. It wasn't a struggle to hold back.

  It was perfect.

  So was the clench of Noah's asshole around Maxwell's fingers. His prick throbbed, aching to be buried deep inside of Noah's body, to take him hard and make sure every wolf, friend and foe, could smell that this was not a man meant to be fucked with.

  "You're mine."

  Noah nodded, his eyes clenched shut. "Y-yeah."

  "Say it." Even the wolf was in agreement with him on that one. They both needed it.

  "I'm yours." Noah moaned, sinking his ass down harder on Maxwell's fingers. He thrust his hips up and down, fucking himself on Maxwell's hand, which was about when Maxwell knew Noah was ready.

  Which was good because Maxwell couldn't hold back anymore.

  He pulled his fingers back from Noah's hold, enjoying the way his mate moaned for him, as though he was disappointed the fun had to come to a stop.

  "You are so damned beautiful. You have no idea."

  Noah didn't seem to be paying attention to him. His eyes were glazed over as he held tightly to Maxwell's face before leaning in and crushing their mouths together.

  Maxwell allowed it, smiling as his mate took control.

  The fact that Noah thought he could take control was adorable, so Maxwell thought he would allow this for as long as possible.

  Letting his mate believe he was the one in charge here might help with his recovery and give Maxwell the charge he needed to see to the rest of his pack.

  To take care of his dead.

  Noah pushed Maxwell down onto his back. He had to climb Maxwell's chest a little to reach his mouth at that point because of their height difference, but that was all right because it gave Maxwell the perfect reach for his hands to grip the globes of Noah's ass.

  Noah moaned against Maxwell's mouth, losing a little of that control he'd tried so hard to pretend that he had.

  And Maxwell took that control back from him as he slid his tongue into Noah's mouth, licking him deep.

  Tasting his life. Tasting his everything.

  And Noah was now thrusting his cock against Maxwell's belly. It was time to end this.

  He turned them around quickly. Noah gasped from the sudden shock of being moved like that, but he didn't fight Maxwell on it.

  Maxwell growled low in his throat, taking Noah's hips in hand and pulling them up, positioning him just the way Maxwell wanted him.

  Ass up, head down.

  "Stay just like this," he growled. His inner wolf was starting to come out, but there was no danger of it taking control.

  It had adjusted well to the mating, it seemed.

  Noah looked back over his shoulder, cheeks flushed, as though he were being overcome with pleasure.

  "Hurry up."

  Maxwell stopped slicking his cock for a moment so he could really look at the man. "You're a little bossy, aren't you?"

  Noah narrowed his eyes at him. It almost sounded as though he were growling at him. "Just hurry up and fuck me already. Before I change my mind," he threw in.

  It took a
great amount of effort for Maxwell to keep from laughing at that because he knew the truth. Noah wasn't about to change his mind. They both needed this too damned much for that to be a possibility.

  He pressed his cock against the crack of Noah’s ass, sliding it back and forth, pressing the head of his dick against Noah's hole, listening as the man shivered and moaned uncontrollably.

  Maxwell leaned over Noah's back, rumbling into his ear. "You want to tell me again that you think you're going to say no to this?"

  Noah pressed his face into the sheets, shivering, pushing his ass back against Maxwell's cock, and with his lack of an answer, Maxwell figured now was the time for him to give his mate what he wanted before this ended badly for the both of them.

  Maxwell pressed his cockhead against Noah's stretched hole.

  He was still so damned tight. Maxwell gritted his teeth as he pushed forward.

  Eventually that ring of muscle popped open for him, allowing Maxwell to sink inside with a hard groan.

  Noah shouted something into the sheets, but Maxwell couldn't hear it. He was too busy sinking balls deep into Noah's tight, hot body.

  "God, you're so fucking tight, baby." Maxwell shivered, struggling even to hold back his claws from sliding through his fingers as he held on to Noah's waist.

  So good. He needed this. Maxwell could feel his energy spiking, but he was also giving it to Noah. He wasn't just taking. He was sharing. He could feel it deep in his bones. This was for Noah, for his continued recovery.

  With that, Maxwell growled low in his throat as he sank to the hilt, Noah's body gripping him perfectly.

  Maxwell took a breath, adjusting himself. "You still good?"

  Noah lifted his face. "Y-yeah, fuck that's…that feels real nice."

  "How's your arm?" He couldn't forget that Noah was still recovering, and he didn't want the man to put any pressure on it.

  Hence, why his mate was face down and ass in the air for him.

  "I'm good. Just don't stop."

  Noah seemed determined to keep Maxwell going.

  As if he was in the same headspace. As if he felt the rush of discomfort right around the corner if they so much as took a break.

  So Maxwell canted his hips forward and back, slowly at first. But only at first.

  Even now that he and his inner wolf were more at peace with each other than they'd ever been, it still had some demands of its own to make, and fucking hard and fast into Noah's body like this was one of them.

  Maxwell shouted, he howled, and he made his mate moan and cry out for him, too.

  He loved him. He needed this. He needed to claim his mate forever.

  The wolf took control. Maxwell hadn't seen it coming because the stupid beast had been so well behaved lately, but it happened, and he couldn't control it.

  His teeth popped out. Wolf's teeth. Not all of them, but the ones at the front. And the canines, sharp and long.

  Maxwell bit down on the side of Noah's neck and shoulder, breaking the skin even when he didn't want to. He tried to stop himself, to stop the wolf.

  No! He couldn't do that! Didn't the wolf know Noah was human? He might kill him!

  Noah threw his head back and shouted long and loud as Maxwell tasted blood in his mouth, but now he couldn't pull away because he didn't want to tear off any flesh.

  He kept his teeth as still as he possibly could. He struggled with the wolf once more for control, already thinking about everything he was going to have to say and do for Noah when his teeth were out of the man's neck.

  A call for an ambulance would be the first thing he did, and then Maxwell would have to hold his hand, keep the skin-to-skin contact to help Noah to heal. Maybe they could get lucky and there would be no permanent damage.

  Except when Maxwell felt the rumble deep in his chest, not quite like a purr but something damned close to it as he pulled his teeth back and licked and sucked on Noah's throat. Licking the wound, as though trying to treat it. To heal it.

  As if the wolf was kissing Noah while still gently fucking into him.

  “Oh Christ, you actually bit me,” Noah gasped, turning his head, as though trying to see his own neck.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Noah shook his head. “Fuck, don’t be. Oh God, that was…that was…”

  Noah mewled a helpless, pleasant noise, fucking back against Maxwell's cock, still moving with him.

  He wasn't giving off the impression he was in any real pain or danger, and slowly, control was returned to Maxwell of his body.

  A wolf’s bite, the sign of a proper mating among the shifters, was known to temporarily increase the pleasure given in a mating heat.

  Though the wolf still licked and kissed at Noah's throat, at the bite mark it had created before relinquishing full control.

  By then, Noah was still moaning for him, still thrusting his ass back against Maxwell's cock, and before Maxwell could pull back and ask if Noah was all right, he felt the rush of his orgasm come at him hard.

  It was almost too much to bear.

  Maxwell clenched his teeth, growling low when the rush of heat and pleasure from the pit of his belly rose up. His groin clenched before his cock jumped, and then he spilled deep inside of Noah's body.

  God help him, Maxwell couldn't stop, and he fucked into Noah almost helplessly, unable to stop the movement of his hips as he spilled everything he had inside him.

  Until he had nothing left to give. He was done, spent.

  But Noah wasn't. He moaned, still pushing back against Maxwell's still hard cock.

  "Don't stop. Please, don't stop."

  Shit. Maxwell wasn't sure if he was aware of the damage done to his throat, but he couldn't leave him like this either. The pain of the mating heat would get to him if Maxwell didn't at least do something.

  He pumped his hips, giving Noah what he needed, reaching around and cupping his balls before stroking the length of his cock.

  That simple touch was all it took before Maxwell felt Noah's prick jump, and then warmth hit his fingers as Noah moaned and shuddered.

  Good. This was good. So long as Noah was satisfied, then Maxwell could at least see to the rest of his care.

  "Noah, baby, come on, you have to get up."

  It looked like his mate was settling into a nap. Maxwell couldn't let him do that when his neck was bleeding like that.

  Maxwell gently eased himself out of Noah's body, somewhat unhappy that he even had to do that in the first place when it felt so good to be there.

  No! No, he wasn't going to think like that. Noah was bleeding, and it was because of Maxwell.

  "Baby, get up. I need to take you to the hospital."

  Noah turned his head, looking at him with that glazed expression in his eyes.

  Yeah, he definitely looked as though he'd just gotten off and did not want to move.

  "Why do I have to go to the hospital? My arm is fine."

  "I know, but baby, your neck isn't. You're bleeding. Shit, here."

  Maxwell yanked off one of the pillowcases and pressed it to the wound. At least that way he could stop the flow of blood.

  "Hold this here. Noah, don't go to sleep."

  Noah turned over, but he seemed a little annoyed that his nap was being interrupted. "I thought wolves bit their mates on the necks all the time."

  "Yeah, but not like…this is different."

  "How?" Noah pulled the pillowcase back to have a look, and his brows lifted. "Wow, that's a lot of blood."

  "Exactly, so will you please get up so I can take…"

  Maxwell trailed off when he got a better look at Noah's throat. He frowned, leaning in.

  "Baby, let me see that."

  He took the pillowcase from Noah's hand, gently wiping at the wound he'd made.

  Except, right in front of Maxwell's eyes, he could see the bit mark closing. A human, even one mated to a shifter, shouldn't heal like that.

  Was it because Noah was a wolf's soul? Because he and Maxwell's wolf were connec
ted?

  Maxwell wiped more of the blood out of the way. He kept watching the skin knitting itself back together. It was fascinating, and almost as fascinating was the way the scar tissue started to form.

  The bite mark was healing, but a scar was still forming.

  A mating scar.

  Maxwell pulled back, sitting on his feet as he and Noah looked at each other.

  "Does it still look bad?" suddenly he sounded worried, and only because of how it looked? Typical.

  Maxwell shook his head. "No, it's healing."

  He was stunned by this new development.

  Noah sat up, wide-awake after seeing the blood. "So, what was that? I thought wolves bit their mates all the time?"

  "We used to. Too many mates were dying because of it. It was outlawed by human and pack law."

  “Oh.” Noah’s eyes flew wide. “Well, I guess in that case, try not to do it again, but in case you didn’t notice, I was kind of liking it.”

  “I should have kept more control. I am sorry for…not.” He almost wished Noah were a little angry with him.

  “Well, all is forgiven. No harm, no foul, right?”

  “I suppose.” Maxwell gave the wound another hard look, making sure it was closing.

  He was going to have to work harder at his self-control. Apparently, a wolf could still lose focus with a wolf soul as their mate. He would remember that.

  “I won’t do it again.”

  “What if I ask you to?”

  Maxwell clenched his jaw. “Maybe, but only when I am the one in control, not the wolf.”

  There was something he wasn't entirely getting here though. "Didn't you feel that? Didn't that hurt?"

  Noah seemed to have to think about that. "Well, not really. I mean I felt it, and it hurt, but not much more than when you were inside me for the first time."

  Maxwell couldn't believe it, and part of him wanted to strangle the man for being so casual about this.

  "Me fucking you isn't supposed to hurt. Not much," he amended. "I know it's been a while since you've had other lovers."

  Noah smiled lazily at him, falling back into the sheets. "Not just awhile. You're the first person to ever fuck me like that."