by Eden Cole
Devin stepped closer as well. “I haven’t disrespected you. I acknowledged you, but you’re too stubborn to admit what you know is true.”
“The hell I do!” Corey shouted. “Do you have any idea what’s going on around here? You, who want what you want, don’t give a damn about the issues we’re facing, that I’m facing as the leader. I’ve got a hundred and fifty people out there I have to think about. Many are women and children. I can’t just make rash decisions.”
“I’m sorry,” Devin said grudgingly.
Corey’s eyes widened.
“I said I’m sorry.” Devin’s hands dropped onto Corey’s shoulders. His thumb traced circles on Corey’s cheek, and he felt all the anger from a moment ago dissipate. He told his feet to step back out of this man’s reach, but he couldn’t move. Devin came closer. Their bodies were just short of touching. “You have so much on you, and I should be helping you to stay calm, not riling you up.”
“I-It doesn’t matter,” Corey croaked. He broke their eye contact by lowering his head, but he didn’t move away. Every fiber of his being liked him just where he was and strained for more.
“It matters,” Devin insisted. “You’re under a lot of stress. You need a release. I firmly believe a good stress reliever helps when things begin to pile up. A person makes better decisions.”
“Don’t,” Corey told him.
Devin slid one hand down Corey’s arm until he reached his hand. Their fingers didn’t interlace, but they did play together a little with slight touches. Devin continued his movements until he circled around to Corey’s cock. The appendage grew hard and extended from the first caress. Corey drew in a shuddering breath.
“Don’t do that,” he forced out.
Devin massaged his cock through his jeans and squeezed. Corey could curse it felt so good. He put his hand over Devin’s intending to force him to quit, but he did nothing but hold him there, letting him run his fingers over Corey’s full length. Shame and desire twisted in his gut.
Devin moved in closer. He wrapped his other arm around Corey’s waist and pressed his body close. His hand continued to work Corey’s cock, but when he leaned in as if he was about to kiss Corey, he snapped out of it. He shoved Devin hard, sending the man stumbling back several feet until he hit the office door.
“I said cut it out,” Corey repeated. “I’m not like that.”
He assumed Devin would insist he was, but he just turned and left the office. Corey went around his desk and fell onto his chair. He laid his head on his folded hands and willed his erection to ease while he thought of a solution to all his problems.
Chapter Four
“So how’s it going?” Blaine asked.
Corey tightened his jaw. “You know how it’s going.” They stood at the side watching a couple of the men train in the workout room Corey had built a few years ago. The decision had turned out to be a good one since all of the men and many of the women used it. Mats were laid out in the center today so that people could spar. Shifted or in human form made no difference. Because of this, many in the room were naked, although they had the grace to keep a towel wrapped around them until their turn came.
Devin was among them, proud and strong. He stood above the other men, Corey couldn’t help admitting. His shoulders were wider, chest broader. Every part of his solid form was in top shape down to his meaty thighs and solid calves. The towel he wore hung low on his waist, barely knotted. The front extended out a bit giving the impression that he had much more to be proud of. Corey forced his gaze from there to the man’s face. He felt warmth entering his cheeks when Devin tossed the towel aside before he shifted. There were several gasps and even a few whistles of appreciation, but Corey refused to look for himself.
Devin’s stare met his, and he gave a slight nod before he was on all fours with fur covering his body. His coat was not electric blue like the rest of them, but it did have a blue blush to it. Even if he wasn’t full-blooded fenrir, he was massive like one, all corded muscle and power.
Corey glanced over at his opponent. Laramie of all men. No match. He doesn’t stand a chance.
“Is that a look of pride in your eyes?” Blaine asked, and Corey pinned him with his glare.
“Shut the hell up.”
“You have to admit there’s something between you.”
“No, actually, I don’t. He’s not mine.”
Blaine leaned on the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. He watched Devin floor Laramie with ease, but another wolf joined in the fight—not uncommon. Corey restrained himself from moving.
“Why can’t you entertain the possibility?” Blaine asked him. “I mean look at him. He’s perfect. He broke it off the second he saw you, but kissing him was good. Maybe I should make another play for him.”
Corey jerked Blaine’s shirt front. “Keep your damn hands off him, even in playing around.”
Around them several people gasped and watched them rather than the fight. Corey released Blaine.
“Whoa, buddy, okay,” Blaine said chuckling. He held up his hands in surrender. “I won’t touch the guy who is definitely not your wolf mate.”
Corey pretended he didn’t hear the sarcasm.
“Anyway, he’s been going around defending your leadership, putting down anyone who would speak against you, and hinting that you’re working on fixing the problem with the rival pack, saying they need to be behind you rather than flapping their gums with complaints. He’s your biggest fan. Some have suggested that you brought him in to help quell the dissention among the ranks.”
“He’s overstepping his bounds is what he’s doing,” Corey grumbled. “I will have to haul his ass into my office again and have another talk. I let them stay, but that can be overturned at any time.”
Blaine shrugged. “His methods may be caveman, but you know these shifters respond better to aggressiveness. They’re like humans in many ways, but they’re still part animal. The wildness needs to be tamed by a firm lead. Whoa, whoa before you start thinking I’m accusing you of not being a good Alpha, that’s not what I mean.”
“Then why don’t you make it clear to me what you’re saying, Blaine.” Corey narrowed his eyes at him. “And be careful of what you say. Or do you at last want to challenge my position?”
“No way. I’m happy with my lot in life,” his friend assured him. “What I’m saying is you know how we believe our mate is the missing part of us?”
“Yeah so?”
“So what if your mate is the one that tames the wildness.”
Corey clenched his hands into fists. “That’s like saying I can’t lead my men.”
“No, I’m saying your mate tames the wildness, the animal. You’ve led us into the twenty-first century with modern technology, with interaction with humans. You run this homestead like a business and made it more profitable than any Alpha before you. You’re everything we needed, Corey, and no one knows that better than I do. So, don’t think for a moment that I’m with the few that say different.”
He answered with no more than a grunt and focused back on the fight. Devin had put down the next man, along with two more who came at him. In the end, each of his opponents bowed to his superiority even if they resented it. Devin changed back to his human form, and Corey noted the gash on his thigh. That led to seeing his cock, jutting out from his body, hard and thick. Corey jerked his gaze away and turned his back. He left the gym giving himself the excuse that it was about work and not about running away from his physical reaction to Devin.
* * * *
Devin woke up from the feeling of hands around his cock. Sweat beaded on his forehead and his top lip. He pushed the sheet away and discovered his shaft had grown erect. He sighed. The dream had done it, another one where he held Corey in his arms after they’d made love. In it, Corey had pushed has ass back toward Devin’s crotch and begged for another round. Devin had been all for it because he was not satisfied. Now that he was awake he knew why. He still hadn’t come. His aching need
for his mate made him feel like he was going out of his mind. Never in all his scenarios thinking about what their first meeting would be like did he consider that his mate wouldn’t be gay.
He rolled to the side of the bed and sat up. Running a hand through his messy hair, he pushed it back off his forehead. His gaze caught the cut at his thigh. He’d felt Corey’s alarm seeing him hurt, and then the naked lust afterward. That meant he’d seen him naked. Devin grinned. He had nothing to be ashamed of when it came to his body, and he’d shown it by purposely tossing aside the towel before he shifted. He wanted Corey’s eyes on him.
I want more than his eyes on me, he thought and stood up. He listened at Corrin’s door before he left the cabin and headed in the direction of Corey’s. While he walked, he picked up on several night watchmen who rotated shifts to be sure no one infiltrated the area. Devin had a few ideas on making that system more efficient, but for the time being he kept them to himself. Corey wouldn’t welcome his interference again. Not directly anyway. He had no intention of stopping what he was doing among the members. They would follow his mate if he had to beat them into submission.
He grinned at the thought. He’d never been behind his former Alpha as he was behind Corey, even if he didn’t believe it. Devin knew he wasn’t a Beta, so Blaine had nothing to worry about. He was an Alpha, but if he couldn’t have that position—because he refused to fight Corey for it—then he would support him. Corey. His heart ached for his one, not to mention his body.
Devin stopped outside of Corey’s cabin and looked up at the windows. They were dark. He knew the door was locked, but the powerful drive to be nearer to Corey wasn’t something to be denied tonight. The moon shone brightly overhead, almost taunting him to go inside. Living by their wits over the last few months, Devin and his sister had experienced situations that caused Devin to pick up a few tricks. He knew how to pick a lock.
Maybe he was being too pushy. Corey might not appreciate him breaking in. He laughed. Probably not, but he was going to do it, even if it meant just watching him sleep. One look, then he could go for a run and tire himself out and return to bed.
When Devin made it inside with minimal noise, he surveyed the cabin. Corey’s place was much bigger than his, better furnished as befitting the pack leader. He went stock still when he spotted the fireplace in the living room, a massive landscape over it. The bear carpet on the floor was the very one he’d seen in his dream. Because he’d never been here, he was even surer his dreams were real. Corey was his.
Devin picked his way through the darkness to the master bedroom. The door stood open to his surprise. Peering inside, he spotted a king-size bed, big, bulky furniture, two windows, and a skylight of all things. A covering over the skylight was pulled back to allow the moonlight to shine in. The pale illumination made the room glow like the fenrir’s fur at night. Corey lay in the center of the bed, a single sheet slung across his big frame.
Devin inched closer. His mate was naked. Boxers and a tee lay crumpled on the floor. He must have been dreaming and got hot, Devin thought pleased. “Your body is incredible,” he whispered.
Corey muttered something in his sleep and shifted on the bed.
Devin pulled back the cover to reveal more of Corey’s skin. Unlike his, Corey’s chest was bare of hair, but it was just as hard. Wide shoulders and big chest tapered along his torso down to his waist. He bent and kissed the rippled abs. A shiver of pleasure rolled over him. Devin breathed in deep of his mate’s scent. He’d know it now wherever he was. He’d never forget. He kissed Corey’s stomach again, raining kisses to his navel. Corey moaned, and a tent formed under the sheet. Devin smiled. He remembered from the other night just how big his man was?
Mine.
Devin began kissing Corey’s body more earnestly. He was into it so much, he forgot to be cautious so he wouldn’t wake him. When Corey shoved him, he realized too late. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Corey demanded. “And how did you get in here?”
Undaunted, Devin sat on the edge of the bed. “I wanted to see you, darlin’, so I came in.”
“Well I don’t want to see you, so you can’t get the fuck out. And I told you about calling me darlin’.”
Devin did it on purpose. Even if he was gay, he generally only called a woman by the endearment. Truth was, he wanted to bug the man. Worked every time. “Oh, you want to see me. I’d guess you want a lot more than to just see me.” He indicated Corey’s hard-on. His mate jerked the sheets higher to cover his chest.
“I was dreaming.”
“About me?”
“Hell no!”
Impulsively, Devin jumped on top of Corey and pinned his arms above his head. He knew he’d have to use a lot more muscle to keep Corey in place, but right now the shock had kept his mate still. Nothing but the sheet separated their bodies. He could feel Corey’s cock twitch under his, and the feeling set him on fire. All his might went into not grinding against the other man.
“What if I just raped you right now?” he suggested.
Corey swore. “Impossible!”
Devin leaned down and kissed Corey’s neck. The other man shivered and tried jerking away. Devin increased his hold. “Yeah, because if I fucked you right here, right now, it wouldn’t be rape. You’d beg me not to stop.”
Even in the moonlight, Devin picked up on how Corey paled. “I would never do that. I don’t want you. When are you going to get that through your head?”
Devin liked the challenge. He released Corey’s wrists and ran his hands up until they lay flat against Corey’s. He threaded their fingers together and then began a slow pump into Corey’s groin. The friction between their two hard dicks was unbearably good.
Corey’s eyes fluttered closed, and then he widened them comically. “S-Stop.”
“No.” He ran the tip of his tongue along Corey’s neck, finding a thick vein. His pulse raced under Devin’s lips when he kissed the spot at his throat. “I’m taking you tonight. I can’t wait any longer. I know you’re scared. I have to have you.”
“The hell you will! I won’t let you.” Corey swore with each kiss and lick. He arched back so his cock gained space away from Devin’s, but Devin followed his lover deeper into the mattress.
“You belong to me,” Devin told him. “I’m taking what’s mine.”
“I-If you care about me…” Corey struggled for words. “If I’m important, then you would want this to happen right, when I’ve accepted you.”
Devin dropped his head alongside Corey’s on the pillow. He let all of his weight except for a knee come down on his lover. Corey’s teeth were gritted so tight, Devin knew he was doing everything he could not to moan. “You’re trying to convince me with words to let you go, yet you’re the Alpha, aren’t you? Why haven’t you just taken my head off my shoulders? Why don’t you use your own strength to move me?”
Corey jerked his hands free of Devin’s hold and pushed at Devin’s chest. But the force was non-existent. He likes me on him, he thought with pleasure. He wanted so much more, but he didn’t want to take responsibility for it.
Devin raised his hips and snatched the sheet away. Now nothing stood between them. They were skin to skin, taking the experience of being close to another level. Devin shifted one leg to the outside of Corey’s and then pressed one of his between his lover’s thighs. He raised Devin’s leg and ground into him.
“Ahh,” Corey cried out. He slammed a fist into the bed. Devin continued his onslaught. He stroked Corey’s thigh, enjoying the hardened muscle under his fingertips. While he caressed his mate, he kissed his jaw, licking his way around to Corey’s chin. One taste of Corey’s mouth was what he wanted. No, not one, an infinite amount. He wanted to crush Corey’s lips beneath his and keep on forever.
Don’t pull away. He brushed his mate’s lips with his. Corey’s mouth was sealed closed, but he didn’t turn his head. Devin teased them while pumping against Corey’s groin. He gripped Corey’s chin and forced him to look into hi
s eyes. “Give in to me. Give into what your body is calling for.”
“Go fuck yourself,” Corey spat.
“I’d rather fuck you.”
Corey didn’t respond.
Devin hesitated. “You know according to the old ways, I am within my right to force my mate to submit to me.”
Corey’s face suffused with red. “That was for the man to do to the woman when she was scared of the sexual act, and it was only with the Alpha’s approval and under supervision.”
Devin grinned. “Hm, you’re the Alpha. We got that part. And you’re scared shitless. We got that part too.”
“I’m not a woman,” Corey ground out.
“Semantics.”
Corey at last dredged up the strength to push him away, and Devin found himself on the floor. “Get out.”
Devin stood up and moved toward the door. “Are you sure about this? Once I’m gone…” His heart ached. Being so close, he knew Corey felt it too. He’d heard the gasp behind him. When Devin reached the entrance of the cabin, he stopped. Now he was overwhelmed with Corey’s pain, the loneliness that consumed him, the need to be with Devin. He turned to peer in the direction of the bedroom. What he had said about his rights was true, but he didn’t want to force Corey. He wanted him to come willingly.
Corey appeared in the hall and frowned. “I thought I told you to leave.”
“That’s a lot of bravado for someone who is thinking about running into my arms.”
His lover sneered. “You can’t read my mind, so don’t pretend to.”
“I feel your heart.”
Corey stomped toward him. “I said get the hell…”
Their mouths connected. Devin didn’t even expect it or know how it happened. Just all of a sudden Corey was in his arms, sealed to him, cock to cock, lips and tongue exploring each other’s mouths. Devin ran his hands up Corey’s back until he reached his short, blond locks. He knotted his fingers there while he devoured Corey’s lips.