by Zoe Perdita
The snow leopard started at the chocolate brown hair falling across Alex’s smooth forehead and his bared white teeth. It took almost all Nalin’s composure not to laugh and shrug the wolf off with a callous comment. But no, this man was serious.
“Saving Danny was worth it. It’s the best thing I’ve done in my life, actually.”
Slowly, Alex released his grip. “Good. And just because you’re not part of our pack doesn’t mean we can’t punish you if you break a rule in our territory.”
Nalin smiled. This wolf really cared for the little deputy- that much was clear. That must be what having a sibling was like. “You mean Danny, don’t you? You’ll punish me if I break his heart.”
Alex’s cheeks flushed and he glanced back down the road. “Yeah, I guess.”
The distant sound of tires on asphalt rumbled through the air. “Then you needn’t worry. Hurting him is the last thing I would ever conceive of.”
Nodding, the wolf turned and walked back inside.
Nalin took a deep breath and waited for his lover to return.
Danny
When Danny finally arrived, Nalin stood in the yard waiting for him. The snow leopard wore one of Jake’s winter coats, although he didn’t look that cold. Just seeing him made the deputy’s stomach do a backflip. He was finally home where he belonged and his lover was with him. Could life get any better? He doubted it!
“You could have waited inside,” he said as Nalin opened the door and helped him down. He felt like he’d been gone for ages, although it had only been about a week.
“I don’t mind the cold. Come. We have dinner prepared for you,” the werecat said as he carefully wrapped his arm around Danny’s shoulders.
The heat of Nalin’s body seeped into the wolf, his touch like an electric shock. “What did you make?”
“A feast of food from my homeland. I hope you enjoy it.”
Danny looked up at the snow leopard, the strength of his jaw and his smooth golden brown skin. Being home wouldn’t mean anything if Nalin wasn’t here to share it with him. “If it’s the curry you made, I know I will.”
The werecat smirked playfully as they walked into the house.
Sure enough, Jake stood in the kitchen while Alex leaned against the kitchen table with his arms crossed. The expression on the beta’s wolf face was as unreadable as ever, but he didn’t look mad.
“Welcome home,” Alex said and pulled out a chair.
Danny smiled. “Thanks.”
Dinner came in a plethora of colors and tastes Danny never imagined, and from the looks on his pack mate’s faces they never imagined it either. Thankfully, they all seemed to enjoy the dishes of curried meat, vegetables, rice and delicious flatbread. Too bad Timothy couldn’t be there to share that moment with them, but the omega was stuck at work with his mates that night.
“We’ll clean up,” Jake said when they’d all finished. “I know how badly you want a shower.”
“Are you sure?” Nalin asked as he carried a pile of dishes to the sink.
“You were both shot. Of course we’re sure,” Holden said and patted the werecat on the back. “Go help him.”
The alpha wolves knew better than anyone what time alone with their mate was like and how little of it Nalin and Danny had in the past week. In fact, the snow leopard never even admitted Danny was his mate.
Sighing, the little wolf stood up. “If you insist.”
The werecat followed him up the stairs and into the bathroom. Turning around, Danny smiled at the taller man. Finally. They got to be alone!
The snow leopard took a slow step forward, his lithe body poised as always. “Need any help?” Nalin asked and plucked open the buttons on the deputy’s shirt.
Danny normally wore t-shirts when he was off duty, but a button up shirt was easier to put on when his arm in a sling. “Please.”
A slow smile slipped over Nalin’s lips as he gently moved the material off the wolf’s shoulders. His long fingers brushed Danny’s bare skin, the contact enticing every nerve in the deputy’s eager body. How had it only been a week since they first met? It felt like they’d known each other a lifetime.
“Are you going to join me?” Danny breathed as the werecat’s hands drifted over the wolf’s chest and toward his pants. God! He couldn’t get naked fast enough!
Strong hands gripped Danny’s hips, pulling down both his pants and his boxers at an achingly slow pace. The werecat was doing it on purpose! “I was planning on it.”
“Are we going to shower anytime this century?” the deputy asked as he stepped out of the pooled material.
Without a word, Nalin smiled up at him as he pulled off the wolf’s socks. “Perhaps. You sure are impatient.”
Danny fought not to pout- it made him look like a five-year-old. “I have been stuck in the hospital for a whole week.”
The snow leopard stood and pulled his t-shirt over his head, revealing perfectly toned muscles and golden skin. The wolf bit his bottom lip; his heart pounding in his chest as Nalin slipped the sweat pants off his slender hips and kicked them to the floor. The werecat’s cock hung neatly between his legs surrounded by dark curls. Damn. He was fucking gorgeous!
Then, Nalin leaned forward, the heat of his body radiating into Danny’s although they hardly touched, and turned on the shower. Steam and spray filled the room and his lover gently guided him inside.
Warm water cascaded over the wolf’s skin, and he dipped his head under the faucet to soak his hair. Nalin’s presence hovered behind him, squeezing shampoo into the deputy’s hair and scrubbing until suds dripped into Danny’s eyes. Slowly, he leaned back into the werecat’s body.
God. Being clean never felt so good.
Nalin chuckled. “Rinse the soap out, whelp, or I won’t wash the rest of you.”
Great. Now that was going to be a term of endearment. “Don’t call me that in front of my pack, please. They already think it’s hilarious that my mate is a snow leopard.”
The werecat rubbed a washcloth over Danny’s back in slow circles. “Funny? They never laughed at me.”
“No, but they all laughed at me in the hospital. Except for Timothy, but he’s the omega so he doesn’t count. Even Gunner and Christian thought it was funny.”
Nalin’s hands wound around the wolf’s stomach, the cloth trailing over Danny’s chest and the werecat’s body pressed into him. “I’m sorry for the inconvenience,” the man breathed into his ear.
Danny moaned, his cock rising to the occasion. “If you’re so sorry why don’t you do something about it?”
The snow leopard chuckled and his body drifted down the deputy’s back. The washcloth teased Danny’s being into a state of unbelievable arousal. Each tickle and brush of flesh on flesh reminded the wolf Nalin hadn’t kissed him yet, hadn’t done anything more than touch him the way a friend would- a really close friend. Had the werecat decided not to stay after all?
After the snow leopard ran the washcloth over ever part of Danny’s body, except the wolf’s aching member, he stood and handed it to the deputy.
“I’ll finish washing now. The water will soon get cold if we don’t hurry.”
Pouting, Danny scrubbed his sensitive member before rinsing off. “I can always just jerk off.”
Nalin smirked. “Patience, whelp. Do you need help drying off?”
“No, I’ve got it,” he said and climbed out of the shower. He tired to keep his eyes on the mirror and his mind off his rock hard length, but it was difficult when the infuriatingly fragrant scent of the snow leopard teased his nose. And the sight of the man, nude and wet, taunted him from the corner of his eye. Dammit! What the hell was Nalin up to? Or rather, not up to?
Then he glanced at his wounded arm, tightly wound with bandages, and frowned. Would the werecat really leave him after everything?
A few minutes later, Nalin stepped out of the shower, droplets of water trailing over his smooth skin, and quickly rubbed down with a towel. What Danny would have given to be
that towel, caressing his lover’s body with such rough passion. At least the snow leopard’s dick stood at attention too. The cat couldn’t deny he was turned on!
“Bedroom?” Nalin asked, although his tone brooked no argument.
“I was thinking the same thing,” Danny grumbled and wrapped the towel around his waist.
After a short walk down the hall they stepped into his room. The whole place smelled of Nalin- a rich cat musk. This must be were he’d slept the past few days. It made sense, and Danny’s chest ached when he realized he still didn’t know what his mate thought of him. Dammit!
The door clicked shut, and just as Danny turned Nalin’s hands dug into his shoulders. The cat’s fingers gripped his skin with a fiery passion that burned past the flesh into his very soul. The snow leopard didn’t speak, didn’t turn his lips up into that infuriating smirk, he just stared into Danny’s eyes and leaned forward.
Shocks of electric delight shot through the wolf’s body as their lips met in an achingly slow kiss. It was as if his lover was willing him to be patient and relax- their time would come- but now he just had to trust Nalin and enjoy the moment.
The snow leopard’s mouth eased Danny’s open, their tongues flicking together in the middle. Strong arms encompassed the wolf’s body, the flat of Nalin’s chest pressed flush to his. Their hearts beat together in perfect a rhythm. Skin tickled skin, ironclad cocks slipped against each other like flesh on silk sheets.
Gently, Nalin pressed Danny into the bed, and they both slipped into the warmth of the comforter- the softness of the mattress. Yes. This is what he’d dreamed of in the hospital- what he hoped would happen when he came home, only he never knew the werecat would be so gentle.
“I’m not going to break,” he moaned as Nalin’s lips trailed over his jawline and down his neck. Every inch of his body woke up- rising to the intensity of the moment.
A chuckled rocked the werecat’s body. “I know.”
Hot lips trailed over Danny’s lightly haired chest. Teeth pinched at his nipples, urging his cock to curl up against his stomach in an effort for release. Each tweak of delicate skin and velvet flick of the cat’s tongue enlivened Danny’s nerves- liquid lust coursing through the wolf’s veins.
“Shit,” he groaned, staring at the bent head of his lover. Nalin’s dark hair stood out with a perfection he’d never noticed before.
Then the eager mouth moved lower, hovering over Danny’s cock for just a moment before the pink tip of Nalin’s tongue dipped out to taste him.
Arching his back, Danny groaned.
“I knew you liked this,” the werecat purred as his hot lips engulfed the wolf’s throbbing member.
Teeth and tongue went to work, each slow suck eliciting a moan from the deputy’s lips and a trembling need from his body. Shit! He couldn't stand it anymore. He was going to come and end their fun way too early!
Nalin pursed his mouth and sucked harder, lapping at Danny’s cock like it was a bowl of cream.
“Fuck! If you don’t stop I’ll- Ah,” Danny gasped as his seed spilt inside his lover’s hungry mouth. The shock of pleasure exploded through his body- trembling satisfaction engulfing his being.
Licking his lips, Nalin smiled. “You’ll feed me? Good. We have more to do,” he said and planted a tender kiss on the wolf’s thigh.
In the dim light of the room, Danny’s vision blurred as he stared at the ceiling. His chest heaved as the lingering delight washed over him. “Like what?”
The snow leopard answered with a squirt of lube. “I’m going to make you come again, Danny.”
Then long fingers trailed over the wolf’s taint, tickling the tender skin with each slick stroke until a blunt digit located his asshole. Fire burned from his puckered hole as the cool finger slipped inside, forcing his tightness to stretch and bend to his will.
Danny looked between his legs at his lover, his heart about to pound out of his chest. “What are you doing?” he breathed.
Nalin smiled at him, his golden eyes aglow and the white tips of his fangs shining. “I’m claiming you, Danny. That’s what mates do, isn’t it?”
The wolf almost laughed as comprehension and joy surged through him. But the werecat took that moment to slide a second finger inside, so the wolf gasped instead. Fuck! If this is what it felt like he should have been gentler with Nalin!
The werecat’s hands moved slowly, tenderly, stroking Danny’s aching hole. Each plunge into his needy body sent a new wave of desire over the wolf. That must be the prostate, he mussed, and moaned as his lover’s fingers nudged against it again and again.
“One more, I think,” Nalin purred and slipped a third digit into Danny’s bottom.
The deputy groaned, biting his bottom lip at the intrusion. “Fuck. I didn’t know it felt like this.”.
A hot kiss melted against his thigh. “I know,” the werecat answered.
With every leisurely entrance, Danny’s body relaxed- gave in to the intrusion of Nalin’s fingers. Finally, the snow leopard pulled his hand free and kissed Danny’s stomach- the man’s lips searing his fever-hot flesh. Each meeting of skin to skin brought the werecat closer to his lips. When they met again, Nalin’s eyes hooded and his mouth parted, Danny leaned up and kissed him.
Then the fat head of the werecat’s cock eased in, and the wolf gripped Nalin’s back with his good arm. The turgid slickness pounded inside of the wolf, and his hungry body ate it up like a starving man. Nalin’s strong arms wrapped around Danny’s back, pulling the smaller man up as their mouths smashed together into a torrent of passion.
Exposed flesh thundered through Danny’s tight hole. Each delicate thrust exciting him- prodding him- waking his spent cock from its sleep.
Nalin’s lips hovered just about his. They breathed each other’s hot breath, the hungry gasps of air and moans of pleasure mingling together into the most beautiful song the deputy ever heard.
Lips burned Danny’s jaw, his neck, as he dug his fingers into the werecat’s smooth back. Beneath his hands, the man’s muscles shifted with each powerful thrust, feeding the wolf’s need in unimaginable ways. The world crumbled around them until only the two of them existed. Only that moment and the slick friction between their bodies, building to a perfect glistening apex.
The scent of their mingling sweat and sex filled the room, and Danny buried his face in his lover’s neck- the familiar tightening in his balls nudging him higher and higher.
“I’m going to-” Nalin gasped as the hot load filled Danny’s ass.
Fuck! The heat of his lover’s seed, the raw throbbing of the werecat’s cock gave Danny just the boost he needed. For the second time that night, his body shook in utter delight as the pleasure overwhelmed him, milky come spurting over his chest.
His eyes slipped shut; his fingers gripped Nalin’s back for dear life. Danny’s heart pounded so hard it felt like it was trying to escape his chest, and this was still the best moment in his life by far. How could it get any better?
Leaning back, Nalin pulled out with a slight popping sound, and lapped the mess from Danny’s stomach.
Smiling, the deputy opened his eyes and looked down. “You even clean up like a cat.”
The snow leopard shrugged as he stretched beside Danny, his long fingers trailing up and down the wolf’s smooth skin. “I guess I do.”
Danny flinched, his arm aching, as he turned toward Nalin. He had to ask now- after all of that. “You’re staying, right?”
“I want to, but I still don’t have a passport or any papers.”
The wolf shrugged. “We can fix that, the important part is that you want to stay. You know, with me.”
A slow smile slipped over Nalin’s full lips. “Always, my love, always.”
Danny grinned. Who cares if he looked like an idiot? He had his mate. “Good,” he said and cuddled into the warmth of the snow leopard’s arms. “That’s all I needed to know.”
“You doubted me, whelp?”
“No. But you’re
a confusing, cat! How am I supposed to know something if you don’t tell me?”
“At least I’m not an impatient whelp,” Nalin teased.
Danny snorted. “You’re not going to let that go, are you?”
“Never.”
Danny chuckled. Maybe his pack was right- having a cat for a mate was kind of funny- only the joke was always on him. But he didn’t mind. Nalin was worth it. And he looked forward to their lifetime of getting to know each other- especially if it was this exciting.
Part IV
Alex
Chapter 11
Alex smoothed his chocolate brown hair back into a low ponytail at the base of his neck and glanced out of his bedroom window. For once, the sky shone clear and blue- teasing the beta werewolf with the promise of warmth. However, it was still too early in the spring to be truly enjoyable out, but after almost of month of rain the bright sunshine was a welcome respite. Typical springtime in the Pacific Northwest, he thought and huffed.
He slipped his gray wool jacket over his black, button up shirt and quirked his head to the side. Jake and Holden, his pack’s alpha wolves, had been in their room all morning discussing something. With the lodge as quiet as it was he couldn’t help hear them. And, on a deeper level, Alex wanted to know what the hell they were talking about. If it was a pack issue they shouldn’t keep it to themselves- they should bring it to everyone involved.
Well, that wouldn’t be easy at the moment. Danny and his mate, the werecat Nalin, traveled back to India the week before. Plus, the pack’s omega and his Eurasian mates still lived in Kellogg since Holden hadn’t built a cabin for them next to the lodge yet. At the moment, it was just Alex and the alphas. And, of course, they wouldn’t ask his opinion of anything- they never did.
Stepping out of his bedroom, he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes to better hear the muffled voices.
“Good idea? Really?” Jake asked.
Then Holden mumbled something incomprehensible. “Family is family, Jake. It’s a wolf tradition among related packs.” That was all Alex deciphered before their footsteps neared the door and the beta wolf trotted down the stairs. Getting caught snooping wasn’t part of his plan.