But what Ryker was afraid of, he wasn’t telling.
Bo didn’t push him on it, either. That was why Ryker hadn’t actually met his pack yet, despite the fact that his family members were running out of patience. His parents often called him, and so did a few of the more tech-savvy elders. He didn’t see much use lying to them about the fact that he had a mate—when he was finally able to visit, they would have been hurt if he had kept Ryker a secret all that time—but it had caused a problem as well as fixed one. Now he was being constantly nagged as to when he was going to visit and show off his mate, and when they were going to get married.
Marriage... Most shifters didn’t wait very long after meeting each other to get married. Why wait when it was destined that the pair would be together forever?
Bo tried to explain, without giving anything away, that the situation was more complicated than it seemed. On the day that signaled a month since they met, the phone rang yet again while he and Ryker were watching TV.
The alpha glanced over at him with a tired, but half-amused expression. “Any guess who that could be?”
Bo grimaced a little as he stood up. “Three guesses. And the first two don’t count.”
Ryker chuckled and patted at Bo’s rear as the omega went over to the landline. He shivered a little, feeling heat coil tightly in his lower stomach from the touch. That was something else they’d had a lot of time for...
He shoved his longing down for a moment to pick up the phone. “Hi, Mom,” he said into the mouthpiece, before the caller could even identify herself.
“Oh!” his mother chirped, surprised. “How did you know it was me?”
“It’s always you,” he replied. “Ryker and I were just watching TV.”
“Is that all you’re doing?” His mother’s voice was three parts teasing, one part disapproving.
Bo grimaced. Wolf packs were remarkably open about a lot of things but it was still awkward to be teased about your sex life by your own parents.
“And if that is all you’re doing, why aren’t you spending that time introducing Ryker to us instead of sitting alone in your apartment? Is there something you don’t want us to know?”
Bo rubbed his forehead, trying to hold onto his frustration. Behind him, he heard the couch cushions shift beneath Ryker’s bulk; the alpha insisted upon sitting in the same spot, and it was starting to wear on the springs. “Mom, I’ve already told you that things are complicated. I can’t tell you anything right now.”
“I think you’re hiding something from us,” she said gently. “Is Ryker actually an alpha?”
Bo glanced out of the corner of his eye at the dark wolf shape slowly creeping towards him. Its tail was up in the air, wagging playfully. That was another thing that changed between them. The tension. Most of it was gone.
“Biggest alpha you’ve ever seen.”
“Honey!”
“Mom, please, stop being a pervert! Geez!”
She giggled. “Fine. I’ll stop for now but I’ll have you know, I don’t call you because I want to. Well, I mean, of course I want to, but I understand that you need some space right now. It’s just that your father’s worried you might have gotten yourself in over your head. There’s no shame in asking for a little help.”
Gentle fangs grabbed at his pant leg, tugging softly. Bo glanced down into the brilliant golden eyes of his mate and saw hunger there. “Well...uh...if I ever need help, I’ll let you know. I promise it won’t be much longer. But I kind of need to go now.”
“Alright, Boniface.”
He winced. She knew he hated his full name.
“Love you, Mom.”
“Love you, dear.”
He hung up, and not a moment too soon. Ryker yanked his huge head backwards, and Bo had his leg torn out from beneath him. Collapsing roughly against the alpha’s side, he grabbed onto handfuls of the thick black fur and pulled on it. Ryker winced, but his tail kept wagging.
“I’ll get back at you for that,” Bo said, trying to deepen his voice into a growl, which was difficult when his insides felt so light and playful. His body was reacting to Ryker’s presence, to his alpha’s desire. He could feel his muscles already relaxing, his opening becoming loose and ready almost immediately. They didn’t have sex very often, with Ryker being surprisingly sensitive to Bo’s tiredness after work, but when they did...
The huge black wolf kept staring deep into his eyes, and that great, fluffy tail kept wagging.
Bo transformed into his own wolf, raising his tail as well to show off his ready opening.
Ryker lunged, but Bo pivoted his rear out of the way and spun around to face the other. His paws were so light and dainty that they hardly made any sound on the carpet, while everything the alpha did resulted in resounding thumps that practically shook the entire building.
Ryker’s ears twitched and he stretched out his nose. The two wolves nuzzled at each other’s muzzles for a moment before breaking apart again to circle each other. It wasn’t so much two opponents looking for an opening against each other as it was two souls seeking to press together. Their tails entwined and their sides brushed together, heads and cheeks nuzzling wherever they could reach. Whines and growls lifted from their throats, blocking out the sound of the TV.
Then, Ryker made a break for it and lifted up onto his hind paws. His broad forepaws came crashing down as hands onto Bo’s shoulders as the omega transformed with him, both of them reaching to the other. They tore at the other’s clothes, fingers clawing buttons open and shoving at zippers. Bo was more careful than Ryker not to damage anything, but Ryker got his nails and teeth involved, ripping a shirt sleeve and tearing Bo’s underwear in half.
And then it was only the two of them together, nothing between them but skin. Their bodies were already entwined, rubbing together easily through a thin sweat of exertion.
Bo struggled to control his breathing, his dick pressing up hard against Ryker’s stomach, while the alpha had his own cock lying between the omega’s ass cheeks. “My favorite place to be,” he growled softly, bucking his hips slightly to rub up and down.
Grabbing at Ryker’s broad back, Bo pressed back hard against the firm length nestled against him. “Damn,” he said breathlessly, eyes closing from pure pleasure. “So good.”
“You like that,” Ryker purred to him, holding Bo’s hips to keep him in place. “I know you do, don’t you?”
“Yes!” Bo squealed out. “More! Give it to me!”
“You want this cock?”
“Yes!”
Ryker pulled Bo in closer now, letting him grind as hard as he wanted. The omega’s body shook violently as he moved with reckless abandon, holding onto Ryker so that he could thrust back against the cock that was burying itself ever deeper between his cheeks. Hot pleasure made his vision go hazy, and he had to close his eyes. Every part of him tingled and burned with fervor and life. A need kindled deep inside him, urging him to grind backwards harder and faster than before. His opening was swollen slightly and he couldn’t remember a time when his dick had been so hard, so ready to explode.
But, release evaded him. It always did. He needed more than this to finish, and Ryker was going to keep him on the edge for as long as he could.
Too much more of this though, and he was going to have to demand that they move on. It was torture!
As if sensing Bo’s urgency, Ryker adjusted his grip and wrapped his hands around the omega’s waist instead. Then, he started to stand.
Bo squeaked, feeling unbalanced and knowing that there was no way Ryker’s cock alone could hold him up. He wrapped his arms around the alpha’s neck and his legs around his waist. “What are you doing?” he demanded, momentarily forgetting the heat inside him that was straining for release.
“Trying something new,” Ryker grunted.
They reached the bedroom and Ryker sat down on the edge of it, and then flopped backwards. Bo fell against his chest, all the breath escaping his lungs as he hit the alpha’s rock hard bo
dy. He took advantage of the new position, turning his head and flicking out his tongue at Ryker’s nipple. The soft, sensitive nub immediately went stiff. Hard fingers curled in his hair and traced down his back, all the way down to hold his ass. Bo purred and raised up his ass, wiggling it against those rough palms.
“This seems pretty normal to me,” he breathed teasingly.
Ryker growled and bit playfully at the side of his neck. “I haven’t done it yet.”
“Then get to it before I come!” Bo squealed, wriggling around.
The alpha growled again. “You’re mine now. You can’t come without me.”
It was true. At least, it had recently become true. They had bonded enough for that. It was an alpha’s duty to take care of their omega sexually, and Bo’s body had adapted to a point where he couldn’t get himself off anymore.
Bo let out another squeal and Ryker grinned, hoisting up the omega and manually shifting him around. Bo let him do whatever he liked, knowing that the end result would be explosive. He ended up crouched over the alpha’s body with his ready opening over Ryker’s cock. Only Ryker’s hands supporting his ass from beneath kept him from spearing himself on the hard organ.
Bo whined, “Ryker!”
“Bo!” Ryker squeaked back teasingly. Bo smacked his shoulder, and the alpha obediently started to lower him down.
At the first touch of Ryker’s hard, swollen tip piercing him, he couldn’t hold himself back any longer. Grabbing the alpha’s knees, Bo forced himself down and his mate let him—but at an excruciatingly slow place.
Moans and huffs of breath pulled from between his lips as Ryker’s cock buried inside him. The thick rigidness of the shaft rubbed against the soft textures of his inner walls, making his body shake and writhe.
And then he stopped moving down and opened his eyes. His ass was pressed against Ryker’s skin, meaning he was more or less sitting on the alpha.
“Feels good?” the alpha asked, voice low. His eyes were alight, however. He knew how good it felt. They were connected. Ryker could feel how it felt for Bo, just as easily as Bo could feel how tight he was around the alpha’s cock. They fit together perfectly.
“Mmm,” was all Bo could moan in reply.
Ryker lay back, releasing all of his hold on Bo. “Have fun,” he growled.
I’m in control?
A smile spread across Bo’s lips, a grin that spread from ear to ear. Pressing his hands down against the alpha’s body to support himself, Bo started to rock and grind and thrust against the cock buried inside him. Every breathless groan from Ryker was like music to his ears; the sound of his own panting made it difficult to hear them, though.
Then, Ryker grabbed gently onto Bo’s cock and started to slowly pull it up and down with his hand. That was all it took. Everything in Bo’s body went tense and tight, and he was aware of nothing but shaking and heat and bursts of warmth.
Ryker let out a long, loud groan that ended with a rush of heat inside Bo, and they collapsed together onto the bed, out of breath.
For a few moments, they just lay there together. Bo wasn’t aware of anything in particular, although he did notice when Ryker started to play with his hair.
“Good?” the alpha asked softly.
“Uh-huh,” Bo nodded. He moved his head to lay his cheek on the alpha’s shoulder, relaxing with him. “Thank you.”
A low laugh rumbled in Ryker’s chest. “You don’t have to thank me every time we have sex.”
Bo giggled softly and wrapped one arm around the alpha, using the other to lightly trace the contours of his muscles. “I know, but it makes me happy that you’ll do things with me. You make me happy. Being with you.”
He winced a little. Damn. That was awkward.
The fingers tracing through his hair seemed to hesitate before they started moving again. “Well,” Ryker said after a moment, “I didn’t think it would ever happen for me.”
Bo shifted his eyes upwards to look into the dark eyes of his mate. They seemed a little darker than normal. “What do you mean?”
“I didn’t know if I would ever find a mate. But, here you are. And you make me happy, too.”
“Why did you think you wouldn’t find anyone? Is it because you were in a gang? Or because you’re a gross biker?”
Ryker laughed, but there was a sad twinge to the sound. “I just never really thought about it, is all.”
A comfortable silence fell between them for a bit. Bo wondered if Ryker had fallen asleep, but now there was a question burning inside him that needed to be voiced. “Ryker?”
“Hmm?”
“Are you ever going to tell me everything that happened? And why you’re always so tense?”
“I’m not tense,” the alpha protested, clearly lying.
Bo snorted. “Even when you’re relaxed, you’re tense. You know, I wish you’d be more upfront with me. I really wish you’d let me get to know you better.”
“You do know me. What’s my favorite food?”
Bo rolled his eyes, trying to hide his frustration. He knew the other was just trying to get a rise out of him, so he bit his tongue when he replied. “Bloody steak. So rare that it might as well not be cooked. Which is gross. Really gross. And your favorite drink is mead, which you had once when you were younger and haven’t ever been able to find since. And your favorite color is pink.”
“See? You do know me.”
“I know about you. But I don’t know the real you, the one who’s hiding from me.” He felt Ryker go still, the fingers pausing in their play in his hair again, and knew that he had struck a nerve. “I can tell that you were different before we met, because I saw you for those first few days. But you’ve made a change since then. A change I like. But...I can’t really appreciate you for who you are now unless I know where you came from. Do you understand?”
Ryker seemed to ponder that for a very long moment before shaking his head, very slowly. “I could say the same about you.”
Bo nodded. “I’m ready and waiting to show you my pack and the place where I came from. But I’ve been waiting for you to say that I can.”
Ryker let out a sigh, which he seemed to do all the time now. “And I’ve told you that I can’t do that yet.”
“But why not?”
The alpha went silent for a long moment. The evening silence seemed more powerful than usual, and it was that much harder to break that sort of magic. Then, he started to speak quietly. “I’ve already told you that I can’t tell you that. But Bo, this isn’t the time for this. I’m trying to keep you from having to know anything.”
“Yeah,” Bo said wryly, “I can tell.”
“I guess you can,” Ryker grunted, starting to slowly play with Bo’s hair again. “Bo, I was the alpha of my pack. Something very bad happened for me to wind up in this position. And it isn’t over. I keep waiting and waiting for the aftermath but it hasn’t happened yet, and that makes me unhappy.”
“You can tell me all that but you can’t give me exact details?” Bo frowned. His stomach twisted with bitterness. “Do you even know the details?”
“I do,” Ryker replied. “However, it’s just best for you not to know anything. Just in case.”
That statement made Bo realize something that he hadn’t quite thought of before. “You’re trying to protect me.”
Ryker wrapped his arms around the omega. “I am.”
Bo wriggled around slightly. Ryker’s elbow was digging into his side at an awkward angle, which meant the hug wasn’t exactly as comforting as it was meant to be. “That’s not how it’s supposed to be though,” he replied gently. “My pack teaches pups that alphas and omegas are equal. You don’t have to protect me. You’re supposed to let me stand beside you so we can face the future together.”
“And that is something I won’t ever understand,” Ryker grunted. He sounded apologetic, which meant Bo couldn’t be mad at him. Instead, all he felt was sad. “Look at just the difference between you and me. The size, the power. H
ow can we be equal in everything?”
Bo lightly patted at Ryker’s shoulder. “Equality doesn’t mean everyone is the same in everything. Maybe you’ll get that through your thick head someday.”
“I hope it’s soon,” Ryker said, his voice bitter. “I hope all of this comes soon.”
They slowly drifted off into sleep together, talking more but with greater gaps between the words until there was nothing else spoken at all.
Chapter 9
Ryker felt much the same about the past month with Bo as his mate felt about him. He couldn’t remember the last time everything came so easily, when the conversation was always so relaxed. It was almost magical, and they had fallen into a routine so easily. It only took about a week for them to get used to revolving around each other like that. And like planets that orbited each other, Ryker found that he felt drawn to the omega through their powerful bond, which only strengthened more and more each day.
He hadn’t understood up until now how shapeshifters could be driven to insanity or suicide by the loss of a mate. Now, the thought horrified him. How would it be to have half of your soul simply missing? You would be only a shell of a life, an empty husk. Nothing more. Terrible.
Even more than ever, he was determined to protect Bo. Whether or not the omega agreed with his thought process, Ryker knew it was what he had to do. Besides, as the former leader of a pack, he was very used to having to deal with the consequences of unpopular decisions like this. And that was in a group of over thirty wolves. Compared to that, Bo’s unhappiness towards him should have been nothing.
Yet, it was everything.
The next day, Bo woke up and went to work as usual. However, Ryker stopped him on his way out the door. “Wait,” he said.
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