Alpha Unit One, New York

by Chris T. Kat

  “So far, no, but I haven’t seen everything.” Nicky slowly lifted his hands and gave me a questioning look.

  So sweet—and so mine. I nodded, and Nicky slipped his hands under my shirt. He skimmed his fingertips upward, leaving a trail of tingles behind. My breathing quickened. If I’d had any remaining doubts he really was my mate, they vanished. My beast was almost to the point of frenzy. He roared at me to claim my mate already.

  With anyone else, I’d have already given in, not caring about my power, sure in the knowledge my partner could take what I’d dish out since he was no human. And yet, another part of me, large and overly protective, kept a tight leash on my beast. The most surprising thing of all was that my lion accepted the restraint. What the hell was Nicky? Or was it simply because he was my mate?

  All coherent thought fled when Nicky shoved my shirt up and latched on to my left nipple, sucking, nibbling, tasting. At some point I managed to get rid of the shirt, and then I slid my fingers through his baby-soft hair.

  A low, steady sound filled the room, and it took me a while to recognize what I was hearing. Purring. My Nicky was purring. So he was a cat shifter, like me. How odd. Shouldn’t I have discovered his secret right away?

  My nipple plopped out of Nicky’s mouth. As he stared up at me, he smacked his lips, as if to devour my taste. “You’re thinking way too hard. Shouldn’t you throw me on your bed and do whatever you please with me? I’ve heard that’s how a mating usually goes.”

  “Yeah, I’ve heard the same,” I replied, my voice coming out throaty. “There’s something about you….”

  Nicky wrinkled his nose, looking like a confused kitten. “Not sexy enough?”

  I grabbed him by the waistband and pulled him up to me. Our torsos collided, raising a satisfied growl from him. “Of course you’re sexy. No, there’s just something about you that has me thinking twice so I don’t hurt you.”

  “Oh.” Nicky blushed and hastily averted his gaze. He latched on to my right nipple, sucking it hard.

  “Shit, baby, you’re so good at this.”

  “You wouldn’t believe why,” Nicky muttered.

  Before I had a chance to interrogate him, he stepped back to fumble with the top button of his jeans. Mesmerized, I watched him undress, uncovering so much smooth skin. A prominent bulge in his tight blue boxer briefs showed off a very nice package.

  He gazed at me, his eyes blazing with desire. There was still something so innocent about him, it almost hurt to look at him. Even as I hurriedly stripped out of my clothes, I asked, “You’ve done this before, right?”

  Nicky’s eyes widened before he burst out laughing. My hackles rose at that insolent behavior. It was a valid question, in my opinion, so why was he laughing so hard? As if on cue, he said, “I’m sorry, Sam, but you don’t seriously believe I got to the age of twenty-eight still a virgin, do you? I don’t belong to that group that waits to lose their virginity until they find their mate.”

  That made sense. On one level, my human side understood. However, my beast snarled, irritated and jealous. I stalked up to him, and he backed off until his legs hit the bed. He fell backward, groaning and squeezing his erection through the fabric of his briefs. “Fuck, you look so hot.”

  That obviously appeased my beast tremendously, because he exchanged the snarl for a deep, rumbling purr. I pulled the briefs off Nicky, then wrapped my arms around him. He wound his arms around my neck and crossed his legs behind the small of my back. Like that, I crawled up on the bed to carefully position him in the middle.

  I lowered myself on top of him, cradling him as close as possible. My eyes closed of their own volition, and I concentrated on his overwhelming scent—sweet, like milk with honey. Such an odd scent, yet it fitted him.

  “Say it again,” I demanded, trusting him to give me what I wanted, what I needed before we took the final step.

  Nicky put his hands on my cheeks, and we locked eyes. “I’m consenting to become your mate, Sam Black. Claim me.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Nick

  THERE. I’D said it. Again. No going back now. I saw it in Sam’s eyes, the way the hazel darkened, the way his body thrummed with energy and power. So much power.

  Everything would be all right. I didn’t know how, but I trusted Sam, trusted my mate, not only to keep me safe but also to love me and allow me to remain my own person, not just his accessory.

  Sam’s tongue delved into my mouth, and I moaned. He proceeded to kiss me wherever he pleased while his large hands roamed over my body, mapping me. I could hardly breathe, let alone reciprocate. I dug my fingers into his neck, needing something to anchor me, but that was pretty much it. My senses overloaded on Sam’s touch, the aroma of his arousal in my nose.

  Something wet slipped between my buttcheeks and I pulled my knees up to my chest. I groaned my approval when Sam smeared lube all over my hole before he dipped one large finger inside me.

  “So sweet,” Sam murmured.

  “Not exactly what a guy wants to hear when he’s about to get fucked,” I managed to squeeze out.

  “What would you like to hear, baby?”

  I shuddered violently since Sam had just pressed on my gland. “Ungh.”

  “Ah, okay.” Sam smiled at me.

  “Can’t think when you do that.”

  “Do what?” Sam pressed the pad of his finger against that special spot several times in rapid succession, leaving me panting and humping his finger.

  “Sam!” I reached for my erection. So close. Just a few tugs and I’d be in heaven. A hand closed over my wrist and pried it away. I shrieked, “No! Please.”

  “Nah. This is mine.” Sam stroked my length, and I keened in pleasure. Sam rolled my balls in one hand, then slipped two fingers inside me. My back bowed, and I trembled all over. “This is all mine. I’ll decide when we’re finished. Are we clear on that?”

  A mewl escaped me, but I still nodded my head in agreement. How could I not? I was shrouded in alpha pheromones—my mate’s pheromones, to be precise—and right now I’d do and say anything, no matter that I might regret it later.

  “Say it,” Sam growled.

  “You’re in charge. I’ll do what you say,” I wheezed out.

  Fuck! I didn’t say that to appease him, to have him get on with it, but because I so badly wanted to please him, to be what he wanted. I’d regret this, all of this, once I came down from my sexual high. I just knew it. Still, there was no place I’d rather be than here.

  Sam gave me a biting kiss. “Stay in this position.”

  I clutched the back of my knees, my hole spasming when he pulled out his fingers. Could I look any more wanton?

  Sam slathered his cock with a copious amount of lube, and I swallowed hard. Fuck, he was big. Not overly long, but he had a wide girth, really wide. I forced my hole to relax completely so I could take him with as little discomfort as possible. A thought struck me when he lined himself up. “You’re not one of those shifters who has penis barbs in his human form, are you?”

  I couldn’t handle that. I was so totally not into that kind of pain. A tremor ran through me at the thought of barbs sticking in my channel.

  “No. You’ve got nothing to worry about, baby.”

  I released a sigh of relief, and Sam took that moment to push inside me with one long glide. Sucking in a deep breath, I tried to accommodate Sam’s girth, but it was a challenge. When his balls slapped against my ass, I cried out.

  My channel clenched and unclenched around Sam as I panted through the dizzying sensation of being filled to the max. Sam trailed kisses along my jawline and murmured something that I didn’t fully get. The only words I could make out were “mine” and “baby.” If he only knew….

  That thought brought another violent shudder along with it. It also brought Sam to a stop. His large hands cradled my face, and for the first time it really struck me how much of a height and weight difference there was between us. While I was toned, Sam’s body was packed with
muscles, exuding a power I wanted to feel deep inside me.

  As he stared into my eyes, worry etched into his expression, I mewled, a soft, kittenlike sound I usually hated but that somehow seemed appropriate right now. Even though Sam didn’t know what I was, specifically, I trusted him not to hurt me. When had it come to that? Normally I didn’t trust that easily, especially not big cat shifters.

  Sam chuffed, then nudged my head with his. He swiped his tongue over my chin, releasing my inner tension. In between giggles, I said, “Your tongue’s a cat tongue even when you’re human.”

  The corners of Sam’s eyes crinkled. “Some things stay the same, no matter the form.”

  Sam shifted slightly on his knees, causing his cockhead to press against my sweet spot. I pressed upward to get closer to him. That was all it took for Sam to let loose. While his grip on me stayed gentle, his hips snapped back and forth, his dick drilling into me, marking me, making me his.

  I clutched his shoulders, hanging on for the ride while he fucked me. Sweat trickled down my back as I panted through the sensation of Sam owning me. My own dick was trapped between our bellies. Although I desperately wanted to reach for it, that would’ve meant I’d have to let go of Sam’s shoulders, so… no, not feasible.

  Sam’s harsh groans reverberated in my ears. I could hear his lion’s voice within Sam’s human sounds, the lion calling out for his mate. Tiny flew to the front and interspersed my increasingly high-pitched moans with hisses and soft mewls. Sam’s pheromone level soared after Tiny appeared more prominently, and I pulled his face to mine to pepper it with small, biting kisses.

  Sam’s dick inside me swelled, and all his muscles stood out when he threw his head back to roar. A second later, he shot his load into my channel, filling me with his essence. That was all it took for me to come as well. I cried out in bliss, taking everything Sam had to offer while my own orgasm ripped through me, almost painful in its intensity.

  Tiny, inside me, demanded I take the final step, and for once I obeyed him without question. I caught Sam’s gaze even as he still rutted against me, then licked my lips. I opened my mouth to reveal my fangs before I dug them into Sam’s right shoulder, claiming him as mine. Sam yelled, and another shot of semen spurted inside me. I lapped over the small prick marks on his shoulder to help the wound heal. Then Sam pressed me back into the mattress, turning my head to the side to give him better access.

  My heart tripped several times as I waited for him to claim me as well. When he bit into the juncture of my throat and shoulder, I screamed, and my cock pulsed again, shooting another stream of semen against Sam’s belly. Fire coursed from the wound throughout my body, engulfing me, blocking out everything else until all I could feel was heat. Moments later, I fell into total blackness.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Sam

  I’D HEARD about the act of mating being intense, the mating bite even more so, but Nicky scared me half to death when he fell into unconsciousness.

  I was still lodged inside him, the occasional tremor running through me and cum leaking out of me in a constant trickle. I heaved a sigh of relief when Nicky’s eyes fluttered open.

  “Hey,” I said. “You scared me there for a bit.”

  “Sorry. That was… something.”

  I chuckled. “That’s one way to put it.”

  Nicky’s hands flitted all over my body, coming to rest on his marking bite. A rather tiny bite, which still gave me no clue about his beast form. Maybe he was one of the smaller wildcats? But that still wouldn’t explain how he’d been able to hide his scent. That didn’t make any sense.

  My lion growled at me to stop chewing on a riddle I couldn’t solve when I had my mate underneath me, smelling like me. I pushed my nose into Nicky’s throat, inhaling deeply. Yes. My mate, my claimed mate. “Mine.”

  “Yours,” Nicky echoed. He skimmed the fingertips of his right hand over the bite he’d left. “Mine.”

  “Yours. Absolutely yours.” I smiled down at him, taking in the way his blue eyes sparkled, the way his dimples showed. “My baby.”

  A shiver coursed through him, and his scent shifted from sweet and sated to sweet, sated, and nervous. He slid his fingers into my short hair and gave a sharp tug. I reacted with a light snarl, and he giggled. Such a soft sound, so full of joy and wonder. “I’ve heard there are more rounds of sex after the first mating.”

  I raised an eyebrow at him. “Did you now? You’re aware I’m a tad older than you, right?”

  Nicky smiled up at me, all innocence and sweetness, as he clenched hard around my length, still embedded inside him. Blood pumped south with breathtaking speed, and within seconds I was rock-hard again.

  “Problem solved.” Nicky’s smug expression said it all. That was one proud kitty there underneath me. And he definitely was a kitty, the way he sprawled out, the way his muscles flexed.

  Nicky’s eyes rolled back in his head when I pulled almost completely out before plunging back into his tight, welcoming heat. My lion approved, and I allowed him to be as close to the surface as possible. Something told me he’d never be able to claim his mate in his beast form, that this was as close as he’d ever get, and I wanted him to feel as much as he could.

  I lost myself in Nicky’s body, the soft mewls he made, his scent that screamed contentment and fulfillment. I’d never felt better in my entire life. This was the one person I’d give my life for in an instant, the one person who’d make me happy, and who I, in return, would do anything for.

  Tears leaked from Nicky’s eyes as he clung to my neck, trying to push me over onto my back. “Something you want, baby?”

  “Turn over, you oversized fluff-ball.”

  “Tsk, language, my dear.”

  “Now!” Nicky growled.

  I laughed and rolled over onto my back, Nicky clinging to me. He was good at that, really good. We stayed connected during our tumble, and he righted himself on top of me, obviously savoring the feel of me inside him.

  “I love you.”

  Warmth accompanied his words, and I realized that’s what the tears had been about. The mate bond was coming into its power, and he’d probably felt my admittedly mushy feelings for him. Now it was my turn to be overwhelmed, to not know how to react when my emotions were too strong, too all over the place to catalog.

  “Love you too, baby.”

  Nicky sucked in a harsh breath; then a smile spread out over his face. God, he was gorgeous, my little baby.

  I laid my hands on his buttocks, sensing his muscles rippling underneath the skin. When he rose up on his knees, barely keeping the head of my dick inside him, I simply held on. When he slammed downward, I pushed with power. Nicky cried out, and that was it. We set up a frantic pace as I lifted him up and pushed him down, leaving him screaming my name in a constant loop.

  His slender prick slapped my belly with each downward thrust, but he didn’t touch himself. Instead he fell forward and splayed his hands on my chest. He gave up on moving himself and instead allowed me to keep his hips steady and drill into him.

  “Sam! Sam, I need to come. Please!” Nicky wailed the last word.

  I held his hips firm with one hand and slipped the other into his longish hair to pull his face closer to mine to kiss him. One swipe of my tongue over his chin and his whole body locked up. His channel tightened around me like a vise, and my vision dimmed.

  Nicky’s scream deafened me, and it took me a moment to realize he was covering me in his seed. His channel milked my dick, and I came hard, coating his insides with my essence—again. My lion chuffed in pleasure while I listened to Nicky’s soft mewls taper off into light purrs.

  He collapsed on top of me, regardless of the mess we were making. I folded my arms around his torso, keeping him close until my cock softened and plopped out of his hole with a wet smack.

  “Ugh. I’m dripping cum,” Nicky complained.

  I slid a hand down and stroked between his cheeks, coming up wet. Snickering, I said, “That you are. I d
on’t think I’ve ever come that hard in my life.”

  “Me neither. Is that always going to be the case now? Because that needs some getting used to.”

  “Why? Did I hurt you?” I rolled him off me and laid him onto his side. He gave a startled squeak as he clutched my neck. That seemed to be a favorite place for his hands, that was sure.

  “No. No, you didn’t hurt me. It was just… intense. Very, very intense.”

  “Let me have a look.”

  “What? No! I’m fine!” Nicky gave my shoulders a slap, chuckling.

  My lion thought otherwise. He wouldn’t stand for his mate to be hurt, and he needed to make sure for himself. Oh, right. That was supposed to be part of the mating too—that the two mates got acquainted in their beast forms as well.

  I rolled off the bed and transformed. Shaking out my mane, I ambled over to the bed, watching my mate curl himself up into a ball and stare at me, wide-eyed.

  The telepathic connection all shifters can share clicked into place seamlessly. Talking telepathically with your mate was supposed to be the easiest thing on earth, and that was obviously the truth. Nicky. It’s me. You’ve seen me in my lion form before, in training. I just need to make sure you’re all right in this form too. You know that. You’re a shifter too.

  Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck!

  Nicky! I couldn’t help the disapproving tone that crept into my voice. I already knew he was no human, so why did he smell of… trepidation? Nicky, shift. I want to see you.

  Noooooo.

  I snarled, both at Nicky’s fear and my own agitation. Nicholas! Now!

  Don’t be mad at me! Nicky almost sobbed right before he shifted.

  Where was he? There seemed to be nothing on my big bed, so I placed my forepaws on it to get a better view. My heart stood still for a second, while my brain scrambled to come up with an explanation.

  In the middle of my bed lay a tiny snow leopard cub with his ears flattened against his head, hissing at me.