by Odessa Lynne
“I’ll take care of him, Kem. Get rid of the others.”
Kem—that was the name of Fletcher’s wolf. He needed to remember that.
Kem spun toward the wolves holding Ash down, “Go. Now.”
They released Ash, scrambling away, the tallest glancing at Matthew as he passed, his hot gaze lingering uncomfortably long. Matthew’s stomach clenched, but the wolf continued on his way, and Matthew jerked his gaze back to Ash, who was trying to roll over.
Kem gripped Matthew’s arm, shaking him. “You need to do this now. Mate him. I’ll have to witness. Alpha’s heat is on him.”
Matthew tried not to look but he found his gaze sliding that way anyhow. Goddamn, but Kem was right about that. Craig was panting against Ian, face buried in Ian’s armpit while he—
Matthew jerked his gaze away, rubbing his hand over his face and trying not to listen to the heavy grunting going on not that far away.
Ash growled low and weak, and he finally succeeded in flipping onto his stomach. His claws clacked against the floor.
This was absolutely unbelievable. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t make Ash—
But the thought of mating Ash, of being the one to give Ash what he seemed to need, made Matthew’s skin feel tight and hot and his dick so sensitive to the pressure of his fly against his flesh that he was already starting to get hard. This was his chance…
His heart pounded wildly and he forced his attention back onto Kem. “He’s still drugged.”
“The drugs are wearing off quickly. He’ll be weakest if you attack from—”
“Attack?” Matthew’s shock made it hard to control the pitch of his voice. He rubbed his hand over his throat.
“Yes. If he fights you, kick him here.” Kem gestured to the back of his knees. “The drugs affect his balance.”
“Oh my God.” He was going to have to take Kem down? Is this how Ash let himself be—
He couldn’t let that thought solidify; the idea of what it would mean to a human—to him—made his stomach roil.
“He said Ash wanted this—to—”
“Alpha has told you what he wants. Submit.”
“Goddammit. Why now? Why do I have to do this now?” Dark played at the edges of Matthew’s vision. Was he hyperventilating? Goddammit, he was.
He forced himself to breathe slowly, deeply. “I don’t want to hurt him.”
“This has been our way for thousands of Earth’s years. He’d expect no less from a mate worthy of him. Now submit, before I take offense on behalf of our Alpha.”
“Goddammit. I’m not comfortable with this.”
Kem’s lips pulled back, exposing the points of his eyeteeth. “Listen to me,” he said fiercely. “The Diviners tell us our fate. We can accept it or reject it, but we can’t ignore it. Ashikid would never reject his fate, because he understands how important it is to accept the gifts of the universe, but he doesn’t want to see the signs the way those of us who are close to him have seen them. Trust me when I tell you this. He’ll continue to wait for you to mate him and he will never make it easy for you. This is the time. No matter what fate awaits you or Ashikid, the day will come when the telling of the story of your mating will be one of the most beautiful tales we’ll tell our children about the people they share a world with. It’ll be seen as the day humans proved their equal as mates. And it will be your story—yours and Ashikid’s.”
Matthew swallowed past the lump in his throat. “Okay, okay. Tell me what I’m supposed to do exactly.”
“Take him spine up. If he allows it, you’ll be mated. That’s all that’s required.”
Ash’s sudden growl and the scuffing sound of him trying to rise up on his knees sent a lightning spark of unease skittering down Matthew’s spine.
“Shit.”
Kem started backing away. Matthew tried to breathe. He had no idea what to do, but he remembered how Alpha Rick had come after him in the woods, how ferocious he’d seemed under the light of the moon, how unstoppable.
He glanced at Ash, back at Kem, who had moved to stand against the wall opposite them in the small building, three tables between him and Matthew.
Matthew knew the time for second thoughts and indecision had passed. If those drugs wore off before Matthew got Ash under him, he was probably going to end up with teeth at his throat.
He would do this for Ash, even if he was risking his own death at Ash’s teeth and claws.
Because he’d do anything for Ash.
Anything at all.
Ash looked up, caught his gaze. His eyes glittered hotly and his skin gleamed and he had one hand on the floor and one foot under him and if Matthew didn’t do something quickly, Ash would be on his feet in seconds.
“Submit,” Matthew said, staring right at Ash.
Ash’s eyes narrowed on Matthew, his mouth parting and his nostrils flaring wide as he sniffed deeply of the air.
His claws extended against the floor, scraping over the wood and Matthew knew—absolutely knew—Ash was about to lunge at him.
So Matthew lunged first, throwing himself at Ash’s back, knowing this would be his only chance. If not for the drugs, Ash would’ve been on him before the thought even crossed Matthew’s mind, but luckily Kem had been exactly right. Ash’s balance was off and as Matthew crashed into him, Ash staggered back into one of the tables. The table’s legs screeched across the floor and two chairs toppled and banged against the edge of one of the other tables.
Ash breathed harsh and fast and he pulled at Matthew’s forearms, his claws coming out to slice into Matthew’s skin.
Matthew hissed and tightened his hold, feeling the blood trickle over his arm and Ash jerked his hands away from Matthew, slamming his hands into the top of one of the tables and losing his advantage.
Matthew heard someone behind him yell, and then he was too busy grappling with Ash’s head to pay attention to anyone else’s reaction to what was going on. If the alpha wanted to intervene, then Matthew would goddamn let him, because this—this was probably going to be more than Matthew could handle.
Ash twisted and grabbed at Matthew’s shoulder and his claws dug deep. Matthew gasped and squeezed his arms around Ash’s neck as tight as he could, hopped up, and wrapped his legs around Ash’s waist.
Ash should’ve toppled backward, but of course he didn’t. Like every wolf Matthew had ever met, Ash had powerful muscle and bone the like of which humans could only wish they’d been born with.
“Submit!” he said into Ash’s ear, speaking harshly, much the way he remembered Alpha Rick sounding when he’d demanded the same thing from Matthew. “Submit, goddammit, so we can mate and get this the fuck over with. I don’t want to hurt you!”
As if he could hurt Ash with nothing but his bare hands. He would’ve laughed at the very idea if he hadn’t been so fucking scared out of his mind that Ash was going to end up killing him.
He felt Ash’s intent to throw him off his back just in time to jump off. And in a move he hated himself for making, he kicked out and smashed his foot into the back of Ash’s knee.
Chapter 18
Ash dropped, knees cracking loudly against the hard floor. Matthew winced, bending almost double with his hands on his own knees, and sucked air into his lungs while he could.
Ash sat back on his heels and lowered his head, claws sinking into his own thighs, his breathing a harsh rasp that seemed to Matthew to drown out every other sound in the building.
“Submit,” Matthew said, pushing upright, even though he wasn’t ready to throw himself at Ash again, not yet. “Alpha Craig says you want to. Just do it, goddammit. I don’t know why you’re fighting if what he said’s true. I—I want to mate you, Ash. How can you not know how bad I want to mate you?”
Ash’s shoulders shuddered, the muscle in his arms flexing under the tight short-sleeves of his shirt. “It’s not time.”
Matthew reached out and grabbed Ash’s shoulder. “I don’t know what’s been holding you back, but it’s time,
fucker. It’s so far fucking past time that you’re just making us both suffer.”
“I submit,” Ash said. “I submit to your claim.” He turned his head and looked at Matthew over his shoulder, his eyes bright and hot, but so much more alive than they’d been earlier, as if the effects of the drugs had finally faded and left only Ash and his heat behind. “Mate me before I change my mind.”
Fuck.
Was Ash mad at him? Or—or—
Ash showed his teeth and dropped forward onto his hands, rising to his knees and—Matthew’s dick went hard so fast he would’ve sworn he was going to bust through the fly of his pants.
He dropped to his knees behind Ash and reached around for the fastening of Ash’s trousers. His eyes skipped around the room as he fumbled with the buttons and he couldn’t really explain why his erection didn’t wilt completely away but—the thought of performing with other people in the room didn’t stop him from wanting what Ash was offering.
“God,” he muttered, feeling that last button give way. He deliberately avoided looking to the side where Ian had the alpha so busy there was no wonder why Matthew’s and Ash’s fight hadn’t brought him out of whatever lust craze had overtaken him earlier.
But Alpha Craig and Ian had been mated for over three years, and Ian had been through the last heat season as the alpha’s mate so he must’ve learned a thing or two about the wolves and their heat in the meantime.
Matthew, on the other hand, barely felt like he knew more than he’d known those three years ago when he’d first aligned himself with Ash and the wolves.
He bit his bottom lip and dragged Ash’s trousers down over his ass and thighs, exposing taut muscle and thick thighs to his view. His mouth went dry at the sight of Ash’s crack.
Goddamn, but that was one fine ass. He wouldn’t have expected anything less but this was the first time he was getting a good look at Ash up close and in the daylight.
He liked what he saw. His dick reacted by pressing that much harder against the inseam of his pants. Then Ash shifted, spreading his legs a bit more until the fabric of his trousers pulled tight just above his knees, and Matthew’s hesitation ended.
He started tugging roughly at his fly, opening his pants. He gave half a second’s thought to not lowering his pants so Kem or anyone else who might look wouldn’t see his own naked ass and then said to hell with that. Why should Ash have to be the only one so exposed? The unfairness of that pushed Matthew past his resistance and he shoved his pants down over his ass to let them fall to mid-thigh.
He remembered Ash telling him about the lube so he patted at the fabric of Ash’s rumpled up trousers. Something hard clacked against the floor and Matthew dug into the pocket and pulled out a small blue jar.
Ash dropped to his elbows, which thrust his ass up and opened the shadow of his crack. Matthew didn’t waste time. He didn’t know how much Kem needed to see but the faster he got this done, the faster they could go back to Ash’s home and fuck in the privacy of Ash’s bed.
“I’m going to—” He didn’t finish his sentence as he dipped his fingers into the jar. The silky feel of the lube reminded him of how he’d used the same stuff on himself just the day before to prepare for Ash.
A soft sound escaped Ash as Matthew slid his fingers over Ash’s asshole. The incredible heat nearly stole his breath.
Ash’s back bowed and his head dropped. He whined and Matthew glanced up to see the skin of Ash’s back stretched thin over his spine where his t-shirt had ridden up.
Matthew dropped forward and kissed Ash right over one jutting bone.
Ash cried out and his claws scraped the floor.
Surprised at the strength of Ash’s reaction, Matthew backed away, but Ash gasped, “No. I submit. Please…”
Matthew hesitated but then leaned forward, and as he slowly pushed his fingers into the tight ring of Ash’s asshole, he pressed another wet kiss over Ash’s spine.
Ash twisted his head, seemingly in the throes of some pleasure or pain Matthew didn’t understand but wouldn’t deny him.
He pushed Ash’s shirt up his back and out of the way and kept up the kisses as his fingers went deep into the heat of Ash’s ass. Ash writhed against him, and he could feel Ash coming under him in the way Ash’s hips jerked and in the sound of his gasping whine, and although Matthew wanted to keep it up for as long as Ash wanted it, he had something he was supposed to do and he couldn’t shake the nervousness of knowing Kem was watching.
He shuffled forward until his hips were close to Ash’s bottom and he gave Ash’s spine one last wet lick, a move that made Ash growl and whimper and dig at the floor, and then Matthew slipped his fingers free of Ash.
“I hope—well, I know I’m going to like this and I hope to hell you do too.” With that, Matthew grabbed his dick and pushed himself in against that puckered hole and he started a slow glide into Ash’s body.
“Mate,” Ash said.
“Yeah,” Matthew said. “You’re mine now, just mine.”
A rumble rose from Ash’s chest, not quite the same as the rumble that set Matthew’s nerves on edge. A warm tingle spread through him, from scalp to fingernails to toes. Matthew thrust forward, burying his cock to the root inside Ash, gasping with the pleasure of sinking into such tight heat.
Ash roared, making Matthew’s fingers clench tight on Ash’s hips, and he fucked Ash through whatever pleasure he seemed to be finding with Matthew inside him, rocking forward until his knees were like stumps holding him up and his breath came ragged and fierce and his orgasm swelled through him, drawing his balls up tight.
He came inside Ash, grunting with the effort to push himself in as deep as he could get, and his release came quickly, shooting off so powerfully he thought he wasn’t going to be able to catch his breath.
Ash’s elbow slid from under him and he rocked back against Matthew’s hips.
Matthew dropped his head to Ash’s back, his forehead sliding in the slick sweat coating Ash’s skin. “You okay?” he muttered.
“Mate me again,” Ash said.
Or “fuck me,” because Matthew honestly couldn’t distinguish between the intonations that differentiated the words in the wolves’ language at that point through the blood rushing in his head.
Two seconds after that Matthew’s brain finally made the connection and he recognized the problem he was about to have.
Heat season meant the wolves had almost no refractory period when they were in the midst of a heat cycle. Fletcher had told him that years ago and Brendan had confirmed it.
There was no way in hell he was going to get hard again fast enough for Ash.
Fuck.
Matthew grasped the back of Ash’s neck. Ash stilled.
“We should go back to your house,” Matthew said. He glanced over his shoulder, expecting to see Kem, but the space where Kem had stood earlier was empty. “Alpha Craig and Ian should have some privacy.”
The sounds coming from their direction were hard to ignore.
Ash raised his head, looking that way. “We should show our submission,” he said. “Alpha would like that.”
Matthew slipped out of Ash more quickly than he’d intended, and he heard the hitch in Ash’s breathing. He nearly fell on his ass in his hurry to yank up his pants.
He’d never participated in group sex before and although his heart jumped in his chest at the idea, he wasn’t anywhere near ready to take that step—not today, maybe not ever—but definitely not today.
“I, uh—no,” Matthew said, hands fumbling his first button. “I don’t see how that’d be safe for either of us right now.”
He’d heard the wolves became extremely possessive during the heat season, and everything he’d seen backed up that belief.
“We’re a mated pair now. He won’t feel threatened. And Alpha’s mate enjoys it when—”
“No—don’t tell me,” Matthew said, more vigorously than probably necessary. “I don’t want to know what kind of submission you’re talking abo
ut or what you might’ve been doing to Ian over the last three years while I’ve been—while we weren’t—” Matthew blew out his breath noisily and finished buttoning his pants. “I can’t. Maybe it’s a human thing but I can’t share you like that right now.”
Ash made that weird rumbling sound again and knelt, then pulled up his trousers with shaking hands. He had to be working hard to keep control over himself with his heat cycle still on him.
Matthew reached around Ash and covered Ash’s hands. “Let me,” he said softly. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to take care of you but I’ve heard about how you treat your mates during the heat season, and I know it’s my place to try.”
Ash released his grip on his waistband and Matthew leaned over just a bit so he could see what he was doing as he pushed the button through the holes.
“I know this isn’t your custom,” Ash said, low and hoarse, “but it means something very important to us.”
Matthew shook his head and his cheek rubbed against Ash’s shoulder. “I know. Tell me if I don’t do something I’m supposed to do. I don’t want you to think—”
Ash clasped Matthew’s hands tightly. “I’ll only think you’re human and that you don’t have any experience with mates.”
“Okay…” Matthew let his breath out slowly. “Good. Because I meant what I said earlier. I would never want to hurt you and I’m not just talking about physical pain.”
Ash turned on his knees and took Matthew in his arms. “You haven’t hurt me.”
“Okay,” Matthew said, pressing his overly hot cheek tight against Ash’s warm ear. “I just, I—I—” Love you so much, he wanted to say. But he couldn’t get the words out just then and he gave up.
“I need to fuck.” Ash’s voice wavered as he spoke. “I can’t think.” He dragged his face against Matthew’s jaw. “It’s time to go or I’m not going to be able to resist any longer, even if you demand I do.”
“Okay,” Matthew said, rising to his feet. He offered Ash his hand.
Ash took it. “My mate, my life,” he said, looking up at Matthew from where he still knelt at Matthew’s feet. “I’m afraid of my fate. We can’t always understand what the Diviners words mean, but they scare me.”