by Mary Rundle
Hunter raised an eyebrow at Jackson’s tone of voice, throwing him off guard for a moment, before he entered and took a chair in front of his cousin’s desk. “What’s up? Is Fionn back?”
“No, but Kieran said he should be shortly,” Jackson said, pointing to the couch, “Sit over there, Hunt. It’ll be more comfortable; I have a lot to tell you.” Jackson moved to a club chair across from his cousin and settled into it.
Staring at his cousin, Hunter contemplated the new amiable Jackson, his Alpha power dialed way back. It certainly was far better than yesterday. What the fuck happened to cause the change? Oh shit! My mate has rejected me…that’s why Jackie is so happy. He’s going to deliver the news. Fuck that! Fionn can tell me to my face. He asked, “Is anyone joining us?”
“My son, Daniel, but first I want to apologize for yesterday. It was inexcusable, especially since you’re a member of the Blackwood Pack.”
What-t-t-t?
“At first, I blamed my behavior on finding out you had a mate in my pack and then because you didn’t tell me about mom, but in the end, it had nothing to do with either. All I can say is I’m very sorry and hope you’ll forgive me.”
Searching Jackson’s face, Hunter only found the honesty of his cousin’s words. Relaxing a bit, he asked, “Can you tell me why?”
Grimacing slightly, Jackson nodded, knowing his cousin deserved the truth. “Do you remember when you and your brothers would spend the summers with us?”
“Of course.”
“I looked forward to it because you were my hero and from the time, I can remember I worshipped the ground you walked on. As far as I knew, you could do no wrong. The last summer before you guys moved away was also the summer I understood what being an Alpha meant and what my future role would be in leading the Fox River Pack. And for the first time I realized we were equals. So I spent the summer watching, studying and copying you in everything you did from how you treated Mason and my brothers to your fearlessness and leadership in that crazy stuff we used to get into.
“Then, just like that,” Jackson snapped his fingers, “you were gone from my life, and I spent the rest of my youth under the brutal thumb of my father—who always made sure to tell me I didn’t measure up to his idea of what an Alpha should be. After years of hearing how worthless I was, I decided not to follow in my father’s footsteps. It was a secret I kept, telling no one. And then…the massacre. After that I saw my brothers looking at me, expecting me to lead them. That’s when I realized I was now their Alpha,” Jackson reflected, “a position I never wanted.”
“But from everything I’ve seen, you’re doing a great job,” Hunter said.
Snorting, Jackson thought about yesterday. “Sometimes, but not always…as you, unfortunately, found out. Until you arrived, I handled each crisis, steering my pack through all of them.” Waving his hand, Jackson continued, “No, no…it wasn’t you who caused me to lose my cool…well, maybe indirectly…but that I wasn’t a good enough Alpha to handle so many difficult situations at the same time.
“Then, you arrived…my childhood hero…the Alpha with all the answers…and my father’s words I thought I’d dealt with and buried came roaring back. In my mind, you, Hunt should’ve been Alpha. That thought morphed into thinking you’d try to take my pack away from me. It wasn’t until I scared Theo half to death that Steel helped me see the light.”
Staring at his cousin, Hunter was stunned by his confession. Then, slowly shaking his head, he said, “Jackie, I don’t want your pack.”
“I know that now,” Jackson said, taking a deep breath, “And my mate pointed something else out to me …. as Fionn’s mate, and a member of my pack, you deserve to know all our secrets.”
“What secrets?” Hunter asked, just as Jackson’s mate entered holding their son.
“Babe? Everything okay?” Steel asked, handing Daniel over to his mate.
“Yeah, give me about ten minutes,” Jackson replied, as his mate left the room.
Smiling at his son, Jackson handed Daniel his toy wolf. Then, looking at Hunter he began. “When I found out I had a Fated Mate, I also found out from Oracle, Steel’s mother, that I was an Alpha/Omega hybrid wolf, capable of having pups. Within a short time after Steel claimed me, I got pregnant with Daniel.”
What! Hunter couldn’t believe it. An Alpha/Omega hybrid? What the hell did that even mean? “You’re telling me you gave birth to…Daniel? You didn’t use a surrogate?”
“No. I nearly died, but thank goodness, Colton saved me.”
“Is that why your Alpha power is so strong?” asked Hunter, still trying to make sense of what he was hearing.
“No, that has to do with your mate, Fionn.”
“My mate?”
“Yes, but before I tell you the rest, would you like to hold your nephew?”
Gazing at the innocent face grinning at him, Hunter saw the spitting image of Jackie when he was a toddler. “Daniel…named after our grandfather, huh?” Reaching out, he welcomed the nephew he never knew he had into his arms, tickling his belly. If Hunter had any doubts about the sincerity of Jackson’s apology, they were gone when his cousin trusted him with his son. “He looks like you did at that age.”
“Steel claims he has my eyes, but since Josiah burned our house down, all the pictures Mom took of us were destroyed.”
“Aunt Hope always sent Mom copies of your family photos. I can have copies made for you, if you want.”
Overcome with emotion at the thought of seeing his younger brothers and sisters again, even if only in photos, Jackson’s voice cracked. “That would be great…really great.”
“Did Cody have pups, too?”
“No, he and Dylon adopted Jake and Jessica after their parents were killed.”
“Why did the Fates pick you?” Hunter asked, retrieving the toy Daniel had dropped and returning it to him.
“Don’t really know…luck of the draw, I guess. It was a shock as you can imagine. Initially, I didn’t believe it, but then…I don’t know how to explain it…everything about my life made sense…like I was exactly who I was meant to be.”
“Is that why it took you so long to answer my request to visit you?” asked Hunter. “You didn’t want anyone to know about you?”
“One of the reasons.”
“Did your parents know about your…uh…condition? Is that why your father was a…”
“Bastard?” smirked Jackson, “No, he was a bastard because I was gay. According to Oracle, neither of my parents had any idea what I was.”
“I heard my mom tell my father about some of the things your father did to you and Logan,” Hunter said, burying his nose in Daniel’s hair, inhaling the pup scent he loved so much.
“Logan got the worst of it. I never realized how much until he found Kieran, his mate. I owe Ki a lot for giving me back my brother.”
“Mac said he never met a Shaman as powerful as Kieran.”
“No, I don’t suppose he has,” Jackson mused.
“He did something to me this morning…”
“I know,” said Jackson. “But before we get into who Kieran is and the rest of the secrets…” He paused as Steel strode into the room. “Hi, babe. Are your parents waiting to see Daniel?”
“Yeah,” Steel replied, taking his son from Hunter. “They’re going to keep him while I finish cleaning the kitchen.”
“Is Theo helping you?” asked Jackson.
“I wish. Quin needed him so I told him I’d do it myself,” he said, as he left.
“Do I owe Quin an apology too?” asked Jackson. “I noticed he was afraid of me when you introduced us. Is it because of how I acted yesterday?”
“No, that wasn’t the reason…he just doesn’t do well in new situations.”
“Understandable,” Jackson said. “But Theo might be just the one to make Quin comfortable. He has a very gentle soul.”
“I sense that,” Hunter said. “Mase said he was a prisoner?”
“Uh, huh…he, Norm and
Kieran were held by an asshole who kept Kieran as a slave and was planning to auction off Theo and Norm. Luckily, Cody and Dylon got there in time to save them.”
“Yeah, that’s what I heard, but how did they find out about them?”
“I’ll get to that, but first, I’m going to tell you about Colton and what gift he received from the Fates…”
~/~/~/~/~
Gazing out the window, Hunter watched the moon make its journey across the night sky, hoping it would settle his mind. He and Jackson talked late into the evening, taking time to share a meal Steel brought them. When they finally said good night to each other, Hunter’s head was stuffed with mind-boggling information about his cousins, their gifts and mates. Now, hours later, he still couldn’t fall asleep, thinking about everything he learned—an angel’s power to heal, shapeshifting, the ability to become invisible, empath, natural healer, waves of solid energy, seer, ghost walking, shadow voice, power of Hercules, the power of the Shaman, and then David, the one his mother told him about who carried the mark of the gods.
And then there was Jackson and Dakota’s ability to get pregnant—something he found hard to accept, that is, until his cousin asked Ian to bring their medical records. Carefully reading them, Hunter eventually acknowledged his Alpha cousins could give birth to pups. So much power contained in his cousin’s pack, but why had the Fates so lavishly gifted them? That was the question Jackson had shrugged off. But Hunter couldn’t. Maybe because he liked his ‘i’s’ dotted and ‘t’s’ crossed, or maybe it was that Jackson wouldn’t talk to him about Fionn.
His cousin said it wouldn’t be fair to Fionn since Jackson hadn’t gotten the young dragon’s permission to disclose his secrets to Hunter. On one hand he was pleased to see that Jackson respected Fionn’s privacy, but on the other, not knowing was driving him crazy. Thinking about what those powers might be was pointless; after learning the secrets of the Blackwood Pack, Hunter realized the possibilities were endless. The other thing his cousin wouldn’t disclose was why his Alpha power was so strong. All Jackson said was it had to do with Fionn but…fuck, that’s as enlightening as a cloudy crystal ball.
Rolling onto his back, Hunter stared at the moving shadows on the ceiling, wishing he could talk to Mase about what he learned, but he knew it wasn’t an option even though Jackson hadn’t forbidden it. Just one more wedge between Mason and me. Letting out his pent-up breath, he mirthlessly chuckled at finding himself in a pack. ‘Never again!’ he remembered vowing, the night he walked away from the Alpha position at the Rolling Hills Pack. We make plans and the Fates laugh.
Finally giving up on sleep, Hunter sat up on the edge of the bed, rubbing his face, considering his options. Shifting and going for a run appealed to him, but not so much to his wolf who wanted to stay close to their mate, even though Fionn wasn’t home. Shaking his head at the illogicality of his wolf’s thinking, Hunter passed on that possibility, knowing once he shifted, his wolf would plop down, refusing to move.
Grabbing his jeans, he pulled them on, then, with his chest and feet bare, he left his room, heading for the kitchen. It was the one place he wouldn’t disturb anyone in the pack house. That, and the lure of having a second helping of the venison he ate at dinner sounded like the best idea he could come up with at this time of night.
Padding down the hallway and into the great room, he paused a moment, admiring its huge expanse. Remembering who Jackson’s mate was, his question about how his cousin could afford a place like this was answered. Moving on, Hunter was almost there when he heard the refrigerator door open. Smirking, he was sure Sawyer was raiding the fridge again. He always swore his brother had a hollow leg, considering the amount of food he consumed. Moving quietly, Hunter placed his hand on the kitchen swinging door and, waiting until he heard his brother removing some items, quickly pushed it open, growling, “Gotcha!”
With a low scream, Fionn dropped the jars of mayonnaise and pickles in his hands, along with a loaf of bread and a platter of roast venison. Broken glass scattered at his feet, while the aroma of food he’d held only moments before swirled up, teasing his nose as to what he wasn’t going to have. Looking down at the mess, pissed off to the extreme, Fionn then looked up, finding the man who’d haunted him for the past few days.
Two thoughts struck like lightening. His mate was hotter and sexier close up than in any of his dreams or drawings and Fionn suddenly felt more protected than he’d been since his mother died. It was the latter that he concentrated on, trying to control the roaring of his dragon as he stood there, watching as embarrassment, regret, lust and desire crossed his mate’s face in quick succession.
Appalled at what he caused, Hunter was about to apologize, until his wolf caught Fionn’s scent, causing Hunter’s cock to harden behind the zipper of his jeans. Groaning softly at the rubbing of his cock against the metal, he briefly closed his eyes, picturing Fionn’s mouth surrounding it, his mate’s teeth lightly scraping up and down the shaft. His arousal scent filled the air, his body ached, his wolf paced, pushing to get out as his body as his animal demanded their mate.
His eyes flashed open, pinning Fionn in place. If his mate so much as moved a muscle, Hunter knew he’d lose whatever shred of control he had left, and his wolf would take over. “Please, don’t …just stand still,” he growled, his words hampered by his fangs that had descended. “I just need a second…got to get my wolf under control…I’m…”
“My mate, I know.” Seeing the liquid white light in his mate’s eyes, Fionn did as he was asked, knowing how close his mate was to shifting, though that didn’t stop his eyes’ slow journey down his mate’s naked chest, mapping each muscle he wanted to lick, taste, bite and kiss until finally arriving at the large bulge gracing his mate’s groin. Then, picturing it filling his ass, he fought back a moan, fighting his urge to jump into his mate’s arms.
Chapter 21
Oh fuck it! Fionn flew to Hunter, tucking himself against the man who was driving his dragon crazy and his body nuts. As his lips brushed against one of Hunter’s nipples, his tongue reached out, circling it slowly before sucking it into his mouth and rolling it between his teeth. Hunter’s growling ignited Fionn’s inner fire; his hot breath caused his mate’s nipple to stiffen. Moving to the other one, he gave it the same attention, while rubbing his mate’s bulge. Gods I need him in me. Leaving Hunter’s cock, Fionn’s right hand worked to undo his mate’s jeans while his left pushed down his own sweatpants.
Grunting at the unexpected impact of Fionn’s body against his, Hunter instinctively wrapped his arms around him. Groaning as his mate’s sweet scent filled him, he tightened his grip, never wanting to let go. Holy hell! Feeling Fionn’s teeth teasing his nipples along with puffs of hot air sent his wolf into a frenzy, knowing his dragon mate was near. Burying his face in Fionn’s hair, Hunter’s fangs dropped, his mouth watering for his mate’s blood.
Finally, Fionn freed his mate’s cock. Wrapping his hand around it, he began pumping it, groaning as the velvet skin slid over the turgid rod. Slowly, his fingers mapped out the thick veins, feeling every inch of his mate’s cock from the root to the…no fucking way! Fionn released his hold on Hunter’s nipple, then looking down, he saw what his fingers had found. His ass cheeks clenched as he thought about having that in him. Running his fingertips lightly over the silver piercing, Fionn closed his eyes, moaning, his cock leaking in anticipation of what was to come. His dragon roared, flames filling Fionn, forcing him to whimper, “In me…now…please.”
Hunter’s lust-filled eyes stared at Fionn; his cock throbbed, needing the fiery heat he’d find inside his mate to ease the pain of his want…his need. He scooped Fionn up, holding him tight against his chest as he headed for his bedroom, his mind consumed by the forthcoming claiming he’d waited an agonizing two days for. Pushing the door closed after they were inside, Hunter stalked over to the bed and, lowered his mate onto it face up. Taking a step back, his eyes glowing with his wolf’s silver light, Hunter visually devoured h
is mate. The picture Jackson showed him was just a pale shadow of Fionn’s beauty. “You. Are. Fucking. Gorgeous!”
Anxious to see his mate entirely naked, Hunter wasted no time stripping off the rest of Fionn’s clothes. Then, parting his mate’s legs, he stood back, slowly stroking his cock, staring in awe at what the Fates had given him. So perfect…so fucking perfect! Everything about his mate spoke to him, triggering a burning desire to take him and make him his. Letting go of his cock, Hunter climbed onto the foot of the bed, crawling towards his mate—the predator stalking his prey. When he reached his mate’s right foot, he lowered himself and began to lick, wanting to taste every inch of Fionn, possess every bit of Fionn, sink deep into Fionn, mark Fionn as his…forever.
Moaning, Fionn squirmed. The rasp of his mate’s tongue against his skin was signaling his cock, hardening it further. He never dreamt it would feel this good, that it would ever feel this right, that his body would crave more and more, that he would never feel satisfied. The wet path Hunter’s tongue left on his right leg was soon matched by one on his left. Fionn groaned when Hunter flipped him onto his stomach, then began again on the back of his legs. Not able to contain himself, he started humping the mattress, chasing the orgasm his mate was teasing out of him.
Growling, Hunter gripped Fionn’s hips, stilling them before resuming his leisurely journey of memorizing his mate’s body. Reaching the top of his mate’s thigh, he nipped it where it met Fionn’s ass—those beautiful orbs, delighting him with their perfection—before burying his face in its crack, inhaling the very essence of his mate. Grabbing the luscious globes, he pulled them apart, revealing the opening his cock was craving. Not yet…not yet. Hunter kissed, then tonged the bundle of nerves at the base of his mate’s spine before sliding down to Fionn’s hole.
Oh my fucking gods! Shivering at the onslaught of sensations bombarding his body, Fionn relished them, never wanting Hunter to stop. Nerves tingling he never knew he had, places on his body crying out for more of his mate’s tongue, muscles contracting with pain from love bites—all sucked Fionn into a whirlwind from which he knew he’d never want to escape. His dragon’s fiery roars licked his insides, fueling an orgasm he was sure would consume him.