by Lisa Oliver
All too soon Dante pulled back, tilting his head slightly so he could look into Pearson’s face. “Come on, lover,” Dante said quietly. “You look exhausted. You need food, a shower and then a nap, in that order.”
“I need you,” Pearson grumbled, reaching forward and nibbling across Dante’s mating mark. Dante gave a grin, but pulled away, grabbing Pearson’s arm and dragging him out of the office.
“Food, shower, me and then bed,” he agreed, “but you had better eat plenty, because you are going to need it.”
As Pearson let Dante lead him out of the office and over to the dining room, he couldn’t help but be thankful for his mate. Quiet but deadly, Dante never tried to overshadow Pearson in his role as Alpha. As Pearson had tried to cope with the mess caused by Colin and Phillip, Dante had been a quiet and loyal presence by his side. Pearson totally appreciated the support. But as a mate, Dante was also fun, caring and totally fucking sexy. Resolving to push his issues to the back of his mind for the rest of the day, Pearson focused instead of the flex of Dante’s ass in his tight jeans. Now that was a subject worth considering - in detail.
Chapter Fourteen
Dante felt his heart race and his breath quicken as he watched Pearson get ready for the pack meeting followed by Phillip’s punishment in front of the pack. The day had been long and boring involving computer searches and endless calls to other packs, trying to locate the mysterious Favo. Then he and Pearson had personally visited five mated couples - cases where a wolf had been admitted to the pack based purely on his mate status with an existing member. Pearson had been determined to ensure that all mated couples carried the permanent scar that indicated a true mating.
In one case the new wolf didn’t carry the mating mark because he was the dominant of the pair. But Pearson had warned the couple that unless they double mated before the pack meeting, their union would be investigated a lot more thoroughly. Dante chuckled inwardly as he recalled the absolute shock on the couple’s faces when Pearson literally ordered the sub to fuck and claim his out of pack mate. He couldn’t wait to see if the Dom of that pairing was sporting new mating marks when the couple turned up with the others for the pack meeting. The sub had been such a pretty little wolf and while Dante wasn’t sure the guy had a topping bone in his body, from the wicked little twinkle the man had in his eye when he and Pearson had left the house, it would seem those two at least would have an interesting afternoon.
But here in Pearson’s office, just before the pack meeting, all thoughts of any other wolf but his mate fled Dante’s head as Pearson took off his shirt. No matter how often Dante saw his mate naked, he didn’t think he would ever take for granted the sight of Pearson’s huge chest, solid muscles and perfectly sculptured abs. With his slim hips and long muscled legs tightly encased in soft black leather, the sight of Pearson was enough to make Dante’s head swim and all of the blood in his body rush to his cock. The man was ruggedly beautiful and Dante’s heart quickened at the thought of all of that flesh being his to do with as he wanted.
“See something you like?” Pearson asked as he quirked an eyebrow at Dante.
“Only when I look at you,” Dante promised as he slid closer to the object of his desire and ran his hands appreciatively over Pearson’s pectoral muscles, taking the time to scrape a nail over one of Pearson’s nipples. The quick catch in Pearson’s breath and the way the little nub hardened under Dante’s fingers was a clear indication that Pearson was just as affected.
“We don’t have time to do anything about it now,” Pearson grumbled. Dante allowed his hand to wander over the huge expanse of Pearson’s skin. It was silky smooth and hot to touch, and Dante’s fingers tingled as he ran his hand lower, finally cupping Pearson’s crotch. The soft leather of Pearson’s pants did nothing to hide the pulse and hardening of the solid cock hidden from sight. As Dante tightened his grip, Pearson let out a small moan and pushed into Dante’s hand.
Suddenly Pearson’s hands were in Dante’s hair, and Dante was pulled into a savage kiss. Pearson’s mouth plundered Dante’s, demanding Dante’s submission. His hands tightened in Dante’s hair and Dante felt a thrill of pleasure run through his body at the pain. Bodies thrust together, Pearson undulated against the hardness of Dante’s body, bringing them both to the brink far too quickly. As Pearson groaned into Dante’s mouth, the bigger man pulled away and both men stood flushed and panting for a moment, before Pearson laughed.
Stroking Dante’s face, Pearson said with a chuckle, “Damn you’re good, lover. Every time you touch me I want you. But I’m not coming in these fucking pants.”
Dante blushed, but leaned into Pearson’s touch. “It’s enough to know you want me,” he said, even though he wasn’t so sure that was strictly true. Sometimes Pearson’s Alpha duties just got in the way of their bonding, pure and simple. Mentally shrugging, Dante accepted that Pearson was who he was, and in his position he had a lot of responsibilities to the wolves, who even now were gathered in the main room of the club. “Come on. Let’s get this meeting out of the way, and then we can play.”
“You can count on it,” Pearson said, his eyes darkened with lust. Dante shivered. Good God when Pearson looked at him liked that it was all Dante could do to keep his pants on. He wanted nothing more than to shred his clothes and bend over the desk, naked ass waiting to be taken with the force Dante knew Pearson was capable of. Fuck, his asshole twitched at the thought, and it was if Pearson could read his mind because his mate gave a low growl. Of course, damn mind link.
“Hold that thought, lover of mine,” Pearson growled. “Meeting first. Solid fucking second. Both ways, lover, so be prepared.” He turned and went to the door, waiting for Dante to follow him.
Hmmm, thought Dante, both ways. We are in for an interesting night. Hiding the smirk Dante knew threatened to break over his face, he followed his Alpha out of the room, thanking the Fates that he had a mate that loved to be taken as often as he liked to give.
/~/~/~/~/
Dante stood on the stage, just to the side and slightly behind Pearson, his arms across his chest and a scowl on his face. The wolves in the pack were restless, upset with what Pearson was telling them about Favo, and how it was possible that some pack members might still be involved in the plot to take down the pack. While Dante didn’t agree entirely that the pack needed to know there might be traitors in their midst, he could understand Pearson’s logic behind keeping the pack members informed. The more members kept an eye on each other, the less likely it was that anyone would be able to get away with any sabotaging efforts.
It was hard being in a city pack. In most packs all of the members lived with or around each other - usually in compounds, or on large nature reserves that were governed by the Alpha. In smaller packs all wolves lived in one large communal house - their need to be with other pack members trumping any hassles with lack of privacy. Dante’s own home pack had been like that. Although Dante had owned his own house, it was on pack land and he was used to interacting with pack members on a daily basis. Most of his construction work was done for other wolves in his pack, and that ideal was common among a lot of other packs.
In Pearson’s pack the central hub was the Bound and Bonded club. But in this pack, members worked for humans in the city, and they nearly all lived in individual houses, spread out over quite a large area. This was why the club itself was open twenty four hours a day to pack members. No matter what time of the day, if a wolf felt the need for some shifter company, he could always find it at the club. But the situation wasn’t ideal. For one thing, Pearson, as the Alpha, didn’t live at the club. He and Dante shared a house about fifteen minutes drive away and although Pearson obviously spent a lot of time in his club, constant contact with the Alpha wasn’t available for most pack members.
Monthly pack runs, from what Pearson had told Dante, were conducted almost an hour’s drive away at the George Washington National Forest. Over the years Pearson had perfected the art of finding places for his wolves to r
un that weren’t overly populated with humans or bears, but as with all wilderness places, that task was getting more difficult as more people flocked to the area.
All in all, retaining pack cohesion was a difficult job under the circumstances, and in times when a pack was under threat from outside influences, this lack of connection became a huge problem. There were more than fifty wolves in the pack and that was far too many to have them all housed in the club. But as the shifters went about their daily business in the human world, their chances of being picked off or attacked increased.
It was these issues that Pearson was trying to address now, promising that anybody feeling threatened could stay at the club, free of charge. Dante watched as his mate suggested that some of the wolves start bunking in with each other - forming smaller groups of six or more members who could all provide protection for each other. Those with bigger houses offered sanctuary to those who lived alone. Steel and his mate Levi, Kyle, Roger, Phillip and the other five enforcers, who usually worked in shifts, were already ordered to live at the club until further notice, and Dante had a strong feeling he and Pearson would be staying here as well, until the danger from Favo had passed.
Lost in his thoughts, Dante almost missed a question from one of the pack members. Apparently someone wanted to know what to look out for in terms of any traitors already in the pack. Pearson’s face split with a huge grin as he said firmly, “Sex.” Pearson looked over the crowd and could see he had everyone’s attention. Dante shook off the shiver he felt at Pearson’s command of the pack, and concentrated on what his mate was saying.
“These men who seek to take our pack are homophobes,” Pearson said, his voice ringing out across room. “They don’t believe that gay wolves can have mates. They believe that being gay is somehow against the Fates. They are almost fanatical in their belief and that is how they will give themselves away here. We’re shifters. Wolves. And we have a strong sex drive.” The crowd howled its agreement.
“The man who tried to gain access to our pack, Grier, couldn’t even give our lusty Kyle here a blow job. He was disgusted with the idea, although he tried to hide it under a multitude of excuses.”
“Maybe he just didn’t like the look of Kyle’s cock,” a big man from the crowd yelled out. From his position next to Dante, Kyle gave the man the finger and the big guy grinned in response. Pearson laughed and then held his hand up for quiet.
“The fact remains that the men who hold these beliefs won’t be having sex with anyone at the club, or in private. They might be Doms or subs and even engage in scenes, but there won’t be any penetrative sex involved. These men won’t do anything that might be considered gay behavior. They are also likely to be heavy handed in their treatment of subs, if they are Doms, and be inclined to inflict a lot more pain than might be expected in a scene. Their hatred of anything gay will make them more violent than usual, so I want you subs to be doubly careful, and I will posting two Dungeon Masters to the back rooms until this problem is resolved.”
“You, you’re one of them,” a shrill voice from the middle of the crowd rang out. Scanning the room, Dante could see a small blond man yelling at a tall redhead - Dante remembered him from his first meeting with the Alpha - Douglas Johnson. The man had been admitted into the club at the same time Dante was. From what Dante remembered the man had pegged himself as bi, having previously been married to a human female and having children with her. Johnson had told Pearson that he understood that he was joining a gay pack and seemed happy with that. If the yelling from the little blond sub was any indication, it would seem that Johnson hadn’t been living up to part of his expectations as a Dom.
“What’s the problem Will?” Pearson called out, indicating to Kyle and Roger to bring the two men forward. Both men came willingly. Will, the little sub, was pouting and quivering and Dante wondered if the man thought it made him look attractive. To Dante he just looked like an idiot. Cute, if you liked overdone makeup and hair covered in gel, but definitely not Dante’s type. Johnson had a scowl on his face, but then who wouldn’t be angry in his situation. No wolf wants to be called out as being lacking in the sex department, especially in front of the pack and that was basically what Will’s accusations had done.
“Okay, Will,” Pearson said in a quieter tone. “Would you like to explain why you think Johnson here is a traitor to the pack? What’s he done that has upset you so much?”
“It’s like you said, Alpha,” the little boy’s eyes were sparkling with lust at being so close to his Alpha and from his position to the side of Pearson, Dante growled a warning at the little pup. Will’s face dropped a bit, but then he perked up as he continued his story. “Johnson here has been playing with me since he came here. He likes to tie me up and whip me real hard, but he doesn’t have any sexual contact with me. No blow jobs. No fucking. Nothing. So he’s one of those guys, right?”
Johnson let out a big sigh, and Pearson looked at him closely. There was no sign of concern, anger or agitation in the man, now. If anything he seemed a bit upset.
“Do you have anything to say, Johnson?” Pearson said.
Looking straight at the Alpha, Johnson said firmly. “I was trying to get to know the boy. I thought we could have something special and I wanted to take my time before I initiated sex. As a Dom, I thought that should be my decision, not his. He’s a right pain slut, which is why I beat him hard - because that is what he asks for. But I wanted to learn more about the boy underneath all this crap he wears on his face before I fucked him. I am used to being in a relationship and wanted something long term. Now,” Johnson looked at Will in disgust, “Now I can see the boy is nothing but a blowhard and I have no further interest in him whatsoever.”
“I could order you to fuck him. To prove you’re not a homophobe,” Pearson said slowly.
“You could Alpha, it is your right,” Johnson agreed. “But at this moment I would rather do anyone else but him.” Johnson grinned and the man looked positively handsome when his face lit up. “It’s been a long time for me, Alpha and I did want to wait until I found someone special before I had sex with them. But maybe I’ve been around human sensibilities too long. Order me to fuck someone and I will happily comply. So long as it is not him,” he said with a glare at the hapless Will, who was looking decidedly crestfallen at the thought of having lost a Master.
Dante knew that Pearson wouldn’t actually order anyone to have sex with anyone else. They might be in a BDSM club, and Pearson ruled the wolves in his pack absolutely, but free will in sexual matters and the right to choose your partner and what you did with them, were two key concepts that Pearson believed in religiously. Fortunately for Pearson though, he didn’t have to order anybody. It seemed someone else had their eye on the tall red-haired wolf.
“I’ll do it,” a small voice came from behind some of the larger pack members. Forcing his way forward, a cute slim man stepped up and looked at Johnson, the admiration for the larger man clear on his face. The volunteer had a shock of black hair that hung in messy curls around his face and unlike Will, the man’s pixie features were completely unadorned with kohl or lip gloss.
Dante and Pearson watched as Johnson ran his eye over the slim man offering his services. Then a strange look came over Johnson’s face and he leaned down and pressed his nose into the smaller man’s neck. Letting out a guttural moan, Johnson picked the man up in his arms and started kissing the fuck out of him, much to the astonishment of Will, Dante, Pearson and everyone else in the pack.
When Johnson and his partner finally came up for air, Johnson growled out one single word, “Mine,” before he strode off towards the back rooms, the smaller man still clinging to his frame.
“Okay,” said Pearson, clearly pleased to have that matter resolved. “Will, when Johnson and his new mate have surfaced you will offer restitution for trying to besmirch Johnson’s name in the pack. Clearly you just weren’t his type.” Will looked surly at Pearson’s words, but he bowed his head submissively and moved
towards the back of the room. Dante could see a couple of the other subs were grinning like loons at Will’s disgrace and he figured that Will’s over done nature probably didn’t sit well with some of the other pack members.
Pearson spoke up again, this time for the whole pack. “Now unless the rest of you have any more questions, I will administer the punishment ordered for my enforcer, Phillip, and then you can all go about your business. Remember, none of you are to be alone and wherever possible I want all pack members to stay in groups. If any of you have any concerns about your safety or another person in the pack behaving in an unusual way, then you can come and talk to me or the Alpha Mate. We will be staying at the club until this matter is resolved. Phillip,” Pearson nodded at the enforcer, who had stood pale but quiet throughout the meeting. “Go and get yourself ready. Kyle, you can assist him.” The two men nodded and went off to the side of the stage.
Wrapping his arm around Dante’s waist, Pearson pulled him close, nuzzling his temple. “I’m considered quite a dab hand with the whip, lover,” He whispered into Dante’s ear. Dante felt his whole body shiver, but whether it was because of his mate’s close proximity, or the words, he couldn’t say. Dante was a Dom through and through and although he had done his training as a sub first, it had been many years since anyone had laid a whip across his back.
“You’re giving a punishment, Pearson,” Dante said trying not to think of Pearson in a dominant role. His cock ached to be freed from his pants and even constant thoughts about this not being the time or place, did nothing to stop his own lecherous fantasies.
“Hmm, yes I am,” Pearson continued to whisper as he ran a long tongue up the edge of Dante’s ear. “But between you and me, it could be something special, don’t you think? Would you let me tie you down, bind you tight and whip that gorgeous ass of yours before I filled it completely?”