by Nora Phoenix
Grayson didn’t say a word as he finished washing Lars, noting with interest that the beta’s cock had gone to half mast. He toweled him off as he had done before, then quickly dried off himself. He turned to hang up the towel on the rack, and when he turned back around, Lars was watching him with a barely concealed hunger in his eyes. Oh, he tried to keep his face casual, but now Grayson was on to him.
He walked over to the reading chair and lowered himself, gesturing Lars to follow him with a single motion of his index finger. The boy didn’t put up any resistance this time, though he did balk when Grayson gestured for him to drape himself over his knee.
“You’re really going to do that again? Spank me?”
It was a last attempt at appearing like he didn’t care, and Grayson merely smiled. “That’s ten extra,” he said, watching with satisfaction as Lars’s blush intensified.
After that, the boy was done with his fake resistance, and he allowed himself to be positioned over Grayson’s knee. Grayson took a deep breath, realizing that a lot was hanging on how he handled this. Lars had shown him what he needed, and now it was up to Grayson, his Daddy, to fulfill his needs.
He didn’t speak until he had doled out the first ten slaps, loud smacks against Lars’s tight ass that pinked up beautifully. “I’m sorry I didn’t see it sooner,” he said softly as he stopped hitting him for a little bit, instead rubbing the boy’s bottom to admire his own handiwork. Plus, if he got the circulation going, Lars would feel the rest of his punishment all the more.
Lars stayed silent, apparently able to keep the command of not speaking when he wanted to. Little shit, Grayson thought affectionately.
“I didn’t want to be too harsh on you, too strict. I figured you would need some time to get used to the disciplinary element of our relationship, but I was wrong, wasn’t I? It was exactly that discipline that you craved, and I missed it. For that, I’m sorry. I’ll do better, I promise.”
A mix between grunt and moan felt from Lars’s lips before he spoke up. “Permission to speak, Sir.”
Grayson smiled softly. “Permission granted.”
“I told you before, pain doesn’t do it for me, so I don’t know what you are trying to accomplish with this, or why you would think I need discipline.”
Grayson caressed his ass, gently following the perfect curve of those two globes with his fingertips. His skin was so soft, such a sharp contrast with the strong muscles underneath. You could tell from his body that Lars worked physically and that he worked outside, clear tan lines visible on his arms and legs from his shirt and shorts.
“A spanking is not about pain,” he said, his voice kind. “It’s about as far from pain as you could possibly imagine.”
“I don’t understand,” Lars said. “It hurts when you hit me.”
There was genuine confusion in his voice, and Grayson rejoiced inside that the boy seemed open to the truth right now.
“If I wanted you to be in pain, I’d use something other than my hand, like a leather glove or even a paddle. And of course, there are many other instruments way more suitable to inflict pain, like a flogger or a whip. That’s not my intent right now. A spanking is far more personal, and it has a different goal than delivering pain.”
He stopped rubbing Lars’s cheeks and allowed his hand to land down hard again on his left cheek, then his right. He doled out another ten slaps in rapid succession, admiring how beautifully Lars’s skin reacted to his touch.
“I’ll help you figure it out, boy. Tell me what you’re feeling right now.”
“I’m feeling my ass is on fire,” Lars said between clenched teeth, but there was something else in his voice as well, something Grayson would’ve picked up on, even if Lars’s hard cock hadn’t been poking him in the leg.
“What are you feeling inside, my boy? What is going through your head when I discipline you like this? And please, don’t lie to me.”
Lars was quiet for a long time, but Grayson didn’t want to rush him. He could afford to be patient here, especially if it resulted in a breakthrough for them. He simply kept rubbing Lars’s ass, teasing his crack every now and then, which made the beta shiver.
“I don’t know what I’m feeling,” Lars said finally, his voice stuffed with frustration. “There’s too much going on in my head, and I can’t pick out the one thought that feels the most true to me.”
It was the closest Lars had ever gotten to telling him to truth, and Grayson valued his words like a precious gift. “Then tell me one of your thoughts, and then the next one, and we will determine together which one feels most true.”
Again, Lars took his time answering. “I’m thinking that I hate you for humiliating me, but then I’m thinking that that humiliation is more in theory than how I really feel. Then I’m thinking I hate you for hurting me, but it really doesn’t hurt all that much.”
His voice was barely above a whisper, but the words couldn’t have been clearer if he’d shouted them in Grayson’s ear. “Keep thinking,” Grayson told him. “You’ll find the answer.”
He settled in for the third series of ten slaps, increasing the intensity a little bit. This time, when he was done, he didn’t have to ask Lars the question.
“How can I like this?”
There were tears in Lars’s voice, as well as on his face, one drop of wetness falling from his cheek straight on Grayson’s bare foot. The urge to answer that question was strong, but Grayson kept himself in check, sensing Lars wasn’t done yet.
“I hated it when you spanked me in the kitchen, so why did I want you to do it again? That doesn’t make sense.”
Joy thundered through Grayson’s veins, the rush of triumph so intense the adrenaline boost was massive. His hand rose up, and he kept repeating the words, even as it came down for the last round of ten slaps.
“I’m so proud of you, boy.”
18
After that spanking the day before, Lars had allowed Grayson to hold him for a while. The tornado of thoughts in his head hadn’t quieted down, but at least they hadn’t been as conflicting as they had before. A pattern had emerged, and though it scared the living crap out of him, it at least made more sense than the constant war he’d fought with himself the days before.
So, he liked being spanked. That was his conclusion after that experience. It was what Grayson had suggested too, of course, that Lars not only needed the discipline but also liked it. Loved it even, maybe. He wasn’t quite ready to acknowledge that, but he had sort of come to terms with the fact that he had deliberately disobeyed Grayson in the hopes of earning a spanking.
After he’d held him for maybe fifteen minutes or so, Grayson had calmly told him that he hoped in the future, Lars would ask for a spanking if he wanted one rather than behaving like a total brat—Grayson’s words—and passive-aggressively soliciting one.
It had been easier to sleep that night, his body and mind more at ease with Grayson’s presence. It wasn’t like he was used to sleeping in the same bed as someone else. Sure, whenever his dad had traveled, he and Sven had bunked together. But it wasn’t until they had moved into the ranch that they had had the opportunity to share a bed every night.
And just when he had somewhat gotten used to that, Grayson had ordered them into his room. The first night, Lars had wondered where they would all sleep. Not so much which bed, that much was clear, but more what position. Somehow, he had expected Sven to be in the middle, but he hadn’t been. Grayson had placed himself in the middle, and at first, that hadn’t sat right with Lars. It had felt like Grayson was deliberately trying to place himself between him and Sven.
The night after the spanking, it had felt differently, especially when he had woken up in the middle of the night and discovered that both he and Sven had cuddled close to Grayson. The alpha was fast asleep, softly snoring, with one arm around Sven and the other around Lars. It had changed how Lars viewed their sleeping arrangements, and he’d understood that Grayson had had a different motivation for placing himsel
f between them.
That morning, it wasn’t so hard to obey Grayson’s kind commands. He’d asked Lars to make the bed, and he had, not experiencing the resistance he’d felt the days before. It had earned him a gentle caress through his hair and those two words that were becoming a drug to him. Good boy. Did Grayson realize how much those two words affected Lars?
Grayson had showered with Sven, and Lars had listened in while the omega had taken care of Grayson’s morning wood. Grayson hadn’t made any moves toward more than a blow job with Sven, and he hadn’t even suggested anything sexual with Lars. He wondered why.
Sure, they had showered together the day before, but that hadn’t been sexual. He couldn’t explain how he knew that, but he did. The way Grayson took care of him, the cuddling and the spanking, that wasn’t about wanting to have sex. It went deeper than that, though Lars had a hard time defining it.
Did he want to have sex with Grayson again? He considered it. He’d loved the sensation of Grayson’s fat cock inside him; there was no denying that. The man knew how to use it, too, as he and Sven had said to each other the day after Sven’s heat, giggling like teenage boys during sex ed. Sven had waxed poetic about Grayson, and the funny thing was that Lars hadn’t even felt jealous. He’d shared Sven’s excitement, and they’d gone as far as to compare notes—sort of.
He’d almost question if Grayson had enjoyed the sex as much as they had, considering his reluctance for a repeat performance, but that was ridiculous. The man not only had expressed his enjoyment verbally but also made it evident by every groan, touch, and the many, many times he had come. No, he had enjoyed it all right, so why he wasn’t pursuing it again was a mystery to Lars.
He was still deliberating this when Grayson and Sven returned from the shower, and much to his surprise, Lars had obeyed Grayson’s order to stay where he was while they showered. He hadn’t even done it on purpose, too lost in thought to even consider moving. But the end result was that he got a kiss from Grayson on his head, another ruffle through his hair, and a promise for a reward later that day. Not a bad start to the day, right?
Jawon had asked him to work on the small vegetable patch today, as Vieno wasn’t feeling well and wasn’t able to pull weeds. He’d just put new fertilizer around the tomato plants when Lidon walked up with Bray and Jawon on his heels.
“I’m concerned the process of building the new wing will take too long,” Lidon said. “Palani and I discussed it, and we feel like we need more options in the short term. Not only do we need the omega wing to ensure the safety of omegas during their heat, but we’re also looking to build a clinic for Enar. Now that it’s pretty clear his medical license won’t be reinstated, we want to offer him the opportunity to start a private practice right here on pack land.”
“I completely understand,” Jawon said. “All I can promise you is that I’ll research possibilities to speed up the process of building new additions.”
Lars hesitated. Should he say something? For all he knew, Lidon wouldn’t even want to listen to him. It’s not like he had built a lot of goodwill with the man. Still, he wanted to speak up not so much for the clinic they were referring to but for the omega wing. Sven would be one of the omegas using it, and if it could prevent a repetition of the attack on him, it was worth being possibly humiliated by the pack alpha. So he’d be super polite and hope for the best.
“Excuse me, alpha, permission to speak, please?”
Three heads turned toward him, and Lidon’s eyes narrowed before he nodded. “Go ahead.”
“Could using prefab construction methods possibly be an idea? I did an internship on an urban farm on the other side of the city where we built several buildings like that within a few days.”
Lidon looked interested. “Prefab? How does that work?”
“It’s not my area of expertise, but I know that they could choose from various types of prefab buildings, and they were delivered on the truck in packages, complete with all the materials necessary to build them. All you had to do was follow the instructions. I remember they built a small cottage for one of the groundskeepers, and it was built in a day.”
Lidon looked at Jawon. “Are you familiar with what he’s talking about?”
Jawon nodded. “Yeah. He’s right that there are different types of prefab structures available. I don’t have any experience with them personally, but it’s definitely worth looking into. I’m sorry, it didn’t even cross my mind. I’m too used to doing things a certain way, I guess.”
Lidon slapped him on the shoulder—an affectionate slap, Lars noted. He didn’t look angry or even irritated, as Lars had somehow expected him to be. “No worries. One of the advantages of having a pack is that we have the opportunity to hear the input of a lot of different people. It will ensure we always get fresh ideas and don’t get stuck in a rut.”
“Prefab would actually be a perfect solution for the guardhouses I’ve talked to you about as well,” Bray added.
Lars didn’t know what the man was talking about, but Lidon nodded. “I had the same thought. Those have priority as well, and if we can use small prefab constructions for those and raise them up within a day or two, that would be fantastic.”
The three men nodded at each other with smiling faces, and Lars felt a strange excitement.
“Thank you for the suggestion,” Lidon said. “Very helpful. I’ll make sure to mention it to Grayson.”
The twinkle in his eye told Lars that the man knew exactly what his relationship with Grayson was. That didn’t surprise him, as Grayson had been clear he’d been transparent with the pack alpha and his mates about what he wanted with Sven and Lars. Still, it was a little embarrassing to be confronted with how public the knowledge of his relationship was.
It didn’t even register with him that Lidon had said this in front of Grayson’s son until Bray’s face distorted with a look of pure disgust. Clearly, he was not a fan of his father’s relationship. Lars didn’t say anything, but he didn’t have to, because he wasn’t the only one who had noticed Bray’s reaction.
“Do we have a problem?” Lidon asked Bray, his tone considerably cooler than before.
Bray’s reaction was instant, though there was still a hint of defiance in his voice. “No, alpha.”
“They are consenting adults, and he asked for my permission,” Lidon said, and Lars felt the power behind that statement.
It was a strange sensation, to be in the presence of an alpha so powerful. Grayson had used his powers a few times, and of course, he affected Lars. When the man gave a command with his full alpha powers behind it, Lars had no choice but to obey. But with Lidon, it was different. Even this casual statement rippled with power, the tangents of it heavy in the air.
It wasn’t just that you needed to obey him. You wanted to. Lars felt himself drawn to Lidon, wanting to follow him. He’d never experienced anything like it, and it would be scary as hell if he also didn’t feel a strange sense of destiny and calm about it, like his soul somehow recognized Lidon as his superior, as his alpha. It was eerie and exhilarating at the same time.
“Yes, alpha,” Bray said, with considerably less bravado.
Apparently, Lars wasn’t the only one who was influenced by the pack alpha. There was no defying this man. That meant Lars had better stay in his good graces because this was not a man he wanted to be at odds with.
He wasn’t surprised to find Grayson waiting for him again at the end of his day. They’d had lunch together, the three of them, Sven having prepared a plate of delicious sandwiches for them. It had been unfamiliar to share lunch with Grayson and Sven, and yet it had felt strangely normal, as if they’d been doing it for years.
“Sir,” he greeted Grayson.
His quick acknowledgment of Grayson’s presence earned him a big smile that made his heart do a little flutter.
“You look tired, boy,” Grayson said, caressing his cheek before swiping his sweaty hair away from his forehead.
“I am tired,” he admitte
d, kneeling to take his boots off. “It was a long day, and it was hot as fuck outside.”
“I’m sure a shower would feel great now,” Grayson said, and the unspoken challenge was clear.
Lars had a choice. He could once again resist Grayson’s care toward him, more out of principle than anything else. Or he could give in and allow the alpha to take care of him like he wanted to. If he was honest with himself, it was what Lars wanted too. As tense as their encounter had been before the spanking yesterday, he’d enjoyed the intimacy of that moment as well. It was something he and Grayson shared together, the two of them, his alpha fulfilling his needs.
No…it wasn’t the alpha fulfilling the needs of a beta. It was a Daddy fulfilling the needs of his boy.
“Yes, Sir, I would love a shower.”
He followed a radiant Grayson to their bedroom, contemplating how he could entice him to administer another round of spanking without having to be all bratty. Maybe if he dug really deep, he could find the courage to ask for it.
Maybe.
19
Lidon had always enjoyed a friendly relationship with his neighbors. They weren’t close—physically or in their relationship—but they’d been friends of his dad, and he’d always respected them. That’s why he was curious when his neighbor Vic called him that morning and asked to meet later that day. He indicated Lidon’s other neighbor, Gunther, would be there as well. What the hell was going on?
Lidon pondered it as he disconnected the call. He’d agreed to the meeting, but he wondered what it was about. Were they unhappy with the changes Lidon was making to the ranch? He couldn’t imagine, since none of it impacted them in any way. The new buildings Jawon was constructing were all out of direct eyesight for them, concealed by the land in between and the hills, as well as a cordon of trees and bushes.