Chapter 17
TALIUS
Xeres had sent word that he wished to delay our binding until the blood moon because this would be auspicious and add strength to the tie we formed. Despite the impatience all three of us felt, I had agreed to the delay. It was worth the small sacrifice if it increased our chances of success.
Both omegas sat out the next pack run, waiting for the proper timing, which came the following month.
Tonight was the night of the blood moon, coincidentally also a full moon, so we planned to do the binding immediately before the monthly pack run, so that Isca could safely and comfortably run with us after the ceremony.
It was 10pm. It was time.
“I’m ready,” murmured Isca, stepping out of our bedroom, barefoot and dressed only in jeans, his hairless chest glistening with the few remaining drops of water from his shower. He took a deep breath, the pale skin stretching tight over his ribs. I noticed the way he straightened his back and lifted his chin, steadying himself. Nervous, but trying to be brave. It flayed my heart knowing how desperately he wanted this to work.
“Me too!”
Irian”s energy preceded him out of the room. I shook my head. That omega was irrepressible, the perfect foil to Isca’s quiet gentle nature. Irian had almost as much riding on this as Isca, but he wasn’t showing any nerves. I knew he longed for Isca to be fully part of our triad. As far as I was concerned, he already was, but Irian was a stickler for fairness, and he found it grossly unfair that he could be mated to me but Isca couldn’t. I knew he had every confidence that we would pull this off. My omega always had confidence in me. I chuckled to myself. No pressure at all.
The two omegas were very similar in appearance, slim built and pale, though Irian’s complexion had a pale olive hue. Both wore jeans and Irian also wore a t-shirt since he wasn’t officially a participant in the ceremony. Isca’s low-hung jeans hugged just below his hipbones and the glimpse of his V disappearing into his pants had me unconsciously swiping my tongue over my lips.
So hot! I couldn’t help the thought flashing through my brain. I squeezed my eyes closed, trying to control myself, but my jeans tightened anyway.
When I opened my eyes again, I swept them over my other omega – his calves and thighs fondly caressed by the washed-out blue fabric, his package prominent. A low groan forced its way out of my lips.
Goddess! Two hours ‘til we ran. Three hours or more ‘til I could fuck the living daylights out of them. But then I remembered what would take place at the mating ceremony. So, not three hours then. Maybe I could last, after all.
Maybe.
These men were going to be the death of me.
“Let’s go.” I tried to pretend I hadn’t just had the filthiest of thoughts. Irian’s lips twitched upwards as he stared unashamedly at my crotch. Yeah, okay. We’d been together so long he knew exactly where my thoughts had been. Not that his would have been any less dirty.
The two men followed me out of the house. As I stepped out the door, I came to an abrupt stop, startled by what I saw. The entire pack had gathered outside, lining up on each side of the path leading to the forest where the ceremony would take place.
A mating was a private matter, and no-one would be present for it except for Isca, Irian and myself, and necessarily Xeres, the mage, since he needed to weave the spell, but here was the entire pack turning out to show us their support as we departed. When I”d informed the pack of my intentions about a month ago, they”d accepted my announcement without even a murmur of protest, but I hadn”t expected them to turn out to actively support it.
I blinked away the moisture in my eyes, touched. It meant a lot to me that my pack supported my decision to formally convert my existing relationship into a triad. As much as it demonstrated their respect and affection for me, it was also a sign of their acceptance of Isca. The sweet young omega had captured the hearts of the rest of the pack. Although the pack was not privy to all the details of his previous mate’s attack on Isca, they were aware his mate was not only responsible for it, but had left him for dead.
Although it was pretty much taboo for an alpha to take another’s mate, not one voice had been raised in protest or expressed any reservations for what I was doing. It was testimony to the pack’s loyalty to me and the affection they bore the young omega.
Eager face after eager face followed our progress down the makeshift guard of honor until we reached the tree line. I saw nothing but joy and happiness in their faces. I turned my head for one last look at my pack, my family, standing there in quiet support. Irian and Isca continued past me into the forest. I dipped my head in acknowledgement of the pack’s support before turning and disappearing amongst the trees.
Irian, Isca and I wound our way through the trees to the place selected for the ceremony to take place. Xeres had chosen a clearing set three or four hundred meters deeper into the forest than the one where we gathered for our pack runs. Though smaller, it was still sizeable but with the tumble of broken down trees and overgrown bushes around it, was considerably more intimate.
The grass had been flattened in preparation, and when we stepped out of the trees, Xeres and Darius were waiting for us, standing in the middle of a complex shape that had been mapped out on the grass in a dusty substance, possibly charcoal or ash.
When we stood in the centre with them, the black lines resolved into recognizable shapes – a pentagram inside a large five-pointed star. The star was inside a circle, the points touching the circumference. A couple of meters beyond, the circle was surrounded by a larger one that ran around the perimeter of the clearing. Short, squat, white candles were placed every half meter or so around the outside circle, each sitting on a dark metal saucer.
“Brother.”
Darius greeted me with a warm embrace, then nodded to my two omegas, keeping a respectful distance from them. Xeres, hooded and somber in his black robes, stood silently beside him. I nodded respectfully at the mage. His eyes flashed deep within the shadow of the hood, but there was no acknowledgement from him other than that.
“Everything has been prepared,” Darius said. “Xeres is ready to start as soon as you are. Are you clear on what you have to do?”
“Yes. Xeres went through everything with us last week. We’re as ready as we can be.”
“If you forget anything, he’ll guide you through it.”
I looked doubtfully at the mage standing stonily at his side, barely acknowledging us.
“I hope so,” I muttered. He didn’t seem that interested, and not for the first time, I wondered if this was a task he was performing reluctantly, only doing it at all because his Alpha had requested it. How much did he actually care how successful this was?
As if sensing my doubts, Darius laid a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry. He’s the best there is. It will work,” he said confidently.
My eyes snapped to the mage, catching the slightest movement of his head as he acknowledged Darius’ comments. It was the first movement he’d made since our arrival.
“I’ll leave you to it,” Darius suddenly grinned toothily, a flash of his wolf in his eyes. “I really don’t need to see any of this.”
He walked away, careful not to tread on the meticulously laid out markings. Once he’d stepped outside of the circle, he turned back briefly.
“I’ll see you all at the run,” he said. “Good luck.”
Xeres muttered something that sounded like luck has nothing to do with it.
Without another word, Darius slipped between the ghostly tree trunks, as graceful as the wolf he was, and disappeared from sight.
For a long moment, we stood still and silent. When enough time had passed that Darius would surely have left the forest, Xeres glanced upwards. The blood moon hung heavy in the sky, skirting over the tops of the trees, eerie and other-wordly. He nodded to himself, seemingly satisfied.
“Take your positions in the pentagram and we will begin,” he intoned, his voice formal and monotone. Despite his solemnity and the mysterious figure he presented, hidden as he was in his hooded cloak, his voice betrayed his youthfulness.
His voice cracked slightly as he spoke. He was not as impassive as he was trying to appear. Maybe he was even a little unsure as to whether he could do this. It was a big task, even for a very experienced mage. As I understood it, the incantation was an old and unused one he’d found forgotten in the archives. And here he was, a very young mage, attempting to perform a spell that hadn’t been used in centuries. And… his hands were shaking.
He was nervous.
Strangely, rather than make me anxious about his ability to pull this off, I found the tell-tale signs comforting. He was more invested in this than he wanted to show, and that made me certain he was going to put everything he had into it. Mages were not just secretive, they were also proud. He would not want to risk his reputation by failing at this. My confidence grew with the realization.
Isca and I moved into position, facing each other. With a wave of his hand, Xeres indicated Irian should follow him as he moved towards the edge of the circle. I saw him halt Irian just inside the final circle, and he bent his head in closer. I heard the murmuring of voices as they discussed something.
None of the discussions so far had included Irian as anything other than an observer but I figured the mage knew what he was doing, and if there were any changes I needed to know about, then he”d have told me.
I kept my focus on Isca.
He stood in front of me, his bare chest pale and covered in goosebumps, from the cool night air or anticipation, I wasn’t sure.
Big brown eyes looked up into mine, soft and trusting. My omega. Soon to be my mate. My second mate. Second, but equal. My lips quirked up. I was a lucky bastard.
With a crackle and the faint acrid smell of sulphur, the candles burst to life, as Xeres performed the first step in his spell-weaving. Flames flickered gold, with the greenish tinge of magic lapping at the edges.
Isca didn’t flinch. He continued to watch me. I had memorized the steps, Xeres would only step in if it looked like I needed prompting. I could hear him murmuring his spell in the background, but my entire focus was on Isca. The air seemed to crackle around us like a living thing. I took a deep breath.
“Strip,” I instructed.
His hands reached for his waistband and the button was undone almost before the word was out. Eager. The slide of the zipper was harsh in the stillness of the clearing. Without taking his eyes off me, Isca pushed his jeans down over his ass and kicked them off, ignoring where they landed.
Then he stilled.
I flicked my eyes down. And waited. A moment passed. Then his lips tweaked into a half-smile. His features softened, his eyes crinkled at the corners. With his eyes still on me, Isca sank gracefully to his knees. His slim torso held erect, shoulders back but relaxed as he assumed an upright posture. His body was almost entirely hairless, ethereal in the dim light with just the wash of candlelight casting faint shadows across his skin.
He folded his arms behind his back, his knees positioned in a perfect V. Holding himself in position, his eyes held mine. Trusting. And more confident than I had ever seen him. Heglowed with belonging.
His smile widened into something glorious… before he dropped his head in submission.
A tremor ran through me. His trust was humbling. I drew in a fortifying breath.
“Beautiful omega,” I breathed.
The silence of the night wrapped around us, creating our own private world. Beyond, as if at a distance, the monotonous chanting of the spell mingled with the night song of the forest’s insects. But here, where Isca knelt before me, the world was composed of my ragged breaths and Isca’s soft huffs. The sight of my gorgeous omega kneeling naked before me was breathtaking… and arousing.
I couldn”t afford to get distracted. I couldn”t mess this up.
I tried to focus. I drew myself up to my full height.
“Undress me,” I commanded, not allowing a shred of uncertainty to leach into my voice.
Isca reached across. With unsteady hands he undid the button of my jeans, unzipped, and gently tugged the waistband down until the pants pooled around my ankles. My cock, already half-hard, was right in front of his face, caressed by his warm breath. I suppressed a moan, even as I hardened further.
I stepped out of my jeans, ignoring how close his lips were to my dick. Isca waited, motionless. Perfectly composed except for his short, rapid breaths, and the rapid beating of the pulse in his throat.
“Ready, Omega?”
“Yes, Alpha.”
“I’m going to shift now.”
Isca knelt motionless until my wolf sat before him, resting on its haunches. I was an imposing wolf, or so I’d been told. My coat was coarse, a mix of colors, mostly dark greys and some lighter shades. I had a long muzzle tinged with dark hair and black whiskers. And I was large. Sitting like this, on my haunches, my eyes were at the same level as Isca’s.
Isca flicked a glance up at me, then lowered himself prone on the forest floor, tilting his head and exposing his neck to me.
I leaned down, running my warm, wet muzzle up his neck and around the back of his ear, nostrils flaring as I drew in his scent. The short strands of hair fluttered and fell as I huffed into them. My muzzle trailed a wet stripe from his ear to the hollow of his collarbone where the mating gland was located. I lapped over the site, the silky smoothness of his skin catching on my raspy tongue, tasting his unique flavor, marking it in my brain. My canines lightly grazed the skin but it was not time yet.
Scenting done, I drew back and watched him, unblinking. When he didn’t move, I let out a low rumble.
Isca shifted, the beautiful young man replaced by a splendid silver wolf. His soft, silky coat shimmered with every inhale and exhale. He crouched on the ground, paws out in front, head resting on them, tilted, exposing his vulnerable throat. Just the slight flicking of his tail betrayed any emotion.
A rumble started low in my throat and Isca sprang to his feet, racing for the trees. He was smaller than me, but lithe and nimble. He made a good start, but I was a powerful alpha, all muscle. I chased after him and leapt in front of him, spinning to face him before he could escape the circle and disappear into the forest.
He spun away and tried a different course.
And so the game went on; we raced and leaped and every time Isca almost escaped the circle, I was there in front of him. He would bound away again, trying another direction, then duck and weave as I came after him, feinting to one side then going the other. He was quick and he was clever, but I was more experienced, and I was always one step, one leap, ahead of him.
I was hunting my mate.
Wherever the dance took us, part of me remained aware of where my other mate stood. I did not want to knock him over in my attempts to subdue our new mate.
The chase went on for what seemed a long time. I would have my omega, but he was going to make me work for it, he wasn”t going to give up easily. I respected him all the more for that.
My ears were loud with my heavy breathing, sides heaving as they dragged in great lungfuls of air, when Isca, struggling to catch his breath, sought refuge at Irian’s feet.
It was a clever move. He knew I wouldn’t tackle him there. I stood in front of him, puffy white clouds escaping my nostrils as my warm breath hit the cool night air. I felt powerful, virile, towering over my future mate.
One minute he was quietly whimpering at Irian’s feet, and the next he was streaking across the clearing. He made it to the first circle before I pounced on him, paws on his shoulders, driving him into the ground. With a surge of strength, he rolled us over, and we continued to struggle, teeth grasping mouthfuls of fur but never breaking skin, powerful legs kicking and struggling but claws retracted. I was much larger, and if I had been trying to hurt him, this would have been over quickly, but that wasn’t our purpose here. He was smaller, but strong and determined. He twisted and turned and did his best to escape.
Finally, I pinned him down, belly to the ground, my larger, heavier body covering his. I could have taken him like this, it wasn’t unheard of, to perform the mating ritual in wolf form, but then we wouldn’t have said the words, so… I shifted. For a moment his soft fur tickled my bare flesh, and then Isca shifted also.
We were skin to skin, slippery with sweat. It was hard to hold him. I slipped my hand around his throat before he thought to slide out from under me. I arched his head back, just a little. His eyes rolled back, searching for mine.
“Submit,” I demanded, panting.
“Yes,” he gasped, breathless, repeating the words we”d rehearsed. “I… I submit to you, Alpha.”
“Mate with me?”
“Yes... Yes, Alpha.” It was almost a groan.
“Will you be my bonded mate?”
“I will, Alpha,” replied Isca, then he added, completely off script, “It will be my pleasure.”
A guttural sound tore from my throat. I let go of his neck, and pulling back, pinned him down with a hand in the middle of his back. I slotted my knees between his legs, urging them apart. He spread his thighs and lifted his ass, offering himself to me. His thighs were slippery and glistening, and I could smell his arousal. I couldn’t resist, leaning down and swiping my tongue up his inner thigh, collecting his sweet omega slick with my tongue, until I reached his hole. I ran my tongue over it, lapping at his juices, the scent of his arousal filling my nostrils and driving me crazy. I stiffened my tongue and drove it inside. He howled. It was too much, I couldn’t hold on. I withdrew my tongue and placed my cockhead against his opening, pressing against him. He pushed back and I slipped inside past the tight ring of muscle. He groaned. I stilled, waiting for him to adjust, but there was no need, his slick was so copious...
“Please, Alpha…” he begged.
I thrust.
Again and again and again, I pounded into him. I slipped my hand beneath him, scooping some of the moisture from his thighs. I wrapped my hand around his cock and gave a couple of strokes. Moments later, Isca’s hot cum spilled over my hand, and he cried out as his channel clenched around me.My knot began to form and with a mighty roar I spilled inside him, still thrusting, giving him every drop I had.
I dragged in a gasping breath. I ran my tongue across my teeth. My canines had descended.
Leaning forward, I rested my teeth over his mating gland - reminding myself at the last minute to go to the other side - and bit down hard. A metallic taste flooded my mouth, and I sucked some more, swallowing the taste of Isca, my mate. I hummed in satisfaction, savoring him. Isca whimpered. I withdrew my teeth and licked the spot clean, threw back my head and let loose an animalistic cry of possession.
Isca was mine, mine, MINE!
We lay there panting, Isca still sprawled on the ground, me covering him, resting on an elbow to prevent myself from crushing him. My eardrums pounded with the rush of blood pumping through them, gradually slowing, and my harsh gasps as I dragged air into my lungs. Beneath me, Isca sobbed for air, hauling in great lungfuls, his small frame expanding and contracting beneath me, pressing into my belly. We lay there gasping.
Since I’d knotted him, we had no choice but to wait here until my knot went down and we could complete the ceremony.
As my breathing and pulse slowed, I became aware of other things; Xeres chanting in the background, the silver sliver appearing around the edge of the dark moon. I noticed the silky skin of the omega lying pliant beneath me. The combined scents of Isca’s slick and our sex. And faintly, the very familiar scent of Irian’s arousal.
I rolled onto my back, pulling Isca on top of me, and we lay there panting, looking up at the blood moon and the stars together. It was magical.
When my knot began to subside, I maneuvered him around until he was facing me, my semi-hard cock still inside him. I slid a hand behind his head and brought his lips to mine. His mouth was warm against mine, his lips parting to accept my tongue, his sweet omega breath on my face…
Gently lifting his head away, I looked into his eyes. They were hazy and unfocused, pools of various hues of brown and gold. He looked dreamy, like he was floating away.
“Claim me,” I told him.
He blinked. Then his eyes cleared and focused. Perfect white teeth flashed in a dazzling smile. He leaned down. I felt two points of pressure in the skin over my unmarked mating gland. Sharp pain shot through me and I felt the rush of my essence as it flooded his mouth. He gulped and retracted his teeth, licking over the two small holes he’d made, lapping up any traces of blood.
He lay his head down on me, sweetly. My arms closed around him. A high-pitched buzzing began to resonate in my head. My head spun and I blinked rapidly, feeling disorientated. Then as abruptly as it started, the buzz silenced, replaced by clarity as awareness snapped into place. Awareness of him. We had a bond!
My Omega. My mate.
He lifted his head, eyes wide, moisture pooling in the corners.
My Alpha.
A tear rolled out of one of his eyes, landing with a splosh on my cheek. I felt the rush of emotion from my new mate flood into my mind through our newly established bond. Love, elation, gratitude.
I didn’t have to do it, because we’d already established the bond, but I wanted to.
The words of commitment. They usually accompanied a shifter mating ceremony but they hadn’t been required because our mating had been forged by magic. But I wanted to say them. And I wanted to say them out loud, so our other mate would hear them too.
I gazed at Isca, letting my sincerity shine in my eyes for him to see.
“Omega, I am your Alpha, your bonded mate. I bind myself to you and will protect, defend and honor you. Until the end of days.”
This caused a stream of tears to leak from Isca’s eyes, and he blinked furiously to get rid of them.
“Isca?”
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard, trying to compose himself.
Did he remember the words?
He cleared his throat.
“Alpha, you are… my bonded mate. I will come to you for protection. I am honored to be your omega. Until the end of days.” His voice trembled a little as he completed the exchange. He gave a little sniff as he finished, then the sweetest smile curved his lips as he looked shyly at me.
The candles flickered violently around the circle, and I heard voices. When I tore my eyes away from my new mate, I saw Xeres speaking to Irian, gesturing towards us.
To be honest, I’d been so absorbed with Isca, I’d forgotten Xeres was even there.
Irian nodded and walked towards us, into the center of the circle. Xeres resumed chanting, louder now.
The flames changed color again, flaring yellow then blue and finally green. They soared higher. Xeres’ voice rose in pitch, the words unintelligible, powerful and dramatic, but I paid him no heed. My gaze was focused on my gorgeous mate heading towards us. I didn’t know what Xeres had told him to do. That hadn’t been part of the plan.
Irian stopped beside where we lay, Isca plastered to my chest, my knot deflated but my half-hard cock still buried inside his warmth. Irian looked at me with his big brown eyes asking a question.
I nodded. I didn’t need to know the details to give him permission. I knew my mate well enough to know he wouldn’t attempt to do something I wouldn’t approve of. He might have been feisty but some part of that was an act, and he was a most loving and respectful mate.
Irian stripped off his clothes. He was already more than half-hard, which wasn’t surprising since we’d already established he had voyeuristic tendencies. Watching Isca and I mating would have been a massive turn on for him. And I”d already scented his arousal.
Once he was naked, Irian kneeled astride me, facing away from me, with his knees on either side of my neck, and his dick pointed towards Isca. It gave me a wonderful view of his glistening hole, ripe with slick, and ready access to his balls. As Irian lowered himself down, Isca raised his head and opened his mouth. Irian slid the swollen head of his cock past Isca”s pretty pink lips, gave a great sigh and began moving his hips back and forth. I caught one of his pale furry orbs in my mouth with each pass, sucking on it, and letting it tug gently before releasing it as he moved his hips forward. I repeated it with the other one.
Letting go of Isca, I brought my hands up and grabbed Irian”s ass, opening him up but also giving him support to make it easier for him to fuck Isca’s face. Irian groaned. Isca gurgled as Irian’s length reached the back of his throat.
I scented the musky, male scent that was unique to Irian and rubbed my nose along his perineum. I left my nose in place, his thrusts running my nose back and forth across his taint as he effectively pleasured himself. He whimpered. I felt his legs tremble, the movement making his ass cheeks wobble in my hands.
He thrust harder. Isca gagged. I slid my tongue up to Irian’s hole and teased it, licking and sucking, and slurping up the slick. Irian’s breathing grew ragged, almost gasping, little moans and whimpers erupting from his throat.
Stiffening my tongue, I pressed inside him. Now his movements had him fucking himself on my rigid tongue. He thrust faster and faster, and then his movements stuttered as with a cry he filled Isca’s throat. I curled my tongue inside him and he keened, and I felt an extra pulse shoot out of him.
He stilled, panting, kneeling over us with his head hanging down, glistening with sweat. Isca, lay on my chest, licking the residue of Irian’s orgasm from his lips. My face was sticky with slick, and I ran a finger through it, before sucking my finger into my mouth, savoring the taste of him. I was so turned on by his unexpected performance that my knot had reformed. I huffed. That wasn’t terribly unusual when I got together with my two omega mates.
The buzzing in my head was back, or maybe it never stopped. It was louder and more annoying than before. In the stillness the followed our lovemaking, I heard Xeres’ voice in the background, his monotonous chanting, seeming to reach a crescendo. I wanted him to go away.
The clearing was bright with the flames from the candles which were dancing and flickering with renewed energy.
A loud pop! reverberated through my head, and I lost awareness.
******
When I came to, the clearing was dark, the candles extinguished. There was no sign of Xeres. I started, then relaxed. I was certain he wouldn’t have left us unprotected in such a vulnerable state. I assumed he’d set up protective wards around the clearing.
My knot had gone down, and Isca had rolled half off me and was lying sprawled over my chest. Irian was slumped over him.
I knew the moment Irian came awake, the mind bond snapping into crystal clear clarity. I felt him sigh down the bond, deeply sated.
Neither of us moved, unwilling to disturb our little mate sandwiched between us.
However it wasn’t long before Isca stirred too. I felt him wake up. He was there in my head, the mate bond that had been established between us before Irian did - whatever it was he did - still intact.
For a moment there was perfect silence. Then… a hiccupping sob from Irian. Tears streamed down his face but a radiant smile stretched his lips and plumped his cheeks.
Talius? Isca?
I felt rather than heard his thoughts, streaming through our telepathic bond. Isca twisted his head to look at Irian.
I can feel you. Both of you.
Irian launched himself back down onto us, his arm wrapped around Isca, squeezing tight. I wrapped my arms around both of them, holding us all together. My eyes prickled, and I blinked quickly a couple of times, almost undone.
Finally, we’d done it.
Both Irian and Isca were my bonded mates.
We were a committed triad, with benefits.