10. Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Wulfric
Damn it.
Kieran is in heat.
In all the excitement of the ceremony, I neglected to warn him. The winds change and his scent, spiced with arousal, floods my nose. Even if I couldn’t smell it, I’d know at a glance by how flushed his cheeks are and how wide his pupils have dilated. On the full moon after a wolf’s first shift, their body goes into heat and seeks a mate. If one has not found their mate before their first shift, then the hours until daylight can be agonizing.
The waves of arousal never end, even after rubbing your cock raw with your balls aching from spilling your seed over and over again. Nothing sates the primal hunger to bite, fuck, and breed. Except a fated or chosen mate. I would know. I went through it myself.
I can’t let Kieran go through his heat alone. But will he let me be there for him? Even if the most he lets me do is bring him cups of cold water and a wet cloth to keep his body cool from the hot flashes, then I would consider it a privilege. This is a chance for me to show my feelings for him, that I’ve changed my mind about him. For however long I have him, that is.
Heads turn and others scent the air. They can smell his heat. A growl builds in my chest as the eyes of other wolves land on my vulnerable mate. When Gunnar shoves his way through the crowd and goes toward Kieran, my blood boils. Gunnar’s wolf has been slowly taking over since he lost his family. The scent of another wolf in heat might drive him over the edge.
If he so much as touches Kieran, I will rip him apart. I’ll have no choice, not when the berserker’s rage still hasn’t been soothed by my mate. Closing the distance in seconds, I slam my hand into Gunnar’s chest. “Back off,” I snarl, the words grating in my throat.
Gunnar’s close to losing it, his eyes flaring bright, his fangs sharp. “Smells so sweet.” His nostrils flare as he scents the air. “Are you sure you don’t want to share him, brother? I’ll be so good to him.”
My fingers curl around his throat. Inwardly I’m horrified to be handling my brother so roughly, even if we’ve done worse in the past, but the fury throbbing in my veins eclipses everything else. “Touch him and I’ll tear your arms from your body. Kieran is mine .”
“I…” His eyes widen like he’s waking from a dream. “My deepest apologies.” He turns and flees into the crowd.
Kieran sways on his feet, panting softly. “Wh-what was that?”
Sweeping an arm over his shoulders, I urge him to my side. The way he curls into me, nuzzling into the furs around my shoulders, stirs every protective instinct I have. “Stay close to me until we’re out of here.”
“We’re leaving?” He doesn’t sound like he cares, too busy sniffing at my neck. “Fuck. You smell so good…” The little growl that edges into his voice makes my prick jerk and thicken in my trousers.
“Yes, little rabbit. I’m getting you out of here because if one more person looks at you, I might tear their eyes from their skulls.”
“But what about the rest of the ceremony?” Sharp little fangs find the skin of my neck and nip.
I fight back the groan that nearly slips free. “It’s just a feast to celebrate our union tonight. Nothing more. It isn’t important.” But Kieran is. I’ve got to give him what he needs, whatever that might be, whether it’s the pleasures of the body or simply comfort. What I want is to throw him down on the nearest surface and have him over and over again until we’re both howling at the stars. But my wants come second to his. We promised to complete our bond but there’s a chance he may be too overwhelmed by his first heat. I should have anticipated this. If he's feeling too vulnerable to lie with me tonight, then I’ll be there in any other way he’ll let me.
“Come with me.” I urge him away from the crowd. When he stumbles, weak on his feet, I bend over and hoist him up and over my shoulder. He yelps in protest but goes slack against me with a low moan of contentment.
“Where are we going?” he mumbles, speech slurred.
“Somewhere more private. You’re mine tonight, little rabbit.” Mine to care for, mine to protect.
Cool water can help with a heat, but in my experience hot water can aid in sweating out a heat faster even if it feels less pleasant. On the edge of my territory, I built a cabin beside a hot spring. It’s much smaller than the main house, more private, meant for two rather than the master of the house and his thralls and farm animals. Once we reach the cabin, I set Kieran on his feet and grip his shoulders to steady him.
“Where are we?” he mumbles.
“My little hideaway.” I motion to the cabin. “It can be yours, too, if you like.” Steam clouds the air, rising from the hot spring near the house. The swirling lights in the night sky reflect on the pool’s still surface.
“Cute. Never was really into any of that cottagecore stuff, but this is nice.” Kieran sways and rubs his eyes. “Fuck. What is happening to me?” He tugs at his clothes, and I can only imagine how hot he is in them.
“You’re going into heat.”
He squints at me. “Heat? Like… like an animal?” His eyes widen in horror.
“Aye. Your body shares a wolf’s spirit and all the primal needs that come with such a gift.”
“How do I m-make it go away?” The flush on his face darkens. “Wait. Don’t answer that.” He turns away, muttering.
I guess he figured it out. The scent of lust only thickens, and I have to curl my fists so I don’t reach out and pull him toward me. “There are other ways to get through a wolf’s heat but they aren’t as effective as… lovemaking.” My face burns. “A soak in the hot springs can help you sweat out the heat. It works faster than most other methods I’ve tried. You’re in a vulnerable state. You’re welcome to stay in the cabin until you’ve recovered. I will be nearby to ensure your privacy. No one will get in or out without a bloodbath, I promise you.”
Kieran’s chest rises and falls faster, and he plays with the buckle of his belt. My eyes drop to his hand and primal hunger stirs in me as his cock strains the front of his pants. “You’d… stay with me?”
I fold my arms so I don’t haul his lithe body against me. He would melt in my arms, so pliant and needy. The sounds he’d make if I ground against his cock would drive me to madness. “Of course. I wouldn’t leave your side until your heat is through.”
Nodding, Kieran wets his lips. His eyes are as dark blue as the deepest depths of the ocean. “And would we, uh…”
Gods, if he would just say the word… Drawing in a deep breath, I exhale around a growl. “If you let me, little rabbit, I’d have you on your back right now. I’d let you use my body as a tool for your pleasure until the sun comes up and we’re too spent to continue.” My prick throbs just imagining being sheathed in the tight heat of his body, hearing him cry out my name as I pound into him. Kieran’s breathing quickens and, though he bites that supple lower lip, I don’t miss the little whimper that escapes him.
The beast strains against every restraint I have. He wants Kieran. Needs him. Has to have him. But I can control it. I must.
Forcing myself to breathe around the throb of arousal, I grind more words out. “But if that isn’t what you want, then I understand. It can be terrifying, losing control of your body in such a way. I need to stay nearby to ensure your safety, but I will not touch you. Not unless you ask me to. We can wait until you feel more in control to complete our bond.”
I need to get away. Put some distance between us before I snap and go back on my word. “I will remain outside the cabin unless you need me.”
I turn away and Kieran blurts out, “And what if I want to complete the bond now?”
I freeze in place, balling my hands into fists so I don’t turn around and bolt to him.
Yes, the berserker snarls, and fur grows thick on my arms. Fuck. Bite. Claim.
“Kieran…” It’s a warning growl. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”
He takes a step, twigs snapping.
“Don’t!” My roar echoes in the woods around us. “Kieran, don’t. If you touch me, I can’t promise I’ll be able to control myself any longer.” I’ve wanted him for too long, and my control hangs by a thread. Gods, if he would just let me have him, I would make him feel so good he’d never want another man in his bed.
He’d never want to leave me.
There’s a soft laugh directly behind me. He’s closer, prowling toward me as softly and silently as a skilled hunter. Pride warms me. “Shut up, you chivalrous asshole.” Then he’s whirling me around. His small yet strong body presses against me.
Gods. He’s naked. Moonlight glimmers on his bare, freckled shoulders. His long, slender prick is trapped between our bodies. Calloused fingertips rasp over my jaw as he frames my face between his hands. His eyes are wolf-bright, a sliver of fang protruding when he smiles, sure and confident. I can scarcely breathe at the sight, my breath escaping me in shallow pants.
“Don’t hold back. If your beast wants me…” Kieran breathes, his breath scorching against my mouth. “Then he can have me.”
The thread snaps, and I devour Kieran’s lips with mine. The sound he makes against my mouth, high and needy, awakens a hunger in me that will never be sated, not until I’ve heard him scream my name. His taste is sweet as spring water, and I thrust my tongue past his lips, dying to taste more of him.
I claim his mouth in hungry, eager strokes, and he returns my fervor with his own. My fangs cut his lip but before I can apologize, he’s nipping at my mouth like he wants to devour me piece by piece. Gods, the sounds he’s making.
“On your back for me,” I snarl against his mouth. “Now.”
Kieran squirms as I stroke his cock. “Whoa. Hold on a moment.”
I take in a breath to calm my raging lust. “Aye?”
“Have you ever been with a man before?” He seems to be thinking more coherently now that I’m pleasuring him.
“I have.” I kiss the side of his neck, making him sigh.
Wetting his lips, he asks, “And did you use protection? Or lube? Did you bottom, and if you did, did you clean out before?”
None of his words make any sense to me. “Protection?”
“From STDs.” He grimaces. “Uh… illnesses you can get from sex.”
“Ulfhednar are immune to disease.”
He exhales. “Oh, thank fuck. Okay, have you bottomed? Uh, how do I say this… Have you been on the receiving end or have you given?”
“Given.” Heat flames my cheeks. “But once I… received.” I know it is considered shameful for a man to take a passive role in anything in this life, but I’d wanted to try it.
I expect him to ridicule me, but instead he grins. “Really? You bottomed? That’s… whoa. That’s hot as hell. So, when you bottomed, did you do anything to make it comfortable for yourself? Because I am not bottoming without prep or lubricant.”
“It was…” I shudder, remembering. “Unpleasant.”
He looks horrified. “Did it hurt?”
“Greatly. I told him to stop, so we did something else.”
“Oh god. I’m so sorry you had that experience. I promise there are so many ways to make anal sex feel amazing.”
It occurs to me I have no idea how to make this enjoyable for him. The last thing I want is to hurt him like I was hurt. “Tell me how.”
He looks delighted. “Okay! I bathed earlier, so I’m clean down there, but we’ll need oil or…” He makes a face. “Melted fat of some kind.”
“Why?”
“To make things nice and slippery.”
“Oh!” I head into my cabin and from my pantry I retrieve a vial of oil and bring it back.
“Oh good, you had some. Now, I believe you were about to order me to my back.” Grinning slyly, he drops to his knees then lies back, sprawled obscenely on the grass by the edge of the hot springs. Kieran grabs his cock and strokes, moaning.
“Don’t,” I growl, and his hand freezes, his wide eyes gazing up at me full of awe and need. “The only one in charge of your pleasure tonight is me. Understood?”
His pale throat bobs when he swallows and then he angles his head back, exposing his neck to me. Submitting to me. “Y-yes, Alpha.”
Alpha. I never asked him to call me that. He did it all on his own.
“Gods, you’re going to be the death of me.” The air gets hotter as I join him on the tundra grass. I tear off my clothes and toss them somewhere. Running my hand through the bronze fur on his heaving chest, I pinch one nipple, then take the other between my teeth and tug. Kieran’s back arches and he chokes out a cry.
“F-fuck! M-more, Alpha.” Kieran curls his fingers in my hair.
A growl rumbles through me and makes him gasp, squirming beneath me. Eager to taste his sweet flesh, I lick a line down his chest to his stomach. He raises his hips, trying to direct me to his cock. He’s already leaking for me, drops of pearly seed smearing on his stomach. Dropping a kiss to his hips, I grab the head of his cock and squeeze. A hoarse cry escapes Kieran and he thrashes beneath me, trying to use my fist.
“I’ve barely touched you and you’re already like this?” I smear away droplets of his cum on my thumb, then lick it. The salty, bitter taste of his seed makes me moan. “I bet you’ll spill the moment I take you in my mouth.”
Fisting his cock, I guide him to my lips, parting them. A litany of curses spills from Kieran, his nails biting into my scalp as he grabs onto my hair for dear life. The taste of him explodes on my tongue as I swallow him down. My eyes roll back as he moans, and I fight back the urge to grind my hips into the earth. Knowing I’ve pleased him gives me as much pleasure as if I’m the one getting my prick sucked.
Following the fervent tugging of his hands, I glide up and down his prick. When he bumps the back of my throat, I gag on him and he chokes out an apology and tries to soften his grip. I double down, bobbing my head with urgency until Kieran is moaning below me. Swirling my tongue around the head, I stroke the base of his shaft, hard as iron in my fist.
Panting, Kieran tosses his hips, plowing faster and deeper into my mouth. “Yes! Fuck! Yes!” he cries, and his seed floods my mouth. His grip in my hair softens and he strokes my hair almost reverently as his body goes slack beneath me—except for the part of him that’s still in my mouth. Oh no, that part stays very hard.
“Wh-what?” Kieran pants, brows furrowed in confusion as I pull off his rock-hard prick. “Why do I still…”
I chuckle. “It’s normal.” I give his shaft a flick, enjoying how stiff he is.
“N-normal?” He covers his face with his hands. “I’m still hard! Jesus. Who needs Viagra? Just become a werewolf on a full moon!”
I don’t know what Viagra is, so I ignore his question and focus my attention on his thighs, nipping and licking his soft skin. “What you need is my cock. My knot. Your body is craving it. Nothing else will truly satisfy you but that.”
“Your… what?” He squirms when I rub my beard against his thigh.
“My knot.” Sitting up, I squeeze the base of my aching cock, showing him the bulb at the base of my shaft. “Once I’m inside you, it will swell and tie us together. It’s what your wolf is craving.”
“Oh god,” he says. “Will it hurt?”
“I’ve heard it’s the most pleasurable experience a mated pair can have together. Second only to a mate’s bite. A bite can end the heat altogether.”
He mumbles something behind his hands.
“What?”
“Don’t want it to end,” he pants, hiding his face from me. “Not yet.”
I grin, fangs sharp in my mouth. “Don’t you worry. We’ve got all night, and I plan to spend every hour of it making you come for me. Now, lift your knees up. Show me that needy hole.”
Shivering, Kieran obeys, drawing his knees to his chest. Seeing his hole, I begin to lose my nerve. What if I hurt him?
“You don’t have to fuck me yet. You can do something else,” he says reassuringly.
“I just… if I hurt you—”
“Use the oil. Get your fingers slick.”
Nodding, I do as he says, coating my fingers. I curse as I spill too much, but Kieran says, “It’s fine. You’ll need a lot.”
Exhaling, I press my fingers to his hole, watching him closely. “Can I?”
“Yes,” he says, lifting his legs up toward his chest. “Do it.”
I push one finger inside and groan. He’s so tight and hot around me. Kieran groans with me, rocking his hips. “Fuck. That’s good. Move.”
Heart racing, I work my finger in and out slowly. He seems to enjoy it every time I stretch his rim.
Kieran moans. “Another. Give me another.”
I add another finger and work him open more. “What else can I do?”
Panting, Kieran says, “If you want, you can… you can use your tongue, too?”
My eyes widen.
“Only if you—” But Kieran doesn’t get the chance to finish. I grab his hips and flip him onto his stomach. He lifts for me, presenting his beautiful ass to me, and then I dive in, lapping at him from his swollen balls to his clenching hole.
“Oh my god! A-Alpha!” Kieran cries out, twisting his hips. “Fuck, you’re so eager. More. Please!”
I plunge my tongue inside his slick hole. He moans when I slide my hands up to his plump ass and squeeze, holding him open even more. He’s unbearably hot around me, clenching hard around my tongue as I lick and curl it inside him.
Gasping, Kieran rolls his hips and rides every flick of my tongue. “Deeper,” he says with a groan. “Yeah, fuck yeah. J-just like that. Feels so good, Alpha. Fuck me with your tongue like you’ll fuck me with your cock.”
I go deeper until it’s physically impossible to go any farther. I stretch my tongue out as long as I can make it, stroking, rubbing, and curling, and Kieran moans shamelessly. I may suffocate, but I can’t imagine a more worthy death than on my hands and knees, pleasuring my mate with my tongue. Not even Odin’s mead hall Valhalla holds such appeal.
A whine escapes Kieran. “Wulfric,” he pants. “God. Put your fingers in me.”
I do, sliding them into his clenching body.
“More. To the left a little. Yeah, yeah, good. Kind of stretch them like—”
Crooking my fingers, I find a spot that has him arching beneath me. “Fuuuck, yes! Right there!”
“Good?” I kiss the back of his thigh. “What did I do?”
“You found my prostate, that’s what.”
I’m not sure what this is, but it must be a good thing for him to be moaning like that. Feeling around again, I find that spot once more and he groans. “Don’t overdo it. Feels good enough just having your fingers in me. N-no one’s ever made me feel this good… not like this.”
My blood boils at the idea of Kieran offering himself to anyone else but me. I roll him over and capture his gasping mouth with mine. I kiss him until my head throbs with the need for air. “There will never be anyone else,” I growl against his mouth, curling my fingers against that spot that has him crying out beneath me. “Never again. You can feel our bond now. You know what it means?”
“Y-yes,” he whines, rolling his hips, taking my fingers in faster, deeper.
“Tell me.” I snarl the words against his lips, biting and nipping at his mouth. “Tell me who this hole belongs to. Who owns your pleasure tonight and every night.”
“Y-you,” he pants, and that single word lights my blood on fire. “I’m yours, Alpha.”
The beast inside preens in primal delight. “Good.” I smack a kiss on his mouth, thrusting my tongue inside to taste him, claim him. He moans around my tongue, his body tensing with his impending release.
“So close. Please, Alpha.”
I know what he needs. I’m back between his thighs, spreading him wide open. My tongue spears his clenching heat, thrusting deep inside. He shouts my name as he spills, his hole spasming. I didn’t even touch his cock. When I look up, Kieran is completely ruined, chest and stomach covered in pearly seed. Yet his cock is still a furious red, hard as iron against his stomach. Kieran gawks at the mess he made. “Holy shit. Never came hands-free before.”
A pleased growl escapes me and I lean over him, licking up every drop, growling at his salty taste.
“Don’t swallow. Want to taste it,” Kieran rasps, face bright red at his admission.
I lean over and kiss him, spitting his own seed into his mouth. He whimpers as I squeeze his throat, and my cock throbs when he swallows. “Filthy,” I growl against his mouth. “So insatiable, even after I’ve made you spill for me.”
“Wulfric,” Kieran says. “Not enough. I need you. Please. Fuck me.”
I can’t wait any longer. I’ve got to have him. “On your hands and knees for me. Now.” He doesn’t hesitate, crawling onto all fours on the ground, thrusting his hips back. My cock jerks between my thighs, aching to be inside him at last. “So good for me,” I whisper, hands roaming down his quivering back. I grab handfuls of his perfect ass and squeeze hard enough to leave red prints behind.
“Wulfric,” Kieran snarls, and my cock jumps to attention. “If you don’t fuck me now, so help me, I’m climbing on your dick and riding you.”
I growl my approval around a smile. “Some other time perhaps.”
Dribbling on more oil, probably more than I’ll need, I grip my oversensitive cock, guiding it to his slick hole. Slowly, I rock my hips and growl my satisfaction as pure heat engulfs my throbbing cock. Inch by inch, I fill him, my nails biting into his hips to anchor myself so I don’t spill before I’ve made him scream for me. Peering down, I’m gifted with the view of his hole stretching around my cock as I disappear slowly inside him.
Nothing has ever felt so good, so right. But is it the same for him?
“Are you okay?” I ask him, heart racing.
Kieran swallows hard beneath me, raising his hips higher. “Yeah, I’m good. I promise.”
As Kieran moans and rocks back on my cock, I know he isn’t lying. I fit inside him so perfectly, there’s no question in my mind that we were made for each other. Lowering myself to his back, I kiss his shaking shoulders, then bite the shell of his ear. “How could I have been so wrong about you?” I whisper, kissing his damp, heated skin with each roll of my hips. “You are perfect. My perfect mate.”
A needy sound escapes him, and he pushes back against me, riding every thrust. My eyes roll back, and the pleasure that courses up and down my cock is too much for me to hold back any longer. I moan with him every time I drag along his tight walls, biting down on his shoulder as I work my hips against him faster and harder. It’s not enough. I need more. Pulling out of him takes effort but I do it anyway, ignoring his disappointed whine. “Roll over. Need to see you.”
Kieran’s on his back in seconds, hiking his legs up, groaning with me as I bury myself back inside and fuck him with such urgency it’s like we were separated for years, not seconds. His thighs lock around my waist, his claws raking up and down my back, his body quivering with mine as I slam into him again and again, each thrust taking us to new heights.
Our lips collide, stealing every gasp and moan that escapes us like they’re secrets. Kieran kisses me like I’m the water of life and he’s been lost in the desert.
I fuck him like we’ve only got seconds left to live, like this is the last chance we’ll ever have to be together, like it’s the end when I know in my heart this is only just our beginning. If the world ended around us right now, I wouldn’t stop kissing him, fucking him, loving him for anything. I never want to stop.
Being inside my mate is the closest I’ve ever been to Valhalla itself. And, gods forgive me, I know that nothing else shall ever compare.
“Kieran.” I say his name out loud and through the bonds that tie our souls together as my knot swells and makes our bodies one.
Now , the beast inside snarls, bite. Claim. Now.
As if reading my mind, Kieran offers his neck to me, his eyes flashing wolf-bright. “Please, Alpha.”
I nuzzle into his neck, panting harshly against his skin with every slap of my hips. My knot’s locked within him, ready to keep my seed inside. His sweet mountain flower scent calls to me, a call I can’t refuse. I part my lips and bite down, tasting blood.
Kieran spasms beneath me, his head thrown back as he screams for me. My name fills the night air as he spills between us. His ass clenches around my knot, and I fuck into his tight heat, snarling against his skin as I fill him with my seed. Burning pain briefly eclipses my pleasure as Kieran bites down, and then waves of bliss wash over me. Kieran’s pleasure becomes mine, and mine becomes his.
The aftermath of our lovemaking seems to last hours. I hold him and shiver with aftershocks. Kieran holds me tight, gasping against me. Sweeping his sweaty hair from his forehead, I kiss between his brows and hold him to me.
The berserker rumbles in my chest, his rage at last appeased by the man in my arms. A piece of me I never knew was missing is finally complete. “I’m yours, little rabbit,” I whisper, leaning down to find his lips. A soft, tender sigh escapes Kieran, and he leans into the hand I rest upon his cheek.
There’s much more I want to say, but it can wait until the morning.
Kieran nuzzles into my neck, eyes closing. Reaching back, I grab my furs and drape them over us.
All my life, I’ve believed that when I die, axes in my hands and covered in the blood of my foes, I would go to Valhalla. I thought there could be no greater glory than to drink mead with the warriors from our most ancient legends. The moment I saw him, though, I knew my soul no longer belonged to the gods. Not Odin, not even Fenrir.
My soul belongs to my mate, and from this moment on, I will fight, not to die with honor and glory but to live another day at his side.