Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
Wolf
I am tired and a little cranky. Not in my best frame of mind to be making decisions on anything. It is a lot to take in. The long journey, my constant rutting of Fawn—the newness of our intimate relationship. The proximity of another interested male, now males. The grandeur of this city, which, even by human standards, is spectacular.
It is a lot to take in, not just for me but for Fawn.
You will bear the discomfort for you are a powerful wolf and your shoulders are broad.
I have thought about those words often since we left Blackrock Pack, which has been my only home. I have to give credit to Master Stag, bastard, Seven. He knows how to duel with words.
I am a shifter and familiar with the concept of sharing mates. Yet, it is also something that must be agreed upon by all parties, and any such relationship must be navigated with respect and trust. It would have been different if Fawn and I had a long-established relationship when Seven had turned up. But I had barely claimed her when her nature opened a different path before us.
Do I want to share her?
Would I prefer there to be only her and me?
Possibly, probably… Either way, I was not expecting any of this and it requires a mindset shift. She always seemed so innocent to me, and in some ways, she still is. I presumed wrongly that she was a beta. It never crossed my mind that she might be inclined toward taking more than one mate.
I’m not a young wolf, and I have shared females on many occasions, usually mated ones who enjoyed the occasional stimulation of more than one dick—the experiences were exceptionally hot. But shifters do have more permanent relationships of this nature.
Seven hinted that Fawn might want and need more of both kinds.
I am not wholly opposed to the idea of sharing Fawn. I might even be curious, especially while she is in heat, or season as they call it for does. But I have never loved someone before, so that is something to consider. With Fawn, love is like being hit by a bolt of lightning: it is instantaneous and leaves you reeling, a little dizzy, and searching for your wits.
I believe she has permanently stolen some of my wits.
Above all my fears and reservations, I desire only to make Fawn happy, to set her free to be herself, for she has never been allowed this once in her life.
If that means I must learn to share her with other mates, who are not even fucking wolves, then that is what I will do. But I also don’t underestimate the challenges and inevitable jealousy, which I have seen among mated thruples, usually over the most trivial things, for while love is infinite, time is not, and each must have time. And this is not even a thruple involving a man I know well, and this will bring its own challenges.
There is no other path before me. Leaving her is not an option. Doing so would only hurt us both. So, despite my rioting emotions, I trust her with Eiden and join Seven and Nox in their stately day room where we take seats on couches facing a low central table. To the right, open doors lead to a sweeping stone balcony. To the left are the double entry doors to the suite.
A doe enters the room carrying a tray of drinks. She has the distinctive large brown eyes I now associate with deer shifters. But where Fawn’s hair is honey blonde, this one’s is a deep, russet red.
As she sets the drinks to the table, she side-eyes Nox, who sits opposite to me.
He doesn’t pay her any attention that I can tell. Her gaze moves with distaste over me before lighting with open appreciation and no small amount of longing on Seven, who is sitting to my right.
“Is there anything else, my lord?” she says, all fake meekness.
My nostrils flare with second-hand chagrin on Fawn’s behalf. I am a predator and recognize predatory signs in others. This one is female and has mating on her mind.
“No, thank you,” Seven says, barely sparing her a glance. “Please instruct the guards that we are not to be disturbed.”
She bows demurely, her silk dress gaping and offering her audience a fine view of her cleavage.
“Well, she was very fucking obvious,” I say as the door shuts on her.
Nox arches one brow. He has a dark, brooding intensity that rolls off him in waves and has been the quietest of the three so far.
Eiden is the diplomat. He is also sensitive to conflict and grew anxious when Seven and I had a robust discussion earlier.
Nox just let it play out, arms folded, watching. I don’t imagine he would have moved even had Seven and I come to blows.
As for Seven, he is every inch the leader of all the herds. Not only that, but he is also the seventh coming of a fucking god. I’d say he has delusions of grandeur, only it is not so much a delusion. Okay, he is not an actual god, but some kind of conduit for his ancestor’s memories.
Only it would seem Seven’s memories do not include four-way sharing, and which this clearly is, for he appears perplexed by my outburst.
Nox, more astute, thumbs in the direction of the door. “Marigold looked like she wanted to snack on me and take you as the main course,” he says bluntly.
“I have shared pleasure with the doe on occasion,” Seven replies, sounding defensive. “So has half the palace. She is very popular.”
“Fawn won’t like that,” I say. “Get rid of her.”
I don’t know why I’m taking the exception on her part. I’ve been thrown into the deep end as far as this relationship is concerned.
“You make a valid point. I will see she does not serve us again,” Seven says. “Dare I venture to assume that you are more accepting?”
“No, I am not fucking accepting,” I say. “But I am working on it.” I feel like I can’t get enough air into my lungs most of the time. My wolf is on constant high alert listening to whatever the fuck is going on in the other room while the omega bathes her. And what the fuck does that even involve? Hopefully nothing more than passing her the soap and the cloth with which to wash.
I clench my hand lest my claws spring and try not to think about her sitting in a kingly tub all meek and covered in suds, peeking at the bastard with her big, brown eyes.
“What are the parameters here?” I demand. “I can see you are setting out your stall again with your herd omega as a selling point. You want her as your queen, but what is the brooding menace’s part in all this?”
Nox, aka brooding menace, just stares at me implacably.
“Nox is with Eiden,” Seven says in his reasonable tone. “They have been together since Eiden first joined our herd. They enjoy intimacy together with or without a doe. I am more often with a doe and… watch.” He shrugs. “I am also with Eiden, sometimes, when he gets unruly and needs another dick. I am not with Nox. Not in that way, although I love him well, and there has been the occasional… crossing of swords when Eiden is having a false season and gets particularly unruly.”
Unruly? No, I don’t like the sound of that. Fawn is a brat already. Throwing an unruly male omega into the mix sounds like the mother of all bad ideas. Gods, my head hurts trying to unpick the quagmire Seven has just unleashed. “False season?”
“If he scents a doe in season, it sets him off.” Nox offers his first words to the conversation. “They know to keep away from him during that time, but occasionally he catches the scent, and it all goes downhill from there.”
“Eiden has long wished for me to take a queen,” Seven says. “His passing into adulthood was not an easy one. He craves a more permanent female companion he can love.”
I growl. “Fawn is not a fucking toy to keep your herd omega happy.”
Nox’s brows crawl into his hairline.
Seven waves an imperious hand like I’m not imagining shifting and ripping his regal head from his regal shoulders. “No need for dramatics, Wolf .”
The fuck?! He is asking for a beating.
“I’m not so shallow as to claim a queen as a toy and whether Eiden loves her or not,” he adds indignantly.
“Well, alright then…” I’m confused. “Why haven’t you tried to fuck her, then?”
Nox chuckles, low, dark, and with a distinct air of scoffing.
I look between them, not liking the way it somehow implies I am stupid.
“She is utterly adorable,” Seven says, raking fingers through his hair in an oddly nervous gesture. “Captivating and dangerously beguiling. I was halfway in love with her before she had even poured the pot of tea in her quaint human cottage. It is a test not to toss her to the ground and mount her every time she sends a shy look my way, all curious and sweet while her body throws off her lust scent. You do know she stares at me while you’re rutting her—when she comes.” He brings his pacing to an abrupt stop. “And besides, all this is very academic when she has scent-matched with Eiden.”
“Aca-what?”
“Scent match,” Nox repeats with a note of challenge, “is when a male and female omega are drawn to one another in ways mysterious and compelling. Their scents combine producing a form of aphrodisiac.” He shrugs. “The will of the Goddess… fated mates… it goes by many names. The bottom line, Eiden could not keep his hands off her even if he tried.”
A high squeal sets the hairs on the back of my neck rising— pleasure .
Fawn.
Nox smirks, stretches out, and puts his hands behind his head as he leans back into the seat as if to say— I told you so .
“They are getting acquainted,” Seven says diplomatically.
My wolf growls before springing from my flesh.
So much for working through my acceptance…
The bedroom passes in a blur. The bathing room does not, in fact, house a regal tub but a fucking massive pool… where Fawn is spread open over the side with the sneaky stag bastard’s head between her parted thighs.
I leap without thought. Shifting to my beast form, I thrust him away and snatch her to my chest in a single fluid move. A mighty splash follows. I am fucking soaking—we are all fucking soaking, but Fawn is in my arms again and I have her pinned against the wall where I growl, my hackles up.
“Wolf!” Fawn pets me frantically, pressing kisses to my snout.
It doesn’t help when my only intellect functioning is the one in my dick.
I transition to human and spear her hot, tight cunt in a single thrust.
Her cry is all pleasure, my pleasure, and I pound her roughly against the wall, uncaring whether the stags are watching or have fucked off.
I knot her after no more than a dozen strokes. She squeals again, her pussy fisting over me as she comes.
She continues to pepper me with kisses, her hands feverish over my shoulders and throat. “Wolf, I love you.”
Her words soothe me—she has not said them before, although I have felt their sentiments from our very first kiss. They bring me down from the dark place and make me aware of her wet slippery body, of her shaking, of her hot pussy fluttering over my dick, and the sparks of pleasure that seek to distract me again.
“I’m sorry,” I say, suffering instant remorse for my rash, and potentially dangerous move. “Did I hurt you? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. No, you did not hurt me,” she says, then giggles, tightening her legs around my waist. “Although you scared me at first.” Her eyes are on mine, sensitive, searching for what I do not know. “I should not have done that with Eiden. I should have spoken to you first.”
I growl, not wanting the reminder of his head between her legs. Instead, I kiss her, trying to pour all I feel into it until we are both breathless and I’m in danger of getting distracted by the hot, clenching cunt.
I break the kiss. We share gusty breaths, foreheads pressed together. My cock wants nothing but to stay buried inside her, but she is wet, and her skin is chilled, so I carefully ease out.
When I turn, I find the room empty except for Seven, who stands in the doorway. With his eyes averted, he holds out a giant, fluffy towel.
I stride over with her in my arms and wrap it around her.
“You should spend some time alone, reacquainting yourself—confirming your bond,” he says, still not looking at us, reminding me of his earlier words, how he wants her too. “Tomorrow, if I might suggest, Fawn will be given the opportunity to shift. There is a private garden accessible from this suite. It would make a perfect choice.”
He turns and leaves. I hear the outer bedroom door shut—we are alone.
These are his quarters, and he is giving them to us. He is an arrogant bastard, but he is not all bad.
I sit her on the side of the bed and dry her carefully. She is quiet and a little subdued. I push the covers back and slide her in. Then I lay down facing her, tipping her chin so I can see her face.
“I love you with all my heart, Fawn. This conjuncture we find ourselves at is complicated. I forgive you for what happened with Eiden if you need those words. But also know that you did not need to apologize to me for this or anything. I am older, not necessarily wiser, and certainly not perfect. That I took so long to see what treasure I had living in my pack is a testament to that. You are not perfect either, but you are also young and going through so much in a very short period of time. You will make mistakes; we both will. It is important not to linger upon them but learn from them and move on.”
“You are not cross about what I did with Eiden?” She sounds doubtful.
“My actions would make a mockery of any denial.” I smile to take away the sting. “In plain speak, I was jealous, and I’m not proud of that. But as I said to our lordly host, Seven, I’m working through my feelings, and I’m not cross with you, ever. There will be times when my wolf will get the better of my control and times when I cannot even blame him for my fuck-ups. This is new for all of us, and with love, we shall learn together.”
“Thank you,” she says. “For everything, for loving me, for coming here with me. I cannot wait to shift tomorrow. But even so, and even without all of this, being with you and calling you my mate is a dream come true for me... In case it was not obvious, I have been in love with you for so very long and dreamed about you every night.”
I was such a fool.
But I cannot fix my past actions, and I see the glisten of unshed tears in her eyes. Better if she does not linger on mistakes, perceived or otherwise. “Dream?” I narrow my eyes in mock severity. “And what did you dream about? Something filthy that would shock my pure heart, no doubt.”
“Huff, pure heart?” She blushes. “There was, ah, something I have been wanting to try.”
“Well, as your mate, I consider it my duty to indulge your every wish.”
Her hand slides down my chest slowly and wraps around my dick, which has already woken up and is ready for business.
“What if I wanted to kiss you here?”
Goddess have mercy. Fawn is new to this and already senses my weakness.
“Insatiable, lass,” I say with a smirk as I roll obligingly onto my back. “My cock is all yours. Do with it what you will.”
She rises onto her knees, her fingers still holding me as she tentatively strokes. “But I don’t know how,” she says, her cheeks pink and pretty.
I wrap my fingers around hers and show her how to stroke. “You can be firm here with your fingers but be mindful of your teeth—gentler with my balls at the risk of matters coming to an abrupt and painful stop.”
She nips her lower lip between her teeth, and as I take my hand away, she continues the strokes.
Then, before I am fully prepared, she lowers her lips and kisses the tip of my cock.
Fuck! My dick flexes, and a heavy gush of pre-cum leaks from the tip
“Oh, did that hurt?” she asks, looking between me and my cock, all uncertain.
“No,” I huff. “If my dick is hard and flexing, it means he is very happy. Suck, little doe. Don’t tease me, not today, for I likewise need my turn having a taste.”
Her lashes lower as she leans down and dutifully suckles the head. My eyes roll back—fuck, her sweet lips have me ready to explode. Then she hums and laps the head with her tongue and carefully fondles my balls.
I’m not going to last long.
There will be a next time…
“Lass, you are a natural at this.” I gather her hair out of the way, steeling myself to watch, to not interfere, to not fucking come yet because it feels so good. “Gods, you are perfect. That’s my good girl. Go a little deeper if you can.”
She does, her cheeks hollowing as she gets half of my length inside her hot little mouth with every bob.
I can’t possibly hold off. The image of her lips stretched around me, the gentle sucking, the feather-light touch of her fingers on my balls, and the swirl of her tongue… My mind goes blissfully blank as my cum shoots down her throat. She hums, sucking it down.
It’s too much. I am desperate for her taste on my tongue, for her scent over me, over my face. Still coming, I tumble her onto her back. Not even caring that I have come in her, I eat her out until her small fingers fist my hair, and she squeals her pleasure for me .
We clean up in the decadent pool, eat some of the food that mysteriously arrives, and then snuggle in the bed.
Tomorrow, we must begin again, navigating our new life in a new city where shifters of her kind seek to bond with her. But tonight, ensconced in our luxurious bed, there are only the two of us, reaffirming our love.