Chapter 12
Chapter
Twelve
“Are you sure this is all right?”
Theo looked at Sara and nodded. “Everything’s fine. The snows are coming soon. This is absolutely a safe space. Supplies are coming—clothes, food, and a couple of more sets of hands, I hope, to help with some of the infrastructure.”
Theo was handy with a lot of this stuff, but building things? Less so. He was good at making sure they had enough food for everyone. He hoped he was doing a pretty good job at making all of the new folks feel comfortable.
It had been two days, and most of that time had been spent with everyone sleeping and bathing. The process had taken hours, and he felt awful for all of them, but after a good wash and a ton of food, it seemed like everyone might make it.
“Your alpha, is he kind? Our seer worked tirelessly to try to make things safe for us, but our alpha…” She swallowed convulsively, her eyes darting from side to side.
“My alpha is new, but he is friends with the others and he is incredibly kind. Our baby will be coming in the spring, and he is raising Gael as his own.”
There was no way that Liam was going to allow these evil bastards to terrorize their community. No way.
Theo believed that with all his heart.
“Good.” Her shoulders slumped, but he thought it was relief. “I’m sorry we invaded your home, but we’re so tired.”
“No, we were called to be up here for a reason. For you all.”
Theo knew he’d been called up here, and then Liam had been called to him.
No one from his past would ever believe that he was the lead omega for a pack.
No one ever.
But he was, even if it was a tiny pack, and he had responsibilities, so he was going to make this work.
Even if it killed him, and it might.
Pregnant during the winter with a new pack to feed, a new mate, and his mate’s brother hanging around to watch everything that was going on. Yeah, it might just wear him down a little bit.
Still, Liam had stepped up to the plate a lot, and he was getting stuff done.
They were expecting a huge load of supplies from the Calhoun family.
Jameson and Keegan had already been up to check out their pack and quietly approve them joining.
Loyal had brought Niall up so that everybody knew there was a seer within a few miles.
And they had a huge load of knitted and crocheted blankets, sweaters, and other natural fiber goodies from Jameson and Keegan’s old ladies’ aid society.
All they needed to do now was sort through some of the volunteers who wanted to come up. They thought maybe one of Liam’s cousins was going to come. And a few, both omega and alpha members, of Jameson and Keegan’s pack, had said they would like to come up and stay.
They just had to sort out how much room they had, and where everyone was going to live.
He headed back into the quarters that he, Liam, and Gael shared, which were actually the closest to the big kitchen and lounge that were shared, packed spaces, leaving Sara and her family to have a meal.
Liam looked up from where he was sitting, making some sort of a diagram.
He had a feeling that Liam was plotting out exactly what he had just told himself—where everyone was going to stay.
There had been five dragon brothers, apparently, and their families.
Each had had their own set of quarters, but they had kind of grown exponentially with children and stuff, so there was his and Liam’s quarters, and then Ryan had his own set.
He had no idea how many living areas they were actually going to need for Sara and the two male pack members that had come with her and all of the children.
“Hey, love.” Liam smiled at him, holding out a hand. Gael sat in a little carrier next to Liam, playing with his feet and cooing. “How’s it going out there?”
“Good. Everybody’s having a meal, except Brant, who is out chopping wood. And Ryan must be in his own quarters.”
“He is. He wanted to make a call down on the sat phone and talk to Dean for a little while. Come sit with me.” When he took Liam’s hand, Liam drew him over to the table, but instead of putting him in his own chair, he pulled Theo into his lap.
“Everything is okay with Ryan, though?”
“Sure, he’s just wanting to make certain that everything is well taken care of before the big snow starts to come. We’re going to have to get a couple of snowmobiles up here so that we have mobility during that time.”
“So many moving parts that I never even thought of,” Theo said. “We didn’t really have anything like that in our old pack. We had a couple of ancient old pickup trucks, but that was it.” He nuzzled into Liam’s neck, taking in the deep musk and pine scent of his mate.
“Well, it’s good to have a support system in place. This way, we’re all safe and warm, happy for the winter. I want to make sure there’s enough books, games, and puzzles—things for people to do. We have the satellite and everything, but if the weather gets bad, then we’ll have to amuse ourselves.”
Theo nodded. He was perfectly capable of self-amusing. He knew how to crochet, he loved jigsaw puzzles, and he could read with the best of them.
“I guess we’ll be making sure that the children have things to do so that they don’t get destructive.” Theo got that. How little ones need to be occupied.
“Yeah. And I think it’s been a while, maybe never, since these kids had toys and stuff.” Liam kissed him, humming a little as he did. “You are the best distraction.”
“Well, everyone deserves toys and books and games. To grow up safe and fed, right?” He leaned into his lover. “I’m tired of living in interesting times.”
“But at least we’re living in them together.”
Liam had a point, and he was solid and warm against Theo, and the kisses were making him a little dizzy.
He focused on the kisses, stealing one after another after another, and it was delicious.
Liam stroked his belly, his lower back, the curve of his hip, loving on him and making him melt inside. All of his tense muscles relaxed. Well, all of them but his ass, which was clenching, and he was wet already, his cock hard.
Hormones were a wild thing, and Liam brought it out in him anyway.
“Mmm… Should we put the baby down for his nap and—” Liam nuzzled his jaw. “Have a little nap of our own?”
“I could totally handle that.” Theo stood, chuckling at Gael, who was already sound asleep, thumb in his mouth.
He picked the baby up and put him in his little crib, making sure he was toasty and warm.
When Theo turned around, Liam had already locked their quarter’s door, stripping down with a gratifying eagerness, exposing that beautiful body to his gaze.
“Yummy.” Theo headed into their bedroom, where the big, comfortable bed waited for them.
Liam trailed in after him, not bothering to close the door. No one would bother them here. Then those big hands were on him, Liam stripping off Theo’s clothing.
He held his arms up, helping as best as he could. He didn’t want anything to slow this down. He just wanted Liam to touch him. He was as hot now as he could remember—maybe even hotter than he had been when they’d first met—for Liam’s touch.
“You’re beautiful,” Liam whispered. “Absolutely stunning.”
He didn’t necessarily feel stunning, but he did feel strong and confident. So he smiled and accepted the compliment for what it was.
“You are, baby. And mine. All mine. I adore you.” Liam nibbled at his neck, licking and sucking at the spot just under his ear.
He lifted his chin, offering Liam everything. It was so easy to give in, let Liam see how much he ached.
Those lips burned like a brand, and Liam’s teeth stung his skin. Not enough to leave a mark, but enough for him to feel it, and he shivered, his hands shaking as he raised them to touch Liam too.
Heat poured off Liam, and his cock was hard as steel, the shaft stiff against his palm. He measured it, base to tip.
“Uhn. Baby. Gonna make me go off before I can knot you.” Liam arched up and grunted, muscles tight.
“Mmm… no. I want to feel you, bone deep. I want to feel your knot, holding us together.”
Panting, Liam tugged them closer together, putting all that delicious weight on him, pressing him into the bed.
“Mmm… hello.” Theo wrapped his legs around his lover and tugged them together.
“Sweet wolf.” Liam rubbed them together, cocks slipping and sliding, and he just got hotter and hotter.
“Yours. Your own mate.” His cock leaked, and he was so wet, so needy.
“Uh-huh. God, I can smell you. So wet and hot. So ready for me.”
“I am ready. I don’t need you to be careful.
I need you to take me now.” Theo just couldn’t bear it.
He was so hot, his skin on fire, and he spread his legs, pushing up.
They were past the point of him needing careful stretching and preparation now.
It was as if he was made for Liam, his body knowing exactly where it needed to be and what it needed inside of him.
“Then open up, baby, I’m coming in.” Liam reared back and lifted Theo’s hips so he could press the point of his cock against Theo’s hole.
Theo moaned, his head falling back on the bed, his legs coming up to wrap around Liam’s hips in this new position.
When Liam slid into him, it gave him the most exquisite relief from the need that was driving him.
He knew it would rise again, but right now, it felt like half of the tension in his body eased, just being able to close his muscles around Liam’s dick.
Liam grunted, pushing all the way in to the hilt with one thrust. They stayed right there, staring at each other for a moment, breathing hard.
Then Liam kissed him with everything in that big body, he thought, and began to thrust those hips.
He pulled back, then pressed forward, Liam sawing back and forth into him.
There were no soft love words or gentle touches; this was heat and desire and frenzied mating.
Theo clung to Liam, his fingers digging into the muscles of Liam’s shoulders, his legs twining around his mate to keep him close.
Liam kissed, licked, and bit at his neck, his shoulder, even his chest. Those teeth were just sharp enough to sting, but not to hurt.
He knew that Liam was leaving tiny marks, sucking them up along his collarbone, but it didn’t matter.
He would feel them later, and every time he did, he would know who he belonged to.
“Can you feel my knot, baby?” Liam gave it to him hard, pushing in, and the knot swelled. He could feel it linking them together, locking them where they were. He knew that soon they would be able to just move in time and not in counterpoint, because they would be so tightly knotted.
“I feel you, love. I feel you so hard.” Theo bucked, trying to get just enough more.
And Liam’s cock hit that spot inside of him that made everything light up, made him gush with extra wetness, made him ease the way so that that knot could swell and swell, and soon everything felt completely overwhelming, his head buzzing, his whole body on fire, his breath coming hard in his chest.
Liam growled the sound deep and guttural, raising the fine hairs all over Theo’s body. He wasn’t worried that Liam was going to hurt him. He felt mated. He felt alive, and it was beyond wonderful.
“Soon, baby.” Liam bit him more sharply right at the base of his neck where it met his shoulder and slammed into him, grinding down until that knot lodged so deep that he knew it was almost over.
He nodded, his hair flying around him, his focus on Liam’s face, which was set in a deep grimace. His cock was leaking copiously, his balls pulled up, and he could feel Liam’s against him as well.
He knew that he was going to go any second, and when Liam kissed him, tongue pushing into his mouth, that was all he could bear. The friction got too much for him, and he came hard shooting hot and wet all over Liam’s belly.
Another deep growl sounded, and Liam thrust as much as he could twice more before he filled Theo deep. So deep and hot and wet that he thought he might never recover, but that was okay. This was Liam. This was his mate, and he loved this man with everything he had inside him.
When he finally stopped shaking, Theo wrapped around his mate and held him, while Liam pulled the covers up over top of him to ward off the chill that was suddenly in the room.
“Damn, baby,” Liam told him. “You’re like fire in my arms.”
He pressed a soft kiss to Liam’s chin, which was bristly as hell. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too.” Liam scooted so that part of his weight was on the bed and not on top of Theo, but they were still locked together.
“I can’t believe how perfect you are, and I love our life already.
Our little pack. I can’t wait to see what happens next.
” Liam pushed his hand between them on Theo’s belly. “I really can’t wait.”
He smiled up at the ceiling, his body starting to calm down as he sank into the bed. “I can’t either. When I first came here, I was so scared, and I was just calling out to you to help me, and I didn’t even know it was you. I never thought I would have so much in my life.”
“Promise me you’ll tell me if it ever gets to be too much, or if it’s not enough. Promise me you’ll talk to me and not just be unhappy.” Liam sounded so vulnerable all of a sudden, and he wasn’t sure where this came from, but all he could do right now was nod and smile and stroke his lover’s hair.
“Of course I will. Of course I would tell you. We’re together in this. We’re mates.” Theo kissed Liam’s temple. “You’re my lover, the alpha of our children. We have this.”
Liam nodded. “I’m really starting to believe that.”
“Good.” He would probe gently. Later. About what was bothering Liam. Maybe ask Ryan.
But for now, it was about afterglow.