Epilogue
“Good morning.” Brian gazed at the beautiful man in his bed and, like it did every time he looked at Keith, his heart exploded. “How’d you sleep?”
“Mmm,” Keith mumbled as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. The blanket pooled at his waist and exposed his chest. He was all sharp edges and lean muscles. So gorgeous he took Brian’s breath away. “Like the dead, apparently, because you’re up before me.”
Brian was what he’d consider a normal sleeper.
Eight hours every night. If he’d had a particularly physically taxing day, maybe a little longer, and if he was extraordinarily busy, maybe a little shorter, but always around eight hours.
Healthy. Normal. And probably about twice as long as Keith slept.
A year into their relationship, he still didn’t understand it.
“I made myself get up early today,” he confessed.
“Why?” Keith reached his arm out. “You’re too far away. I can’t touch you. And why are you dressed? Take off those clothes and c’mere.”
He shook his head. “I made you breakfast. If I get any closer to you, it’ll get cold.”
“So we’ll reheat it.” Keith curled his fingers toward himself, beckoning Brian over. “I’m hungry for you not food.”
Brian shook his head even as his feet took a step toward the bed and his arms stripped off his shirt. “You don’t eat enough.”
“I always eat with you.” Keith pressed his palms to the bed and leaned back, causing the blanket to shift and expose his V-lines.
Fuck he was hot. Another step toward the bed and this time he pushed his sweatpants down and stepped out of them. “Only because I make you.” They were together all the time, and when Brian sat for a meal, he still insisted that Keith join him.
“No underwear. Nice.” Keith grinned at him, his eyes sparkling. “Come a little closer and I can get a protein shot to start the day.”
Brian barked out a laugh. “Gross.”
“Is it?” He arched his eyebrows.
He gave up the pointless resistance, climbed onto the bed, and straddled his mate. “No. But I want you to eat real food.”
“After,” Keith murmured as he leaned forward. He brushed their lips together and then trailed kisses across Brian’s jaw as he curled one hand around the side of Brian’s neck and the other against his nape.
To the surprise of nobody, Rupert Jackson had been hoarding money and assets.
They’d liquidated everything and used the funds to buy the river and build a bridge.
The two packs now lived in harmony, with shifters moving back and forth for work and social gatherings.
A healthy pack meant happy shifters and happy shifters meant matings and expanding families.
Their packs were booming, babies were being born every week, and they were building to make sure they could sustain that growth.
“Do you have work to do in Green Field today or can we meet with some folks in Purple Sky? The plans for the joint packs schools are done, and I need to talk to the construction crew lead about when we’ll break ground.
” The new schools would be built on either side of the river with the lower grades in Purple Sky and the upper ones in Green Field.
Shifters from both packs would attend and learn together.
Keith looked at him fondly, his eyes sparkling. “You do realize that I can go to Green Field on my own, right? You don’t need to go with me everywhere all the time.”
“But then who’ll be there to protect you?” Brian joked. “What kind of Alpha would I be if I didn’t shield my mate from danger?”
“Good point.” Keith nodded, his expression serious but his eyes still gleaming with mirth. “I could get very hurt chatting with people and going on runs through the land.”
A year into their relationship, Keith was still a tornado of chaotic energy.
His sarcastic humor and hands-off leadership style hid his intense energy and sharp mind.
He was raw and volatile, but he was also brilliant and caring.
And he was by far the most powerful wolf Brian had ever seen.
That power was the only reason the Green Field pack had survived.
Keith’s connection to Mother Nature was palpable and he’d used it to flush the stifling air of sickness from that pack and rid it of the shadow cast by Rupert Jackson.
Keith continued to commune with her on that land to strengthen the connection that had been withered by years of neglect.
“Since we’re going to embark on a very dangerous mission today to talk with our pack members and run in our wolf forms, we should have sex now,” Keith said.
“Umm. I’m not following the connection between those two things.”
“Shhh.” Keith pressed a finger against Brian’s lips. “Less talking and more fucking.”
“Oh, is that what we’re doing?” Brian slid between Keith’s legs and pulled him down until he was lying on his back. “I thought we were going to have breakfast.”
“Bacon and eggs really get you going, huh?” Keith stared meaningfully at Brian’s erection.
“How do you know what I cooked?”
“I can smell it.”
Of course he could. Brian dipped down and peppered kisses across Keith’s shoulder, down his chest, and over to his nipple, which he sucked into his mouth.
“Fuck, that’s good.” Keith clutched Brian’s head and held him close as he arched his back.
He responded instinctively, increasing the pressure. When Keith’s soft moans transitioned to gasps and his legs trembled, Brian moved to the other nipple. “Good?” he asked.
“Uh-huh. Want you.” He tilted his head back and closed his eyes. “Fuck me.”
He kissed Keith’s ear and said, “Turn over.”
Without hesitation, Keith flipped onto his stomach and then tucked and spread his knees wide.
“Damn,” Brian breathed out as arousal shot through him, sharp and intense.
His heart was pounding and he was struggling to catch his breath.
“How do you do this to me every time?” He ran a dry finger down Keith’s cleft and then kissed his lower back and reached for the nightstand where they kept the lube.
He slicked himself and then, one palm flat on Keith’s back, he drizzled the lube into his cleft, set the bottle aside, and rubbed his finger over his pucker, softening it before pressing inside.
“Yes,” Keith moaned. He pushed his ass back and up. “Come on.”
He pressed his cock against Keith and pushed forward.
Keith sighed in relief and welcomed him inside.
Once they were full connected, Brian lowered himself, and with one arm supporting his weight, he circled the other around Keith’s waist and pressed his chest to Keith’s back. “You feel so good,” he said into Keith’s ear and then gnawed on his shoulder.
“Mmm. So do you.” Keith rocked his hips forward and then back, giving them friction.
“Fuck,” Brian groaned. He pulled back and then pushed in again. “This what you want?”
“Uh huh.” Keith met his every motion. Another thrust out and in. “Fuck yes.”
He pulled and pushed in and out of that tight channel while Keith rocked forward and back. They moved in concert, moaned in harmony, and Brian reveled in their perfect symmetry and connection.
“Are you close?” Brian asked, hoping the answer was yes because he was nearing the point of no return.
“Uh huh.” Keith turned his head and met Brian’s gaze over his shoulder. “Kiss me.”
He moved his face forward and joined Keith’s mouth for a messy kiss at the same time he took hold of his cock and stroked.
“Fuck,” Keith groaned and pushed back harder and faster into Brian’s thrusts, his lips still touching Brian’s. “Yes.”
“Yeah?” Brian increased his pace, chasing the last bit of friction he needed to fall over the edge.
“Yes!” Wet warmth seeped over Brian’s hand, and he let go, joining his mate in bliss. When the tremors stopped and his lungs were no longer heaving, he curled himself around Keith and held him close. “Can I tell you a secret?” he whispered as he grazed his lips around the edges of Keith’s ear.
“Mmm,” Keith moaned and rolled onto his back, focusing his half-lidded eyes on Brian’s face.
“I know you’re not going to get hurt in Green Field.
” He peppered kisses across Keith’s face.
“And I know that if there’s danger, you’re much better equipped to handle it than I am.
” He swiped his tongue up over Keith’s lips and then leaned his forehead against Keith’s and looked into his eyes.
“I only say that because I need an excuse to stay close to you.” He pressed his mouth to Keith’s again and slid their tongues together, taking the kiss deeper.
“I want to be with you all the time.” He wove his fingers through Keith’s hair and kissed each of his cheeks and then his nose. “I can’t stand even a few hours apart.”
“I know,” Keith said quietly, his mouth so close to Brian’s that they were sharing air. “I love that. I love you.”
He lowered himself onto Keith, tucked his face against his neck, and held him tightly.
This wasn’t the mate he had anticipated.
Keith wasn’t small or soft or submissive.
His immense power meant he didn’t need protection.
But there was no missing how fervently Keith wanted him, how deeply he needed him.
And being able to care for a man that strong, that capable, that resilient, gave Brian immense pride and purpose. “I love you too, my perfect mate.”
The End