Chapter Seven
The sun crept up past the curtains. Alex woke with Wade pressed against his back.
There was actually a warm, half-naked, fully muscled wolf shifter spooning him in a very cheerful, slightly possessive way.
If comfort had a flavor, it would taste like this. Skin against skin, sunlight hitting their faces, and, somewhere in the vicinity, the faint scent of coffee drifting up from the kitchen.
If this was what mating looked like, Alex couldn’t really find the motivation to protest.
He might have moved, shoved Wade’s arm off, and started plotting an escape. But there was something about being held, maybe the way those strong fingers curled around his hip, that made leaving seem like a tragic misuse of opportunity.
Instead, he just lay there, watching dust motes spin in the sunlight, letting the wolf’s presence settle into him.
It took a moment to process. This was now “home.” This was his “mate.”
The memory of last night drifted in. Rain, adrenaline, handcuffs, and finally this bed, where Wade had just wrapped around Alex and refused to let go.
For once, the nightmares had stayed away.
He risked shifting a little, only to discover Wade’s arm was slung over his waist and both of Alex’s legs were tangled in the comforter, bunny-style.
Getting free wasn’t really a thing unless Wade consented to it, and judging by the little huff of breath on the back of Alex’s neck, that wasn’t happening any time soon.
So. This was the new normal. Helplessly pinned by a wolf who could probably bench-press a Prius.
Most people would panic.
Alex decided to enjoy it.
The heat of Wade’s skin bled right through Alex’s shirt, sliding down his back with every subtle movement.
His mate’s hand rested low, suspiciously close to some very interesting territory.
No matter how Alex shifted, Wade’s chest pressed firmly into his back, every exhale fogging the fine hairs along Alex’s nape. Wade’s cock, already stiffening with that blessed, predictable morning wood, nestled against the cleft of Alex’s ass.
His mate shifted again, hips rolling lazily. Now the cock pressed harder against Alex’s ass.
He wasn’t sure if Wade was really awake. Maybe wolves sleep-humped. Maybe this was a medical issue and should be addressed by a specialist. Or maybe—and this seemed most likely—his mate was doing it on purpose.
Alex waited, seeing if anything else would happen. One minute passed then two. He counted his own heartbeats, acutely aware of the heat building behind him. Sweat slicked the back of his neck, but he didn’t hate it.
Another breath. Then, out of nowhere, Wade’s hand snaked under the shirt and landed flat on Alex’s stomach.
“Morning,” Wade murmured, voice rough and low, rumbling directly into Alex’s ear.
Alex almost startled, but the hand on his stomach held him firmly in place. His mouth worked for something clever, but all that came out was, “Hey.”
Smooth, Alex.
Wade’s thumb moved in slow circles across Alex’s skin. “You’re warm.”
Could have said the same. Instead, Alex just raised a skeptical eyebrow, which, given the current position, went unnoticed.
“Do you always snuggle like this?” He tried for sarcasm, but there wasn’t much air in his lungs.
Wade’s nose nuzzled up behind his ear, mouth grazing the spot gently. “Only when I’ve got something worth holding on to.”
Those words steadied Alex, maybe because he’d never been anchored to anything before, unless you counted trauma.
Wade didn’t let up. The hand on Alex’s stomach slipped lower, fingertips tracing the waistband of his pajama pants, inch by tantalizing inch, forcing Alex to decide. Lean into the touch or risk being accused of not being a morning person.
He’d barely decided when Wade’s hips pressed closer. Wade’s cock, undeniably hard, ground into Alex’s ass, separated by one miserable layer of fabric.
Alex wasn’t made of steel. His own cock twitched in response, practically shoving itself into Wade’s hand as if to say, “Hey! There’s a party here and I wasn’t invited?”
Wade’s lips ghosted across the back of Alex’s neck. “You smell so fucking good in the morning.”
This was the part where Alex might’ve said something witty or self-deprecating, only Wade’s hand sneaked under the waistband and found Alex’s cock with surgical precision.
One slow stroke, then two, and Alex forgot every joke he’d ever known.
Wade used his tongue, lips, and teeth to worship Alex’s skin. The guy’s mouth was a weapon—kissing, sucking, nipping, leaving marks that would’ve made Alex blush if he had any sense left.
Wade’s cock flexed against his ass, leaving Alex wondering if the guy even noticed that he’d turned the snuggling into a full-body assault on Alex’s self-control.
Judging by the grip on Alex’s cock, it seemed safe to assume yes.
Wade’s hand tightened, pumping Alex’s cock with a slow, rhythmic motion, while his mouth found a spot on Alex’s neck and refused to leave it alone. Teeth grazed skin, not quite gentle but not rough either, just enough to warn Alex what was coming.
He moaned or maybe whimpered. It was embarrassing, but what else could he do when his mate was jerking Alex off like it was his life’s work?
Wade’s teeth grazed just above Alex’s collarbone. “Gonna fuck you, honey bunny. Want you that way first thing in the morning.”
Not subtle, this one. Alex almost laughed, then Wade’s thumb pressed hard against the head of his cock, and any thought of sarcasm fled the scene.
“Isn’t it a little early for this?” Alex tried, not very hard.
“Don’t care,” Wade growled, voice even lower now, a sound Alex felt all the way down his back.
Yeah. That worked for Alex.
He let Wade manhandle him, not resisting as his mate hooked his fingers into Alex’s pajama pants and yanked them down. The cool morning air hit his ass, but within seconds, Wade’s cock was pressed right back where it belonged.
Alex’s cock strained in Wade’s grip. Morning wood was supposed to be embarrassing, but now he just wanted to see what Wade would do with it.
Judging by the roughness in the guy’s movements, he intended to do a lot.
“Better get you ready,” Wade muttered, sitting up enough to reach over to the drawer. Alex didn’t even pretend not to watch as Wade fished out the lube. He just waited, sprawled naked on his side, daring Wade to give up and go feral.
The guy didn’t need much encouragement.
Cold lube spattered across Alex’s hole. He flinched, but Wade’s fingers immediately warmed it, rubbing the slick into him with slow, possessive circles.
First one finger then two. Wade was in no hurry, stretching Alex out with methodical patience.
Maybe too much patience.
Alex tried to rock back onto those fingers, but Wade just laughed, low and dirty, and held him in place. Alex was pinned, which was apparently his new favorite thing.
“Impatient little bunny.”
“Blame genetics,” Alex snapped, but his voice cracked when Wade’s fingers twisted inside him, searching for the spot—
There. Fuck.
Emotion—not the fluffy kind but the raw and biting kind, like wanting to cry and laugh and never let go—all tangled up with the pleasure flooding through him. The bite of Wade’s teeth on his shoulder. Fingers bruising his hips. The knowledge that, after this, they would be bound forever.
Wade worked him open, three fingers now, no longer gentle. No hint of hesitation, just that same relentless, hungry drive that had Alex jerking and gasping with every push.
After an eternity of “prepping”—which, by the way, was not a sexy word. Someone should really protest that one on behalf of all gay men everywhere—Wade slicked up his cock and pressed the head right up against Alex’s entrance.
Alex held his breath, unsure that Wade knew just how much the anticipation was killing him.
Then, with a single hard push, Wade buried his cock inside, forcing a strangled sound from Alex that wasn’t quite a moan but wasn’t any less guttural.
Wade’s cock was apparently designed by a sadist for maximum impact. Every inch stretched Alex wider, sinking deeper until his mate was flush against his ass, balls slapping skin.
Neither one spoke for a moment. All the words had been replaced by sensation.
Wade held still, probably savoring the fact that Alex was currently impaled like some prize.
“If you keep being so damn considerate,” Alex said, half-dazed, “people are going to start thinking you’re nice.”
“Not nice,” Wade said, voice dropping lower. “Just obsessed.”
Alex pushed back, making it very clear what he wanted. No sense playing coy with a wolf shifter who could read every twitch of your muscles.
Wade got the message. He started to move, slowly at first then faster, driving into Alex with unrelenting force. Each thrust sent him sliding forward on the bed, but Wade just yanked him back, a hand gripping his hip tight enough to bruise.
The pleasure was raw, almost brutal. Every time Wade slammed in, his cock mashed Alex’s prostate, drawing sounds from him he’d never made for anyone else.
It was filthy, and he loved it.
A hand snaked around to grip Alex’s cock again, stroking the hard flesh in perfect time with Wade’s thrusts.
Alex arched his neck back, turning to catch a glimpse of Wade’s face. Sweat beaded on the guy’s brow, hair falling loose over his eyes, jaw clenched as he fought to control himself.
Not for Alex’s sake, but because he was determined to draw it out.
“Fuck, you’re tight,” Wade muttered, words practically vibrating against Alex’s ear.
Just then his mate shifted his angle, drilling into him so deep that Alex saw stars.
Maybe even planets.
It was so good. The sweat, the sound, the way Wade growled Alex’s name into his neck. Even the roughness was perfect, exactly what Alex wanted.
To be taken, owned, claimed.
He came with a shout, cock pulsing in Wade’s fist, all his muscles tightening at once. Hot cum splattered across the sheets, messy, wild, and absolutely perfect.
At the same time, Wade bit down hard at the juncture of neck and shoulder. Alex might’ve yelped, but instead, something inside him snapped.
Right at the moment of orgasm, everything stilled.
Alex’s heart tripped then raced. A new beat echoed through him, familiar yet alien. Wade’s heartbeat, thundering in time with his own.
The skin tingled where Wade’s teeth held him.
A pale purple mist rose from Alex’s chest, shimmering in the morning light, while a thick dark blue ribbon spiraled upward from Wade.
The two tendrils met above them, swirling together, knotting up in a way that made sense only to shifters and maybe advanced chemistry majors.
Then, in a perfectly timed finale, the blue shot into Alex’s chest and the purple dove into Wade’s, sealing the deal.
Alex felt it all the way through. The way Wade was now inside him, not just physically but something deeper, something nearly impossible to shake.
No pain. Just the unshakable sense of belonging.
Alex bit right back, sinking his teeth into Wade’s shoulder, marking him in return. He’d had to damn near twist his head all the way around, but Wade leaned forward enough so Alex could bite him.
Wade pumped the last of his cum inside Alex then collapsed forward, pinning Alex to the mattress with all his ridiculous muscled weight.
It shouldn’t have been a turn-on, but the possessiveness radiating off Wade made Alex’s toes curl. He pretended not to notice as Wade ran his hand over Alex’s chest, stopping to linger at every freckle and hollow, as if cataloguing them.
“Mine,” Wade whispered, voice ragged.
Alex turned his head, lips moving against the curve of Wade’s jaw. “Yours.”
* * * *
Wade gripped his mate tight, burying his nose in the mess of Alex’s hair, the scent of sex and sweat and satisfaction mixing so thick he practically breathed his mate through his skin.
That frantic, driving pulse echoed in Alex’s chest—and, fuck, in Wade’s, too.
Mates. Bonded. That emotional snap, that primal fucking ache pulling them together… It was real.
He didn’t let go. Not for a long, long minute.
Eventually, Alex squirmed, shifting in the tangle of blankets, cock still twitching from the aftermath. Wade’s arms didn’t move an inch.
“Hey,” his bunny said, voice raw, a little dazed. “You planning to crush me, or just trying to see if bunnies explode under pressure?”
Wade snorted, nipping the tender flesh where Alex’s neck met his shoulder. “No shit, but you feel incredible like this. Why would I ever let go?”
Alex rolled his eyes, but he didn’t exactly try to escape, even as Wade pushed a thigh between Alex’s legs, pinning him harder to the mattress. Any notion of personal space was gone and wasn’t going to be seen again.
He tried for a joke. “That’s not how normal people sleep.”
“We’re not normal people, honey bunny.” Wade ran his hand down Alex’s chest, over the sticky mess, loving every shiver he felt.
His mate had freckles everywhere, and Wade memorized each one, pausing to rub circles over the pale spots.
“Normal people don’t make me come so hard I actually see colors. ”
“Pretty sure I blacked out for a second there.” Alex tried to sound breezy, but his voice broke on the last word.
Touching. Wade’s unraveled mate, coming apart in his arms and pretending it was just a regular Tuesday.
Wade rolled Alex flat on his back, refusing to give him a chance to hide.
Alex’s cheeks were red, hair a wild disaster, and that collar still gleaming sharp at the base of his throat was a perfect contrast against the bruises and bitemarks Wade had left.
Someone should probably take a picture and send it to the demon as a warning.
“Do you always do that?” Alex asked, looking at the bite mark in the curve of Wade’s shoulder then at the purpling ring on his own neck.
Wade propped himself up on one elbow, looming over his mate. “Bite? Only when it’s forever. Sorry, you’re stuck with me.”
Alex snorted. “Yeah, rough deal for you.”
“Best fucking deal of my life,” Wade said and meant it.
Their eyes locked, and Wade could see the disbelief flickering in Alex’s. He wasn’t used to being wanted, not this way. Wade understood it. He’d seen self-doubt in hundreds of faces, but this one—the one that belonged to him—hit different.
He eased a hand up, cupping Alex’s jaw, thumb rubbing slow arcs over the flushed skin. “Look at me,” he ordered, voice never gentler, not for anyone else. “You’re my mate. My equal. Only person in the universe who can make me shiver like this.”
Alex’s throat worked around a lump. Wade saw the shine in his eyes, and something deep, maybe a little desperate, settled there. The guy really didn’t get it. Maybe he never had.
“Wasn’t expecting this,” Alex admitted quietly. “In case that wasn’t obvious by how I keep acting like a feral animal at a birthday party.”
Wade dipped lower and kissed him, soft. He could have devoured, fucked, claimed again—but, no, the tenderness was as binding as the bond.
He nipped at Alex’s lower lip. He wanted his mate to feel it for hours.
“I’d take you again right now if you were up for it,” Wade murmured, voice pitched low and full of promise, “but then you’d start some shit about wolves being insatiable. And I really need to make sure you don’t faint again before breakfast.”
Alex huffed, pretending like he wasn’t melting into the bed. “Don’t get used to it. I’m a survivor, or didn’t you notice?”
“Oh, I noticed.” Wade bracketed Alex’s head with both arms, his shadow falling over them. “You fought me every step. Keep it up and I’m going to pin you so hard you’ll be squares on the mattress.”
“Yeah, well, you’d have to let me up first.” Alex grunted as Wade shifted, driving his cock against the curve of Alex’s hip. Even soft, the threat was obvious.
“Try me,” Wade said and pressed them closer, soaking in the sensation of two bodies so perfectly matched it was almost embarrassing on behalf of the rest of the world.
There was nothing gentle about the way Wade claimed Alex’s mouth again, nothing shy or apologetic. Kissing him wasn’t a declaration. It was a statement of absolute ownership, the kind that carved itself into skin and bone.
For a second, they just breathed, chests heaving in tandem.
Then Alex spoke, muffled into Wade’s bicep. “Does this mean I get to borrow your snacks whenever I want?”
Wade barked a laugh, shaking the both of them. “You want snacks, I’ll buy out every fucking store in town. I’ll even alphabetize them.”
“Complete with nutritional info labeled?” Alex sounded hopeful.
“I’m not a monster. I’ll even color code ’em for you, babe.” Wade grinned then bent down, lips grazing the shell of Alex’s ear. “But I get to taste you in the pantry if you go after the good stuff.”
“Fair trade,” Alex managed, but the words vanished under another hungry kiss.
Eventually, they had to breathe. Alex was the first to flop back, a limp noodle of a man, his limbs everywhere, face flushed and shining with sweat and a little disbelief.
“You ever think you’d end up here?” Wade asked, barely above a whisper.
Alex didn’t answer right away. He stared at the ceiling, almost reverent. The silence lasted so long Wade started counting the seconds, but when Alex finally looked at him, there was something vulnerable and raw in the bluish-gray of his eyes.
“Never. Not for a second.”
Wade rested his forehead against Alex’s, eyes closed. “You’re not going back to the woods.”
“I like the woods,” Alex protested, too weakly to make it believable.
“Not happening. I’m not letting you go anywhere.”
He reached down, hand closing around Alex’s wrist, feeling the steady thump of his mate’s pulse. The bond between them thrummed, so loud it was practically a third heartbeat in the room.
Alex rolled his eyes. “You’re going to be the overbearing wolf who carries me around like a handbag, aren’t you?”
“I’m considering getting you a leash,” Wade deadpanned.
“Nice touch. Maybe with some edible glitter.”
Wade snorted. “I could keep you here like this all fucking day,” he said, voice gone slightly hoarse. “But you need to eat and, you know, shower. You’re a mess.”
Alex grinned. “Excuse you. This is my post-coital glow.”
“You look like you lost a wrestling match with an industrial bottle of lube.”
Alex shot right back, “And yet you’re still hard.”
His mate wasn’t wrong. Wade’s cock was already plumping up, and Alex noticed. Oh, did he notice.
“I’ll show you hard,” Wade promised, rolling them until Alex straddled his lap. He grabbed his mate’s ass with both hands, holding him there while Alex’s cock brushed against his stomach.
They were going to ruin the sheets.
Wade didn’t care.
Alex groaned, eyes fluttering as Wade’s fingers dug in, kneading the sore flesh. “You’re obsessed.”
“Only with you.” Wade angled his jaw, lips sliding across his mate’s. “You wreck me.”
“Yeah?” Alex’s voice broke, breathless and pleading, and he rocked his hips down, grinding against his mate with what felt, for all the world, like revenge.
“Yeah,” Wade answered, and then there was no more talking.
He rolled Alex over again, spreading his legs and plunging back in, this time gentler but no less intense. The lube was still slick everywhere it mattered.
Wade thrust his cock with slow, deliberate movements, loving the way Alex arched under him, giving in completely. The bond between them twined so tight it was hard to tell where one heartbeat ended and the other began.
It didn’t take long. Alex was already wrung out, and the first few strokes had him gasping, pulling at the pillow for something to hang on to. He whimpered, sounding more desperate than before, helpless to stop Wade from working him right back up to the edge.
Wade grinned against Alex’s neck, biting down again, just below the first mark. A matched set. He wondered if he’d run out of space before they ever got out of bed.
Alex’s voice went high, almost panicked. “Wait, fuck, I’m gonna—”
Wade wrapped his hand around Alex’s cock, squeezing in perfect rhythm to his thrusts. He jerked his mate off while fucking him, stroking both until Alex stiffened, body drawn so tight Wade thought he might snap in half.
Instead, Alex came hard, spurting across Wade’s fist and their stomachs, every muscle locked, eyes rolling back.
Wade let himself go, pounding through the last few strokes, pouring his cum inside his mate, emptying out every ounce of tension and want he’d carried for weeks.
Afterward, he dropped to his elbows, covering Alex’s back with his own body. And stayed there, breathing in the scent of sex, the sweat, the faintest tang of blood where his teeth had left marks.
The silence was perfect.
Eventually, Alex opened his mouth, just as sarcastic as ever. “So, afterglow, round two. Are there snacks, or is this when you carry me to the shower?”
Wade laughed, honest and open, letting it shake them both. “Honey bunny, you’re not getting out of this bed until I say so.”
“You’re a tyrant.”
“Only for you.”
They clung together, sticky and exhausted and happier than either of them had a right to be. The marks on Alex’s skin would fade, but the bond never would.
For once, his mate didn’t have a single reason to run.
And Wade, who’d never been allowed to keep anything that mattered, just held on and refused to let go.