The drugs Enar had given him were starting to wear off. Vieno's anxiety returned as they sat in the back of the limo, being driven toward Lidon’s house. It was a lot longer of a drive than Vieno had expected, and he was surprised when they left the city behind them. Dusk was falling, but it was still light enough to see they were turning on a country road with few houses visible. Where exactly did Lidon live?

“I live outside of town,” Lidon said, seeing Vieno’s confusion. “It’s about five more minutes till we hit my property boundaries.”

“Oh. Okay.”

It was a gorgeous scenery, the rolling hills with some cattle grazing, lazily looking up as the limo drove past. The sun hung low, coloring the sky in orange hues, making the landscape even more picturesque. Vieno hadn’t even considered the possibility of moving out of the city, but now that they were driving here, it made his heart peaceful to be away from the noise and lights. Even in their apartment, he’d always been able to hear the traffic, the honking car horns, sirens that raced by, even the occasional gunshot.

The limo took a left turn onto an unpaved road. A large wrought iron sign read “PTP Ranch” and indicated the entrance to a… This was not a house. This was a ranch. White fences lined the road, separating acres and acres of green grass from the road that kept curving and rolling until minutes later, it stopped in front of an imposing metal gate.

The driver lowered the barrier between him and Lidon and Vieno. “I’d be happy to drive up to the main house,” he said.

“That won’t be necessary,” Lidon said, his voice leaving no room for argument. “We’ll walk from here.”

He waited till the driver had opened the door for him, then reached for Vieno’s hand. “Come, sweetheart. We’re home.”

Vieno got out of the car and stood, shivering with tension, until Lidon had pressed a tip in the driver’s hand. He waited until the limo was out of sight before using an app on his phone to open the fence. As soon as they were through, he pressed a button to close it again.

Vieno hung onto Lidon’s hand as they walked down the driveway, holding his jacket in his other hand. He’d taken it off as soon as they were in the car. Even with the AC on, it made him way too hot. It still took a few minutes until they turned a corner and a sprawling ranch house came into view. Vieno swallowed. “It’s massive…” he whispered. “This is yours?”

“Yes. It’s been in my family for generations.”

“What does PTP stand for?” Vieno asked, remembering the name on the sign.

“Protect the Pack. My wolf-shifter ancestors built this house, and they chose the name. That sign has stood there for over a hundred and fifty years.”

They walked up the porch that wrapped around the house, and Lidon opened the front door. He flicked on the light, illuminating a large hallway with more doors than Vieno had thought possible. “How…how big is this house?” he asked.

“I’m only using a small portion, but the whole house has eight bedrooms, all with their own en suite bathroom, and a slew of other rooms, ranging from a library to a fitness room and even a large room that was once a ballroom. It also has two kitchens, two dining rooms, and… Vieno, are you okay?”

Vieno hadn’t realized he’d swayed until Lidon’s hands gripped his shoulders to steady him. A wave of nausea barreled through him. “You…this is…how rich are you, exactly?”

Lidon’s eyes narrowed. “Does it matter?”

Vieno swallowed. “Yes. We didn’t sign any prenup, any legal document protecting your assets from me. You should have! God, you need to contact your attorney and see if he can still draw something up.”

Lidon tilted his chin up with his finger. “You’re worried about that?”

“Yes! You should have said something…protected yourself financially. You know if something were to happen to you, as your claimed mate I would inherit…and I can’t. What if something happens to you? God, you’re a cop…what if you get shot?”

His breaths came out as rapid fire, trying to keep pace with his words. His breath was cut off as Lidon bent over and kissed him. He simply took his mouth, drowning any remaining words with his tongue until every rational thought had evaporated from Vieno’s brain. In its place came a thundering want that made him jump up into Lidon’s strong arms.

Lidon caught him, placing his hands on Vieno’s ass as he held him up effortlessly. He walked forward until Vieno’s back bumped against the wall. Caught between Lidon’s body and the wall, Vieno surrendered to his omega’s pleas to embrace what was coming. He opened his mouth for Lidon, allowing him to take what he wanted, and his hands pulled Lidon’s dress shirt from his slacks, wanting to touch that warm skin. He moaned when they found it, harder when Lidon’s big hands squeezed his ass.

Lidon tore his mouth away. “I’d planned to give you a tour first, but…”

“The tour can wait,” Vieno decided. “Let’s start with your bedroom.”

“I like the way you think,” Lidon grinned and carried him farther into the hall way, opening a door with one hand.

Lidon’s bedroom was a mess, Vieno noted, but he didn’t care. It smelled wonderfully like him, his alpha, the man who made his hole slick and his cock so hard it felt like bursting. Lidon deposited Vieno on his feet with a wet kiss. “We need fewer clothes.”

Vieno nodded, stripping out of his suit in record time, but still taking care to leave it folded over a chair that held what looked to be at least two weeks worth of clothes. He chuckled. “God, you need me,” he told Lidon when he turned around to face him.

His alpha towered over him, every inch of that perfect body on display, including that proud cock that Vieno couldn’t wait to taste again, feel inside him again.

“I do,” Lidon said. “But I wasn’t talking about my household. I need you, sweetheart. Are you ready for me?”

“More than ready.”

It was different this time. There was no heat-frenzy, no desperation simmering through Vieno knowing his future was on the line. He was safe, mated, about to be claimed all over again by his alpha. He had a deep urge to show Lidon what it meant to him.

“Can I…” he started, then thought better of it. It was stupid. Lidon wanted to fuck him, not…subject himself to Vieno’s desires.

“Can you…what?”

“Forget it. It’s stupid.”

“Brutal honesty, remember?”

He took a deep breath and plunged. “I’d like to explore your…your body, if that’s okay with you? Touch you…everywhere…to get to know you? You can say no if you want.”

Lidon sat down on the bed, pulling Vieno between his legs. “Why did you think you had to ask me for permission to do that?”

“Because…because you’re my alpha. It’s not about what I want, it’s about what makes you happy. You…own me.”

“I don’t own you, Vieno.” Lidon’s tone was deadly serious, his eyes drilling into Vieno’s. “Owning means I can do whatever I want with you, and that's not how this works. We belong with each other, to each other, and that’s a balanced union. We should do what makes us happy, not only me, but us. Together. And I’ll give you a hint how that works: anything that makes you happy, makes me happy as well. I’m wired to make my mate happy, to ensure you’re safe and protected and well.”

It was a lot to take in, even if it had been pretty much what he and Palani had been doing all along. He’d never expected it to work the same way with Lidon, with his alpha.

“I would be thrilled if I could touch you,” he finally said, bravely meeting Lidon’s eyes.

Lidon reached up for a quick kiss, then crawled backward on the bed. He took position on his back, his arms folded behind his head, the picture perfect made specimen. “Have at it, sweetheart. I'm confident I’m not gonna mind.”

Vieno pushed down his insecurity and discomfort. He would take this chance with both hands. He sat down on the bed, studying Lidon. Where should he begin? His face. It had to be his face. Hesitantly, Vieno reached out with his hand, touching Lidon’s dark brown hair, the soft texture sliding through his fingers. His hair was long for a cop, but Vieno liked how it always curled over Lidon’s collar.

His chin that had been smooth that morning was prickly with stubble again, sanding Vieno’s hand. When he traced the full lips with his thumb, Lidon pressed a quick kiss on it.

“You’re so beautiful,” Vieno sighed. “Handsome,” he corrected, not wanting to offend Lidon by using the wrong word. Some alphas objected strongly to what they considered a feminine word.

“Your face…it’s like an old statue, you know? Like a sculptor chiseled it in marble at some point and used it as a mold for you.”

“Thank you,” Lidon said, his voice soft, but his eyes glowing in a way that made Vieno’s stomach flutter.

He bent over to kiss Lidon’s jaw and gave an experimental lick. Hmm, he tasted so good. He licked again, then remembered that sensitive spot Lidon had discovered on him behind his ear. Would he be sensitive there as well? He traced the path with small licks and kisses, reveling in the rough skin against his mouth.

The spot behind his ear didn’t elicit much of a reaction, but when Vieno sucked on his ear, Lidon let out a low moan, so he did it again. His neck was a sexy spot, too, he discovered, right below his Adam’s apple.

His hands traced all those big muscles, the strong biceps, and the sexy underarms. The man’s chest was his favorite, packed with strong muscles and tight and so fucking masculine it made his system go weak and fuzzy. He licked his nipple before scraping it with his teeth, and when that didn’t do much, sucked on it. Ah, another weak spot discovered.

A trail of kisses led him to Lidon’s arm pit, where he inhaled deeply.

“You’re smelling my sweat?” Lidon asked, his tone amused.

Vieno blushed, then pushed through his embarrassment. “I like the scent of sweat. Always have.”

“So if I’ve done a hard workout, I should…”

“Ask me to lick the sweat off your body? Yes, please,” he said before he could think better of it. He nuzzled his arm pit again before continuing his exploration on his other side.

“That’s hot as fuck,” Lidon growled. “I’m almost tempted to carry you to my fitness room for a demonstration.”

His abdominal muscles were sheer perfection, Vieno sighed in admiration. A solid six pack, bordering on an eight pack, how perfect could a man get? He traced them with his tongue, then started his descent toward Lidon’s pubes, which were as trimmed as the rest of his body, except for his somewhat shaggy hair, but that fit him. With short hair he would have looked too perfect, too intimidating. This gave the touch of softness he needed, Vieno mused as he nibbled his way down.

He had almost reached Lidon’s cock, as evidenced by the alpha’s sharp intake of breath, and the muscles tightening under him. He’d love to give it the attention it deserved, but maybe he could make Lidon’s view more appealing as well?

Vieno swung his leg over Lidon’s body so he had his knees on both sides, his ass pointing right at the man’s face. Lidon’s appreciative hum informed him his gesture had not gone unnoticed. He smiled as he positioned himself again, spreading his legs wide to offer the best view possible. His leaking cock trailed a wet path across Lidon’s chest as he lowered himself on his arms and studied the alpha’s cock.

It was magnificent…or was that weird to think? It was thick and long, with the smooth skin stretched tightly around it. A pearl of precum balanced on the head and Vieno licked it off, smacking his lips at the taste.

“Yummy,” he sighed.

“I agree,” Lidon said, his voice low. “Yummy.”

Vieno looked over his shoulder, smiling when he caught Lidon’s burning gaze at his ass. “Nice view?”

“The best… Did you know your hole twitches when you like something?”

“It does?”

“You bent over to lick my cock and your hole fluttered a little. So fucking sexy.”

And just like that, he was done with his exploration. He’d have a whole life to discover every nook and cranny of his alpha’s body. Right now, he wanted his cock.

“Wanna see what that hole looks like when it’s really happy?” he asked.

Lidon’s eyes darkened with want. “Yes.”

“Fuck me and watch it swallow your cock…”

* * *

Enar was drunk off his ass. There were more polite ways to describe his current state of inebriation, but the truth was that he and Palani had done exactly what he’d proposed. They’d found a bar close to city hall where they’d ordered enough beers to knock out a small army and had topped it off with a bottle of expensive whiskey. Enar was sure he was gonna regret the second, if only because he had it billed to Lidon and his friend would have to say something about that three-figure bill at some point. 

Not that he cared, because he didn’t. As a matter of fact, there was a whole lot he didn’t care about right now, except his solemn vow not to puke his guts out in the cab they were taking. The driver had warned them sternly they’d have to pay for cleaning when they did. Enar had assured him he was a doctor and that he damn well knew how to throw up. Or how not to. At least, that’s what he thought he said. Apparently, it had worked, because they were in the cab, weren’t they? 

“Where we going again?” he asked, frustrated when his tongue got stuck on the w. 

“To your place, remember?”

“Right.” There had been a reason for that, but Enar couldn’t remember. “Why?” he asked.

“Because my place smells like Vieno, and I don’t want to think about him right now.”

“Right. ‘Cause Lidon’s fucking him,” he said helpfully, then clamped his hand on his mouth. “Oops. Sorry. Didn’t mean to say that.”

Palani sighed. “’S all good. I want him to be happy.”

Enar nodded, wincing as that motion was a little too vigorous for his physical state. “He’s hot,” he declared.

“Who, Lidon or Vieno?”

“Both, but I meant Vieno. God, have you seen his ass? It’s, like, perfect…”

“Dude, you’re not helping here,” Palani said, but he sounded more amused than angry.

“S-sorry. You’re hot too if that helps,” Enar assured him. 

“I am? That’s so sweet of you. What’s hot about me, since you’re in the mood to share…”

Enar closed his eyes for a second and cocked his head. “Your mouth,” he decided. “You have a sassy mouth, and I wanna see that mouth wrapped around my cock.” He opened his eyes again, happy that the world wasn’t spinning too much when he did. “But the rest of your body is nice as well. Come to think of it, your ass was perfect…so damn tight. Can I fuck you again?”

Palani snickered. “I would be surprised if you can even get it up right now. You’re dead drunk, bro.”

“Nope. I’m drunk off my ass.”

“Same difference.”

Enar considered that for a second. “Nope, it’s not. Dead drunk sounds like you’re not having fun, but I’m having tons of fun. I like being drunk.”

“Do you now?” Palani asked, still with that amusement in his voice. 

“We’re here,” the driver announced, as he pulled up in front of Enar’s modest townhouse.

Enar reached for his wallet, but Palani stopped him. “I got this.”

“You sure?” By the time Enar had formulated the words, the driver had already swiped Palani’s card. Palani got out on his side with more speed than Enar had thought possible, then opened the door at Enar’s side. 

“Let’s go, alpha,” Palani said, pulling him out and immediately steadying him. 

“I like it when you call me alpha,” Enar told him as they watched the cab drive off. 

“I’m sure you do.”

“I also like it when you call me doc.”

“Good to know, Doc. Give me your key.”

Enar dug into his pockets, his moves uncoordinated and slow, until he found his house key. He handed it over to Palani. “How come you’re in charge?” he asked.

“Because I’m not as drunk as you are. Let’s go, dude.”

With careful steps, they made it to Enar’s front door where Palani let him lean against the wall while he opened the door and turned the light on. He put his arm around Enar again and steadied him as they shuffled inside.

“How come I’m drunker…drunkener…more drunk than you are?” Enar wanted to know. He shot Palani a suspicious look.

“Because I stopped drinking after the five beers, figuring one of us needed to be sober enough to get us home.”

“But…but the whiskey?”

Palani laughed as he opened random doors until Enar pointed toward the one that led to his bedroom. “That was all you, man. But no worries, I brought the rest of the bottle since you only finished half of it.”

He led Enar to his bed and gently lowered him until he laid on his back, his feet still on the floor. Palani kneeled to take off Enar’s shoes and lifted his legs onto the bed, turning him into a comfortable position. 

“You were supposed to get drunk too,” Enar complained. 

“You’re plenty drunk for both of us.”

“But I wanted you to feel better about Vieno…”

Palani walked around the bed and turned on the soft bedside lamps on both sides of the bed. “Are you sure that’s what you were doing? It looked to me as if you were trying to feel better yourself…”

Enar scoffed. “I’m not the one who’s losing my best friend slash lover…”

Palani laid down on the bed beside him and Enar turned his head to find Palani’s brown eyes drilling into his. “Really? Because I suspect that’s exactly what happened today…”

Drunk as he was, Enar’s alarm bells went off. “I’m not…he’s not…”

Palani put his index finger on Enar’s lips. “It’s okay. You don’t need to say anything. I wanted to point out that if that were the case, hypothetically, that I understand like no one else. I wouldn’t judge.”

Enar swallowed. “You wouldn’t?” he whispered.

“No. So if at some point you decide you do wanna confide in me, I’ll listen, okay?”

Enar stared at this kind brown eyes for a few seconds more. “Okay,” he said. “I’m tired. Can we sleep now?”

“Do you want me to stay?” Palani asked, surprise painted all over his face.

Enar thought about it. He could make up an excuse about not wanting Palani to have to travel in the dead of night to the other side of town, a rather unsavory part at that, but he’d be lying. “Yeah, I do,” he said before he could talk himself out of it. “If you want to.”

“Sure,” Palani said after a second. “Do you have a shirt I can borrow to sleep in?”

Enar gestured at the closet in his room. “Grab whatever you want. Can you get one for me as well? I don’t wanna sleep in my dress shirt.”

“You have a T-shirt underneath,” Palani pointed out. 

Enar looked at his chest. “Oh. Right.”

He tried unbuttoning his shirt, but the small little buttons were too much for his thick fingers and uncoordinated brain. So he watched as Palani stripped down to his boxers, then threw on an old college shirt from Enar. It looked hot as fuck on him, even if it was too big. 

“I like you in my shirt,” Enar whispered with a hoarse voice.

Palani smiled. “I like wearing a shirt that smells like you.”

He crawled back on the bed next to Enar and deftly unbuttoned his shirt. “Sit up for a sec.”

Enar did as he asked and Palani took his shirt off, then told him to lie back down so he could take his pants and socks off. 

“I have a guest bedroom…” Enar said slowly.

Palani looked him straight in the eye. “I know, but is that where you want me to sleep?”

Enar hesitated for a moment. “No.”

“Okay, then.”

He lifted the covers and Enar snuggled underneath. Palani took position on his back right next to him. Before Enar realized what he was doing, he rolled on his side and put his head on Palani’s shoulder. Palani’s arm came around him in a protective fashion that made Enar’s eyes well up. How long had it been since he’d been held like this?

“Thank you,” he murmured with a thick tongue, then passed out.

He woke up the next morning with a blinding headache and a stomach that made it clear eating would not be part of the program for a while, he had to piss so badly it hurt, and Palani was gone.