Chapter Seven
Will quivered under Finn, his fingers plucking at the pallet, his toes curling. His cock, hard with a wanting he’d never known before, jerked. He could feel pre-cum dribbling down his shaft. His lips still tingled from Finn’s increasingly forceful assault. The beta had kissed him. No, he’d ravaged Will’s mouth. No one had ever bothered to do such a thing, and if he’d been asked only a short while ago if he even missed the experience, he would have said no. All he’d ever known was bigger, rougher, more powerful males using his body to slake their own needs. To have someone actually show an interest in bringing him pleasure, too, was something he was still trying to wrap his head around.
Not that Finn was allowing him to think at all. The feelings the beta was pulling from him were so intense. The fullness from the cock imbedded inside his ass left him wanting more, when always before he’d yearned to reject such an invasion. Get those hard, vicious dicks off and out as soon as possible. Finn’s palm slid up Will’s spine, making his shiver.
“Okay, baby?”
The casual endearment coming from Finn made him feel wanted, not denigrated. His voice was cut off, though, from the intensity of being mounted. All he could manage was a nod and a whimper. Fearing that his reaction wouldn’t be enough or even misinterpreted, he squeezed his hole in invitation.
His reward was a grunt from Finn, whose nails dug into Will’s flank in response. “Oh, fuck. Do that again.”
Oh! Knowing he’d brought the beta pleasure made him feel powerful. He squeezed again and pressed back to take Finn’s dick in deeper.
“That’s it, baby.” Finn slowly pulled back, sliding his cock past Will’s slick, swollen walls. Then he thrust in again with a quick motion and a changed angle that goosed some part of Will’s insides that made him squeak in surprise and sublime pleasure.
Finn chuckled. “Like that do you?”
He didn’t wait for a reply, only did it again. And again. And yet again until the beta was fucking Will with fast, powerful strokes. Each time, the beta pegged that delightful spot that made Will blind with need. Pressure built up inside his balls. Some deep part of his brain understood what was happening, but the novelty of the experience muddled any rational thought. All he knew was that he needed that pressure to stop. Something had to give.
“I’ve got you.” Finn breathed up Will’s back as he bent over and grabbed Will’s cock with an almost brutal grip. He somehow managed to jerk Will with the same rhythm that he fucked him.
The tag-teaming of sensations overloaded his system. Before he understood what was happening, his body seized, everything going taut. His teeth and hole clenched with equal fervor as his balls exploded. Cum shot out of his dick for the first time since he’d shifted as a teenager. That dormant, neglected part of his body, something he’d come to almost loathe, let loose with an abandon that had him crying out and weeping. Before he could even process what was happening, Finn flattened him down, trapping his hand beneath Will’s body.
Some part of him knew what was coming, but there was no time to fear the inevitable. Finn’s wolf teeth buried themselves in the back of Will’s neck, making him shriek and buck against the hold for a second. Then a calm stole over him. He felt as if he were floating, and all pain and worry drifted away. He relaxed, melting onto the pallet, and a genuine smile broke out on his face for the first time in a long time.
Inside his head, he heard a powerful howl call to him. Finn’s wolf. It sought his, but Will’s shy, little wolf couldn’t shake off the terror of its past so easily. With a whine, it curled up and tried to hide. Finn’s wolf would have none of it. It snuffled and howled, prodded and coaxed.
Come on, sweetheart. Come to me. There is nothing to fear. I will protect you.
Will’s wolf whined again, although this time, it dared to reveal more of itself. Then with one last thrust, the beta emptied himself up inside Will’s body. If he’d been in heat, he had no doubt that would have been enough to impregnate him. The hot load felt powerful, as if the virility of the beta could be measured in the amount of semen he released. Somehow being filled by Finn helped to bring Will’s wolf out. He gave Finn’s a shy, muted yip. It wasn’t a full-throated greeting, but it was more than Will would have ever thought possible.
As Finn first released his hold on Will’s neck, then lapped the puncture wounds shut, lethargy claimed Will. He let himself drift off, feeling safe.
****
“Here, I brought you some chicken pot pie, a piece of cake, and a glass of milk.” Finn knelt on the pallet and offered Will what he’d brought. “You didn’t eat much during dinner.”
Will’s stomach growled as he sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He’d essentially passed out once Finn had finished mating him. His body ached, although in a pleasant, deeply satisfying way. There was no pain, a novelty from his past experiences. Of course, Finn had been slow and gentle with him, so that made a difference.
“I was too nervous to hold much down,” he admitted shyly.
“Yeah, I figured.” The beta—his mate, he realized with a bit of a jolt—settled cross-legged beside him. “How do you feel?”
Will felt his cheeks heat up. “Fine.” He didn’t mention how his channel suddenly slicked in reaction to the question.
Instead, he shoveled a forkful of food in his mouth and chewed with his gaze downward. He was never comfortable looking a more powerful shifter in the eye, had been taught not to. At the moment, however, he felt even more uncomfortable. The way he’d acted when Finn had mounted him. Shameful, yet the beta hadn’t minded. He’d even made a point of arousing him first. No one had ever bothered to do that before. It made him hope that they’d do it again soon. He’d never expected to actually want to be fucked.
Because his thoughts and needs were both new and discomforting, he busied himself with eating. Finn stayed by his side, watching him and offering up the glass of milk when Will’s hands were full with the plate and fork. It didn’t take long for him to scrape his dish clean. Then came the cake, an unheard of treat. He hadn’t had a chance to really appreciate it before. This time, he savored every morsel.
“Hmm,” he moaned as he licked the last of the frosting off the tines. “That was wonderful. Thank you.”
Taking everything from Will’s grasp, Finn put them aside. Then he did an extraordinary thing—he leaned over and gave Will a sweet peck on the lips. It left them tingling when he stopped, and Will leaned forward to catch another one. With a soft chuckle, Finn obliged, this time deepening the kiss and sweeping Will’s mouth with his tongue. Will moaned and pressed in even closer. Then, he felt Finn grasp his braid, wrap it around his massive hand and tug Will’s head to one side.
Even knowing that his mate only sought to kiss him more passionately, Will couldn’t hold the panic back. Memories of being held and yanked by his hair swamped him, and he started to struggle against the hold. His wolf whined and shook, remembering how this kind of touch usually ended—with pain and tears.
Finn let go immediately and pulled away before taking Will’s hot face in his palms. “Easy, baby. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
Will sniffled and worked to get himself back under control. He knew fighting his mate’s use of his body was wrong, expected to be punished for his actions, yet couldn’t help it. The feel of a hand running down his braid made him stiffen again. This time, he held himself in check and waited for whatever was coming with as much courage as he could muster. His chest quivered with fast, shallow breaths.
“Tell me about your hair.” Finn’s order, issued in a low, hushed tone, wasn’t to be ignored.
Will sniffed back his tears. “I’m sorry, sir. I’m overly sensitive to it being pulled. It won’t happen again.”
Finn dragged the braid over Will’s shoulder. Strands of hair stuck out all over, the effect of having been laid on at the beginning of the mating and after. It always got messy while he slept and redoing it every morning had become a long-standing ritual. Except Finn was sliding the tie off, then running his fingers through the twist to undo the hair.
“Have you always worn it so long?” As he asked the question, the beta continued to unbraid the strands. The process didn’t hurt. It was kind of soothing, actually.
Will relaxed a fraction. “No, sir. I, um, started growing it out about ten years ago, when I went to live with the alpha. Magnus,” he clarified because he had a new alpha now and needed to remember that fact.
“It’s beautiful.” His mate kept up the study of Will’s hair, treating it like something special. “I don’t remember seeing any of the other males wearing theirs long at your old pack.”
Will swallowed hard. “None of those were omegas. Magnus said that male omegas were like females and should grow out their hair to be pretty.”
Finn’s hands stilled. Then dropping the strands, he cupped his cheek instead and turned it more in Finn’s direction. “You are lovely no matter what, but if Magnus was implying that you’re female and not male, he was way out of line. Male omegas are an unusual gift of nature to be sure, yet still masculine in all the ways that count. Never doubt yourself on that score.”
The beta pressed a chaste kiss against Will’s lips. “And I would never use your braid to control you or bring you pain.”
Will’s eyelashes fluttered uncontrollably as he tried to look his mate in those too-knowing eyes. “I know.” He meant what he said. It was simply that years of brutal treatment couldn’t be erased in a single night of kindness.
Finn repeated the kiss on Will’s forehead. “Good. You can cut it, you know, if you want.”
That assurance brought a smile to Will’s lips. “Thanks, but Annie loves playing with it.”
Finn returned the look. “You’re a good father, Will. And, knowing how much you must miss being with her, let’s get some sleep.”
The dishes were shunted aside even more, before Finn shucked off his jeans and shut off the light. He settled them both back on the pallet, pulling Will into his warm, strong embrace. Even in the darkened room, Will could see the beta’s cock rise. He dared to move his hand over to clasp it in his tentative fingers.
Finn took in a sharp breath. “What are you doing, sweetheart?”
Snuggling against the hard body next to him, Will voiced his desire. “I was hoping maybe this meant you wanted to mount me again.”
Finn snorted. “I’m always going to want to mount you, Will. I just don’t want you to feel pressure. Once your heat starts, there will be non-stop fucking with knotting. That’s going to wear you out and make you sore. I don’t want to overtax you now.”
“Oh.” His mate’s consideration pleased him. And frustrated him. The talk coupled with the hot, hard length in his hand coaxed his own erection. His cock pressed against Finn’s side.
The beta chuckled. “On the other hand, I can tell you’re not quite ready to sleep.”
The sound of his mate’s deep voice, the dual hard-ons, and the flash of heat from both their bodies caused his channel to slick. His hole clenched hard, causing a whine to pass his lips. The strength of his need surprised him, as did the way his little wolf dared to sit up and utter a howl.
The next thing he knew, Finn had him on his back, their lips fused and the beta’s cock sliding inside him. He’d never been mounted this way before. Face-to-face? Did it even count as being mounted? He didn’t know, and he didn’t care. Raising his legs, he bucked up to meet his mate and held on for the long, hard ride.
****
“Damn, I dropped another stitch.” Aggravated, Will worked to undo his mistake.
The pretty, soft yarn he knitted with would make a lovely blanket for Annie, and he wanted it to be perfect. He’d never had access to anything more than his own old sweaters and scraps before. The Rogue Pack had traded some hand-crafted furniture for the wool from a neighboring human farm. Sheep were way too skittish to be raised by shifters. As Finn’s mate, he’d been allotted a fair amount for personal use. His decision to accept the beta’s proposal was already proving to be the right one. In more ways than one. He squirmed a bit in his chair, pleased with the sweet ache in his ass.
A few feet away, Mabel chuckled. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re a great knitter, especially given how little practice you’ve had.” The female sat at a giant loom, weaving either a blanket or a rug. Hard to tell, but she was so accomplished at the complicated task, and she’d promised to teach Will how to do it. He couldn’t wait.
“Mabel’s right,” the alpha mate, Kyle, chimed in.
Will still couldn’t believe how the senior pack member hung out and joined in the chores with the others like it was no big deal. Magnus’ first mate had ignored Will, and the male’s newest mate had treated Will as if he were something she’d found clinging to the pad of her paw. The casualness of his new pack helped to ease him into his change in circumstances.
A shriek caught his attention. He whipped up his head and instantly looked at the big playpen in the corner. He knew Annie’s voice when he heard it. She was having a tug of war with Mabel’s boy pup over some toy.
Half-rising from his seat, he admonished his daughter. “Annie, play nice!” She dropped the toy, but glared at her father. “Don’t give me that look, either.”
He sat back down, although he kept a weathered eye on the playpen. “Sorry,” he said to Mabel. “She’s not used to playing much with other pups. The mothers in my old pack wouldn’t allow it, unless I was serving Magnus at his table, and they had to watch her.”
In the next instance he grunted in surprise as Mabel barreled into him and squeezed hard. “Oh, that’s terrible,” she cried into his ear. “You’ll never have to worry about that here. We all love you and Annie already.” She punctuated her remarks with a kiss to his cheek.
“Th-thanks.” Will stammered and blushed from the fuss. He gave the sigma a shy smile when she let go. “You’ve all been so nice to us.”
The alpha mate tsked. “That’s been easy, believe me. You’re a sweet guy, and Finn’s obviously happy with the mating. We like that you’ve brought him some joy. Ouch!” Kyle frowned down at his pup, who was busy nursing. “I think she must have her first teeth coming in. If that’s the case, I can’t wait for her to be weened,” he added with a wince.
“You’ll miss the nursing when she is,” Will said without thinking. When he realized he’d schooled the alpha mate, he felt a frisson of fear. Before he could stammer out an apology, however, Kyle laughed.
“You’re right, of course.” He smiled down at his daughter. “I love knowing that I can feed her with my own body, and it does make my pecs extra sensitive. Lorcan loves playing with them, too.” The guy’s cheeks turned red immediately.
Mabel laughed again. “I bet he does!”
Will joined in with a smile, delighted at the easy camaraderie he’d found with these two shifters in less than a week. Everything was going so well in this new pack, he hardly dared to believe it could last. He and Annie finally had everything they needed—food, clothing, warmth and protection. And, the things that Finn did to his body when they were alone or when Annie was fast asleep? Well, he’d never imagined that kind of pleasure in his life, and he still almost expected to wake up one day and find it was all some kind of dream.
The knitting needles slipped through his fingers and fell clattering to the floor. “Damn!” he swore again and bent over to pick them up. “I’m so clumsy today. I don’t know what’s the matter with me.” When he straightened, he found the other two staring at him. “What?”
Mabel and Kyle shared a knowing look before each of them broke out into a huge smile. Neither of them answered his question, though, so he asked again.
“What’s going on? Why are you two looking at me that way?”
Before either of them said a word, he shivered and his hole tightened to a painful degree. “Oh, no.” Then a flood of slick slid down his channel and another spasm rocked him. Not trusting himself with anything sharp, he managed to toss the knitting on a table before he had to double over.
Over the building panic he felt, he heard Mabel say, “I’ll get Finn.”