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“I made you mine.” Loren smiled up at his mate then frowned. “Don’t tell me you’re not happy?”
“I am.” But Stone was clearly still worried about Jon. “Are you okay?” Stone asked, touching Loren everywhere. “I got pretty rough.”
“I wanted you to.” Loren couldn’t explain it. He’d ever enjoyed aggressive lovers, but this with Stone had been different. “You weren’t dominating me out of some porno-rific need.”
“Then what was it?”
“A need to claim. I felt it too.” Loren stroked over Stone’s face. “And I need you again.”
“You just had me.”
“Need your blood.” Loren pulled him close then reopened the cut he’d made inside Stone’s bottom lip. Greedily, he sucked. Each pull he made enhanced the feel of the knot against his prostate. Loren didn’t climax again, but he felt sparkles of electricity over his skin, delicious bursts of power. When he finally had enough, he released Stone’s lip.
“You okay?” Stone asked.
“Yeah. That’s why I had to have your blood. I had to give to you, and take for me.”
“But you’re okay.”
“I am.” Loren kissed Stone again, much more gently this time. “I think I understand a little better now. The dynamics.”
“Great. Can you fill me in?” Stone chuckled then moved closer, probably to share his body heat now that the sweat had begun to dry.
“I have to surrender to you. I have to let you claim me not just sexually, but let you bite me. I have to trust you not to go too far.”
“You mean drink you dry?”
“I think so.” Loren nodded. “And you have to trust me too.” Gently, he touched Stone’s bruised bottom lip. “I couldn’t have killed you, but you had to trust me to hurt you just a little.”
“Did I hurt you?” Stone’s clear terror made Loren willing to lie. Not a lot, just a little.
“No.” Loren cupped his cheek. His neck hurt where Stone had bitten him, but it was a small price to pay for the joy he felt in his heart. “I’ve never felt so good after sex.” Too many times Loren had ended up feeling left out of the whole thing, like he’d been an empty receptacle for another man to climax into. His past lovers always made him feel like a cheap sex toy. Not Stone. “You made me feel wanted, needed.” Loren kissed him again. “Special.”
“You are special.” Stone kissed him again and again then sighed. “I need to move.”
“Where?”
“My knees are killing me.”
“Here. Lift me up against you then you can sit on your cot.”
It took some careful maneuvering, but eventually, Loren found himself sitting in his mate’s lap while Stone sat cross-legged on the floor.
“Better?” Loren asked.
“Yeah.” Stone stroked over Loren’s neck. “I like having both of my hands free.” Stone cupped Loren’s bottom then lifted and lowered him.
“I don’t know if I can take too much more of that.” Loren closed his eyes and tightened his hold on Stone’s shoulders. “If I come again, it’s going to be just a puff of air.”
“That would be weird.” Stone settled him back down on his thighs. “You hungry?”
“Not really. But you can eat if you want.”
“I’m good.”
They sat there on the floor of the tent, bound together until the knot in Stone’s cock finally receded.
Loren sighed and tried to get to his feet but couldn’t quite manage. “My legs don’t seem to want to work.”
“It’s all that time having them spread.” Stone helped him up. “Here.” He took the washcloth from their bath and gently cleaned Loren’s backside then his own cock. “I’m going to—” the sound of footfalls running by the tent cut Stone off.
“What was that?” Loren asked.
“Jon.” Stone yanked his shorts on and stepped out with the lamp in hand.
Loren’s instinct was to follow, but he quickly changed his mind. He wouldn’t be able to see a damn thing out there if he couldn’t see a damn thing in here. He tried to find his shorts but quickly gave up and just crawled into his sleeping bag.
While he warmed up, he listened as the rain pelted the tent in drips then smacked it in sheets. Every so often, lightning would flash then thunder would clap. Loren counted the time in-between the light and the sound, trying to figure out how close the lightning was. He figured it wasn’t that close, and it seemed to be moving away.
Eventually, Stone returned, completely soaked and his face drawn down in sadness.
“What’s wrong?” Loren sat up, clutching the sleeping bag.
“Channing almost died.”
“What?” Loren struggled to get out of bed. “What do we do?”
“Nothing.” Stone put the lamp back on the floor. “He’s going to be okay now.”
“Then why do you look so sad?”
“Because we mated first.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I heard Jon’s distress.”
“I didn’t hear anything.”
“Because you’re not the pack leader.”
It took a moment for what Stone said to sink in. “You mean you heard him calling out in your head.”
Stone nodded.
Loren wanted to reach for him, but he feared if he did, Stone might reject him. “I shouldn’t have pushed you.”
“It’s not your fault.” Stone pulled Loren into his arms, making all of his fears vanish in an instant. “I couldn’t say no. We tried to hold back and—we’re only human. Well, you are.”
“You’re human too, partly.” Loren kissed Stone’s chest. “What we are doesn’t matter. What can we do?”
“I don’t know.” Stone shrugged without letting go. “I think Jon was so worried about Channing that he didn’t even realize I’d taken his place as the pack leader.”
“Maybe he doesn’t care.”
“I’ll bet he does.” Stone sighed heavily. “I know I do.”
Unsure what to say, Loren just held Stone close, rubbing his back until the rain dried.
“Crap. I’ve gotten your sleeping bag all wet.”
“I don’t care about that.”
“Here, let me hang these up.” Stone dropped his shorts then hung them up to dry. “I don’t think they’ll be dry by morning.”
“You’ve got another pair, right?”
“Yeah. I’m just imaging all our laundry draped over the bushes.”
“It’ll dry off on the river.”
“We aren’t going anywhere tomorrow. Day off, remember?”
“Does that mean we can stay inside and have sex all day?”
Stone grinned as he cleared the floor space. “I think that’s a great idea. Only, we’ve got to cook.”
“Sure. We can throw together a big batch of sandwiches.”
“For all three meals?”
“They’ll be grateful they’re getting that.”
“I imagine a revolt after the second sandwich meal.”
“Really? Two meals?”
“These men are spoiled.” Stone helped Loren up then unzipped his sleeping bag, putting it on the floor. “If I don’t cook for them, they’ll probably take you hostage to make me.”
“Will they do tawdry things to me?”
“They’d better not if they don’t want me to put poison in their food.”
“You don’t want to share me?”
“Fuck no.” Stone pulled him tight then peered down at him. “Do you want to be shared?”
“Fuck no.” Loren laughed. “Kinky idea, though. One human having to satisfy all the sexy wolf-shifters.”
“Well, there’s only one unattached human left.”
“Shane?” Loren hadn’t seen too much of him. “Do you think he’s got eyes for someone?”
“No clue. But I doubt it.” Stone unzipped his bag then put that on top of Loren’s. “What would be the odds of three mates all showing up on the same river trip?”
“Sounds like something fate might do.” Loren wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out Shane had a mate among the crew.
“I think his mate would have scented him by now.” Stone grabbed his pillow then climbed under the covers.
“You didn’t scent me as a mate right away.” Loren tossed down his pillow then joined Stone.
“Yeah, but there were other issues.” Stone pulled Loren close.
“Do you think Jon will be angry?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then what’s got you so worried?”
“I don’t want to be in charge.”
Loren angled himself up on his elbow to see his mate’s face.
“Don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what? I’m just surprised. I thought you didn’t want to hurt Jon by usurping his place, but you’re actually worried about having the responsibility of being the leader?”
“Being the leader sucks.”
“How so?”
“You have to keep track of everything, make sure everything is fair. Resolving disputes and—it’s a lot of work.”
“You’ll be good at it.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I know you’re always fair about giving out dish duty.”
“Well, yeah, but that’s a little thing.”
“Is it?”
“Well...” Stone trailed off then sighed. “I don’t know. I guess it’s just easier to follow than it is to lead.”
“Okay, that’s probably true. And Jon’s the kind of man who wouldn’t lead you into something stupid or dangerous.”
“No. He would never do something like that.”
“Would you?”
“You mean would I try to make the others follow me into trouble? Fuck no.”
“Okay. So you can divide work fairly, and you’re not an egomaniac hell-bent on doing everything your way.”
“Are you trying to make me think I’d be good at this?”
“I am.”
Stone rolled over, pinning Loren below his massive body. “I think maybe you just want to be the mate of the leader.”
“They say it’s good to be the king, so I imagine it’s good to be the king’s consort.”
“King?” Stone’s face turned ashen. “No. Not that. I don’t want to be that.”
“I was kidding,” Loren soothed. “But you will be a strong and fair pack leader.”
“What if I don’t know what to do?” Stone asked.
“Well.” Loren kissed his chin. “If ever you don’t know what to do, ask yourself what Jon would do.”
“That’s a good idea.” Stone kissed him gently. “Got me a smart mate.”
“And I got me a sexy one.” Loren stroked up along Stone’s arms to his shoulders. “Let’s enjoy our alone time now. I have a feeling over the next couple of days, we’re not going to be so lucky.”
“You think there might be trouble?”
“I just think it’s going to be an adjustment for everyone.” Loren kissed Stone then licked the scar on the backside of his bottom lip.
“Fuck.” Stone pulled away.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m hard as a rock, and I’m leaking precum like a faucet.”
“Apparently, there’s a benefit to having a mate.”
“Besides the obvious?”
“You make your own lube.”
“That is convenient. And looky here. A snug little hole just begging for my cock.” Stone rose over him then stopped. “Wait. Are you sore?”
“No.” Loren pulled Stone closer until the tip of his cock pressed against his ass. “I guess that’s the good part for me. No pain.”
“None?”
“None at all.” Loren’s neck was still a little tender, but his ass felt fine. When he kissed Stone, he flicked his tongue over the scar again.
“Ah.” Stone moved back. “That’s what it is.”
“What what is?”
“You don’t even know. It’s just pure instinct.”
“What do you mean?”
Stone turned Loren’s head to the side then gently licked over the wound on his neck.
The most exquisite rush of pleasure raced through his body, touching all his erogenous zones at once.
“Oh my God.” Loren turned his head and faced Stone. “Don’t do that again.”
“Why not?”
“You’ll enslave me.”
Stone grinned then licked his lips.
“Then again, I think you already have.” Loren exposed his neck and practically climaxed when his mate teased his tongue over the mark. “You better not just be teasing me.”
“What if I am?”
“Then I’ll have to toss you down and mount you.”
Stone rolled onto his back and lifted his hands. “Have your way with me, you lusty brute.”
Loren climbed on top of Stone. “Now, let’s see how much you like being tormented.” Loren slid his hands up Stone’s arms, grasping his wrists. “I’m going to make you pay for what you did to me.”
“Am I supposed to struggle?”
“It won’t do you any good.” Loren kissed him then flicked his tongue over the scar on the inside of his lip. “I’m not going to let you go until I’ve made you mine forever.”
“I think you’ve already done that.”
“I’ve claimed you, but now I’m going to enslave you.”
“Gods, you’re sexy.”
“And you’re easy.”
“Well, yeah. I can’t help that I’m a slutty guy.”
“Only for me.”
“Only for you.” Stone kissed him, but Loren pulled back. He settled on his mate’s powerful thighs and wrapped his hands around his cock. Each stroke smeared his precum down the length.
“Too much more of that and you’re going to take all the fun out of this ride.”
“Are you trying to top from the bottom?” Loren tsked lightly. “I might have to torment you for an extra hour.”
“An extra hour?” Stone lifted his head. “I’m not going to make it another minute.”
Frankly, neither would Loren. But he didn’t want Stone to know how crazy he’d already made himself. Instead, Loren rose onto his knees then teased his mate’s cock against his ass.
They moaned in unison.
“Please,” Stone begged softly, his eyes pleading.
“You have to promise me something.”
“Anything.”
“You have to tell me about your tattoos.”
“Of course.”
Loren eased back, taking his mate’s cock inside his ass. He closed his eyes and lifted his head. He’d never wanted to howl so much in his life. But he didn’t. He couldn’t. Not when Stone stroked over the mark on his neck, turning his need to howl into a need to whimper. Desperate to take all of him, Loren impaled himself on Stone then gasped as he clenched around him.
“Fuck.” Stone grabbed Loren’s hips. “It’s like a fist.”
“I know. I can’t even move.” Loren took deep breaths until the tension released. “Careful about touching that scar. I think it can make me go off.”
“Wouldn’t want that.” Stone put his hands above his head again. “At least not so soon.”
Loren rose and fell against Stone, working his cock in and out of his body. When the base of Stone’s cock swelled, Loren grinned. “You feel that?”
“Oh yeah.” Stone chuckled. “I guess that means we can’t do a quickie.”
“Not unless you want to bust the O-ring on my ass.”
“I most certainly do not.” Stone lifted his hands to Loren’s nipples. “That wouldn’t be any fun at all.”
Angling his hips pressed the knot right against his prostate.
“Fuck.” Stone struggled to breathe. “That’s...it’s like I know I’m hitting you in the right spot because I can feel your pleasure.”
“So when you rub me the right way, you get rubbed the right way?” Loren asked.
“Seems like a way to make sure I never forget about my mate’s pleasure to get my own.”
“Is that something you’re likely to do?” Loren couldn’t even imagine Stone doing something so shitty.
“Never.” Stone rose and pulled Loren against him so they were entwined while sitting. “Nothing in the world makes me hotter than watching your face when you’re getting to the edge of release.”
“I like watching you too.” Loren kissed him gently at first, then with more passion.
“I want to try something.” Stone lowered his mouth to Loren’s neck but instead of licking him, he rubbed his lower lip against him.
“What are you trying to do?”
“I thought it might make us both go off if we rubbed our scars together.”
“I think there’s a better way.” Loren cupped Stone’s chin. “While I kiss you and flick my tongue over your scar, you should touch mine.”
“Okay.”
Three strokes in and they climaxed together.
“Fuck.” Stone pulled Loren tight. “Now we know.”
“We should always save that for the very last.”
“Yeah.” Stone chuckled. “You hungry?”
“Famished.”
Stone found the food he’d tucked away earlier.
Eating and drinking, they waited for the knot to go down so they could part.
“I don’t think I could ever get sick of that.” Loren cleaned up then snuggled close to Stone.
“Me either.”
“I wonder what else we can do?” Loren yawned.
“We’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out.”
“And tomorrow night.”
“Full moon.”
“Yeah.” Loren hoped he’d be able to shift. He’d be disappointed if he couldn’t, but he still would have Stone, and that was the best thing of all.
Morning found them still entwined.
“Breakfast?” Stone asked.
“God yes.” Loren couldn’t remember ever being so hungry. Outside, he found the world washed clean.
“I love the day after a big rain.” Stone took a deep breath. “Everything is so clean and the air is so crisp.” Stone breathed in again, expanding his chest. “Makes me glad to be alive.”
“Me too.”
They cleaned up together then Stone left Loren to get the coffee started. “We’re running a little late.”
“I’m right behind you.” Loren finished brushing his teeth then stopped at the tent to put their things away. When he neared the kitchen, he found Jon and Stone talking.
“I meant to ask you last night.” Jon waited until Stone looked at him. “How in the world did you know that what Channing needed to complete the bond was my blood?”
Instead of answering, Stone shrugged and turned all of his attention toward making breakfast.
Loren physically felt the tension between the two men as he walked up to help.
“Jon.” Stone took another deep breath. “You hungry?”
At that moment, Loren realized that was how Stone said he cared about someone. Offering them food showed his love in the purest way possible.
“I am.” Jon nodded. “But we need to talk.”
“I didn’t mean for it to happen.” Stone trembled slightly.
Jon frowned and took a step closer.
Stone stayed where he was, but he hung his head and shook more violently.
“Gods, you’re afraid of me.” Jon placed his hand on Stone’s shoulder. “Why in the world would you be afraid of me after everything we’ve been through?”
“Because I fucked up.” Stone pressed his lips tightly together, clearly trying to hold back tears.
“You didn’t.”
Stone lifted his head just a little so he could see Jon’s face.
“Things happen, Stone. Don’t be sad that you’re the pack leader now.”
“You—you know?” Relief visibly eased the tension in Stone’s body.
“I do now.” Jon pulled him into a tight hug. “And I’m not angry. After all, it’s only a stone’s throw from second in command to pack leader.”
After a split second of shock, Stone hugged Jon back so hard he lifted him off the ground. Eventually, Stone released Jon, but Jon didn’t step away.
Jon cupped the back of Stone’s head and pressed his forehead against Stone’s forehead. “You’re going to be great at this.”
“I’m going to need your help.”
“You absolutely have it.” Jon moved back and lifted his hand. When Stone tried to shake his hand, Jon pulled his arm back. “Not to shake. To bite.”
“Bite.” Stone repeated the word then glanced around.
Loren did too. Every packmember stood watching. They’d come up so quietly, Loren hadn’t even realized they’d encircled the kitchen area.
“You need to bite all of us.” Jon offered his hand to Stone again.
Stone took Jon’s hand then pressed his lips tightly together.
“You have to,” Jon said softly. “It’s the only way to keep the pack together.”
Loren held his breath. Would Stone refuse? What would happen if he did? Loren found his gaze wandering to Channing. He thought he might see anger or resentment. Instead, he found only kindness. Channing gave Loren the same thing Jon gave Stone: unconditional acceptance.
“But you have to row,” Stone said. “I don’t want to bite you now.”
“Stone.” Jon shook his head very slightly. “We’re here for the day. Besides, we can all shift and heal the wounds.”
Stone seemed determined to find another excuse.
“I want you to bite me,” Jon said.
Stone seemed to be bracing himself, then he lifted Jon’s hand and bit the fleshy part under his thumb.
Jon winced and sucked air between gritted teeth, but when Stone finished, he smiled. “There. That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
“No. But now you have to bite me.” Stone lifted his hand to Jon.
“I’ve already bitten you.”
“That was before when you were the leader.” Stone lifted his hand higher. “If I’m really the pack leader, I want to change things.”
“Change them how?” Jon took Stone’s hand in his but didn’t bite him, at least not yet.
“I want us to be interconnected. I think if we all bite each other, we can all communicate no matter what form we’re in.”
Jon considered for a moment then nodded. “I think you’re right. I’m also annoyed that I never thought of that.”
“I wouldn’t have thought about it without my mate.”
All gazes turned to Loren, making him shift awkwardly from foot to foot. He truly hated being in the spotlight, but he also wanted to support his mate. His need to stand behind Stone was far more important than his own issues.
“A new pack leader, new mates, a new way of doing things.” Jon lifted Stone’s hand and bit him.
When Jon finished, he cupped the back of Stone’s head again and kissed his cheek.
Each packmember stepped forward, lifted his hand to Stone, and then bit Stone’s hand in turn. It took almost an hour. When they finished, everyone congratulated one another with back slaps and high-fives, but only with their non-bitten hands.
“What about the mates?” Morgan asked.
“We’ll see.” Stone met Loren’s eyes. “We’ll know tonight if they can shift.”
“Are you going to bite them?”
“I don’t know about that.” Stone shook his head. “Let’s see if they can shift first.”
Loren wanted that ability because he thought it would be cool, but as long as he got to be with Stone, being able to shift simply wasn’t that important. Having a kind, decent, loving mate mattered so much more.
“Okay. Let’s get breakfast ready.” But Stone’s bitten hand hurt him too much.
“Just shift,” Loren suggested. “It’ll heal it, right?”
“I don’t want to freak out the last human.”
“Shane is still in bed, apparently.”
“Oh.” Stone shifted to his wolf form, his glossy black fur so shiny in the sun Loren had to shade his eyes. In another second, he returned to human, none the worse for wear. “You hungry?” Stone asked Loren.
“Ravenous,” Loren said, knowing his mate had just said he loved him.
“So am I.”
Together, they made food for their pack to show them just how much they loved them too.