"tell me..."

"no!"

richard buried his face again and worked kevin's hole with his tongue until the boy was incoherent and quivering.

"okay! i-i'm your baby, whatever. god, please!"

"that's right, beg me a little more. beg me to take care of my baby."

"please, please, richard. take care of me."

"very sweet. okay, sweet boy, since you asked so nicely..."

richard poised his cock at kevin's entrance. holding him around the waist with one hand, with his free hand he painted the little pink hole with the white fluid seeping copiously from his own cock. wolves were immune from human diseases, so he had no qualms at taking him just as he was. his wolf was clamoring at him to give him the mating bite and his knot, but he pushed the urge down, unable to deny himself the pleasure of taking his boy, but not ready to give him the mating bite yet. that time was coming. he was sure of it now. no one else would be allowed to have his prize, and he would have fought the alpha himself if it had been necessary.

but he didn't want to hurt his smaller mate, and he needed a bed and some proper lubricant before he gave him his knot. besides, he wanted to ask kevin properly to be his mate, and not while he was in the throes of passion. he would wait. in the meantime, though, there was nothing to stop him from pleasuring both of them. he ran his hands over the globes of kevin's ass and stroked down the crease gently, parting it with the tips of his fingers so he could lick it again. kevin literally screamed, and richard had to take a moment to put a hand over his mouth. he leaned over his back and soothed him. "hush now. we'll have half the compound down here." he rubbed and stroked his back. "are you okay?"

kevin groaned and nodded, too far gone to speak, and richard started a litany of softly spoken words close to his ear. "is this what you want, sweet boy? is this what you need? i'm going to take care of you. you need me to take care of you. tell me how much you want it. tell me, baby."

so far gone he was almost delirious with lust, kevin could only nod his head and whimper, thrusting his ass up for more attention. this was all the answer richard needed, but he wanted to hear the words. he needed to hear him admit it. he thrust his cock against him, letting him feel it so close and ready to penetrate him. "ask me, sweet boy."

"p-please," he finally managed, twisting his head back to look at him. "fuck me, please."

richard pressed forward, his copious pre-cum lubricating kevin, and he felt kevin's tight ring pop as he entered him. he hesitated for just a moment, allowing him to adjust to his size before he thrust in all the way up to his knot in one smooth, hard motion. kevin cried out, but didn't resist the invasion. he was breathing rapidly, but he was still with him, still caught up in passion. richard began to fuck him in earnest, pulling out almost to the tip of his cock and then sliding back in again. it was a slow, measured pace that made kevin hum with pleasure. he pulled him back up on his lap and impaled him there, using his strength to pull him up and then push him back down on his cock over and over again, picking up the pace until he was fucking him rapidly, really thrusting into him. it took only the slightest touch of richard's hand, sliding over his erection to bring kevin to his climax. he put back his head and came hard, white streams of cum shooting out in front of him. seeing that, richard felt his own orgasm clawing at him as he strained against his mate. he pulled out to shoot his cum over kevin's ass and the back of his thighs. he gathered some of his cum on his fingers and smeared it over kevin's chest as well. he was marking his territory, and he defied anyone to come around kevin now that his scent was on him.

lowering him to the ground, he pulled up his pants, grimacing at the stickiness. he would have to take another shower when he got back to the lodge. he looked down at his mate and smiled. he was lying on his side, seemingly completely spent, richard's cum smeared all over him. he would have been content to let him lie there and rest before he took him again, but he could hear someone approaching from the direction of the lodge. he lifted his nose to sniff. it was more than one gamma, coming toward them fast. richard leaned down and shook kevin, rousing him. "get dressed, baby. we're about to have company."

he stood protectively in front of kevin as the wolf-shifters approached, aware that kevin was scrambling into his pants behind him. before he had a chance to put back on his shirt, four gammas burst into the clearing. they stumbled to a halt when they saw the big beta glaring at them belligerently. richard saw that it was christian, along with todd, benjamin and marissa, all members of gavin's personal guard. "we heard a scream."

"it's under control. don't concern yourselves."

"but..."

"this man is under my supervision. is there a problem?"

"oh, no, no, sir. sorry, sir. didn't mean to interrupt." the four gammas practically bowed their way back out of the clearing, and richard scowled after them. those four had been pissing him off since tucker had first arrived, and he was going to speak to gavin about them. first he had to take care of kevin. turning back to him, he saw him standing, his face a dull red, staring at the ground.

"are you all right?"

kevin nodded, glancing up at him with an unreadable look. richard figured he was embarrassed by the group coming up on them and seeing them together. he may as well get used to it, though, since he belonged to richard from now on.

"let's go back and find those so-called shoes tucker brought you. i'll have to take you into town after we're mated and buy you some boots, and some new clothes."

kevin looked up at him strangely, but only nodded, and richard felt like he'd made some progress with the stubborn man. at least he wasn't cussing and fighting everything he said, anyway. taking him by the hand, he led him back toward the original trail they'd been walking on. tomorrow night, after the ceremony, he'd explain everything to him before taking the final step. that is, if he was still in any shape to, after witnessing the shifting of the whole pack. it could be a frightening thing, he'd been told, but other pets had witnessed it and come through okay. kevin was strong and he'd have tucker there to help him. then when he came back from the pack run under the moonlight, he'd be able to mate with him properly. everything was going to work out just fine.

"what's the matter with you? you've been acting strangely since you came back from your walk with richard? did he say or do anything to upset you?" kevin and tucker were in kevin's room after lunch. kevin had talked tucker into sitting with him in his room so he could talk to him.

kevin felt a slow burn come up his neck. "i don't want to talk about richard."

"okay," tucker said. "but if you need me to talk to him, i will."

kevin slanted him a look. "what is there between you two anyway? tell me the truth, tucker. are you fucking him?"

"god no!" tucker jumped to his feet in outrage. "how could you ask me something like that?"

"well, don't get pissed. i've seen the way he looks at you. you're important to him, that's all, and i-i need to know how he feels."

tucker cocked his head. "you need to know? why? what's happened between you?"

kevin shrugged and tucker said, "oh..." then, "oh. my. god." his eyes were wide as he gripped kevin's arm. "are you two..."

shrugging again, kevin pulled away, only to be shocked when tucker threw both arms around his shoulders. "damn!" he said again. "but this is fantastic."

"i don't know how fantastic it is. he's an arrogant prick, a goddamn toppy bastard. god knows why i haven't knocked his head off by now. he does things to me, tucker. things nobody ever did before, and i can't help myself."

"um, okay, i don't think i want to hear anymore. not that i'm not happy for you both. i am. i can't tell you how much, but no details, okay?"

"huh? since when? when we were back home you liked a play by play."

"yeah, well, we're definitely not in florida anymore. have you agreed to mate with him?"

"no. yes. hell, i don't know anymore. when i'm with him i know he's exactly what i want, even though i never knew i wanted it. i've never been much for the d/s stuff, you know that. i'm still not, except...when i'm with richard, he makes me want it. i want to please him and make him proud. i want to fulfill his needs, and i know that only i can do that. no one else knows him or cares about him like i do. no one else will put his pleasure first, even above their own. but i can't walk away from my whole life, tucker. what about my job? my parents? i don't understand how you did it, though the thought of leaving richard-never seeing him again makes me physically ill. i don't think i can do it." he ran his hands through his hair. "listen to me. i'm talking as if i'm actually considering this thing. the longer i'm here the more my brains are turning into mush!"

"oh, come off it, bryson. is your life really so great in florida? you're not seeing anyone, and your parents have moved away. you work with a bunch of assholes. it's not like you love your job so much anymore. would it be so unthinkable to move here and start a new life with richard?"

"doing what? sitting around and being his little pet? his fucking little sex toy?"

"is that what you think i am?" tucker frowned at him, bristling. "what you two do together behind closed doors is your business, but no one is asking you to be a toy. plenty of us here have full lives and even careers now. i was even thinking about starting up my own private detective agency in town. i may have already done it by now if i hadn't been hurt. you could do it with me, if you wanted to. it won't be the same, of course. i'll probably be doing a lot of pre-divorce work, like following cheating spouses around. boring stuff, but maybe some missing person work, too. who knows? whatever i decide, it's a choice i made, and i'll live with it. there are no perfect lives, bryson. we all make compromises for the people we love."