The Alpha's Ardor (7 page)

“Declan, I want you to listen to me this time, alright?” Law’s hands came up to frame Declan’s face until he had no choice but to stare at Law head on. “I don’t want anything from you in exchange for entering the pack. Not from you and not from Lachlan.
I
brought you here.
I
extended the invitation. There’s no need for a trade or a pay off or anything like that. Just decide if it’s what you and Lachlan really want, and if it is you’re in. Okay?”

Declan swallowed hard and forced himself to nod in response.

There was suspicious tickling in the back of his throat, a burning in his eyes that he refused to acknowledge. Law slid his hands back up into the thick of Declan’s hair and used it to turn his head to the side so he could lean down and fit his mouth against the curve of Declan’s ear again.

“Don’t think it’s because I’m not interested either, because I am,” Law whispered against Declan’s ear. “I’d love to lay you down and spread you out. To cover every inch of you with my tongue and to eat you out until you’re sloppy and open and waiting for me to fill you up. I want to watch you shake apart under my hands and my mouth. I want to make you twitch and mewl on my cock until all you can do is come and beg for more.” Law pressed his hips down against Declan’s again, and Declan could feel the way he was still hard, still hot and thick against the curve of his hip.

“After that I want to tie us together and make us both come over and over again until neither of us can anymore. Then I want to do it all over again. I know you’d look perfect drenched in my cum, saturated with my scent until everyone knows who you belong to, who your alpha is. You have no idea how bad I want that, how bad I’ve wanted it since the moment I first saw you in the woods.” Law’s tongue traced the shell of Declan’s ear and then down the long slope of his neck until Law could press his teeth against the curve of Declan’s neck just hard enough to make him gasp. When he spoke again the words slid across the skin there, made Declan’s wolf whine high and sharp with the need to submit. “You smelt so good, so sweet and right and perfect, Declan. Like you were made just for me. I knew the only way you’d ever smell better would be if you were mine.”

“Please. Please, Law.” Declan moaned low and harsh in his throat as he struggled to get enough breath to be able to speak. The thought of being Law’s was enough make his cock so hard it hurt, even as his wolf whimpered in want and need. His hips bucked up against Law’s, desperate for friction, for touch. Desperate to try to entice Law back into what they’d been doing minutes ago before reality had intruded.

“So perfect for me. Listen to you begging already and I haven’t even really touched you. Haven’t even gotten started. I can smell how bad you want it, how hard and hot you are just from a little dirty grind and from me talking to you like this. I bet I could make you come, could make you spill all over yourself like a teenager just from this.” Law pressed his teeth into the curve of Declan’s neck again and made a harsh pleased noise when Declan’s head lolled back to expose his throat. “I bet I could, but I won’t. Not yet. Not like this.

You’re going to come to me, little wolf, going to ask me for what you want, beg me for it for no other reason than you want it. That way we’ll both know you’re willing, that way there’ll be no confusion. But when you do, you’ll be mine after that, Declan. You’ll be mine, and I don’t share. So be careful.” Law nipped sharply at the exposed length of Declan’s neck, and then he let him go and levered himself up and off of the ground. He gazed down at Declan for a second, raked his eyes over Declan’s naked and spread form like he was memorizing it.

Instead of saying anything else, Law breathed in deeply, turned and in one fluid move shifted. Wolf once more, Law paused for a second and then turned and trotted back into the trees in the direction of the house.

Declan could only stare dazedly up at the trees that surrounded him in a way he was quickly becoming familiar with where Law was concerned. The implications of what Law had just said and the idea of actually having what he’d described happen had Declan reaching down to wrap a hand around the base of his cock tightly. Law had said he’d make Declan beg for it, had said that when he finally had him Declan would be his.

Declan knew it was true, had already come to terms with it.

He’d known before he’d convinced Law to follow him into the woods, before he’d shifted and they’d kissed. He’d known the second the thought crossed his mind that if he ever let Law inside of him like that, if they ever got that far, that Declan would be a goner. Even if it only happened in some sort of exchange, even if it was only the price Declan had to pay for him and Lachlan to finally have a home, it would have still happened. He’d known that Law would own a part of him that he’d never get back, a part of himself that he’d never given to anyone else.

What he hadn’t expected was for Law to realize that and to apparently want it to happen.

Declan began to stroke himself, slowly at first but then quicker as his breathing deepened. Law had said Declan would belong to him, would be his and his alone, and that was something Declan wanted almost desperately. Declan cried out when he came, pleasure rushing through him as Law’s name echoed through the trees around him.

In the distance, Declan swore he heard an answering howl.

Declan spent the rest of the afternoon and much of the early night in the forest, trailing through the trees as a wolf, deep in thought. When he finally dragged himself back to the house he was beginning to consider home despite himself, the lights were all off except for the one in Law’s room. Declan stared up at the window for a moment before he shook himself, shifted, and made his way inside to grab a shower and collapse in his room.

The next morning, when Declan pulled himself out from the tangled sheets of his bed, it was a silent house, Law and Trace nowhere to be found. Declan felt his heart twinge in his chest and couldn’t stop himself from burying his face in the collar of the shirt he pulled out of the dresser. It was one of many that actually belonged to Law but had been given to Declan to wear for the time being.

Later that morning, when the house remained empty and there was no sign of Law returning soon, Declan called Lachlan. He was unable to hide anything from his twin for long, as usual, and he poured out his uncertainty and confusion. When he told Lachlan exactly what had happened, what he’d offered, his twin was furious.

“You told me he’d already said he wasn’t like that, Dec! You told me he swore you’d be safe! Why the fuck would you do that? Put yourself in that kind of position?” Lachlan had practically roared at him. Declan had winced and tried to explain his side of the situation.

“I thought … we talked about there being a price, Lach. We both know this sort of thing doesn’t normally come free, and I thought that it would be something small, something that wouldn’t hurt either one of us in a way that mattered.” It had made sense to him at the time, had seemed like the thing to do. Looking back on it, Declan wasn’t sure what had really prompted him to act. The desire to find out what payment would be required for them to be pack or his own more selfish desire to have Law.

“But Dec, it would have hurt you. We both know it would have hurt you if he took you up on that. You like this Law too much, think too much of him,” Lachlan said softly.

“Yeah, yeah, it would have. But maybe in the end it would have worked out better, Lach. At least then we would have been paid up, would have given him something and then I wouldn’t be so confused, so anxious about what he’s going to want out of us later in exchange for joining.” Declan knew he sounded as confused and as frustrated as he felt but like always he felt safe letting Lachlan know that about him in a way he never had with anyone else.

“Declan, I thought you liked this alpha. I thought you said he wasn’t like the others?” Lachlan said.

“I do, and he isn’t.” Declan was adamant in that regard. Law had already proven himself more honorable and decent than any other alpha they’d ever met.

“Then maybe, just this once, maybe we can trust someone that’s not us. Maybe he really is what you want to think he is.” Declan could practically see Lachlan’s shrug over the phone and the distance between them.

“It’s just hard to come to grips with the thought of not being forced to give up something in exchange for what he’s offering us.” It was tearing Declan apart, the ongoing war inside of him between wanting to believe Law when he said they didn’t need to pay and the ingrained truth that nothing was free.

“I understand that but regardless, Declan, I trust you. If you think so highly of him then there has to be a reason. If he proves you wrong in the end then we’ll get out, simple as that. We’ve talked about this.” It wasn’t that simple—they both knew that—but the words had their intended effect and helped to soothe Declan’s rattled nerves. No matter what they’d always have each other.

“I miss you, you know that, right?” Declan missed Lachlan like a limb, like maybe if he was around he’d be able to think clearer.

“I know, brother, I miss you too.” Declan knew it was true, and he knew that both of them were reaching the end of their endurance when it came to being apart. It had been weeks already and their wolves howled for each other constantly, for the bond that had always been between them to not be stretched quite so far.

After their conversation Declan wandered around the house, trailed his hands along the walls and the railings and tried to imagine actually having the type of life that Law had offered them. It sounded so good, sounded perfect and right in a way he’d never thought either him or Lachlan would find. He wanted it, wanted it with every fiber of his being, and with a deep breath Declan stilled his resolve and headed back upstairs. He was quick to grab his phone and some cash before he headed back downstairs where he pulled on his boots, picked up his key from the hanger by the door, the one that Law had given him days before but he’d never used, and headed out the door.

The walk towards town was longer than Declan expected, but the noise and the variety of scents that he could sense from a distance kept him pointed in the right direction as he ambled down the side of the highway. More than one car slowed down and a few people stopped and asked him if he needed help. Still it wasn’t until another were, an older woman, her grey hair pulled back into a sensible bun and her eyes lined from laughter, stopped him on the edge of town and asked him if he was alright, if he needed him to call Law that Declan realized that everyone who stopped knew exactly who he was.

He’d thanked her kindly but turned down the offer, told her he was just out to see the town.

“I’m sure you’ll run into Law sooner rather than later if I know the alpha. Enjoy the sights!” She’d laughed at him before she’d reached out to pat him gently on the shoulder. She had gracefully ignored the way he’d stiffened in response to a strange were touching him and then she’d waved and been on her way.

In hindsight it was obvious that Law had already told his pack, told all of Flathead really, about him being up at the house. And judging from the lack of hostility, Law had also told them about his decision to invite Declan and Lachlan into the pack. It was a novel experience, being treated like a normal person instead of something that needed to be destroyed by people who actually knew who he was.

Declan wandered around for a while and before he knew it he’d wandered into a few shops. He only bought a few things, just some shirts and a pair of pants, all of them a few sizes bigger than what he normally wore. He forced himself not to acknowledge the reason why he bought them that way. The clerk, a young girl with heavy makeup and the strong scent of being one half of a mated pair, inhaled deeply when he walked up and then winked and chuckled knowingly at him as she bagged his stuff.

Declan flushed but smiled back at her awkwardly before he scooped up his bag and scurried out of the shop, conscious of the fact that he probably smelled like he’d
bathed
in Law. The clothes that he’d just bought mocked him with the fact that they were all big enough to fit Law’s broad shoulders and narrow hips. His wolf reveled in the fact that they smelled so strongly of alpha and that same part of him was hoping that Law would keep sharing clothes with him in the future.

After that Declan continued to wander around the town, conscious of the eyes, were and human alike, that followed his progress down the streets. About halfway through town a scent caught his attention, and he found himself following it almost without realizing it. The scent trail led him to the town’s library and, curiosity pushing him forward, Declan slowly walked through the door. Inside the building the scent was concentrated, and it hit Declan suddenly why it seemed so familiar despite being partially covered up by the many different scents in the town.

Fox.

The smell of fox was heavy in the air of the library, but Declan could still track it back to where it was strongest. Around the corner, a shelving cart at his hip and a book in his hand, stood the source. He was small, in the way that most werefoxes were, whipcord lean and built for speed and maneuverability. His hair was buzzed short, but its unusual shade of rich auburn that Declan knew would match his pelt when he shifted was still obvious. Declan knew the moment the fox smelt him, saw the way he stiffened for a moment before he turned his head and flashed his eyes, lamp yellow with slit pupils, at Declan over his shoulder.

Declan put his hands up slowly in a gesture of peace, tried to let the fox know that he meant him no harm, that he’d just been curious. The stranger stared at him for a moment, eyes narrowed in a pixie-like face before he snorted harshly, obviously dismissing Declan as he turned back to his shelving. Declan could see in the tense line of his shoulders that the fox was still very much aware of him and the threat he could pose.

Declan continued to watch him for a moment in puzzlement before he slowly turned and made his way back out of the library.

Foxes were normally family creatures, normally kept to small groups and closely guarded their dens and their young. Plus, despite their size and the lack of sheer physical strength to match most other weres, foxes were still creatures to be leery of. They were different from any other type of were Declan had ever come across. Foxes normally had what they liked to call
tricks
, special things that they taught to their kits at a young age, but it was nothing short of magic from what Declan had seen. To see one working and apparently living in the middle of wolf territory was more than slightly unusual.