The Mark of an Alpha (3 page)

"I know, pup,” his master whispered against his lips as he brought the kiss to an end. “I know."

No words were necessary to explain what he wanted to thank his master for. Maybe no words even existed for it. Bennett nodded his understanding.

Fingers touched the inside of his wrist. Bennett closed his eyes tight behind the leather covering the top half of his face.

The leather cuff around his wrist gave way as his master released him from his bondage. Bennett left his hand where the leather had held it, waiting for the other man to turn away and leave him. Air moved. Fabric rustled somewhere on the other side of the room.

For a long time, Bennett couldn't make himself move. There was no point standing there when his master was already gone, but it was the last connection he had with his master, so he held on to it as minute after silent minute slipped away. Finally, Bennett forced himself to reach for the cuff around his other wrist. It wasn't easy to get the buckle undone, nor to undo those around his ankles.

But falling to his knees was easy. Bennett dropped his head forward as all the fight drained out of him. The floor was hard and cold under his knees. Fire burnt in muscles that had been held immobile for too long. But it was all felt from a distance, as if it was happening to someone else. Bennett put his hands on the floor in front of him, trying to stop the world from spinning out of control.

Very slowly, he found the coordination to reach back and start to unbuckle the hood from his face.

"I'm still here."

Bennett's head jerked up as he turned to the face the words. “Sir?"

"Come here, pup."

Bennett hesitated.

"On your hands and knees,” his master ordered. “Crawl towards the sound of my voice."

Bennett dropped his other hand back to the floor. He shuffled forward a bit, instinct taking over as his brain struggled to understand what was going on.

"That's right."

Focusing on his master's coaxing words, Bennett crawled blindly towards the other man until a hand touched his cheek and guided him through the last few inches. Crawling between the other man's outstretched legs, Bennett rested his forehead on his master's stomach.

His lover's hand quickly moved to the back of his neck, to stroke the mark he'd placed there. Bennett took a deep breath as his master tenderly caressed his skin. Moments passed filled with nothing that should have felt important. There was no sex, there wasn't even any dominance in the room right then.

His master just held him close and petted him the way an alpha would coddle any frightened pup who clambered up onto his lap looking for reassurance. Bennett closed his eyes very tight behind the hood and rubbed his face against his master's stomach. A whimper escaped from the back of his throat, and he couldn't even hate himself for his weakness right then.

"I know, pup,” his master whispered. “I know."

Time passed. Bennett had no idea how long he knelt at his master's feet, just accepting the comfort the other wolf offered, but moments that he wished could stretch out forever finally came to an end.

His master sighed and coaxed Bennett to lift his face from where he'd snuggled against his shirt and kissed him very slowly, very sweetly, and for what they both knew would be the last time.

"Be good, pup."

His master stepped past him. A door opened and closed behind him. Something drained out of the room. Left on his own, Bennett forced himself to lift a hand and unbuckle the hood. Turning around, he slumped against the base of the chair his master had sat in and stared at the room until his vision blurred and tears blinded him just as thoroughly as the hood ever had.

Be good

Yes. That's what he had to do now.

No more secret meetings with his master. No more nights of stolen pleasure. Bennett had responsibilities to attend to. He had to go and be a good wolf now.

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His master told him to do this. His master told him to be a good wolf.

Bennett repeated the words over and over inside his head, but they provided scant comfort as he stared out over the lands he and his new mate were about to take possession of. Out of sight of the other members of his pack, he let his eyes drop closed so he could hide from reality for a few seconds.

One by one, he forced deep lungfuls of air into his body, as if overloading himself with oxygen would somehow help him keep his nerves a secret from all the wolves who were milling around his new home, waiting for the mating ceremony to take place.

Very gradually, the controlled, repetitive rhythm began to soothe a little of his panic. It made it just a little more manageable, just a little more easily hidden. But at the same time, it made it far too easy for him to pretend he was back in that room in that club. It made it all too tempting for Bennett to let himself believe that his master was standing close behind him and the breaths he was focusing on belonged to the other wolf not himself.

His master's breathing pattern was slightly different to his. Bennett closed his eyes tighter as he realised he'd automatically sought out his master's rhythm. It wasn't extra air in his lung comforting him half as much as it was that tenuous link to the other wolf.

Before long, another pack would arrive at the house, bringing his new mate with them. He wouldn't be able to seek out that connection with his master then, not once he was mated to another wolf. But until then, it wasn't actually cheating. It was less a crime now than it would be in an hour's time. No matter how pathetic he felt, clinging to what he'd lost, Bennett took another slow breath in and out and let the connection linger in his mind for just a little while longer.

A sudden gasp destroyed the rhythm he'd worked so hard to replicate. Flinging his eyes open, Bennett stared out over the land he and his new mate were to be gifted, but he didn't really see any of it.

Forcing himself to keep his eyes open, Bennett ran a hand down his face and made a mental note to never let himself fall into that trap ever again, and not just because it wouldn't be fair to his new mate. He took a cautious breath in, frowning at the view out over green fields and forest. He wasn't in the club. The very fact that he could open his eyes and see more than the inside of a hood should have been enough to snap him out of that idea.

The breeze caught at his hair. It was another reminder that, as much as he might wish otherwise, he was standing free in the open air. The club smelt of leather and lust and men. The freshness of country air should have cleared any lingering notion that his master's scent hung in the air, but it didn't.

No matter how hard he stared at all the evidence to the contrary, Bennett couldn't shake off the idea that all he had to do was turn around and his master would be right there behind him, ready to wrap strong arms around him and bring him back to where he belonged.

Bennett shook his head at himself. Not now. He couldn't go insane right now. His master had been right. He had to be a good wolf. He had duties to attend to and promises to keep. He couldn't go insane right now.

Taking another deep breath, Bennett automatically sought out the mark on the back of his neck as he searched for strength inside himself. His hair was just long enough to cover the scar from prying eyes, but he could still feel the outline of the cuts with his fingertips whenever he reached back and hunted for the memory of his master. He supposed that was something else he would have to learn not to do any more, another pleasure he would have to learn to do without.

Bennett dropped his hand back to his side and told himself to stop being a fool. No matter what scent he might imagine hung in the air, his master wasn't there.

He might be able to reach for his master's mark on the back of his neck, but the prickle running down his spine and the scent teasing at the edge of his senses could only be the product of an overactive imagination. There was no way his master could be here. Fate might have let him fall in love with a man he'd never set eyes on. But it couldn't be cruel enough to invite his master to see him mated to another wolf.

"Bennett!"

He forced himself to turn around and scrape up a smile for his younger brother.

"Come back to the pack, Bennett! Your mate is here!” His brother was barely more than a pup—hopping up and down in excitement at the other pack's arrival without really understanding what it meant.

Bennett managed to keep his smile in place. His mate was here. That was...good.

The arrangement was an excellent one. His mate was, by all reports, a very good wolf from a very successful pack. The mating would naturally bring their packs a great deal closer together. And an association with a larger, stronger pack would be beneficial to his current pack's future. He and his mate would be able to build a fine, strong pack between them.

It was all very good, very excellent, and lots of other words like that.

Strange then, that reminding himself of all those wonderful facts should only succeed in making him feel as if someone was pulling all his insides out through his stomach one fistful at a time. Forcing the smile to remain on his lips, Bennett followed the younger wolf back towards the old farm house he was to make his new home.

The arriving pack outnumbered his by well over ten to one. Bennett looked around the crowd, knowing that certain members of that pack would split away and join him and his mate to form their new pack. He swallowed down his regret that his own parental pack was too small to give up another wolf to accompany him right then. Perhaps in the future, when some of his brothers and sisters were older, then...

Bennett quickly pushed the idea aside. It didn't matter whose pack they were born into. Once the mating ceremony was complete, those wolves who joined them would be his pack. They would be as much part of his family as they were part of his mate's. He couldn't keep clinging to things that way—not to his old pack, not to his master.

Forcing himself to look to the future, Bennett scanned face after unfamiliar face, searching for an alpha wolf amongst all the gammas and betas and omegas.

His parents stood proud and strong on the other side of the field, speaking to another older alpha pair. A fifth wolf stepped from the crowd of new arrivals and began to walk across to join them. An alpha. So it was to be him then. He was the wolf Bennett would be mated to.

Bennett's eyes ran over the other man. He was dressed in the same traditional white cotton shirt and trousers Bennett wore. The thin fabric didn't hide much. He was strong, well built and heavily muscled. His gait had an easy, flowing rhythm that hinted at speed as well as strength.

If it wasn't for the fair hair and even fairer skin, his build might have passed him off as Bennett's brother. He only looked perhaps a year or two older than Bennett himself. No doubt they would match well together, lead well together, just as their parents predicted.

"Bennett!” his father called, beckoning him across the field.

Bennett squared his shoulders, tilted his chin back and forced himself to appear as relaxed and confident as he knew he should feel.

The fairer alpha reached the group just before him. The faint breeze brought the mingling scents of the new comers to Bennett. His step faltered. He met the other wolf's eyes as one scent leapt out from all the others and flicked a switch inside him.

Master!

At this distance, there was no mistaking it for the fanciful imaginings of a wolf in mourning for what he'd lost when he walked out of that leather club that night. Scent didn't lie.

Master!

Bennett forced himself to keep walking, to keep closing the gap between himself and the man he'd called sir for so many weeks. His throat went dry. No matter how much he longed to draw the other wolf's scent inside him, wrap himself up in it, and never let it leave his senses again, he couldn't breathe.

His father clapped him on the back as he reached the group. “Bennett, you are just in time to meet your new mate. This is Marsdon."

Bennett turned his attention to the other wolf. He was studying him with a slightly strange expression in his eyes, as if there was actually some chance he could recognise him.

He reached out to shake Bennett's hand. “Bennett, I've been looking forward to this meeting for a long time.” If he hadn't recognised his master's scent, his voice would have told him all he needed to know. Deep and rich, and confident about everything in the world—there couldn't be two wolves in the world who sounded that way.

Bennett forced himself to respond, to put his hand in his master's hand and to ignore the way his mind swirled at hearing his name on the other wolf's lips.

"So have I,” he managed to say. It took all his strength of will not to call the other wolf sir right there in front of everyone.

Marsdon. His master's name was Marsdon.

The other wolf tightened his grip on his hand when Bennett tried to take it back. It was just a brief second. No one else could possibly have noticed it. But Bennett felt the other wolf testing his strength.

His chin jerked up at the challenge inherent in the move. He met his master's eyes and held his gaze, refusing to look down and offer the other wolf any hint of his submission. Their parents talked around them, discussing how beneficial the match would be for both their packs.

Marsdon made no contribution to the conversation. He continued to hold Bennett's gaze, as if examining him for any sign of weakness, any hint at recognition.

He wouldn't find any. Bennett knew better than to let anything from that side of his personality sneak into his expression while he was out here in the real world. Second by second he returned the other wolf's inspection—doing his best to appear calm and confident while his heart raced faster and faster, threatening to burst out of his chest at any moment.

Marsdon's lips twisted into a strange little smile and he slowly let the other members of the pack pull his attention away from his soon to be mate. Bennett gladly turned away from Marsdon, too. Looking at each of the other wolves in turn, he checked that they hadn't noticed anything strange about the handshake. Everyone was still smiling. Everything was okay.