Page 23

IRIAN

“Where are we going?”

For kilometer after kilometer, leafless trees scattered sparsely across the landscape stretched lifeless branches to the sky. In over an hour, the only signs of life we’d seen were a couple of demoralized-looking birds huddling on the smooth white branches of a dead snow gum, and one rabbit bobbing its way across the short, tufted grass, its white tail invisible against a terrain speckled with freshly fallen flakes of white.

This was a wasteland of dead and dying trees. Which didn’t seem right. Something unnatural was happening here. These trees were meant for the icy, alpine climate, so why were they all dying? A few trees still stood resolutely brandishing their glossy green leaves, despite the slow death taking some of the boughs, leaching them white instead of the pretty stripes of cream, grey and green.

“I have a small block of land,” Talius turned his sparkling blue eyes on me briefly, before returning them to the road. His eyes seemed full of anticipation. “It was left to me by my great grandparents. I’ve never been there, but I think I can find it. No-one will find us there.”

I turned this over in my mind as I watched the stark landscape pass by.

“Up here?”

“No, it’s lower down. It’s farmland. It’s still some distance away. We…” he hesitated, seemed to mull something over in his mind, then continued, “we can start a pack there.”

I didn’t know what to say. I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I supposed it was logical. I mean, I knew we were destined to be together but I hadn’t thought about what that would mean. And Talius had never shared his plans for the future; apart from the time I thought he’d left without me, I’d assumed he'd stay in his birth pack forever. But it made sense. He was too independent to live his life out under someone else’s command. He was always going to be a Pack Alpha. That meant he was offering the position not just of mate, but of Alpha Mate. For a moment I stared at him mutely, my mouth open until a little sliver of drool spilled out, at which point I hastily snapped my jaw shut.

“Only if you want to,” he added, staring at the road ahead. Good, he’d missed the drool. I blinked. Sucked on my bottom lip. Noticed the whites of his knuckles on the steering wheel. Noticed the tension lines at the corners of his eye. He was starting his own pack and he was asking me to be a part of that. Did he think I was gonna refuse? Did he think I was mad, or what?

“Hell, yeah,” I grinned at him. “Let’s do it.”

The wrinkles disappeared from Talius’ face as the corners of his mouth curved and his eyes twinkled as they met mine. He lifted a hand off the steering wheel and we fist bumped. It might not be the most romantic declaration, but it was perfect for us. We were going to be pack. Even if it was just the two of us, we’d be Alpha and Alpha Mate. I shivered at the thought. He’d claim me and no-one would dare separate us after that.

◆◆◆

The following hours saw us travel through a landscape increasingly covered in snow. The little car battled bravely over the asphalt which was disappearing beneath the soft white flakes. At some point, Talius decided the snow was deep enough, and stopped the car, deftly applying snow chains to the wheels before we continued on more slowly.

As we drove through the slippery conditions, I sat stiff and tense in the passenger seat. The general low visibility, and difficulty seeing where the road ended and the unsealed shoulder started - because everything was white - was unnerving. I’d lived all my life in or near the big city and I found these conditions unnerving. Put me in a room with a hundred strangers and I could function perfectly, but out here in the wilderness I felt useless and vulnerable.

Talius took his eyes off the road for a moment, flicked me a glance, then adjusted a dial on the center console. A blast of heat blew into the cabin of the little car. Talius resumed staring intently through the windshield.

“It’s okay,” he said. “I’ve driven in these conditions before. I know what I’m doing.”

I trusted him, I did, but it was hard to relax. I inhaled deeply, breathing in the combination of alpha confidence and pheromones. My shoulders relaxed – a bit. I sat back in my seat and wriggled my feet under the hot air vent. Maybe it was the effect of the chemicals in the air, or maybe it was his words, but it suddenly occurred to me with blinding clarity that this was something I didn’t have to worry about. I had a partner who was well-equipped to take care of the situation. This was what it would be like going forward. Sometimes I would be the one who had the skills we needed, other times it would be Talius. But we were a team now. I didn’t have to do everything on my own.

Sometime later, the road began its descent out of the mountains, and the snow thinned out with the black of the asphalt reappearing in patches on the road ahead. The eucalypts were healthier here, the grey-green leaves shiny and abundant, small clumps of snow cradled in the crooks of the branches still, but only small drifts lying on the ground.

Talius removed the chains and we continued at a faster pace down the mountain. Although it was daytime, it was much darker down here. The eucalypts were densely packed, tall and straight, towering over the tiny vehicle winding its way along the forest road.

With the relief at safely leaving the snowy conditions behind, my spirits bounced back to normal energy levels.

This was an adventure! I had no idea where we were and OMG I was so out of my comfort zone but… road trip! I was there with my alpha and that’s all it took for me to burst into song. It was one of the funkier human songs that was popular at the present time, and Talius’ baritone joined me in the chorus. We smiled at each other as we sang the words.

The next couple of hours passed in a happy blur of badly sung songs until the trees thinned out and it was mostly farmland, and before I realized it, we were bumping our way along a narrow dirt road, Talius swinging the car this way and that to avoid the dirty great potholes that threatened to consume his tiny vehicle.

“Almost there,” Talius grunted, the back of the car sliding out as we negotiated a corner and bounced our way towards a metal gate blocking the entrance to an overgrown plot of land. The road ended here.

Talius stopped the car. The sudden absence of noise was in its own way overwhelming. Exiting the car, the freshness of the air was striking. Unlike in the mountains where it had been crisp and fresh, here the air was dusted with the sweet aromas of the different grasses. A rusty padlock hung from a chain around the gate. Behind the gate an overgrown driveway wound its way into the distance, disappearing in a curve beyond a clump of trees. Talius and I exchanged a look. Then we dissolved into laughter.

This was ridiculous! We were in the middle of nowhere. Neither of us had any idea what we were actually going to find here. And the most hilarious part was that we just didn’t care. Several minutes passed as we doubled over, the bushland ringing with our laughter, startling some birds into flight, their great wings flapping noisily through the air.

Eventually, Talius stood upright, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes with his sleeve. The gesture left dark marks on the pale sleeves.

“Do you have a key?” I gasped, struggling to speak through the final hiccoughs of laughter.

“No. I mean, I have one, but I didn’t bring it. I didn’t expect we’d be running away like this.”

“So I guess we just climb over then?” I suggested.

Talius’ hair flicked crazily as he shook his head. He looked wilder than usual, with the untamed locks flying everywhere, several days growth on his face, his eyes reddened and moist from the intensity of our mirth. But he looked happy.

“Nah, I’ve got another idea.”

His lips thinned and his expression intensified as he directed his focus to the trunk of the car, rummaging around and returning with a triumphant grin, one eye covered by his unruly hair… and a set of bolt cutters in his hand.

My teeth pressed sharply into my lower lip as I watched, frowning, “You are sure this is your place, aren’t you?”

Talius shrugged. “Pretty sure,” he said as the bolt cutters bit down on the chain. It clinked jauntily as the loose end fell against the wooden fence post.

With a grunt, Talius lifted the metal gate up a couple of centimeters and pulled it over the overgrown grass blocking it. The sight of his muscles straining against the fabric of his shirt was… distracting. My tongue slid over my lips. My breaths grew shorter.

When he held out his hand, I slipped my fingers into his, the skin rough but warm. As he led me up the unkempt driveway, I was conscious of the significance of the moment. We were coming home.

The silence was companionable, but it wasn’t really silence either – the air was alive: the swish of the wind over the knee-high grass, the rustling of the leaves in the trees, the piping call of a magpie and the distant cackle of kookaburras. Far off, a bovine bellowed its message to the unfeeling sky.

“Here we go.” We’d rounded the curve of the driveway, and the compound was laid out before us.

A number of run-down buildings were scattered around a long, elliptical courtyard. The closest one, and facing us, was a large two-story house. A few steps led up to a porch and a weathered front door, the timber bleached and splitting in places. A plank was broken, the splintered ends protruding up dulled by time and weather. Something had been stuck to the inside of the ground floor windows, the yellowing edges obscuring all but the edges of the panes. The upstairs windows appeared to be shuttered with a haphazard array of curtains and blinds. One window had a blind half drawn, giving the house the appearance of peering sleepily down at us, half-awake and with only a modicum of interest.

The paint was peeling on the outside walls, the grass reaching as high as the porch, and some kind of ivy had wound itself around the balustrade, the shiny green leaves contrasting with the faded wooden handrail.

The place was a picture of many years of neglect.

Next to the main house, a long two-story building stretched along the length of the central space. It was a typical dormitory style building, with two rows of identical windows, lining its face. The green paint was peeling on many of the weatherboards there too. A couple of windowpanes were broken, a dark gloom lurking behind the jagged edges.

Several other houses were scattered around the further edges of the open space. They didn’t appear to be in any better condition than the two buildings close to us.

The layout was typical. A pack must have lived here once. It would have been a large one and I wondered what had happened to it, why everyone had left and the place allowed to fall into disrepair.

“We’ve got our work cut out here,” Talius turned to me, his face hardened by the appearance of fine lines around the corners of his narrowed eyes, thinned lips, and the sharp downward angle of his brows.

“You might have to teach me a few skills,” I told him, “but I’m game, if you are.”

His expression softened.

“Thank the Goddess,” he pulled me in, the warmth of his lips on my forehead leaving a lasting impression.

“What?”

“You’re amazing. And I’m relieved I won’t have to do it all on my own.” He ran his fingers through his hair distractedly. Up close his eyes had flecks of different shades of blue that shifted and changed, like a kaleidoscope entirely in blue, or a restless ocean. I’d never noticed this before. I felt myself falling into their bluey depths.

I gulped, blinked, and tried to steady myself with an attempt at humor, “What? Did you think I was going to let you have all the fun?”

Talius scoffed. “I’m not sure you’ll be calling it fun after a few days.”

I shrugged. I was young and strong. Probably stronger than I looked. I’d surprise him.

“We’ll see. I’m sure I can find ways to liven up the work hours.” I smirked as a few dirty images passed through my head. I might be new to this, but I’d had a couple of days of intimacy with the Alpha of my dreams and I was already horny as hell.

The minuscule twitch at the corner of Talius’ mouth told me he hadn’t missed my innuendo. He put an arm around my shoulders.

“Come on, let’s go in and check out our fancy new digs.”

I rested my head against the solid warmth of his shoulder for a moment, breathing in his alpha-ness. The scent of alpha and male and mate felt like home and I wondered how I got this lucky. The Goddess watched over me, that was for sure.

“Yeah, let’s do it!” I grinned, casting sentimentality aside and springing up again.

Last summer’s leftover grass crunched under our feet, as we made our way towards the main house, the gravel of the driveway hidden under years of steady neglect. The steps up to the porch groaned disturbingly under our weight, but with the exception of the one broken plank, the wood felt solid and reliable still.

The doorknob squeaked a protest as Talius attempted to turn it.

“Locked.” He assessed the door with a small frown, then shrugged, leaned a shoulder into it and gave a hard shove.

Crack! The wood around the lock splintered as the door staggered inwards, leaving the mechanism persistently clinging to the doorframe. The faint musty smell of a disused building pervaded our nostrils, and something skittered away into one of the dark corners. There was a click as Talius flicked the light switch, but nothing happened.

“We’ll have to get the power put on,” he observed.

I went to the nearest window and ripped away the paper covering the panes. It disintegrated in my hands, brittle with age. Light flooded in revealing a kitchen off to the right of the entrance, extending to the far wall. We were standing in a semi-open living area which flowed into the kitchen, and a few meters in on our left, a few stairs led up to a hallway and more doorways. Talius wandered across to the kitchen and gave it a cursory glance before slowly walking around inspecting the living space.

“This will be perfect for an office,” Talius announced, completing the round and discovering a small room adjacent to the stairs.

I looked across from where I was conducting a much more detailed inspection of the kitchen. I was fond of baking and this kitchen – once the layer of dust had been cleaned up – would be a fabulous workspace. I could imagine preparing meals for our growing pack here. Later, as the pack expanded, we’d have to re-think this, but it would suffice for a time.

“Huh?” I roused myself from my contemplation of future brownies and elaborate desserts. “What did you say?”

“I said I’ve found the perfect workspace,” Talius said coming up behind me.

“Mmm, me too.”

Strong arms surrounded me. I leaned back into his solid frame, my eyes closing as I relished the feeling of belonging, of home.

Almost as if reading my thoughts, a hot breath on my ear whispered, “Welcome home, Omega.”

The deep alpha rumble made me shiver. A trickle of slick slid down between my ass cheeks. I wasn’t as offended this time. Did I hear or feel the flare of Talius’ nostrils against my ear?

“Come on,” he rumbled, “let’s find the bedroom. Make this house our own.”

With a sound embarrassingly like a whimper, I nodded and turned around, but before he released me, Talius’ hot lips found mine, his tongue demanding entry in a deliciously dominating way that sent more slick running down my inner thighs. The denim of my jeans was rapidly growing wet. Fortunately, there was no-one but Talius here to see the dark patches, the embarrassing evidence of my body’s enthusiastic response to my Alpha’s dominance, and my singular lack of control. I might be an independent omega, but fuck it, my body knew how to submit.

When Talius pulled away from the kiss, looking a little dazed and drunk, although my head was giddy, I pulled myself together enough to slip under his arm, and laughing at his stupefied expression, took off up the stairs.

“You’ll have to catch me first,” I taunted.

I scrabbled up on to the landing with Talius in hot pursuit, but I hadn’t gotten far before a body slammed into me from behind and with a pair of strong arms wrapping around me, we tumbled to the floor, Talius rolling onto his back and pulling me protectively onto his stomach before even a hair of my head touched the carpet.

Mesmerizing shades of blue swirled in the depths of eyes that burned with a desire that looked hot enough to consume me. But he stopped, waiting.

I was of legal human age, and unusual as it was, the Council had granted me mating authority from the age of 19, and we’d known this was coming for a long time. There was nothing to stop us. I was ready.

“Green… I’m green for you, Talius,” I said, the words barely a whisper.

One strong hand pulled me in for another kiss, the other found its way to the wet patch of jeans between my legs and gave a squeeze. We both groaned. I thrust into him. I wanted to meld with this man, my Alpha. I ached with the need to have him inside me. It was a primal need, the primal need of the wolf to mate.

I slipped my hand between us, fumbling with the button as Talius possessed every millimeter of my mouth. Warm fingers took over, deftly flicking the button free and sliding the zip down. His warm palm cupped my stiff cock which was trying its hardest to burst free from the confines of my underwear. Talius’ thumb found my cockhead peeking over the waistband. The rough texture of his skin contrasted with the slippery precum.

“Fuck,” I groaned into Talius’ mouth. More slick gushed from my hole, soaking my underwear, the scent filling my nostrils.

“Talius!” I whined, feeling increasingly desperate. I rocked back and forth on him, my cock thrusting into his palm, the underwear pushed down as far as my jeans allowed.

I gasped as suddenly his hand left me and cold air hit my hot dick. Then his hands were pulling my jeans down over my ass, and I hurried to help him, pulling down my underwear and hastily kicking the lot off.

Talius flipped us over and slid down. Wet warmth surrounded my cock making me cry out, the sound echoing in the empty house. The carpet scratched my back as I squirmed against the coarse threads. Talius swallowed me to the root, then slid back up to the head and sucked on it until I felt the first drops of semen threaten to spill, before he pulled off and gently squeezed the base.

“Ahh,” I dragged in a lungful of the musty air.

“Not yet,” he growled, then proceeded to lick my shaft all over, up to the frenulum which he flicked repeatedly with his tongue, my huffs and low groans highlighting each touch in that sensitive spot.

I so desperately, desperately, wanted to come.

“Need to… need to…,” I moaned, thrashing my head from side to side, trying to hold on until he gave me permission. I didn’t know why I was waiting, only something about our roles here and the fact that it was our first time made me want to wait for his approval.

Talius gave my cock a final suck and pulled off. I lay there panting, as the overwhelming urge to come eased slightly. He released his grip of my cock, and a finger slid into the wet space between my legs, teasing my taint, sending shivers through me. He pushed my legs up, slinging one over his shoulder. The rough pad of a finger circled my hole. I whimpered and clenched my butt.

Talius grunted, shifting his weight and adjusting himself in his pants. When his finger returned to its circling, I felt my anus clench in response. Pressure built against my hole. It didn’t hurt, it just felt weird. The pressure increased and then a finger eased its way inside me, gliding in on a sea of slick.

The moan that rumbled through my chest and out of my throat was long and low.

“Is that okay, my Omega?”

I was struggling for words. Unable to find them, I let out another drawn-out moan whilst nodding my head furiously, my hair rustling awkwardly along the carpet.

Talius slid his finger part way out, then eased it back in again. A fresh burst of scent hit the air. He pulled right out, but before I could protest, there was pressure and then my hole was being stretched wider. I inhaled a gasp at the sharp sting, and he stopped pushing. When I exhaled, his fingers eased inside. I panted, short, rapid breaths as my body accepted and adjusted to the intrusion. The sting faded away, replaced with feeling of fullness as he began to fuck me with his fingers. It felt amazing, but I wanted more. I pressed back down, feeling an urgent need to fuck myself on those magic fingers. My eyes fluttered closed as I strained to bring myself to completion like this.

Suddenly my legs slipped down, my hole cold and empty as the fingers disappeared and Talius stood up. My eyes flew open and I began to protest until I realized he was stripping off. His magnificent cock bounced free, standing proud, head plum-colored and weeping. Saliva flooded my mouth and for a moment I forgot about my empty soaked tunnel. The flash of desire was a burning fire igniting my entire being.

“W-want you,” I stammered, forcing the words out past lips that could barely form them.

Talius lips curved up wickedly and his eyes twinkled. He got down on his knees. I gasped as something enormous attempted to breach my hole, but when I looked down it was still just fingers. He must have been using three now. I took a few deep breaths. I could do this. I reminded myself that he was preparing me to take him. As soon as I showed him I could handle three fingers, he’d give me his cock. I forced myself to relax.

Three fingers stretched me to the point where I felt I’d burst, but there was no pain, the slick and hormones were doing their job – they were preparing me to take my Alpha’s magnificent cock.

“Ready, Irian?” Talius’ voice had softened and he was gazing at me with a very gentle expression on his face, although tension strained his face.

“Y-yes, Alpha. Take me.” I couldn’t have been more ready. I wanted to join with this man, my Alpha. We’d waited long enough.

I watched as Talius looked down, took himself in his large hand and pressed his cockhead against my hole. There was intense pressure, and for a moment I thought it was going to be too much, but suddenly he just seemed to pop inside. He paused.

Breathing was hard, but although I felt really full, it was actually easier than taking his fingers. His cock was hard yet soft, rounded and smooth and glided easily into me once the head cleared the tight ring of muscle.

Talius began moving his hips, slow and gentle at first, sliding in until he was pressed up against my balls, and withdrawing almost to my entrance.

“Mmmmm…agh,” I moaned, enjoying the unusual sensations. We were joined so closely, so intimately. “Ah…”

Then his thrusts picked up in strength and speed and he drove himself into me over and over as I writhed on the dusty carpet. I gave myself over completely to instinct, bucking and thrusting and shouting for “More! More!” as he rocked me into oblivion.

He changed his angle, and I cried out in ecstasy as he hit someplace amazing, and when his next thrust hit it again, I spilled all over my chest.

Talius’ breathing was harsh and ragged as he plowed into me, sweat running down his face, eyes fixed on the place we were joined. He grunted as he thrust particularly hard and I groaned as his cock seemed to swell alarmingly inside me.

“Oh!” I gasped, as his enormous cock pressed further and further into the sides of my already stretched tunnel. My eyes widened in alarm… the pulse fluttering erratically in my neck.

“It.. it’s my knot,” grunted Talius, his eyes half-lidded and with a roar he unleashed inside me. I felt the hot spurts of cum filling and filling me. It went on and on, until at last he slumped on top of me. Sweat from his temples smeared the side of my face, and harsh rasps filled my ears as he dragged air into his heaving lungs.

As he lay slumped half on, half off me, our sweat and body warmth mingling, my cum sticky between us, I felt the most exquisite sensation in the area where we were locked together. Talius’ knot was pressing on the most amazing places and I wanted to weep with joy.

“Oh, my Goddess, oh, my Goddess, Talius, that’s so…” I broke off with a sob, unable to find the words I needed. Talius’ head was up immediately, intense blue eyes peering at me anxiously, but my lips were curving upwards even as the silent tears started to fall. “It’s amazing,” I whispered.

His gaze sharpened and I noticed his canines had descended. This was it. This was the moment.

“Yes,” I whispered, inclining my head and exposing my neck. A moment later sharp pain lanced through me from the hollow at the base of my neck. There was a strange flow of energy. My head buzzed and spun, and I felt energized and spacey all at once. I felt I was flying above the clouds.

I didn’t even feel him withdraw his teeth, only coming back to earth as he licked over the wound.

“Now you,” he said, rolling over so I was on top again. We were still connected. I didn’t know how long we’d be locked together like this, but I liked it. I leaned down, my tongue sliding over the ridges of his collarbone and into the hollow above the mating gland. The salt tingled on my tongue, as I tasted his sweat. I inhaled deeply, drawing in essence of alpha and Talius’ own unique scent. My canines were already descended, and I pressed them into the spongey softness of his skin, piercing the surface, and penetrating the mating gland below. Then I sucked.

It was a rush. It felt like a freight train dashing past dragging me along with it. My mind spun, a whirl of blue, blue, blue, and the buzzing in my head started up again. I had a strange sensation as if Talius’ essence was combining with mine and we really were becoming one entity. It was wild and amazing and beyond anything I could have expected. I felt so light-headed and free, it was hard to concentrate on the deep rumble of Talius’ voice.

Of course! We had to complete the ritual with the words of commitment.

The familiar voice reached me through the haze of euphoria.

“Omega, I am your Alpha, your bonded mate. I bind myself to you and will protect, defend and honor you. Until the end of days.”

My Alpha. My mate.

I smiled dreamily. Our combined essences were making me feel the way I imagined it might feel to be drunk. Random thoughts flashed through my mind but it was hard to grasp any of them. The buzzing was distracting.

A gentle bump on my shoulder drew my attention to Talius. My mind cleared. Was it some kind of Alpha magic or the result of the mating bond we were forming? At any rate, I was now sufficiently clear-headed to complete the commitment, though the omega’s part was not required. But it was important to me that Talius knew I was committed to him with my whole heart and shifter soul. And I knew he needed to hear it too.

As I lost myself in the swirling ponds of his mesmerizing eyes, the formal words, learned by rote in childhood, poured from my heart.

“Alpha, you are my bonded mate. I will come to you for protection. I am honored to be your omega. Until the end of days.”

The expression on Talius’ face transformed from intensity to one of pure joy. He may have been an alpha, may even become a Pack Alpha, but he wasn’t the sort of alpha that just took what he wanted. He wanted me, but he wanted me freely given. And now he knew he had that.

Talius’ fingers slid tenderly through my hair, gently rubbing tiny circles on my scalp. A little pressure on the back of my head and I moulded my lips to his… soft warmth to hard possessive heat. We were bound together at our lips, with his knot, and by our hearts.

We were Alpha and Mate.