RADER’S MATE

By

Dawn Wilder

Copyright 2015 Dawn Wilder

* * * * *

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given
away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an
additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not
purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own
copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This book is fictional and any resemblance to persons, places, or events is coincidental.

Adult Reading Material (language, violence, sexual content). All characters are above 18 years of
age.

*****

By Dawn Wilder

Paranormal Erotic Shorts:

Mate Me

Were My Mark

Incubus Needs

Foxy Lady

Runt of the Litter

Paranormal Erotic Shorts Collection (contains all of the shorts above)

Were It (best read after Were My Mark)

Sea Me

Fangs for Coming

Were Break (best read after Were My Mark)

Paranormal Erotic Shorts Collection, Volume 2 (contains the four above, plus Were My Mark so it

can be read before the other Were shorts)

Were Shield

Gunner’s Mate

Tracker’s Mate

Breaker’s Mate

Ryder’s Mate

Asher’s Mate

Elena’s Warriors

Curves Ahead

Foster’s Mate

Fisher’s Mate

Play Hard

Luther's Mate

Sayer's Mate

Casper's Mate

Rader's Mate

Dawn Wilder Writing as A.R. Dawn

Paranormal Romance:

Going Lupe

In the Lupe

Let Sleeping Lupes Lie

*****

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Connect with Dawn Wilder

***

RADER'S MATE

***

Chapter 1

Rader

“But I don't want to live with him.”

Mom sighed, tapping her fingernails on the steering wheel impatiently.

“Well, you have to.” She turned to look at me, the sunglasses on her face hiding her eyes. “You're
different, Rader. I can't give you what you need.” She looked back out through the windshield at the
massive stone house we were parked in front of. “He can.”

Before I could argue with her any more, someone opened the car door and stuck his head in.

“Are you Rader?”

I stared at the kid with the smooth brown skin and sparkling brown eyes set in a friendly face. He was
around my age and his t-shirt and shorts were smeared with dirt and grass stains.

“Uh-huh.”

“I'm Omar. We're going to be sharing a room. Wanna come see?”

Before I could say anything, he grabbed me by the arm and yanked me out of the seat, pulling me along
behind him.

The inside of the place was just as intimidating as the front. Everything looked way too fancy to
touch. My grubby sneakers sank into the carpet as I ran to keep up.

We bounded up the stairs and Omar threw open a pair of doors.

Wow.

I listened with half an ear as Omar kept talking, but I was completely distracted by the room.

It was huge.

There were two beds on opposite sides of the room and a big flat screen on one wall with a bunch of
games hooked up.

“-and dad said you came from the city, so you're going to love our runs. We have like a bajillion acres
of forest to run in and nobody around for miles so-”

I walked over to the window and looked out to see Mom's car driving away.

I swallowed, trying not to be a baby.

Fine. If she didn't want me, then I didn't want her either.

I rubbed at my eyes, careful to keep my face away from Omar. I didn't want him to think I was a baby
or anything.

Because I wasn't.

“Hey.” A hand came down on my shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“I'm fine.” I shrugged off his hand and walked over to sit on what I thought was supposed to be my
bed since the other one was a mess.

I felt the bed dip down next to me as he sat down quietly.

He didn't try to touch me or say anything else, just sat there next to me.

“I'm fine,” I muttered, staring down at the floor.

“I know.”

We sat there like that for a while, until my stomach broke the silence.

“Let's go down to the kitchen. Rosa always has something good.”

I followed silently, barely noticing anything.

“Rosa, Rader's hungry. Do we have anything to eat?”

“Of course, sweetie. I just made some pizza for your new friend. It should be ready.”

I stared at Rosa as she took out the pizza from the oven on the other side of the kitchen. She was really
tall and had pretty big muscles showing through her t-shirt. She winked at me when she saw I was
staring and I quickly looked away.

The kitchen looked shiny and new, with a giant window that looked over rolling green grass that
seemed almost too bright to be real.

“Why don't the two of you have a seat at the island.”

I pulled out a stool next to Omar's and watched as Rosa cut slices and put them on plates for each of
us.

“Thank you.”

“Enjoy.” She smiled at us before going over to the sink where there were a pile of dishes.

The pizza was really good, but I could only eat a few bites. It felt like my stomach had shrunk.

Omar had no problem eating his slices.

“Are you going to eat those?”

I slid my plate over to him and he ate those too.

“How about a run? That always makes me feel better.” His eyes widened. “Not that you're not already
fine. I mean, I thought-”

“A run sounds ok.”

His face relaxed and he scrambled off the stool.

We walked out back, past the grass and into the trees. Being outside actually did make me feel better.
It smelled really green out here, not like the smells I was used to.

Omar started stripping off as soon as we were in the shade.

“Come on! I want to show you this cool cave I found!”

I watched as he changed into a black wolf, small and fuzzy.

Ok. I wasn't used to doing this around other people and I wasn't exactly psyched about being naked in
front of someone, but that sounded like fun.

I took off my own clothes facing away from him. Closing my eyes, I let the wolf out, feeling the tingle
that let me know my body was changing.

As soon as I was a wolf, Omar jumped on me and I yelped in surprise. It took me a second to realize
he wasn't hurting me, he just wanted to play. We rolled around a little as I tried to get on top, but he
was quick and hard to pin down. Wiggling out of my hold, he hopped up and ran into the woods.

As I ran after him, I started thinking maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

Chapter 2

18 years later

Rader

“Omar! Get your ass out of bed!”

I pounded on his door impatiently. When he didn't open it, I tried the knob and found it unlocked.

Walking over to the windows, I pushed the curtains open, letting in the bright afternoon light in a
white hot stream.

I heard a pathetic groan come from the cocoon that had been made on the enormous bed.

“I told you not to go out last night. Pull yourself together.”

Not feeling even a little sympathy, I pulled off the covers and tossed them on the floor.

He curled up into the fetal position, his naked ass facing me.

I eyed it appreciatively, enjoying being able to ogle it without him possibly catching me. I tried not to
be so obvious on our runs or the rumor mill would start going.

Grabbing his ankles, I pulled him off the bed.

“Aaaaah!”

The thunk of him hitting the floor was followed by a string of curses.

Walking over to where someone had already left breakfast for him, I poured some black coffee and
took the mug over to him.

“Here, have some coffee.”

He sat up, his dark wavy hair in complete bedhead mode. Adorable and sexy.

I sighed mentally as I watched him gulp down the coffee like it was at room temperature instead of
piping hot like I knew it actually was.

“They're going to be here in about twenty minutes. And you cannot show up looking like you got
wasted last night.”

He held out the cup with his forehead resting on a bent up knee.

“More.”

I filled it up and handed it back to him along with a glass of water.

“Drink that too.”

He gulped both down, took a deep breath, and stood up.

I ogled his naked body discretely.

We worked out and ran together, so I knew that body was exactly as powerful as it seemed. His
morning wood bobbed a little as he walked over to the bathroom, his wedge-shaped back sweeping
down to a hard, round ass. His mother's genes were apparent in the warm brown color he sported all
over.

I went through his closet while he showered. His normal uniform of jeans and a t-shirt wouldn't cut it
today.

I chose a nice pair of gray slacks, a white button down, and a matching belt and shoes in brown. I
tossed his boxer briefs on top of the pile along with some dress socks.

I was eating some of his bacon when he walked back out in a towel.

He hadn't shaved, but the stubble just made him sexier. And the nice clothes would balance it out.

“You better not eat all of the bacon.”

“Well, if you don't move your ass, I can't make any promises.”

He muttered to himself as he quickly put on everything I had laid out.

I started briefing him as he sat down to eat.

“Deliah is nineteen and her sister Maribel is twenty-one. They're both into horses, but Deliah is also
into cars. She's the blonde. The Samson Pack isn't hurting for money and they have an alliance with
the Santiagos, so that would be nice to have in our back pocket.”

He grunted as he put more food away.

“Try not to be a douche to these girls. It's not their fault. They're in exactly the same position you're
in.”

“Uh-huh.”

I rolled my eyes.

I could get him sobered up and looking nice, but his behavior was out of my control. The last girl to
come out here with her pack's representatives had been close to punching Omar in the face more than
once.

“Your choices aren't going to get better.”

He just grunted again.

I felt for him. But the situation was what it was and being a dick about it wouldn't really accomplish
anything.

The knock on the bedroom door interrupted my thoughts.

“Yes?”

Summers stuck his head in.

“Our guests are here. I've put them in the Rose Room.”

“Perfect. Thank you.”

The door shut discretely behind him.

“Game time. Just let your pretty face do the talking and we should be fine.”

He glared at me.

“Ha. Ha.”

It was true though. If he just kept his mouth shut, that chiseled, exotic face would catch the attention of
any red-blooded woman.

Or man, in my case.

We were both quiet on the trip down, a little too used to the drill at this point.

The girls and their entourage stood up as we entered, paying the proper respects to the Alpha's son.

Introductions were made and Omar didn't make any sly comments or derogatory remarks.

So far so good.

He could be charming when he wanted to be, and I knew only I could see that he wasn't enjoying the
interaction.

Deliah and Maribel were both predictably attracted. Their bored faces changed as they got a look at
the man I'm sure their parents were pushing them toward.

“I heard you have your pilot's license. Maybe you could give me a ride some time?” Maribel gave
him a flirtatious smile, leaving no doubt as to the kind of ride she'd actually prefer.

Deliah gave her sister a look that had me putting her at a few IQ points higher than her sister.

The obvious approach worked fine when all you wanted was to get laid, but this was a game with
higher stakes.

Wrong move.

Omar started to subtly pay more attention to her sister.

“I hear you have a nice collection of vintage cars,” Deliah mentioned, her eyes direct, no hint of the
practiced purr in her sister's voice.

“It is one of my hobbies. Would you like a tour?”

“We'd love one,” Maribel interjected.

Subtle.

I trailed behind as Omar led them to the massive garage that housed his collection.

I tuned out the conversation as I kept an eye on him. I'd know from his face if he was thinking of
dropping the charm.

Then I'd have to play my role of smoothing things over as best as I could.

We finally went in to have dinner, Omar escorting a girl on each arm.

Another hour or two and we'd be in the clear.

I had a diplomatic and suitably inane conversation with the visiting Beta and was thinking that we
might be in the clear.

Rosa had made tiramisu for dessert and I'd fucking earned it.

I put the first bite in my mouth and closed my eyes to savor it.

First mistake.

“Batting those fake eyelashes at me isn't going to work. Maybe if you actually had something going on
behind them.”

I almost choked as I heard Omar calmly ripping Maribel to shreds.

“Has everyone tried the tiramisu yet? I swear Rosa's is the best I've ever had,” I said loudly, trying to
draw attention away from the train wreck about to happen.

“You're a good kid Deliah. But you're still a kid and I'm just not attracted to you.”

I tilted my head back to stare at the ceiling as uncomfortable silence descended on the table.

Damn it.

“Well, that's clear enough.”

Deliah pushed back her chair and stood.

“He can't just- just-” Maribel sputtered.

“He can and he did. Let's bounce. No point in staying where we aren't wanted.”

They took their people and cleared out in five seconds flat.

I stared at the tiramisu sitting in the middle of the table. On the bright side, that meant there was more
for me.

On the other hand, not only did Omar not find someone to potentially mate and increase our political
clout, he'd potentially destroyed the relationship we did already have with their pack.

I didn't say anything, just had another bite of tiramisu.

“Well? Aren't you going to say something?”

I ignored Omar's irritated voice and had another bite.

I was going to fucking eat this tiramisu. And childish antics were not going to deter me.

“No lecture? No patronizing review of all the reasons why I should be well behaved? Why I should
meekly go to the chopping block?”

Not going to take the bait.

The sound of his chair being pushed back was grating, but I didn't flinch as I just took another bite and
chewed slowly.

I couldn't ignore him anymore when he pulled my chair back and spun me around to face him.

“Come on. Lay into me. You know you want to.”

I stared up at him.

“Come. On.”

“You already know everything I'm going to say. So what's the fucking point? Let's just skip the song
and dance routine this once.”

He made a frustrated sound in the back of his throat as he raked his hands through his hair and stepped
back.

“Doesn't it bother you? At all?”

I rubbed the back of my neck as I looked away.

“Of course it does. I don't want you to be trapped in a marriage you don't want. But if you would just
try, maybe you could find someone you actually liked-”

“That's not what I'm talking about. Can you really be this fucking dense?”

“Well, why don't you fucking tell me what the fuck you're talking about?” I finally lost my patience
and stood up, backing him up against the wall with a hard shove. “Why don't you tell me why you
can't just man up and do what needs to be done. Why I have to fucking babysit you. Just say it in plain
fucking English so my dense skull can fucking understand it.”

“Fine. You wanna know why I keep rejecting everyone?”

“Yes! Yes, I wanna know!”

“Because, you idiot, I want you!”

I stared at him, the blood rushing in my ears as I tried to process what he'd just said.

Grabbing me by the shoulders, he reversed our positions, pushing my back hard against the wall.

“I want you,” he said repeated softly, his eyes close enough to mine that I could see the gold flecks in
the warm brown.

And then he kissed me.

Omar, who I'd had a crush on since puberty hit me and I realized what the big deal about sex was, put
his mouth on mine and kissed me.

And I was pretty sure that wasn't a baseball bat in his pants.

All rational thought fled. Why we shouldn't be doing this, how I was supposed to be the responsible
one. The fact that anyone could walk in on us here.

All of it didn't matter in that moment.

I crushed my mouth against his and grabbed his ass to pull him closer, spearing my other hand through
his hair to keep him in place.

He hummed in approval, grinding his erection against mine hard enough that it almost hurt. But I didn't
want him to use any less force.

We changed angles, learning how we fit together best. The taste and feel of him against me, the
knowledge that this was Omar...it was a heady sensation.

His hands pushed between us and he took a firm grip on my shirt and tore it open, sending buttons
skittering across the floor.

Then his hands were all over my bared chest and stomach, sensitive fingers seeking out every inch of
my torso like he was trying to see me through them.

God, being wanted so much was such a turn on.

I let him push my shirt off my shoulders, but before I could get at his, he was already undoing my belt
and then my pants, pushing everything down along with my underwear. My shoes were still on,
effectively hobbling me.

Standing back up, he attacked my neck, kissing and sucking at it while smoothing a hand down my abs,
straight to where my cock was already dripping with need.

He didn't play coy when he got there either.

I leaned my head back against the wall as he bit down on my neck, my pre-cum making his hand slide
smoothly up and down my erection.

He moved back up to my mouth, biting at my lips as he increased the speed of his hand. His other
hand skimmed down my back, one finger rubbing at the delicate skin between my cheeks where my
ass met my back.

Sensory overload.

My body tensed up and I felt my cock bunch up in his hand.

He broke the kiss and bit my ear.

“Let go, Rader.”

His voice in my ear did it.

I bit my lip to keep any noise I wanted to make inside, not wanting to increase the chances of getting
caught. Spurt after spurt came out, I felt like my entire body was emptying itself.

He let go of me and stepped back, the shock of cool air against my damp front waking me up a little.

His face was flushed, his mouth swollen from our kisses. His pants were tented dramatically in the
front.

“So don't fucking tell me to man up.”

And then he walked away.

I watched incredulously for a second before looking down at my naked body.

“Shit.”

I yanked up my pants and pulled on what remained of my shirt.

I needed to get back to my room and process.

“Fuck it.”

I grabbed an untouched plate of tiramisu and took it with me.

Chapter 2

Omar

I closed the door behind myself and leaned against it, my body protesting leaving a naked Rader.

Protesting loudly.

I was so sick of this shit. Sick of the parade of eligible girls that I felt the constant pressure to choose
from.

I walked over to the window and looked out at the night sky, stars for miles this far out in the
countryside.

In my head, I knew the importance of cementing political alliances through marriage, but that didn't
mean I agreed with it or wanted to sacrifice myself on the altar of marriage for the sake of my pack.

If I wasn't so fucking in love with my best friend, maybe I could stomach it. But having him right there
while I was supposed to be looking over potential mates just underscored how impossible this was
for me to do.

It was time for a change and I was ready to fight for it.

Picking up the phone, I dialed the number I'd been dreading dialing since I'd come to this conclusion. I
shouldn't have let it come this far, wasting everyone else's time along with mine.

“Son. How did the meet go?”

I took a deep breath and let it out at the familiar voice.

“Dad, I can't do this.”

A heavy pause.

“Do what, exactly?”

“I'm not entering into a political marriage. It's antiquated and ridiculous. A contract should be enough.
That's basically what this is- business.”

I heard him sigh heavily on the other side of the line as his chair squeaked.

“Omar, we've talked about this. Yes, I know it's a lot to ask from you. But-”

“I already have a mate.”

An even longer pause.

“You already have a mate? Who? And when did this happen?”

No hiding now.

“It's Rader.”

I heard tapping on the other end and could imagine him hitting the edge of the desk with his pen,
something he always did when faced with a tough decision to make.

“That is...complicating.” I waited, knowing he had to have more to say. I knew he wasn't a bigot, but
the political ramifications would be at the forefront of his mind. And I didn't begrudge him that- it
was his job and his responsibility. “This would be easier if we could have the mating ceremony as
quickly as possible. There are still going to be some old-schoolers who aren't okay with it, but the
ceremony could lend some legitimacy.” He muttered something to himself. “It might also help smooth
over all of the feathers you've already ruffled.”

I winced at that, hearing the mild rebuke in those words.

“About the ceremony...”

“How about tomorrow. We can have if on the estate grounds, have Rosa cook up something simple.
You two can be officially mates by sunset.”

“About that...I haven't exactly told Rader...in so many words...really.”

“You haven't...well, what are you waiting for? That boy worships the ground you walk on. Why
wouldn't he say yes? Now, I have a conference call I'm already supposed to be on. And I need to think
about all of the potential ripples this is going to cause. I'll expect to hear of a date from you in the next
week. The sooner the better.”

The dial tone rang in my ear as he hung up.

I put the phone down gently and started banging my head against the wall.

How was I supposed to go about doing this exactly?

Hey Rader, I know I just told you I was hot for you, but what I failed to mention was that I want you
forever. You're my mate! Isn't that great? Now, we have to have the ceremony ASAP due to political
reasons. You understand.

Fuck. He probably would understand that last bit.

But I didn't want to rush this. I wanted to take my time, give him a little romance, ease him into the
idea.

I'd already blown that a little with the way I'd practically jumped him because I was so frustrated
earlier.

The thought of watching him go through a list of eligible potential mates was excruciating. The fact
that he'd been watching me with no apparent reaction to it apart from the lectures about duty...it stung.

It hurt my pride, but it had really hurt my feelings. And I'd lashed out on the person who'd always
been there for me, the person who I loved the most.

Excellent strategy, genius.

Alright, I could fix this. I knew Rader better than I knew myself.

Time to step up to the plate and put myself out there. Rejection was a real possibility, but when was I
ever the one to shy away from risk?

I kept telling myself that on the way over to Rader's room. My heart felt like it was trying to hammer
right out of my chest and I'd wiped my palms on my pants twice already.

I hadn't been this nervous since my dad caught us bringing his car back in after taking it for a joy ride
when we were fourteen.

It had been about an hour since I'd left him. Plenty of time for him to cool down.

Or work himself up into a good mad.

Only one way to find out which way he'd gone.

I gave the door a couple of firm knocks, which felt a little weird since I was so used to barging in.

But I figured that wasn't exactly smart at the moment.

I rehearsed what I was going to say in my head while I waited.

When a minute had passed and there wasn't an answer, I tried again.

Finally, I tried the doorknob and found the room empty.

Well, that was a let down.

I looked around and spotted his phone on the bedside table.

That meant he probably hadn't left, just gone for a run.

Change of plans then.

I jogged down the stairs and out the back, knowing where he liked to go to get away from things. I
found his clothes in a neat pile where he usually liked to leave them.

Stripping, I changed and gave chase.

Not that he was hiding.

He barely raised his head when I burst out onto the cliff top that looked over the forest. He'd told me
before that it helped him get perspective on his problems when he could see the scale of the world
and how small he actually was in the scheme of things.

I just liked the view.

But that was one of the reasons I loved him so much. He was thoughtful, caring, sweet. Just a good
guy who would give you the shirt off his back and then smile about how it was too hot for one
anyway.

His gray coat glinted in the moonlight as he put his head back down on his paws to look out at the
view.

I came up to him cautiously, not knowing what reception I'd get.

When he didn't snap at me as I got closer, I gingerly lowered my body next to his, pressing us together
along our sides.

I let out a huff of breath as I mirrored his pose and looked out.

I'd wait until he was ready to talk.

We lay their like that for quite some time before Rader stood up and changed back.

I followed suit.

“Why didn't you say anything before?”

I had an answer to that, though now it seemed a little stupid.

“I didn't think you felt the same way. I mean, you're pretty good at hiding it. I just started noticing how
careful you were about how you looked at me when I was naked. So I made sure to be naked around
you more often just to be sure.”

He let out a surprised bark of laughter.

“Fuck. I thought my libido was going crazy or something. It started feeling like you were trying to
torture me.”

“Why didn't you say something?”

He sighed as he placed his hands on his hips and looked at the ground between us.

“Same, I guess. What a couple of idiots, huh?” He looked up at me, the self-deprecation in his gray
eyes obvious.

His red hair looked blond in this light, swept back from his high forehead carelessly.

I scanned his familiar face, the raw angles of it, that soft mouth I had way too many dreams about
already. His body tended leaner than mine and the moonlight put all that tight, carved muscle on full
display, casting shadows that highlighted how ripped he was.

“My eyes are up here.”

I jerked my eyes back up to his smirking face.

“What? I can look if I want to. Feel free to ogle me any time.”

His smile faded and he got a more serious look in his eyes.

“Omar, look, we can't do anything about this. It just isn't in the cards for us.”

Might as well drop the bomb.

“I told my dad you're my mate.”

His face went slack with shock.

“You did what?! What the hell Omar! What do you think is going to happen when he finds out you
weren't telling the truth?”

Irritation reared up inside me.

“Who says I'm not telling the truth?”

He took a step back as I took one forward to get closer to him.

“That's not funny.”

“I'm not trying to make anyone laugh.”

I took another step closer. This time Rader didn't step back, his eyes glued to my face.

“I didn't want to do it like this.” I laughed and I knew it had a slightly bitter edge. “But it is what it is,
as you like to point out. Dad's given me a week to get our mating ceremony set up. The only question
is- are you in or out?”

“I...” He looked confused as he looked out over the forest.

“What do you need to hear? That I love you? That you're my best friend? That I lay awake in bed at
night thinking about having you there with me? Because all of that's true.” I closed the distance
between us. “You can't tell me that you don't feel any of that. I've seen the way you look at me when
you think I'm not looking. And I know it's the same way I look at you.”

He shook his head.

“But what about-”

“Forget about everything else. All that matters right now is you and me.” I cupped his face in my
hands and leaned my forehead against his, looking in his eyes. “Just you and me,” I whispered. “Do
you want me like I want you?”

I held my breath as he stared back at me. I'd just laid myself bare in a way that I never had before.

It was both terrifying and exhilarating, like jumping out of a plane without knowing if the parachute
would work.

His hands came up to grip my wrists.

“Yes. Of course I want you.”

I closed my eyes in relief, my shoulders sagging a little.

“Thank God. That would have been an awkward exit.”

He laughed, tugging me close into a warm hug.

“You might not be saying that pretty soon. If you think this is going to make your life any easier, you're
dead wrong.”

I laughed, hugging him tighter.

“I might be stressed out, but don't think I'll ever regret this.” I moved back enough so he could see my
eyes and tell that I was serious. “Okay?”

He nodded.

“Good. Also, keep in mind that I don't mean to be such an asshole when said assholeness comes out in
the future- which you know it will, since you know me.”

“This is true,” he said, his face serious.

“Ha ha.”

“Fine, I'll try not to strangle you when your not-so-inner asshole comes out, so long as you listen
when I'm giving you advice that you know is right. Deal?”

“Yes. Now let's go back home so we can seal the deal right.”

I kissed him slowly, those lips just as soft as they looked.

I groaned in the back of my throat as he closed his hand over my raging hard-on.

“If you hadn't run away so fast, this might have been taken care of,” he said against my lips as he
slowly ran his hand up the length.

“You can't make me feel more stupid than I already feel,” I groaned, resting my forehead against his
shoulder.

He laughed, playing his thumb through the wetness at the tip.

“How about I just return the favor?”

Before I could form a coherent reply, he'd already dropped down to his knees and taken me into his
mouth.

My eyes rolled to the back of my head as he sucked in the whole length, closing his lips over my base
and swallowing.

I spread my feet so I wouldn't fall over as he went at me fast and hard, his hands clamped over the
backs of my thighs.

The cool night breeze on the rest of my body just made the contrast of his hot, wet mouth even more
intense.

I looked down to watch myself disappear into his mouth again, torturing myself with the visual.

He reached up with one hand to squeeze my balls gently as he did something insane with his tongue.

My hands slid up from his shoulders to his head, trying really hard not to just shove myself in deeper.

One of his fingers rubbed at the sensitive skin behind my balls.

I felt my cock flex in his mouth.

The next downward slide was it.

My head kicked back as my hips thrust forward in an attempt to get deeper as I came hard. Rader
drank me down, keeping up the stimulation until there was nothing left.

He kissed my softening member before slowly standing and kissing me.

I kissed him back lazily, wrapping my arms around his hard waist.

The clearing of a throat nearby had him jumping and trying to pull away from me, but I held him close.

I had no intention of keeping us secret.

“Yes?”

Hobbs stepped closer, his face impassive even though I knew he was surprised. But he'd definitely
seen a lot in his sixty-odd years and he'd learned to hide whatever he was feeling.

“There's a representative from the Minneapolis pack here. He wants to speak with you.”

“We'll head right back.”

He nodded, disappearing back where he'd come from.

“The Minneapolis pack...ten to one the Alpha didn't appreciate you calling his daughter a spoiled
princess.”

I winced.

“Yeah, well, I was frustrated. And you can't say that the description was inaccurate. She complained
about literally everything.”

“Doesn't matter whether it was true or not. And I know you can do better than that- you've handled
pompous asses with no problems in the past.”

“Well, I'm not frustrated anymore. So you don't have to worry so much.”

He gave me a narrow-eyed stare.

“We'll see.”

We hurried back to our clothes and dressed quickly before going back into the house.

The representative turned out to be Augusta, the Beta of the Minneapolis pack.

“Your behavior toward the Alpha's daughter was inexcusable.”

Her black hair was streaked with gray and pulled back in a sleek ponytail. Dressed in a t-shirt and
jeans, she obviously hadn't come to impress. But neither did she seem particularly offended.

I was guessing the princess hadn't exactly ingratiated herself with the rest of the pack.

“I completely agree. I apologize for any insult that was given.”

She nodded.

“You understand, however, that we need to save face somehow. My Alpha wants some kind of
reparation.”

“You can tell your Alpha that my lashing out was a symptom of being kept from my rightful mate.” I
pulled a surprised Rader over to my side. “I'm sure he'll understand.”

Her eyes widened as she took in the intimate way I was holding him.

Then her mouth quirked up on one side.

“I'll be sure to relay the message. This definitely puts...a new spin on things.” Standing she shook my
hand and Rader's, congratulating us on our mating.

Once the she was out of the room, I turned to Rader.

“See? Smooth as butter.”

“Uh-huh. There's no need to use me as a prop in the future.”

“Well, there's no reason to hide you. Or us.”

He frowned but didn't argue.

I'd take it.

“I think it's well past time to crash. Come on.”

I led the way back to my room and we both shucked our clothes before falling onto the bed. I spooned
him from behind, enjoying the feel of his skin against mine.

This was what I wanted.

And I'd deal with all the shit I needed to deal with to keep it.

Chapter 3

Rader

Like with anything, when Omar made up his mind about something, he went at it full force.

He smoothed the same feathers he'd ruffled like a pro. And he made sure that everyone knew we were
an item, usually in small subtle ways.

A touch to the small of the back, a quick kiss to the cheek, a glance that couldn't be construed in
another way.

It was actually a little irritating that he could have handled everything so much more smoothly if only
he had chosen to.

But at least he wasn't actively trying to make things worse now.

Though I'd warned him about being so open about our relationship. Yes, it would help take care of
things in the short term, but in the long term, there were a lot of bigots out there.

Some were obvious, but I wasn't as worried about them. I was more worried about the ones that
weren't so open with their views.

Those were the ones that were liable to stab us in the backs without us being even a little suspicious
first.

But Omar insisted on being public and obvious.

Admittedly, it was nice to be acknowledged like that. It made me feel secure even as I worried about
the ramifications.

Politics were a bitch. But they were also largely unavoidable.

I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop while trying to get everything ready for the mating ceremony
along with all of the other duties I had as the pack's third in line.

“Hey, Rader.”

I turned toward the familiar voice, wondering what else was going to have to be added to my list that
day.

I didn't expect a punch to the face.

I instinctively ducked away from the next one, getting room between me and Hector.

“What the fuck?”

“It's nothing personal, man. But I think it might be better for the pack if you're not the Third.”

I laughed.

“So you think I can't kick your ass now?”

“I'm starting to think maybe you didn't get to where you are based on skill alone.”

That burned more than I thought it would. Later, I might find the idea that I slept my way to the top
amusing.

But later wasn't now.

Ripping off my shirt, I changed, my pants falling off.

Then I leaped for his throat, intending to finish this quickly.

He twisted at the last second, before I could get a good grip on him. Changing, he jumped on me and
we rolled around, the fight silent except for our breathing.

I felt a sharp, tearing pain in my back leg. I spray of blood splattered against Hector's almost white
coat.

Okay, now I was pissed.

I hit him hard in the side, taking him down. He tried to tuck his head in and protect his throat, but he
was too slow.

I shook him with the grip I had on him until he went limp with submission. Waiting to make sure he
got the point, I let go and stepped back.

He bowed his head and turned to walk away.

Still angry and a little disappointed, I ran inside to shower and change. The wounds on my thigh
probably needed to be bandaged but I could make it through our next meeting before I took care of it.

I put pressure on them to stop the bleeding and then put on some dark jeans and a t-shirt before
bounding back down the stairs. I winced and slowed down as I hit the bottom.

Yeah, probably better not to bound anywhere else for a bit.

Our accountant was already in the office along with Omar when I walked in.

Fung started her spiel as I sat down next to him.

His nostrils flared and he looked over at me sharply. I shook my head, not wanting to get into it until

we were alone.

I concentrated on the figures Fung set out, looking through the folders she'd given each of us.

I usually hated these meetings, but now I was just glad that I could sit and listen for a while.

“I'll let you know what to do with the Shermin account by tomorrow, Fung. Thanks.”

She nodded, shaking Omar's hand and then mine before walking out briskly. She probably had a
whole lot more work to get done today.

“What happened.”

Well, he didn't waste any time.

“I'm fine,” I started.

“I smell blood. Try again.”

I sighed.

“Hector challenged me. I put him down, but he got a hit in.”

“Where?”

I undid my jeans and pulled them down far enough so my thigh was exposed. The cloth stuck a little to
the small amount of blood that had seeped out again.

His lips tightened as he took in the damage, skating his fingers lightly across it.

“Sit down.”

I sat.

Going over to one of the side cabinets in the office, he pulled out one of the basic first aid kits that
were kept around the house.

Getting down on his knees, he cleaned me up before patching me efficiently. Kissing my thigh, he
stood to help me pull my pants back up.

“I'm sorry.”

I looked up at him, startled.

“Why?”

He looked away, a frown on his face.

“I didn't think about what kind of retaliation you could possibly face.”

I stood and took his shoulders in my hands, waiting until he looked at me.

“You can't control everything. And I'm not really hurt- you and I both know I'll be perfectly fine in a
day or two. Plus, I got to reassert how much of a badass I am.”

That made him crack a smile.

“Come on. We have way too much to get done to let this sidetrack us right now.”

“Excuse me for being concerned about the well-being of my mate.”

“Please. We've hurt each other worse over the years.”

“I don't care.” He pulled me into a tight hug, kissing my temple. “Things are different now. And we
haven't gone at it like that since we were kids.”

True enough.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of scheduled meetings and paperwork. By the time quitting time
rolled around, my body was more than ready to lay down.

Stripping down to my underwear, I fell onto my couch and turned on the television. I felt like some
mindless entertainment so I could just turn my brain off for a while.

I looked away from some guys bidding on a storage unit when my bedroom door opened.

“Hey.”

Omar came over and kissed me, sitting down next to me and slinging an arm across my shoulders.

“What is this?”

“I guess these guys think they might find some gold in an old storage locker.”

I leaned my head against his shoulder, my blinks getting longer as I tried to stay awake.

“Come on Sleeping Beauty. Time for bed.”

He slung me over his shoulder and walked us over to the bed. He got in in front of me and pulled me
in close, being careful of my thigh.

I smoothed my hand over his arm, enjoying the feel of him but way too beat to do anything about it but
snuggle in closer.

Lights out.

I woke to Omar kissing my neck, his hand wrapped around my cock.

“Hmmm.”

“How are you feeling?”

His hand hovered over my thigh.

“More than good enough.” I tried to flip us over so I was on top, but he pushed back. He had more
leverage and a little more muscle to back it up.

He laughed, biting my bottom lip.

“Don't worry, I'll be gentle.”

He kissed me, slow drugging kisses that had my temperature rising faster than I thought kisses could. I
sank into him, savoring the feeling.

Omar didn't break the kiss as he reached over to the bedside table for the lube he knew I kept there.

Pushing one leg up so it rested on his shoulder, he rubbed some of the cool slickness on my anus,
keeping his mouth on mine as he sank a finger in me.

I stopped kissing him, thrusting my hips up against that finger as he added another one.

I squeezed his ass as he dragged his mouth down my neck, biting slowly at the curve as he scissored
his fingers inside me.

“I need more,” I gasped out, bearing down on those fingers that weren't enough anymore.

He had his cock sheathed in a condom and pushing into me a split second later.

I pulled him down so I could bite down on his shoulder as he slowly eased in, the burning stretch part
of the pleasure.

When he was finally in, I wrapped my leg around his hips to keep him there, enjoying the feeling of
being so full.

After a minute of holding completely still, his body tense, Omar spoke in a hoarse voice.

“Can I move yet? You're killing me here.”

I let go of his shoulder, licking the mark I'd left there.

“Go.”

He didn't need any more urging to start thrusting. But despite the desperate tinge to his voice, he kept
the strokes slow and smooth, giving me time to adjust.

“Feel good?” he asked, smoothing my hair back from my forehead.

“Mmm. Yes.” I thrust back up against him, groaning at the increased friction.

Taking my cue, he started using more force and being a little more rough.

Perfect.

He got tired of the position and switched us over to our sides, keeping my leg over his hip as he
continued thrusting.

“God, I've thought about being in you since fucking puberty smacked me across the face,” he said, his
breathing heavy.

“I wish you'd said something back then. I felt like I had a perma-boner every time I was around you.”

He laughed, kissing the tip of my nose.

“Yeah, but everyone had one around that age. I just figured yours really didn't have anything to do
with me.”

That made me chuckle as I rested my forehead against his damp shoulder.

Then we were both too busy trying to get to the end to talk.

Omar started stroking my wet cock roughly, alternating between that and palming my balls. I tilted my
head down so I could see he brown hand against my much lighter skin, the contrast making me clench
down on him.

He cursed but kept his pace the same as he squeezed me with more force than I'd used on myself
before, distending my cock.

It was exactly what I needed.

I shot all over myself and him as he locked his mouth on mine, that rough hand still on me, making
sure I squeezed everything out.

The heat of his own release bloomed inside me as he let go.

I bit down on his neck and squeezed his ass as he pushed as far inside me as he could, his groan
heartfelt and long.

We pressed against each other for a moment, trying to get our breathing under control as our sweat
started cooling.

He pulled out carefully and went to the bathroom to clean up before coming back out and getting back

into bed next to me. He sighed loudly, linking our fingers together.

“What to we have to do today?”

“I have to get everything nailed down for the ceremony tomorrow. Which means you have to preside
over petitions today.”

Once a week, every pack member could come in and voice any complaints or disputes they had that
they needed help getting resolved. We were both usually part of the five person panel that heard and
decided on all of the cases, but there was no way I could afford for the better part of my day to be
eaten up by it when the ceremony was literally a day away.

Omar grimaced, but nodded.

The petitions weren't exactly the best part of the week but they were definitely good for the health of
the pack as a whole.

So we trudged through them.

“Ok. Meet up for lunch?”

“Sure,” I said, kissing his cheek.

We hopped into the shower. Separately, so we wouldn't waste more time when we had to get through
so much today.

A couple of hours later, I was deep into seating charts. Trying to figure out where to seat members
from multiple different packs, including some with longstanding rivalries, while also making sure
none of them felt slighted by the positioning and liked who they were sitting with...it was migraine-
inducing to say the least.

So someone bursting into my office was actually a bit of a relief.

Until he opened his mouth at least.

“Omar is asking you to please come to the main hall. It's urgent.”

I stood quickly, coming around the desk.

“Do you know what it's about?”

Derek, who had just turned sixteen and was working for us as an all-around errand boy for some
spending money, opened his mouth before closing it again.

“I think you better come see.”

That didn't sound good.

Chapter 4

Omar

I glanced at the clock to see how much time was left before I could leave to have lunch with Rader.

Another hour and a half.

Time was crawling by.

I stifled a yawn as another dispute involving parents whose kids had gotten into a fight came up.

Without fail, it was always the parents of the kid that lost that came in complaining.

Honestly, we were wolves. Dominance fights were instinctual and bound to happen. It was extremely
rare that either of the kids ever got seriously hurt as the point of the fights wasn't really to hurt but to
establish hierarchy.

I wasn't convinced that these petitions weren't more about the parents' egos than about little Johnny's
or Debbie's bruises and scratches.

I tried not to let those thoughts show though. Otherwise I'd have to spend even more time trying to
calm them down before getting them out.

I breathed a sigh of relief as the irritated parents left the room.

The next group that came in was unusual. Maybe I shouldn't have been mentally complaining about the
same old shit.

There were about twenty people in the group, which was large even for a pack of our size.

“State your issue please,” I said curiously.

Alon, an older man with a beard that was now more white than black, stepped forward.

“We'd like to petition to depose both the Second and Third of the pack. We believe the best interests
of the pack are not served by such people being in highly visible, high-ranking positions.”

Well, shit.

“We have the signatures of the appropriate number of pack members for a vote to be held.”

He came forward with a folder that he handed off to Jasmine, one of the other panel regulars.

She looked over at me with a frown before opening it and scanning the contents.

Clearing her throat, she spoke.

“Everything seems to be in order here, but we need to be sure. We need some time to discuss this
issue among ourselves. Thank you for your concern, we will call you back in shortly.”

The quiet group left without a peep at the clear dismissal.

As soon as the doors closed behind them, people began to speak.

“Can they do that?”

“Well, the rules are very clear...”

“Small-minded worms. Can't stand them. Do you think...”

“Excuse me,” I said firmly, standing so I could get their attention more easily. When everyone was
quiet with their eyes trained on me, I continued. “We have to follow the rules and guidelines that are
established. If that means this comes to a vote, so be it. But first they're going to have to lay out their
case.”

Everyone settled down after that, nodding.

As they talked among themselves, the folder making the rounds, I called Derek over.

“Go get Rader. Let him know that it's urgent.”

He nodded quickly and ran out to go get him.

I asked for the folder and flipped over to the list of names, scanning them quickly. I knew everyone on
the list, of course. It was my job to as the Second.

Well, for as long as I stayed the Second.

Some of them were obvious. They definitely tended toward the older members. But a few of them
were surprising and more hurtful.

Rader showed up less than a couple of minutes after I sent Derek to fetch him and I made a note to
give the kid a raise.

“What is it? What's wrong?”

I took him to the side, knowing everyone could still hear and see us but needing the psychological
distance anyway.

“There's a group petitioning to have us thrown out of our positions as Second and Third.”

He stared at me, eyes widening before they narrowed and his lips tightened.

“Can they do that?”

“Yes. They'll have to make a compelling case and then the pack as a whole would have to vote on
it...but yes, they can do that.”

“Fuck.”

My sentiments exactly.

“I thought it would be better for both of us to be here to hear them out. I don't know how much good it
will do, but better to be prepared.”

He nodded, following me over to where Derek had found an extra chair to add to the dais.

“I think we better stay quiet when they talk. We should save our defense for when and if this goes to a
vote- it'll only make us look like we're not impartial and even less fit if we start arguing here.”

It made sense, but it would be difficult to do when I really wanted to go in with fists flying. All the
shit we'd gone through to ensure the pack was happy and healthy and this is what we got as soon as
we deviated from what was expected.

Sad but unsurprising. I was kicking myself for not being better prepared to face something like this.

The group was ushered back in and given the floor.

“We're ready to hear your specific concerns,” Jasmine said calmly.

Alon, apparently the elected spokesperson, stepped up.

“Look, this isn't personal. What they do in their private life is their own business. But it affects us in
that they aren't simply private individuals- they represent us. Which means that other packs might not
want to ally with us, or do business with us, or think that we're easy pickings. And we don't
particularly want to be explaining this business to the young ones.”

I couldn't hold back a snort at the last add on.

The young ones could probably explain a thing or two to him.

“I see. As of yet, these are all hypotheticals. I find it difficult to believe that you could prove these
issues currently. Do you agree?”

“Well, yes ma'am, but-”

“Alright, then I'm sure you would agree that perhaps waiting and seeing how this...news...affects us as
a pack might be the best course of action. It prevents a hasty decision that might actually hurt and
weaken the pack rather than avoid the same end. Would you say that both Rader and Omar are
competent at their jobs?”

I'd like to see them try to prove either of us incompetent.

Alon looked back at the rest of the group and nodded begrudgingly.

“It's settled then. Barring extraordinary circumstances, I think reconvening on this issue in about two
months time is reasonable. That should be enough of a grace period to see how this shakes out without
compromising the pack in the meantime.”

Alon nodded, not enthusiastically, but he agreed.

“Good. I'll see you here in two months.”

As they filed out, Rader leaned over.

“Like we already didn't have more than enough shit to worry about.”

I sighed.

Sometimes you just couldn't win for losing.

Rader left to finish what he was working on and we heard the petitions we could fit in before lunch.
Luckily, there were no more nasty surprises forthcoming.

Lunch with Rader was a nice hour of relaxed saneness in the ridiculous day. I wished we could just
spend some time alone together without all of the responsibilities and the stress.

Which started me thinking as I headed back to hear the rest of the petitions for the day.

What better excuse were we going to have than being newly mated? It wasn't like being here would
deter people from wanting us to step down. That was dependent on how others reacted to us not on
something we did ourselves.

By the time we were done for the day, it was late and I'd already mentally planned our trip.

I was going over everything that needed to be shifted around and who could be responsible for which
duties when a small group stepped in front of me on my way back to the main house.

After what had happened to Rader, I was prepared for some type of dominance challenge. But
showing up in a group was not what I'd expected.

There was no time wasted in chit chat.

Jarle was the first to attack, his bright blond hair glinting brightly in the moonlight.

Neither of us bothered to change, just went at it with our fists and our feet. If he thought this would
give him an advantage, he was in for a surprise.

I wasn't complacent about my standing in the pack, in spite of being the Alpha's son. Honestly, that
only made me train harder, both in wolf form and in human.

Jarle got a few good hits in, but he was down for the count when he didn't protect his head for a split
second.

Viraj was next, coming in just as silently.

We'd sparred together before, so I knew his style a little better. Of course, that also meant he knew
mine.

This one lasted a little longer.

He got a good hit in that left my mouth bloody and my ears ringing a little. But I didn't let that slow me
down, knowing that would be it.

The taste of my own blood made me angry. Unlucky for him because anger only made me sharper.

The kick to his chest had him dropping like a stone, clutching at himself as he tried to get his breath
back. I pinned him and waited for him to bare his throat before standing again, winded but ready to
take on the next comer.

I let Huy come to me, wanting to preserve my energy as much as possible.

He was fast, but my reach was longer.

We were both sweating and gasping for breath as we tried to get past each others defenses, but I'd
already gone through two fights.

He got in a crushing blow against my ribs that had me seeing dots.

I crouched down to avoid a well-aimed kick, grabbing the leg and using it to bring him down.

Once I had him on the ground, my extra weight and strength ended things pretty quickly.

Each of them nodded before melting away into the night again.

“Fuck.”

I bent over, grabbing my knees to catch my breath.

Coming at me in a group like that was weak, but not expressly against the rules.

But maybe it should be.

Straightening with a groan, I limped back the rest of the way to the house, starting to feel all the hits
that had connected now that the adrenaline had worn off.

I saw my reflection as I passed by a hallway mirror and winced.

The beginnings of a black eye, a split lip, a bruised cheekbone.

And that was just my face.

This was going to hurt worse in the morning.

Well, there was no hiding this from Rader. Might as well go to his room and get babied a little. I
wasn't above it.

Rader was just coming out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair wet,
obviously just out of the shower.

So that definitely distracted me.

Until his eyes widened when he got a good look at me.

“What happened?”

“Three guys back to back.”

He shook his head, coming over to me to look me over.

“Cowards. We need to change that rule.”

“Not arguing with that.”

I stripped when he told me to and hissed out a breath as he pressed against the dark bruise across my
ribs.

“You might need to get that looked at,” he murmured, looking me over.

I grunted.

“I don't think anything is broken, just hurts like a mother.”

He hummed in sympathy, checking me out.

Surprisingly, I was pretty banged up, but nothing too serious. It was just the sheer amount of bruising
and scrapes that was impressive.

“Alright, you need to shower and then go to bed. We still have the ceremony tomorrow. Can't do much
about your rainbow appearance, but at least you can be well-rested.”

Seemed like a good plan.

When I came out of the shower, Rader already had food brought up for me. I ate with him pressed up

against my side, his hand playing with my hair.

When we went to bed, he gave me a nice massage, careful to avoid sore spots.

Yup, being babied was nice.

But when I tried to get a little frisky, I was road blocked.

“Come on, I feel fine,” I protested, kissing his neck behind his ear, knowing how much he liked that.

“Alright, Romeo. How about I just take care of you?”

He rolled me onto my back and used those oiled up hands on my erection.

Oh, yes. That felt really good. And I didn't have to move at all.

He straddled my upper thighs and got down to business, making sure he got my balls too. I propped
my head up on some pillows so I could watch his strong hands glide up and down my length.

He leaned down to suck on my nipples, his hand continuing that smooth up and down motion.

And then he added a twist to it that had my eyes crossing.

“Good?”

“Uh-huh,” I gasped.

He kissed me gently, careful of my abused mouth.

And that was that. I came all over myself, the release almost necessary.

I sighed as I relaxed on the bed, loose and limp, my aches and pains at a distance.

Rader, the sweetheart that he was, cleaned me up and tucked me in before sliding in next to me.

“Thank you,” I said, kissing his temple.

“Hmmm.”

I slipped into sleep like a baby.

The next morning was not nearly so nice.

“Come on, Omar. We need to get ready and out there. It's almost noon already.”

I groaned, my body stiff even after the massage. Both massages.

“I'm up, I'm up.”

We got ready quickly, donning the matching tuxes Rader had picked out for us. Really, the mating
ceremony felt more like a formality than anything.

Rader was already mine and I was already his.

But I put on the monkey suit and fixed my hair. I still looked pretty disreputable, but that couldn't be
helped unless I was willing to put on makeup.

Which I wasn't.

So that was that.

We were having it on the grounds, which was nice. We didn't have to scramble to get anywhere and
really, this was where it all began. We had some great memories here.

Oh, man. I could feel myself getting all sappy.

Hold it together man.

I was totally not expecting these emotions.

Rader

I'd organized everything to be outdoors since the day was supposed to be beautiful.

I was glad I did.

The sunlight streamed through the trees and the grass seemed even greener than usual. The florist had
taken the theme of white flowers and run with it.

White roses, petunias, daffodils. There were flowers I didn't even know the names of.

I scanned the tables and saw the turnout was pretty good. There were definitely some empty seats, but
I would have to ask the staff later to see if they fell along pack lines. If they did, then they were
definitely deliberate snubs.

But I didn't want to think of that right now.

Right now was for the ceremony that I never thought was even a possibility that I could hope for.

The fact that we got together and were having the ceremony all in one week was a little
overwhelming.

But in a good way.

Omar's father was presiding. For all intents and purposes, my father too. And I wanted to call him that
instead of Alpha because he was so clearly a dad in that moment when he looked at his son all

dressed up in a suit, ready to be mated.

The fact that he looked over at me with the same expression was humbling.

I honestly hadn't known what to expect when I saw him. But if he had any issues with his son's choice
in mate, he didn't let it show as he embraced me warmly. All I felt from him was love.

I repeated the ritualistic words as I stared into Omar's eyes.

“To have as my mate, to protect and cherish as I would my own blood.”

I barely heard him saying the words, I was too busy just absorbing the emotions running through his
eyes. I'm sure they were the same ones in mine.

God, despite all the shit...we were so fucking lucky.

Everyone burst out into cheers as we kissed. It lingered a little and a few chuckles resounded.

“You may mark your mate.”

We stepped closer and ducked our heads to opposite sides. I breathed in his scent, licking at the spot
on his neck where he'd carry my mark.

He nuzzled on the other side of my neck.

“One. Two. Three,” he whispered.

We bit down together.

The pain was almost sweet because of what it represented.

It didn't hurt that I could feel his erection pressed up against mine.

We pulled back, both of us discretely adjusting ourselves before turning to the crowd holding hands.

We started making the rounds, though all I really wanted to do was get Omar alone. His beat up face
juxtaposed with the tux was insanely hot.

I guess I'd just discovered a weird kink I didn't even know I had.

Luckily, everything was going fine. Long-winded and irritating, but fine.

Until we passed over to the Sawyer table, their pack having sent a good five representatives.

“Hi, thanks for coming-” I started.

The guy closest to me went for my throat.

I blocked him, taken completely by surprise as I stepped back. He took that time to change before I
could even think of it.

He leaped for my throat and I braced myself, knowing this was going to hurt like a motherfucker.

But two strong brown hands locked around the wolf's throat and tossed him twenty feet like he didn't
weigh more than a notebook.

I looked over at Omar and he shrugged.

“Seemed appropriate.”

The man's date, a petite redhead, looked mortified as she apologized profusely.

“I'm so sorry. I told him about what you'd said about me and...” she stood up to go run after her
boyfriend.

I turned to Omar, who she'd been addressing.

He looked a little sheepish as he looked everywhere but at me.

“Omar.”

“She was one of the first ones. Before dad started making sure you were always there with me.”

I shook my head.

Figured.

The rest of the party went fine. My cheeks hurt from smiling, but that was about it.

When we got back to my suite, which was now our suite, I fell onto the couch, completely exhausted
from not just today, but the lead up to it.

That's when I noticed the suitcases set down next to the door.

“What are those for?”

Omar plopped down next to me and handed me something I took automatically.

“Tickets?” I asked dumbly, staring down at them.

“We're going on a honeymoon. A week of relaxation. And sex. I'm hoping lots and lots of sex without
having to worry about being attacked or politics, or any of that bullshit. Just you and me.”

“And sex,” I said, smiling. “But what about-”

“I already took care of everything- your load and mine. The pack will be fine for a week. They're not

babies.”

I laughed at that because sometimes it felt like that was exactly what they were.

“Don't worry. Dad's going to be on site to make sure shit stays in line.”

Well, ok then. Nobody would want to go against the Alpha. He might have graying hair, but if anyone
thought that he was an easy target, they deserved to have their asses handed to them.

“You already packed?”

“Yup. I wanted to squeeze out as much time as we could.”

“Wow. This is the best surprise you could have ever given me.”

I kissed his cheek and just rested my forehead against his, looking into his eyes. This was our first
moment alone together as mates and I just wanted to take it in.

“We're officially mates,” I said wonderingly.

“Yeah,” he said, his smile blooming slowly. “There's no escaping me now.”

“I guess I'll just have to stay then.”

The kiss that followed that pronouncement was slow and sexy.

He broke it, rubbing his nose against mine.

“We better go or we're going to miss the flight.”

We hightailed it out of there before some other emergency could stop us.

I was past ready for some relaxation by the beach.

Chapter 5

Omar

The last couple of days had been amazing.

Sun, sand, and a naked Rader.

What more could I ask from a vacation?

I grabbed another couple of beers from the fridge before going out onto the sun drenched deck of the
house I'd rented. It was right on the beach, so we could step out into the ocean to cool off when we
wanted.

“Here you go.”

“Thanks.”

I lay down next to Rader, enjoying the feel of the sun on my face and his hand in mine.

Of course, that's when the shit hit the fan.

A loud bang had us both jumping, startled.

I looked over to see a hole in the wall behind me.

“Fuck.”

I grabbed Rader and rolled off the chair, taking him with me. I tucked him under me even as I tried to
figure out where the shots were coming from.

“Is someone shooting at us?” Rader asked incredulously.

“That or they're doing a pretty damn good impression of it,” I said grimly.

My ears were ringing, the sound of the shot too loud and too close.

The next couple got way too close for comfort, splinters from the deck nicking my legs.

We needed to get inside.

“Come on.”

I dragged him forward with me until he got the point and started crawling toward the open door.

I ducked my head as the door jamb exploded right above it.

Finally, we were in.

When there weren't any more shots fired, we looked at each other from the floor where we both lay
flattened.

“Go after him?”

“Hell, yeah.”

We stripped off our shorts and changed.

My ears might be ringing but my nose still worked just fine.

The front door was open for airflow, so we carefully ducked out from there. I cocked my abused ears
to see if I could hear anything unusual.

Nothing.

By silent consensus, we both headed in the general direction of where the shots seemed to have
originated from.

There wasn't a whole lot of cover in that direction, so it took us a pretty short amount of time to pick
up a fresh scent.

Full human and not exactly calm.

We fell into that ground eating pace that we could keep up all day if needed, following the trail as it
led to the more crowded areas farther down the beach.

We found him before he got somewhere too close to other people for us to follow comfortably.

Hmmm, jump him as a wolf or a naked man?

I split the difference and took him down in wolf form but changed before he could get a look at me.

He grunted as he hit the ground, cursing, his bleached blond hair staying in the hard style he'd sprayed
it into.

“Why were you shooting at us?”

“I don't know what the fuck you're talking about! Get off me! Help!”

“Do you want the police involved in this? Rader, I think maybe you should go call the police.”

“Fuck, ok, ok! Fine. Some guy paid me to do it. Cash drop off.”

“Did you see him?”

“No, man. The money was left for me to pick up. Half before and half after the job was done.”

“How are you supposed to get the other half?”

“I was supposed to send pictures and they'd drop off more in the same place.”

After a little bit of...creative coercion...he handed over his phone and I got the email address he was
sending the pictures to.

Fuck. It was a pack company's email address.

One of our companies.

I showed it to Rader and he cursed quietly.

“We're keeping the phone.”

The guy didn't protest as we walked away. Probably a win for him since he kept the money.

“I think we need to cut our honeymoon short.”

“Fuck. Yeah. Time to go home and crack some skulls.”

On the way back, I called the IT department and asked them whose email address it was. Would the
person be stupid enough to use their own? Maybe. That guy that was hired wasn't exactly top-notch.

“Alon? Yeah, thanks.”

Rader and I looked at each other.

Seemed a little too neat and tidy. And we might not be Alon's biggest fans right now, but he wasn't an
idiot. He'd know how easy it would be to track him through a company email.

“Way too easy.”

I nodded in agreement.

We didn't call ahead to tell anyone that we were coming back early. Figured it would be better to
keep whoever it was that was responsible in the dark, and since we didn't know who it was, that
meant keeping everyone in the dark for now.

The household was surprised, but nothing that seemed too suspicious. Although people might be
thinking we were having relationship issues if we cut the honeymoon short.

If we didn't tell anyone about what happened, maybe that person might assume the would-be assassin
just took the money and ran.

I had the IT guys working on figuring out where the email was sent from. There was a chance it was

one of them, but we thought at least with all of them working on it, we weren't putting our trust in one
person.

Then we waited.

I wasn't going to let Rader cut our actual time off, so I kept him away from the house as much as
possible, going on long, lazy runs and pushing him into bed as much as possible.

If we had to be home for our vacation, this was the way to do it.

We lay in bed one morning, just being lazy, when there was a knock on the door.

We looked at each other in surprise.

Everyone was under pretty strict orders to pretend we basically weren't here. So it must have been
important to merit a knock.

I grabbed my jeans before opening the door.

“What is it?”

“The Eastern boundary was just attacked.”

The Inter-Pack Council had gotten together decades earlier to outlaw the use of weapons in territorial
disputes, in an effort to cut down on them.

If you had to look the enemy in the eye and taste his blood trickling down your throat, you were a lot
less likely to take fighting so cavalierly.

It worked. Moves to gain territory dropped considerably.

But they didn't go away completely.

It was human nature to want more.

All of that meant that we needed all bodies on the ground to fight. The Eastern boundary was the Long
Shore Pack. Not an ally, but not enemies either. We hadn't really worried about them before since
their numbers didn't quite reach ours.

Why would they attack now?

Our people were still holding the boundary, they hadn't gotten past our walls yet. But it was a near
thing as we came in with reinforcements.

Rader and I split up, directing our units as we attacked their flanks.

The fighting was bloody and fast as soon as we came in.

I tore through their side, leading the charge with our people behind us.

I pinned a tan wolf down, going for his throat, when another leaped on my back. I rolled, throwing
him off as his claws dragged across my dense fur. After I took care of him, I moved on, no time to
rest.

I went through a few more rank and file soldiers before pausing as a behemoth stepped into my path.
He was almost twice my size, with a reddish coat.

Steroids anyone?

I couldn't compete with his sheer strength, so I made sure to eke out all the advantage being faster
gave me, darting in to attack and then dancing back out of reach again.

I brought him down slowly, the accumulation of smaller wounds leading to blood loss that finally had
him swaying and dropping down.

The taste of the blood in my mouth had me unleashing the beast as I was swept up in battle. I knew my
wounds would hurt later, but I had no room to feel them as I slashed and tore through the invaders.

I shook myself out of it as my force met up with Rader's in the middle, the enemy in full retreat.

And finally let myself think about Rader.

Changing back so I could speak, I asked about the only thing I cared about in that moment.

“Where's Rader?”

A few of the wolves nearby turned their heads in the same direction, so I started jogging that way, the
aches from the bruises and stinging from wounds just starting to make themselves known.

My stomach dropped as I saw a small group surrounding someone.

Pushing through, I dropped down to my knees next to Rader.

He was awake, but he was pale and sweating. His thigh had been torn open, the bone visible,
obscenely white against the red blood.

Fuck.

I turned his face away from the wound as Serena, our resident doctor, got to work stopping the
bleeding.

I looked at her questioningly.

“He's going to need surgery,” she said grimly.

I nodded, turning back to Rader.

“Obviously, we need to get some more sparring sessions in.”

He laughed, but then gasped in a breath as he winced.

“Sure. I'll get right on that.”

I held his hand as we loaded him up on a stretcher and carried him over to the infirmary.

With our healing and being treated right away, I knew he wasn't in any real danger. But it still shook
me how easily I could have lost him.

For the second time in just a few days.

I sat with him in his room afterward, just taking in the fact that he was ok, when I got a call.

“We tracked it down. It was someone from the Long Shore Pack.”

I took a deep breath as red clouded my vision.

“You're sure.”

“Yes.”

He went on to detail the evidence, which I only half-understood. But what I fully understood was that
the Long Shore Pack had seen a weakness in our ranks and tried to capitalize on it in an extremely
underhanded manner.

They'd involved a human in pack business. A human who'd used a firearm. And tried to pin it on one
of our own members.

There was all kinds of wrong going on here.

Maybe I couldn't hit them where it hurt physically, but by the time I was done with them, no pack
would want to have anything to do with them. Which was a long, slow death sentence for any pack. It
would force people to start leaving to look for mates.

The Long Shore Pack was already dead. They just didn't know it yet.

I got on the bed with Rader, careful not to jostle him as I took his hand.

I was looking into his eyes when he blinked them open.

“Hey,” he said, his voice a little reedy.

“Hey. How are you feeling?”

“Shitty. But I'll live.”

I chuckled, giving him a soft kiss.

“Found out who hired Mr. Wannabe Assassin.” I filled him in on the details. I could see the same
anger well up inside him, but it was more contained.

He always did have better control than I did.

“Well, they're going to regret it.”

“Already working on it.”

“Good. It's nice having a badass mate.” He grinned at me, cupping my face in his hand.

I turned into it and kissed his palm.

“Likewise. But I have to say, your ass still edges out as your best quality.”

He laughed.

“I guess I can live with that. I'm partial to your ass too.” He squeezed one of my cheeks and wagged
his eyebrows suggestively.

“Bring it down. No shenanigans until you're better.”

“Fine,” he said, yawning as he rested his face in the bend of my neck. “But I want chocolate cake
when I wake up.”

“I'll get right on it.”

“Alon is totally going to use this to drum up support in his favor.”

I kissed his temple.

“He can try. But being attacked tends to drum up support for whoever is in charge. Especially
considering the fact that we had them running so quickly. And hey, if they do vote against us, think
about how much more time we'll have for the sex.”

He laughed against my neck before sighing and leaning against me.

He fell asleep, his body obviously needing the rest.

I held him through the night, needing to know he was safe.

If anyone wanted to hurt him again, they'd have to go through me. And I was feeling pretty fucking
mean.

*****

Connect with Dawn Wilder

I love to hear from readers. Feel free to drop me a line at: [e-mail] Also, if
you sign up for my mailing list, I’ll send you my next short free. Just email me with the subject ADD
ME.

If your inbox is full to bursting and you’d rather leave a review (on any of my titles), just send me a
link to it and I will send you my next short free for that as well.

If you also enjoy paranormal romance, be sure to check out my blog, where I am currently posting a
free serial: http://ardawn1.blogspot.com/