Breaking the Bonds

  Arms raised, Jaime gripped the back of the couch as Mark nailed him, crying out between small puffs of air, the sounds making Mark so crazy with lust, he doubled the speed of his thrusts, knocking the couch against the wall behind it. Jaime’s rim began to relax its grip, and Mark instinctively knew the omega’s body was preparing itself to take his knot. He could feel the bulge like a separate part of himself, pulse beating inside the protrusion as his nuts pumped sperm into it to be released when locked inside his omega.

  He swiveled his hips and gasped when the sensitive, round bulge slipped into Jaime, the omega’s inner muscles gripping the knot. A powerful orgasm rolled through Mark’s body, and the newly-created beta howled in triumph. Jaime convulsed underneath Mark, eyes rolling back in his head as he spurted ropes of white onto his abdomen and chest. Mark bent and sank his teeth in over the previous mark, and Jaime yelped and clawed at Mark’s back as another climax washed over the omega. Mark ran his fingers through the spunk, massaging it into Jaime’s abdomen and thighs.

  “Gods, that was good,” Jaime said, breathing heavily.

  “More than good,” Mark said. He pulled out, cock still stiff and leaking. Mark looked at it in amazement. “I could fuck you again.”

  Jaime grinned. “Yes, you could.”

  “Roll over,” Mark said, and Jaime flipped so that his ass was out, and he was gripping the back of the couch. Mark entered without preamble, fucking the omega fast and hard until they were both moaning. Another spectacular orgasm later, they lay recovering on the couch, Jaime spooned against Mark. Jaime slept, but Mark remained awake, holding his omega against him, marveling at all that had happened, until Josiah stuck his head in the door.

  “Oh, don’t you just look the picture of blissed-out smugness,” the first omega said.

  Mark just grinned. Jaime slept, arms around him, and they were both still naked, but he didn’t care.

  “Any regrets?” Josiah asked, looking worried.

  Mark met his friend’s gaze. “None whatsoever.”

  Josiah let out a sigh. “Good. Glad to have you in the pack, Mark.” He quietly left, shutting the door behind him.

  Chapter 20: David

  Every day that passed knowing Jax was in the arms of another killed David a little more, and the alpha knew Brooks felt the same. Although it didn’t make sense, it was almost as though Jax was their bonded mate. The two shifters felt connected to him, and David sometimes wondered if some of that had to do with the fact he’d submitted to the human. Alphas didn’t submit, but David had done it.

  And he’d loved doing it.

  Fuck, David just wanted the whole nightmare to be over and for Jax to be back there with him. All their problems—the fact that David was ashamed of his willingness to submit and that Jax refused to take the bite—seemed minute in the current life-threatening circumstances.

  Jax’s safety was always at the back of David’s mind, no matter what was going on, but Mark taking the bite offered him as well as the others in the pack a brief moment of jubilation. On the night of Mark’s change, David and Leo built a bonfire, and the pack celebrated. Everyone held their collective breath as Josiah coached Mark through his first shift.

  A wolf for the first time, Mark pranced around the yard, growled, preened, and rolled around the grass to the amusement of the other shifters.

  Suddenly, Jaime let out a half-cry, half-growl and became the focus of the packs’ attention.

  Having been raised by humans, the orphaned omega had never shifted and all attempts by members of the pack to teach him had failed; yet, somehow, seeing his new mate shift must have propelled Jaime into a half-shift of his own.

  Clothes in shreds at his feet, Jaime stood partially covered in amber fur, pointed wolf ears poking from his auburn hair and sharp fangs extending from his gums. Still in wolf form, Mark trotted over to Jaime and nuzzled his mate under the arm in encouragement. With a brutal cry, Jaime finished the shift, and as a wolf, lifted his head and howled. The rest of the pack howled in answer, quickly slipping out of their clothes and shifting in their excitement. Primal instincts taking over, they set off running through the fields adjacent to the yard.

  In his white wolf form, David covered the land with graceful power. There was nothing like the feeling of running as a pack. Spotting River, the second alpha sped up, taking his place behind the pack alpha as Leo dropped to third, the trio leading the run for miles until exhaustion began to take over. In the last hours of the run, David traveled beside his mate until they both collapsed in a heap under a group of pines, curling up around each other to sleep until morning.

  * * * *

  Daylight was just breaking and the air filling with sounds of bird song when David and Brooks paused at the ashes of the previous night’s bonfire and donned their clothes. Together, they walked into the pack house where the scent of pancakes, bacon, and freshly brewed coffee immediately hit their noses. David’s stomach growled.

  “I’ll check on Jarrod-Grant,” Brooks said before mounting the stairs. Every member of the pack helped take care of the little ones, so David knew Brooks wasn’t worried for their son’s well-being and only wondered if they child was awake yet.

  “Good morning,” Sam greeted David when the second alpha entered the kitchen. Several pack members were already sitting around the table eating, some looking as though, like David, they’d spent their night under the stars.

  David smiled at Sam. “Smells wonderful.” He filled two plates from the long counter of food and took them to the table.

  Brooks returned. “Still asleep,” he said as he slipped into the chair next to the alpha.

  “River just received word that Angel Hills is sending several alphas and betas in response to his call,” Leo informed David. “Spartan Point and the rogue alphas living in Congress housing have also agreed to help. River’s called a pack meeting tonight after they all arrive.”

  David glanced at the third alpha. “Are we really going to storm the place?” he asked.

  Leo looked surprised. “Don’t you want to?”

  “I want to do whatever’s best to end this for good.” David dug into his pancakes.

  “I called Kumar and Oaks,” Mark said. “They’ll be here later today.”

  The former human seemed to be adjusting well to his change. He looked different, of course, because shifters naturally retained a power and vitality that humans did not; but Mark also seemed much happier than he had before. David noticed Jaime kept his hand on Mark’s lap while eating, and that Mark kept casting adoring looks at the omega. The second alpha shared a knowing look with Brooks, who was also watching the newly mated pair.

  “Josiah up yet?” David asked.

  “In heat,” Kane answered, the words telling all of them that the first omega and his mate were in their bedroom and would be for some time.

  “Look who I found awake.” Sawyer walked in with a rumpled-looking Jarrod-Grant wearing a pair of Superman pajamas.

  Brooks held his arms out to take the boy. “I just checked on him, and he was fast asleep.” Brooks began cutting up pancake for their son while David popped a small piece of bacon in the little boy’s mouth.

  “Where are the triplets?” Brooks asked Sawyer.

  “They were up at the ass crack of dawn, as usual. They’ve eaten, and Liam has them out in the backyard helping him with chores. Sadie and Sophie are with them.”

  David turned to ask Leo if he’d heard from the man who had expressed an interest in breeding his mare with the pack’s stallion and noticed the alpha intently watching his mate, who sat in front of an untouched plate looking slightly ill.

  “Everything okay, Sam?” David asked just before the omega jumped up and ran out of the room. Seconds later, they heard Sam throwing up in the hall bathroom.

  David looked at Leo.

  “He’s pregnant,” Leo said, pushing away from the table and following Sam.

  “I hope Angela has something to give him soon,” Brooks said. “Poor Sam
.”

  “Angela and her colleagues have been working night and day to analyze the remnants of the drug found in that dart,” David said. “Sam will be okay.”

  Briar looked worried. “What if there’s no cure?”

  David couldn’t answer; none of them could.

  “We have to believe they can, but if it doesn’t happen, well, we go on. What choice to we have?” Kane asked.

  Briar pressed his nose into his alpha’s hair, and David suddenly recalled how annoyed he’d once been with his little brother for refusing every potential mate presented to him until the rogue alpha, Kane showed up. That seemed like a lifetime ago.

  At least the pair had triplets. If they couldn’t have anymore, three were better than one. Betas could only have one child, so Jarrod-Grant was it for David, and the second alpha was fine with that, but he knew his brother wanted as many as possible. Omegas were made differently than betas and an omega/alpha pairing was said to be particularly driven to procreate. It’s how shifters guaranteed the survival of their species. David had never regretted not pairing with an omega himself. Too much drama. He was more than happy with his beta mate and their son. If he could get Jax home with them, things would be perfect.

  The meal continued in near silence. When he’d finished eating, David kissed Brooks and headed for the barn, a sense of relaxation hitting him as he stepped outside. A few hours with the horses would do him good. He never grew tired of the scent of hay, sunshine, and fresh air.

  Hours later, when the sun had moved past its zenith, Brooks brought the second alpha his lunch, the basket carried lopsidedly between the beta and their son, who David was sure had insisted on helping carry the load. They set up a picnic in the shade and ate before lying down to watch the breeze brush the tree branches above their heads while Jarrod-Grant shifted and chased butterflies. David remembered a time when every day had been this peaceful and humans were just a vague idea, far-away and non-threatening.

  They were cleaning up their mess when a beige Lincoln Continental pulled up the drive.

  “Must be Kumar and Oaks,” David said, wiping his hands on the legs of his jeans and watching as the two FBI agents climbed out of the car. Jarrod-Grant shifted back to human form, and the little boy clutched David’s leg.

  “It’s okay, buddy. They’re friends.”

  Brooks held out his hand to their son. “Let’s go inside and build a fort out of your blocks.”

  David watched his mate greet the men before heading into the pack house. As River was indisposed for the time being, David would have to entertain the agents. He strode toward them and held out his hand to shake.

  “River is unavailable at the moment, as his mate’s in heat,” the second alpha told the humans, enjoying the look of embarrassment when the two men had worked out what that meant.

  “Come inside,” David led the agents into the house. “Have you had lunch?”

  “Uh, yes. We stopped at a restaurant on the way,” Oaks said.

  “The members from the other packs won’t be here for a while.”

  “That’s all right. We haven’t got anything else scheduled for the rest of the day, although it’s too bad the pack alpha is—er—not available. We’d hoped to speak with him privately.”

  David bristled. “Why privately?”

  “We just mean before the others arrive,” Kumar clarified.

  “He should be able to get away this evening, at least for a little while, but I don’t know if you’ll be able to speak with him before he calls the meeting. The first several hours of heat are intense.”

  “I suppose the nature of the, uh, heat is what makes the omega such a high commodity for these traffickers,” Oaks said. “They’re given a drug that keeps them in that state.”

  David growled, along with Kane and Liam, who were sitting in the living room when the group entered the house.

  “That’s incredibly cruel. In heat, the omega only cares about the act of procreation. Without his mate there, he would forget to care for himself. Humans are taking advantage of our kind, and we want retribution. The fact that one of our pack is one of the victims makes it all the more intolerable. River won’t stand for it.”

  “We’re hoping to convince him of the wisdom of waiting just a little longer for our plan to be executed.” Kumar said.

  “We’ll see. I’ll go tell him you’ve arrived.”

  David climbed the stairs and approached the closed bedroom door belonging to the pack alpha and first omega. Inside, he could hear the grunting and heavy breathing of an intense rutting session.

  He knocked and pushed open the door, knowing River would be too occupied to answer.

  River had Josiah’s legs spread wide and was pummeling him hard while the omega arched and cried out for more.

  “River, the agents are here. I’ll keep them occupied until you’re ready.”

  River looked at David over his shoulder, eyes glowing with lust. His long, dark hair clung to his sweaty shoulders and back, and the muscles in his ass and thighs bunched as he continued thrusting into his mate. A moment later, River pulled out, cock red and looking painfully rigid with the purplish knot bulging beneath it. Josiah moaned and flipped onto his stomach, presenting his slick backside to his mate. David remained a good distance away from the bed so as not to anger the pack alpha as he proceeded to push the knot past the omega’s dripping rim.

  “River!” Josiah yelled before coming in long spurts on the sheets.

  Out of breath, the pack alpha turned glazed eyes to his second-in-command. “They’re early.”

  “They hoped to talk to you before those from the other packs arrived. I told them it wasn’t likely you’d be free.”

  Josiah wiggled on River’s cock and groaned as what looked like another strong orgasm consumed him. River shut his eyes tightly and gave a deep thrust of his cock before opening them again and looking at David.

  “I’ll be lucky to make time when the packs arrive,” he panted.

  David nodded. “I’ll handle them.” He left the room and heard the bed squeaking before he reached the bottom of the stairs, no doubt in his mind that being mated to an omega was exhausting work.

  David spent the next couple of hours chatting with the two FBI agents. To their credit, the two men seemed interested in shifter life and asked a lot of questions.

  “Seems to me our species are more alike than different,” Oaks said before taking a sip of the iced tea Briar had brought him. “I’ve heard you’ve…uh, dated humans, Mr. White.”

  The pack usually went by the colors of their wolf coats as surnames in the human world, although this sometimes caused confusion, as man wolves were similar colors.

  “Call me David. Jax is my lover, if that’s what you mean.”

  “Is?” Kumar exchanged a look with Oaks. “But I thought the man who greeted us when we got here was your mate.” He only hesitated slightly with over the term.

  “Jax and I were lovers when I took Brooks as my mate. We consider Jax to be our mate, too. The boy you saw Brooks with when you arrived was our son, Jarrod-Grant.”

  “Fine looking boy,” Oaks said. “How old is he?” That question launched them into a discussion of the shifter’s initial rapid growth before the subject swung around to Jax again.

  “Your relationship to Jax must make this situation even more difficult for you and your mate,” Kumar said. “I’ve been told Jax has been undercover over a year now.”

  David nodded. He glanced at Kane and Liam, who had joined them. “Excuse me. There’s something I need to take care of.”

  David climbed the steps, the wolf within him edgy. Talking about his relationship with Jax had taken its toll, and he needed a break. He needed the scent and comfort of his mate.

  He found Brooks in their bedroom reading a book. The beta took one look at the alpha, put the novel down on the table, and opened his arms to his mate.

  David closed the door and fell into them, kissing the beta fiercely as his hands pull
ed at Brooks’ clothing until it lay in a pile on the floor.

  Brooks groaned when David flipped the beta onto his stomach and buried his face between the man’s ass cheeks, licking and sucking greedily at the sensitive flesh.

  “Need you,” David said hoarsely.

  Brook shook under the onslaught. “You have me. Gods, David, take me.”

  When David sank his cock into the beta, Brooks pushed back, sending ripples of pleasure from the alpha’s balls to his head. Brooks arose to his knees and rocked on David’s rigid cock, giving as good as he got, until the alpha had to still the beta’s hips to prevent from coming too soon. He wanted this to last—needed it to.

  After calming, David began to thrust hard and fast, growling when Brooks’ body tightened around him in climax. He kept going, fucking the beta through two more orgasms before finally giving into his body’s need and coming hard, knot slipping past the loosened muscles of the beta’s rim and lodging inside.

  Collapsing on the bed, the mates lay sweaty and exhausted until David’s knot broke, sending them both over the edge again.

  David pressed a kiss to Brooks’ head. “Gods, I needed that.”

  “You okay?” Brooks asked, voice muffled by the covers.

  David pulled out and rolled onto his back. “I am now.”

  Pushing himself up on his elbows, Brooks looked down at David. “Where are Oaks and Kumar?”

  “With Kane and Liam. I just…had to get out of there.”

  Brooks sucked on David’s shoulder and then bit it.

  David pulled the beta into his arms. “Let’s just rest a while,” David said. “I don’t want to go out there right now.”

  Brooks smiled. “Fine by me.”

  * * * *

  Darkness had fallen, and by the time David left Brooks with Jarrod-Grant and joined the rest of the pack outside, the bonfire from the night before had been rekindled, and the others had arrived. The second alpha greeted the alphas and betas from Angel Hills and Spartan Point and the rogue alphas from Cascade City before sitting on two of the folding chairs gathered around the fire.