Chapter Six

Remy poked his head inside Kael’s family room, unsure of his welcome despite the curtain being drawn open. Soft music of a kind he wasn’t familiar with came from the back where he couldn’t see. “Wyatt? Shall I come in?”

The music stopped. “Yes, please.”

Remy walked through the front of the room and over to where the pallet lay. Wyatt sat propped against a mound of pillows with something that looked like a large fiddle across his lap. Uncertain of what to do or say, Remy approached the other boy slowly. When Wyatt gestured toward a large pillow lying beside the pallet, Remy sat cross-legged and stared at the floor.

“It’s okay,” Wyatt said quietly. “I won’t shatter if you talk to me the way you normally would.”

Remy lifted his eyes. “I’m sorry…about the pup.” He blinked back tears. It was important to be strong for Wyatt, not add to his emotional burden.

Wyatt put his hand on Remy’s knee briefly. “Thank you. Everyone has been so kind.” He looked away, his own lashes fluttering. “The healer says that I’ll go into heat again soon and that losing this pup doesn’t mean I’ll lose any of the others. Do you think she’s right?” he asked, staring once more at Remy.

Flustered about being asked for his opinion about something so important, he didn’t know what to say. Then the words came to him quickly and obviously. “She’s the healer. She understands things like this better than we do, than we ever can. I think you should trust her to tell you the truth.”

“I guess you’re right.” Wyatt plucked the strings on his instrument, making a nice sound that belayed the heavy grief that hung in the air. Then he strummed all of the strings in a harsh tone and stopped. “I didn’t want it! I mean I didn’t want to breed. The whole idea that I would be forced to by my nature angered me. All of this stuff about my being a shifter and an omega to boot came to me in a sudden rush of information. There was no time for me to process what it all meant before my body betrayed me.

“It was only because of Kael’s strength and love that I was able to accept it all and even that was after I ran away from him.” Tears rolled down his cheeks. “Do you think the Gods are punishing me, waiting until I’d fallen in love with the idea of whelping a pup to snatch it from me?”

Alarm shot through Remy. He wasn’t the right shifter to help Wyatt with such matters. He started to rise to find someone, then settled again. Wyatt didn’t need an explanation. He was looking for someone to simply reassure him. He licked his lips. “I’m not very smart about most things, but I don’t think that’s how the Gods work. I’ve known plenty of shifters that deserved punishment and didn’t get it. I think maybe they don’t bother with us as much as we think. And…no one would be that cruel. You don’t deserve this sadness.”

Wyatt said nothing for a long while. He just sat there looking at Remy with tears still streaming down his cheeks.

Remy unfolded his legs, knowing he hadn’t said the right thing after all. “I’ll find Kael for you.”

Wyatt stopped by clutching at his calf. “No. Please don’t go. I’ve only just convinced my mate he could go back to his duties. I don’t want to take him away and besides,” he added running a hand across his face. “You’re plenty smart about this. What you said makes sense. Please stay a while.” He strummed his instrument nicely again.

Happy to have helped, Remy settled again. “What is this you’re playing?”

“A guitar. Haven’t you seen one before?”

Remy shook his head. “No. There wasn’t much music in my old pack. The alpha didn’t like it. One of the older sigmas had a violin. This looks like a bigger version of it.”

Wyatt cocked his head. “I suppose they are from the same family of musical instruments. I’ve always found peace and happiness in playing. I’m lucky that Kael allows me to have it and Alpha Graydon encourages music in the longhouse after the evening meal.”

“I’m not surprised. Kael obviously wants to make you happy. He’s a good mate.”

Remy felt a pang of envy. He longed for such a life himself, except the one dominant he could imagine making a family with was determined to reject him. It was unfathomable to him. The time they’d spent and the pleasure they’d shared had convinced Remy even more that he and Dane were fated to be together. The beta hadn’t been obligated to use his mouth the way he had. Remy knew about that kind of pleasuring. He’d caught sight of it a time or two, but always it was a dominant who was receiving such attention. It was mind-boggling that a beta would do such a thing for a servient. Maybe it was because of who Dane was—a caring shifter who could be both gentle and strong. Remy certainly couldn’t imagine anyone else bothering to pleasure him that way.

Wyatt picked up the pace of his song. “Yes, Kael is the best of mates. I’m lucky. I know that even though it’s still hard for me to accept his dominance over me.” He grimaced. “I’m not great at following orders. Kael is good at making it seem like he’s including me in decisions even though he’s making them.”

The confession surprised Remy. He’d always done as he’d been told without questioning whether he could refuse. “I’m different, I guess. I like not having to be the one to figure out what’s best and follow orders without even thinking about it.”

“That’s because you were raised to be a good servient. I wasn’t. My human parents taught me to think for myself.” Wyatt shook his head. “Kael is the perfect mate for me because he understands the human world better than most. I really am fortunate in the life I have with him. It’s just hard to hold onto that with so much grief consuming me. Music helps.”

“That’s good. Will you play me something?”

Wyatt smiled for the first time. “I’d like that.”

Resting his chin on his hand, Remy settled into listening and enjoying his visit with the other omega. He wanted to help but he also welcomed the distraction. His wolf was growing more restless and the tension inside him that had been so relieved by what Dane had done to him the previous night was building once more. Focusing on Wyatt helped him beat back his growing fear of what was to come.

****

Remy woke abruptly with his heart hammering and his body feeling as if it were on fire. He sat up, disoriented at first until he saw Wyatt lying beside him on the pallet. At some point during his visit, he’d yawned so much and blinked so often to keep his eyes open that the other omega had scooted over to give him space to lie down. He hadn’t intended to fall asleep. Now he felt as if something horrible had happened without his even knowing it.

He clasped his shaking hands together. “What’s happening?” He couldn’t help whimpering and squirming from the unbearable itching deep inside his ass.

Wyatt covered Remy’s hands with his own. “It’s your heat. Time for you to be bred. I know it’s scary but you’ll get through this.” He crawled over Remy and stood. “I’ll get help.”

“No! You shouldn’t be up.” Even in his misery he knew it was wrong to burden the very one he was supposed to be caring for.

“I’m fine. Take deep breaths and try to stay calm.”

Remy slammed his eyes shut to attempt to follow Wyatt’s advice. He concentrated on taking deep breaths in and out. It helped slow down his heartbeat but did nothing for the agonizing need growing inside him. His wolf pounced around frantically under his skin, whining. A deeper echoing bark helped calm them both.

Then there were lots of footsteps and voices. I familiar scent hit him as someone crouched beside the pallet. Merida. He forced his eyes open and stared into his sister’s concerned face.

“You’ll be fine, Remy. Please don’t be scared.”

A breath whooshed out of him. “I need…I want…”

“I understand. This came more quickly than I hoped it would. It’s time for you to be bred. You have to pick a dominant to mount you. Not a mate,” she added hastily. “Alpha Graydon said you can decide on that later. For now, it’s only about the breeding.”

A sharp pain made him cry out. “Can’t I just wait for it to go away?”

Merida’s sad expression gave him the answer. “It doesn’t work that way. I’m sorry, little brother. This is one thing I can’t protect you from.”

Remy tore his gaze from his sister’s and looked frantically around. The alpha was there, as was the alpha mate, Kael with Wyatt in his arms, and the gamma, Conan. Where’s Dane?

Merida turned and gestured toward the gathering. “Conan is here for you.”

“No!” Mindless now with need, he clutched his sister’s arms. “I want Dane. Where is he?” Remy had never been so bold, so demanding. It wasn’t his place to command anyone for anything. And yet whatever plagued him inside had cast aside his normal nature. He felt out of control, as if he would break into pieces at any moment. His wolf howled as he’d never done before.

The answering howl instantly calmed his wolf. And then there he was, Dane, striding through the crowd and replacing Merida by his side. Remy cried out again and flung himself into the beta’s arms.

“Please help me?”

“Hush now. I’m here and I’ll make it all better.” Dane gently pushed Remy to an arm’s length and stared seriously at him. “Is this truly what you want? For me to mount you? I won’t be staying Remy. I just…can’t. You deserve to be bred by the dominant who will become your mate.”

“It has to be you.” Remy got the words out in barely a whisper. The need in him was growing to a point where thinking and speaking were becoming impossible.

Dane hesitated only a moment more before scooping Remy into his arms and carrying him out. With closed eyes, Remy clung as close to Dane as he could. He didn’t even question where they were going or what was going to happen. He only knew that Dane was going to make the pain go away.

He found himself on his hands and knees, inhaling the scent of both of them as he pressed his cheek against the pallet. Big, strong hands separated his legs, then the cheeks of his ass and took hold of him at his waist. Warm skin pressed against his heated one. A bite of pain was followed by his being filled with something thick and long. Remy cried out, this time from relief. He pushed back to help take all of Dane’s cock. Heavy balls bounced against his own. He braced his forearms on the pallet and dug his fingers into the cloth as the beta began to thrust.

Remy came with a blinding rush that made him pant out cries. Dane’s fingers wrapped around the back of his neck as the beta’s seed flooded Remy’s ass. The thrusting didn’t abate. The relief of being mounted ebbed away, replaced once more with that fiery ache. Remy pleaded silently for it to be calmed. His wolf whined and howled. Then Dane’s dick started to swell, pushing Remy’s channel so much he thought he would split in two. More warmth coated his insides and he came again.

He went limp and let himself drift away.

****

Dane pulled out of Remy as gently as he could. His knot had finally subsided enough for him to do so. The poor omega was deeply asleep, his heat mollified for now, but Dane’s seed had not yet taken. No surprise there. It was a rare thing for a heat to be over with only one mounting.

He lay on his back, catching his breath and wondering what foolishness this whole situation was. Dane had no business breeding Remy. He should have taken off for the woods the moment Wyatt had raised the alarm that Remy’s heat had come. He’d even tried to shift to do that very thing, except his wolf forced him back into human form. The unusual tie between his wolf and Remy’s meant that their human half couldn’t control matters. He’d had no choice but to run toward the omega instead of away from him. The boy’s insistence on Dane being the one to breed him was something he simply couldn’t resist.

So here they were on the pallet that still smelled of what they’d done the previous night. That evidence alone made clear that it didn’t matter what Dane wanted. He was fated to at least put a pup in Remy. What happened after that was going to be driven by Dane’s own needs. He just couldn’t bring himself to rejoin the very place where his shameful cowardice had overcome him. With Remy’s heat taking precedence over all else, Dane had to ignore his own growing discomfort. It was getting harder to do so, however. He could only hope that his seed would take quickly.

He shoved those thoughts aside and rose to get the omega something to eat as well as water and a cloth to clean him. Mounting was messy business at the best of times. Remy’s heat added extra sweat and the small room was too warm with stale air. He parted the curtain to let some freshness in and found everything he needed right outside. Someone had been kind enough to think ahead. Celia in all likelihood or perhaps the alpha mate. In any event, it made his life easier.

He brought everything inside and set about wiping Remy clean. He was almost afraid to look to closely at what damage he might have done. Heat notwithstanding, the boy had been small and tight. It was only Dane’s desperation to alleviate the omega’s suffering that had caused him to be quick and brutal in the mounting. And ah Gods, the intense pleasure wouldn’t allow him to be too guilty or unhappy with this duty. He could have thrust into that snug channel forever, but for his knot forcing him to stop. The mere thought of the whole thing beginning again had his spent cock rising.

There was no blood and his efforts caused Remy to sigh softly. The boy rolled over and his eyes fluttered open. He smiled sweetly and shyly at Dane, and that small thing caused his chest to puff with pride and his wolf rose from its slumber to yip. Remy’s responded in a sleepy voice.

“Is there water?”

“Of course.” Dane jumped to fill and bring a cup over to the boy. He helped him sit up to drink, careful not to press his rampant erection against the omega. There would be another mounting soon. This time was for Remy to regain his strength.

The omega bit off a strip of dried meat, then a chunk of bread, and chewed as if he were starving.

Dane stopped the boy from taking more until he’d swallowed the first mouthful. “Easy. You’ll choke yourself.”

Remy instantly slowed and allowed Dane to control the pace of his eating. “Thank you. I feel better. That won’t last, though, will it?”

“No.” Dane wanted to say more to comfort the boy but he really didn’t know what was going to happen. There was no value is saying anything that he wasn’t sure to be true.

Remy finished the water. “Are you…mad that I made you breed me?”

Hearing the worry in the boy’s voice, Dane made a point of rubbing his thumb across Remy’s cheek and smiling. “I could never be mad at you and this was my choice. You didn’t make me do anything.”

“I’m glad. I can’t imagine doing this with anyone else.” He lowered his gaze. “I hope I didn’t hurt Conan’s feelings.”

Dane nearly laughed. “A dominant like Conan would never put his desires above those of an omega in heat. He’s disappointed I’m sure but that’s only because you are so beautiful. There is no dominant alive who wouldn’t want a chance to mount you.”

He could see some understanding enter Remy’s mind. And not a good one. A memory perhaps or something worse. Because the idea that another dominant might have hurt or scared Remy before his sister could take him away infuriated him, Dane forced the thoughts from his mind. Now was not the time to dwell on such matters. Servicing Remy to the best of his ability was paramount.

“Do you want more to eat?”

Remy shook his head and moved to lie down on his back. “It’s starting again. I can feel it.”

“It’s all right. I’m here for you.”

“I know and it’s as wonderful as it is painful. But…is it possible for you to mount me face-to-face? I want to see you when you do it.”

Dane hadn’t thought he could desire this boy more. He’d been wrong. As he raised Remy’s legs and positioned himself between them, his cock pulsed with renewed urgency. When he cupped the omega’s ass to expose his beckoning hole, Dane stared into Remy’s eyes. He kept doing so as he breached the puckered ring and slid his cock home.

****

“Please mount me again.”

Dane pried open his eyes and found Remy staring down at him. He was reaching for the boy to comply when a scent hit him. He stopped and let his arms drop to his sides. “There is no need. My seed has taken and you’re now breeding.” Disappointment overwhelmed him. He beat it back. This had never been about his pleasure.

“I know,” Remy whispered. “I still would like you to do it one more time just for me. Please.”

Words caught in Dane’s throat, so he didn’t try to speak. Instead he gently rolled Remy onto his back and kneed his legs apart. Dane’s dick found the boy’s hole with practiced ease. He slipped inside the boy’s ass with a slow thrust that ended when he could go no farther. He fucked the omega as he’d always meant to, slowly and with great care. He could see the climax building in the boy and reached between them to clasp and jerk the swelling cock. The moment the first of Remy’s cum released, he gave into his own orgasm. He rocked them both until they were dry and collapsed over to the side.

Even though he knew he should quickly ween them both off their need for each other, Dane still gathered Remy into his arms to savor what time they had left. The soft, sweet boy melted into his embrace without hesitation. His steady, warm breath was like a balm to Dane’s maelstrom of emotions. Part of him was completely content to lie as they were, to stay inside the cocoon of their small room. But there was also a deeper, uglier ball of pain that threatened to erupt. With Remy’s heat and Dane’s own duty gone, the urge to flee the longhouse grew. He wanted to return to his den in the forest where he’d found a calm acceptance of his life. His wolf was too satiated to impose an opinion, although Dane knew that part of him operated on a simpler level. His wolf wanted Remy and the memories of what their life had been like before his sire had been killed had faded as was the way of the beast. Shifters lived with the dissonance of human nature versus that of a wolf. Normally there was not much conflict. In this situation, there was and the longer he stayed, the worse it would become.

Still, Dane lay with the omega in his arms until the boy fell back to sleep. With great effort, he kept his wolf quiet as he carefully extracted himself from Remy’s hold. He stared down at the exquisitely lovely omega, amazed that such a soft shifter had put his trust in a hideous, feral creature like himself. He ran his fingers down the scarred skin where his eye once was. It was baffling that Remy didn’t seem to notice the disfigurement at all. Not once had he shied away from Dane’s touch. The boy would make a wonderful mate for some lucky dominant. But not him.

Before he could change his mind or lose control over his wolf, Dane left the room and raced out of the longhouse. He stood for a few seconds breathing in the crisp, cold air, fists clenched against the power it took to stop his wolf from howling out to Remy’s. This is what’s best for him. Do you want me to hurt him? That admonishment reined his wolf in, although unhappiness blanketed them both. It was still best to leave now. Remy might be sad at his going, but if he stayed and left later, it would be worse.

“He’s better off without me.”

“You are a fool. And a coward.”

Dane whipped his head around to stare at Graydon. “You are right on both counts. It doesn’t change the fact that this is what’s best for the boy.”

Graydon shook his head. “You know that’s not true. You are obviously fated mates. Everyone sees that…except you, apparently.”

Dane bared his teeth. “You think I don’t know that? Even without mating, our wolves can communicate. I want Remy more than my next breath.”

Graydon stepped closer. “Then stay, brother. Have I not made myself clear that you are welcome back now?”

“You have been more than clear.” Dane dropped his gaze. “It has been good to be back.”

“But?”

Dane raised his gaze again and jabbed a thumb into his own chest. “It’s still inside me—the fury…and the fear. It’s like a sickness festering within and no chance of healing. Not fully. Too much happened.” He deliberated with himself before adding, “You don’t know how he was with me because he was careful to keep it from you. As was I.”

Confusion crossed his brother’s face. “I don’t understand. We both felt his heavy hand and went hungry when he deemed it necessary as a punishment.”

Dane grimaced. “He hurt me more and worse. Those times when I was confined in the shed alone, it was to hide the injuries he’d inflicted.” Dane raised one hand and opened and closed his fingers. “I can’t count the number of times these were broken. And that is only part of it, and just a physical one. He terrorized me every day.”

Graydon grasped the hand and held it. “Why you? I was his alpha heir. I should have received the worst of it.”

“That is exactly why you didn’t. He had to be careful not to risk his heir. Our mother was too soft a target and Wren was too valuable. That left me.” Dane extracted his hand and stepped back. “He told me that I needed to be as tough as he was because he feared you would be too lenient and would require my firm guidance to be the kind of alpha he wanted you to be. I was supposed to be the flea in your ear when he was gone.

“He even made me swear to conspire against you once you had an alpha son of your own if you didn’t live up to our sire’s standards. He wanted me to find a way to kill you.”

Graydon said nothing for long seconds. “I shouldn’t be surprised by this, and yet somehow I still am.”

“Because you are nothing like him. You could never see the world through his evil eyes. And because I was starting to, I had to leave. I had to run away to preserve myself and you.”

“You wouldn’t have become what he wanted. I’m sure of that.”

His brother’s words filled in a part of the dark hole lodged deep inside Dane. It felt good to finally speak the entire truth and knowing that Graydon trusted in him was more than he could have hoped for. “I wasn’t as certain about myself. Not then. The only future I could see was one where I turned out just like our sire. Now…I’m no danger to you. Of course, I’m not. The last vestiges of fear that you were more like him are gone. I am healed in that way.”

“Then stay! Become my beta and Remy’s mate.”

Oh, how Dane longed to do just that. He shook his head. “I trust you. Not myself. Not enough, anyway. Fury is still lodged deep inside me. Dread too. I’ve kept it under control so far, but it keeps trying to bubble up. Every corner I turn in the longhouse, I expect the old bastard to leap out at me as he used to.” He shook his head. “I can’t hurt Remy more by mating with him, then losing my control and fleeing again.”

“I don’t think that will happen. You are a strong shifter, brother. And we’ll help you.”

Dane tried for a smile. “I know you would try and I suspect Remy would forgive me anything. I won’t take the chance, though. He deserves to have a mate upon whom he and his pups can rely. You’ll see that he gets one. I’m sure of that.”

Before Graydon could talk him out of it, Dane shifted and raced for the safety of the woods.