CHAPTER THREE

J amie and Ivan slowly made their way back to the Pack House in the early morning hours, having woken with dawn's mist and the scent of earth and water surrounding them. Jamie considered it the most beautiful morning of his life. Ivan had held him close all night, both in wolf form as well as human.

He tentatively touched the new mating mark on his shoulder and smiled at the exquisite sensation that shot through him. He hadn't expected the events of last night, but he was so deliriously happy with the outcome of their talk. Ivan did care, and he was sorry, and those were the things that mattered the most right now. They'd bonded, and they were now a mated couple. Jamie thought his heart would burst. It was so full of love, hope, and wonder.

Ivan continued to hold him close as they walked through the forest. Jamie accepted that Ivan had been raised differently than he was raised and had different views on life, so he would try to be patient and honest with his mate. They had a lifetime ahead of them.

"We have a lot to discuss, my mate." Ivan finally spoke as the Pack House came into view.

"Yeah, we didn't do much talking last night." Jamie grinned. "But the communication was spot on." He turned to his mate when Ivan laughed.

"I want to meet your family, and I want to learn about your pack." Ivan continued.

"We can start right here," Jamie said as they climbed the stairs of the deck and headed for the doors that led inside. "Breakfast is being served, and you can be properly introduced as Officer Jamie McCormick's stunningly handsome bonded mate."

"Sounds good to me." Ivan agreed, and they made their way first to Ivan's room and cleaned up, then headed to the dining room. All eyes were on them when they entered, some openly pleased and others more reserved. The first to speak was Alpha Lance.

"Looks like you two must have worked out a good share of your issues going by the satisfied grin on your face and the tight hold that Ivan has around your waist," Lance spoke to Jamie but smiled at them both.

"Welcome, Ivan, come and sit with us." With the Alpha's invitation, they both took a seat across from the enforcers, Dean and Alvin. Ivan had been introduced to several pack members during his last visit, but there were some unfamiliar faces around this table. Jamie prepared their dishes and presented a plate of eggs, sausage, bacon, and toast for his mate.

"Thank you, Jamie." Ivan smiled and took the offered dish.

"Coffee?"

"Yes, thank you."

Once Jamie was satisfied, he sat down next to Ivan, who had waited for him to be seated before he started his breakfast. Jamie introduced Ivan to the people he hadn't already met, which included the pack doctor, two enforcers, one of the pack accountants, and his wife. They all appeared pleasant and welcoming. It was only Dean who seemed to be holding back his congratulations and eyeing Ivan as if he were dissecting him.

Ivan was used to scrutiny and also understood the man's concerns. Jamie had shared that he and Dean were friends and had been friends for many years. In fact, it was Dean who got Jamie his job with the police department. It was obvious that Dean was taking Ivan's slight to Jamie very personally.

"What's your plan Ivan, now that you and Jamie have mated?" Dean questioned the edge very clearly in his tone. It was understood in wolf culture that the more powerful wolf made the decisions, although Ivan had no intention of controlling his mate. Jamie was a strong man, and they would make their decisions together.

"Jamie has offered to let me meet his family, and I'm very much looking forward to it. He also has invited me on a tour of your pack lands, with the permission of Alpha Lance, of course." Ivan added the last, knowing it was pack etiquette. He glanced over at Lance, who nodded, indicating his permission. Ivan knew that Dean was referring to their long-term plans now that he and Jamie had mated, but he wasn't about to discuss their plans with a virtual stranger while sitting at the breakfast table. If Dean wanted more, he would have to be specific and damn nosey.

Jamie laid his hand on Ivan's thigh beneath the table, clearly sensing the growing tension within him. The supportive move had an instant effect, and Ivan felt himself beginning to relax, and he enjoyed the rest of his meal. Jamie shot Dean a derisive look that had him dropping his questions and seemed satisfied to simply glare at Ivan in silence.

Ivan really didn't care what anyone thought of him because Jamie's opinion was the only one that mattered. As long as his mate accepted him, everyone else could go to hell. He'd gotten off on the wrong foot in the beginning, but he swore to himself that Jamie would never doubt his love and devotion in the future.

Having mated Jamie had opened Ivan to what it meant to have someone in his life that mattered more than all else. Jamie was now the center of his world, and he wouldn't allow anyone to interfere, not even Jamie's well-meaning friends. He decided to engage Dean, and he held his stare until the man looked away and left the table. He would willingly challenge everyone at this table if that was what it took to secure his mate.

"I'd like to stop back at my apartment after we eat so I can change. Then I thought we could take a tour. I know you were here five months ago, but you were only here to pick up Jordan Randall and take him home, so I'd like to show you some of the nicer areas of pack territory." Jamie knew he was rambling, but he had a lot to say, and he wanted his mate to like it here.

He wasn't kidding himself, though. He was fairly certain that Ivan would want to take him back to his pack in Michigan, considering Ivan was the beta. But Jamie hoped to maybe sway him and convince him that Lonepine was a good place to settle. Jamie would miss his family and friends, not to mention his job.

The position of sheriff had been open for quite some time after the last sheriff took a position in Bozeman over two years ago. He was a human with knowledge of the paranormals. He had been a trusted member of the community, but everyone understood when he decided to accept the position in Bozeman. None of the current officers wanted the job, so it had sat empty with Beta Aaron Beaumont stepping in when sheriff duties were imperative.

Jamie thought that Ivan would make a stellar new sheriff, and he just had to decide the best time and place to broach the subject with both his mate and his Alpha.

…

"You have a nice place here," Ivan commented when they arrived at Jamie's downtown apartment. It was small with one bedroom, one bath with a kitchen and living room somewhat combined but separated by a counter area. Ivan appreciated the minimalist setup and discovered they had very similar tastes as far as color and content. There were no frills here, but everything Jamie owned was quality, from his oak table to his leather sofa. "How long have you lived here?"

"I rented it two years ago. My parents would have preferred I stay at home, but the time comes when a person needs their own space. With three brothers and two sisters, there isn't much room for privacy." Jamie came out of his room, having changed into a fresh pair of jeans and a light cotton t-shirt.

"Do your brothers and sisters still live at home?"

"Yes, I'm the oldest. My father is the custodian at the high school, and my mother takes care of all of us." Jamie's love and pride in his family was apparent, and it made Ivan smile, pleased that his mate had had such a pleasant childhood. Not every shifter was so lucky.

"I look forward to meeting them."

"I hope you like them." Jamie sounded unsure, and Ivan wanted to remedy that immediately.

"I know that I will." Ivan walked over to his mate and took Jaime's head and held it between his palms, and looked down into his exquisite face, so open and loving. Ivan was overcome with the knowledge that this man belonged to him and a thrill of anticipation ran down his spine. He looked forward to getting to know Jamie and learning all of his secrets. He descended slowly, taking Jamie's mouth in a gentle, searching kiss. He tasted so fine Ivan didn't think he would ever get enough.

He stepped up closer, so their bodies were touching, and he could feel Jamie's cock pressed against his thigh, eager and demanding. Jamie circled Ivan's waist with his arms and held tight as he opened for Ivan's penetration. Ivan's tongue mapped the interior of Jamie's mouth from teeth to tonsils before sucking on his bottom lip and nipping it lightly. "You are so delicious." Ivan groaned and ran his hands through Jamie's hair, then down to his shoulders, pulling him up snugly to Ivan's chest.

Jamie rubbed his face on Ivan's shirt front in an attempt to clear his licentious thoughts. He turned his head to look up at Ivan with a grin. "I think I'm going to have a perpetual hard-on around you."

"I'm right there with you, mate." Ivan rubbed his own erection against Jamie's stomach, and they both laughed. Ivan kissed the mating mark he'd given Jamie the night before in a definite show of possession, causing a shudder to pass through Jamie punctuated by a lustful moan. "Oh, Jamie, keep that up, and we may never leave this apartment." Ivan tilted Jamie's face back up towards him and ravaged again his already swollen lips.

His needs rode him hard when he was near his mate like this. His wolf wanted to claim his mate again, but Ivan knew he had to show Jamie that there was more than just physical want between them. He had to show him he could exercise restraint, and he was not just the sum total of his wolf. Ivan wanted to learn everything about Jamie, and he wanted to put Jamie's needs first.

"You promised to show me the town, but if you keep looking at me like that, we won't go anywhere except to your bedroom." Ivan teased and hugged his mate close.

"Okay, let's go." Jamie closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and pulled Ivan towards the door. He planned to take him to the police station first and even though he'd already been there during his last visit. Jamie wanted to tell him about his job as an officer here in Lonepine. He wanted Ivan to know that he would be a good and capable mate.

…

Ivan was impressed with his mate and proud of the man he was. He was respected in his job and loved as a friend. Ivan suddenly realized just how blessed he was to have been chosen to be this man's mate. Jamie had a good life here, and Ivan wasn't so sure he wanted to ask him to leave it. The idea of returning to Michigan was becoming less and less desirable. The more he saw and heard, the more he liked Lonepine and its people.

They needed to talk and decide what their future together was going to be. He had an important position with his pack, and he had a responsibility to his brother and Alpha. Jamie, on the other hand, did not have the position holding him here as much as it was his family and friends. But then, it is family and friends that make a life rich and enjoyable.

Jamie gave Ivan the triple star tour of the town, pointing out everything of interest. He showed him the small shops in the center of town that had at one time been the original trading post that served both the natives and the soldiers. It was then that Jamie learned about Ivan's native heritage.

"My great-grandfather was Potawatomi. Originally my family lived in Canada but migrated south during the eighteen hundreds. My great-grandfather married a young girl, my great- grandmother, from a neighboring pack. She was a wolf, and they resided with the Traverse Bay Pack raising four sons and one daughter. My grandfather, they're firstborn, became the Alpha of the Traverse Bay wolves, and then my father, and then it passed to my brother Viktor." Ivan explained.

"Where does the Russian influence come from?" Jamie asked as they made their way back down the main street after having lunch at the Black Bean.

"My mother was human of Russian descent. Her name was Kostya Orlov, and Viktor and I are named after her two brothers who died when they were very young." Ivan hadn't talked about himself in years, maybe decades, but it seemed natural and sort of freeing to do so with his mate.

Jamie drove Ivan to the Pack House to get his things and then drove them back to his apartment to get ready for dinner that evening with his family. "I like having you here with me," Jamie stated as he stripped to get into the shower. Ivan watched him closely and soon was stripping and joining him. The shower was small, but they managed to fit. Ivan was a big man, but with Jamie plastered to his front, the shower was more than large enough for the two of them.

"We have time before dinner, so why don't you show me how much you want me." Jamie challenged his mate with a grin.

"I thought I already did that." Ivan countered with a nip to Jamie's mating mark, which caused Jamie to moan wantonly and laid kisses across Ivan's shoulder.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure I completely understood your meaning." Jamie shot back and gripped Ivan's hard-muscled ass in his two hands, holding him firm. Ivan grunted and began to rub his huge cock against Jamie's soft wet skin.

"So, I fell short of complete understanding. Well, I guess I will have to remedy that." Ivan marveled at how deeply he felt for Jamie and how much he enjoyed their every minute together. Never in his life had he felt so at home and lighthearted with a lover. But then, Jamie was much more than his lover. He was his mate, he was his life, and they were designed by fate to be together. Ivan grabbed the shampoo and quickly began to massage it into Jamie's scalp in a slow sensuous motion that had Jamie leaning into him and holding him close.

"I haven't had someone shampoo my hair since I was a kid."

"Get used to it because I've discovered that I love touching you." Ivan leaned him back and rinsed the shampoo, then took the soap and performed the same sensuous attention to detail to every part of Jamie's body. He then turned him carefully towards the tile wall and placed his palms against the wall. He kissed his shoulder and whispered into his ear. "Keep them there."

Ivan ran his hands down Jamie's sides, igniting shivers and moans from his over-sensitized mate. He stepped up close behind him and spread Jamie's cheeks and, pressing his large cock into the crease, rubbing himself across Jamie's hole, lubricating it with his own pre-cum. The fact that the feelings that Jamie made him experience were undoing him and his control mattered not when in the company of this man. All he wanted was to please and to experience his mate's tight hot body over and over again.

He would never, even if he lived a thousand lifetimes, grow tired of this loving man and his amazing body. With that thought, he lined up his hard cock with Jamie's wet hole and pushed inside. He seated himself completely in one thrust. Jamie's body was used to him now and would accommodate him easily. The feeling of being inside his mate was beyond compare. It was so perfect, so hot.

Jamie closed his eyes and pressed his cheek against the tile wall along with his hands, and just went for the ride that Ivan was taking him on. Ivan was the most attentive and caring lover Jamie had ever had. He thought the man cold and distant, but that was so far from the true man. Ivan plunged deeper and deeper, dragging every amazing thing from him in a most sensual fashion. He never felt so much and so deep. He understood now why mates never strayed; no one would ever be able to match his perfectly gorgeous mate.

Ivan pulled Jamie up and held him against his chest as he hammered into him. Jamie's hands stayed firm against the tile pushing back as Ivan drove in over and over, enhancing the sensations. Suddenly Ivan stiffened, plunged deep, and came in a roar holding Jamie so tight he could hardly breathe. In the same moment, Jamie erupted with streams of cum, painting the wall in front of him. He had never before come from the pure sensation of being fucked, and it was fantastic. They held each other as their bodies relaxed, and their breathing returned to normal. "Do you understand now? Did I make myself clear?" Ivan chuckled.

"Yes, complete understanding here." Jamie laughed and turned his head to accept a sweet kiss from his mate.