Heath

The moon hung low in the sky in the early evening as we returned victorious from the Ironwood packlands we’d conquered.

Most of our time in Ironwood had been consumed by pack politics. I didn’t envy Gage having to handle all that diplomatic bullshit, but he’d done a good job of it. My role as his second usually involved backing his play and occasionally throwing in a strategic suggestion.

This deeper bond between all of us — courtesy of our shared connection with Freya — still felt strange. Not bad strange, just... different. Through it, I could sense how relieved Rowan felt about giving up being Ironwood’s pack alpha. The Howling Echo’s hierarchy had returned to normal, which seemed to settle something in all of us. Freya especially felt lighter and happier the further we got from her old packlands.

Frost Fang might be the closest thing we had to a real home, but I sensed an undercurrent of unease from each of us as we made our return. Tomorrow night, Gage would lead Frost Fang in a pack run under the Long Nights Moon — a celebration of our victory with the alphas who’d fought at our side. We hoped the rest of the pack wasn’t too pissed about him leaving Astrid in charge. At least she’d already messaged to say she and her people made it back to their packlands without any issues.

Gage’s phone pinged again as we pulled up. He helped Freya down from the truck before checking the message.

“Bretton says your mother and Willow made it safely to Moonblessed,” he told her.

She let out a relieved sigh, though I caught the trace of sadness in our bond. “Thank goodness. I bet Shante is already showing them around.”

“I’m sure she’ll tell you all about it, moonbeam.” Flint dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

“I hope they’ll both be happy there.” Freya hugged her arms around herself, and my protective instincts kicked in. I stepped up behind her and wrapped her in a hug.

“You’ll see them both again someday,” I assured her, keeping my voice light. “Maybe by then your mother will have gotten over her prejudice against witches.”

“Maybe,” Freya said doubtfully.

The Frost Fang wolves respectfully stepped aside as we headed toward our den. Gage accepted help from Bea, Ivar, and a few others who offered to unload our vehicles. His gaze drifted toward the pack house, and I knew he was thinking about his responsibilities. But right now, Freya’s sorrow nipped at us all through the bond. She needed comfort more than Frost Fang needed their pack alpha’s attention.

I caught Gage’s eye and told the other three alphas, “Time for something to distract her from her sadness.”

Gage’s lips quirked up slightly at my suggestion. Taking the hint, I scooped Freya up into my arms, drawing a surprised yelp that quickly turned into a smile. Her eyes darted between me and Gage, and her grin widened when she noticed Gage had checked me out.

Ever since I’d confessed my feelings for Gage, Freya had been rooting for me, and now she teased Gage, “See something you like?”

“I can’t wait for what I’ll see next,” Gage answered with a grin of his own. “We’re going to take care of you, princess.”

Of course he would put the focus back on her. It was part of the reason I’d never guessed he might have any interest in me — before the bond made it impossible for him to hide his attraction, that was.

I’d lusted after him ever since we were teens growing up together. Hell, on his first day as the new pack alpha of Howling Echo, he’d caught me jacking off with him in mind. As soon as his eyes met mine, I’d blown my load. I’d feared he’d figured out I was attracted to him then, but he’d been oblivious.

He still acted oblivious to this day, but ever since I’d put all my cards on the table, little signs that my attraction wasn’t one-sided — like checking me out or leaking his feelings through the bond — kept slipping past his control, especially during Freya’s heat.

I carried Freya across the threshold into our den, and Flint leaned in to steal a kiss from her.

“You had us all worried when you went feral and charged into battle,” he admitted.

“But you were fearsome, my feral little wolf,” I countered, not wanting her to feel bad about protecting us — me.

“Take her clothes off,” Gage ordered me and Flint as we made our way to the bedroom.

“Ooo, bossy pack alpha comes out to play,” Freya grinned.

I could sense through our mate bond that she’d caught on to our plan and was fully on board. Her arousal perfumed the air, making my mouth water. I couldn’t think of any better way to mark our den than with that scent.

“It’s time Rowan sampled the spoils of war,” Gage said.

“You did bring us our victory, after all,” Freya agreed, smiling at Rowan.

I dropped to my knees to remove her panties, trailing kisses up her thighs. My breath ghosted over her center, teasing but not giving her what she wanted yet.

Following Gage’s mental nudge, Rowan took the chair in the corner.

“She’ll sit on your lap so she can watch as the rest of us undress,” Gage told him through our bond.

“No arguments here,” Rowan answered as he dropped his pants.

“Come here, lightning bolt,” he said out loud to Freya.

She played coy, slowly making her way over to where Rowan sat with his cock already rising to the occasion. But the bond told me exactly how badly she wanted him.

“Face us, princess,” Gage ordered.

Instead, she dropped to her knees between Rowan’s thighs, giving him a few quick licks. Her disobedience had me ready to give her the punishment she so often enjoyed, and the thought of doing so had me hard in seconds.

When she pulled off Rowan with an audible pop, he made a heady sound of pleasure. Seeing his hips thrusting involuntarily was enough to make me want to climb into his lap.

For years, my heart had belonged to Gage alone, but that hadn’t stopped me from noticing how attractive my other packmates were. Rowan’s wild nature appealed to me, just as Flint’s quiet confidence drew me in. Like I hadn’t wanted to risk my friendship with Gage, I’d also never wanted to jeopardize our pack dynamic.

Freya was changing everything, though — between encouraging us and linking us as Bonded, my packmates were suddenly embracing their more adventurous sides. And I was more than ready to enjoy the results… But Rowan’s lap was reserved for our troublesome mate at the moment.

With one eyebrow quirked, Freya gave Gage a teasing grin. “I thought I was your queen now.”

“You’re our warrior wolf,” I answered, stepping forward. “And you’ll obey your pack alpha or face the consequences.”

“What kind of consequences?” Freya grinned, getting to her feet… Except she stopped halfway, bracing her hands on her knees and leaving her ass out for the spanking.

As I suspected, she was looking for our particular brand of sexy punishment. I laughed and clapped a hand down on her ass cheek before rubbing away the sting. Through our bond, I felt how that flash of pain turned to pleasure for her. Meanwhile, Flint stripped off his shirt and Rowan palmed himself.

Freya whimpered then whined, “Don’t leave me hanging. You know I like it even.”

“Flint?” I prompted with a grin.

A crack echoed in the bedroom as Flint’s hand landed against her other ass cheek, leaving a red mark that he smoothed away.

“Now listen to our pack alpha, moonbeam. I’m sure we’ll all like his plan.”

Freya turned to face Gage fully, her back to Rowan.

“Good girl,” Gage said.

“Is she, though?” I laughed across our private mental bond to the others.

“Now put her on his lap,” Gage ordered us, standing back to watch. His crossed arms showed us all he was the one in charge.

My dick twitched at the commanding tone in his voice — apparently it wasn’t only Freya who enjoyed being bossed around by our pack alpha. We positioned her over Rowan’s ready cock as he held it steady, then we slowly lowered her down. Rowan moaned shamelessly as she took him in.

“Such gentlemen,” Freya sighed once she was fully seated. “Helping a lady find her seat.”

She was in a playful mood, and I loved seeing her like this — safe and happy with all her alphas to worship her.

“Flint, she loves the way you play with her clit,” Gage said.

It wasn’t a command. Instead, he left room for Flint to decide what to do next.

But from Freya’s perspective, she must have considered the order implicit, because she asked, “Was he like this during the heat? Bossing you three around?”

“Worse,” I answered. “But only because he was worried about you.”

Flint dropped to his knees between both Freya and Rowan’s thighs.

“Yes,” Rowan growled as Flint kissed his way up Freya’s thighs. “Lick her, Flint. And... I don’t care what happens.”

After the fun Flint and I had with Freya’s encouragement, his flash of arousal through the bond didn’t surprise me. But what did take me off guard was Rowan’s matching moans with Freya as Flint’s head began moving.

Was it because we were now all Bonded through Freya that we were becoming more aroused by each other’s arousal, each of us feeding off the pleasure of the rest?

Rowan’s hands slipped around to tease Freya’s nipples. Her eyes fell half-lidded as she met Gage’s gaze. Our feisty mate loved disobeying us, but no one could deny she also loved being forced to submit while we were playing.

With that in mind, I moved behind my pack alpha. Maybe a little encouragement would help him realize he might want what I could offer.

“My sexy mate,” Gage whispered, clearly enjoying the show. I slid my hands over his shoulders, his muscles tensing under my touch.

But he didn’t pull away, and I could feel him reacting to my touch through our bond.

“It’s time we gave Freya something to watch,” I murmured in his ear.

My heart raced at my own boldness, hoping he wouldn’t reject me in front of the others.

I came around in front of him and began undressing him. Having my hands on him while feeling Freya’s arousal grow... it made my head spin with possibilities.

His shirt went first, and then I whispered in his ear, “Freya doesn’t care that Flint’s tongue is on Rowan’s cock.”

“That’s because she’s riding his cock,” Gage countered, his voice tight.

He stooped to remove his boots and socks. When he straightened back up, I closed the distance again, my hands going to his belt. The way he froze, his arms awkwardly at his sides, showed his discomfort. And yet, through our bond, I sensed... curiosity.

As I slid the belt from his pants, he drew in a sharp breath. His eyes darted to Freya, and that seemed to settle him slightly.

My fingers trembled slightly as I undid the button of his pants. I hardly dared to breathe as I teased along his waistband. His dick strained against the fabric of his boxers, and knowing I’d caused that reaction made my own cock throb.

“Do you want to see what your alpha is packing?” I asked Freya, hoping her encouragement would get Gage on board with what I planned next.

“Show it to me,” she moaned, still bouncing on Rowan’s cock.

Removing Gage’s last bit of clothing might prove to be too much vulnerability for my reluctant pack alpha to handle. So instead, I dropped my hand drop to tease along the bulge in his boxers. When I felt wetness where his pre-cum had seeped through, I held my breath, as though that would prevent the others from sensing my desires in the bond. This situation challenged my ability to keep my feelings in the bond repressed. The warmth of his balls in my palm filled me with want.

Freya moaned again, and Gage stiffened. Guilt and shame tainted the bond, and everyone stilled in an unspoken agreement not to push anyone’s boundaries beyond where they were comfortable. Flint’s head stopped moving. Freya and Rowan paused, and I pulled away.

If Gage didn’t want this, I wouldn’t push it… but the bond suggested otherwise.

“It’s okay, Gage,” Freya said in a soft voice. “It’s hot.”

“You’re my mate,” he growled.

“Flint and Rowan are too, but they don’t have a problem touching each other. Flint and Heath had some fun together with me once, too. And you can’t tell me none of you touched at all during my heat.”

Her mention of the heat brought so many memories to mind… Me holding Gage’s hard cock steady as Freya took him. Playing with them both until Freya bit and claimed him at last. Guiding Gage through how to prep her so we could both penetrate her at once. The memory of his dick sliding into her alongside mine made my dick throb.

His arousal answered me in the bond, though confusion and frustration coiled along with it.

“Your queen wants this,” I whispered along his jawline, and his arousal spiked through our bond.

I didn’t dare confront him with the full truth right now — he wanted me, regardless of whatever was holding him back. If he needed the excuse of doing it for Freya, I would let him have it… for now.

He gave my shoulder a shove, but I was as powerfully built as him and matched his strength. If he wanted to move me, he would have pushed harder.

After so many years with him, I sensed it was basically a request for space, a moment to regain his composure. As pack alpha, Gage had always relished being the one in control. Maybe what he needed was someone to show him he didn’t always have to be.

The surprise of my counter-push made him stumble back, but his pupils dilated with desire.

I followed, pushing him again — and he let me. When his back hit the wall, I paused, waiting to see his response. Did he like being trapped against the wall, nearly naked, giving up some of his tightly held control?

I tilted my head, listening through the bond, sensing how much he hated the vulnerability of the situation in front of the others. It made me wonder if things would be different between us if we were alone, because over and above his discomfort, his intense arousal threatened to drown out everything else.

“Stop fighting this,” I growled. “We can all sense you want me as much as I want you.”

When I licked my lips, his eyes tracked the movement.

“Heath.” His voice came out breathy and uncertain.

We stood at the edge of a cliff, and I wasn’t sure whether Gage wanted to kick my ass for pressing this hard… or tackle me over the edge so we could soar together.

As pack alpha, he could order me to stand aside at any time. He could take back the control he loved so much. He even could have tried to make me submit… and the thought of a dominance battle in the bedroom with Gage had my dick straining at the fabric constraining it.

But he did none of those things. Instead, his eyes fixed on my lips. The haze of lust clouding the bond from all sides made my world narrow to this moment.

“The tension is killing me,” Freya moaned, startling me. “Just kiss already.”

Her approval and acceptance smashed through our bond with a heaping dose of her love.

Gage whimpered, and I sensed when something in him snapped.

Before I could process what was happening, his hand grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me to him. Our lips crashed together, and every moment of longing I’d ever had for him was overwritten when my fantasies came true, even better than I’d ever dreamed. His mouth moved powerfully, without a trace of his earlier hesitation.

What surprised me most was that neither of us had submitted to the other. He was more dominant, but in this area, I was more experienced. We met on equal footing, but his mouth on mine rocked my world.

I moaned and heard his answering moan… along with the simultaneous moans of all of my packmates. My longing had become our longing… and our pleasure with this kiss echoed through the bond, pleasing us all.

Freya’s desire ratcheted up as she watched, filling the air with her delicious apple pie scent. Our mate’s enjoyment bled over to the rest of us, making the moment even more intense.

My lust kicked in, and I met Gage’s tongue with my own. His hands roamed over my chest and clenched at my shirt. The thought of him ripping it off me had me panting into his mouth. I’d longed for this moment for years, and I would give anything to make this moment last.

“Yes,” Freya cried, getting closer.

Her need matched my own, and if Gage wouldn’t take charge, I would. I stepped deeper into the embrace, flattening him against the wall. He felt exactly like I’d always imagined — hard and strong and perfect. Like a man possessed, I devoured his mouth, intent on keeping this connection between us.

The moment our hard cocks ground together, Freya’s climax rocked through our bond, making Gage’s hips buck. She moaned right along with us as our cocks slid alongside each other and I refused to break this kiss. Flint’s tongue drove her higher, and Gage’s hips told me he was enjoying our kiss as much as I was.

I ached for more, wishing for all the other fantasies I’d imagined over the years. Peak among them was Gage topping me better than any less dominant wolf could ever hope to do. As the more dominant wolf, my male partners usually expected me to top them, and the few times I’d convinced other alphas to top me, the experience had been… lacking. Far from my dream experience of bottoming.

I wanted him so badly, but... Gage wasn’t ready for all of that. I felt him start to panic. He raised both palms to my chest, ready to push me away again.

I didn’t want Gage’s fear. I wanted his dominance. I wanted his confident power. So, I pulled back and captured his hands with my own. Though my heart ached at his uncertainty, I smiled and said what I hoped would recenter him.

“It’s okay, Gage. We’ll go as slow as you want. For now... let’s make our girl feel good.”

I gestured to the bed. His chest heaved, trying to catch his breath just as Freya did the same. I’d pushed him pretty far by shoving him against the wall. The way I’d pulled back seemed to throw him off almost as much, and he stared at me with wild eyes.

“Do you want front or back?” I asked, trying to give him back the control I sensed he desperately needed.

His mouth fell open in confusion, and Freya disengaged from Rowan and came over to us.

“That was hot.” From the way her eyes sparkled, she was about to say something naughty. “It looked like you two were fighting to see who could shove their tongue down the other’s throat.”

I chuckled and tossed her up on the bed, then discarded my clothes. When I felt the weight of Gage’s eyes on my body, I smirked, letting my cock bob beneath his stare. I couldn’t stifle another laugh when he gasped, as though his mind and his body were at odds.

Lucky for him, I cut him some slack. “Lay on the bed so Freya can mount you. We never got to finish her heat properly.”

The familiar territory seemed to steady him, and he did as I suggested, gratefully grabbing Freya’s hips and lining her up. Rowan’s release still coated her, and he easily slid home.

I took up position behind her, but for some reason, Gage’s eyes widened, and he awkwardly shuffled Freya around.

“Nope, wait,” he growled as he awkwardly scooted Freya to the side, still joined with her. “You lay down. I’ll be the one thrusting.”

I smirked, sensing the root of his fears through our bond. He wasn’t ready to face his own desires — that he might actually be interested in exploring more between us. The thought of actually fucking a man made his brain short-circuit, but now wasn’t the time to push it.

What he didn’t know was that I had every intention of outlasting his hesitance. Especially now that I knew my attraction was reciprocated.

Gage withdrew from Freya as I began to prep her, as though refusing a reversal of our threesome during her heat, where I could feel his fingers from inside her, brushing against my buried cock on the other side of that thin membrane. Impatient to move this along, it wasn’t long before I was sinking into the bed on my back. Even more eager to go, Freya quickly threw her leg over my lap, facing away from me, and I helped her slide down my cock.

“Look at that greedy pussy, so hungry for me,” Gage growled, stroking himself and falling back into his role as voyeur.

Freya leaned back against my chest and spread her legs wide to accommodate Gage. I did the same, and imagined how much fun we might have with two of us inside Freya, front and back, while Gage took me from behind. The thought had me spasming, and I gasped as Gage’s cock entered Freya, bringing me back to the present.

Her ass already had a stranglehold on my cock, but the addition of Gage’s dick right alongside my own made her feel incredibly tight. I didn’t dare move as Gage fully seated himself inside of her.

With the three of us situated, Rowan and Flint wasted no time closing in from both sides of the bed to play with Freya’s nipples.

Freya’s love and acceptance flooded the bond as Gage began sawing his alpha cock in and out of her body, stroking mine as he did so. Gage’s eyes met mine as though asking if it felt as good to me as it did to him. I echoed Freya’s emotions and pushed them his way so he would have no doubt how much I loved pleasing our mate.

“Yes,” she moaned. “Flint, I need you in my mouth.”

Freya slid to one side of my chest as Flint came in reach of her mouth. Her desires became ours, to the point where I stared longingly at Flint’s hard cock as he brought it to her lips. We all moaned together when Flint slid between Freya’s lips, satiating her lust.

Getting lost in the haze of desire, Gage set a rapid pace for us all. As he and Rowan went to town on Freya, I allowed myself a moment to imagine Gage sliding in and out of me as confidently as he did with Freya. If I had to guess, that moment during her heat had been his first time ever fucking someone anally — at least, I assumed that’s why he always let me have her rear. Or maybe he assumed I liked topping. Maybe that’s where some of his hesitation came from… something I filed away to address later.

As Rowan stroked her clit, Freya’s inner walls pulsed, drawing a moan from both me and Gage.

“That’s it, Rowan,” our pack alpha growled. “That’s what she wants.”

“Moonbeam,” Flint moaned. “Can I come on you? I want to paint you with my scent.”

She moaned around his cock, refusing to relinquish him, and we all sensed her assent through the bond.

“Heath?” Flint asked.

He and I had only just begun our own exploration, and the thought of him spilling his seed on me filled me with hunger.

“Don’t worry about it. If it happens, it happens,” I said as non-nonchalantly as I could.

When Flint pulled back, Freya laid her head back against me, giving a sigh of contentment that was too calm for my liking. I wanted to drive her to greater heights, until she was screaming and begging for us to make her come. But I was the man on the bottom, at the moment, and Flint was the star of the show.

“You’re so beautiful, Freya,” Flint whispered.

She grabbed his hip to pull him closer, leaving no doubt that she wanted him to cover her.

“Fuck, yes.”

His cock began to spurt, and Freya and I both opened our mouths. If some landed on me, I wanted Gage and Flint to see how much I craved it.

Gage’s eyes darted all around, from Flint’s cock to Freya’s face to mine then back to hers. What he saw there finally pushed him over the edge. As Rowan stroked Freya, Gage let out a roar that pulled me over with him. Freya’s walls clamped down, and the three of us all came together at once.

Flint leaned over to lick Freya’s face, and I felt a jolt of surprise from Gage in the bond. Then Flint sat back and we all panted, catching our breath.

It wasn’t a surprise that Rowan was able to recover his wits first, since he’d come earlier.

“You look wanton and well-used, my love.”

Freya rose to answer him with a kiss, and we all disentangled ourselves. Rowan’s surprise rippled through the bond when he tasted Flint on her lips. That didn’t stop him, though… instead, he deepened the kiss. When he finally let her pull back, they stared at each other as their contentment saturated our Bonded link. Gage’s own contentment matched theirs, and I had a feeling I knew why.

Rowan had always been a bit of a black sheep, even in our merry band of misfits, as Astrid would say. He’d been raised by wolves, and it was his wolf who chose us as his packmates. The human side of him had always held back a part of himself. But after he and Freya finally mated, things had changed. He kept no distance between himself and us in the bond anymore, fully embracing the pack at last.

Freya gave Rowan a broad smile before her gaze settled on me.

I grinned. “Clean me up, baby.”

As Freya licked Flint’s release off my chest, I caught the flicker of emotions in Gage’s eyes as his doubt seeped into the bond. I hoped I hadn’t pushed him too far or too fast.

It was tough for me to imagine what it must be like to recognize one’s own bi-curiosity so late in life. I’d known from a very early age that I was attracted to a variety of people — Gage most of all. But the bond didn’t lie, and this was all new for him, taking him completely by surprise.

His father had drilled into him that an alpha must procreate to create more alphas, so homosexual relationships of any kind were unacceptable. Somehow, Gage had never questioned that, even after he found out I wasn’t straight.

I needed to be patient with him. But how, when his desire nipped at me through the bond even when he doubted?

“I’ll go get us some damp towels,” Flint said, pulling away from the bed.

“I’ll get some food started,” Rowan announced.

The offer surprised me, because he was more of the hunter than the cook, but perhaps he wanted to let us talk. Or maybe he just wanted to make sure his mate was well-fed, as a mate should. The thought warmed me – we’d all changed so much since Freya came into our lives.

That left Freya, Gage, and me alone in the bed together. Gage laid down on the far side of the bed, and I felt every foot of space between us. I tried to believe he was simply leaving space for Freya, but wasn’t it almost as much about keeping his distance from me?

I tried not to let it hurt. But… what if Gage never came around? What if he chose to push me away instead of seeing where things could go between us?

Freya took her place, sitting between us and running her hands soothingly over our chests and shoulders. The repetitive stroking of her small hands helped calm my aching heart.

“You’re sure you don’t remember dreaming of another man... your fifth mate?”

Gage really must be desperate not to talk about what had just happened if he was bringing up this topic. He’d been the most disappointed when we discovered the fifth rune under Freya’s collarbone.

Her brow furrowed adorably. “Not during my heat, but I... I’ve been dreaming of someone lately. A man who seems familiar. The ansuz rune appears in the same spot on his face as yours do.”

“During the heat, you called out to someone named Zack,” I explained gently, watching her reaction.

Recognition sparked in her eyes at the name. She glanced between me and Gage, her eyes widening.

Her next words took us both completely off guard.

“I think I know who he is.”

A chill ran down my spine at her words. I’d promised myself I would accept whoever else she needed in her life. But that didn’t make it any easier to hear there might be another mate in our future, someone else to vie for her attention. Still, I would stand by my word — whatever made Freya happy, I would support. Now I just had to help Gage reach acceptance like I had.

This was just as much of a surprise to Freya as it was to us. Her reaction when she first saw the fifth rune in the mirror proved that. If she truly had another mate in her future, she would face enough stress dealing with the change in our dynamic without us making it worse.

But no matter what happened, we would face it together, as a pack.

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Thanks for reading this bonus story!