Chapter Nineteen Liam

T he first thing I noticed was the heat curled up against my back. I tried to turn over, to see where I was or what I was leaning against. However, I found myself stuck in place. It took me a moment to realize that there was an arm draped over my waist, the fingers woven through my happy trail.

My head was pounding, and it took me a moment to realize I was in bed. Cracking one eye open, I let out a sigh of relief that the curtains had been pulled. Beyond them was the bright light of a winter's morning, but barely any got through thankfully. However, there was just enough light to know that I wasn't in my room, but in Cory's. Inhaling through my nose, his scent confirmed it. And judging by how strong it was, that was who was cuddled up against me.

Letting out a deep sigh, I relaxed, enjoying the feeling of being held. Cory and I had been dating for the past week or so and had even exchanged a handjob or blowjob here and there. But we'd yet to spend the night in each other's beds. For some reason, the pair of us were too scared to take it any further.

Personally, I was still worried that the other shoe would finally drop. That Cory would be taken away from me again. And after last night with Buckley, I was starting to think that my fears were well founded. Cory, on the other hand, hadn't said what was bothering him. But I thought it was obvious he was just as scared as I was. Maybe he was worried I'd leave again or maybe he thought I'd turn on him. Either way, our mutual trepidation was understandable, and I didn't want to push things faster than they needed to go.

Buckley had done that for us. I still couldn't believe that my father had sent one of his fucking goons to collect me. You'd think, after I ran away, he'd be happy to finally be rid of me. He knew I was never going to agree to live by his rules and become Alpha, so why did he care? Then again, I was the only one in our immediate family that could take over. If I didn't that meant the position would have to go to one of my cousins, or worse, a lower-ranking member of the pack.

That was something my father would never stand for. Generations of our family had been leaders of the pack, and it was tradition for the oldest son to take over. Considering I was the only child my father had, I was the only choice. And breaking a generations long tradition was not an option, apparently. Despite the fact that he couldn't torture me into being like him, he was still willing to try.

Too bad he wasn't willing to let me be myself. That was the only method he hadn't tried yet. But somehow, having a gay son was worse than losing our family's position of power forever. Now that I'd not only escaped, but nearly killed one of his trusted wolves, I doubted he'd ever want me back. In fact, Buckley presented a golden opportunity. When he told my father what had happened and that I would never come back, he'd probably disown me and give up for good. He was still young enough to sire another heir and wipe me from the family tree. He'd threatened it more than once, actually.

A wave of relief washed over me. Running into Buckley had been a blessing in disguise. My father was sure to move on now, especially since I'd gone out of my way to find my mate once more. He wouldn't dare oppose all of Shifter Grove just for me. I wasn't worth it. He'd reminded me of that daily when I was still locked up in our basement.

No, I was finally free. Cory and I could live our lives and forget about the past. My father was never coming back, and we'd found our perfect home in Shifter Grove. We had our own little family here and life was going to be just as wonderful as we'd always imagined.

With a smile on my face, I reached down and squeezed Cory's hand, lacing his fingers through my own. He made a soft sound and squeezed me back as he snuggled in closer. His lips found my neck, kissing it softly.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice so soft I barely heard him.

"I think so." I pulled his hand up to my lips, kissing each of his knuckles one at a time. "Thank you. I… I was almost lost there for a moment."

I tried not to think of how close I was to going absolutely feral the night before. It was a terrifying thought. Wolves who went feral rarely came back. Letting the wolf take control was one thing, but letting the wolf strangle the human side of you to death was another. After two years of being treated like an animal in a cage, I wasn't surprised to see how close I was to becoming one.

But Cory had saved me just by taking my hand. Talk about a powerful bond. My mate had brought me back from the brink of self-destruction with such a simple gesture. And he'd stopped me from becoming a killer.

I felt a wave of affection seep through my chest as I turned over, pressing my forehead to Cory's.

"Thank you," I repeated, kissing his nose. "So much."

"Anything for you," he whispered. "You're my mate. I love you more than I can say."

My heart skipped a beat.

"Do you really mean that?" I asked, tears forming in my eyes.

He nodded.

"I love you too," I replied, burying my face in his neck.

I planted a few kisses against his skin, but mostly I was there for the comfort. Cory's hand came up, running through my dark hair in a relaxing rhythm. Minutes slipped by without us noticing. But eventually, something a little further south caught my attention.

"Are… Are you hard?" I asked, grinning as I looked up at him.

His cheeks turned bright red as he glanced away. "Sorry. It's… It's just because you're touching me. I can't help it."

"Well as long as me being pathetic isn't turning you on, I guess it's okay."

"It's not that," he said, pulling me in for a firm kiss. "You just… smell really good and I love touching you. I know you must be exhausted, but it's hard to keep my hands to myself."

I kissed him back, this time slipping my tongue in his mouth. Instantly my cock came to attention, the sensitive head pressed against Cory's belly. "Then don't keep them to yourself."

His eyes widened and his scent deepened with lust. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." My voice was barely above a whisper. I leaned close to his ear, summoning up the courage to ask for what I really wanted. "Will you mate me?"

Goosebumps broke out over Cory's skin as he inhaled sharply. "A-Aren't Alphas supposed to do that to their mates? I didn't think…"

"That I'd be into that?" I grinned. "I'm not like other Alphas. And you're not my subordinate. You're the person I love more than anything else in the entire world." I nibbled at his ear again. "So mate me."

He moaned as I licked the side of his neck. "O-Okay."

Satisfied with his answer, I slipped my tongue in his mouth once more and kissed him long and deep. My arms wound around his neck as I pulled him close. His own hands snaked down my body, his fingers leaving a trail of goosebumps before he reached my ass. He took a cheek in each hand, squeezing until I moaned into his mouth. The sound of my delight seemed to spur him on, his touch rougher as he explored my body.

We ground our hips together, our cocks rubbing against skin and leaving streaks of pre-cum wherever they touched. In a matter of moments, we'd worked ourselves into a frenzy and I knew if I didn't stop, I'd cum before I got what I needed .

Forcing myself away from his lips, I gave him one last knowing look and turned over. Pressing my back against his chest, I arched backward and pushed my ass against his rock-hard cock.

"Be gentle with me," I said, kissing his arm draped over my shoulder with breathless abandon. "I've never done this before."

"Me either," he replied, surprising me a bit. He smiled, noticing my reaction. "I told you, you're the only man I've ever done anything with. Didn't you believe me?"

"I just thought you were making me feel better."

"You're the only one for me, Liam," he said, lips dancing across my neck. "I meant that. Nobody could take your place in my heart or in my bed."

"Stoppit," I replied, my chest swelling with affection. "You're gonna make me cry again."

"Then let's change the subject." He nodded toward the nightstand. "The lube is in the drawer."

"I thought nobody could take my place in your bed?"

"That doesn't mean I don't masturbate incessantly ."

I gave him a playful nudge but did as I was told. Grabbing the bottle from the drawer, I handed it over to him. However, before I could say anything else, Cory got a little rough with me. Digging his fingers into my hip, he pulled me tightly against him, his cock crammed between my asscheeks. With one hand threw aside the covers and popped open the lube. A second later I felt the cold sting against my skin as he poured it over my ass and his cock. Then, tossing it aside, he got to work.

He started slow, smearing the lube between us as he fucked my cheeks. I felt his fingers flex against my skin as he tensed his abs, grinding his cock over my hole again and again. Bolts of electricity shot through my body with each stroke, the bundle of nerves around my ass much more sensitive than I expected. Then again, maybe it was the scent of pheromones in the air making everything more intense. Either way, I didn't care. All I knew was that I wanted Cory inside me. It was a hunger that I'd been feeling for a very long time. And now that I was so close to having it, I could barely keep it together.

"Please," I begged, my fingers squeezing the pillow. "Please fuck me."

"I'm going to, baby. Don't you worry."

Answering my plea, Cory reached down, aiming his cock toward my needy hole. I gasped as the thick head came to rest against me, the heat pulsing off it in waves. When he was in my hand or my mouth, he was sizable, but not unwieldy. However, pressed against my ass he felt absolutely massive. I might've started to panic if not for the deep craving that threatened to consume me.

True to his word, Cory was gentle as he applied pressure. My body, however, was far more willing than I anticipated. I thought it would be difficult to relax enough to let him in. However, the moment he touched me I felt my muscles relax, as if they'd known what to do all along. Cory rocked his hips forward and within a few seconds I felt a small pop as his cockhead cleared my ring. And the sensation that followed nearly drove me to oblivion.

"Oh fuck…" I hissed through gritted teeth. "Oh my god…"

"Are you okay?" he asked, his hips already pulling back.

I slapped a hand on his thigh, forcing him to stop. "It's so fucking good ."

Cory's lips curled into a smile against my neck as he wrapped his arms around my torso. Following my lead, he pushed his hips forward again, his cock slipping deeper inside me. He moaned into my ear, kissing the side of my neck as he buried himself deeper and deeper. I, myself, was almost too distracted to notice. The moment his cock grazed over my prostate, I felt my body light up like a Christmas tree. I'd never felt pleasure like this before and I knew I wasn't going to last in this state.

"Damn you feel so fucking good," Cory whispered in my ear. "I feel like if I move, I'll cum."

"Do it," I replied without hesitation. "I'm gonna be right behind you."

My hand snaked down my body, wrapping around my hyper-sensitive cock. I milked the shaft, squeezing out a long trail of pre-cum and smearing it over the head.

"I don't want this to end," Cory said.

I turned over my shoulder, kissing him. "We can always do it again. And again." I stared into those green eyes of his. "And again ."

"Fuck… I love you so much."

"I love you too." I kissed him one last time. "Now fuck me. Please. I can't wait anymore."

Finally heeding my plea, Cory wrapped his arms around me and began to move. He was slow at first, each miniscule movement causing a new wave of pleasure to rush through me. My skin was hot to the touch and my face was beet red with desire. I moved in time with him, pushing my ass against him so that I took every last inch of his gorgeously thick cock. I felt him throb and pulse against my prostate as I stroked myself, knowing both of us were so close to the edge we could taste it.

"Fuck," Cory moaned in my ear, his thrusts picking up speed. "I can't stop."

"Whatever you do, don't stop."

The sound of skin against skin filled the room. I felt his cock thicken as he neared his orgasm, the ridge of his cock bouncing over my prostate with every movement. My own stroking had sped up as well, the familiar tingle at the base of my balls growing stronger and stronger.

"I'm gonna cum!"

The words barely left Cory's mouth before he slammed his cock to the hilt, his balls drawn tight against my ass. An intense pulsing sensation was followed by sudden heat filling my belly as he buried his seed deep inside me. At the same time my body clenched around him, and I gave into my pleasure. With a moaning cry, I spent myself all over the sheets, coating my side of the bed in sticky cum.

We both lay there gasping for breath, Cory still buried inside of me. With shaking hands, he held me tight against him, seemingly never wanting to let go. And I didn't want him to either. Ignoring the mess, I laced my fingers through his, satisfaction filling my body from head to toe.

Everything about this moment was perfect, and I wished it could last for the rest of our lives. But even if it didn't, we could always visit it again and again. As many times as we wanted. And if I had anything to say about it, that would probably be every day at least twice. This new feeling of being mated by him was more amazing than I could have ever imagined.

"I'm gonna smell like you now," I said, lifting his hand to kiss his knuckles again. "Everyone is gonna know we're together."

"They already do," Cory chuckled against my neck.

"Yeah, but now we're mated. Officially ." I turned over my shoulder, kissing him gently. "I've wanted this for so long."

"Me too," he nodded, kissing me again. "I love you so much."

"I love you too."