The Cub and His Alphas (Alpha and Omega Series Book 7) Page 3

  “Hey, why the change in mood, cub?” Zeke’s arm was solid on his shoulder. “Didn’t you have a good childhood?”

  Daniel nodded, tears prickling his eyes. He quickly explained about his parents dying and his search for a home to call his own. “That’s why I didn’t want to leave here,” he whispered, “I know it’s kinda silly, but I thought if I owned my own home, then no more bad things could happen to me. I’d have my own safe place.”

  “You’ve got a lovely home,” Ty was quick to assure him. Somehow, during Daniel’s confession he was now being hugged by both of them, and it felt kinda nice. Sweaty, especially with the fire still going, but nice. “Do you think you’ve got room in this safe space of yours for two crusty Kodiaks?”

  “Ty’s been longing to settle down,” Zeke explained as Daniel struggled to pull any words out of his mouth. “We both had homes when we met, but they were at opposite ends of the country. Rather than settle in one, we decided to sell up and hit the road. We figured, if our third didn’t have a home, then we’d get one together somewhere, but what you have here is perfect.”

  Swallowing hard, Daniel managed to ask. “Won’t you miss all the excitement, and meeting new people, being out on the road and things like that?”

  Ty looked at Zeke who shook his head. “We can still go on road trips, take you with us. That is, if you can take time off from whatever it is you do. Do you work someplace close?”

  “My office is just down the hall.” Daniel tilted his head in that direction. “I work from home. I’m a self-published romance writer.” His cheeks heated and that had nothing to do with the warm fire, or sitting between his mates. Two big bikers weren’t likely to read the type of romances he churned out.

  But Ty looked excited. “MM, MF, MFM, MMM, PNR? I bet you write paranormal, am I right?”

  Daniel was surprised. “MM, MMM, and PNR, yep. I write mostly about bear shifters.”

  “Ooh, I bet I’ve got some of your books.” Using his free hand, Ty pulled out his phone and clicked on his Amazon app.

  “Ty reads for a couple of hours every chance he gets,” Zeke said fondly. “What name do you write under?”

  “D.B. Bear,” Daniel mumbled. He didn’t think he was a total loser as a writer. He made enough money every month to pay his bills, but it wasn’t as though he’d won any awards or anything.

  “Oh, my gods, I know that name.” Ty stabbed his screen. “You’re writing the ‘Everlast’ series. I’ve got every one of your books and I’ve been checking out Amazon every chance I get for the next one. Tell me Xander gets his mate at last, please, pretty please? Is it that cute little hottie from the coffee shop, or someone else?”

  “You really do read them.” Stunned, Daniel didn’t know what to say. He’d never met anyone in person who’d read his books before.

  “You know,” Zeke growled, leaning heavily on Daniel’s shoulders, “you write some pretty hot and heavy sex scenes between those characters of yours. Are you writing from experience?”

  “No, I don’t and before you ask if I get aroused writing a sex scene, that’s got nothing to do you or anyone else.” Unable to move out from under Zeke’s arm without sitting on Ty’s lap, Daniel lurched forward, turning to perch his ass on the coffee table instead. “I’m a normal healthy bear and I have perfectly natural needs. The energies that come from any arousal I feel when writing is poured back into my stories. That’s it.”

  Ty and Zeke exchanged glances. “It seems like we hit on a trigger topic for you, mate. It wasn’t intentional,” Ty said gently. “Want to explain what all that’s about? Have you had bad experiences with assholes in the past?”

  Daniel immediately felt silly. He was overreacting and now he was going to have to explain the most humiliating aspect of his life. “I tried dating a few times, once everything was worked out with the lawyer and before I bought this place. My first ever book was getting some decent reviews online and I thought I could do anything. I was young, single, and for the first time, I was free to date.”

  “What happened?” Zeke growled, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. Daniel noticed Ty was sitting the same way. A sexy set of bookends, he thought, but decided his urge to laugh wasn’t appropriate.

  “Did someone hurt you?” Where Zeke bristled with protectiveness, Ty just seemed concerned.

  “It never got to that stage,” Daniel admitted quietly, staring down at his hands. “I signed up on a few sites and got a fair bit of interest. Most of them were jerks sending out dick pictures, just out for a fuck, but a couple of men seemed nice, so I started chatting with them. They’d ask what I do, and then when I told them, the jokes would start about me masturbating at my desk, and asking me how many keyboards I went through because they’d get covered in spunk every day. They all thought I just wrote porn. Then there were the guys who wanted to know if we could act out the scenes I wrote, or who offered to help me research kinkier sex scenes. It was like no one could see past what I did for a living. In the end I gave up looking and deleted my profiles.”

  He’d been honest. His mates could read between the lines. Despite his house and his career, Daniel knew he was a loser in all other aspects of life. Shit, he didn’t even have any real life friends. Well, now his mates knew it too. He wondered if they’d even kiss him before they made their excuses and left.

  Chapter Four

  Ty’s heart melted as he took in the slumped shoulders and downcast look of their new mate. Daniel confirmed what he’d already suspected – he was very young, and while adult in human years at twenty three – in shifter terms he was still a cub. A lonely, beautiful cub. The dispassionate way Daniel described being in care; Ty couldn’t believe a shifter still coming to terms with his shift was then thrust into a human foster care system and expected to cope with the added hassles of keeping his animal side hidden. But Daniel did cope and came out stronger because of it.

  He hadn’t been lying when Ty said he remembered Daniel’s books. Daniel was a one-click auto buy for him and he and Zeke had spent many a sexy night in a random hotel or motel room, Ty reading out loud the next installment. To think, all this time, we’ve been learning about our mate with every scintillating page. Every story was filled with action and a ton of heat, showing a depth of maturity and an understanding of relationships, suggesting an author a lot older.

  And yet their mate was a virgin – a sweet, untried, and now horrifically embarrassed virgin. Glancing over at Zeke, Ty saw his concern mirrored in his mate’s green eyes. Zeke wouldn’t want to say anything, because comforting wasn’t his strongest skill and he’d worry anything he said would make the situation worse. Inhaling softly, Ty reached over and took Daniel’s hand. “I can’t believe what a treasure you are,” he said, keeping his voice low. “You forged a successful life for yourself, created a beautiful home and a solid career and you did it all with no guidance from anyone. You have so much to be proud of.”

  Daniel looked up, a furrow between his eyes. “I have the social skills of a lump of wood. The only people I really chat to are online friends who read my stories. I venture into town once a month to buy supplies and can barely think to respond to questions about the weather. You two… you… you….”

  “I’ve been around for over a century,” Zeke rumbled. “Ty will tell you – when we met my idea of being social was refraining from hitting someone in the face when they said something as banal as ‘nice weather we’re having for this time of year,’.”

  “It’s true,” Ty chuckled, rubbing his thumb over Daniel’s pulse point. “I was working nights in a fancy gay club when we met and Zeke bursts in all macho in his leathers and his hairy chest. As you can imagine, half the wee twinks in the place all wanted to fall to their knees and worship his cock, but he didn’t pay them any mind at all, just shoving them out of the way when they got in front of him.”

  “My bear scented you. I didn’t see anyone else.”

  “Wow, that’s like a scene from a love story,” Daniel’s eyes were wide. “What happened then?”

  “Well, if it’d been one of your romances we would have met in the center of the room, he would have swept me into his arms and we’d seal our deal with a kiss, with all the wee twinks dabbing their eyes with their tissues.” Ty shook his head. “It didn’t quite happen like that.”

  “That guy shouldn’t have tripped you.” Zeke took Daniel’s other hand. “My bear was on a mission. I could barely hold him back from shifting. I could sense it, the second Ty realized who I was to him, and thankfully he moved in my direction.”

  “You can picture the scene,” Ty laughed, remembering it as though it was yesterday. “Glitzy club complete with disco ball, loud music, plenty of flesh showing and everyone drinking those damn cocktails with umbrellas in them. Somehow, in all the chaos it was as though my bear sensed Zeke as soon as he came through the door. I was carrying this tray of drinks and I twisted to put it on a table, and this guy came out of nowhere and tripped me up tray and all, and I fell on a heap of broken glass and booze.”

  “He deliberately stuck out his foot,” Zeke scowled. “He was lucky he escaped with a black eye and a broken nose.”

  “And the two bouncers were just doing their jobs when they tried to kick you out? One of them ended up with a broken jaw,” Ty laughed.

  “Really?” Daniel’s eyes were like saucers. “What happened? Did you get into trouble?”

  “This one convinced me to run with him.” Zeke shook his head although the edges of his lips were turned up. “I could’ve taken them all, but no, Ty decided he didn’t want his mate beat up, and dragged me out of there before the police were called.”

  “That didn’t stop that little guy, what was his name? Anyhow, not important, but yeah, this little twink with
more balls than most, came running after us, begging to come with us.” Ty burst out laughing. “I thought you were going to shift then and there, rip out his balls and shove them down his throat.”

  “Damn idiot knew nothing about mates. He should’ve known better than to get in our way,” Zeke grumbled. “Speaking of tempers though….”

  Oh my god, he’s going to tell Daniel about his car. Ty stroked up Daniel’s arm and waited for the fireworks.

  /~/~/~/~/

  There wasn’t a thing in the world Zeke was scared of – well, except for big hairy spiders, but that was perfectly normal and nothing to be ashamed of – but he knew, after being with Ty for so long mostly, that he really needed to tell Daniel about the damage to his car before they could claim each other, and that worried him. Daniel had that look about him that was all innocence and honey wouldn’t melt in his mouth, but after hearing about his time in care, Zeke knew his mate was made of stronger stuff.

  He tried smiling. Ty swore it was the best way to make someone feel relaxed. But then, he had a full beard, so maybe his smile wouldn’t be noticeable, so he stretched his mouth further and that made his cheeks ache. And it wasn’t as though he could talk with a huge cheesy grin on his face. In the meantime, Ty was trying not to laugh, and Daniel was looking between the pair of them, his full bottom lip snagged in his teeth.

  “Just tell him, already,” Ty nudged him with his elbow. “He’ll understand.”

  “You’re not into some kind of pain kink, are you?” Daniel’s body was so stiff he was vibrating.

  “No, no, nothing like that,” Zeke said quickly, giving up on trying to rearrange his face. His words were more important. “Look, sometimes I get frustrated and tend to lash out at things. I would never hurt you or Ty, EVER,” he added quickly as Daniel’s eyes threatened to fall out. “My bear would never allow me to lash out at you, that’s not the way bears are with fated mates. Surely your parents taught you that much at least.”

  Daniel nodded tightly. Zeke covered the hand he was holding with his other hand. “You ran from us, in the forest. I didn’t realize you couldn’t scent us. I got a bit frustrated.”

  “All I could smell was the blueberries,” Daniel admitted. “What did you do, knock down a tree?”

  “I thumped the roof of your car.” Zeke tilted his head slightly and tried that grin again.

  “While you were still in fur?” Daniel’s voice rose, and he pulled both his hands free. Zeke leaned back as his mate stood up, his hands resting on his slender hips. “You used your bear strength on my pristine BRAND NEW car?”

  From where Zeke was sitting, Daniel was looming above him like a slender angel. Unable to help himself, Zeke’s eyes roamed his mate’s body noting the long legs, heaving chest and prominent bulge in the groin area. This time his smirk came unbidden. Their new mate was gorgeous.

  “Don’t you dare laugh at me,” Daniel fumed. “I saved for over a year to buy that car. I only had it delivered three weeks ago. Now, you’re telling me it’s got a bear sized dent in the roof? What the hell is the insurance going to say? What am I going to tell them? Oh, don’t worry about it, it was just some pissy bear who objected because I ran from him when he was chasing me, like any sane person would do?”

  “Actually, wild life guides suggest you should never run from a bear, because they can run faster,” Zeke said in what he hoped was a reasonable tone. “Climbing a tree would be safer, if you are fast enough and can climb high enough. Otherwise you’re supposed to curl up on your side….”

  “Tell that to my Prius,” Daniel yelled. “It was just a dumb, inanimate object who happened to get in the way of your thumping great paw. What are you going to do about my dented roof?” He leaned over, his finger pointed aiming for Zeke’s chest, but Daniel misjudged the distance. Seconds later, Zeke found himself with an armful of cub and he groaned, his arms coming up instinctively, to hold the younger man close.

  “Don’t you get fresh with me.” Daniel struggled to get out of Zeke’s hold, but Zeke wasn’t letting go. “I’m still mad about my car. You’re not going to sex me out of being angry.”

  Zeke could see Daniel’s mouth was moving, but he couldn’t hear the words. The rush of blood throughout his whole body was roaring in his ears, his bear hovering close to the surface. All Zeke could smell was the sweet scent of his mate, infused with the delicious aroma of arousal. Those lips were moving – tempting him with their fullness and Zeke couldn’t think – all he could do was act. Catching Daniel’s hair in one hand, holding him tight with the other, he pressed his lips against Daniel’s and groaned again at the fresh new sensation. Oh, yummy. His bear settled as Zeke got onto the serious business of kissing the anger out of his feisty mate. Hey, it could work.

  Chapter Five

  Daniel couldn’t think – hell, he could barely breathe. Zeke’s lips were like a zap of lightening that lit the slow burn in his belly and turned it into a wildfire. Hundreds of words he’d written about kissing couples – thousands of them – and none of them prepared him for the real life experience.

  Zeke’s lips were hard and warm; the hairs of his moustache tickled Daniel’s nose. The hair under Zeke’s chin was as soft as Daniel imagined, rubbing against his face. Zeke’s grip in his hair was firm, his blunt nails on Daniel’s scalp sending tingles through his whole body. When Zeke finally released his hold, Daniel was gasping for air, aware he’d been angry about something, but he was damned if he could remember what it was. He could barely remember his name.

  “Yum, that looked hot. My turn.” Ty was there, behind him, and before Daniel had a chance to open his mouth his second kiss of his life was happening and there was nothing Daniel could do about it. Not that he wanted to, because damn, his men seemed to know what they were doing. He flailed his arms as Ty pulled him backwards, finding the rock hard muscles of Zeke’s chest with one hand and Ty’s broad shoulder with the other.

  Mmm, petting. Petting seemed like a good idea and it wasn’t as though either man was complaining. Ty was busy trying to find his tonsils with his tongue, and Zeke… well, Daniel wasn’t sure what Zeke was doing, but the bulge under his ass seemed to be getting bigger and there were hands all over him, stroking his skin, finding their way under his clothes. His own cock, starved for attention for what felt like forever, threatened to spill in his pants, and in a panic, Daniel pulled his lips free. “Stop, stop, I’m going to come,” he panted.

  “That was the intention,” Zeke growled and then Ty took his mouth again, harder and with more urgency than before. Daniel figured it was Zeke demolishing his zipper, but he really didn’t care who it was. When work-roughened hands grasped his shaft, Daniel screamed down Ty’s throat as his balls unloaded.

  Oh, my, gods, who knew it could feel that good. But even as his body sighed with relief as a flood of feel-good hormones swept through his body, Daniel stiffened with embarrassment and his second ‘oh my gods’ was for a totally different reason this time. What the hell must they think of me? I couldn’t even last five minutes.

  /~/~/~/~/

  Ty could sense it, the moment Daniel’s embarrassment hit. Their sweet mate had responded so beautifully, and if he and Zeke could bring his mate off with a single kiss, then the rest of their bedroom antics were going to be hot. But for now, he reminded himself their sweet Daniel was a virgin. If those weren’t his first kisses, it was close and from the way Daniel’s cock blew the second he was touched, it was clear Daniel wasn’t used to anyone else handling that part of him either.

  Which in turn, brought out all of Ty’s protective instincts. Tugging his hair away from one side of his neck, he rested Daniel’s head, so the cub’s nose was full of his scent. “So beautiful, babe. So beautiful.” Just having Daniel so close, in his arms with Zeke stroking his lower back was enough to set his balls pulsing with need.

  “I think,” Ty coughed and tried again. “I’m thinking me and Zeke should probably go and get your car, if that’s all right with you. Before it gets much later. I know you’re worried, with the dent and all, but I promise it’s not too bad, and we may be able to pop it out and clean it up without any insurance company involvement. We could bring it back here for you….”