Mates & Allies

Aristotle agreed with Jett’s plan, which Deke knew set his mate’s mind at ease. He’d known taking over the lone wolves like this would be difficult. What he was doing had the potential to cause immense pain to his mates, and frankly, he hated it. And yet, he wasn’t sure there was any other way. As soon as Aristotle and the other herd members left with Adam under heavy guard, he sat down with Stetson, Cayd, and Tavin to ensure they were on the same page.

His alpha duty done, he returned to his mates. Tavo busied himself by working the smoker to ensure the pack had a delicious meal. Large pans of fresh slaw and chopped fruit had come with Aristotle, and the pack praised Tavo’s cooking skills. His stallion might have a future as a chef, though Deke suspected he’d done it more to take care of everyone and keep things running smoothly.

Tavo worried about Jett. Hell, they all worried about Jett since no one knew very much about Zeb’s claw, and it sounded like he had a lot of cougars backing him up. But Tavo held his worry much closer to the surface, mingled with his fear about all of his mates and how they would end up.

Dinner was finishing and Tavo returned to the smoker to make sure it was shut down for the night and all the meat was put into coolers. Large restaurant-style refrigerators were coming and would be placed in the building that would be placed next to the meeting room where a big kitchen, much like the one they had in the Herd house would be built, so the pack could be fed. Tavo’s mother had sent word with Aristotle that she’d help provide specs and design, much like she had for the kitchen at Tavo’s house.

Deke walked outside to stand next to Tavo as he packaged up the last of the meat. “You made us an excellent dinner, tonight. Thank you.” He rested his hand on Tavo’s muscled shoulder, sensing his mustang needed some reassurance.

“It’s the least I could do.” Tavo glanced at the darkening sky for a moment as if gathering strength. “Literally. I’m not a predator like the rest of you. Sure, I can hold my own in a fight as man or stallion, but I admit I’m feeling a bit lost in this. I’m not sure this is how I would have thought my mates and I would be handling things.” He sighed and looked down at the meat as if it held all the answers. “I suppose that sounds selfish, doesn’t it?”

“Not at all,” Deke said. “I get it. Trust me. Meeting you, Jett, and Colt certainly wasn’t in my plans. I figured I’d be somewhere in the Midwest doing what I could to convince other shifter groups to join Shifters United. I see now that the work we’re doing together is more important, but there are always feelings involved when things don’t go as planned.” He wrapped his arm around Tavo and pulled him close, then kissed him on the temple in a tender gesture that had his wolf determined to protect his mate. “We’ve got this. There’s a lot we don’t know, but what we do know is that we’ve got each other’s backs and your herd has our backs too. I also suspect Kole has Jett’s back, otherwise he wouldn’t have talked.”

“You’re right,” Tavo admitted. He busied himself putting foil on the meat and then putting it into the cooler.

“Colt put out the word that the shower house wasn’t to be disturbed. I think we need time to ourselves and it’s bigger than the camper’s shower,” Deke said, tamping down his rising lust at the thought of getting all four mates into the cement building that had several cisterns and worked as a shower facility for the lone wolves.

“That sounds nice.” Tavo closed the lid on the smoker and turned to Deke with a smile. “Do we want to finish doing this clean up now or later?”

Deke glanced at the smoker. “Let’s do it now. That way we can take our time washing up.”

As if Deke mentally called them Colt and Jett appeared and in a short time the cleaning was finished, food put away, and Colt had a bag with towels and toiletries waiting by the camper steps. It didn’t take long for each of them to grab an outfit, and a heated tension crackled between the four mates as they walked to the shower building.

The rest of the lone wolves were absent. Stetson stood in front of the doors. He gave his brother a curt nod as they approached. “Everyone will stay away. Tavin’s going to guard your camper and Cayd is guarding Kole. I’m going to patrol, so you shouldn’t be bothered. I think most of the wolves are tucked into their beds.” A bit of humor filled his voice. He paused for a moment, then looked at his brother. “You deserve this. Take your time okay?”

Colt clamped his brother on the arm. “Thanks. We will.” He released Stetson and led the way into the shower building.

~* * *~

A weight seemed to lift from his mates as if by entering the cinder block building where their voices echoed off the walls barred the outside world from interfering. The paint was chipped and peeling with limescale on the shower heads, but one had been replaced and it was to this one that Colt led them. Tavo followed, letting his mate have this moment where he could take care of them, comfort them, love them, considering that they didn’t know what the future would hold.

Jett looked at him, the desire and love in his eyes, golden with his cougar so close to the surface, nearly taking his breath away. “You stuck with me through all of this bullshit, ponyboy. And you’ll go to war with me. I can’t tell you what that means.” He grabbed Tavo and pulled him close.

Tavo allowed himself to be drawn into Jett’s arms and kissed until he distantly registered the sound of his other two mates undressing and the water hitting the cement floor. The spray caught his bare back, and he realized Jett must have tugged his shirt free. He broke the kiss long enough to strip, and then once he was naked, turned to see someone, probably Colt, had set up their toiletries on a bench, soap and shampoo within reach.

Deke was already sudsing his muscled body with Colt doing the same to his leaner one. Jett grabbed his body wash and took his turn under the spray, wetting his body, then moving out of the way so Tavo could do the same. The synchronized showering continued until everyone was clean where they could reach.

Colt turned to Jett. “Wash my back?” He handed Jett the washcloth.

“Sure,” Jett agreed. “Deke, mind doing mine?”

“Only if Tavo does mine,” Deke’s voice rumbled, thick with lust.

“Then that means Colt washes my back,” Tavo said as he stepped into place.

The instant a washcloth touched his back, a current of passion ran down Tavo’s spine. He drew a swift breath, the need to claim his mates, to fuck and be fucked coursing through his veins. He swore he heard Colt moan behind him as lust rippled through their mating bonds. His hand stalling near the small of Deke’s back, Tavo leaned forward and kissed the nape of his wolfman’s neck.

Deke shuddered. His head dipped forward, and suddenly back washing was forgotten as hands roamed over water-slick skin and lips found vulnerable necks and throats.

Their circle tightened as they moved closer together. Tavo let the washcloth fall to the floor, the wet splat loud. Colt shifted just long enough to reach behind him and turn off the water. The hot spray ceased, leaving a slight breeze that chilled his skin only for a moment, then Colt was there, pressing against his back, the ridge of his hard cock against one ass cheek.

Tavo slid his hands down Deke’s shoulder, across his pectoral muscles, then down to trace each ridge of his abdomen. He encountered the top of Deke’s cock, slick with precome, and gently brushed his thumb across it.

“Fuck,” Deke moaned. “That’s good.”

Thank god Colt had the peace of mind to pack lube, because Colt pressed a bottle into his hand, and he filled his palm with the slick liquid to stroke Deke’s cock before giving the bottle to his wolfman. The bottle made the rounds, and the slick sounds of fingers sliding over dicks mingled with harsh breathing and muffled moans.

Tavo’s balls tightened. The mate bonds sent everything, from Jett’s swift intake of breath when Deke pressed two fingers against his ass to Colt leaning against him as Jett penetrated him with fingers. This was more than a fuck session; it was a homecoming, a way to affirm bonds that would be tested by future deeds and unknown problems.

Tavo circled Deke’s puckered hole with his fingers, finally slipping first one, then a second digit inside. He longed to pound between those muscled globes and let Deke’s warm ass surround his cock, but not yet. This had to last. This moment was special; his mates were special. He placed open mouthed kisses along Deke’s neck, pausing to suck a red mark into his skin. His wolfman moaned and pressed his ass against Tavo’s fingers, working his body against them. At that moment Colt filled Tavo’s ass, and Tavo moaned against Deke’s skin. A moment later he moved just enough to replace his fingers with the head of his cock and pressed into Deke.

The instant they were all connected, cock to ass, hit Tavo’s mating bond like a bolt of lightning. Even though the marks weren’t finished, the feeling of wholeness, of being complete, was like nothing Tavo had ever felt. This was his pack; these were his mates. He savored being filled and filling the man in front of him. Then slowly, as if they were all in accord, Colt began to move, and so did he.

This was lovemaking. The fact that they were four naked guys in the shower fucking one another didn’t matter, because the slow, slick slide of his cock into Deke’s hole and the way his wolfman’s body wrapped around his shaft, hot and welcoming, was the most exquisite thing he’d ever experienced save for when Deke and Jett had put their mate marks on him.

“Can I mark you?” Colt’s husky voice filled his ears.

“Yes,” Tavo said, half-moaning.

Then Colt’s mouth was there kissing his neck next to Jett and Deke’s marks. Both men shuddered as Colt’s tongue swirled around the marks. Then a moment of pain as his teeth scored the surface, and the mating bonds created from that first moment when he wished Colt would have dropped to his knees in front of him and sucked his cock, snapped finally into place.

It was too much. His fingers tightened on Deke’s hips, his cock pounding into the muscled shifter’s ass. The familiar tingling began right behind his balls, then burst up his spine until he cried out as he stiffened and spilled himself into Deke.

Like dominos falling, his release triggered the other men to do the same. Deke came, then Jett’s harsh shout echoed around them. And finally, as if he’d been waiting for this moment, Colt shot come into Tavo’s ass, his release silent, yet no less powerful as the others.

They clung together on wobbly legs, working to get their breathing under control. Colt surprisingly recovered first, turned on the shower, and soon, they were cleaning up…again.