Chapter Thirteen

Dax had no idea what Noah had planned until the barked order had already crossed his lips. While he wanted Landon to shift and heal just as much as Noah did, he wasn’t sure forcing him into a shift was the best option. There was no guarantee it would work. Even if it did, there was no predicting how his body would handle the change after having it withheld from him for so long. It was sure to be an uncomfortable experience to say the least. The last thing he wanted to do was cause their mate any more pain. The poor man had suffered enough. Unfortunately, as he saw Landon wrap his arms around his middle and fall to his knees, it didn’t look like he was going to get a lot of say in the matter.

Landon’s full lips parted and a deep groan vibrated from his chest. His eyes were wide with panic as a tremor worked its way through his body. His hands shook and sweat beaded across his forehead and at his temples.

“Noah?” he gasped. “What’s happening?”

“This is going to help you. An Alpha has the ability to force a shift. I need you to trust me.”

“Noah?”

“Shift, Landon. Now!”

A low, keening wail sounded, and Landon doubled over in pain. The sight of their mate suffering was more than Dax could bear. Rounding on Noah, he grabbed his arm and spun him around until was forced to look Dax in the eyes.

“What the hell, Noah?”

“This has to be done. He needs to shift.”

Dax shook his head. “There has to be a better way. Look at him. He can’t take much more of this.”

Determination gleamed in Noah’s eyes as he held his head high. “The sooner he shifts, the sooner he’ll heal.” Looking down at Landon, his eyes softened with concern. “He’s strong, D. He can do this. He needs to do this.” Leaning over their fallen mate, Noah placed a finger under his chin and forced him to raise his head. “Shift!”

A scream rent the air and Landon thrashed on the floor. Long and drawn out, it grew deeper, then morphed into the mournful cry of a wolf. Dax looked on helplessly as Landon’s skin rippled and tightened. Hair sprouted over his arms and up the length of his neck. Then came the sickening sound of bones cracking and breaking as they prepared to reshape themselves into something other than human. His back arched and his body seemed to expand, splitting his shirt right down the back. Landon’s face elongated into a muzzle and his eyes took on a silvery, metallic sheen. Another howl sounded, the pain echoed in it breaking Dax’s heart as he listened to the dulcet tone.

Dropping to his knees, Dax crawled across the floor to their downed mate. He kept his body low and his posture non-threatening so as not to startle the frightened man. By the time Dax made it to Landon’s side, he was all wolf. The beast’s eyes were closed and its chest rose and fell in panting breaths.

Dax couldn’t help but stare at their young mate in awe. Never in his life had he seen a more beautiful wolf. The tawny color of Landon’s hair had transferred over perfectly into the color of his wolf’s fur. Even the natural, golden highlights that streaked his hair were there, contrasting beautifully against the darker hue of the rest of his fur. Dax had to fight back a laugh when an image of Landon prowling around a salon in wolf form with a coat full of color foils popped into his head. He doubted their mate would appreciate the humor in it, especially after everything he’d just been through.

Reaching over, he ran his fingers through the soft ruff behind Landon’s ear, allowing the soft strands to tease along the length of his fingers. Landon froze for a moment then pushed his head against Dax’s hand, encouraging him to continue his ministrations.

Dax couldn’t stop his grin. “Damn, baby. I didn’t think it was possible for you to get any prettier, but you just had to go and prove me wrong, didn’t you?”

Jerking away from Dax’s touch, Landon lifted a lip and snarled. The move revealed a sharp, gleaming incisor.

There was no stopping Dax’s laugh. “Don’t be mad, baby.” He chuckled. “You know I meant that in a very butch, manly way.”

Landon let out a huffing breath and Dax could swear he rolled his wolfy eyes. Who knew it was even possible?

Taking advantage of Dax’s distraction, Landon moved in and licked a wet, slobbery path up the side of his face.

“Are you kidding me?” Dax whined, scrubbing at his face with his sleeve. “That’s just plain nasty, Land. Bad dog.”

“If the two of you are done screwing around, it’s time for Landon to shift back.”

Noah’s tone was serious, but when Dax peeked over his shoulder, he couldn’t miss the amusement in Noah’s eyes.

“But, Dad…” Dax teased with a smile.

Landon rolled over onto his back, paws in the air and tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth. He was like a great big puppy.

“Very funny.” Noah frowned, pinning Landon with a stern glare. “Shift, Landon. I want to check your wounds and make sure you’re healing. Now.”

With a final whine, Landon rolled over onto his belly and began the change. The difference from his first shift was like night and day. Where the original had been a long, painfully drawn out process, the second time around was seamless, fluid, taking mere seconds to go from fur to flesh. A shudder worked its way through him, signaling the last vestiges of his transformation. Crouching on the floor with his body covered with a thin layer of sweat as he panted for breath, Landon looked exhausted, yet he practically glowed with happiness. As far as Dax was concerned, Landon had never been more gorgeous.

“Thank you.” Landon’s voice was low and raspy from his earlier screams. There was a suspicious shimmer in his eyes as he gazed up at them in wonder.

Noah’s brow furrowed as the stormy blue of his eyes became a darker, more turbulent shade. “What for?” he asked.

“Are you kidding? You gave me back my wolf. I don’t even have a way to repay you—”

“Don’t you fucking say it,” Noah snapped. “You are ours. There is nothing we wouldn’t do for you. Wrap your brain around it. You are ours.”

Landon didn’t look convinced, but he did stop his protests, focusing instead on getting back to his feet. Dax saw an opening and moved in to offered their young mate a hand. There was a brief moment of hesitation before Landon reached up and allowed him to help him to his feet. Using more strength than necessary, Dax pulled Landon up and into his waiting arms.

Though his eyes flared wide with surprise, Landon made no move to escape his hold. When he burrowed in closer, Dax didn’t know what to do. He was afraid to so much as breathe. It was the most arousing and painful experience of his life. All he wanted to do was strip Landon down and explore every lean inch of the man’s body with his hands and tongue. It took every ounce of his strength not to drag the young man to the floor and mount him, right then and there. Every instinct he had was screaming out for him to stake his claim on the beautiful man in his arms.

It was a near thing but after a few seconds of deep breathing and bringing up the image of his eighty-year-old great aunt wearing her annual string bikini, he thought he had a pretty good handle on his rampant libido. Unfortunately, all that hard work and restraint went flying right out of the window when Landon’s hands worked their way under the soft material of Dax’s shirt.

Slow and hesitant, Landon traced a path along the delineated planes of Dax’s stomach and up to the firm muscle of his pecs. The sensation was gentle, like the soft kiss of a butterfly wing skimming against his body, and left his skin tingling. Dax didn’t have much experience with gentle. He’d always been a large, powerful wolf who tended to underestimate his own strength. As such, he’d developed a taste for sex with a rougher edge and gravitated toward bed partners who shared his preference.

He’d never considered the possibility that he’d ever need to use a more gentle hand, but he was thinking about it now. Landon was a virgin and would, of course, need to be handled carefully. There was no way in hell he would be responsible for harming their mate. He didn’t care how patient he had to be or how long he had to wait. He would be the gentle, attentive lover Landon deserved.

A sharp tug on his right nipple ring started a burning ache within him that had him gasping for breath. Startled, he found himself mesmerized by a pair of mischievous blue eyes. All traces of the broken man they had found in the facility were gone, driven away by the primal lust Dax could see burning in those cerulean orbs. He couldn’t bite back the groan that fell from his lips when his nipple received another punishing tug. Reaching up, he grabbed Landon’s wrists through the thin material, holding them in a restraining grip.

“You need to stop.”

Landon peered up at him from under the dark fringe of his lashes. “What if I don’t want to stop?”

“This isn’t a game, Landon. If you don’t stop, you’re going to get a lot more than you bargained for and a whole hell of a lot more than you’re ready for.”

Landon’s eyes darkened and sparked with irritation. “You have no idea what I’m ready for.”

“Baby, you need time to heal and work through what’s happened to you. Noah and I pawing all over you will only make things worse. You need time.”

“All I’ve had is time,” Landon shouted. “Twenty years’ worth of time.”

“And that makes you think that you’re ready?” Dax taunted. “We may be mates but don’t let that fool you into thinking that our joining will be easy. You were destined to be the mate of not one, but two dominant male wolves who want nothing more than to fuck you into submission. Explain to me again how you think you’re prepared for that.”

He ground his teeth in frustration when Landon merely raised his chin in defiance. Dax had had enough. Landon needed to understand what a bad idea this was. Determined to end this before they reached a point of no return, he cast a questioning glance at Noah. Their Alpha nodded in agreement.

Needing no further encouragement, Dax grabbed the closure of his pants and tore open the fastenings. He jerked the material down to his knees and exposed himself fully to their young mate. His arousal was long, thick and flushed an angry red as it reached up toward his navel.

“Fuck,” Landon whispered.

Dax would have laughed if he wasn’t trying to make a point. He took a step forward and pressed his swollen shaft against Landon’s own matching hardness. “Are you still so sure that you’re prepared for this? Ready to roll over and present that ass to be mounted? Don’t forget, sweetheart, it’s not just me you’ll be pleasuring. Noah and I are a package deal. Two cocks for the price of one. So,” he drawled, “still feeling eager to get started?”

Landon’s eyes dilated and Dax could hear his pulse pick up speed. The sound of it was music to Dax’s ears. He loved the fact that Landon wasn’t able to hide his attraction for them, even while he tingled with his fear of what was to come. Dax would have enjoyed his conflict a lot more if he wasn’t suffering from the most intense case of arousal he’d ever experienced. His cock was definitely not getting onboard with the plan of encouraging Landon to give himself a bit more time to adjust before hitting the sheets. It pulsed against Landon’s thigh, leaving a sticky, wet trail of pre-cum in its wake. Gritting his teeth, he tried to get his mind on the least lust-inducing things he could think of but it was too late. His need had grown too hot, too fast, and had already passed the point of no return.

Strong hands circling his hips, followed by a hot, wet heat encompassing the mushroomed head of his cock jerked him back to reality. Gasping, he looked down to find Landon on his knees with his lips stretched wide around his shaft. He was shocked to the point of speechlessness when Landon gave him a wink, increased his suction and practically devoured Dax’s dick.

For a man who had been a total virgin not twenty seconds earlier, Landon was a natural cock sucker. He worked Dax’s dick like a seasoned pro. Tightening his lips, he applied just the right amount of suction to the head before licking and teasing his way down his thick rod. He hesitated in his trek when he encountered the silver balls that protruded from Dax’s shaft but never faltered in his attentions. He flicked and fluttered his tongue around each of the metal orbs, making sure to give them equal attention, then continued his trip south. Once at the base, he moved in and pushed his nose in the soft curls covering Dax’s sac. He inhaled deeply, releasing little puffs of air that tickled against the wrinkled skin of Dax’s testicles.

“Oh, God,” Dax groaned, sliding a hand through Landon’s blond locks. “Baby, you have to stop.”

Landon grunted and shot him a glare as he continued his attentions. He flattened his tongue and laved a path over Dax’s sac, sucking one of the hefty orbs into his mouth. After the first swipe of his tongue, Dax thought his knees were going to buckle. Every pass of Landon’s tongue over his skin was like an electric current sizzling across his nerve endings. When he snagged a bit of the thin skin between his teeth and tugged, Dax thought he was going to come right then and there.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” he gasped. Dax grabbed a handful of Landon’s hair and forced him off his cock. He wrapped a hand around the base of his shaft and squeezed as hard as he could, desperate to stave off the climax that was threatening to tear him apart. “What the fuck was that, Landon?”

“If you have to ask, I must not have been doing it right,” Landon countered darkly.

Dax gave a rough chuckle. “Any more right, baby, and you’d have the proof dripping down your chin.”

A small, hesitant smile formed on Landon’s swollen lips. “No more talk of waiting, then. I want this. You. Noah. Us. All of it. I’m whole for the first time and I’m ready for my life to really begin. That life has everything to do with the two of you.”

“Are you sure you’re ready? There’s no need to rush into this. “

Landon sighed. “I’ve lost a lot. My parents, my Pack, my freedom. Over the years, I’ve learned that you either need to be open to the good that comes into your life or drown under everything bad that comes your way. Yeah, I lost my family, but now, with you and Noah, I have been given a new one. I need you to see that I’m not broken. I need you to claim me and give me a home again. Please.”

Dax couldn’t do anything but stare. Landon had lost so much, yet he was still so open and willing to put himself out there. It was humbling and made Dax fall for him more. Even Noah seemed different, lighter since Landon had come into their lives. The pain that had been front and center for the last few months had diminished under the powerful optimism that seemed to radiate from Landon. The change was miraculous. So full of confidence and strength, he was like a different man.

Landon was the key to that change. He softened all their rough edges and filled in the cracks Dax hadn’t realized were there. He hadn’t known they were missing anything until the moment he’d seen Landon lying on that table and it was like coming home. It was just that simple. Landon belonged to them and it was damn sure time to take what was theirs.