The Duty of a Beta (7 page)

There was no hint of a challenge from him. Gunnar took a deep breath as he leaned more comfortably against the old stone wall. For the first time he felt the spring that had been coiled tightly inside him ever since he joined the pack as their new beta relax.

There was no need to keep his guard up with Talbot. With that knowledge
came
a deep-seated pleasure that grew inside him with every single lick and kiss the smaller wolf lavished on his cock. There were no ulterior motives with Talbot, no need to try to work out if there was a test behind his actions. It was just pure, perfect submission.

Talbot dipped his head further, trying to take more and more of Gunnar’s shaft into his mouth, as if desperate to be completely filled with him. The
glans
touched the back of his throat. Talbot pulled back very quickly, spluttering and wiping his lips.

His eyes flashed up towards Gunnar. He looked so scared, so worried that he had failed.

Gunnar quickly lifted his hand from the ground to his left. Broken blades of grass fell from his fingers as he stroked his fingers through the omega’s hair.

“I’d have been bloody surprised if you’d taken that in your stride,” he said. His voice was rough, but he had no idea if Talbot was experienced enough to know that it was deep and hoarse with desire rather than anger. “Just take your time,” he ordered. “There’s no rush.”

No rush…

Gunnar pushed the thought away as quickly as he could. He wasn’t going to think about time. Not when they had so bloody little of it before he’d have to turn his attention back to his duties.

He stroked his fingers very gently through the omega’s hair again, while he still had the chance. Gunnar had no doubt that Talbot would need to have a fuss made of him now. He was bound to need to be reassured and have his feelings coddled before he was inclined to make an attempt at finishing what he’d started.

He blinked down in surprise as the omega immediately lowered his lips back to his task. Gunnar’s hand still rested on the back of his head, but the younger wolf didn’t seem to be the least bit scared by the way his fingers remained nestled snugly in the short blond strands of hair.

Such complete trust…such perfect submission. Gunnar moaned his pleasure, at Talbot’s instincts as much as his actions.

The beta’s head dropped back to rest against the wall. His grip on Talbot’s shirt turned white-knuckled as he forced himself to keep the other hand gentle against his hair. Pleasure rushed through him faster and faster as Talbot sucked and licked around him.

As if he could sense his lover getting closer to the edge, Talbot bobbed his head more quickly. His attention focussed in on the most sensitive part of Gunnar’s cock, right where the head met the shaft.

Gunnar’s hips rocked forwards. Talbot didn’t seem the least concerned by that. As the beta stared down at him, it was hard for him to imagine that anything could faze the inexperienced young wolf right then. The omega was completely lost in his newly emerging instincts, and he was glorious.

All Talbot’s attention was on his lover, but as Gunnar’s fist released the other man’s shirt and he slid his palm down to rest on Talbot’s arse, he realised that the omega’s hips were rocking too.

The omega’s body was concerned with his own orgasm, even if his mind wasn’t. He pushed his arse excitedly back against Gunnar’s hand, squirming and pressing against his palm.

If his mind had realised what his body was getting up to while its focus was on other things, Gunnar knew the other man would have blushed bright red. As it was, his instincts had free reign, and his arse wanted Gunnar.

Another lick to that sweet spot right near the head of his cock, and Gunnar’s orgasm suddenly roared through him, catching him completely off guard. He didn’t even have a chance to warn Talbot before he jerked and came rapidly into his mouth.

A howl threatened to escape from him, but Gunnar clamped his throat down around it. A howl might bring the other members of the pack to their quiet little corner of their territory. Gunnar couldn’t allow himself that pleasure right then.

The omega spluttered again, but this time he only pulled back far enough to ensure Gunnar’s cum would land on his tongue. Keeping his lips wrapped around the tip, he swallowed rapidly, apparently determined to take every drop Gunnar could give him.

But he hadn’t learnt how to do that properly yet. No one had taught him how. No one had been granted the
opportunity
to teach him anything at all, because he was sweet, and innocent, and perfect. As Gunnar’s orgasm faded away and the beta collapsed, completely sated, against the wall behind him, he couldn’t help but relish the simple fact that he was the first wolf Talbot would ever taste that way.

The younger man continued to suckle contently around his cock as he began to soften in the omega’s mouth. His hips continued to rock as he squirmed against Gunnar’s hand, too.

His movements all slow and sleepy with afterglow, Gunnar reached beneath the smaller wolf and deftly drew down the zip on his fly. Talbot started to pull back, but Gunnar quickly killed that idea by simply refusing to lift his hand from where it rested on the back of his head.

There was no struggle for control. As soon as Talbot seemed to register his lover’s desire, he conceded to it. Gunnar’s other hand deftly freed the omega’s shaft from behind his fly and wrapped his fingers around it as soon as it was clear who was in charge.

Talbot’s eyes opened very wide as he glanced up at him from the corner of his eye. He gasped around Gunnar’s softening cock, his tongue flicking rapidly against the tip as he tried to look down beneath his own body. Gunnar smiled slightly. There was no way for Talbot to see what was happening. His position was as effective as any blindfold could have been.

The sucking action around the tip of his cock increased rapidly as Talbot squirmed, thrusting his hips and frantically trying to pump his cock against Gunnar’s hand.

Allowing his smile to broaden a little, Gunnar stilled his fist. He let Talbot take over and do all the work himself, while he merely sat back and admired the performance the normally self conscious little omega was putting on for him.

Every bit of pleasure Talbot’s wriggling gained was passed straight to his lover via his mouth. Every whimper and every moan vibrated around Gunnar’s shaft. There was no way in hell the other wolf could get him hard again right then, but he certainly seemed to be doing his damndest to try.

Pleasure caressed and encased Gunnar’s cock again and again as Talbot fought for his own release. That was good. It was about time someone taught the other wolf to fight for what he wanted. A submissive was one thing—every pack needed a good omega in its ranks. No pack needed to include a petrified doormat in its numbers.

“That’s right,” he murmured under his breath.

Tilting his head to one side, Gunnar watched the omega’s shaft slide against his palm again and again, slicking it with pre cum with every motion. Tightening his grip slightly, Gunnar rhythmically massaged the omega’s cock as he teased the head.

A muffled howl surrounded Gunnar’s shaft as the other man finally bucked his hips and spilled on the grass beneath him in long white ropes. Talbot’s body jerked again and again as his muscles seemed to escape his control and find all those reserves of strength that the little wolf had never been encouraged to explore before.

Finally falling still, the omega half collapsed forwards, taking Gunnar’s cock deeper into his mouth in the process. There seemed to be no fear in that for him now. With his head resting on the beta’s lap and his whole body limp and trembling with satisfaction, Talbot was glorious, and Gunnar wanted nothing more than to drag him up onto his lap, wrap his arms around him, and keep him there forever.

Gunnar closed his eyes for a moment, making sure that the sight of Talbot like that was burned deep into his mind, just in case he never got the chance to see him like that again.

He let the younger man rest for a few minutes. Then, unable to hide his reluctance, he very slowly took his hands from Talbot’s body.

“We both have duties to attend to,” he reminded Talbot as he looked towards the broken section of wall. He’d never known any words to taste so bitter in his mouth.

Chapter Four

Duty…

The word echoed through Gunnar’s head as his paws raced faster and faster over the forest floor. He growled at the world in general, but it was just a brief, harsh little sound. Gunnar kept the rest of his breath in order to race more rapidly across the uneven ground.

The wind whipped through his fur as he threw himself between the trees, putting every ounce of anger and frustration he possessed into simply moving all four of his paws as quickly as he could. Right to the edge of the boundary of the pack’s land, then around the far field towards the north of their territory and back through the forest, Gunnar pushed himself to keep running no matter how hard his lungs screamed or his muscles protested.

All he had to do was keep running and everything would be simple. It was staying still that was the problem. Staying
here
that was the problem. Staying and doing his duty to his new pack…

Gunnar had never realised that the very thing he’d built his life around as he’d grown up and realised what being part of a pack really meant, could hurt him so much. But the idea of having to set aside his feelings for Talbot, of being required to live next to him as part of the same pack, yet still to go to his bed each night with another wolf…

Physical pain mingled with the mental anguish as his pushed his body harder than ever and joints and bones protested at such rough treatment, but Gunnar couldn’t stop.

He had to run. He had to pick up Talbot and run as fast as he could carry him, out of the pack’s lands and—

Gunnar’s only warning was a brief blur of fur to his right. Then, he was on his back.

The momentum of the attack sent both Gunnar and his attacker tumbling uncontrollably down the slope leading towards the river that cut through the forest. Their tangled mess of limbs stopped rolling just short of the fast-flowing water’s edge. Gunnar’s back landed heavily on the
rocky river
bank.

Who was it? Gunnar tried to focus as his head spun. Who had found out?

Marsdon
?
Bennett? Had the alphas discovered what had happened between him and Talbot that morning? Had one of them realised that he’d disobeyed their wishes, disregarded the very reason they’d brought him and
Caden
into the pack, without the slightest hesitation?

Or maybe
Steffan
—had the idea that he needed to protect the little omega from the big nasty beta finally convinced the huge oaf to grow a pair? Or was it Francis, trying to fight above his weight?

As thoughts raced through Gunnar’s head he twisted around, his paws scrabbling at the muddy rocks as he made to launch himself at his attacker and saw…
Caden
?

The pretty little wolf stilled when their eyes met. Within seconds, the other wolf had morphed back into an equally pretty young man. Leaf litter clung to his floppy blond hair as the wind blew it back from his face, like he was the star of a bloody shampoo commercial.

His skin was streaked with mud, but even that failed to make him look anything less than perfect. Somehow Gunnar’s brother made it look like something a spa would lather on him rather than what anyone could find on the forest floor. But what Gunnar noticed above everything else was that his brother’s eyes were full of entirely unaccustomed anger.

“What the hell’s got into you?” Gunnar’s words were more growled than spoken, his voice box barely having had time to transform back into its human form.

Caden
snarled back at him. His muscles tensed as if he was barely restraining himself from throwing himself at him again.

“If we end up in that river, I’ll throttle you, you stupid little sod,” Gunnar warned, sparing a brief glance at the near-freezing water.

It took several minutes before
Caden’s
inclination to attack appeared to subside. Even then it seemed to be more due to a realisation that he had no chance of winning against his older brother now that he was on his guard.

Still, Gunnar continued to watch him with a wariness that he was sure would have surprised the other members of their pack if he’d ever let them see it.
Caden
in a temper was a bloody sight more dangerous than he looked. Gunnar had seen more than enough wolves learn that the hard way.
“Any particular reason why you’ve lost your mind?”
Gunnar finally asked.

“As if you don’t know!”
Caden
snapped, holding his eyes as he said it.

Gunnar’s eyes narrowed in response. “Show some respect!” he ordered, as his hackles rose.

“Don’t pull the big tough beta act with me,”
Caden
spat.
“That bull’s not going to work on someone who can remember you when you were still carrying around that moth eaten bloody teddy bear!”

“Why are you attacking a member of your own pack?” Gunnar ground out, somehow managing to ignore the taunt and keep his own anger in check.