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The beeping was back.
It was intruding on his previously undisturbed state of blissful unconsciousness. He could feel a vein in his forehead twitch as the beeping grew louder, and all his instincts screamed at him to lash out and make sure that the damned machine could never again make its infernal beeping noises. Only the memory of what had happened last time stopped him from reacting.
There was a groan beside him, movement he could feel as the warm body in his arms stretched away – unable to detach itself fully from Ivan’s vice hold – to silence the beeping, and he felt his body relax at the lack of noise. He felt his mind calm, and prepared himself to sink into sleep once more.
Until the body in his arms tried to slip away from him, ignoring the confused and annoyed growl he’d released unintentionally.
Tried being the operative word.
“I will kick you off the bed if you don’t let go of me,” a sleep slurred voice hissed, annoyed, and he automatically relaxed his grip, allowing his young mate to slip away from the hold. He blinked awake, trying to shake the tempting grasp sleep held over his mind, and glanced over at the irate blond who’d started rummaging in his wardrobe for a pair of clothes to wear for the day.
“Is it dawn already?” he asked, trying to bite back a yawn without much success, pushing himself from the bed in the process. The comforter slumped back onto the bed when he stood, shaking his head to throw the sleepiness from his body as he stretched.
“Just about,” his mate called, already moving towards the bathroom. “Remember to put some clothes on!”
Ivan snorted at the reminder, snatching a pair of loose sweatpants before he made his way into the kitchen. He didn’t want his mate to start ranting about public indecency again.
By the time he had breakfast cooking – filling the small home with enticing scents just begging anyone passing by to sneak in and grab a bite – Alfred had emerged from the bathroom, fully dressed and slightly damp all the same. Ivan slipped into the bathroom as his mate exited, brushing his teeth but deciding to save the shower for later. He wanted them to eat together, and he knew the longer he left his mate unattended around food, the less likely there would be any left by the time he got back.
Sure enough, Alfred was already twitching, staring at the bacon on his plate. He snorted, drawing those blue eyes to him before he kissed his mate good morning. The other whacked him on his arm, and grinned, before chomping down on a piece of bacon. They ate breakfast in the early hours of the dawn in mostly silence. It was only when Ivan had finished and was getting up that Alfred broke the odd quiet.
“I’m catching a ride back with a friend today,” Alfred mentioned absently as he was finishing his breakfast. Ivan had moved to put the dishes away, but his head shot up, glancing at his mate in surprise.
“So late? I thought you didn’t have a friend in your last class that lived nearby,” he said, still surprised, and with no small amount of worry.
“My professor cancelled our last lecture today,” his mate reassured him with a small smile, “And my second to last class is at least half supernatural creatures. Eliza’s from the coven that lives one town over, and she’s offered me a ride back whenever I need it. Do you remember them?”
He thought for a bit, but he did remember – Gilbert’s cousin Roderich had been born without a wolf, and lived in the neighboring town. Because the cousins were still close – even if they didn’t always get along – Alfred had met both Roderich and his girlfriend Elizabeta. It had been lucky coincidence that Elizabeta was attending the same university Alfred was, and even though she was a few years older than him, she’d offered rides to him whenever he needed it while she was there.
“Yes,” he said, and his mate grinned, “does that mean we’ll stay in for dinner tonight?” Because with the grin he was being given, he’d already imagined all the different ways that their night could end…all of them were very pleasant.
“You’re off tomorrow, right?” his mate inquired, and grinned even wider when he nodded, “Well, if we stay in tonight, I’m sure we can turn in early. If you’d like to,” blue eyes gleamed up at his slyly, and he grinned.
“Well, how could I ever say no to that?”
The knocking surprised him, especially so early in the afternoon. He knew Alfred wasn’t going to be back until early evening, and had a key besides, so he wouldn’t knock. And most people were currently at work. He was only home because he usually took days off to shuffle his mate back and forth from campus, and they’d usually go out in the evening. He’d work from home on those days.
Regardless, it looked like he had visitors, and it wouldn’t do for him to leave them floundering on his doorstep, even if it would be easier to ignore them. He stood, and moved towards the door, tugged it open, and nearly dropped his jaw in shock.
Three of the pack’s elders were waiting patiently on his doorstep, studying first the house, and then, when the door opened, him. When their piercing gazes turned on him, he recalled his composure steadied his voice.
“Elders,” he said, a brow rising in surprise, before inclining his head in the due respect they always demanded. The elders smiled at his respect, pleased. The eldest of the three, Elder Conan, stepped forwards.
“Ivan,” he said warmly, “You look well, child. It is good to see you’re doing well this winter.”
“Thank you, Elder,” he replied graciously, “Please, be welcome in my home,” he added, and stepped to the side, allowing them inside the small, cozy home.
“Ah, wonderful,” the other male elder – Elder Lucian – sighed as he stepped into the home, shucking his shoes near the rack at the front, before moving into the home to study the interior. Once they were all inside, Ivan shut the door and shuffled off to grab some drinks for the elders. He wasn’t used to hosting people – traditionally, that was a submissive’s job in the home, and it wasn’t often taught to dominants – but the elders often demanded a respect that superseded types.
And it did get him away from their piercing gazes. Well, at least until they followed him into the kitchen.
The lone female elder there was studying the home with an intensity that made him nervous. She’d only glanced over at him once they’d all settled down around the dining table, when the other two dominant elders had begun a soft conversation as Ivan had brought out refreshments for them all.
“You’ve changed a great deal of your home,” she noted, drawing the attention of her companions, “I’m to assume it’s not only your doing?”
He chuckled dryly, “Most of it is not, though I do like what the changes do. They brighten up the living space, and I quite like it. Alfred was very insistent on that, however, and I could not refuse him that.”
The elder hummed, and Ivan suddenly felt like he was the center of attention. He bit back his confusion, knowing his face was nothing but what he’d allowed himself to show, and wondered why they’d suddenly focused their intensity on this casual conversation.
“And how is your lovely mate, Ivan?” Elder Conan asked him, supposedly curious, but there was something odd and foreboding in the elder’s dark bark-colored eyes that he didn’t quite trust. Especially not when the mere mention of his mate had drawn the other two elders’ attention. “He’s not here at the moment, I take it.”
“Ah, he’s out right now, but he should be back in a few hours. He’s doing well,” he added, a smile drawing on his face as he thought of his mate, “Adjusting better than I could’ve hoped. We’re well paired, I think.”
“That’s wonderful news, indeed!” the dark-eyed elder exclaimed, clapping his hands together joyfully.
“Yes, yes,” the woman agreed dismissively, “though I must admit, I was concerned. Alfred isn’t the type to accept mating and all it entails so easily.”
“I-I’m sorry,” he bit his lip to bite back the stutter, confused, “I’m not sure I understand what you mean, Elder.”
“Oh, it’s not fault of yours, child,” Elder Adela said, dismissing his worried apology, keen green eyes piercing through his own, and he could see how this scrawny, wisp of a woman could have been a powerful dominant in her own right decades ago, “It’s not something we think on often. But we do have to keep an eye on our pack, and Alfred has worried us. We were never sure if he would settle down and accept his role.”
His role? He wasn’t sure he liked the way this conversation was heading.
“Elder Adela brings up a valid point, child,” Elder Lucian pointed out slyly. “Your mate certainly has a – ah, how do I put it? Alfred has a very different perspective on the world – a very human perspective that lacks the pertinence of the pack setting. You’d do well to…correct his impression. You are his dominant mate. It wouldn’t do to have that reflected upon your reputation, lest people believe you support such a thing.”
Oh, he definitely didn’t like the direction this conversation was heading to, but he didn’t dare let that show in front of these three. “How would you…suggest I go about correcting his perception?” he asked delicately, voice straining to maintain a level tone and even composure.
Curious, he told himself sternly, even as his heart raced, I must be curious, open, and contemplative. They will be suspicious if I am not.
And if they were suggesting what he thought they were suggesting…well, having them suspicious of him would be a very bad thing indeed. It was just as well that only mates could hear each others’ heartbeat, or they would already know how he was feeling.
Oh dorogoy, what have you gotten yourself into?
The lock turning in its tumbler on the front door drew all conversation to a halt, and he nearly panicked before he realized it must be Alfred. He’d mentioned earlier that he would finish early enough to catch a ride with a friend who lived a few towns over, but he hadn’t realized Alfred would be home so soon.
Oh Mother, Alfred’s home and the Elders -!!
What had he said about nearly panicking?
“Ivan?” Alfred’s voice called into the dining space, and he could hear movement in the hallway, along with the soft thumps indicating Alfred had kicked off his shoes, and the pause that meant he’d realized something was off.
“In the kitchen, Alfred,” he called out, knowing his heart rate was probably sending all kinds of warning signs to his mate, just as much as his level tone was. And the three extra pairs of shoes in the hallway, of course. He couldn’t forget those. “We’ve got some company, dorogoy,” he added pleasantly, knowing the sharp spike in Alfred’s heart rate meant he grasped the implications of his undertone.
Alfred rounded the corner and appeared in the open entryway connecting the kitchen and dinng area with the living spaces. And a lot of the questions that had grown in his mind during his conversation with the elders were answered in the way Alfred’s eyes had widened, his face had fallen into a flat, stoic façade, and his tone suddenly chilled as he said, “Elders.”
“Alfred,” Elder Conan greeted, only – was Ivan imagining the way the elder had bared his teeth with his smile? Did he mistake the cordiality in his tone – oh moon, did he hope that’s what it was – for something darker, more vicious? Predatory? Why did even thinking about it send shivers down his spine? “Good to see you, child,” he said, “Join us. We were just having the most interesting conversation with your dominant.”
There – had Alfred just flinched? Well, to be honest, he’d nearly cringed when they’d referred to him as Alfred’s dominant. He was Alfred’s dominant, though, but it was a term and title that gave him explicit power over the younger wolf, and he’d learned early on that Alfred wouldn’t let that kind of title get past him. But…Alfred wasn’t saying anything.
He looked like he’d rather strangle the elders than listen to them, but he was about to pull up a chair anyways.
A sudden flare of insight lanced through his mind, and he stood abruptly, drawing all attention to him. He slid over to his mate gracefully – as gracefully as he could with everyone watching him curiously – and easily slid the messenger bag from Alfred’s shoulders, sliding it onto his opposite shoulder, and offering the younger his arm. For a split second, the younger were looked at him like he was a flying pink elephant. Not that he could honestly blame him; this kind of power play was something he snorted at. Alfred would’ve probably slapped him with his messenger bag if he’d tried this without the elders around. It was ridiculous.
Go with it, he tried to send with his eyes, hoping Alfred would somehow receive the silent message. I’ll explain later.
The silent you’d better he received in turn made him feel far better. But Alfred accepted his arm silently all the same, and let Ivan pull out his chair and pull him close, like most dominants would do with their submissives.
The elders looked infinitely pleased at what had just happened, even if it was something as little as him escorting Alfred a whopping total of five feet to his chair. Joy.
“Is there something we can help you with, Elder,” his mate said abruptly, and Elder Conan’s pleased smile turned into a scowl so quickly that he almost blinked at the feat. He hadn’t known that the jovial old man could scowl.
But then, he had to bite back a scowl and a growl of his own when he saw the intent glare that was being sent to his mate, all the weight of dominance in the heat of it. Especially when Alfred almost physically reacted to it, nearly flinching backwards. Ivan wouldn’t have noticed if his hand hadn’t been settled comfortably around his mate’s shoulders, the movement was nearly unnoticeable. Though, judging by the satisfied smirk on Elder Lucian’s face, he’d seen it. Elder Adela just looked disapproving.
“Mind your tongue, boy,” the eldest elder snapped, dark eyes glaring, “Know your place. You do not speak unless a dominant addresses you. Is that clear?”
He squeezed his mate’s hand within his own, unnoticed by the elders glaring at the youngest of the group from across the table. Go with it, he prayed silently. They’d go away sooner if they were reassured….
He felt Alfred stiffen, before he inclined his head in silent affirmation. Fortunately, the dark-eyed elder took it as acknowledgement and huffed as he settled back into his seat, eyeing Ivan approvingly, just as his two counterparts were. Alfred’s hands were shaking as he clutched them.
And Ivan felt sick.
“Goodness,” Elder Adela remarked, studying Alfred’s bowed head as if he was a particularly fascinating specimen and not the practically shaking submissive werewolf he was, “you work quickly Ivan. You must tell us how you tame this one.”
Tame. His mind blanked. He could feel Alfred tensing, and brushed a gentle thumb over his mate’s clenched fist, hoping to calm him, though quite honestly, the movement was more for him than it was for his mate. Tame, his mind shuddered as the word repeated itself, Mother Moon, what do they think I’m doing? And how can they possibly accept it so easily?
And he was thinking about that…because thinking about the small, nagging suspicion that had developed and grown throughout their conversation would have him doing something that could only qualify as inexcusably stupid.
“That’s something quite private, Elder,” he said, forcing the chuckle to come out smoothly, naturally, even as he wrapped his hand around Alfred’s in a grip so strong that he was glad they were hidden underneath the table. “It is a matter between me and my mate.” Because he couldn’t bring himself to call Alfred his submissive so brazenly, even though that’s what the younger man was.
“Of course,” Adela allowed graciously, a small smile quirking her usually flat lips, and Ivan suddenly empathized with his mate’s desire to knee any dominant around him in their sore spot.
“They want me to hurt you,” the words were cold, rough, and it felt like they’d been dragged out of his throat the hard way with how coarse his voice came out. “They want you submissive and beaten down.”
Blue eyes gleamed at him, unsurprised and unfazed.
“That’s all they’ve ever wanted of me.” The words were sharp, clear, and unrestrained. There was no censoring the concept, not after the day they’d just had.
“You’re dangerous,” his voice was hoarse, barely a whisper, but profound.
Rose lips quirked, and blue eyes met his evenly, even when he’d wrapped his arms around the other, refusing to let go.
“Only to those who try and stop me.”
There was a sleek, golden furred wolf lying in front of the hearth fire when Ivan went in search of his mate before bed that night. He stood there for quite some time, just watching his mate rest contently in front of the fire, taking in its warmth and soaking in its comfort. He didn’t say a thing, just watching as the hearth fire created shadows in the firelight that danced on his mate’s sleek fur. Shadows played on the cold walls and the warm rugs alike, and it just seemed so intoxicating all the same.
Slowly, without saying a word, he stripped himself and shifted. Within seconds, a white wolf with ashy gray streaks and violet eyes slunk over and curled around his mate. He strode around a bit to find a comfortable position, but sunk down easily enough to enjoy the warmth of the fire, and the warmth of his mate.
He almost started when he felt his mate shift a bit, moving to nuzzle his neck affectionately and settle more comfortably within the circle Ivan had created with his body. He could feel his mate start to drift off, and lulled in the comfort of the warmth all around him, he started to drift off as well.
At least their shitty day had a decent ending, he mused to himself, thinking of the position they were currently in and feeling his heart soar.
He’d never seen his mate’s wolf form before. Alfred hadn’t trusted him with that honor until now.
He thought of the way blue eyes had met his earlier, how they’d seemed to look into him, through him, when he’d all but told him the reason the elders wanted him submissive and broken. The question he’d asked…
Will you stop me? He didn’t know anything about what his mate was doing. He didn’t know why the elders wanted him broken, submissive like every other wolf natured the same way. He didn’t know enough about his own mate; humans who’d been on one date probably knew more about their date than he knew about his mate. And still…
Will you stop me? Will you break me? Will you take everything they ask of you and perform it willingly? Will you do what your nature tells you to? Will you force me to submit like they want me to – like they expect me to?
Will you stop me from changing it?
Gold glowed in the firelight, and his mate lay against his side, trusting and quiet in his sleep. A warmth unfurled in his heart, the likes of which he’d never thought he would ever feel in his life.
Never.