Pember let out a breath before throwing his T-shirt into the bushes. He heard the shuckingof clothing and the rustle of leaves, and when he looked back again Blake had peeled his shirt off as well.
Lengthening his stride, Pember tripped forward, almost tipping into a jog. Blake mirrored his movements, and before they could say anything, both were tugging off the rest of their clothes and running through the woods.
Pember dropped onto his hands and knees, shifting into wolf form as if it were the easiest thing in the world. He still shivered as fur sprang through his skin and his pointed teeth popped out, but it was worlds away from his shift at the police station. His omega wolf howled at the centre of his mind as they weaved through the trees and up a muddy bank. Blake was at his back,the feet of his huge, tawny wolf thumping into the ground and making Pember’s legs weak.
He wanted to run. Wanted to be chased, to beprey.He wanted Blake to catch him, consume him, take him and knot him until he could no longer think straight.
The wolf in him bolted, tearing through the trees until the wind whistled through his fur and the overwhelming scents of the forest made his eyes water. The soil was warm between the pads of his paws as they thundered up the bank, thick hazy pollen leaving a sticky residue on their coats and making Pember sneeze.
Blake was at his side, chest rumbling every time they made contact between the trees. He kept peeling off, disappearing for a few minutes then reappearing at Pember’s side. He could still feel him across the bond—in fact, it was difficult to feel anything else with the hot and heavy presence of his wolf.
It was affecting Pember, making his tail feel heavy and the place between his legs burn with feral intensity. He also couldn’t stop pissing, scent marking the ground and leaving a trail for Blake to follow.
It worked, because the next thing he knew, Blake smashed through a thicket of pale purple heather, sending the tiny flowers spraying across the path. The scent of iron wafted into the air, making Pember salivate. Blake lagged, letting him draw level before finally slowing to a leisurely trot. Pember yapped when he saw what was between his jaws.
“For you,”Blake said across the bond, pushing a freshly caught rabbit against Pember’s muzzle.
Blood stained Blake’s mouth and chest, his fangs completely coated with the evidence of a fresh kill. Hunting was not something they generally did—it was pack behaviour, spurred on by having multiple competing alphas in a group. Even so,Pember growled and snapped his jaws around the rabbit and dragged it through the undergrowth.
There was something exhilarating about having blood across his tongue, a primal satisfaction in knowing that his mate had snuffed out another life for him. Provided for him. Dropping his head, he tried to keep his logicalhumanbrain at the forefront.
“Mate,”Pember said, pushing his desire across the bond. He pressed the top of his head against Blake’s shoulder, letting him lead the way. It seemed to ignite something in Blake’s wolf, because the next thing Pember knew, the alpha snapped up, jumping onto his back with a heavy thud. Pember howled as Blake bit his scruff, shoving him to the ground face first.
Pember crawled on his belly through the undergrowth, smearing the rabbit’s blood across the earth and staining his own chest.
Having Blake dominate him fulfilled some feral need in them both, like crawling with the alpha’s weight on his back solidified that he was his and only his. He’d never crawl for anyone again, except for his alpha. As his alpha would for him.
The spongy undergrowth gave way to uneven tree roots as they popped through the soil. The fragrant scent of apples tickled his nose, and when he tipped his head he saw they were in the little orchard. The fruit hung overhead in all its ruby glory.
However, Pember’s ability to look up was short lived when Blake rammed his muzzle against the back of his skull, making him whimper and look straight ahead.
The alpha was hot, his fur damp as he hung over Pember’s back. He huffed and growled, the urgency of his rut obvious. He was waiting for Pember. Waiting for him to accept him. Waiting for him to let him claim him, right there on the forest floor.
Time seemed slow as Pember’s eyes darted around, scanning the landscape for threats or other predators. His gaze faltered over a break in the trees, a narrow gap where he could see thecraggy hillside beyond. It was the place he had first seen Blake, on that fateful morning when his scent had caught the breeze and his eyes were filled with melancholy.
They weren’t melancholic anymore.
Pushing up his rear, Pember dropped the rabbit and let his chest hit the bloodied ground. His hind legs strained, shoving upwards until Blake was fully over him. Tilting his head, he slid his muzzle against the cool earth, partially exposing his throat beneath his dark fur.
The alpha whined, then keened into Pember’s scruff as the sense of overwhelming need slammed into him across the bond. Blake’s wolf wasbeggingfor him. Licking his ears, his head, his neck. Anywhere he could taste. And finally Pember submitted. Dropping his haunches, he bared his throat.
There was a moment of silence, the only sounds being their heavy breathing and Blake’s quiet whining. The scent of the woods hung between them, and when Pember finally blinked, Blake clamped his jaws around him.
A surge of pain rocketed through Pember’s body, making him buck and whimper beneath the alpha. He bared his teeth, dug his nose into the bloodstained earth and inhaled. Blake rocked his head from side to side, deepening the bite, making it last, making itstick.
Shuddering, they both shifted back, their wolves disappearing beneath their skin as they lay on the forest floor in a tangle of sweaty, furless limbs. Pember was on his hands and knees, Blake’s fangs still buried deep in the crook of his shoulder. He pushed his hips up, feeling Blake’s knot slide between his cheeks.
Slick flooded his body in a hot, wet gush.
Blake’s excitement was obvious. His raw, overpowering energy flooded the bond and overwhelmed his nervous system.He wanted it.Cravedit. He wanted to knot and claim and protect Pember with every fibre of his being.
Without a second thought, Pember pushed back, crying out when the blunt tip of Blake’s engorged cock pressed against his entrance. The alpha growled low in his belly, the sound making Pember’s limbs tingle and his head spin. Then, Blake pressed his sweaty chest against Pember’s back, trapping him against the earth.
Pember opened for him, spreading his knees and arching his back until Blake finally sank his cock inside him.
“Ah!” Pember cried, the stretch and pressure from the lack of preparation verging on painful.
It didn’t matter. He was ready. He’d fucked himself with his vibrator all afternoon whilst Blake finished up at work. He was needy. He was desperate. He needed to be knotted.
