Licking at the mark he’d left on Tim’s neck, knowing it was fading already, Seb thrust in all the way and whispered in Tim’s ear. “I want to leave a permanent mark on you. So everyone knows you’re mine.”
“Yes.”
“Tell me how?”
He pulled out and thrust in again, making Tim clutch at his shoulders, the tips of his claws teasing but not breaking the skin this time. Seb wanted it, wanted to feel that hurt again. He upped his pace, putting a little more effort behind it, gratified when Tim gasped and wrapped his legs tight around him.
“Hmm?” Tim hummed.
“How do I do it?”
“You need to—oh fuck…” Tim faltered, head thrown back as Seb found the right angle and fucked him as hard as he could. “To… bite… hard. Like you mean it.”
Seb’s teeth ached at the thought of it. His hands under Tim’s shoulders, Seb held on tight, mouth resting just above his collarbone as he worked at pushing them both over the edge. Every stuttered breath Tim let out drove them that little bit closer, the sting of claws in his shoulder enough to make his toes curl as the pleasure-pain went straight to his cock.
“Now.” Tim’s legs tightened around him, his whole body starting to tense up. “Bite me now.”
Seb opened his mouth and sank his teeth in, clinging to Tim as he felt the skin give and tasted blood on his tongue. His orgasm hit hard, rushing through him in a wave. Barely aware of Tim crying out underneath him and coming in the tight space between their bodies, Seb held on until they both slumped into the mattress.
Taking great care, Seb retracted his teeth and leaned up enough to inspect the damage. A sharp stab of disappointment drove away his post-orgasmic glow as he watched the mark fade away to nothing. He let his head fall onto Tim’s shoulder as he let out a heavy sigh.
Tim immediately carded a hand through Seb’s hair and kissed the side of his head. “Hey? What just happened? You went from blissed out to upset in a heartbeat.”
“You felt that?”
“Like a sledgehammer.” Tim kissed him again. “What’s wrong?”
“The bite mark I left on you… it fucking faded already.” Tim’s soft huff of laughter was unexpected, and Seb was seconds away from pushing him away. “Hey, calm down.” Tim shushed him. “I felt it take. It’s not gone, I promise.” He gave Seb’s hair a little tug. “Look again.”
Pushing up onto his elbows, Seb met Tim’s gaze and gave him a sceptical look. He glanced down at his neck, expecting to see nothing but pale skin, but as he watched, a perfect impression of his teeth began to appear, glowing faintly under the surface just like the one Tim had given him. “Oh….” Reaching out with unsteady fingers, Seb traced over it, smile blooming big and wide.
Tim pulled him in for a kiss. “See, I told you it’d be there. Happy now?”
“Yes.” Their bond sang with the contentment spilling out of both of them and Seb wanted to roll around in it. He couldn’t help touching Tim’s mark again, and then he leaned down to kiss it. “So fucking happy.”
“Good.” Tim manhandled him until they were lying on their sides, hot sticky messes, and Seb had never felt better. “The others will want to see you soon,” Tim told him. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re all waiting around here somewhere.”
Seb yawned. Seemed like his earlier boundless energy had vanished. “Later.”
Tim cupped his jaw and kissed him—soft yet deep. “We can sleep for a little while, but I need to run.” He smiled, eyes crinkling in happiness. “And this time I get to have you alongside me.”
“Yeah?” Seb hadn’t given the actual wolf part of shifting much thought, which, in hindsight, was probably stupid. Too late now, though, and he wouldn’t change a thing, even if he could.
Tim nodded. “Yeah. If you want?”
“I do.” Seb reached for him and pulled him onto his chest, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Seb closed his eyes, the warm weight of Tim’s body lulling him into sleep, and the bond wrapped around them like a blanket.
This might not have been how he’d previously seen his life going, but lying there, his body thrumming with all the potential of his new shifter genes, his mate in his arms, it was pretty much perfect.
As he drifted off to sleep, a stray thought entered his head.Nathan’s going to be unbearable.
Fuck.
Several hours later, Seb woke to the sound of a text alert, his phone vibrating on silent on the bedside table. Without opening his eyes, he attempted to take in the room around him.
