It was almost an hour later when Seath finally slipped out of his mate. Before that, Lycan had been asleep, but when Seath had whispered how much he wanted to smell himself on Lycan’s come, the little omega thrust his hips back where Seath’s knot locked them together, his own slick enough lube for Seath to coat his cock. He came with the same needy moan for his Alpha that he had given Seath all afternoon. Seath had taken the release, not much more than the last one Lycan had given, and rubbed the smell of Seath-marked Lycan all over Lycan’s scent gland and hair.
That had been about fifteen minutes ago, and Lycan laid breathing deep and content in their bed, smelling of sated omega and of him, and Seath felt better about the world. So good, in fact, that he didn’t bother to shower, just cleaning himself up, knowing he smelled pungently of mated Alpha and that was exactly how he liked it.
When he arrived at the conference room, Caine snickered out loud, and Luke at least had the decorum to stifle his humor and only smelled amused and pleased.
“I take it, the future Alpha-Mate will not be joining us,” Caine said dryly.
Seath smiled wickedly. “He is resting.”
Although he had asked the kitchen to send some food and hydration to their room, he wasn’t sure if Lycan would be awake for it before he returned. He couldn’t let his omega get depleted, because he wasn’t anywhere near finished, and he knew his insatiable mate wasn’t either.
His chest puffed even bigger, knowing there was no heat involved in today’s mating. This was just he and his mate—Seath and Lycan.
“Anything you can tell me before the Enforcers get here?” Seath asked, taking the moment to hydrate himself. He could Alpha his pack and recover for his omega at the same time.
“Apparently we will have Elves at the Samhain coven.” Caine smiled. He had been crucial in cultivating the Elves as more than neutral entities living in the Pack lands but to actual allies. “I told you they like Lycan.”
“It’s even better than that, Alpha,” Briar added, thrusting a leaf-wrapped document into Seath’s hands. “The Elves pledge their magic in the coven-circle. They want to help.”
Chapter twenty-one
The Samhain Coven Grows
SeathpulledLycanclose,and Lycan snuggled into the comforting feel and scent of his mate.
There was a time Lycan knew he would never feel safe again. Not after being taken. Not after . . .all the things he couldn’t remember. And some that he could, not as memories, those were still locked down. But, there were things his body knew. A dark sloshing oil slick in his gut when he was confronted with them.
He hadn’t wanted to live, that feeling he did remember. He couldn’t remember the moments, but he remembered the feelings of hopelessness. There was a time, an unremembered one, but yet still one he could feel, when he wanted to just not be. Not anymore. Maybe even before he had been taken there had been a time that he wanted to push pause on his whole life. He wasn’t sure that made sense, but that was the feeling of it. That there was a time he would have just stepped out of himself if he could.
Lycan remembered the feeling of running. Of trying to get free. Not the mechanics of it, exactly, those were things he couldn’t access in his spellbound mind, but he could remember wanting to leave. And, there was a part of him that had come to terms with wanting to leave so he could die on his own terms.
Now, he was warm, sated, so full of good feelings. He felt secure with his trip to the Elves, and here, in his den and his nest, next to his mate. Lycan felt protected, but more than that he felt a certain sense of security that came with having a place to belong and belonging in it.
He had done a good job with the Elves, even securing their help with the coven without trying. Lycan had also worked to make Seath’s den their nest. And to give Seath what he needed.
There was the Threshold magic, which made his whole body feel like it was singing.
And there was the feeling of Seath. The large, sexy man who kept him warm and safe.
Seath was his own kind of magic. The most wonderful kind.
Seath’s large hand spanned his back, pulling him tight and adjusting the blankets around them. Lycan loved a cool room and the contrasting warmth of his Alpha.
“What do you need, Lycan?” Seath asked, his voice rumbling through his chest as he did, and he adjusted them, so that Lycan was on his back, his sexy, burly Alpha hovering over him.
A little giggle escaped. And Seath raised an eyebrow, scent happy and amused. His eyes, usually filled with questions, danced in an amber glow, reminding Lycan of the flicks of flame of a fire.
“What more could I want, Seath? Even if I tried to imagine — what more could I want than this?”
Seath could think of a few things, like his family, for one. Without those memories of who he was, Lycan didn’t have it all. Somewhere, there were people worried about Lycan, and Seath knew it. He wasn’t as obsessed as Caine with figuring it out, but he was determined that Lycan would have answers. And justice.
It was possible, of course, that someone who took or hurt Lycan was someone Seath knew, or sat with on the Council, or traded with. And that could not stand.
Seath would find out who was responsible, and they would pay far more than what they would feel was a fair bargain. He would be the Alpha of the strongest pack in the world one day, and he would burn whoever was responsible to the ground.
As a start.
“Tell me about the Elves.”
