Carver kissed the top of his head.
“I’m sorry. How long will this ban on oral knotting last?” Carver asked. He was a little annoyed that his omega was trying to correct him—especially since he’d been so sure he’d discussed his plan with Peter—but if Peter wanted to take something off the table, then that was his right.
“Two weeks,” Peter said, obviously making the number up on the spot.
“I’ll mark my calendar.”
* * *
Carver’s conversationwith Tex went much the same way; only it was more uncomfortable because Tex was actually angry with him.
“He’s not a toy,” Tex growled, which Carver thought was vastly unfair. Carver didn’t think of Peter that way.
“I know,” he said, feeling like he was being chided by his mother. It was a feeling Tex had never been the cause of, and Carver didnotlike it. In a moment of extreme pettiness, he bit back, “I’m not the one who bought him.”
Tex stared at him, mouth set in a hard line, and walked away.
Things stayed awkward and tense until the full moon, where they came to a head. They hiked out to their favorite clearing, taking turns carrying Peter on their shoulders, and set up the tent. It was a massive thing, and there should be ample room even with Tex and Carver shifted into their wolf forms.
They cooked dinner over the campfire, Peter staring between them with annoyed exasperation. He reached into his backpack and took out marshmallows, graham crackers and a bar of chocolate, and set about grilling his marshmallow and making himself s’mores.
The whole time, he ignored Tex and Carver completely.
“Are you going to share?” Carver asked when Peter started eating the gooey concoction. Carver didn’t particularly want one, but he knew Tex liked them.
“Not until you guys get along,” Peter said, stuffing a whole s’more into his mouth and chewing angrily.
Neither Carver nor Tex said anything to that, both of them glaring into the fire.
By the time the full moon pushed them into shifting, things were properly tense. He and Tex stared at each other, fur glinting in the moonlight, each waiting for the other to start their usual games.
Peter sat by the fire, watching them. “Are you just going to stand there all night?” he asked, tossing a marshmallow at Carver’s head, the soft candy bouncing off his snout.
Carver stared at him, shocked and then a little pleased. Whatever Tex might think, Peter wasn’t scared of him. Carver might have fucked up, but he hadn’t fucked up so bad that Peter didn’t still trust him.
Moving forward, Carver butted his head into Tex’s side, initiating a round of play fighting. Tex ignored him for a second, but then he butted Carver back and the game started.
Just as quickly, it deteriorated.
What should be playful fun turned into an aggressive battle for dominance, teeth bared and tails held stiff, the tense mood over the last few days forcing a reckoning.
Carver growled, crouching low to the ground, Tex mirroring his position. Then Tex pounced, teeth clamping down on Carver’s neck, using his superior weight to hold Carver down against the forest floor.
Carver held still, his wolf submitting to Tex’s dominance.
After a while, Tex unclamped his jaw from Carver’s neck, taking a step back and sitting down. Carver pushed back onto all fours, giving his body a shake, and sat down as well.
This was the first time one of them had forced genuine submission. They’d fought and tousled for fun, but never to settle which one of them was dominant.
Carver was surprised. He’d always thought that if it came down to a real fight, he would win. Though Tex was bigger than him and more willing to play dirty, Carver had foolishly thought that Tex wouldn’t have it in him to make Carver submit.
Clearly, he’d been wrong.
Standing up, Carver walked to Tex with his tail held low. He licked at his mate’s muzzle, apologizing.
It was a show of submission, which Tex accepted.
After a while, Carver darted back, crouching down and showing that he wanted to play. Tex accepted the invitation, and they started running and jumping around each other like it was any other full moon.
