“You’re my mate,” Leif burst out, eyes wide. “Fated mate. It’s rare, so very rare it’s nearly a myth even among werewolves, and not at all like the movies and TV shows portray. But this…you…you and I are meant to be mates. The longer you’re here with me, near me, the more the mate bond will grow and bind us together. And then the curse will…” Leif tugged gently on his arm but Alec refused to let go, stepping into the alpha’s personal space and looking up at him.
“What?”
“The curse will drain you of your life and years, and leave you a dead husk. I refuse to see that happen to you. So we’ll have a nice breakfast, and then I’ll escort you out of the woods to someplace safe, and you can get on with your life.”
Alec let go of Leif’s wrist but before Leif could backaway, he reached up and wrapped his arms around that strong neck, and hopped up. Leif caught him immediately, hands cupping his ass.
He looked with his gift down at Leif’s chest, squinting. He saw a hint of something silver and very, very old magic, a tangled mess of glowing lines and torn sigils and a thread of silver that had a ripped tail, presumably where it once led to the witch, feeding her years and strength. The multitude of stolen lifetimes glittered within that shattered curse. With that connection sundered, the stolen years stayed with Leif. A horrible burden to carry, but it was not Leif’s fault or desire. He nearly died stopping evil from harming his people further, and while Alec mourned for Leif’s past, he was beyond grateful that the curse let Leif live long enough for Fate to send Alec his way.
The curse lay like the unfortunate, severed segments of a dead snake circling the shard of silver surrounded by scar tissue, and it made no move to intercept or follow the glowing golden thread that began at Leif’s strong heart, reaching out to Alec. If he concentrated, the mate bond was more substantial and visible, and when he let his ability to see magic relax, it returned to the faint sparks of golden flakes in sunlight.
Alec sighed happily and leaned in just enough to press a soft, gentle kiss to Leif’s lips. Wide, startled eyes stared back at him, and Alec decided he needed to be very clear with his very confused mate.
“I. Am. Not. A. Werewolf.” He made sure to enunciate each word very clearly. “That curse doesn’t even notice the mate bond. And the more I touch you,” Alec said with a wiggle, his fingers carding through long, soft hair— “the more I learn about that nasty curse. It won’t turn on me because it’s meant to kill werewolves, and I am not one.And once I understand it better, I’m very sure I can change the curse at a micro-magic level to stop it from killing any werewolves if we decide to join a pack in the future.”
Eyes searched his expression, and Alec held as tight as he could to his newfound mate when Leif finally seemed to accept what he was saying and took his mouth in a devastating kiss.
Leif kissed like he was dying and the only way to live was to leave Alec a whimpering mess of sexual desire and lust. He fisted both hands in Leif’s long hair and gave back as good as he got, tongues tangling, and he shivered in a wave of arousal when he felt claws prick at his skin through his sweatpants.
He pulled back, panting, and glowing eyes and a mouth full of sharp teeth greeted him when he finally took a deep breath. Grinning, Alec released one fistful of hair and traced his thumb along Leif’s lower lip, gently testing the edge of a fang that dropped from his upper jaw. A tiny droplet of blood welled up before a thin tendril of pain bloomed, and Alec was surprised by how much he liked it. Leif took the digit in his mouth and sucked the droplet off his thumb, making Alec moan softly.
“Are you certain the curse can’t hurt you?” Leif asked, squeezing Alec’s ass cheeks in his big hands.
“Very,” Alec promised, nibbling along that strong jaw. Leif smelled so good, and tasted even better, his skin like spring water and salt.
“And finding a mate who happens to be cursed isn’t off-putting?”
Leif sounded so worried about it, and Alec kissed his forehead, hugging Leif around the shoulders, delighted by the fact that Leif had yet to put him down. “I escaped a dead-end life and forced servitude to find asweet, sexy, caring alpha werewolf who wants me forever. I have no complaints.” Alec paused. “Well, maybe one.”
“What? I’ll do anything.”
“I want more kisses.”
Leif’s grin was sharp and hungry, and Alec thrilled at it, wanting more, not at all afraid of those fangs or the hunting glow of wolf eyes.
A hint of smoke distracted them, and Alec found himself rushed across the room and gently deposited in the armchair as Leif attempted to save the burning potatoes, swinging the iron arm away from the hearth, and Alec gasped when Leif grabbed the scorching hot skillet with one bare hand, freed it from the arm, and then strode to the front door, trailing smoke behind him.
Leif opened the door and jumped to the grass past the stoop, dropping the smoking pan and the blackened contents and shaking out his hand. Alec sprinted from the chair and was outside to cradle the burned hand in both of his, wincing in sympathy and dismay at the reddened skin swelling with blisters.
“Are you okay?” Alec asked, despite seeing the proof otherwise. “I’m sorry I distracted us both while cooking, I could have started a fire.”
Leif had lost the towel in his run out the door, and it pooled now around his feet. He was unperturbed by the burn on his hand if the hardening cock were any indication, and Alec was torn between tending to the burn and seeing if he could get Leif even harder. He was both a grower and a shower, and Alec’d never been so delighted by a sight before.
The burn was red and angry, and yet even as Alec considered trying his hand at healing, something he’d never done before, the blisters stopped growing and beganretreating, smaller and smaller until the palm was smooth and unblemished, and the red faded to a healthy tan. No trace remained.
“I knew werewolves healed fast, but I didn’t know it was that fast,” Alec breathed out, running his hand over the palm of Leif’s healed hand. “That’s incredible.”
“Normally werewolves don’t but I’m a different beast compared to my brethren. Old age never came my way, and each passing year I grow stronger. I heal about as fast as a master vampire now, I think. I would be wizened and decrepit at this stage if not for the curse.”
Alec looked up and met Leif’s eyes, and he knew Leif was still waiting for him to get scared or upset, and yet nothing in him was bothered by Leif’s peculiarities. Alec spent the summer making illegal drugs under threat of death, and then escaped his captors by blowing up the labs and the bad guys. He probably killed a few of them, too, and yet Leif was not at all shocked or upset when Alec told him what happened. He ached for Leif, and wanted to help him however he could. Mate or not, Leif was a good person and Alec wanted to help him.
Smoking pan at their feet, Leif gloriously naked, Alec breathed in deeply, taking in the cool autumn breeze and the weak sunlight around them. He inhaled a lungful of Leif, earthy and metallic with hints of blood, and the scents of damp leaves, and wet earth, and freedom. The damp grass under his bare toes, the slight warmth of sunlight on his shoulders, and the fresh breeze swirling in Leif’s long hair —it was a moment in time he’d never forget. Especially when the golden thread made itself known, a plume of heat and energy alighting in his core, prompting him to breathe in deep again, senses exploding, everything heightened.
Leif cupped the side of Alec’s face with his free hand,leaning down enough for their lips to brush together. “The mate bond is trying to complete itself. It’s happening quickly, but you can stop it or slow it down if you don’t want this.”
Alec shook his head even as he reached up and fisted a hand in that thick, soft hair, holding him in place. “I want you and the bond.”
He kissed Leif. No hesitation, fully accepting, and so very happy that Fate decided he should get lost in this wolf’s forest.
