Part 29
"How is he?"
Hunter glanced over his shoulder and smiled. Lex was glaring at him, the younger Gun still looking decidedly pissed off.
"He'll live," replied Hunter trying to make light of the situation but the tension in his voice showed how worried he really was about Justin. Making sure the door to the master bedroom was securely shut before turning to face Lex properly, he regarded him a moment before asking with genuine concern, "How's Chris doing?"
"He's hurting. Badly," snarled Lex adding viciously, "I could kill Shawn for what he did to him. He made Chris …"
"I know," interrupted Hunter sadly, "I know and believe me I will be talking to him about pulling such crap again. But you've got to believe me he was only trying help."
He closed the gap between them and resting a large hand on Lex's shoulder, he assured him, "You know he adores Chris and I can promise you no one can make him feel worse about what happened than he's currently making himself feel."
Hunter searched the younger man's face, his wolf reaching out to soothe Lex's own pacing whimpering wolf, before patting him on the shoulder and asking, "You coming down for brunch or you going to stay up here with Chris?"
Lex thought a moment, his eyes drifting back along the corridor towards his own room. Nibbling at his bottom lip he gave a little huff then murmured, "Well Chris is sleeping right now, so I guess I'll come down grab some food, tease Dan, torment John and then come back and check on him."
Hunter nodded approvingly and as they started down the stairs, he teased with a chuckle, "By the way how many did Chris make you howl last night? You kept the whole house awake with that racket."
Lex gave a very knowing smirk and looking his alpha straight in the eye he replied cheekily, "More times than you made Shawn howl. We weren't the only ones being noisy although we did last longer than you old guys."
Hunter roared with laughter, cuffing Lex around the back of the head and huffing affectionately, "Watch your mouth, Pup. You always were a cocky little sod. Come on, let's go down stairs. Heaven only knows what fun we've missed being up here."
X x x x x x x x
Evan was still fuming from the confrontation with Cody but as the rescue team started back towards the house he found himself pulled back. Glaring over his shoulder he cocked his head at Randy, asking with a little growl, "What?"
"What do you think you were doing?" rumbled Randy glaring at his mate.
"When?" asked Evan, frowning at the question as much as the grip Randy had on him.
"When you stepped front of me," huffed Randy tugging Evan backwards until the smaller wolf was well and truly in his space.
"I was protecting my mate," snapped Evan trying to pull his arm back, wincing slightly when Randy simply tightened his grip, the long fingers digging into his forearm.
"I'm the Beta of the pack," replied Randy his wolf growling with power, "I don't need prote…"
"And I'm the pack enforcer," interrupted Evan, for once his wolf not backing down from the challenge, "Not to mention the fact you're my mate. So forgive me if my natural instinct is to fucking protect your ungrateful arse from annoying little bastards!"
They were staring at each other. Neither wolf willing to back down from the unspoken challenge flashing between them and neither man showing any will to break the searing eye contact any time soon. But then before either man could think Randy simply grabbed Evan's face and proceeded to kiss the hell out of him. It wasn't a romantic kiss. There was nothing soft or tender about it. It was hard and rough and it had both of their wolves howling in pure and utter delight. Raking his nails down Randy's back, Evan pulled his taller mater closer, loving the way Randy leant into the kiss, forcing him to arch his back slightly to stop himself being pushed over.
Breaking the kiss was a growl Randy stared down into Evan's face and smirked. Butting his chin against the side of Evan's head, he asked seductively, "Think we should ask the pack to watch Al for us?"
"God yes," breathed Evan tightening his grip on the back of Randy's t-shirt, unwilling to release his mate for one single second.
Randy grinned and closing his eyes he used his link with the alphas to send them a quick request. The moment he heard the Alpha Mate chuckling in agreement in his head, Randy reached down. Cupping Evan's pert behind, he lifted his smaller mate up.
Instinctively wrapping his legs around Randy's waist, Evan tightened his grip around Randy's neck. Leaning back slight so he could look at his mate, he asked cheekily, "Where were you thinking of doing it?"
Randy simply smirked at him before turning and striding back towards the woods. Both of them knowing nothing enhanced their sex life like making love in the middle of the pack lands.
X x x x x x x x x x x
"Whoa!" exclaimed Hunter only just avoiding colliding with Josh as the little wolf hurried around the corner, "Where are you going, small fry?"
After recovering from the shock of nearly colliding with Hunter, Josh gave him a nervous smile, replying," I was going to go see Justin. I wanted to see how he…"
"He's sleeping," growled Hunter staring down at the little omega, "You can go see him in a few hours."
Josh looked at him and for the briefest of moments there was the flicker of rebellion in his face as the little omega looking longingly at the stairs that lead up to where his best friend was resting but then his natural instinct reclaimed him and he bowed his head murmuring, "Yes sir."
"Come on," soothed Hunter draping an arm around the little wolf's shoulders, "Let go see what the rest of the pack are up."
He glanced over at Lex who was watching the entire thing with the biggest smirk on his face. When Hunter gave him a warning growl, Lex simply schooled his face into the most angelic image of innocence possible – not that any who knew him even a little bit was fooled. His eyes gave him away – they were dancing with wicked mischief.
"Behave," growled Hunter although the smirk lighting up his face showed he knew very well Lex was practically incapable of being good.
Lex smiled at him and replied with fake sincerity, "Yes Sir," both of them knowing the moment they re-joined the pack all hell would break loose.
X x x x x x x x
"Where did Josh go?" asked Alex pausing beside John.
They had hung back while the others had all gone on into the den. Standing in the middle of the deserted kitchen John shrugged as he finished pulling his t-shirt off. It had got ruined during the search and looking at it sadly, he huffed, "Bang goes another shirt." Realising Alex was still waiting for a proper answer he replied, "Probably went to see Justin. Those two are real close, he always goes to Justin for a cuddle when's he's upset."
"Upset?" asked Alex stepping closer, his tiger purring as it ran its eyes over John's exposed torso, "Why would he be upset?"
"Umm unless you didn't notice he was kind of stressed out when you became SuperTigger and went bounding down that hillside. He was worried sick about you getting hurt as well as concerned about Justin. I've still got the nail marks to prove it as well." He chuckled and held out his right arm for Alex to see. There along the thick muscled lines were 2 rows of small claw marks, marks made when Josh had clung to him during Alex's daring rescue.
Alex bit his lower lip, swearing under his breath but then, before he could stop himself, he reached out running a finger along the marks, his tiger growling at the fact that someone other than him had marked John.
John tensed, his own wolf howling loudly at the strange touch. But it wasn't an angry howl as he had expected - it was a howl of desire. Swallowing down the howl that threatened to spill out of his throat, he swore loudly, shivering with need as Alex took another step closer. The shifter now close enough that John could feel the heat rolling off his naked chest.
With his hand lingering on John's forearm Alex searched the lead gamma's face. He could see the same confused desire burning in the wolf's eyes as he felt in himself and for some reason that made things better. The fact that neither of them had a clue what was happening made the confusion slightly easier to bear.
"We should go find him," breathed Alex, tilting his head slightly.
"Yeah," agreed John leaning into the touch just a fraction.
It was enough that their bodies were nearly touching. Barely remembering to breathe John bought his hand up and traced a splash of mud along the side of Alex's face. Staring into the blue eyes of the shifter in front of him, he murmured, "We really should go find him. Just to check he's okay. We should both check that he's okay…together…at the same time…"
Alex nodded. Although he wasn't sure if he was really nodding in reply or simply nuzzling his face against John's hand. But either way his tiger liked it. It liked it far more than it had ever liked any other touch in the world. Except maybe Josh's. But the touches were different. He frowned slightly but then realised his tiger liked the touches for different reasons. Josh's touches were soft and tender, those touches called to his tiger's protective side, to the side that wanted to curl up around the little wolf and never let him. While John's touches called the darker side, to the side Alex very rarely admitted to, the side that longed to be submit to a worthy mate, the side that longed to submit to a dominant like the gamma wolf currently staring into his soul.
Licking his lips at the sudden realisation that he wanted both wolves in equal measure, Alex whispered, "I don't know what's happening."
"Neither do I," confessed John not breaking eye contact as he leant in even closer.
Alex swallowed down the loudest purr he had ever felt his tiger give. It was a purr that translated into a full body shudder that had him pressing against John. John groaned in response his hand tightening its grip against Alex's face. Leaning in with no thought for what would happen next, Alex barely bit back the pitiful mew as John's lips finally touched his.
"Oh wow! Ummm hope we're not interrupting, guys?"
The sarcastic call from the door way had them springing apart, both blushing like naughty school boys. Glaring briefly at Lex, who was now killing himself with laughter in the doorway, John and Alex both looked at Josh who was staring at them both with the strangest expression plastered over his face. Hunter - who was grinning from ear to ear at the surprise discovery – simply leant across, grabbed Lex by the scruff of his t-shirt and pulled him back out the door while at the same time pushing Josh forward ordering gruffly, "Just play nicely and try not to break anything," before disappearing completely, leaving the trio staring at each other, all totally and utterly lost for words.
TBC