Sugar-Free Beta (6 page)

“I don’t eat meat.”

Sure enough, the Gamma was by the doorway of
the bedroom. Derrick decided he rather like seeing his mate shirtless, barefoot,
and still tousled.
 

“We can have more sex later. We need fuel.” The
Gamma wagged a threatening finger at him.

“I wasn’t thinking about sex,” Derrick
protested.

Jack raised an eyebrow.
“Right.
Anyway, back to what you said earlier that don’t eat meat. You were joking
right?”

“No, but I’m not a vegan either. I’m a sweet
tooth, but I’ve recently been diagnosed with diabetes.”

Might as well have it right
in the open if they were going to live together, Derrick thought.
The concept of living together still sounded
foreign to him, but an eager part of him looked forward to it. No more lonely
Friday nights for Derrick Starr. In fact, he could look forward to no lonely
nights at all. He could almost imagine Jack dressed in nothing but his barista
apron…

“Derrick?”

“Huh? What?”

“I asked why you took the cupcake if you were a
diabetic, waste of food if you asked me. Why are you distracted? Thinking dirty
thoughts?” Jack grinned.

“Of course not, and I just took that stupid
cupcake because you looked like a kicked dog.” Derrick let out a breath.
Damn
. Jack now looked dejected, so he
tried again, hoping to cheer him up. “It doesn’t hurt that you’re cute, and
have a rather nice butt.”

“Did you think so now?” Jack grinned. Sure
enough, the bed creaked as the Gamma’s lithe form joined him. “I knew you were
ogling at my butt.”

Derrick bit his upper lip, ignoring the lean
hands that wound around him. His nerve faltered when Jack gave him a quick kiss
on his cheek.

“Grumpy wolf, can I make it all better for
you?” Jack was about to reach for his cock, but Derrick slapped his hand away.
Before hurt registered on the other man’s features, Derrick’s large hand
slipped into the unbuttoned hem of Jack’s jeans.

“Let me return the favor,” Derrick said,
smiling at Jack’s surprised expression, “but first, let’s get you out of those
jeans.”

Epilogue

Jack burrowed his head contently against his
mate’s shoulder, enjoying the warm press of him. Never in a million years did
he think he’d feel this content. Feel this safe. They’d just caught a late
night movie and were cutting through the park back to their apartment when
deep-throated howls and yips rang through night, making Jack’s skin crawl. He
realized he and Derrick had been too busy savoring each other’s company to pay
attention to them.

The local pack’s finally
here, and they don’t sound all too happy.

Gulping,
Jack dislodged his head from Derrick’s shoulder. He yelped when Derrick shoved
him back, attempting to shield him. Jack stumbled away from his mate. Waves of
anger rippled through Derrick, who only snarled fearlessly at the dark and
powerful mottled shapes pouring from trees and bushes like a disciplined line
of soldiers. It didn’t take long for the wolves of New Haven to surround the
two of them in a loose circle.

While
Jack knew Derrick meant well, the frustrating Beta didn’t have to shove him
aside like some invalid. Jack didn’t have time to look at the rest of the
beasts. An enormous grey beast now sniffed at him with apparent interest, its
tongue lolling obscenely out of its mouth. There was a possessive look in the
wolf’s eyes that Jack knew well enough. The gray wolf had already decided that
Jack was exclusively his prey, and anyone who came between them would be
mercilessly dealt with. Too bad he didn’t know Jack already had an
overprotective mate.

A
loud and possessive howl of rage drove the gray wolf away from Jack.
Indescribable pleasure filled him at the sight of Derrick’s russet wolf. When
did he shift?

Derrick
firmly placed himself between Jack and his attacker, snarling and baring his
teeth like an enraged untamed animal. The gray wolf growled, but backed away
when Derrick gave a fierce roar of challenge. That roar raised all of Jack’s
hackles.
 

You can’t protect me from
all of them,
Jack thought desperately. He
hesitantly reached out to touch Derrick’s flank. For a moment, he was afraid
Derrick’s wolf was in control, not the man he loved, but he only felt Derrick’s
ruffled fur settle down and visibly relax at his touch.

 
“Any other sensible Alpha would have a lone
wolf and his mate creating havoc in his territory immediately killed,” drawled
a tall, muscled, broad shouldered and dark skinned man.

Standing
naked in the moonlight with sweat glinting down his rock-hard body, the Alpha
of the New Haven pack looked impressive. Jack couldn’t mistake him for anything
but an Alpha. There was simply an unexplainable commanding presence that didn’t
just surround him. It rolled off him in threatening waves. Even in his human
skin, the rest of the wolves looked to him and obeyed him without question. If
this was what a natural-born leader looked like, then Nicky was simply a petty
bully who ruled his wolves with fear.

Even
Derrick’s ears flattened at his towering presence.

“You’ve
never caused me any trouble until now, Starr. It eludes why you’d fight over
this.” The Alpha gestured at Jack, whose face immediately burned red.

Derrick
only lowered his muzzle towards Jack to lick his cheek, reassuring him.
Jack breathed in the familiar scent of
his new mate, and certainty filled him. He was no longer afraid. In fact, his
uncertain heart slowed to a steady and certain beat. Whatever happened, he knew
they could handle it together.

“It’ll
be okay.” Jack leaned his face against Derrick’s large furry cheek. Derrick
only licked at his face in agreement, his amber eyes steady. He then parted
from Jack, his tail swishing back and forth. Then he turned, alert and tense
once again when the Alpha of the New Haven pack walked over to them.

“He
didn’t do anything,” Jack’s words rushed out of him before the Alpha could say
anything. He ignored Derrick’s growl of disagreement. “It’s my fault. If you
have to punish someone, punish me!”

The
Alpha raised one dark eyebrow. Ignoring Jack, he turned to the red wolf. “I can
see why you’re taken with this one, Starr. I won’t take much of your time. I’ll
tell you what I want. Long ago, you rejected my offer to join my pack. Well,
I’m not asking now. I’m commanding.”

The
Alpha smiled, flashing his very white and inhumanly wolfish canines at them.
Threat noted.
It was either be killed or
join the local pack. They had no other option but to accept the Alpha’s offer,
but was it really that bad to join a pack?

Jack
wanted to tell his new mate that it wasn’t a bad option. He could see them
living in New Haven, could see them running with a fully functional pack with a
seemingly charismatic leader who knew what he was doing. At least they were
still alive and were together, but he stilled his tongue. It wasn’t his
decision to make.

Derrick
bristled, pausing when Jack’s urgently gripped a handful of his fur in warning.
Most werewolves acted on instinct, but Jack noticed that Derrick had
exceptional control of his thinking human half. After what seemed like a few
minutes, Derrick calmed down. He shook himself off Jack’s grip and trotted to
the Alpha. It hurt Jack to see his mate bare his neck in submission to their
new master. To Jack’s surprise, the Alpha bent down to rub Derrick’s ears.

“Wise decision, Starr.”

Jack
sensed something he did not like in that surprisingly gentle gesture. Something
that was better left unsaid.
For now at least.
This
particular Alpha seemed too smug and too pleased by the night’s turn of events.
Had he always been waiting for the right opportunity, for the right moment to
ensnare Derrick? If so, then Jack had just handed his mate and himself on a
plate.

Before
guilt could further line the pit of his stomach, Jack’s head snapped up when
the Alpha began walking to him with the red wolf at his heels. Derrick went to
his side protectively, but the Alpha meant no harm. He only held out a friendly
hand to Jack.

“I’m
Carlos Medina, Alpha of the New Haven pack. My wolves and I welcome you both,
Jack Lee.”

Jack
shivered and accepted the civil handshake. It was only polite that he also
bared his neck to his new Alpha. He tried not to wince when those foreign
fingers brushed his neck possessively.

How
did Carlos even know his name? He was afraid to ask, afraid to do anything but
cuddle closer to his new mate. Carlos only rewarded him with the same arrogant
smirk. The deal was done.

Turning away, the Alpha of the New Haven pack
shook off his human skin for his second form—a dusty almost gold-colored beast
that could rival his new mate’s size. Carlos melded into the dark trees until
he was a speck of gold, his pack following closely behind him. They heralded
their exit with obnoxious yips and howls.

Once
they were alone, Jack let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.
Glancing at his shy and now-human mate fumbling for his clothes, Jack knelt
beside Derrick and pressed his nose between the other man’s tense shoulder
blades. The tension slowly eased away from Derrick as Jack wrapped his arms
around him.

“Looks
like nothing’s ever going to be a dull moment with you, my sugar-free Beta,”
Jack teased lightly.

“You’re
not having second thoughts?”
       

Jack
didn’t need to see Derrick’s face to see the hesitation there.
“Silly big red.
Didn’t I tell you before? You’re stuck with
me now.”

The End

www.angelvoisen.blogspot.com

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Evernight
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