Leaving the Alpha Read online

  He might as well start with the most important part.

  Markus kissed him on the mouth again, his hands easily getting Davin's belt and fly undone. He'd done this about a thousand times before already with this man. Markus knew every inch of Davin's body, every curse. He could dress and undress Davin blindfolded.

  Or undress him and bring him to orgasm. Which was something Davin was going to make an attempt at right now.

  God, he tasted so damned sweet. Mark was never going to kiss anyone else who tasted the way Davin did.

  He had the spicy and sweet flavor that all wolf souls were known to have, but Mark had kissed other wolf souls before and never got anything close to what this was.

  If this was the last time he ever kissed Davin, he wanted to imprint the flavor into his memory.

  He reached his hand into the open waist of Davin's pants when the belt and fly were no longer an issue that needed to be dealt with. Davin groaned, instinctively thrusting his cock against Mark's hand.

  That made Mark's dick jump even more.

  Yes. Davin could still respond to him. Mark could still make his mate feel the best kind of pleasure there ever was, and he was going to make sure Davin thought good and hard about how much he wanted to go.

  Don't go.

  Mark pushed Davin down onto his back, their mouths still connected. Davin thrust his prick helplessly against Mark's hand, and he moaned against his mouth and couldn't seem to stop his cute little mewling noises from coming forward.

  Good. Mark wanted it all. He wanted to take it all and leave nothing left for Davin to think about.

  Don't leave.

  Mark tired of just kissing him, of sliding his tongue against Davin's. He wanted more. He wanted to taste his mate's cock.

  Just in case it was the last time he would be able to do something like that, as well.

  Please no.

  Markus kissed and licked his way down Davin's throat. When he made it to the neck of the man's T-shirt, Mark didn't bother with taking it off. He just ripped it down the middle.

  "Hey!"

  Davin didn't have any complaints when Mark put his mouth around the man's nipple. First one then the other, pressing a biting kiss to the sensitive nub. Mark absorbed the shivers, the moans, and then he kissed and licked his way back down the rest of Davin's slim stomach.

  He'd always been a little on the skinny side for a baker.

  But he was perfect. There was no one else in the world like him. Mark didn't want to lose his mate. He wanted another chance to prove himself.

  But if he couldn't have that, then this would have to do.

  Mark took Davin's cock into his mouth. He gently cupped his mate's testicles, rolling them in his hand softly. He knew to take care here, and he loved it.

  He loved the salty flavor. He loved the way Davin thrust into his mouth, the way his cock throbbed, the way he could hardly seem to hold himself together before he was grabbing at Mark's hair, pushing him back.

  "M-Mark, I'm gonna come, fuck,"

  Of course he didn't stop. After a few years together as a mated pair, Mark would have thought Davin would realize by now that there was no way in hell he was going to stop at that warning.

  He never did. Mark wanted to taste his mate. Especially right now. He wanted Davin to come in his mouth so Mark could swallow all of him down.

  Eventually, Davin gave up on trying to stop Mark from finishing him off. That was good. That was for the best. He wasn't about to stop for a damned thing.

  Then Davin's body tightened. He felt it in the way Davin's spine bowed, and the sudden rush of warmth in his mouth was the best thing Mark had tasted in a long time.

  Davin shouted, a long and loud noise, as though he were going to implode.

  That was fine. Mark might like to see that.

  But then Davin came down off that high. He slumped on the mattress, but his heart continued to race, and Mark could smell it on him that he wasn't even close to being done.

  His cock was still hard. Mark ran his fingers across the length of it, delighting in the way it throbbed against his fingers.

  "God, Davin." He almost said something he shouldn't have. He almost begged for Davin to stay, told the man he loved him, but that would all be so much more pathetic than this already was.

  No, he wasn't going to say anything. Mark was going to keep his damned mouth shut. At least for now.

  "Wh-what was that?" Davin asked, looking up at him.

  Mark didn't answer. If he spoke the truth, he would make himself look weak, and that would be the last thing Davon wanted.

  He wanted a male who could keep him safe. Not someone who cried his eyes out, begged and pleaded.

  Mark kissed Davin on the mouth, letting the other man taste a little of himself.

  He loved the way Davin let his head fall back, the way he touched Mark's face.

  As though he were trying to pull Mark closer, as though he wanted this just as much as Mark did.

  Mark pulled his mouth back, his body aching to do even that much.

  "Turn onto your side."

  He expected a bit of a fight here. He expected Davin to ask why, even though he would obviously know the reason. He even expected Davin to say this was as far as he planned on going.

  But he didn't. Davin turned to his side. His heart continued to beat loudly, and his body heat seemed to keep right on rising.

  It was almost like the mating heat all over again. Mark could feel it in Davin's body, his eager anticipation, his need.

  Because Mark felt it, too. That wild sensation that he was never going to find peace until he was inside this man gripped Mark hard, and he needed to fuck him. Right now.

  Pressing a kiss to Davin's shoulder, Mark reached for the nightstand. It was the usual place where they kept their lubricant.

  There was still some in there. They hadn't been touching each other much in the last couple of months, and whenever they did, it felt more like a chore. Something to be done because their bodies craved the release.

  This was like old times. Mark had missed this.

  He brought the bottle out, bringing it back over to where his mate lay.

  Davin didn't avoid eye contact with him either. He looked to the side, specifically seeing what Mark was doing. He didn't try to avoid the obvious.

  Neither of them said anything to each other, either. Mark because he didn't want to ruin the mood. He could only imagine what was going through Davin's head right about now.

  Popping the cap, Mark slicked his fingers before bringing them to Davin's hole.

  He tried to stop the tremble in his fingers, but Mark could barely seem to get himself under control.

  He circled his fingers around the man's asshole, noting the way Davin sighed, the way his body moved, and then Davin began thrusting his ass back against Mark's fingers.

  "You like it?"

  No point in keeping entirely quiet.

  Davin seemed to agree. He clenched his eyes tightly shut, his fingers grasping at the sheets. "Yeah. Fuck, that's nice."

  He looked back once more and down, as though trying to see Mark's fingers before their eyes met.

  Mark pushed his fingers deep before he leaned in and took the other man's mouth, swallowing his moan.

  And Davin reached back for him, as though trying to pull Mark even closer, trying to fuck himself on Mark's fingers.

  God, so perfect. So beautiful. This was his mate. This man belonged to him.

  The wolf did not want to let him go.

  But the wolf didn't understand the way things worked in the real world. It couldn't force someone to stay just because it wanted them to.

  I love you. I love you. Don't leave.

  Mark couldn't handle it anymore. Davin was tight, tighter than Mark remembered, but of course he would be when they were barely touching each other, and now it was almost as though he needed to mark the other man all over again.

  As though all their previous fucking had never happened.
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br />   This was a clean slate.

  He pulled his fingers free and stroked his cock with the slick, making himself ready before he lined up his cockhead with Davin's tight hole and then pushed inside.

  Chapter Three

  Davin moaned a long helpless noise. The burn, the sweet heat of it, the sudden pain, and then the rush of pleasure…

  God, he'd almost forgotten how good this could feel when they were both into it.

  And Davin pushed his ass back against Mark's cock. He wanted more. He wanted to swallow the man hole, to have every inch of him inside.

  "Fuck me. God, fuck me," he begged.

  Davin needed this. He wanted it so badly he could taste it.

  Just like the first time they'd fucked. This was urgent. Instinctual. This was enough to bring Davin to his knees.

  If he'd been standing. Good thing he hadn't been.

  Mark gave him what he needed. His grip on Davin's hips was enough to bruise, but the forward slide of his prick, stretching Davin open, touching everywhere that could be touched inside of him, was more than enough to bring forward all the old instincts Davin thought they had buried.

  Whatever was still between them was strong. It still had a firm grip.

  But Davin couldn't forget that, as a wolf soul, he was joined with Mark in more ways than one. Having the man inside him like this increased Davin's empathy for the man, and he was able to sense what he hadn't before.

  He was able to sense his pain, and it wasn't difficult for him to put two and two together.

  No wonder Mark didn't want to break the mating. If this was what he felt all the time as a wolf, then Davin would have his work cut out for him in getting the mating severed.

  Hell, after something like this, he wasn't entirely sure if he could go through with it.

  But then Mark was fucking into him, slowly at first but then harder, and fast enough that Mark's pelvis smacked against Davin's body.

  Even that shock, that smacking sound and sensation, was enough to make the pleasure Davin already felt feel that much more powerful.

  "More," he begged, unable to get out the words he really wanted. He wanted to tell Mark to fuck him hard. To fuck him as though this was going to be the last time.

  Because God, maybe it would be.

  He wanted Mark to fuck him and make it difficult for Davin to walk out later. He wanted Mark to leave his imprint on him for the rest of his life.

  Maybe then Davin could talk himself out of doing this.

  "More."

  No. He didn't say any of that. Instead he begged for more and more, as if he was some kind of mindless drone.

  It seemed to work for Mark.

  The other man growled low in his ear, a sound that used to scare Davin, and then it slowly turned into a noise that made him shiver with pleasure.

  Before the hunters had ruined that, too.

  Davin hadn't heard a growl like that in a long time, and to hear it now and experience that same, wonderful, amazing pleasure he used to was something he wanted to cry over.

  Mark, meanwhile, kissed and sucked on Davin's shoulder and throat. He was going to leave all kinds of marks on him.

  Good. That was exactly what Davin wanted.

  Something to remember the other man by.

  "Fuck me hard. Harder."

  Mark growled again, his breath coming out like he was in a race to the finish line.

  When Mark reached around, taking Davin's cock in hand, stroking him in time with each of his thrusts, it was over. Davin felt his orgasm coming, clenching up inside him before it released.

  Davin shouted. He couldn't hold it back. He bucked back hard against Mark's body. He fucked into Mark's hand, and he fucked back against his cock.

  So good. So good, and he milked it for everything he was worth.

  Until there was nothing left for him to give. He’d spilled everything there was inside, and now it was Mark who fucked into him, reaching that final end.

  Davin didn’t forget his manners. He thrust back against him, clenching his hole, trying to bring Mark to that beautiful, amazing end he’d just reached.

  “I want you to come inside me,” Davin gasped.

  He meant it, too. He wanted to feel it. He wanted to feel his mate owning him the way he used to. He wanted that feeling back.

  And then he had it. Davin shivered, moaning when he felt the rush of warmth and heat surge inside him. He moaned, his fingers clutching at the sheets beneath him as Mark fucked hard into him then slumped, coming down off the same wonderful high Davin had hit.

  But it wasn’t enough. Davin wanted more. This was why he knew it would be so hard to leave. Because he was still mated to the man. Even after everything they’d gone through, after trying to prepare himself for this sort of reaction from his own body, feeling it now…

  It was enough to let Davin know what an utter child he’d been.

  He should have seen this coming. In what universe did he think he could just get up and walk away from his mate without there being some sort of penalty? Without suffering the consequences?

  But he had to. The people in this pack hated him. At least the omegas did. He wanted to be safe. He didn’t want to live the life of a mate who was constantly helpless, constantly in danger.

  Then Mark said something that should have made Davin happy, but it utterly shattered his heart.

  "I'll sever the mating."

  Everything clenched. His muscles, his spine, even his asshole. The words so shocking, even though Davin had wanted them.

  Thought he'd wanted them. Now that he heard them, he wasn't so sure anymore."

  "You will?"

  Mark pressed his face into Davin's hair. He sighed. "I won't fight you anymore. If this is what you really want, then I'll give it to you."

  That heavy clenching feeling in his heart squeezed again. Davin didn't like this. Why couldn't he get a grip on himself? He should have known this was going to happen. He should have seen this coming and better prepared himself for it.

  Because now that Mark was no longer going to fight him over the mating, Davin realized how much better it had been for him to do so.

  When Mark had fought and struggled against the idea of ending the mating, then at least it could take Davin's mind off the horrible end goal he was working toward.

  His eyes burned. He wished Mark would keep fighting him so he couldn't have to deal with this. It wasn't supposed to hurt this much.

  "Okay."

  "But there's a condition."

  Davin blinked. He looked at the other man in his eyes and tried to see what was there, but he couldn't get a read on him.

  Mark gave nothing away. He could be hard to read when he really wanted to be, and right now, it seemed impossible to get a lock on what was going on in his head.

  Davin was almost too scared to ask. "Wh-what's the condition?"

  The fight came back into Mark's eyes. They glowed red, as though he were about to have battle for supremacy with another alpha or a hunter.

  "You have to spend the rest of the week with me. Seven more days. You don't talk about wanting the separation, and I won't try to pressure you out of one. We have just one more fucking week where we can act like we're a normal, mated couple, and then, if you still want out, I won't try to stop you."

  That was it? That seemed pretty tame in comparison to everything else.

  "That's all you want?"

  Mark nodded. "That's all I want. If you don't want to do it, then I'll keep trying to talk you out of it."

  "Oh."

  To spend one more week with his mate, pretending as though everything was all right when it wasn’t…i t sounded like one of the more stupid things Davin could do. It would only break his heart all the more when it came time to finally say good-bye.

  At the same time, he could see the benefits of such a thing, too.

  To have seven days where he could at least pretend to be happy, to give himself permission to take the thing Mark offered him and then
…

  "Will sex be involved?"

  Those glowing eyes looked a little more imposing in that moment. "You'd better believe it."

  Davin didn't need to think about it. "Good."

  Chapter Four

  Mark couldn't believe he managed to get Davin to agree to his terms. It seemed outlandish and crazy. Something out of a romance novel, or maybe a court case, but either way, his mate agreed to spend another seven days with him, to not leave him, to pretend that everything was all right when it was falling apart.

  He didn't care. It was something. It was enough that maybe he could make Davin think twice about this.

  After the sex was over, things got awkward again between them. Mark didn't know what he should do, if he should stick around.

  Did the seven days start right now? Or should it be seven days from tomorrow?

  Either way, he got out of bed, grabbed his clothes, and decided to make for the second bathroom where he could clean up, get dressed, and have a talk with Bodolf about this.

  He wanted to stay. Part of the reason why Davin was going was because he didn't like how much time Mark spent away from him.

  Even Mark could see he was right on the money with that one. It wasn't enough that Mark wanted to protect his mate. He needed to start being there. He needed to show he was committed in more ways to Davin than because of the mating.

  When he told Bodolf what he was up to, however, the other man's reaction wasn't what Mark expected.

  "Uh, why? Are you serious? And why?"

  A ten-ton anvil could have dropped on his head and he wouldn't have been as stunned as that.

  "Really? I thought you would be on my side with this."

  Bodolf cringed. He glanced back through the sliding glass door to where his own mate had gone off to grab some beers for them while they stood on the deck, talking it over.

  "It just seems a little…extreme."

  "How so?" Mark was getting pissed off. "My mate wants to leave, which is already fucked up enough. I've just bought myself some time."

  "By agreeing to only let him leave if he sticks around for another seven days?"

  "What's wrong with that?"

  "Nothing, not really." Bodolf planted his feet, he seemed to be taking a firm stance on this. He looked at Mark with the sort of eyes that stated he didn't want to be fucked with.