Self-Preservation: Running Away to Hide

I'm going into hiding.

Why?

It's a matter of self-preservation.

As fucked up as it sounds, too much good stuff has happened to me.

I've got three moms, nine sisters, three aunts, five brothers, two cousins, an awesome Nieceling, nephrews and a dad.

All of whom support and encourage me. All of whom love me.

Unconditionally.

Then there's Daniel, the fiance'.

A man who only sees me. He only sees Vic and it's refreshing and amazing and every time I think of him or talk to him, I can't stop smiling. He loves me and supports me, makes me laugh, and is one of the biggest reasons why I keep pushing forward, keep breathing, and why I've started singing again.

And then there's my writing.

Many of you were here when I started writing Unthinkable. You pestered me about writing more, you encouraged me, you asked me about the characters, you pointed out things to me. Thorny was the one who told me that I should make writing my new career and while his presence in the book was not widely appreciated by all, when someone saves your life twice, you thank them, very publicly. Suzi, who was determined to have me keep writing until the book was finished and equally determined for me to write Tommy's story, gave me the push that I needed to keep going. Kat, Luci, Lucy/Kat, CJ, Matt, Brad and Becky who were always my cheerleaders in the background were, a lot of times, my audience.

So when I decided to self-pub Unthinkable, I did it for you all. Then people started buying it. Then people started buying Inconceivable, and this thing, this impossible dream that I'd had for myself, this goal that you all told me to reach for, was right there. I was a writer. I was an author, and I absolutely couldn't believe it.

Then I started meeting other authors and then on Goodreads I started getting "fans" and then more and more people were adding my book to their TBR list. Then one of my big sisters, Cherie, told me about my book going up on ARe (All Romance Ebooks) and I did and within 24 hours, I'd sold more than I had any other time. Then days went by and I saw that Unthinkable and Inconceivable were shooting up into the hundreds and all of this time I'm writing A Very Tate Christmas, sort of secretly, because I wanted to surprise all of you. And that's when I got the IM from Daniel:

":O Your book Unthinkable is #9 on the ARe Bestseller list."


To be honest, I thought maybe he was reading it wrong. I was already shocked that it had gotten bestseller status in certain genres but he was making it seem as if it was the main list. I mentioned it to Cherie, who wisely went to look it up, knowing that I wouldn't do it. When she told me it was true, I was expecting Ashton Kutcher to jump out and tell me that I'd been "Punk'd" by the very people that were hating on me just months ago.

But Ashton never appeared and my big sis Tay-Tay told me to enjoy my way to the top.

I thought that she was just being her usual loving, big sister self. Because my big sisters are awesome and they love their "baby bro," and I thought she was just being encouraging.

Cherie told me that my book would keep rising.

In my head I thought she was full of shit.

Why were people buying my stuff? This story that I'd written for my online blog friends and online blog family. Why were they interested in these shape shifting cowboys and their mates? I was floored and so overwhelmed that I went to bed before 4am this morning and still woke up at 8.

I only do that when I'm sick or I'm crashing.

So when I woke up and saw a "Wow. Congratz Vic! "Unthinkable" is now #5 on the ARe Bestseller List." I knew then that I needed to go into hiding. Not from writing, but to get my head around the fact that people actually want to read my stuff. That they want to actually buy my stuff and read it.

These same people turn around and buy Inconceivable and find me on GR, Facebook, Twitter, email me and tell me how much they liked or loved my books. And I am floored. I am shocked, amazed and so overwhelmed with gratitude and amazement that I have to go hide myself somewhere, be alone and wrap my head around the fact that good things are happening to me.

That good things keep happening to me.

That I didn't come out and then my world was destroyed.

But that I came out. Admitted the truth that I'd been fighting since I was a kid. Stood up for me, something I don't think I've ever done. Told those in my life to (in the words of Mary J. Blige) "Take me as I am or have nothing at all." I moved. I left the comfort and safety of conforming, of denying and repressing, and I stepped out into the light of truth and acceptance and support  and encouragement and oh-my-gosh-is-this-happiness and found out how beautiful it is.

I began healing. I kept writing. I gained more friends, more family, found the love of my life, my soul's mate and kept writing. And wow, people keep buying.

I am amazed. I am overwhelmed. I am so unbelievably grateful. You all who have stuck with me through it all. You all that have joined "The Vickster" maybe a little later on down the tracks but you're on this ride, holding on just as tight as those who were here at the beginning. Even those of you who threw rocks and paint and bombs, grenades, shot bullets at "The Vickster" and never apologized when you saw that your assault was in an area that had already been assaulted or even those of you who assaulted "The Vickster" and continue to keep assaulting "The Vickster," I am thankful to all of you. Because of you, I'm here. I'm stronger. I'm happier than I've ever been in my life.

So, yes, as a matter of self-preservation so I don't "self-sabotage" myself, as I've been known to do when good things start happening, I'm going to go and hide in my Purple Fantasy Den and regroup and then come out (LOL-or rather return) and still be myself.

And keep writing.

So thank you all. Your support is invaluable to me.


Sincerely,

Vicktor Aleksandr B.

My Secret Book Project: The Cowboy's Fireman

So a few weeks back my friend Katharina made a comment about how she and another friend of ours liked firemen and cowboys and that if I wrote a book about either of them they'd be happy.  Well, as you know The Tate Pack Series is about shape-shifting cowboys in Wichita Falls, Texas.  Books 1 & 2: Unthinkable & Inconceivable are already finished and published.  Books 3-5: Unassumed, Impossible, & Untouchable are WIPs.

But, when Katharina made that statement my mind began to spin stories.  At the time I had drafted a story about a fireman already but that story was quickly thrown out and a new story took shape in its place: The Cowboy's Fireman.  Affectionately termed TCF by me.

Here's the blurb:

Everyone in Princeton, Missouri knew that Fireman Reginald "Reggie" Mayr hated Kenton "Kent" Hunter, the co-owner of Mercy Ranch.  No one knew the details of how the rivalry between the two former friends began, but everyone knew that it existed.  It was quite the source of entertainment for the residents.  So when one of the barns at Mercy Ranch catches on fire and Reggie is one of the firemen on duty, the town awaits with baited breath for the two men to finally come to blows.


Reggie didn't know why Kent was still holding a grudge against him for being to scared to stand up to the guys that were bullying him, especially since he'd tried apologizing, but he knew that he was justified in his anger towards the cowboy.  He and Kent had grown up together, been best friends, and when Reggie's grandmother had passed, Kent hadn't shown up at the funeral.  So when Reggie races out to a fire at Mercy Ranch he plans on putting out the fire and then finally having it out with the town's favored son.  But when he has to rescue Kent from the burning structure and Kent makes a startling confession will Reggie be able to let go of his anger, hurt and resentment enough to have a relationship with his rival?


Kent had always loved Reggie.  Since the day he turned ten all he'd ever wanted was to belong to Reggie and have Reggie belong to him, but when he needed Reggie the most, Reggie wasn't there and after that Kent buried his feelings and turned his back on his friend, making him his enemy.  Years had gone by and Kent never saw signs that Reggie had ever changed from the young boy desperately seeking approval and popularity from everyone and for that reason Kent could never take the chance to be with the one man he'd always loved.  But when he's rescued by Reggie and confesses all, Kent is amazed to discover that the boy of his fantasies has become the man of his dreams.


But has too much bitter rivalry, hurt, anger and resentment clouded the chance that these two men have with each other?  Will they ever be able to get past their childhood expectations of a perfect friendship in order to have an ever lasting love?  Or are they doomed to forever be rivals?

I'M AN EFFING PUBLISHED AUTHOR!

Hey ALL!!! *Happy Dance*

So Unthinkable has been published!  Woop!!!  And some of you are even mentioned on the thank-you page!  I'm so stinkin' excited!!!  I was on the phone with Jack and he kept saying "Stop tweaking and just push accept. It's good.  It's really good.  I read what you sent me and I don't know why you weren't published before now, but do it.  Then you'll be a published author!"  I was still EXTREMELY hesitant, but then he offered me a little extra incentive {naughty grin} and. I. DID. IT!!!!

So here's the button to buy it:



I'm also putting it as a permanent part of my blog so when the rest of "The Tate Pack Series" goes up for sale you all and whoever else can just click on that and buy it.

I'm SO EXCITED!!!!

A Peek Inside My Twisted Mind

So when I am writing a book, it's not unusual for that book to spin off and become a series.  I mean, hell, Passion's Hero: The Alpha King was originally supposed to be just one book named "Passion's Hero" but now it's a 5 book series with a spin-off series: Love's Savior that's 15 books.  And yes, every single book already has an outline and a beginning.


So you'd think that'd be enough for me...not even by a little bit.  I get the idea for "Markus Fucking Nelson" which is a contemporary book written in first person.  Then there's the "Sacred Duets" series that I got an idea for, 5 books, paranormal, elves and magics, with the first book having a transgendered main character (yeah, I went there).


Again you'd think that would be enough and my brain would shut off.  No!  I decided I wanted to write some online fiction and so "The Tate Pack" series was born.  Again, it started off as only one story "Unthinkable" but as you can see I'm currently writing "Inconceivable" there are two more stories: "Unassumed" and "Incapable" to come.


Then my brain, my lovely TWISTED mind that apparently loves to torture me and never let up on the ideas gave me seven, yes SEVEN more books.


*Sigh*


So I thought I'd give you all a peek into my twisted mind and post up four of the descriptions for the new books that I'm going to be writing. In my personal descriptions I have more written but I'm just giving you all some teasers (have to keep you interested).  Have fun!  LOL.  You have been warned.

Collegiate Affair:

    Young boy meets older gentleman during the summer at a retreat where he works.  They begin an affair that turns into a relationship that they both want to extend past that summer.  The older gentleman is a professor at a college in the next major city.  The young boy finds out that he will be getting scholarship money so that he can attend college, the one he always wanted to go to, which is the exact same college.  The two of them try to maintain the secrecy of their relationship in the face of university rules and regulations, the young boy's experience as an older freshman student, the older gentleman's desire for stability and long term and the differences in their families, backgrounds, education and expectations....

Love's Enslavement:

     Two young boys, one black and one white grow up together during the time of slavery.  Both of them are gay and fall in love with each other, but it is illegal for them, not only because the black boy is a slave but because homosexuality is a crime.  They both fight in the Civil War and they lose track of each other.  By some miracle they both make it out of the war alive, but the black man loses his arm and goes blind in one eye.  The white boy sees him being dropped off in front of a dilapidated house and takes him in to care for him.  Their roles reverse then and the white man is taking care of the black man....

www.NewChances.com:

     Two men meet online and begin a friendship.  They eventually meet up in person and find that trying to bring their love from online into reality is going to take a lot of hard work and dedication.  Especially since one of the men has children (wife passed away-she knew he was bisexual), and the other man has a high powered job that keeps him on the road all of the time.  They are in love and move in together but there are issues that arise that they were not expecting and have to fight to stay together, especially when someone tries to get the children taken away and tries to get them to break up.  The man with the children has to choose his children of course, because they're young, but where does that leave his new love....

Damien & Roman Forever:

     An established couple: Damien and Roman.  Roman used to be a woman (Rachelle) and has gone through the genital reassignment surgery to become a man.  Damien knows this, he supported him through the whole thing.  Before Roman got the surgery, the two of them did IVF and gave birth to quads.  So they are two men, married, raising children in the "Bible Belt" (Tennessee, Oklahoma or Ohio).  Roman works as a screenwriter and as a m/m romance novelist while Damien is an architect.  Damien is Caucasian, big and muscled, average looking in heights, though he has a gorgeous body.  Roman is African-American, slender, though still muscled, and extremely beautiful.  They met through Damien's brother-in-law, Cody, who married Damien's brother, Kelvin.  Cody is Roman's best friend.  The book is written as if the two men are being interviewed by the reader.  They are asked how they met, how they came out, when they fell in love, about their kids, their lives together, if they've ever had any problems together (Roman will share a story about the two of them being out together and one of the kids crying and throwing a fit and pulling away from him and how one woman called security because she thought that the children had either been kidnapped or that they belonged to Damien.  She is very nasty and spews out hate speech, both about their sexuality and Roman's race.  Roman tells the reader how happy he was to be able to tell her that he used to be a woman and that all four of the children BIOLOGICALLY belonged to him and his husband Damien.), and what their plans are for the future.  They talk about the big argument that led to their separation....

So what do you guys think?  Would you read any of these books?

{HUGZ AND SQUEEZES}

Vee/Vic

Unthinkable: Epilogue

Epilogue:

     "VET!!! GET IN HERE QUICK!!" Richard yelled and Vet felt his heart stop in his chest before it sped up quickly.  Hearing his mate's frantic voice, he slid out from underneath the sink and raced towards the living room.  

     "What happened?  What's wrong?" he panted out, his eyes darting around the room looking for the source of his mate's panic when he saw nothing he looked back at his mate and then stopped in his tracks.  Richard was sitting on the floor with RJ standing in front of him, his hands on the baby's waist.  RJ was facing Vet, his hands stretched out towards him.

     "Watch Daddy.  Look at what our baby can do," Richard said with a grin before looking at RJ.  "Show Daddy what you can do RJ.  Go to Daddy."  Seconds later Richard released RJ and Vet's heart stuttered in his chest as the baby took one step, then another, then another.  Tears stung his eyes and he knelt before the little boy his arms open as the infant stumbled into his arms.  Lifting him into his arms, he clutched the baby to him tightly, tears rolling down his face.  He missed his sister Mandy so much at that moment.  Mandy should have been there to see her baby take his first steps.  She should have been there to see them grow up, to celebrate with them when Amy had said "Papa" for the first time while holding Richard's face.  He couldn't help feeling a little guilt because he knew that had Mandy still been alive he probably wouldn't have met Richard when he did and he wouldn't trade his life with his mate for anything in the world.

     It had been six months since the battle with Bobby Ray.  Six blissful months with the triplets.  They had welcomed all twenty-five of the rogue wolves into the pack, the farm and the ranch were flourishing, Richard had started teaching dance to some of the cubs in the pack, he had also started planting and maintaining their vegetable garden and their greenhouse.  Vet was extremely proud of him.  The triplets were thriving, growing up quickly, learning to walk and talk,  always smiling and laughing and happy and Vet knew it was all because of his mate.  With a final hug for RJ, he placed the little boy down on the floor and strode over to his mate.  Richard stood up with a smile on his face.

     "Aren't you proud Daddy?" Richard asked.  The two of them had taken to calling each other by what they wanted the triplets to call them whenever they were around.  Vet thought it was a little silly.  Atleast he did until Amy had called him "Dada" and then he'd grinned like an idiot for five hours.

     "I am so proud and so happy Papa," he responded before taking the smaller man into his arms.  "You have made me the happiest man in the world.  I love you more each day.  Thank you."

     Richard blinked up at him before a wide grin split his face, "I love you too my big puppy cowboy."  Richard laughed and took off running as Vet growled playfully and gave chase.  "I'm a wolf not a dog!" he yelled out before tossing his smaller man over his shoulder and heading towards the kitchen, where he laid his mate down on the counter and showed him the difference between a puppy and full-grown wolf shifter.

     Vet had never expected to find his mate in New York, had all but given up on having children of his own, but it turned out that what he'd thought was impossible and unthinkable turned out to be the greatest thing to ever happen to him.  He couldn't have asked for anything more.

                                                 

                                                              THE END

*AAaawww, sad to have to say good bye to Vet and Richard.  But I've got another story idea called "Inconceivable" and it's about Anton "Ton" and Tommy, so we'll see Vet and Richard again.  Hope you enjoyed it!*

Unthinkable: Part Twelve

*So I am SO unbelievably tired today and late with putting up this installment, but in true Vee-Vee fashion, I got an idea for a new book and had to start writing it.  Outside of the "Passion's Hero" series and the "Sacred Duets" series, both of which are fantasy/paranormal M/M romance, then the other day I was talking to a friend and she said, "You know you're gay right?" and while I laughed, it was instantly the first line in a new book for me.  So I've spent some time outlining and getting to know Markus Nelson, one of the wealthiest businessmen in the nation, built like a linebacker, gorgeous and an extremely closeted gay man, Tiffany Nelson, his outspoken, proud, lesbian younger sister, and Ethan Wells, the beautiful waiter he falls in love with.  It's the first contemporary book I'm attempting and it's in first person so it gives me an opportunity to actually BE that gay man that that psychic told me that I was in a past life. LOL.  I always get so excited when I first start a book or a story, because the characters are always so fascinating to me, I get to find out why they think, act and feel the way that they do.  That leads the story the way it goes.  Not even that, today I had a Hollywood moment when my car filled up with smoke as I was driving and slowed down until it stopped on the side of the interstate.  I had two police officers, a Road Ranger and a tow truck guy all stop (the tow truck guy was actually from Allstate Motor Club, which I have).  If I had been in a Hollywood movie, I would have begun a love affair with one of them.  If I were in a porno, I would have been fucked by each one of them only to have my car start up perfectly fine at the end.  In my dreams, they all would have been really hot gay men and had sex with each other, while I watched...then again it's my dreams so I would've been a gay man myself and gotten in on the action.  LOL.  Anyway, during all of this I got an idea for Part Twelve of Unthinkable, so here it is.*




Part Twelve:

     Richard followed Ross through his small kitchen and into his living room and froze.  He turned around and looked again.  He hadn't left Ross's house and entered the Central Intelligence Agency, but he was surrounded by screens, monitors, gadgets, cameras, robots, video cameras, and all manner of spy devices.  As he looked at one screen he saw what appeared to be the back of his home with Vet.  His eyes widened as he realized that it was a live camera feed of their home.  Turning very slowly he turned to look at Ross with suspicion, stepping away from the other man, cursing the fact that he was standing so close to the triplets who still slept inside their stroller.
     "So...how do you know Vet?" he asked suspiciously as he walked closer to the stroller and began to pull the triplets away from Ross.
     "Oh, me and Vernon go way back to preschool.  We both discovered that we liked boys at the same time, lost our virginity to each other, both of us topping the other, we shifted for the first time together," Ross sighed.  "We've been together for a really long time."
     "So, I guess you were upset when you heard that he'd found his mate huh?" Richard asked as he continued to back away from Ross who had his back to him.  He watched as Ross's shoulders stiffened.
     "No, not upset.  Vernon and I always knew that we weren't mates," the larger man responded, his voice tight with an unidentified emotion.
     Richard nodded though he was aware that the other man could not see him.  "So if you weren't upset that he'd found his mate then why didn't you go help him when you looked at your monitors and you saw the huge battle he was running into?" he asked quietly as he hid the triplets in their stroller around the corner of the room, in the hallway.  His eyes jerked up at the sound of Ross's gasp and then braced himself for the man's angry reaction.
     It never came.
     What Richard saw instead was Ross's shoulders shaking and he wondered if the other man was laughing.  He opened his mouth to rebuke the man when he heard his sob.  He was shocked when Ross's hands came up to brace against the edges of the desk he stood in front of.
     "I was fucking some closeted football player when it started.  I rushed him out of the door when I heard what was going on, hours later.  I was just about to shift and go down to help when you called.  I knew that Vernon would want me to help you, more than he'd want me to help him.  So I came to help you," a sniffle, a groan of despair and then a growl emanated from the bigger man's direction.  "I don't regret helping you and the babes, but my best friend is out there somewhere, maybe hurt or worse and I-"
     Ross's words were cut off by the sound of rapid pounding on the door.  Ross turned and sniffed the air before a big grin broke out over his face.
     "Then again, the bastard could be on the other side of the door," he stated excitedly before rushing over to the door and swinging it wide open.  Standing there, supported by Ton and Howell was Vet, looking bruised and bloodied but alive.  So wonderfully alive.  And to Richard, he'd never seen anything better.
     "Where's my mate?" Vet's voice rasped out moments before Richard launched himself into his mate's arms.  Vet lifted his arms from Ton and Howell's shoulders and caught the smaller man in his arms, sinking to the floor and pressing his face into his air and inhaling deeply.  Richard felt his throat tighten, and his eyes burn with unshed tears.  His mate was okay, he wasn't going to have to try and live without him.  Everything would be okay now.
     "So what happened?  Me and the little guy were just about to come down and join the party," Ross teased thought everyone could hear the emotion in his voice.  Vet growled and clutched Richard to him tighter.
     "Well," Howell, a broad shouldered black man with long dreads that hung down like thick black ropes to his shoulders and stormy grey eyes, said with a tilt of his lips, "seems as if Bobby Ray was a little bit upset that our alpha is a gay man with a gay man for a mate.  So he went out and found a group of rogue wolves to try to take over the Tate Pack.  He didn't tell the other wolves why he wanted to overthrow Vet though.  They didn't find out until after we were all fighting and biting and snarling at each other.  The one of the rogue wolves heard Bobby Ray yelling about finding the alpha's 'queer mate' and stringing him up and he sort of stopped fighting.  He yelled out in anger and raced towards Bobby Ray and started to fight against him."
     Richard lifted his head from Vet's shoulder and looked at Howell in confusion.  "Turns out that they were rogue wolves because they were thrown out of their pack for being gay and many of them are mates.  Of the twenty five men that came with Bobby Ray, only three of them are single," Vet said and Richard stared at him with wide eyes.  He leaned into the hand that Vet pressed against his cheek and closed his eyes with a purr of contentment.
     "So the fighting pretty much stopped a few hours in, but we couldn't find Vet, seems as though he was supposed to be beaten and kidnapped, so he could be 'reeducated' about his new role as a gamma to Bobby Ray or some nonsense," Ton rumbled.  "So we tied up Bobby Ray and took him with us while the rogue wolves took us to where they were supposed to meet up and start Vet's lessons.  The other wolves explained what was going on and Vet was released, badly bloodied and bruised.  We were going to let him just kill Bobby Ray right there, but he wanted it to be honorable so the two of them shifted and fought to the death and well..."
     "You won.  You survived.  You came back to me," Richard whispered, love and gratitude that his mate had survived shining through his words.
     "I promised you that I would beautiful and I always keep my promises," Vet responded before pulling his mate into a deep, loving kiss.


*Tomorrow's installment will go up in the morning.  I promise!*

Unthinkable: Part Eleven

(Today's installment is going to be short b/c I was in the Goodreads M/M Romance Group Chatroom all day but I promised you guys an installment, don't worry, it's still a good one)

Part Eleven:


     Richard coughed and wiped the dirt streaked tears from his face as he continued pushing the stroller through the well-lit bunker hallway.  It had been eight hours since Vet had shoved him into their pantry.  Eight hours and he'd heard nothing from his mate.  Not through their link and the cowboy hadn't shown up to let him know that it was okay.  He was supposed to leave the bunker an hour ago, to make his way to the cabin at the edge of the woods and contact Vet's friend, Ross.  He had been frozen in place though, shock rippling through his body, tears flowing down his cheeks, the babies all sound asleep, none of them aware of what had taken place.  He guessed he should be thankful for that, it was a small miracle, but a miracle nonetheless.  Sniffling, he paused and wiped his nose on the sleeve of flannel shirt that he wore.  It was one of Vet's, he was glad that the other man had accidentally thrown some of his shirts inside and that they all smelled like him, it would help him to focus when he figured out a way to save his mate.
     "Stupid man," he muttered as he continued to push the stroller, happy that he still worked out and his legs were not tired from the mile walk he was on.  "Going off to fight some stupid fight with some stupid redneck, for what?  Leaving these babies with me, we need you," he muttered as he kept walking, "You better not be dead, stupid cowboy werewolf." He felt a sadistic thrill that he'd called Vet a werewolf when the man repeatedly told him that he was a wolf shifter and not a werewolf.
     "You leave me alone with triplets while you go and risk your life, you're a goddamned werewolf," he hissed at his invisible mate.  Looking up from where his eyes had fastened on the wheels of the stroller, he saw a ramp that led up to a door.  Aware that if Vet hadn't come to him that meant that the other man...the bigger man...the stronger man was in mortal danger, Richard knew that he needed to take some precautions. Taking the duffel bag out of the stroller, he placed it on the floor and placed Amy in the stroller with her brothers, folding up the Baby Bjorn and placing it in the pocket of the stroller seat.  Pulling the stroller to the side of the ramp, out of the way in case someone charged from within, he grabbed the duffel bag in both hands and made his way up the ramp and to the door.  Pulling out the key that Vet had hastily shoved in his pocket, Richard inserted the key in the lock and eased open the door, listening for any type of movement.
     Hearing nothing, he looked around the edge of the door and saw a dark, abandoned cabin, no furniture lay within and all around the cabin it looked like deserted forest.  With the duffel bag still clutched in his hands he crept forward and towards the phone he saw sitting on the counter in the kitchen.  This is when the villain jumps out and kills the stupid cheerleader in the movies,he thought to himself, turning around quickly and seeing no one.  Grabbing the phone, he saw there was only one number written on the counter in permanent marker.  Dialing the number quickly, he rushed back to the doorway of the bunker, his eyes still darting around the empty room.
     "This better be a fucking emergency Vernon," an extremely deep and husky voice answered the phone gruffly.
     "Um..this isn't Vet, I mean Vernon.  It's Richard, his...um, partner.  I've got the triplets in his cabin at the edge of the property, someone came by with a lot of other wol-men and they attacked Vernon, he told me to call you from here if sunrise came and we hadn't heard from him," Richard's words were rushed and frantic.
     "Calm down man, I know who you are and what Vet is.  I'm one too.  So you're Vet's mate Richard and you're in trouble?" he heard the other man ask, the sound of rustling, footsteps and three doors opening and closing sounding through the phone.
     "Y-yes.  This is Ross right?" Richard asked, wanting to smack himself for not asking that at the beginning of the phone call.
     Richard heard the sound of tires swerving on the ground and the sound of the other man's deep chuckle, "Yeah.  I'm Ross.  Prob'ly shoulda asked me that at the beginning though huh?" He didn't let Richard reply, his voice turning gruff and commanding.  "Look, I want you to go back into the bunker and lock the door.  When I get there I'll come and knock on the door three times, walk away for a minute, I want you to count to sixty seconds now, and then I'll come back and knock twice and say Rio."
     "Rio?" Richard asked, his curiosity temporarily overriding his fear.
     "Place where me and Vet came out to each other.  Plus, we both love that movie," Ross chuckled.  "Now, you got what's gonna happen?"
     Richard nodded, before realizing that the other man couldn't see him.  "Yeah, I got it."  He heard Ross sigh at the sound of fear in his voice.
     "Just calm down New York, wolves can smell fear and if you ain't in that bunker, that means that fear is surrounding you big time.  We're gonna get you and the little ones to safety and then we're gonna rescue Vet. How about that?"
     Richard breathed a sigh of relief.  Ross knew without being told that he was going to want to rescue his mate and had already volunteered to do so.  "That sounds great man, thanks."
     "No problem.  Now hang up the damn phone New York, I'll be there in five minutes."
     Without another word Richard hung up the cordless phone, unplugged it from the wall, grabbed the permanent marker from the counter where it sat next to the phone and blacked out the number that was written there.  He didn't want anyone to trace them to Ross.  Picking up the unplugged phone and marker, he stuffed both items into the duffel and hurried back to the bunker and to the triplets.  Pulling the door closed he locked it and then raced down the ramp to the stroller.  Quickly checking on the babies he found them still sleeping.
     "Must be nice," he muttered with an indulgent smile, praying that the babies wouldn't wake up until they got to wherever it was that they were going.  Taking out the Baby Bjorn, he moved Amy back to rest against his chest, the baby girl making snuffling noises in protest to being moved again, and put the duffel back in the back of the stroller.  Pulling the stroller back up to the door, he waited, barely breathing.  A few minutes went by and then he heard footsteps.  Holding his breath he heard three knocks on the door and then the sound of footsteps fading away.  He began counting immediately, when he reached sixty he heard the footsteps return and then heard two knocks and an extremely deep, whiskey smooth voice say "Rio."
     Unlocking the door, Richard looked up and up and up and up into the beautiful hazel eyes of an oak tree posing as a man.  His mouth falling open at this man who was bigger, taller and damn near sexier than his Vet, Richard struggled to remember what it was they were doing.
     "You can look at whatever you want as soon as I get you into safety there New York," the man-imposter, Ross said with a cocky smirk and Richard scoffed.
     "I don't want to look at anything.  Just help me with my babies and let's get the hell out of here, I want to come back for Vet as soon as possible," he commanded Ross in a haughty tone before turning to pull the stroller the rest of the way out of the bunker.  The two men lifted the stroller and walked swiftly but quietly through the bare cabin, through the woods away from the house and to an open field where Richard saw Ross's large Hummer parked.
     "Could you be anymore ostentatious? " he muttered as they lifted the stroller into the car, babies and all and Richard climbed in after them.  "This is so dangerous, we could get pulled over, arrested or in a car accident because the babies aren't in car seats," he pointed out to Ross.  The bigger man said nothing, merely closed the door and walked around to the driver's side, climbed into the driver's seat, stuck the key in the ignition, started the car and then before taking off caught Richard's worried gaze in the rearview mirror.
     "Then I guess you better hold onto that stroller and make sure that that doesn't happen," the large man said before whipping the Hummer around and taking off like a shot down the road, showing no mercy to the road or the passengers within his car.  Richard held onto the stroller for dear life, praying the whole time that they would all get out of this alive.  Five minutes later, they drove onto the back of someone else's property, to the back of a large house, much like Richard's home with Vet and Ross shut off the vehicle.
     "See?  You survived, nobody's hurt and nobody's dead from riding in the car with me.  Now let's get these babies in bed and then figure out to save your idiotic mate."

Unthinkable: Part Ten

Part Ten:


     He loved him.  His mate loved him.  No matter how many times Vet reminded himself of the fact that Richard loved him, each time he thought it, the idea became more unbelievable than the time before it.  His mate, his man, his Richard, loved him.  Vet shook his head, well aware that the big goofy grin stayed on his face.
     "Oh, get that smug look off your face," he heard Richard mutter as the smaller man walked past him, balancing one of the triplets on his hip.  Had it really been three months since he'd heard those words?  Richard had only said them once, but Vet knew that he still meant them.  It was in his every touch, his every word.  The way he kissed him, the way he took care of him, the way they made love.  Yeah, Richard still loved him, he just had to make the smaller man say it again.
     "What?  You got a problem with me smiling?" he teased the other man as they worked together to bring the triplets, the groceries, the shopping bags, the feed, the mail, the packages, the deliveries, and the rest of Richard's furniture in from outside.
     "I got a problem with it when you're smug for no reason," Richard huffed as he dragged in a large bag of potatoes from outside.
     "Well, why don't you ask me what I'm smug about then," Vet grinned as Richard flopped down onto the couch in the living room, smiling over at the triplets who smiled and giggled back at him.
     "I don't care to know," Richard pouted, knowing damn well what had Vet grinning like a Cheshire cat.  He did feel somewhat guilty, he hadn't immediately told Richard that he loved him when the smaller man had first said it, but he had told him since and each time all Richard had done was smile, kiss him and say "I know."  Which he guessed was something, but it just wasn't enough.  He wanted to hear his mate tell him that he loved him again.  He wanted to hear it everyday, for the rest of their lives together.
     "So, have you heard from Tommy?" he asked, deciding to change the subject as he came to sit next to Richard on the couch.  He heard the other man sigh in sadness.
     "Not since he tore out of here when Anton shifted in front of him.  I don't even know if he's okay.  He won't answer any of my phone calls, text messages or emails.  I feel like such an idiot, I really thought he'd be okay with the whole shape shifter thing.  I didn't think he'd spaz out, and the fact that he and Anton are mates?  Well, that just makes me feel worse," Richard confessed.  Vet felt his heart clench at the sound of his mate's sadness and guilt and pulled the other man snug against his chest.
     "No one blames you.  Ton doesn't even blame you.  He's hurting because his mate left him, yes, but that's directed towards Tommy, not you.  He's grateful that you gave him the opportunity to even meet his mate in the first place.  Don't beat yourself up over this, baby, please.  It will work out.  It always does, fate doesn't make mistakes when it comes to putting people together.  Trust me," he stated firmly before he kissed the other man's temple.  With a sigh Richard nodded and then turned on the tv before snuggling into Vet's chest, his arms wrapped around his big cowboy as they lay on the couch watching some sappy movie.
     "Gods above, where did all the good visual entertainment go," Richard moaned and Vet snorted.  "What?" he questioned.
     "Visual entertainment?  Why don't you just say movies man?" Vet chuckled.  "Ain't nobody here to try to impress wit' your ten-dollar words and your New York education.  It's all simple folk here.  Just say movies," Vet laughed as Richard's face flushed with embarrassment.
     "That's just how I talk Vet," Richard responded, embarrassed.  Vet's eyebrows rose and he realized that even after being mated for months, making love, raising children, running a ranch and a farm on top of being the alpha couple for the Tate Pack, there was still so much about his mate that he didn't know.
     "I'm sorry baby.  I wasn't tryin to pick on you none, just don't want you to feel like you gotta put on airs or nothing out here," Vet reassured his mate.
     Richard nodded and smiled, "Yeah, I know.  And even though it doesn't seem like it, I'm more relaxed here, and have been since I got here, than I have been at any other point in my life.  This is me relaxed and comfortable."
     Vet nodded and opened his mouth when he caught a whiff of smoke.  He lifted his nose to sniff the air and smelled more than just smoke, he smelled fire and he smelled wolves, lots of wolves about ten different wolves, and these wolves that had no permission to be on his property.
     "Richard, baby, I want you to listen to me.  I'm gonna get you and the triplets locked up safe and tight in the pantry.  There's a door in there, unlocks by knocking on the wall behind the cereal boxes, it leads you into a bunker downstairs that leads into a hallway that leads you to another piece of property at the edge of the forest.  I want you to wait in the pantry for two hours.  If after two hours, I haven't come to get you, I want you to take the triplets to the bunker in the basement.  Wait there for a few more hours.  If sunrise comes and I'm not there, I want you and the triplets to go to that other house, call my fried Ross, he'll get you all to safety," he commanded his mate, "Do you understand me?"
     Richard shook his head, "No.  What the hell is going on Vet?  Why are you telling me this?  What's happening?"
     Vet opened his mouth to respond and smelled fifteen more wolves that had joined the ten from before and with them he smelled one familiar wolf and they were getting closer...Bobby Ray.  He looked over at his mate, memorizing his features, caressing his face before he stood and quickly grabbed a large duffel bag.  Grabbing clothes, diapers, formula, bottles, wipes, shoes, and food, he threw them all into the duffel.  He grabbed the baby Bjorn and lifting Amy into his arms placed her inside before strapping her to Richard's chest.  He rushed over and opened the special order stroller they'd gotten, the one with three seats, made especially for the triplets.  Pulling back the visor on the back last seat, he put the duffel bag inside of it.  He turned and saw that Richard had already picked up RJ and was placing him into the stroller, so he grabbed Curt and placed him in the front.  Giving each baby their pacifiers, he hurried his mate and their children to the pantry.
     "Okay, so here's what's going on.  Bobby Ray is back, probably to get revenge and he's got upwards of twenty five other wolf shifters with him.  They've already set fire to one of my buildings, probably to smoke us all out of the house so that we can attack.  The other men'll be waiting on me outside the back of the house, but I gotta make sure you and the kids are safe before I go out there and deal with this.  I gotta save the horses and the other animals.  Gotta save the members of the pack that work and live her, most of all I gotta make sure my family, you and our babies are safe.  So I gotta go out here and kick some ass, but I can't do that if I'm worried about you.  Now you remember what I said for you to do?" he questioned his mate, his words coming rapid-fire, slurring slightly as his body became poised, ready to shift at any moment.
     Richard swallowed thickly and nodded before lifting up on his toes and kissing him deeply.  "You just make sure you stay safe you hear me Vernon Tate?  I love you and I am not raising these kids on my own," the smaller man sniffled.
     Vet's heart leaped in his chest.  He'd said it again!  Granted he'd said it in a moment of extreme emotional distress, but he'd said it nonetheless.  With a cocky grin he nodded.  "I love you too and that right there gives me a reason to make sure I survive.  Now go on, git."  He pushed his mate into the pantry and heard as the smaller man settled down the triplets.  Pulling his key out of his pocket, he locked the door and then ripped the clothes from his body and rushed towards his sliding door, opening the door and then shifting.  He'd let Bobby Ray get away once and he'd returned, seeking revenge.  The stupid man didn't realize that he'd only returned to let Vet finish what he'd started.  This time, one of them wouldn't be walking away alive. and Vet had everything to live for.

Unthinkable: Part Nine-NSFW

Part Nine:


     Mornings came way too fucking early in Texas.  Richard yawned as he turned to walk down the stairs to the kitchen to make breakfast for his big hunky cowboy.  He scratched his toned belly as he took the first step and then screamed when he felt two strong arms wrap around him, a hand pressed against his mouth.
     "Don't scream or you'll wake your precious babies," a deep raspy voice said behind him and Richard shivered in fear.  He nodded to let the person behind him know that he understood.  "We're going to go downstairs now, real nice and easy like, no noise, you got me?" the man said and Richard nodded again.  He wondered where Vet was and if his man was alright.
     Vet?  Are you okay? he questioned the other man through their mental link.  He walked in front of the intruder down the stairs and towards the kitchen.
     I'm fine why? he heard Vet respond and sighed in relief.  He walked into the kitchen and attempted to think of a way to get rid of the other man.
     There's a man in the house, I don't know where he's taking me, but-Richard's words to his mate stopped when the man behind him grabbed him to pull him close to his big, hard boy, his thick erection pressed to his back.
     "He's taking you into the kitchen so he can fuck you on the counter before he goes to work," he heard Vet's voice from directly behind him and with a gasp he whirled around to stare at his mate.
     "Vet?!"  Unable to say anything else or to ask his mate why he was lurking around and scaring the shit out of him in the dark, he grunted when Vet lifted him up into his arms, pressing their lips together in a sensual kiss.  Richard felt his eyes drift close as passion washed over him.  His eyes opened as he felt himself being seated upon a hard surface and he realized that Vet had sat him on top of the kitchen counter.  He smiled at the look of dazed passion in the other man's eyes and with deft fingers unbuttoned the other man's red checkered shirt.
     "So are you making up for last night?" he questioned as he leaned forward to allow his lips and tongue to slowly kiss and taste the clean flavor of his mate's neck.  He felt Vet nod and knew at that moment exactly what the bigger man needed.  He rubbed his lips along the tendons in the bigger man's neck over his collarbone and with his hands pushed off his shirt.  He slid his fingers up both arms, tracing and caressing the hard muscles that were obtained not from a gym but from a day of honest, hard work.  The muscles in his arms, his biceps, hell even the ones in his shoulders were so firm and hard that Richard heard himself whimper at the feel of them.  He pulled Vet closer and kissed one shoulder deeply, before opening his mouth and licking the muscle there.  He heard Vet groan as he continued to lave open mouth kisses over his shoulder before moving to his biceps, his arms and down to his fingers, making sure to taste the skin there as well.
     Vet's harsh breathing sounded in his ear and he felt as the larger man's hands gripped the legs of his pajama pants and ball them up into his clenched fists.  He drifted his lips over to Vet's neglected shoulder and repeated his attentions there, the whole while his fingers touched and caressed Vet's face, his hair, his chest, pinching the hardened brown nipples and down to caress his firm 8-pack abs.  He was in love with Vet's body, he hissed as Vet pulled him up flush against his body as he took his lips in a hard crushing kiss, the sparse hair on his chest rubbing against him delightfully.  He drifted his hands down the planes of Vet's wide and firm back, pressing himself against the man intimately, all thoughts of seducing the other man, dragging out their lovemaking fleeing in the presence of the other man's desire for him.
     "I need to be inside of you baby," he heard Vet's voice, deep and rumbling with uncompromising need.  He nodded and felt Vet frantically pull down his pajama pants before stepping between his open legs.  He reached down and opened the button fly on Vet's jeans, taking special care not to bruise or injure the hardened object within them as he unzipped the pants.
     "Damn Wranglers," he grumbled before squeaking in surprise when Vet gave him a small nip on his shoulder.  "What the hell?" he pouted.
     "We don't talk bad about Wrangler jeans here in the South," Vet grinned before pulling out a bottle of lube that he kept in a drawer in the kitchen.
     "You always keep lube in the kitchen drawer?" Richard asked, feeling a small twinge of jealousy that perhaps his mate had been in this position before.
    Vet gave him a lopsided grin, "If you check, there's lube in every room except for the nursery.  My sister and brother-in-law were insatiable, so are Ton and some of the other guys who stay here from time to time."  Vet grinned before grabbing Richard's legs and pulling him until his ass hung off the edge of the granite countertop.  With another smile Vet lowered his head and spread wide the cheeks of Richard's ass.  With a loud moan Richard lay back fully onto the counter.  Reaching down he pulled his knees up towards his chest, holding onto the backs of his knees as he felt Richard's long, wide tongue licking around his puckered entrance.
     "Fuck!  Is everything on you big and long?" he groaned out and heard Vet chuckle seconds before pressing his "big and long" tongue deep within him.  It was too much, it wasn't enough, and most of all, he wasn't anywhere close to touching what Richard really wanted him to touch.  "Dammit Vet!" he growled, his feet extending into points and stretching back as his body was wracked with desire.  When Vet stood to his feet, he wasn't sure whether to whine at the loss of his tongue deep within his ass or sigh with happiness that he was finally going to be filled with the cowboy's hard shaft.
     As he felt Vet slowly push within him he settled for sighing.  He'd bottomed and topped different times in his life before but there was something about feeling Vet's cock in his ass.  He felt so full, not just physically, but emotionally as well.  He tilted his head back as he felt Vet pull his legs over his shoulders and press deep within him.  With a deep moan, Vet began to thrust into him and Richard felt the fabric of the older man's jeans and he whimpered in lustful need.  There was something about knowing that he was completely naked, laying on the kitchen counter being fucked by Vet when the man had been unable or unwilling to wait until he was completely naked himself before thrusting his cock in his ass.
     He wrapped his hands behind Vet's neck and pulled his lips down to meet his own.  Their tongues dueled, twisting around each other, Vet's tongue thrusting in and out of his mouth, mimicking the movements of his cock to Richard's ass.  Bringing one hand down from behind his mate's neck, he grabbed his leaking cock and began to pump his erection in time with Vet's thrusts.  It wasn't long before he felt the muscles in his ass tighten with his approaching orgasm and felt Vet's thrusts speed up.
     "That's right baby.  Come for me.  Cover me in your come," Vet growled in him before licking the mating mark on his neck and with a surprised shout Richard felt his seed explode from the slit in the top of his cock.
     "Oh fuck you're so hot baby," he heard Vet's voice as if from a distance and music...sort of like Lady Gaga's "Edge of Glory" and he knew that this was the best orgasm he'd ever had before in his life.  He felt Vet thrust once, twice, three times before coming deep in his ass, the muscles in his ass still trembling and clenching as if trying to milk Vet's cock of every drop.
     "Shit," he heard and with a gasp he and Vet turned to the kitchen doorway to see Anton, dressed in a pair of Wranglers, brown boots, and a grey shirt that looked stretched to its limit over his wide chest, and his friend Tommy, dressed in a pair of boots, a tight pair of jeans, a green silk shirt, tied in the front, above his belly button, both men standing there with their mouths hanging wide open.
     "You guys are fucking hot!  If this is how cowboys do it in Texas then I should really consider moving," Tommy said cheekily and Richard groaned in the face of his friend's amusement.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     "I called you when we pulled up to make sure you were awake," Tommy teased Richard as he followed the now dressed man around the nursery as he changed the babies.  Vet had made Ton show Tommy to an empty bedroom and the two of them had hastily gotten dressed.  He'd walked funny as he hurried up the stairs to their bathroom to do some major cleanup...and to get over his embarrassment.  Vet had done a quick cleanup in the half bath next to the kitchen, before wiping down the counter with bleach.  The four of them had eaten a quick breakfast of eggs, toast and sausage, with Tommy and Ton sharing heated looks with each other and amused remarks with him and Vet.  He hadn't been able to look Vet in the eyes since.
     "I didn't realize that was my phone I heard.  I thought it was something else..." Richard hedged as he handed Curt a bottle before moving to RJ's crib to change and feed him.
     "What else could it have been?  Oh.  My.  God!  You thought you heard music when you were shooting your load all over him didn't you?" Tommy squealed in delight.  "You are totally falling for the big cowboy aren't you?"
     Richard shrugged and smiled down at the gurgling baby on the table.  "So what if I am?  We're going to be raising these babies together and besides we've already sort of committed to each other...sorta," he mumbled.
     "What the hell?  Richie!  You just met the man!  I mean, I'll give it to you, he is one sexy ass man and his cock is UH-MAY-ZING, but is that enough for you to be talking forever with someone you haven't even known for two months?" Tommy questioned him.
     Tommy had always been the voice of reason in his life, but how could he explain this to him?  The whole mates, wolf shape shifter, fate thing?  He could barely wrap his own mind around it.
     "When you know, you know Tommy.  That's the only thing I can tell you," he deferred before turning to stare at the other man.  "Love, commitment, it's not rational.  It doesn't follow a set of rules.  It doesn't care about race, gender, education, time, what's rational or irrational, age, it doesn't care about the natural, the supernatural, the normal or the paranormal.  Love is just love and when you fall in love with someone, you don't let that go because it doesn't fit in with someone else's ideas about what love looks like.  If you do, you don't deserve to have it in the first place."
     Tommy stared at him, his eyes wide, his mouth hanging open.  Richard grinned at him, his back to the doorway as he waited for his best friend to speak.  He knew that he'd shocked him, he'd sort of shocked himself, but he meant every word he'd said.
     "Are you saying that you love this guy?" he finally asked.
     "That's a question I'd like the answer to as well," Vet responded from the doorway, his eyes wet with tears and Richard realized that he must have heard the whole thing.  Knowing that it was impossible for him to speak anymore he merely nodded his head in his mate's direction and tilted his head to accept the kiss the bigger man pressed upon his lips when he rushed over to him and swept him into his arms.  It was the sweetest kiss he'd ever had in his life.

Unthinkable: Part Eight-NSFW

Part Eight:


     Later on that night Vet lay in bed waiting for his mate to return from putting the triplets to sleep.  He was exhausted.  He couldn't remember the last time he'd been as tired as he was right then.  He yawned and settled more comfortably into the pillows behind his head.  He was trying to stay up for Richard.  After the fight with Bobby Ray he'd showered, been bandaged up, had lunch and gotten right back to work, making sure that he put some of his gammas on guard should the rogue wolf decide to return.  He hadn't seen his mate again until dinner and by then the house was full of pack members and their families.  It wasn't a usual occurrence, but everyone had wanted to meet the alpha's mate and Vet had wanted to show his little man off.  He hadn't minded the looks of lustful appreciation the women and some of the men threw his mate's way, he knew his pack or rather they knew him, no one would dare make a move unless they wanted to deal with him.  Besides, he knew his man was gorgeous.
     Closing his eyes he thought about Richard's tight little body, his delicious ass and those lips...he moaned as he felt his groin tighten.  He felt like it had been forever since he'd last fucked his mate's ass, although he knew that it hadn't been.  Dropping his hand to his erection he grabbed it in his right hand, squeezing gently seconds before he yawned widely.
     "Oh now, I don't think I've ever seen anything like that," he heard come from the doorway.  Opening his eyes he looked over at Richard where he stood leaning into the doorway, his chest bare, wearing only his green pinstriped boxers.  He grinned and lifted his lips a little.
     "Yeah, it is pretty impressive isn't it?" he said with a smile.
     "Oh, I wasn't talking about that.  I was talking about the way you were jacking off with one hand and yawning with the other.  That was pretty darn impressive," Richard said with a chuckle as he walked around to the other side of the bed and climbed in.  Vet turned to look at the smaller man with a tired smile.
     "I want to make love to you," he said.  Richard smiled and nodded, pulling off his boxers and getting underneath the covers, he rolled over to put his head on Vet's chest, his fingers playing with the smattering of dark curls that decorated that firmly muscled surface.
     "I want you to make love to me too," Richard agreed with a nod.  Vet groaned, could he work up the energy it would take?  Could he even make the effort?  His cock was hard and ready to go, it was just that the rest of his body felt like a used dishrag.
     "I want to, but I'm just too tired," Vet admitted and heard Richard chuckle.
     "Oh thank god because I was totally going to fake enthusiasm," Richard said with a laugh.  Both men laughed then, glad to know that while their bodies wanted each other, their minds just weren't up to the task and that was okay with both of them.
     "You know, it has to be about more than sex for us or it will never work," Richard pointed out just as he'd began to doze off.
     "Wha-huh?" he asked, trying to wake himself back up.
     "Us.  I mean I understand about the whole wolf mating thing, but mating doesn't guarantee blissful happiness, no problems ever, and a happily ever after.  Regardless of what those stupid romance novels say," Richard pointed out.
     "Right..." Vet agreed, wondering how it was that the smaller man could still be awake at, he looked at the clock, midnight?  It was midnight?  He was only going to get five hours of sleep and his mate was up talking about romance novels?  Why?  Why wasn't he asleep?  Vet looked at Richard, the smaller man was sitting up now, his mouth moving and words were obviously coming out but Vet was too tired to even make sense of them and he really needed to get to sleep.  He knew of only one way to achieve that.
     Pulling back the covers, he pushed Richard back onto the bed and gave him a deep and passionate kiss, "No more talking, we'll talk later," he admonished him before letting his tongue trail down the younger man's toned chest and abs to his hard and leaking cock.  Licking at the slightly salty and tangy taste that leaked from the tip of the smaller man's cock he groaned at the taste of his mate exploding on his tongue.  The smaller man had stopped talking so much, but he was still making noise and he was still awake and that wouldn't help with him trying to get to sleep himself, so he opened his mouth and sucked down Richard's erection, his cheeks hollowing as he sucked up, his tongue swirling around the base of the younger man's cock.  His saliva dribbled from his mouth, down Richard's shaft, over his balls, down the crease and the cheeks of his ass until there was a very noticeable wet spot below him, but still Vet did not let up.  Tracing his tongue along the vein in the firm shaft, he took one finger and pressed it deep within the other man's clenching channel.  He hummed in appreciation when his mate began to pump his hips, as if confused about whether to push up into his mouth or down onto his finger, so Vet allowed him to do both.  Lifting his mouth away from the saliva coated erection, Vet leaned down further to his mate's balls and sucked first one and then the other into his mouth.  He ran his tongue between the two sacks to the younger man's perineum.  Licking the area for a moment, one hand still stroking Richard's dick, three fingers of the other hand now thrust inside of the young man's entrance.
     Feeling Richard's legs tense, Vet lifted his head and stared deeply into Richard's eyes.  "Give me all of it baby, every drop," he demanded before lowering his mouth back over the young man's erection.  At that moment his fingers pressed onto Richard's prostate and with a loud shout of Vet's name and a chorus of "YES!" "YES!" "Yes!" "Yes!" "Yes." "yessssss," all growing softer as he continued to speak, Richard shot his seed into his lover's mouth.  With a happy moan Vet swallowed, pulling away slightly so that he could get the full taste of the younger man on his tongue, his fingers still thrusting within him.  When Richard's erection finally softened and slid from his mouth, Vet slowly slid his fingers from the other man's ass, his mouth, chin and chest wet with saliva and traces of semen that had escaped as he swallowed.  He looked at his man and saw that he was asleep, looking over at the clock he saw that it was only fifteen minutes past midnight.  With a sigh he climbed from the bed and walked into the bathroom.  Grabbing a washcloth and a dry towel, he quickly wet the washcloth, rubbed soap into it and walked back to the bedroom.  Gently using the washcloth on the smaller man's chest, now flaccid cock, balls and ass, Vet cleaned his mate before drying him thoroughly.  Returning to the bathroom, he set about cleaning himself off, wiping down his face, neck, chest and hands with the washcloth, he quickly brushed his teeth, gargled with Listerine and dried off with the towel.  Placing both items in the dirty clothes hamper, he grabbed another dry towel and turning off the lights in the bathroom, he returned to bed.
     Climbing back in bed alongside his now peacefully sleeping mate, he pulled the man into his arms and placed the dry towel over the wet spot that was underneath his ass.  Settling back against the pillows again, he sighed as he closed his eyes to sleep, his own cock painfully erect and sadly neglected.  Looking down at his mate, with his sweet smile on his sleeping face, he didn't regret the last twenty minutes at all.  He ignored his cock which called him a liar as it leaked more pre-cum onto his stomach.
     "Oh shut-up," he said before falling asleep.

*I know this one is shorter than the others, but my parents got me a car, something that's not too low to the ground that it hurts my back, but not too high so that it hurts my hip.  I'm already planning my first road trip: Boston in November!!! Woo!!  As for tomorrow's installment, not sure if I'll get it up, I have the dreaded appointment at the VA hospital in Tampa.  I have to be there at 9 in the morning, which means it's an all day thing.  If I don't get one up tomorrow, I'll give you an extra long one the day after.  Happy Wednesday folks!!*

Unthinkable: Part Seven

Part Seven:


     After hanging up with his friend Tommy, Richard grinned and gave a happy sigh.  He hadn't seen Tommy since he'd returned from Europe and he'd missed his friend who looked better as a woman that he ever would as a man.  He was perfect for the large wolf shifter, Anton.  Shoving his cell phone into the back pocket of his jeans  he grabbed the handles on the stroller holding the triplets and made his way towards the back door.  He wanted to check out the greenhouse and the vegetable garden.  He was even thinking about making dinner for his mate and his mate's friends.  His mate.  The words were still strange to say.  He hadn't held out much hope that he would ever have anyone to call his own or that he would ever belong to anyone himself.  It wasn't because he was gay, he knew a lot of gay couples that were happy.  No, his disbelief in a "happily ever after" for himself had more to do with the damage inside than any sort of outside influences.
     Opening the sliding door to the backyard, he pulled on his sunglasses, the wide straw hat that Vet had given to him, along with the garden gloves that he pulled on and looked down at himself.  He snorted.  What a picture he made, with his designer boots, designer jeans, soft cotton T-shirt that clung to his lean frame and cost him $200 and his Gucci shades whose cost he shuddered to think about.  Then there was the straw hat and the gloves, both of which had maybe cost Vet $10...from Walmart.  Richard cringed when he realized that he sounded a bit like a New York snob, then he shrugged, he was a New York snob...sort of.  Hearing the chattering of the triplets, he remembered what he was supposed to be doing and stepped out onto the back pork backwards, pulling the stroller with him gently.  When he turned he was happy to see that there was a ramp down one side of the porch and turning the stroller in that direction he headed that way.  He looked around the land that he now lived on and felt his heart pounding in his chest.
     He had grown up in the Bronx with his mother and "aunt," some woman that his mother had sex with whenever she wasn't having sex with this John or that John.  He'd grown up knowing that his mother was a drug-addicted, prostituting lesbian.  He hadn't cared...or atleast that's what he'd told the kids at his school when they'd teased him about it.  When he'd gotten older, he'd cared even less when the guys in the class started being the ones who were paying to sleep with his mother.  When she overdosed he'd been a little relieved and a lot alone.  With only one year left until graduation, he'd lied and told his school that his father had returned and was taking care of him.  That was the year he'd started dancing in strip clubs for money.  He'd kept stripping and dancing for money all through college, but he'd gotten a full-ride scholarship so the money he made in the clubs he'd used for nice clothes, dildos, shoes, dildos, mani/pedis, dildos, hair styles, dildos, and more sex toys than any one gay man really ever needed.  He'd met Amanda Lynn and she'd seen right through his wall of bullshit.  The two of them had been inseparable and she'd been the only person that had ever truly loved him.  Then she'd died also.
     He looked up from where he crouched next to a tomato plant and found his eyes connecting with Vet's where the other man stood watching him from beside the barn.  Now he had Vet and AL's triplets.  Maybe he would finally get to have a happy ending, people that would love him forever and wouldn't die any time soon.
     His thoughts were cut off abruptly when a pair of boots came into his line of vision.  He looked up a pair of muscled legs encased in a pair of form-fitting Wranglers and up a wide barrel chest, square jaw, thin lips, a nose with a bump in the middle, showing that it had been broken at least once before, to a pair of grey eyes, wide forehead and wavy blonde hair that brushed the gorgeous man's collar of his checkered shirt.
     "So I hear your name's Richard and you're the alpha's new mate and the guardian of Mandy's babies," the stranger stated, his voice deceptively nice, but Richard could hear the disgust underlying the pleasant words. He just wasn't sure if the disgust was aimed at him or Vet.  He stood up and pulled off the gloves, his basket full of carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, peas, green beans, lettuce, and amazingly beets all but forgotten.  Brushing off his hands on his pants, cringing at the sight of the dirt that had still managed to get underneath his manicure, he held out his hand to the unknown man.
     "That's right and you are?" he asked pleasantly, aware of the sounds of whining coming from the triplets as if they were upset by the stranger's presence.
     "Name's Bobby Ray.  I'm one of the farmhands here and I'm the alpha's right hand man," Bobby Ray said, puffing his chest out in pride.
     "I thought Vet's right hand man was Anton?" Richard asked in confusion, shocked when Bobby Ray's voice turned almost purple in rage.
     "That big, dumb moose?  He's a fairy just like you," Bobby Ray stated and Richard realized then that that show of earlier disgust had most definitely been aimed at him.
     "Well, your alpha's gay, so does that make him a fairy as well?" Richard asked with an exaggerated lilt to his voice, just to piss off the homophobic asshole.  He stood his ground when the larger man stepped dangerously close to him, a growl emanating from his chest.
     "Now you listen up you butt monkey.  My alpha ain't no fucking fairy like you.  I don't rightly know what you did when he went up to find you up there in New-Fucking- York-Queer City, but I'm gonna do all I can to change him back and either get you booted off this land along with that shit-packer Anton or I'm going to see you both dead.  We hang guys like you here in Texas," Bobby Ray threatened and Richard felt his face flush with anger and dread.  Before he could open his mouth he heard a low, menacing growl coming from behind Bobby Ray and saw the biggest, black wolf he'd ever seen standing feet away from the both of them.
     I want you to get your basket and the triplets and go in the house, don't come out until I tell you it's okay, he heard Vet's voice in his head.  Was that big, black wolf Vet?
     Vet? he questioned.
     Don't ask questions, baby, just do what I said.  No one threatens my mate and gets away with it.  I'm going to take care of this little asshole.
     "A-Alpha Tate.  I was just introducing m-myself to y-your mate-" Richard heard Bobby Ray stammering and as he picked up his basket of vegetables and pushed the triplets back towards the house, he almost felt sorry for the man.  Almost.  He heard Vet's growl grow louder and sped up, almost running as he pushed the triplets towards the safety of the house.  He wanted Bobby Ray scared, yes, because he'd practically scared the piss out of him with all of his "we hang guys like you" talk, but he didn't want Vet to kill him.  Then he'd be no better than the homophobe.  Everyone was entitled to their opinions, their beliefs and their right to live.  As he shut the sliding door he heard the sound of a second wolf and wondered what was happening, but not enough to turn around and look.  He pushed the triplets into the kitchen and after placing the basket on the counter he placed each baby in their high chair, gave them each a handful of the small chunks of peaches he'd cut up earlier and began to wash the vegetables, getting them ready for the stew he planned on making.  He would put what was happening outside out of his mind.  He had to.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     Vet couldn't remember ever being as mad as he was at that moment.  He circled around the blonde wolf.  Bobby Ray had shifted when his attention had been strayed a bit to make sure that Richard and the triplets had gotten inside okay, but that was fine.  Vet was easily twice as big as him, the smaller wolf was no match for him, besides he had a huge motive to stay unharmed and to win...his mate.  His heart had nearly stopped when Richard's fear had reached him through their mental link.  He'd only seen Richard talking with Bobby Ray but he knew that whatever the other man was saying, it was causing his mate undue stress.  Without a thought he'd stripped and shifted, making his way up behind Bobby Ray quickly and quietly.  He'd gotten there just in time to hear Bobby Ray tell Richard that they "hung" guys "like him" and all he'd known was rage.  He'd wanted to tear the little bigot limb from limb, but he didn't want Richard or the babies to see.  But now they were in the house and he could take care of the little shit alone.
     He growled low in his throat taking a menacing step towards the other wolf, giving him plenty of time to back down and show submission.  When the other wolf did no such thing, he gave up being cordial and pounced.  The two wolves growled, baring teeth, grappling, trying to find a point of weakness on the other.  He howled when he felt the other wolf's teeth bite his shoulder and no longer trying to merely maim his opponent, he was now going for the kill.  He turned and latched onto a paw with his massive teeth, biting down hard until he heard the bone snap, the other wolf howling in pain.  Before he could go for the throat however, the sound of pounding footsteps reached his ears, he turned his head for a moment and when he swung his head back the other wolf had already taken off for the edge of the property.  He shifted back, not as quickly as before, his injury slowing him down but once he was human again he placed his clenching fists on his naked hips and yelled towards Bobby Ray as loud as possible, "You threatened the mate of the alpha and you ran during a challenge like the coward you are.  I want you off my land and out of my pack you asshole!!!"
     He scowled when he heard the sound of squealing tires and knew that they belonged to Bobby Ray.  The little shit didn't even have the balls to respond.  Turning back to the men who stood there, all of them tense with the urge to protect their alpha and the alpha's mate and children, he grinned.
     "Don't worry boys, I took care of him.  But, Bobby Ray's been banished.  He's not to step foot back on this property ya' hear?  I mean it.  If you see him, let me know.  I'm not done with that asshole yet," he admonished all of them, before turning to walk slowly towards the house, uncaring about his nudity.  He was going in the house to check on his mate and their babies, shower, and then have his still slightly damaged shoulder bandaged and cared for.  He rolled his shoulders and hissed at the pain.  It would probably take him a few more shifts before he was better, while in his human form almost any injury that he sustained could be healed with just one shift, if he was in his wolf form, it took two or three shifts to heal any injury.
     He opened the sliding door and stepped inside.  He heard the clatter of silverware and the sound of Richard's running feet.  He braced his feet and opened his arms for the smaller man who launched himself into his arms.
     "What happened?  Are you okay?  Did you kill him?  I hope you didn't kill him.  Was that him I heard driving away all fast?  Are you bleeding?  Oh my gosh, you're bleeding!  Can't shifters heal from that?  Go take a shower and clean that thing and come back and I'll put a bandage on it and wrap it for you.  I'm so glad you're okay!  I was so worried about you," Richard spoke rapidly and Vet blinked his eyes at the verbal assault.  He merely smiled in the face of his mate's concern and with a deep kiss on his lips, turned to walk upstairs to shower and change so he could come back and be taken cared of.
     Oh yeah, this being mated thing was turning out rather well.

Unthinkable: Part Six

Part Six:


      When Richard opened his eyes he was slightly disoriented for a few minutes.  Where the hell was he?  Suddenly the past twenty-four hours came rushing back to his mind with sudden clarity.  Vernon "Vet" Tate, his deceased best friend's older brother, had found him and after saving his life had informed him that he had partial custody of AL's triplets.  They had met a great couple in an elevator at the hotel, he'd met the triplets and instantly fallen in love, they'd been miserable on the plan ride back to Texas, arriving late in the afternoon, they'd put the triplets down to sleep and then...his eyes snapped open from where they had slowly drifted closed.  Vet had told him that he was a wolf shifter, had partially "shifted" in front of him, they'd had sex and he'd asked Vet to "mate" him, then the other man...the wolf had bitten him.  He did a mental check of his body, his ass was sore from the plowing he'd received from Vet's huge cock, his neck was tender from the bite, but there was something else...off.  He felt a pressure in his head...not like a headache, but like another presence...another person was in his head?  Okay, he had officially fallen off his rocker.  He'd gone crazy.  Maybe he had actually been hit by that car and he was now in a hospital room because in all of those gay paranormal romance books he'd read, none of the other men had ever freaked out like he was about to.
      Calm down baby.  I know it's going to take some getting used to, but I would never hurt you.  And you're not crazy, you just kinda been made aware that the world isn't what you were taught to believe it was.  That it's bigger and more complicated than you can imagine, now will you please stop freaking out?  Because iffen I bring these babies in that room and they smell your anxiety and fear, it's going to set them off, he heard Vet say in his head and he gasped.  Sitting up quickly in bed he looked around.  Vet wasn't in the room with him, no one was there, lifting up the sheet he saw that someone, Vet, most likely, had put him in a pair of his pajama pants.  He looked at the door and saw the doorknob turning.  Trying to calm his racing heartbeat, he inhaled and exhaled deeply.  He could do this, he was fine, everything was okay.  If Vet wanted to eat him, he would've done it last night.  He heard Vet snort just before the door opened.
      "You think I wanna eat you?" he heard the big Texan's voice as he pushed in Curt, RJ and Amy in their stroller, all three babies wide awake and smiling at the appearance of Richard.
      "Hey, no making fun of the human.  I'm still trying to wrap my head around this," he admonished the other man before leaning over to lift out Amy who had begun to fuss.  Tickling her lightly, he looked up shyly at Vet where the other man stood staring down at him.  So what now? he asked mentally, hoping the other man received the question, he was unsure he would since he'd done it consciously instead of the other times when it just seemed as if the older man knew what he was thinking.
      Whatever you want.  I've gotta meet with my Beta, that's my second in command and a few of my Gammas, but that's me.  You can take the triplets and go shopping or garden or read in the library or watch tv...whatever you want.
      Richard was about to protest the idea of being a kept man like he was some househusband, when he looked down into sweet smiling face of baby Amy.  He could have his own pursuits in between caring for the triplets.
      "I'm not a househusband," he protested stubbornly and heard Vet snort.
      "Of course you're not.  You're the mate of the alpha.  Trust me, you're going to be working hard in no time," the other man said before walking over to place a gentle kiss on the top of Richard's head.  Richard smiled and lifted his head for a kiss.  Okay, so he was going to spend the rest of his life with a man who could shift into a wolf.  That wasn't necessarily a bad thing right?  From what he could see, Vet was loyal, upstanding, strong, had a great sense of humor, was possessive, but not overly so, caring, compassionate, a great brother, a fantastic uncle, a wonderful father and an amazing lover...he could do a lot worse.  And as their kiss deepened he amended his earlier statement to add another great trait, impossibly amazing kisser.  Oh yeah, he could do a whole lot worse.

      Hours later found Richard and the triplets in one of the empty bedrooms, music playing, all of the furniture pushed to one side, the triplets all watching Richard from their baby swings as he danced gracefully around the room.  The music was a fluid, pulsing beat, emotionally stirring, and when Vet found them, he found himself wanting to lay on the floor and just watch as Richard moved around the room.  The man truly was amazing.  Vet sat down right inside of the doorway, not wanting to get in Richard's way, but not wanting to miss anything either.  As Richard's legs and arms extended and his body spun in graceful circles, before sliding and leaping beautifully, Vet felt a warmth spread throughout his chest.  His mate was amazing.  He hadn't seen any type of professional dancing, usually the only type of dancing he saw was in one of the honkey tonk bars in town or one of the gay bars in Dallas.  What Richard was doing, however, it was more than dancing, Vet felt like he was actually seeing the music, the story, he was watching passion, heartache, pain, redemption and forgiveness in motion.  He was breathless and in awe at the abandon with which his mate danced and he felt himself growing erect behind the zipper of his jeans.  As the music faded away, he saw Richard give one final turn and with a small leap land right in front of him, his hand outstretched towards his face.  The music ended, another song starting and still the two of them remained frozen, their eyes locked on each other, Richard's hand still stretched out towards Vet's face.  Without thought Vet took Richard's hand and pulled the smaller man into his lap before taking his lips with his own and kissing him deeply, trying to convey with his kiss how watching Richard dance had made him feel.
     Pulling back from the kiss Vet smiled down into his mate's flushed face.  "You dance beautifully," he breathed across the other man's face.
     "Thank you," Richard breathed back.  No other words were needed and so Vet kissed his mate again, this time plunging his tongue inside the smaller man's open mouth.  He heard Richard groan and growled in response.  Their passion, always simmering beneath the surface began to boil out of control.  Someone clearing their voice in the hallway was the only thing to snap them out of their passionate haze.  Richard pulled back with a gasp and turned to look at who had intruded on their intimate moment.  Vet didn't need to look, he'd know that scent anywhere, it was his Beta, Anton Forrester, affectionately called "Ton" by all who knew him.
     "Sorry to interrupt Alpha, but you wanted me to let you know when those three new horses you had bought arrived," the large man stated and with a sigh Vet turned to look at him.  Ton stood a few inches taller than his own 6'7" and was about twenty pounds heavier, making him the perfect beta for the Tate clan, a clan made up of mostly alternative lifestyle families and individuals, here in Wichita Falls, Texas.
      "I could always take care of it for you Alpha if you want?" he could hear as well as smell Ton's amusement at the fact that he'd caught his alpha and his mate in a semi-compromising position.
       "Well, if you could do it yourself then why did you come and bother Vet?" Richard asked, annoyed.  Vet grinned with pride when he saw Ton bare his neck instantly and lower his eyes in submission.
      "Forgive me Alpha Mate, it won't happen again," Ton was instantly contrite and even though Vet knew Richard didn't fully understand Ton's reaction to him, the smaller man seemed to take it all in stride.  Nodding his head he gestured with his hand for Ton to raise his head.
      "it's nothing.  Just don't do it again.  What's your name?" Richard asked and Vet sat back against the doorframe, his legs spread wide on either side of the doorway, he pulled Richard around to settle him back against his chest and wrapped his arms around his mate's torso and waist.
      "My name's Anton Forrester, Alpha Mate, but most folks 'round these parts just call me Ton because of my size," Ton responded.  Vet heard Richard scoff at the nickname and smiled.  You could take the boy out of New York, but you couldn't take New York out of the boy and it was obviously going to take his mate some time to get used to the way those in the South liked to give everyone a nickname.  He'd have one before long and he probably wouldn't like it.
      "Well, Anton, are you mated?  Do you have a mate yet?" Richard asked, his head tilting slightly in a move of curiosity, unaware that he was showing submission to Ton.  Vet slowly and gently, straightened the other man's head, thankful that he could trust Ton to not attempt to challenge Richard for his show of submission.  He knew he'd have to explain things to Richard later.  Preferably when they were alone.
      "No, not yet, Alpha Mate," Ton responded and Vet felt more than heard Richard chuckle.
      "Please, call me Richard, I'm begging you.  Alpha Mate is a mouthful," he pointed out smiling when Ton nodded.  "Now then, we have got to find you a mate, and soon, so you'll know how it feels whenever you're near them.  How do you feel about cross-dressers?"

*I had to pay my respects to an industry that I'm no longer able to be involved in: Dance.  I used to dance contemporary and I can't anymore, but when you watch truly gifted dancers, they make you feel the same way that Richard made Vet feel.  Next installment goes up tomorrow!!*

Unthinkable: Part Five-NSFW

Part Five:


     Richard cringed as Amy began crying in Vet's arms again and sighed as he looked over at the man directly across the hall from him.  "Do you need me to take her again?" he asked, his tone sympathetic and slightly pleading.  He'd become one of those people.  The kind that brought their sobbing, bawling, miserable babies on board an airplane and made everyone else suffer because of it.  Giving the passengers all behind him a sheepish and apologetic look, he checked to be sure that Curt and RJ were still asleep...they were...before standing up and walking across the aisle to take a squirming, crying Amy from her uncle's arms.
     "We should have drove," Vet mumbled for the eight time.
     "You don't think I wish we were a little farther into this trip?  That maybe the trip was already over, or better yet, wasn't even a necessity?  I do, with all my work with the babies and dealing with you so far, I totally understand.  But if we had driven, we would have been on the road for a week," Richard pointed out before he sat back down.
      "Not true.  We coulda been there in three days," Vet pointed out.
      "Staying in hotels?  Really?" Richard questioned him.  He rocked Amy gently in his arms smiling when the infant began to calm down.
      "What's wrong with staying in hotels?" Vet asked petulantly.  Richard grinned at the pouty look on the big man's face, so out of character with his stature that he almost laughed.
      "Staying in hotels is fun when kids are older or when it's just the parents, but having infants in a hotel?  Especially when you're travelling?  It doesn't sound like fun to me," Richard stated with a shrug, before noticing that Amy had finally fallen asleep.
      "You're really good with 'em," Vet smiled.  Richard merely blushed before standing carefully to put the baby back in her carrier.  Taking out a pair of earplugs he gently placed them in her ears, before placing a pacifier in her mouth which she began to suck on in her sleep instantly.  Turning to repeat the process with Curt and RJ he found his hand grabbed by Vet and he stopped.  Turning to look at the other man, his eyes widened at the desire burning in his green eyes.  Letting his eyes drift down he saw the very large erection straining against the front of Vet's Wranglers and felt his own erection surging in his designer jeans.
      "You..uh...you wanted something?" he asked in a choked voice.  Vet opened his mouth to respond when the "Fasten Seatbelt" sign flashed and the pilot began speaking.  Richard heard Vet growl softly in frustration and felt his mouth pull up in a small smile.  When Vet released his hand, he leaned forward and quickly kissed him before returning to his seat between Curt and RJ, who were blessedly, still asleep.  Quickly putting in their earplugs and pacifiers, he fastened his seatbelt and sat back with a sigh.  What was it about Vet?  He always had the urge to curl up in his lap and rub himself all over the other man, or to rip off his clothes, spread his legs and beg the bigger man to fuck him six ways from Sunday or...most embarrassingly, he wanted to tilt his head to the side and beg the other man to bite him.  He'd never been into BDSM or S/M or whatever it was that Rihanna was singing about, so he had no idea where the urge to be bitten came from.  Giving himself another mental shake, to prepare himself for landing, he glanced over at the man in question only to find Vet's eyes fastened on him.  He smiled weakly at him, feeling as if he were being undressed with Vet's eyes and wishing he knew what the other man was thinking.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

      Vet groaned as he smelled Richard's arousal hanging heavily in the close confines of his Ford Expedition.  They had been able to grab the triplets, a luggage rack and get to where he'd parked his "Expo" with minimum fuss.  As soon as they'd settled in the car, however, he'd smelled Richard's arousal and felt himself fighting his wolf for dominance.  He felt his canines trying to extend, his body struggling to grow bigger and his hair beginning to grow longer and thicker in some places and he inhaled to calm his racing heart.  Which was a bad idea, of course, because with that inhale the smell of Richard's cloying arousal pulsed through his body.  This time he couldn't hold back the growl in his throat.  He saw Richard's gaze fly towards his and he responded.
      "You're killin' me here babe, with all your wantin' me and bein' all turned on and shit," he explained, reaching down to try to give himself some room in his jeans, although there was none to be had.  All shifters were well endowed but he was still bigger than most and for that reason, he often had to buy larger sized jeans and wear a belt, just so he wouldn't feel choked all day, but to be trying to drive, in his Wranglers, hard and getting harder?  Well it was damn near becoming a fucking magic trick.
      "How did you know I was-" Richard questioned, not finishing the question.  Vet sighed, he could give some flip answer but his momma had always taught him that you don't lie to your mate, even if it would be in their best interest.  Turning onto the long dirt driveway that lead to his family ranch and working farm, filled with acres of wild forest, left there for the members of the pack to be able to run and hunt, Vet didn't answer as he pulled up in front of the home his parents had left for Mandy after he'd insisted that he'd stay in the bachelor house he'd built for himself that sat a ways behind the main house, the alpha house.  He tried to see the home through Richard's eyes and could see why the New Yorker sat with his mouth open.  All of the properties in New York were tiny but cost a lot of money, real estate in Texas was more of the "bigger is better" variety and so while everything in Texas was actually bigger than just about anything in New York, the cost was actually cheaper.  His home rose three stories from the ground, boasted of six bedrooms, in addition to the master suite, a nursery, a library, an office, family room, gourmet kitchen, formal dining room, breakfast nook, outdoor pool, greenhouse out back, with a vegetable garden that his mother had started and Mandy had continued.  They had a very large working ranch, where he raised and bred horses, getting them reading for rodeos and competitions.  They also had cattle, sheep, and goats on their farm, which none of the pack ever hunted, knowing that the animals helped to bring in money for them.
      "Oh.  My.  God.  I'm going to be living here?" Richard breathed and Vet smiled, not answering before turning off the vehicle and climbing from the car.  He walked towards the back, opened the door and after unbuckling them, lifted up the carriers that held Curt and RJ, deciding to stick with the boys, as he carried them towards the house.  He heard Richard following him and smiled and the sounds of awe and wonder the smaller man made as he walked up towards the large, white clapboard home.
      "This used to be a plantation.  You know a long time ago.  When the Civil War broke out though, the slaves were freed by this mysterious group of people who drove off the slave owners and gave the slaves their freedom.  A lot of them stayed, some of them moved north, some of them stayed in town, but this land has been a part of my family ever since," Vet gave Richard the history as he finally opened the door and led the smaller man inside.  He heard the other man gasp again as he saw the large entryway.  There was a large wolf image imprint on the floor, put there when his father was still alive.  As they walked through the house, heading towards the nursery, he pointed out each room to his mate.  Each room had a different theme and was painted in a different color.  As a kid he'd found it all fascinating, as an adult he found it just a little scary.
      "Your parents couldn't decide on one color?" he heard Richard ask and he laughed.
      "My grandparents did this.  My parents just kept it the way it was, so did Mandy.  You could change it if you want."  He heard Richard grunt and wondered at the sound.  Walking up the stairs and turning right at the top he pointed out the other bedrooms, letting Richard know that while no one lived there currently they were sometimes used by his "close friends and employees when they'd been working late," unsure of how to explain "Beta" and "Gamma Guards" to the smaller man.  Walking up the second flight of stairs he led his mate to the nursery and walked inside the bright yellow room.
      "Gah!" he heard Richard yelp and chuckled.  His grandmother had really liked bright colors and the yellow was so bright it was almost neon.
      "I had nightmares of this room as a kid," he laughed, picking up Curt and placing the sleeping baby in his crib, before taking out his earplugs and covering him with a light sheet.
      "I bet you did.  I think I will too," he heard Richard say as he picked up RJ to repeat the process with him.  All three sleeping babies settled, he grabbed his mate's hand and, after turning on the baby monitors and security cameras, he walked down the hall towards the master suite.
      "You've got some really high-tech security going on in the nursery there.  Are there a lot of people out to kill wealthy cowboys out here in these parts?" Richard teased.  Vet merely pulled the smaller man into the bedroom before shutting the door and pushing the other man up against it, his hands on either side of the younger man's head as he bent low to speak into his upturned face.
      "Only when you're as important as me.  We had someone attempt something right after the triplets were born.  We've had to take extra precaution now," he said before capturing his mate's mouth with his own.  Richard's taste burst across his tongue and he growled low in his throat again.  His wolf wanted its mate...NOW and if he didn't do something and fast, he was going to do something he'd regret later.  Like mate Richard without his permission.  He felt the smaller man's hips thrust against his own and felt his erection rubbing against his aching one and he knew that the time was now or never.  With a teasing nip to the other man's full bottom lip he pulled away slightly, grinning at Richard's whimper of protest and resisting his clutching hands.
      "I want you Richard," he started.
      "And you can have me, right now, so let's go," he heard the other man's breathless voice.
      Vet merely grinned and shook his head, placing a finger on Richard's lips before taking a small step back. "You need to know something first before you decide if you still want me or not," he explained before he began to strip off his clothes.
      "Not that I'm not enjoying this, but what do you have to tell me that involves you taking off your clothes?  I know you're not a woman, I felt your dick grow hard against me, so that's not it, and I can tell it's not small so what is it?" Richard asked curiously.  Vet merely continued undressing, sitting on the edge of the bed to pull off his boots, socks, jeans and then his boxers, he stood before Richard completely nude and completely aroused.
      "Good god almighty," he heard Richard breathe and he smiled in spite of the seriousness of what he had to say.  He watched as Richard stepped forward slowly as if in a trance before sinking to his knees before him.
      "You can tell me later," he said before sticking out his tongue to lick up the liquid that had collected at the end of his engorged shaft.  Vet growled again, his body shaking, before he felt his canines lengthen, his hair growing thicker and longer and his cock growing in size.  He looked down at his mate, on his knees in a position of submission and knew that he wouldn't be able to stop the change from taking over him this time, he needed to claim his mate...and he needed to do it now.
      "Oh my god!  Is your dick getting bigger?" he heard Richard exclaim in shock and...happiness?  He never would have though his mate was a size queen, but apparently he was.
      "Listen Richard," he spoke, his words slightly slurred because of his elongated teeth, "I'm not like other men."
      "Obviously," Richard agreed, his eyes still fastened on Vet's still growing erection.  "Oh, we are going to need a lot of lube and a lot of stretching, if you plan on fitting that thing inside of me," the smaller man teased.
      Vet groaned at the image and reaching down to grab Richard by the shoulders he lifted him up so he could look into the man's face.  He knew what he looked like, his canines had extended, his hair had grown to just past his shoulders, his chest was broader, more heavily muscled and soft hair covered it lightly, his normally ten inch cock was now around eleven and a half inches and had grown thicker as well, his hands had grown and he had to watch his nails that had lengthened and strengthened into claws.
      "Vet?  What the fuck!?  You look like a wolf man!" Richard breathed and Vet sniffed the air, scenting his slight fear, his curiosity and amazingly, his arousal was still there.
      "That's what I been trying to tell you.  I'm a wolf shifter.  Hollywood calls us "werewolves" but we're shapeshifters, we ain't bound by the moon, we can shift at will into our wolf forms or into our half wolf, half man forms like you see.  But we only shift into this third form when we're fighting a challenge or when we're about to claim our mates," he explained.  He saw Richard's eyes widen.
      "M-mates?  What's that?" he grinned wolfishly at Richard's question, before lowering his head and inhaling the scent of his mate.  His wolf howled in pleasure within him and he rubbed his face in the crook of the man's neck before lifting his head to answer.
      "Wolves mate for life.  Wolf shifters are the same.  Fate has one person, sometimes two, that is created just for us.  We know them by their scent.  When we find that person or persons, we feel the urge to claim them, to make love to them and to bite them, here," he said pointing to the very spot he'd nuzzled earlier as he sat back down on the bed and pulled Richard down to sit on his lap.  "When we bite them, we mark them so that everyone knows that they belong to us, that they are claimed that they are mated.  So when I mark you, everyone will know that you belong to me.  The Alpha of the Tate Pack."
      Richard moaned and tilted his head back and Vet wondered if it was a conscious movement or not.  Deciding not to overanalyze it, he licked the spot where Richard's neck joined his shoulder and then lightly grazed is canines over the spot.  He felt Richard shudder and no longer willing to wait, he used one nail to tear  into Richard's clothes before yanking them from the younger man's body.  He swung the smaller man up onto the bed and pulled off the high end boots the other man wore, before pulling off his socks leaving him blissfully naked and throbbing.
      "I'm your mate?" he heard Richard's breathless voice.
      "Yeah, and now I'm gonna claim you, mark you, and fuck you until you pass out," Vet promised before leaning over to take his mate's leaking cock into his mouth, he had to taste him.  The taste of his mate flooded his tongue and surrounded his senses.  He heard Richard moan loudly and felt his hips surge forward as he tried to shove his dick into Vet's throat.  He chuckled and held down the smaller man's hips.  Swirling his tongue around the head of the other man's throbbing erection, he dragged his tongue down one side before licking up the other side, pushing lightly on the vein he felt throbbing there.  He stuck his tongue into the slit at the tip of the smaller man's erection, savoring his flavor on his tongue before he kissed his way up his body to his puckered pink nipples.  He moaned in appreciation at the sight before taking one into his mouth.  He licked and sucked on the hardened tip, the fingers of his left hand, plucking and squeezing the right nipple so that it didn't feel abandoned.  Biting gently on the nipple in his mouth he heard Richard pant his name and plead with him to just "do it already."  He shook his head before kissing and licking his way across his mate's toned chest to the other nipple, raising his right hand to the other wet tip as he repeated the process.  He tortured the hardened tips until he felt his mate's body trembling beneath him.  Raising his head he moved up before he lowered his lips down onto the other man's opened mouth.  Their tongues tangled together, their breathing harsh with want and desire.  He felt Richard's arms wrap around his neck and his legs wrap around his hips and groaned as the tip of his own throbbing erection rubbed against the clenching puckered entrance of his mate.
      "Vet, please.  I want you inside of me, now," he heard Richard's voice, laced with desire reach down and grip his cock in its embrace.
      "I wanted to take my time and make it good for you," he panted, groaning when Richard lifted his hips.
      "Take your time next time, but this time I want you to fuck me and I want you to do it now!" Richard grinned, it seemed as if his mate was going to be a bossy bottom, rather than the submissive man he'd thought him to be.  It turned him on even more.  No longer able to constrain himself, he reached over to jerk open the top drawer of the nightstand and yanked out the bottle of lube he'd put there when he'd had to move in after Mandy's death.  Shoving out thoughts of his dead sister and her mate, he sat back on his knees and opened the cap on the bottle of lubricant.  Pouring some on his fingers, he almost dropped the bottle when he saw Richard grab hold of his own erection and begin to stroke.  He watched for a moment, his tongue coming out to lick his lips as he remembered the taste of the younger man, before he slapped away the other man's hand.
      "Mine," he growled before taking one lubed finger and circling around the smaller man's puckered entrance.  Both men groaned simultaneously and Vet grabbed one firm cheek and squeezed it gently before slowly pushing in one finger.  The velvet heat of his mate, clenching his finger, the tightness that surrounded his digit, made him whimper and almost lose his firm hold on his wolf.  He had to hurry up and prepare and stretch his mate or he was going to embarrass himself and come all over the sheets before he even got a chance to be inside of him.  Slowly thrusting his finger inside Richard's hole, he waited until he felt his entrance relax some before he pulled his finger almost all the way out and then pressed two inside.
      "Hurry up Vet, please," he heard Richard plead, the younger man's hands clenching the sheets of the bed tightly in his grasp.
      "Not yet baby, I'm way bigger than this," he admonished him before slowly pressing in a third finger.  He thrust his fingers inside, turning them gently and finding the mass of nerves that was the other man's prostate. He pressed on the button and felt Richard's hips thrust up, a small yelp leaving his throat.  "Oh yeah, baby, just like that, let me hear you," his voice rumbled from his chest and focusing on that spot he thrust his fingers in faster and deeper, pressing in a fourth finger when he felt the muscles surrounding his mate's entrance loosen.  No longer able to hold himself back, he pulled out his fingers and coating his aching erection liberally in lube, he pressed the tip of his cock to his mate's entrance and paused.
      "Do it Vet, now!" Richard demanded and Vet had to stop himself from thrusting in at that point.
      "You understand that when I do this, I'm going to bite you at some point, mark you as mine forever.  You're going to belong to me, and I'm going to belong to you.  Mated forever.  I won't ever let you go after this Richard," he stated firmly.  He watched Richard's eyes open and let those crystal blue eyes lock with his clear green ones.  After a few seconds he saw Richard nod and he smiled.
      "I understand Vet, now will you please shut the fuck up and mate me already?" Richard's words ended on a gasp, when Vet pressed in slowly, stopping with just the head of his cock inside, allowing the smaller man to adjust and relax before pressing all the way inside.  Both men groaned and Richard locked his legs around Vet's waist and nodded his head, telling the other man he could move.  So move is exactly what Vet did.  Pulling out until only the tip of his cock remained inside, he pressed back in, fully and deeply.  He pulled back and then thrust back in slowly before building up speed until he was pounding his cock into the smaller man's entrance, the only sounds in the room moans, pants and flesh slapping against flesh, the most beautiful sound that Vet had ever heard.  He felt Richard's muscles clench his cock and knew that his mate was about to come, moving his hands from where they rested on the bed, he slid them under the smaller man's back and lifted him up until his mate's neck was bared to him.
      Feeling his own orgasm rushing over him he growled loudly, fiercely and possessively "MINE" and buried his teeth in his mate's neck.  He heard Richard scream out with the force of his orgasm, his seed spurting up between them before he felt as if the top of his own erection flew off as he spilled his own come deep within the channels of his mate's ass, covering them in his fluids, marking him inside as his teeth marked him outside.  He felt their souls joining together, their mating link snapping into place and their hearts beating as one and felt peace flood his spirit even as he felt both the force of his own orgasm as well as Richard's rush over him.
      Still shaking from the intensity of their shared orgasm, Vet laid Richard back down on the bed, withdrawing his canines before licking the wounds closed and whining happily at the sight of his mark on his mate's neck.  He stayed buried within the smaller man until he felt his body return to normal, his hairy slowly fading away, leaving only the hair on his chest, his canines receding and his cock softening and returning to its normal size before he was able to slowly pull out.  Both men hissed at the motion and Vet stood up from the bed on shaky legs and walked into the large en suite bathroom to wet a washcloth and grab a towel to clean them both off.  Having wiped them both clean and then drying them with the towel, he tossed both items toward the bathroom before climbing into bed behind his new mate.  He pulled the smaller man into his arms, breathing in his new scent, which was a blend of the both of them and smiled in delight.  Things had gone much better than he could have hoped for.  He had his mate, they were going to raise his sister's children together, his pack and his ranch were flourishing.  Everything was perfect.  Nothing could go wrong.
      "You know you're cleaning up that mess when we wake up," he heard Richard mumble and he chuckled softly.  It seemed as if his little mate was a neat freak.  Well, he was a slob, so he could see a lot of fun arguments ahead.
      "Yes dear," he would promise his mate anything as long as he stayed in his arms.  He sighed again, his body slowly following his mate into sleep, yep, perfect.


*Next installment's going up tomorrow!*