Unwilling Ch. 13

The exit on the other side of the kitchen suddenly looked very tempting. "He did. His father's with him right now," Jared said and slumped against the fridge. He felt positively pouty, now that Darwin was alright.

Margo smirked. "Ah."

Jared clenched his teeth, trying his best to keep his voice calm. "What? I didn't do anything to George, except exist. He hated me from the moment he met me, how is that my fault?"

"I didn't say anything," Margo retorted, turned around and smacked the coffeemaker. It clicked, hissed and started up. "Ha, gotcha!" She grinned and shoved a cup beneath the spigot. The scent of fresh coffee flooded the kitchen as the machine gurgled and worked its magic.

Jared settled on watching the dark drops dribble into the cup. "Then do say something, because I'm on my last rope here."

Margo snorted, poking him out of the way as she got milk out of the fridge. "Nope. I'm not your Yoda and I'm too much of a redneck to play fairy godmother. Deal with your own shit."

Jared tensed. White-hot rage shot through him. The emotion came on so suddenly, he instinctively reined it in and gnashed his teeth, more out of surprise than out of respect for her. Still, he couldn't hold back the words. "Oh, so it was okay to deal with my shit before, but not anymore? You had no qualms taking over at the cabins and you've been ordering me around for the last three days, but suddenly it's my problem?"

At the Alpha's searing glance he clicked his mouth shut halfway through the rant. It had been simmering in his mind ever since he had woken up on a bed in the medical room, half dead and helpless. In the following silence, Margo added some milk to her coffee, put the carton away and took a sip. Then she sighed, leaned her butt against the kitchen counter and inspected Jared's face. "This is what you don't seem to get, Jared. It's always been your problem, I just tried to keep Darwin safe like I'm supposed to. I ordered you around because you're in my home and I won't let you put doubts into the minds of my people about who's in charge around here. That doesn't mean I'm willing to play nanny for you any more than I have to. I'm willing to take care of Darwin since he's a submissive, but you are stretching your welcome thin."

Take care of Darwin? Give Darwin up, leave him here? The thought alone drove a shudder through Jared's body and sent his heart racing. Jared balled his fists, snarling at Margo as he paced up and down the kitchen. The need to hurt her was almost overwhelming, breathtaking, painful. "You'd better watch what you're saying, Margo. I will not leave him with you!"

Margo lifted a brow. "You must have had the shittiest of all upbringings if you actually believe I'd take your mate from you just because I could."

Jared stopped pacing. He took a deep, forceful breath and examined Margo, trying to still his twitching arms. He wanted to believe her, he really did, but all his experiences contradicted her words and her expression. After all, his brother would have done exactly that. Hell, even his uncle would have, just to prove his superiority. To prove who was in control.

His lips twitched into something resembling a faint smile. "Not shitty, just... crowded. Very crowded. Both my brother and uncle are Alphas too." Okay, so it wasn't a real apology for bitching at her like that, but it was close enough.

Eyes widening, Margo guffawed. "Holy smokes, that must have been fun. No wonder you're so skittish." She paused, then frowned. "Actually, that explains a lot of things."

"Like what?"

"Like why you have no idea what a real Alpha can do, for example. Every normal wolf experiences the powers of a true Alpha all through his life. Even, well, normal Alphas are taught by their pack's leader, we don't live forever after all. But with you it's different. Your Alpha brother is older than you I assume?" Jared nodded and Margo continued. "Now I get why you don't seem to know anything at all. If I had a rival in my own house, sitting at my table, eating my food and constantly threatening my own reign, I probably wouldn't teach him how to become even more powerful either. I'd try to get rid of you as quickly as possible."

Which was exactly what had happened to Jared. Awkward. How was he supposed to react to something like that? Sure, he had kind of sensed that something wasn't right with him, noticed Hector's pondering glances or the way Margo strict-mothered him, but to believe and to know were two different things. And to think that all this time, Tobias had concealed knowledge from him, that his own brother had known that Jared had found a new pack and wouldn't come back and still he hadn't confessed to leaving him high and dry?

The familiar rage came and went and left nothing but a faint, bitter taste on Jared's tongue. Just one more indignity in a sea of indignities. He shuffled, stepped back and crossed his arms. "Fine, now that we've established that I'm a whelp, could you pretty please help me out and tell me what I'm supposed to do about Darwin's family?"

Margo sipped her coffee, licked foam from her lips and grinned. "Nope. Still not Yoda. Deal with your family on your own."

Huffing, Jared left the kitchen.

#

Jared surprisingly found Darwin in the living room instead of the cellar. The scene couldn't have been any more peculiar or unsettling; amidst the stench of despair and tears, Darwin lay on the couch, all puffy-eyed, propped up by both Harry and Darla. Even Graham was there, leaning against the dinner table. He turned his attention away from Darla as Jared stepped in, watching him with a slightly worried expression. Harry taking care of Darwin wasn't out of the ordinary, but seeing Darla lay her hands on Darwin in a friendly manner felt eerily like Freaky Friday.

"What the hell happened? I was gone no more than ten minutes!" he asked exasperatedly, moved in and picked Darwin off of Harry's lap. He cradled him in his arms and glowered at the room. "Where's George?" Holding his mate brought a wave of relief over him and he clutched Darwin closer. Darwin wrapped his arms around Jared's neck and huffed hot breath against the skin above his pulse. Even exhausted and torn like this, nothing, nobody else, smelled this good to Jared. Safe, like home.

"Well," Harry began, squirming on the couch.

Darla beat him to it. "His father decided to forbid him to be with you. He thinks you're not worthy of him."

"Darla-," Graham interjected, stepping forward to lay a hand on her shoulder in a way too intimate gesture. She shrugged him off. "What? It's the truth. And we all know how this will end, too." A pause, then, "Badly. It will end badly."

Not worthy. The words could have come directly from his brother. Not worthy of being called an Alpha. Not worthy of learning the ropes. Not worthy of becoming something more than a flighty jock. Too dangerous, a bad influence, good-for-nothing. The words breathed through Jared, tightened around his heart and then faded. The weight in his arms was real, as was the breath against his neck. Someone thought he was worthy of this. Someone had bet their life on him becoming something more. Darwin's scent wafted up and even the stench of heartbreak couldn't keep Jared's body from reacting, from pumping blood into his cock.

He smiled. "I see. Excuse us, I have to have a talk with my mate. And thank you for taking care of him."

He turned away from their surprised faces and started walking, swiftly carrying Darwin up the stairs and past a few of Margo's pack members. The door to his guest bedroom slammed shut behind him as he shouldered his way through. The loud bang reverberated through the building and Margo called out in protest somewhere in the house. Jared didn't care. He carefully draped Darwin on the bed and crawled in next to him, sidling against his back and drawing him into his arms.

Darwin wiggled until every last inch of his body was pressed against Jared, then sighed. He sounded congested and shivery, but his body relaxed in Jared's embrace. Silence built until the sounds of their beating hearts and their soft breaths was all that was left.

"My father hates you," Darwin finally mumbled, breaking the quiet.

Jared sighed and buried his face in Darwin's hair, sucking in lungfuls of that enticing, hypnotizing scent. "I know. But I can't bring myself to care right now."

"But you should, you know? He's my father, my family, and I want you two to get along." The pliant body in his arms wiggled a little, brushing a pert ass against Jared's already confused crotch. His cock followed the call and plumped up further, straining against his jeans. Jared gnashed his teeth and hid his grin in Darwin's tresses.

"That's what everyone keeps telling me, but I sure as shit don't get what I did wrong or why George despises me so much." Jared found the hem of Darwin's shirt and flipped it out of the way, sneaking his fingers under the warm cotton. Darwin's skin felt like hot satin, tightening beneath the small touches. The idea of forgetting everything and getting lost in the utter joy of touching him fought for purchase in Jared's mind. And why not? They didn't have to run anymore, their enemy was dead, and all that was left to do was plan how to best return home to Banes. If they wanted to.

Darwin sighed, stretching restlessly beneath the small circles Jared drew on his belly. "Darla says it's because you don't treat him like a dominant. I'm not sure I trust her, though. She may just be trying to stir up more conflict, get you to rough up a wheelchair-bound senior and all that."

Jared stopped his caresses, pulling up his brows in surprise. Beat up George, the renitent, snarky dominant who provoked him constantly? Now there was an idea. But beating up George, the quadriplegic father of his mate? Not so much. Jared made a face and buried his nose in Darwin's hair. His fingers took up their movement again. "Yeah, no, I don't think I could lay a finger on your dad. He's... fragile."

"That's the problem, if you believe Darla," Darwin said and snorted sarcastically. "She says, since nobody treats him like the dominant he is, legs or no legs, he acts up. And that you have to treat him like a man to make him see reason. Stupid, right?"

Actually, no. Jared blinked and pulled Darwin closer, shoving his hand deeper into his shirt and petting his sternum. Come to think of it, if Jared ever ended up in a wheelchair, he would be furious if someone treated him like a dainty flower. Sure, he couldn't ask George to take a hike up a mountain and beating him up was still a very bad idea, but was it right to decide that for him? Shouldn't he treat George like any other dominant and give him the choice to back down? Now there was an idea.

"I think I know how to fix this and not break your heart. But right now, you are more important to me than your father and we didn't have a chance to reunite properly before," he whispered, tracing his fingers down Darwin's front. The soft hisses and the way Darwin squirmed and wiggled made him hot with anticipation. Slowly, ever so slowly, he worked his way down to Darwin's crotch, humming when he found hardness there to rival his own. The feel of Darwin's hot bulge beneath his hand sped up Jared's own pulse and he grabbed the waistband of Darwin's pants hard, gasping as he rubbed himself against his ass. He strained to find his voice and when he did, he couldn't do more than rasp. "Talk later, sex now?"

Darwin's hand joined his and he pried open the button of his pants, opening an easier path down to his cock. Jared groaned, tearing one-handed at Darwin's pants as he forced the zipper down, then switched to the small of his back to pull at the denim and bare that wiggling ass. The soft skin beneath his fingers, the hot friction of naked skin against the bulge in his pants, was sweet, utter, torture.

Jared tugged at his own pants, ripping them open and pushing them down until his cock sprang free and slapped against that warm ass pushing back against him. The warmth and the soft hairs tickling against his sensitive length tore a deep groan out of him and tightened his fingers around Darwin's length, which in turn added another rumbling moan to the echo in the small room. Skin against skin, Jared felt the soft, nervous twitch of that tight, wrinkled muscle against the underside of his cock. The thought of how soon he would be buried inside that tight orifice drew drops of pre-come out of his tip and the sensation of his corona rubbing against the wetness he left on Darwin's ass drew up his balls.

"There's lube in the nightstand. You better get it before I go all over your ass," Jared hissed, kneading Darwin's thigh as he fought for control. Mine, his wolf whispered, gleefully spurring him on to claim the body of his mate. His instinct didn't understand the finer points of gay sex.

Darwin wiggled and huffed as he half-rolled, stretched and fumbled the drawer open. The soft 'snick' of the lube tube cut through the heavy atmosphere, then he dangled the opened bottle over his shoulder, offering it to Jared nonchalantly, if slightly breathless with anticipation.

Too much. "I don't think I can stop myself from biting you this time," Jared warned breathlessly, grabbing the lube and squirting it haphazardly somewhere in between his crotch and Darwin's ass, soiling the bed as much as hitting his target.

The shudder running through Darwin's body shook the mattress. He raised one leg and tilted his ass, all but offering himself to the hard rod rubbing against his slick ass as he made breathless little sounds. "Then don't," he mumbled and sounded almost annoyed with the necessity of talking at all. "Bite me!"

Jared's eyes rolled into the back of his head. He grabbed Darwin's hip hard enough to bruise and slammed in, tearing a pained, ecstatic scream out of him. Little jolts of pure elation twinged through his back as he pulled Darwin's twitching body closer, angled his face forward and closed his teeth around the warm, soft skin at his neck, groaning harshly. The vise grip around his cock was utter torture, muscles twitching, contracting, pulling him deeper in sync with the stream of sharp little groans and moans, gasps and whimpers coming from Darwin. This had to hurt, at least a little, but Darwin still let him do it, still submitted, writhed in his embrace, thrust his ass back to bury him deeper.

Bliss.

The taste of blood, just a little, no more than a hint, spurred him on and he started to move, slowly at first, luxuriating in the roll of hips, the hot tightness, the scent of sweat and pre-come drifting up from the wrecked body in his arms. But soon it wasn't enough anymore. Jared bit deeper, groaning sharply against the bruised skin between his jaws, and sped up, each thrust a harsh slap that stung against his thighs as much as it bit against Darwin's tense ass.

Darwin shifted his leg, straining back to change the path Jared's cock took into his tight channel, and shouted when he plunged deeper, rubbed against that spot inside of him that made his own length dribble and throb. His channel tightened around Jared, squeezing him until he saw stars and sputtered to arrhythmic jerks, and suddenly there was no ways left to go and he came.

The intensity robbed him of sight, voice, control. Belatedly, he felt Darwin come, shudder, and squirm between his cock still pulsing inside his ass and the teeth Jared still dug into his neck. It cut his invisible threads and he sagged back onto the bad, gasping for air and drenched in the sweetest of sweats.

Darwin murmured breathless endearments, drunk on endorphins and exhausted, and Jared pulled him closer and wrapped his body around his sweat-slick mate. Give this up? Never. He'd rather die.

#

Leftover anger more than choice led Jared back the way he had come, out of the bedroom and down the stairs to the living room. He almost stumbled over his feet when George and Mary suddenly appeared in the hallway leading outside. They stared at him with a mixture of surprise and the same brooding anger that had ruled their interactions since the day Carl had died. Jared bristled before he could get a hold of himself, rolling his shoulders against the tension creeping up his back. He so wasn't ready for another exchange of snide remarks, but this would have to happen sooner rather than later. Still, his lips went numb at the thought of what he was about to do.

"George, a word," he asked as curtly as possible.

George just huffed. His face twitched as he tried to decide on an answer, his gaze flitting from Jared to the living room door behind him.

This was it. After all the worrying and the talks, after turning the situation over and over in his head, he had finally decided to do something and this was the answer he got? No. It was the straw that broke the camel's back. A snarl hijacked his face and he stepped closer before his mind could catch up to his mood and stop him. The growl trickling out of his throat was deep and warning, a sound fit for bloodshed and death and definitely enough to catch George's attention. The old man's eyes snapped back to Jared's face.

"This is not a request. I offer you privacy, but if you don't take it, and I mean now, we can do this in front of everyone. Your choice." He should have felt silly talking like this to a man more than twice his age, but that feeling didn't come. Instead, a tight knot in his stomach loosened and a wave of force, for lack of a better word, rushed through his chest and right into his head. The room suddenly was smaller, the air fresher, colors brighter, like he had shrugged off a layer of too-tight skin.

George felt it too. Even wheelchair-bound as he was, he sat up straighter, winced a little and gulped, his eyes widening as he lowered his gaze. "Lead the way," he said and nodded once. At what, Jared had no idea.

"Good choice." Jared turned on his heels and stalked off, setting a healthy pace down the hallway and towards the terrace. Not the most curteous move, but Jared needed the few moments of advance to think, to decide what to do next. He went outside and left the terrace door open and leaned onto the banister, staring blankly at the mountainous woods. What would Tobias do in his place? What would his uncle have done? They wouldn't have let things go on for this long, that much Jared knew, but how would they have solved it?

Jared snorted. His uncle would have killed George. His brother would have thrown him out. None of those options were acceptable, which meant he had nothing to go on but his own intuition and no way out but through. "Being the Alpha really sucks," he mumbled and tugged at his hair.

"I wouldn't know."

Rubber wheels clacked softly as George maneuvered his chair through the door and onto the wooden planks, nimbly coming to a halt next to Jared. He looked much more composed than before, calmer than Jared had ever seen him. Not that he knew much of George besides Darwin's stories.

"Sorry, I didn't mean for you to hear that," he admitted and grinned lopsidedly. "But it's true, you know? It sucks. Especially for me. I have no idea how to be an Alpha, but I guess you already noticed that."

George snorted and frowned at the mountain peaks along the vista. "Hard not to notice. Which is why I don't want you anywhere near my son. He doesn't need another dysfunctional Alpha in his life."

"But he wants me there and frankly, nobody asked you. Yet."

"Yet?"

"Did you know your son was a submissive?"

Admittedly, Jared had hoped for a little more than the silence George bestowed on him, but the quiet spoke its own words. He'd had no idea, just like the rest of his pack. Even Darwin's father had been blind to the truth sitting right in front of him. Jared shook his head and huffed. "And you call me dysfunctional."