Halloween Werewolf (The Holiday Shifter Mates Book 1) Read online

  Mateo growled.

  “That wasn’t a dis.”

  Mateo huffed. “I just want you all safe. I want to protect you from everything, but I can’t.”

  Lance chuckled. “No one can. You’re good enough. You do enough. You’re enough, Mateo.” He hung up after that. And his words rang in Mateo’s ears.

  Mateo’s chest ached. He wanted to go back home. He didn’t know where home was anymore, though. Anywhere Austin was felt like home, but he missed Eurio too. He had family there.

  Mate, mate, mate, mate.

  Austin was waiting for him. He needed to go to Austin. He’d clean up at the lake a little bit first, but then he’d go to Austin, to the guy who said he was waiting for his heart, for Mateo. Mateo liked the sound of that. It made him want to howl at the moon, announce to the world that Austin wanted him, loved him. He had made Austin wait long enough. If Austin really wanted him like he said, he could have him, all of him, tonight.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  AUSTIN SAT ON THE couch, waiting. He stared at the front door because he couldn’t concentrate on anything else. He couldn’t even concentrate on TV. He wished he could. It would have been a relief from the whirlwind of thoughts in his head.

  He wasn’t angry with Mateo. He was simply worried. He felt sick to his stomach because he couldn’t do anything to help, and Mateo was running out there all by himself. Austin kept thinking about the monster hunters. He kept seeing wolf pelts when he blinked his eyes. He tried to push the thoughts away, to replace negativity with positivity like Matt had always talked about, but it became apparent these thoughts were staying right where they were until Mateo came back and Austin could verify he was safe.

  He will come back. Won’t he? Austin wondered. But he did shut down that thought. He believed in Mateo. Mateo said he loved him, too. Mateo said he wanted to bite him, things about mates.

  Sighing, Austin lifted his chin and rested the back of his head against the back of the couch. If Gran were still alive, she would have told him to stop that right now, to do something that mattered instead of wasting away. Austin smiled at that. She still felt alive to him because her words would often run through his head in random situations. He loved that grumpy old woman. He had never felt loneliness the way he had when she died. It hurt when Mateo left. It really hurt, but when Welma Cheshire died, he had been left completely by himself.

  Austin hadn’t locked his front door because he wanted to make sure Mateo could get in if Austin wasn’t there to open it—not that that would have been a problem since there was no way Austin would have fallen asleep or left. When he heard the doorknob jiggle, he was on his feet and to the door in a heartbeat. He wasn’t disappointed, because there stood Mateo. He barely made it inside the house before Austin flung his arms around him. Mateo’s back hit the door, shutting it, and he leaned against it as his arms went around Austin’s waist. Austin pressed his face into Mateo’s shoulder, reveling in his warmth, in the feel of him. He was real, and he was here. He came back.

  “Are you okay?” Austin asked.

  “Yeah,” he said. “Hands and feet a little sore, but okay.”

  Austin stole one of his hands and saw how red and angry his palm looked. There was ripped and jagged skin. He didn’t appear to be bleeding at least. “Where did you go? What happened?”

  Mateo moved him back, lowering his hands to Austin’s hips. He looked Austin over, eyes lingering everywhere. Austin’s face burned.

  “What is it?” Austin whispered.

  “I ran,” Mateo said. “I ran and ran and ran to clear my head. And then I went to the forest.”

  Austin dug his fingers into the sleeves of Mateo’s gray hoodie, bunching up the fabric. “Why the forest?”

  Mateo cocked his head. “To take a video.”

  “V-video?! You didn’t, Mateo. Please tell me you didn’t.”

  “I have to draw them out here somehow. I have to keep everyone safe… I have to keep you safe.”

  Austin clung to Mateo more desperately. He took Mateo’s head in his hands, fingers pressing into the back of his neck where his skull met. “I am safe. But you won’t be if those hunters come out here. How am I supposed to keep you safe?”

  “You want to protect me?”

  “Of course I do! This works both ways.” Austin swallowed a lump in his throat. “Did you record yourself shifting?”

  “Yeah, but I made sure you couldn’t recognize me from it.” Mateo growled. “You want to keep me safe.”

  “Yes,” Austin said, exasperated. “But you’re making it hard.”

  Mateo leaned down and kissed him hard on the lips. It was sudden. Austin hadn’t been prepared. His eyelids fluttered and closed as Mateo kissed him deeper, swiping his tongue across Austin’s teeth, meeting Austin’s own tongue. When Mateo stopped, Austin was unsteady on his feet. If Mateo hadn’t still been holding him, he probably would have sunk to the floor.

  “What was that for?” Austin whispered.

  “I love you,” Mateo said simply, easily, like it was the most honest and pure truth in the world. He looked at Austin like he was the most precious thing in the world. He peppered Austin’s face with soft kisses no one would have ever thought he was capable of if they had judged him on nothing but his hard exterior. Each kiss was accompanied by the scratch of his scruff. The sensation was intense, goosebumps-inducing.

  “Do you still want me to bite you?” Mateo growled.

  “Yes,” Austin said without hesitation. “If it makes me yours, if it means I get to keep you, I definitely want you to bite me.”

  “You’d keep me anyway. I belong to you. Biting just makes it more official. Closer.”

  “Bite me, Mateo. Then, when we’ve figured out the next step, when all of this madness blows over—don’t think I forgot about those hunters just because you kissed me—you’re going to marry me, too.”

  Mateo grinned the biggest grin Austin had ever seen on his face. It made Austin’s heart flutter. “Deal.”

  Mateo moved forward, forcing Austin to move with him. He didn’t go far, just far enough to trap Austin against a spotless white wall. Austin gasped when Mateo widened his stance so he could press his pelvis into Austin’s. He rolled his hips just so, and his cock was hard in his pants, so was Austin’s. They were touching, but it wasn’t direct enough. Austin wanted more, a lot more. He wanted that bite because it got Mateo wild, because of what Mateo said it meant. He wasn’t even thinking about the pain part—he hated pain. And blood. When Mateo kissed him again, those nervous thoughts shattered into sparks of white. Helpless moans caught in his throat.

  Growls met Austin’s moans as Mateo’s teeth grew sharper against Austin’s lips. Mateo lightened the pressure to keep from tearing Austin’s skin. He kept one hand flat against the wall, to the side of Austin’s head, and put his other hand between their hips, creating some space just so he could grab Austin’s cock through his jeans. Austin shuddered and rocked forward, seeking more. He was disappointed when Mateo withdrew his touch, but it didn’t last long. Mateo went for the bottom edge of his hoodie and shirt underneath, removing them in one smooth motion as he threw them onto the floor.

  Austin reached out for his lover’s bare chest, the dark hairs, the tattoos, he wanted to touch every inch. But Mateo stole Austin’s glasses and went for his sweater next. Mateo gave the glasses back once he had finished. Austin replaced his glasses, eager to see more than indistinct blotches of color. And Mateo was at his pants. He was moving fast. Austin couldn’t keep up—not that he was all that experienced in this sort of thing. Actually, he had never done this before. Why that hadn’t worried him before, he didn’t know, but he was worried now. Maybe because Mateo’s intentions were clear. They were going to go all the way this time if he was going to bite him and make him his mate, right?

  “Wait,” Austin said, voice trembling as Mateo unbuttoned his jeans and was about to pull down the zipper.

  “What?” Mateo asked, eyes meeting Austin’s. They were
yellow, all yellow. There was no flickering to chocolate-brown. His teeth were sharp, wolf-like.

  “H-have you done this before?” Austin cursed himself for acting shy. He thought he had thrown most of that crap out the window, but, well, this was a big deal.

  Mateo cocked his head. “Now you’re nervous?”

  Austin winced. Hadn’t he just asked himself that same thing? “Yes?”

  “I’ve had sex, but I’ve never bitten anyone like this.”

  Austin’s face fell. His gaze went to the light-gray carpet. “Oh. With another shifter?”

  “Yeah, but it didn’t mean anything. I was curious.”

  “It had to mean something if you were comfortable enough to do that with him, right?” Austin fidgeted.

  “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again. I thought you’d forget all about me.”

  Austin swallowed. “I mean, I can’t really talk, right? I was dating Matt.”

  Mateo growled. “Do you want me to stop? You have to be sure.”

  “I want this. I want you. Sorry for… sorry for bringing stuff up.” And then, for some reason, a tear escaped Austin’s eye.

  Mateo gently wiped the tear away with the pad of his thumb. The bright yellow of his eyes darkened, muddying, dulling, turning into brown. His teeth weren’t so sharp anymore. “I’m sorry. I should have fought harder. I should have come back to you sooner.”

  “We were kids. I don’t blame you, Mateo.” Austin took Mateo’s hand and kissed his knuckles. “You didn’t just come here for the hunters, did you?”

  “I don’t think I did. I wondered if you’d still be here.”

  Austin shook his head and smiled. “I could have moved, you know? But I didn’t. I hoped you’d come back.”

  Mateo growled again, pressed into Austin, the skin and hair on their chests burning hot against each other. Then he moved back and leaned down to press his nose into Austin’s throat. Austin tilted his head back, giving Mateo free rein to kiss his skin. “I would have found you by your scent. It would have led me to you one day.”

  That was a romantic thought, that Mateo would search the ends of the earth for him. Austin liked that a lot. “Uhm, let’s go to my bed,” Austin suggested. As thrilling as it was to have Mateo trap him against a wall, the bed just sounded more comfortable for his first time.

  After Mateo pushed off the wall, Austin snatched his hand and tugged him into the bedroom. Mateo somehow lost his pants and shoes along the way. He had Austin lie back on the bed and pulled off his pants in the next instant, briefs too. Austin’s cock sprung free, and Mateo was on top of him. So much skin. Austin’s legs dangled off the foot of his bed at his knees, and Mateo straddled him as he sat up straight, leaving a gap between them aside from where Mateo’s knees touched Austin’s hips. Austin reached for Mateo, grabbing his hips. Then Austin sat up as high as he could to be closer and to grab Mateo’s firm butt. Mateo was still high on his knees, and his erection pressed into Austin’s chest, almost at his collarbones. Hot, moist, the tip was swollen and dripping with precum.

  Mateo lowered himself, his cock sliding down Austin’s chest until he was seated in Austin’s lap. Austin let out a groan. The sensation was intense. His insides were throbbing. Mateo rolled off him and flipped him around like he weighed nothing so he was the one seated in Mateo’s lap now. Their cocks were hard between them. Austin took Mateo in hand while Mateo took him. They pressed their foreheads together and rubbed each other’s shafts at the same moment. Teeth clenched. Mateo’s eyes went yellow.

  “Got lube?” Mateo asked.

  “Yeah,” Austin said, breathless. “In that drawer.” He pointed out the nightstand.

  Mateo grunted. “Good.” After kissing Austin so his lips were good and swollen, he moved and came back in what felt like less than a second, lube in hand. “Lie down.”

  Eagerly, Austin obeyed. He lay against the bed, and Mateo centered him so his legs weren’t hanging off. Then he cozied himself in between Austin’s legs and hiked one up as he stayed tall on his knees, placing Austin’s ankle over his shoulder. Austin angled his foot so he had support from Mateo’s neck, holding himself in place as Mateo grabbed his other leg, repeating the process. Austin’s hips and lower body angled upward, and his cock slapped his stomach.

  Mateo set the lube aside, grabbed Austin’s thighs and folded him over even farther. It might have been uncomfortable if Mateo hadn’t licked the smooth, sensitive skin between his testicles and his butthole at almost the same time. Austin cried out, sweating. His breaths were labored. Mateo did it again, and Austin whimpered helplessly as his entire body clenched. Then Mateo gently nibbled at his balls.

  “Mateo,” Austin begged. “Please. More.”

  After lubing up his fingers, Mateo pressed inside of Austin with a single finger, gently easing him wider. Austin was tight. He squeezed his eyes shut, focusing on what Mateo was doing to him. Then Mateo introduced two fingers. Three. Austin gasped with every touch. The world was bleeding color all over the place, bright and vivid, even though Mateo hadn’t bothered to turn on the light. The light from the hall and the light from the moon outside were more than enough.

  “Ready?” Mateo asked.

  “So ready.”

  “Don’t sound ready.”

  “I’m ready.”

  “You’re fucking ready?”

  “I’m fucking ready!”

  Mateo smirked down at him and growled. “That’s better.”

  Austin wasn’t into potty language. He liked pretty words the most. But it seemed appropriate at the moment. And Mateo sure liked it.

  While Mateo lowered down, positioning himself, Austin held tight with his legs, his feet, tangling himself with Mateo and adjusting as necessary. Austin grabbed his cock when he felt the tip of Mateo’s at his butthole. He stroked himself slowly and focused on breathing as Mateo pushed inside of him. Mateo was really big. Like, really big. It felt okay at first, but then it got painful.

  “Wait,” Austin said, flinching.

  Mateo listened, holding still where he was, allowing Austin’s body to adjust. His eyes were yellow. Sweat was dripping off of his tattooed chest. His lips were quivering, teeth protruding. He kissed Austin’s lips. He was good at kissing even with Austin’s glasses on. His kisses must have been magic too because the pain faded with them. Austin wrapped his arms around Mateo’s back, inviting more closeness, inviting their chests to touch to feel the beat of their hearts against each other. Austin’s swollen cock was trapped between their bodies, and Mateo added the smallest back and forth motion that made Austin crazy. Any previous pain was forgotten.

  “When will you bite me?” Austin asked as he tried to remember how to breathe.

  “Soon,” Mateo said, arms trembling as he continued to hold himself up just enough so as not to crush his lover. “You good?”

  “Yeah, I’m good.”

  Mateo wasted no time burying himself deeper inside of Austin. His thrusts were shallow at first. Then he pushed hard. Austin’s vision went white for an instant, and he gasped. Then it started to feel good. Really good. Each time Mateo thrust, Austin’s eyes threatened to roll back, and his eyelids threatened to close forever like that would somehow contain all of this pleasure. But it wasn’t enough.

  “Move,” Austin begged. “Move, Mateo.”

  Mateo experimented, searching for the perfect rhythm. Austin followed his lead and grabbed his back, fingers digging in. Mateo thrust harder and faster until he found a quick and powerful movement that had Austin deliriously whimpering his name. It was nearly unbearable. Then Mateo stiffened for just a moment. His cock jerked inside of Austin, and warmth spilled in and out in waves. Then a flash of pain followed as Mateo bit down on the space between Austin’s neck and left shoulder. Austin shouted out, but he couldn’t focus on the pain for long. Mateo was still thrusting, spilling everything he had. This was more than Austin had ever felt, physically, emotionally, all at once.

  Austin felt Mateo’s tongue hot at his
neck, licking over and over before Mateo moved back. Mateo was still rocking his hips against Austin, deep inside of him, as he took Austin’s swollen cock in hand and swirled his thumb around its red head. He put both of his hands around Austin’s shaft and twisted them opposite ways. Austin shouted again as he came at Mateo’s command, and Mateo angled his cock, making sure he came all over the wolf shifter’s tattooed chest. Cum dripped down hot skin as wave after wave came and looked like it would never stop. But it did eventually, and Austin was spent.

  Mateo was grinning down at him. He said, “Now your scent is all over me.” Austin laughed. Mateo kissed him and whispered, “And mine is all over you.”

  Wow, Austin felt good. He hated when Mateo pulled out, afraid this intense connection between them would be lost, but it wasn’t. He had nothing to worry about. Mateo lay down beside him, wrapped an arm around him, and licked the sting away from in between his neck and shoulder over and over like Mateo could sense right when it was starting to hurt. Austin decided not to ask how deep the bite was. It was probably pretty deep with how much blood Mateo kept licking away. He tried not to think about that. He really, really didn’t like blood. Mateo must have sensed his uneasiness then too because he nibbled Austin’s earlobe to distract him.

  “I love you,” Mateo whispered in his ear.

  Austin smiled. He smiled so big his cheeks hurt. “I love you, too.”

  Exhaustion crept in. Austin wanted to sleep like this, safe in Mateo’s arms. Mateo safe in his. He prayed the hunters would ignore Mateo’s video. He prayed they wouldn’t come. Because he was selfish maybe.

  “Go to the Fall Formal with me tomorrow for Halloween,” Austin said, fighting to stay awake.

  “Like, with your high school students?” Mateo wrinkled his nose, and Austin had to kiss it.

  “Yeah, I volunteered to help out, but we could have some fun at the same time. We never went to a high school dance together. We should make up for that, don’t you think?”

  “If you want. Never been to a dance period.”