Pack Dynamics

Mason’s Wolf

“Interesting jewellery.”

Casey’s head jerked up, Mason had been gone for what he guessed was over two hours and the apartment had been completely silent since then. He had just started to nod off and the sudden voice startled him. He looked up into mocking, dark eyes, “Eugene.”

The lean wolf moved into the room. “Casey.”

Automatically Casey tried to get to his feet only to be brought up short by the collar fixing him to the radiator bars. He croaked, falling back on his ass.

Eugene snickered, swaggering even closer, almost stepping on Casey. “Oh, this is too good.”

Casey hissed and snapped at him.

Eugene sprang back safety out of reach. “Oh my, a muzzle would really complete the ensemble.”

“What the hell are you doing here, Eugene?”

The amusement drained off the young wolf’s face leaving the familiar sour scowl. “Mason told us what’s going on. He went to Lavoie’s nearly an hour ago, and we haven’t heard from him since. I think we should go check it out, but Nora and the others want to wait and see. Seems you’d be in favour of going with me, if what Mason told us is true.”

Casey’s heart lodged in his throat. “What did he tell you?”

Eugene jutted his chin out, eyes distant, “Everything.”

“What did he tell you?” Casey pressed.

“He told us you have a girlfriend. Another jaguar. That’s why you left. He told us she was kidnapped by that Alpha, Lavoie.” Casey was just releasing the breath he had been holding when Eugene continued with feigned casualness, “He told us she’s a Betrayer.”

Casey’s body stiffened. “So?” he snapped out belligerently.

“Really? That’s all you have to say? Fucker!” Eugene growled and paced, slamming his fist into the bedroom door. It came out the other side, bloody and covered in splinters from the cheap plywood that composed the door. The young wolf swore and retracted his fist, shaking it.

Casey was startled by the raw feral-ness of the outburst.

“Eugene.” Casey’s voice was sharp, he used his best Beta voice. “We can discuss this after. But right now, this chain,” Casey rattled it, “needs to come off.”

Knuckles bloody, but already starting to scab over thanks to the shifter healing, Eugene approached him, grabbing the chain. Casey grabbed the chain as well, careful to hold in between Eugene’s hands and where it attached to his collar. He wasn’t interested in being strangled at the moment.

Together they pulled until the metal distorted and a link snapped, finally freeing Casey from the heater.

Casey sprang up, never taking his eyes off of Eugene.

Eugene was tensed to the point of snapping.

Casey tossed the remaining part of the chain back over his should and out of the way, he curled his fingers in a come-hither motion. “Come on then.”

Eugene eyes flicked from aggression to confusion, which he hid as quickly as possible. “What?”

“Come on then, let’s fight. God knows this has been coming for a long time now.”

A glimmer of uncertainty flashed over Eugene’s face. “Are you serious? I thought we had to – Mason and your Betrayer freak girlfriend, remember?”

“Her name is Shelby. And, Mason’s a big boy. He can handle himself for a few more minutes. That’s all it’s going to take to kick your ass.”

Eugene’s lip twitched up into a snarl. That was all the warning Casey got before the wolf shifter launched himself at Casey. They crashed into the floor knees and elbows delivering hard blows as they wrestled for dominance. Eugene rolled on top and landed some fierce right hooks, bouncing the back of Casey’s head off the floor boards.

Casey twisted, his spine flexible like all felines. He was able to loosen Eugene’s hold enough to work an arm free to deflect a few of the blows and also land some of his own. Eugene’s eyes were black and canine as he fought, rough hacking barks emerging from his mouth. His jaws caught Casey’s forearm, teeth ripping into the flesh.

Casey hissed and stopped pulling his punches, fighting all out to reverse their positions, rolling Eugene into the wall and slamming his back against it. He twisted Eugene’s arm back until the other shifter howled in pain, shoulder almost dislocating. Razor sharp jaguar teeth snapped close to Eugene’s throat. “Say it!”

Eugene struggled, fire spreading from his twisted limb. Casey jammed a knee into his chest, making it impossible to draw a breath. “Say it!” he demanded again.

“I submit!” Eugene hissed, the words sounding strained from his chest. “I submit.”

Casey rolled off him, exhausted by the physical exertion of the fight and the ebbing of the adrenaline in his blood. They lay on the floor, both on their backs, inches part, panting and sweating and silent.

Finally, Eugene broke the silence, eyes firmly on the ceiling. “Why did you do it?”

“Because you were asking for it. You needed to know where we stood, so maybe you will stop always challenging me. I should have fought you right when Casey made me Beta.”

“Not the fight. Why did you leave us?” The anguish in his voice was palpable.

Casey felt a burning in his chest. “Eugene...”

“One second you were there in the bar and then... you’re just gone. No one can find you. Mason can’t find you. And he...he falls apart, Casey. For months after we lost you, we lost him. We were like a pack without an Alpha. I trusted you. And you betrayed me. You betrayed everyone. I want you to tell me what she had that made her better than us.”

“Eugene...” Casey rolled onto his front, propping himself up on his elbows to look over at the other shifter, his body ached from the fight. “She’s not better than you.”

Eugene snorted, eyes averted stubbornly.

“She’s not. She’s just – She’s a jaguar like me. And Mason and I were going through a rough patch. And she was just there – no pack dynamics, she knew of my parents, she wanted to help people.”

“Human people. Not shifters like us.”

“No. No, not just humans. Anyone who needed help.”

Eugene just growled.

“I’m sorry I left you, Eugene. It was stupid and selfish and wrong.”

Something that looked suspiciously like tears glistened in Eugene’s eyes.

Apologizing, saying the words out loud, seemed to lift a weight from Casey. “Eugene. You’re my pack. I love you.”

Eugene scrubbed the back of his hand over his eyes as he rolled up, favouring his injured right arm. “Don’t expect me to say it back.”

“I don’t.” Casey rose to his feet, too. “But please, try to understand. I need to help my friend.”

“Ok,” Eugene said slowly, “So we go to Lavoie’s.”

“No. I go to Lavoie’s. You round up the rest of the pack. Position yourselves off the grounds. I’ll contact you if I need help getting Shelby out.”

“What about Mason?”

Casey blinked. “What about him?”

“Don’t you want to go there to make such Mason’s okay too?”

“Mason can take care of himself, it’s Shelby I’m worried about.”

~~~

“You thought you could just break into our house? On our territory?” The older wolf shifter, a Beta, punctuated each question with a hard rattle of the cell bars. Mason glared out from the cell, using his hand to wipe the blood off his face from their earlier encounter.

They had been waiting for him when he showed up. Lavoie’s Beta and four other enforcers. A veritable welcome party. Only they hadn’t been too welcoming.

They had attacked as a pack and (though Mason had shifted and fought them in animal form) five wolves on one wasn’t a particularly fair fight and when Mason had come to, he was in this small cell. It looked like they were in a basement, the space was open and lined with stone blocks which matched the unfinished concrete floor, broken up only by the metal bars that marked off a half dozen cells. Lavoie stood outside those cells now, watching his Beta taunt Mason.

The only upside was that he had found the Betrayer. She was in one of the other cells across the floor. Her cell wasn’t even closed or locked; it wasn’t necessary because she appeared to be either completely incapacitated or dead already. Mason wasn’t sure which state he would rather.

Another grunt came tripping down the stairs. “The contact says there’s another one coming, Alpha. The cat.”

Mason’s head shot up, hands curling on the bars. Casey.

Lavoie scowled. “Well, what are you waiting for? Intercept and capture him, too.” He turned to his Beta and flicked his hand. “Go with him.”

“Who’s your contact?” Mason growled.

Lavoie’s lips twisted into a smirk. “Someone who understands the importance of wolf shifter supremacy. Unlike you and your jaguar, apparently.”

~~~

It was over half an hour before footsteps rang on the stairs again. Casey came stumbling down them, the guard and Beta behind him, both holding guns. The Beta directed Casey towards the cage they held Mason in.

Mason himself rushed to the cell door, eyes running over Casey’s body for signs of injury. The golden eyed jaguar looked a little beat up and there was fading bite marks on his arm. Mason’s wolf growled inside. “Casey.”

“Mason!” Casey looked at him, eyes bright with relief and worry. “I...They were waiting for me to show up. I couldn’t...”

“It’s okay, Casey.” Mason attempted to reassure him, “It’s okay.”

Lavoie guffawed. “I wouldn’t be so sure if I were you. After all, look what happened to your little friend.”

It was then Casey noticed the body in the other cell. “Shelby!” He tried to rush towards her but a gun in his face stopped him in his tracks.

“Relax, Romeo. She’s still ticking.” Lavoie snapped and then ordered, “Put the cat in with Rossi.”

The guard moved to push Casey into the cell. Mason growled deep in his chest, “Don’t even think about it. No one touches him and lives.”

The hand withdrew at once, the guard’s complexion turning ashen.

Lavoie started laughing mirthlessly, “Oh, isn’t this perfect. Let’s see if you still want to protect this pretty little kitten once your wolf is set free. I’m betting not...I’m betting your wolf will have much more interesting things in mind.” Lavoie’s eyes glimmered with sadistic zeal. “Hmm? Rossi? What do you think? Will you rip him in half? Tear him open like a savage and feast on his guts? Or maybe you’ll fuck him to death, it’s happened before you know, in the mating heat. Teeth go in too deep, or just in the wrong place, hitting an artery accidently.”

Mason’s snarl in response was bone-chilling.

Lavoie just smirked and turned to Casey. “Cat, into the cell.”

Casey hissed, the hair on the back of his head standing up like a ruffled feline.

“Do it now, or a bullet instead of the drug goes into that mangy Alpha of yours.”

Casey’s glare was almost as vicious as his claws as he stepped into the cell. The guard closed and locked it quickly.

Mason snarled. “You’re going to regret this, Lavoie!”

Lavoie just smirked and waved his hand towards his Beta wolf who was holding the vials of grao d’escuridao. “Give him a double dose.”

The Beta’s fangs gleamed as he loaded a volume of the serum into a specially designed dart. He aimed and shot the dart through the bars. At such a close range, there was no way he could miss or Mason could avoid it. The dart sunk into the back of his right shoulder.

Mason immediately turned and attacked the bars, snapping and slamming against the metal. The Beta jumped, startled, dropping the gun.

Lavoie rolled his eyes in disgust. “He’s trapped in that cell. What the hell are you scared of?”

“Sorry, Alpha.”

“Let’s get out of here. We can always watch the effect of the drug on the cameras later. But right now I’m ready for some dinner.”

Alpha Lavoie and his pack left up the stairs, leaving Casey and Mason all alone.

Casey looked to Mason automatically, “What now?”

Mason reached back, jerking the dart out of his skin and throwing it out of the cell with a growl. “Now we get out of here. And fast.”

They worked silently for a few minutes, inspecting and testing the make-up of the cell. Casey could sense a tension building in Mason and his cat grew restless in response.

Finally, Casey couldn’t stand it any longer, he approached Mason with caution and touched his arm gingerly, “Mase? Felling okay?”

Without a word, Mason grabbed him by the shoulders and bodily swung them around so Casey was near the brick wall, and the Alpha had his back near the locked cell door. As soon as he had their positions reversed, Mason let go of the younger feline as if burned.

Casey looked at him, confused. “What was that for?”

Mason jutted his chin towards the ceiling, there was an air vent. “Now it’s blowing your scent away from me. It doesn’t make much of a difference, but every little bit counts.”

“I take it the drug is starting to work.”

“You could say that.”

Mason’s wolf was already howling in his head so loud, it nearly drowned out every rational thought. The wolf was aggressively aroused by the drug and the proximity to its chosen mate. The fact that Casey would never chose him back was inconsequential to the Alpha wolf.

Mate. Mine. The wolf in him growled, full of power. Mason dragged a hand through his black hair. “Fuck, that shit is working faster than before. I can feel the wolf gaining strength by the second.”

Casey took a step towards him, looking to reassure his Alpha. “Mason, it’s going to be –”

“Stay away from me!”

“Mason...” Casey took another step.

“Don’t!” Mason’s growl was feral. “Get away from me!”

Casey spread his arms wide, “Where am I going to go, Mase? There’s nowhere to go.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

Casey was within arm’s reach. “Mason... Mase, you won’t hurt me.”

For the first time in his life, Mason stepped back. “My wolf will be in control.”

Casey followed him, step for step. “I’m not scared of your wolf.”

“You should be; I’ll be feral, Casey.”

“You won’t hurt me.” Casey repeated adamantly.

“Maybe not intentionally, but I will mate with you.” Mason spit out, and then in a lower tone, full of self-loathing, “I can barely control that urge when human, let alone when fully wolf.”

Throat suddenly tight, Casey had to force himself to swallow. “So we have sex, big deal. I can handle that.”

“Casey...”

“I can handle it. Even if you’re starting to look like shit.” Casey pointed out, teasing, to try to distract Mason.

Mason’s grimaced, knowing Casey was probably right. He felt hot and flushed, and knew he was sweating, the poison spreading through his body like fire. His fur was sprouting too, along his arms and hands, his ears lengthening into canine points. He glared, not even knowing if his eyes were more human or wolf.

“Mason...”

“Shh. Just let me concentrate.” Mason groaned and leaned back against the bars, his frame held painfully rigid. He let his head fall back and closed his eyes, trying to block everything out.

“That working?” Casey asked quietly curious.

“Would work better if you would shut the hell up.” Mason snapped without opening his eyes. “It makes it hard to pretend you’re not here.”

“Mason...”

“Shut up!”

As a large cat himself, Casey was suitably impressed by the roar. “Yes, boss.”

Casey moved himself across the cell. He took a minute to peer across the basement at Shelby’s body, making sure he could still see her chest rise and fall with exhalations. He then continued to inspect the cell for any weak spots where he might be able to force his way out.

There was no warning before a nose pressed into the back of his neck, sniffing. Startled, Casey turned quickly coming nose to nose with Mason.

Well, it was Mason’s body at least, though the wolf appeared to be firmly in the driver’s seat.

Mason’s pupils were blown wide, his eyes nearly all black, a primitive growl rumbled in his throat. Casey froze instinctively, holding still as Mason pressed closer. The dark haired wolf nuzzled Casey’s throat, behind his ear, sniffing deeply. “Submissive!”

Casey froze, heart pounding in his chest.

Mason’s arms locked around Casey’s torso, and he growled loudly, baring his teeth in anger at Casey’s lack of response. “Submissive!” he demanded again, the sound mangled by his elongated teeth.

Casey felt the arms like a steel belt, knew they would leave a band of bruises. The younger shifter just barely bit down his own growl, hissing out, “Yeah, okay, submissive. I get it. You’re the big bad Alpha and I’m submissive.”

“Submissive,” Mason confirmed gutturally, a note of smugness. Mason continued to nose at Casey’s throat, paying close attention to the traces left of the bite marks, nosing them, even going so far as the flick his tongue out, tasting them. “Marked.”

“Yeah, no shit.” Casey grumbled to himself, and then louder. “You did that, remember? You marked me.”

“Pack.” Mason barked.

“Yes, the mark means pack. See, you don’t want to hurt me, I’m pack.”

“Mate,” came the next bark.

“Whoa, not mate, just pack. Just pack.” Casey squawked in surprise.

Mason’s hold tightened again, he fairly trembled with anger. “Mate!”

“Ow! Shit, Mase, that hurts!” Casey tried to squirm out of the painfully unyielding hold. It proved to be a bad idea.

Mason reacted viscerally to the sub trying to pull away, snarling and clamping his hands down, leaning up, Mason sank his teeth into to Casey’s shoulder holding him in place. Casey roared, feeling this claiming bite.

They stood there for several long minutes, Casey held securely, Mason’s teeth locked on the hollow of his shoulder, the Alpha’s breath harsh against his skin.

Finally, Casey relaxed in his hold, letting his head loll back to expose his throat. Mason growled his approval of this surrender and slowly released his bite and loosened his embrace to something firm, but not painfully so.

Casey surrendered himself to it. There was nothing else to do. If he fought it someone was going to get hurt – Mason or, more likely, himself.

Casey forced his muscles to unfurl, breathing slow and deep, trying to instil a little more calm in Mason. It was a few more long, slow minutes before Mason lightened his hold a little more, his fingers wrapped around Casey’s wrist and brought his arm up between them, drawing attention to the bite marks there.

“Not mine,” Mason’s gaze was murderous. “Mate hurt.”

“It’s okay, Mason. It was just a tussle with a pack member. Pack. I wasn’t really hurt.”

Mason licked each healing mark.

Once that was complete, his hands shuffled to pull at Casey’s clothing, his claws were still extended and scratched and ripped the material, not to mention the skin underneath.

“Naked.” Mason rumbled, frustration clear.

Casey reached up to unfasten his jeans and froze when Mason snarled and snapped his teeth, threateningly.

“It’s okay.” Casey held his hands up in capitulation, and attempted to pacify, “I’m just trying to help...naked, right? I’ll get naked, but you have to let me do it, your claws are hurting me.”

“Naked.” Mason grumbled, almost sullenly, bottom lip threatening a pout.

Casey was momentarily stunned, who knew wolf shifters made puppy-eyes?

“Naked. Help.” Mason repeated plaintively, tugging instead of tearing at the clothes.

“Right, okay.” Casey pulled off the tattered remains of his shirt, trying to ignore the blood smeared on it from the scratches and the bite on his throat. Mason’s heated gaze was fixed firmly on the revealed skin. He looked like he was starving and Casey was a deer or rabbit he wanted to eat up.

Mason was pretty much growling non-stop. He was vibrating with need.

Mason reached impatiently for the waist band of Casey’s jeans, leaving thin red scratches over the feline’s sides as he tried to yank them down. They caught on Casey’s hip bones and the feline yelped.

Casey quickly unbuckled his belt and then worked open the top button on his fly, shoving the pants down past his knees before Mason grew impatient again and tried to ‘help’ it along again. Next he drew his boxers down to meet his jeans, cool air on his ass making him flush hotly. Mason’s black eyes followed his every movement possessively.

Casey’s arms came forward as he reached down to cover himself. Mason stopped him, knocking his hands to the side, growling as he curled his own hand around Casey’s flaccid cock. “Mate!”

Casey heard a ripping sound, as Mason’s other clawed hand tore through his own pants until he was as naked as Casey was.

Casey made the mistake of looking down. He had seen Mason’s cock before, hell, he had even seen it erect before, they had lived in each other’s pockets since he was 12. But he had never seen it like this. Red and pulsing, so rigid it slapped against Mason’s hard belly, leaking copious amount of clear precum.

“God...” Casey babbled nervously mostly to himself. “We’re really going to do this... We’re really going to...Should we...uh...like, I could...Shit.” Casey dragged his hand through his hair. His eyes dated around the cell, wondering where the best spot would be to do this, maybe near the bars so he could hold on for leverage.

Then he made the mistake of taking a half step back.

Mason reacted to the small retreat with a snarl and lunged, knocking Casey back on the floor, locked in an uncompromising embrace.

“Shit.” Casey swore between clenched teeth, body pulsating lightly where he had been smacked into the floor.

Mason’s hand grabbed the scruff of Casey’s neck and him to roll over on his belly, ass up and exposed. “My mate.” The rough, canine-esque voice repeated. The fevered heat of Mason’s body could be felt all along Casey’s back and legs. “Gonna take you.” Mason pushed one of his knees up, leaving him horribly exposed.

Suddenly, the loss of this particular virginity imminent, something occurred to Casey, “Fuck, those fuckers couldn’t even leave lube.” Casey mumbled to himself. Feeling kind of dirty, he brought his fingers to his lips and sucked on the first two, getting them wet with saliva. It wasn’t ideal, but it would have to do. Reluctantly, he reached back with his fingers. He had never even touched himself like this before, and flinched uncomfortably when his slick fingers slide over his crack.

Mason snarled and swatted the hand away.

“Hey!” Casey yelped. Slowly he tried again. The snarling increased.

“You gotta let me prep. There’s no way I can take that dry.”

“No touch!” Mason commanded, voice like gravel.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Casey groaned, yellow irises elongating as he glared in frustration.

Mason mounted him, pushing him forward onto his hands and knees, positioning himself hunching over, scalding cock brushing his ass. Mason’s clawed fingers spread Casey’s ass cheeks with surprising care.

He heard and felt Mason spit onto his hole and then shivered as it dripped down the back of his sac. Then the blunt cockhead pressed against him. Casey inhaled quickly, trying hard to relax so it wouldn’t hurt so bad.

He felt Mason falter, his panting breath against the back of Casey’s neck.

Casey looked back; Mason looked like he was fighting his instincts - muscles quivering with in an effort to hold back. The canine eyes that locked into Casey’s were desperate.

He gave a little nod. “Go ahead, Mason. Do it.”

With a gargled howl, Mason pushed inside him.

Casey gasped, biting down on his lip. Fuck!

Mason didn’t stop but one of his hands did come up and stroke clumsily at Casey’s hair. “So pretty. So tight.”

Casey was glad he was a shifter, because otherwise he was pretty sure this would hurt a whole heck of a lot more, maybe even tearing him apart. As is, it stretched with a deep, aching burn. “Mason!” He gasped out the name like a plea, but he had no idea what he was begging for until Mason started to move. The long, solid cock filled him in a way he hadn’t known possible, moving against a spot in him that made him see stars.

“Oh, fuck!” Casey cried out, back bowing.

The movement stopped haltingly, the Alpha making a whining noise.

Casey growled. “Didn’t mean stop, keep going.”

Mason held him tightly, the rutting restarting, harder and faster. Casey moaned, able to do little else pinned under the larger, stronger body. One of Mason’s clawed hands grasped his cock. Casey gasped, losing himself in the pleasure. It didn’t take long before he was panting and twisting and cumming in clenching spurts on the floor. He heard Mason’s howl of triumph as the Alpha climaxed shortly after, pulsing inside his tight sheath. After a few minutes of recovery, Mason drew himself out. He shuffled back on his knees, eyes slowly changing from contently satisfied to guilt-ridden.

Casey didn’t think, he just acted and crawled after Mason, tugging up his pants at the same time. “Mason.”

The wolfman just watched him. Casey crawled over until he was practically in Mason’s lap. He rubbed his cheek against Mason’s chest in a terribly cat-like gesture. “The least you can do is hold me.”

Inexpertly, Mason’s arms came around him. Then, softly, he pressed, “Mate?”

Casey passed out cold.

~~~

Mine.

The beast within him whispered with pure masculine satisfaction.

The invisible fist that had been squeezing his windpipe close had finally relaxed, and he was able to breathe properly again. Looking down at the top of Casey’s mussed head, he felt himself calm down. Casey had crawled into his embrace, seeking his protection, scenting him. Physically affected by the potent memory, his pupils dilated drastically and there was a clenching low in his stomach. This was his mate. He had to protect his mate. And he couldn’t do that if they were trapped in this cell. Mason carefully shifted Casey off his body, laying the younger man down on the floor of the cell. Then he moved towards the bars, assessing the cell for any possible weaknesses.

He shifted fully, letting his wolf take control. The wolf immediate padded over to the figure on the floor, he sniffed at the body of his mate, and licked at several of the cuts and bites on his skin. Satisfied his mate was stable for the time being, the wolf walked back over to the bars, the cement smelled chalky and dry. He dragged his claws over the base of the bar, he managed to scratch up a fine line of sand. Gritting his teeth, he started to dig in earnest.

~~~