Moving Forward

Heat (13)

Waking up, the sky had turned dark and the moon was beginning to make an appearance. Max turned over in River's arms to make it easier to breathe, because while River was unrealistically comfortable, Max still needed air. There was whine, but Max just backed into River a bit more. Another whine made Max try to find River's hand in an attempt to get him to be quiet. And yet there was a third whine.

This time, Max opened his eyes. And then blinked his eyes tight. And then opened them again.

Because dozing around in on the grass were at least ten wolves - most likely more.

"River," Max's voice may have been soft, but River's body immediately woke up to the call.

"Yeah?"

Max turned in to face the other man. "Why are there wolves in my back garden?"

River glanced over Max's shoulder and then lay back down. "Pack." He answered, as if that answered everything.

"Okay... but why are they here?" Max pushed.

The question made River's brow furrow, even with his eyes still shut. "Why wouldn't they be?"

The response halted Max for a second. He wasn't one to overreact but this was simply confusing him, and being more jaguar than lion shifter, he didn't understand. At all.

"Because it's my space."

River blinked his eyes open, and the pair stared at each with equally confused faces. Max couldn't hold the stare for long, but continued to feel the unasked questions stirring in both himself and in River.

And then River made a sound. Like a surprised grunt. "Claw marks."

Max nodded. "My marks."

"I saw them the first time I was in your garden, but I forgot about them." River frowned.

"Territory." Max murmured. "If there was another jaguar shifter in the area, we'd have to come to terms with where we can and can't go and divide the territory up."

"So..." River prompted him to continue.

"So... as I see it, this town and the woods are mine. But I'm also part-human, so I'm not completely unreasonable. I can't control who goes where." Max could feel his lips tighten. "But this house is my den. And I didn't invite them here. I don't know them."

River gave Max a gentle smile and nodded. Sitting up and gently nudging Max into his arms, River howled. It was instantaneous, the transformation from sleeping wolves to predator with their teeth bared. At a low growl from River, each one turned their head, baring their neck in submission. It was quite fascinating to observe, and Max found himself studying each one of them like a new project.

"Go home." River said. It sounded like a suggestion, but each of the wolves turned to go, loping off and nipping at each other as they went.

"Where is home for you?" Max murmured, only just realising he'd never been there.

River nodded in the direction the rest of the wolves went. "I'm sure you could figure it out if you tried."

Max nodded. Maybe later, he thought to himself, and let his body relax back into River's embrace.

"They're here because I am." River finally stated. Max only nodded to let River know he was listening. "I'm not alpha, but I'm the older brother so it's likely that I will be, but pack is family in any case. If I vanish for too long, they come find me. Same with any other member of our pack."

Max took a moment to take it all in. And what he understood was that by taking River away for too long was like inviting the other to come look for him. The idea wasn't too appealing, but Max could live with it if it meant getting cuddle up with River like this on a regular basis.

"What if I just want you to myself?" Max mused.

After moments of silence, River trailed his fingers across Max's collarbone, sending a chill up Max's spine. When Max tilted his head up, River's eyes weren't their usual smothering darkness. Flecks of gold pierced through, bright against the almost black iris. There was nothing smothering about them now. Nothing bottomless. They reached out to Max in a way that turned his shoulders and parted his lips and shortened his breaths.

"All you have to do is ask." River answered.

He met Max halfway. The kiss was like nothing Max had ever felt before, heat bursting in his chest and an incredible hunger for more immediately. It was just a touch of their lips, but it quickly became much more. Their little flame became a glowing fire.

Luke had never- Max hadn't ever- this absolutely burned and Max lo- adored it.

The gentle touch of their lips grew into bruising attacks over and over again, pulling and pushing and biting; trying to get closer; trying not to let desperation take over; trying to take everything the other gave.

Max clawed at everything his hands landed on, River's powerful arms dragging him ever closer until there was nothing between them. It all felt so right, so familiar but unknown, like walking into a new setting designed for him. Welcome home his body seemed to hum. Welcome home.

Max wanted this. Max wanted River. Max wanted Kyle. As much of Kyle as he could get his hands on.

It was an effort for them to part. An achievement that surprised both men. When had they separated? When did their breathing get so heavy? When did they get so close? It was a blur of red and purple and warmth.

Yet, that wasn't what shocked Max. What made him stop and stare, what made his hands fly to cover his mouth hanging open in a wide 'O'.

It started with Max's low, gurgling growl, the one that had 'pleased' written all over it. He circled around Kyle and nuzzled into the larger man's shoulder, nosing over the fabric of the thin shirt. His mouth approached the skin of Kyle's neck and, letting his body take complete control, Max pushed his elongated canines into Kyle's pale skin, in the space where his neck and shoulder met. The most sensitive space on any predatory shifter that caused River to gasp.

"Mine." Max hissed.