Sandy dirt was caked into the elbows, knees and palms of every junior officer lining the sparring pit. They draped themselves wearily over the wooden gate that separated the combat practice from the grassy lawns that led into the woods. They were enjoying the final match before they were scheduled to return to their patrols or paperwork or other far more boring duties. Malachai was especially enjoying the fight as his mate was winning.

Both Markus and Malachai had often commented that Ash fought far more viciously in human form than he did wolf and today’s match was no exception, he hadn’t given his opponent, a stoic man by the name of Russ, a moment to breathe since the referee had clapped his hands together. It was equal parts impressive and terrifying to be a spectator when it was his soul mate who was laying the smack-down, his heart racing with anticipation of victory and fear of defeat. He had only seen Ash beaten a few times in the ring and it always sent his wolf into a snarling spiral of barely-contained rage. Even though some of their closer friends knew now that they were mates the rest still wouldn’t be very understanding if he jumped the gate and started pummelling every moron who pinned Ash to the ground.

And so, he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists and waited.

And Ash won.

After climbing to their feet amidst pants and slightly trembling limbs, the pair bumped fists and shared a one-armed hug. The crowd gave a quick cheer for Ash who now too had a patchy layer of what could be mistaken for turmeric across his face, limbs and clothes. He used a handful of his shirt to scrub at his sweaty face, flashing his deeply-carved abs, and strode towards Malachai with hips swinging with the confidence of victory.

When he reached Malachai he leant his chest over the fencing with a fatigued smile. Malachai grinned back and stepped forward, pressing their foreheads together. They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment and it felt as though every man and woman hovering around the pit was holding their breath. He refused to close the gap, he wanted to give Ash the control, let him make the decision. If he wanted to make the world aware of their mate-ship he could make the dominant move, Malachai would play the role of follower. Ash tilted his head up and grabbed Malachai’s lips, kissing him passionately through still-panting breaths. Malachai pushed back a little, pressing his tongue into Ash’s mouth and curling it around the tip of his tongue. Their shallow breaths mingled and their hands snatched at each other’s shirts.

When they pulled apart Ash licked his lips and announced, “I’m thirsty.”

“My mouth not moist enough for you?” Malachai asked through an awkward laugh.

Ash rolled his eyes and flicked Malachai’s forehead before replying, “Let’s go get some water.”

Malachai got the feeling this was a euphemism for something else but said nothing in front of the group of shocked spectators. He simply grinned and followed his mate away from the ring and towards the back of the pack house to the door leading directly into the kitchen.

They slurped down a pint of water each without sharing a word between them, both letting out a satisfied gasp when they plopped their empty glasses into the sink. They panted for a few moments, staring at each other’s wet mouths, sweaty bodies and and hungry eyes.

“Are you gonna fuck me or what?” Ash asked with raised thick brows and pouting lips.

“Well, I… uh-” Malachai stammered.

It was completely out of character for Ash to be so forward. Malachai was both incredibly turned on and incredibly confused.

He was pulled into the kitchen’s attached laundry closet by the hand, Ash’s hips still bouncing from side to side with a sexual confidence that was completely alien to Malachai, he had never seen his mate so excited for sex.

And that was how they had ended up in this compromising position, with Ash bent over a tumble dryer and Malachai thrusting into him hurriedly, far too aware of the public nature of their copulating.

“Oh god, oh fuck, oh god.” Ash panted loudly.

Malachai pushed deeper into him, letting him have his full length and using the movement to lean his hand forward and grab Ash’s jaw, covering his lips with his fingers. Unfortunately this only seemed to encourage his mate to do his utter best to make the entire country aware of what they were up to. He moaned loudly and grabbed at the edges of the dryer, his hands slipping and sliding with sweat.

He was working his hips as fast as he could, desperate to drag them both over the finish line as quickly as possible, the sooner they got out of the closet the less likely it was that they’d be caught.

Ash’s screeching voice was vibrating against his hand,

“Don’t scream!” Malcahai whispered desperately, “Someone will hear you!” Ash continued to moan against his hand though, his voice getting higher and higher until… Malchai’s hips stuttered, he was whining, that was a submissive whine. Like a siren’s call it forced his hand away without his permission, his wolf taking full control in its desperation to hear his mate cry out like a submissive. And cry out he did. Malachai’s legs shook at the sound.

The hand that had been not-so-effectively covering Ash’s mouth now grabbed a fistful of his hair (which was almost all of it given he only had a couple of inches on the top and shaved sides), yanking his head back and steadying him as he rode into him like an animal, mindless and crazed. He knew he was jackhammering, he knew he wasn’t being as gentle as he should be, but Ash continued to cry out and push back against him and until his baby said stop he was going to pound him into goo.

He rammed him until his eyes rolled back into his head, Ash’s toes curled and they both moaned gutturally through far-too-intense orgasms. Ash clenched so hard around him he swore he would be getting the soft tape measure out that afternoon to check he hadn’t lost any girth. Swiping that thought away, he pushed in fully to release his load, filling Ash up to the brim. He hadn’t realised just how pent up he had been until his cum was dripping out of his mate’s hole and down his balls.

They both slumped forward, letting their combined weight test the strength of the tumble dryer.

Ash was completely out for the count but after a few minutes of much-needed recovery time Malachai had just enough energy to lift himself and stagger backwards, leaning against the cold wall in a daze. He stared at Ash’s debauched positioning over the white metal box and struggled to hold back another wave of arousal. There wasn’t time for that, they needed to get the hell out of the laundry room.

With great and slightly disgusting difficulty he managed to rustle his and Ash’s clothes back on and pulled his mate into his arms before kicking the door leading back into the kitchen open again. He hauled Ash’s limp body out as carefully as he could, holding him against his chest and allowing his head to loll on his shoulder. There were only two inches of height between them and although Malachai was wider, it didn’t make carrying him easy, Ash was still all muscle.

It took a few minutes for him to even edge out of the closet and lean back against the wall outside, Ash somehow still draped over his front. His breathing was embarrassingly heavy, his stamina had been almost completely depleted from the sex alone, he didn’t know how he was going to get them both up the two floors to his room.

Malachai lifted his head, ready to steel himself to continue his trek but froze at the sight of the pack omega, Sam, staring at him with big, round, blue eyes and a heavy blush laying on his round cheeks. He started a little as their eyes met and glanced left and right, Malachai could tell he was looking for an escape.

“Uh, sorry if you…” He began, feeling his own face heat.

He had no idea how long Sam had been outside or how much he had heard. The kitchen was his territory, he had a reason to be there. Malachai and Ash on the other hand, had no reason to be in the laundry closet.

“I wasn’t…” Sam mumbled, pulling at his long floppy sleeves until they completely covered his little hands. “I only just came in… and I was just leaving…”

Before he could leave Malachai announced, “I don’t know if Markus told you about us, um, Ash and I are mates.”

Sam scrunched his nose before answering, “He didn’t say anything but… I knew a while ago.”

“You did?”

“When you’re the omega people tend to look straight over you, I overhear a lot of conversations without meaning to.”

Malachai wasn’t sure what to say but he settled with, “Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Sam smiled softly, “Can I help you… or him?”

“He’s just a bit sleepy.” Malachai mumbled awkwardly and shifted his hefty mate to the other side of his chest, “I can carry him, I’m more worried about being seen…”

“I’ll lead the way,” Sam offered, “if I see someone coming I’ll cough and you can hide.”

Malachai raised his brows and bobbed his head in that way men did to say ‘nice one’ or ‘not bad’.

“That’s really solid of you, cheers.” He said, and they set off for the third floor.

Sam was true to his word, leading them back to Malachai’s room silently and slowly. Luckily he didn’t have to clear his throat once as the corridors were deserted.

Malachai dumped Ash onto his bed with little grace, his body flopped over the covers and his eyes remained closed.

“I’ll bring up some tea.”

“Oh, you don’t have to- you know you’re not, like, the omega any more, you’re the alpha mate-”

“His throat is going to be sore when he wakes up, some lemon and honey tea will help.”

Malachai blinked, and then his brain made the connection, which came with an unnecessary recap of his mate’s high-pitched screaming bouncing through his mind, a light tingle tickled at the back of his neck at the sound.

“Oh.” He said lamely, the knowledge that his best friend’s mate had definitely heard them having sex was so humiliating he could feel his spine itching.

Sam nodded with an uneasy expression and left, pulling the door closed behind him.

Malachai sighed and scrubbed his hands over his face and then lightly through the very tip of his frohawk. Ash was snoring quietly now, completely oblivious to the mortification that Malachai was wrestling with. That was probably for the best, he thought.

Sam returned with a gentle knock on the door and a small tray in his hands with a teapot and two sets of cups and saucers. He placed it on the side table silently and they exchanged awkward smiles as he left.

Out for the count, Ash slept heavily until long after the teapot had lost its heat. Malachai one-handedly rubbed his back and hips as he dozed, the bubbles of guilt already upsetting his stomach as his brain forced him to recount the scene in the laundry closet. He had been too rough, too dominant, too selfish.

And soon Ash was going to run out of patience for his wolf’s wild behaviour.