Matthew - The Shadows Dance 

I strolled home under the full moon with a lot on my mind. I had only a glance at Ares’ young mate as a girl. She seemed gracious and well mannered. She spoke easily and confidently with her packmates. Her wolf was smaller than Token, but of course she’s still growing. Her speed was incredible, and I’ve no doubt she will be formidable in combat.  

I am grateful her mother gave me an opening to get away. I am not sure when, or how, Ares and her parents plan to tell her about us. I really don’t know how this has happened and I only hope Ares’ grandmother, Etta, has an answer. I thought things were already complicated for us. 

I shifted back as I approached our little house and let myself in through the back door. Ares was home after delivering the food. We were supposed to pick up and deliver together, but Ares has been told to avoid the girl completely for now, so I picked it up, and he delivered it. It gave me the chance, not only to see her wolf, but to run with our new packmates on a beautiful moonlit night. 

I found Ares in the armchair, staring at the television, but not really watching. He turned his attention to me, “So?” Anxiety was written all over his face. I moved to him and sat on his lap, cupping his face in my hands and sharing a brief kiss. 

“Nothing,” I said. “I have no bond with her.” 

“Matthew, I just don’t understand this. How do I have two mates, at once?” 

He calmed down with my touch, proving that our mate-bond was as strong as ever. “I don’t know, my love. Perhaps we should visit Etta?” 

He nodded in silence.  

Etta isn’t just Ares’ grandmother. She’s one of the oldest wolves in this region. She also is our historian, called a lore keeper. She knows nearly everything there is to know about werewolves, our history, and why strange things happen. I knew from some point in high school that Ares was my mate, but I didn’t know why. Same-sex mates are completely unheard of in recent generations. Etta insists it still happens, but no one talks about it. A lot of wolves die from the rejections, often forced by their family or their Alpha to reject each other. Afterwards it’s all kept a secret. 

Ares already has some questionable qualities. He met Timber and shifted at the age of 6, but he knew that wasn’t normal. He didn’t tell anyone, but it also meant he knew he was mated to me. Again, he didn’t know why, but he knew it made him different and being different made him a target. So again, he kept it all to himself. Once I knew he was my mate, I, too, hid the truth as long as I could. 

He was cold and hard to me for a few years. Until my 19th birthday, we both cracked. As the son of the Alpha, the whole pack was brought together to celebrate me. He and I spent the whole night trading glances. When things got quiet, late into the night, I tried to find him again. Eventually I gave up and climbed the stairs to the second floor and headed to my room. Before I opened the door, I could smell him. 

I hesitated just a breath before swinging the door open and then closing and locking it behind me. I didn’t see him, but his scent was amazing, and having it all around me felt so good. I felt his presence before I saw him. We reached for each other, wordlessly. I had barely registered the pleasure it was to touch, hand to hand, when our mouths came together. My hands went to his head, my fingers tangled in his hair. His hands tugged at my shirt, pulling it free from my pants, and then pulling it up before greedily gripping my bare skin at my waist. Ares not-so-gently pushed me against my bedroom door, tearing his lips from mine, he nipped at my earlobe. 

“I need you,” he growled out in such a way that I shivered with expectation. “Give yourself to me!” 

I nipped at his neck and jawline before answering, “I am yours.” Another nip, more of a bite on his neck, “You are mine.” 

We performed an unrehearsed lust-filled dance, each of us tearing at the other’s clothes, touching, kissing, biting, all while moving through my room until we landed on my plush couch.  

A MORE DETAILED SCENE IS AVAILABLE ON MY PATREON!