You have to say goodbye

You don't know when, but you ended up falling asleep during the night. Dakota is still very much deep inside you, though the Alpha asleep as well. You yawn and smile at the older man. That was probably the best sleep you've gotten since you were a kid. If you manage to get him into the pack, you definitely will be demanding to sleep like this every night.

The two of you can't stay like this though. You can hear some movement outside of the room. Time's up. You have to separate from your bonded mate.

"Dakota." you whisper, gently shaking his shoulder, "Dakota, get up. We have to go."

The older man groans, but slowly opens his eyes. They soften a bit at the sight of you, but you know it can't last. "Come on lover boy." you tease, "You have to get up. And not in the way you want to."

He chuckles and takes himself out of you. You moan, both in pain and displeasure. You definitely will be sore for quite a while after the pounding you took, but you feel it was worth it. Especially if the two of you can pull off your little charade.

Thankful that you wore a turtleneck to this meeting, you get dressed. Across the room, Dakota does the same. His bite is a bit lower than yours, so the jacket he has covers it well. You can't help put look him over. Despite the worn state of his clothes, he's just as hot to you dressed as he is naked. He catches you looking and grins, giving you a bit of a show as he wiggles into his jeans. "Like what you see, baby boy?"

"Very much so, my Alpha." you say, frowning a moment later, "I don't want to say goodbye."

"Neither do I." he admits, "But we have to." He pauses, listening to the chatter outside before walking over to you. He leans down to whisper in your ear. "Be good and Daddy will give you a treat when this is all over."

A blush settles across your cheeks before you playfully push him away. "Keep your mind out the gutter, Alpha."

He laughs at you, but his response is cut off as the door opens. In the doorway are your respective pack leaders. "Come Dakota."

Reluctantly, your Alpha obeys. You watch him go, reminding yourself that he will be okay. It's just a few weeks. He'll be in your arms before you know it. You have to believe that, because it he doesn't come back... Well, breaking a bond isn't the only way to kill you.

"Rowan."

You sigh and head to Khayone. You can't tell him anything. If he knew, he'd demand you march straight to the Counsel. You can't risk Dakota's life.

"Are you hurt?"

"No, just a bit sore."

Together, the two of you enter the main chamber. The Red Fang have already left the building. The other bottoms seem to relax a bit at the sight of you. Some of them look okay, but others...

"Sam, did you fight a bear or something?"

Your friend gives a laugh, ignoring the hard gaze of his father. "Nah, that Red Fang bastard just got a bit too handsy. You should have seen him though, got a lot more than he asked for."

You laugh and lead your pack out of the room. It's over and time to go home. You'll see how successful the others were in a couple of months, but you... You already know Dakota's pups are growing inside of you.