When No Doesn't Cut It by Lisa Oliver Read Free Book Online Page B

and then said, “ You know you have got to go back and get him, don’t you.”
    “Didn’t you hear what I said? He refuses to come here unless I allow him to claim me?”
    “And where’s the shame in that?” Malacai shot back.  “So what , he’s a smaller wolf and beta status?  You told me yourself that he took out Levi and Drake and helped you beat a bear shifter.  And the other side of the coin is that you are Damien, fucking Almighty Damien.  If you want to let your mate claim you then that’s your business.”
    “It’s not the status side of things and you know it,” Damien snapped.  “I just can’t let anyone do….that…to me.  You know what I went through the first time I tried that.  I won’t go through it again.”
    “For fucks sake Damien, listen to you.  That was more than 130 years ago.  You were a pup.  You’re 160 years old and you have been alone all that time. This Scott wants to be your equal in just one way.  He is prepared to give up everything he has and asks for one thing in return.  Do you want to be alone for the rest of your hopefully long life?”
    “Of course I don’t,” Damien muttered.
    “And look at the state of you.  You haven’t been able to lead your pack.  There are a lot of rumors going around that you are sick, and this is making you look weak in the eyes of the pack.  The subs in the club all think you are impotent, because you haven’t been near any of them since you got back, and you can just imagine what that is doing to your reputation. You’re setting yourself up to be ousted and probably killed at the next Alpha challenge day.  All because you can’t get past your hang ups about being topped.”
    “But what if he doesn’t know what he ’s doing?  What if…”
    “Have you even talked to him about this?”
    “I explained to you everything that happened while I was away,” Damien snarled.  “I don’t know this guy.  I haven’t slept with him.  We haven’t shared sexual history or anything, and you know it, so what are you getting at?”
    “Well there’s your answer.  God , Damien you are usually a lot more onto it than this.”
    “WHAT?”  Damien roared.  He really didn’t need Malacai to be any more cryptic than he was being - he wanted an answer to his problem.
    “It’s simple.  Get to know the man.  Tell him you will accept his terms and you will allow him to claim you within, say a month.  Do you have a problem with wearing his mating mark?”
    “No, of course not,” Damien said. A mating mark was a badge of honor and was always worn with pride.  While it was also a sign of being claimed in a sexual way, Damien didn’t have a problem with people thinking he had taken it up the ass.  He just didn’t want to actually do it.  Malacai was right in one respect.  He was Damien, damn it, and what he did in the privacy of his bedroom was his business.
    “So there you are .  Go and see him.  Tell him you will allow him to bite you like you did him, and that then you want him to come back here, so the two of you can get to know each other. The mating bond will ensure he will be underneath you soon enough, and if you feel you still can’t let him top you within the month, then hopefully he will be that attached to you he won’t push the issue.”
    Malacai paused and then added, “It would also help, after you do get to know this guy a bit better, if you actually explained to him what your concerns about being topped are.  It is the kind of thing mates share with each other,” Malacai concluded.
    Damien sat thinking about what Malacai said.  He had heard that some mates died if they weren’t with each other , and he couldn’t help but wonder if Scott was coping any better than he was with their separation.  Damien had tried phoning Shawn and Kane a couple of times to find out how Scott was doing, but both men told him politely and firmly it was no longer his concern.  The Cloverleah pack had rallied around