Marie Harte - Roane

“What?” Roane liked hearing the words “your mate.” The rest of Doc’s explanation gave him a headache.

“Caitlyn has embraced her beast, to an extent.” Doc sighed. “She came to me the other day with a problem. I told her I would keep this confidential, but I don’t think she can get over this on her own.”

“What’s the problem?” Roane’s tension grew. Was something wrong with her?

“I want you to hear me out before you react.”

“Just tell me.”

“Caitlyn physically desires you all the time.” Roane blinked. “That’s a problem?”

“No, that’s good. That means she’s as fixated on you as you are on her. She recognizes you on a basic level. I’d imagine if I hadn’t put the both of you on such strong birth control, she’d be pregnant by now.”

Satisfaction welled inside him. “Yeah.”

“But there’s a slight problem. Caitlyn has latched on to the alpha of this team. She’s a strong woman. Her instincts are not to submit to you in all things, Roane. She just needs a male strong enough to justify procreation. Sex,” Doc spoke bluntly, apparently seeing Roane’s confusion.

“I still don’t see the problem. I don’t want a slave.” The conversation was beginning to make him uncomfortable. Talking about sex with Doc had that effect.

“My point is that you’ve engaged with the others, ah, sexually. When the mating heat struck.”

He flushed. “So?”

“I think Caitlyn’s been fighting the lure of four unclaimed males in close proximity.

You have Caitlyn, thus your mating heat, and hers, is no longer an issue. But the others are close to their time, and it has to be affecting her. I also think she needs to bond with the men on a sexual level, if only to have that same closeness with them that you do.”

“That’s crazy.” Jealousy speared him, though a part of him recognized Doc’s words as truth, further confusing him.

“Is it? After the five of you bonded that first time, didn’t you feel a part of something more? And didn’t you tell me that your beast recognized them as family only after you’d experienced sexual satisfaction together?”

“Do we really need to talk about this?” he asked in a strangled voice.

“Yes, if you’re planning on keeping Caitlyn.”

“Keeping her? Hell, yes, I’m keeping her. She’s mine.”

“Exactly. So listen to me when I tell you how to hold on to her. She feels terrible that she desires the others. When she explained it to me, though, it sounded more like a need to belong than a need for just sex. Most of the time it’s after she’s experienced coitus with you that she feels the need for more closeness. Oddly, like a pack mentality,” Doc said to himself.

“I’m not sure…” Roane stopped, the scent of Caitlyn’s need too close to ignore. “Shit.” He spun away from Doc and threw open the lab door in time to see Caitlyn advancing on a naked Derrick.

“Roane.” Caitlyn’s husky voice cut through the red hazing his vision. Her eyes flashed from a darker green to light jade. “I need --” She shook her head and seemed to grow even larger, her claws and teeth flashing under the lab lighting. “Yours,” she rasped, nodding at Derrick. “And mine.”

Hearing her claim Derrick pushed him into a rage. The only thing that saved Derrick from a fatal mauling was that he made no move toward Caitlyn. He stood frozen, like prey being stalked by a hungry predator. That, and Caitlyn’s obvious loss of control.

“You see?” Doc said quietly. “It’s an instinctual urge she has. She can’t help it. You need to fix this.”

“Derrick, don’t fucking move.” Roane used everything within him to prevent his change. He needed to stay in control for Caitlyn’s sake. He’d had years of practice and should have remembered how hard it had first been to rein in his basic desires. Doc was right.

Managing their abilities had been rather easy until their first mating heat hit. It had taken fights, blood, and sex before all five of the squad had come to an understanding. A pecking order reaffirmed with dominance and submission…sexually.

“You’d better hurry the hell up, Roane. I can’t take much more of this without throwing her down and fucking the shit out of her.” Derrick groaned, his skin hardening in spots, his eyes vacillating between round and slitted pupils.

“Fuck.” Roane didn’t have time to deal with this any other way. He knew something had been bothering Caitlyn, but he hadn’t wanted to acknowledge it was anything serious.

Just growing pains as she adjusted to her beast. “Doc, do me a favor and locate the others.

Send them to my room right away. I’m going to fix this right now.”

“Finally.” Doc breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll find them. Just go.” Roane stepped between Derrick and Caitlyn and heard Derrick’s low moan. “Go to my room, D. We’ll settle this once and for all.”

“I’m not sure I can move.”

“Caitlyn.” Roane felt the full force of her attention in his cock, which hardened in seconds. “Let Derrick go. I know what you need, baby. Come with me, and I’ll make sure you get it.” He closed the distance between them. Reaching out, he grazed her cheek with his hand.

She stared into his eyes, and the scent around them faded. She didn’t look away from him, even when he heard the door to the lab open and close behind him.

“You want the others bonded to you, as they are to me.” She nodded, her frame relaxing.

“And you want me too, don’t you, hellcat? Deep inside you,” he crooned, needing her right now.

“Yes.” She hissed. “Mine.”

“Exactly.” This wouldn’t be easy, but it had to be done. “Let’s go back to my room then and get the party started.”

Roane forced himself to focus on Caitlyn and her needs. Though everything in him cried out not to do what he had planned, on an instinctual level, he knew this would ease Caitlyn’s problems.

Taking a deep breath, he led Caitlyn, still changed, toward his room. As they walked, he continued to praise her, soothing her with words. His hands stroked her shoulders, her back, her belly. He nuzzled her cheek, allowing her to mark him with her scent.

He deliberately moved slowly, to give the others time to reach his room first. But all too soon, they reached his door.

“Look at me, hellcat.” He waited until she met his gaze. They stood eye to eye. “The others are inside, but you need to remember something.” Roane dropped the shorts and shirt he wore, flowing into his other form with ease. “You belong to me.” He glared down at her, reinforcing his dominance. “They belong to me as well. Remember that.” Her eyes narrowed. Instead of arguing the point, as he expected, she nodded and glanced away, accepting his truth.

“Good.” His low voice rumbled. “Do what I tell you inside.” He cupped her breasts and squeezed, appreciating her firm nipples beneath the thin overshirt she wore.

“I will.” She grabbed his hands on her and caressed his fingers. “You’re in charge.” Her voice quivered with excitement, and Roane knew she could smell the scent of four caged Circs within his room.

He kissed her, nipping her lip with his teeth. Licking the small spot of blood, he let her go and opened the door.

Inside, Derrick, Hale, Zack, and Ace stood waiting.

“Derrick started to fill us in,” Hale said. His hooded gaze told Roane this wouldn’t be as easy as he hoped it might. “Maybe you can tell us exactly what it is you need.” Caitlyn released her scent, and they groaned.

“This is what I was talking about.” Derrick panted.

“This is shooting my control all to hell,” Zack murmured, glancing away from Caitlyn.