Two Mates for a Magistrate (7 page)

Clearly, this wouldn’t be easy, at least not if he judged by Dietrich’s two outbursts.

“All right,” Wolfram said in a soothing voice. “Now lie down and relax.”

Dietrich looked doubtful but obeyed. He leaned against Fritz and closed his eyes. Wolfram took Dietrich’s hand once more and met Fritz’s eyes. Time stopped, and to Fritz it seemed that he could hear Wolfram’s voice in his head.
Help Dietrich. Together.

* * * *

Wolfram almost couldn’t believe it. He’d gotten here in time.

He’d reached his mates. There was so much he wanted to do and to say, but the urgency lay elsewhere. The beast inside Dietrich struggled to break free, and at this point, Wolfram needed to keep his mind straight and clear to help his mate.

Even if Fritz and Dietrich didn’t know the truth about their connection, they still went with it and relaxed. Wolfram allowed his powers to flow into Dietrich’s body, reaching out to the caged wolf beneath the surface.

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As far as he could tell, Dietrich hated his wolf. He’d tried to suppress the beast, and for that reason, didn’t have any control over it.

Fritz’s presence made things more complicated, arousing the wolf, making it strain against the binding Dietrich set.

It wasn’t easy to move around Dietrich’s magic. There seemed to be different energies steaming inside the other man, beyond those of a spirit wolf. But Wolfram had the experience of ages, and he’d helped many of his people before keep control of their beasts. Their connection clicked into place almost instantly, and their minds linked, allowing Wolfram free rein. The energetic bond extended into Fritz as well, and they found themselves in an ethereal plane, their souls reaching out to each other.

“What’s going on?” Fritz asked, his voice echoing wildly around them.

Dietrich looked just as puzzled. “Is this my mind?”

“Something like that,” Wolfram replied. “Through my powers, we can slip into the astral plane and connect with the wolf within you.

You have to learn how to feel it, tame it through your heart and soul, not force it back.”

A light flashed in front of them, and a black wolf emerged from an opening portal. It looked a bit confused, then, as its eyes fell on Wolfram and Fritz, approached in enthusiasm. It didn’t look so happy when it saw Dietrich. If anything, its expression turned cautious, almost hostile. It even bared its teeth and growled a bit, although it kept its distance.

Dietrich winced at the wolf’s reaction. Wolfram pressed his hand to his mate’s shoulder. “Worry not,” he whispered. “We can deal with this.”

He took Dietrich’s hand and pulled the other man closer to the wolf. Fritz followed behind them, until they reached the animal’s side.

The wolf silently watched them without giving any sign of distress.

Wolfram knelt at the animal’s side and caressed it, smiling as his
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fingers passed over the black silky fur. Fritz did the same, and the wolf let out a low grumble of pleasure.

Wolfram beckoned Dietrich closer and gestured for his mate to approach the beast. The other man didn’t seem convinced, but his eyes shone with clear longing. “Go on,” Wolfram said. “It’s fine.”

Dietrich joined them next to the wolf. At first reluctant, the animal gently stepped forward and nudged its master with its snout. After a few moments of hesitance, Dietrich pressed his face into the wolf’s fur.

Wolfram didn’t know how long they just sat there like that. Time had no meaning in the astral plane. Finally, the wolf began to glow.

Wolfram got up and stepped away, taking Fritz with him. The shine became so intense it would have hurt Wolfram’s eyes had this taken place in real life. Dimly, he caught sight of the beast dissipating into millions of fragments and slipping into Dietrich.

When the light died out, Wolfram went to his mate. Dietrich was breathing hard, but leaned into his caress. “Thank you,” he said in a choked voice. “Thank you so much. I had no idea.”

“It’s all right,” Wolfram replied. “Everybody makes mistakes.

You still have a lot to learn, but you’ll find out everything in time.”

Dietrich lifted his eyes and gave Wolfram a penetrating look. “I don’t want to make any more mistakes, so I’ll ask outright. Are you my mate or is Fritz?”

Wolfram didn’t know how to reply. He took a deep breath and allowed his powers to lead them out of the astral plane. He opened his eyes to the sight of the Trier hotel room. His mates seemed confused and lost, but Dietrich’s gaze soon cleared. He was waiting for an answer, and Wolfram owed him, and Fritz, that much. “We are both your mates, Dietrich,” he replied, “just like you and Fritz are mine.”

“Please, back up,” Fritz piped in. “I don’t understand anything anymore. What’s a mate? Is it like with wolves in the wild?”

“In a way, only it seems some of us can have more than one mate.” Wolfram sighed. He himself no longer grasped the true
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essence of the mating concept. For a long time, he’d thought mating with humans would be impossible, but already, he’d seen two examples that refuted this belief. “It’s very complicated, more so when it involves humans. We claim our mates through a bite, but at the same time, this bite transmits the feral virus I was talking about earlier, driving humans insane.”

Both Fritz and Dietrich gaped at him. “So how is this possible, then?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know myself. We’re still studying things, analyzing possibilities. But in the past few years, I’ve seen several spirit wolves mate a human in a three-way bond. It seems to circumvent and defeat the virus.”

His mates didn’t speak. Wolfram knew it would be a lot to take in, especially for Fritz. “Do you want me to give you a moment alone?”

he asked.

Fritz shook his head. “Sit down. I’ll get us some beer, and we can unwind a bit. If you go, we’ll never get to know each other. I hope Marcus and Sebastian won’t mind.”

Wolfram smiled to himself as Fritz proceeded to scan the small kitchen of the hotel room. Perhaps this wasn’t so hopeless after all.

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A few hours later, Dietrich suggested they go out for a walk around Trier. He was sick of hotel rooms, and he wanted to acquaint himself with the little town once more. Wolfram wanted to look around for Fritz’s ex a bit, and Fritz seemed pensive. The human had called in sick, so they couldn’t wander about for too long, but Dietrich would enjoy the moment while it lasted.

So far, he hadn’t managed to visit the place where his home used to stand. His heart ached at the thought, and with so many things going on, he’d pushed it aside. Perhaps his mates could help him.

He’d spent far too long fearing this, and sharing it with Wolfram and Fritz might ease the burden on his heart.

He already felt much better, with the wolf no longer howling in anger within him. For the first time in his life, he was at peace. Sure, confusion still whirled inside of him, mostly rotating around his mates. But he trusted, in time, that might change.

His steps led him in the direction of the cottage—or rather, where the cottage had been. Fritz and Wolfram didn’t question him. They walked behind him, chatting, laughing together. Well, Fritz laughed, something that made Dietrich a bit more optimistic about the entire thing. His appearance in Fritz’s life had shaken the human greatly, and it was a testament to Fritz’s strength that the other man didn’t choose to run and hide.

Wolfram just smiled in his mysterious, reserved way. Dietrich supposed an important man didn’t give up his composure easily. He couldn’t help but wonder how Wolfram was when he did lose control.

The thought translated into Wolfram in a sexual context, preferably
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with Dietrich and Fritz involved. He shook himself, but his mate must have somehow caught onto the thought. His eyes were hot, and Dietrich could smell the scent of arousal gravitating around them.

Grinning, Dietrich made a mental note to explore all possibilities later. First, he had to share this with his mates. He couldn’t explain the compelling urge to do so, but sometimes, in life, one just needed to go with the flow and follow his instinct.

Trier had, indeed, changed a lot since Dietrich’s last time here, but he still found his former home with ease. Unsurprisingly, a different building stood in its place, a two-story residence. Dietrich stared at it, the walls melting under his eyes, the structure turning into a smaller, old cottage. He could almost see his mother coming out the door, meeting him when he came home from playing in the river. “You’ll get a cold,” she’d say. Of course, he never did. His abilities—whether from the spirit wolf side of the family or the inherited magic—kept him safe from most illnesses and injuries. But Aarika still liked to fuss over him, and Dietrich liked to let her.

“I used to live here with my mother,” he told his mates.

“Where is she now?” Fritz asked.

“She died. I don’t have any other family.” The memory didn’t hurt so much, not when he spoke of it to his mates. “I think my father was killed by the ferals, although I can’t be sure.”

“I’m sorry,” Fritz whispered. “I shouldn’t have asked.”

“It’s okay. It was a long time ago. What about you?”

Fritz shrugged. “My parents and I aren’t very close. They live in Berlin now. I visit occasionally, but other than that, we don’t speak much.” He paused. “You know, it’s strange. The family living here has owned the house for as long as I can remember.”

Wolfram smiled. “Many years ago has a different meaning for spirit wolves, Fritz.”

Dietrich nodded. “To give you a clue, my mother and I were chased out of town during the witch trials.”

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Fritz didn’t reply for a few moments. When he finally spoke, his voice trembled a little. “T–The Trier witch trials? But they were four hundred years ago.”

“Four hundred thirty, to be more exact,” Dietrich amended. “Yes, I am quite old, although Wolfram is probably older.”

“I should take offense, but it is true. I’ve been around for over six hundred years now.”

Fritz’s eyes went from him to Wolfram in dismay. It seemed to Dietrich his mate was finally processing some of what happened in the past twenty-four hours or so. It couldn’t be easy, and even if, sometimes, Fritz seemed to forget about it, comprehension must be slowly dawning.

“Maybe we should go rest for a while,” Wolfram suggested. “It’s been a taxing day, for everyone.”

Fritz nodded, still looking a bit dazed. “We can reach my place on foot from here.”

They made their way to Fritz’s little apartment. Dietrich had a flashback of coming here just the day before. Mixed emotions coursed through him, arousal and apprehension both fighting to take hold of him. The blowjob from Fritz rocked his world, but at the same time, remembering his aggression toward his mate frightened him.

Things would be different now, though. Perhaps he didn’t have complete control over the wolf, but neither was the beast savage, like before. In case anything happened, Wolfram would be here to keep Fritz safe.

Fritz unlocked the door and led them both inside. He dropped the keys on a little table and plopped down on the couch. “One thing is for sure, your lives are certainly eventful.”

“Stressful is more like it,” Wolfram replied. He smiled, but Dietrich could hear the slight strain in his voice.

It occurred to Dietrich that Wolfram was over two centuries older than him. The burden of loneliness weighed heavily on Dietrich since
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his mother’s death. Did Wolfram have someone, or did he spend all these years alone?

“Is there someone else in your life, someone special?” he asked.

He wondered if spirit wolves could even fall in love with someone other than their mates. “A family?”

Wolfram looked surprised. “Not like you mean, no. I have a good friend. His name is Klaus. I’d like to introduce him to you one day.

He’s been my support all throughout these years.”

Dietrich read something more in Wolfram’s words. This Klaus must have been Wolfram’s lover at one point. He kept his mouth shut, however. He should be thankful his mate hadn’t been alone.

If only Dietrich had not closed his heart to his wolf. He suspected he’d have found Wolfram much sooner. He should have been next to Wolfram, helping his mate through his duties. He’d let fear and hatred rule, and lost so much because of it.

He wondered why his mother always told him to keep the wolf in check. Perhaps she’d feared he would turn feral. He doubted she’d known all the details Wolfram had given him. Either way, it didn’t matter anymore. Dietrich vowed to never let his mates be alone, ever again.

Wolfram smiled tightly. “I want you to know nothing is compulsory here. If you want to be alone together, I don’t have any problem with it. Or, we could take things as slow as you’d like.”

Dietrich didn’t like the sound of that. He realized he’d been so caught up in his own emotions he’d completely missed Wolfram’s.

He shared a look with Fritz and saw the same realization in the human’s eyes. Wolfram held an entire nation on his shoulders and juggled so many responsibilities. No wonder his hair had become just a bit gray. Such an existence would tire anyone.

“None of that,” Fritz replied. His voice held no hesitation or confusion now. “I thought we established we’d get to know each other together.”

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Wolfram opened his mouth to protest, but Fritz got off the couch and crossed the distance between them. He pressed his mouth to Wolfram’s, shutting the other man up. Dietrich didn’t move a muscle, just watching his two mates kiss. His cock hardened instantly, the sexy display awakening all his carnal instincts.

He could see the tension flow out of Wolfram, and to a certain extent, he could feel it. Wolfram and Fritz held onto their lip-lock for quite some time, while Dietrich burned to join them. He watched their tongues duel, their bodies rub against each other, and wanted nothing more than to touch them as well.