Free When No Doesn't Cut It by Lisa Oliver

what, don’t approve?”
    Scott laughed as he picked up another piece of bacon.  He was surprised to find that he was hungry.   “I know about the lifestyle, Damien.” 
    He blushed a little and then thought, to hell with it , this was his mate and he owed him the truth.  “I had a bit of an on-again, off-again, fling with Claude of the Tulsa, Oklahoma pack.  Claude was into the lifestyle and I used to sub for him when he did demonstrations and stuff like that, sometimes.  Only scenes in public; sex in private.  But I didn’t get off on the scenes, although I like a bit of kink as much as the next man.  I know for a fact I’m not a sub in that respect.”
    “Claude,” Damien said with a bit of a growl . “He’s the Alpha there, isn’t he?   Runs his own club, like I do?”
    “On a much smaller scale,” Scott assured him.  He laughed.  “You know Claude is going to kill himself laughing when he finds out you and I are mated.  We both thought our mates would be little twinks who were loving and adoring and needed taking care of.  That’s why we broke up,” he said looking at Damien again.
    “Why, because you weren’t a bottom boy?”
    “No, that’s not it at all ,” Scott said indignantly.  “It was because we weren’t true mates.  Oh we had some fun, and we liked each other, but I knew I had to stop screwing around if I wanted to meet my mate, so I broke up with him.  We’re still friends.  Oh, and for your information I’m a switch,” he added as he popped some steak into his mouth.  Hmmm, the food tasted good and he was already starting to feel his strength return as he ate.
    “So you’ve topped before,” Damien said as he kept eating.  The man’s plate was almost empty and Scott realized that Damien had probably had the same problems eating as he ’d had while they were apart.
    “More times than I can count, and bottomed just as often.  It really doesn’t bother me , either way.” 
    Scott thought for a moment and then said, “Look I know you were shocked by my condition for being mated with me , and I probably should have explained it to you.  It’s just you came bowling into my life like a force ten gale.  I knew I would have to give up my home, my job, my pack, and my twin to be with you.  I also knew that I was always going to be inferior to you.  I’m a beta wolf, not an Alpha.  I don’t have a lot of skills and you…well you’re Damien.  I don’t bring a lot to this partnership at all, I realize that.  But in this pack, we double mate and that has always been important to me, and I didn’t think it was too much to ask from a true mate.”
    “It’s not,” said Damien , shoveling the last of his steak into his mouth.  He looked across at Scott’s plate that was still half full and Scott pushed it towards him.  Scott was already feeling a lot better, although if it was the steak or the presence of his mate, he wasn’t sure.  His wolf was a lot happier, he could sense that much, and he knew at some stage he was going to have to ask Shawn how to release the blocks in his mind so that he and Damien could share the mind meld as well.
    “Yes, well,” Scott said, a tinge of pink hitting his cheeks again, “If I’d known it was an issue for you I probably would have found a better way of broaching it.  I’m not going to back down,” he said, looking Damien straight in the eye. “But I am hoping you will feel better about it once we get to know each other.  I’m not going to push to do it straight away.”
    “A month.  I ’ll submit to you within the month.  You have my word,” Damien said quietly.  “And look, about all of the other things you said.  To me you are not an inferior wolf.  You are and will be, the Alpha Mate.  You are now half owner of my club, our house, and all that I have.  The Alpha Mate status is special because our pack hasn’t had one of those for over 150 years, but believe me, in terms of ranking, it’s