Ryan turned to look at him with his eyebrows raised.“You mean to tell me I’ve been calling you masterall this time?” He struggled to get out of Blayde’s lap, but he held onto him easily.

“Now, baby. I like the way you call me Alpha.”

“Oh, I’ll bet you do!” He wrenched himself out of Blayde’s lap and gave him a long look. Turning on his heel, he rushed out of the room and down the hall.

As he stalked into the bedroom, he could hear Blayde sigh deeply. “Shit. I suppose I’d better go take care of that.”

* * * * Ryan was by the window and stood there fidgeting restlessly as Blayde came in. He whirled around to face him, but only gave him a quick glance and turned his back on him again, staring back out at the desolate landscape.

Blayde leaned against the door frame. “What now, Ryan? Angry at me because I tricked you into calling me master?I’m sorry, baby, but it was kind of a joke.”

“I don’t know, Blayde,” Ryan said softly.“Are you sure you don’t like it?”

Blayde straightened up in irritation and forced himself to speak calmly.“Well, hell, of course I like it. You know I like to bein charge, but I won’t force the issue if you hate it so much. The relationship between Lycans and their mates is an ancient tradition.I’m the head of our household, and I make the decisions for both of us.I’ll make sure you are happy and satisfied, and I’ll take care of you always. Your only duty is to me.It’s your job to give me pleasure, just as it’s my job to see to your pleasure. I told you back on the ship that you must trust me to care for you.That’s just the way it is for Lycans, and I have no desire to change it.I’ll do anything to clear your name and secure our future together. If calling me Alpha, or acting submissive is that much of a strain for you, though, then I’ll try to tone it down some. I want you to be happy.”

At Ryan’s continued silence, Blayde stepped further into the room, closing the door behind him. Nervous, despite his confident words, he edged closer to his lover.“When we get to the Lycandelegation’s embassy, you’ll see how their mates behave.They don’t stomp and yell and give their mates dirty looks.Some of them wear a thong and sit at their mates’ feet. In contrast, I’ve been pretty damn lenient with you, and patient.Are you listening to me, Ryan?”

Ryan turned slowly around and regarded Blayde with those glittering green eyes. His long lashes lowered, almost sweeping his cheeks as he dropped his gaze to the floor.“Oh, I’m listening, Blayde.I was just wondering when you’re going to stop lecturing me and start showing me the discipline I need.You’re always telling me you’re in charge.Why don’t you show me? I’ve been prettybad. A good master would take care of that.”

Blayde hissed in a breath and took another step toward his mate, his heart suddenly thumping loudly in his chest.“But I thought…you seemed angry when you left the room just then.”

“Not angry, Blayde. Surprised. Excited. Thinking about how, as my master, you can make me do anything you want. And how, as a good mate, I can please you. I want to please you, Blayde.”

Ryan’s words went straight to Blayde’s cock and his erection was straining now against his pants.“You’re right, sweetheart. I need to take care of you very badly.Take off your clothes.”

Ryan quickly unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it off, folding it neatly and placing it on a nearby dresser. He took off his jeans and underwear and placed them alongside his shirt. He turned to face Blayde then, eyes still downcast, the only hint of his excitement in the slight flush along his cheeks and the rapid rising and falling of his chest. That and the huge erection now curving up in front of him.

“Stand by the bed, pet.”

Dutifully, Ryan crossed to the bed. Blayde came up behind him.“Lean over and put your hands on the mattress.”

When he was in place, his rounded ass held up invitingly, Blayde put a hand under his stomach to support him.“I think five will be enough for this infraction, don’t you, baby? Be still, and take your punishment like a good boy.”

“Yes, Blayde,” Ryan said softly, shivering with what Blayde hoped was excitement. With his hand under Ryan’s stomach, he could feel Ryan’s erection bobbing against his hand as he shifted his weight a bit. His mate was excited, all right. His erection was hard and hot against his hand. Blaydecouldn’t resist brushing the back of his hand against it.

“Ready, sweetheart?” he asked. Then brought his other hand down smartly on the pretty cheeks in front of him, spanking Ryan squarely in the middle of his ass. Ryan grunted and shifted his feet again.

“Be still. Stop fidgeting.You’ve been bad, as you said, and you deserve this.”

“Yes, Blayde.I’m sorry, sir.”

Blayde spanked him twice more in rapid succession, and Ryan moaned softly. After quickly checking to make sure Ryan’s cock was still hard, he laid down two more hard slaps at the bottom of his ass, lifting Ryan off his feet, and then pulling him sharply back against his groin, grinding Ryan’s sweet ass into his by-now painful erection, and holding him up off his feet by one hand on his stomach and the other on his chest.

Ryan let his head fall back on Blayde’s shoulder, breathing rapidly and making soft, little whimpering sounds.“Are you going to be a good boy now?”

“Yes, Blayde,” he breathed softly.

Unable to stand it a moment longer, Blayde laid him gently face down on the bed and almost ripped off his clothes. He found the lube by the bed, and put a hand underneath Ryan again, not trusting his voice to speak. He nudged Ryan up to his knees and quickly spread lube over his little pink hole.“I’m going to make love to you, darling.”

“Yes, please, Blayde,” Ryan answered, looking at him over his shoulder with a sexy, shy little smile that almost made Blayde come right then and there. Blayde took a deep breath and climbed onto the bed behind him, easing in one finger and sweeping it forward to find his prostate. He pressed gently against it and Ryan relaxed even more, groaning and opening for him. He bent down and bit down on Ryan’s beautiful pink ass-cheek, then licked away the sting. Another finger joined the first and Ryan began to rock back against him, urging him for more.

“You ready, baby?” Blayde nudged his cock into the crease of Ryan’s ass and found his target. Blayde was so hard and ready now he was leaking pre cum. He looked down at his large cock, as it thrustits way inside Ryan’s pink and white ass and groaned aloud. He eased his cock inside Ryan slowly and then slowly pulled out again.He took hold of Ryan’s cock and began to stroke it to the same rhythm. Blayde was consumed with passion and desire for his sweet mate who was squirming beneath him and panting hard now as he received pleasure from Blayde, who controlled his every move. If Ryan moved forward, he’d pull away from Blayde’s cock, and if he moved back, he’d lose the pleasure Blayde’s hand was giving him.

Blayde could sense his feelings of confusion as he hung there, unsure of what to do, then finally giving in and allowing his master to see to his pleasure. He could tell the exact moment of Ryan’s complete surrender, when his arms gave way and he sagged forward with a loud moan, accepting Blayde’s control and domination. With the next few strokes, Ryan came explosively, screaming out his pleasure, and Blayde followed him in seconds, emptying his balls into his mate’s ass, and keeping him impaled there at the end of his cock until his shuddering climax ended. Reluctantly, he pulled out then and let Ryan fall to the bed, and he fell down beside him, putting his leg over Ryan possessively and pulling him close.

When he could talk again, he put his hand on Ryan’s cheek and stroked it softly until Ryan opened his eyes and gazed at him with big pupils, blown with pleasure.“From now on, sweetheart, I will have to administer your discipline more frequently.I can see I’ve let you go far too long.”

Ryan’s lips curved into a sleepy smile as his eyelids lowered. “Mm, yes, Blayde. I think I need a lot more of your attention in the future.”

“Well, baby,” Blayde said softly. “I’m not sure if you’ve really learned your lesson. Before we get to the embassy, I may need to teach you a bit more about how good mates should act. Let me rest a moment,and we’ll continue.”

* * * * “No, Blayde, I’m sorry,I’m not trying to be difficult, really, but it’s just not good enough!” Ryan shook his head firmly and folded his arms across his chest. They were in their rooms at the sprawling Lycan embassy complex, located in the heart of New Washington on Earth. They had arrived two days before, their small delegation consisting of Ryan and Blayde, Kyle and Nikolai. Lucas had stayed behind on Lycanus 3, with pressing concerns at the mining operation, but he had been in contact with the Lycan ambassador through holo-cam on and off for the past two days. Blayde had just come from a meeting with the ambassador and presented Ryan with the latest news about their negotiations.

“Ryan, b e reasonable. The agreement Lucas has hammered out with the ambassador is very reasonable, and quite beneficial to us, I might add. Did you understand they are prepared to give you asylum on Lycanus and Lycanus 3, and the Alliance won’t dare violate that? We won’t even have to move!You’ll be safe now, sweetheart, and they won’t be able to touch you without starting a nasty intergalactic incident. Once the Alliance finds out about the agreement, they won’t dare start anything.”

“But what about the judge? Doesn’t anything happen to him? He murdered my friend, Blayde.He could do the same to someone else if we don’t stop him! Besides, that means I can’t ever leave the planet to accompany you on your tripsunless it’s to Lycanus!We’ll be just like that Gunnar and Ivan!”

“ Once we notify the Alliance about this, Judge Partland will know, Ryan.He’ll be far more circumspect in the future.And as for traveling, I’ll just stay on Lycanus 3 and help out with the mines.I won’t leave you, baby.”

“You’d hate that! And as for the judge, what difference will it make if he knows we’re onto him?He’ll hide the bodies a little better next time?” Ryan ran his hand through his hair, just beginning to grow back in. Hedidn’t mind the golden curls, though his short hair had been much less trouble, but Blayde wouldn’t allow him to cut it, and had, in fact, threatened him severely if he so much as touched it with the scissors.He’d had to resort to time-outs and threats, because Ryan enjoyed the spankings way too much, especially since they almost always ended with sex.