Hunting Henry Moon Pack, Book 8
Amber Kell
Published by Silver Publishing Publisher of Erotic Romance
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DEDICATION
This is for everyone who ever longed to be something or someone different.
Hunting Henry
Amber Kell
PROLOGUE Lorus Korl looked at the vial of blood, examining it for flaws. Perfect. After
a
year
of
careful
research
and
experimentation, he'd finally found the perfect animal test subject. All the results corroborated the small, white wolf in his cage having a shifter somewhere in his family tree. Looking over at the beautiful creature who watched him with uncomprehending blue eyes, Lorus almost felt sorry for it, but science deserved no boundaries. Besides, the fae kingdom couldn't be overthrown with the meager amount of mutants he currently had under his control and the pool for conversion kept getting smaller. "Sorry, pal, but you're the next step now that those damned shifters are starting to avoid me." He'd exhausted most of his genetic master list to find this particular animal. Alerted to his experiments, full shifters were watching their more distant cousins. Except this guy, he was an anomaly. Lorus had captured the entire pack because indications said they might have genetic material to convert to mutants. This wolf was just the beginning. Setting the blood sample aside, he reached into the mini-fridge and pulled out the conversion liquid. If this 1
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worked like it should, the little wolf would soon be a large mutant. Punching a needle through the serum's vial, he pulled back the plunger and filled the cavity with the yellow fluid. Holding the needle carefully, he indicated to his helpers to grab the wolf. One of his mutants reached in to grab the animal. Lorus didn't bother learning their names. He didn't want to become attached to men he was more than likely going to send to their deaths. They were a means to an end, not his new best friends. The wolf whimpered as they put him on the operating table. Its claws scrabbled for purchase. "Shhh, little guy." Lorus pushed a bit of calming magic at the creature. It would be too difficult to inject the wolf if he moved around. With careful precision, he plunged the needle into the meaty part of the wolf's thigh. It let out a high yelp. "Put him in the big cage," Lorus ordered. "We'll name him Dakota." After all, they found him in that particular state. If the wolf turned out as big as he hoped, they'd need the bigger cage for this new strain of soldier. Giving a triumphant smile to his assistant, he tossed the needle in the Sharps container. 2
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"Should I get the next wolf prepared?" One of Lorus's greatest successes, Blake, offered to retrieve another test subject. Blake was one of the few Lorus bothered to know, the mutant made a good second in command, making sure everything went smoothly. "No. Let's see what happens with this one. We don't want to inject a bunch of wolves at once before we know their reaction time." "What are you going to do if he transforms?" Blake asked. "Start a new army. A few hundred mutants are no match for the king's fae forces. We must recruit others to our cause. You were the first step. This wolf is our next. Then we need to persuade more shifters of the benefit of being a mutant. If I can convert at least one werekin pack, I'll have the upper hand. I'm hoping to get the Moon Pack on board. Once I depose King Linnel, I'm going to need a figurehead. Anthony Carrow will be the perfect king, and once I have his mate under my control, he won't be able to say no." The beauty of controlling Silver would be having a ready-made pack to convert and holding the desired king by the short hairs. "Yes, Anthony will be perfect." Whistling under his breath, Lorus leaned over his chemistry set ready to make more serum. 3
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**** He woke up shivering, with no fur. A whimper escaped his throat like a trapped fox with nowhere to go. Where was his coat? "Shhh, take it easy," a deep voice murmured. The sound calmed him a bit. He understood what the poor almost-wolf said. Blinking, he tried to adjust to the bright world around him. "Wh-what's going on?" "You can talk!" The mutant leaned close to the cage. "Your name is Dakota. Listen to me very carefully. If you want to survive, this is what you're going to do…"
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CHAPTER ONE Henry Moon slid a pecan pie into the oven and closed the door. He knew his boss's mate, Anthony Carrow, would give him a pleased smile when the demigod got a look at the dessert for the night; it was his favorite. If the Alpha Mate worked late, well, Henry would send it by courier to his office. As the main cook at the pack house, Henry took his responsibilities seriously. He had heard Silver Moon, the pack leader, telling Anthony to hire an assistant. Henry hoped the Alpha Mate listened. Silver might be the wolf Alpha, but Anthony could just as easily take someone down and do it with a charming smile. The demigod used his charisma to coax people to do things his way while Silver used the strength of his Alpha abilities to bend others to his will. Henry rubbed his neck, pleased at the slight tingle. A few months ago, the Alpha Mate learned he could place a lightning bolt brand on pack members and call them in times of trouble. Last night, Henry had requested Anthony mark him. Anthony complied, knowing how much Henry needed to feel like he belonged with the Moon Pack. Now Henry felt like part of the family. Not the pack. If he could, Henry would leave his wolf part behind forever. Being a wolf had never brought him anything but scars and grief. 5
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However the Moon Pack was more than a group of wolves, they were a family who took care of each other and supported their community as a group. There would never be enough Henry could do to pay back the people who took him in when he was battered and broken. Silver had saved him. When the Moon Pack Alpha discovered Henry's former pack leader's abusive ways, Silver dismantled the entire pack and allowed Henry to kill the Alpha himself. For that act alone, Silver would always hold a special place in Henry's heart even if Henry felt more comfortable around Anthony. In general, Henry stayed away from the others unless they needed something to eat. He wasn't a recluse, he mingled when they came to the kitchen, but he didn't go up to the club. Ever. The feel of hundreds of bodies surrounding him on all sides brought back memories better left in the past or during bedtime nightmares. Anthony offered to find him a therapist who specialized in shifters, but Henry refused. He couldn't discuss his past, talking about his time in his old pack made the memories too real. He preferred them shoved into the farthest corner of his mind, even if they did occasionally escape and visit him in his dreams. Pushing things below the surface had to be all right sometimes. No one gave 6
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memory suppression the credit it deserved. A knock at the back door pulled his mind away from his maudlin thoughts. Occasionally pack members came through the rear kitchen entrance to grab a snack and avoid the madness of the busy club. Not that he blamed them, but they didn't always pick a convenient time. Sighing, Henry wiped off his hands before walking around the counter and pulling open the outside door. He half-expected to see the big tiger, Dare, who came through the back entrance the most. "I swear I'm going to get you a key for the kitchen," Henry grumbled good-naturedly. He could never stay mad at Dare. The big lunk had a kind nature and a ready smile for anyone who crossed his path, unlike Dare's cranky mate, Steven. Swinging the door open, he froze. There wasn't a tiger on his doorstep, but two men who were an odd study of contrasts. One man, tall with brown hair and black eyes, wore worn jeans and a T-shirt and smelled vaguely of bird. The second, smaller man reeked of wolf with his white hair, arctic blue eyes, and blue scrubs. The bird-scented man spoke first. "I'm Leif, a friend of Dare's. I found this wolf and didn't know where else to take him. I called Dare and he said to bring him here. 7
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Anthony and Silver are on their way. The guy says his name is Dakota." Dakota looked so cold that his skin tone almost overtook his eyes in its intensity of blueness. "Come in." Henry was more than happy to let the sad-eyed creature into his kitchen. Although he would've let the poor shivering man in anyway, Henry let out a sigh of relief, glad he didn't have to worry about Silver's response to letting a strange wolf in his territory. "Have a seat. I'll get you something to eat." Leif shook his head. "I can't stay. I just wanted to make sure Dakota was safe before I left. I've got an appointment." "Oh, all right. I'll watch out for him." Henry couldn't very well toss the poor thing outside. Shivers racked the blond man's body as he stood in the heated kitchen. Henry absently stroked the shaking wolf's head. He stopped when he realized his actions were not only too familiar, but that Dakota's head wasn't covered in hair, but fur. How was that even possible? Every shifter he'd ever known always shifted completely back to human. Sure, they could shift hands to claws if needed, but hair always converted back. Henry took another sniff. The smaller man smelled 8
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of the rain outside, wolf, and an additional elusive scent Henry found overwhelmingly appealing. Mate! Oh no. He wouldn't go there. He couldn't be the small wolf's mate. He had too many scars in his mind and on his body to be a good match for any man. Henry stepped away from the tempting Dakota. "Tell Dare to call me if he needs anything more." Leif gave him an odd look. "Will do." There was an odd awkward moment after the bird shifter left and the two men stared at each other. Henry didn't know what to do with his unusual visitor. The man didn't smell like a shifter, human with accents of wolf. He smelled more like a wolf with hints of human. Mate. Henry's inner wolf nudged him again with a yip of glee. Reflexively, he stepped back from the man. Ice encased his soul. He couldn't have a mate! He could barely take care of himself, and from the looks of the shivering man before him, the smaller guy needed a lot of care. Not to mention the hospital scrubs didn't inspire any confidence. The man could be an escapee from a mental hospital for all Henry knew. "What are you?" "I am a wolf," the man said in halting English. 9
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"Not like any wolf shifter I've ever seen." Dakota shook his head. "Not a shifter, a wolf." Henry stared at the stranger for a moment, unable to think of a response to Dakota's announcement. He went into default mode. "Are you hungry?" Everything was better with a full stomach. Dakota gave a hesitant nod. "Let's feed you, then we'll figure out what to do." A slight smile covered the other man's face, making Henry's heart patter in his chest. Damn, he needed to get Dakota out of his kitchen before his wolf forced him to do something irreversible like mate with the confused man. Henry pulled a rare steak from the refrigerator. After warming it slightly on his grill, he presented it to Dakota. Without waiting for a knife and fork, the man picked the meat up with his hands and ripped it apart with his teeth. Seconds later there was no sign of the steak. "Do you want another one?" A blush crossed the man's cheeks. "No, thank you." Dakota's pink tongue came out, swiping the cow's blood from his mouth. Henry's cock hardened so fast he had to hold back a groan. Dakota licked his lips again and Henry swallowed a moan as lust clouded his thought process. "Um. Let me put this away." Snatching up the plate, he rushed over to the dishwasher and set it inside with the 10
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other dishes before adding detergent and starting the machine. He needed the distraction because his wolf was more than ready to come out and play, and by play his wolf meant jump on the sexy man and claim him as his mate. The door slammed open revealing Silver and Anthony. Shit! "Is this Dakota?" Anthony asked, his eyes lit with curiosity. Silver growled at the other man until Dakota tilted his head in submission. The white-haired wolf's scent reeked of terror at seeing the large Alpha, and Henry's inner animal gave a protective growl. Unfortunately, he did it out loud. Shit! When Silver's eyes flashed his way, Henry immediately tilted his neck submissively. His wolf would get him in trouble over a man he didn't even know. It didn't matter if he suspected Dakota was his mate, Henry wouldn't ruin his life over anyone he just met. He didn't relax until the Alpha shifted his attention back to Dakota. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't know where to go. The bird shifter told me he called and it was all right for me to come here. I smelled wolves and thought you'd be like me. I mean, I didn't t-think," Dakota stammered. The man turned 11
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so pale Henry thought he was going to pass out. "Take it easy," Anthony said, walking over to the man. Henry felt the jolt of Anthony's magic as the Alpha Mate examined and soothed the stranger. Anthony's eyes were wide as he turned back to Silver. "He's not a shifter. He's a wolf forced into a human body." "What do you mean?" Henry blurted out the question, unable to resist finding out more about the mysterious man who'd just wandered into his life. "It means he's really a wolf with the genetic code to be a human instead of a human with the genetic code to be a wolf," Anthony said, stepping back from the other man. "Who did this to you?" "I don't know. My pack was captured and put in cages. They separated me from the others and put me in a white room with a metal table. My paws froze from the cold surface while I waited. A man came into the room, he smelled different. Not good. I remember him talking to me about stuff that didn't make sense then there was a sharp pain. When I woke up I was alone and human. The only other people I saw before I escaped were mutants." "Would you recognize the man who stabbed you if you saw him again?" Anthony asked. Dakota shrugged. "Maybe." 12
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"Do you think it's the scientist?" Silver asked his mate. "Possibly." Anthony stared at Dakota so intently Henry wanted to rush over and intervene; he trusted the Alpha Mate, but his stare could be unsettling. "I'm thinking if they discovered some wolves with suppressed human genetics, then Dr Korl would love to get his hands on one. With the word out on the street to travel in groups, the scientist must be having a harder time snatching werekin. What if he's turning to natural animals? Those that might have a shifter somewhere in their family tree." "How is it you can speak?" Silver asked, his hard gaze unmoving from the shivering wolf. Dakota shrugged. "I lived in a reserve but the gamekeepers came by every once in a while. I picked up their language but couldn't speak it." Anthony patted him on the arm. "I'm sure they did, but I think the reason you can talk is part of the transformation. Werekin can understand wolves when they transform. There's no reason a wolf couldn't understand human. The shift isn't completely biological there's also a magical element involved." "Can't you just change him back?" Silver asked his mate. "You changed back the mutants." 13
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Anthony shook his head. "He's like Gabe. I couldn't revert the trigger of Gabe's genetics to wolf, only the mutation. I think Dakota's human genetics were triggered, but for some reason they dumped him after injecting him with the mutation." "Why would they dump him? They killed the others Dr Korl experimented on in the fae realm," Silver argued. "Maybe he was in a hurry." Henry's wolf shifted restlessly beneath the surface, pacing with the need to protect his mate, even as his human half fought the urge to bond with the smaller wolf. Dakota broke into the conversation going around him. "They didn't dump me. I escaped. My cuffs weren't properly secured the last time Blake brought me food. It was surprisingly easy." Anthony turned to Silver. "Blake was also the mutant who told Gabe he couldn't be re-mutated because he had a mate. He's oddly helpful for the enemy." "Maybe there's more than one reason Dakota so easily escaped." Silver examined Dakota with his cold, grey eyes as if he could see straight into Dakota's soul. "If it's the same mutant, I'm not sure whose side he's on. He didn't fight us last time, but he says he's in charge of the mutants who've been militant in the past. We need to discover more about Blake and find out if he is truly the 14
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leader, and if he is, what he's up to. No offense, Dakota, but you might be a mutant plant whether you know it or not." Silver growled, his hand curling as if he wished he could get hold of the mutant and ask his questions directly. "Calm down, honey. It isn't Dakota's fault." Anthony smiled encouraging at the smaller man. "The question is what do we do with Dakota now?" Tears filled Dakota's eyes and he started to tremble. "I-I can't shift back." Anthony gave him a sympathetic smile. "I don't think that's a permanent problem. We'll know at the next full moon tomorrow night. You might need a stronger trigger since your shift is a little different than everyone else's, but we won't know until you try to change." Anthony turned to the chef. "Henry, maybe you could find Dakota a place to sleep. I'm sure once he's had some rest, and a few good meals, he'll feel better." Henry nodded. "I have a spare room he can use." He gave Anthony a grateful smile. Henry wasn't completely convinced Silver wouldn't have tossed the wolf out without his Alpha Mate standing there. Even Henry had to admit if he were the pack Alpha, he might not have allowed Dakota inside the pack home. Dakota could be a spy, but with his shoddy cover story, Henry doubted it. "Come on. Let's get you to my place so you can get some rest." 15
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CHAPTER TWO Dakota sat straight up, a scream ripping from his throat. The light snapped on and a pair of strong arms wrapped around him. "Shhh, it's all right, honey. You're safe now. The mutants are gone." Dakota relaxed against Henry's warm naked chest, nuzzling the light sprinkling of hair. He couldn't deny his need to snuggle up against the big man and wallow in his embrace. A pink scar bisected Henry's chest, tempting his tongue to flick out and taste. Licking at the odd texture, Dakota let out a sigh as the shifter's flavor infused his senses. The soothing taste and texture of the larger man forced the nightmares to recede. As if the big, gentle alpha wolf could shelter him from his own fears. Lifelong wolf instincts made Dakota want to roll over and present his belly, confident the larger man could protect him. "Shhh. I've got you." A weird, prowling sensation startled Dakota into jerking out of Henry's hold. "Sorry." Henry scooted away, hurt flashing across his handsome features. The scar on the large shifter's cheek stood out in stark contrast to his sudden pallor. "No. Oh no. It's not you." Dakota smiled as joy 16
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pulsed through him like bright sunshine. "It moved. My wolf moved inside me. He's still there." Dakota had been worried his beast half might be gone forever. Without his wolf he'd be an empty human shell without a soul. Henry's warm brown eyes glowed with shared joy. "That's wonderful." Dakota nodded. His heart pounded in his chest at the expression on Henry's face. He wished he could always keep it there even as he wondered why he cared so much about the happiness of a virtual stranger. "Do you think you can shift?" "I… I don't know." Dakota concentrated on his wolf, on the sensation of being a four-legged creature instead of a two. For a moment he could almost feel the cool sheets beneath his paws, then… nothing. Disappointment stabbed him like a knife as he fought the urge to burst into tears. He'd already been more emotional in the brief time he'd been human than in his entire life as a wolf. Humans were a teary lot, at least his version. What he wouldn't do to return to life as a wolf. Running with the pack, hunting beneath the moon, and feeling the cool midnight breeze fingering his thick fur. "What if I'm trapped in this body for the rest of my life?" He asked through the enormous lump in his throat. To Dakota's delight, Henry wrapped his large arms 17
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back around him. "Listen to Anthony and don't worry about shifting until tomorrow. If you can still feel your wolf, you haven't lost your essence." Dakota enjoyed the sound of the shifter's deep voice, listening to it rumble beneath his ear soothed him more than any words. Wrapped in the big man's embrace he felt a sense of safety he'd missed since he woke up with most of his fur gone and no paws. Dakota missed his tail. "What do you look like as a wolf?" The relaxed man cradling him went stiff as a board. "I'm an Alaskan wolf." "Oh?" Alaskans were the largest of the wolves, but considering Henry's size as a human, Dakota wasn't surprised. "I'm an Arctic wolf. Or at least I was." Henry stroked Dakota's head making the smaller man wish he were a cat who could purr, or at least a wolf with a tail to wag to show his appreciation of the attention. "I sort of guessed that from the fur on your head." The big body next to him relaxed as if Dakota had passed by whatever sensitive topic he'd unknowingly brushed against. Dakota gave a self-conscious laugh. "Oh, yeah. I keep forgetting about that." An hour ago he'd finally seen himself in the mirror. He knew he looked odd compared to the humans he'd seen on the street, or the shifters inside the 18
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pack building, but he suspected most people would think his furry head was only hair. He could wear a cap when he went outside. He was certain Anthony could get him one, after all the Alpha Mate had produced a full wardrobe in a matter of minutes. Dakota snuggled closer. Sliding his leg up, he felt the outline of Henry's erection. His own body hardened in response. "Relax, we're not going to do anything," Henry rubbed Dakota's back in a soothing motion. "Why not?" Doing all kinds of things, preferably naked, sounded like a great idea. Henry pulled Dakota back so he could look into his eyes. "Because you're feeling vulnerable right now and I won't take advantage." "Oh." Resentment made him bristle. He didn't want to be handled with kid gloves. He wanted Henry to have his wicked way with him. Dakota slid his knee up a little higher mapping out the sheer size of Henry's erection. Henry clamped a hand on Dakota's leg. "Do you want me to go sleep in the other room?" "No!" Panic clutched Dakota's chest. He tightened his hold on the big shifter. The thought of sleeping alone, with only bare human skin to keep him warm, appalled 19
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him. "I'll be good." He couldn't find the words to express how much he needed Henry to hold him, to make him feel safe. Dakota's heart tripled its speed as he started to stress. Henry rubbed Dakota's back. "Shhh. I didn't mean to scare you. I'll sleep here if you want." "I do." Dakota snuggled closer until he was certain there was no space between them. The contact of his naked skin against Henry's soothed his now restless wolf who happily curled up next to the bigger man. Henry wore boxers to preserve his modesty, but Dakota had refused to wear anything to bed. It was bad enough he'd become human; he didn't want to wear clothes unless he had to. Fabric chafed his sensitive human skin and he disliked the confinement. He much preferred to go nude, but Henry told him he could only do that inside the apartment or others might take offense. Foolish humans, they didn't know what they missed. After all what kind of creature didn't have something to protect their outer surface? He gave the humans points for creating their own clothes but without claws or fur, humans came up lacking in the evolutionary crapshoot. Dakota didn't really care if the others were offended, but he didn't want to upset Henry. He never wanted to upset Henry. The big shifter was his one solid source of comfort and he didn't want to do anything to 20
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disturb the other man. Hopefully when the full moon came he'd be able to shift back. What he'd do with his life after that, Dakota still didn't know. He hoped the Moon Pack would help him find out what happened to his pack, even if he doubted he could ever go back to living with the wolves. Being a human had changed him in fundamental ways, and his scent no doubt reflected his awakened genetics. The all-wolf pack wouldn't appreciate his new smell, especially not the Alpha. They barely tolerated him before. Shifting into a human would be the final straw. One thing he did like as a human was talking to Henry, being held by Henry, everything about Henry. The chef even smelled good. Not alpha strong like Silver, or powerfully woodsy like Anthony, but alluring all the same. If Dakota were still in wolf form, he'd roll around on the other man's belly and cover himself in Henry's scent. What did that mean? The human emotions pummeling him day and night confused him. A wolf's emotions were simple, clear-cut. The need to hunt, eat, and sleep easily determined, while human feelings were muddy and complicated. It was like trying to run through a rushing river and not drown. Deciding to deal with it tomorrow, he snuggled in close and went to sleep.
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**** Anthony was on his computer in the club's office when Silver finally hunted him down. "What are you still doing working?" "Hmmm?" Anthony looked up, his sparkling gold eyes momentarily diverting Silver. "You were supposed to be home an hour ago." Even as he scolded Anthony, Silver took the moment to admire his beautiful mate. Damn, he loved his demigod. Anthony looked at the time on his computer. "Sorry, love. I was checking out my appointment schedule." "You need to hire more help and get some of the junior architects to take on more of your load. Even Gabe says you need a second assistant." Anthony's eyes narrowed. "Have you been talking to my staff behind my back?" "Damn straight!" Silver didn't bother denying it. Anthony might be a powerful being in his own right but he was still partly human. His schedule—running an architecture firm while helping lead a pack—wore Silver's mate down. Anthony rubbed the back of his neck. "You're right." 22
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"What?" Surely he'd heard wrong. Silver had been trying to get Anthony to hire someone for the past three months. Rolling his eyes, Anthony stood and wrapped his arms around Silver. "You're right. There, happy?" "Ecstatic," he admitted. "What changed your mind?" "I need to give more attention to this mutant issue, and I can't shake the feeling we're missing something important. First, it was about changing shifters into mutants and taking over and now it's about shifting wolves to werekin and then mutating them? Not to mention the mutants who were with Gabe when we found him didn't appear aggressive at all. I think there are more parties in this than we know and I still haven't heard back from my father. I even asked Mother but she says she hasn't heard from him in days." "And she didn't think that was strange?" Anthony shrugged. "They don't live in each other's pocket. On the plus side, she admitted they were separated, so when I find my father I can tell him to stop pretending." "Do you think something happened to him?" "I don't know. He's amazingly strong so it would take something big to trap him, and I haven't heard any rumors. Grandfather would sense if something happened 23
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but whether he would do anything about it or just enjoy Father's suffering is anyone's guess. They don't always get along." Silver could almost feel his lover's conflict. "If he doesn't get back to you soon, you should contact Zeus." Silver couldn't resist the shudder that struck him over that suggestion. As much as he wanted to keep Anthony far away from jeopardy, Silver knew his mate wouldn't rest easy until the mutants were either eradicated or controlled. They posed too much of a danger to the pack. "I wonder if the fae king could've done something." "Why do you think that?" Anthony shrugged. "King Linnel has been acting weird lately, and from what Gabe told us, he might decide he wants something to hold over me." "Is he strong enough to contain your father?" Anthony shrugged. "I don't know. He might be able to if he had help. I'm going to have to go there and check." "Or it could be a trap to get you into the fae realm." "Maybe. Either way I'm still going to hire more help. You're right. I do need someone else to take over some of my other responsibilities." "You already put out an ad, didn't you?" Silver should be used to the feeling of being outmaneuvered by now, but surprisingly his mate shocked him each time. 24
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Anthony gave him a wide smile. "This morning. Come on, handsome, let's go to bed." Silver leaned down and kissed his lover. "If I didn't know someone was bound to walk in, I'd take you right here on this desk." "And I'd let you," Anthony laughed. Silver preened as Anthony wrapped a possessive hand around his arm. Walking through the club with the most wonderful mate in the world never got old.
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CHAPTER THREE Henry fidgeted as he cut bananas for the morning pancakes. He needed to find someone to take Dakota out of the kitchen before he snapped and claimed the wolf-man against the refrigerator door. There must be someone who needed a wolf-human for the day. Maybe he could send Dakota out on patrol with Dare, anything to give the wolf something to do besides stare at Henry with those hungry eyes while Henry worked. "Hey, Henry." Dare bounded into the room with a wide smile. Wrapping an arm around Henry's shoulders, Dare gave him a quick squeeze. To Henry's shock Dakota gave a low, mean growl. Dare stepped carefully back and held up his hands in a pacifying gesture. "Whoa, I didn't mean to offend." "Dakota!" Henry reproved, his cheeks burning over Dakota's territorial behavior. The wolf-man's mouth dropped open. "Sorry, I don't know what came over me. I guess I just don't like anyone else touching you." A look of confusion crossed Dakota's face. His cool blue eyes widened with astonishment. "Human emotions get all jumbled with my wolf instincts. It's confusing. My wolf half wants to claim Henry as my own, but my human half doesn't know what to do with all 26
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the feelings." Henry's heart melted beneath Dakota's confession. "It could be that you're mates," Dare offered in his usual forthright manner. "Maybe you should mind your own business, tiger," Steven said, walking into the room. Placing a smacking kiss on Dare's lips, he slapped the tiger shifter on the ass. "Not everyone wants to be matched up in twos or threes." Dare's eyebrows rose and Henry knew Steven regretted those words as soon as they left his mouth. "I didn't mean me." Steven rushed to say. "Uh huh." Dare glared at his mate before turning back to Dakota. "You must be the wolf Leif told me about last night. I'm Dare. How are you doing?" Dakota blushed charmingly… at least to Henry's way of thinking. "Sorry about growling. I'm Dakota." Dare smiled. "No problem. I've been known to get territorial around my mate a time or two." He got another slap on the ass by Steven. "What!" Steven sighed. "You are the least subtle man I know." "I've never heard you complain before," Dare said. "It wasn't a complaint. It was an observation and maybe Dakota doesn't want to discuss mates over 27
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breakfast." "Oh, sorry." Dare looked a bit chagrinned, but Henry knew nothing kept the tiger shifter down for long. "Don't worry about it," Dakota soothed. "I'm kind of new to this whole shifter pack dynamic." "Obey Silver and you'll be fine." Steven's serious expression didn't allow any room for doubt. "Oh, and Anthony," Dare piped up. At Steven's frown, Dare glared back. "Silver may be Alpha, but you cross Anthony at your peril." Steven sighed. "True. I guess I still think of him as the shy architect with a bit of magic that I've always known. I forget he's a kick ass, demigod Alpha Mate these days." He pinned Dakota with a serious look. "Okay, listen to Anthony and Silver and keep your hands off other people's mates and you should do fine." Dakota looked from one to the other as if he were watching a tennis match. "I'll just do whatever Henry tells me to do." Silence fell. "You do that." Dare gave Henry a sly look. "The chef won't steer you wrong." Dare grabbed several hot muffins, throwing two at his mate and shuffled the pair of them out the door. Henry laughed when he heard Steven's whispered 28
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argument that he wanted pancakes. "They're mates?" Henry's attention returned to Dakota, who stared longingly at the door where the pair had vanished. "Yeah. They finally moved in together a few days ago." "Huh. Like the Alphas,
you can feel the
connection." Henry sighed. He wished he could be worthy of a mate, but secretly he knew he'd never be good enough for the beautiful man-wolf who only wished to return to his natural wolf form. Shaking off his melancholy, Henry went back to preparing bread dough for dinner. Humming, he mixed the flour and water together. "You like what you do, don't you?" "I love it." How could he explain the peace it gave him to create instead of destroy? To watch dough rise instead of bones break. He enjoyed giving people delicious things to help them get through the day. "Can I help?" Henry almost jumped. He spun around to find Dakota standing right behind him. Lost in his thoughts, Henry hadn't noticed the wolf approaching. "Um…" Usually he brushed off offers of help but 29
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he could tell Dakota needed something to do. The smaller man's fingers moved in a twitchy motion as he walked over to a nearby stool, then sat and kicked his feet. Henry looked around for something Dakota could help with, trying to stay away from things involving a lot of manual dexterity. Still adjusting to fingers, Dakota didn't need to be handling a knife. "How about you snap some beans for me." Henry took Dakota over to the big bowl of green beans he had washed and set aside a moment before, and showed him how to snap the green vegetables. In a few minutes, Dakota settled on a stool snapping beans like he'd been doing it for years. Pleased Dakota had an occupation that didn't involve staring at him, Henry went back to making his bread. Setting the dough in an oiled bowl, he covered it to let it rise. Still focused on his preparation, he pulled out his new set of quiche pans. His first batch had gone over extremely well and the fae and a few of the werekin had started asking for the eggy dish. It warmed him inside to know his food made people happy. Smiling, Henry went to work. "What are the scars from?" The sound of Dakota's voice slashed through the silence. Henry froze. Flashbacks of snarling mouths with 30
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sharp fangs, razor claws, and blood everywhere flooded his mind. Caught in a loop of horrible memories it took him a minute to realize the smaller wolf had wrapped his arms around Henry. "Shhh. I'm sorry." Dakota burrowed closer to Henry's chest, trying to give comfort through his touch. Knowing Dakota's wolf background, he probably was. "I didn't mean to upset you." Henry found the tables turned as he rushed to reassure Dakota. "I'm fine." "No, I don't think you are." The wolf's gaze left no room for misunderstanding. Dakota wouldn't let Henry brush this aside like an abandoned cobweb. "I could feel your pain." Henry set the smaller man away from him. "What do you mean you could feel my pain?" Dakota shrugged and tapped his chest over his heart. "I can't explain it any better. I felt it in here as if you were panicking and couldn't find your way out. We are mates, aren't we?" The sound of wonder in the smaller man's voice stabbed Henry through the heart. Fear made his hands shake, forcing him to set down the knife he was using to cut leeks. "What makes you think we're mates?" Dakota tilted his head as if he were trying to figure 31
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out the perplexing problem that Henry presented. "When I'm with you I feel complete. You calm my wolf and I feel the same bond I've noticed with other mated couples." Dakota bit his lip. "Am I wrong?" Denial trembled on the tip of Henry's tongue. Refusing their relationship would make life easier. What kind of future could they have together? "You want to be a wolf again. There's no way we can stay together." There, he said it. Now Dakota would know why their relationship was doomed. Dakota gave him a wide smile. "You're a shifter, you can change into a wolf. I don't see the problem?" A chill ran through Henry, his scars tightened, reminding him of his sins. The cost of shifting to a wolf was too high. "No! I won't change." "What do you mean you won't change? Do you mean you can't change?" Dakota frowned as if Henry had just admitted a cardinal sin. "No! I won't. I made a promise to myself to never change again." A promise he intended to keep no matter how much the ache in his bones pained him during each full moon. "B-but why?" How could he explain to this innocent wolf-man the horrible things marring his past? "I have my reasons. Why 32
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don't you go finish your beans?" He tilted his head towards the abandoned bowl. Please go away! He
couldn't
take
much
more
of
Dakota's
sympathetic looks before he broke down entirely. Henry had to remain strong or the house of cards he built to block his emotions would come tumbling down. Dakota didn't need to deal with Henry's nervous breakdown, not while the wolf was still coping with being a human. For a moment it looked like Dakota would argue, but eventually the smaller man nodded and returned to his job. The silence in the kitchen turned deafening as they continued to work side by side. Henry scrambled to find something to break the stillness. Hopefully the other wolf wouldn't hold Henry's quiet against him. As much as he didn't want to claim the other man as mate, he didn't want to hurt Dakota either. "Hey Henry, watcha cooking tonight?" Henry smiled when Gabe walked in, trailed by his fae mates. The twins always guarded Gabe as if he was the president and they were his security force. It was cute until someone caught the look in their eyes. If anyone made a wrong move towards Gabe, his mates would think little of stabbing them through the heart with the knives they 33
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always had tucked into the top of their boots. Especially Vien. He might be the quieter of the twins but he saw everything. "Green beans, ribs, and potato salad for the carnivores and grilled eggplant focaccia sandwiches for the vegetarians. There is also a leek and ham quiche." "Yum. Anything I can do to help?" Gabe's eyes sparkled as he looked at the chef with a wistful expression. The wolf shifter loved to help but he needed to stay at the architectural firm with Anthony, not help in the kitchen. As much as Gabe loved cooking, his skills were disastrous, bordering on criminal. The one time Henry let Gabe assist him, the man had nearly burned down the kitchen. "I'm doing just fine with Dakota helping." He tilted his head towards the other wolf. The trio examined Dakota with interested eyes. "Are you the wolf I heard about?" Gabe walked closer, probably to check out Dakota's scent. The fae twins tensed as their mate approached an unknown person. Henry could tell they were primed to grab Gabe if necessary. Dakota nodded in response to Gabe's question, his gaze wary. "Cool, welcome to the pack." Before Gabe could say anything else, Viell grabbed 34
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him, pulling his mate away from Dakota. "We'll come back later." Viell gave a bashful smile to Henry as he ushered Gabe away. "It'll be ready in an hour," Henry told the retreating men. "Who was that?" Henry turned to see Dakota watching the closed door like a dog guarding against intruders. "Sorry, I should've introduced you properly." Henry blushed. He sucked at social interactions. He always felt awkward and unable to say or do the right thing. Gangly as a youth, he certainly hadn't learned social skills in the pits. During the time where most teenagers learned how to interact socially with their peers, Henry learned how to use his claws and fangs to rip people apart. "The one who approached you was Gabe and the other two were his mates, Vien and Viell." "I didn't like how informal they were with you," Dakota growled. Henry frowned at the possessive wolf. "They're members of the pack, or at least Gabe is. I think the twins are by default, but I'm not really sure. I don't go for pack runs or attend meetings." Henry forgot what he was saying when Dakota 35
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nibbled on his bottom lip. "You'll come this time though, right?" Dakota flashed him an anxious glance. "You'll be there when I find out if I can still turn into a wolf?" Shit. Chills ran up and down his spine as Henry realized he couldn't let the other man go to the pack run alone. What kind of werekin would that make him? Even if he couldn't find a way to be a proper mate to Dakota, forcing the wolfman to go to the pack meeting by himself would be cruel. He could do this. Help Dakota return to his wolf form then let him be. If the other man remained a wolf, surely he wouldn't miss Henry as his mate. If Henry never claimed him, Dakota couldn't suffer. Henry clenched his hands to resist the urge to grab the other man and promise to do anything Dakota wanted. "I'll go with you." The relief in Dakota's eyes took a bit of Henry's anxiety away. To help Dakota, Henry could face a group of shifting humans. He'd willingly accept the flashbacks, if attending the meeting made the smaller wolf more comfortable. There was a slight chance Dakota wouldn't be able turn back into his natural form. Henry knew it would break something in the other man if that happened. Henry needed to be there to pick up the pieces. 36
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"You're doing a good job with those beans," Henry said, desperate to change the topic. "Thanks." Dakota gave Henry a brilliant smile. Henry longed to rush over and claim the beautiful man as his mate. All the reasons it would be a bad idea evaporated beneath the surge of desire burning through his body. Henry knew pheromones were pumping from him like chimney smoke because Dakota's arctic blue eyes darkened and his pink tongue swiped across his bottom lip. The wolf deep inside Henry, normally kept under iron control, snapped at its confinement. Growling, Henry lunged across the distance between them and grabbed Dakota. With a hungry noise rolling from his chest, Henry plastered their lips together, moaning as the delicious taste of Dakota filled his mouth. The flavor of his fated mate settled Henry's wolf half as if he were finally coming home. The beast, usually snarling and growling inside, lay down quietly as if it were curious about the new man in Henry's life. The human half wanted more of his mate's luscious mouth, to absorb as much of Dakota as possible. Addictive. Need had Henry pressing closer to the smaller man, trying to meld their bodies together through their clothing, but even in the cloud of passion he was careful of his mate. 37
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Henry wrapped his arm around Dakota preventing the hard marble counter from bruising his back. A low growl rumbled through Henry's chest as he licked, bit, and sucked at his mate's mouth. Dakota relaxed against Henry, letting him have his way, but the smaller man didn't stay passive, he rubbed against Henry. Dakota's hard cock pressed into Henry's thigh as the wolf sought relief. Henry tore his lips away from Dakota's. Grabbing a handful of the wolf's fur, Henry yanked Dakota's head back and bit his neck, marking his throat and everything attached as Henry's territory. Dakota gave a cry before convulsing against him. The smell of spunk filled the air. Henry ached for release but catching sight of the lurid mark on Dakota's neck brought him out of his lust-filled heat. What am I doing? Stepping away from the wolf-man, a chill filled Henry. What had he done? A vision of his brother's dead body flashed before his eyes. Henry did the only thing he could think to do. He turned and ran.
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CHAPTER FOUR Dakota stared at the empty doorway Henry had fled through. What had just happened? He thought they were doing well. His cock definitely thought they were getting along, but now he stood all alone with sticky pants and no man. Feeling bereft, Dakota stood there for a moment looking around the empty room, anger surging through him with the speed and heat of a brush fire. He yearned for the simpler understanding of a wolf pack as his emotions threatened to overwhelm him. Why did Henry have to be so contradictory; surely he knew they belonged together? Didn't he feel the connection between them? Despite losing touch with his wolf half, Dakota still had an acute sense of smell and Henry's natural fragrance stood out over everyone else's. Easily tracking his mate by scent, Dakota walked down the hall and followed Henry's aroma to a set of metal doors. The doors sprang open unexpectedly. Dakota jumped back. "You okay, Dakota?" Dare stood in the strange box giving him a curious look. "I-I need to find Henry. He went this way. We took the stairs earlier. I-I don't know how to find him." He should've paid
better
attention when they'd come 39
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downstairs, but his focus had been on Henry, not their path. Now, turned around and confused, the only way to find his mate lay in a mysterious box. "He probably went to his condo." Dare motioned Dakota forward. "Come on, I'll take you." Dakota inhaled deeply but the other shifter didn't smell of deception. Dare tilted his head curiously, but didn't comment as Dakota examined the area. With a cautious glance at the cat shifter, Dakota entered the weird metal box. A lifetime of open spaces made him nervous about the tiny enclosed area, but he wouldn't leave Henry while the stench of fear still clung to his mate. Besides, Henry owed him something else to wear. Bastard. Dare pressed a button and the doors slid closed. Taking a deep breath, Dakota pushed down his panic. He could do this. He could do this. "Claustrophobic?" Dakota didn't know what that word meant and he was too busy struggling to find oxygen in the small metal box to hold a conversation. A bell chimed and the shiny doors slid apart. Dakota leaped for the opening, his heart pounding in his chest. Gulping for air, he tried to regain the oxygen 40
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he'd lost. Leaning down, he put his hands on his knees, relieved when the floor didn't feel so far away. He longed for four paws again and the scent of rich soil. In that moment, he would've given up anything to be a wolf again, anything except Henry. He couldn't let Henry go even though Dakota knew picking between being a wolf or being with the big shifter would break him. "Hey, take it easy," Dare's warm voice reached through Dakota's panic. A large hand rubbed his back in circular, soothing motions. "What did you do to my mate?" Henry's voice boomed, echoing off the walls, furious and angry. "H-he d-didn't do a-anything," Dakota gasped. Standing up straighter, he felt a little dizzy, but was determined to face his mate. "You abandoned me and Dare helped me up here." A guilty look crossed Henry's face. "Sorry, I panicked. Come on in and we can talk." He gave a sheepish smile to the tiger shifter. "Sorry, Dare." The big man shrugged. "No worries." With a smile at Henry, Dare turned and went back into the box. "What is that?" Dakota stared at the metal doors, silently vowing never to go back inside if he could avoid it. "The elevator?" Dakota shuddered. "Horrible thing." 41
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Henry laughed. "We can take the stairs from now on if it makes you feel better. I'm only on the third floor." Dakota didn't care how they got back down as long as he didn't have to return to the metal box. **** Henry opened his door and ushered Dakota inside. "Let's get you into the shower and some new clothes, then we can talk." To his relief, Dakota nodded. At least he bought himself some more time before his mate turned his back on him. Henry let out a quiet sigh before leading Dakota to the bathroom. He pulled out a pair of towels and helped his mate strip, throwing Dakota's clothes into the hamper before removing his own. Dakota's admiring gaze had Henry's body reacting in response. He turned on the shower, hiding his desire with his actions. Once steam filled the bathroom, he stepped inside, gasping as the stream of hot water splashed across his skin. Turning, he beckoned his wolf-man inside. He tried to keep his scrubbing impersonal but touching Dakota was like setting a lit match to dry tinder. 42
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Flames raced through his body. "Now isn't the time to become shy," Dakota's eyes sparkled with laughter. Henry laughed. "I'm not shy. I just didn't want to take advantage of you." Dakota's mouth dropped open. "Trust me, I'll tell you when you go too far. Right now you're not going far enough. Enter me, make me yours." How could Henry resist a beautiful man made just for him? "You might not want me after we talk." There, he'd told Dakota his biggest fear. "I don't want you to be tied to someone you no longer respect." Henry's erection faded with his confession. Dakota gave him a long, considering look before finally nodding. "Fine, let's talk first." The two men quickly finished their shower in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Henry dried Dakota thoroughly before drying himself. "Anthony dropped off more clothes while we were gone." The Alpha Mate took it as a personal affront if someone in his pack didn't have what he or she needed. Henry walked back into his bedroom. The quiet footsteps of Dakota following him made him shiver. In the short time they'd known each other, he'd already become 43
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fond of the shy wolf. Losing Dakota now would make the pain of the fighting pits seem trifling, but Henry wouldn't cower or hide behind the bond of mates. He may have bitten Dakota, but as long as he wasn't in wolf form, or while they were making love, the other man wouldn't completely be his mate. Henry refused to claim the beautiful wolf-man while they had Henry's past hanging over them. In the bottom of his dresser, Henry pulled out the clothes Anthony had dropped off earlier. They dressed in silence as Henry searched for the right words. Once they were back in the living room, they settled on Henry's overstuffed couch, and he concentrated on looking everywhere but at Dakota. There was a stain on the bottom corner of his rug he'd never noticed before. Was it from pizza sauce? He slid his bare foot across the surface to feel out the texture with his toe, hmm… could be. "Henry!" Henry's head snapped towards Dakota. His mate's eyes flashed with irritation. "Tell me." "I… I don't know if I can," Henry confessed his greatest fear. Even without the wolf issue, Henry had enough baggage to open his own luggage store. He heard Dakota take a deep breath as if trying to keep his anger under control and Henry broke. He didn't 44
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want the other man mad at him. "I killed my brother," Henry blurted out. Fresh pain seared through his chest as the memory blazed across his mind. Looking down at his shirt, he wondered why blood didn't gush from the open wound after ripping out his heart. "What do you mean you killed your brother?" Dakota sounded more curious than horrified, but Henry still couldn't look at the man. Henry jumped to his feet, pacing the length of the carpet. With each step, back and forth, he sought words to describe his life. "When we were young, Tim and I were always the biggest, the tallest, the strongest, and way too alpha for our pack leader's taste. One day we were jumped on our way home from a football game. When we woke up we were in cages." His voice broke at the memory but he forced himself to continue. It was important to get through the story. He could pick himself back up after Dakota left. "What happened, Henry?" "Our Alpha sold us to another Alpha who used his strongest men as pit fighters. He held illegal games where they forced shifters to fight against each other, to the death." Bile rose in Henry's throat as he remembered the dozens of werekin he killed over the three years of his captivity. 45
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"They got me to fight by threatening to kill my brother and did the same to him. Sometimes they would do things to make the odds more even. Tie our hands, break a few ribs before the fight, or put cinnamon oil on our noses so we couldn't smell properly. I never…" Henry's voice broke, but he swallowed the tears threatening to spill and continued. Dakota needed to know what type of man he planned to tie himself to. "I never thought they'd go so low. The last fight they blindfolded me and put cinnamon oil on my nose. I didn't know until after it was over that they'd… they'd thrown me in the pit with Timothy." Henry fell to his knees and sobbed as memories flooded his mind of his brother, bleeding on the floor, his neck snapped. When smaller arms wrapped around Henry, it shocked him so much he almost tossed the person across the room, until he recognized the scent of his mate. **** Dakota had never heard anything so horrible in his life. Fights among pack members rarely resulted in death. Things weren't perfect in his pack but they weren't day after day of torture either. He felt Henry's pain as if it were part of his own. He 46
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could barely breathe through the heavy burden of grief crushing the other man's heart. Dakota couldn't imagine the horror of finding out he'd killed his own brother. "How did you get out of there?" He finally asked, once he swallowed down the tears blocking his throat. Henry gave a bitter laugh, his eyes wet with sorrow. "That turned out to be the night Silver came to investigate rumors about pit fighting. He freed me and the other captives and after hearing what my Alpha had done, Silver let me kill him. I haven't shifted into a wolf for three years and I promised myself, over the dead body of my brother, that I never would again." Dakota could almost feel the bond between them slipping out of his grasp like little phantom fingers. Building up his will, Dakota held fast. He walked around the big werekin and crouched down before him on the carpet. Cradling Henry's face between his hands, he tilted the larger man's head up to meet his gaze. "I'm sorry about your brother, but you have to know it wasn't your fault. If you couldn't see or smell, how could you know it was him?" "I should've known. He was my blood!" The rage and pain in Henry's voice stabbed at Dakota's heart like a knife. 47
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"It isn't your fault your brother is dead. You need to let it go. Your brother wouldn't have wanted you to blame yourself, would he?" Henry shook his head as tears tracked down his face. "No. Timothy would want me to live my life. He was a good brother." Henry let out a sob. "He was the best." "Come here." Dakota opened his arms. A soft gasp left him when Henry wrapped his powerful limbs around Dakota and held him tight. If it helped Henry, Dakota would live without oxygen. After a long moment, Dakota worried he might have to scream for air, but Henry finally let him go. A knock at the door indicated Henry had probably heard people approaching while Dakota was wrapped up in soothing his mate. Dakota rose from the floor. "Stay here." He would take care of whoever thought to disturb the grieving man. He ripped open the door and found the beautiful Alpha Mate on the other side. All his ire faded. Damn. He instinctively wanted to roll over and let the other man scratch his belly. With a great deal of effort, Dakota stayed upright. "What can I do for you?" "Is Henry okay? Dare said you had to go looking for him." The concern in Anthony's eyes made Dakota like 48
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him all the more. Dakota shook his head. "Henry is having a rough time right now. Could you have someone else take over the kitchen?" "If we can't get someone, we'll close it down for the night. No one is going to die if they have to go out and get their own food. We should probably hire more help in the kitchen anyway. He's been doing it by himself for so long I don't think anyone realized how much work he does." Anthony leaned closer and Dakota tried not to moan at the other man's scent. "Take care of him. He needs a gentle touch." "I will." Dakota leaned back, trying not to look like he was escaping but really how much temptation could one wolf resist? "Tell Henry he has the night off. We'll see him at breakfast." Relief flooded Dakota. "I'll tell him." He'd worried the Alpha Mate might be there to complain about Henry's absence. Without asking anything more, Anthony gave Dakota a quick kiss on the cheek before turning around and walking back down the hall. Dakota closed and locked the door before returning to his mate. Henry had moved to the couch but his expression held the same look of a shattered man. 49
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"Who was at the door?" "Anthony." Henry jumped to his feet. "I need to get back to work." Dakota grabbed his hand. "No. Anthony said he'll see you at breakfast. No one expects you back today." "But…" Henry collapsed back on the couch. "The hell with it, I'd probably chop off a finger or something." Dakota kneeled between Henry's knees. "What are you doing?" "I'm trying to make you feel good. I know nothing I do will bring back your brother, but I need you. How else am I going to deal with living as a human?" "It's because we're mates." Henry gave Dakota a sweet smile distracting him from the other man's words. "Like Dare and Steven?" Henry nodded. "Werekin believe that for each of us there is one fated to be ours. For shifters it's usually one person, but with the fae they often have two." "And you're my mate?" Dakota's tone questioned, but inside his wolf-half knew the larger shifter was right. That would explain the pull he felt towards the other man. Henry stroked Dakota's head, a wistful look in his eyes and a small smile spreading over his lips. "My sweet Dakota, I might be your mate but you have too much wolf 50
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in you. As soon as you can, we both know you're going back to your pack. You don't want to be trapped with a man who's afraid to connect with his wolf. You spent your entire life until now living as a beast. I can't expect you to give up your freedom to be my mate. I won't cage you in like that." A shard of optimism worked its way into Dakota's heart. At least Henry hadn't said he didn't want Dakota. "Tell you what. You help me live as a human, and I'll help you enjoy being a wolf again." He knew if Henry's brother were half as nice a guy as Henry said, he'd want his brother to move on and enjoy his life. Henry remained silent, considering Dakota's offer for so long Dakota worried he'd pushed the other man too far, too fast. "All right. It's a deal." Henry held out one large hand. Dakota took it and gave a squeal as the larger shifter used his strength to yank Dakota off the floor and into his lap. "I do want you Dakota, but you should know I'm going to mess up your life." "You can try, my mate, but I have to tell you I think other people already have." The formula shot into his system had made him human but it had also brought him to his mate. Dakota had mixed feelings about the stuff. 51
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CHAPTER FIVE Henry whistled a happy tune as he ladled waffle batter onto the hot irons. After spending the night talking to Dakota about Timothy and holding his mate skin to skin, he felt better than he had in years. "Good morning, Henry." Henry snapped to attention as Silver sauntered into the kitchen, Anthony walking by his side. "Morning, Alpha." "Feeling better?" Anthony asked. Henry nodded before shooting Silver another look. He didn't like the serious expressions on the Alpha pair's faces. "Is something wrong?" Silver nodded. "They found Dakota's pack." Chills raced up and down Henry's spine. He could tell from their expressions the news wasn't good. "They were shot and left in the forest. A park ranger found them this morning. Luckily the ranger is one of the people helping us investigate the pack's disappearance so he called us right away. Some of the bodies had traces of formula in their system, but most were just shot in the head." An angry expression crossed the Alpha's face and his fingers curled into fists. "We think they were looking for other wolves with Dakota's genetic base. When they 52
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didn't find any they killed the rest of the pack because they were useless to their experiments." Henry swallowed back the bile threatening to escape and decorate the counter. With a shaking hand, he grabbed his glass of water and drank the cool liquid. His mind raced as he tried to think of how to break the news to Dakota. "Do you think they'll come after Dakota next?" Anthony nodded. "That's what I'm afraid of. I think they didn't worry about Dakota escaping because they thought the rest of the pack would have the same genetic code. Do you know where he originally came from?" "I'm an orphan." Dakota entered the room, his face pale and his hair wet from his morning shower. "I only remember the pack. They weren't my biological family but they took care of me. I don't know where I came from originally." Silver shook his head. "We keep running into dead ends. I'm sorry to tell you Dakota—" "I heard," Dakota interrupted. "They raised me, but we weren't close. We worked together to take down kills during the hunt but I didn't share my fur with any pack member. None of them ever approached me. I never knew why, but now I suspect I must've smelled different." Anthony squeezed Dakota's shoulder. "You're welcome to stay here and see how things work out with 53
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Henry. The full moon is tonight. Turning back into a wolf doesn't necessarily mean you'll stay a wolf. Your genetic code is forever changed by the formula." Henry's heart froze. It had never occurred to him that Dakota might not be able to turn back. He'd thought the beautiful man might prefer being a wolf, but in his mind it had always been a choice his mate picked over being with Henry. "Maybe it would be best if you didn't shift during this full moon." Dakota gave him a warm smile. "Henry, you know you can't fight fate. If it is my destiny to finish my life as a wolf, then I will. However, I'm almost certain I'll be able to shift back because otherwise I wouldn't be a very good mate." "True." The knot in Henry's chest loosened slightly. Fear of losing Dakota hadn't changed, but he couldn't deny the wolf's words. If fate had chosen them as mates, nothing would keep them apart. Dakota patted Henry on the back. "We'll deal with things as they happen. I'm not going to abandon you." To Henry's surprise, Dakota went to his tiptoes and pecked his cheek in a gentle kiss. A tingle washed across his skin. He couldn't stop the wide smile crossing his face even if he wanted to. The tips of his fingers burned as his 54
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claws itched to emerge. Since meeting Dakota, the wolf buried deep inside fought harder and harder to come out and play. His bestial half longed to claim his mate. Henry set the pile of waffles in the middle of the table along with a big platter of bacon and a bowl of fresh fruit. If anyone asked for eggs, he'd cook them to order. As werekin wandered into the kitchen, Dakota picked at some fruit and Henry answered questions about the food and poured coffee. "You need help." "What?" He stared at his mate in puzzlement. "You do too much. You need someone to help you with this stuff." Dakota waved his hands to indicate the entire kitchen. "I have a boy who comes in after meals and helps clean up." Dakota's upper lip curled. "A dishwasher isn't enough. You need an assistant cook." "Maybe you could apply for the position." Dakota's blue eyes sparkled. "I would love to assist you." Henry wasn't completely certain they were talking about the same thing. "That's a great idea," Dare said, holding out his plate with pleading eyes. 55
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Henry slid the three medium eggs he just finished onto Dare's plate as Steven walked up. "Hey those were mine!" Dare gave his mate a smacking kiss on the nose before walking off with the eggs. Amused, Henry cracked three more. "You could go make him share." Steven gave a wicked smile. "But then I couldn't let him show me how sorry he is later." Henry shook his head and listened as Steven made small talk with Dakota. Neither of the men was big on conversation. Henry thought it was cute that Steven tried. "Nervous about your shift tonight?" Dakota gave Steven a wide-eyed look. "How did you know?" "If it was me and I might not get to see Dare again as a human, I'd be terrified." Henry dumped Steven's eggs on a plate not caring about how they looked. "I don't think you're helping," he growled. The fine hairs on the back of his neck stood up with the feeling of impending danger. "Everyone get down!" Anthony shouted before Henry could say anything. Henry grabbed his mate, threw him down on the floor behind the kitchen island, and covered him with his 56
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larger body. The kitchen door exploded. Screams echoed as bits of debris sank into shifters not quick enough to obey Anthony. Henry looked up to see mutants marching into the kitchen as if they owned the place. A bolt of lightning killed the first one through the door, then the second and third. Henry turned to see Anthony standing in the center of the kitchen, his eyes glowed an eerie gold. In his right hand, a ball of energy pulsed like a living creature. Each time a mutant walked through the door, Anthony killed them. The stench of burning flesh hung in the air like a sickly cloud. After the fourth one died, the invasion halted. Instead of another mutant a metal cylinder rolled through the open doorway. Without thinking, Henry ran over to the object with the intention to toss it back at them. "No, Henry!" Anthony's shout registered too late. As he grabbed the container, it exploded, sending green gas spewing everywhere. Unprepared for the attack, Henry breathed in a lungful of air. The kitchen spun around him then world went black.
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**** Dakota woke up with four paws and a furry tail trapped inside a cage with no sign of his mate. Lifting his head, he let out low mournful cry. "Shut up!" A loud bang against the bars startled him into silence. Mate. He needed to get back to his mate. He gave soft whimper. "Stop that." The same almost wolf-man who banged on his cage before, did it again. Dakota felt bad for the creature. He couldn't quite become a wolf. Poor useless thing. "What are you doing Billy?" "Blake, the stupid wolf won't stop whining." "It's captive, of course it's going to be upset. Stop antagonizing the wolf." Billy gave Dakota a glare before stomping off. The creature called Blake leaned down to Dakota's cage. "Don't worry little wolf. We won't hurt you. We're just going to take some vials of blood to figure out how you can shift and your buddies couldn't. Too bad we had to kill them, but after they were injected it was like a slow poison that would eventually drive them mad. Shooting them was 58
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the only humane thing to do. Dakota snarled at the mutant. He didn't care how compassionate Blake thought they were. His pack only had to die because the wolf wannabes injected them with their poison. The mutant werekin leaned closer to Dakota's cage. "Listen, I need you to tell Anthony that Blake is trying to help. If he transforms me back, I'll give him all the information I can. I want you to deliver this to him." Blake opened the door to the cage. Before Dakota could escape, he felt something snap around his neck. The sense of possible freedom evaporated when Blake slammed the door of the cage closed, but Dakota noticed the mutant didn't fasten it completely. "I'm going to create a diversion, then you need to make a run for it." He watched Blake remove a device from his pocket. It was a shiny square with a round button on the surface and a tiny silver stick on top. Still facing Dakota, he pressed the button. An explosion rocked the building. Screams echoed off the walls of the wood warehouse as it went up in flames. Blake ran off, helping people escape the fire. As soon as he saw everyone distracted, Dakota 59
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lunged against the door of his cage. The hinge popped open beneath his weight. He needed to find his mate. Ignoring the screams, the hands stretching out to him, and the shouts for him to stop, Dakota dug in his paws and raced through the open door. The pure joy of running consumed Dakota as he ran through the streets. Buildings loomed over him and the occasional pedestrian scattered as he sped through the night, desperately trying to remember the location of the pack building. After a few hours of searching, he began to wonder if maybe he was in a different city, but he doubted Blake would release him if he thought Dakota couldn't find his way back. Then again, he didn't really know the other man either. A large crow landed in front of him, sending the wolf skidding to a halt. Follow me. The words whispered through his mind as the bird crooked its head. Leif. Dakota didn't know why the bird shifter always looked out for him, but he was never more grateful than at that moment. He gave a bark, letting the bird know he understood him even if he didn't know how to 60
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communicate back. He'd heard mates could communicate telepathically but he had a feeling the bird had extra abilities wolves had never heard of. After what felt like miles of running, Dakota's paws hurt and for the first time he longed to be a human with human shoes. There weren't a lot of things he liked about his human form, but he enjoyed protective footwear and his mate. Not necessarily in that order. Your mate is injured. They sent me to find you. Leif's words sank in just as they reached the pack building. Panic ratcheted through Dakota. The smoke filling the kitchen and surrounding Henry was the last thing he remembered before the cage. Dakota hit the kitchen door at a run, slamming into it with his paws. A long howl burst from his throat as he clawed at the entrance. The door swung inward. Dakota rushed inside, following his nose. Good luck. He heard the flap of wings behind him but he didn't bother to look. His mate needed him. Henry's scent stopped at that stupid metal box. With no Dare or Leif to help him, he needed fingers. His wolf growled at the thought of changing again, but Dakota's human half held firm. His mate came first. 61
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Closing his eyes, he concentrated. Paws to fingers, fur to bare skin, followed by pain, so much pain it consumed him. His howl turned to a scream as he writhed on the floor, stretching and bending into unnatural shapes as his bones crackled like glass. Gasping, he lay still for a moment trying to make sense of the movement around him. Looking up through watering eyes, he saw the concerned faces of the Alpha pair. Anthony tilted his head. "I don't know about Henry, but I think the collar is sexy." A low growl had Dakota shifting his glance. Silver's eyes glowed with fury as the Alpha glared down at him. "Kidding, love, just kidding." Anthony wrapped a hand around the Alpha's arm drawing Silver's attention away from Dakota. "Henry," Dakota gasped through his dry throat. "We have him in the basement. He's lost to his wolf." Silver's grim expression froze Dakota's soul. "He can't find his way back to human. You're his mate aren't you?" Dakota nodded. "You might be able to help. We'll take you to him." Anthony held out his hand and helped Dakota to his feet. The Alpha Mate looked exhausted. Dark marks 62
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underlined his eyes. "What happened?" "The gas converted all the wolf werekin to mutants. I've spent the night changing them back. Dare was the only non-wolf werekin in the kitchen when the gas went off. He's in a coma and I can't seem to pull him out of it. I was able to shift Henry back from a mutant, but your absence spiraled him into his wolf form." Dakota shivered when he realized what that meant. Henry hadn't wanted to be in his wolf form, ever. The fact he shifted into his beast made Dakota wonder if his mate would be able to emotionally recover from the shock even if they pulled him out of his wolf form. "We need you to try and coax him back to human," Silver's hard voice left no room for argument. "I don't care what you two decide to do in the future, but he needs to be aware before he makes any kind of decision." "You think I would keep him as a wolf for my own benefit?" Anger burned through Dakota's chest. Silver shrugged. "I don't know you. I know Henry. He hates being a wolf, but you long for your wolf half. Things would be easier for you if he remained as he is, but we both know he'd be miserable." Dakota straightened his spine and looked the Alpha directly in the eye. "I would never betray my mate like 63
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that!" "Good." Silver relaxed as if he knew Dakota spoke the truth. Turning his head to look at Anthony, Dakota realized he still had the collar around his neck. With shaking fingers, he unsnapped the leather before handing it over. "The mutant named Blake said to give this to you." Anthony took the collar. A small silver cylinder hung from it. Despite his curiosity, Dakota only had one goal. "Where's Henry?" "We put him in what we call the drunk tank. Come with me." Clutching the collar in one hand, Anthony led Dakota towards the elevator. Hell. If it were for anyone other than Henry, he would give up. He hated the elevator! "Coming?" Anthony walked inside, staring at Dakota in surprise when he didn't immediately join him. Silver brushed past him, glowering at his mate. "What?" Anthony asked, giving his lover an innocent smile. "You aren't going down there without me." Silver's mouth tightened as if he were holding back other words. As if he were unable to accept the distance between them, the Alpha wrapped his arm around his mate. "You did what 64
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you could, it's time for me to take care of things for a while. You don't always have to watch over everyone. I am the Alpha." Silver gave his mate a tender smile. The look of adoration in Anthony's gaze brought the prickle of impending tears to Dakota's eyes. Anthony cupped Silver's face in his hand. "I know love. I'm sorry if I'm stepping on your toes. When the pack hurts, you hurt and I will do anything to prevent that." Watching the Alpha struggle to deal with his mate reassured Dakota as nothing had before. When the person who should have it all figured out didn't know how to handle his mate, Dakota couldn't be expected to have all the answers. Stepping into the metal box, Dakota shivered. "We can get you clothes when we get to the bottom floor. We keep a closet on each level," Anthony reassured him with a smile. "Good." He didn't mind meeting Henry naked, but he felt oddly shy about being naked in front of others without his fur. He didn't have much time to be worried about his fur or lack of it as the doors slid open again and Dakota heard the howl of his mate. Henry. Racing down the hall, Dakota followed the sounds until he got to an area with a series of metal barred doors. A 65
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quick glance proved most of the spaces empty except for the last. In the last room was the biggest, most beautiful wolf Dakota had ever seen. A mixture of grey and white, the beast had broad shoulders and liquid eyes. The animal's beauty wasn't dimmed the least by the scar bisecting one cheek. Catching sight of Dakota, the enormous wolf stopped howling and padded to the door. It set its paws to the bars until it stood on its back feet. The creature towered over Dakota, a monster to people who didn't see the despair in the animal's eyes. "Oh, Henry," Dakota reached through the bars to stroke the enormous animal's snout. He got a lick for his troubles. "Here are some sweats." He'd forgotten about the Alphas until Anthony handed him some clothes. "Thanks." He slipped them on and went back to giving Henry all his attention. "What happened to him?" "We think he's lost." Silver approached the door. The wolf turned his head towards the Alpha but his eyes didn't show any recognition. Indifference turned to interest, however, when the wolf turned its attention back to Dakota. "He still recognizes you." "He's my mate." Tears prickled behind his eyes seeing his mate stuck 66
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in the form he despised the most. Anthony stepped up on Dakota's other side. "Silver and I thought you might be able to coax him back into human form if you go in there as a human." Henry didn't look violent, and even if he did, Dakota wouldn't abandon him. "Unlock the door." "Oh, it isn't locked," Silver said, swinging the door open. "We didn't want him to panic if he switched back to a human and couldn't get out. We rarely lock these doors and only have them for when shifters get too drunk to drive home safely and might be dangerous." "You're a good Alpha." Dakota patted Silver on the shoulder as he entered the room. The metal door closed behind him, but he didn't hear the lock engage. Even though he trusted the Alpha, the knot in his stomach loosened. He didn't ever want to be trapped in a cage again. "We'll be in Silver's office if you need anything." He nodded to acknowledge he heard the Alpha Mate but he didn't turn his gaze from Henry. A low growling reminded him why he was there. The wolf circled him, nudging him with his nose, sniffing at his crotch. "Hey," he laughed, shoving the animal away. He got another growl for his trouble. He shoved Henry away 67
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again only to have the animal pounce. Dakota gave a gasp as his back hit the floor. Air whooshed out of his lungs as he found himself lying beneath the large wolf. He would've been more concerned if he didn't see the despair in Henry's eyes. "It's all right, mate, we'll get you out of this." He combed his fingers through his lover's thick fur, hoping he could keep his promise. Henry desperately needed to get back to his human form. Dakota tried to send reassurance through their link, but he didn't know if the feeling was received or not. The wolf licked his neck in a rough tongue bathing. "If you were human, you could claim me properly." He gave the wolf his most sultry look, feeling like an idiot. What did he know about being sexy? He barely knew about being human. Before he could rethink his approach, Henry's snout shrunk, then faded altogether while the crackle and pop of bones reforming sounded like the sweetest music Dakota had ever heard. Only after fur slid beneath skin and miles of smooth muscle lay on top of him, did Dakota let out a relieved sigh. Well as much of one as he could breathe out with his mate's heavy body crushing his lungs. "Mate." Henry whispered, looking down at Dakota as if he were a treasure he'd uncovered. 68
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"Feeling better?" "I almost couldn't come back to you. I tried and I tried when Silver and Anthony told me to change but I couldn't. My wolf wouldn't release me until I knew you were safe. I had to keep my strongest form to protect you." Dakota didn't know how to respond to his mate's confession. Romance like that should be given a proper response. "Fuck me." Shit, that sounded better in his head. Henry laughed as he rolled off of Dakota's body. "You romantic you." "Oh, shut up. I want you to claim me properly now. None of that angsty shit either. I want a good hard fuck where you claim me as yours and then keep me forever." **** Henry looked down at his wolf-man and felt a pang in his heart. He thought he'd be able to let Dakota go. Even if Dakota never fully became a wolf again, Henry hoped the beautiful man would find someone more worthy of being his mate. However, the expression in Dakota's arctic eyes said he wouldn't accept anyone but Henry. "Fine. If I'm the only one you'll accept." 69
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are."
There
was
no
room
for
misunderstanding in Dakota's mulish frown. He wouldn't back down. Henry shifted his hands into claws and slashed the sweat pants off Dakota's body. Despite not shifting in years, Henry's claws were razor sharp and sliced through the fabric like a hot knife through butter. "Good thing I wasn't attached to those sweats." Henry could smell the scent of excitement rising off Dakota's skin like a lustful mist. "Good thing," Henry agreed, nipping at the man's strong throat. Dakota moaned and squirmed against Henry. "That's it, mate. Take what you need." Whatever Dakota desired, Henry would provide. Henry looked around for something to use as lube but all he saw were the four bare walls. Shit. "Dakota, honey, we've got to go back to the condo. We don't have any lube." His
mate's
lust
filled
gaze
stared
at
him
uncomprehendingly. "We've got to go," Henry insisted. "Seriously?" "I'm not doing you without lube." Dakota might get 70
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his way on most things, but on this Henry wouldn't be budged. "Use spit." "I don't think so." A low growl was the only warning he had before Dakota shifted from human to wolf and headed to the door of the cell. The animal pushed the door open before looking back over its shoulder as if wondering why Henry didn't follow. "I'm coming." Then Henry did the one thing he'd vowed never to do. He voluntarily shifted. With seamless power he went from fingers to paws and from two feet to four. As fur slid through his skin and his fangs elongated, Henry chased after the white wolf, following the irresistible call from mate to mate. They raced for the elevator. Henry pressed the button for his mate with his nose since; his paws were too large for effective use. Minutes later they raced off the elevator. At his condo door, Henry shifted to human so fast his head spun dizzily. Smaller hands kept him from falling. "Careful, honey. You're out of practice." Dakota held Henry up as he unlocked the door. "Sorry. I forgot how much it takes out of you. I'm all right." He didn't rush to knock away Dakota's hands though. He liked the feel of someone taking care of him. 71
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He'd had little tenderness in his life before now, and he soaked it up like a sponge. Dakota kissed the tip of Henry's nose before pushing him through the doorway. "Come on. You promised me a proper claiming." Henry laughed. "So I did." As they were both naked, Henry didn't have to worry about stripping off Dakota's clothing. Grabbing his mate by the wrist, he dragged the smaller man into the bedroom. Wrapping his hands around Dakota's waist, he tossed him onto the bed. "I could've walked here on my own." Dakota smiled at Henry's antics. "What's the fun in that?" Still feeling a little clumsy, Henry opened his side drawer and pulled out a container of lube. Good thing he'd recently bought more, even though he'd expected to use it alone. Turning back to the bed, Henry took a moment to enjoy the sight. Dakota's lean body looked good lying on his comforter. Every part of Henry wanted to keep the sweet wolf-man. "What are you waiting for?" He smiled at the adorable scowl crossing Dakota's face. "I love you," Henry confessed. He resisted the urge to slap a hand over his mouth at 72
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the admission, especially when Dakota's frown melted into a tender smile. "I know, Henry. I love you too. Now come claim me and show me you're going to keep me." "Oh, I'm going to keep you. No one better touch you except me." Henry's wolf snarled inside at the thought of someone else touching his mate. It took several deep breaths before he could push down the rage. Dakota shook his head. "I'm not into sharing." "Good." My mate! Determined to make sure any other shifter would smell his scent on the man beneath him, Henry opened the tube and slicked up his fingers. "Have you done this before?" Dakota shook his head. "None of the other wolves ever wanted me." Henry leaned down and kissed his mate. The heat of their bond flared to life. Moaning, he reached down to circle the tight rosette of Dakota's hole with a finger. Using only the tip, he dipped inside his mate while nipping Dakota's ear. A soft hiss told Henry he'd found one of his mate's hot buttons. Smiling against Dakota's neck, he proceeded to find several more while he used his fingers to loosen and lube his lover for entry. 73
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"Fuck me!" Dakota screamed as Henry discovered a particularly sensitive spot on Dakota's hip. Anticipation made his fangs drop. Growling, he scraped the point of one fang across Dakota's skin. He smiled against his mate's warm flesh when Dakota bucked with a doglike yip. **** Dakota arched closer to his lover, aching to close the distance between them. He could barely focus on what Henry was doing as he transformed into a being of tingling nerves and molten passion. "Please," he begged. "Please, Henry, fuck me." "Shhh, soon," Henry soothed after finding another spot Dakota didn't know could feel so good until a kiss and a lick crossed his flesh. "No! Now!" He needed to be claimed. Desperate to be marked by his mate he let out a needy moan. "It's going to hurt a bit the first time. I'm big." Dakota laughed. "I know. I like that about you." Henry's big body and tough looks hid the soul of a sweet man. "Turn over, we'll mate like wolves. It'll make it easier for you." "Only the first time." Dakota insisted. "I want to see 74
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your face next time." "My face isn't anything to see," Henry protested. "It is to me." Dakota wouldn't let anyone, even Henry, talk bad about his mate. He obediently let the big shifter turn him until Dakota was on his hands and knees. At the first feel of Henry pressing against his hole, the muscles instinctively tightened. Big hands massaged his shoulders and ass until he relaxed again. "Tensing will only make it hurt more. Take a deep breath and let it out." Following his lover's advice, he let out a yelp as Henry pushed inside. Dakota slowly let out his breath. "Damn, you're huge." "You are my mate," Henry growled in his ear. Fangs penetrated Dakota's neck and every muscle relaxed beneath the teeth of his Alpha. Silver and Anthony might be in charge of the pack but in that moment Henry owned him. Arching his back, he accepted the demands of his mate. He moaned when Henry wrapped his hand around Dakota's cock and rubbed it up and down. Dakota's body tingled from the contact. Nothing, no hunt, no kill, no run with the pack, had ever felt as good as contact with Henry. His wolf yipped inside, glorying in the bonding with its mate. "M-Mo-o-o-re." The word ended in a drawn out 75
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howl. "Easy love, we've got forever." Henry's husky growl sent prickles across his skin. Dakota let out a whimper as Henry fully breached him. "Shh, baby. I've got you." "Yours. I'm all yours," Dakota swore. Henry's bite on Dakota's shoulder sent another shockwave through his body. As a human his emotions were strange and complex, but his wolf-self had simple needs. Food, shelter, and mate. Gasping, he clutched at the sheets, his fingers curling to almost human claws as he tried to get a good grip. "Need you," Dakota whispered. "I'm yours. Forever," Henry vowed. "Love." Henry pumped inside, hitting a secret spot that caused Dakota to howl. "Love you," Henry moaned in Dakota's ear before groaning out his completion. Pulling slowly out, Henry collapsed on the bed beside him. "I'll clean you up in a minute." "'Kay," Dakota muttered before the events of the day caught up with him and he fell asleep. 76
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CHAPTER SIX Anthony stood over Dare's bedside as the werecat battled the drug going through his system. Meant for wolf shifters, the mutant gas caused a bad allergic reaction in Dare, resulting in convulsions and now a coma. Steven was beside himself and it took all Anthony's persuasive techniques to get him to take a break. Anthony stroked Dare's head, blinking back tears. "You can do it, Dare. If you don't pull out, the pack will never recover. They may be a pack of wolves but they adore their tiger." Silver wrapped his hands around Anthony's shoulders. "What did Blake want?" "He sent me a note offering to give me all the information he has on the mutants if I removed his mutation." "Can you do it?" Anthony shrugged. "I've never tried to change someone back who's been a mutant for more than a few days. I think I can, but I'm not sure." "Why does he want to change back? I thought Blake was in charge of the mutants." Silver narrowed his eyes. "This feels suspicious to me, not to mention if he's in charge, then he's responsible for the attack on the pack 77
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house." Anthony shrugged. "I'm certainly not going to rush into an agreement without finding out more. His note says he's working undercover but he doesn't say for whom or why. Any mutants out on the streets tonight won't be around in the morning to interrogate. The pack has taken to the streets, seeking revenge for Dare." Silver sighed. "I didn't try to stop them. Dare is too loved to prevent retaliation." Anthony nodded. He was too tired to fight. Exhaustion sank into his bones, his shoulders slumping. He smiled when Silver wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulders. "Have you heard from your father?" Anthony sighed. "No and calls to grandfather are going unanswered. I'm worried. I might have to go to grandfather's palace and check things out for myself. Mother says she hasn't heard from Father in a couple of weeks now." Silver's grip tightened. "You're not going to see Zeus without me." Anthony moved away from his mate's touch. "You can't go to Zeus's palace without the blood of a god in your veins and you know it." "Then you're not going." Silver's tone didn't allow 78
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Anthony any wiggle room. The Alpha wouldn't move on this one. "I'm still recovering from last time you saw him." Anthony flushed as memories of his
wolf
incarnation ran through his head. He hated to admit it, but sometimes he missed the vicious wolf that temporarily shared his body. Despite the horrible side effects, it had helped him understand the wolf pack better. Before Anthony could argue with his mate, Dare opened his eyes. Except his usual warm sea green eyes were blank and the lightning bolt on the side of his neck glowed like white fire. "Anthony, King Linnel is holding me hostage. He wants you to come rescue me. Don't do it." Hearing his father's voice coming out of Dare was possibly even freakier than the last horror movie Silver had dragged him to. His mate had a fondness for bad supernatural movies because he liked to laugh at the Hollywood interpretation of werewolves. "I can't leave you there." "Tell Zeus, but don't come yourself." Anthony opened his mouth to argue, but Dare's eyes closed again and he knew his father was gone. "That was fucking spooky," Silver said behind him. "Yeah." Dare's chest convulsed and the werecat's eyes 79
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snapped open. This time Anthony could tell his friend was the only occupant. "I was having the worst dream that your father was being tortured by some guy with a golden crown." Dare blinked repeatedly. Anthony closed his eyes in pain at the thought of his father at the king's mercy. "I've got to rescue him." "What are we going to do?" Dare asked, still blinking. "Do you think you can turn on a light?" A chill froze Anthony's bones as he looked around the well-lit room. He exchanged looks with Silver. "The light is on." Dare's body shuddered. "I'm blind." The edge of panic filled his voice. Anthony quickly took the other man's hand. "Shhh. It could just be temporary. No one knows the effect of the gas on non-wolf shifters. Maybe once it wears off you'll be fine." "Do you think so?" Anthony hated to give the cat false hope. He patted Dare's shoulder. "I hope so. I'll call my mother and have her come check you out." His mother was a phenomenal healer. If anyone could help Dare, she would be able to. "Okay." Anthony heard the stress in Dare's voice. Steven 80
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entered the room and from his pallor, Anthony could tell Steven heard his lover's confession. Dare took a deep breath. "Steven?" "I'm here." The wolf shifter rushed to his mate's side, took his hand, and placed a soft kiss on Dare's forehead. "Anthony will do everything he can to help with your eyes." Steven's glare at Anthony said more than any words could. Before Anthony could answer a loud crackling filled the air. A bolt of lightning hit the floor leaving a burn mark on the carpet and Zeus in its place. Anthony's heart slammed against his chest when he saw his grandfather held a baby tucked in one arm. "Anthony, your father's been kidnapped." The baby gave a squeal. Zeus ignored it. "I have a proposition for you, grandson. You know as a god I can't directly interfere with the fae king. I suspect the king only has your father as a way to trap you in the land of the fae. Gallien doesn't have your strength. He has too much fae blood in him to stand up against King Linnel for long. I need you to go in and get him. In return for this, I will give you your child." Anthony didn't let his expression convey the joy he felt at the thought of keeping the child himself. He'd purposely tried to put the idea of his child living with Zeus 81
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out of his mind. Inside, he was doing back flips. On the outside he kept his face expressionless. Lesson one he'd learned at his grandfather's knees. Never let a god know they have the upper hand. "Can't handle a baby, huh?" Zeus frowned at him. "They are a bit more work than I remember." As Anthony didn't think the god had raised any of his own children, he wasn't the least surprised. Honesty forced him to confess. "You know I would go save my father anyway." Zeus nodded. "But I can't ask for something without offering something in return." "Is that in the god handbook?" Anthony asked. "Yes, as you will know one day." Silver wrapped an arm around Anthony. "What do you mean?" Zeus smiled at Anthony sending a cold chill through his body. "I put a wolf god in your body. You didn't think you lost all abilities when I took him out, did you? You are still too young to handle all of your powers, Anthony. I've blocked most of your stronger abilities until you are a few hundred years old." "Striking people with lightning isn't a major ability?" Steven's voice shook as he dared to address the 82
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god. "Child's play is what it really is. Anthony is like a baby god learning what to do with his abilities. When he's ready, I will give him more. After all, he's the one who will inherit all of my abilities if anything were to happen to me." "What!" Anthony blurted out. Zeus pinned him with lightning-filled eyes. "Surely you can't be surprised, grandson. You knew you were my favorite. It's why you have the wolf mark on your cheek. It marks you as my heir. Don't panic. It will be many more years before I am ready to pass on my abilities. For now, I need you to rescue your father and I am willing to trade my son for yours. Let me introduce you to Trin Carrow." Anthony's hands shook as he accepted the baby from his grandfather. "Hey there, Trin," he cooed to the baby. "You want to tell me when you fucked a woman," Silver's angry tone cut through Anthony's joy as he cradled the stunning baby who had eyes surprisingly like his mate's. Zeus stepped in before Anthony could say anything. "Anthony agreed to let me take his essence as payment for removing the wolf from his body. He never touched a woman." 83
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"Who's the mother?" Anthony asked, stroking the baby's brilliant red-gold hair. "A siren who owed me a favor. Don't worry about her coming for the baby. Sirens have little interest in motherhood. As you can see, I mixed in a little of your mate's essence also." Anthony raised an eyebrow at the god. "What happened to 'I won't take your seed without permission'?" "Your seed. I said nothing about your mate's." "That's my child?" The awe in Silver's voice had Anthony turning to see the look of pure joy in his mate's eyes. Before he could say anything more Silver snatched the baby from his arms and proceeded to make goo-goo noises at it. "With a siren mother does he need to be in water often?" Zeus shook his head. "He likes it but he has enough mixture of you and Silver to not need water. I did make him a shifter. With both of you having wolf ties I thought it would be best." Silver's face glowed. "He can shift?" "Well, not yet. He'll do it around puberty, like most werekin, but yes, he should be able to eventually." "He's beautiful. We need to have a party and officially welcome him into the family. I didn't think I'd 84
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ever get to be a father." The look of awe on the werekin's face said more than words that Silver was as enthralled as Anthony with the baby. "I've got to go. Watch out for the king's antics and take care of Trin." Zeus gave the baby a fond smile before vanishing. "Surprise, honey, you're a father." Anthony said as he watched his mate snuggle the baby close. He'd never seen Silver interact with a child before and he was surprised at how quickly his big, bad mate turned into a softy. Silver stroked Anthony's head. "I didn't know you sacrificed a child to save our relationship." Silver's voice was rough as he spoke. "I'm glad you have a second chance with him." "Me too." "So what are we going to do with the baby while we're off saving my father?" Anthony asked fingering the baby's hair. "Let's call Farro. He's the only one who has any real baby experience," Silver said. "Only a few of us can go into the fae world anyway, we don't want to set it to look like we're invading." "We are invading," Silver argued. 85
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"But we can't make it look like we are or we'll start a full-out war with the fae. We can't chance that." Anthony's mind raced as he thought over all the things they needed to do before going. "We can leave Dillon and Thomas in charge. They'll keep the pack in line and Ben will help with any disputes," Silver said. "If they're willing, we'll leave Trin with Farro and Kylen. Kylen loves children." Anthony nodded in agreement. "Good idea. We can give the rest of the pack the job of finding the mutants and discovering their plan. I originally thought it was to take over the werekin population, but now I'm worried they have bigger goals. Steven, I'll do some research and have my mother come and see if she can heal Dare." "I can hear, you know," Dare grumbled. "Sorry." Anthony felt a twinge of grief at seeing his friend's sightless gaze. They needed to fix Dare. Damn, he should've asked Zeus before he left. "Let's go check on Henry, drop off Trin, call my mother, and be on our way. Any time wasted is more time my father is in danger." The baby let out a happy coo. Silver leaned down and kissed Trin on the forehead. "Sounds good. I'm thinking it should only be us. Vien and Viell are on the outs with the king and might cause an incident and the fewer who go the fewer we have to get the hell out of there in a 86
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hurry." Anthony nodded. "Good idea." With a hug to Steven and a kiss on Dare's cheek, Anthony followed his mate and baby out of the room.
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CHAPTER SEVEN Henry lay in bed wrapped up in his lover's arms when his neck burned like fire. Anthony! Slapping his hand over the sore spot, he quickly pulled on his boxers and went to answer the door. Opening it, he wasn't the least surprised to find the Alpha mates standing on his doorstep. "Alphas. Um, what can I do for you?" He lost track of his stumbling words when he saw the baby in Anthony's arms. "A baby!" Without thinking he plucked the little one from Silver's arms and snuggled it close. "Who's a beautiful baby? Hmm? You are." He tickled under the little one's chin, listening to it giggle. The burning sensation faded from his neck. "I guess we don't need to take him to Farro after all." Anthony's voice had Henry looking back up. It struck him how much the baby looked like both Alphas. "Is it yours?" "His name is Trin, and yes, he's our son. Would you be interested in watching him for a day or two?" "Yes!" Henry loved babies. It was the only thing he disliked about being gay. He'd never share the joy of 88
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having a baby that carried the genetics of both him and his partner. "A baby?" Dakota wandered in and looked at the child in Henry's arms like he'd never seen one before. Anthony handed over a credit card. "Order anything you need for him. We have to go and save my father. We're putting Dillon and Thomas in charge so go to them if you need anything." Henry nodded. "Is it okay if I hire some temporary staff for the kitchen? Dakota's going to help out, but if we have the baby…" He let his voice fade. "Of course. I trust your judgment. Make sure there are guards around the baby at all times. The mutants would love to have the bargaining power of our child." "Will do." Henry couldn't stop the smile from crossing his face. He'd found his mate, overcome his trauma of shifting, and he got to play with a baby for a few days. Life was good. He smiled at Dakota's shocked face. "Maybe we can do some research about your family too. If we can find them, we can warn them the mutants are after their kind." Anthony nodded. "That's a good idea. Shifters need to pull closer together and form a united front instead of so many factions. We don't even know if the group of mutants 89
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in our city is the only one." Silver nodded. "When we get back I'll start contacting the Alphas I know. They might not like me, but they'll back me up if for no other reason than Anthony can change their people back if they are converted." "Good," Henry said. The Alphas looked down at the baby and Henry could tell they didn't want to be separated. "Don't worry, I'll take care of your son." "Call Farro if you have any questions. He went through this once." Anthony stroked the baby's head. "He'll be able to tell you what things to buy. Go ahead and get the stuff. I'll design a nursery when we return." "Will do." Henry did a shooing motion to the pair. "Go. I'll watch over Trin." With a few kisses on the baby's soft head, the Alpha pair left the apartment. Dakota looked at his mate and the baby. "The excitement never stops around here does it?" Henry laughed. "No. It never does." For the first time since he'd joined Silver's pack he finally felt a true part of it. Both his human and his wolf half finally had a mate and a home. The End 90
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Amber Kell is a dreamer who has been writing stories in her head for as long as she could remember. She lives in Texas with her husband, two sons, two cats and one very stupid dog. To learn more about her current books or works in progress, check out her blog at http://amberkell.wordpress.com. Her fans can also reach her at
[email protected]. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Amber-Kell/1772646395 Email:
[email protected] Blog: http://amberkell.wordpress.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/amberkell
ALSO BY AMBER KELL: Available at Silver Publishing: Blood Signs Xavier's Xmas Soldier Mine (Aug 20) Blood Signs 2: Samhain's Kiss (Oct 15) Tempting Sin (2012) Tempting Sin 2: Testing Arthur (2012) A WIZARD'S TOUCH Jaynell's Wolf Kevin's Alpha Kellum's Wizard (Nov 26) HIDDEN MAGIC William's House Modeling Death DRAGONMEN Mate Hunt Mate Test (July 23) Mate Dance (Nov 5) Mate Healer (2012) FAE A Guitarist in the Fae Queen's Court (Sept 17) MOON PACK Attracting Anthony Baiting Ben Courting Calvin Denying Dare Enticing Elliott Finding Farro Getting Gabe Hunting Henry Inflaming Inno (Sept 3)
Judging Jager (Oct 1) ** Please Note: All dates given are open to change **
AWARDS:
Top 10 Best Selling Author 2010 ARe (All Romance ebooks)
Reviews: Literary Nymphs Reviews gives Jaynell's Wolf 5 Nymphs! Jaynell Marley arrives at Mayell Wizard Academy to complete his training. Jay had already had years of advanced private tutoring, therefore his school enrollment is more to honor his father's wishes. Joining his new dorm roommates for pizza, Jay literally bumps into werekin Thomas Sparks. A sniff at Jay's neck has Thomas proclaiming that Jay is his mate. Jaynell's Wolf is the first book in the Wizard's Touch series. The plot is well written plus vastly entertaining. The main characters are impressive, along with amusing secondary characters. Jaynell is a powerful wizard who wonders why his father insisted that Jay attend a school when it is clear Jay surpasses everyone in magical skills. However, Jay has an unpretentious personality. Thomas is a considerate protector, as long as others keep a respectful distance from Jay. The secondary characters include Gnomes, dragons, half elf, wolf pack in addition to a variety of wizards in training. I thoroughly enjoyed Jaynell's Wolf. Amber Kell has created a fantastic flight of the imagination that is laugh-out-loud hilarious, interwoven with heartwarming moments as well as rousing scenes of intimate passion. I look forward to the next addition to the Wizard's Touch series.
**** Lisa at Joyfully Reviewed — "Blood Signs is captivating" "Deliciously dark at times and delightfully wicked as well, Blood Signs is pure entertainment… [T]he plot will hold you, the characters are engaging, and Blood Signs is hard to put down once you start. Blood Signs is captivating.
