Out of the Shadows

Out of the Shadows

Julia Davies

Published by Phaze Books Also by Julia Davies Bark At The Moon Out Of The Shadows

This is an explicit and erotic novel intended for the enjoyment of adult readers. Please keep out of the hands of children.

www.Phaze.com

Out Of The Shadows Copyright © 2011 by Julia Davies ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Edited by Kathryn Lively Cover Art © 2011 by Amanda Kelsey First Edition June 2011 ISBN-13: 978-1-60659-609-8

Published by: Phaze Books An imprint of Mundania Press LLC 6457 Glenway Ave., #109 Cincinnati, OH 45211 All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher, Mundania Press LLC, 6457 Glenway Avenue, #109, Cincinnati, Ohio 45211, [email protected].

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content. This electronic book is licensed for your personal enjoyment and may not be copied, re-sold, given away, or otherwise distributed. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights and livelihood is appreciated.

Out of the Shadows Julia Davies

Chapter One

“When are you going to get your car fixed?” Jai asked, pulling his motorcycle alongside Dane’s car. Dane gave the car’s tyre a disgruntled kick. “I can’t afford it at the moment.” He brightened and asked, “Do you think if I leave the keys in, someone might steal the damn thing? It’s insured.” “No thief in their right mind would steal this piece of shit,” Jai replied. “No offence meant.” Dane sighed. Jai was right. His car was a rusted heap with mismatched doors that he had salvaged from the scrap yard, and it tended to break down at least once a week. Unfortunately, with his rent and bills to pay, he had the choice of replacing his car or eating. As a werewolf who liked his food, he chose to eat. He did feel bad about having to continually call on his friends to come out and collect him so often. “Thanks for coming to get me,” he said, climbing onto the bike behind Jai.

**** Jai should have said thank you to Dane, or to that damn car of his, but he kept his mouth shut. He had felt it from the moment Dane walked into his life, the instant attraction, but Dane either hadn’t noticed his interest or didn’t intend to. Jai suspected the former and kept his thoughts to himself, instead finding ways to spend time with Dane until the man was ready to acknowledge it. These recovery runs were as eagerly anticipated as the trips to the pub or chats at the office that he managed to orchestrate. Jai shrugged his shoulders. “No problem.” Dane slid his hands onto Jai’s waist to hold on as they set off, and Jai felt a rush go through him. Innocent as it was, that simple touch made blood race to his cock. Fuck. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep this up. For two months, ever since Dane had joined the pack guard, he had been fighting to keep his hands off, look but don’t touch, to force thoughts of Dane to the back of his mind. He had lost count of the number of mornings he had awakened with the covers kicked back and his hand around his dick. Images of Dane filled his mind as he jerked off, and he always came imagining that it was Dane’s hand on him. Thoughts of having Dane beneath him, and being able to sink his cock into the object of his fantasy’s tight little arse, could keep him awake at nights.

They pulled into the car park behind their offices and Jai drew the bike to a stop. A shame it wasn’t a longer journey, he thought with a sigh as Dane let go of him and climbed off the bike. “Thanks again.” Jai secured his motorcycle and then walked in with Dane. Everyone else was already there, hard at work. Or rather, trying to look busy. Usually, they would be arranging permits for other weres to visit, escorting the Alpha if he travelled or policing the pack. It was a quiet month so far; not so much as a rogue wolf straying into pack territory. **** The day rolled by at an irritatingly slow pace. Jai was playing his umpteenth game of solitaire on his computer and discreetly watching Dane when Ret came out of his office. He grinned as Ret headed for Brand’s desk, where his boyfriend Andy was sitting. Not long ago, Andy had been inducted into the world of werewolves, first as Ret’s human mate. After an accident that left him fighting for his life, they had no choice but to turn him. He would never have survived without becoming a wolf and now, five months later, he had adapted well.

It’s adorable to see them together, Jai thought with a

smile. Ret may act like a bad-ass to the outside world but, it was clear to those who knew him best—his guards—how much he adored Andy. Jai glanced at Dane again; he would give anything for Dane to look at him as Andy looked at Ret. He could keep trying, however. The two of them had become good friends over the past few months, growing more comfortable around each other. Eventually, Dane would see that they were mates and reciprocate, he was certain of it. Dane was at ease around those in the guard who were gay or bisexual, although Jai still wasn’t sure whether or not Dane himself was interested. The mate bond, however, was something that couldn’t just be ignored. “Dane, you need a ride home?” he asked, glancing at the clock. The little paperwork they had left had been done and it looked as though Ret and Andy were packing up, ready to go home. The other man shook his head. “I’m going to take the bus,” he said, not meeting Jai’s eyes. **** Jai watched him leave and walk toward the bus stop with his shoulders hunched and head down against the cold wind, before starting his bike. He sighed; he had the

nagging feeling deep in his stomach that this was doomed. Every time he thought Dane was opening up to him, even a little, something happened. He had no idea what had changed tonight, but he had seen the wariness on Dane’s face, the walls going back up. It was killing him, to know that the one who was destined to be his mate was mere metres away each day. To him, it seemed like miles. He had dreamed of finding his mate ever since he could remember, and now that he had he wasn’t going to give up without a fight. To a were, his mate was like the other half of his soul, the one person who was his perfect partner. According to the legend that each pack passed from generation to generation, there had been mates since the first weres. In the beginning, there were two weres who were deeply in love. They were sworn to each other for eternity, unable to live without the other. When Mahalia died, she swore with her dying breath that she would find her love again in the next life. Nathaniel was lost without her and died of a broken heart only days after her. Their spirits never found each other, but they continued to search, never giving up. As their genetics were passed on through their descendents, so was a small piece of their spirit. Each new generation of wolves continued their search, to reunite the pair in some small way as they found their own soul mates. Now Jai had found his mate and the enormity of it sank in. Before a were found his mate, it was more of a vague wish, in the same way that humans dreamed of finding the perfect man or woman. Once he met Dane, however, the

weight of that knowledge lay heavily across his shoulder. Now he knew what he was missing and it became all he could think about. If Dane turned him down, walked away, he wasn’t sure what he would do. Which was why he was taking it slowly, in the hope that Dane would realise their connection and acknowledge it instead of running for the hills. Turning his bike away from home, he headed for the woods that the pack used for hunting when the moon was full. He needed to run, to let the wolf take over for a while so that he didn’t have to think about anything. When he reached the dirt car park, he pulled his bike over and climbed off, hooking his helmet over the handlebar. There was no need to lock his motorcycle up here; even those in town who weren’t wolves knew that this place was private property and didn’t come here. The car park was enclosed on all sides by the trees, making it safe from prying eyes, so he quickly stripped out of his clothing and stashed it in the saddlebags on his bike. Unhooking the gold hoop from his right ear, he put that into the jacket pocket. He had learned from past experience that shifting with the earring still in was damned uncomfortable, not to mention that it caused a stir if humans saw a wolf with an earring wandering about. When everything was away, he walked into the woods. Jai reached the small clearing after a few minutes walk into the trees and stopped. Dropping to his knees in the

grass, he allowed the wolf to surface. The shift was painless, albeit disorientating at first, and the change washed over him like a tide of magic. His skin tingled, heat prickling over him as his body contorted, his bones and joints altering to that of a lupine. Fur erupted from his skin, coating him with a thick, dark grey pelt. He felt his face morph into the wolf’s muzzle and licked his lips, tongue running over the sharp fangs. Jai shook himself from nose to tail, and looked around. Everything was a thrill to the wolf, every sound and every scent there to be explored. He dropped his nose to the ground and tracked one of the scents happily, ears pricking up as he heard a rustle in the undergrowth, but he didn’t follow it. Instead, he set off at a trot into the trees, picking up speed until he raced along. His senses helped him to dodge any obstacles, to leap over the fallen branches, without colliding with anything. Although Jai was still in there, still able to reason and think as he did in his human form, he had relinquished most of the control to the wolf. The wolf didn’t concern itself with such things as work and social occasions, only thinking of its basic needs. To the wolf, if it didn’t involve food, hunting or sex, it wasn’t interesting enough to waste time on. For Jai, being able to let the simplicity of the wolf’s thoughts take over for a while was freeing, relaxing. This section of the woods had been the source of speculation for many years, the local human population

having sent conservation specialists here on a number of occasions. They heard the howls on the full moon or caught a glimpse of the wolves every so often and, since there were no wild wolves in this part of Britain, they called in the authorities. Maybe they were worried about the danger the wolves posed, or maybe it was just that they wanted to prove that they actually had seen a wolf. Then the conservation people arrived. Michael, as the registered owner of the land since he was Alpha of the pack, sent one of the guards to take them around the woods, letting them search. The visitors looked for tracks and traces of wolves, getting excited at the prospect. Of course, they found nothing. Michael made sure that the pack knew to stay clear on the days they were being investigated and the conservationists left, disappointed. Jai had often wondered what they would have done if they had known they were being shown around by one of the wolves they were searching for. Since no photographic or video evidence could ever be found, the woods had acquired similar stories to those of the unidentified big cat that supposedly roamed the countryside down south. People had been reporting sightings of a supposed black panther for years, and it had become an urban legend. The wolves of Blackthorn Woods had quickly become just as legendary, and the pack preferred it stay that way. Had any photos ever surfaced, the nature conservationists would have been back in force to study and monitor and generally get in the way of pack

business. Jai ran a little further and then turned, heading back to the car park. When he reached his bike again, he changed back to his human form, dressing once he got his clothes from the saddlebags. The run may not have chased away all of his problems, but it had definitely relaxed him a bit. He had thought about heading out to Howlers for a while, but even that didn’t appeal. There he could have his pick of men who would gladly go home with him and provide a bit of fun, but it wasn’t the same. He wanted Dane. The others just weren’t him.

Chapter Two

Jai dropped onto one of the low leather sofas on the balcony of the club and took a drink from his beer bottle. Next to him, Dex leaned on the railings and waved as four men edged their way though the crowd and headed for the stairs. No one here knew they were wolves; they were just the same as anyone else. When the men reached the balcony, Jai called out a greeting, recognising three of them. Lou and Chris were both police constables whom they had met a few years ago whilst investigating a pack incident that had strayed into the human police jurisdiction. Afterwards, they had kept in touch. Chris was tall and skinny, his hair always giving the impression he had just crawled out of bed. Lou was just the opposite. Where Chris would be described as permanently dishevelled, Lou always dressed as though he was going to a job interview. His hair was always perfect, his clothing not daring to wrinkle. The two were as different in attitude as they were in appearance, and it had made Jai wonder what had brought the pair of them together as friends to begin with. The third man, Tony, had been introduced by Lou. And

a good thing that was, too. Tony was in his mid twenties, like the rest of them, but when Jai had first laid eyes on him, his first thought had been, wow. The man stood just over six feet tall, with jet black, shoulder length hair and olive skin that he had inherited from his Japanese mother. When he flashed his usual seductive smile, the wicked twinkle in his eyes as he had shaken Jai’s hand, it had taken all of Jai’s self control not to pin the man to the nearest wall and kiss him senseless. “Jai, Dex, this is James,” Lou said, indicating to the stranger with his arms wrapped firmly around Lou. He leaned down to the smaller man and kissed him. Dex chuckled softly as the young man’s hand slipped down to squeeze Lou’s arse. “If you aren’t going to share, Lou, quit showing off.” James laughed as Lou flipped Dex the finger. “Back off,” he said. “Find your own.” He led James to the sofa, pulling the young man almost into his lap where they remained so wrapped up in each other that they were oblivious to the others. Dex shuffled over to make room for Tony and Chris. “So, how long has he had this one?” Chris laughed. “About twenty minutes. He picked him up downstairs.” Yes, that sounded like Lou alright. Lou changed

boyfriends on a daily basis, some not even making it to a day. Chris, Jai knew, was slightly pickier, wanting something a tad more permanent out of life. He had recently split from his partner of six months after finding out that the man was sleeping around behind his back. They talked for a while, catching up and having a few more drinks until Tony stood. “I want to dance,” he announced, looking around. “Aww, come on. Anyone?” Dex took a gulp from his glass and shook his head, as did Chris, looking up from their conversation. Tony’s gaze settled on Jai as he pouted, lower lip sticking out. “Don’t make me go on my own,” he pleaded. Jai rolled his eyes. “Fine,” he said, taking the hand Tony offered and allowing the man to pull him to his feet. The smile Tony flashed him lit the room and he bounced happily onto the dance floor downstairs. Jai let himself get carried along with Tony’s mood, enjoying himself as he danced. “Oh, I love this song!” Tony enthused as the music changed. Tony’s arms circled him, pulling Jai back against his chest as they swayed, and as the other clubbers moved in around them he found himself pressed close to Tony. In the heat and noise of the club, Jai could actually forget his problems and relax. Tony’s arms felt wonderful around him

and he knew that it could feel even better. He had spent nights with Tony before, never making more of it than that. There was always the little voice in the back of his mind that kept reminding him it was Dane he wanted, but he also had needs. There had been a few others, some of his fellow wolves and all one night stands, but more often than not it was Tony. He felt vaguely guilty about using Tony, but the other man didn’t seem to mind. Tony had summed it up best when he referred to it as friends with benefits. When Jai felt the touch of lips on his neck he tilted his head to the side, offering his throat. Had this been another wolf, the gesture would have been submissive, but this was Tony. He was human, with no idea of what Jai really was, making it nothing more than an invitation. Jai wriggled his backside against Tony’s groin, feeling the hardness there and hearing the hissed-in breath. “Shouldn’t tease, Jai,” Tony murmured in his ear. Turning in his arms and kissing him, Jai grinned. “Who’s teasing?” Tony’s finger hooked into Jai’s belt and led him off the dance floor, toward the end of the bar. As they passed the bartender, he nodded to them, his gaze lingering on Tony for a long moment. Jai shook his head. The guy checked Tony out every time he saw him but had yet to make a move, even though Jai was pretty sure that Tony would say yes. The thought was brushed away as Tony glanced about quickly before pulling Jai into the cloakroom. Backing them

between the coat racks, into the shadows, he pulled Jai against him, closing his mouth over Jai’s. Jai’s hands stroked down his back before settling on his arse and Tony sighed happily. He reached down between them to cup Jai’s erection through the soft leather trousers he wore. Jai pressed into his hand, thinking that he should have worn looser fitting clothes; his trousers were growing uncomfortably tight. The sound of footsteps alerted them seconds before a man in the club’s uniform of black and white came in. Both of them froze but he didn’t see them moving across the room and picking something up and leaving. Tony snickered softly as he left, resting his forehead against Jai’s. “Think we should get back to the others?” “I suppose,” Jai said reluctantly. One hand to the back of Tony’s head, he pulled the man in for another kiss before they went back out into the main club. As he walked past the bar he stopped, turning. He could have sworn he recognised the man seated on one of the high stools at the far end. Suddenly, the man turned, his eyes widening in horror as his gaze settled on Jai. Abandoning his drink, he fled. “What the…?” Tony was also looking toward the bar. “Who’s that?” His eyes widened and he grinned. “Was that the bloke

you’ve been chasing? I thought you said he wasn’t into this scene.”

He’s not, Jai thought, watching Dane disappear out of the door. “Tony, I’ll catch up with you in a minute,” he said as he pushed through the crowd to follow. “Don’t mention this to the others, okay?” “Dane?” Just outside, Jai caught up with Dane, grabbing his arm to stop him from running. “Let me go, please,” he begged, his voice trembling. Jai shook his head. “Dane, calm down. I just wanted to say hi; I thought I’d recognised you. Listen, Dex is inside with a few friends; you could come and join us if you wanted.” “No!” Dane squirmed out of his grip and began to back away. “Oh, God, you can’t tell him you saw me.” Dane’s uneasy glance slid to the bouncer on the door and Jai took his arm again, steering him out of hearing range. “If that’s what you want, then I never saw you.” Dane nodded. “But whatever is going on, you know you can talk to me, don’t you? Any time, just give me a call.” As soon as he released Dane’s arm, the man turned on

his heel and walked away; he couldn’t have moved much faster if he had run. Jai watched him leave before going back inside. What the hell had Dane been doing in a gay bar? Well, he could think of a few things, but none of them fit with the straight-laced—emphasis on the straight— image of Dane he had in his head. There was definitely more to it than that; Dane had looked too worried about Dex finding out he was there when Jai mentioned it. “What was all that about?” Tony asked as he got back to the bar. Jai shrugged his shoulders. “Thought I recognised someone, but I was wrong.” **** The following day, Jai was already at his desk when Dane slipped quietly through the door. Jai attempted to speak to him a couple of times, but Dane carefully avoided him, not even meeting his gaze. Eventually, as they left for the day, Jai cornered him. He waited until everyone else had gone and they were alone in the office. “So, are you going to avoid me forever?” Dane kept his gaze downcast as he shrugged his shoulders. “You’re going to have to talk to me sometime, you

know,” Jai told him. He could see the worry in Dane’s eyes and it was all he could do not to reach out to him. Whatever Dane was scared of, he wanted to help him. The man was his mate, for goodness’ sake; he wanted to be able to treat him as such. “Please, Jai, just leave it.” Jai nodded. “Fine. But, as I said last night, if you want to talk, I’ll listen.” Jai locked the office and went out to his bike. He had offered Dane a lift home but the man refused, setting off toward the bus stop. Jai watched him leave, knowing that he had to let his mate work out whatever was on his mind by himself. He glanced up at the sky, at the darkening clouds that were gathering, and gunned the engine. It looked as though it was going to rain and he’d like to be safely indoors before that happened. Dane was just climbing onto the bus when he got to the end of the road; he headed for home. **** Two hours after leaving the office, Dane let the man lead him out of the bar. He had been coming into the city since moving here, every so often. The bars varied but the

situation was the same, just as it had been back home. The man was a stranger, whom he’d only just met, and who now pushed him through the door into the dingy pub bathroom. He wasn’t the type Dane usually went for, and he was wondering whether or not he should cut and run when another man came in, letting the door slam behind him. Usually Dane went with smaller men, ones more similar to him in build, more his equal. Dane felt his panic rising as the man leaned on the door to stop anyone else coming in, but he pushed it away. “Drop your jeans,” the first man ordered, and Dane obliged, fumbling with his belt, glancing up at the two of them. The two men were big, larger in build than he was, and he stood at just over six feet tall. He could get away from them if he wanted to; he was a wolf, stronger than the average human, and so his chances were good. No matter how much they unnerved him, he had known what he was letting himself in for when he came here. Okay, not the two of them, but he had come here for sex. The man who leaned on the door watched as the one who had picked Dane up stood in front of him. He grabbed Dane, roughly turning him around once his trousers were around his ankles, and slammed him against the filthy sink. He leaned around to stuff a wadded up piece of material as a gag into Dane’s mouth. “I like my meat to be quiet,” he said. The man by the

door laughed. The man spat into his hand and Dane felt fingers wet with saliva press inside him, barely having time to stretch him before the man began forcing his cock in instead. Dane whimpered around the gag, tears forming in his eyes as the man began to fuck him. The man wasn’t particularly big, but he was rough and he hadn’t exactly done a lot of preparation. Dane clutched the side of the sink, his fingers aching as he tried to take some of the tension from his body. When the man came, thrusting forward once, twice more he felt the hot semen filling him. The man pulled out and slapped him on the arse, hard. “You’re a good fuck,” he said, “So tight and small.” Dane knew he wasn’t especially small in build, but compared to these two he was. He was still trying to get his breath back through the material in his mouth as the second man began to unfasten his trousers. “My turn,” he said, drawing his dick out and going behind Dane. The other man’s semen, now trickling out of his body, eased the way for the second man, and it was a good thing, too. He was bigger, wider, and it would have hurt. He began to pound into Dane, fucking him as vigorously as the first man had, until he came, too. When they were done, the two of them left Dane in the bathroom on his knees by the sink as his legs wouldn’t hold

him any longer. He had his trousers around his ankles still, the men’s semen beginning to trail a cool line down his inner thigh. He was ashamed of himself for letting them do this to him and of the fact that he too had come, but at the same time it had fulfilled something inside of him that nothing else could. He left the bar about ten minutes later, only then realising that he had missed his last bus home. Checking his wallet, he sighed. He didn’t even have enough money for a taxi; what he had would get him half way home, but that was it. Dane leaned back against the wall and raked his hair back from his face with one hand. It was raining heavily, the droplets soaking him almost immediately. How much worse could this day get?

Chapter Three

It was three o’clock in the morning when Jai heard the knock at the front door. He ignored it to begin with, unwilling to get out of his nice warm bed and up into the cold room. The knock came again and he groaned, dragging himself out from under the covers. When Jai opened the door, he just stared at his visitor, half afraid that he would find he’d imagined it if he blinked. Dane stood in the doorway, in the rain, shivering. He was huddled into a leather jacket over a pair of jeans and a tshirt. He was soaked to the skin from the rain, his dark blond hair plastered to his scalp. Although he was only a year away from Jai’s twenty-five years, he looked so much younger at the moment, young and vulnerable. Jai thought he looked as though he was ready to bolt. “I think you’d better come in,” he said. Dane followed him in, through the hall and back upstairs. Suddenly, he froze. He looked around, as though realising all of a sudden that they were in Jai’s bedroom. His eyes flicked worriedly over Jai’s attire, nothing more

than the shorts he had been sleeping in, his torso bare. Dane began to make for the door again, as though to leave. “No you don’t.” Jai closed his door. “You’re freezing,” he said, coming to stand by Dane. “What have you been doing?” Dane wouldn’t meet his eyes. “I went out and I didn’t have enough money for a taxi. I had to walk and it started raining. You said before that I could talk to you; I couldn’t think where else to go.” He shivered again, the wet leather jacket and t-shirt not keeping him warm at all. “I’m sorry; I should leave.” Jai came to him and began to remove his leather jacket. Dane looked uneasy, backing off slightly. “Relax,” Jai told him. “We need to get you warm. Trust me.” Dane let Jai strip him of his jacket and t-shirt, boots and jeans, and then led him to the bed. “Get in,” he said, laying down facing Dane and pulling the covers back over them both. It was warm in here and he was getting cold in just his boxers. Besides, they needed to get Dane warmed up; even a wolf, with their raised body temperature, felt it if he got too cold. “Now, are you going to tell me why you were wandering about in the rain in the middle of the night?”

Dane huddled lower under the covers, still shivering, and this time he didn’t move away as Jai edged closer and put his arms around him, sharing body heat. It wasn’t uncommon for wolves to sleep together, platonically. They found comfort in touch. Right now, however, Jai was feeling anything but platonic. He kept that thought to himself. Dane didn’t say anything, though, just kept his gaze down, away from Jai’s. “Dane, come on. Talk to me.” Dane shook his head. “I don’t know what to do; I feel like there’s something wrong with me.” “I don’t understand what you mean.” Jai angled Dane’s face to look into his eyes, seeing the shame and fear there, and gave him a reassuring smile. “You want to tell me?” Dane took a few shaking breaths before he began to speak. “I went out tonight. To a bar.” He paused, looking at Jai for the first time. “It isn’t the first time, not by a long shot, but something was different. This guy—I shouldn’t have gone with him...” Jai frowned. “Are you trying to tell me that you were attacked?” “No. I wanted to go with him. I let him pick me up because I wanted to have sex, not necessarily with him, anyone. He had someone else with him and I just let them

fuck me.” Jai hugged him tightly to his chest. “So you went to this place looking for sex?” he asked. “Dane, why would you do that?” “I feel so ashamed of myself.” “Why, because you let them have sex with you?” Dane shook his head. “No, it’s because I enjoyed it. I can’t believe I’m telling you this.” He hesitated. “I always went with strangers because I liked being anonymous; it made it easier to go through with it, to tell myself that it was just sex. I think tonight it hit me just how low my life has gotten.” “How come you never said anything?” Jai asked. “About this, I mean. I never even guessed that you were gay.” “I’m not!” Jai’s eyebrow arched. “Dane, what are you so afraid of?” “I’m not afraid. Shit, maybe I am a bit,” Dane relented. “You have no idea what it was like back in my old pack, with my family. My dad isn’t the most open-minded person; I can’t let him know. I never could. Since I realised that I liked…” at Jai’s nod, saying that he knew what wasn’t being said, he continued. “I have been terrified that he would find out.”

“Would he really react so badly? Surely he would just want you to be happy.” Dane let out a bitter laugh. “Not a chance. I had a friend who was gay when I was younger and I lost count of the number of comments he made, derogatory ones, about him. He wasn’t discreet about his opinions. I can’t handle him doing that to me.” “So you kept it anonymous?” At Jai’s prompting, the rest of it spilled out, from his experiences in the bars back home and then coming here, looking to start again. He had wanted to cut himself off from that life, make a fresh start. Unfortunately, he had just dropped himself back into the same pattern of behaviour. “Tell me what to do, Jai, please. I want more but I can’t risk people finding out.” Jai shook his head. “I can’t tell you what to do; that has to be your decision,” he said. “What I can do is help you. You’ve been around us long enough to know that we’re pretty accommodating, no matter what your preferences. Look at Ret and Andy, or me or Dex for that matter. The guards will accept you no matter what.” “No, please, I don’t want them to know. Please, Jai.” “Calm down; it’s alright. We’ll keep it between us, just you and me. It doesn’t have to go any further.” Dane swallowed hard, nodding, looking relieved.

Jai nodded. “Look, I think you should get some sleep and you’ll feel better in the morning.” “Do you want me to go?” “No, I like having you here,” Jai told him, brushing a kiss over his forehead. “What are you doing?” Dane looked edgy again. Jai smiled. “Relax, I’m not going to ravish you the minute your back is turned,” he joked. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that.” “To be honest,” Jai told him, “I am very attracted to you and I would love to have sex with you, but I won’t take advantage of you. Right now I’m offering someone to talk to but that doesn’t mean that, in the future, if you wanted to, I wouldn’t jump at the chance.” “Oh.” Jai turned over in bed, curling his back along the front of Dane’s body and dragging the other man’s arm over his waist. It gave Dane the upper hand to sleep behind, something which Jai thought he needed right now. He had told the truth about being attracted to him, simply leaving out the part about them being mates. At this point, it seemed that Dane was so confused that he probably hadn’t noticed the bond. In any other circumstances, Jai probably would have made a move on him but he was not going to take advantage of Dane’s vulnerability. That wouldn’t be fair

and besides, he wanted his sexual partner to want him as much as he wanted them. **** The following morning, he awoke to find that Dane was already awake. The other man was propped on his elbow, watching him with a tiny smile on his face. Jai pretended to still be asleep, keeping his eyes almost closed, occasionally spying through his lashes. He felt warm fingertips brush over his cheek. A strangely tender move , he thought, as the fingers traced over the tattoo he had on his upper arm, the touch light and careful. He had to open his eyes; he couldn’t pretend much longer. Faking a waking-up groan and stretch, he opened his eyes. Dane’s fingers left him as though they had touched hot metal. “I’m sorry,” he said hastily. Jai turned over to face him. “I didn’t mind,” he said. When he reached out to push back a strand of Dane’s hair from his face, the other man froze, realising the move to be familiar. “How long have you been awake?” he asked in a whisper, embarrassed. “A few minutes,” Jai admitted, grinning. “I liked what you were doing so I kept still.”

Dane groaned and buried his face in the pillow, refusing to meet his eyes, until Jai finally, bodily, rolled him over onto his back. “I should go,” he said, suddenly getting out of the bed. Jai sighed. “The shower is through there,” he said, pointing. “I’ll give you a ride to work if you don’t mind waiting for me to get ready.” **** Jai put a hand on Dane’s arm, making him wait before going into the office. He could see the same nerves that he had displayed last night begin to show. “Calm down,” he said. “What you told me last night stays between us, I promised you that.” Dane closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Something had changed last night in the bar, or maybe when he finally confided in someone, but he just couldn’t do it any more. He couldn’t keep trawling bars for strangers; it just made him feel ill to think that he’d done it in the past. Now, what had previously been a simple act made him feel dirty inside. Talking to Jai had made him realise that he wanted something real, not just a quick fuck from strangers in alleys and bathrooms. “Thanks,” he said. “For last night, I mean. I never meant

to drop all my problems at your feet.” “I didn’t mind; I’m glad you trusted me enough to talk to me.” Jai smiled. “If you want to come over for a chat and a beer after work, I’d be happy to listen.” Dane nodded. “Maybe.” He followed Jai inside. **** When it finally came time to leave some seven hours later, Jai got his jacket from the hook near the door and dug his keys out of his pocket. Dane had been quiet all day, sitting at his desk and looking deep in thought. Oh well, moment of truth, he thought. “Dane?” The man looked up. “Are we still on for that beer?” He watched the indecision pass across Dane’s face as his eyes flicked to the other guards in the office. No one was paying him any attention; Ret was on the phone, Dex was reading his email and the others had already gone out to the car park. Jai zipped his jacket. “Come on,” he said on his way out, confident that Dane would follow him.

Chapter Four

Dane sat uneasily on the edge of the sofa as Jai handed him a bottle. He didn’t take a drink, just set it down on the table. Jai dropped into his chair, stretching his legs out in front of him. He was well aware of the fact that Dane was watching his every move from under his eyelashes as he threw his head back and chugged his beer. The attention his mate was giving him was making him hard, and he shifted slightly, his jeans becoming uncomfortably tight. He saw Dane’s gaze drop to his lap and his eyes widened. Jai could smell his mate’s arousal, tinged with a bit of anxiety, but it was obvious that Dane wasn’t going to act upon it. “Feel like watching a movie?” he asked. Dane looked relieved and nodded. About halfway through, Jai smiled, seeing that the man had finally begun to relax. He was sitting back and chuckling as Bruce Willis got into yet another gun battle on the screen. After seeing the sadness in Dane recently, it was great to see him

looking happy again. When the DVD ended and they’d finished the pizza that had been delivered, Jai took the empty bottles into the kitchen. He noticed Dane following him, carrying the pizza box. “I’ve enjoyed this,” Dane said. “I feel like I can be myself around you.”

Good, Jai thought. He walked back to where Dane leaned against the refrigerator. There was a risk that he would scare Dane away, but he wanted to touch his mate, unable to keep off any longer. Closing the gap between them, he rested his body against Dane’s. Reaching up, he stroked his fingers down the side of Dane’s face, turning him until he could capture his mate’s mouth. Dane’s lips parted, almost on instinct, and Jai flicked his tongue inside, tasting him. Dane began to kiss him back after a few seconds. Damn, the man’s a good kisser, Jai thought, unable to stop himself from pressing his hips forward to rub his stiff cock against Dane’s and wishing that they didn’t have layers of clothing in between them. When they finally broke apart, they were both breathing hard, Dane’s lips looking swollen and pink from the attention they had received. “I have wanted to do that since the day you arrived,” Jai told him. For a split second, a smile flickered across Dane’s

features, before he froze. It was as though he suddenly noticed how close they were. Dane pulled back from him, looking embarrassed as he hurried out of the room. With a sigh, Jai followed. For the entirety of the next DVD, Dane sat in silence and Jai could see the deep thought on his face, staring at the screen but not watching the movie. “What you said last night, about being attracted to me, did you mean it?” Dane asked eventually. “Yes, why?” Dane shrugged his shoulders. “I thought…” “I was being serious, Dane. You’re wolf; you can tell how much I want you.” Jai laughed softly. “You thought I was just saying it to make you feel better?” Dane’s cheeks flushed. “No, I… Well, not really.” “You’re adorable when you’re nervous,” Jai told him, making Dane blush even harder. He didn’t want to push too far, seeing as Dane was finally seeming comfortable with his attentions, and so he fought back the urge to rip his mate’s clothes off and fuck him right there and then. Instead, he reached over to cup Dane’s cheek in his palm. To his delight, Dane leaned into the touch, not moving away as Jai leaned over to kiss him again. Dane reached out hesitantly, unsure, his hand eventually settling on Jai’s thigh. It felt so good to be able to

touch, not just the brief encounter from earlier. He shuffled closer on the couch, arms going around Dane to pull him closer. Jai smiled at the low, happy keening noises that Dane made. All of his good intentions to take this slowly and not overwhelm Dane filtered away as his mind conjured up the image of Dane, naked and writhing as Jai fucked him. He groaned at the thought. Tugging at the back of Dane’s shirt, he slipped his hands underneath, running them over the smooth, warm flesh below. Sliding his palms up Dane’s torso, he got the shirt over Dane’s head and dropped it on the floor. He licked his lips at the sight before him, leaning Dane back against the cushions and ducking his head to press his mouth to hollow at the base of Dane’s throat. “I want you,” Jai told him. “Let me taste you.” Dane’s fingers tightened on Jai’s leg. “I’ll back off; just say the word,” Jai said, but Dane nodded. “I-I want this.” “Then let’s move this somewhere more comfortable.” Jai led him into the bedroom, kicking the door shut. Removing the rest of Dane’s clothing, then his own, he paused for a minute to admire the tanned, toned body before him. Beautiful. It wasn’t a word he would usually

associate with Dane; maybe it was his desire speaking but, in his eyes, Dane was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Jai got him onto the bed, so that he rested against the pillows, and straddled his hips. Pressing his lips to Dane’s, he began a slow trail of kisses down his body. Moving lower, he stopped when he came level with Dane’s dick. He smiled as he looked along the length of Dane’s torso, catching the other man’s eye. He wrapped his hand around Dane’s rigid cock and gave it a gentle squeeze, before dipping his head down to run his tongue over the head. As he closed his mouth around Dane’s cock—engulfing him, continuing to use his tongue and hands as well—Dane’s heartbeat sped up, pounding loudly to his sensitive hearing as his fingers clenched at the bedcovers. The look on his face told him his mate was enjoying this. Dane reached out a hand to touch Jai and then paused, unsure, until Jai used his free hand to take hold of it. His confidence bolstered, he did as he had begun to earlier and ran his fingers through Jai’s hair, tangling them in the silky locks, as Jai continued his ministrations. He could feel that Dane was close and worked harder to push him over that line, until he bucked and tensed under Jai’s weight, spilling into Jai’s mouth. Jai drank him down, taking in every drop, before letting Dane’s cock slip from between his lips. “Oh man, fuck, that was amazing,” Dane said, his

expression slightly dazed. Jai laughed softly and crawled back up his body, dropping back down beside him. “You sound as though that’s the first time a bloke has sucked you off?” Dane averted his eyes again, causing Jai to frown. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to embarrass you—” “You’re right,” he murmured. “It is the first time; the men who picked me just wanted their cock in my arse or my mouth. You are the only one who ever did that for me.” Gathering Dane into his arms, he kissed the end of his nose. The look in Dane’s eyes, the embarrassment, made his heart ache. He wanted to be able to chase away the bad experiences in Dane’s past, but that would be impossible. What he could do was to give him some new memories, to show him what it could be like. “Dane, tell me you won’t go to those places any more,” he said quietly. He felt Dane’s body tense in his arms, shifting back a little, away from him. “Why?” Jai propped himself on one elbow and looked down at Dane. “Because it’s hurting you,” he said. “Please, Dane.” Dane didn’t answer. “I’m only trying to help you,” Jai continued.

“I won’t embarrass the pack, if that’s what you’re thinking…” Jai frowned and, his fingers under Dane’s chin, turned the man’s face to his. “I don’t give a crap about the pack; what I care about is you. I hate the thought of you being treated like that. I’m assuming that these guys don’t bother to use protection. If you weren’t a were I’d be damn worried about the health risks.” Dane was lucky that weres didn’t contract or pass on any human diseases. If he had been human, goodness only knows what he would have picked up from these men. Lecturing Dane wasn’t going to help, however; Jai didn’t want the man to clam up again just when he’d started trusting him. Jai curled up against Dane’s warm, hard body, ignoring the ache in his groin. He wanted nothing more than to sink his cock into Dane, to fuck him hard and fast, but what he’d learned of Dane’s experiences so far made him hold back. He didn’t want Dane to think he was the same as the other men who had picked him up in the bars, wanting nothing more than a quick fuck and then tossing him away in search of their next conquest. “Dane, I need to talk to you about something.” ****

Dane sighed. “You want me to go, don’t you?” “No, babe. Why on earth would you think that?” The man didn’t answer, just shrugged his shoulders and avoided Jai’s eyes again. “I don’t want you to leave; in fact, it’s just the opposite,” Jai told him. “I wasn’t sure how to tell you at first, but you should know and so I’ll just say it. You’re my mate.” Dane’s eyes widened. “What? No, I would have known.” He studied the sincerity in Jai’s eyes and he shook his head, his face paling. “You’re serious, aren’t you? Oh, God, my family. What am I supposed to tell them?” “I know you said that your dad would have a problem with it, but the rest of your family, too?” Dane shook his head. “I don’t know; even if they were alright about it, they wouldn’t stand against my dad.” He had left his previous pack to avoid his dad finding out about his sexual orientation, among other things, but there would be no way to hide it if he and Jai were mated. That conversation was one he wasn’t looking forward to. Jai seemed at ease with the fact they were mates, but then he was happily out about his choices. How could he not have realised? Looking back, it made a few things clearer. The signs had been there but he had been so busy trying to lock away those feelings that he hadn’t noticed. He’d found himself leaving the bars with men who were tall, with dark

hair, who resembled Jai more than he had realised at the time. There had been countless times at the office when just the sight of Jai walking by his desk had made him so hard he’d had to escape to the bathroom to relieve the pressure. He had made the connection, he supposed, somewhere deep down. His thoughts always returned to the image of that same tall, dark werewolf.

Oh, shit. How the hell could I have never seen that he was my mate? Mates were supposed to fit together, though, to be the other’s perfect match. How could he be mated to Jai? Jai deserved so much better than him, a man who was so scared of himself that he had hidden his true self for years. Jai, on the other hand, was open and content with his bisexuality, not to mention confident in everything else. He was flamboyant in a way that Dane could only dream of. A few weeks ago, he had seen Jai on his way out to a club in the city with Ret and a couple of the others. His black hair had a deep magenta streak through it, starting just above his left eyebrow. Jai’s green eyes had been ringed with dark eyeliner, making the colour more vibrant. Eyeliner, for Pete’s sake. Had Dane tried that he would have looked ridiculous, but on Jai it had looked perfectly normal. He had been wearing black leather trousers that looked almost painted on with an open black silk shirt tucked into them. Despite his attempts not to notice, the thought of Jai in that

outfit had kept him tossing and turning in bed all that night. The man was gorgeous—even when he was trying to convince himself not to look he could see that. Jai was interested, he had shown that indisputably, but Dane still couldn’t for the life of him figure out why. It would be wise to walk away now, before it went any further. That would be the fair thing to do, for Jai’s sake, but he didn’t want to. It seemed selfish of him, but he wanted to keep Jai. “I can’t give you want you deserve,” he said, unsure whether he was hoping for Jai to argue or agree. “I’m messed up, Jai; hell, I moved away from my family and my pack just so I wouldn’t have to tell them I liked men.” “So, we’ll figure it out as we go.” “But…” “I want to make this work,” Jai said softly. “And if that means that we keep this between ourselves until you can get your head around it, then that’s fine. All I’m asking of you is that you give me a chance.” **** Dane nodded and Jai heaved a sigh of relief. He just had to give Dane time and eventually, things would work themselves out. At least Dane was with him, he told himself. That was all that really mattered.

Chapter Five

The following evening, Dane followed Jai back into his house. He hadn’t intended to come here, but Jai had given him a ride home and it had just seemed right. Jai took his hand and led him upstairs, kicking the bedroom door shut behind him. Dane had spent almost the entire day chasing away memories of Jai; Jai naked, Jai kissing him, Jai’s mouth as it closed over his cock… When his mate had offered him a lift at the end of the day, he had been left with no doubt as to Jai’s intentions. He had seen Jai watching him, seen the hunger in his eyes, and he knew that he wanted whatever that look promised. **** “I want you naked,” Jai told him softly, unbuttoning Dane’s shirt and pushing it off his shoulders. He ran his hands slowly over the smooth, taut skin, feeling the play of muscles underneath, exploring. Moving

lower, he unfastened Dane’s jeans, hooking his fingers into the waistband to ease them off, finding his mate wearing nothing underneath. Dane kicked the clothing out of the way once it hit the floor, feeling uncharacteristically shy as Jai stepped back and stood looking at him. “What are you doing? You’re making me nervous.” Jai smiled. “Just admiring the view,” he said. At Dane’s urging, Jai shed his own clothing, turning it into a slow striptease. He groaned; Jai was doing this on purpose, trying to drive him crazy. He allowed Jai to lead him to the bed, getting in. Jai pulled him into his arms, pressing their naked bodies together. Dane hesitantly reached between them, closing his palm around Jai’s erect cock, making the other man suck in a breath. Jai thrust his hips forward, pushing his cock into Dane’s grip, relishing the feel of his mate’s hand on him. It was the first assertive move Dane had made toward him, usually waiting until he encouraged it. “We’re mates,” Dane whispered. “I know we are now, and I’m glad it’s you.” He kissed him hard on the lips, hearing Jai protest as Dane released his cock. “I want you inside me,” he said and Jai stilled. “Don’t you want to?” he asked, and Jai heard the nervous edge creep back into his voice. “It’s because of what I told you, isn’t it? You think I’m damaged goods.”

“Yes, I mean no.” Jai sighed. “I have been dreaming about sinking my dick deep into you and fucking you through the mattress since I first met you. I just don’t want you to think I’m like those other blokes, only wanting you for sex.” Dane frowned. “I know you aren’t like them,” he said. “They don’t care about me; I know that. I want to know what it’s like with someone who actually wants me.” “Oh, babe.” As he kissed his mate again, Dane drew back enough to murmur, “I like that.” “What?” Dane smiled. “Hearing you call me babe.” Jai grimaced; he hadn’t realised he had said it out loud. He didn’t get much time to think about it, however, as the feel of Dane’s cock brushing against his own when the other man moved closer snapped the last of his resolve. This time when he kissed Dane, it was raw and animalistic, the pent up frustrations of not being able to touch for so many months racing to the surface. He needed to drive his cock into his mate, to see Dane beneath him. “What are you doing?” Dane asked as Jai leaned across him, reaching. Jai leaned over the side of the bed, his hand searching underneath before he came back up with a small bottle of

lubricant. “Needed this,” he said, moving back down the bed and spreading Dane’s legs. “Pull your knees up.” Dane did as instructed and Jai groaned at the sight of him spread out and open before him. His gaze raked down Dane’s body, his attention drawn to the thick, erect cock that lay against Dane’s belly, the head glistening with evidence of Dane’s arousal. “Please, Jai.” Jai smiled to himself and slicked his fingers from the bottle of lube, rubbing them together to warm it a little. Dane hissed in a breath as Jai slipped his index finger slowly into his tight hole, feeling Dane’s arse clench around him. He moved slowly, giving Dane chance to get used to the invasion, until the other man pushed against him. “More.” Jai added a second finger, feeling Dane’s body relax. Twisting his fingers, scissoring them to loosen Dane up, he wrapped his free hand around Dane’s cock. Dane’s head was back into the pillow, his hips thrusting up with each of Jai’s strokes. Jai angled the next stroke, causing Dane to buck off the bed as his fingers found Dane’s prostate. Dane whimpered as Jai slid his fingers out but his disappointment was short lived. He felt the hot pressure as Jai’s cock nudged at his arse, easing into him in one smooth move until he was fully impaled on his mate’s shaft.

Jai was moving infuriatingly slowly and he gripped the sheet on the bed. “Oh, God. Fuck me, Jai. Please, fuck me.” “It makes me so hot to hear you ask,” Jai murmured. He thrust into Dane harder, leaning his body over Dane’s, pounding into him as Dane wrapped his calves around his back. “Touch yourself,” he said. “I want to see you, want you to come with me.” Dane eagerly closed his fist around his cock, matching his strokes to Jai’s. “Damn, babe—close.” **** Dane kept his eyes on Jai’s, and he could see the desire, the affection, the need. It was something he hadn’t seen before in the eyes of any of his male lovers. Jai was the only one to ever want to look him in the eyes whist they fucked, the only one wanting him. It was that thought that pushed him over the edge and he came with a yell, semen splashing over his hand and stomach. Above him, Jai watched, biting on his lower lip, until Dane felt his lover’s body tense before he filled Dane’s arse with his own seed.

Jai dropped down on top of Dane, breathing hard, and kissed his mate’s damp brow. He eased his softening cock out of Dane, the act causing secondary tremors through both their bodies, and rolled to lie beside him. “We should get cleaned up,” he said, but Dane stopped him. “Not yet,” he said, his hand reaching out to touch Jai’s face. “I’ve never spent time with a man after we’ve had sex; I want to just stay here with you for a while.” Dane paused, his confidence faltering slightly. “I-If that’s okay.” Jai pulled him into his arms and Dane buried his face in the crook of Jai’s neck. He could get used to this, he thought; this wasn’t even sexual, just cuddling together, but it touched him somewhere deep inside. **** Two weeks later, Jai still hoped that Dane would find the confidence to admit their relationship to the outside world, but the certainty had faded a little. Dane still looked terrified at the prospect of someone else finding out that he was sleeping with Jai, looking over his shoulder if they were out together. It was though he expected everyone to point and yell “We know what you’re doing!” Of course, they wouldn’t; Jai had been careful not to make any overt move toward him if anyone at all would see them. He seemed to

relax a bit once he realised that no one was even looking their way and Jai began to think that he was making progress. As hard as he found it to keep his hands off Dane when they were with the guard or when they went for a drink at Howlers after work, Jai was always heartened by the knowledge that, at the end of the night, he had Dane all to himself.

Chapter Six

Dane awoke to the sound of his mobile phone ringing and glanced at the clock—he hadn’t been asleep for long. He and Jai had come home at around nine o’clock from Howlers and the moment he was though the door, Jai pounced. Not that he objected, although he might be sitting down awkwardly later. Now, he had been roused from the warm comfort of Jai’s bed, and his mate’s arms, by his damn mobile phone. This had better be important, he thought, following the ringing to the pile of clothes Jai had stripped him out of earlier. It took him a few moments to find the small black phone in his jacket pocket. “Hello?” Jai rolled over in bed and stretched out an arm. He frowned when he found the rest of the bed empty and opened his eyes. Dane was pacing the room, his phone pressed to his ear, listening. “I’ll fucking kill him,” Dane growled into the phone, his face like thunder. Seconds later, Dane flipped his mobile closed and

started to pull on his jeans. He noticed that Jai was awake. “I have to go,” he said curtly. Jai climbed out of bed and grabbed Dane’s arm as he went past again, buttoning his shirt. “Who was that?” he asked. “My sister. That fuckwit of a boyfriend of hers came home from the pub and started on her. She said he took a swing at her,” Dane told him angrily. “Is she alright?” Dane shook his head. “She says she’s not hurt. She’s locked herself in the bathroom and called me; I’m going to rip his bloody head off if he’s even put a scratch on her.” Jai was dressed in record time, jamming his feet into his boots without bothering to lace them as he hurried after Dane. “I’m coming with you.” When Dane began to protest, he added, “How else are you going to get there?” Dane sighed; his car was still out of action, currently broken down in his driveway. He followed Jai out to the Jeep, in the garage next to Jai’s bike, and climbed in, passing on the address. Suddenly, he had the urge to reach out and touch Jai but he stopped himself, not knowing what to do. He had never been able to—or wanted to, if he thought about it—openly touch any of the men he’d been with and the knowledge that he was allowed to with

Jai made him unsure. But Jai took the decision away from him by reaching out to close Dane’s hand in his own. He smiled gratefully. Just being in contact with his mate— his mate, Jai was his mate—made him feel calmer than he had since picking up the phone ten minutes ago. He gave out directions to Jai as they sped along the streets until, about twenty minutes later, they came to a stop in front of a mid-terrace house on the outskirts of the neighbouring town. Jai switched the engine off. “I can handle this on my own,” Dane told him, climbing out. Jai smiled. “It’s not you that I’m worried about,” he commented, following Dane into the small yard where he began pounding on the house door with one fist. There was no answer, but their wolf hearing picked up the sound of a man’s voice cursing whoever was hammering on the door. Dane did it again. “I’m going to kick this down in a minute,” he growled, doubling his efforts, and the volume. An elderly lady’s head appeared out from the upstairs window next door, her grey hair pinned up with rollers. “Young man, people are trying to sleep!” Dane looked up at her. “We’ll be gone as soon as I get my sister away from that bastard.” The old lady frowned at his language but seemed to

consider what he’d said for a moment, chewing on her lower lip thoughtfully as he hammered on, the door again. From the look on her face, she didn’t think much of her neighbour either, even if she didn’t approve of Dane’s terminology. “They keep a spare key under the flower pot for emergencies,” she said and ducked inside, slamming the window again. Jai looked under the pots and, on his third try, found a single silver key. He passed it to Dane, who opened the door and marched inside. They were barely through the door when a dishevelled man in his early thirties came out of the kitchen. He stared at them through slightly unfocussed eyes, a beer bottle clutched in one hand. “Who the fuck’re you and what the fucking hell you doin’ in my house?” Dane walked over to him, grimacing at the stink of booze on the man’s breath. “I’m Sasha’s brother, dickhead, don’t you remember? Where is she?” The man gave him a look of disbelief, backed by alcohol-fuelled bravado. Had he been sober, he might have realised that Dane and Jai had him outweighed, outnumbered, and could easily beat him senseless. “None of your business—she doesn’t want to see you.”

“Then why did she call me?” Dane asked. “Stupid bitch—” He never got to finish the sentence. Dane reached out and closed his hand around the man’s throat. He heard Jai utter a low warning behind him and he eased his grip, squeezing just enough to make the man struggle, but not enough to choke him. The little cretin had no chance of breaking free, but he still tried, lashing out with his feet and fists. “Kick me one more time and I’ll break your kneecaps,” Dane promised him, and the man froze. “Now, where is my sister?” Finally, the man’s sense of self-preservation kicked in. “Upstairs. Locked herself in. Second door.” Dane let him go, dropping him in a heap on the floor. “You better pray she’s alright or you’re going to need an ambulance.” Jai eased closer to speak to Dane. “Go get her. I’ll keep an eye on him,” he said. “I’ve got a spare room and she’s welcome to it for as long as she needs, since I know you’ve only got one room at your place.” Dane nodded, relieved that he had Jai with him. He had been ready to strangle Sasha’s boyfriend and probably would have had Jai not been there. Leaving Jai with the man, he took the stairs two at a time and hurried along the upstairs hall.

“Sash? Open the door.” There was a rustling from behind the door. “Dane?” “Yes, it’s me, honey.” The door opened a little and Sasha peered through the crack. When she realised that he was alone, she came out and threw her arms around her brother, burying her face in his jacket. “It’s alright, hon. Nick is downstairs; I’m not going to let him near you,” Dane told her. He carefully took her chin in his hand and angled her face up toward him. She had the beginnings of a bruise across her left cheekbone, and her eyes were red from crying. “Dane, I’ll be fine,” she told him, seeing the anger on his face. Dane shook his head. “I’m going to kill him.” “No, leave him. Please; I just want to get out of here,” she begged, tightening her grip on his arms. Looking into his sister’s tear-filled eyes, he relented. “Come on, Sash, let’s get your things.” Five minutes later, with a couple of carrier bags of clothes and personal effects, Dane and Sasha were back downstairs. Jai came to meet them, causing Sasha to back off when she saw him. “It’s alright, he’s a friend. This is Jai.”

Jai took the bag from her to carry out to the Jeep as Dane went back to her boyfriend. “I’ll be back for the rest of her things tomorrow,” he said. “If I were you, I wouldn’t even think of doing something stupid like getting rid of them or dumping them out on the lawn.” He smiled pleasantly and patted the man on the head as he would a small child. “See you tomorrow, Nicky.” **** Once they were all in the Jeep, Dane sitting in the back with Sasha in his arms, Jai set off. He drove them back to his home, relieved when Dane didn’t object. He wanted to have his mate close tonight, even if he couldn’t take him to bed for fear of Sasha finding out her brother’s secret. He showed her to his guest room and let Dane reassure her that she was safe here, going to sit in the lounge. Slouching on the sofa, he turned the TV on low, flicking through the channels. He looked up as Dane sat down next to him. “Is she okay?” Dane nodded. He looked worn out now that the anger had drained from him, and he heaved a sigh of relief. “I should have done something earlier,” he said. “Nick knows how to act when he’s around others, you know, but

he treats Sasha like shit. He was fine until a few months ago, when she moved in, and then he changed. She used to call me and even though she told me everything was fine, I could tell something was wrong. I knew he could get nasty when he’d had a drink, but I never thought he’d take it out on Sash.” Jai frowned. “Is this the first time he’s hit her?” “She says it is.” They sat in silence for a while, staring at the TV without really seeing what was on it until Dane said, “Thanks.” “For what?” “For going with me to get her,” Dane told him, “And for stopping me from hurting Nick. You didn’t have to get involved.” Jai reached out and took his hand, acing their fingers together. “I am involved and if I can help you, then I will. That’s what mates do.” He paused, glancing back to the spare room door. “I wouldn’t have left her in that situation, even if she hadn’t been your sister.” Dane leaned over to brush a kiss over his lips, surprising him. He had expected Dane to revert back to his usual hesitant behaviour since Sasha was in the flat. Reaching out, he drew Dane into his arms, holding him closer as he deepened the kiss. When he traced his tongue along the seam of Dane’s lips, the other man opened up for him.

**** It was still dark when Dane was roused from his sleep by a sound from somewhere nearby. He blinked a couple of times to focus, his eyes shifting to wolf so that he could see better in the faint light. There was someone in the room, but before he had the chance to sit up the light came on. At that point, he realised that he had been asleep on the sofa, sprawled half on top of Jai. His head rested on Jai’s shoulder, into the crook of his neck, his arm around Jai’s middle. Quickly adjusting his position, he nudged the sleeping body beside him. Jai yawned, blinking awake. He glanced at Sasha, then at the hand he had on Dane’s arse, his palm slipped down the back of his unfastened jeans, quickly removing it. “Sash, is something wrong?” For a long moment, she stared at her brother before shaking her head. “I was just going to get a drink of water.” She hesitated, her gaze flicking to Jai. “That’s alright, isn’t it?” Jai nodded, extricating himself from the tangle of limbs on the sofa and stood up. “I’ll show you where the glasses are.”

Sasha followed him into the kitchen and got her drink, turning back to eye him curiously. When she went back to bed, she paused to cast the same look over her brother before closing her door behind her. “Well, that was awkward,” Dane commented as he came to lean against the doorframe. He ran his fingers through his hair uneasily. “I should have been more careful.” “Maybe you ought to just tell her the truth,” Jai suggested. “She wasn’t angry, just puzzled.” He had sensed her confusion, scenting it on her, but that was all. There had been no anger or disgust at finding her brother asleep with another man, in a situation that was blatantly more than just the usual wolves’ need for contact. Then again, maybe she hadn’t realised the difference. “Sasha’s not a werewolf, is she? She smells of wolf but something just feels wrong.” Dane shook his head. “No, she’s not. My mum and dad are both wolf, but for some reason the gene skipped Sasha, making her one hundred percent human. We think that because Dad was born of one were and one human parent, that human trait passed to Sasha.” “It must have been hard for her growing up in a were family and being the only human,” Jai said. “It was. She was treated as one of the pack but she was always different, always the weakest of us, the slowest.” He went back to the lounge, settling himself in one

of the armchairs this time. “She used to say I was the only one who never treated her differently; the others looked after her like she was a fragile little doll and she hated it. When she decided that she was moving out Dad tried to stop her, wanting to protect her, but Sash wanted to get away from the pack completely. She wanted to try living in a world where everyone was like her. It didn’t go down too well with Dad.” “It seems to me that she knows what it’s like to be on the outside, feeling different to everyone else around her,” Jai observed. “You’re going to have to talk to her about tonight, Dane.” Dane’s shoulders sagged. “I know.” Jai stood and headed for his bedroom. “I’m going to get some sleep. I’ve already got a crick in my neck from falling asleep on the sofa.” He glanced back to Dane. “You coming?” He knew the answer before Dane even spoke; one close call was enough. “I’m going to sleep on the sofa,” he said.

Chapter Seven

Jai went into the office the following morning, leaving Dane to sleep. He hadn’t seen anything of Sasha yet and he had the feeling that she was lying low until he had gone. He told Ret what had happened—most of it—and that Dane wouldn’t be in today. He knew that Ret wouldn’t mind since it was family. **** Dane awoke to a quiet house. Sometime after he had gone to sleep, someone had covered him with a blanket and he shrugged it off, getting up off the couch. The smell of toast came from the kitchen, making his stomach rumble hungrily, so he headed that way. “Morning.” Sasha was just tidying up from her breakfast as he came in. She smiled. “You look rough, didn’t you get much sleep?” He accepted the mug of tea and plate of toast she

offered and sat down at the small table. “Not really. Look, Sash, about last night,” he began. “It wasn’t what it looked like…” “That’s a shame.” “It was just—” Dane looked up from his toast. “What?” “I said it’s a shame that it wasn’t what it looked like,” she told him, “because you looked happy. You and he are a couple, aren’t you? At Nick’s house, the way you were around each other—you can tell me to shut up if I’m wrong.” Sasha came to sit next to Dane, her eyes filled with concern. His hands shook a little and she laid her hand on his arm, smiling. “Dane, it doesn’t matter to me if you’re into men, women or both; I’ll still love you just the same.” She backed off, getting up. “I’m sorry. You know I can’t help sticking my nose into things that are none of my business.” Dane chewed on his toast, watching as Sasha dried the dishes she had washed and put them back into the cupboard. Her reaction, and her assumptions, had thrown him. Had his behaviour really been so different around Jai last night that she had been able to read him? “Sasha? If me and Jai were, you know, a couple—and I’m not saying that we are,” he said quickly. “Of course not,” she agreed, biting back a smile. “Well, if we were, you wouldn’t mind?”

She shook her head and, taking a deep breath, Dane continued. “It’s a bit more complicated than that, but I—”

Why is saying out loud what she already knows so fucking difficult? he wondered. “I am gay.” “How long?” “A long time,” he told her quietly. “Jai isn’t the first.” He was glad that she didn’t press the issue, instead asking,“So, Jai is your boyfriend?” Dane smiled. It sounded odd referring to Jai as his boyfriend; he supposed that he was, but they had never really talked about that. Sure, they were mates, but in terms of being an actual couple, they barely knew each other. They had only been together a few weeks. “Kind of,” he told his sister. “He’s my mate.” Sasha grinned. “Oh, my God! That’s brilliant.” Being raised around weres, Sasha knew all about mates, even though they weren’t sure if she would be mated or not. The wolf gene had skipped her, but it didn’t mean that other traits hadn’t been passed on. It was entirely possible that she retained enough were genetics to have a mate out there somewhere, waiting. Now that it was all out in the open, Dane wasn’t quite sure what to say to Sasha. In his mind, he had already generated the reactions of his family if they found out. Sasha's acceptance had, for a fleeting moment, given him

a spark of hope that maybe, just maybe, he could have Jai and not lose his family over it. No, it wouldn’t work like that, and he knew it deep down. No matter what Sasha thought, his dad would be a different story. “For the record, I like Jai. Mum will adore him, too.” Dane shook his head firmly. “No, Sash. She can’t find out, please, you can’t tell her.” He felt panic rising just at the thought. “If you tell her, Dad will find out. He’ll hate me.” Sasha sat down in the chair next to him, laying her hand on his arm. “You’re really freaking out about this, aren’t you? Don’t worry; my lips are sealed.” **** When Jai left the office that evening, he found Dane waiting by his bike. He was the first one out and he knew the others would be following soon and so he climbed on the motorcycle. “Get on.” He drove out towards home but when he reached the crossroads, he took a right, heading in the opposite direction. A few minutes later he came to the small dirt track that led alongside the park, up to the parking area

near to the pond. The bike tyres crunched across the gravel as Jai parked the bike and climbed off. Hooking his helmet over the handlebars, he went to sit on one of the wooden benches that overlooked the water. He patted the bench next to him and Dane sat. “I like it out here. It’s peaceful,” he said, watching as a couple of slightly grubby-looking ducks swam past, sifting in the water for food. One glanced up at him and Dane, watching them as though to say, you’re sitting there and you don’t have any bread for us? They were so used to being fed by the public that they now assumed that was what people were for—supplying them with bread. The duck quacked huffily and paddled away again. Jai ran every morning and the park was part of his regular route; he usually stopped on the benches for a mid-run rest, finding them a good place to sit and work through whatever was on his mind that morning. “How’s your sister doing?” Dane smiled. “Driving me crazy.” “That must mean she’s feeling better,” Jai said. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and stretched his legs out. They sat in silence, taking in the quiet in the park and watching the ducks as he waited for Dane to say something. He could see the slight frown on his mate’s brow as he pondered whatever was on his mind. “I talked to Sasha about last night,” he said eventually.

“She said she was fine with it if I was gay.” Jai smiled, turning to Dane, shocked. “You came out to your sister?” “Yes. She guessed what I was going to say before I said it,” Dane told him. “She promised not to tell my parents, or anyone else.” Jai felt a little disappointed that Dane was still determined to hide, but told himself that it was a start. Telling Sasha had taken guts. “I wish I could kiss you right now,” he said, “but I know I can’t, not out here.” He took a quick glance around to see if there was anyone to overhear their conversation. Now early evening, the park was almost deserted save for a few dog-walkers in the distance, the families and playing children gone home already. Covering Dane’s hand with his own, he laced their fingers together. “Stay with me tonight, Dane. In my bed.” Dane began to shake his head. “What about Sasha? I don’t know…” “We can be really, really quiet,” Jai replied, a wicked gleam in his eye. “I’m joking. I promise to keep my hands to myself. So, how come you were sitting outside the office?” he asked, changing the subject. “After I’d been to get the rest of Sasha's things from

Nick’s place I took your Jeep back, but I didn’t feel like just going inside. I went for a walk and ended up near the office.” Dane told him, then looked a little embarrassed. “I actually sat out there for nearly an hour; I wanted to see you.” “Well, I’m glad you did. I spent the majority of my day wondering what you were doing, looking forward to seeing you again when I got home,” Jai confessed. He didn’t need to tell Dane that he had also spent a good part of his day replaying what it had felt like watching as his mate came whilst he fucked him, and wanting to do it again. Jai squeezed his hand. “Come on, let’s go home.” He stood and headed back to his bike. If they stayed here any longer, he was going to march right back to Dane and be damned about someone seeing. He was having a hard time keeping his hands off, wanting nothing more than to kiss his mate, to touch him. Dane climbed onto the motorcycle and slid his arms around Jai’s waist. His hands strayed low enough that his fingers brushed over Jai’s hardened cock. Even through the denim of his jeans, the touch felt like an electric shock, and he edged back in the saddle to press into Dane. **** By the time they actually reached Jai’s house, he was

so hard it was uncomfortable. He forced himself to lock his bike into the garage but as soon as Dane stepped through and into the hallway, he kicked the door shut. Gripping the lapels of Dane’s jacket, he dragged his mate close and kissed him, desperately, hungrily. Dane responded to him, arms around Jai’s waist. “Sorry,” Jai whispered, stepping away from him, using every bit of will power he had. “I had to—needed to. Dane, please stay with me.” This time, there was no doubt in Dane’s eyes as he nodded and smiled. A sound from further inside the house made them both glance down the hall. Jai adjusted his jeans, trying—and failing—to hide his arousal,. “I thought I heard the door open,” Sasha said as they came in. She gave them both a once-over, smiling knowingly, but didn’t comment. “I was going to make spaghetti for tea, but I can fix you something different if you want.” All through the meal, Jai found himself wishing that it was over so that he could take Dane to bed. Immediately, he felt guilty. Sasha was making an effort, preparing a meal for them, and he felt bad for not appreciating it. Looking across the table, he caught Dane’s eye, seeing that the man looked just as guilty as he felt. It was good to know that Dane was as eager as he. They joined in with Sasha at dinner, listening as she told stories about her brother, laughing with her. Jai enjoyed himself, finding Sasha to be

entertaining company. At present, however, he was sidetracked by the scent of arousal from Dane, the thought of later. After dinner, they made polite conversation and watched TV with her for a while, but Jai caught the heated looks that Dane kept sending his way. Luckily for them, Sasha took pity on them and announced that she was going to bed since she had to go to work early the next morning. Finally, it was just the two of them and Jai took Dane’s hand in his. Dane had not wanted to go to bed whilst his sister was still up, but now she was in her own room. He led Dane into his bedroom and closed the door. **** The following morning, Jai came into the kitchen from his run to see Sasha sitting at the table eating a bowl of cereal. She was dressed in her work wear of dark trousers and a white shirt, the red name tag pinned onto the shirt pocket. Getting up, she went to pour herself another cup of coffee, offering one to Jai, and sat down again. “Is Dane still asleep?” she asked. Jai nodded. “I tried to wake him before I went out, but he just stuck his head under the pillow and went back to

sleep.” As usual, Dane had given him an “Are you insane?” look when he got up at six o’clock and put on his running gear. “You’re a wolf,” he usually pointed out sleepily. “It keeps you in shape without all this getting up at the crack of dawn shit.” When Jai had informed him that he enjoyed his morning run, Dane just groaned and dragged the covers over his head. “Honestly, you leave my brother to his own devices and he’ll still be snoring at lunchtime,” she said, eyeing him and smirking. “Then again, I’m pretty sure he didn’t get much sleep last night.” “I’m sorry, Sasha,” he told her. “I, we, never wanted to make you feel uncomfortable.” Drinking the last of her coffee, she went to rinse her cup and bowl in the sink. “You didn’t. Jealous, maybe,” she joked. Her expression sobered. “When he was back with the pack, before I left, he was really quiet and withdrawn, I can’t remember the last time I saw him looking as happy as he was last night, when he was with you. Just don’t hurt him; I don’t think he could take it.” “He’s safe with me,” Jai assured her. “Now, how are

you going to get to work? You can borrow my Jeep if you want. You can drive, can’t you?” Once Sasha was gone—after she agreed to take the Jeep for the day—Jai went back to his bedroom. He stripped out of his sweaty clothes and showered before going to sit on the edge of the bed. Dane was sprawled on his back, one arm flung over his head and the covers kicked down to his waist, still asleep. Trailing his index finger lightly along the bridge of Dane’s nose, he smiled as the other man shifted in his sleep, wrinkling his nose. Jai tickled him again and this time Dane opened his eyes. “Morning,” he murmured sleepily. He rolled over, his hand reaching out to curl around Jai’s thigh, where he appeared to go back to sleep. Jai laughed softly. “Dane, you need to wake up. We have to be at work in half an hour.” It took him another five minutes to wake Dane, and five more before he was sure he could leave without his mate going back to sleep. When Dane finally hurried into the kitchen, still getting dressed, Jai glanced at his watch. His eyebrow rose questioningly. “I know, I know,” Dane muttered, fastening his boots, “I’m late.” Jai handed him a mug of tea, letting him drink it whilst he went out to start his bike. When he went back to lock the door, Dane met him in the hallway.

“I know I can’t do this at work, so…” Jai curled his fingers into the lapels of Dane’s jacket and pulled him close enough to close his mouth over Dane’s. He kissed him hard, feeling his mate’s arms go around him. Jai stepped out of the embrace. “We have to go,” he said with a wicked grin. “Can’t be late.” Dane stared at him in disbelief as he went out and got onto the motorcycle. “How the hell am I supposed to concentrate after that?” he grumbled, swinging the door closed and letting it lock behind him. Jai chuckled. “Just making sure you don’t forget me.”

Chapter Eight

Dane was startled out of his reverie by his mobile phone vibrating on the desk beside him. He picked it up and looked at the screen, feeling his face heat up as he read the text message. Glancing around surreptitiously, he was relieved to see that no one else in the office was paying him the slightest bit of attention. He did, however, see the amused smile on Jai’s face. His phone vibrated again and he checked the text message. Getting so hard remembering you laid out

naked on my bed. Dane’s cheeks flushed again and his gaze locked with Jai’s across the room.

Stop it, he texted back, glancing around as Dex looked up. Jai glanced in Dex’s direction and shook his head; he hadn’t noticed anything. Sure enough, Dex went back to whatever was on his computer screen a moment later.

Outside. 5 minutes.

Dane shook his head minutely. Jai rolled his eyes, nodding. “Dane?” Ret’s voice made him jump, eyes wide as he stuffed the mobile under a pile of papers. Across the room he saw Jai’s shoulders shaking as he tried to conceal his laughter. He looked up to see his boss watching him expectantly. “I asked how your sister was doing.” He frowned. “Are you okay?” Dane nodded, avoiding looking at Jai. “She’s fine, or at least she is now that she’s away from Nick.” “Nick?” Ret perched on the edge of the desk. “Sorry— Jai mentioned that she’d had a bit of trouble but he wasn’t specific.” Dane felt a swell of gratitude for Jai for looking out for his sister, protecting her when he wasn’t sure what Dane wanted the others to know about the situation. “Nick was her boyfriend,” he said. “He was abusive to her and so she moved out.” Ret looked disgusted. “Has she got somewhere to stay while she gets sorted out? There’s a room at my house if you need it.” “Jai is letting her use his spare room, but thanks for the offer.”

“If we can help in any way, or if you need any time off, just let me know,” Ret told him. For a while it seemed that everything was getting back to normal. Dane warned Nick that he wasn’t to contact Sasha when he and Jai went to collect the rest of her belongings from Nick’s house. “I mean it, Nicky. You don’t come near her, or even speak to her,” Dane informed the man. “Am I making myself clear?” Stubborn, Nick folded his arms across his chest.. “None of your business what I do,” he pointed out. Dane grabbed the front of Nick’s shirt in his fist, hauling the man closer until they were nose to nose. “Don’t push me, Nicky. Now, I’ll tell you again,” he said slowly. “If you bother her in any way, you’ll have me to deal with, and it’s really not a wise idea to piss me off.” For a while it appeared that Nick had listened to him and was keeping away from Sasha, but that didn’t last. “I saw Nick today,” Sasha told them when she got home from work a couple of days later. “He was standing outside the shop, watching me through the window.” “Did he say or do anything?” Jai asked. Sasha shook her head. “No, he just watched me. When I asked the security guard to go and get rid of him, he’d already gone.”

“Is it the first time he’s done this?” When he saw Sasha hesitate, he knew that it wasn’t. “Sasha?” “It’s the first time I’ve seen him,” she admitted, “but there have been a few times recently that I thought I could feel someone watching me.” Dane jumped to his feet angrily. “I think it’s about time we had another little chat, Nick and I,” he said. Sasha glared. “What do you mean by another?” she demanded. “How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t need you to fight my battles for me? I can take care of myself.” “But I’m just looking out for you,” Dane protested. “You’re my sister.” Sasha sighed. “I know, and I appreciate it but I don’t need a babysitter.” Dane knew it had irritated her when she was little how everyone would treat her like a fragile little doll because she wasn’t a were, and now here he was doing the same. “Fine,” he said reluctantly. “I want you to promise that you'll tell me if he appears again.” And if he so much as lays a finger on you I’ll break him in half, he added silently.

****

One morning, about a week later, Ret came out of his office and headed for Jai’s desk. “I have an assignment for you. Michael is going to see Eric McIntyre and it’s your turn to do bodyguard duty.” Jai groaned inwardly. These visits were a regular occurrence, with Alphas meeting if they needed to discuss business or pack alliances, or just as social visits. As Alphas, their status required that they were given protection when they travelled. As hosts, Eric’s pack would provide an escort when they reached town, but the visiting Alpha would also bring a couple of their own people. Recently, they had all been home visits, the other Alphas coming to them; they hadn’t had an out of town visit for a few months. The guards took turns on the out of town jobs and Jai’s number had come up this time. “I was going to suggest you take Dane along,” Ret continued. “I’m sure protocols aren’t much different from his old pack, but it’ll give him a chance to see how we do things here.” He glanced at Dane. “If you want to pass because of Sasha, one of the others can go instead.” Dane shook his head. “It’s fine, I can go. She keeps telling me she doesn’t want me hanging around looking after her,” he pointed out. “Besides, I know you’ll keep an eye out for Sash if she needs anything.” He had introduced her to the guards a few days earlier

and they had all taken a shine to her, reacting with the same brotherly protectiveness that Jai had. If anything happened, they would be there in a heartbeat to help her and he knew it. Jai smiled inwardly as Dane spoke. This trip might be work, but it was still going to be more fun if it was with Dane. “Very well, you leave at ten o’clock,” Ret informed them, going back to his office. **** Two hours later, Dane stood beside Jai in the rail station with Michael and his wife. They looked for their escorts who would be waiting at the other side of the ticket barriers. Their hosts weren’t hard to spot, at least not to another wolf. To the other passengers disembarking the first class carriage, the man and woman looked like anyone else. The man towered above the crowd with his six-footthree, muscled frame, the slender brunette looked small next to him, but it was clear that she would be able to take care of herself should she need to. “Alpha, welcome,” the man said, going to greet them but speaking directly to Michael. As the lower rank, he tilted his head in a subtle imitation of the neck-bearing wolf greeting used when they were in private. “I’m Max, and this

is Elizabeth.” “Michael, please, and this is my wife, Amy.” The Alpha accepted Max’s greeting before introducing Jai and Dane and following them out to the car. The introductions had been more for his benefit than the others’, Dane realised as they got into the car. Jai chatted with the two guards, whom he knew from previous visits, whilst Max drove. Dane listened to them, and for a moment it made him feel homesick for his old pack. It was easy to simply immerse himself in life within his new pack, with Jai, but visits such as these made him think of life outside of this town and these people. It was not as though they would ever take him back if they found out about Jai, but then again he didn’t know if his current pack would accept him if he told them. The only thing he did know was that, whatever happened, he wouldn’t give up Jai. It was difficult for his mind to process the fact that Jai had become so important to him in such a short space of time. **** They arrived at Eric’s house about five minutes later and Max got out to open the door for Amy. Leading them inside, Eric shook hands with the Alpha before greeting Amy warmly. Molly, Eric’s wife, hugged her and the two women traded complements on outfits and new hairstyles

like old friends. At his invitation, Michael sat down in the armchair opposite Eric, making himself comfortable. “I think that Michael and I can manage on our own from here,” Eric told the guards. “I will call you when I require you to return, Max.” Michael glanced up at his guards also. “We will be fine.” “Well, we’ll leave you to talk as well,” Amy told them. She gave her husband a peck on the cheek and left, getting her coat. Molly batted her eyelashes at Eric and he handed over a silver credit card, rolling his eyes and smiling. “We’re going shopping.” Elizabeth hurried to catch up with them. “Do you need me to drive you?” Molly shook her head and held up a set of keys.. “No need, we’re taking Eric’s car,” she said. As the two women left, the guards followed them out of the house. “Jai, it’s good to see you again,” Elizabeth said. “Come on, let’s get out of here and let them talk in peace. We can go for a few drinks while we wait.” “Same place as usual?” Jai asked, thinking of the pub that the local pack frequented. Elizabeth smiled. “Of course,” she said, heading for the car. “Come on; the Alphas will call us if they need us.”

When the reached the pub, a typical village pub with mock-Tudor beams and hanging baskets of flowers, Jai caught Dane’s arm and held him back. He let the other get inside, saying he’d catch them up in a moment and pressed Dane back into the shadows of the hedgerows. Where they had parked, in the small car park behind the pub, no one could see them and there was something he had needed since they set off. With one hand to the back of Dane’s head, he drew his mate close enough to press a hungry kiss to his mouth. Dane responded with the same ferociousness. “This is so unprofessional,” Dane murmured, drawing back a fraction. “We’re working.” “Well, we’d best be going inside, then,” Jai said, reluctantly breaking the kiss and turning to head into the pub. “Sorry—I needed to make a call,” Dane told Max as they walked in. “I thought I’d better call from outside. Less noise.” Max didn’t question further, just put their drink orders in at the bar. If he thought anything wasn’t right, he kept it to himself. This would be so much easier if Dane was out, Jai thought for the thousandth time. He needed more than the moments he managed to steal during the day, and the nights he could convince Dane to stay with him. It didn’t matter, though, as there was no way he would ever force Dane to out himself. He was content with the fact he was

openly bisexual, but that didn’t mean that Dane would be and he had no inclination to see Dane hurt in any way. **** Three hours and numerous drinks later, Jai smiled as he watched Elizabeth and Dane. The woman had been flirting with him since they got to the pub, but he seemed completely unaware of it. That didn’t stop her trying, however. She laughed and touched his arm as he made a joke, pressing closer to him and batting her eyelashes. Max came to sit beside him, his gaze following the same path as Jai’s. “So, are you going to tell me?” Jai frowned. “Tell you what?” “Oh, come on; I’m not as daft as I look,” Max told him. “He’s yours, isn’t he? I’ve seen the looks that you keep giving each other, not to mention the fact that he doesn’t even seem to notice that Elizabeth has done everything but flash her tits at him.” “I can’t believe she hasn’t given up by now,” Jai agreed. Max grinned. “So, he is yours?” “Don’t mention it to anyone, will you? He’s going to be panicked enough when he knows you’ve figured it out.”

**** Dane glanced at Jai, who chatted with Max, and sighed. At one of the tables across the pub sat two people, holding hands, talking, looking at each other with such affection it was clear to everyone that they were a couple. He wished he could be like that with his mate. It wasn’t fair to Jai, forcing him to hide away, even though he was at ease with his sexuality. At that moment, Max and Jai’s phones rang, the noise startling Dane out of his thoughts. “That was Michael,” Jai told the others after a very brief conversation. “He and Eric are having a few drinks and won’t be needing us anytime soon.” Max pocketed his own phone. “Molly has been cooking up a storm and so they’re having dinner as well. It looks as though they’re staying the night and leaving tomorrow morning.” He looked at Jai and Ret. “You two are welcome to stay at my place for the night, or there is a suite we hold at the Plaza in town for visitors.” “If not, you could stay at my house,” Elizabeth interjected, her eyes fixed on Dane as she spoke. The two opted for the hotel and Elizabeth looked on in

disbelief, pouting, until Jai took pity on her. He excused them for a moment and took Dane aside. “You have to let her know you aren’t interested,” he said. “She’s been coming onto you since we got here, as if you haven’t noticed.” Dane sighed, glancing across at her then back to Jai. “What am I supposed to tell her?” “Say that you’re already seeing someone,” he suggested. “Or you could tell her the truth. Max knows, by the way; he guessed. He won’t say anything.” He saw the worry on Dane’s face and had to fight the urge to take him into his arms and reassure him. “I’ll come with you, if you want.” Dane took in a deep, shaking breath and nodded. He and Jai went back to Elizabeth. “So, how about that drink?” she asked. When he didn’t respond, she looked between them curiously. “I can’t,” Dane told her. “Look, Elizabeth, I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to lead you on. I, um…no, Jai, I have to do this,” he said as Jai looked ready to to intervene. He gulped in a breath. “I’m with Jai. Like a couple, I mean. He’s my mate.” Elizabeth groaned and covered her face with her hands. “I just made a bloody fool of myself, didn’t I? And you all just let me.” She glared up at Max, at the lack of reaction to their announcement. “You knew? You could have said

something: thanks for nothing!” She strode out to the car but Max stopped Jai going after her. “Leave her to calm down.” **** The two wolves took them to the hotel, going via Max’s house to collect his car. He led them to the hotel, getting them checked in and taking them to the hotel shop so that they could get a few necessities since they had nothing with them for an overnight stay. The pack had an account with the shop for visitors. Max left then, leaving the first vehicle with them for use the next morning. When they were finally alone in their suite, Jai heaved a sigh of relief. At last. The stolen moment in the car park had done nothing to quash the desire he had been hiding for his mate all day. He had found himself counting down the minutes on the journey home, the need to get Dane alone, into bed, riding him hard. Dane watched as Jai locked the door, dropping his phone and keys on the table in the seating area. He took a quick look around their suite, smiling in approval at the pack’s choice, before going back to Jai. The moment he stepped through the door, he was pulled into a tight embrace as Jai closed his mouth over Dane’s. The kiss was born of desperation, passionate and rough, a way of

taking the edge off. “Bed?” Dane nipped Jai’s lower lip between his teeth and grinned. “Hell, yes.” “Want you to fuck me, Jai,” Dane murmured, pressing a kiss to the curve of Jai’s neck. “I need you inside me.” Jai smiled happily; how could he refuse such a request?

Chapter Nine

The intention to make this tender and lasting didn’t make it beyond the doorway. By the time they reached the bedroom, they were both down to jeans and nothing else. Boots, jackets, and shirts had been abandoned on the way here like a trail of breadcrumbs to the bedroom. It had been a challenge to undress whist still touching and kissing, but they made it. Jai separated them long enough to unfasten Dane’s jeans, stripping him out of them before kicking off his own. Dane snaked an arm around Jai’s waist and they both tumbled onto the bed. “’Wanted to take it slowly this time,” Jai said, hissing in a breath as Dane’s fingers found their way between their bodies and closed around his cock. “Later. I want you now,” Dane told him, his voice rough with desire. “Please.” Jai’s breath caught at the need in Dane’s voice, the knowledge that his mate wanted him as much as he wanted Dane. He broke away so that they could move fully onto the bed, reaching for the items he bought from the hotel shop.

He wasn’t sure that the “necessities” the pack had in mind included what he’d bought, but it was necessary to him. He pulled out a tube of lubricant and squeezed a little out. Dane let out an anticipatory whimper, the sound becoming a groan as Jai slicked his fingers and traced one down Dane’s crease. He reached the puckered hole and began to slip the digit inside, slowly, and the muscles contracted instinctively, closing around him. “More,” Dane breathed, spreading his legs wide, opening himself up to Jai. Jai eased a second in, his other hand going to Dane’s cock. Wrapping his slick palm around the hard shaft, he pulled lightly, making Dane gasp. Dane pushed down onto his fingers and thrust into his grasp as Jai stretched him, making sure he was open enough. **** “Jai, now.” He mourned the loss as Jai slipped his fingers out, spreading more lube on himself. Then Dane felt the head of Jai’s cock pressing into him, filling him. As Jai began to move, Dane wrapped his legs around his mate, ankles hooked behind Jai’s back. “Fuck, Dane, you feel so good,” Jai murmured.

He closed his hand back around Dane’s erect dick, moving in the same rhythm as he pumped into Dane’s arse. Dane pulled him in closer with each thrust, fingers digging into the flesh of Jai’s buttocks. He wasn’t going to last long this time, but it didn’t matter as he knew that Jai wouldn’t, either. They could take it slow next time. He loved that about Jai, that he wanted to make this about Dane, not just himself. His past lovers, if he could call them that, had mainly been concerned with getting themselves off. Not many of them had given a damn whether or not Dane had. Jai wasn’t like them, not in the slightest, and that was the thing he treasured most about him. “Close, Dane, so close.” He felt Jai’s body tense, throwing his head back as he came. Just watching him nudged Dane over the edge and his own cock pulsed, shooting semen over his stomach and Jai’s hand. Jai slipped his cock free so that he lay beside Dane, pulling him in for another hearty kiss. “That was…wow.” **** Jai nodded, knowing he had a stupid smile on his face, but he was too satisfied to care. “Definitely.” He eventually dragged himself out of bed to get a cloth

from the bathroom. He cleaned himself up and found a fresh cloth, going back to Dane. “What are you doing?” Ignoring him, Jai continued to wipe away the stickiness on his stomach and cock. “You don’t have to—” Jai silenced him with a kiss. “I know I don’t. I want to, so just stop arguing and let me look after you for a bit.” Dane let him, parting his legs as Jai wiped away the semen now seeping back out of his arse. When he was done, Jai tossed the cloth on the floor and dragged the covers over them both, snuggling into Dane’s side. **** “Thank you,” he said, tilting his head up to look into Dane’s face, “for trusting me. I know it isn’t easy for you.” Dane hadn’t a clue how to respond to that, he could see it in his eyes, but it didn’t matter. He could see all he needed in the way his mate looked at him. “You don’t have to say anything; I just wanted you to hear it.” “Jai? I wanted you to know that I haven’t been back,” Dane said softly. “Back where, babe?”

Dane’s eyes met Jai’s. “You asked me to promise not to go to the bars any more, and I never promised you, but I haven’t. I didn’t want to.” He saw the relief in Jai’s eyes. “I’m glad. I don’t know if I would have been able to handle it if you had. You’re mine, and I don’t like to share,” he joked softly, hugging Dane closer and let himself drift off to sleep. **** Dane smiled, lying in his lover’s arms, feeling secure and wanted. He dozed a little but he couldn’t sleep. The need to reassure himself that Jai wouldn’t be gone when he opened his eyes kept surfacing—he was half-convinced that it was all a dream. He looked at Jai again, to make sure he was still there. Jai was real, though, and in his heart he knew that they were mated, that Jai wasn’t going to leave him. He lay there for a while, thinking, wishing that Jai would wake up. Then again, maybe he could amuse himself, he decided as he pushed the covers back. He rose to his knees and took the time to admire the sight before him; he’d seen Jai naked, but he hadn’t really taken the time to look. He had always felt too self-conscious. Now, his eyes took in every tiny detail before he reached out to touch. At

the light touch of his fingers Jai shifted in his sleep. Dane kept exploring, moving lower, Jai moaning softly as Dane’s knuckles brushed his dick. He grinned and did it again. **** Jai awoke a short time later, lying on his back. He didn’t open his eyes straight away, instead relishing in the feeling of a hot, wet mouth closing over the tip of his cock. His breath caught as hands on his thighs moved them further apart, wide shoulders settling between, getting comfortable. His cock was licked base to tip, the tongue curling around it before lips closed over the head again. Dane, it appeared, had grown impatient of waiting for him to wake up and had taken matters into his own hands. Literally. Just a few weeks ago, Dane would never have initiated like this, but he seemed to have gained confidence and decided to let his hair down. Jai thought it figuratively but he also loved the way that Dane’s long hair tickled his inner thighs and groin. Opening his eyes, he propped himself on his elbows to look down his body at Dane. The other man’s head was buried in his groin he lapped and sucked. ****

Dane looked up and his gaze locked with Jai’s. He smiled as he ran his tongue over the very tip of Jai’s cock, making the other man shudder in delight. Jai’s fingers raked through his hair, toying with him as he continued his ministrations. It gave him a rush of pleasure to see how much Jai appeared to be enjoying this. He continued until Jai began to buck his hips up off the bed, finally shuddering, crying out as he came. He unclenched his fists from Dane’s hair and fell back onto the bed, panting for breath as Dane licked him clean and crawled up his body to drape himself full length over Jai. “I always wondered what it would be like to wake you that way,” he said. “I didn’t know if you would want me to— you didn’t mind, did you?” Jai chuckled and pulled him down to kiss him. “You can wake me up like that any time you like.” He slipped a hand between them, closing his hand around Dane’s erection. “Let me take care of that for you, babe.” Dane rolled onto his back, propped against the pillows, as Jai moved down the bed. **** When the phone rang the following morning, Jai and

Dane had only just fallen asleep. “Dane, we’re collecting Michael in two hours,” he said after answering his phone. Seeing that Dane was drifting back to sleep, Jai got out of bed. He needed a shower before he dared go anywhere near Michael; a wolf would smell Dane’s scent on him straight away. They should have cleaned up before dozing off, but it had just been so lovely to laze in his mate’s arms afterwards. “If you get up now I’ll let you share my shower,” he said over his shoulder, heading for the ensuite. Before he even had the shower started, Dane was there. He grinned—bribery, he knew, would get him everywhere. An hour and a half later, Jai checked them out of the hotel as Dane went to start the car. They drove back to Eric’s house, where Max and Elizabeth were waiting outside. “It’s a damn good job they know,” Jai commented, noting the dopey grin on Dane’s face and the sated look in his eyes, “Because you look as though you’ve just been thoroughly fucked.” Dane’s grin widened. “Well whose fault would that be?” “I never heard you complaining,” Jai said as he got out. He met Dane at the front of the car, leaning closer to

whisper, “Begging, maybe, but not complaining.” **** Dane smacked him on the arm as his face burned. Jai, the irritating bastard, just laughed and went to talk to Max. When the pair glanced his way, he glared, making Max chuckle as well. He went to join them but Elizabeth came forward and stopped him. “I want to apologise for my reaction last night,” she told him. “I was embarrassed that I’d made an idiot of myself. I shouldn’t have taken that out on all of you. Anyway, I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.” Dane smiled at her. “You didn’t. I was flattered, really,” he said. “I shouldn’t have led you on, but I’m not exactly out yet. In fact, you and Max are the only people other than my sister that I’ve told.” “Damn.” He and Elizabeth followed the others into the house to collect the Alpha. Talking to Elizabeth had made him realise that he really could do this. He could tell his friends; the all-consuming fear that usually hit him when he thought about it hadn’t come when he had been talking to her. If he could just find a way to make his family understand that Jai made him happier than he had been in a long time. Maybe

he could simply avoid the subject ever coming up, never telling them. No, he couldn’t do that to Jai. He had to make a choice, to decide how he was going to live the rest of his life—was he going to spend it hidden in the shadows or allow himself to actually live? By the time he and Jai reached Michael’s home again, safely delivering the Alpha and his wife home, he had almost reached a decision. Funnily enough, it didn’t fill him with dread. In fact, he looked forward to it in some ways, to being free of the cloud of secrecy he had been living under for so long. When he reached the office, however, he found Sasha waiting for him. She was sitting by Joe’s desk, talking, and she jumped up when he and Jai walked through the door. “Sasha, what’s wrong? Has something happened?” Sasha bit her lower lip worriedly and shook her head. “Not exactly,” she said. He frowned. “How long have you been waiting?” “A while. I messed up, Dane,” she said, taking him to one side as the others made themselves scarce, giving them privacy. “I got a call from Mum this morning—I hadn’t told her about leaving Nick, not wanting the lecture she was going to give me. I guess she tried to call Nick’s house first and he told her I’d gone, so I had to tell her what happened. She kept talking about me coming home, about how she was worried about me. I told her I was fine, that I’d called

you and that I was staying with a friend of yours. I am so sorry, but she kept going on and on, asking me how I could be sure I could trust this friend and I…” “Sasha, what did you tell her?”

Chapter Ten

“I told her I could trust your friend, because the friend was also your mate,” she told him in a small voice. “I never said anything else, I promise, but they’re coming here—” Despite everything that he had decided earlier, Dane felt his heart pound, his breathing becoming harder. “Mum and Dad are coming here? Sasha, why the bloody hell did you tell her that?” he yelled. “Oh, fuck, this is not happening.” “I’m sorry.” Dane’s whole body shook as he slid down the wall, head in his hands. His mind was racing at top speed, wondering if he could get out of town before they arrived. He figured it would be about a four-hour drive; that would give him plenty of time to get some things from home and find somewhere to hole up until they had gone. Then again, that depended on how long ago they had set off. He probably wouldn’t get far. He was aware of low voices nearby and he glanced up

to see Jai and Sasha talking. Sasha was almost in tears, with Jai reassuring her. “What’s going on?” Ret joined the conversation. “I admit that I overheard about half of that—what is the problem with your parents coming here?” Dane gave up on his idea of running away. Instead, he took a deep breath and stood up, clenching his fists to stop his hands shaking. He thought back to how easily Sasha, not to mention Max and Elizabeth, had accepted it, and told himself that the guard would be fine with it, too. Maybe if he could come clean to them, then he could also do it with his parents. He got to his feet again. Jai frowned, as though realising what he was about to do, and he nodded. “There’s something I need to tell you,” he began, clearing his throat to find his voice. “I have to do this now before I lose my nerve. I should have done this a while ago.” He paused, steeling himself. “For the past few weeks, I’ve been seeing someone,” he said quickly, casting a smile at the man in question and taking a shaky breath, gripping the hand that Sasha offered for moral support. “He means a lot to me; I love him. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but I had to get a few things straight in my own head first and then the longer I left it, the more difficult it was…” “Hang on, you said ‘he.’ You did, didn’t you?” “Y-yes, I did.” He turned to look down at his feet again. “Who is it?”

“Me,” Jai told them. He smiled at Dane, going to him, taking his mate’s hand as Sasha backed off. “Dane and I are mates.” A silence fell over the group as the guards turned to stare at Jai. Ret was the first to speak. “Well, congratulations. I can’t believe you kept it hidden for this long.” Once the others finished their congratulations and questions, Jai turned to Dane, looking into his eyes, searching. “Did you mean that?” he asked quietly. “When you said you loved me.” Dane nodded. “I know we haven’t been together for long, but I meant it. I love you.” Jai smiled, cupping Dane’s face in his palm. “Good, because I love you, too. I have for a long time, but I didn’t want to scare you away if I said anything.” Dane kissed him then, only belatedly realising that they were not alone in the office. He glanced at their audience from the corner of his eye and groaned, burying his face against Jai’s shoulder. “So I presume that your parents don’t know about you two,” Ret said. “Don’t even know I’m gay,” Dane said miserably.

Sasha shook her head. “They will soon, thanks to me.” “Let’s just say that I don’t expect them to be happy about it,” Dane added. **** That afternoon, when Dane got to his flat, Sasha and his mum and dad were already waiting. Sasha had left them in the living room whilst she came out to meet Dane and warn him. She smiled at Jai as he climbed off his bike. They went into the small kitchen and dropped off motorcycle helmets and jackets. Jai could see that Dane was on the verge of turning and walking back out of the door and sat him down at the kitchen table, staying close by. “Dane, I have another confession to make,” Sasha said. “I told Mum about Jai. She’s fine about it.” “Has she told Dad?” “No,” Sasha admitted. Just then a tall, blonde-haired woman came into the kitchen. She bore a striking resemblance to both siblings. “Hello, love. Sasha, why don’t you go and keep your dad company for a minute,” she suggested.

In other words, sidetrack him whilst your brother stops

panicking, Dane thought as she went into the living room. “I am sorry for showing up like this,” she said, “but your dad overheard Sasha and me talking. He’s so excited that you’ve found your mate.” Dane managed to stop hyperventilating, even though he couldn’t keep his hands from shaking, and glanced at his mother. “Not when he finds out who it is,” he said. “He’s going to make a scene, I know he is.” He saw his mum glance at Jai. “Sorry. Jai, this is my mum, Dee.” Jai stood. “Mrs Bryant, I’m Jai Hanson. It’s nice to meet you.” “Please, call me Dee,” she told him as she shook his hand and then changed her mind and hugged him. “So, you are my son’s mate; Sasha speaks very highly of you.” Dane frowned at his mum. “Why aren’t you angry?” “Why would I be, love? Because you’re gay?” His mum shook her head. “If I’m being honest, it’s not as much of a surprise as you were expecting. At least, not to me. I did wonder sometimes, but I figured that you would tell me in your own time.” “You knew?” “Well, I suspected.” She smiled. She glanced down at Dane. “You can’t just keep

avoiding your dad forever.” Dane looked defeated as she said softly, “You have to tell him before he finds out from someone else.” Dane reluctantly followed his mother out to the living room, keeping a tight grip on Jai’s hand until he reached the door. He let go then, knowing that if he went in holding onto Jai, his dad would probably make even more of a fuss. “There you are, son. I thought you’d forgotten about us.” Dane could feel the panic rising again as his dad stood up from his chair and strode over to greet his son. “Sorry, Dad.” His dad glanced at Jai, who stood in the doorway, leaning on the doorframe. “I thought we could come and surprise you,” he said, “and also meet your young lady. How come you didn’t tell me that you’d found your mate?” As Dane remained silent, his dad continued, oblivious. “So, what’s her name? What’s she like?” Dane knew he shouldn’t be this scared of his dad; he’d come out to the rest of the guard and to his sister, but his dad was a different matter. He could feel his throat tightening as he struggled for breath. He fought to keep his feet in place but eventually, he lost. “I can’t do this,” he muttered as he turned and fled the

room, pushing past his mum. “I can’t.” **** Jai hurried out after him, seeing the confusion on Dane’s dad’s face. He found Dane in his bedroom, sitting on the floor, back against the wall. He had his knees against his chest, arms hugging them as he gulped in breaths. He looked up as Jai came in. “I couldn’t tell him. It was all I could do just to get air into my lungs.” Jai knelt down next to him and took his hand, seeing the panic receding a little. He reached out and pulled Dane close, wrapping his arm around him and hating the fact that this was one fear he couldn’t take away. He wasn’t sure how long they sat there in silence, but the sound of the door opening made them both look up. “Dane, are you in here?” They heard his dad’s voice a fraction of a second before he came through the door, followed by his mum telling him not to “just go barging in.” “What are you playing at, lad? And just who are you?” he demanded of Jai. “You were there earlier, too. Well?” He sighed, annoyed. “If you aren’t going to say anything, I’ll be outside.” He tried to leave, but his wife kicked the door closed

and stood in front of it. “Dee?” “Gil, you and Dane need to talk and you aren’t leaving until you do.” Jai hopped nimbly to his feet and held out a hand to help Dane up as Gil sat on the corner of the bed. “Well, son, what do we need to talk about? Is there something about this lass you don’t want us to know?” ****

Well, it’s now or never. “There is no lass,” Dane told him. His dad gave him an exasperated look. “You said you’d found your mate.” When Jai moved, Dane’s dad glared at him, obviously trying to give him the hint that this was a private conversation and to leave. “He stays,” Dane said, taking a deep breath to muster the courage he needed. His mum cast him an encouraging nod. “Dad, this is Jai. He’s my boyfriend, and my mate.” “Stop it now, son. It’s not funny.” Dane stepped back to take Jai’s hand. “I’m not joking.

I’m gay, I have been for a long time.” “I’m not going to sit and listen to this,” Gil said, standing. “I raised you right, boy, and you expect me to stand by and watch you make a fool of yourself? It’s disgraceful, not to mention humiliating. You’re coming back with us, away from this place and him. You should be ashamed of yourself,” he told Jai. “I suppose it was you who brainwashed my son?” “Dad, stop it. Apologise to him; you don’t talk to him like that.” “Apologise? Why should I apologise to him after he twisted up your mind—” “Dad, just shut up! Do you really want to know the truth? I am happier with Jai than I ever have been.” He saw the disbelieving look on his dad’s face and shook his head. At least his anger was chasing away the fear of talking to his dad. “And you wonder why I avoided telling you for so long. I’m still your son, the same person I was before you found out I had sex with men.” “And what about Georgina?” his dad demanded. “Dad, anything between me and her was in your mind,” Dane told him. “Our entire relationship was a sham and both of us knew it. We were friends, nothing more, because I wasn’t interested.” His dad frowned. “She’s a lovely young lady, and if you had any sense you would come home and beg for her to

take you back.” “Dad, you aren’t listening to me. I. Am. Not. Interested. In. Women.” Dane enunciated every word clearly as though speaking to a small child. He could scream; it was like talking to a brick wall. “I don’t know how I can put this in a way you’ll understand. I sleep with men and I am mated, quite happily, to Jai.” “I won’t be a part of this,” his dad said, stomping over to the door, and this time Dee moved aside. “You got a choice to make, son. If you continue this charade, I wash my hands of you. Are you really willing to throw away your family because of him?” **** Jai felt his heart sink as Dane let go of his hand and walked slowly towards his dad. He was going to lose the one person who mattered to him more than anything else, and it hurt more than he ever expected it would. “Dad, please don’t do this.” Jai could hear the pain in his mate’s voice as he spoke, but his dad was unmoving. “Then I’m sorry, Dad, but I choose Jai.” Jai couldn’t believe what he had just heard, thinking he

had imagined it, until Dane came back and put his arm around him. Gil scowled and took his wife’s arm. “Come on, Dee, we’re leaving.” “No. If you want to go, that’s your choice, but I came here to see Dane.” His eyes narrowed. “You knew, didn’t you, you and Sasha? And you never told me.” “It wasn’t our place to say anything,” she retorted. “And given how you reacted when he did, I don’t blame him one bit for keeping it a secret for this long. I thought you were more of a man than this, Gil.” His dad left, pushing past his daughter as she entered the room. “Mum, maybe you should go after him,” Dane was saying. “I don’t want to cause you any problems.” “No, he has to understand that I don’t agree with him about this. I came to see you and to meet Jai.” She looked up as Sasha came in. “I gather you told him,” she observed, looking across to where Jai was holding her brother. “It didn’t go too well, huh?” “My own dad just disowned me and he’s pissed at you both for knowing and not telling him,” Dane said. “He hates

me.”

Chapter Eleven

Gil left that same day without even bothering to say goodbye, or saying one more word to his son. Dee decided to stay a while longer, although her husband had made his feelings on that subject perfectly clear. Dane tried to persuade her to go so as not to cause problems between them, but she refused. “I came here to see you and get to know your mate and I intend to do just that,” Dane’s mum told him. “If your dad wants to behave like a child, then let him.” When Dane offered to book her into a hotel, she shook her head, instead telling him that she could stay at his flat. “I assume that you usually spend your nights with Jai?” She laughed at his stunned expression. “Oh, come on, love, I can see that you haven’t been back here in days. Sasha’s going to stay with me, so we’ll give you a bit of peace and quiet.” “But, Mum…” Dee hugged her son. “It’s alright. Go.”

Since Sasha was still using Jai’s Jeep, Jai told her to take it with her so that Dane’s mother and sister had some transport and took Dane home. Recently, there had always been Sasha to think of, not that he begrudged her a place to stay. Jai actually liked having her around, but it was nice to get some alone time with his mate. Jai could see that Dane was still thinking about his dad, the sadness in his eyes hadn’t really left since his dad walked out of that room. “It’ll all work out in the end,” he said softly once he got his mate home, drawing him into his arms. Dane cast him a disbelieving look. “How do you figure that one? My dad has disowned me.” “You have your mum and your sister,” Jai pointed out. “And you always have me.” “I know,” Dane said, pressing his face to the side of Jai’s neck. “Take me to bed, Jai.” “You’re getting bossy,” Jai teased. “So, who’s Georgina? Should I be jealous?” Dane’s cheeks pinked. “No.” “Why, I do believe you’re blushing, babe.” Jai grinned. Dane made a valiant effort to distract Jai, but his mate was having none of it. “Stop that,” Jai said, half-heartedly as Dane’s fingers began unbuttoning his jeans. His shirt already lay on the floor behind him. “Come on, who is she?”

“You aren’t going to quit until I tell you, are you?” Dane sighed. Jai shook his head, his hands working at unfastening Dane’s shirt as his mouth followed his progress down the warm flesh. Pushing the shirt off Dane’s shoulders, he flicked his tongue over one stiff nipple, making Dane hiss in a breath. Dropping to his knees, he began to remove Dane’s jeans, sliding them down over his hips along with his underwear. Once they pooled at his feet, Jai brushed his index finger along the length of Dane’s cock. The hard length twitched at his touch. Jai smiled up at Dane. “So, you were telling me about Georgina?” Dane gaped at him, then groaned. “That’s blackmail.” He reached down to wrap his own hand around his dick but Jai swatted his hands away. Kicking off his own jeans, already unfastened by Dane, he backed his mate toward the sofa. As Dane landed, Jai straddled his legs, hands holding his wrists. “I can do this all night,” he purred, shifting just enough to press their cocks together before moving away again. “You’re evil, did anyone ever tell you that? Okay, okay!” Dane relented, managing to get one hand free and slipping it around Jai to pull him closer. “Georgina was my girlfriend.” Jai looked down into his face, eyes wide with surprise. Dane took advantage of his reaction to wriggle his other

hand free. “She and I were together for nearly two years,” he continued. “I fooled myself into thinking that I could be normal, like everyone expected me to be, only it didn’t work. We may have slept in the same bed, but there was nothing sexual about it for at least the last year or so. How could it be when every time I was with her, I was lying to her? I used to tell her that I was meeting some friends or working late and then go out.” He looked away from Jai’s gaze. “I went back home to her after letting some strange man fuck me and I felt awful for using her.” “She must have known, why didn’t she leave?” “She was more of a best friend and a flatmate than anything else,” Dane told him. “I’m not sure why she put up with it for so long. I should have stopped it and tried to make it work with her, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t stand not having what they could give me, but I didn’t know where else to turn to get what I needed.” He shuddered involuntarily. “I always felt dirty afterwards. I would go home and shower before I could let myself go near her again.” “Does having sex with me feel dirty to you?” “No! Never,” he assured Jai. “It was the sneaking about and fucking in the bathroom or in some grubby alley that made me feel dirty, and knowing that I was nothing more than a toy to those men, but not having the willpower to walk away. You’re different; you make me feel wanted and loved

and I know that you won’t just discard me. They used me and I let them because I had nowhere else to turn—I see that now. You made me see it. I believe that you will never do that.” Jai drew Dane into his arms. “I never will,” he promised. Dane sank into his embrace. “I love you.” “Love you too, babe.” Jai felt Dane’s questing hand on his cock again. “Maybe we should move this to the bedroom,” his mate suggested. “I want you here. Ride me, please, Dane.” Not needing to be asked twice, Dane stood and went to the bedroom, returning with the lube. When he sat astride Jai’s knees again, Jai dragged him down for a kiss. He groaned as Dane sat up, spreading some of the lube on his fingers and reaching back between his legs. Jai’s eyes widened as he watched Dane get himself ready, fingers spearing into his own arse. His hand went to Dane’s dick, fisting it as his mate fucked himself on his fingers. “You’re killing me here,” he said after a moment. “Dane, I need you now.” Dane spread some of the lube onto Jai’s cock as he knelt above him. “You ready for me?” “Oh fuck, yes. Do it.”

Positioning Jai’s cock with one hand, Dane eased himself lower. He felt the hot, hard head press into him, inch by inch, hearing Jai’s groans. Going slowly, Dane sank down until he rested in Jai’s lap. “You feel so good around me,” Jai murmured. “Damn it, babe, move!” Dane did, impaling himself again and again as Jai’s fingers dug into his hips. Unable to remain still any longer, he began to thrust his hips up to meet Dane, tilting his face up so that Dane could look into his eyes. The affection, the love, the desire that he saw there was almost enough to make him come on the spot. “Want you to come with me, Dane.” Dane bit his lip at the feel of Jai’s hand on him. He had the feeling that neither of them were going to last for long, but that was fine. They had the house to themselves for the next few days at least. Besides, the muscles in his legs were screaming already and he knew he’d be sore tomorrow from holding himself in this position for so long. He fucked himself on Jai’s cock, riding him hard. “Dane. Close, love.” Even as Jai spoke, Dane felt his balls tighten, body tensing as strings of semen pulsed over Jai’s hand, covering his stomach. Jai cursed under his breath and thrust up into Dane, filling him as his own climax came. When he caught his breath again, Dane moved off Jai,

both of them groaning as Jai’s cock slipped free of Dane’s arse. Jai reached for his t-shirt from the floor, using it to clean them both up before dropping back onto the sofa again. He lay back, pulling Dane down on top of him. “I’m never going to be able to sit here again without blushing,” Dane said softly. **** Jai laughed. “I was just thinking the same thing.” Eventually, they dragged themselves off the sofa and into bed, Dane nestling into the crook of his arm, half sprawled across him. “How did your parents react when you told them you were bisexual?” Dane asked after a while. “It was just me and my dad, but I didn’t exactly tell him,” Jai said. “He found out on his own. When I was younger, I had a friend, James. I’d known him since I was eleven years old. We met at school and we were instant friends. Over the years, we got closer. He used to stay over a lot, spending some of the holidays at our house, as I did at his. One night, I realised that something had changed. I’d just turned sixteen; I’d had girlfriends before but it felt different with James. I started to realise that whilst I was noticing the pretty girls, I was also noticing the boys as well. It seems

that James was, too. We didn’t know how to handle it to begin with—we were attracted to each other, but there was always that thought that maybe we shouldn’t be.” “So what happened?” “We both knew that the feeling was mutual but we avoided the issue. He was staying at my house—he slept in a fold-up camp bed in my room—and he got out of bed. I wasn’t sure what to do as he pulled back the covers and got in beside me.” Jai paused. “He kissed me, nothing more, and we spent the night like that, in each other’s arms. “In the days and weeks that followed, we stopped trying to fight it and just let ourselves see what would come of it. It was unknown territory to both of us, every touch or kiss was new and exciting. We didn’t have sex for a long time, it went on for a good few months before we got to that stage. I was a virgin that first time—James wasn’t, but even he hadn’t much experience. His parents were away and so we had his house to ourselves, and we decided to try it.” He shook his head with a short laugh. “It was awkward and fumbling and, to be honest, it hurt like hell when he took me, but it also felt so freeing. The next time we knew what we were doing, and the next. “I think it was a bit of a shock when my dad came home early from work one day and caught us in my room, in each other’s arms, kissing.” He paused, taking in the surprised look on Dane’s face. “He sat me down and asked me for the truth, about what was going on, about what had been

happening considering how long James had been staying at our house, and I told him. He didn’t really know what to do with the information, I don’t think, but he decided that as long as I was happy, then he’d back me in whatever I chose.” “I can’t imagine my dad doing that,” Dane commented sadly. “I sometimes wonder if I’d just told him, right from the start, if it would have been any easier on him. I’ve spent the last five years hiding. If I’d just told them, it could have been completely different.” Jai held him close, letting him talk. Dane didn’t open up very often and, although he might hate what he heard, he wanted to know about Dane’s life. “What you said, about noticing the boys when everyone else was looking at the girls, that was me. I just ignored it, pushing the thoughts away. I just shut them off and convinced myself I was over it, that it was just a phase.” “So what changed?” Dane was silent for a moment. “You don’t have to tell me, if you don’t want to.” “I do, it’s just that my story isn’t quite as hearts-andflowers as yours,” he said. “About five years ago, when I was with my old pack, a man called Ant arrived in town. He wasn’t pack but I worked with him in my job. He was a sweet bloke, but because of how he acted—he was very effeminate in his speech and actions—he was teased a lot.

I liked him, stuck up for him and befriended him, and we would meet for drinks after work. One night, when we went to his place after quite a few drinks, he told me that he fancied me.” “What did you do?”

Chapter Twelve

Dane had been at the office for an hour when his phone rang. Checking the display, he frowned. “Sash?” Jai, sitting close by, listened. “Nick was here,” Sasha told him. “He turned up just after I got here. I think he was waiting outside. He kept saying he was sorry, that he loved me and that he wanted me to come back to him. Like I would! He wouldn’t take no for an answer and he started kicking off when I told him to get lost.” “Where is he now?” “The security guard threw him out and I haven’t seen him since, but from what he was saying, I think he’s been watching me.” Jai watched the cold fury on Dane’s face and went over to him, sat down on the desk, and reached out to him. “I don’t want you to go out on your own for a while,” Dane told her. “I can drive you to work and collect you when

you finish.” Jai nudged him, nodding, and he added, “Or Jai can. If he appears again, you call me.” “I don’t want to cause trouble for you, Dane.” Dane sighed. “I said, call me.” “Fine,” she relented. **** At five o’clock, Jai got off Ret’s bike and watched as he pulled away into the traffic. He turned and headed for the department store where Sasha worked, sauntering in just before they locked up for the day. “I’m sorry, sir, but we’re about to close.” The petite sales girl flashed him a seductive smile as she approached. “Of course, if I can help you find anything real quick, I’d be happy to.” Jai shook his head. “I’m actually looking for Sasha Bryant.” Her expression suddenly became guarded. “Why?” “I know that Nick has been hassling her and I didn’t want her going home alone.” “Oh, that’s good. I never liked him; he was awful,” she said. “So, are you her boyfriend?”

“No.” She grinned, eyeing him in a way that made him think of a hungry lion watching a gazelle. Licking her lips, she batted her eyelashes at him. “Actually, I’m sleeping with her brother,” he said, chuckling as her eyes widened and she blushed. “Sorry, couldn’t resist that. I’m Jai, by the way.” “Lindy,” she said. “Come on, I’ll take you to Sasha.” **** “Thanks, Jai,” Sasha said as she climbed out of the Jeep. She looked around. “Why are we here?” Jai slammed his door and locked the Jeep. “Because you’re staying at my place again until I can be sure you’re safe.” “But Mum…” “Your mum has agreed to go home until we sort this mess out. I can’t say she was happy about leaving, but she did. She thinks the same as your brother and I,” Jai told her, “that you would be safer here.” ****

For the next couple of days, Sasha found herself with an almost constant bodyguard. Since the guards were not needed for pack business, their Alpha had told them to stay with Sasha instead. He had expressed his concern, even though she wasn’t with his pack, and insisted that they call him should they have any trouble. Dane knew he meant it, but they wouldn’t need help. Between the six guards, they could easily deal with one human should he provoke them enough. “I kind of hope that Nick shows up,” Jai commented as he and Dane wandered into the store. They had dropped Sasha off three hours earlier. “That way, we could just kick his arse into next week and get it over with.” Dane agreed, although he didn’t admit it. It was boring, sitting around all day, waiting for something that may or may not happen. They spent the first hour sitting in the car before deciding to move to the bench in the square at the opposite side of the street. When Jai suggested going for a coffee in the café in the department store, he agreed. At least that would be a bit warmer than the bench. Jai had done the first day on his own since Dane was saying goodbye to his mum and making sure she set off safely, and he spent most of it talking to the salesgirls inside the store. Today he had Dane with him for company. “With any luck, he’ll have taken the hint and pissed off,” Dane said. “I hate seeing Sasha upset by that moron.”

Jai reached down and took his hand. “We won’t let Nick near her,” he promised. Dane didn’t answer, and Jai could sense the tension in him. Moments later he slipped his hand free again. When Jai glanced at him, Dane’s eyes were fixed on the old couple who were walking toward them. The woman was frowning at them. “Hi there, gorgeous,” a voice said, distracting him from the old woman. “Back again?” Jai grinned as he turned, seeing Lindy approach them. “I just couldn’t keep away from you, darling,” he quipped. “Dane, meet Lindy.” She smiled at him. “So, you’re Dane. I’ve heard a lot about you.” Dane frowned. “You work with Sasha?” “Yes, but I meant from him,” she said, casting a wicked grin at Jai. After a chatting with Jai for a moment, she glanced at her watch. “I’m on my break in a few minutes. Are you heading for the café?” Jai nodded. “Come and join us if you want.” Once she had gone and they were sitting down at a table with a cup of coffee, Jai turned to Dane. “So, are you going to tell me what’s wrong,” he asked, “or should I guess? You haven’t said a word for ages.” He reached out to his mate. “Come on, babe, what is it?”

“Don’t.” He moved his hand away from Jai’s. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. Not yet.” “Dane, it’s fine. I told you that I wouldn’t pressure you into anything,” Jai assured him. “I am so proud of you for what you’ve done so far. You don’t have to apologise to me, ever.” The relief was obvious on Dane’s face. “I just saw that woman looking at us before and it was like I was back where I started. I feel like such an idiot for reacting like that.” “Yes, you are,” Jai agreed, “but you’re my idiot.” Despite himself, Dane smiled. Hesitantly, he reached across the table to lay his hand over Jai’s, his gaze still flicked around at the other customers but he didn’t pull away. “I’m trying, Jai,” he said. “I know you are, babe.” **** There was no sign of Nick until the following day, when Jai went out to start the car to drive Sasha to work. Dane was sitting in the kitchen when he stormed back inside, cursing a blue streak. Jai threw his keys onto the counter. “Little fucker has gone too far this time. I’m going to

break his fucking neck when I get my hands on him.” Sasha stopped dead in the doorway, actually backing up a step when she saw the fury on his face. “What happened?” “Nick, that’s what happened,” Jai raged. “Garage door lock has been smashed off. Every fucking tyre on the bike and the Jeep have been slashed.” Dane got up and blocked Jai’s path as he paced by again. “Did you see him?” Jai growled and slumped down into a chair. “No, but I smelled him. He was there, no doubt about it.” “That means he knows where I’m staying,” Sasha said. Jai’s anger faded as both he and Dane scented her fear. When she left Nick, she had seemed calm about it. The knowledge that he didn’t know where she was staying was comforting, but that had changed. Now, he had been here, taking away the place she felt safe; he had overstepped the line between watching and action. Waiting until Sasha left the kitchen, Jai added, “He left a message, too.” Dane followed Jai out to the garage, looking to where Jai pointed. It was scrawled in what looked like black marker pen across the white-painted inside of the garage door.

“‘Stay away from Sasha,’” Dane read and frowned at Jai. “How, exactly? She’s my damn sister.” They decided not to mention it to Sasha, and by the time she returned that evening it would be painted over. Dane called Ret to let him know what had happened and, thirty minutes later, Ret and Brand had arrived at the house. They took Sasha to work and assured him that they would stay with her until he got there whilst he tried to calm Jai down. One of the pack was coming out to replace the tyres on both vehicles and Dex had already offered to fix the smashed locks as soon as the police had finished looking at the crime scene. “You’ll only make things worse if you go storming round there and beat the shit out of Nick,” he pointed out. Jai scowled. “It’ll make me feel better,” he grumbled. “Yes, but it won’t help.” Dane said. “I’m sorry for all of this. You wouldn’t have got stuck in the middle of this if it weren’t for me.” The scowl on his face vanished and he sighed. He held out a hand to Dane, pulling him closer. “It’s not your fault that your sister’s boyfriend is a dickhead.” “Ex boyfriend,” Dane corrected. He was about to say something more when the phone rang. Jai picked it up. “Hello?”

“You shouldn’t have come between us.” Jai frowned. “Nick?” “Keep away from her.” “No.” Jai knew it wasn’t the wisest thing to antagonise him, but he couldn’t stop himself. “Take a hint, pal, and leave her alone. Stop stalking her.” “She wants to see me but you stop her,” Nick told him. “I won’t let you keep her from me.” After he hung up, Jai stared at the phone in disbelief. He could see that Dane had heard the conversation and looked as concerned as he was. **** Sasha heard her phone ring for the third time during her break and checked the caller ID on the display. “Aren’t you going to answer that?” Ret asked. He and Brand had joined her in the café. She sighed. “It’s Nick. Again.” Reluctantly she flipped open her mobile, hoping that if she spoke to him that he would get the message and leave her alone. “What the hell do you want?” she snapped into it. “I want you to come home,” Nick said.

Sasha laughed bitterly. “You have got to be joking. I’m not coming within fifty feet of you,” she told him. “It’s over, Nick. It was over the moment you hit me.” “I made a mistake, it would never happen again. It’s that Neanderthal you’ve moved in with, filling your head full of crap!” His voice rose angrily. “I see it didn’t take you long to replace me, did it? Or were you cheating on me all along?” Sasha couldn’t help smiling at that. She could have pointed out that the so-called Neanderthal was actually fucking her brother, not her, or that she was simply staying in his spare room, but she didn’t. Instead, she told him calmly, “You’re acting like a pratt, Nick. I’m going to hang up now and I don’t want you to call me again. Goodbye.” When she put the phone back on the table, she glanced up at Ret and Brand. “Maybe you should talk to the police,” Ret suggested. “You could get a restraining order against him.” Sasha shook her head. “Do you really think he’ll stick to it if I get one? No, he’ll get tired of this soon.” “Dane—” “Doesn’t need to know about this,” she said firmly. “My brother spends enough of his time looking out for me already.”

**** For the next couple of days, Sasha deleted the dozens of calls she got from Nick without bothering to answer them. Eventually, he gave up and she heaved a sigh of relief. To be honest, he was starting to creep her out. On Friday morning, as she finished serving her customer, she noticed a familiar face. Quickly handing the woman at her counter her carrier bag and thanking her, Sasha turned to Lindy. “Go and get security,” she whispered. “And if you see my brother…” Lindy nodded, following her line of sight and frowning before hurrying off. “Nick, I told you that I didn’t want to talk to you again,” Sasha said. He looked annoyed. “Is that what your boyfriend told you to tell me?” he asked, his disgust as he said the word boyfriend coming across loud and clear. “Come on, Sasha —you won’t answer my calls or texts. You belong with me, not that Neanderthal you’ve shacked up with.” “Okay, I’ll tell you this once and once only. I’m not ‘shacked up’ with anyone; Jai is not my boyfriend. He’s a friend, nothing more.”

It was obvious that he didn’t believe her but, at that moment, a hand landed on his shoulder. “I think it’s time you left, don’t you?” Nick turned and sneered. “Oh look, it’s the goon squad.” The three security guards glanced at Sasha and, at her nod, took Nick by the arms and forcibly dragged him to the door. He kicked and struggled but they simply carried on. They were just out of sight when Lindy returned with Dane and Jai. From the looks on their faces, her colleague had filled them in. **** “Now we can go and hit him,” Dane said, glancing at Jai. “Don’t you dare.” Both men looked at Sasha in surprise. “I don’t need you treating me like a child. I got enough of that when I lived with the pack.” “Sasha…” “I mean it,” she told him. “If I hear that you’ve gone to Nick’s, acting like a thug, I’m going to be mad.” Jai looked between brother and sister and smiled; he’d put his money on Sasha. She obviously had to be tough

growing up as a human in a werewolf pack and it was showing now. She scowled at Dane, hands on her hips. “Fine,” he relented. “But only for now. If he shows his face again, I’m going to rearrange it for him.” “Men!” Sasha threw her hands up. “You can’t just go around hitting people.” Steering Dane away before he could argue, Jai took him outside. They went across the street and sat on the bench in the square. Dane leaned back and sighed. “I know that I can’t protect her from everything,” he said, “but she’s my sister. What would you do?” “Probably go right ahead and confront Nick,” Jai admitted.

Chapter Thirteen

Jai left the office, eager to get back home. He had spent most of his day with Ret, making arrangements for the latest in the proposed visits from the wildlife commission. That morning they had received notification of a rare bird sighting in the woodlands, and a representative would be coming to visit. It did give them a change; usually they were looking for wolves after one of the locals reported a possible sighting. Unfortunately, this time, the visit coincided with the full moon and the pack hunt. He and Ret had spent the majority of their day on the phone, trying to postpone the visit; it made it more difficult when they could not give the reason why they needed to postpone. If they could have just said “we don’t want a human wandering about in the woods when a pack of werewolves is hunting” it would be so much simpler. Eventually, they had agreed to an earlier inspection, in three days time. It didn’t give them much time to alert the pack and make sure they would be out of the way, but it was better than having the inspector turn up at the full moon. Jai knew it was better to get this over with as quickly as

possible, or the inspector was likely to turn up unexpectedly if they tried to put him off for too long. So, he and Ret had spent the afternoon ringing around the pack, passing on the alert. Jai’s head was spinning and he never wanted to see another phone as long as he lived. All he wanted now was to get home to his mate. Sasha was having dinner with Joe, one of the other guards. He was coming over and she was cooking for him, and so Jai and Dane had decided to leave them alone and go to Dane’s flat instead. Possibly inspired by his sister, Dane had offered to cook for Jai. As an added bonus, it meant that he had Dane all to himself for the night. His phone rang on the seat beside him and he pulled the car over to the side of the road to answer it. “Hi, babe. What’s up?” There was a low chuckle before Dane replied, “Eight inches, give or take.” “Okay, I walked right into that one, didn’t I?” Jai laughed. “Let me rephrase that question. Is there anything in particular you called for?” “Just wondering if you had left the office yet.” “I’ll be there in about ten minutes,” Jai told him. Dane sighed. “Can’t you drive any faster? I’m getting lonely here,” he complained. His voice lowered to a soft

purr. “I’m going to have to start without you…” Jai made the journey in little over four minutes. He parked the Jeep, jogged up the stairs, and knocked on the door of the second floor flat. Hearing no response, he frowned, trying the handle. Dane had left it unlocked— not a wise move after Nick’s recent activities--and so he let himself in. “Dane?” Jai stopped dead when he reached the bedroom doorway, his keys slipping from his finger to land on the floor with a clatter. Dane lay sprawled on the bed, butt naked and very aroused. His arms were folded behind his head, his long legs stretched out down the bed. When he saw Jai, he smiled, unfolding his arms and running his hands down his chest, coming to rest as his groin where he wrapped one palm around his cock. “You going to stand there all night?” Jai licked his lips, unable to take his eyes off the sight before him as Dane began stroking his cock lazily. He couldn’t believe that this was the same person who, only months ago, had been afraid of his own shadow, so scared of his sexuality that he couldn’t even admit to himself that he was gay. His mate was like a completely different person when he was with Jai, even if his confidence in public still faltered sometimes. “Damn, you’re sexy,” he muttered, striding into the

room, stripping off clothing as he went. He sat down on the end of the bed and unlaced his boots, kicking them aside with his jeans and boxers. “I thought you were meant to be cooking?” he said as he climbed onto the bed. Dane smiled guiltily. “Turns out that I don’t actually have any food in the flat to cook with,” he admitted. “I was hoping that I could persuade you into going and picking up some Chinese food.” Jai smiled. “Persuade me how?” “Whatever you want,” Dane told him, his voice dropping to a seductive growl. “I’m sure you can think of something.” His smile widening as a thought struck him, Jai rolled Dane over onto his stomach. He reached out with his hands to hold Dane’s hips whilst he leaned forward to press a kiss to the base of Dane’s spine. “Jai?” Jai shushed him, spreading his legs wider and parting Dane’s buttocks with his hands, kissing and nipping at the flesh before trailing his tongue down the crease. Dane groaned low in his throat as Jai closed his mouth over Dane’s tight hole, lapping softly. “Get up onto your knees,” he ordered, then paused to ask, “Is this okay?” He’d had a few lovers who hadn’t liked rimming, not

giving or being on the receiving end. One had been disgusted that Jai had even suggested it. He loved doing it, though, and it appeared that his mate had no qualms about it, either. Dane nodded, moving eagerly to his knees and then dropping to his elbows so that his arse was up in the air, waiting for him. He spread his legs to give Jai more room. Jai picked up where he had stopped, licking around Dane’s rear hole before pushing his tongue into the tight ring of muscle. He tongued Dane’s arse as he would have fucked it, hard and fast, pushing inside, seeing Dane’s fingers grip the sheets on the bed beside him. He relished in the taste of his mate, spicy and male and so very Dane, hearing the soft moans that Dane made. Dane pulled his knees further under him, pushing his arse back into Jai’s face each time and reaching around to hold open his own buttocks, resting his shoulders on the mattress. Jai, now with his hands free, reached between Dane’s legs to take hold of his cock, working that with his hands as his mouth worked his arse. When he moved back, Dane let out a disappointed sound. “Are you feeling adventurous?” Jai asked. Dane looked unsure. “What did you have in mind?” “You’ve never fucked me and I want you to.” They quickly shifted places so that Jai was on the bed and Dane poised above him. “I’ve never done this before,” he said but Jai urged him on, passing him the lube that Dane had left by the bed. When Dane’s fingers began

spearing into him, opening him up, it was almost enough to make him come there and then. “Stop. You keep doing that and it’s going to be over before we begin,” he murmured. “Please, fuck me, babe.” Dane’s cock felt wonderful as it slid inside him, stretching him, filling him so completely. It had been a while since he’d felt the sensation of a hard cock inside him but the knowledge that it was his mate made it even better. Dane was hesitant to begin with before gaining confidence and beginning to move, taking Jai hard. Jai took his own cock in hand and matched Dane’s pace. As he had expected, they were both too riled up for this to last long. Damn, it feels good, he thought as he came. Dane fucked him right through his orgasm, before Jai felt him stiffen coming hotly inside him. They both dropped to the bed, Jai not even caring that he landed in the wet spot on the sheets. He sucked in a breath as Dane slipped out of his arse, his mate curling up next to him. Jai turned so that he could cuddle into Dane’s side, his eyes fluttering closed; he felt completely relaxed and fulfilled right now. “You’ve missed it, haven’t you?” Dane asked quietly. “Taking it, I mean, since I’m always bottom.” Jai opened his eyes again. “Yes, a bit. I love getting fucked with a big, hard dick.” “I’m sorry; I didn’t think about it.” Dane smiled and

added, “I enjoyed that; I wasn’t sure I would.” “Does that mean you want to try again sometime?” Jai asked him, delighted when his mate nodded. When he felt Dane’s rapidly hardening cock press against his backside, he grinned. “Already?” Dane held him tight. “It’s you who makes me like this,” he said. There was a low rumble from Jai’s stomach and he laughed. “I think we should do something about tea first, don’t you?” Jai signed dramatically. “You’re really going to make me go out and get food, aren’t you?” “Well, I can’t go,” Dane pointed out, leaning over to kiss Jai. “My car is still out of action. I told you I’d make it worth your while.” He smiled wickedly as Jai got out of bed and pulled his clothes on. “Maybe we could pick up where we left off just now. You on your knees as I fuck you again, my cock pounding into you…” “Damn it, Dane,” Jai muttered, watching his mate lie back on the bed in a pose that left nothing to the imagination. “Now I have to go to the takeaway with a bloody boner.” Dane laughed softly. “Don’t get a speeding ticket,” he teased. ****

Jai drove out to the Chinese takeaway and sat, waiting impatiently for his order to arrive. Why the hell couldn’t this place do delivery? Then he could have spent the last ten minutes doing something a lot more fun than sitting in an uncomfortable vinyl chair, next a human Barbie doll. The bleached-blonde in the low top and tiny skirt had been giving him the eye ever since she arrived, making sure he had a good view down her cleavage each time she moved. Not long ago, he would have been intrigued, possibly even taking her up on her unspoken offer, but the knowledge that his mate was waiting for him never left his mind. Or, more importantly, what Dane was going to do for him when he got back. He was just considering telling her he wasn’t interested when his order arrived. Jumping to his feet, he grabbed the bags and left. He was just turning off the main road, to cut through one of the residential streets, when headlights dazzled him through the rear view mirror. He squinted into the mirror, trying to see the idiot who was trying to blind him, but had to turn away. Suddenly, the lights disappeared, and there was a screech of tyres. The black pickup truck slammed into the side of his Jeep, hard, and he had to fight to keep control of the car. He tried to keep his speed up, knowing that if he stopped he would be a sitting duck. Luckily, this section of the road ran alongside the park before going into the streets so

there would be nothing in his way. Glancing out of the driver’s side window, Jai was just in time to see the pickup swerve toward him again. He couldn’t see who was driving but, given the recent problems, he had a pretty good idea. The truck slammed into his Jeep again, this time making it spin off to the left. Unfortunately for him, someone had left a Mini Cooper parked on the footpath at the edge of the park, where the houses began. Jai didn’t see it until it was too late, his eyes on the pickup. The Jeep smashed into the parked car hard enough to make the airbag explode in his face, jarring his neck back even as the seatbelt yanked him back in his seat. His head hit the side window as his Jeep finally careened to a stop. Jai heard car tyres squeal away as his world went dark.

Chapter Fourteen

Jai opened his eyes and blinked to make the world come back into focus, frowning at the harsh lights above him. Where the hell was he? He was in the Jeep, on his way back from the takeaway, and that pickup truck had sideswiped him and he’d crashed. He glanced around the hospital room; it was part of a larger room, a blue curtain separating his bed from the rest of it. Beside the bed, Dane paced. Jai could smell the anxiety coming off him in waves, along with a great deal of fear. He tried to sit up but his head swam, nausea making him drop back to the bed, and take a deep breath. Dane noticed his movements and raced to the bed. “Oh, thank God!” Dane began to hug him and then stopped, hesitating as though not daring to touch him. “I was so worried when they called me. What happened?” Before Jai could answer, the curtain around the bed was drawn back and a man who looked to be in his forties came in. He looked Jai over and then glanced at the notes on the clipboard hooked over the end of the bed frame.

“Welcome back, Mr Hanson. You’ve had us a little concerned.” He smiled. “I’m Doctor Whiteside.” Jai swallowed back the sick feeling that came with trying to move and looked up at him. “How long have I been here?” Again the doctor flashed him a blank smile that gave nothing away. Not even his scent changed; he was so used to seeing injured people that his emotions never altered. “We can talk about that in a little while,” he said. “Mr Bryant, if I could speak to you outside for a moment?” Dane looked between Jai and Doctor Whiteside and then nodded, pausing to press a kiss to Jai’s forehead, being careful to avoid the injuries where his mate’s head had hit the window. “I’ll be back soon.” Jai nodded, regretting the movement immediately. Glancing at the doctor, he had to smile. The man’s eyebrows had shot up to his hairline as Dane kissed him; at least something can shake his indifference, Jai thought. He watched them go outside the curtained area, where the doctor assumed that he wouldn’t be able to hear. Unfortunately, he was dealing with werewolves, so Jai could listen as though they were talking right next to him. “Mr Hanson suffered a mild concussion as well as minor cuts and bruises. Frankly, I’m a little surprised that he

has come out of this so lightly. The paramedics who brought him in say he had to be cut from the vehicle.” “But he’s going to be alright, isn’t he?” “He should be fine. If I may ask, what relation are you to Mr Hanson? He has you listed as his emergency contact.” “Why do you want to know that?” “I’m not asking in order to be judgemental, Mr Bryant, or for any reason other than I cannot allow Mr Hanson to return home if there will be no one there with him. He will need to be under observation for at least the next twelve hours.” “I’ll be staying with him.” Jai smiled when he heard that; although he hadn’t said it as such, Dane had clearly answered the doctor’s question about the nature of their relationship. Dane was given instructions by Doctor Whiteside of things to keep an eye out for and what to do and when to call the hospital before they came back in. He spoke to Jai for a few moments, telling him roughly the same as Jai had already overheard. **** The following morning, as he was making breakfast, Dane heard the phone ring. He answered it quickly before it

could wake Jai. “How is he?” It took him a moment to place the voice. “Michael?” “Oh, sorry; guess I forgot that bit.” The Alpha chuckled. “I wanted to call and see how Jai was. I heard about the accident.” Dane sighed. “I left him to sleep this morning, even if I do have to keep going in to make sure he’s alright.” He paused before adding, “It wasn’t an accident, you know.” There was a brief silence on the line. “What?” Dane filled him in on what Jai had said last night. “The police are looking into it.” He heard a noise behind him and turned to see Jai standing there. He looked a little unsteady on his feet, leaning on the doorframe, and Dane dropped the phone to go to him. “You should be resting,” he said. “The doctor said you had a concussion; you know it’s going to take longer to heal because of the stuff they gave you at the hospital.” A werewolf could heal almost anything, but head injuries took a little longer and that was without the hospital’s interference. They had given Jai medication as they treated him which, unfortunately, slowed the were’s natural healing process. Jai reached a hand out to pull him in for a kiss. “Quit fussing, would you?”

“I can’t help it.” He heard a shrill whistle from the phone and went back to pick up the receiver. Crap. He had just blanked Michael; you didn’t ignore the Alpha. “Michael, my sincerest apologies—” “Dane, stop. I just wanted to make sure he was alright before I hung up,” Michael said, and a wave of relief rushed over Dane. “I trust that you will let me know what the police report says. Now, go and take care of your mate.” **** The police called again later that morning, after having spoken to him briefly at the hospital. The two officers informed him that they had looked into his claim that he had been run off the road. The preliminary findings, they said, supported his story and they found a witness, a man who had seen part of the accident from his bedroom window. “What do I need to do about the Jeep?” Jai asked, but the officer informed him that they would have it picked up by a recovery truck and taken back to be checked by their people. “You can contact your insurance company in the meantime, get things started,” they advised. “I’m bored,” Jai complained when Dane tried to convince him to return to bed. “I need to do something.”

“The doctor’s instructions were clear. You’re supposed to rest.” “They’re just being over-cautious,” Jai said dismissively, trying to get up. “I’m okay.” He was a little surprised when Dane crowded him, anger in his eyes. “Don’t do that! Do you have any idea how worried I was when they called me?” Dane snapped. “When I saw you lying in that hospital bed there was a moment where I thought I’d lost you so don’t you dare try and dismiss this!” Jai reached out to take Dane’s hand. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think. I’ll make you a deal,” he said. “I’m not going back to bed, but I promise sit on the sofa and rest. At least I can watch TV there.” Dane nodded, settling in beside him again and handing him the remote control. **** Around noon, Jai sat on the sofa, his legs stretched out and his feet across Dane’s lap, watching a movie. Or rather, he had been. Dane batted his hand away for the second time, only for Jai to run it up his thigh again a moment later. Loathe as he was to stop Jai’s progress, wanting instead to help him out, Dane grabbed Jai’s hand

and lifted it off his groin. “Stop it. The doctor said you had to take it easy.” Jai smiled. “Take it easy. I can do that. So, how about you come over here and suck me?” He leaned over for a kiss. “I don’t think this is what he had in mind,” Dane pointed out. “You’re meant to be resting.” Jai’s hand dropped to his jeans, unfastening them as he lay back against the arm of the sofa, then slipped his hand inside to rub over his hard cock. He raised his hips slightly, pressing forward into his own hand. “But I find having my cock sucked extremely restful. Come on, babe…” Dane sighed as those big green eyes pleaded with him. Truth was he wanted this as much as Jai, missing his mate’s touch since last night. He reached up to drag Jai’s jeans down his legs, taking them right off and dropping them onto the floor. Jai’s dick was hard and ready, Jai’s fist clenched around it. Lying on his stomach between Jai’s legs, he shoved Jai’s hand aside and palmed the hot length. A soft whimper came to his ears and he smiled, looking up at his mate. Doing as his mate wanted, Dane dipped his head and swiped his tongue over the leaking cock before him. Jai whimpered again, the sound turning to a moan as Dane took his whole length into the back of his throat, swallowing

around it. **** Jai almost bucked off the sofa as Dane’s mouth engulfed him, all the way down until his nose was pressed into the dark hair at his groin. Fuck, that felt fantastic. He’d been with men before who could take all of him but this was Dane. The sight of those big, chocolate coloured eyes looking up at him, that blonde hair, escaping from the rubber band he held it back with and falling around his face. Dane’s cheeks hollowed as he sucked, his pale skin flushing as he worked. He had to stop himself from raising his hips, thrusting upward, and fucking Dane’s mouth; he wasn’t sure that Dane would let him and he didn’t want to stop the man long enough to ask. When Dane’s hand crept lower to cup his balls, gently tugging and squeezing, Jai knew he was done for. He was close already and felt the familiar tingling rush through him, tightening. “Dane, oh God. I… coming, babe.” Rather than pull back, Dane swallowed his cock down deep, tensing his throat around the head as he tugged on Jai’s balls once more. That was all he needed, and he came, pouring himself down Dane’s throat and coming so hard he could have sworn he saw stars. Dane sucked him

clean and let Jai’s cock slip from between his lips. “Feeling rested, now?” he teased. Jai nodded and then looked pointedly down at the rather impressive bulge behind Dane’s zipper. “I am, but you’re not. We’re going to have to do something about that, aren’t we?” **** Dane nodded, all thoughts of “take it easy” having drifted away the second Jai hauled him up to kiss him. His hands worked open Dane’s jeans and a hot palm wrapped around his cock. “Since I’m supposed to be resting, though, I suppose we shouldn’t.” What? Dane frowned, trying to think around the feeling of Jai’s hand doing wonderful things to his cock, until he noticed his mate smirking. He knew that he was just giving Jai exactly what he wanted but what the hell. At this point, he was too horny to give a toss. Quickly retrieving the lube from the bedroom and shucking his clothes, he went back to the sofa. Jai had slid down a little, almost lying flat with one foot up on the sofa, the other on the floor. He had removed his shirt and one

hand idly played with his cock. When he saw Dane return, he bent his knee—spreading himself, offering himself—to his mate. “Tease,” Dane murmured, squeezing some of the lube onto his fingers and spearing one into Jai, making him groan loudly. “Not teasing if I follow through,” Jai pointed out. He watched intently as Dane knelt over him, fucking him with that skillful finger. His breath caught as Dane added another finger. Dane stretched him before slicking his own dick with the lube and tossing the bottle aside. He began easing into Jai slowly, being careful, but Jai had other ideas. Hooking a foot around Dane’s back, he tugged him forward, impaling himself in one move. Dane fucked Jai hard, letting out the worry and fear he had been holding inside since last night, watching as Jai closed his hand around his cock, pumping it to the same rhythm Dane fucked him in. Jai groaned as he came again so soon, body clenching around Dane’s cock and making his rhythm falter. Seconds later, Dane tensed above him, thrusting in one last time as he came. “I don’t want to go through anything like last night again,” he whispered as Jai curled into his arms afterwards. “You scared me.” Jai kissed him before drawing back far enough to look into his eyes. “I’m not going anywhere, babe.” He smiled. “I’m here for as long as you’ll have me.”

“In that case, I’m keeping you. Forever.” Jai nodded. “Forever.”

Chapter Fifteen

The following day, Jai got out of the courtesy car his insurance company had loaned him and glanced at Dane. Although the police had yet to find out who ran him off the road, he knew already and he’d had enough. It was time to take control and show the bastard who he was dealing with. Jai marched up to the door and walked straight in without bothering to knock. There was the sound of a TV in the living room, so they headed that way after closing the door quietly. Nick was sprawled in an armchair by the window, his gaze focussed on the television screen. He had his grubby boots propped on the low table in front of him, a bottle of beer in his hand. “Hello, Nick.” Nick dropped his beer and it spilled, pooling around the neck of the bottle on the carpet. He started to get to his feet but Dane’s hands clamped down on his shoulders, holding him in place. “What the hell do you want?”

Jai crouched down in front of Nick’s chair. He made sure to stay out of Nick’s reach, just in case the man tried to kick him. If he did, Jai was going to hurt him. “We’re here to talk, and to warn you,” he said. “I know it was you in the pickup, just as I know you were behind the vandalism. It’s not enough that you’re stalking Sasha, is it?” “I’m not stalking her!” Nick scowled. “I just want to see her; she wants to come home but you won’t even let her talk to me!” Dane dug his fingers into the man’s shoulders. “Nicky, you need to listen. She doesn’t want you around. Now, if you don’t leave her and us alone, you are going to be sorry.” “What, you two? Am I meant to be scared of you?” Nick sneered. Jai allowed his eyes to turn to amber wolf-eyes and his teeth to shift, canines lengthening. He growled, low in his throat, and pinned Nick with his glare. “Yes,” he answered. Nick shrank back in the chair and pulled his knees up, away from Jai. As Jai edged closer, still growling, Nick whimpered. “What the fuck are you?” Jai smiled nastily. “You come near any of us again, and you’ll find out,” he promised.

Jai’s features shifted back to normal and he stood up. Dane released his grip on Nick’s shoulders and they went to let themselves out. “I’ll tell everyone about you!” Jai turned back to Nick and shrugged his shoulders. “Go ahead. Who would believe you?” They rode back to Jai’s house and parked the car in the garage, locking up after them. Sasha had gone out with Joe for a drink and he hoped that she wouldn’t be back yet. He didn’t particularly want to have to explain where they’d been since he knew she would be annoyed when she found out. It would have concerned him that she was out, but he trusted Joe to look after her. He had worked with the wolf in the guard since arriving and, if his baby sister had to date someone, she could do worse than Joe. Of course, there were other benefits to Sasha going out with Joe. “We have the house to ourselves…” Dane mused as he dropped his jacket over one of the kitchen chairs. Jai quirked an eyebrow. “So we do,” he observed. He could see the gleam in Dane’s eyes and he smiled. “I wonder how we could pass the time? A movie, maybe?” When Dane backed him into the wall and pressed a heavy kiss to his lips, he couldn’t help but laugh. He had been baiting but he was surprised at Dane’s response. Not that he minded, it was just that Dane usually waited for him to make the first move. This time, Dane was eager,

touching everywhere, his fingers moving to unfasten Jai’s shirt. When he could finally get his hands inside he pushed it open and ran his hands over the smooth warm skin underneath. “I want you,” he murmured in between kisses. Jai decided to help him out and stripped out of his shirt, removing Dane’s as well. He reached up to Dane’s long hair, tugging the band that held it back so that he could run his fingers through the silky locks. With one hand to the back of his head, Jai pulled Dane in closer, claiming his mouth, as his other hand slipped down between them. He knew that Dane would only go so far in making the first move and he wanted more. Unfastening Dane’s jeans, he pushed them down over his hips, far enough to get a hand inside and wrap it around his mate’s cock. Dane hissed in a breath as Jai’s fist closed around his dick, unable to keep himself still. He thrust his hips forward, pressing his cock into Jai’s grip. “Please, Jai.” Jai gave him a squeeze. “Please, what? You have to tell me what you want.” “I… I want. Damn it. Want you to fuck me.” Jai smiled and nipped the side of his neck with his teeth. “There now, that wasn’t too difficult, was it, babe?” He stripped his jeans off and then Dane’s before

backing Dane into the living room. He made a quick trip to his bedroom and found the bottle of lube, returning to where his lover waited rather impatiently. Dane stood watching him, his eyes slightly unfocussed and his lips swollen and pink from the kisses he’d received. Jai took a moment to admire him, and to reassure himself that the gorgeous man before him really was his. Noticing him staring, Dane closed his hand around his cock, his eyes closing as he pumped a couple of times. Jai swatted his hand away. “Turn around. Put your hands on the back of the sofa.” Dane did as asked without question, bracing himself on his arms as he looked back over his shoulder. “Jai… Holy fuck! Do that again.” He gasped as Jai pushed two slick fingers into his arse in one sharp move. Jai did; he had been right in thinking that his mate actually got off on a bit of pain, a bit of roughness. He had another idea, and smiled to himself as he drew his fingers back. “Don’t stop.” “In a minute, babe.” Jai left for a moment. “Put your hands behind your back.” Again, there was no question. Dane simply did as Jai told him, wriggling slightly as Jai bound his wrists with his belt.

“Is that okay? It’s not too tight, is it?” Although it had seemed like a good idea at the time, he suddenly thought about some of the things Dane had told him about the men who had taken advantage of him. “I can let you go if you want.” Dane pushed his arse out, pressing back into Jai’s groin, his breathing heavy. “No. Oh, shit. Jai, please!” Dane was doing whatever he asked without question, not that he could do a lot with his hands bound, but still. It was so arousing knowing that Dane would play submissive to him. Fired on by the sight of Dane bound under him, he leaned him further over the back of the sofa and slicked his cock. Dane let out a needy whimper, telling Jai that he had waited long enough, and Jai obliged. One hand on Dane’s hip, he began to ease his cock into the tight channel of Dane’s arse. As he began to fuck his mate, Dane pressed back into him. “More.” Jai took him at his word, pounding into him harder, his fingers gripping Dane’s hips. Soon, the only sounds in the room were that of flesh hitting flesh and the gasps and groans. Dane was almost laid over the back of the sofa, his feet only just touching the floor, but Jai didn’t stop until he felt his balls tighten and then he came, filling Dane’s arse. “Are you alright?” Jai asked, once he got his breath

back. He eased out of his mate and moved Dane back so that he his feet were firmly on the ground again, reaching for the belt around his wrists. Dane stood on unsteady legs, his hand going to his cock. He hadn’t come yet, his prick still hard and ready. “No, don’t touch,” Jai told him. “I have other plans for your cock.” **** Dane whimpered softly. “Need to come, Jai.” Jai manhandled Dane around until he sat on the couch, taking hold of Dane’s cock. Ducking his head, Jai ran his tongue lightly over the head before taking in his entire length. As his mate’s throat constricted around his dick, he wound his fingers into Jai’s hair, wanting to touch him. Jai looked so perfect,gazing up at him through his lashes, his mouth was still on Jai’s cock and his cheeks hollowing as he sucked on the upstroke. Fuck, Jai is good at this. Too good, he thought, unable to hold back any longer. Jai continued to suck him through his orgasm, milking every last drop from him before releasing his cock. “Damn,” Dane told him sleepily, “I think you’ve worn me out.” “Well don’t go to sleep there,” Jai said, urging him to

his feet and steering him toward the bedroom. He went to the bathroom to find a damp cloth to clean them up with, tossing it onto the floor when he was done instead of taking it back. Shifting Dane, he got them both into bed and pulled the covers back over them. Dane sighed sleepily and cuddled into his arms, draping his body across Jai’s. “Love you.” Jai smiled and kissed his nose. “I love you too.” **** Jai had just disentangled himself from Dane’s arms and was retrieving the various items of clothing left scattered around the house when he heard a key turn in the door. He dashed into the kitchen and scooped up the discarded shirts from the floor, almost making it back to the bedroom. “I think you forgot something.” He groaned, turning to see Sasha grinning at him, a pair of jeans swinging from her index finger. As if it wasn’t enough getting caught running around the house, buck naked, he saw that she wasn’t alone. “Hi Joe.” His fellow guard looked him over and chuckled before

turning back to Sasha. “I had a lovely time,” he said, kissing her on the cheek. “I’ll give you a call about dinner tomorrow, okay?” Sasha nodded and he left, waving goodbye to Jai. “I’m assuming that I don’t want to know about these,” she commented, tossing the jeans at him. He snatched them from the air and grinned. He didn’t bother to cover up; werewolves had a relaxed attitude to nudity and, since she had grown up with them, he didn’t think Sasha would be offended. “Probably not. So, you had a good time tonight?” She nodded. “I’m going to bed; I have to work tomorrow,” she said, glancing up when she heard footsteps getting closer and a voice calling to find out where Jai was. “I’ll let you go first,” she joked. “Get Dane covered up. The last thing I want to see is my big brother wandering about naked as well.” “So it’s not just because you want to catch a good look at my bum on the way up the stairs?” he teased. Sasha protested, loudly, but she was laughing as she did so. “Well, maybe a bit,” she admitted. “It is a very nice bum.” Jai glanced back over his shoulder and saw her face flush as she was caught staring. He smirked.

“Flirt,” she muttered. Jai caught Dane’s arm when he got upstairs and steered him back into the bedroom, closing the door. “I woke up and you were gone.” “I went to get these. Your sister is back, by the way,” he said. Dane raised an eyebrow as Jai dropped the pile of clothes on the floor. “Joe stopped by as well.” “And you greeted them like that?” Jai climbed back into bed. “Yep; I didn’t have much of a choice.” He pulled Dane against his front, dragging the covers back over them and settling down to go back to sleep.

Chapter Sixteen

“How would you feel about us taking a trip out of town for a few days?” From the look on his face, Dane expected that there was more to this than Jai was saying, and he nodded slowly. They were sprawled on the sofa, a bowl of popcorn on Dane’s lap, watching a movie. Dane shifted from where he leaned back against Jai to turn and look at him. “Where to?” “Your mum called Sasha last night and she wants you to go and visit.” Jai held up his hand to stop Dane’s protests. “She says she’s had a long talk with your dad and that he won’t make a fuss when you get there. Or rather, we —she made it very clear that the invitation was for both of us.” Dane moved away from him and folded his arms across his chest, shaking his head. “No. Why should I have to go all the way there? After the way he treated me, he should come here if he wants to apologise.”

“Too bad,” Jai told him, ignoring the glare he received. “I already called your mum back and said we’d go.” **** Despite Dane’s objections, he found himself the following day packing clothes into a suitcase. Sasha’s boss had heard about Nick’s harassment and offered to let her take some time off. Jai called and booked their seats on the train that afternoon whilst Dane began loading things into a bag. He hadn’t realised until he started packing just how many of his belongings were at Jai’s house. When he mentioned it to Jai, however, Jai just smiled. “I’ve been thinking…when we get back, why don’t you move in?” he said. “You already stay here most nights and I like having you here when I wake up. What do you think?” His smile faltered slightly. “Am I rushing you?” Dane’s mind searched for any reason why this was a bad idea and came up with nothing. If he was being honest with himself, he also loved waking up next to Jai each morning. Not to mention the numerous other benefits of staying here. “Okay.” Jai grinned and pulled him into his arms for a kiss. “I thought you two were packing?”

Jai drew back far enough to pull a face at Sasha and Dane tried to step away, out of the embrace, before reconsidering. If he actually thought about it, he wasn’t embarrassed about Sasha seeing him with Jai. It was just that his first instinct was still to hide. She wandered in and sat down on the corner of the bed as he turned, settling back against Jai. “Your brother just agreed to move in with me.” Sasha grinned. “It’s about time. Actually, this is great,” she said, looking thoughtful. “Do you think that your landlord would let me take over the rent on your flat, Dane? I’ve been looking for somewhere of my own and you would not believe some of the horrible places I’ve seen.” Jai laughed. “You couldn’t just stop at ‘that’s great,’ could you?” “Hey, I’m just being practical.” A teasing smile lit her face as she added, “Besides, I have my reputation to think of- I can’t keep living with two gay men. People will think it’s a bit odd.” Dane threw a pillow at her as Jai turned him in his arms, kissing him hard on the mouth. Jai reached around to grope at Dane’s arse as Dane’s arms looped around his neck. “Ewww. I may love you both, but I didn’t need that image in my head,” she complained good-naturedly, getting up. “I may be scarred for life. Can’t you at least wait until I

get out of the room before you start groping my brother?” She paused. “Remember that we leave in an hour.” Jai laughed as Dane smacked him on the arm. “What? It made her go, didn’t it?” **** Two hours later, Dane shuffled uncomfortably in the cramped train seat and glared out of the window. He was tired of sitting in this tiny little seat, where there wasn’t enough space to stretch his legs. If they currently had a car big enough for the three of them to ride comfortably in they could have used it, but the courtesy car was too small and the bike was out of the question. Then again, a long car journey was sometimes worse, the space being smaller. At least in the train they could get up and have a walk every so often. Most of the weres didn’t like being confined, their wolf side objecting to the lack of freedom. Next to him, Jai was engrossed in a paperback novel, and had been for the past half an hour. Dane wasn’t sure why he looked so comfortable. Sasha, sitting across the aisle, had her head back, eyes closed, listening to whatever was playing through her headphones. Why the hell did he have to come on this damn trip in the first place? If his dad wanted to see him then he should have bloody well come and seen him. This was going to be a nightmare from start to finish;

his dad hated him and hearing him say it last time had been enough. His mum had said that he’d calmed down a little, or at least that’s what Jai told him. It wasn’t just his dad who would be there, though; he hadn’t been back to his birth pack or had any contact with them since leaving. They didn’t know why he decided to move on, and they were likely to want to get together, asking questions and reminiscing. The thought of having to face the friends he had known for so many years scared the life out of him. Coming out to the guard had been bad enough and he had only known them for a few months; he had been lying his friends for years. And what about Georgina? She was likely to be there, too—what was he supposed to say to her? “What’s the matter?” Dane looked across at Jai, frowning. “I know that look,” Jai said. “You’re about five minutes of fretting away from a panic attack.” “I’m not panicking,” Dane protested. He sighed. “Maybe a bit.” He couldn’t help the glance around at the other passengers, checking to see if any of them were listening. Jai put the bookmark back in his book and tucked it away in his bag, turning in his seat to face Dane. His mate studied him for a moment and then sighed and got to his feet. “Come with me.”

When he hesitated, Jai reached out to grab his mate’s hand and pull him to his feet, letting Dane follow him to the end of the carriage. He reached the space between the two carriages, near the exits, and waited until the doors closed behind them. Now they were alone. “Okay, talk to me,” Jai said. “I thought you were fine with this trip.” “I thought I was, but I don’t want to do this,” Dane told him, leaning back against the wall. “My dad hates me, everything about me, and so will they.” “Who?” “My old pack. Dad will have been mouthing off since he got back and they’ll hate me, too.” “Dane, stop it. I’ll be there with you, so will Sasha, and everything will be alright. You need to calm down.” Jai didn’t give Dane a chance to object before he pressed his mate back into the corner and kissed him. After a second, Dane reacted, letting himself be swept away in the kiss. Jai’s fingers raked gently through his hair as he edged closer still. “There, you look a lot calmer now,” Jai said a few minutes later when they finally moved apart. Dane sighed loudly. He was feeling calmer, but only because he was too turned on from having Jai pressed against him to worry any more. He followed Jai back to

their seats, ignoring the knowing smirk he received from Sasha as he sat down. When she reached over and held up a pocket mirror in front of him, however, he felt his face heat up. No wonder she gave him the I-know-what-you’vebeen-doing look when he sat down. His hair looked as though, well, someone had been running their fingers through it. He glared at Jai, who merely grinned unapologetically back at him, as he tried to make himself look presentable again. **** Ten minutes later, he watched as his mum hurried across the station from where she had been sitting on a wooden bench, waiting. She reached them, a happy smile on her face as she hugged Sasha and Dane. When Jai hung back, she rolled her eyes and reached for him, too, drawing him into a tight embrace. “He’s at home,” Dee told her son, seeing him look around. If not for Jai’s hand on his lower back, forcing him to walk towards the exit, Dane would have turned and jumped on the next train home. If his dad couldn’t even face coming to meet him, there wasn’t much of a chance that he was going to be any more welcoming when they got home.

Chapter Seventeen

Dee spent the short car journey home chattering, asking about what she had missed since her visit, about their jobs and lives. In fact, she talked about everything but Nick, pointedly avoiding mentioning anything to do with him. Sitting in the back seat with Dane, Jai entwined his fingers with Dane’s. He could see the worry returning to Dane’s eyes. “Well, here we are,” Dee announced, turning the car into a narrow, tree-lined street. “Home again.” Getting out of the car, Dane looked up at the house he had grown up in. Even after moving out, he had always thought of this place as home, but something had changed. Now, this wasn’t his comfort zone, the place he called home. Even though he hadn’t actually moved in yet, he found that Jai’s house had replaced this place in his mind as “home.” “Jason is having a bit of a get-together tonight,” Dee told them. Jason was Alpha of Dane’s birth pack. “A few of your friends heard you were coming back, that you’d found

your mate, and they wanted to congratulate you.” “Do they know about Jai?” Dane asked quietly. “Do they know I’m—?” “Gay? Yes, they do.” She frowned. “Is that what’s been bothering you? Oh, Dane, they’re your friends and they care about you—they won’t stop caring for you just because of that.” “Dad did, and he’s blood.” Dee couldn’t argue that one, choosing instead to usher them all inside. She told them to get settled in and drop off their luggage. “Sasha, Dane, you know where your rooms are. Jai, I presume you will be sharing with Dane?” She glanced between the pair of them as her son’s cheeks flushed. “I can make up the spare bed if you prefer.” Jai smiled at his mate’s discomfort. Truth be told, if it was his mother discussing his sleeping arrangements, he might be a bit embarrassed, too. “There’s no need. If it won’t make it uncomfortable for you, I’ll be with Dane.” He followed Dane up the stairs, looking around curiously. This was his first real view of Dane’s former world, the place he had grown up, and it intrigued him. Dane didn’t really talk about his home or his family, not after the last disastrous reunion. The bedroom was as he would

have expected, slightly dated as though Dane’s parents had simply not decorated after he had moved out some years earlier. They put their clothes away and Jai sat down on the bed. “Are you alright?” Dane turned to him, leaning back on the cabinet. “I don’t know. Maybe once we get this thing tonight over with.” “I’ll be there with you,” Jai told him. “Come over here.” When Dane shook his head, staying where he was, Jai stood to go to him. He slid his arms around Dane and leaned in for a kiss. “My mum is downstairs,” Dane protested. “I hate to break this to you, but I think your mum knows that we’re sleeping together.” Dane smacked him on the arm. “Don’t make fun of me. It’s just being here, in my parents’ house, my old room. It makes me feel like I’m sneaking my boyfriend in at night behind my mum’s back.” “You actually did that?” Jai sounded amused. “Well, no, but you know what I mean.” Jai grinned, dipping his head to press a kiss to Dane’s mouth. For a moment, Dane froze, before relenting and opening up to the kiss. His arms looped around Jai’s neck as he pressed against his mate.

**** Later that afternoon, Dee drove them all out to a large house on the outskirts of the town. The town was on the edge of the moors, only a few minutes’ drive away, and the difference was clear. In the centre and among the residential streets it had felt like they were in a city, Jai noticed, but just a short ride down the road and there was nothing but open countryside. Dee had told him that many of the pack lived either in the town centre or in the urban areas nearby, but not them. She and her husband liked the peace and quiet and the illusion of living in the country that being on the outskirts of town gave them. They parked on the pebbled driveway and, instead of knocking on the door as Jai had expected, Dee opened a wooden gate that led around the side of the house. It seemed that this was more than just a small get-together, judging by the number of people already gathered on the covered patio and inside the house. Jai felt Dane tense beside him as he saw the people. His face was white, breathing fast, as he stopped. Suddenly, he turned. “Move,” he ordered, pushing past Jai and going back out to the driveway. Dee and Sasha both frowned, Dee going to follow her son, but Jai stopped them.

“You go on in,” he told them. “I’ll go talk to him.” Dane was sitting on the front steps, leaned back against the door with his head in his hands, when Jai found him. “Dane?” Dane glanced up to see Jai watching him. He hadn’t realised how much he had been dreading telling his friends until he had seen them all sitting there around the picnic table. “I can’t go in there, Jai,” he said. “I don’t want to see their faces if they reject me.” Jai leaned against the wall next to him. “Why would you think they’d reject you?” Dane closed his eyes and took a calming breath. “I’ve been lying to them for so long.” “So? I’m sure they have things they haven’t told you,” Jai pointed out. “Maybe not quite as big as your news, but still.” He reached down and Dane took it, letting Jai pull him to his feet. “The guard and the pack didn’t turn against you when you told them, did they?” Dane shook his head. “Exactly, so give your friends a chance to do the same.” Jai kept hold of Dane’s hand as he led him back towards the party. “You can’t put this off forever.”

They went around to the back of the house, looking across to there Sasha and her mum talked to a small group of people when she waved to them. A few of the others turned to stare as they passed by, some saying hello to Dane. It seemed that his dad had already been gossiping, Dane thought. He wasn’t sure whether he was relieved not to have to tell them all or whether it would be worse since they only knew his dad’s version of events. “Ready?” he asked. Jai nodded and followed him to the group of people sitting around the large wooden table on the porch. As they approached, eight pairs of eyes turned to them. For a moment, there was silence as each waited for the other to speak. Then, a man at the end of the table smiled. “So, are you going to sit down or just stand there all night?” he asked dryly. Jai nudged Dane and he moved to the space that had been cleared for them near to the man who had spoken. The man leaned past Dane. “Since he’s being rude, I’ll introduce myself,” he said to Jai. “Hi, I’m Stephen.” “Jai. Nice to meet you.” When Jai had been introduced to everyone else, including a gorgeous blonde woman who turned out to be the much wondered about Georgina, he nudged Dane. “You doing okay?”

Dane nodded. Stephen was quiet for a moment before he finally turned back to Dane. “Where did you go?” he demanded, sounding angry. “You just disappeared, Dane. You didn’t even bother to call and let us know where you’d gone. I thought we were friends.” “I’m sorry that I didn’t call. I just had to get away from here.” “Your dad has been shooting his mouth off,” Stephen continued. “Is any of what he’s saying true?” Dane shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. Dad hasn’t spoken to me since he came to visit—he disowned me— so I don’t expect he’s been too complementary about me.” “Very well, we’re listening.” Jai laid a hand on Dane’s knee under the table, offering support, and Dane took a deep breath. “After I left, I joined a new pack up north,” he began. “When I was here, I was pretending, lying to you all, and I couldn’t do it any longer. I used to go to bars in the city and pick up men but I didn’t want to admit to myself that I was gay, and I knew that Dad would never accept it anyway. I thought that by starting again, somewhere new, I could stop.” He smiled, glancing at Jai. “When I met Jai, he made me realise that there was nothing wrong with preferring men, that I didn’t need to be ashamed of what I am.”

Rich, one of the other men at the table, looked between him and Jai. “You two are…?” Dane nodded. “Jai is my boyfriend,” he confirmed. “My mate, actually.” “Mate? I can’t say I’m not surprised, but congratulations, both of you.” Dane turned to Stephen. “I didn’t dare to tell you, any of you, because at least this way I knew you were still my friends, even if I didn’t see you any more.” Any remaining anger drained away from Stephen’s face and he sighed, slinging an arm around Dane’s shoulders. “You thought we’d stop being your friends?” When Dane looked up, glancing at the arm around his shoulders, Stephen added, “Don’t get any ideas, mate, because this doesn’t mean I want to sleep with you, too.” “You really aren’t bothered by this?” Dane asked him. Stephen rolled his eyes. “Are you a different person from the guy who I went through my first shift with, the person I grew up with?” he asked. “No? Well then does it mean that you’re going to start hitting on us guys when we shift back, naked, after a run? No? Well, then, why should we be bothered?” “It doesn’t affect me what, or who, you do in your own time,” Rich agreed.

**** Jai cast Dane a smile that said “I told you so,” as he noticed Georgina watching him with a faint smile on her face. Obviously she hadn’t been as clueless about Dane as he had believed. She didn’t look quite as shocked as the others. “You know, I’ve heard a lot about you,” he commented. “You have?” She looked a little surprised at that, before she joked, “All good, I hope.” “Of course,” Jai told her, smiling. “Although, he failed to mention how absolutely stunning you are.” Georgina frowned. “What?” “It’s called a compliment, Georgie,” Stephen teased. She leaned over the table to smack him but he ducked away, laughing. “I know that, moron.” Sitting back down, facing Jai, she smiled. “I thought you were gay.” “Bisexual, actually,” he corrected. “Besides, liking men doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a beautiful woman.” She tried to hide her delighted smile but failed. ****

As the others began to fill Jai in on some of the things Dane had got into trouble for over the years, Dane asked Georgina if he could talk to her in private. They went out to the driveway where it was quiet, sitting on the low wall that ran along the side. “I wanted to apologise to you,” Dane told her. “I should have done the right thing, instead of leading you on for so long.” Georgina shook her head. “You don’t have anything to apologise for—” “Yes, I do. I was going to the bars while I was with you. I lied to you.” “You were picking up strangers and then coming back to me?” “I am so sorry. I felt awful doing it but I couldn’t stop.” Dane kept his gaze firmly on the ground by his feet, not daring to look at her. “I never meant to hurt you; you were my best friend.” There was silence. “Georgina? Please say something, even if it’s just to tell me what a total dickhead I am.” It seemed that ages passed before she finally spoke. “You are a dickhead. I can kind of understand why you did it,” she told him. “What hurts is that we were close, even if it wasn’t sexual, but you still felt like you had to hide from me.”

“If it helps, I was hiding from myself at that point.” She smiled and hugged him. “I wouldn’t have judged you, you know, not like your dad did. Did he really say that he disowned you?” Dane nodded. “He asked me to choose between him and Jai and he didn’t like my answer.” “You’re really fond of him, aren’t you? Jai, I mean.” “I love him.” Georgina stood up and set off back to the party, her arm linked through Dane’s. “I can understand that,” she commented with a sly grin. “He’s gorgeous. If he wasn’t with you, I’d probably have made a move on him myself.” It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders, knowing that his worst fears weren’t going to come to light. His friends were still there for him, the only damage done by his leaving without word. Even the one person who had reason to hate him was still here. “Georgina?” She turned. “Thank you.”

Chapter Eighteen

“I take it that went well?” Jai asked as he returned. Dane watched as Georgina sat down and smiled. “We’re fine.” He glanced around at the various other pack members, standing around, talking. “He isn’t here,” Jai told him quietly. “I checked with your mum a few minutes ago but even she hasn’t seen him. I’m sorry, babe.” He really had expected his dad to show up, especially after his mum said that it was his dad’s idea for them to visit. Dane leaned into Jai as his mate put an arm around him, offering comfort. Jai knew how much he had wanted his dad to be here; hell, even speaking to him would be a huge breakthrough at this point. “Cute, ain’t it?” Stephen’s voice said, amused. Dane looked up to see everyone at the table watching them and felt his face heat up. He began to back away from Jai and then stopped as it hit him. It didn’t bother him. He was in public but for the first time, it didn’t bother him that

everyone was staring. “Oh, shut up.” Stephen laughed. “After all the shit I got from you whenever I brought a woman home? Not a chance.” Dane laughed along with the others. Stephen was right; there had been plenty of times when one of the others had brought dates to pack functions and he had happily joined in with the teasing. He honestly hadn’t expected it this time, though. The others were just being natural with him, no sign of the judgement that he had expected. He looked at the amusement on the others’ faces and then grinned. “Better give you something to talk about then,” he said, sliding a hand to the back of Jai’s head and pulling him in for a long, deep kiss. **** Jai was a little surprised for a second before he opened up, letting Dane inside. He knew that this was Dane proving something to himself, showing the world that he was not going to hide any longer. Dane’s kiss was rough and enthusiastic, tongue delving deep, clashing with Jai’s, but he wouldn’t have had it any other way. If they had been alone, he would have persuaded Dane to use that enthusiastic mouth somewhere a lot more interesting, but

they weren’t. The feel of Dane’s hot mouth on his and the sheer abandon he was displaying was making his cock swell behind the tight denim of his jeans. They had to stop this, and soon; there was no way he could sit though the rest of the evening in sticky jeans. He drew back from Dane, realising that the man was half in his lap, one hand between them, cupping his erection. When had that happened? “We are so continuing this when we get home,” Dane murmured. He gave Jai one last squeeze and then turned, grinning at the catcalls and comments of “Get a room!” from around the table. There were a few either uncomfortable or amused stares from other pack members nearby but they ignored them. Stephen laughed. “You know, if you hadn’t come up for air when you did, I was going to separate you before you suffocated.” “You’re just jealous,” he told them, staying where he was, pressed up against Jai. “You could have just stripped and done it right here on the table and it wouldn’t have been as hot as that kiss, or should I say grope?” Georgina said. “We weren’t that bad,” Dane complained. “I’m straight and even I have a boner after watching that,” Rich said, looking slightly embarrassed to be admitting it.

“Are you sure you’re straight?” Jai asked, a wicked gleam in his eye. Rich grinned and nodded. “Definitely,” he replied. He raised one brow. “Why, you interested?” “Oh, honey, I certainly am,” he said, looking serious now. “You have the most perfect mouth. Just looking at it makes me want to come over there and kiss you, to feel those luscious lips against mine.” Dane had to bite his lip to stop himself laughing as Jai laid it on as thick and camp as possible. He saw Georgina frowning and winked at her to let her know he was teasing. Rich may have started this, but Jai was better. “Do you work out, Rich?” Jai reached over to give Rich’s bicep an appreciative squeeze. “Yes, sometimes,” Rich replied, looking a little unsure now. “Why?” “I bet you have a fabulous body, Rich. You’re a good looking man and I think you should come back with us,” Jai continued, moving his hand to trace over the muscles that stretched Rich’s shirt over his chest. “I’d like to undress you slowly, tasting every inch of flesh as I expose it. Have you ever been with a man, Rich? You’d enjoy it, I know you would.” “Look, I’m flattered. Really I am, but like I said, I’m not…”

Jai burst out laughing, unable to keep his face straight any longer. As Dane, Georgina and the others joined in, Rich finally twigged that they were playing with him. “The look on your face just then was priceless,” Jai told him, chuckling as he slung an arm around the other man’s shoulders. “Sorry, I couldn’t help it.” “I thought you were serious, that you were trying to pick me up and right in front of Dane,” Rich told him. “I was actually getting offended on his behalf.” “It’s nice to know you’re looking out for him but I wouldn’t have done that to him,” Jai assured him. “I mean, why would I want to pick up other blokes when I have someone as gorgeous as Dane to go home with?” **** It was after midnight when the party finally broke up. Some of the others had children and had left earlier, everyone else staying until the beer ran out. Dane arranged to meet up with his friends again the following day at a bar they used to frequent before they too headed home. Dee drove them back to the house, commenting on how well it had gone. She was right, Jai realized, sitting in the back with Dane. Dane had caught up with the others in his old pack, chatting with his former Alpha. Despite some slightly uncomfortable or curious looks in their direction, it seemed

that his dad’s views were not shared by everyone else. Oh, there had been one or two guests who showed their disapproval early on but that all but vanished by the end of the evening. Jai put it down to the fact that probably not many of them had been around gay couples before and simply weren’t sure how to act. There had been only one downside to the evening, really; Gil had not shown his face at all, and not even Dee knew where her husband was. “You look a lot happier than you did before we set off,” Jai commented. They were sitting on the sofa, both Dee and Sasha having already gone to bed. Dane nodded. “I am,” he said. “It was just like old times with them, when we used to have a laugh.” “I’m glad it went well.” Jai squeezed his hand. “I can see why you like them.” “Me and Stephen went through our first shift together, grew up together. We were friends straight away, looking out for each other. He’s been my best friend for more years than I can count,” Dane said. “My biggest fear was that we’d lose that friendship. He was the one person I worried about treating me differently. I didn’t want to think what would happen if he wouldn’t accept my relationship with you. I knew that if he tried to make me choose it would be the hardest thing I’d ever had to do but I would never have given you up.” “You would have chosen me over Stephen?” Jai asked, pulling Dane into his arms and brushing a kiss across his

forehead as the other man nodded. He moved lower then to press his lips to Dane’s. “We have unfinished business, you and I,” he said. He got Dane’s jeans unzipped and slipped his hand inside. Dane’s eyes widened slightly as he glanced at the stairs. “What if someone comes?” Jai smirked. “The only person coming will be you,” he said. His hands stilled and he sighed dramatically. “They won’t care what we’re doing.” If they weren’t werewolves, there wouldn’t have been a problem but a wolf’s hearing was so much better than a humans. “Dane, just relax. No one will say anything.” “Yes, but it’s not your mum who’s upstairs,” Dane pointed out. Jai stopped his protests with a hard kiss, clenching his fists in Dane’s shirt to pull him closer. Eventually, he felt Dane relax and begin to kiss him back. It seemed that Dane was as eager to finish what they started earlier as he was, despite his protests. His mate practically crawled into his lap, never breaking the kiss as he straddled Jai’s legs. Sitting as they were, Jai felt Dane’s groin press to his, hearing the soft whimper as Dane rubbed against him. He grabbed Dane’s arse, bringing him close as he thrust up against Dane’s denim-clad erection. The friction of material over his cock was almost too much; he wanted his mate

naked, to feel skin against skin. A faint noise from upstairs made them both pause. “Bed.” Jai saw the look on Dane’s face, and his quick glance at the ceiling, and sighed. “To sleep,” he added. Dane got off his lap and stood, holding a hand out to Jai. It was probably for the best. They still had seen neither hide nor hair of Gil, and Jai figured that the last thing they needed was for him to walk in and hear them upstairs. That would only make the already strained relationship between father and son even worse. He and Dane climbed into bed, curling up together under the duvet. **** “Jai? Thanks for making me do this, and for coming with me this weekend.” Jai smiled. “No problem. I liked your friends; it was nice to meet them all. I just wish you could have made up with your dad,” he said. “He doesn’t want to see me; he made that pretty clear by not bothering to go to the pack gathering,” Dane pointed out miserably. “Or maybe he didn’t want to face your mum in public,”

Jai told him. “I get the feeling she’s a bit angry at him for not being at the train station this morning.” That cheered Dane up slightly. “She does have a temper if someone upsets her,” he agreed. “Me and Sasha found that out often enough when we were little.” Jai hugged him closer, getting comfortable and trying to ignore the urge to let his hands wander over the naked flesh currently curled up against his chest. “There’s always tomorrow,” he said. “He’s got to come back sometime, right?” * * ** But he didn’t. By the time they left two days later, Gil still hadn’t reappeared. Jai tried to reassure him, to convince him that there would be a good explanation, but it didn’t make Dane feel any better. It was becoming more obvious by the day that his dad was not going to accept him. He couldn’t even be in the same house.

Chapter Nineteen

Jai awoke with a start as warm fingers crept up his thigh and eventually found their target. His eyes still closed, Dane sighed in his sleep as his hand brushed over Jai’s cock. Jai groaned; even that slight touch made his dick harden. If only Dane was actually awake enough to do something about it. They had arrived home late last night, going straight to bed. Between spending the day with Dane’s friends and his mum insisting that they all go out for a drink in the evening, followed by the train journey, they had been tired enough to fall asleep instantly. “Dane?” Jai brushed a finger down his cheek and his mate stirred. “Babe?” Dane’s eyes fluttered open and he blinked at Jai as he licked his lips. Leaning in, Jai closed his mouth over Dane’s. His mate was still half asleep; he smiled as Dane sighed softly, watching him with a groggy gaze. Jai was tempted to try and wake him fully so that they could have a bit of fun before they had to get up, but then he would have to put up with a cranky mate who hadn’t had enough sleep. No, he could let Dane doze a while longer and then he

would think of some inventive way to make sure he stayed awake. Oh, the possibilities, he thought as he got out of bed. “I’m going for a run,” Jai told him. “I won’t be long.” Dane yawned. “Wake me when you get back,” he mumbled, huddling deeper under the covers. Jai shook his head with a laugh. Dane was certainly not a morning person. He pulled on a pair of tracksuit bottoms and a sweatshirt, then slipped on a pair of running shoes. His usual route took about forty-five minutes, through the streets and then cutting back across the park. He set off at a slow pace, speeding up once he got warmed up. The roads were deserted at this time, and he saw no one at all until he reached the edge of the park. During the day, the park would be filled with kids playing football or just hanging out. At this time in the morning, however, it was empty except for one man in the distance, throwing a ball for an excited Labrador. Jai watched as the Labrador chased the ball, then the man chased the Labrador to get the ball back from it. He heard someone nearby but figured it must be another early morning jogger. Veering to the left, he headed towards the streets again and on his way back home, where he hoped that Dane would be awake when he returned. The footsteps followed and he sniffed cautiously. Unfortunately, the breeze carried most of the scent away and what was left was indistinguishable when he wasn’t in

wolf form. He glanced back over his shoulder as the footfalls continued behind him. **** Dane stretched his hand out but found nothing but a cold bed. He opened his eyes and, seeing that it was light outside, squinted at the clock. Well, that was weird. Jai must have left him to sleep in and gone down to breakfast without him. He got out of bed and dressed quickly, frowning as he reached the kitchen. Jai wasn’t there—no one was—and hadn’t even left him a note. Great, he thought. How the hell was he supposed to get to the office? He found the keys to the garage and went out to check what was still in there, and saw Jai’s bike. Sasha currently had the courtesy car, still on loan as Jai’s Jeep was a total write-off. He was stuck with the little borrowed Fiat until the insurance money came through. Jai must have had Sasha drop him off so that he could leave the bike for Dane. He smiled; that was sweet of him. Dane went back inside to find the motorcycle keys and lock the house up. **** When got to the office and saw Jai’s desk empty, he

frowned. “Hey, Ret? Where’s Jai?” The other were leaned back in his chair to look out from his office and shook his head. “Not here.” “What do you mean he isn’t here? Has he called?” Ret came out of his office and sat down on the edge of Andy’s desk. “No. I thought that the two of you must have been keeping an eye on Sasha today, that’s why you weren’t in.” Dane sighed, pulling his mobile from his pocket and scrolled down until he found Sasha's number. Glancing up at the others rather sheepishly, he put the phone to his ear. “I didn’t think to call Sash,” he admitted. After a brief conversation, he tossed the phone onto his desk. “He’s not there,” he said. “He said he’d wake me when he got back from his run this morning.” “Maybe he had errands to run,” Dex suggested. “No. He always wakes me.” He didn’t mention that Jai was usually horny when he got back and Dane’s typical wake up call involved a slow fuck in the shower they shared. Although, from the looks that they were giving him he figured that they had guessed and felt his face begin to heat up.

Dex chuckled. “He’ll come barging in through that door any minute and we’re all going to feel pretty stupid for worrying.” Dane nodded, realising that Dex was correct. If this was anyone else, he would say that they were making a fuss about nothing. By noon, however, he was beginning to think that his concerns were founded. No one had seen nor heard from Jai since he had left the house that morning. Sasha was currently under the watchful eye of Brand and Joe but, as she had told her brother on his fifth call, she hadn’t seen Jai. “Ret, do you mind if I take off?” Dane asked. “I just want to go and check that he hasn’t gone home. I’ve been ringing his mobile, but either he isn’t answering or he’s left it at home.” Ret nodded. “Dex, go with him.” Dex set off towards the door, hooking his jacket off the rack as he passed by. He climbed into his Land Rover, waiting until Dane was in and setting off. When they got to Jai’s house, Dane did a quick search, finding Jai’s mobile on the coffee table but no Jai. They drove over to Dane’s flat as well, though he didn’t think that Jai would go there. After all, he hadn’t been there in ages. Eight days, he thought, shocked. Eight days since he had actually stayed in his flat. He was just about to get back into Dex’s car when his phone rang.

“Jai?” There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line. “Hi, is this Dane? It’s Lindy, I work with Sasha. I don’t know if you remember me.” Dane frowned, signalling to Dex. Dex came around to lean close, to listen. “I do. Is something the matter?” “I’m not sure,” Lindy told him, sounding concerned. “Sasha got a note a few minutes ago and she just left her counter. I don’t know what was in it but she looked worried so I thought I should call you, what with all the shit that Nick bloke has been putting her through.” She broke off for a moment and there was a murmured conversation with someone else. “There’s a guy here, says he knows you. He wants to talk to you.” There was a brief scuffling as the phone changed hands. “It’s Brand. Dane, I’m sorry, I lost her,” he said. “I swear we only left for a minute but when we got back, she was nowhere to be seen.” He and Dex drove over to the department store but as Brand had said there was no clue as to where his sister had gone. Neither he nor Joe had seen anything at all, and none of the other staff had seen her leave. Lindy was busy trying to cover Sasha's unexpected absence with her

manager, making sure that Sasha still had a job to come back to. “I could track her,” Dane said, “but I’d need to shift.” He glanced around at the customers milling about, oblivious to their current situation. They needed a way to get the human public out of the way, or at least stop them noticing a huge grey wolf tracking a scent trail through the store. “I know I can’t, but how the hell else are we meant to figure out where she went? And why?” Lindy came back then. “I could ask security to check the CCTV,” she said, pointing at the cameras mounted around the ceiling. Dane nodded, but before he could agree, his mobile rang again. He glanced at the display: number not recognised. “What?” he snapped. When he heard the voice on the other end, he felt a wave of relief wash over him. “Sasha? Where the hell are you? We’re at the store; Lindy called us to say you’d just walked out…” “I don’t have long to talk,” Sasha told him, cutting him off. “I’m on a pay phone. Nick has Jai. He’s a fucking loon, Dane. He sent me this note saying that I had to come here, alone. I saw Jai inside through a broken window and so I called you first. He’s hurt, I think, because he isn’t fighting back.”

“Sash, tell me where you are.” She gave him directions but before she was finished, he heard a muffled yelp and the sound of the telephone handset clattering against the side of the booth. “Sasha?” When there was no answer, he turned to Dex. “Nick has them both.”

Chapter Twenty

Dane drew the Land Rover to a stop a street away from the address Sasha had given. She gave them enough to find the place; even without the exact building number, her description had been enough. “Stay here,” he said, cutting off Dex’s protests. “I have to do this myself. If I go in with someone else, he’s likely to do something stupid. Sasha or Jai could get caught in the middle of it.” With a last glare at Dex to stay behind, Dane took the side alley that led to the building Sasha had described. This wasn’t a good part of town to be in at the best of times. Not that he had a choice, it just worried him that Nick had chosen such a place. The low stone building had once been a nightclub, but now it was closed up. The windows had boards, covered with fly-posters and graffiti, nailed over them. Above what had been the main entrance, marks on the stone spelt out Inferno, the former club’s name; where the letters had previously been had left cleaner marks on the wall once they were removed. Dane moved around to the front of the club, keeping his senses on full

alert, but all he picked up was the aroma of rotting rubbish in the bins nearby, used by the Thai restaurant that backed onto this building. The faint breeze blew around the fast food wrappers and old beer cans, dropped by drunken revellers in the other nearby clubs, the sound unfortunately drowning out the small sounds he was listening for. Peering through a gap in the boards over one of the front doors, Dane tried to focus in the darkness. **** Sasha tried to edge across the floor to where Jai lay slumped against the wall but someone yanked her back. A hand took hold of her arm and roughly pulled her away, pushing her back into her seat. “Let me help him, please.” Nick shook his head. “No, he’s dangerous. You don’t know what he is.” He came to crouch before her, being careful to keep out of her reach in case she kicked him— again. He already made the mistake of getting too close once and had the bruise on his shin to prove it. He had a rifle on a leather strap over his left shoulder. “I just want to help you.” She looked at Jai again. “What have you done to him?” She had been around weres her entire life, but Jai

looked worse than she’d seen before. Whatever Nick had done to him wasn’t healing. He was barely moving, his head lolling forward onto his chest. She could see that his face looked pale, his skin covered with a sheen of sweat, even in the dim light. “I had to tranquilise him. You don’t have to worry about him any more,” Nick told her, smiling reassuringly. “That’s why I asked you to come here, so that I could show you that I would do anything for you.” Sasha felt her eyes welling again but she blinked back the tears, refusing to let him see her cry. She just wanted to go to Jai, knowing it was her fault that he was hurt. If he hadn’t got involved, trying to help her, then her nutcase of an ex wouldn’t have brought him here. Suddenly, Nick looked up, turning back toward the front entrance, hearing a noise. “Stay here,” he told her, glancing up at his cohort and handing over the rifle. “Pete, keep an eye on them.” Sasha backed up and sat in her corner as Nick had told her to, not wanting to give the taller man any excuse to come near her. She had met Pete a couple of times whilst she was with Nick and there was something about the man that made her skin crawl. How on Earth Nick had convinced him to help out with this kidnapping, she didn’t know; she wasn’t sure she actually wanted to know what Nick had offered him to do it.

Nick vanished into the darkness as he left the room and she found herself offering up prayers to anyone who might be listening that he would lose his footing and fall down the stairs or that the police would be here, wondering why there were squatters in the abandoned club. Seconds later he came back into the room, shrugging his shoulders at Pete. “Nothing there.” He went to Jai and poked him with the toe of his boot to get his attention. Again, he kept his distance, flinching slightly when Jai’s gaze met his eyes. “I know what you are,” he said. “I looked it up on the Internet. I’m doing the world a service by getting rid of a monster like you, protecting Sasha.” **** Jai struggled to get upright but he ached everywhere. His limbs felt like lead whilst his muscles just wouldn’t work to hold him up. Trust his bad luck that Nick had actually found the one kind of tranquiliser that would actually work on a werewolf; there weren’t many that did. Of all the Internet sites he could have checked, he found one with a tiny grain of truth about weres. He glanced up at Sasha and saw the look of panic as she tried desperately to stop the tears that were gathering in her eyes. “Please, let her go,” he said. “She’s scared.” “How can I? I can’t let you turn her into a creature like

you, but I know how to protect her. I just have to kill you and then she can come home with me. I read all about it—once you are dead, she’ll be released from your curse.” Jai sighed. That was bullshit; why the hell couldn’t Nick have got his tranquiliser information from the same place he found that load of rubbish? “Sasha was right, you are a fucking loon,” a voice announced from the doorway. Both Nick and Pete turned, Nick aiming the rifle at him, but Dane stood his ground. “I told you what would happen if you messed with me and mine, Nick.” Nick glanced back at Sasha. “She’ll be fine; I’m saving her. You don’t know what he is.” He paused. “You shouldn’t have let her go off with him. He’s turned her into a monster like him.” Dane tried to go to his sister and Jai but the other man stopped him. “They are with me,” he told Nick. “I want you to give them back. I would also appreciate it if you’d tell your friend to stop looking at my sister like that because if he so much as lays a finger on her, I’m going to have to hurt him.” Pete took a step away, seeing the nasty gleam in Dane’s eye as he spoke. He nodded at Nick in silent conversation.

“If I let you take her with you, you can keep her safe until this is over, until he’s dead.” “I want Jai as well,” he said as Sasha got to her feet and scurried to her brother. Nick frowned. “No. She’s family so I’ll let you take her but not him.” “Well you’ll have to keep two hostages then,” he said. Sasha nodded. She still looked scared but she wasn’t leaving her brother or Jai behind. “Three,” she said. “I’m not leaving without him,” Dane said, “and you’re going to have a fight on your hands if you don’t hand him over. You have no idea what I could do to you.” Nick’s partner in crime frowned, confused. “If it was my sister who was fucking a thing like him, I wouldn’t try so hard to save him,” Pete said. “He’s not my boyfriend, you moron!” she snapped. “I told you that before.” Nick’s confusion would have been comical if not for the seriousness of the situation. He shook his head slowly. “You moved into his house. I saw you with him, I heard you with him.” “I moved in because he had a spare room and he let me stay there.” Sasha's expression turned to disgust. “Hang on—you were spying on us?”

**** “Obviously not very well,” Dane added. “She isn’t with him, I am.” He sighed. “Let me spell it out for you, Nicky. Jai is my boyfriend. I’m the one sleeping with him, not Sasha. Jeez, you really are as dumb as you look.” Nick’s brow furrowed and he shook his head. “No,” he said decisively. “You’re lying.” He turned and, in one swift move, swung the rifle from his shoulder and into his hands, levelled it at Jai, and fired. Dane could smell the blood mixing with the gunpowder in the air, seeing the red stain growing on Jai’s shoulder. It wasn’t a kill shot, due to the fact that Jai had tried to dodge it, but it was clear that Jai was in agony by his ragged breathing and the lines across his forehead. Dane turned on Nick, knowing that his eyes had shifted and his canines elongated into fangs. “You’re going to die for that,” Dane growled. He saw Pete make a move toward him and bared his teeth, lashing out. His fingernails lengthened into claws, slashing tracks across the man’s chest. Pete swore loudly as his skin tore and, one hand clutched to his chest, pulled a pocket knife out of his jacket. Flicking the blade open, he lunged at Dane. “Dane, behind you!”

Dane turned, managing to dodge the blade, and saw Nick raising his rifle. Suddenly, Dex stepped out of the shadows behind him, wrenching Nick’s wrist hard enough that Dane heard the sickening crack of bones. Nick howled in pain and dropped to his knees, clutching his wrist, the gun forgotten. “See to Jai,” Dane told his sister, turning his attention back on Pete. He flexed his claws as he reached out and clenched his hand around Pete’s throat. The man made a feeble attempt to fight him off but Dane was stronger, much stronger. With barely any effort, he threw Pete across the room, seeing him hit the far wall and land in an unconscious heap on the floor. Dex took out a mobile phone to call the police, but before he could even dial, Pete struggled to his feet, then grabbed Nick’s arm and began dragging him toward the door, ignoring the man’s yells of pain. Nick cradled his broken wrist to him as he fled. Dane and Dex began to go after them but Sasha called to them. “Dane, there’s something wrong.” Dane heard the panic in Sasha's voice and hurried over to kneel before Jai, abandoning the chase. Brushing Jai’s hair away from his face, he tilted Jai’s face up to look at him. He was too pale; his werewolf genetics should have healed whatever injuries he had sustained by now but, if anything, he looked worse than he had only minutes before. “The wound isn’t healing,” she said.

Getting up to grab the rifle, she removed the remaining bullets, swearing creatively as she held one up. “Silver.” Looking around, she went to pick up Pete’s pocket knife. “We need to get that bullet out of him or it’s going to make him sick.” She knelt down next to him again, gripping the knife tightly. Her hand trembled as she positioned it over the wound on Jai’s chest and she took a couple of deep breaths, trying again. The blade wobbled and she just couldn’t steady it. “I can’t,” she said, shaking her head. She thrust the knife into her brother’s hand and stood up, going to stand by the wall. “I’m sorry, Dane.” Dane knew how she felt. The mere thought of causing his mate any more pain than he was already suffering brought him out in a cold sweat, but he also knew that he had no choice. If they didn’t get the silver out of Jai, then he would die. Silver poisoning in a were was a slow and painful process and there was no way he could lose Jai that way. “Jai, I have to get the bullet out,” he said, touching his palm to his mate’s cheek. “I know this is going to hurt.” He forced a smile. “I promise I’ll do this as quickly as I can.” Jai blinked at him, the edge of his mouth curving upwards. “Just get it over with. Ow! Fucking hell that hurts!” Dane had to tune out Jai’s pained cries as he cut

deeper into the flesh, digging inexpertly until he found the bullet. Once it was tossed aside, he pressed a makeshift bandage to the wound and gathered Jai up into his arms.

Chapter Twenty-One

“Are you sure you’re not in pain? Can I get you anything?” Jai sighed. “For the fiftieth time, babe, I’m fine.” It was bad for a while. The silver had gotten into his bloodstream, making the first few hours a nightmare, and Jai spent the rest of the day feeling sick to his stomach, tremors racking his body. “I’m annoying you, aren’t I?” Dane signed. “I’m sorry. I just can’t stand the fact that you’ve been hurt because of me and my family. I should never have got you involved.” “I like that you’re worried about me,” Jai told him, “but this isn’t your fault. Can you hand me my jacket?” Frowning, Dane handed over the leather jacket from the chair next to him. “Why?” “Because we’re going out.” Since Dane wouldn’t let him go near the office, even if he promised not to work, and he didn’t want to go and sit at home again, Jai had to think of something else to do.

“I want to go for a run,” Jai said. **** Dane parked the car at the edge of the woods and they both got out, quickly stripping and leaving their clothes in the car. It felt good to be out here in the open air, hearing nothing but the birds twittering in the trees or the leaves rustling in the faint breeze. Jai took a moment to cast his gaze over his mate’s bare flesh, watching as Dane dropped to all fours and began to shift. Moments later, the wolf stood before him. It cocked its head to one side and Jai could have sworn it smiled, right before it moved closer. Jai felt the soft brush of fur as the wolf pressed against his leg, rubbing against him as a cat would. Jai laughed as a canine nose nuzzled him. “Much as I love you,” he said, “that is not going to happen. Kinky little sod.” Dane whimpered softly and looked ready to try again, when suddenly the wolf’s ears pricked and his attention was turned to something behind Jai. Before Jai could even turn, the huge wolf positioned itself in front of him, snarling, teeth bared. “There’s no one here to rescue you this time,” a voice said as Nick stepped out from around the car and came

toward them, taking out a kitchen knife from under his jacket. “I waited for you to leave and you came here. There’s no one to help you, no one here to stop me getting rid of you. They’ll thank me,” he said. “You’re monsters.” Jai put his hand down to the wolf, to stop Dane snarling. The wolf quietened, but Jai could feel that he was still tense, ready. Nick must have been watching the house, waiting for them to leave so that he could follow them. He was just glad that Sasha had decided to stay with one of her friends from work for a while. At least he hadn’t known where she was. “No, we’re not. We aren’t the ones who hit a defenceless woman, or who kidnapped two people. Or who shot someone,” he said. Nick shook his head emphatically. “No; I did what was right to protect her.” He raised the shotgun but Dane was faster. He pounced at Nick, knocking the gun from his hands and sinking his teeth into Nick’s arm. Nick fell sprawling into the grass, frantically hitting at Dane to get him away, trying to struggle to his feet again. He was never going to stop, Jai realised. He would keep coming after them, targeting them, no matter what happened to him. A jail cell or a psychiatric ward would only hold him for so long and eventually, he would be free to start all over again. His personal crusade put the entire pack in jeopardy, risking their exposure to the human population.

He was a risk that they could not allow to continue. **** An hour later, Jai pulled Dane under the shower spray and let the warm water cascade over both of them. They had called Michael, and the Alpha had arranged for Nick’s body to disappear somewhere they would never need to worry about him being discovered. The police would just think that he ran away and, after his trail went cold, they would close the case and he would be forgotten. At least he would by the police; some memories would take longer to fade. Jai could feel Dane shaking as he held him, see the pain in his eyes. “You did what you had to,” he told his mate. “You had no choice.” Dane sighed. “It doesn’t feel like it.” **** He let Jai wash him down, rinsing away the traces and smells of blood on his skin. His mum had made the journey up here as soon as she heard about the incident, scolding

Dane for not telling her sooner. She had booked into a nearby hotel so that she could visit with him. He was supposed to be meeting her in a few hours, along with Sasha, but he really didn’t want to spend his evening pretending that everything was perfect, playing happy families. In the end, he called his mum and said that he wouldn’t be able to make it to dinner, but all that achieved was that they arrived at Jai’s house ten minutes after his call. It was foolish, but he still had that tiny glimmer of hope when he saw her come into the room, let in by Sasha, that he would be here, too. He felt his hopes dashed when there was no sign of his dad. “I’ll make some tea,” Dee announced, heading for the kitchen to begin the age old tradition. No matter what the problem, or what the crisis, you would always feel better after a cup of tea. Dane was about to go and help when he heard someone clear their throat behind him. “Dad?” Gil edged further into the room, looking uneasy. “I wasn’t sure if I would be welcome.” Dane smiled. “Of course you are; you always will be.” He led his dad off to sit down in living room, Jai following them. He knew that this was hard for his dad and, tempting as it was, it would be cruel to make him go through it in front

of everyone. “Look, I’m never going to be at ease with the fact that you have a, um, male mate,” his dad said, as though the word would bite him, “but you are still my son. I might have overreacted when you first told me—it would have been nice to be able to have time to adjust before I came here.” “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier,” Dane said. “To be honest, I was scared of how you’d react. I tried to tell you when you first arrived, before you walked in on us, but I couldn’t. I panicked. That’s why I ran.” His dad shook his head sadly. “I can’t believe that I made you so scared of me.” He turned to Jai. “I wish to apologise to you also. I should not have taken out my frustrations on you, and I should not have called you many of the things I did.” Jai nodded. “Apology accepted. I know you don’t approve of us, well me, but I’m not going walk away. As uncomfortable as this is for you to hear, I love Dane.” “How long has this been going on?” his dad asked, still looking uneasy, but he was trying. “About three months,” Dane told him, “if you mean, how long have I been with Jai. Or did you mean, how long have I known I was gay?” His dad nodded. “A lot longer. I just hadn’t really been able to admit it

until Jai and I got together.” “And I never knew.” Dane shook his head, seeing his dad glance at Jai. “I’m trying to understand, really I am,” Gil insisted. “What do your family think about this?” Jai shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t really have much family, apart from the pack. The guard are fine with it; Ret, the guard Captain, is mated to a man named Andy.” A noise from the kitchen made them all look up. Jai touched Dane on the arm. “Why don’t you go back and give your mum a hand with the tea since you know where everything is?” he said. Dane frowned for a second, then nodded, reluctant to leave his boyfriend and his dad alone but assuming that Jai knew what he was doing. He left. **** “Mr Bryant?” Dane’s dad frowned at him. “I wanted to talk to you,” Jai said. “I know that this is weird for you and that if you had your choice, Dane would be straight, with a girlfriend. He isn’t going to change,

however.” Gil looked as though he was planning on arguing, to tell Jai to mind his own business, but at the last minute he stopped himself. “I saw how destroyed he was when you walked out on him, asking him to change himself or lose you,” Jai continued. “If you’re going to change your mind again in a few days time, and cut him out of your life, I’m asking you to do it now before you get his hopes up.” Now, Gil glared at him. “I’m not criticising you,” Jai assured him before he could voice whatever insult was on the tip of his tongue. “I just do not want to see him get hurt again.” “I should tell you to keep the hell out of our business,” Gil finally said. “You can, but I won’t. Where Dane’s concerned I won’t just stand by without trying to protect him.” “You truly mean that, don’t you?” Gil observed. “I admit that this may take time, but the thought that I could actually lose him, that he couldn’t even bring himself to tell me, made me realise that I had to try. Was he really so scared to tell me?” Jai nodded. “When you first arrived, he tried to talk to you; he was having a panic attack when I caught up with him in his room. He didn’t want to disappoint you, to crack

the illusion you had of him.” He sighed. “Look, I know you are never going to approve of me, or even like me I suspect, but I’d like us to at least try and get along for Dane’s sake. How about you just think of me as a friend of your son’s, if you aren’t comfortable with who I really am.” Gil sighed. “If I’m going to get to know my son, and you, then there is no point in pretending. You are my son’s,” he paused, “mate, and I have to deal with that.” There was a long silence as they both tried to think of a way forward. “Did he really stand up to them?” Gil asked. At Jai’s confusion, he said, “Sasha told me that he walked right into the room where Nick was holding the pair of you and confronted them.” Jai smiled. “He told him that he wasn’t leaving without both of us. He tried to protect me, and his sister.” “He’s changed,” Gil mused. “He would never have done that before. I may not like the reasons, but you’ve made him grow up, to stand up for himself.” “He’s definitely more confident now, I’ve noticed that since I started seeing him,” Jai agreed. Gil stood, as Jai did, and glanced back to the party. “We should probably get back; they’ll wonder where we’ve gone.” He held out his hand to Jai. “I would still prefer if you were a woman that my boy had settled with,” he said, “But I can see that you care about Dane, and I know you won’t do anything to hurt him.” He shook Jai’s hand and smiled. “I

was wrong about you. I thought you were a predator, corrupting my boy’s mind and preying on his innocence.” Jai grinned. “That’s okay; I thought you were a pigheaded homophobe who didn’t deserve to have a son like Dane. I guess we were both wrong.” When they got back the kitchen, Dane, his mother and his sister were waiting anxiously. They all heaved a visible sigh of relief when the two men rejoined them, looking pleased that they were both in one piece with no black eyes or bloodied noses. “Jai and I had a little chat,” he told Dane. Jai stopped next to Dane and took the hand that he offered. As Gil turned to reassure his wife, Dane whispered. “What was all that about?” Jai smiled. “I’ll tell you later. I think we got along. He’s not a bad bloke and he’s really trying.” Dane reached up to curl his fingers around the back of Jai’s neck, “Thank you," he said. He kissed Jai lightly on the lips. “For what?” Dane looked thoughtful for a moment before answering, “For still being here after everything that I’ve put you through.”

Jai smiled. “I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be.”