Wolves Of Stone Ridge - Kyle's Valiant Hunt 11

Valiant Vee Cotter lives in the middle of Nowhere, Idaho. His life consists of three things,

hanging with his best friend Brice, working at a truck stop at the edge of town, and getting persecuted
by the local homophobes. All that changes when a sexy trucker, Kyle, takes an interest in him,
convincing him to start a long distance relationship, and Vee finds himself falling hard and fast.

Kyle Rainier’s life is taking a detour, literally. When his standard run from Denver to Boise and

back has him making an unscheduled stop in a little town on the border of the Idaho National Forest,
Kyle’s mate runs right into him. Using the truck stop’s shower room, Kyle seduces Vee and begins the
bonding process. The next day, on his return trip to Denver, Kyle spends the night getting to know the
human.

It ’s not until Kyle is back home in Stone Ridge that he finds out he has a big problem. The local

Idaho wolf pack kidnaps his mate and they’re holding Vee hostage. Can Kyle rescue his mate and
convince him not all shifters are bad?

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Kyle’s Valiant Hunt

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“M

mm, hottie at two o’clock!”

Vee turned his head slightly so he could look at the man Brice was talking about. It didn’t take a

genius to figure out who his friend had spotted. The guy was big, nicely muscled without being body-
builder bulky, and had a head full of thick dark hair. Yum!

As if somehow sensing Vee and Brice ’s perusal, the man looked their way. Clear blue eyes

swept over first Brice, then Vee. He quickly found himself looking away under the weight of that
piercing stare. His heart beat faster and blood flooded to his groin. Damn, it had been a long time
since he’d had that kind of reaction from just a look.

When Vee worked up enough courage to look toward the guy again, his back was turned toward

him, showing off a tight ass covered in form-fitting, faded denim. His mouth watered.
“Oh, definite ten,” Brice murmured.

A spike of unreasonable jealousy shot through Vee at the fact that Brice was looking at the guy.

He shook it off as ridiculous. They didn’t even know the man.“Twelve. That guy’s ass is off the
charts.”

“ He was checking you out, Vee,” Brice muttered before walking around him to ring up the only

other customer in the place.

The truck stop was a little off the beaten path, but still did enough business to keep afloat. In

reality, Vee saw more locals come in for beer and lottery tickets than anyone from out of state. He
wondered how this guy had found his way to the edge of their little hick town—and the idea that he
would swing Vee’s way was ridiculous. The man was macho incarnate. Just the way he liked them
when he wanted to risk getting his ass kicked anyway. Vee sighed as he wiped a cloth over the
already clean counter.

God, he so needed to get out of this Podunk town, but just as quickly, Vee realized he’d never

leave Brice behind. The man was his best friend. Well, his only friend, really. And for some reason
that Vee couldn’t understand, Brice actually liked it here, in the middle of nowhere Idaho.

A towel cracked against Vee ’s butt, and he turned to glare at his friend’s cheeky grin.“What the

hell was that for?” he snapped.
“You  were  a  million  miles  away,  probably  daydreaming  about  Mr.  Eye  Candy. Am  I  right?”  Brice
teased.  When  Vee  just  rolled  his  eyes,  Brice  told  him,“It’s  your  break.  Better  take  it  while  we’re
slow.”
Vee nodded.“Kay. I’ll be back in thirty.”
Brice  just  waved,  and  Vee  headed  around  the  counter  toward  the  back  room  and  the  sandwich  and
apple he had waiting for him. Lost in thought, he almost ran someone down, or rather, if there was any
muscle on his five-foot eleven, string-bean frame, Vee might have made the other guy stumble back, at
least.
As it was, Vee found himself bouncing off a hard chest. A firm grip on his shoulders kept him from
tumbling backward. He lifted his gaze up and realized he was in the presence of the sexy, darkhaired
guy he’d been caught ogling earlier.
The man was even better looking up close. Arm muscles bulged under smooth, taut skin. A thin gray t-
shirt was stretched over firm pecks. A straight nose, wide mouth, and strong jaw, coupled with the
laugh  lines  around  eyes  a  darker  shade  of  blue  than  Vee  had  first  thought,  gave  the  man  a  sensual,
masculine appeal. Vee’s cock filled and he fought back a whimper.

Instead of releasing him, the big man held him tight, his gaze moving boldly over Vee’s body. There
was no way the guy could miss the bulge of Vee’s ever-thickening erection in his slacks.
To his surprise, the guy didn’t appear offended in the least. In fact, if the way the groin of the guy’s
worn jeans was filled out was any indication, he shared Vee’s problem.
The sensual twist of the guy’s lips and the heat in his eyes had pre-cum oozing from Vee’s dick. Oh,
he liked that look on this guy. He liked it very much. Finally, the man spoke, and his deep rumble had
just the hint of an accent to it. Irish? The man was definitely not from around here!
“I’d  planned  to  ask  one  of  ye  how  to  operate  your  showers  back  here,”  he  said,“but  perhaps  you
would be good enough to show me instead.”
Vee licked his lips, trying to get his brain to function. It didn’t miss his notice when the other man’s
gaze dropped to his mouth and watched his tongue. That gave him the confidence to give the man a
warm smile of his own and reply,“I’d be happy to show you anything you want.”
He pulled away and stepped around the trucker, putting a little extra swing into his hips. Vee didn’t
know where he got the audacity from. This was where he worked, after all, not a nightclub. Yet, the
low appreciative-sounding growl that came from behind him sent a shiver shooting down his spine to
settle in his balls.
He racked his brain, trying to remember which one of their little shower rooms was the nicest. Not an
easy feat, considering all his blood was now pooled in his groin, not his brain. Vee stepped into one
of the rooms, realizing just how small it was when the other man crowded in behind him. It occurred
to Vee that he could be setting himself up for a beat-down, but then the guy wrapped his arms around
him and pressed a very hard erection against his ass.
“If you don’t want this, now would be the time to let me know,” the man said, nuzzling Vee’s neck.
Vee shivered in his embrace and gripped the thick forearms locked around his waist.“I want it,” he
managed to whisper.
“Good,”  he  growled,  sending  warm  air  over  Vee’s  neck.  Suddenly,  Vee  found  himself  spun  around
and pressed against the door. Deep blue eyes bore into his.“My name is Kyle Rainier. What’s yours?”
His  brows  shot  up,  surprised  at  the  information  and  question.  “Do  you  always  tell  hook-ups  your
name?” he asked. Come on, Vee wasn’t deluding himself about what this would be.
For a second, Kyle’s eyes darkened to a storm-cloud gray, then he leaned close and murmured,“Only
when I intend to make them scream my name.”
Then Kyle’s lips were on Vee’s, firm and warm. Kyle’s tongue flicked out, tracing Vee’s bottom lip,
then  nipped  it.  A  strangled  gasp  escaped  Vee,  and  he  managed  to  reply,“Vee.  My  name  is  Vee
Cotter.”
“Hmm, okay, Vee,” Kyle murmured.“I like that. Vee. Short for something?”
Vee liked how his name sounded rolling off Kyle’s accented tongue, too.“Yeah.”
“Gonna tell me what?” The question was accentuated by nips along Vee’s jaw. He let out a helpless
mewl of pleasure when Kyle got to the sensitive skin below his left ear.“Mmm, hot spot,” his soon-
to-be lover noted. Kyle gripped Vee’s head in one big palm and tilted his head. The position allowed
Kyle more access to skin and he immediately took advantage. Kyle sucked, nibbled, and nuzzled his
day-old whiskers against Vee’s sensitive skin.
Vee’s dick throbbed and oozed in his slacks as Kyle assaulted the tender area behind his ear. It felt so
good to have another take enough time to explore his body and discover what he liked. He trembled in
the bigger man’s firm grip. Kyle’s hand on his hip slipped around to his ass and cupped one cheek.
He used the hold to pull Vee’s body against his own, pressing their arousals together.
Vee’s head fell back against the wall with a thud and he let out a low groan.

“Like that, do ye?” Kyle whispered, his accent thickening.
How  the  man  could  still  form  a  coherent  thought,  let  alone  say  it,  Vee  didn’t  know.  He  decided  he
needed to do a little exploring of his own to see if he could change that. Vee reached for the hem of
Kyle’s  t-shirt  and  pulled  it  up.  Satisfaction  filled  him  when  he  splayed  his  hands  over  Kyle’s  sexy
six-pack and the man’s breathing hitched.
Smoothing his hands up the tanned, firm flesh, Vee tweaked the other man’s nipples. In return, Kyle
grunted, his hips rocked, grinding them together, and he nipped Vee’s neck.
Kyle pulled away and ordered gruffly,“If ye want that shirt to keep all its buttons, ye’d better get it
off. Same with the pants.”
Vee couldn’t believe the lust and desire he seemed to create in this sexy man. He didn’t want to think
that it could be caused by just anyone because the guy just needed a good screw. Instead, he did as
ordered.  He  popped  the  top  couple  buttons  on  the  shirt  he  wore  and  worked  it  over  his  head  as  he
toed off his shoes.
He  opened  his  pants,  glanced  up,  and  froze.  Kyle  watched  Vee  intently,  already  completely  naked,
stroking his thick erection. Vee licked his lips as he stared at the other man’s dick. It was thick, long,
and  uncut.  The  hood  was  pulled  away  from  the  head  and  precum  oozed  from  the  wide  slit  of  the
flared. Vee’s sphincter clenched in anticipation of that monster spearing him.
He  wanted  to  drop  to  his  knees  and  worship  that  glorious  prick,  taste  Kyle’s  pre-cum,  gag  on  that
thick meat as Kyle fucked his mouth. A low chuckle had Vee managing to pull his gaze away from the
mouth-watering sight. He met Kyle’s look and gasped at the lust blazing in his expression.
“You  can  suck  me  another  time,  cutie,”  Kyle  said.“Right  now,  I  need  to  be  balls  deep  in  your  tight
ass.”
Kyle reached for him, and Vee could do nothing but obey as the other man slid his pants from him,
encouraging with touches to step out of them. Then Kyle turned Vee to face the wall, planting bronze
hands on either side of his own pale ones.
For several seconds, Kyle just stood behind him, pressed along his back, his big dick rubbing along
Vee’s crack. Vee could feel Kyle’s pre-cum slicking the valley of his ass. Warm, wet, sucking kisses
anointed the back of his neck, shoulders, and ear. Never had Vee been more grateful that he kept his
hair short.
It  felt  so  good,  like  Kyle  actually  cared  and  this  wasn’t  just  a  one-off.  For  just  a  second,  Vee
imagined  waking  up  next  to  Kyle  every  morning,  finding  pleasurable  ways  to  take  care  of  their
morning woods before getting on with their days.
Then the dick was gone, and he mewled a protest. The sound was out of his mouth before he could
stop  it.  Kyle’s  warm  breath  ghosted  over  his  neck  when  the  man  chuckled,  making  the  hairs  on  the
back of Vee’s neck stand on end. A blunt, slick finger found Vee’s entrance, and Kyle pushed a digit
into his ass.
Vee  grunted,  willing  his  body  to  relax  and  accept  the  invasion.  It’d  been  months  since  he’d  had  a
lover, and his body was reminding him of that fact.
“So tight,” Kyle growled into his ear.“You gonna squeeze my dick so good, Vee? You gonna trap me
in a vice?”
Vee’s erection jerked at the words, the visual playing through his head sending pre-cum oozing from
his  slit.  The  finger  delved  in  deeper,  quickly  followed  by  a  second.  The  burn  of  being  quickly
stretched, along with the knowledge that Kyle was just as desperate to fuck as Vee was, felt amazing.
His breath came in ragged pants.“Where’d you get the lube?”
Kyle  chuckled,  then  sucked  on  Vee’s  ear  for  a  moment.  The  wet  pop  when  he  released  it  sounded

obscene in the small room. “Snagged it from my truck after I saw you. Liked that heated look you gave
me,”  came  the  growled  admission.“Then  I  smelled  you  and  knew  there  was  no  way  I  could  stop
myself from having you.” As if to back up his surprising words, Kyle tucked his nose against Vee’s
neck and inhaled.“Love the way you smell, cutie.”
Vee wasn’t sure he liked the pet name, but he could deal with it if the man hurried up and fucked him.
He rocked back and felt a third finger sink into him.“Oh, yeah,” he moaned when Kyle crooked his
fingers and a knuckle slid over his prostate.
“Can’t wait,” Kyle mumbled.“Need you, Vee.”
He sure liked the sound of that.“Yeah,” he panted.“Take me.” Vee rocked back on those fingers again,
relishing the sparks shooting through his system as Kyle nailed his prostate again.
“You gonna be mine, Vee?”
The  growled  question  didn’t  even  make  Vee  blink.  For  some  reason,  Vee  pegged  Kyle  as  the
possessive type. So, in these few moments, he’d be Kyle’s.“Yeah, yours.”
“Mine,” Kyle snarled with enough force to surprise Vee. Then the crinkle of foil reached his ears and
all Vee could think about was the feel of the thick digits slipping out of his channel. The broad head
of Kyle’s erection almost immediately replaced the digits. Then the man was pressing inside.
Vee moaned as pressure from the inside out filled him up. He felt Kyle’s balls nestle against his own,
the man’s crinkly hair sending extra sensations through his sack. Strong arms banded around his chest
and waist. Kyle’s finger’s tweaked one nipple and his calloused palm wrapped around Vee’s dick.
Then  the  man  stopped,  just  holding  him  as  if  he  were  something  precious.  Kyle’s  nose  rubbed  the
tender  skin  behind  his  ear,  and  warm  breaths  spread  goose  bumps  over  Vee’s  flesh.  Longing  of  a
different  sort  crashed  through  Vee.  He  wanted  more  than  one  quick  fuck,  more  cuddles,  more  hugs,
more kisses. Vee could so easily see himself with this man, even though he knew next to nothing about
him.
His frustration turned to irritation, and he snapped,“Fucking move, already.”

Chapter Two

yle couldn ’t hold in his chuckle. Oh, my mate is feisty. He liked it. Hell, I fucking love it, he

decided as he pulled his shaft halfway out as slowly as his strained control could manage, then
slammed back into the cute human.

A low growl rolled through his chest. The feel of his mate ’s ass sucking him in felt better than

anything he’d ever imagined. He finally understood why male shifters did everything in their power to
claim their man. He’d always thought his mate would end up a woman, but he couldn’t imagine any
woman feeling as good, smelling as amazing, as the human in his arms.

His hips thrust, shoving Vee ’s hips forward so the human’s cock slid through the tunnel of his fist.

Kyle felt his canine’s tingle as the urge to claim the man in his arms rocked through him. The need to
take another had never felt like this. He wanted everyone to know that Vee was taken—that Vee was
his.

Everything tunneled down to the feel of his mate around his dick, and he desperately wished there

wasn’t a condom between them. Next time, he promised himself. Kyle knew Vee didn’t understand
the pull between them, but he’d find a way to convince the human they were meant to be together. In
the meantime, maybe a little visual reminder would help him. He couldn’t complete the bond without
spilling in Vee, but at least he could start the binding process.

With his senses reveling in the feel and sounds of his mate, and the tight squeeze of Vee’s chute on

Kyle’s throbbing dick, he couldn’t think of any reason not to sink his teeth into the fleshy part of Vee’s
neck and taste his life-blood.

Kyle struck, sinking his sharp canines into Vee ’s shoulder. His mate’s blood tasted of the

sweetest ambrosia. Vee tensed, then jerked in his arms. His mate’s cry of ecstasy was music to
Kyle’s ears. The human’s ass clamped down on his dick and he felt Vee’s shaft swell and pulse in his
hand as his mate coated his fingers and the wall with his pearly seed.

The added smell of Vee ’s cum, combined with the rhythmic clenching of his chute, was enough to

send Kyle over the edge. He had just enough presence of mind left to keep from baying his pleasure
for all to hear.

After a moment, he licked the bite wound clean. His shifter saliva would have it healing quickly,

and Vee would never realize how deep it had truly been. He nuzzled Vee’s neck, breathing in their
combined scents, memorizing them for later. Kyle still had a job to do, but he’d be back.
“Did you bite me?”

The whispered question had an unabashed grin spreading across Kyle’s face.“Mmm-hmm,” he

replied, licking the mark again. He liked how Vee shuddered, confirming other shifter’s comments
about how the area of the mating mark became an erogenous zone for the mate.“Your neck just looked
too good not to mark, cutie.”

Kyle knew he needed to withdraw his softening prick from his mate—he didn’t want to lose the

condom—but hated what it signified—that their time, for now at least, was over. Letting out a sigh, he
pressed more kisses over the nape of Vee’s neck as he slowly slid from his mate’s channel.

He felt the muscles flutter as Vee moaned, as if his human was trying to get him to stay. Soon, he

promised himself. He’d be back here holding his mate. Soon. Kyle pulled the condom from his still
half-mast dick, wrapped it in a wad of toilet paper, and tossed it into the garbage.

Before Vee could gather his wits and pull away from him, Kyle wrapped his arms around the man

and pulled him against his chest. Dipping his head, he claimed Vee’s mouth in a deep, bone-melting

kiss. Once Vee was sagging against him, Kyle eased the kiss to an end, sipping gently at his lips
between every few words as he spoke.
“I’ve never been more grateful for a detour in my life,” he whispered.

Vee chuckled breathlessly. “Is that how you ended up in our Podunk town?”

“Mmm,” Kyle crooned.“I prefer to think of it as Fate,” he answered honestly.“She did lead me to you,
after all.”
A crooked smile appeared on Vee’s face.“Fate, huh? Sounds good to me.”
Kyle  knew  he  had  to  take  the  next  step  carefully.  He  didn’t  want  to  come  off  as  a  stalker,  but  he
needed his mate to realize he’d be back. He needed to do this delicately.
He  cupped  the  nape  of  Vee’s  neck  and  tilted  his  head  back  so  he  could  look  into  the  other  man’s
eyes.“It wouldn’t be a hardship to take this detour more often,” he murmured.“It’s not far out of the
way at all.” That wasn’t too far of a stretch. It was only about forty-five miles out of his way, costing
him an extra thirty or so in fuel. It was a small price to pay to spend time with his mate.
Vee frowned, not the reaction Kyle was looking for. He must be messing this up.  Maybe I need a new
approach?
“Look,  I  know  you  thought  this  was  a  one-off,  but  in  my  experience,  attraction  this  strong  and
immediate is rare. I’ve never done a long distance relationship before,” and if I have my way, this
won’t be one for long, “but…” Kyle paused because he knew he was expected to.“I’d really like to
learn more about you, Vee. Get to know you,” he finished.
“You would?” Vee whispered.
Kyle grinned.“Yeah. You’re sexy and cute. You have a great ass and you’re one hell of a kisser. Of
course, I would.” His mate clearly looked confused by his comments, making Kyle wonder just what
kind of idiots lived in this hick town. He pressed a soft butterfly kiss to Vee’s lips, lips that tasted so
good.“I’m on my way to Boise. My business there will take most of the morning, but I’ll be coming
back this way tomorrow. Can I take you to dinner?” he asked.
Vee’s jaw dropped. He’d clearly surprised the man.“You want to take me to dinner?”
“I do,” he replied. It looked like he might have to seduce his way into Vee’s company, but that would
be pleasurable, too.“And after that, I want to lay you down and explore every inch of your body, all
night long.”
The  scent  of  Vee’s  arousal  suddenly  filled  the  shower  room.  Add  in  how  hard  the  human’s  heart
thundered along with his increased breathing, and Kyle knew he had him. Still, he leaned down and
nibbled that sensitive patch of skin he’d found behind Vee’s ear, licking and sucking just hard enough
to leave the faintest of marks. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you, Vee?” he crooned.“For me to tease and
tug on your sensitive nipples, suck and bite them. Or maybe you’d like me to eat your ass before I sink
my hard cock into you again. How about that?”
Just the images he spoke of had his own dick hardening again. He rubbed his thickening shaft against
Vee’s belly, finding an answering erection plumping alongside it. He lifted his head and murmured,“I
think we’d both like that very much,” before he took Vee’s mouth in another heated kiss.
He  swept  his  tongue  into  Vee’s  mouth,  tracing  the  man’s  gums,  teeth,  and  the  roof  of  his  mouth.
Tangling  his  tongue  with  Vee’s,  he  encouraged  it  into  his  own  mouth  so  he  could  suck  on  it  gently.
Unable to resist, Kyle once more pinned Vee to the wall. He inserted a hand between their bodies and
wrapped  both  their  pricks  in  a  fist.  From  the  tightness  in  his  balls  and  the  tingle  at  the  base  of  his
spine, Kyle knew it wouldn’t take long for his orgasm to crest.
Vee clung to him so sweetly, his fingernails digging into the muscles of Kyle’s arms. Kyle relished
the thought of wearing his mate’s marks. He swallowed down the other man’s needy sounds as their

bodies  rocked  together.  The  pre-cum  from  both  their  dicks  combined  with  the  leftover  slick  on  his
fingers eased the way.
When Vee began to shudder, high pitched squeaks escaping the man, Kyle knew his mate was close.
He swept his thumb over the top of Vee’s shaft on the next upstroke, flicking his blunt fingernail into
the oozing slit.
With a needy groan, Vee came, streams of pearly essence shooting from his dick. The warm seed’s
heady aroma combined with the look of rapture on his mate’s face sent Kyle careening over the edge,
adding to the mess between them.
“Oh, my God,” Vee whispered, his words slurred, his expression blissed-out as he peered up at Kyle.
Kyle pressed his forehead against his mate’s and stared Vee in the eye, struggling to catch his breath.
Vee smiled, and it was the most beautiful thing Kyle had ever seen.
“I guess I’ll let you buy me dinner,” Vee whispered.“It’s the least you can do after shooting cum all
over me.”
Chuckling at his mate’s teasing words, Kyle looked down and grinned. He lifted his hand from their
now  spent  dicks  and  dabbed  at  their  combined  cum  cooling  on  Vee’s  chest.  With  a  wicked  smile,
Kyle swirled his fingers through it and rubbed it gently into the hairless skin on Vee’s slender chest.
Vee snorted and rolled his eyes, but from the blushing smile on his face, Kyle knew Vee didn’t really
mind the primitive way he was marking him. His wolf howled happily in Kyle’s mind, pleased that
even though they couldn’t spill in their mate, they could at least spill on him, marking him with their
scent. Even after Vee washed, Kyle’s scent would still cling to his skin, letting any shifter know that
he’d been claimed.
That brought a startling question to mind. Are there other shifters near?  If there were, he’d need to
be  careful.  Since  it  was  part  of  his  job  to  travel,  and  he  was  only  passing  through,  it  normally
wouldn’t be a problem. But stopping repeatedly to woo a mate might cause some tension. Especially
since many packs were still bigoted against gays, similar to humans.
He  kissed  Vee  again,  slipping  his  tongue  past  the  human’s  lips  for  a  quick  taste  of  the  man  he  was
quickly becoming addicted. With a sigh, he pulled away and turned to the shower.“Want to join me?”
Vee nibbled his bottom lip for a second, then nodded.“I’ll have to be quick, though,” he said.“I gotta
get back to work.”
“Sure, cutie,” Kyle replied, grabbing the other man’s arm gently and drawing him into the shower. He
turned  on  the  water,  making  certain  the  spray  hit  his  own  back  while  it  warmed  to  a  comfortable
temperature.
He  quickly  scrubbed  Vee’s  body,  shushing  his  mate’s  protests  with  sucking  kisses  on  the  neck  and
nibbles  to  the  ears.“Let  me  take  care  of  you,”  he  crooned  as  he  soaped  Vee’s  pale,  slender  chest,
arms, and legs. It pleased Kyle to no end when Vee acquiesced, resting long fingered hands on Kyle’s
chest, and standing quietly for his attentions. When he gently scraped the soapy cloth over Vee’s cock
and balls, the human mewled softly.
Kyle  hummed  low  in  his  throat,  liking  the  way  his  mate’s  cock  was  making  a  valiant  effort  to  rise
again. “Tomorrow,” he whispered into Vee’s ear.“All night,” he promised.
Vee shuddered, the scent rolling off him. The younger man nodded.“Yeah.”
“What’s your number?” Kyle asked as he lathered his mate’s pale brown hair.
“Want me to write it down?”
Kyle  shook  his  head,  although  his  mate  couldn’t  see  it  with  his  eyes  closed  and  head  tipped  back.
Kyle massaged Vee’s scalp as he washed the shampoo from his head.“No need. I’ve a great head for
numbers. I won’t forget.”

From the pinch of his mate’s lips and the way he squinched his brow, Kyle was certain Vee didn’t
believe him. He sighed.“I promise. I will remember it long enough to enter it into my phone.”
Vee rattled off his ten digit number, and Kyle nodded.“When do you get off work?”
“Not until eleven tonight, but I have tomorrow off.”
“Okay.  Can  I  call  you  after  that?  Is  it  okay  to  call  that  late?”  Kyle  asked.  He  didn’t  want  to  create
problems  if  Vee  had  roommates  or  family  or…  “Shit,”  he  drew  away  from  the  human  and  stared
down at him.“You’re not in a relationship, are you?”
Chuckling, Vee shook his head.“No. If I were, I wouldn’t be here, no matter how sexy you are.”
Kyle let out a breath he hadn’t even been aware he’d been holding and smiled.“Good.” He pressed a
kiss to Vee’s lips and then helped the other man from the shower.“I’ll say good-bye before I leave,”
he promised, turning his attention to cleaning himself.
He knew if he were to get out of the shower now, with his wet naked mate still in the room, they’d
spend the next thirty minutes getting  dirty  again.  Kyle  grinned  at  the  idea,  but  knew  his  little  human
needed to get back to work. He felt the cool breeze from the door opening and closing as Vee slipped
out.
As he scrubbed, Kyle marveled at the irony. He’d stopped in here because he’d needed fuel and had
walked  in  to  refill  his  coffee  mug.  It  had  nearly  blown  his  mind  when  he’d  scented  the  two  men
behind  the  counter  and  realized  one  of  them  was  his  fated  mate.  Not  knowing  which  man  was  his,
Kyle had hustled back out to get his shower kit. What he’d told Vee was true. He’d planned to ask
them about the showers, which would give him an excuse to be close enough to the two men to figure
out which was meant just for him.
From the looks both men had sent his way, it hadn’t taken a genius to realize that both men were gay.
Both were attractive, and Kyle knew if his mate had been the other, shorter man, he’d still feel he got
the  more  attractive  one.  Attraction  for  them  was  related  so  closely  to  scent  that  first  appearances
rarely mattered. To literally run into the right man was a stroke of luck that surpassed anything Kyle
could imagine.
He  stepped  from  the  shower  and  toweled  himself  dry,  eying  the  wall  where  he’d  pinned  Vee.  The
human had already wiped the area down, but their combined scents still permeated the small room. A
deep inhale was enough to have his dick stirring again. Damn, he liked how Vee smelled.
Vee.  He  smiled  at  the  name  his  mate  called  himself.  While  pulling  on  his  t-shirt,  he  grinned.  Kyle
couldn’t wait to figure out not only his man’s real name, but why he didn’t use it.
Pulling  on  the  rest  of  his  clothes,  Kyle  gathered  his  things,  tossed  his  bag  over  his  shoulder,  and
headed  out.  He  spotted  his  mate  behind  the  counter,  frowning  at  whatever  his  friend  was  saying  to
him. He paused behind a rack, cocked his head, and listened while watching the interaction.
“And you believed him? Oh, Vee, you’re not really that gullible, are you?”
Vee wrapped his arms around his waist and looked away from his friend, shrugging.“He said he was
good  with  numbers,  that  he’d  remember  it.”  Nibbling  his  lip,  Vee  added,“Why  would  he  bother
asking for my number if he wasn’t going to use it?”
“To be polite, sweetie,” the other man said, obviously trying to let Vee down gently.“He just fucked
you up against the wall. He wanted to let you down easy. Kyle probably isn’t even his real name.”
Kyle had heard enough. He didn’t know who the hell the guy was, but he didn’t like the doubts he was
putting in his mate’s head. He strode down the aisle, heading directly toward Vee. His mate blushed
and glanced away. Not good.
Kyle stopped in front of the swinging door that led to the back where Vee stood with the other man,
who was eying Kyle dubiously. Ignoring the coworker, he smiled at Vee and asked, “Are you out in

town?”
It took Vee a second to understand, but then he nodded slowly.
“Good,” Kyle stated before shoving the flap open and heading straight for the man. Vee gasped and
held  up  a  hand,  but  Kyle  ignored  it.  Instead,  he  wrapped  one  arm  around  Vee’s  waist  and  used  the
other  to  cup  his  nape  and  tilt  the  smaller  man’s  head  back.  He  rattled  off  Vee’s  number  and
asked,“That right?”
Vee nodded, his eyes wide.“Yeah.”
“Told you,” he whispered. He dipped his head and pressed a firm kiss to Vee’s lips, coaxing them
open gently with his own. Pulling the man flush against him, Kyle slipped his tongue into Vee’s mouth
to enjoy one more heady taste of his mate before he broke the kiss.
“I’ll  see  you  tomorrow,  Vee,”  he  whispered.  Slowly  releasing  him,  Kyle  made  certain  Vee  could
stand before he let go completely. He glared briefly at the man he hadn’t met, although he had a funny
feeling he would eventually, then headed out of the store.
Pausing  at  the  door,  he  turned  and  winked  at  his  still  breathless  lover.  Vee  lifted  a  hand  and  Kyle
pushed the door open. As it closed, he heard Vee murmur,“I think he may have heard you.”
“Yeah,” the other guy replied.“I, uh, may have been wrong. Sorry.”

Kyle headed to his semi. After pulling out and heading the truck toward Boise, he had his cell

phone out and called his pack’s beta. What a time for his alpha to be on vacation.

Chapter Three

ee stared at the phone, nervous beyond belief wondering if Kyle would really call him. After Kyle

had left that morning, after the most amazing night of Vee’s life, his lover had climbed into his semi
and driven away. Now, Vee wondered if his one-off was just a fuck-date.

They hadn ’t done a whole hell of a lot of talking. They hadn’t even managed to make it to dinner.

Instead, Kyle had ended up grilling chicken while Vee steamed some vegetables. They’d fucked like,
well, like rabbits. Vee felt certain his dick would never become hard again. He couldn’t forget the
way Kyle had brought him breakfast in bed. Vee didn’t know if the omelet tasted so good because he
was so exhausted, or because Kyle actually was a great cook.

Now, he sat on his bed at eleven-thirty at night and prayed the greatest sex god known to man

would call him.
Eleven-thirty-five.
Eleven-thirty-six.
By midnight, Vee wanted to crawl into bed and cry himself to sleep.“Fuck, I’m such a gullible fool,”
he  whispered  as  a  tear  tracked  down  his  cheek.  He  didn’t  know  what  it  was  about  Kyle  that  had
affected him so, or why this was tearing him up so much, but for some reason, Vee felt like a stake
had been driven through his heart.
Hugging his pillow, Vee struggled to control his breathing as he sniffled.
At twelve fifteen on the dot, Brice called, just as he said he would. Vee picked up the phone without
looking and said,“You were right,” he whispered.“He didn’t call.”
There were several seconds of silence, which had Vee jerking to a sitting position. He sucked in a
ragged breath.“Brice?”
“Ah,  cutie,  I’m  sorry  I’m  late.  I  got  held  up  at—at  my  boss’s  place.”  Kyle’s  throaty  purr  echoed
through the line. “I hated leavin’ ye this morning.”
Vee knew Kyle’s lilt thickened when he was emotional, or turned on, making it a nice gauge to the
man’s mood. At least, that’s how it’d seemed when they were together. He must have remained quiet
too long, for Kyle asked,“Are you still there, Vee?”
“Yeah,  yeah,  sorry,”  he  murmured.  Grabbing  a  tissue,  he  held  the  phone  away  from  his  face  and
quickly wiped his tears and nose. God, could this be any more embarrassing? As if Kyle would be
interested in a cry-baby!“I, uh, was expecting Brice, actually.”
“Well,  if  he  does  call,  now  you  can  tell  him  that  he  was  wrong,”  Kyle  stated,  referencing  Vee’s
opening statement.
“Sorry about that,” he said quickly.“I, uh, I thought you said you’d call at eleven-thirty and then when
you didn’t, I…” He trailed off, suddenly uncertain. He again pulled the phone away, this time tapping
his phone against his forehead as he hissed,“Shit, I sound like a fucking, needy girl.”
When  he  placed  the  phone  back  to  his  ear,  he  heard  Kyle  exclaim,“Vee,  you’re  not  a  fucking  girl.
You’re disappointed because I didn’t follow through, and you miss me,” he teased, perhaps trying to
lighten the mood.
Vee wondered how the hell Kyle had heard him, since the phone hadn’t been anywhere near his mouth
and he’d been muttering, but Kyle kept talking.
“Trust me. I’d be so much happier if I were there with you. As much as I love it when I get to sleep at
home in my own bed, it feels way too big right now.”
Vee  licked  his  lips  and  swallowed  hard,  biting  back  his  words  of  how  he  wished  Kyle  were  there

with him, too. Instead, he asked, “So, where do you call home?”
The sound of Kyle’s chuckle went straight to Vee’s dick, and he found his hand dropping to massage
his filling shaft. Damn, how does he do this to me?
“I guess we didn’t really take much time to talk, did we?”
“No,” Vee replied softly, his memory returning to what they had been doing. He licked his lips and
swallowed, rubbing his cock harder.“Um, not that I minded.”
“Me  neither,  but  I  did  tell  you  I  wanted  to  get  to  know  you,  didn’t  I?”  Kyle  stated.“I  live  in  Stone
Ridge,  Colorado.  It’s  a  little  mountain  town  tucked  up  near  the  national  forest  about  two  hours
southwest  of  Denver.  I  bet  you’d  like  it  here,”  he  commented,  and  Vee  could  hear  Kyle’s  smile.
“Gorgeous  mountains,  towering  trees,  pine  strewn  forests  to  hike  through,  clear  blue  lakes  and
streams. You’d love it.”
Vee smiled, listening to the obvious love in the man’s voice. “You like the outdoors?”
“Yeah. Nothin’ like runnin’ through the forests,” he whispered.
Letting out a sigh, Vee settled down and relaxed on his bed. He grinned.“I’ll admit I’m not much of a
hiker, but you might talk me into it if I get to stare at your sexy ass as I follow you up the trail.”
He heard another one of those deep, throaty chuckles.“What if I promised to suck your cock when we
get to the top of the trail, too?”
Vee bit back a moan at that mental image—towering trees, spicy moss, heady pine, and Kyle’s warm
mouth  sucking  on  his  dick.  His  mewl  of  need  got  out  anyway  and  he  dropped  his  hand  back  to  the
erection tenting his boxers.
“Baby, what are you doing?”
Kyle’s purring question sent a spike of heat down Vee’s spine and his cock twitched.“Do ye have yer
hand on yer dick, Vee?”
And damn, how Vee loved hearing Kyle say his name, especially when his accent deepened, telling of
his own need. Vee couldn’t resist.“Yes,” he whispered into the phone.“You have a sexy voice.”
“Could ye come from just me talking to ye?” Kyle asked.
He heard rustling in the background and imagined Kyle getting more comfortable, maybe shedding his
shoes and pants.“Maybe,” he replied, grinning.“You gonna try?”
Kyle  chuckled  again,  and  a  dollop  of  pre-cum  oozed  from  Vee’s  prick.  He  gasped  and  stopped
fighting his need, shoving his boxers down enough to free his cock and balls. His dick sprang up, the
head red, engorged, and wet from his own juices.
“I bet you have your dick out right now, don’t you, Vee?” Kyle crooned the question.
Vee moaned softly and wrapped his free hand around his shaft. “Yeah. You gonna get your cock out,
too, Kyle? Are you hard for me?”
He heard more rustling, then a grunt and soft growl.“Fuck, yes, what ye do to me, Vee. I wish I was
there now. I’d sit at the end of the bed and watch you jack off as I talk to ye. I bet we could talk each
other off in under ten minutes. Couldn’t we, Vee?”
“Yesss,” Vee hissed, stroking his shaft slowly. He really wanted this to last, but he knew it wouldn’t.
His balls were already pulling tight. He could feel the hairs on his arms and legs standing on end. His
dick oozed more, and he swiped his thumb over his head, shuddering at the sensations.
“Ye make me dick so hard, Vee,” Kyle growled.“I can’t wait to see ye again so I can sink it into yer
tight ass.”
Kyle’s groan sounded so sexy through the phone. Vee began to pant as he sped up his strokes. He had
no idea how Kyle could keep speaking, and from the deep octave and growled words, Vee figured it
wasn’t easy for the man.

“Yer skin is so smooth. I love grippin’ yer hips as I thrust me hard cock into ye.” Kyle’s loud grunt
echoed through the line.
Vee moaned, rocking his hips, unable to keep still. He knew he was seconds away from coming, and
he  wanted  Kyle  to  come,  too.  Finding  his  voice,  he  whispered,“Yeah.  Thrust  that  big  dick  into  me,
sexy. You feel so good stretching me, splitting me wide open with your hard shaft.”
The imagery had his balls tightening the rest of the way.“Oh, Kyle,” he howled as he came. His cock
shot, his balls emptying his cum across his stomach, fingers, and chest. He heard an answering shout
through  the  phone.  Vee  knew  a  goofy  smile  stretched  across  Kyle’s  face  as  Vee  listened  to  Kyle’s
heavy, panting breaths, so similar to his own.“Wow.”
“Yeah,” Kyle whispered hoarsely.“That—That about sums it up.” They lay in silence for a moment,
then Kyle murmured, “Fuck, I wish I could hold ye right now.”
His  bliss  receded  just  a  bit  as  he  replied,“Yeah.  Yeah,  that’d  be  nice.”  A  jaw-cracking  yawn
stretched  Vee’s  mouth.“Sorry,”  he  said  absently.  Now  that  he’d  gotten  off,  relieving  the  stress  of
waiting, of crying, of the tension  of  starting  a  new,  long  distance  relationship  with  a  man  he  hardly
knew, of just, everything, Vee felt exhausted.
Kyle sighed.“Damn, we can’t seem to just talk, can we, cutie?”
Vee  chuckled  as  he  grabbed  a  few  tissues  and  cleaned  himself  up.“Well,  with  only  getting  a  few
words in each time we, uh, talk, at least it will take us quite some time to get to know each other,” he
teased.“It’ll  be  a  while  before  we  get  bored  with  each  other,  right?”  Vee  had  a  funny  feeling  he’d
never get bored of Kyle, but he didn’t think he should voice that.
To his surprise, Kyle did.“Ah, Vee, I’m never going to get enough of you.”
Vee opened his mouth, then closed it again, uncertain what to say. Finally, he settled on,“You don’t
really know that.”
“Ah, but I do, me cute lover. I do.” Kyle yawned.“Sounds like we both need some sleep.” Sighing, he
murmured,“I’ll be back your way day after tomorrow. Can I see ye?”
He  thought  maybe  he  should  stall,  but  he  couldn’t  bring  himself  to  do  so.  Vee’s  answer  was
immediate, and probably sounded more eager than it should.“Yeah. I’d like that.”
“Good,” Kyle whispered around another yawn.“I can’t wait.”
Vee smiled and nibbled his lower lip to keep from saying something similar.
“Get some rest, Vee. When I see you in a couple days, you can tell me about your name.”
Vee chuckled at that.“We’ll see.”
“I’ll get it out of you eventually,” Kyle vowed.
Rolling his eyes, Vee replied,“We’ll see.”
“I will,” Kyle responded confidently.“Good night, love.”
“Good night.” When the call disconnected, Vee let out a shocked breath. Had Kyle meant to say that?
Love?  Did  he  mean  it…or  was  it  just  another  term  of  endearment  from  the  big  man?  How  the  hell
would he figure out?
“Oh, shit. Assholes at eleven o’ clock,” Brice hissed.

Vee never could figure out why his friend liked to use military direction since he’d never actually

been in the military, but he dutifully glanced in the direction Brice had indicated. He quickly looked
away.“Fucking hell.”
“What are they doing here?” Brice asked fiercely.

Like Vee would know the answer to that. He shrugged. “Just stay behind the counter. They’ll

leave eventually.”
The three men who strode through the truck stop chortled and jeered each other. Vee didn’t know

what  Guy  Adness  and  his  friends  Frank  Carry  and  Sean  Garcia  were  doing  in  the  truck  stop.
Normally,  they  shopped  at  a  general  store  on  the  other  end  of  town,  close  to  the  national  forest.  It
wouldn’t  be  so  bad,  since  all  the  men  were  broad-shouldered  and  good-looking.  Sean  had  short,
blond hair and blue eyes while the other two were dark. Nice eye candy. Except for the fact that Guy
was a homophobic asshole, and his two friends went along with anything the other man said.
A  hard  push  from  a  laughing  Frank  sent  Sean  bouncing  into  a  display  of  batteries  and  flashlights.
Packages scattered across the floor. Guy glared at the other two and snapped,“Cut that shit out.”
The other two men tilted their heads in an oddly submissive gesture.“Sorry, Guy,” Frank replied.
Guy shook his head, then turned and glared at Vee and Brice as he approached the desk.“I need ten
lottery tickets.”
“What kind?” Brice asked.
“The Powerball. I’ll pick the numbers,” Guy replied.
Vee  tuned  them  out,  and  started  to  head  toward  the  far  end,  intending  to  clean  the  rotisserie  for  the
hotdogs. Anything to get away from these customers. They at least tolerated Brice. Vee knew if he ran
into them in a dark alley, he wouldn’t be leaving in one piece.
“Hey, Guy,” Sean said.“Look.”
Suddenly, a hand clamped onto Vee’s shoulder, and he found himself hauled with surprising strength
halfway  over  the  counter.  He  realized  Frank’s  big  mitt  was  clamped  to  the  back  of  his  neck.  Sean
grabbed his shirt and yanked it down to bare one shoulder.
“Hey!”  Vee  snarled,“What  the  hell!”  He  twisted  and  struggled,  but  couldn’t  get  away  from  Frank’s
firm grip.
“Holy shit,” Guy muttered. Vee felt a finger trace the bite mark on his neck. He tried to jerk away, but
still couldn’t move.“Who bit you?”
Guy’s cold, angry growl sent a chill down Vee’s spine.
“What are you doing?” Brice snapped.“Leave him alone. We’re working here!”
Sean  wrapped  an  arm  around  Brice’s  waist  and  yanked  him  away.“This  doesn’t  concern  you,”  he
said.
Guy lowered his face so he was level with Vee’s, which terrified him even more.“Tell me which of
my bitches bit you. Which one was dumb enough to try to mate a fag? If the link took, so help me, I’ll
kill you.”
The quiet threat shook Vee to the core. Something in Guy’s icy, brown-eyed gaze sent a shiver down
Vee’s spine.“I—I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he whispered.“I’m gay. You know that. I’ve
never been with a woman in my life.”
“He’s telling the truth,” Sean muttered, though disbelief still colored his voice.
To  Vee’s  shock,  Frank  leaned  closer  and  inhaled.  What  was  it  with  men  sniffing  him?“I  don’t
recognize the scent.”
That  confusing  comment  had  Guy  straightening  and  frowning.  “We  have  a  rogue  on  our  hands,  and
evidently, he’s become a bit attached to our local gay boy,” he muttered.
Vee  wanted  to  struggle,  or  maybe  tell  the  guy  off,  but  something  held  him  frozen  in  place.  It  was
almost  as  if  his  subconscious  knew  he  was  in  the  presence  of  a  predator. And  Guy  didn’t  seem  to
have any qualms about actually hurting him.
“What do you want to do?” Frank asked, frowning.
“We’ll take him with us. If there’s a rogue loose, he’ll be perfect bait to take care of him.”
“Wait, just a damn minute,” Brice snarled.“You can’t just  take someone. That’s kidnapping! I’ll call
the sheriff!”

“W

e’ve got a problem,” Shane stated, arms crossing over his chest.

Kyle groaned. That was not what he wanted to hear. “What problem?”

“There’s a pack near there that’s claimed the area north of Mayfield all the way to the southern edge
of  the  Boise  National  Forest.  You  can  pass  through,  but  to  stay  more  than  an  hour,  you  need
permission from their alpha. One Mr. Andy Sprague.”
“Okay,  so  how  do  I  petition Alpha Andy  for  permission  to  woo  my  mate?”  Kyle  asked,  frustration
coursing through him. He’d told Vee that he’d see him that evening after his shift ended at ten. They
planned to have a very late supper before getting in some cuddle time. He had just been getting his rig
fueled up when Shane had called him.
The pack beta crossed his arms and glared at Kyle. “The petition needs to come from Declan,” Shane
replied.
“Ah, shit,” Kyle hissed.
“Yeah, that’s the problem,” Shane said, dropping into another chair.“Declan won’t be back from his
vacation in Ireland and Scotland for two weeks.”
“Damn it!” He leaped to his feet and began to pace the beta’s living room.“I am not leaving my mate
for two weeks. I told him I’d be there tonight!”
“Yeah,  well,  tell  him  your  truck  broke  down  or  something,”  Shane  snapped,“because  I  can’t  allow
you back into that area if you plan to stop.”
“We  could  kidnap  him.”  Both  men  snapped  to  look  in  Jared’s  direction  at  the  human’s  suggestion.
Jared shrugged.“We could just bring him here.”
Carson  chuckled  and  squeezed  his  mate’s  leg  as  he  rolled  his  eyes.“That’s  your  answer  for
everything,” he teased.
“What?” Jared chuckled.
Before anyone could say anything, Kyle felt his phone vibrate in his pocket as it let out a soft chime.
He pulled it out and his brows went up.“That’s Vee. He should be at work,” he murmured.
“Better answer it,” Shane ordered.“Let him know you won’t be there this evening.”
Kyle knew the beta expected him to follow his order. With their alpha on vacation with Lark, Shane
was in charge. He howled mentally, frustrated beyond belief, but did as Shane said and pressed the
button with the green phone.“Hey, cutie,” he crooned. “You on break?”
“Kyle?”
Kyle didn’t like how Vee’s voice sounded.“What’s the matter, Vee? What’s wrong?”
“I—I don’t know how to explain really,” Vee said.“This is so messed up. None of this makes sense.”
Vee’s trembling voice shot a bolt of fear through Kyle and he leaped to his feet.
When his lover’s words started to wane, Kyle distinctly heard a low growl in the back ground.“Tell
him,” someone ordered.
“He’s not going to believe me, but okay,” Vee practically whimpered. “Kyle,” Vee said, once again
focusing on their conversation.“Some of the guys in town have some funny ideas about, about you and
me and, well, um, they got really worked up about you biting me, and started asking who mated me,
and  when  I  told  them  I’ve  never  been  with  a  woman,  they  started  talking  about  not  recognizing  the
scent and you being a rogue and—”
“Oh,  shit,”  Kyle  whispered,  interrupting  Vee’s  rambling.  With  wide  eyes,  he  stared  around  at  the
worried expressions of the other men.“Vee? Who has you?”

Before Vee could answer, Kyle heard a scuffle and an indignant  Hey! from his mate. Relief filled him
that at least his little human still had some spark. Then a deep voice came through the phone.“I don’t
appreciate rogues in my area, Kyle. What are you doing here?”
“Are  you  Alpha  Andy  Sprague?”  Kyle  asked  bluntly,  his  heart  pounding  in  his  chest  so  loud  he
wondered if the guy could hear it through the line.
“If you know who I am, then you know you should have announced your presence,” Andy answered.
“Where are you hiding?”
“I’m not a rogue,” Kyle answered.“And I’m not hiding. I’m a trucker. I passed through your area when
I was detoured off my regular route.” Running a hand through his hair, he admitted,“I didn’t know it
was your territory until my beta told me.”
There was a long silence on the line, and Kyle held his breath. Finally, Andy growled,“Who’s your
alpha? I want to speak to him.”
Shit!“My alpha is Declan McIntire. He’s not available, but my beta Shane Alvaro is right here.”
“How convenient,” Andy snarled.“You think naming the only gay alpha in the country will make me
believe you’re not a rogue? You get your ass here for penance, or you’ll never see your mate again!”
The distinctive click of the line disconnecting echoed in his ear. “Shit,” he hissed. On one hand, Kyle
now  had  permission  to  enter Alpha Andy’s  territory.  Unfortunately,  it  also  meant  he  might  have  to
jump  through  hoops  to  get  his  mate.  Kyle  scrubbed  a  hand  over  his  face,  trying  to  calm  his  racing
pulse.
“What’s going on, Kyle?” Shane asked.
“Alpha Andy thinks I’m rogue. He’s demanding penance.” He whispered the admission as he dropped
to the couch cushions. Why hadn’t he thought that far ahead? The minute he’d discovered his mate out
in the middle of bum-fuck nowhere, he should have contacted Shane. Instead, he let his dick do the
thinking.
Shane growled softly.“Damn, I hate interrupting the alpha’s vacation.”
“We  could  send  a  show  of  force  with  Kyle.  Maybe  that  help,  oui?”  Manon  Lemelle  asked,  head
cocked.
Although Kyle didn’t like the fact that he’d lost the right-forenforcer challenge to the Cajun wolf, he
had to admit that the guy  was  damn  good  at  the  job.  Hard-working  and  dedicated,  Manon  had  been
with  the  pack  less  than  a  year  and  already  most  of  the  wolves  respected  him  and  obeyed  without
question.
“What’s on your mind?” Carson asked.
The Native American wolf had been the pack enforcer for two decades, and was finally enjoying a
little more leisure time with his mate due to the addition of two new enforcers, a massive wolf named
Kade McGraw being the second one. At the moment, Kade was in Ireland with his new mate, Tom,
protecting the alpha, along with two other wolves, brothers Frederick and Franklin Drunger.
“If several of us accompany Kyle, then we prove that he is part of a pack and not rogue, oui?” Manon
said.
“Maybe,”  Shane  murmured.“Or Andy  could  see  it  as  an  act  of  aggression.”  He  turned  to  Kyle  and
asked,“Did he ask what he wanted for penance?”
To repay a territory infraction, the offended alpha would assign a task of some kind, or maybe even a
fine. Kyle had no idea what Andy would have in mind.“No. Nothing. Just threatened to keep my mate
from me,” he stated with a growl.“Damn it.” He leaped to his feet as another thought penetrated his
churning brain.“Vee doesn’t even know about shifters. What if this drives him away from me?”
“Then we’ll help you convince him that you’re a good guy, mon ami,” Manon replied into the tense

silence.
Kyle smiled faintly, liking that Manon’s use of ami  ranked  him  as  a  friend.  He  could  definitely  use
help from friends right now.
Shane  nodded.“I’ll  call  Declan.  Let  him  know  what’s  going  on.  He’ll  probably  want  to  call Andy,
though I will encourage him to finish his vacation.” Shane grimaced, adding under his breath, “Lark
would kill me if I let Declan cut their time short for anything other than a life or death situation.” He
glanced over his shoulder, adding,“No offense.”
Kyle watched the man leave the room, his heart thudding wildly in his chest with no signs of slowing.
He should have tried to talk Vee into joining him, but really, how could he have known?
“All  will  be  well,  mon  ami,”  Manon  murmured,  dropping  a  hand  to  his  shoulder  and  giving  it  a
squeeze.
He glanced up in surprise. Never would he have thought the shifter that had soundly kicked his ass in
a  pack  challenge  would  offer  him  comfort  now.  He  realized  he  knew  almost  nothing  about  Manon
Lemelle.
“I hope so,” he whispered.
The reassurance from a more dominant pack-member helped his wolf. Mentally, his other half settled,
letting out a soft whine only he could hear. Manon stayed near him, and from the corner of Kyle’s eye,
he saw Carson give an encouraging smile. Jared lounged on the couch next to Carson, his cool gaze
seemingly focused on nothing, but Kyle knew better. The human saw everything, and Kyle wondered
what was going on in the man’s analytical brain.
He gratefully accepted the cup of coffee Caroline, Shane’s mate, brought to everyone, and sipped the
dark bitter brew slowly.
“Okay,” Shane announced, striding back into the room.
Kyle leaped to his feet, sloshing coffee over his hand. He ignored the burn.
Shane looked around at them.“Declan will call Andy.” He pointed at Kyle.“You are to head north and
find out what penance he has in mind.” He pointed at Manon.“You go with him. You have the right to
accept  terms  if  you  feel  time  is  of  the  essence,  or  Declan  or  I  are  not  available. And  take  a  third.”
Shane looked toward Carson and Jared as if expecting one of them to volunteer.
Carson shook his head.“I’ll find someone.”
“What  about  Raul?”  Jared  commented. At  Carson’s  lifted  brow,  he  smirked.“You  said  Vee  doesn’t
know about shifters, so you’re going to need a human to help calm him. Raul is bored. He could use a
distraction.”
“He’s bored?” Shane asked dryly.
Jared shrugged.“We usually travel a whole lot more. He’s feeling cooped up.”
Carson chuckled.“Is that what his problem has been?”
“Yep,”  Jared  grinned  at  his  mate.“And  while  he  gets  the  itch  off  his  feet,  we  won’t  have  to  worry
about him arriving at…inopportune moments.”
From the way the human lowered his voice and by the way his eyes glittered, Kyle and everyone else
in the room knew exactly what Jared wanted to do with their alone time.  Not  to  mention  that  if  the
heated look Carson gave Jared back wasn’t enough to prove he agreed, the scent of arousal suddenly
clogging the air would have been.
“Find a room,” Manon grumbled, but the words contained more amusement than irritation.
“And preferably not in my house, please,” Shane stated. He turned to Kyle,“You have a road trip to
prepare for. Call me when you head out, and I expect it to be within the next two hours.”
“Yes, Beta,” Kyle replied, ducking his head. He arranged to have Manon pick him up from his home

at three o’clock. The hour and twenty-minute time frame would be long enough for both of them to
head home, pack, and Manon to pick up Raul as well.

After saying his good-byes to the other men, he hurried home. He found his friend Phillip

Abernathy waiting for him on the porch of his small two-bedroom cottage.

“ Hey, Phillip,” he greeted, clapping the man on his shoulder. He took in his friend’s troubled

expression and paused after unlocking the door.“Everything okay?”

“ With me, yeah,” Phillip replied.“I just wanted to find out how you’re doing. Word in the wind is

you found your mate?”
Kyle nodded, a smile playing across his lips.“Yeah. I ran into a detour a couple days ago on my run to
Boise. Got sidetracked to Mayfield.” He smiled at the memory of how his frustration had transformed
into pleasure.“I found Vee there.”
“That’s great, man. You going back to him?”
Grimacing,  Kyle  led  the  way  into  his  small  home.“There  have  been  some  complications,”  he
admitted.  He  strode  to  his  bedroom  where  he  pulled  a  duffle  bag  out  of  his  closet.  He  trusted  his
friend to follow, and Phillip didn’t disappoint. As he packed, he explained everything, from his first
meeting and starting the claiming process to Vee’s kidnapping and Alpha Andy’s demands.
“Damn, Kyle. I wish I could go with you, but—”
“I know, Phil.” Kyle smiled.“Your mate is due any day now. You need to stay here.”
Phillip  nodded.“God!  Doriah  would  kill  me  if  I  left  her  now.  It’s  taken  me  nearly  the  whole  seven
month pregnancy to get into her good graces.”
Kyle chuckled. His friend was thoroughly whipped. In the best way possible, Kyle silently reminded
himself.  Doriah  wasn’t  even  carrying  Kyle’s  child.  She’d  agreed  to  act  as  surrogate,  carrying  her
brother, Drake, and his mate, Ailean’s child. It wasn’t until after she’d been artificially impregnated
that Phillip had met her.
“How’s she holding up?” he asked.
Phillip smiled wryly.“She’s tired and a bit cranky. Definitely frustrated with all the rest Ailean keeps
recommending for her. They want me to be his godfather,” he added, grinning.
“That’s fantastic,” Kyle replied, truly happy for his friend. Not too long ago, he’d thought he’d have
cubs of his own. Now that he knew Fate had given him possibility. He wondered if surrogate, or if he
would  even  be  open  to  the  possibility  of  raising  kids.  The  thought  of  a  little  boy  or  little  girl  with
Vee’s gorgeous gray eyes had him smiling.
A horn honking interrupted further conversation.“Guess that’s my cue,” he muttered, tossing his bag
over his shoulder.
Phillip followed him out and then pulled him into a bear hug. “You be careful, and when you get back
with your Vee, you bring him round so me and Doriah can meet him. You hear?”
Encouraged by his friend’s show of support and acceptance, not to mention faith in his abilities, Kyle
nodded.“I will. I’ll see you soon.”
He  climbed  into  the  backseat  of  the  vehicle,  dropping  his  bag  on  the  floor  at  his  feet. As  the  SUV
pulled out of his driveway, he prayed that when he returned to his home, Vee would be with him.
Raul  turned  from  where  he  sat  in  the  passenger  seat  and  smiled  encouragingly.“We’ll  get  him,”  the
redhead stated, holding out a scrap of paper.
“What’s this?” Kyle asked, taking the Post-it Note.
Raul shrugged.“Jared told me to give it to you.”
Looking down, Kyle read two words. Valiant Cotter. He rubbed a finger over the letters, smiling. He
finally knew his mate’s name. a male mate, it wasn’t really a Vee would be willing to use a

Chapter Five

V
ee sat on the bed, his back resting against the headboard, and glared at the ceiling.“These guys are
nuts,” he muttered.

“

You got that right,” Brice replied from where he lounged at the foot of the bed. His friend was in

a similar position, his back against the footboard, his legs stretched out in front of him. At least they
weren’t tied up or anything.

He ’d never met Andy Sprague before, and Vee really wished he never had. The guy was

intimidating, to say the least. Even more intimidating than Guy, which after the man’s show of
aggression in the store, he didn’t think was possible. When Andy had started asking questions, Vee
had been quick to answer.

The guy curled his lip in disgust at the fact that Vee was being fucked by a guy. Homophobic

asshole. Then he found out Kyle was a truck driver that passed through what he called his  territory
occasionally  and  just  about  blew  a  gasket.  He  ranted  for  several  minutes  about  how  rogue  shifters
needed  to  be  put  down  for  the  safety  of  all  shifters,  and  how  they  should  know  better  than  to  just
gallivant through another shifter’s territory.
“What’s up with everyone calling Andy alpha and Guy beta?

These guys must be some kind of cult, ” Brice commented. “Yeah,” Vee whispered, although he’d

never heard of a cult
behaving like these guys. Not that he was an expert or anything. Brice picked at a loose thread of his
jeans, betraying his
nervousness.“Do you think Kyle will come? Andy sounded pretty
crazy on the phone.”
“He’ll come,” Vee replied, feeling far more confident than was
probably wise. But something about the way Kyle asked who had
him, made him feel safe, protected, even though the big man wasn’t even there.“He’ll come.” Just
saying the words made him feel better. He wrapped his arms around himself and rested his
head against the wall.
“How can you be so sure?” Brice asked.“Andy sounded really
mad, and you’ve only known Kyle a few days,” he pointed out. “I don’t know, Brice,” he admitted.“I
guess I can’t explain it.
It’s just a gut feeling.”
The pair lapsed into silence, and to Vee’s surprise, he managed
to doze off.

Several hours later, Brice woke Vee by shaking his shoulder. He jerked away, then realized who

it was and rubbed his face, trying to encourage brain function. “I could really use some coffee,” he
muttered.

A cup appeared under his nose, and he inhaled the strong aroma.“Oh,” he murmured

appreciatively, reaching for the cup. “Thank you!”

Brice smiled faintly and sat down next to him. “Compliments of Sean. He brought sandwiches and

juice, and actually seemed startled when I asked for coffee.” Rolling his eyes, Brice muttered, “Either
he doesn’t think gays drink coffee, or their normal prisoners don’t ask for things.”

“ Do you really think they’ve kidnapped others before?” “Does it matter?” Brice asked.

“Guess not. What time is it?” Vee felt naked without his phone.

He used it for everything —appointments, a clock, internet, games, everything.

“Just after six in the morning,” Brice admitted.
“I  slept  through  the  night?  Damn!”  Between  the  lack  of  sleep  from  talking  to  Kyle  after  midnight,
mixed  with  the  stress  of  the  situation,  his  body  must  have  shut  down.  They  sipped  their  coffee  in
silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts.
The click of the lock on the door caught their attention. Vee’s pulse sped up as the knob turned and the
door  swung  open.  Andy  the  Alpha  strode  in  followed  by  Guy  and  Sean.  Vee  and  Brice  remained
silent,  watching  warily  as Andy  leaned  on  the  footboard.  He  eyed  them  for  several  minutes  before
speaking.
“It seems your mate is almost here. He called a few minutes ago. I even got a call from his alpha, so it
seems Kyle was telling the truth. He is part of a pack,” Andy said softly.
Although  he  seemed  much  calmer,  his  words  still  made  little  sense  to  Vee.  He  licked  his  lips,  and
latched onto the one thing he did understand.“Kyle is coming?”
Andy smiled.“Yes.”
“Why  do  you—”  he  paused  and  swallowed,  and  when Andy  gave  him  an  indulgent  smile,  he  tried
again.“Why do you call him my mate? What does that mean?”
Andy’s brows lifted.“Did he not explain  that  to  you  before  he  bit  you?”  When  Vee  shook  his  head,
Andy tsked.“Naughty wolf.”
Vee frowned at that, and Andy grinned.“Your lover is a shifter. He can become a wolf.”
Vee’s jaw dropped. Okay, what the hell are these guys on?
“I  can  see  you  don’t  believe  me.  Allow  me  to  show  you.”  Andy  glanced  over  his  shoulder  at
Guy.“Shift.”
Guy  froze  for  just  a  second,  then  he  glared  at  Brice  and  Vee.  To  Vee’s  eternal  shock,  he  started
stripping,  right  there  in  front  of  him.  Guy  peeled  off  his  dark  blue  t-shirt  and  tossed  it  to  Sean,
revealing a tanned, muscular chest. Next, he toed off his sneakers, socks removed, and he skimmed
his  jeans  down  his  legs.“Bet  you’re  just  loving  this,”  Guy  sneered,  glaring  at  Vee  and  Brice  as  he
finally lost the briefs.
Vee  had  to  admit,  the  guy  was  a  lovely  specimen  of  maleness,  all  bronze,  toned  muscles  and  firm
lines,  but  his  attitude  was  a  complete  turn-off.  Brice  grinned  and  replied,“Man,  I  wish  I  had  some
dollar bills. We could throw money at him!”
Rolling his eyes, Vee shook his head. Oddly enough, his cock didn’t even stir. Not one iota of interest
went through his body. He glanced at his friend and saw Brice’s flush. Yeah, his friend was definitely
pleased by the sight.
He  opened  his  mouth  to  comment  when  something  happened.  Guy’s  body  didn’t  shudder,  really.
Instead,  it  looked  like  the  skin  was  rippling  on  his  frame.  Then  his  whole  body  seemed  to  contort,
bones snapped and muscles popped. Limbs reshaped, a tail grew, and fur sprouted.
Vee’s jaw dropped as he watched Guy’s body change right before his eyes. Brice grabbed his arm
and he and Vee clung together as they tried to climb higher on the bed, away from whatever the hell
was happening to Guy. It seemed like it took an eternity, but in reality Vee knew it could only have
been a minute, and it was all over. Where Guy had stood, now crouched a massive, snarling wolf.
Fear shot through Vee, and his body trembled with shock. He scrambled to his feet on the bed, pulling
Brice  up  with  him.  He  searched  for  a  place  to  escape,  but  the  growling  wild  animal  was  between
them and the open door to the bathroom.
Andy chuckled and shook his head as if this were so funny. “Easy, Guy. Let’s not make the little fags

wet themselves.”
The wolf stopped growling and snorted, actually snorted as if it was laughing at Andy’s words. Sean
stepped  forward  and  held  up  his  hand.“He  won’t  hurt  you.  We’re  completely  cognizant  while  in
animal form.”
“C-cognizant?  What’s  that?”  Vee  managed  to  squeak  out,  his  legs  trembling.  He  wished  he  could
gather enough courage to yell at the alpha for his gay slur, but he feared that if he took his eyes off the
wolf for one second, the animal would attack him.
“Aware. Able to reason and understand. He recognizes everything just as he did while human,” Sean
explained.
“That’s not very reassuring,” he whispered. Guy didn’t like him as a man, and now he was a wolf?
How very easy to make it look like an animal attack. Oh, God! Am I actually believing this?  If  he
hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, Vee would have been certain these men were high.
“See, Valiant,” Andy mocked, using his full name. “Your boyfriend is just like us.”
“No,” he whispered.“No, he’s not.” He shook his head, denying it.
“If he’s your mate, he won’t—” Sean started to say.
Andy  cut  him  off.“Kyle  is  your  mate,  otherwise  he  wouldn’t  have  bit  you.  If  it  had  been  made  by
human teeth, it would have healed and faded. But it looks like the bite of a wild animal, doesn’t it?”
Vee knew Andy said these things to taunt him, but some of what he said was true. The mark on his
shoulder did look like it came from the canines of a big animal. Brice had asked about it, too.
“Don’t listen to them,” Brice whispered.“They’re just messing with you.”
“No we’re not, Vee,” Andy purred.“We’re trying to help you. Show you the truth. Now that Kyle has
found  you,  he’ll  never  let  you  go.  Why  do  you  think  he’s  coming  here?”  Andy  smiled.“He  thinks
you’re his property.”
Sean frowned.“Alpha, why—”
“Did I give you permission to speak,” Andy snapped, glaring at the other man.
Hanging his head, Sean immediately apologized. “Sorry, Alpha.”
“I don’t believe you,” Vee whispered. Surely none of this was true. He was still asleep.  Yeah, that
was it. He was dreaming and the stress of getting kidnapped was giving him one fucked up dream.
Andy the Alpha smirked.“It is true, and I’ll prove it to you.” A wolf howled in the distance, and Andy
cocked his head. A grin split his lips.“Ah, Kyle’s here. Should we go out and greet your mate?”
“Oh, my God,” Vee gasped, while Brice whimpered.
This wasn’t a dream after all because the wolf circled around the bed and snapped at his and Brice’s
ankles, forcing them toward Andy and Sean. Although Sean was frowning, he looked more confused
and concerned than angry, so Vee happily moved toward the man.
Andy led the way from the room and Vee and Brice hurried behind him, careful to keep Sean between
them  and  the  wolf.  My  God,  did  Guy  really  turn  into  an  animal?  He  glanced  over  his  shoulder
before he left the room. Damn. He just couldn’t seem to wrap his head around everything going on.
Fresh fear speared through him as he remembered Andy’s other words. That Kyle would turn into a
snarling, massive-tooth wolf, too. That Kyle thought he owned Vee.  Shit, what have I gotten myself
into?
Andy  the Alpha  led  the  way  down  a  hall  and  through  a  living  room.  Vee  hardly  had  time  to  look
around, trying to take in the modern décor as he was rushed through.
In the room on the right, a massive stone fireplace took up two thirds of one wall, a huge flat screen
hung  on  the  wall  to  the  left,  and  big  bay  windows  let  in  ample  light.  Vee  saw  three  large,  leather
couches clustered around the room.

After taking all that in, he looked left and spotted two women standing in an archway. Behind them
was a dining room table, and beyond that, Vee made out kitchen appliances. Two other men appeared,
Frank and some guy Vee didn’t recognize.
Frank grabbed Vee’s arm while the other guy grabbed Brice, stopping them in their tracks.
Andy crossed to the two women and gave the slender brunet a kiss while the plump blond looked on
impassively. The smile and affection in Andy’s eyes for the woman transformed his hard features. If
Vee  wasn’t  scared  shitless,  he  would  have  been  amazed,  but  he  just  didn’t  have  any  room  in  his
psyche  for  more  feelings.“I’m  sorry,  sweetheart,”  Andy  said.“Breakfast  will  be  a  little  delayed.
We’ll try not to be too long.”
The woman nodded.“I know. Pack business comes first.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his firm
mouth again.“Stay safe.”
“Always,” Andy replied.
Then Frank and the other man were pushing him and Brice out the front door onto a wide porch. They
heard the crunch of tires on gravel in the distance, and all the men tensed, waiting expectantly. A large
SUV  rolled  to  a  stop  fifty  feet  from  the  building.  Men  he  didn’t  recognize  slid  from  the  driver  and
passenger seats. Then the back door opened and Kyle’s sexy, rugged form climbed from the SUV.
Kyle’s  piercing  blue  eyes  swung  unerringly  to  Vee’s.  His  lover  swept  his  gaze  over  his  body  as  if
doing a visual search for injury. His finger’s twitched, his body practically vibrating as if he fought
his desire to run across the clearing and grab Vee.
Vee felt the same, but Frank’s arm on his shoulder held him in place. Evidently, self-control did the
same to Kyle because he stopped with the other two men halfway across the clearing.
One  of  the  men  he  didn’t  know,  a  guy  with  long,  dark-red  hair,  called  out,“I  am  Manon  Lemelle,
Enforcer for the Stone Ridge pack. I speak on behalf of Kyle Rainier. We admit freely his unintended
incursion  into  your  territory,  and  we  will  accept  fair  penance.”  Then  the  guy’s  slate,  nearly  black
colored eyes narrowed.“Fair penance,” he warned.
Vee didn’t like the way this sounded. Who the hell was Manon to Kyle and why could he speak on his
lover’s behalf? Then it hit him. Manon had said Stone Ridge pack, as in pack of wolves. Andy had
been telling the truth. His breathing sped up, and he had trouble getting enough oxygen.
He tried to focus on Andy the Alpha’s words, but all he heard was a strange buzzing in his ears. Brice
slipped his hand into Vee’s and gave it a squeeze. It allowed him to focus just in time to hear Manon
respond to whatever the alpha had decreed.“We accept, Alpha Andy.”
He  felt  himself  being  drawn  away,  back  into  the  house,  and  he  looked  over  his  shoulder  and  saw
Kyle’s  concerned  frown.  His  big  lover  licked  his  lips,  and  a  craving  to  taste  his  lover’s  mouth
flooded him with desire.
Then  the  alpha  stepped  in  front  of  him,  drawing  his  focus. Andy  leaned  close  and  whispered,“I’ve
given you a chance, Vee. Stay ahead of the wolf, or be his forever. Twenty-four hours.”
Vee wasn’t certain what the man meant until he was handed a backpack with survival supplies, pulled
out the back door and shoved into a van, and dropped off somewhere in the Idaho National Forest.

Chapter Six

esting his forehead on his palms, Kyle thought about the meeting he’d just had with Alpha Andy.

He sure hadn’t liked the fear and vacant, almost glazed expression on Vee’s face. For a few minutes,
he let himself get pulled into the memory.

Kyle stared across the clearing toward his mate. It took every bit of self-control not to bolt to

Vee’s side and tear him away from the man holding him. His wolf snarled in his head. No one should
touch my mate but me!

Finally, he spotted the wolf sitting behind his human and Vee ’s friend on the porch. He swept his

gaze over his mate again, more slowly this time, and saw the lines of tension and fear, the slight
trembling of his body. He looked at the large wolf again. The shifter’s tongue came out and gave him
the equivalent of a canine grin. Shit! What have they said to him?

“ I am Manon Lemelle, Enforcer for the Stone Ridge pack. I speak on behalf of Kyle Rainier.”

Kyle  pulled  his  attention  away  from  his  mate,  and  listened  to  his  pack  enforcer  announce  their
intentions.
“We  admit  freely  his  unintended  incursion  into  your  territory,  and  we  will  accept  fair  penance,”
Manon stated, paused, then added the warning,“Fair penance.”
He didn’t like the crease between Vee’s brows, but Kyle didn’t have time to dwell on it. A tall, broad
shouldered  blond  stepped  forward  and  said,“I  am  Alpha  Andy  Sprague.  Your  wolf  came  into  my
territory unannounced and found his mate. To prove his intent, he’ll have to find the human again, this
time in the mountains.”
“You can’t leave Vee stranded in the mountains,” Kyle cut in angrily.
Andy  grinned  widely.“He  won’t  be  stranded.  He’ll  be  given  survival  gear.  Besides,”  he  continued
with  a  negligent  shrug,  “you’ll  be  there  to  rescue  him.  Oh,  one  more  thing.”  His  smile  turned
feral.“Regardless  of  what  happens,  you  have  twenty-four  hours,  then  you’re  banned  from  my
territory.”
“Banned?”  he  whispered.  That  meant  he  had  twenty-four  hours  to  track  down  his  mate  and  then
convince Vee to leave the area with him. Damn the man. It was an alpha’s prerogative to ban who he
wished if he considered him a threat or danger to his pack. And he really didn’t need proof.
He swallowed hard and exchanged a look with Manon. Pressing his lips together firmly, Kyle nodded
sharply. What else could he do? He’d fight for his mate.
Manon let out a breath, licked his lips, and called out,“We accept, Alpha Andy.”
His body vibrated and he fought his urge to intercept his mate when they led Vee into the house. Vee
looked  over  his  shoulder  and  met  his  gaze.  Frowning  in  concern,  Kyle  took  in  the  human’s  dazed
expression.
Alpha Andy stepped between them, blocking his vision, and leaned close to whisper something Kyle
couldn’t hear to Vee.
Then  the  door  shut  and  a  lithe,  toned  blond  approached  them.  Five  feet  away,  he  seemed  to  miss  a
step, then he righted himself. The guy inhaled, obviously scenting them, and swept his gaze over them.
He  gave  Kyle  a  measuring  look  and  his  focus  lingered  for  a  few  extra  seconds  on  Raul.  The
redheaded human’s eyes narrowed as he seemed to give the guy a once over right back.
Finally,  the  shifter  looked  at  Manon  and  said,“I’m  Sean  Garcia. You’ll  be  dropped  off  within  two
miles of the mate prospect. It’s your job to track him down and claim him, then get out of our territory
within the allotted time.”

They nodded, even though they all knew this was how it was going to be. Kyle couldn’t stop from
asking,“Is Vee well? He seemed a bit…dazed.” He looked far more than that. His poor human looked
terrified, and some of it seemed directed at Kyle. Kyle didn’t like it one bit.
Sean grimaced.“This can all be very trying for a human,” he answered vaguely, with a covert look
over his shoulder.“Follow me in your vehicle.”
With one more look at Raul, Sean turned and walked to a Jeep parked nearby. Manon led the way to
their SUV and they piled back in. Raul’s gaze was fixed on the Jeep as they followed it back down
the driveway and onto the road.
Kyle leaned forward and touched his arm.“Hey, you okay?”
Raul flinched, then smiled, and nodded.“Yeah. Yeah, I’m good. So what’s the plan?”
“Your Vee seemed a bit freaked, no?” Manon asked.
“Yeah. I’m sure the wolf laughing his ass off on the porch behind him had something to do with it,”
Kyle answered, almost snarling the words.

A sting to his knee jerked Kyle out of his thoughts. He glanced up and realized Raul had smacked

him.“Got your head in the game, man?” the human asked.

“ Shit, no,” he hissed, flopping back on the seat.“I’m supposed to hunt him down, but by doing

that, it engages my instincts to locate my mate and dominate him.”
“Dominate him?” Raul asked.

Kyle nodded. “Right. My wolf will want to force my wayward mate to submit. I’ll have a driving

need to complete the claiming,” he explained. He ran a hand over his face and tried to get his
tumultuous emotions under control. He feared what would happen when he found Vee just as much as
his wolf relished the upcoming hunt. Kyle lifted his head and met Raul’s concerned gaze.“I’m gonna
need your help.”
“Of course,” Raul immediately replied.“Anything.”

“ I’m gonna need ye to tranq me as soon as we find Vee,” he whispered thickly.

“You sure you wanna do that, mon ami?” Manon asked, the wary warning clear in his tone.
“Of course not,” he replied.“I hate how that shit feels, but I don’t see another way. Vee’s freaked as it
is. I don’t want to make it worse!” He slammed his fist on his thigh.“Damn them.”
“They chose the situation well,” Manon agreed.“Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.”
“What are you guys talking about?” Raul asked, clearly confused.
“If Kyle finds Vee and forces a mating, Vee could hate him, or run from him, which will kill Kyle’s
wolf, or drive him insane searching for his lost mate,” Manon explained.“On the other hand, if Kyle
doesn’t find him, he could lose him that way as well, same result.”
“Gods,  ye  paint  such  a  pretty  picture,”  Kyle  grumbled  gruffly,  his  heart  tripping  in  his  chest  at  the
options.
Raul  frowned  and  placed  his  hand  on  Kyle’s  fist.“He  could  accept  you,  too,”  he  said.“I  know  he
looked scared, but you’ve started to bond with him already. That has to mean something, even if he is
human. Give him a chance,” Raul encouraged.
Kyle flipped his hand over and gripped Raul’s hand for a few seconds, taking comfort from the small
contact. This human was so different than his friend Jared. Where Jared would have told him to suck
it  up,  Raul  told  him  to  have  faith.  He  smiled  at  the  man.  “You’re  right.  I  need  to  have  faith  in  my
mate,” he whispered.
Releasing  the  other  man’s  fingers,  he  leaned  back  in  his  seat,  taking  deep  breaths,  slowing  his
breathing and trying to control his racing pulse. He wasn’t even certain what direction he’d need to go
in. He’d have to be careful, try to get upwind, see if he could catch a scent. However.“I do still want

you to have tranqs ready, Raul. Just in case.”
Raul grinned.“Oh, that won’t be the only thing I’ll have on me. Just remember not to completely ditch
me. I don’t want to be stranded in these mountains.”
“Of course,” Kyle replied.
When the vehicle rocked viciously, Kyle looked around at their surroundings and realized just how
remote they were getting. Vee had told him he didn’t hike much, which meant he didn’t do wilderness
and probably didn’t know the best way to survive. He hoped like hell that he could find his poor mate
before nightfall.
Raul  pulled  out  a  pair  of  hand-held  radios  and  set  one  on  the  dash.  The  other,  he  held  up  as  he
said,“Two-way communication. They work within a three-mile radius as long as there’s not too much
mineral deposit interference. Jared said that shouldn’t be a problem here.”
Manon glanced at the small, black device and smirked.“What you think we doin’ out here?”
“My  best  friend’s  motto  is,  Plan  for  Everything,  Blow  up  the  Rest.”  He  grinned.“He  helped  me
pack.”
Armed with that information, the trio fell into silence. They pulled up behind the Jeep and piled out.
Kyle grabbed his bag and slipped it over his shoulders. He had every intention of at least starting this
thing as a human. It would give him a better chance to remain in control when he located Vee.
To his surprise, Sean grabbed his arm and stated,“Our beta freaked Vee out while in wolf form, so he
may  fear  you.  I  tried  to  tell  him  that  we  are  fully  aware  when  shifted,  but  I’m  not  sure  he  believed
me.” He pointed north.“They dropped him off in that direction, near a waterfall that drops into a big
lake.  There  are  cliffs  surrounding  the  lake  on  three  sides,  forming  a  bowl.  They’re  going  to  try  to
drive him up there and trap him, then keep you out.”
Kyle paled at his words.“Why?” So many things could go wrong with that and so many ways for Vee
to be injured.“No,” he whispered.
“They think you’re unnatural,” Sean replied sadly, his glance sweeping the other two men.“My alpha
thought that when he revealed that you’re gay to your alpha, your alpha would put a stop to the mating.
I didn’t hear the conversation, but Andy was livid afterward. He decided to go this route to stop you
instead,” Sean admitted.“Guy, our beta, he was the wolf on the porch, agrees with Alpha.”
“Why you help us then?” Manon asked warily.“Why you go against your alpha?”
It was a good question.
“Because I think they’re wrong,” Sean replied, his face heating. “I think finding your mate is a gift, no
matter  who  it  is.”  His  gaze  slid  to  the  other  two  men,  flicking  over  Kyle  and  Raul  as  if  trying  to
decide what they thought of his words.
“Is there anything else I need to know?” Kyle asked, refocusing Sean’s attention. Either the man was
an expert liar, or he really felt this way because all Kyle scented was truth.
“At  this  time  of  year,  the  winds  normally  come  from  the  northwest,  but  the  bowl  can  create
directional changes, so it’s really hard to tell where a wolf could be coming from,” Sean responded.
He let out a sigh and forced a smile.“Good luck.”
Manon settled his hand on Kyle’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze.“Bon chance, mon ami.  I’ll  find  a
way to get some transportation up there. Quads or something.”
“Thank you,” he murmured, taking encouragement from the higher ranking wolf’s assurances and best
wishes.
Raul pulled a black beanie over his red hair and grinned.“Let’s get this show on the road.”
Sean seemed to pale.“You’re going up with him?”
“Yup. I’m human, and not part of the pack. I’m just a guy out hiking. No laws against that, right?” he

asked with a cocky grin.
The wolf looked like he wanted to disagree or say something that would force Raul to stay out of it,
but then Sean swallowed and nodded.“Good luck to you, too,” he whispered.
Clapping  his  traveling  companion  on  the  shoulder,  Kyle  headed  out  at  a  jog.  A  glance  over  his
shoulder a few minutes later told him Raul was keeping pace without trouble. He doubted the human
had the stamina to keep up for an extended period of time, but they were only a few miles away, even
if it was rough country.
Their first obstacle was in the form of a fifteen-foot wide canyon, twenty feet straight down, the earth
cut  away  by  a  rainswollen  stream.  Kyle  started  trekking  east  along  the  gorge,  searching  for  a  way
across.
“Oh, hey, hold up,” Raul called from twenty feet behind him.
Kyle spun around.“What?” he snapped, irritation filling him due to the delay.
Raul actually chuckled at him.“Dude, calm down. We can cross here,” he said, pointing at a gap of
twelve feet.
Frowning, he eyed the span. He might be able to jump that in wolf form, but how did Raul think he
was going to cross it? Then he noticed the human had dropped his pack and was pulling out a coil of
rope with a three-pronged hook at the end.
His brows shot up.“You know how to use that thing?”
Raul  grinned.“Sure.  The  Indiana  Jones  movies  are  some  of  my  favorites.  I  can’t  use  a  whip,  mind
you,” he stated, as he looped some of the rope in his left hand and started swinging the end with the
hook in his right.“But I’m a pro with a grappling hook.”
“Why would you even carry that with you?” Kyle mused, watching with amazement as Raul expertly
let go of the rope, sending the hook flying. The hook wrapped around a tree limb ten feet above their
heads and a little over halfway across the gorge.
Raul lifted a brow as he eyed him.“Really? Do I need to repeat Jared’s motto again for you?”
Kyle lifted up a hand and grinned, feeling his confidence for their endeavor bolstered by this human’s
unusual skills.“No. I think I’m good.”
“Cool.”  Raul  handed  him  the  rope  as  he  pulled  his  backpack  back  on.“All  right,  swing  over,  then
throw the rope back to me. If you haven’t done this before, just make sure you keep the rope taut so
you don’t lose your momentum.”
“Yeah,  okay,”  Kyle  replied.  He  reached  up,  leaned  back,  then  jumped  forward,  making  certain  to
keep pressure on the rope. He swung in a graceful arc across the gap. Unfortunately, when he got to
the other side and tried to find his feet, he tripped and landed on his ass. He also let go of the rope.
“Shit!” he hissed, swinging an arm wildly behind him to try to get it before it swung back out over the
chasm and out of reach.
He missed.
Instead of upsetting the other man, Raul started to laugh.
Running a hand through his short,  dark  hair  and  climbing  to  his  feet,  Kyle  glared  at  Raul.“What  the
hell, man?” He brushed the dirt off the seat of his jeans.
“Hey, that was funny. Come on!” Raul teased.
“Yeah, well,” he grumbled, trying to hide his own mirth. It really was funny.“How do you plan to get
across now?”
“Got it covered,” Raul replied with a grin, once more dropping his bag on the ground. This time, he
pulled out something that looked like a plank.
Kyle watched with interest as Raul repeatedly flipped pieces out until he held a five-foot rod. Then

he attached a small hook to the end.
Raul grabbed hold of a tree for leverage, reached out with the pole, and snagged the rope.
Five minutes later, he swung across and joined Kyle on the other side.
“That was impressive,” Kyle admitted.
Raul smacked him on the back.“Yup.” He tied off the rope just in case they needed to get back across
the crevice on their way back down.“Let’s go.”
And they set off running again.
It took another two hours jogging in the general direction Sean had indicated for Kyle to catch the first
whiff of his mate. Seconds later, three other scents hit his nose. Wolf shifters.
“We’ve got company,” he warned.
Raul  paused  behind  him  as  Kyle  scented  the  wind,  trying  to  determine  distance  and  direction.“This
way,” he said.“And try to be as quiet as possible.”
He got a nod from the human. Kyle altered their course, working to remain upwind and circle around
the wolves. The land began to rise, and the scent of water grew stronger. It wasn’t until he heard the
falls and stepped to the left, shoving some branches to the side, and almost fell down the cliff face
that Kyle realized he was circling the very canyon Sean had told him about.
Raul grabbed his arm and yanked him back. The human frowned and let go.“Damn, dude. Watch your
step,” he hissed.
“Thanks,” Kyle whispered sheepishly.
Both men crouched down and peered into the canyon. Kyle sucked in a breath and his heart hammered
in his chest as he took in the forlorn figure of his mate. Vee had his back to the canyon wall. He held a
large hunting knife in front of him, keeping it between himself and three wolves.
The wolves sat in a semi-circle around Vee. The one in the middle Kyle recognized as the beta on the
porch. Guy. That was what Sean said his name was. Occasionally, a shifter would lift his nose to the
wind,  scenting.  Kyle  knew  they  were  searching  for  him.  It  was  these  three’s  job  to  keep  him  from
getting to his mate, but Kyle had every intention of beating them at their own game, even if he had to
tear apart each one to do it. His and Vee’s happiness depended on it.
“How many tranqs you got?” he asked quietly.
“Two, but I ain’t that good a shot. I was Jared’s spotter. He was the shooter,” Raul admitted.
“Then we need to get you closer,” Kyle responded. He looked down at the cliff face, then around the
area.“Can you rock climb?”
Raul sighed.“Yeah…”
He  drew  the  word  out,  and  Kyle  looked  at  him.  The  admission  almost  sounded  dragged  from  his
throat against his will.“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I just hate heights,” Raul admitted.“I can do it, though. Your mate needs us.”
Kyle grimaced.“Thanks, man.” Then he smirked and asked, “I’m assuming you have more rope in that
bag of yours?”
Raul just lifted a brow and gave him a scathing look.
Stifling a chuckle, Kyle nodded.“Yeah, yeah. The motto.”
Grinning, Raul pulled out a long coil of climbing rope. He quickly secured one end to a sturdy tree
trunk.  Raul  pulled  out  a  couple  pairs  of  gloves  and  handed  one  set  to  Kyle,  then  he  pulled  out  the
tranq gun and tucked it into his belt. He took a deep breath, and motioned toward the rope.“You go
first.”
Kyle nodded.“Thank you for doing this.”
“You’ll owe me one,” Raul said with a wink, obviously trying to lighten the mood.

Chapter Seven

ee ’s brain had short-circuited. He knew it had. All he could think to do was crouch with his back

against the rock wall, hold the knife in front of him, and pray. The wolves had chased him into this
canyon and cornered him, and now they were just sitting there. What did they want? Why didn’t they
attack?

He had to admit, he didn ’t want the wolves to attack, but he didn’t understand why they wouldn’t.

Vee knew he was no match for them, and yet, still, they waited. For what?

A howl echoed through the evening air, sending a shiver down Vee’s spine. Oh, wait. Maybe it’s

from the cold, damp stone at my back. Vee didn’t know anymore. Andy had told him he just needed
to last the night and then they’d pick him up in the morning. But how could he last the night if the
wolves wouldn’t leave long enough for him to build a fire?

One of the wolves lifted his nose and scented the air. They did that on occasion as if they were

searching for something. Kyle, maybe? He was supposed to be hunting for Vee, right? After
everything that had happened, Vee wasn’t certain he wanted Kyle to find him.

Damn, that sounds ungrateful.

His  heart  ached  a  little  at  the  thought.  His  lover  had  seemed  like  such  a  wonderful  man,  sweet  and
attentive,  and  so  fucking  sexy.  Was  Kyle  really  one  of  these  creatures?  Did  he  really  turn  into  a
savage beast? Vee had to pray that he didn’t.
A yip, then a howl rent the air, followed by growling and snarling. All three of the wolves leaped to
their feet, and fear sliced through Vee. This was it. They were going to tear him apart.
Instead of advancing on him, however, the three animals pivoted and raced around the lake toward the
far side.
He searched the forest on the other side of the lake, but could see nothing but trees, rocks and water.
Movement above the tree line caught his attention, and Vee gasped. Kyle dangled from a rope around
twenty  feet  above  the  rocky  forest  floor.  To  his  astonishment,  his  lover  let  go  of  the  rope  and
plummeted down.
Vee was on his feet and moving toward them before he had time to think.
Kyle  tucked  and  rolled,  his  body  tumbling  down  the  last  five  feet  of  accumulated  rock  chips  and
rubble.
Vee stumbled to a stop when he saw the man’s clothing tear, but no wolves were near. Instead, the
cloth  tore  apart  from  the  inside. As  the  first  wolf  launched  toward  Kyle,  a  massive  tawny  animal
leaped from the shredded clothing and met him in midair.
Letting out a whimper, Vee stumbled back. It was true. It was all true. His mate was a shape shifter.
An animal. He wrapped his arms around himself and shuddered, and tears filled his eyes. What was
he going to do?
The  crack  of  a  gunshot  had  Vee’s  head  jerking  up.  He  watched  in  shock  as  one  of  the  wolves
dropped. His heart skipped a beat until he realized that it wasn’t Kyle. Kyle was still fighting with
one of the other creatures. The third animal was looking up and Vee followed the animal’s gaze.
He gasped when he saw the man dangling from the rope. Vee knew it was one of the guys that had
been with Kyle at the house, but had no way of knowing which one. He wasn’t dropping down and
turning into an animal. Did that mean he was human?
Vee trotted warily around the lake, keeping the group in sight. He reached the opening of the canyon,
undetected.  Two  wolves  still  fought  with  Kyle,  and  the  third  guy  was  yelling  something,  but  Vee

couldn’t make it out.
Looking  back  at  them,  Vee  found  himself  locking  gazes  with  the  man  on  the  rope.  He  looked  away
again  and  then  back.  The  man  shook  his  head  and  mouthed No!  Vee  pivoted  and  took  off.  He  knew
there had to be some kind of service road. How else would they have gotten him up here?
He looked back over his shoulder, but the view of the canyon and those fighting in it were gone. The
earth under his right foot gave way, and Vee found himself tumbling down a steep embankment. The
heel of his hiking boot caught on a root, and his leg twisted as his body kept falling. Vee heard the
crack, felt the pain shoot up and down his leg, and screamed.
His boot was wrenched free by the weight of his body as he continued to tumble down into the ravine.
Seconds later, he hit the ground, half in and half out of the water. The cold water flowing over him
kept the darkness that threatened on the outskirts of his vision at bay. Vee knew that was a good thing,
since, otherwise, he’d probably end up with hyperthermia, but that didn’t stop the pulses of pain.
Gasping, he tried to lift onto his elbow so he could assess the damage, only to have new shards of
pain shoot up his right arm. Vee took several slow breathes as he tried to figure out how he was going
to get out of this mess.
“One thing at a time,” he whispered, just to hear a voice.
Swallowing hard, he lifted his left arm and wiggled his fingers. No pain. This one is fine. He lifted
his right arm and tried to do the same, only to suck in a breath through clenched teeth. Breathing in
through his nose and out through his mouth, and using only his left hand, he managed to drag the leg he
was certain was broken out of the water.
“Shit! Are you hurt?”
Vee  snapped  his  head  up,  which  made  it  swim  for  a  moment,  pinpricks  of  light  dancing  across  his
vision. Once he could focus, he saw the beanie-capped head of the man who’d been dangling on the
rope.“I’m—Yeah. My leg and my arm,” he admitted.“Are you—Are you a creature, too?”
He  cringed  at  the  man’s  frown.“Do  you  mean  a  shifter?  No,  I’m  human.”  Relief  flooded  Vee,  and
evidently the man saw it because he shook his head. Carefully, the guy climbed down and crouched in
front  of  him.  His  eyes  narrowed  and  his  look  was  serious.“You’re  probably  out  of  your  head  with
pain right now, but know this—your Kyle would do anything for you. Anything!”
Vee found himself nodding slowly, shame flooding him. It felt similar to when a parent had scolded
him. He wasn’t certain if he believed the guy, but it seemed the appropriate response. Besides, he’d
agree to anything if it meant this human would help him.
“Okay, let’s take a look and see what you’ve done to yourself.”
As the man started poking and prodding, Vee asked,“What’s— Shit!” He gasped when the man gently
worked on his right wrist. “What’s your name?” he finally got out.
The  man  didn’t  look  up  from  where  he  was  inspecting  Vee’s  leg.“The  name’s  Raul  Eliassen.  I’m
human,  but  I’m  kind  of  an  extended  member  of  the  Stone  Ridge  pack.  That’s  Kyle’s  pack,  in
Colorado,” he added. At this point, he seemed to be rambling, just to keep Vee’s mind off the pain
pulsing through his body.
“Since that douche, Alpha Andy, had a problem with gays, I’m not surprised that finding out Declan…
he’s the alpha of the Stone Ridge pack,” Raul elaborated,“is gay, too, really sent him over the edge.
Andy’s bent on keeping you and Kyle away from each other.”
Vee  felt  a  hand  on  his  cheek.  Raul  turned  his  head  so  Vee  could  meet  the  man’s  sincere  green
eyes.“Don’t let Alpha Andy win, Vee. Give Kyle a chance to prove he’s not the monster you seem to
think shifters are, because they’re not. They’re good people.” Raul smirked.“Just like the human race,
there are assholes out there. I’m sorry you had to run into a couple.”

Raul rose to his feet and stared at the canyon walls.“Okay. That should do it. Let’s see if we can get
you on your feet.”
Glancing down, Vee stared in shock. While Raul had been rambling, he’d been busy at work. He’d
wrapped Vee’s right wrist from elbow to fingers in an ace wrap and his entire left leg was now
encased in a splint created from a couple sticks and a plethora of duct tape.
The man knelt and wrapped an arm around Vee’s waist. He pulled Vee’s good arm around his
shoulders and then helped lever him to his feet.“There we go,” he muttered.“Keep the weight off your
left leg, if you can. There’s an embankment up stream twenty feet that we should be able to get up.
Just keep breathing and focus,” Raul encouraged.
It was slow, and painful, and tears leaked from Vee’s eyes as he hopped along and then climbed out
of the ravine. Finally, he flopped onto the ground at the top, gasping for breath, praying the pulsing
waves of pain would ebb.
“Here,” Raul said, drawing his attention.“Take this.”
He pressed a pill into Vee’s good hand.“What is it?”
“Something that will make you feel better,” the man replied evasively.
Willing to try just about anything, Vee popped the white tablet into his mouth and then accepted the
water bottle. After swallowing, he asked,“If it will make me feel better, how come you didn’t give it
to me before?”
“Because then I wouldn’t have been able to keep you on your feet long enough to get you out of the
ravine,” Raul answered. He grinned and leaned close.“Just think. If I’d been a shifter, I would have
been strong enough to just carry you. Wouldn’t that have been nice?”
Vee nodded.“Yeah,” he admitted.
To his abject relief, it only took about ten minutes for the pill to start working. The pain faded to a
dull ebb and Vee’s head felt fuzzy.“Where’s Kyle?” he asked.
“Oh, he’s around here somewhere,” Raul answered, eyeing him critically.“He was still fighting with
a couple wolves when I left, but I knew he’d want me to make certain you were okay.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re his mate. Your safety and happiness means everything to him.” Raul pushed to his
feet and brushed off his pants.“Okay. Let’s walk for a bit. There’s a clearing we need to get to.”
“Why?”
Raul chuckled.“Damn, that didn’t take long.”
“What?” Vee felt Raul help him up, but for some reason it felt like he was floating.
“You’re completely stoned. Should have only given you half,” he grumbled.“Okay, remember to hop.
Don’t put weight on that left leg.”
After the third hop, Vee listed sideways and giggled. Until he put his right hand on a tree to steady
himself. Then he hissed as renewed pain shot through him.“Ow!” he whined.
“Yeah. Try to concentrate just a bit, huh?” Raul scolded.“I know it’s hard, but we gotta move.”
“Why?”
“Because our transportation is meeting us there.”
“Oh.”
They fell into silence as they slowly made their way through the darkening forest. Vee shivered. The
wet leg of his pants accentuated the dropping temperatures. A low growl caught Vee’s attention, and
Raul paused.
They swung around and spotted a tawny wolf limping toward them. It growled low. The ears were
pinned flat to its skull. Vee whimpered.

“Vee, I need you to talk to him. Tell him you’re all right,” Raul ordered softly.
“Why?” He blinked, trying to get his fuzzy brain to process a little bit.“What will that do?”
The wolf took another step forward, making Vee cling harder to Raul.“Vee, that’s Kyle. You’re
injured and frightened. His only instinct is the protect you. He’d never hurt you, Vee. I need you to tell
him you’re okay,” Raul ordered more firmly.
“K

—

Kyle?” he whispered.

The wolf stopped and focused on him.
Vee  didn’t  know  how  that  was  any  better,  but  Raul  squeezed  his  waist  and  Vee  whispered,“Hey,
Kyle, I, uh—I had a little tumble down the hill. Your buddy here is helping me get out of the forest.
You know how I don’t like hiking unless I get to follow your ass, remember?”
At that, the wolf whined. Its ears pricked forward, and it took a few steps toward them. When Vee
stiffened, the animal whined again. It lowered to its belly and slowly crept toward them, its ears up,
its gaze pinned on Vee.
“What’s it doing?” Vee whispered, trying to back a step.
Raul held him steady.“He’s not an, it, Vee. This is Kyle, just in another form. He cares for you, and is
trying to get close enough to you without scaring you to make certain you’re all right.” Raul slowly
removed  his  arm.“I’m  going  to  lower  you  to  the  ground.”  The  guy  must  have  recognized  the  panic
brewing in Vee, for he assured,“Kyle won’t hurt you, Vee. I’ll be just a few feet away.”
He  whimpered,  but  let  Raul  lower  him  to  the  ground.  Kyle  immediately  crept  forward  again.  The
wolf reached his feet, and Vee froze as it sniffed his legs. It pushed against the bandage on Vee’s leg,
and Vee moaned as pain shot through him from the contact.
The  animal  whined,  lifting  his  head  and  wiggling  closer.  He  put  his  head  in  Vee’s  lap  and  rubbed
against his belly. Vee looked toward Raul for help, and the human made petting gestures. Gathering
his courage, Vee lifted his good hand and patted the wolf’s head.“I’ll be okay,” he whispered.“I’ll be
okay,” he said again because his mind was completely blank.
He  gasped  when  the  animal  started  to  shudder.  Vee  jerked  his  gaze  to  Raul,  wondering  what  he’d
done wrong. To his surprise, Raul was smiling. He nodded once, then looked away.
Vee  felt  a  hand  grip  his  own  and  looked  back  down  in  surprise.  His  jaw  dropped  when  he  saw  a
naked, human Kyle lying next to him. Kyle’s arms were wrapped around his waist and his head was
on  his  lap,  pressing  against  his  stomach.  The  man  was  mumbling  something,  but  Vee’s  drug-fogged
brain was having a hell of a time figuring out what it was.
Laying  a  hand  on  Kyle’s  head,  Vee  threaded  his  fingers  through  his  lover’s  hair.“Kyle?”  he
whispered, unable to keep the shock and disbelief out of his voice.
Kyle lifted his head and tortured blue eyes met Vee’s.“Gods, Vee. I’m so sorry. I never meant to drag
you into this. I never meant for ye to find out this way. Please, forgive me.” Tears formed in Kyle’s
eyes as he gently touched the wrap on Vee’s wrist. He reached out to touch the splint on Vee’s leg,
but drew his hand back before making contact. “I never wanted to see ye injured,” he whispered, his
voice hitching.“I want ye safe. Safe with me. In my arms.”
The  disjointed  words  loosened  something  in  Vee’s  heart,  and  he  cupped  Kyle’s  jaw.  Applying
pressure,  he  forced  the  man’s  head  back  so  he  could  look  into  the  shifter’s  face.“This  wasn’t  your
fault,”  he  whispered.“A  few  homophobic  assholes  on  a  power  trip  are  at  fault.”  Vee  smiled,
understanding the truth of his own words. He brushed the fingertips of his bad hand down Kyle’s jaw.
“We’re gonna have plenty of time to talk while I heal. Okay?”
The  lines  of  stress  on  Kyle’s  face  seemed  to  ease  as  he  smiled  up  at  him.“Ah,  my  Vee,”  Kyle
whispered,  moving  to  bring  their  faces  together.  Their  lips  close,  he  murmured,“My  Valiant  one,”

before claiming Vee’s lips.
Vee shivered at hearing his given name in that reverent tone. He thought he could get used to listening
to Kyle say that with his light, sexy accent. Then Vee couldn’t think at all as Kyle thrust his tongue
between his lips and took his mouth in a deep, passionate kiss.
“All right, you two. Break it up. We gotta go.” Raul’s amused voice cut through their lust.
Kyle groaned into the kiss, but ended it, gently sipping at Vee’s lips.“I was so afraid I lost ye,” Kyle
murmured throatily.“We need to get ye out of here, then we’ll talk,” he promised.
Vee nodded.“Yeah.”
Raul dropped a pair of sweats on Kyle’s naked lap. After Kyle pulled them on, the redhead also
produced a pair of socks and hiking boots.“The motto. Right,” Kyle muttered, which made no sense to
Vee, but he didn’t really care enough to ask right now.
With Kyle’s arm wrapped securely around his waist, Vee finally felt like his life was getting back on
track. Who cared if his lover could turn into a wolf? He’d deal with the nuances later.

Chapter Eight

yle helped his slightly loopy mate over logs and around rocks. Raul had pulled out a compass and

was pointing them in a southwestern direction. He said the clearing Manon should be meeting them in
was within a mile and a half. The problem with that was that Kyle could again smell wolves from the
Mayfield pack.

“ We need to pick up the pace,” he told Vee softly.“I’m gonna carry you, Vee. I’ll try not to jostle

your leg, my Valiant one, but it may hurt a bit.”

“ Okay,” Vee murmured, pressing his face into Kyle’s neck in an incredibly distracting way.“I

trust you.”
He sure hoped that would still be true when whatever drugs Raul had given Vee wore off. The human
wouldn’t  say  what  it  was.  He  simply  stated  that  it  was  something  Lark  and Ailean  had  cooked  up
together. Supposedly, it wasn’t addictive and, if need be, a double dose would work on shifters.
Kyle swept his mate into his arms. Mindful of Vee’s injuries, he kept his pace as smooth as possible
while jogging through the forest. Raul kept them on track. To his surprise, he could pick up the whop,
whop, whop of helicopter blades slicing the air and the whir of an engine on standby.
When  he  broke  through  the  forest,  Kyle  knew  his  eyes  widened  in  surprise  at  the  sight  of  a  black
helicopter.“How the hell did ye manage this?”
Raul grinned.“All I did was tell Manon about Vee’s injuries. He was the one who told me where to
bring him.”
Before he could think up a response, a streak of dark brown barreled out of the forest from his right,
heading right toward him. Raul pulled a knife and yelled,“Get Vee to the chopper. I’ll hold him off.”
Kyle hesitated, recognizing the wolf as one of the two that had been with the beta. After he’d injured
Guy, the beta shifter had taken off, leaving one sleeping wolf and then this one to fend for themselves.
A coward if Kyle had ever seen one.
“Go!” Raul yelled.
Vee  whimpered  in  Kyle’s  arms,  clutching  his  neck  tightly  as  he  watched  the  advancing  wolf.  That
broke him out of his reverie and he sprinted as fast as he could with his burden. The door slid open to
reveal Manon’s worried look.
“Get your tchew in here, mon ami!” he roared.
Kyle could only guess at the meaning of Manon’s words, but the sentiment was right. He hustled as
quickly as possible to the waiting bird and settled his burden in the chopper, then turned to see if he
could help. Raul was holding his own, slicing the long dagger at the shifter any time he got close. As
Kyle ran toward the human, he stared in horror as Raul tripped while backpedaling and stumbled. The
wolf took advantage and leaped, pouncing on him.
Before Kyle could reach them, a wolf with pale blond fur laced with silver flecks slammed into the
brown animal pinning Raul. The blond and brown went tumbling ass over teakettle down the slope.
Kyle  reached  Raul  and  helped  the  human  to  his  feet.  Blood  oozed  from  beneath  his  torn  black
sweatshirt and from one deep scratch on his shoulder.
“Come on,” Kyle urged.“We’ve got to get out of here.”
Raul stared down the slope where the two wolves had disappeared, an inscrutable look on his face.
Kyle wrapped a hand around his arm and tugged, and the human acquiesced, jogging beside him to the
helicopter.
“Who was that?” Vee asked softly as they climbed in.

Flopping onto the floor of the helicopter, Raul whipped off his top.“The attacker? I think he was the
one  I  only  nicked  with  the  tranq  dart.”  He  grunted  as  he  pressed  the  fabric  against  his  own
chest.“Told you I wasn’t a good shot. Looks like he was a little pissed about that,” he muttered.
Kyle slammed the door shut and Manon eased the copter into the sky.“I think he meant your savior,
mon ami,” the enforcer quipped.
“I think it was Sean,” Raul replied just loud enough to be heard over the noise of the helicopter.
“Sean? The enforcer Sean?” Kyle asked, his brows shooting up.
His eyes closed, Raul nodded once.
“Very interesting,” Manon toned.
Kyle thought the same thing, but he kept his comments to himself. Instead, he crawled over to his mate
and  lifted  the  man’s  head  onto  his  lap.  His  mate  had  passed  out  at  some  point  during  their
conversation. Kyle tried not to worry as he watched his mate’s chest rise and fall in a steady rhythm.
Vee remained asleep for the duration of the ride. Manon landed the bird on top of the hospital, stating
some  code  into  his  mike  that  Kyle  couldn’t  hope  to  understand.  Never  in  his  life  was  he  more
relieved that Manon was a pilot for the Colin City Hospital back in Colin City. He had no idea how
he’d pulled off getting the helicopter, but he knew he’d owe the wolf for the rest of his life.
Nurses moved Raul to a stretcher and wheeled him into the hospital. Kyle snarled when another nurse
tried  to  take  Vee  from  him.  Manon  appeared  instantly.  The  higher  ranking  wolf  eased  Vee  from
Kyle’s grip and settled the unconscious human on a stretcher.
Kyle blinked tears from his eyes as he watched his little human wheeled away. He wanted to go with
them, to protect Vee from more pain, but Manon held him back.“You can’t and you know it, Kyle,”
Manon whispered.“He’s in good hands, mon ami. I’ll get you in to see him as soon as possible.”
Kyle turned in the enforcer’s arms, and to both their surprise, tucked his face in Manon’s neck, and
shuddered. There were no more tears, but his body had to release the stress of what he and Vee had
gone through, and without his mate to hold, he needed the soothing arms of someone from his pack.
Manon seemed to understand. He led them inside the building to a room used to store equipment, and
just held Kyle. The enforcer’s hands smoothed over his back, his against Kyle’s temple, giving him
the  comfort  cheek  rubbing  his  strung-out  system  needed.  Kyle  knew  if  he’d  been  able  to  claim  his
mate, been able to assure himself that Vee was his, as his wolf needed, he wouldn’t be here seeking
comfort  from  another,  but  Vee  had  been  injured.  His  mate,  his  charge,  the  one  he  should  keep  safe
above all others, had been hurt on his watch. Another shudder passed through him.
“Hey,” Manon crooned.“Your Vee is strong. He lives up to his name. Valiant… Oui?” Manon gripped
Kyle’s  head  in  both  hands,  forcing  him  to  draw  away  and  stare  into  the  more  dominant  wolf’s
eyes.“He  will  get  well,  and  you  will  fuck  like  bunnies.”  He  smirked.  “You  will  drive  us  unmated
shifters nuts with your happiness, non? And we will be happy for you.”
Kyle  stared  into  the  other  wolf’s  eyes,  reading  the  calm  certainty  there.  He  felt  his  wolf  relax,
accepting his superior’s words as fact.“Aye,” he whispered, suddenly able to breathe easier.“Aye.”
Swallowing,  he  realized  how  this  would  look  to  anyone  who  might  see  them,  and  carefully  eased
away from his enforcer. Manon let him go.“You are better now?”
Nodding, Kyle licked his lips, shut his eyes, and inhaled deeply through the nose and let it out through
his mouth. He smiled.“I’m okay. Thank you,” he said, opening his eyes.
His enforcer’s eyes narrowed and his gaze flickered over him as if assessing.
Kyle grinned, then a thought hit him and so asked,“What happened to Brice?”
Manon shook his head.“Brice? Did you hit your head, mon ami?”
“No,”  Kyle  answered,  waving  away  Manon’s  concern.“Brice  is  Vee’s  best  friend.  He  works  with

him. He was the skinny guy with blond hair dyed with red streaks. He was on the porch at the alpha’s
house. I never caught his scent in the mountains.”
“Relax. I’ll look into it.” Manon grabbed his arm.“Now, come on, mon ami. Since you’re in control
again, I’ll get you in to see your mate.”
“Thank you,” Kyle replied. At Manon’s absent nod, he grabbed the man’s shoulder and pulled him to
a stop.“I mean it. For everything.”
Smirking, Manon’s eyes twinkled with mischief.“My maman was a seer, mon ami. She say my mate
lead me on a merry chase. I’ll call in my favor to you when that happens, oui?”
Chuckling, Kyle nodded.“Aye. I’ll be there.”
Manon nodded again, then started moving. It occurred to Kyle that the more he learned about the
Cajun wolf, the more questions he had, but now wasn’t the time to voice them.

Somehow, Manon charmed information out of the nurses. It seemed no woman was immune to his

roguish smile, Cajun syntax, and outlandish flirting. They revealed where Vee was being kept, how
long he’d have to stay, and confirmed that Kyle was added to the guest list. Manon even managed to
get a male doctor to reveal that the only reason Vee was still asleep was because they gave him some
meds to keep him unconscious for a bit after the surgery they’d had to do to fix his leg.

Kyle sat by the bed. The fingers of his right hand, twined with Vee’s left hand and he absently

drew circles on Vee’s palm with his thumb. He lounged in the uncomfortable hospital chair, his feet
propped up on the edge of Vee’s bed.

He ’d tried to doze, but he could feel his wolf pacing in his mind, so he gave it up. His beast

wouldn’t settle until his mate woke and he could know his sweet Valiant mate would be okay.

The first hint of change was from the monitor. Most wouldn ’t notice, or pay attention to the

increase of Vee’s heart rate by two beats per minute. Kyle turned his head from where it rested on the
back of the chair and watched his mate’s eyelids and lips. The eyes behind the lids moved, the
breathing became slightly irregular, and Vee’s mouth opened just a smidge.

Kyle sat up slowly and leaned close. He gave Vee ’s hand a soft squeeze.“Come on, my Valiant

one,” he crooned into Vee’s ear. “Come back to me. I need you.”

Vee turned his head toward the sound and moaned softly. Smiling, taking that as a good sign, Kyle

brushed a gentle kiss to his mate’s temple and tried again.“The doctors put the most God-awful cast
on your leg, babe. You really need to complain.” “That’s not funny,” Vee whispered hoarsely.
Kyle  chuckled.“Gotcha  awake,  though,  didn’t  it?”  he  teased.  After  pressing  another  kiss  to  Vee’s
temple, he let out a contented sigh. His mate was awake. Everything would be okay. “My Valiant,” he
crooned.“I’ve been so worried about you.”
“How’d you find out?”
It took him a second to figure out what Vee referred to, then he smiled.“A friend has connections. I
have  no  idea  what  those  connections  are,  but  he  told  me  your  real  name.  I’ll  take  you  to  meet  him
when you’re ready,” he promised.“Let me call the doctor.”
Before he could slip away, the grip on his hand tightened. Kyle looked back and waited.  Gods,  I’d
wait forever for him.“Yeah, baby?”
“Brice?”
Kyle  let  out  a  breath.  He  knew  that  would  be  one  of  his  mate’s  first  concerns.  He  has  such  a  big,
beautiful heart. He licked his lips, pleased when Vee followed the movement, but knew he couldn’t
get  out  of  this  one.“He’s  still  with  the  Mayfield  pack,  Vee.”  He  saw  his  mate  pale  visibly  and  the
monitor  began  to  speed  up.“Shh,  easy,”  he  whispered.“Manon  and  I  are  working  on  it.  We  won’t
leave  your  friend  there  unless  it’s  his  choice.  A  pack  can’t  keep  a  human  against  their  will,”  he

assured.
Vee  took  a  deep  breath  and  nodded.  His  eyes  said  it  all,  begging  Kyle  to  help  his  friend.  He
swallowed. “I’ll be right back. Promise.”
He slipped from the room, praying Manon would be back soon with good news. He let the nurse at
the hall desk know Vee had woken and hurried back to the room. Vee was waiting where he’d left
him,  and  he  let  out  a  breath  he  hadn’t  realized  he’d  been  holding.  Why  he  thought  his  mate  would
disappear, he didn’t know, but there it was.
He dropped into his seat and took Vee’s hand. A nurse appeared a few seconds behind him, stalling
the  questions  he  saw  in  his  mate’s  eyes.  Kyle  smiled,  assuring  him  without  words  that  everything
would be okay.
Watching the interaction between the nurse and his mate, Kyle tuned out the words. He didn’t want to
hear again about the surgery done to correct Vee’s leg bone placement.
He  thought  about  how  shocked  they’d  all  been,  Raul  included,  who’d  already  been  released  with  a
number of stitches on his chest and shoulder, but no serious injuries, when they’d learned that Alpha
Andy  still  had  Brice.  None  of  them  could  even  hazard  a  guess  as  to  why  the  human  was  still  with
them. Still…he feared the worst—leverage, blackmail?
The  touch  of  Vee’s  hand  on  his  brought  Kyle  back  to  the  present.  He  glanced  up,  noticed  the  nurse
was gone, then smiled at his mate.“How are you feeling?” he asked.
Vee  frowned.“A  little  confused.  I  don’t  remember  much  after  Raul  gave  me  that  pill.  What  was  it,
anyway?”
Did that mean his mate didn’t remember accepting his wolf? Shit!“I don’t know. He won’t say,” Kyle
admitted.“Something some of our doctors back home cooked up for shifters. A painkiller.”
“Well, I never want to take it again,” Vee grumbled.“How long have I been out?”
“We  brought  you  in  late  last  night.  They  did  surgery,  then  kept  you  out  for  a  few  hours  to  wait  and
gauge swelling. It’s nearly supper time now,” Kyle admitted. He threaded his fingers with Vee’s and
lifted his hand to his lips, kissing the back gently.
“Did you really…” Vee paused, his brows scrunching.
Kyle  had  the  funny  feeling  that  Vee  was  searching  his  foggy  memories.  He  kissed  his  mate’s  hand
again.“What is it?” he prodded gently.
Vee lowered his voice and murmured,“Did you really crawl into my lap as a, uh, a wolf?”
Ah,  so  he  does  remember.  Good.   Kyle  lifted  one  corner  of  his  mouth  and  he  nodded.“I  did,  Vee.  I
feared for you, and as a wolf, licking, rubbing, and nuzzling is how I express that. I—I hope I didn’t
scare you.” He waited with bated breath as Vee inspected their joined hands.
“At first, it terrified me,” Vee admitted. He lifted his head and met Kyle’s eyes.“But then I touched
you, and looked into your eyes, and I knew. I knew you’d never hurt me, no matter what form you’re
in,” he whispered.“Does that sound stupid?”
Kyle  smiled,  relief  flooding  him,  filling  him  with  hope.“No,  my  sweet  Valiant  one.”  He  leaned
forward and pressed a kiss to his mate’s lips—just a soft meeting of lips that meant so much to him.
When he pulled away, Vee leaned forward, chasing for more contact. He cupped his mate’s jaw with
his free hand and while staring into the beautiful eyes he loved so much, he whispered, “Not stupid at
all.”
Then Kyle’s lips were on Vee’s again. Not soft anymore, he pressed his tongue to the seam of Vee’s
mouth, forcing entry, needing to taste his mate. He swept his tongue inside, searching for the sweet,
wet heat he craved more than air as he mapped his human’s mouth with possessive intent.
“Ten bucks says Kyle will take him in the hospital,” said a dry voice Kyle recognized as Jared’s.

Manon responded. “No, no. He’s too concerned with his welfare, mon ami.”
“Yeah, but they’re not completely mated yet. Doesn’t that drive you guys nuts?” Raul asked.
If his friends’ voices hadn’t intruded into Kyle’s passionate haze, he probably would have taken his
mate  right  then.  He  desperately  wanted  to  touch  his  mate,  feel  his  toned  arms  and  legs  around  him,
slide his cock into his tight channel—without the condoms this time. That meant talking, explaining.
Kyle groaned, his hard dick twitching, but he eased the kiss to an end. He rested his forehead against
his  mate’s  and  stared  into  his  eyes.  He  saw  the  same  lust  clouded  expression  that  was  probably
stamped across his own face. After pressing a much gentler kiss to Vee’s swollen lips, he eased away
and looked at their uninvited audience. Manon stood with arms crossed and relief stamped over his
features. After Kyle’s near breakdown in the storage room, he understood the enforcer’s concern. A
still pale Raul leaned against a wall, smiling wanly at them. And Jared smirked, hands on his hips,
one brow lifted.
Jared? Oh, shit. They were bringing in the big guns when it came to extraction, which didn’t bode
well for Brice’s situation.
“I guess this means there’s an issue with removing Brice from the Mayfield pack?” Kyle directed his
question to Manon.
Vee interrupted.“Brice? What about Brice?”
Kyle could hear the panic and scent the fear in Vee’s voice and body. He gently urged Vee over a bit,
then sat on the bed with him, cuddling him close. “I told you, he was still with the other shifters,” he
started.“I knew you’d want to know about him, so I asked my pack-mates to look into what’s going
on,  why  they’re  keeping  him,  how  to  get  him  freed.”  He  searched  Vee’s  worried  face  and  smiled
gently.“I know Brice is your best friend. We won’t let him be held against his will,” he promised.
“Yeah, okay,” Vee whispered, leaning into him.
Holding his mate close, Kyle couldn’t imagine how hard this was for Vee. In a matter of twenty-four
hours, his entire life had been turned upside-down. He’d been kidnapped, learned shifters were real,
and discovered his lover could turn into a wolf. All in all, Kyle thought his Vee was holding up pretty
well.  Just  as  Manon  had  said,  Valiant  was  living  up  to  his  name. And  with  a  name  like  that,  Kyle
could also understand why he’d rather go by a nickname. Kids could be brutal with their taunts.
Kyle looked between Manon and Jared. “What are we up against?”
“It looks like Brice is being held in a bedroom at the pack house,” Manon started.
Raul cut in with,“Which, of course, is in the middle of their damn territory.”
“At least you’ve been there before,” Jared pointed out.
“Wow, Jared the voice of optimism,” Kyle whispered.
That had the human grinning, although the look appeared more devilish than amused to Kyle.“Hey, I’m
always optimistic.” He winked at Raul, who snorted. Manon rolled his eyes at their antics. “I even
have a plan,” Jared stated smugly.
“Already? You work fast, mon ami,” Manon said, obviously impressed.
Jared chuckled.“I’m the mate of the first enforcer. Gotta keep up with him, somehow.” Jared turned
his  cool  gaze  to  Vee  and  stepped  forward.“Hey  there,  Valiant.  I’m  Jared.  I’m  human,  and  I’m  the
badass who’s going to free your friend.”
Vee hesitantly took Jared’s offered hand.“Thanks, call me Vee.”
“Sure, Val,” Jared quipped back.
Kyle knew Jared did it just to distract Vee, but it still had a growl rumbling through his chest. Jared
laughed.“Okay, Vee, your friend knows about shifters, right?”
Licking his lips, Vee nodded.“Yeah. Guy changed in front of us. He—” Vee shuddered.“He and the

alpha  don’t  like  gays.  He,  uh,  wasn’t  very  nice  while  a  wolf.”  Vee  paled.“I  hope  he’s  okay,”  he
whispered.
He looked up at Kyle, searching for reassurance. Squeezing Vee close against his side, Kyle did the
best he could. He nuzzled his neck and whispered reassurances. After Vee’s trembling ceased, Kyle
looked over at Jared.
To  the  human’s  credit,  he  leaned  against  a  wall,  waiting  patiently,  keeping  any  snarky  comments  to
himself.  Jared  surprised  Kyle  even  further  by  leaning  close  to  Vee  and  offering,“I  told  you  I  had  a
plan, Vee. We’ll get your friend out.”
Vee took a deep breath and nodded. Forcing a smile at the group of men, a faint blush worked up his
cheeks.“Sorry.”
“You’ve been through a lot, mon frère. Just relax. We’ll take care of everything,” Manon assured.
Kyle  figured  his  enforcer  called  Vee  his  brother  to  subtly  insinuate  to  the  human  that  he  was  now
family.  He  appreciated  Manon’s  support.  Squeezing  Vee’s  hand,  Kyle  offered  his  mate  more
encouragement.
Nodding, Vee put on a brave face and asked,“So?”
Jared’s  eyes  narrowed  and  he  leaned  against  the  wall  again.“I  suppose  we  can  assume  that  your
friend will not willingly go with strangers.”
Vee nodded.
“And what about Kyle? Would he go with Kyle?” Jared pressed.
“Maybe,” Vee replied softly, clearly uncertain.
Kyle growled low.“I don’t want to leave Vee.”
“You don’t have a choice, Kyle,” Manon stated.“Jared can get you in, but you’re the only one who’s
met  Brice. You’re  the  best  chance  we  have  to  get  him  out  of  there  quietly.”  Then  Manon  glared  at
Jared.“Quietly,” he growled.
“Ah, spoil my fun,” Jared bemoaned, though he was grinning.
Vee  looked  between  the  two  men,  obviously  confused  by  the  exchange.  Kyle  leaned  close  and
whispered.“Jared likes to make things explode.”
“Oh.”
Just  then  a  nurse  strode  into  the  room  and  stopped.  She  stared  around  at  all  the  men  and
frowned.“Only two can visit at a time,” she snapped.“Two of you must leave.”
Kyle  could  see  his  mate  fading  fast,  the  need  for  sleep  clouding  his  eyes.  He  nodded  at  the  nurse.
“We’ll be gone in just a moment.”
It was probably the flirty look she got from Manon rather than his words, but at least she left.“Okay.
But I’ll be watching the door,” she warned.
Turning to his mate, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to Vee’s head.
“You’re leaving me?” Vee whispered, his breath catching.
“Just  for  a  little  while.  Manon  and  Raul  will  stay  with  you. You  won’t  be  alone  for  a  minute,”  he
promised. When he thought Vee might argue, he murmured,“I’ve got to help your friend, cutie. It’s my
fault he’s stuck in this mess.”
Vee  crossed  his  arms  over  his  chest  and  huffed.“We  discussed  this  on  the  mountain.  It’s  not  your
fault. It’s those stupid, homophobic assholes’ fault.”
“I’m glad you remember that,” Kyle replied, truly pleased that Vee’s memory was returning, if only in
pieces.“I’ll be back soon.”
Settling his lips over Vee’s, he traced the seam of the man’s mouth with his tongue. Vee opened for
him, and Kyle couldn’t resist the allure of tasting his mate. He began to pull away, but suddenly Vee’s

hand was in his hair, tugging the strands, holding him close. Vee’s tongue dueled with his own in an
erotic dance, matching him thrust for thrust. His mate mewled, the scent of his need tickling Kyle’s
nostrils. He shuddered, groaning, wanting nothing more than to give in and take what his mate seemed
to be offering, but now was neither the time nor the place, and his mate truly needed rest. He had a
long road to recovery ahead.
With great effort, Kyle pulled back, bringing the kiss to an end. “I want you, Vee,” he whispered
throatily.“And when you get out of here, I’m going to take you back to Colorado with me,” he vowed,
searching Vee’s eyes for resistance.
“Okay.”
Kyle grinned, his wolf mentally howling at his mate’s words. It would probably be a while before he
could actually claim the man properly, but at least Vee would be near. First, he had work to do. He
gave Vee one more toe curling kiss before easing off the bed. He turned to Manon and Raul.
“Bon chance, mon ami,” Manon offered.
Raul on the other hand, stated,“He won’t be left alone.”
“Thank you,” he answered, then after one more look at his mate, pale, bruised and battered, but still
with him, Kyle strode from the room.

“Y

ou’re shitting me. There’s no way in hell that’s happening!” Kyle growled.

Jared rolled his eyes. “Do you think I like it any better? It’s the only way.”

Kyle  strode  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  hotel  room  and  slammed  the  flat  of  his  hand  against  the
wall.“Fuck!” When Jared had told him that he had a way to change his scent, make Kyle smell like the
forest as opposed to the wolf he was, his biggest concern was whether it could be washed off.
“Come  on.  Shift.  Let’s  get  this  done,”  Jared  ordered  brusquely,  clearly  just  as  uncomfortable  as  he
was.
“Fine,” he snapped, yanking his shirt over his head. He proceeded to undress, then shift. As a wolf, he
trotted into the bathroom and jumped into the tub. At least the six inches of water lining the bottom
was warm.
A pained look on his face, Jared joined him. He turned on the water and used a bucket to soak Kyle’s
fur. When he opened the shampoo, Kyle sniffed. It wasn’t so bad. It smelled like moss and trees, and
pine. All natural, pleasant scents. It was the fact that Jared insisted the only way to make it stick to
Kyle as a wolf was to wash him with the shampoo in his shifted form that completely rankled him.
In retribution, halfway through washing the soap out, Kyle gave himself a good shake, soaking Jared
with soapy water and suds.
“Argh, damn it, Kyle,” Jared roared, leaping to his feet.
Kyle sat in the tub and gave the human a canine grin.
Jared  let  out  a  breath  and  snorted.“You  know  I  didn’t  need  help  washing  with  the  stuff.  Only  you
did.”  He  splashed  water  toward  Kyle,  who  turned  his  head  to  keep  it  out  of  his  eyes.“Come  on,”
Jared grumbled.“Let’s get this done so we can go rescue your mate’s friend.”

Back in human form, and in Kyle ’s opinion, stinking up to high heaven, he and Jared hiked

through the forest. Jared assured him that Kyle didn’t smell any stronger than the trees and moss
around him, but Kyle wasn’t so certain. He kept his ears open because with the scent of the soap in
his nostrils, he could smell little else.

They heard animals on occasion and steered around them, uncertain what they were without

Kyle’s sense of smell. Due to the constant course changes, it took them far longer to reach the clearing
that the lodge was in than they’d anticipated, but at least they hadn’t been spotted. Though Jared
carried a semi-automatic over his shoulder, Kyle prayed they wouldn’t need it. He could only
imagine what kind of issues that would cause with the Shifter Council.

“ They’re definitely sure of themselves,” Kyle muttered, after sweeping his gaze over the clearing

had showed no sentries.“If I were holding a prisoner, I’d have guards.”

“ It’s very unlikely they thought we’d try anything this ballsy,” Jared replied with a wink.“Let’s

go bust him out.” He grinned and held up a dart gun with a silencer.“Just in case there are sentries
inside.”

Kyle nodded and took the offered weapon. Jared pulled out an identical piece. With one more

quick look around, and using the sporadic trees in the shallow clearing, they made their way to the
rear door. With Kyle watching their backs, Jared peeked in the window.

“ Shit,” he muttered under his breath.

“What?”
“There’s a pregnant woman eating cookies and milk at the table.
Reading a book. She doesn’t look like she’s going anywhere any time soon,” Jared whispered.

“ Damn. If she’s pregnant, we can’t tranq her. There’s no telling what it could due to the baby.”

Jared scowled and hissed,“Hence the fucking cussing.”
Muffled  voices  could  be  heard  from  inside,  and  both  men  peered  through  the  window.  Kyle
recognized Sean. He was talking to the blonde woman, then helping her to her feet. The lady seemed
unsteady, even in a little pain. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she doubled over and wailed.
Sean gripped her arms and started yelling.“Andy. Sara’s water broke! Andy!”
“Fucking hell,” Jared hissed.“Let’s go.”
Jared sprinted toward the nearest copse of trees, and Kyle quickly followed. They rolled under the
low hanging branches, maneuvering on their bellies so they could watch the house from the shadows.
Lights flicked on in the house and they could hear shouting. Several women and a couple men poured
from the home, helping the pregnant woman to an SUV. They all piled in and the vehicle tore down
the driveway.
Kyle and Jared returned their gaze to the house.“Um, yeah. They left the front door wide open,” Kyle
commented.
“Let’s give them thirty minutes, then we’ll head in,” Jared whispered back.
So  they  waited—and  nothing  happened.  The  door  remained  open,  lights  poured  from  every
downstairs window, and an eerie stillness fell over the place.
“Well, let’s go, then,” Jared said. The human’s tone revealed his disbelief at the odd turn of events.
He rolled out from under the tree and Kyle did the same. Guns tucked against their side, they strolled
to the front door, trying to appear relaxed if anyone was inside watching. They walked into a foyer.
The standard hardwood floors were present. To the left was a living room with several couches, a
fireplace, modern décor and a large flat screen TV, and to the right was a dining room. They knew
beyond that was the kitchen where they’d watched the woman go into labor.
They  headed  deeper,  creeping  stealthily.  Once  again,  they  fell  into  the  routine  of  Kyle  watching
Jared’s back as the human opened doors and checked the bedrooms. Finally, they came to a locked
door.
“Either they have a really big gun safe, or we’ve hit the jackpot,” Jared quipped as he pulled out a
couple wires.
Kyle stifled a snort and kept an eye out while watching the man work. Seconds later, the lock clicked.
Jared  rose  to  his  feet  and  opened  the  door.  The  human  eased  into  the  room,  tranq  gun  at  the  ready.
“Hello, Brice. Are you ready to go?” he greeted the occupant of the room.
Shaking his head, Kyle moved toward the door as he heard a fearful man say,“Who are you? Where’s
Vee? What have you done with Vee?”
Brice’s rising tone made Kyle cringe, and he pushed past Jared. “Shit, Brice. Keep it down.”
“Kyle?” Brice looked between them, his mouth doing a fish impression.
“This is Jared,” Kyle said quickly, trying to soothe the clearly traumatized man.“Vee is safe. He’s at
the hospital. We’re here to take you to him.”
He knew it was a mistake as soon as the words were out of his mouth.
“The hospital! What happened to him? What did you do to him? This is all your fault!” Brice leaped
to his feet and pressed his back into the corner, shaking his head wildly. His eyes dilated so large, his
pupils were almost gone.“I don’t want to go anywhere with any wolf men,” he whispered.
The soft hiss of a silenced gun going off caught Kyle’s attention. A dart hit Brice’s leg and the human
let out a startled squeak. Kyle leaped forward and caught Vee’s friend as he fell. Lifting him into his
arms, he turned back and raised a brow in question.
Jared shrugged.“He wouldn’t shut up. It’s easier this way.” He turned toward the door.“Let’s go.”

Kyle had to admit, this was definitely easier, and quieter. He followed Jared back through the silent
house and into the night.

* * * * Vee swam to wakefulness. Cracking an eye, he heaved a dejected sigh when there was still

no sign of Kyle. Raul smirked at him, evidently guessing what he was thinking.

The redhead reached over and patted his good hand. “He’ll be along soon.”

Frowning, Vee reached for the button to adjust his bed.“I hope so. I really want to get out of here,” he
admitted.
“Even if he was here, you couldn’t go anywhere, mon frère,” Manon told him from where he sat
under the window.
He reached for the water on the stand next to the bed and took a sip. Once he didn’t feel like he was
talking around sand paper, he asked,“Why do you call me that? Mon frère?”
“You are family now, no?” Manon shrugged.“Well, once Kyle claims you proper,” he added with a
wink.“You will be pack brother.”
Licking his lips, Vee fought back a blush.“What, uh, what exactly does that entail? This claiming…”
He waved his good hand in the air.“…thing.”
“He bites you during sex,” Raul stated bluntly.
“What?” Then he remembered Kyle pinning him to the bathroom wall and sinking his teeth into his
shoulder. It had triggered the most intense orgasm of his life. He knew he was fighting a losing battle
against the blush working up his neck and face. “H

—

he already did that,” he stuttered out, completely

embarrassed.
Raul looked at Manon, obviously looking for clarification.
Manon smiled.“There is a bit more to it than that.” He cocked his head and grimaced. Meeting Vee’s
gaze, he said,“Your mate must spill in you while biting you. Mark you, inside and out.”
“Oh,” Vee paled. “You mean—You mean he wants to go bareback?” He shook his head.“We just met.
I don’t know if I’m ready for that.”
The other two men exchanged a look, and Vee wondered if he was missing something.
“Did Kyle explain anything about mating with a shifter to you?” Raul asked.
Vee  shook  his  head.“No.  We  were  still  getting  to  know  each  other  when  I  got  kidnapped.”  He
blushed,  knowing  how  that  sounded.  They’d  fucked,  several  times,  but  still  knew  very  little  about
each other. Did that make him a slut?
Manon  smiled.“Mates  have  a  hard  time  keeping  their  hands  off  one  another,  especially  before  the
more dominant one claims the other,” Manon said.“It is no surprise that you did little actual talking.”
“Look,” Raul added, drawing Vee’s attention.“Shifters get one mate, chosen by Fate. They consider it
a gift from their gods when they are able to find that person, and will do everything they can to claim
them and keep them happy.”
“Oh,” Vee whispered.“So, Fate picked me for Kyle and he didn’t have a say?”
“Why do humans always focus on that?” Manan grumbled.
Vee frowned.“Well, we like to think we have this thing called free will,” he snapped.
“Whoa,  whoa.”  Raul  held  up  his  hands  in  a  placating  gesture.  “It’s  true  the  initial  attraction  is
orchestrated by Fate. Kyle told us a little about how he met you. Come on. Be honest,” he continued.
“If you hadn’t had that extra push provided by Fate, do you really think you would have done anything
when Kyle came on to you?”
Thinking over his normally reticent nature, Vee shook his head. “I suppose not.”
“Okay,” Raul said, waving a hand.“That’s what Fate does. Your hormones overrule your brain a bit
and you get the go ahead to see where a relationship would go with that person. Don’t get me wrong,”

he said, tucking his hands in his pockets to still them, “The relationship is still work. Fate may say,
this one can be the perfect one for you, but both people still have to work hard not to fuck it up.”
Vee nodded.“Okay. I can see that.”
“Once  a  shifter  finds  and  claims  his  mate,  he  will  never  stray,”  Manon  stated  bluntly.“He  actually
cannot. His body will respond only to his mate.”
“Oh!” Well, that took the guesswork out, didn’t it?“So there’s no chance of a shifter mate cheating?
That’s—Um.”
The redhead chuckled.“It’s okay. You can say it. That fucking rocks.” His grin turned into a pointed
look.“Just  remember,  that  also  means  he’s  incredibly  possessive.  If  you ever  tried  to  stray,  Kyle
would hunt down who he thought you were with and kill him.”
His jaw dropped. Not that he would ever do such a thing to the man he loved—Oh, shit, do I love
him already? The idea of Kyle going to those extremes was heady and scary all at the same time.
Before he could think up a response, the man in question burst through the door. He fixed a worried
gaze on Vee and stated,“We need to get you out of here.”
Manon  was  out  of  his  seat  instantly  and  headed  toward  Kyle.  “What’s  wrong?”  he  asked  as  he
brushed by him and looked up and down the hallway.
“It was the damndest thing,” Kyle replied. He strode to Vee’s side and gave him an all too brief kiss.
As  he  helped  Raul  disconnect  the  heart  monitor  and  IV,  he  continued,“When  we  arrived  at  the
wolves’ compound, it was just in time to see some woman named Sara go into labor. Everyone left
with her.”
“Did you find Brice?” Vee interjected.
“We did. He’s pretty shook up,” Kyle replied, helping Vee to a sitting position on the edge of the bed
and handing him a pair of cut off sweats that could fit over his green cast.“That’s one of the reasons
we  need  you  out  of  here.  He  became  pretty  hysterical  and  we  had  to  sedate  him.  Jared  is  watching
over him at the hotel,” he admitted.
Sweat beaded on Vee’s forehead, and he could feel lightheadedness over taking him as he struggled
to  pull  the  shirt  over  his  head.  He  bit  his  lip  in  response  to  the  intensified  ache  when  Kyle
maneuvered the sweat shorts up his legs.“The other reason is that I saw one of the wolves. This is the
hospital they brought the woman to.”
“Merde,” Manon cursed.“Any idea what floor dey on?”
“None. I saw a man I thought I’d seen before get off an elevator and then the box smelled like shifter,”
Kyle admitted.
“Here we go,” Raul called, sweeping back into the room pushing a wheel chair.“We need to get out
of here quick before the nurse noticed I swiped this.”
Kyle  tried  to  be  gentle,  but  it  still  sent  stabs  of  pain  through  Vee’s  broken  leg  when  he  transferred
from the bed to the chair. “I’m sorry, Vee,” Kyle whispered, obviously seeing the pinch of his lips.
Breathing heavy, his eyes closed, Vee shook his head.“Not your fault. I don’t want to be here anyway.
Take me home, Kyle.”
His  shifter  sucked  in  a  breath,  and  Vee  snapped  his  eyes  open.  His  gaze  rose  to  see  a  pained
expression on Kyle’s face. He didn’t understand it until the man leaned down and said,“I don’t think I
can do that, Vee. If I—If I take you home, they could come for you again.”
Vee smiled up at Kyle, letting him see all the affection he felt for him.“Then it’s a good thing I meant
your home.”
A strangled sound escaped Kyle, then the man’s lips were on Vee’s. He delved deep, and Vee opened
wide for him, loving the desperate affection he could feel through the contact. He moaned happily and

Chapter Ten

n one crutch, Vee maneuvered carefully from the bathroom to the living room. He let out a sigh as

he settled onto the couch. Brice handed him a cup of tea, and he took it gratefully. His friend perched
on the edge of the chair, looking like he was ready to pop back up again at the slightest provocation—
and he probably was.

They ’d been staying at Kyle’s small, two-bedroom cottage for the last few days. The first day,

Vee had woken in the night to Brice’s shouts and whimpers. Vee had slept in the rocking chair by his
friend’s bed for the rest of the night, his leg propped on the mattress. In the morning, Kyle had not
been pleased. He’d just about gone ballistic to find his mate in the bedroom of another. It was only
the fact that increasing the terror Brice felt would make things worse that had kept Kyle from losing
his temper completely.

After discussing the situation, they decided Brice needed a little time to adjust. Kyle had

reluctantly agreed to leave on a truck run. They both hoped it would give Brice the room he seemed to
need to settle in and calm down, accept the changes that they’d experienced in their lives.

Raul and Jared dropped by several times a day. Manon stayed away, for obvious reasons, and

they had yet to meet the mysterious Carson, Jared’s mate. In fact, the only other shifter Vee had met
was Doctor Ailean Carmichael, and that was to check on his leg after the unexpected escape from the
hospital.

Any time now, they expected Shane Alvaro, the pack beta, to arrive at their door. Vee let out a

long sigh and settled into the cushions. Over the rim of his cup, he watched his best friend worry his
bottom lip.

“ Brice, how are you doing?” he asked gently, already knowing the answer. The dark circles

under his eyes told it all. His poor friend wasn’t sleeping.

The other man let out a shuddering breath and turned sad eyes toward Vee.“I’ll be okay,” he

whispered.“This is just—I never even imagined any of these—” Brice’s hand fluttered between them
as if that said it all.

Vee nodded, uncertain what else he could say. His friend was still in a state of shock. He’d

already explained that shifters were just like humans. There were good ones and bad ones, nice ones
and assholes. Too bad, they’d had to face down the assholes first thing.

The doorbell rang, making Brice leap to his feet. At first, Vee thought his friend was going to run

to his room, forcing him to struggle to his feet and answer the door. Then the slender man took a deep
fortifying breath and went to the door.

“ Who is it?” he asked through the wood, since Kyle’s home didn’t have a peep hole.

“Shane Alvaro. Open the door, Brice,” the deep soothing voice ordered.
Brice  hesitated  only  a  second,  then  reached  for  the  latch  and  opened  the  door.  He  backed  away
quickly, letting the speaker push the door open while he scurried to Vee’s side, sitting next to him on
the couch.
Two  men  walked  into  the  room.  The  first  was  a  tall,  solidly  built  man  with  auburn  hair  and  light
brown,  watchful  eyes.  He  smiled  at  Vee,  waving  a  hand,  effectively  ordering  Vee  to  cease  his
struggle to gain his feet.
“Relax, Vee,” the man said. Vee recognized him as the one who’d spoken from the other side of the
door. Shane, the beta.“It’s only been a few days. You must still be in quite a bit of pain. Ailean tells
me you refuse anything but over the counter pain killers.”

Vee smiled, impressed the man actually seemed concerned. At least, he’d taken the time to find out
what was going on with him, but maybe that was just because Kyle wanted to claim him as his mate,
which still hadn’t happened, much to Vee’s annoyance.
“I don’t like taking medication,” he admitted. He lifted his arms, indicating his slender body.“I’m a
light weight, as you can see, so they really make me loopy. I don’t like feeling that way.”
Shane  nodded.  “Understandable.  I  do  hope  you  feel  better  soon.”  He  scented  the  air  and  then  gave
Vee a sly look.“Kyle is expected home this evening. You should ask him about how he can speed up
your healing. I think you’ll find the answer interesting.”
That had Vee’s brows shooting up. “He can speed up my healing? The doctor said I’d be in the cast
for weeks. I’d love for it to be less.”
“He can indeed shorten it, probably cut it in half,” Shane revealed.“Tell Kyle I mentioned it to you.
He will explain.”
He  tucked  that  little  nugget  of  information  away.  Why  hadn’t  Kyle  said  something  earlier?  Was  it
because everyone was tiptoeing around Brice?
“And you must be Brice,” Shane said.“I understand you’ve had a hard time of it, as well.”
Brice shrugged, not looking at the men.
Shane seemed to accept that as Brice’s answer, and Vee wondered if his friend would be able to find
his voice at all while in the same room as the shifters.
“Can we get you anything to drink?” Brice whispered, surprising everyone.
“I’d love a cup of tea, if you have it,” the second man answered.
“Ah, yes. Forgive me,” Shane said quickly.“This is Doctor Gordon Digby—and I’d like a beer, if you
don’t mind me drinking in front of you, Vee?”
“Oh,  not  at  all,”  he  answered.“I  plan  to  get  completely  smashed  as  soon  as  I  don’t  have  to  take
ibuprofen to move,” he said with a grin.
Both shifters laughed, and even Brice snickered before he slipped from the room to get the requested
beverages. Shane turned back to Vee.“Do you intend to stay after you heal?”
Vee  nodded.“There’s  nothing  there  for  me  now,  and  I’m  not  even  safe  in  my  own  town,”  he  said
ruefully.“Besides, Kyle is here, and I—Well, I really care about him, so—” He smiled.“I want to be
his mate.”
The doctor smiled.“Well said.”
“So, are you here to check up on me?”
“No, I’m here to check on your friend,” he replied.“I’m not that  kind  of  doctor,”  he  added  with  an
understanding look.“I’m a psychiatrist.”
“Ah,” Vee murmured.“Thank you for coming. Are you—” He paused uncertain how to word it, since
the guy really didn’t look like a wolf shifter. He had long, steel gray hair and was, well, a bit over
weight. Was it even okay to ask that kind of thing? Vee decided to try anyway.“Are you—”
Gordon chuckled.“Yes, and no.”
“Here’s your tea,” Brice stated, striding back into the room. He handed the cup to Gordon who took it
gratefully and sipped it appreciatively. Shane took his beer and Brice scurried back to the other side
of the room near Vee.
Vee  drank  more  of  his  tea,  hiding  his  sigh.  After  swallowing,  he  reached  up  and  took  Brice’s
hand.“Please sit,” he urged.
Brice did.“What’s up?”
“You  know,  neither  of  you  can  say  anything  about  shifters  to  anyone,  right?”  Shane  asked,  his  tone
solemn.

“Of  course,”  Vee  replied.“What  kind  of  question  is  that?  Can  you  imagine  the  persecution?  The
government  would  probably  want  to  do  experiments  on  you  and  stuff!”  He  cringed  and  shuddered,
then grimaced as pain shot through his leg.
“Are you okay?” Brice asked quickly.
Vee let out a sigh and nodded.“Yeah. Just gotta remember not to do that,” he said ruefully.
Brice looked at the other two men and said, “I won’t say anything either. Besides, who would believe
us? We’d end up in the loony bin or something.”
Vee  couldn’t  help  cringing  at  the  bitterness  in  his  friend’s  voice.  He  reached  out  and  patted  his
leg.“Hey, it’s okay. We’re okay now. We’re among friends.”
“And we have no intention of letting the Mayfield pack get away with their actions,” Shane said, his
tone turning hard.“We have a Shifter Council,” he told them.“We don’t have to utilize their services
often, but this is exactly the situation they’re needed for. Gordon here is a psychiatrist. He is a shifter,
though not a wolf. We’re hoping you’ll be willing to tell him your experiences in confidence. Then he
can report the pack’s crimes to the council,” he explained.
Brice swallowed hard and turned to look at Vee.“Vee?” he whispered.
Nodding, Vee held his friend’s worried gaze and said,“I’d be willing, and I think it would help you
get past what we went through.”
A  tear  slipped  down  Brice’s  cheek.  He  brushed  it  away  roughly  and  turned  to  the  waiting
shifters.“Yeah. I think that would help me, knowing they didn’t get away with kidnapping us, locking
us up, and scaring us.”
Shane and Gordon exchanged a look.
“Good,” Shane said. “That’s good. I’ll leave you both in Gordon’s capable hands then.” He rose and
held  out  a  hand  to  each  of  them,  a  smile  curving  his  lips.“Welcome  to  the  pack.  Both  of  you.  We
protect our own.”
“Me, too?” Brice whispered.“But I’m not mating with one of your—your kind.”
The beta cocked his head, his smile turning kind. “You’re extended family, Brice.”
Once the beta left, Gordon shoved to his feet and smiled at them.“Well, I’d like to talk to you one at a
time, if that’s okay with you.” He directed the words at Brice, knowing his opinion was the one that
mattered.
Brice  nodded  and  stood.  He  glanced  down  at  Vee,  shifting  from  foot  to  foot,  uncertainly.“Are  you
going to be okay for a bit?”
Vee  nodded,  setting  down  his  now  empty  tea  cup.“Yup.  I’m  just  gonna  nap  for  a  while.  Take  your
time.”
The  pair  disappeared  into  Brice’s  bedroom,  closing  the  door  behind  him.  Vee  wondered  idly  what
kind of shifter the doctor was. Finding out there were more than wolves made him realize that there
really could be all kinds. Lifting his casted leg onto the couch with a grunt, he lay back against the
pillows and let sleep take him.
He woke to the feel of firm lips nibbling his ear. Inhaling in surprise, Vee smiled when he smelled the
masculine,  earthy  scent  of  his  lover.  He’d  overheard  Kyle  grumbling  about  how  it’d  taken  three
showers for him to smell like himself again, and Vee wished he could have helped. Without opening
his eyes, he turned his head and captured Kyle’s mouth with his own.
They explored each other’s mouths slowly, tongues sliding deep, twining together only to slide away
again. Kyle nibbled Vee’s lips, and he returned the favor by sucking on his lover’s tongue when he
came  deep  again.  Vee  felt  Kyle’s  calloused  fingertips  sliding  over  his  jaw  and  down  his  throat,
caressing his skin.

Vee  sighed  as  the  kiss  eventually  came  to  an  end.  His  cock  pressed  against  his  sweats,  clearly
outlined by the loose fabric. He desperately wanted Kyle to take it in hand, or in his mouth, but then
he remembered they weren’t alone. Taking a steadying breath, he smiled at his love, and damn, he did
love this man.
“I missed you,” he whispered.
The smile lighting Kyle’s deep blue  eyes  took  Vee’s  breath  away.“I  missed  you,  too.  I  think  I  must
have  broken  every  traffic  law  getting  back  to  you,”  he  said  ruefully.“Would  you—Would  you  ever
consider traveling with me?” Kyle asked tentatively.“I mean, once you’re healed and all?”
Warmth  flooded  Vee  that  his  mate  didn’t  want  to  be  away  from  him.“I’d  go  anywhere  with  you.  I
came here, didn’t I?” he teased.
Kyle nodded.“Yeah.”
“Where’s Brice and Gordon? Are they still talking? How long have you been home?”
Chuckling,  Kyle  pressed  a  couple  fingers  to  Vee’s  lips  to  stem  the  flow  of  questions.“Gordon  and
Brice finished up over an hour ago. Knowing how hard it is for you to get enough sleep with the ache
in your leg, they decided to let you rest. Gordon will swing by tomorrow to talk to you,” Kyle told
him.  Then  he  grinned,“As  for  Brice,  Jared  and  Carson  are  dragging  him  to  a  club  to  unwind  after
regaling  Gordon  with  his  emotional  dump.  It  also  had  the  added  benefit  of  giving  us  a  little  time
alone.”
Thinking  of  time  alone  made  Vee  excruciatingly  aware  of  the  ache  in  his  balls  caused  by  Kyle’s
kisses. He wanted the man’s dick almost as much as he wanted his next breath, but unfortunately, he
knew  he  wasn’t  going  to  get  it  until  he’d  healed  some.“Oh,  hey,”  he  said,  remembering,“I  met  your
beta  today,  Shane?  He  said  you  could  help  me  heal  faster.  What  was  he  talking  about?”  he  asked
curiously.
Kyle’s  mouth  opened,  then  his  face  flushed.  His  pupils  dilated  and  his  breathing  sped  up.“He’s
referring  to  me  claiming  you,  cutie,”  he  whispered.  “By  bonding  with  me,  tying  our  lives  together,
your life is extended to match mine and your body will be able to heal a bit faster than normal. It also
means  that  you’d  have  to  go  only  to  shifter  doctors  or  doctors  familiar  with  shifters.  Otherwise,  it
could raise questions.”
Now,  Vee  understood  why  Shane  wanted  him  to  ask  Kyle  about  it.  The  idea  obviously  excited  his
mate.  Just  to  tease,  he  palmed  his  dick  through  his  sweats  and  murmured,“Would  that  be  something
you’d like to do?”
His lover’s face suddenly clouded and he glanced away.“Are you mocking me?”
“What? No!” He jerked forward, trying to sit up. Pain sliced up his leg and Vee hissed,“Shit.”
Kyle  instantly  wrapped  an  arm  around  him  and  helped  him.  “Vee,  easy  now.  What  were  you
thinking?”
Once he could speak through the pain, he said,“I want you to claim me, Kyle. I wasn’t joking about
that.”  He  lifted  his  gaze  to  Kyle’s,  saying  earnestly,“Seeing  you  so  hot  for  me  is  so  flattering.  I’ve
never  experienced  anything  like  that  before.”  He  touched  Kyle’s  face,  tracing  the  stubble  that  had
accumulated from not stopping long enough to shave as he raced back home to Vee.“If we could do it
without injuring me, would you want to claim me?”
He  thought  he’d  done  a  good  job  of  keeping  his  uncertainty  from  his  voice,  but  from  the  look  Kyle
gave him, he might have missed his mark.
“Of course I would, Vee. How could you ever doubt that? I just don’t want to hurt you.”
Even as a blush swept up his neck, Vee responded,“I think I know a way around that.”
It took so long for Kyle to respond, Vee felt certain he’d refuse. Then his lover picked him up in his

Chapter Eleven

yle had given up hope of claiming his mate for at least a month, and now here his mate was,

offering himself up on a silver platter. He didn’t want to hurt the man, but if Vee knew how to let him
claim him with little pain, he’d take the risk because his mate asked him to.

After helping his human undress, he followed Vee’s instructions and settled him on his right side.

They propped his left leg on a stack of pillows in front of him, the position not only getting the casted
leg out of the way, but opening him up as well. Kyle groaned as he saw Vee’s inviting hole winking at
him from between the firm mounds of his mate’s ass.

His cock, already hard and ready from just kissing the man, twitched and throbbed in his sweats.

He’d showered as soon as he’d gotten home, but had been unwilling to take the time to shave before
kissing his mate awake. From the way Vee had slid his fingers down his jaw, his mate didn’t mind the
day-old scruff.

Kyle slipped off his sweats and crawled onto the bed behind his mate, grabbing the lube from his

nightstand as he went. Crowding up behind Vee, he rubbed his throbbing prick between the valleys of
his ass and nuzzled his mate’s neck with his bristles, liking the shudder that went through his man. He
trailed his fingers over Vee’s side, feeling the skin twitch beneath his fingers.

“ Kyle. Please Kyle,” Vee whispered. His mate’s good hand, the one on top, reached back and

gripped Kyle’s hip. He tried to tug him forward, but Kyle resisted.

“ Just relax, my Valiant love. Let me please you,” he crooned. “Love?” Vee murmured over his

shoulder.
“Of course, I love you,” he whispered before taking advantage and capturing Vee’s mouth, thrusting
his tongue deep, anticipating doing the same to Vee’s body. He wasn’t worried if his mate didn’t say
it back right away. He could see it every time Vee looked at him with those big, expressive gray eyes.

As his tongue swept across his mate ’s, dueling playfully, Kyle snapped open the lube and

squeezed some out onto his fingers.
He  reached  between  them,  ignoring  how  good  it  felt  when  the  back  of  his  hand  slid  along  the
underside  of  his  dick.  Instead,  he  rubbed  his  slick  fingers  over  Vee’s  opening,  repeatedly  pressing
lightly. When Vee moaned into his mouth, Kyle slid one finger in, stroking deep.
Vee’s  hole  clamped  down  on  his  finger,  encasing  it  in  tight  heat.  Kyle  moaned  into  the  kiss,
remembering what his lover’s ass felt like around his dick—which reminded him of one more thing
they needed to discuss. He pulled his mouth away, but continued to work Vee open, slipping a second
finger in beside the first.
“Vee,” he moaned.“Vee, to claim you I can’t use a condom.”
His mate licked his lips, drawing Kyle’s gaze to the plump, swollen flesh. They curved into a smile.“I
know. Manon explained it. I get to feel only you, the man I love, for the rest of our days.” Vee leaned
up and pressed his lips to Kyle’s, whispering against him,“I can’t wait to start.”
Groaning  at  his  mate’s  words,  and  the  wealth  of  feeling  behind  them,  Kyle  twisted  his  fingers  and
found Vee’s prostate.
Vee gasped, his head dropping back to the pillow, his eyelids falling to half-mast as his body jerked
from the pleasure.
Kyle watched a bead of pre-cum leak from Vee’s engorged dick and desperately wanted a taste. He
slid his right arm under Vee’s torso and gripped his mate’s rigged shaft.
Vee  cried  out  in  pleasure,  his  body  tensing,  then  his  moan  changed  to  one  of  discomfort  and  Kyle

froze.“Don’t stop, Kyle. Please, don’t stop.”
Doing as his mate requested, Kyle slid his hand up and down Vee’s shaft, working it in conjunction
with the fingers he had in his lover’s ass. Seconds later, he was able to sink a third digit in alongside
the other two. He nibbled at the back of Vee’s neck, sucking up a mark.
“You never need to beg me, Vee. If it’s in my power, I’ll give you what you want, what you need,” he
vowed.
“Ugh, Ky, oh,” Vee ground back on the digits in his ass then rocked forward.“Just need you. Just need
you,” he said between pants.
“My Vee,” Kyle moaned at his mate’s words.
Determined to please his man, he took control, stroking Vee’s dick while nailing his prostate on every
thrust of his fingers. The little mewls of pleasure told Kyle how close his mate was to losing it. He
twisted  his  hand  on  the  upstroke,  massing  the  bundle  of  nerves  just  under  the  cap,  then  swiped  a
couple fingers over the broad, flared cap. Vee cried out his pleasure as his dick exploded, streams of
semen splattering over Kyle’s fingers and the comforter.
Kyle growled at the erotic sight his mate made in his pleasure. Unable to wait, he pulled his fingers
free  of  Vee’s  still  clenching  channel,  lined  up  his  dick,  and  slid  home  in  one  smooth  thrust.  He
moaned at the exquisite feeling of his mate surrounding him, clutching him tight, with nothing between
them. Vee gasped, a soft pleased oh escaping him. Kyle froze, panting warm breathes against the nape
of Vee’s neck as he waited for his mate to relax.
“Am I your mate, Ky?” Vee whispered.
A shudder worked through him at the question, and Kyle tucked his face against the crook of Vee’s
neck.“Yes, my Valiant one. You are my mate.” He slowly slid his dick out until just the cap remained
stretching  the  guardian  muscle  of  Vee’s  opening.  Pushing  forward  just  as  slowly,  Kyle  relished  the
way his mate’s hot, tight anus muscles seemed to suck him right back in.
Vee moaned, and it was music to Kyle’s ears.
“Are you ready for me to make you mine, Vee?”
“Yes, oh, yes,” he hissed.
A  low  growl  rumbled  through  Kyle’s  chest.  Excitement,  lust,  and  a  possessiveness  he’d  never  felt
before coursed through his veins. He wrapped his underarm around Vee’s chest, and clamped his top
arm onto his hip to hold him still. Kyle started a swift rhythm of thrust and retreat, repeatedly driving
his dick into his human.
His cock leaked pre-cum within the confines of his lover’s sucking grip. Within just a few minutes,
his  balls  pulled  tight  and  the  base  of  his  spine  tingled.  He  knew  he  didn’t  have  long,  and  moaned
Vee’s name. Kyle felt his canines extend and a shiver of anticipation worked through him.
“Mine,” he snarled right before he reached up and sank his teeth into the mark he’d made before.
Blood flowed over his tongue, and he drank down his lover’s life essence. Vee cried out, but Kyle
knew it was from bliss as another orgasm bowled through his system. The tight confines of his lover’s
ass  tightened  rhythmically  around  his  dick  as  Vee  shot  again.  He  moaned  around  the  flesh  in  his
mouth. Pulling his teeth from his mate’s neck, Kyle threw his head back and howled his release.
His cock pulsed, burying stream after stream of seed in his mate’s body, marking him on the inside
just as he’d done on the outside. Kyle felt the remaining tendrils of his mating slip into place, bonding
him  with  his  love. As  the  endorphins  pinged  pleasantly  through  his  system,  Kyle  let  out  a  sigh  and
licked clean the bite wound, sealing it.
He nuzzled the back of Vee’s neck, relishing the combined scents of their loving.
Vee  turned  his  head  and  rubbed  his  cheek  against  Kyle’s  forehead.“Wow,”  he  said,  awe  filling  his

voice.
Kyle grinned, lifting his head a bit so he could meet his lover’s gaze.“Yeah.”
“Will it always be like that?”
“Absolutely,” Kyle responded, never more certain of anything in his life.
“Mmm, yeah,” Vee murmured, nuzzling again.
“Be right back,” Kyle told him. He slipped his softening dick from Vee’s ass, loving the sound of the
pleased gasp his mate made.
He climbed off the bed and padded to the bathroom. After a quick clean up, he took a warm wet cloth
back to Vee and wiped him down. Vee hummed happily, eyeing him with a sleepy, sated expression.
After tossing the cloth into his laundry basket, he climbed onto the bed and curled around him mate.
They shared a slow, languid kiss, just enjoying each other’s company. Before Kyle could drift off, the
chime of his cell phone ripped through the silence of the house.
Groaning,  Kyle  rolled  over  and  snagged  it  from  off  the  nightstand  where  he’d  left  it  before
showering.“This better be fucking good,” he growled.
His friend’s laughter immediately identified the caller for Kyle. He groaned.“Phillip, what’s up?”
“I’m a godfather,” his friend announced.
That had him sitting up in bed.“You’re a godfather? Doriah had the baby? Congratulations!”
“Are you home, yet? Can you get to Ailean’s? That’s where she decided to have the baby. It’s a boy,”
Phillip told him, his excited voice bursting through the line.
He turned to look at Vee and found his mate watching him with wide, alert eyes.“Of course, I’ll swing
by. I’ll even bring Vee if he’s up to it.”
“Thanks, man,” Phillip responded, expressing his gratefulness.
“Sure. See you soon,” Kyle told his friend before disconnecting the call. He snuggled close to Vee
and gave him a soft kiss.“You up to visiting my friend? His mate just had a baby. It’s not his kid,” he
explained.“The mother acted as surrogate for her brother and his mate.”
Vee nodded, enthusiasm dancing in his eyes.“I’d love to. I love babies,” he told Kyle.
“Wonderful. Let me get dressed, then I’ll give you a hand,” he promised.
After handing Vee his underwear, he pulled on a clean pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He could feel his
mate’s gaze boring into him. When he turned around, Kyle spotted his mate worrying his bottom lip.
He knelt and started working the sweatpants over the cast.
“What’s  the  matter,  Vee?  Do  you  not  have  the  energy  after  all?”  Once  he  had  the  sweats  up  to  his
mate’s knees, he paused and looked up at him.“Because I can just run over there for a bit and come
back. You can meet them another day.”
Vee shook his head.“It’s not that,” he said.
“Then what, my Valiant one,” he crooned, leaning close.“We should be able to talk about anything,
right?” he prodded.
Nodding, Vee asked slowly,“Do you want kids?”
Considering  they  were  heading  over  to  see  a  newborn,  Kyle  shouldn’t  have  been  surprised  by  the
question,  but  somehow,  he  was.  He  settled  on  the  bed  next  to  Vee,  holding  his  mate’s  hand  in  his
own.“At one time, I had thought I’d have kids, yes,” he admitted, unwilling to lie to his mate.“But if
that’s something you’re not interested in, then I’ll accept that.” It wouldn’t stop him from occasionally
saying something, just to see if  Vee  had  changed  his  mind,  but  he’d  never  push  something  that  huge
onto his mate.
After a moment, Vee’s mouth split into a wide grin and his gray eyes filled with emotion.“Oh, good. I
was so worried.”

“Worried?” He wasn’t sure he was following.
“Yeah. I love the thought of chasing after a cute little blackhaired, blue-eyed boy or girl. Of course,
that’ll have to be after my leg heals,” Vee stated, still grinning. “Maybe in a couple years, we can find
a surrogate like your friend.”
Kyle didn’t think his grin could get any bigger. Damn, Fate knew what she was doing. “Yeah. Yeah,
that sounds like a fantastic plan.” In mock seriousness he added,“Just don’t think it will get you out of
having to chase a cute brown-haired, gray-eyed toddler, too.”
Vee laughed, his dark eyes dancing.“You got a deal.”
Kyle cupped Vee’s jaw and kissed his mate, sealing their deal with a kiss.

About the Author

Charlie lives on a mini ranchette in Utah with her husband and furry, four-legged children. She

started  writing  fantasy  when  she  was  eight,  and  after  stumbling  onto  her  first  erotic  romance  at  age
nineteen,  she  realized  her  true  calling.  She  now  focuses  on  writing  erotic  romance,  normally  of  the
paranormal variety, with heroes and heroines of all kinds. You can often find her curled up with her
laptop  and  a  cup  of  tea  or  glass  of  wine,  creating  her  next  adventure.  Charlie  enjoys  exploring  the
mountains on horseback, 4-wheeler, or motorcycle. Her favorite exercise is jumping lessons with her
Arabian  gelding  Apache  or  her  Thoroughbred  mare  Repo.  And  she  can’t  get  enough  of  sexy
highlanders with their kilts and swords. Right now, she and her muse are working with dedication on
her Wolves of Stone Ridge series and Kontra’s Menagerie series.
She can be reached at ch.richards2010@yahoo.com Or visit her at www.charlie-richards.com

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