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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Kyle’s Valiant Hunt Wolves of Stone Ridge: Book Eleven
By
Charlie Richards

To truckers everywhere—May you find love in the most unlikely places.

Chapter One

“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!”

Guy smirked.“You do that,” he said.“Sheriff Linson is a friend of mine.”
“Uh, Beta, maybe we should take Brice, too,” Sean murmured uneasily.
Cocking his head, Guy stared at the wide-eyed expression now on Brice’s face.“You’re probably
right, Sean.” He grabbed the Powerball tickets from Brice’s hand and shook his head.“Don’t want to
forget these,” he muttered, already turning his back on the others.“Alpha would be pissed.”
As Vee was pushed out of the store, he mulled over the other men’s strange words. It was either that
or completely panic as he and Brice were shoved into the back of Guy’s pick-up and blindfolded.
With darkness surrounding him, he focused on thoughts of Kyle, letting them soothe his frazzled
nerves as the truck lurched into motion.

Chapter Four

“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.

Backing over the edge, Kyle started his descent. He thought he heard voices above him, but a glance
up showed Raul getting ready to follow him over the ledge. Kyle was two thirds of the way down the
eighty-foot drop when the wolves scented him. Howls and snarls filled the air as the shifters started
across the clearing toward his side of the cliff. He hopped down a few more feet, gauging the
distance, then Kyle let go of the rope. As soon as he hit the ground, he let his wolf loose.

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.

Chapter Nine

“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

brought his left hand to cup Kyle’s nape, wanting more, so much more.
A throat clearing broke them apart.“Sorry, guys, but we gotta scram,” Raul reminded them.
As they wheeled him out of the room, and after several covert looks and a couple ducks around
corners to avoid nurses, and finally, out of the hospital, Vee couldn’t wait for things to calm down.
There was no way they’d return to normal, and if it meant losing Kyle, he didn’t want them to. He just
wanted some quiet time with his mate. Was that too much to ask?

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

arms and carried him to the bedroom, where he carefully laid him on the bed.“Tell me what to do,
Vee.”

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

Document Outline

Kyle’s Valiant Hunt Wolves of Stone Ridge: Book Eleven By Charlie Richards
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven

Wolves Of Stone Ridge 11 Kyle s Valiant Hunt

Document Outline