Jarrett, AJ - For the Love of His Mate [Nehalem Pack 14] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove)

Nehalem Pack 14

For the Love of His Mate

Avery Watterson lived life by his own terms not caring who he hurt

in the process. Faced with an unknown enemy, Avery finds himself

running, running toward the one person he knows won’t be happy

to see him, but what other choice does he have?

New town, new school, has Landen Halliwell on a high, yet

something seems to be missing from this perfect new life. A

chance encounter shows Landen exactly what that is, a mate.

Avery wasn’t what Landen expected in a mate but his gorgeous

looks and cocksure attitude leave Landen weak in the knees and

wanting to spend more time with the man.

Secrets always have a way of surfacing and Avery can’t run from

them anymore. His stalker draws near and Avery doesn’t know

what to do. Running this time around isn’t an option but can he

really stay and risk those he loves?

Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Contemporary, Paranormal,
Vampires/Werewolves
Length: 45,125 words

FOR THE LOVE OF HIS MATE

Nehalem Pack 14

AJ Jarrett

EVERLASTING CLASSIC

MANLOVE

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Everlasting Classic ManLove

FOR THE LOVE OF HIS MATE
Copyright © 2014 by AJ Jarrett
E-book ISBN: 978-1-63258-163-1

First E-book Publication: August 2014

Cover design by Harris Channing
All art and logo copyright © 2014 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including
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express written permission.

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance
to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers

Dear Readers,

If you have purchased this copy of For the Love of His Mate by AJ
Jarrett from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you.
Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy

This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or
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The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying
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This is AJ Jarrett’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms.
Jarrett’s right to earn a living from her work.

Amanda Hilton, Publisher

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www.BookStrand.com

FOR THE LOVE OF HIS

MATE

Nehalem Pack 14

AJ JARRETT

Chapter One

Landen turned left at the corner and ran down the street. The sun

was just popping up in the horizon, but it did nothing to diminish the
chill in the air. It was late October and the temperatures would be
dropping gradually every day until winter settled in.

Luckily for Landen it didn’t matter. Him being a wolf shifter

meant he could run year-round in his wolf form. All that thick fur
would keep him warm, but he did love running on two legs. The wind
in his face and burn in his muscles helped relax him. Shifting into
wolf form still took some getting used to. Now that he was a part of
the Nehalem Pack he could shift as much as he wanted to as long as
he was on Carsten property. He was free to be who he really was and
that was Landen Halliwell, wolf shifter and college student.

His life had changed so much in the past year and a half. He’d

gone  off to college, leaving the safety of his parents’  home into an
unknown world. Being  adopted meant he didn’t  know  who  his
biological parents were or how to be a wolf shifter. Saying his parents
were a little shocked when he shifted for the first time was an
understatement,  but they didn’t  panic. They loved him and found
ways to protect him from the outside world.

AJ Jarrett

When he went off to college he was happy to meet another guy

who was a shifter just like him. Zach had been his best friend,
showing him the ropes of being a wolf. Sure, Zach snuck off a lot and
became very secretive, but Landen just overlooked it. Who was he to
judge?

After their first year of college Zach had decided he wanted to

transfer schools. Landen didn’t want to be left alone so he left with
Zach. He didn’t know any other shifters and it was nice to have
someone to share his secrets with.

But all too soon Zach showed his true colors, which turned out to

be a dark shade of fucking crazy. He moved between two schools to
track down Kyle Argent, the man who killed his mate. Losing a mate
can be devastating to a shifter and it drove Zach to madness and in the
end it cost Zach his life.

Landen remembered a time when he considered Zach his best

friend but his need for revenge took control of him. Landen hated to
admit it, but Oliver did the best thing by putting Zach out of his
misery when he put a bullet between his eyes.

Not wanting to think about Zach’s lifeless eyes as they stared into

nothingness, Landen pushed his legs harder, pounding on the
pavement.

Landen smiled as he looked around at all the nice homes that lined

the street. He really liked it here in Silver Creek. Thanks to Roderick
he was able to transfer midsemester no questions asked. He wasn’t
sure how the man did it but Kyle said Roderick was a  top-ranking
hunter on the council and he could pretty much do whatever he
wanted.  The  only thing Roderick  couldn’t  make happen was  to  get
Landen on the football team at Hemsworth. That didn’t bother Landen
in the least. He was sick of playing the sport. It was only a means to
get him into college.  He wanted to focus on his studies and another
big thanks to Roderick and  the hunter’s council for  paying for his
schooling so that he could continue to do just that. Roderick told him

For the Love of his Mate

to think of it as a reward for helping to apprehend a murderer, that
being Zach.

Oliver and his best friend Levi were both hunters and college

students. Oliver and Kyle were mates, so Oliver transferred to
Hemsworth when Kyle moved back home after the whole Zach
situation. Oliver and Levi bought an older two-story house, and Kyle
and Landen moved in with them. Landen didn’t know how they could
afford such a home but in private one night Levi told him hunters
made great money. Not wanting to be rude, Landen left it at that.

Another great thing about living in Silver Creek was that so many

other members of the Nehalem Pack lived here. Kyle’s grandmother
lived over by Seth and his mate Caleb. Over a few streets was Kyle’s
brother Ian’s house. They were all very nice to Landen and took him
in as one of their own.

Landen never had an issue with making friends but it was nice to

have people around that knew exactly who he was. There was no
hiding his true nature and that made his life less stressful.

Just as Landen turned down Harris Street where Ian and Will

lived, he noticed something very weird in their front yard. A shiny
black BMW sat cockeyed in the yard blocking the sidewalk. Landen
slowed to a stop. He looked over his shoulder then the other to see if
anyone else noticed this, but it was still too early and none of the
neighbors or Will and Ian were up yet.

Landen walked to the driver side of the car and looked inside. A

thin blond man lay tucked in a ball in the driver seat. He raised his
hand and tapped on the window. Landen smiled when the man’s
brows scrunched up, but he didn’t open his eyes. He just shifted and
rolled over.

Landen tapped on the glass again and the driver didn’t budge, so

Landen tried the door handle. The moment the door opened the sour
stench of alcohol hit his nose. He winced and flinched back. The
smell was so strong he thought it might have scorched his nose hairs.

AJ Jarrett

Landen bent down and reached in to shake the man awake when he
noticed the empty liquor bottles on the floor of the car.

By nature Landen was a nice guy. He wanted to believe everyone

had good inside of them, but this really pissed him off. This guy was
drunk and drove his car. So intoxicated he parked his fancy car in
another person’s front lawn. It was dangerous and selfish to put others
at risk like that.

Suddenly so mad he wanted to yank the blond out of his seat by

his hair, Landen shook the drunk’s arm. “Hey!” Nothing. “Wake up.”

“Fuck off,” the man whispered in a gravelly voice then snuggled

in closer to the center console.

Not knowing what else to do, he shut the door and walked up to

Will’s front door. He hated to wake Will and Ian up so early, but what
else could he do? Without having his cell phone with him he couldn’t
call the police, so he needed Will or Ian to do it. It was their yard after
all.

He knocked for a good three minutes before he heard feet

shuffling closer to the door. The locks turned free and the door slowly
slid open. A sleep-rumpled Will stood before him. Eyes swollen and
face creased with lines from sleep.

“Landen.” Will rubbed at his eyes. “You do realize it’s really

early, right?”

“Hey, sorry about this but—” Landen turned to point at the car in

the front yard.

“What the fuck!” Will walked out onto the porch, mouth hanging

wide open as he stared at the car.

“Babe, what’s going on?” Ian asked as he leaned in the doorway,

his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were barely opened. “Hey,
Landen.” Ian’s eyes popped open and he stood up straight. “Is
everything okay? Is something wrong with Kyle?”

Landen smiled and shook his head. “Kyle’s good. I’m guessing

he’s still tucked in close to Oliver.”

“Then—”

For the Love of his Mate

“You little shit!” Will’s shouting cut off anything else Ian might

have said.

Ian and Landen rushed out into the grass and stood behind Will.

Will’s hands were balled up into fists, but he didn’t open the door just
yet.

“Babe, do you know who this is?” Ian asked as he put his hands

on Will’s shoulders.

“Yes,” Will barked.
Will reached out and yanked the door open. Ian and Landen both

winced as the disgusting odor of the liquor rolled out of the car.

“Wake up, you little fuck.” Will shook the sleeping man hard.

“Get up!”

Ian took a step back to stand by Landen. “What the hell is going

on here?” he whispered out the side of his mouth as he looked over
his shoulder.

“Not sure, dude.” Landen tilted his head to get a better look at the

man as he rolled to lie on his back. His cheeks were dotted with pink
on his high cheekbones and his face had a delicate look to it, soft yet
thin.

“Stop yelling.” The man rubbed slim fingers over his forehead.
“Stop yelling? Are you kidding me?” Will banged his hand on top

of the car causing the man in his seat to cringe.

“Will, calm down.” Ian rushed forward to grab Will around the

waist as he bent down to grab at the stranger.

“Calm down?” Will shifted to look at Ian. “He’s drunk. There’s

empty vodka bottles all over the floor of the car. He’s trashed our
yard. Fuck, he even ran over Kelsey’s bike.” Will was nearly foaming
at the mouth.

Landen walked over to the front of the vehicle and in fact did see

poor Kelsey’s bike sticking out from under the sleek black car. Kelsey
was Ian and Kyle’s little sister, and Landen did not envy this guy once
that little girl saw this. She would probably try to tear his head off.

AJ Jarrett

One thing Landen learned since moving to Silver Creek was to not
mess with her shit.

“Will, who is this?” Ian asked in a soft yet annoyed tone.
“Will you two please be quiet?” The man opened his eyes, turned

to kick his legs out of the open door, and then stood up. He ran a hand
through his light-blond hair, sending the golden strands flowing back
off his forehead. Beside his eyes being bloodshot, they were still the
brightest blue Landen had ever seen. Like one of those pictures of an
ocean where the water looks like glass it’s so clear.

“What are you doing here?” Will ask.
The guy looked around him and Landen tracked his every

movement. Once the man turned his hypnotic eyes on Landen. The
man smiled at him for a moment, and Landen felt his knees start to
wobble. Just as quickly, the man turned his attention back to Will and
Ian.

“Well, big brother, I thought you’d be happy to see me.” The

man’s upper lip quirked up at the side in a half smile.

“Brother?” Ian looked at Will.
“Yes.” Will ran a hand over his face and let out a heavy sigh. “Ian,

let me introduce you to my brother, Avery.”

Avery. Landen repeated the name inside his head and his eyes fell

shut. Everything about Avery should thoroughly disgust him, but
Landen felt himself drawn to the alcoholic. Well, Landen assumed he
had a drinking problem. He didn’t want to label a man as pretty as
Avery, but who drove around with that many empty bottles of booze
in their car?

Pretty? Did I just say pretty?
Landen couldn’t seem to tear his eyes from Avery. As Avery

stood  leaning  against  the car door  he looked like a model.  His bone
structure looked to be cut from stone—all sharp,  straight edges.
Avery’s lips formed a plump bow as he grinned, making Landen sway
on his feet eager to get closer. He wasn’t as tall as Landen’s six foot
three  inches,  but he stood as if he knew  he was perfect. The long-

For the Love of his Mate

sleeve gray shirt hugged his thin body just as tightly as the skinny
back jeans Avery was wearing.

“Avery?” Ian looked between the two brothers.
“Pleasure to meet you, Ian.” Avery reached out his hand for Ian to

shake. Avery’s piercing eyes found Landen’s over Ian’s shoulder.
“All of you.”

Landen’s mouth went bone dry and he thought he might pass out.

Over the horrendous smell of alcohol something tickled at Landen’s
nose. The refreshing scent of newly fallen snow. His cock twitched in
his gym shorts and he quickly dropped his hands to cover the growing
bulge. “I gotta go.” Landen walked backward until he felt the
sidewalk under his feet then turned and ran in the other direction back
toward his house.

Will and Ian didn’t say anything about his abrupt departure. They

seemed to be preoccupied with Will’s brother Avery.

The whole way down the street he could feel those piercing blue

eyes on his back. Landen didn’t know what it meant and he sure as
hell wasn’t going to stop to go back and find out.

AJ Jarrett

Chapter Two

Avery watched as the tall blond hunk of a man ran off. He didn’t

usually have that kind of effect on men but maybe this would be good
for him, a challenge.

“Are you even listening to me?” Will’s anger-filled voice snapped

him out of his musing of the hard body racing down the sidewalk.

“No, I wasn’t.” Avery smirked at him. “Haven’t you learned that

yelling at me like this will get you nowhere?”

Will was born six years before Avery, so he assumed he had the

right to boss Avery around. Or so Will thought. It wasn’t that he
didn’t love or respect his older brother but Avery had a lot of shit on
his mind. The last thing he needed was to be yelled at.

“Oh excuse me for trying to get some answers out of you.” Will

opened his mouth but then quickly shut it. “Avery, where are the keys
to your car?”

“Why?” Avery’s eyebrows shot up on his forehead. He wasn’t

drunk anymore, just hungover. He sure as shit wasn’t going to let his
brother take his car away from him.

“Why?” Will’s nostrils flared as he tried not to scream. If he did

he’d wake the entire neighborhood, which might be a little
embarrassing.

Avery had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.

He got a kick out of watching the perfect Doctor Watterson lose his
shit right out in the middle of the street.

“I think he wants to move your car from the yard and park it in

our driveway,” Ian said with a smile and held his hand out.

For the Love of his Mate

“Oh sure, of course.” Avery dug around in his pockets for the

keys. His pants were so tight he could barely get his hand in them.

“They’re still in the ignition, dumb-ass.” Will pushed Avery out

of the way and climbed inside. He turned on the car and reversed it
out of the grass and into the driveway.

Avery let the dumb-ass comment go because he was careless and

deserved to be reamed for driving while under the influence. But not
to make excuses for himself, it had been a really bad week. He
dropped out of NYU because he was failing every course he took,
which infuriated his parents and they cut him off. All he had was the
money in his checking account and his credit cards, but since his folks
paid the bill on those he assumed they’d be canceled any day now.

But the most stressful thing of all that sent him running like a

scared little kid to his big brother was that he got another letter. One
promising it wouldn’t  be long now. Avery didn’t understand what it
meant or who they were coming  from. All he knew was he didn’t
want to sit around the apartment he could  no longer afford and wait
for whomever it was to come and get him.

With his parents being out of the country until god knew when his

only other option was Will. So Avery packed a few bags, not caring
about what he left behind, and got out of New York. Will and he
weren’t exactly close but surely he’d care if someone was sending
frightening letters to him.

They first started back in May the previous school year. Receiving

the letters wasn’t  what scared him the most. It was where he found
them. At first they came in the mail addressed  to him. They were
always typed with no return address. It was flattering at first. Stuff
about how cute he was and how anyone would be lucky to have him.
Avery laughed it off at first until  he  started  to get one once a week.
Then they started showing up in the weirdest places, in his mailbox
with no postage on it, under his front door, on the window of his car,
in his calculus text book. But the one that got to him was the one he
found on the pillow in his room, in fancy cursive—calligraphy, Avery

AJ Jarrett

thought it was—sitting on top of his pillow. His bed had been made
not by him and he could see the outline of another person’s body on
the comforter.

That was all it took to send him fleeing from his apartment and the

city that he loved. If he had been smart he would have kept the letters
and gone to the police but he hadn’t. At the time it didn’t seem worth
it to him to give these stupid letters a second thought. Avery had been
too high on drugs and booze to care. Another reason why his parents
cut him off.

Avery didn’t consider his recreational drug use an issue. He only

turned to something harder when alcohol didn’t dull the ache he felt at
feeling completely alone. His parents thought he needed to go to
rehab but Avery didn’t have a problem. Avery might make a bad
decision from time to time but he wasn’t a complete idiot.

The one place he could escape to that provided no limits on what

he could do was Indigo. The new fancy club that catered to spoiled
rich kids like Avery gave him and outlet for all his frustrations. It also
didn’t hurt that that every employee that worked at the club was
model worthy. Sexy-as-fuck bartenders, waiters, the security guards
that kept the partygoers under control were all totally fuckable and
Avery had his fair share of all of them. Sex came easy to Avery and
he was always up for a good time, so either while high on pot,
ecstasy, or drunk off his ass he was willing to drop his pants to fuck
or be fucked in the dark, private booths at the club.

“Let’s get inside before the neighbors start to stare,” Will

grumbled as he walked toward the front door.

Avery went inside and smiled as he took in the homey feel of the

house. Hard wood floors with a soft cream-colored carpet in the living
room, big overstuffed furniture,  and even a recliner next to the
fireplace. Avery walked over to  the fire place  to look at the pictures
on the mantel. A few of Will and Ian by themselves then of them with
a little girl. More of people Avery didn’t know. But not too surprising,
none of him. They weren’t  close,  but it felt like Will had written

For the Love of his Mate

Avery out of his life  completely. But who could  blame Will? Avery
hadn’t been  the best brother he could have been. To be honest he’d
been a downright pest,  always telling on Will for this and that. He
always wanted to tag along, which always turned into him making a
big scene when he got bored.

Then there was that time when Will was in his last year of med

school and Avery had gone to visit him while looking at schools to
attend in the fall. Avery had slept with the guy Will had a huge crush
on. At the time Avery said he didn’t know who the guy was, but that
was a lie. He did it to annoy Will, to get a reaction out of the cold son
of a bitch. But Will didn’t react the way he thought. He shut Avery
out and they hadn’t talked since then.

“So please tell me why you are here?” Will sat down on the couch

and his cute lover sat down next to him, his hand rubbing at Will’s
back, comforting him.

Avery hated to be jealous of his brother, but damn it he was. Will

had gone off to college, graduated, and became a doctor. He’d
fulfilled his dream, and to top it off he had a hot piece of ass who
looked at him like he hung the fucking moon.

“What? Aren’t you happy to see me?” Avery smiled and crossed

his legs, ankle over knee.

“Hardly,” Will sneered. His lips pulled back so tight his teeth

were exposed. “So do tell what I did to deserve this honor.”

“Babe, calm down.” Ian grabbed Will’s hand. “He’s your brother.

He doesn’t need a reason.” Ian did this cute little flick of his lips that
made him look absolutely adorable.

“Like hell he doesn’t.” Will turned to face his lover but managed

to keep an accusing finger pointed right at Avery’s chest. “We don’t
talk, so yes, him just popping in is questionable. Nothing but trouble
follows his little snot-nosed ass around.”

Avery sat there very still as he listened to his brother talk about

him as if he weren’t there. To listen to all the things he knew were

AJ Jarrett

true still pained him to hear come directly from Will’s mouth. It was
true trouble did follow him and he was a selfish prick.

Suddenly coming here seemed like a bad idea. If he admitted he

had some crazy person sending him love letters it would just add
more  stress to Will  and get him a one-way ticket kicked out of his
brother’s  house. That part he could keep to himself. He had left so
abruptly maybe the person writing the letters didn’t  know  where  he
was. But the one thing he couldn’t hide was the fact that he was flat
broke with no help coming from their parents.

“They cut me off,” he mumbled as he stared down at his fidgeting

fingers.

“What?” Will stopped talking to Ian and looked back at him.

Avery was too ashamed to meet his brother’s stare.

“Our parents.” Avery glanced up. “They cut me off. Told me it

was time I got serious about my life and the best gift they could give
me was forcing me to make it on my own.”

He could still hear the uncaring tone in his father and mother’s

voices as they told him they were done with him. That he was an
embarrassment to them. They didn’t care that he was gay or that he
liked to party all night long. All they cared about was if he kept his
nose clean and put on a good show in front of his parents’ rich
friends. Avery couldn’t even manage to do that.

What had set his mother off the most was the fact that he’d been

caught fucking her best friend’s husband. Mr. Woods was a sexy
older man who,  to be fair,  flirted with Avery on one too  many
occasions, so when Mr. Woods invited Avery over to talk, one thing
led to another and Avery’s dick wound up in Mr. Woods’s  ass. His
wife was supposed to be gone all week at some spa and resort but had
decided to come back early  and  she got an eyeful when she walked
through the door.

His parents had said the final straw had been him dropping out of

college but Avery thought he was doing them a favor. He was failing

For the Love of his Mate

all his classes so he was just trying to save them money. It was a lame
excuse and one they didn’t buy.

“What the hell did you do?” Will narrowed his eyes at him. It was

no surprise that Will would think it was his fault, granted it was.

“Well, where should I start?” Avery put his finger to his chin as if

thinking about it. He should be taking this a little more seriously, but
he hated how everyone just jumped to the conclusion that he was the
one at fault even when he wasn’t. Couldn’t someone, anyone, just
take his side for once in his life? “I dropped out of school and I got
caught fucking Mr. Woods.”

“You did what?” Will asked.
“Who’s Mr. Woods?” Ian asked at the same time.
“Long story short, Mr. Woods is the husband of my mother’s best

friend. He’s also a very successful lawyer. To be fair, it wasn’t
entirely my fault, the whole fucking thing. Mr. Woods has been after
my ass since I turned sixteen and let’s just say he was worth the wait.”
Avery chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

“Oh.” Ian’s cheeks burned a bright red and he looked away.
“That doesn’t surprise me.” Will shook his head. “Always

thinking with your dick and not your fucking brain.” Will held up his
hand to stop Avery from saying anything in his defense. “Why did
you drop out of college?”

“I was flunking out so I just sped the process up.” Avery

shrugged.

“How in the hell were you flunking all your classes? You know

what, don’t answer that.” Will stood up and started to pace the floor.
“From the condition you showed up here in, I can just imagine the
reason.”

Avery relaxed back into the couch. He had nothing to say in his

defense because Will hit the nail on the head. Even if he wasn’t
getting letters from some stalker, he still would have been doing what
he was doing, partying and not giving a fuck who he hurt.

AJ Jarrett

“So since the parental units have cut you lose what do you expect

me to do for you?” Will spun on his heel to face him.

Asking for a place to stay suddenly seemed like a bad thing to ask

of his brother. Will looked so pissed off that Avery didn’t want to see
his head explode, but he didn’t have any other choice. “Help me.”

“Help you?” Will’s smooth brow wrinkled as his eyebrows arched

up on his forehead. “What do you want me to do? Let you move in
here and continue your partying lifestyle? Fuck every guy that crosses
your path? Hmm?” Will crossed his arms over his chest and glared
down at him.

“Will, stop it.” Ian stood up and walked over to Will. He turned

Will to face him. “It’s obvious you two don’t get along.” Both Will
and Avery grunted at that. “But he’s your brother and he needs your
help.”

“What’s going on in here?” Avery turned around at the sound of a

little girl’s voice. A thin girl with light-brown hair stood rubbing at
her eyes. She didn’t look much older than eleven or twelve. Avery
smiled and wished he could go back in time to that age when life had
been so much simpler. “Who are you?” she asked Avery.

“Avery.” He waved at her. “And you are?”
“Kelsey.” She looked to Ian then back to Will.
“Come on, Kelsey.” Will smiled down to the little girl who smiled

back with such love in her eyes. Will walked over to her and put his
arm over her shoulders. “I’ll make you breakfast.” Once the little girl
was out of sight, Will turned back around and looked at Ian. “He’s
made his bed and now he has to lie in it. I don’t want him around
Kelsey.” With that, Will turned around and walked into the kitchen.

Avery’s shoulders slumped, but it wasn’t from Will’s refusal to

help him but from the lack of love in his brother’s eyes. Avery had
managed to push everyone that he loved away.

“I guess that’s that.” Avery stood up. “It was nice meeting you,

Ian. If I can have my keys back I’ll get out of your way.” His chest
ached with sadness and fear. He didn’t know where else he could go,

For the Love of his Mate

but most of all it hurt to know his brother didn’t care what happened
to him.

“Hang on a sec.” Ian grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “I’m

not sure what the hell is going on between you two, but I do know
you don’t turn family out.”

“It’s okay, Ian. Will and I aren’t close, and let’s just say there is a

lot of bad blood between us.”

“But still, you’re family and if there is one thing I’ve learned in

this last year,  family  means  everything.”  Ian smiled at him. “So just
have  a seat and I’ll deal with your brother.”  Ian pushed him back
down on the couch, patted his shoulder, and  then headed toward  the
kitchen.

Avery didn’t have anywhere else to go, so he sat there and hoped

that Ian could at least get Will to agree to let him stay for a little bit.
At least until he figured out what he was going to do next.

AJ Jarrett

Chapter Three

When Landen got home he rushed up to his room, grabbed some

clothes, and  then walked across  the hall to the bathroom.  The house
was dark and quiet,  still  too  early for the others to be up. It being a
Saturday morning that wasn’t unusual. Unlike like Landen,  the guys
liked to sleep in on their days off from school.

Landen turned the nozzle to hot and took off his clothes while he

waited for the water to warm up. When steam started to waft out over
the glass doors, Landen slid them open and climbed inside. The hot
sprays of water rushed down his body, warming his chilled skin.

He washed his hair then grabbed that bodywash to soap himself

up. His hand ran over his chest then down lower until his hand
bumped his straining shaft that stood at attention. Landen lathered up
his thick cock and stroked it.

He’d been half-hard since those dark-blue eyes latched on to his.

Avery.  Landen liked that name, a lot. The more he thought about it
the more he realized he liked not only the name but the man himself,
which was crazy. They’d just met and not under  the best
circumstances. The guy was Will’s  brother  and he obviously  had a
drinking problem. The last thing Landen wanted was to be attracted to
a guy with issues.

But he couldn’t deny how handsome Avery was. His face was thin

with delicate features. The straight, perfect nose and the plump rose-
colored lips added to his beauty. Avery reminded Landen of one of
those models for Abercrombie & Fitch, not a muscle-bound football
jock like himself but a lithe body with lean muscles.

“Oh god,” Landen moaned as his hand sped up on his cock.

For the Love of his Mate

As his eyes clenched tight he remembered seeing Avery’s thin,

smooth, and long fingers and it didn’t take much for Landen to
imagine what it would feel like to have those nimble-looking fingers
servicing his dick.

Moaning as he edged closer to his release, Landen thought about

that little smirk on Avery’s lips as he stared at him. The man might
look petite and innocent but something told Landen he was anything
but. A wildness flared in those blue eyes that intrigued Landen.

It was weird, a part of him wanted to run away like he did but

another part wanted to run to Avery and snatch him up. Hold him
close and kiss his full lips until they were both out of breath.

Landen groaned and his hand pumped faster. His balls drew up

tight and he shot his hot load into the spray of water coming from the
shower head. Landen thrust his hips forward chasing more of the
mind-numbing sensation until his hand became too much for him to
handle. His hand fell away from his softening cock and Landen let his
head fall forward on his chest.

“I so need to get laid.” That was the only explanation why he

could be so horny right now. It’d been a good four months since he
had had sex. Four months too long.

Landen rinsed off and got out of the shower. When he opened the

door he heard movement down in the kitchen. He tossed his towel and
dirty clothes in the hamper, grabbed his backpack, and headed down
stairs.

“Good morning,” he sang out to Kyle.
“Morning.” Kyle smiled at him over his shoulder as he made

coffee. “How was your run this morning?”

Landen stopped from pulling out his text book and laptop to look

at Kyle. “Interesting.”

“How so?” Kyle turned around to lean his back against the marble

counter top.

“Well, I met Avery, Will’s younger brother this morning.” Landen

chuckled. “And let’s just say it was in a very interesting way.”

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Landen explained about the car in the front yard and how Will didn’t
seem all too pleased to see his little brother.

“He drove here drunk?” Kyle poured two cups of coffee then

brought them over to the table, gave one to Landen, then sat down in
the chair beside him. “And he ran over Kelsey’s bike?” Kyle shook
his head. “What a mess to wake up to on a Saturday morning.” Kyle
blew across the steaming coffee. “So what was he like?”

Landen looked out the windows that lined the side of the kitchen.

He sucked his lower lip into his mouth as he thought about Avery. His
cock jerked in his pants and a goofy smile spread over his face.

“Oh my gosh!” Kyle started to giggle. “You like him.”
“Who likes who?” Just then Oliver, Kyle’s mate, strolled into the

kitchen.

Oliver and Landen had a rocky beginning to their friendship.

Mainly because Landen had a super huge crush on Kyle, but to be fair
it was because Landen sensed Kyle was like him, a wolf shifter. But
after learning that Kyle liked Oliver, Landen backed off. He just
enjoyed being friends with Kyle and now Oliver, too.

“Nothing.” Landen nudged Kyle with his foot under the table.
“Avery, Will’s brother, who by the way was so drunk when he

arrived at Will’s house he parked his car right in the middle of their
front lawn.” Kyle kicked Landen right back in the shin.

“No shit!” Oliver let out a low whistle as he filled a mug with

coffee.

“I think we should go over and meet him.” Kyle’s eyes lit up.

“I’ve only ever heard Will mention his brother once before and that
was to answer the question that yes he has a brother.”

“I don’t know, guys.” Landen raised his hand to push his shaggy

blond hair out of his eyes. He needed a hair cut in the worst way.
“There seemed to be a lot of tension between the two. I think it’s best
to give them some space if you know what I mean.”

For the Love of his Mate

Kyle opened his mouth to no doubt debate what Landen suggested

but the doorbell ringing saved him. Kyle hopped up out of his chair
and ran to the front door. Landen had a bad feeling about this.

“Hey, Ian.” Landen could hear the excitement in Kyle’s voice as

he greeted his brother.

“Dude, why do you look like you’re about to be sick?” Oliver

asked as he sat down in the chair Kyle just left.

“No reason.” Landen shook his head from side to side and

plastered a smile on his face.

Oliver cocked an eyebrow at him, giving him a funny look but

didn’t say anything else.

“Hey, guys,” Ian said as he came into the kitchen, and right

behind him was Avery.

Landen looked down at his book but kept sneaking glances up at

Avery. Damn, the guy was just too cute not to stare at.

“This is Avery, Will’s brother.” Ian introduced the man.
“Hey.” Oliver stood up and shook Avery’s hand.
Kyle played the good little host, getting everyone a cup of coffee

while the others took a seat around the table. Avery sat down across
from Landen and once again he could feel his eyes on him like a
finger caressing over his chest.

“I’m just going to cut right to the chase.” Ian turned to Avery.

“You don’t mind do you?”

“No. By all means go ahead. Isn’t like they won’t find out soon

enough anyway.” Avery shrugged.

“Okay, here’s the deal. Avery and Will don’t get along, and Will’s

being an ass about letting Avery stay with us. So would you guys
mind letting Avery stay here?”

“What?” Landen’s head shot up.
“Will and I will cover his share of the rent. We just need

somewhere for him to live.” Ian looked between Kyle and Oliver.

No matter how hard he tried Landen couldn’t keep his eyes off of

Avery. Avery must have been having the same issues as he was

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staring at Landen from where he sat. His pink tongue snaked out to
moisten his lips and Landen’s eyes widened as the pointed tip painted
over the plump flesh. A low groan gargled to life deep in his stomach.

“Yeah, sure, Ian,” Oliver answered. “We still have two empty

rooms. He can have one of those.”

“Thanks.” Ian smiled over at Oliver. “Avery is still undecided if

he wants to enroll at Hemsworth next semester, so he’ll be looking for
a job for the time being.”

“Oh!” Kyle’s face lit up. “The Early Bean is hiring. Maybe he can

get a job there.”

“That’s actually a great idea,” Ian said.
Kyle and Ian continued to talk, but Landen wasn’t listening. He

was riveted by the man before him. He knew he should look away but
he couldn’t force himself to do it. The teasing little smirk was back on
Avery’s face as if he knew he had Landen in his evil yet seductive
clutches.

“So it’s settled then.” Ian clapped his hands together and stood up.

“Avery drove us over here and all his things are in his car.”

“Do you want me to drive you back to your house?” Avery asked.
“No, I can walk. It’s not that far.” Ian smiled. “Kyle, Oliver,

would you two like to walk with me?”

“Sure.” Oliver stood up. “Landen, can you show Avery to one of

the empty rooms?”

Landen pursed his lips and shook his head slightly, indicating no

he couldn’t. Oliver cocked his head to the side as if to ask why not,
and Landen did his best to plead with his eyes but it didn’t work.

“Fine.” Landen stood up and wiped his damp palms on his jeans.
They all headed toward the front door. Ian said good-bye to Avery

and made sure he had his phone number before he, Kyle, and Oliver
walked down the sidewalk.

“Do you need help with your bags?” Landen asked.
“I don’t have much, but sure.” Avery popped the latch on the

trunk and Landen went over to help grab his stuff.

For the Love of his Mate

All he had was a backpack and a fancy looking compact suitcase

with a matching duffel bag. Landen pulled out the suitcase and the
bag, leaving the backpack for Avery to get. Landen led the way up the
front steps and back into the house. He took the stairs up to the second
floor.

The house had five bedrooms. The master suite, which Kyle and

Oliver occupied, was on the ground floor on the opposite side of the
living room. Upstairs was where the other four were located. The
second floor was designed kind of in a square shape. Once they
reached the top it split in two. One hallway on the right and one on
the left. Two rooms on each side with a bathroom at the end of each
hall.

Levi had taken one of the two rooms on the left and Landen had

taken one of the two on the right. They had enough space so they
didn’t need to be crowded to one side of the house.

Once they reached the top, Landen asked, “Which room would

you like? There’s one over there and then one here.” Landen pointed
to the two open doors.

“Where’s your room?” Avery asked as he turned around to look at

Landen.

“Here.” Landen’s voice cracked as he pointed over his shoulder at

his room.

“Then I’ll take this one.” Avery headed toward the room directly

across from his.

Fuck!
Landen forced a smile and carried Avery’s bag to the room. It was

bad enough he couldn’t keep his dick in check when around this guy.
Now he’d be forced to sleep across the hall from him, too. And by the
evil little grin on Avery’s handsome face, he knew exactly the effect
he had on Landen.

“Here you go.” Landen dropped the bags on the bed then headed

back toward the door.

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“What’s the rush?” Avery’s cool, smooth fingers wrapped around

his wrist and Landen froze for a brief moment then slowly turned
around to face Avery. “Wouldn’t you like to get to know your new
neighbor?” Avery let his chin fall to his chest then looked up through
his thick golden eyelashes. It gave the appearance of innocence but
was also very seductive.

“I think I know enough.” Landen coughed to clear his throat.
“You’re not curious like the others? I mean hell. Kyle and Oliver

seemed in an awful hurry to walk Ian home.” Avery canted his head
to the side. “I’m sure if Will has anything to say their ears will be
burning soon enough.”

“You two don’t get along?” Landen asked. The hand on his wrist

didn’t let go but Avery’s hold loosened a little bit.

“Nope, but I can’t say it’s because of Will.” Avery laughed then

walked toward the bed, pulling Landen along behind him. Avery sat
down and Landen moved to sit beside him. “I’m a selfish, spoiled
brat, and the strain between my brother and I is my fault.” Avery let
out a deep breath. “Damn, that felt good to admit but also makes me
feel like shit.”

“It’s good to admit your shortcomings and accept your

responsibility when something goes wrong,” Landen said, not sure if
Avery really wanted a response. “You’re only human and will make
mistakes, but taking ownership of those mistakes makes you a better
person.”

“Oh, yeah?” Avery shifted on the bed and pulled Landen’s hand

into his lap, tracing his finger over the palm of his hand. “If I tell Will
that I take the blame for all the bad shit I’ve done to him over the
years do you think he will forgive me?”

Landen lost the ability to breathe and to talk as Avery looked up at

him with his soft blue eyes that brimmed with tears. He wanted to
comfort Avery, but he also knew that it might lead to other things and
Landen wasn’t really sure if Ian, Will, and Kyle wanted Avery to be

For the Love of his Mate

off-limits, or if Avery even knew what they were. Wolf shifters
weren’t common knowledge among the human world.

“I’m not sure.” Landen’s eyes dropped down to look at Avery’s

moist lips. “But all you can do is try.”

“You make is sound so simple,” Avery whispered, his fingertip

still running over his palm.

“Sometimes it is.” Landen dropped his head down to meet

Avery’s sad eyes. “Will’s a good guy. I can’t possibly imagine that he
wants to hang on to all this anger and resentment you think he has
toward you.” Landen shrugged. “You’re his brother and he loves you.
You just need to show him that you’ve changed.” In the back of his
mind Landen was dying to know what exactly Avery did to upset Will
so badly but maybe he was better off not knowing.

“You’re a real sweet guy.” Avery tilted his head and smiled up at

Landen. “And you’re easy to talk to. I like that about you. I feel like I
could tell you anything.”

“Um, thanks.” Landen didn’t know what else to say. He liked that

Avery enjoyed talking to him, but the more Avery talked Landen
couldn’t keep his eyes from dropping to look at his plump lips, and
everything below the belt got really hard.

Avery lifted his hand to touch Landen’s face. The smooth, cool

skin caused a chill to run down Landen’s back. The thin fingers
combed through his hair, shoving the thick strands off his cheek. Very
slowly, as if time was winding to a standstill, Avery leaned forward.
Landen gasped as the soft lips touched his. Avery’s other hand came
up to cup his cheek, and Landen leaned into the kiss.

The kiss was a gentle meeting of two people. Not rough or hungry

but sweet, just a soft brush of lips against lips. Landen reached up his
hands to wrap his arms around Avery when the sudden urge to claim
Avery howled in his head. His wolf wanted out and it wanted Avery.
Landen jerked back from Avery and stumbled as he stood up from the
bed.

“What’s the matter?” Avery asked as he climbed to his feet.

For the Love of his Mate

Chapter Four

“Well, that didn’t go quite as I had expected,” Avery said to

himself as he watched Landen flee from his room.

Avery walked to the bedroom door and listened as Landen ran

down the steps, his feet echoing in the hallway as he made his escape.
Avery shut his door and went to lie down on his bed. He stared up at
the ceiling and replayed the last five minutes with Landen in his head.

He couldn’t understand what went wrong. They were talking and

sure Avery tended to get a little emotional and needy when discussing
his family, especially Will. He hadn’t been a good brother to Will and
he didn’t deserve his brother’s forgiveness, but it didn’t change the
fact that he still wanted it.

Not wanting to dwell on what a disappointment he was to his

family, Avery thought back to the kiss he shared with Landen and his
eyes fell shut. He brought his hand up to trace over his lips, and damn
if he couldn’t still feel the soft touch and taste of Landen’s coffee-
flavored mouth. A slow buzzing hum radiated through his body. Just
one kiss and Avery knew it wasn’t enough. He needed to have
Landen.

Avery peeked out the corner of his eye to make sure his door was

still shut then moved his hands down to unfasten his pants. He snuck
his right hand inside and pulled out his already pulsing cock. Just the
mere thought of Landen’s delicious mouth and big hands on his body
had a bead of pre-cum leaking from the tip. Avery ran his thumb over
the head, smearing his juices around in a circle.

Not wanting to go slow or draw out the moment, Avery wrapped

his fingers around his shaft and started to pump his fist up and down.

AJ Jarrett

His grip cinched tighter and his mouth fell open as he could feel the
sparks of electric desire course through his veins. He couldn’t hold
back, and after five more strokes he came in a gush of creamy heat,
covering his hand.

“Fuck!” Avery groaned as his hand came to a stop. “If I nut this

hard just thinking about him, I’m not sure I’d survive the real thing.”
Avery wiped his hand off on his jeans then stood up from the bed. He
pulled out a change of clothes and grabbed his shaving kit that had all
his soaps in it and headed across the hall to the bathroom for a quick
shower.

After his shower Avery got dressed and went downstairs. He

needed some coffee, and then he needed to head out to look for a job.
As he came down the steps he caught his reflection in a large mirror
hanging on the wall. He stopped in front of it and straightened the
black V-neck sweater he’d chosen and patted a few pieces of lint off
his snug-fitting khaki pants. As he stared at his reflection he ran his
hands through his hair trying to get the right look of messy and I don’t
give a care to perfectly stylish. He smiled at himself then bounded off
to the kitchen.

Once there he searched the cabinets until he found the coffee

mugs and poured himself a cup of coffee. He took a seat at the table
and pulled out his iPhone. He googled the Early Bean Café that Kyle
had mention was hiring. Working at a coffee shop sounded like easy
work and that was right up Avery’s alley. He wasn’t one for hard
labor or working for that matter but the reality of his situation took
over. In order to have money he had to get a job.

“Hey.”
Avery looked up from his phone to see a very muscular, about

average height, blond-haired guy walk into the kitchen. He only had
on a pair of boxer briefs and his tight body was exposed for all to see.
He scratched at his junk as he passed by the table.

The hot piece of ass invading the kitchen should have sent

Avery’s dick into overdrive, pushing at his zipper, but amazingly

For the Love of his Mate

enough nothing happened. He even looked down to make sure he just
couldn’t feel it but nope, nothing going on in his downstairs region,
which Avery found rather odd. He was a twenty-one-year-old horny
male. His dick still got stiff if the wind blew in the right direction.

Avery shook his head and took another look at the bubble butt

encased in that tight underwear, but nothing. It had to be all the stress
he was under why he wasn’t reacting to mister cutie in the black
undies.

“I’m sorry, but who the fuck are you?” the hottie asked as his eyes

settled on Avery’s face.

Avery’s eyes wandered over the man’s front side and he tilted his

head at the bulge in the front of his briefs and still nothing. Damn,
what’s the matter with me?

“Oh sorry.” Avery looked up at the man, one eyebrow cocked up

on his forehead, his face still wrinkled from sleep. “I’m Avery, Will
Watterson’s brother.” Avery stood and reached out his hand.

“Well, hello there, Avery. Name’s Levi.” The man shook his

hand. “May I ask why you are in my kitchen?”

“Because he’s going to be living here for the time being,” Kyle

said as he and Oliver walked through the back door. “So you might
want to start putting on clothes when you roam around the house.”
Kyle pointed down to Levi’s black briefs.

“Whatever, dude.” Levi hopped up to sit on the kitchen counter.

“Like I care if the blond twink steals a glance every now and again.
I’m comfortable with my sexuality and I love having people admire
my body.” A cocky grin spread over Levi’s face.

“Conceited much?” Kyle rolled his eyes.
“Nope, just confident in the man that I am.” Levi winked at Kyle

then took a drink of his coffee.

“Excuse me, twink?” Avery hated being called that. Just because

he was on the thin side and didn’t spend his life in a gym didn’t make
him any less manly than the idiot sitting on the countertop. “How do
you even know if I’m gay or not?”

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“For one, have you looked in the mirror? Not to be offensive or

anything, but you kind of look pretty like a girl. How much time do
you spend on your hair to get it to flow in that direction?” Levi asked
but didn’t give Avery a chance to respond. “And second, your eyes
were glued to my ass then my dick since I walked into the kitchen. All
those things scream gay, bro.”

All eyes were now on him, and Avery had to force the spit in his

mouth down his dry throat or risk drooling down his chin.

“I might be gay.” Avery coughed to clear his throat. “But I’m

totally not interested.” Because he already had his sights set on
Landen. “I like a man with a little more modesty and personality.”

“Oh he got you there.” Oliver punched a stunned Levi in the

shoulder. “Two things you lack, my man.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Levi jumped down from the counter.

“Fuck you all. I know I’m perfect.” He smiled and turned to walk out
of the kitchen, swaying his hips as he went. “Eat it up, boys. My ass is
fine!”

“He is…” Avery couldn’t find the words to describe Levi.
“A pest but he’s cool.” Oliver sat down next to Avery. “So what

are your plans for the day?”

“Job hunting.” Avery looked down at his phone and pulled up the

address for the café.

“Oh, sweet! You’re taking my advice on the job,” Kyle said as he

leaned over Avery’s shoulder to look down at his phone. “Shane and
Dominic own the Bean. It used to be just a bakery-type shop but once
Margie decided to move to Arizona she sold the property and the one
next door to Shane and Dominic so now it’s a bigger version with
waiters and stuff. Big hit with the college crowd.”

“And you should know.” Oliver pulled Kyle into his lap. “You go

there at every free break you have from class.”

“Like you care.” Kyle kissed Oliver. “It’s nice to be around

members of our p—” Kyle’s words were cut off by Oliver smashing
his lips to his.

For the Love of his Mate

Avery stared at the two wondering what Kyle was about to say.

Members of their what?

“What Kyle meant was that there’s a strong gay community in

town and we all get together every now and again and hang out. A
members of our group kind of thing.”

“Yeah!” Kyle’s cheeks flushed. “What he said.”
“Okay.” Avery got up and walked over to the sink to rinse out his

cup. It was good to know he wasn’t the only gay man in town besides
his brother and his boyfriend. “Well, I’m off.”

“Do you need us to come with you?” Kyle asked, standing up

from Oliver’s lap. “We don’t mind.”

And here we go. Avery had to suppress the urge to roll his eyes.

“I’m not sure what my brother told you guys when you walked Ian
back home.” Because Avery was certain they got an earful. “But I’m
not a total lost cause. I can take care of myself and I promise I won’t
have a single drink.” He shrugged and raised his hand to teeter back
and forth. “Unless it’s coffee, and then all bets are off.” He smiled to
let them know he wasn’t trying to be rude.

“It’s not that.” Kyle looked down at his boyfriend then back to

Avery. “It’s just that you’re new in town. Thought you might need a
tour guide or something.”

“I appreciate the offer, but you guys are already helping me out

big time by letting me stay here.” He walked over to Kyle and rested a
hand on his shoulder. “I’ll be okay on my own. I got GPS on my
phone.” He waved the device from side to side.

“Okay but just in case.” Kyle snatched his phone from his grasp

and typed in his number. “If you need anything just give me a call.”

“Will do.” Avery took back his phone and headed for the front

door but stopped in the entryway to turn back to Kyle and Oliver.
“Thanks again for letting me crash here.”

“You’re very welcome.” Kyle beamed a bright smile at him.
Avery waved good-bye then headed to his car. He popped the lock

and slid into the soft black leather seat. It was good that his car had

AJ Jarrett

been a gift bought and paid for by his parents. Of course they didn’t
think to take that away when they cut him loose.

As he drove through the quiet neighborhood, Avery couldn’t help

but admire his surroundings. All the houses had nice manicured lawns
with trees in them. He passed a house were a lady was out tending to
the flower beds in front of her home,  another where a man was
mowing, and down at the end of the street a group of kids riding their
bikes. What amazed  him the most was that everyone waved as he
passed by. He was a  stranger,  yet they stopped to  take the time  and
wave hello. That never happened in New York. A person could  get
shot for stopping like that. The city was always in constant movement
with everyone in such a rush to get to where they needed to  go,  but
not here. It was as if time moved at its own pace in Silver Creek.
Avery was starting to see its appeal.

The voice on the phone said to turn right on Wildrose Avenue and

the destination would be on the right. Avery found an empty spot and
parallel parked, took off his sunglasses, and placed them in the
passenger seat, then got out of the car. He turned to face the glass
front building with the hand-painted sign, Early Bean Café.

This part of town was older and had stores lining the street. It was

shaped in a square with a large grassy area in the center. A park sat to
one side with benches for people to sit and enjoy themselves while
watching their children play.

Avery took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh and clean air. He had

to admit this was definitely a nice change to what he was used to.

Turning around, Avery stepped over the curb and headed for the

front door of the Early Bean. As he pulled the door open the strong
smell of coffee filled his nose and something  sweet. Cake? Avery
wasn’t  sure,  but it sure smelled delicious. His stomach started to
growl,  reminding him he hadn’t eaten since yesterday morning,  and
even though he nearly drank his weight in vodka it didn’t count as
food.

For the Love of his Mate

The place was busy, tables filled with chatting people enjoying

coffee and different types of baked goods. He walked up to the
counter and waited his turn. After a few minutes it came his turn at
the counter.

“Can I help you?” The guy’s name tag said Shane.
“Hi, yeah, I was told you were hiring.” Avery wiped his sweaty

palms on his thighs. He’d never had a job a day in his life. He was
pretty sure he wasn’t qualified for anything.

“Oh, you must be Avery.” Shane reached over the counter to offer

his hand. “Kyle then Ian both called me about you.” Avery shook his
hand. “I’m Shane and yes, we are looking for help.” Shane held up a
finger and hollered over his shoulder. A young thin man with short
brown hair came up to the counter. “Carl, do you mind handling the
front for a few minutes.”

“Yeah, sure.” Carl moved right in and helped the next person in

line.

“Follow me.” Shane waved for Avery to step around the counter.

“My office is right in the back here.”

Avery followed Shane down a short hallway into a spacious

office. Two desks sat against the opposite walls. A computer on each
with papers scattered on the tops.

“Sorry for the mess. My partner Dominic and I spend so much

time out front we hardly get a chance to clean up in here.” Shane
turned the chair at the empty desk for Avery to sit in then sat down in
his own. “Did Kyle happen to tell you what the job was for?”

“Uh, no.” Avery took a seat. “He just said you were hiring, and

I’m in need of a job.”

“We’re looking for someone to help clear tables and help out at

the front counter during the day shift. You’d have Sundays and
Mondays off. I work primary during the day and Dominic handles the
evening hours. We’ve hired a few high school and college students to
work the evening hours. We just started having an open-mike night on
Saturday nights. It’s something Dom wanted to try out and so far it’s

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been a hit. So as you can see it’s quite busy around here. Ever since
Dominic and I bought the café and expanded business has just
grown.”

Avery nodded his head. The job sounded easy enough.

“Understandable. By the looks of it you guys have a pretty popular
place.”

“We sure do.” Shane looked up from digging in a drawer at his

desk. “So, Avery, when can you start?”

“Excuse me?” Avery leaned forward, thinking he must have

misunderstood the question.

“When can you start?” Shane handed over a stack of papers to

Avery, which he took with a shaking hand. “Those are your W-2s and
an application.” Shane shrugged. “The application is just standard for
all employees to fill out.”

“You’re hiring me?” Avery’s eyes were as wide as saucers. He

had never interviewed for a job before but assumed it consisted of
being questioned for the position.

“Yes.” Shane crossed his legs and sat back in his chair.
“But don’t you want to ask me some questions first? Like if I’m

even qualified for the position.” Avery hoped by questioning Shane’s
hiring practice he didn’t just cost himself a job.

“Avery, my dear, you are clearing off tables and wiping them

down and filling orders at the counter. It’s not rocket science, babe.”
Shane giggled. “If you want the job it’s yours. Ian and Kyle said you
could really use this job and I could really use some help, so what do
you say?”

“Yes!” Avery’s cheeks hurt from smiling so hard. He’d done it.

He’d accomplished getting a job.

“Fabulous, now my and Dominic’s boyfriends will be happy to

not have to come help out as often.” Shane shook his head in disgust.
“They have no problem coming in here to eat and drink our stuff, but
ask them to pick up a few cups and you’d think they’d been shot.”

For the Love of his Mate

Avery smiled at Shane. “Some guys are like that, but I’m sure

you’re not with him for his cleaning ability.” He shot Shane a wink.

“Ain’t that the truth.” Shane laughed as he stood up from his

chair. “So, Avery, are you ready to start today?”

He looked down at his clothes and fancy black shoes, debating if

he was okay with the possibility of getting his outfit dirty. With a
shrug, he silently said fuck it. He was starting a new life here in Silver
Creek, and expensive clothes, shoes, and hair products were a thing of
the past. “I’d love to.”

“That’s the answer I was hoping to hear.” Shane led him back out

front and handed him an apron.

The day carried on with Avery clearing off tables and wiping

them down. He even walked around talking with the customers to see
if they needed anything and ran off to get what they’d asked for. He
was honestly impressed with how nice everyone had been to him. The
young guy, Carl, showed him how to run the dishwasher in the back
and gushed about his boyfriend the entire time. Everyone he’d met
had been gay. It was like Silver Creek was a gay utopia.

Around four the other owner, Dominic, came in. Avery found the

man very nice and they talked for a few minutes until they got busy
again. The café stayed open until eleven o’clock on Saturdays, but
around six Shane pulled Avery aside.

“You can go ahead and take off.” Shane spun Avery around by the

shoulders and untied his apron. “You did a great job today and I’ll see
you back here on Tuesday morning at six.”

Six? Avery couldn’t remember the last time he’d been up that

early but this was a part of his new life. “See ya at six, Shane!”

Avery waved good-bye then headed to his car, got in, and drove

back home. A tired  achiness  filled his bones,  but he wasn’t going to
complain. He never saw himself working a regular job ever, but this
was the hand he’d been dealt and he was fortunate  enough to have
met nice people who were willing to give him a chance. Now he just
needed to work on getting Will to give him a second  chance,  too.

For the Love of his Mate

Chapter Five

“Dude, are you sure about this?” Levi asked Landen as he took a

seat in the barber’s chair. “I mean, don’t you like love your hair or
some shit.” Levi poked a finger in the long wavy strands that
surrounded Landen’s head.

After he made his escape from the house and Avery earlier that

day he drove out to the Carsten house. He shifted and ran around the
property in wolf form until his body gave out. Once he made it back
to the house he got dressed and checked his phone. He had a few
missed text messages from Levi. Levi was bored and needed someone
to hang out with and Landen wanted to avoid going home, so
spending time with Levi sounded like a great idea. With Avery at the
house there was just too much temptation to go back.

Levi and Landen met up back in Silver Creek and had decided to

go to the café,  but as they came up to the front windows Landen
stopped in his tracks as if stuck in concrete. The very person he was
trying to avoid stood laughing  at a table near the window. Landen
quickly ducked out of the way and,  of course,  this led to a ton of
questions from Levi as to why he wouldn’t go into the Early Bean.

They decided to go across town to a small diner for lunch where

Landen confided in Levi that he sort of, kind of, had a crush on Avery
and that they’d kissed. After Levi stopped laughing his ass off he
agreed to keep it a secret. Landen wasn’t quite sure how to approach
the whole him liking Avery and Avery being a human and Will’s
brother. There was some bad blood between the two brothers, and
Landen wasn’t even for sure how long Avery would be in Silver

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Creek. He didn’t want to set his sights on a man just to have said man
up and leave him in a few weeks.

“It’s just hair.” Landen reached up to shove the long bangs out of

his eyes. He needed a change in his life, and chopping off the one
thing that had been driving him crazy seemed like a great start. The
barber asked him what he wanted and Landen looked up at Levi who
just shrugged his schedulers. “Shave it all off.”

The barber put a guard on the clippers then proceeded to shave all

his hair off. It felt freeing to be rid of the messy locks. The memory of
Avery running his fingers through his hair sat at the edge of his brain
and made his dick twitch. A moment of regret jolted him as the barber
shaved  another line down the back  of his head,  but it didn’t matter.
He’d met plenty of guys like Avery at college. Pretty boys  just
passing  through  until they found a better cock to sit on. Landen
wasn’t into that. He wanted to find someone  who wanted him and
only him. He was sick of one-night hookups.

“So what do you think?” Landen asked Levi once the barber

finished.

“I think you look more like a guy now.” Levi chuckled.
“You’re a dick.” Landed paid the barber then ushered a laughing

Levi from the shop.

“So I’ve got to ask. If Avery is working at the café does that mean

we have to find another place to hang out at? Because, dude, I can’t
live without their muffins and cookies.” Levi had a worried look on
his face.

“Heck, I don’t know.” Landen opened the door to his Jeep. “For

all I know he won’t be here long and it won’t be an issue.” A sudden
rush of sadness filled his chest and Landen let his chin drop to his
chest and he stared down at the ground.

“Dude, you like really like him, don’t you?” Levi nudged him in

the arm.

“I don’t know.” Landen shrugged. “I think I’m just lonely. It’s

been a while since another guy has made a move on me. It’s nice for

For the Love of his Mate

someone else to be the aggressor for a change.” Deep down, Landen
knew that was a lie. He liked Avery more than he cared to admit and
he had just met the guy. What did that say about him?

Levi stood there staring at him for a few moments. His eyes bore

into Landen’s and he had to look away. He was afraid that Levi would
be able to see into his head and tell he was lying.

“Okay.” Levi nodded his head. “Let’s head home and have dinner

with the lovebirds.”

“What? No hot date tonight?” Landen asked as he got into his

Jeep.

“Nope, I’m taking a night off. I think the ladies of Silver Creek

need a break from all this awesomeness.” Levi waved a hand in front
of his body.

Landen shut the car door and laughed all the way back to the

house. Levi was an easy guy to like. Too bad he was straight. Landen
could see himself with someone like Levi. Besides being nice to look
at, he was a great guy. He cared about his friends and listened when
Landen needed to talk.

To Landen’s dismay and a brief amount of excitement, Avery’s

car sat parked in the far end of the driveway. Once inside he didn’t
see Avery anywhere. Once again Landen wasn’t sure how to feel
about that.

“Oh my god!”
Landen turned to see Kyle sitting on the couch in the living room.

“What did you do to your hair?”

“Our boy here needed a change.” Levi clapped Landen on the

back hard enough to send him stumbling forward. “Doesn’t it make
him look manlier?”

“Yeah, but…” Kyle worried his bottom lip as if he didn’t know

what to say.

“It looks great,” Oliver said as he came into the living room.

“Kyle, stop looking so upset. It’s just hair.”

“But it was pretty hair.” Kyle pouted.

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“Sometimes I think you were meant to be a girl.” Levi plopped

down in the recliner and snatched up the remote. “So what’s for
dinner?”

While Levi and Oliver discussed options for supper Landen went

to sit on the other side of Kyle.

“Oliver’s right, it’s just hair.” Landen bumped shoulders with

Kyle. “It’ll grow back in like a week.”

“I know. It’s just I hate change. So many things have changed in

my life and it’s stupid that something as little as you getting your hair
cut bothers me.” Kyle shifted in his seat. “Is everything okay? I mean
you did like having longer hair. What happened?”

“Nice hair.” Kyle and Landen looked up at the stairs as Avery

made his way down. Avery grinned over at Landen.

Landen couldn’t look away as Avery descended the steps one at a

time as if in slow motion. He wore loose-fitting pajama bottoms that
sat dangerously low on his narrow hips and a tight white T-shirt. His
hair was rumpled as if he’d been lying on it and his eyes were a little
puffy. The lightly sun-kissed skin looked flawless.

“Thanks,” Landen said to Avery then turned to look at Kyle who

was darting glances between the two of them.

“So we’re ordering pizza,” Levi said as he pulled out his cell

phone. “Is that cool with everyone?”

The pizza came and they sat in the living room watching a movie

on the TV. Landen stayed in his seat next to Kyle while Avery sat on
the love seat with his legs tucked under him. He looked so relaxed,
and every now and  again  Landen  would catch him staring at him. It
took everything in Landen  to not stare back. Just because  he wanted
Avery didn’t mean that he could think with his dick and not his brain.
First thing he needed to do was talk to Ian and Will to see if he could
have their blessing in pursuing  something with Avery. As stupid  as
that may sound,  he didn’t want to upset any of his new friends by
stepping out of line. For all he knew Will didn’t want his brother to be
involved with a wolf shifter. And second, he wanted to know if Avery

For the Love of his Mate

would be sticking around. Landen didn’t want to get even more
invested in a guy who was just going to leave him.

Finally, around ten, Landen stood up, stretched, and called it a

night. He said good night to the other four and walked up the stairs.
He stopped by the bathroom to take a quick shower and brush his
teeth, then went to his room and crawled into bed.

The room was too quiet and every little noise had him twitching.

He was on edge and anxious but for what he didn’t know. It probably
had something to do with knowing the man he so desperately wanted
to kiss, touch, and all together do naughty things with was right across
the hall.

Landen climbed out of bed and pulled his fan from the closet. It

was old and Landen often turned it on at night when he couldn’t
sleep. Usually the swirling vibrating sound helped lull him to sleep,
and just like he thought it did the trick. In just a matter of minutes he
drifted off.

The brush of soft lips on his neck and a firm hand massaging his

dick had Landen moaning in his sleep. The touch felt too real, better
than any dream he’d ever had.

“I want you so bad.” The sound of Avery’s voice against his ear

had Landen jerking up from the bed.

His mind was still a little hazy from sleep and it took a moment

for his eyes to adjust,  but  sure  enough Avery lay on his side in
Landen’s  bed. His shirt was gone and all he wore  was  those  loose
plaid sleeping pants, down so low in the front Landen could  see  the
perfectly  trimmed pubic hair peeking out the top, and the distinct
bulge  tenting  the thin fabric. Landen swallowed around  the lump
forming in his throat and looked back up to meet Avery’s dark eyes.

“What are you doing in here?” Landen whispered harshly as he

glanced over at the door, praying no one chose that moment to barge
in.

“I couldn’t sleep.” Avery rolled to the side, pulled back the

blankets, and then climbed underneath next to Landen.

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“So?” Landen yanked the blanket up to cover his bare chest.
“So, I thought I’d come and check on you.” Avery moved close

enough to wrap his arm around Landen’s waist and put pressure on
Landen’s stomach to get him to lie down.

Landen gave in and lay flat on his back and stared up at the

ceiling. “Why?”

“That’s a very good question I’m not sure I know the answer to.”

Avery lifted his hand and placed a finger under Landen’s chin and
turned  his  head  to face Avery’s.  “You look so peaceful when you
sleep. I didn’t want to wake you,  but I couldn’t keep from not
touching you.”  Avery’s hand moved to  cup the side of Landen’s
cheek. “I’m sorry.”

Heat exploded over Landen’s cheek where Avery touched him. A

tingling sensation danced over his skin and a low moan slipped past
his lips.

“Every time I’m near you I feel like I’m being pulled closer and

closer to you.” Avery’s voice dropped to barely above a whisper. “It’s
like I can’t help myself.”

“Me either,” Landen said softly as Avery leaned in and kissed his

lips.

It was as if fireworks ignited and Landen felt like he was falling.

Not a bad kind of fall, but one where things seemed to fall into place.
There was no hesitation or confusion. With that one gentle kiss,
Landen knew Avery was his mate.

Avery rolled on top of him and deepened the kiss. His warm moist

tongue trailed over his lips until Landen opened just enough for Avery
to enter. No kiss had ever felt so right before in his entire life. His
blood began to boil and he couldn’t seem to touch Avery enough. He
ran his fingers up and down Avery’s back then lower until his fingers
drifted under the back of his pants to caress over the top curve of his
ass.

Not growing up and being raised by other wolf shifters, Landen

still felt at times clueless to his wolf side. Landen had a real fear that

For the Love of his Mate

he wouldn’t be able to recognize his mate when he met him. But the
more he drank in Avery’s sensual taste, the feeling of uncertainty
disappeared. The strong pull he had toward Avery now made perfect
sense. They were meant to be together.

Landen pushed down Avery’s pants and kneaded the firm globes

under his hands. His hips arched up off the bed, rubbing his thickness
into Avery’s hard pole where it pressed against his.

“Take these off.” Avery sat up, pushing Landen’s legs apart to

make room for himself in the V of his legs. He yanked down Landen’s
boxers then tossed them over his shoulder to the floor. “I don’t think
I’ve ever been this turned on in my life.” Avery’s tongue slipped out
to lick his upper lip as his eyes ate up Landen’s body.

Landen could feel Avery’s eyes on him almost as if he were

touching him with his hands.

“Me either,” Landen moaned as Avery wrapped his fingers around

his shaft and squeezed. It had to be the mating bond that put their
attraction into overdrive.

Avery knelt between Landen’s legs and licked a hot line from his

balls all the way up to the flared tip. He fisted his hands in the sheets
beside his head, trying to conceal the sharp nails that  grew from his
fingertips.  His wolf pushed at the surfaces of his skin,  but Landen
reined  him back in. No claiming would be done tonight but it didn’t
mean they couldn’t have sex. Landen’s mouth fell open and he gasped
for air as Avery nibbled at the crown of his cock then slowly fed his
length down his throat.

“God, Avery.” Landen thrashed around beneath his mate, trying to

hold back coming too soon but it was pointless. “I need you inside
me.”

“Seriously?” Avery’s head popped up from sucking him, an

eyebrow arched in question.

“Um, yeah.” Landen all of a sudden felt a little self-conscious.

Did Avery prefer to bottom? Landen wasn’t for sure, but he hoped his

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mate was a versatile lover who had more of a fondness for topping.
“Is that okay?”

“You have no idea how okay that is.” A look of relief spread over

Avery’s face and he leaned up and over Landen, reaching toward the
nightstand. Once Avery had what he was looking for he moved back
into position. A huge smile on his face as he held up a small foil
package and a tube of lube.

“I’m a little offended.” Landen chuckled. “Was I that much of a

sure thing?”

“Nah, just wishful thinking on my part.” Avery winked then

leaned down to kiss him.

The kiss grew more aggressive. Avery nibbled and tugged at

Landen’s lips. Landen curled his fingers up the back of Avery’s head,
tangling in his blond hair. The feel of slick cool fingers at his entrance
made Landen open his eyes.

“You okay?” Avery asked as he pushed a wet finger deep into his

ass.

Landen’s head fell back to the pillow and his eyes rolled into the

back of his head. It’d been too long since he’d been filled, he couldn’t
wait to have Avery buried balls-deep inside him.

“Outstanding.” Landen grunted. He let his legs fall further apart,

begging Avery to give him more.

“You’re a greedy bottom, aren’t you?” Avery teased as he added

another finger.

“No, I just know what I want.” Landen opened his eyes and stared

deeply into Avery’s. “And what I want is you.”

He could see the bob of Avery’s Adam’s apple as he swallowed.

His fingers stalled with their in-and-out movement. Time seemed to
stop as they shared this moment of need and desire.

“I want you, too.” Avery pulled his fingers from Landen’s hole,

causing him to whimper from the loss. The sound of the foil wrapper
tearing filled the room, and in no time at all Avery had the condom
rolled down his length and his stiff member covered in lube. Avery

For the Love of his Mate

used his left hand to push up on the back of Landen’s thigh and used
his right hand to guide his cock to Landen’s fluttering hole.

Landen arched up off the bed as the fat mushroom-shaped head

breached his opening. Avery might be a thin and petite guy, but
nothing about his dick size was small. His cock was about seven
inches long and just as thick as Landen’s own. The latex covering his
cock prevented Landen from fully feeling the veiny surface. Avery
pulled out just a little then pushed back in. He continued this motion
until his balls were smashed against Landen’s ass.

“So tight,” Avery said breathlessly. “So perfect.”
Avery reminded Landen of a Greek god as he sat above him, his

cock pulsing deep in his hole. His eyes were shut and a small smile
graced his lips. Avery was lost in the ecstasy Landen gave him and
that made Landen even harder. He could come from the look of sheer
happiness alone on Avery’s face.

“Avery, move,” Landen demanded. The need to come was so

great but he wanted to do that with Avery pounding into him.

Avery pulled back until only the head remained then thrust back

in. Landen bit on his bottom lip to keep from shouting and rocked into
the solid length filling his ass.

“So good, so right,” Avery babbled. “Could do this for the rest of

my life.”

Landen gasped for breath and nodded his head, unsure if Avery

were looking at him.

Avery wrapped his arms behind Landen’s knees and anchored

himself to him, using Landen’s body as leverage to thrust harder and
faster. Landen reached down and grabbed his swollen cock, jerking in
time to Avery’s swift hips.

“I’m so close.” Avery lost his rhythm as he fucked Landen. “I

need you to come.” Avery’s eyes squeezed tight. “I need to feel you
come on my cock.”

Just listening to Avery’s breathless pleas sent Landen over the

edge into mind-blowing bliss. Cum shot out he tip of his cock,

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painting his chest in white streaks. His body twitched and jerked as he
rode out his release. Three more inward thrusts and Avery came
undone. He collapsed on top of Landen and buried his face in the
crook of his neck and bit down, muffling his cries of pleasure.

The sharp sting of teeth in his flesh caused another small orgasm

to take over his body and his canines to drop down. The sharp points
pierced his bottom lip and Landen could taste the copper flavor fill his
mouth. He took slow, deep breaths trying to calm himself down and
send his wolf back into hiding.

Finally as their breathing came back to normal, Avery rolled off

of him. He pulled off the condom and tossed it into the wastebasket
next to the nightstand. Avery grabbed a discarded T-shirt off the floor
and wiped the cooling cum from Landen’s chest then dropped it back
on the floor.

“That was amazing.” Avery turned on his side and threw an arm

over Landen’s stomach.

“It was.” Landen rolled on his side to face Avery.
“No, seriously, I mean it.” Avery brushed Landen’s lips with his

own. “I’ve never came so hard in my life. Like you, it was perfect.”

It sat right on the edge of his tongue to tell Avery the truth, that

they were mates and that he was a wolf shifter, but he didn’t. For right
now he just wanted to enjoy this moment of pure happiness with his
mate. Tomorrow they could deal with everything else.

Avery rolled over and Landen snuggled up close to his back,

holding him tight.

“Night, Landen,” Avery said around a yawn.
“Night, Avery.” Landen kissed the back of Avery’s neck and let

himself fall into a restful sleep.

For the Love of his Mate

Chapter Six

The warmth covering his back and the velvety steel pole pressed

against the crease of his ass had Avery coming to with a smile on his
face. It hadn’t been a dream. He and Landen fucked. Wait, no, it was
more than just a simple hookup or just a random fuck fest. It was…

“Hey, Landen, you want to go to breakfast with Ollie and me?”
Avery’s eye shot open as the loud and to cheery sounding voice

echoed in the room.

“Shit!” Both Avery and Landen said at the same time as they sat

up in bed.

“What the…” Kyle stood with his mouth hanging open as he

stared at the two of them.

“Shut the door.” Landen hissed.
Kyle closed the door and leaned against it. “Did you and he?” He

pointed from Avery to Landen then back again.

“If you’re trying to ask if we had sex then the answer is yes.”

Avery couldn’t keep the silly grin off his face.

He took a big chance the previous night coming into Landen’s

room but he couldn’t stay away. He felt tethered to the sexy blond.
Every moment he lay in his bed he could feel his heart pounding in
his chest, growing erratic with the need to be with Landen.

It was crazy and Avery knew it, but something inside him said he

had to be with Landen. He’d never felt such a strong connection with
another man before, and fighting it was no longer an option. It had
only been two days and Avery had nothing else to reference from, but
this felt like love or the beginnings of it. He’d heard other people
describe the overwhelming feelings they’d gotten when they met the

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one. Avery wasn’t sure if Landen was the one or if he was allowed to
feel this way about the man. They had just met but Landen was
different. Landen wasn’t like those other guys he’d dated only looking
to fuck or borrow money from him. Landen was special.

“Landen?” Kyle’s eyes had a sort of pleading to them that Avery

didn’t underrated.

“It’s not what you think, Kyle.” Landen shifted on the bed and

tugged the blankets up more on his waist. “This was more than just
sex. It means something.”

Avery darted his eyes back and forth between the two. It was as if

they were having some sort of psychic-connection type of
conversation. He felt left out since it was obvious they were talking
about him.

His brow creased and a fiery sensation bubbled up in his stomach.

He didn’t like how Landen and Kyle seemed to be so close. Why
should Kyle care who Landen slept with unless…

Avery didn’t want to think about that. Kyle was dating Oliver,

who in his own right was one hot piece of ass but Avery hated the
closeness shared between Kyle and Landen. They were friends but
Avery had had sex with plenty of so-called friends in his twenty-one
years.

“Oh my god,” Kyle mumbled as he looked from Landen back to

Avery. His mouth hung up and his eyes were wide in disbelief.

“What’s the matter with him?” Avery nudged Landen’s shoulder

with his own.

“Uh, nothing.” Landen smiled at him.
“I know I should have asked this last night, but are you and he?”

Avery gestured between Kyle and Landen and wiggled his eyebrows.

“Hell no!” Landen snapped the same time Kyle shouted no.
“Okay, cool.” Avery couldn’t describe how relieved he felt. His

heart no longer felt like it was going to beat out of his chest.

“So, breakfast?” Kyle asked.

For the Love of his Mate

“You want to go?” Landen asked him, and a small smile curved

his upper lip.

“If you’re going then there’s no other place I’d rather be.” Avery

hated how corny and dopey he sounded but it was the truth. Wherever
Landen would be, Avery wanted to be there too even it was just
breakfast with friends.

“That’s so cute.” Avery and Landen both turned to look at Kyle

who smiled at them. “Sorry.” Kyle’s cheeks flushed with heat. “I’ll
just step out and let you two get dressed. Meet you guys downstairs.”
With that Kyle walked out the door.

“That was a little—”
“Awkward?” Avery finished Landen’s sentence for him.
“Yeah.” Landen moved to the edge of the bed and kicked his legs

over the side then stood up.

Avery’s eyes dropped to the tight firm ass that he had the pleasure

of fucking last night, but now in the light of day he got to truly enjoy
the beauty of Landen’s fit body. From his shoulders all the way down
to his calves was nothing but muscle. No little bulges of fat or loose
skin. Landen was all muscle like a marble statue covered  in soft,
smooth,  tan skin. Just then Landen  turned  around  and his cock was
right at Avery’s eye level. He swallowed down a mouthful of drool
and his hand twitched to  reach out to touch  the semi erect shaft
taunting him.

“I think you should go to your room and get ready.” Avery looked

up at Landen’s smiling face. “We take too long they’ll leave without
us.”

Avery crawled over to Landen and put his hands on the man’s

waist and pulled him close. Their dicks bumped against each other
and they both gasped.

“Would that be such a bad thing?” Avery asked.
“No but…” Landen nibbled on his full bottom lip as he searched

for the words to say. Avery didn’t like the nervous look on his face.

“But?”

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“I just don’t want you to think that’s all I want.” Landen wrapped

his arms over Avery’s  shoulders  and rested his forehead against  his.
The soft exhales leaving  Landen’s mouth blew gently over Avery’s
face. “I like you, Avery, and I don’t know what this all means for you
but I want more than just a fuck buddy. Been there done that and now
I want more.”  Landen took a step back letting his hands fall from
Avery. “Do you get that?”

“More than you know.” Avery’s eyes tingled with the threat of

tears. In all his life he’d never wanted a man more than he wanted
Landen. “I’ll go and get dressed.” Avery hopped off the bed and
headed for the door.

A gentle hand on his wrist stopped him and he was pulled back

into Landen’s arms. No words were spoken, just a brief brush of lips
against lips then Landen pulled back. A smile lit up his entire face and
Avery felt lost in those soft green eyes.

“Hurry up.” Landen spun Avery around by his shoulders and

patted his butt as he walked toward the door.

Avery couldn’t remember being happier than he was right now.
Breakfast turned out to be more pleasant than Avery expected.

Kyle didn’t bring up what he walked in on this morning and they just
chatted about school and Avery’s new job at the café. It was so
perfectly normal. Avery  wasn’t used  to that. His life had been one
mad dash from one thing to the next. School bored him so he partied
to fill the boredom. But then when he started to receive the letters his
drinking and recreational  drug use became a more frequent vice to
help him relax but all that seemed like a lifetime  ago. Being with
Landen  filled him up in a way Avery hadn’t realized was empty. A
soothing calm settled over him, and now living out and away from the
city seemed like his own little heaven.

On their way back to the house, Avery’s cell phone started to ring.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Avery, it’s Dominic. I hate to ask since you just started and

today’s supposed to be your day off, but can

you help me out this

For the Love of his Mate

evening? One of our employees called in. I know it’s a lot to ask but
it’d only be from one to nine.”

“Sure, I’ll be there.” Avery could feel Landen’s eyes on him but

didn’t look at him. If he did he knew he’d want to stay at home curled
in Landen’s thick arms all day long.

“You’re a lifesaver. See you at one.”
Avery hung up the phone and leaned into Landen’s side. The heat

that radiated off the guy was intense. He wondered if Landen ever got
cold.

“What was that about?” Landen asked as he wrapped his arm over

Avery’s shoulders.

“Work.” He tilted his head up to look at Landen. “Someone called

in and they need me to work.”

“Really?” Landen whined. “I wanted to spend the day with you.”

Landen bent down to whisper in Avery’s ear. “In bed.”

The sound of Kyle giggling had Avery breaking eye contact with

Landen. Landen had spoken so low in his ear there was no way Kyle
could have heard that, right?

“I’ll tell you what.” Avery pulled Landen’s face down to his and

moved his mouth to Landen’s ear. He slowly licked around the outer
shell, causing Landen to moan. “When I get home I’ll come crawl
into bed with you. How’s that sound?”

“Perfect.”
The smile on Landen’s face was contagious. Avery darted his eyes

over Landen’s sharp and angular face. The man really could have
been a model or with his size a professional athlete. Avery reached
out and cupped his hand on the side of Landen’s face. His lover
turned into the touch and snuggled closer. Slowly, Avery let his hand
go upward to run over the short spiky hairs. He liked it long, but with
his hair short his face wasn’t hidden behind that thick mass of hair.

“This short hair of yours is really growing on me.” Avery moved

his palm back and forth, letting the hair tickle over his hand. “I like
it.”

AJ Jarrett

“Thanks.” Landen’s cheeks burned a bright red. Avery loved how

bashful Landen could be at times.

“I get to see all these perfect sculpted features you have without

having to shove hair out of the way.” Avery leaned up to kiss his lips.
“Plus I love being able to look into those emerald eyes of yours.”
Avery’s voice dropped real low. “So handsome.” He looked down at
Landen’s full lips and needed a taste.

The kiss started out slow then quickly moved to urgent. He and

Landen both forgot they weren’t alone as their tongues danced
alongside each other. Avery curled his fingers around Landen’s neck
and held on. The wet heat surrounded him and sucked him further in
and Avery never wanted to stop.

“Hey, uh, guys, we’re back at the house.” Oliver cleared his throat

when Landen and Avery ignored him.

“Should I get the hose?” Kyle’s voice trembled with laughter as

he spoke.

Landen pulled away smiling down at Avery. Avery’s heart felt so

full he thought it’d burst and he’d die from happiness right there in
the car.

Life really had a way of surprising him by giving him this special

man. He didn’t know what he had done to deserve Landen but he’d
spend every damn day making sure he kept this man in his life. He’d
prove to Landen and to Will that he wasn’t a complete fuck up. It
would just take one day at a time.

For the Love of his Mate

Chapter Seven

By the time they got home it was right around noon so Avery

went upstairs to get ready for work. When he came downstairs he sat
with Landen for a little bit before he had to go. The minute he walked
out the door Landen missed him. Landen knew he’d be back but a
part of him said to not get his hopes up. Just because Landen believed
they were mates didn’t mean Avery would feel the same.

“So, lover boy, what exactly is going on between you and

Avery?” Kyle sat in the chair beside him at the kitchen table. “And
don’t give me any bullshit about you not knowing. I saw the way you
looked at him this morning when I caught you in bed together and the
way you continued to stare at him all day long.” Kyle held up a hand.
“Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t just you. Avery looked at you as if
you were the only person in the world. It was kind of cute actually.”

“He did?” Landen asked, his hopes rising.
“Yeah.” Kyle rolled his eyes. “How could you miss it?”
Landen shrugged shyly. “I guess this is all just so new to me.” He

looked up at Kyle. “I’m afraid to put myself out there or to think it
means more than it really does.”

“Landen, buddy.” Kyle took Landen’s hand in his. “This morning

when you said it was more than just sex, you meant that he’s your
mate, right?”

“I think.” Landen shook his head. “I’m not sure.” Landen had

been raised by humans and all this wolf shifter crap was still so new
to  him. He felt like Avery  was his mate but  how did he know  for
sure?  Maybe he was just really attracted  to  Avery  and wanted to
believe in something that wasn’t really there.  “This is all so

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confusing.” Landen put his hands to his face then moved them
upward to sit on top of his head.

“I know exactly how you feel.” Kyle patted him on the back. “At

least you have an excuse to be so clueless on things. Me?”  Kyle
pointed a finger into his chest. “I was raised by wolf shifters and still
didn’t have a flipping clue what to do when I met Oliver. Sure,  I
wanted to jump his bones the moment I laid eyes on him, but it was
more  than  that.”  Kyle looked out in front of him as if lost in a
memory. “I wanted to keep him with me forever. To love and protect
him. To be able to wake up every day with him beside me. It was love
at first sight.”

Landen nodded his head because that was how he felt about

Avery. A man he just met. It seemed insane, but in the ways of the
wolf-shifting world it was the way it was done. One mate for life.

“I feel that way toward Avery.” Landen’s eyes fell shut as his

mind drifted back to the memory of them making love last night. The
way Avery moved slow then picked up his pace and fucked him into
oblivion. The tug and pull of his cock as it filled him then sent him
over the edge into pure ecstasy. No sex had ever been that good. “It’s
like I can still fill him inside me even now.”

“Whoa, hold up.” Landen opened his eyes at the sound of Levi’s

voice. Oliver and Levi stood in the entry way to the kitchen. “That
little guy fucked you?” Levi’s brow creased, his eyes squinting.

“Levi!” Oliver shoved Levi in the shoulder but Levi was unfazed.
“I just assumed since you were bigger that, you know.” Levi

waved his hand around. His face turned a bright shade of crimson as
he searched for the right words to say. “That you’d be laying the pipe,
not him.”

“Why are we friends again?” Landen asked.
“All I’m saying is that it seems weird that thin, petite Avery

would plow you.” Levi held his hands in the air. “It’s all I’m saying.”

For the Love of his Mate

“Levi, it’s about what feels good, not about what society has made

us think is acceptable. Yes, I’m bigger than Avery, but I like to be on
the bottom. It doesn’t make me less of a man and it’s not weird.”

Levi pulled out the chair across from Landen and looked between

Oliver and Kyle. “Do you, too? Ya know?”

“That’s none of your business,” Kyle snapped.
Oliver stood behind Kyle and shook his head no. Landen started

to laugh and Levi looked relieved.

“Okay back to the matter at hand.” Kyle clapped his hands

together, getting their attention. “You believe Avery is your mate,
right?” Landen nodded his head. “He’s human, and Will’s brother, so
I think you should go and talk to him before you say anything to
Avery. Will might be able to help you find a way to break it to his
brother. The whole mate thing and wolf-shifter thing.”

“His brother, right!” Landen had already decided to talk to Will,

but now that he knew he had to he was more than a little nervous.
“What should I say?” He glanced over at Kyle.

“Why you looking at me?” Kyle scooted his chair away from

Landen. “From what Ian told Oliver and I yesterday, those two do not
get along and I have no interest in getting between all that. You, on
the other hand, don’t have a choice. Avery’s your mate and that
makes you and Will family.”

“How weird is that?” Levi chuckled. “You two are best friends

and your brother”—Levi pointed to Kyle—“is mated to your mate’s
brother.” Levi moved his finger to point at Landen. “So you guys are
like family and shit.”

“We already were, you dumb-ass.” Kyle wadded up a napkin and

tossed it at Levi. “I love you all like family. Even you, you moron.”

“Will you go with me?” Landen interrupted Kyle and Levi. He

should go by himself but he didn’t think he could do this alone.

“Of course I will.” Kyle held out his hand for Landen.
“Good, let’s go.” Landen stood up and pulled Kyle to his feet.
“Now?” Kyle gasped.

AJ Jarrett

“Yes, now before I lose my courage.” He started walking toward

the side door leading outside, dragging Kyle behind him.

“Good luck!” Oliver called out and shot Kyle a wink.
As they walked down the street Landen kept his hold on Kyle’s

hand. His palms were sweaty and beads of perspiration  dotted his
forehead. He assumed this was how a man felt  when asking the
woman’s father he wanted  to marry for her hand in marriage,  but in
his case it was a brother and it wasn’t a marriage proposal. Avery was
his mate and there was no stopping it. They were meant to be
together, and  he just hoped Will would be okay with that because
there was nothing either of them could do about it.

“What should I say?” Landen asked quietly.
“The truth I guess.” Kyle squeezed his hand.
“Right.” Landen nodded his head still not convinced that was the

way to go but it was all he had.

The walk seemed shorter than usual and before he knew it they

stood at Will and Ian’s door. He raised his hand and knocked.

“Hey, Landen, Kyle.” Will greeted them with a smile then his

eyes dropped to where their hands were clasped together. “Is
everything all right?”

“Yes!” Kyle and Landen said at the same time, turning to look at

each other.

“Okay, come in.” Will held the door open for them. “Ian and

Kelsey aren’t here. They went with Grams to see baby Lucas at Ethan
and Holden’s house.”

“That’s fine. I actually came here to talk to you.” Landen sat

down on the couch next to Will, pulling Kyle down beside him. It was
as if Kyle was his only life line to his sanity.

“Oh, really?” Will’s eyebrows arched up on his smooth forehead.

“What about?” Suddenly the happy smile on his face curled into a
frown and his jaw clenched tight. “Is this about Avery? What did he
do now?”

For the Love of his Mate

“Nothing.” Landen let go of Kyle’s hand to twist his together.

“But it is about Avery.”  Will nodded his head. “Well,  you see.”
Landen tilted his head to the side, chewing on the inside of his mouth.
“Avery and I…”  He  couldn’t  make the words pop out of his mouth.
He  really  liked Will and didn’t want anything  to change between
them.

“Avery and you what?” Will asked as he scooted to the edge of

his seat.

Landen’s hands began to shake and he kept his eyes trained on the

floor in front of him.

Kyle reached over and took his right hand in his and said,

“They’re mates, Will. Landen and Avery are mates.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Will collapsed back on the couch

and his legs fell open as if he didn’t have any energy left in his body.

“I’m sorry, Will.” Landen spoke in a rush. “I didn’t mean for this

to happen, but it did. Please don’t be angry at me.”

“Why would I be mad at you?” Will turned his head to look

Landen in the eye. “I of all people know what it’s like to find a mate.
Granted I didn’t know that was what was happening between Ian and
I, but I would never hate you for finding your mate. Even if it is with
my kid brother, the little pest.” Will shook his head from side to side.
“Have you told him yet?”

“No,” Landen said softly. “Not really sure how to tell him or if

this is something that he would even want.” He turned his sad eyes to
Will. “You’re his brother and know him best. What should I do?”

“Fuck,” Will ground out then blew out a deep sigh. “Landen, you

have to understand something.” Will shifted on the couch and
positioned himself in the corner facing Landen and Kyle. “Avery and
I aren’t the closest siblings in the world. We’re more like strangers to
one another. We never got along and to be honest I don’t really care
to know him at all.”

AJ Jarrett

“Why?” Landen had been an only child and he’d given anything

to have a brother or even a sister. He couldn’t understand how Will
could be so crass.

“There’s a six-year age gap between us, so Avery’s always been

that annoying little brother. Probably worse in our case because our
parents were always gone. Avery was a big whiner and always got
what he wanted and I always had to cave in to his wants. It wasn’t fair
and I guess I still resent him for it.” Will shrugged. “Then as we got
older Avery didn’t grasp the concept of boundaries and respecting
others and by that I mean me. He’s done some things I don’t care to
talk about. So if you’re asking who my brother is and how to go about
telling him about you two and the wolf thing, I can’t help you. He’s as
much a stranger to me as some random person on the street.”

Landen’s eyes prickled with the familiar burn of tears. The

sadness he saw in Will broke his heart. To think these two brothers
were nowhere near being close. Will thought of Avery as a stranger,
and now Landen wondered if Avery felt the same way about Will.
Two people who should be closer than anything were separated by a
huge gap that from Will’s point of view was Avery’s fault. Now
Landen was dying to know what exactly Avery did that set Will off.

“That’s so sad,” Landen said without thinking about it.
“It is.” Will crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ve always held out

hope that Avery would change and now maybe he will. If Avery feels
anything  like I feel for Ian,  then his whole  life will change and the
way he looks  at things will shift. You might  be the person to make
Avery Watterson become a better man and I wish you all the luck,
Landen.  You’re  a real sweet guy who is deserving of love and
someone to love you back.”

“Thanks.” Landen smiled at Will, appreciating his kind words.
“But if you want some advice I’d suggest doing it right away like

ripping a Band-Aid off. Get it over with and see what happens.”

“Just like a doctor.” Kyle giggled. “Rip it off and hope it was

enough distraction to make the person not freak out.”

For the Love of his Mate

“Hey, it works more often than not.” Will pointed a finger at Kyle

and winked.

After a few more minutes of talking Will led Landen and Kyle

back to the front door. They said their good-byes and started down the
sidewalk.

“Landen!” Will called out for him and ran toward him.
“Yeah?”
“I was serious about telling him quickly. Don’t give him a chance

to run away because Avery is good at that.” Will rubbed his hand over
his head, combing the hair back with his fingers. “I know it seems like
I don’t like my brother but I do love him. He’s done some things that
I’m not sure I can forgive but I want to. He’s the only family I have
besides my parents, and they don’t care enough about either of us to
really matter. I wish you luck with this and just be that sweet and
caring guy I know  you to be and believe in your mating  bond.  Just
seeing Ian once and I was a goner, and seeing as Avery is my brother
I bet he’s fallen just as hard as you but is just too stubborn to admit
it.”  Will  reached  out and grabbed his upper bicep and squeezed.
“Good luck, Landen,  you’re  going to need it. Avery’s quite the
handful.”

“Thanks, I think.” Landen chuckled as he watched Will walk back

into the house. It seemed all wasn’t lost between the brothers.

Kyle rambled about this and that all the way home and Landen

only half listened. His mind was too busy rushing with thoughts and
ideas on how to tell Avery the news. But like Will said it was better to
tell him sooner than later and not to let him run away. And Landen
would feel better once everything was out in the open and he didn’t
have to hide who and what he really was. He just had to hope that
Avery would understand and accept what he had to say because what
other option did they have?

AJ Jarrett

Chapter Eight

It was thirty minutes before closing and Avery made his way

around the café clearing off tables and taking orders for the customers
still milling around. Some were working on laptops and some were
reading books. The atmosphere was very peaceful and quiet. Avery
liked it. It was slow for a Sunday evening at work. Not that Avery had
anything to compare it to since this was his first job and all.

Sitting at the far back table was a man, a very good-looking man.

He had shoulder-length wavy blond hair, golden skin, and he wore a
tight-fitting black T-shirt  and faded blue jeans. He looked like a bad
boy, something that would have definitely piqued his interested a few
days ago but not anymore. His mind was overflowing with images of
Landen, more precisely  a naked Landen,  so this guy’s good looks
weren’t even a bleep on his radar. It seemed like he was a one-man
kind of guy now and Avery was actually really starting to like  the
sound of that.

“Can I get you anything?” Avery asked the man.
The guy was staring off toward the front counter. His eyes had a

dazed kind of look about them as if he were distracted. Avery looked
over his shoulder to see  Dominic helping a customer. He winced.
Avery  felt bad for the poor cutie at the table. Dominic was  off the
market. Avery had the pleasure  of meeting Dominic’s  hunk of a
boyfriend early when he first arrived at work. The guy looked
dangerous in an erotic way. Avery could see the appeal.

The man’s eyes darted up at Avery and he shook his head as if

he’d just now noticed Avery standing there. “Nah, I’m good.” He
went back to staring at Dominic.

For the Love of his Mate

“Oh for the love of Pete!” Avery pulled out the chair across from

the man and sat down. “This isn’t usually my thing,  but don’t waste
your time. The hottie behind the counter is spoken for.” Avery wasn’t
used  to helping others or even giving a second thought about other
people’s  feelings. It surprised  him. Maybe he was finally  starting to
grow up.

“Excuse me?” The man’s brow creased and he turned his full

attention to Avery.

“I noticed you staring at Dominic.” Avery thumbed over his

shoulder. “I totally get it. He’s super sweet and easy on the eyes, but
he has a boyfriend. A tough and rough-looking boyfriend.” Avery
sucked in a breath and clamped his teeth together. “I don’t want to see
you get hurt.”

“Thanks for the information.” The guy smiled, exposing a

mouthful of bright white teeth. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He squinted
his eyes expectantly.

“Oh, Avery.” He held out his hand. “And you are?”
“PJ.” He shook Avery’s hand. “Are you new in town? I haven’t

seen you in here before.”

“I am.” Avery smiled. “Today’s only my second day on the job.

My brother lives here and when things got too shitty at home with my
folks, I came here.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Parents can really fuck up your life

sometimes.” The man’s green eyes flashed with anger. PJ lifted his
mug to his lips and drank down the remainder of his coffee then set
his cup down. “Well, Avery, it was nice meeting you. Maybe I’ll see
you around sometime.”

“Maybe you will.”
After PJ had left Avery got up and cleared away the table. PJ

seemed like a nice guy, kind of a loner, but weren’t they all kind of
alone in the world?

The last customer left and Avery helped Dominic clean up. He

didn’t mention the guy to Dominic who had sat at the table staring at

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him. No need to stir up trouble when there wasn’t any to be had.
Avery warned PJ that Dominic was taken but something about the
way PJ stared at Dominic didn’t scream attraction, more like affection
if that made any sense.

Avery said good night to Dominic and walked to his car. It was

pitch-black out. The only light coming from the decorative
streetlamps that lined the square. Avery got in his car and drove
home.

Once at the house Avery parked in the street as to not block

anyone’s car in. He knew the guys that lived here all went to
Hemsworth and probably had classes tomorrow and the last thing he
wanted was to be woken up at the ass crack of dawn to move his car
out of the way.

The front door was locked so he pulled out his key and slipped

inside. Not a single sound met his ears, and thankfully someone had
left the hallway light on for him. Avery tiptoed up the stairs, quietly
passed Landen’s door, and headed to the bathroom. He wanted to get
in a shower before he went in to snuggle with Landen. He’d been
looking forward to it all day long since the moment he got to work.

With the towel wrapped around his waist, Avery tossed his clothes

into his bedroom then stepped over to Landen’s door. He knocked.

“Come in.” Landen’s voice came from the other side.
Avery pushed it open and smiled as he saw Landen lying on his

bed, shirtless with only a pair of sweatpants on. He lay propped up on
some pillows.

“You look absolutely gorgeous lying there.” Avery jumped up on

the bed and lunged for Landen. He slanted his mouth over Landen’s
and kissed him long and hard. His pointed tongue licked over
Landen’s full lips until they parted on a sigh, and Avery pushed
forward, taking what he wanted.

“We need to talk.” Landen tried to push Avery back but it was

only halfhearted.

For the Love of his Mate

“Talk afterward,” Avery grumbled against Landen’s neck as he

kissed and sucked along the smooth delicate flesh.

“Okay.” Landen’s voice came out shaky, and Avery felt the

moment his body relaxed into the bed, giving him total control.

Avery liked that his big strong man let him be in charge. It drove

Avery wild. He slowly made his way down Landen’s neck to his
collarbone then lower. He traced his tongue along the hard contours
of Landen’s abdomen. Landen’s muscles quivered from his touch.

Avery scooted further down between Landen’s legs and pulled his

cock free from his sweatpants and wrapped his fingers around the hot
length. In one fluid movement he started to stroke him hard and fast.
Avery used the fingers of his other hand to caress Landen’s inner
thigh.

“I’ve waited all day to do this,” Avery whispered over Landen’s

hip, swirling his tongue around the cut muscle.

Opening his mouth, Avery extended his tongue and curled around

the tip of Landen’s cock. He then pulled off to lick a wet strip from
the bold ridged crown down to the thick base. Avery sucked along the
veiny length until he reached the head of Landen’s dick. He opened
his mouth and swallowed him down, hollowing out his cheeks.

“Avery.” Landen moaned as his fingers came to tangle in his hair.

“So good.”

Avery worked his way up and down Landen’s cock, circling his

tongue  around  the swollen head then deep throating him again. Not
having a gag reflex really made him a pro at sucking cock,  and he
pulled out all his tricks  to  impress Landen. He reached between
Landen’s  spread thighs and fondled his balls,  pulling a deep groan
from Landen’s throat.

As he bobbed his head faster and faster, Avery rubbed his finger

over the rippled opening of Landen’s entrance. He pushed ever so
lightly until he breached the tiny hole, sending Landen writhing
underneath him. Avery pushed his finger in as far as it would go and

AJ Jarrett

suckled at the tip. Pre-cum oozed out of Landen and Avery drank it
down, wanting more and more.

“I’m close. Oh god, I’m close.” Landen thrust his hips up off the

bed filling Avery’s throat with his hard steel.

Avery added another finger in Landen’s tight hole then curled his

fingers, massaging over Landen’s prostate. Landen’s body went taut
and he came on a guttural cry and filled Avery’s mouth with his hot
cum. Avery let the thick fluid slide down his throat and hummed his
pleasure around the pulsing length.

Once Landen’s balls were empty, Avery sat up and fisted his

straining cock and started to pump his fist. Landen looked up at him
and Avery held his stare as he jacked off. One, two, three strokes and
Avery shot his load all over Landen’s cock and balls, covering him in
his seed.

With the last drop pulled from his body, Avery collapsed over

Landen’s hot, sticky chest. Landen combed his fingers through
Avery’s hair. The soothing touch relaxed him even more until his
bones were like jelly.

“That was so hot,” Avery mumbled against Landen’s chest. “I

could literally suck your cock for hours and hours.” Avery sat up
enough to look at Landen. Landen had his upper lip sucked into his
mouth and he couldn’t seem to meet Avery’s stare. Something wasn’t
right. Landen looked upset. “What’s the matter, babe?”

“Not that I didn’t like what you just did to me, but we still need to

talk.” Landen’s voice was small and distant.

“Talk, right.” Avery sat up on his knees then stood up and

grabbed his towel off the floor. He knew all about having the talk
with another guy. Nothing good ever came from the talk. Once he had
the towel wrapped around his hips he sat in the chair in the far corner
of the room. He suddenly needed some space from the man he
couldn’t seem to stop thinking about.

For the Love of his Mate

“Avery, it’s nothing bad.” Landen pulled his pants back up. Avery

noticed he hadn’t wiped away the drying cum from his body. “Well, I
hope it’s not bad. I guess it’s all in the way you look at it.”

“Huh?” Landen cocked an eyebrow at his lover, unsure what the

fuck he was talking about.

“Here’s the thing, Avery.” Landen moved to sit on the edge of the

bed. Lines creased the corners of his mouth. “I like you, a lot. But I
need to tell you something.”

“Okay.” Avery leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

He had an eerie feeling that he needed to brace himself for bad news.

“See, here’s the thing.” Landen’s clasped his hands then started to

twist his fingers together as if he were anxious. “I’m different.”

“Different how?” Now Avery was starting to get nervous.
“What I’m about to tell you might seem crazy, and if I were you

I’d think I was crazy, too.” Landen let out a nervous chuckle.

“Landen, you are really starting to worry me here. What’s going

on?”

“I’m a…” Landen ran a hand over his shorn hair. “Fuck! This is

harder than I thought it would be.”

“What’s harder? What are you trying to tell me?” A cold sweat

broke out over Avery’s body and he felt light-headed. Landen was the
first man ever that Avery could see himself falling in love with, and
he couldn’t lose him. Whatever it was they could work through it.
Avery shrugged. It couldn’t be that bad.

“I’m just going to say it. Rip the Band-Aid off quick.” Landen

took a deep breath and said, “I’m a wolf shifter, which means I can
turn into a wolf.”

“Uh.” And maybe Avery was wrong. Not being sane was that bad.
Avery opened his mouth then shut it again. This wasn’t what he

expected Landen to say and he wasn’t entirely sure what it meant. He
sat there staring at a wide-eyed Landen, uncertain what to do next.
The man he’d lost his heart to was fucking crazy.

AJ Jarrett

Chapter Nine

Landen could see the confusion and fear in Avery’s eyes. He

should have expected this reaction. If someone had said that to him,
Landen would have had his doubts, thinking the other person was
lying to him or trying to pull a prank. But in Landen’s case this was
true.

“Avery, say something.” Landen could feel his heart thumping in

his chest. His stomach rolled in waves and bile rose in the back of his
throat.

“Uh, well.” Avery blew out a breath then shut his mouth tight,

pursing his lips. “What exactly do you want me to say?” Avery’s eyes
darted toward the door.

“I don’t know.” Landen threw his hands up in the air. “That you

believe me or that you don’t. Say what’s on your mind.”

“Yeah, you don’t want to know what’s on my mind.” Avery stood

up.

“No, don’t do this.” Landen jumped off the bed and stood in front

of Avery. “I’m not letting you run away from me.”

“I’m not running away,” Avery said through clenched teeth then

spun around to face the wall. “I finally find the guy of my dreams and
he’s a fucking nut,” Avery mumbled so low to himself that if Landen
didn’t have his wolf hearing he would have missed every word.

“I’m not crazy.” Landen reached out a hand to touch Avery’s

shoulder and Avery flinched away. It sent a jolt of pain to Landen’s
heart to think his mate feared him. “You said I was the guy of your
dreams. Shouldn’t that mean you’d give me a chance to prove it to
you?”

For the Love of his Mate

“You heard that?” Avery asked as he turned around, his eyes

widened in shock.

“Yeah, I hear a lot of stuff.” Landen tapped the side of his ear.

“It’s a side effect of my condition.” A small smile curled his upper
lip. “I heard when your car pulled up to the house. I heard you tiptoe
up the stairs and head to the bathroom. It took everything in me not to
follow you down the hall.” Landen shrugged. “Even if I hadn’t heard
you I would have smelled you.” He sniffed the air. “The fresh, clean
scent of your shampoo mixed with the bitter aroma of coffee beans.
And then there’s your natural scent. The smell of an early-morning
dew covering the grass in springtime. It’s like heaven.”

“Oh my god.” Avery landed hard in the chair he’d been sitting in

as if his legs lost the ability to hold up his weight. “Why is this
happening to me? Can’t I have something pure and good in my life
without all the crazy?” Avery asked but he wasn’t looking at Landen.

“I am that.” Landen went to his knees. “I guess the only way for

you to believe me is to show you.”

Landen let his head fall forward to rest his chin on his chest and

let the calming prickly sensation creep over his body. The air around
him started to shimmer and he heard Avery’s gasp of breath.
Landen’s body twitched and jerked as he began to change forms. His
face stretched and pulled to form his long snout and his bones cracked
and popped as he changed shapes. Hair sprouted over his flesh
covering him in a thick blanket of white fur.

It felt like hours but only had been a matter of seconds to let his

wolf come forward. He shook his head and licked out his long tongue
to swipe over his snout.

“Holy fucking shit!”
Landen looked up to see Avery sitting with his legs pulled up to

his chest in the chair. His skin had gone a stark white and he looked a
little distressed. But who could blame him? He’d just watched his
boyfriend, or according to Avery the man of his dreams, change into a
wolf. It had to be somewhat of a shock.

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Taking a hesitant step forward, Landen whimpered and kept his

head down, doing his best to look nonthreatening  but it was kind of
hard when he was  a  two-hundred-pound wolf with a body length of
over six feet and paws the size of a  large human hand. Landen  was
huge in wolf form and he knew it so he tried to make himself appear
small. He walked closer to Avery, scooting on his belly.

“This is the craziest thing I have ever seen and I grew up in New

York!” Avery’s voice shook as he spoke fast. “I must be dreaming.”
Avery covered his face with shaking hands.

Landen propped up on his paws and leaned closer to Avery and

flicked his tongue over the backs of Avery’s hands and whimpered
again.

In an action so slow it seemed to take hours, Avery pulled his

hands away from his face. His bright blue eyes were wide and he
stared deep into Landen’s.

“It’s really you in there.” Avery reached out one finger and

caressed it across Landen’s jaw then back around to his ear. “Your
eyes are the same.” He shook his head from side to side. “Landen?”
Avery let his legs fall to the floor.

Landen rested his head in Avery’s lap and rubbed his head from

side to side, trying to ease Avery’s fears. A trembling hand petted the
fur right behind his left ear and a low groan filled the room. Landen
loved having Avery’s hands on him in this form or his human one.

Avery took his time touching Landen and looking over his body.

Soon Avery was running his hands up and down Landen’s forehead
and massaging at his back.

Landen took a deep breath and let the change come over him. The

stretch and pull of his body had Avery sitting back in his chair to
watch. In a matter of seconds he was kneeling naked between Avery’s
spread thighs.

“So you believe I’m not crazy now?” He grinned at Avery.
“If you’re crazy then so am I.” Avery let out a nervous giggle.

“How?”

For the Love of his Mate

“Here.” Landen stood up and held his hand out for Avery to take.

“Let’s do this on the bed.”

Landen led Avery by the hand over to the bed and crawled on top

of the soft mattress and held his arms out for Avery. Avery let his
towel drop to the floor and climbed in beside Landen, letting his head
rest on his chest and curling his arms around Landen’s waist.

Landen ran his hand up and down Avery’s back as he explained

what he knew  about wolf shifters.  No  one was certain when it all
began or even who was the first wolf shifter known to human kind.
Being a shifter was just a random thing like a person having blue eyes
compared to brown. It was just the  makeup  of  their DNA. He
explained that a shifter could only be born, not turned, and they could
shift whenever they wanted to. They weren’t slaves to the moon, and
most importantly they weren’t  all evil monsters. Sure,  there were
some shifters that killed for the sport of killing,  but then again there
were humans just like that. A monster was a monster no matter what
form they were in.

“Do the others know about you?” Avery’s hand on his chest

stopped moving.

“Yes, and there are others like me.”
“Like who?” Avery propped up on his elbow and stared into

Landen’s eyes.

“Kyle, Ian, the guys who own the café you work at.” Landen

listed all the wolf shifters he knew that lived in Silver Creek and
Nehalem the small town over from them. “They all just live normal
lives. We are just like you but have the ability to get all hairy every
now and again and walk around on four legs.” Landen smiled.

“So Will knows about all this? His boyfriend is a wolf shifter and

he didn’t tell me?” Avery asked, a hint of anger in his tone.

“Well, to be fair, you guys aren’t actually on speaking terms and

you yourself are dating a wolf.” Landen made a popping sound with
his mouth and winked at Avery. “People who live in glass houses
shouldn’t throw stones.”

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“Yeah, well, I just found out. He’s known…” Avery sat up.

“Fuck, for a lot longer than me.” Avery turned away from him and
Landen moved to position his legs around Avery and pulled his body
back into his chest.

“Babe, why are you so upset?” Landen rubbed his stubbled cheek

into Avery’s. “Does me being a shifter bother you that much?”

“No it’s not that.” Avery chuckled. “Oddly enough that doesn’t

bother me. The initial shock of it all freaked me the fuck out, but I
care about you too much to let that one difference come between us.”
Landen release the breath he’d been holding. “It’s more that my
brother is practically a stranger to me. And on top of that he hates me
so why would he confide a single thing to me?”

“It’s none of my business but why are you and Will not close? I

spoke to him earlier today to give him a heads up that you and I were
seeing each other and he said that you two don’t get along. Why is
that?” Landen had to admit he was a little worried to hear what Avery
had to say about that. Something told him it wasn’t Will’s fault for the
drift between the two brothers.

“I guess it started when we were just kids. I was always chasing

after him, wanting to be with him.”  He shrugged. “Stuff all little
brothers did to their big brothers,  but in our case I’d whine and cry,
and throw fits until Will caved to what I wanted. Then as we got older
I resented him for being the good son and I took pleasure in making
fun of him, teasing him every chance I got. Will was the good student
who didn’t party and I was the kid that started getting high and
drinking with my friends  when I was thirteen. There  was  more than
one time that Will had to clean me up and put me to bed. He was
more of a father than a brother to me since our folks were always
gone. But what really pushed us apart was that I slept with a guy Will
was dating in college. I knew how much Will liked him and I was
jealous. I was jealous that my own brother couldn’t stand the sight of
me so I wanted to pay him back for that pain.” Avery’s body shook as
he started to cry.

For the Love of his Mate

“Avery, baby.” He tried to calm his mate down but Avery sobbed

in his arms with abandon, letting go of all his grief and hurt over what
he’d done.

“You said that I should ask for a second chance but how can I?”

Avery tuned in his embrace to wrap himself around Landen’s body,
crying into his chest. “How can I expect him to ever forgive me?”

“Because you’re his brother,” Landen simply said. “I think he

feels like you have no remorse over what you did to him. And the way
you arrived at his house the other day didn’t help either. You need to
show him how much you’ve changed and that you do love him.”

“Maybe so but I’ve done some really shitty things to the only

family member that has ever loved him,” Avery said in a small voice.

“Here, let’s lie down. You’ve had an exciting day.” Landen

moved out from behind  Avery and eased him down on the bed. He
got up off the bed to turn out  the  lights. Avery turned  to lie  on his
side,  facing away from Landen.  Landen  curled up to spoon Avery
from behind.

There was still the whole mate thing he needed to discuss with

Avery, but it would have to wait. He didn’t want to pile it on any
thicker at the moment. Avery was dealing with a lot, and he could
wait another day or two to break the “I’m your mate” issue to Avery.

The room was still and Landen leisurely stroked his fingers up and

down Avery’s side. The smooth skin felt like silk under his fingertips,
and Landen rubbed his noise into the soft golden strands of Avery’s
hair, letting it tickle his cheek. Oh how he loved this man in his arms.
He wanted to shout it from the roof tops but he could wait. Just
holding Avery in his arms was enough for Landen.

“You still awake?” Avery asked.
“Yeah, can’t really sleep.” Landen tightened his arm around

Avery’s waist.

“Me either.” Avery entwined his fingers with Landen’s where

they rested on his flat stomach. “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.” Landen kissed the side of Avery’s head.

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“Make love to me,” Avery whispered.
Landen started kissing up and down the side of Avery’s neck.

Avery arched his back, pushing his ass into Landen’s groin and giving
him more room to kiss Avery’s slender neck. Landen nipped and bit
as he wrapped his hand around the cock jutting out from the soft,
trimmed pubic hair at Avery’s base. Pre-cum dribbled from the tip
and Landen smeared his palm through the slickness, easing down
Avery’s shaft.

The ache in Landen’s dick throbbed with the beat of his heart. He

wanted so badly to be buried balls-deep into Avery. So far he didn’t
know where Avery began and he ended. The most intimate of
closeness shared with another individual. He wanted all that and more
with Avery.

“Get the stuff,” Avery moaned as he pushed his firm ass into

Landen’s thick cock. “Need you now.”

Landen reached over to the nightstand, opened the drawer, and

pulled out the lube. He popped the cap and poured some in his hand.
Avery lifted his leg up to wrap behind Landen, opening him up more
for Landen’s fingers.

The first touch of rippled flesh under his fingertips had Landen’s

cock twitching. Avery groaned as Landen painted the cool wetness
over his hot hole. Landen pressed at the center and went further until
he got past Avery’s resistance. Heated silky walls sucked at his finger
as Landen stretched Avery’s tight passage.

“More,” Avery panted, thrusting his hips back into Landen’s

hand.

Landen slipped in another finger then another, twisting his wrist to

rub over Avery’s sweet spot. Avery cried out and the wet smack of
his dick bouncing against his flat stomach filled the room.

Landen pulled his hand free of Avery’s hole and positioned his

swollen cock head at the entrance, pressing ever so lightly.

“Condom,” Avery rasped out.

For the Love of his Mate

“Don’t need one.” Landen nipped at Avery’s earlobe as he pushed

forward, breaching the snug channel that pulled him deeper. “Wolf
shifters can’t catch human diseases.”

“So you’re telling me—” Avery’s sentence was cut off by a deep

moan as Landen pushed in deeper. “I could have been riding you
bareback this whole time?”

“It’s only been two days, love,” Landen whispered into his ear.
“Still.” Avery started moving his hips in a circle and it was

Landen’s turn to moan loudly in the quiet room.

As they moved as one, rushing harder and faster toward their

release, all talking ceased. Landen pumped his hips forward causing
Avery to gasp. Grabbing Avery behind his bent knee Landen used it
as leverage to plow deeper, pulsing, keening cries from his mate’s
mouth.

“Ah, shit! I’m gonna come.” Avery fisted his cock and started to

jerk it.

“Yeah, baby, come for me.” Landen’s teeth started to lengthen

and sharpen, making his voice sound garbled and thick. “Want to feel
you come on my cock.”

Avery let out a whimper and his body jerked and twitched against

Landen’s. Hot semen exploded from Avery’s slit, covering his chest
in sticky globs of warmth.

Between the scent filling room and the sexy little whimpers

coming from Avery’s mouth, Landen lost his hold on reality.

Opening his mouth wide, Landen struck and bit into the soft

smooth skin right where Avery’s shoulder and neck met. The hot rush
of coppery-tasting blood filled his mouth. His orgasm shot like a
rocket out of his body, covering Avery’s inner walls in his scent.

“Lan…Landen!” Avery cried out again as another orgasm rocked

his body.

As the aftershocks of their release subsided, Landen slowly pulled

his teeth from Avery’s shoulder. He licked the wound closed but

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didn’t pull his cock from Avery’s slack body. He wanted to stay
connected just a little bit longer.

“Are you okay?” Landen asked after a few minutes of silence.
“I’m fantastic,” Avery said around a yawn. “But exhausted.”
“Me, too.” Landen kissed Avery on the cheek then pulled his mate

closer to his sweating chest, sealing them together, and let sleep pull
him under.

For the Love of his Mate

Chapter Ten

The next morning after everyone had left, Avery got up and got

ready for the day. He made a promise to himself that today, since it
was his day off, he’d go and visit his brother. Landen filled him with
so much hope that his and Will’s relationship was salvageable that he
couldn’t wait to see his brother.

Nervous tension made him extra jumpy, and he could lie and say

it was from the fact that he just learned the man he was in love was a
dog. A big dog.

As odd as it was Avery wasn’t freaking out about the wolf-shifter

thing. Sure, it caught him off guard and initially he was terrified. But
as soon as those deep green eyes stared into his everything else faded
way and it was just Avery and Landen.

Avery snatched his keys up off his dresser and ran down the stairs.

He got in his car and headed toward the café. Not that he was going to
try and bribe Will or buy his forgiveness, but coffee and muffins
wouldn’t hurt the cause any.

While Kyle was getting ready for school, Avery asked him to text

Ian to see if Will would be working that day. Kyle happily did so and
Avery wasn’t surprised when Kyle told him Will was at the hospital
that day. He didn’t want to upset Will by having this conversation at
his work but Avery couldn’t wait a minute longer. His life was
starting to come together. He’d found a man he’d gladly give up his
partying ways for. Found a home in a nice town where he instantly
made real friends. And the big one, no letters in three days from his
stalker. It might have only been three days without a letter, but back
in New York he was getting one once a day, sometimes more than

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that. There was no doubt Avery was getting his fresh start here in
Silver Creek.

Avery found an empty parking spot across the street from the café

and parked his car. He was near the park and took a moment to enjoy
the change in colors on the leaves. Bright reds and yellows clung to
the trees. It was funny. Avery never noticed the bright vibrant colors
before.

As he strolled the long way around the town square he noticed a

familiar face sitting on the bench facing diagonally from the café.
With his hands in his pockets Avery walked over to the man.

“PJ, right?” Avery tilted his head to get a better look. The man

had on a baseball cap pulled down low, covering his face.

“Oh, hey.” PJ looked up from the magazine he’d been reading.

“Avery, how’s it going?”

“Not too bad and yourself?”
“Same here. Just enjoying this beautiful fall morning.” PJ stared

up at Avery as if waiting for him to say something else, but Avery
was fresh out of small talk.

“Well, I’m in bit of a hurry.” Avery rocked on his feet. “Family

stuff.”

“I know the feeling.” A ghost of a smile curled PJ’s upper lip but

was gone way too fast before it could form into a full-fledged smile.

“Okay, then. I guess I’ll see ya around.” Avery said good-bye to

PJ and headed toward the café.

“Good morning, sunshine.” Shane greeted him as he came through

the door. “Isn’t today your day off?”

“Yep, but I came by to get some coffee and muffins to go.” Avery

bent down to look in the glass display counter.

“What did you have in mind?” Shane asked.
“What says I’m sorry for being an asshole and please forgive

me?” Avery glanced up at Shane. “I’m going to apologize to my
brother today and I need all the help I can get.”

For the Love of his Mate

“Well, Will is a big fan of the lemon-glazed muffins.” Shane

smiled at him.

“Awesome.” Avery stood up. “Give me six of those and two

coffees, black.”

“Coming right up.”
With his to-go tray stacked on top of his muffin box, Avery stood

staring up at the hospital’s ER entrance. The drive from the café to the
hospital was way too fast. Now Avery found himself unable to take
the remaining steps into the hospital.

Fuck it! Avery straightened his shoulders and headed for the

sliding doors. Once inside he walked over to the counter to where a
nurse sat in a chair behind it.

“Can I help you?” She eyed the goodies in Avery’s hands then

looked back up at his face.

“Yes, I’m here to see Dr. Watterson.”
“Sure, hon.” She picked up the phone. “I’ll just page him.”
It only took about a minute or two before Will came walking

through the double doors at the end of the hallway. The smile on his
face fell once he spotted Avery.

“Hey, Will.” Avery smiled brighter and held up the boxes in his

hands.

“Avery.” Will nodded his head and put his hands in his pockets.

“What can I help you with?”

He sounded so formal with not an ounce of emotion in his voice.

Tears burned at the back of Avery’s eyes and he looked down the
items in his hands. “I was kind of hoping we could talk. If you have a
minute.” He looked up at his brother.

Will seemed to be debating it for a moment, chewing on the inside

of his cheek before nodding his head. “Yeah, sure, follow me.” Will
turned around and heeded the way he came. He held a key card to the
box panel beside the doors and they swung open.

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“So what do you want to talk about?” Will led Avery into what

looked like a little break room and shut the door. Will leaned against
the counter with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Us?” Avery said it more as a question then a statement. He felt

foolish for wanting to have this conversation while his brother was at
work. Just another reason for Will to think he was a childish, selfish
asshole.

“I’m confused.” Will’s brows knitted together. “Are you asking

that or telling that?”

Avery put the boxes in his hands down on the round table in front

of him. “I came here to talk to you. In hopes you can somehow
forgive me for being a selfish,  spoiled prick all my life.”  Avery’s
breath rushed out of his lungs in a gush of wind. “I’m not perfect but I
didn’t realize how imperfect I was until I came here.” He shrugged. “I
lived my life for myself and what I wanted and not caring who I hurt.
And I hurt you a lot. How you didn’t kill me when we were younger
I’m not quite sure.”  All the bad things he’d done when he was
younger flashed before his mind as if in  fast-forward. The one thing
that did stand out in his mind was that Will never lost his cool. He
took whatever shit Avery handed him and didn’t say a word. Will
always managed to stay calm and think rational even when he found
his boyfriend balls-deep in him. “I’m just so fucking sorry, Will.”
Avery  collapsed  in  the empty chair  and buried his face in his hands
and let the tears fall. “I’m such a shitty person and I want to prove to
you that I’ve changed. I’m not that asshole anymore.” He looked up at
his brother with tear-stained eyes. “I swear.”

Will didn’t say anything for a long time. He just stood there

silently observing Avery ball like a baby. But Avery didn’t try to hide
what he was feeling. His chest was ripped open with emotion. He
should have done this a long time ago but he was too much a stubborn
jerk to take fault in the rift between him and Will.

“You know, I should have kicked your ass back then.” Avery

looked up to see Will smirking down at him. “Maybe if I had you

For the Love of his Mate

wouldn’t have been such a little shit.” Will pulled out the chair beside
Avery and sat down.

“So this is your fault?” Avery’s cheeks heated and he smiled shyly

at his brother. “For not being more of a hard ass?”

“Not entirely my fault, but I should have knocked you back in line

on more than one occasion.” Will gestured to the box sitting on the
table. “Are these for me?”

“Yeah.” Avery wiped a hand over his eyes. “Shane said they were

your favorite.”

Will’s eyes went wide when he opened the box and smiled. “And

he would be right.” Will grabbed one of the muffins and took a bite
out of the top. After chewing down another big bite, Will said, “So I
guess being with Landen has been good for you?”

Avery couldn’t believe it took falling in love to finally realize how

shitty his life had been before. In the span of three days Avery had
completely changed from who he used to be and what he thought he
wanted out of life. It was amazing how love could do that to a person.

“Very.” A huge smile spread over his face and Avery started to

giggle. “Being with Landen has made me want to be a better man for
him. He also believes in me. That first day I showed up in town and
told him how much you hated me, he told me to not give up. That if I
loved you enough and proved to you that I could be a better man then
you would see it.”

“Avery, I never hated you.” Will put the muffin down. “I was

frustrated as fuck with you but never hated you. I sort of blamed
myself for the way you turned out. Mom and Dad were always gone
and the nannies we had didn’t give a shit about us. I should have been
there more for you. I think we’re both to blame for the status of our
relationship.”

“But what I did to you, sleeping with you boyfriend.” Avery

didn’t want to bring up the whole fiasco with Will’s ex-boyfriend,
Jonathon, and what had happened between Avery and Jonathon.

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“Yes that sucked walking in on my then boyfriend plowing it to

my kid brother, but it was bound to happen. He was a cheating
asshole. But seeing you with him and how you didn’t care about
anything helped me finally let go. I wanted to stop feeling responsible
for you and that gave me the chance to release myself of that burden.”
Will took another bite of his muffin. “And besides, I got my revenge
on that smarmy prick. I ran into him a week after that happened in the
parking lot of the hospital we worked at and I beat the shit out of him.
I told him you were only seventeen and that if he pressed charges
against me I’d have his ass thrown in jail for statutory rape.”

“I was eighteen.” Avery giggled.
“So.” Will shrugged. “He didn’t know that but he did know you

were young. He shouldn’t have taken advantage of the situation. Even
though you’d been having sex for years before that, you were still too
young. I hated knowing you were out whoring around town with your
friends. You needed to be a kid and you never got that chance, and the
first chance I got to wash my hands of you, I did. For that, Avery, I’m
sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Avery reached up and wiped away a tear that escaped

his eye. “Just knowing that you cared is enough. It’s funny really. I
was always acting out to get your attention. I guess I never assumed it
would push you away like that.”

“We’re both to blame, Avery.” Will picked at the wrapper around

the muffin then set it down. “It’s not like we had the best examples
while growing up.”

“No, we didn’t,” Avery agreed.
“So I say we start anew. Let the past stay in the past and we can

move forward and be the family we never were. What do you say?”
Will asked.

“I think I’d really like that.” Will stood up and pulled Avery to his

feet and hugged him tight. It was the hug Avery had been waiting
years to have. It was perfect.

For the Love of his Mate

“So how are you taking the whole wolf thing?” Will whispered as

he glanced over at the closed door.

“Okay.” Avery sucked in his lower lip. “I mean, I totally freaked

out when Landen shifted in front of me but after the initial shock wore
off I wasn’t afraid.” He smiled as he thought back to the previous
night. He reached up and fingered the bite more on his neck. “I looked
into his dark-green eyes and knew this was the man I loved and if he
turned into freaking bigfoot I’d still love him.”

“That’s because you’re mates,” Will said as he took a drink of his

coffee. “I remember when Ian told me.” Will continued to talk but
Avery was only partially listening. What was a mate?

“Excuse me, what does that word mean?” Avery interrupted Will.
“What word?”
“Mate?”
“Oh shit.” Will put his cup down and wiped his hands on a

napkin. He looked around the room nervously. “Didn’t you and
Landen talk after the whole ‘I’m a wolf’ reveal?”

“We talked about him being a shifter, and then we had sex.”
“Yeah.” Will winced and held his hands up. “I didn’t need to

know that part.”

“Sorry.” Avery blushed. It was a foreign thing for him. Since

when did he blush? “So back to this mate thing. What is that?”

“You should really go and talk to Landen. He should be the one to

tell you.” Will stood up and closed the lid to the muffin box.

“Oh no you don’t.” Avery reached across the table and grabbed

Will by the sleeve of his white doctor’s coat. “He had his chance, and
now I’m asking you.”

Will rolled his eyes and pulled his hand free from Avery. “Fine,

but Landen should really be the one to tell you.” Will sat down and
took a deep breath. “Here’s the thing. Wolf shifters mate for life. It’s
a bond that can’t be broken or ignored. The attraction is felt instantly
once you see them and you can’t keep your hands off them. It’s like
you’re high on some sort of aphrodisiac. I remember the first time I

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saw Ian.” A sweet smile came over Will’s face and his eyes went a bit
glassy. “It’s love at first sight, Avery. There’s no other way to explain
it. You love them without question or doubt. It’s an amazing feeling.”

“And I’m Landen’s?” Avery asked, a little shocked but so

freaking elated he didn’t know what to do. The childish part of him
wanted to jump up and down and dance down the hallways of the
hospital, but the grown-up part of him was pissed. Landen should
have told him last night. This was, after all, about them and the rest of
their lives together.

“Yeah.” Will nodded his head. “He told me the other day when he

came to see me. I just assumed he told you and—” Will pointed at
Avery’s shoulder where the mark peeked out the corner. “The bite
mark on your neck. Wolves have a thing for biting their mates.”

“Obviously.” Avery reached up to touch the rough indented skin.
The sound of Will’s name being called over the intercom

interrupted them.

“Well, duty calls.” Will stood up. “Don’t be too upset with

Landen. He’s a good guy and he wasn’t  raised  by wolf shifters. So
this is all kind of new to him, too.” Will slapped him on the shoulder
and headed for the door.  Avery followed Will out of the room and
headed in the opposite  direction of his brother. “Avery!”  Will called
after him.

“Yeah?” Avery turned to face his brother.
“I’m glad we talked.”
“Me, too.” Avery ran back toward his brother and wrapped his

arms around him and held tight. “I love you, Will.”

“I love you, too, little brother.” Will kissed the side of his head

then took a step back. “But you still owe Kelsey a bike.”

“Right.” Avery nodded his head. Kelsey was Ian’s little sister, and

from what he’d learned Will loved her as if she were his. “I’ll take her
bike shopping once I get paid.”

Will said good-bye and Avery left the hospital. The whole way

home he was at war with his inner voice. It was like in the cartoons

For the Love of his Mate

with the angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other. Half of him
wanted to have a loving discussion about him and Landen’s new lot in
life. Being Landen’s mate was a huge fucking deal, and Avery
couldn’t have been happier to know this man was his until the day he
died. But then there was that part of him, the irrational part that
couldn’t calm down from Landen keeping something so important
from him.

“His ass is so mine.” Avery pulled his car into the driveway and

got out. He looked down at his watch and saw that it was only eleven
and Landen wouldn’t be home for another hour or so. That was fine.
He was okay with waiting.

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Chapter Eleven

Landen’s last class ran late and he pulled up to the house just

thirty minutes past twelve. He’d promised Avery he’d be home by
noon and they’d have lunch together. Landen also had planned to
drop the mate bomb then, too.

He put his Jeep in park and climbed out. Landen entered through

the front door and called out for Avery but got no response. Not
thinking about it, he just headed to the kitchen. His stomach growled
and he thought it best to eat something before telling Avery possibly
the biggest news of their lives.

A text beeped on his phone and Landen was looking down when

he headed into the kitchen and totally missed Avery sitting at the
table.

“Shit!” He jumped back in surprise. “You scared me. I called for

you but you didn’t say anything.” Avery sat with his arms crossed
over his chest, eyes narrowed at him. “Is everyone okay?”

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.” Avery slapped his hands

down on the table. Landen watched as Avery got to his feet and
stomped back and forth, pacing the kitchen floor. “After everything
we talked about last night and you managed to leave out the fact that
you and I are soul mates.”

“We just call it being mates,” Landen corrected him.
“Whatever.” A frustrated growl left Avery’s lips. “You should

have told me. We’re supposed to be connected to one another, and I
feel it, trust me I feel it, but we barely know anything about each
other. Did you not trust me enough to tell me that last night?”

“I do trust you.”

For the Love of his Mate

“Then why in the fuck did you not say anything?” Avery turned

the full force of his hurt eyes at him. “I’m fucking in love with you,
Landen. You should have told me.” Avery collapsed back into his
chair, letting his head fall forward to rest on his arms.

Landen’s eyes widened at Avery’s confession. He loved him.

Avery was in love with him. That was the best thing Landen had ever
heard.

“You love me?” Landen asked as he knelt down at Avery’s side

and turned his chair to face him. When Avery still wouldn’t look at
him, Landen placed a finger under his chin and tilted his head
upward. “You love me.”

“Of course I do.” Avery jerked his head out of Landen’s hold.

“And let me tell you, wolf boy, I don’t do love. So imagine my
astonishment when I realized I was falling for you. It’d been great to
know I wasn’t losing my mind and that you and I were meant to be
together.” Avery’s voice softened. “I love you more with each passing
minute if that’s possible.”

“I love you, too, Avery.” Landen went to his knees and leaned up

to kiss Avery’s soft lips. “And I’m sorry for not saying something last
night. I just didn’t want to overload your brain with all this.”

“Trust me when I say please overload away. I can take it.”

Avery’s eyes started to water and he swiped away at a runaway tear.
“There’s just so much we don’t know about each other. I feel like we
need to unload all our personal baggage. If we’re going to be
spending the rest of our lives together we need to hash this shit out.”

“The rest of our lives?” Landen smiled. “I love the sound of that.”
“Me, too, you big dork.” Avery cupped his hands over Landen’s

cheeks and kissed the breath right out of his lungs.

After a few more minutes of kissing, Landen pulled Avery to his

feet and went upstairs where he told Avery every last boring detail of
his life. He told him about his parents and being adoptive. He also
told him how he came to know Kyle and the others. Every single

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detail, even the small stuff like hating peas and not liking his food
touched.

Then it was Avery’s turn. Landen couldn’t believe the life Avery

lived back in New York. He was only twenty-one, one year older than
Landen, but he had lived a lot in those short years. All the drugs,
drinking, and partying. It seemed so odd to know Avery used to be
like that. It was nothing like the man he’d fallen love with.

“My partying ways got in the way of school so something had to

give.” Avery shrugged. “Not wanting give up the booze and random
sex, I dropped out of college. My parents were disappointed and made
sure to let me know how once again I didn’t measure up to the great
Will Watterson. Not that I blame Will or anything.” Avery scratched
the side of his head. “Oh, and my mom’s best friend caught me
fucking her husband. I think it was more that than me quitting school
that pissed my parents off.”

Why had they chosen to do this? Landen’s face burned with all

the things Avery told him. Maybe he was naïve but he’d never do any
of that crap. He was afraid to let his parents down or his friends. But
that was all in Avery’s past and Landen wasn’t going to hold it
against his mate.

“So is there anything else you want to tell me?” Landen asked as

he relaxed on the bed, needing a nap after all the soul baring they just
did.

Avery was quiet for so long Landen actually sat up. There was a

deep crease down the center of Avery’s forehead and he nibbled on
his bottom lip.

“Babe, you okay?”
“Yeah, great.” Avery smiled then lunged at Landen. “Believe it or

not I feel lighter.”

“I’d imagined.” Landen groaned as he rolled Avery underneath

him. “All that crap you were holding in had to be heavy as hell.”

“Hey now.” Avery tickled at Landen’s sides. “You wanted to

know.”

For the Love of his Mate

“Remind me of this next time I want to know something.” Landen

grabbed a hold of Avery’s wrist and pinned them above his head. All
laughter faded from his lips as he stared down at his mate. “I love you
no matter what, Avery. You’re mine.”

“Same here, wolf boy.” Avery twined his arms around Landen’s

neck and pulled him down for a kiss.

Landen went willingly, with a lightness in his own heart. Life was

so good. Nothing could go wrong.

* * * *

It had been over a week since Avery had moved to Silver Creek

and his life settled into a routine. Avery never thought he’d like that
but he did. He loved having a schedule and people around who cared
about him. Life had been going so great he’d even checked out
Hemsworth and had all the applications to fill out to start the next
semester.

Landen had talked so much about becoming a teacher that it got

Avery thinking that he, too, wanted to do something like that. There
were so many children in the world that had absentee parents like
him, and if he could make a difference in one kid’s life he’d feel like
he’d accomplished something.

Avery had also gotten to hang out with his brother. Will made

time for him and they spent it just getting to know each other again.
They were practically strangers it seemed at times.

But the best part was he hadn’t received one letter from his

mysterious stalker. Life was absolutely perfect.

“Avery, thank you again for working late,” Dominic said as he

helped wipe down counters.

“Seriously, Dominic, it’s not a problem.” He shrugged. “I need

the extra cash anyway. I owe a little girl a new bike and let’s just say
she has expensive taste.” Avery shuddered as he remembered the long

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discussion he and Kelsey had had over her mangled bike. At one point
Avery thought the little spitfire was going to hit him.

“I still appreciate it, man.”
Once the café was sparkling clean and everything was put away,

Dominic held the front door open for Avery and they said good night
on the sidewalk. Dominic’s car was parked right in front and Avery
waved as he drove away.

Avery headed to his car down the street. It was a clear night, and

stars lit up the blackened sky. The days were growing colder and the
nights even more so. Avery pulled the collar of his jacket tighter
around his ears and ducked his head down, bracing against the
freezing wind.

When he reached his car he popped the locks and jumped inside.

He turned on the car and waited for the heater to heat up and blow out
some hot air. Avery relaxed back in the seat and let his head fall back.
He shut his eyes for a moment, just enjoying the buzz of warmth
blowing at his feet.

A car passing by had Avery opening his eyes. He sat up and

started to pull on his seat belt when something white held against his
windshield by the window wiper caught his attention. A cold chill ran
down his back but it was from the weather outside. Avery swallowed
around the lump in his throat and opened the car door and stepped
out. He looked from side to side but didn’t see anything out of the
ordinary. Snatching the note from under the windshield wiper Avery
opened it up and read it.

Soon, my love. We will be together. Soon!
“Not again.” Avery let the letter drop from his shaking fingers and

the wind carried it away. Avery slumped against his car fighting back
his panic.

“Dude, you all right?”
Avery let out a startled scream at the voice coming from the rear

of his car. He glanced over to see PJ staring at him wearily. “PJ, you

For the Love of his Mate

scared the shit out of me.” It calmed Avery down to see a familiar
face.

“I can tell.” PJ’s eyes darted up and down the street as if looking

for something. “Are you okay now?”

“Yes.” Avery opened his car door. “Thanks for checking on me. I

guess the dark quiet street spooked me.”

“If you sure you’re okay, I’m going to head out.” PJ thumbed over

his shoulder.

“I am, thanks.” Avery got back in his car and pulled on his seat

belt. He waved at PJ as he passed by.

When Avery got home he ran to the door. Before going inside he

looked out at the quiet neighborhood. Nothing seemed out of place.
Avery took a deep breath of the cold chilly air. Maybe it was just a
coincidence. Nothing to worry about. Or at least that was what he told
himself.

Avery let himself in the house and climbed the stairs. He took a

quick shower then crawled in next to a sleeping Landen. He wrapped
his arms around his mate’s waist and pressed so close as if he were
trying to become one with Landen.

Sleep wasn’t fast in coming that night. The high-slanted cursive

on the letter flashed in bold black ink behind his eyelids. He made a
promise that if he got any more he’d tell Landen. He didn’t want
whatever this was to intrude on his current life.

AJ Jarrett

Chapter Twelve

“I swear if you don’t pick one out, I’m leaving you here.” Avery

rubbed a hand over his tired eyes as he stood waiting for Kelsey to
pick out a bike to replace the one he ran over his first day in town.

It was a Wednesday afternoon and he’d just gotten off work,

picked the princess up from school, and brought her to the only toy
store in town. Row after row of options to choose from and Kelsey
couldn’t make up her mind.

“If you did that, Will would beat the crap out of you.” Kelsey

knelt down next to one of the models on the floor.

“Hey, language, little one.” Avery lifted his foot to kick her in the

butt.

She swung her head and around and made a snapping sound with

her teeth. “Watch it, mister. I bite.” Avery laughed and Kelsey went
back to inspecting the bikes.

Avery walked down the aisle, giving Kelsey some space. He

raised a hand to cover his yawn. The day seemed to drag on longer
than usual. Getting up at six in the morning still took some getting
used to, but at least Landen always got up with him and walked him
to his car. This morning Landen kissed him for so long and so deeply
that Avery practically jumped him in the driveway. Being tired and
horny was never a good combination.

He stopped to look at a display of games for the Xbox. He’d never

grasped the concept of playing video games for hours on end. Landen
and Levi got into long sessions of playing Black Ops, and Avery had
to practically walk around naked just to get Landen’s attention.

For the Love of his Mate

“Hey, Ave.” Kelsey ran up to him, carrying something in her

hand.

“Did you find one?”
“Nah, not yet but this guy asked me to give this to you.” She held

out her hand and Avery looked down to see a folded white piece of
paper in her thin hand.

Avery snatched it out of her palm and opened it. It was the same

pretty writing, but the angles were sharper and there were tears in the
paper from the force of the pen digging into it.

How could you? You’ll need to be punished for your little public

display this morning. No one is allowed to touch you but me. You are
mine and I will not share. Don’t make me angry or someone will get
hurt. See you soon, my love.

Avery’s heart started to thunder in his chest. He looked all around

them, spinning in a circle. Kids ran around the store with parents not
far behind, nothing suspicious.

“Who gave you this?” Avery asked as he pulled Kelsey close to

his side.

“Not sure.” Kelsey’s face scrunched up. “I was looking at the tire

quality of that blue bike and someone tapped me on the shoulder and
said to give this to the guy in the red sweater. What does it say?” She
stood up on her tippy-toes trying to catch a glimpse of the contents.

“Nothing.” Avery folded the piece of paper back up and stuffed it

in his pocket. That was two letters he’d received now since moving to
Silver Creek. This wasn’t just a coincidence. “Come on.” Avery
grabbed Kelsey’s hand and hurried to the front of the store and the
exit. “We need to get home.”

Avery felt like everyone was looking at him. So many eyes, none

familiar. He didn’t like that one bit. Any one of these people could
have written that letter.

Kelsey must have sensed the tension rolling off of Avery in waves

because she didn’t say a single word the entire drive home. He pulled
up to Will’s house and parked the car. He got out first, opened

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Kelsey’s door, then took her hand and practically dragged her to the
front door. Once at the thick wooden door, Avery started to pound his
fist to the point of pain. The fear of being watched terrified him and to
think he’d put Kelsey in danger unbeknownst to him at his resolve to
remain calm.

“Where’s the fire?” Will asked as the door opened.
“Come on, Kelsey.” Avery pushed her forward and gave one more

backward glance toward the open street. Avery shut the door and
turned the lock. He peeked out the side of the curtain covering the
long narrow window beside the door.

“Avery, what’s going on with you?” Will asked, giving him a

funny look.

“He’s been acting weird the whole way home,” Kelsey called over

her shoulder as she headed to the kitchen. “I’ve got to admit.” Kelsey
spun around and held up her hands. “It’s a little creepy.” She turned
on her heel and walked into the kitchen.

“Avery, are you okay?” Will reached out a hand to rest on

Avery’s shoulder. At the contact Avery jumped and cried out as if
he’d been hit. “What the hell, Avery!” Will snapped. “What’s going
on with you?”

“It’s starting again.” Avery wrapped his arms around his waist and

tears flooded his eyes. “I…I thought it would stop once I moved but
he’s found me.”

“Who’s found you?” Will shook his head in a way that said he

didn’t understand.

“I don’t know!” Avery whined and his eyes went wide.
“Okay, calm down.” Will hesitantly reached out and pulled Avery

toward his chest.

Avery lunged forward and gripped his brother so tightly around

the waist he thought he might break him in two. Avery allowed Will
to lead him to the couch and sit him down. Will rocked him back and
forth as Avery’s tears dampened his shirt. Avery felt so helpless and
weak. He was a grown man who should be able to handle his own

For the Love of his Mate

problems but in this case he didn’t know what exactly he was dealing
with. A nameless and faceless threat he had no clue how to fight.

“Tell me what happened,” Will said in a calm voice, his hand

rubbing up and down Avery’s back.

Avery sat up straight and clasped his hands together. “It started

about a year ago.”

“What started?”
“I started receiving letters.” He shrugged. “Like from a secret

admirer. Telling how beautiful he thought I was and how any guy
would be lucky to have me. Stuff like that, nothing scary.” Avery
brought his finger up to his mouth and started to chew on the already
bitten down fingernail. “Then I started to get them more frequently,
like every day.” Avery’s voice started to choke up. “Slipped under the
door of my apartment, on my car window, and in my textbooks for
school.”

“What!” Will shouted but Avery continued on with his story.
“I was under a lot of stress with school and I was partying way too

much, and then the shit went down with Mom and Dad. I just didn’t
know what to do.” Avery wiped at his eyes. “I came home from being
out all night to see that a note had been left on my bed. The bed had
been made, which I never do, never.” Avery’s voice dropped so low
he didn’t know if Will would be able to hear him. “On the bed was
the indention of a body as if someone had been lying there for quite a
while. The letter said how disappointed he was in me. That I
shouldn’t just give my body to just anyone to abuse.” Another episode
of sobbing overtook his body and Will held him close as he cried.

After a few minutes, Will asked, “Who do you think is doing

this?”

“If I knew I wouldn’t be so freaked out.” Avery’s hands began to

shake. “I’ve only ever received letters, nothing else.”

“Why didn’t you go to the police or tell Mom or Dad?”
“Oh yeah right!” Avery rolled his eyes. “Like our parents would

have given my problems a second thought. They only care about

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themselves and only care about me if I’m embarrassing them. And the
police? I didn’t go to them because…” Avery remembered receiving
the first letter and how it brightened up his whole day. He actually
looked forward to getting another and another, but then it became too
much. “Will, I liked getting the letters in the beginning. To know
someone out there cared about me.”

“Oh, Ave.” Will’s arms tightened on his shoulder and Avery let

himself go. He cried for the terror he felt and for his own messed-up
way of thinking that getting these letters was somehow good. He’d
been so starved for love and attention that he’d take if from anyone,
and people did take from him. The only highlight of his dismal days
was getting these sweet little letters. What an idiot he’d been.

“Does Landen know about his?” Will asked, reaching into his

pocket.

“No.” Avery shook his head. “I thought it had stopped once I

moved but then I started to get the letters again. One on my car the
other day, and then one was given to Kelsey.” Avery’s voice broke.
“I’m so sorry, Will. I would never put her in danger. I swear.”

“I know, Avery. I know.” Will kissed the top of his head. “Right

now I’m going to call Landen and have Levi and Oliver come over
with him. We need to let them know. Oliver and Levi might not be
the police but they can help protect you.”

Avery nodded his head. He didn’t want to involve anyone else in

this mess,  but what other option  did he have? His boyfriend was a
wolf shifter,  which in Avery’s mind made him a little bit more
dangerous than the average human. Then there were Levi and Oliver,
hunters  that policed the shifter world. They weren’t the police but
damn near close enough.

For the Love of his Mate

Chapter Thirteen

Landen had just walked through the front door when his cell

phone started to ring.

“Hello.”
“Hey, Landen, it’s me, Will.”
“Hey, Will. How’s it going?” Landen asked as he set his backpack

on the kitchen table and opened the refrigerator door.

“Landen, is Levi and Oliver home?” Will asked, not bothering to

answer Landen’s question. “I really need you three to come over to
my house.” There was a long drawn-out pause. “It concerns, Avery.”

Landen’s body froze in midmotion. “What is it? Is he okay?”

Landen was headed for the door.

“Yes, he’s fine, but there are some things we need to discuss. I

swear to you he’s safe. Avery’s sitting right next to me.”

“Let me talk to him.” Landen waited while Will pulled the phone

away from his ear. His extraordinary hearing allowed him to hear
every word Will said. He heard Will tell Avery that he wanted to
speak to him but Avery replied back in a weak and defeated-sounding
voice that he didn’t feel like talking. Landen didn’t like that one bit.
Everything had been fine that morning. No, better than fine. What had
happened in the eight hours since he’d seen his mate?

“Landen, he doesn’t feel like talking. Don’t take it personally.

He’s mentally drained. Just get the guys and get over here now.” Will
disconnected the call.

“Levi! Oliver!” Landen shouted as he headed back toward the

front door.

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“What are you screaming about?” Levi peered over the bannister

of the upstairs railing.

“Everything okay?” Oliver came out of his bedroom followed

closely by Kyle. Both men were shirtless and Landen felt a pinch of
guilt for interrupting their afternoon fun, but Avery needed them.

“Will just called. Something’s wrong with Avery. He wants us to

come over now,” Landen said in a rush. He threw open the front door
and stepped out onto the front  porch. In the distance he could hear
Levi running down the steps. The fear in Kyle’s voice as he asked
Oliver what was going on made Landen  run faster. He didn’t bother
taking his car. He ran as fast as he could to Will’s house. His eyes
watered and the cool breeze shook them loose. The muscles in his
legs screamed as he pushed  himself harder than he ever had before.
All that mattered was getting to Avery.

Once he reached Will’s, he wiped away his tears and knocked on

the door.

“Landen, come on in.” Ian, Avery’s brother, answered the door.

“He’s in the living room.”

Everything around him was blocked out from his sight as soon as

his eyes zeroed in on his mate sitting on the end of the couch chewing
on his fingernail.

“Hey, Landen.” Will held out this hand as he walked toward him.

“Why don’t you have a seat?” At the mention of his name Avery,
looked up. His eyes were glossy and damp.

“Hey, baby.” Landen sat next to Avery and put his arm over his

shoulder. “What’s going on?”

Just then the front door opened and Kyle, Oliver, and Levi came

inside. They chatted with Will and Ian for a moment then came to join
him and Avery in the living room.

“So what’s up, guys?” Levi asked, his eyebrows arched as his

eyes darted between Landen and Avery.

“That’s a good question.” Landen looked down at Avery.

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101

Landen watched as Avery’s fist clenched and then relaxed in his

lap. His head was still cast down and he wouldn’t meet anyone’s
stare. This wasn’t normal Avery behavior. His mate was a social
butterfly that never shied away from crowds especially a crowd of his
own friends and family.

“Avery, do you want me to tell them?” Will asked as he sat in the

open chair next to his brother.

“No.” Avery cleared his throat then looked up. “Here’s the deal.”

He took a deep breath. “I have a stalker.”

“What?” Landen jerked back, surprised by Avery’s outburst. He

said it like it wasn’t a big deal. This would be the case if it weren’t for
Will gathering them all together so it must be a pretty fucking big
deal.

“About a year ago I started getting these letters. Nothing big, just

things saying how handsome I was and that he hoped I had a good
day. They made me feel good.” Avery looked up at Landen then with
a watery smile. “I thought they were sweet and didn’t think anything
of it until I realized he was getting into my apartment and then he
followed me all the way out here.”

“Did you ever go to the police about this?” Landen asked.
“No.” Avery shook his head. “Like I said in the beginning I liked

getting them. I looked forward to each letter.”

“Wow!” Levi’s eyes went wide by Avery’s confession. Landen

was a little shocked by the admission, too.

“So what changed?” Oliver asked and Avery started to explain the

whole situation to them.

Landen was appalled by his mate’s lack of self-esteem. To think

he was so starved for affection he would take it from a complete
stranger invading his space. Landen didn’t want to judge Avery
because maybe if in his situation he might have felt the same way.

The more Avery talked the more upset Landen became. Some

freak was breaking into Avery’s apartment and roaming around his
space in his things. Then to think he’d actually followed him

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hundreds of miles to Silver Creek. It didn’t take a genius to realize
and realize quick this wasn’t friendly behavior. This guy wanted
Avery and would stop at nothing to get him.

It wasn’t too long ago that Kyle had been in the same situation

and  Landen  had felt so  helpless  then  but  now the same thing was
happening  to  his mate. Some stranger wanted  Avery and Landen
would  do  everything  in his power to find this guy and rip out his
throat.

“Babe, you okay?” Avery asked, his thin fingers squeezing his

larger ones.

“No, not really,” Landen answered honestly. “This psycho

followed you all the way here. He’s been watching not just you but all
of us, and he even approached Kelsey. This is beyond fucked up. Why
didn’t you go to the police or to your family in the very beginning?”
Landen didn’t want to be upset with Avery but damn it. How could
his mate have been so careless with his safety.

“Like I said.” Avery jerked his hand free of Landen’s. “I enjoyed

them.” He let out a bitter chuckle, no humor in his tone. “You don’t
know what it’s like to live my life. Sure, I come from money, but
having money comes at a price. My parents never cared about me.
They only cared that I didn’t embarrass them. Why can’t you be more
like Will, my mom would say. Well, we all can’t be as perfect and as
flawless as the great Dr. Will Watterson.” Avery glanced over at his
brother. “No offense.”

“None taken.” Will gave a tight-lipped smile.
“Don’t you see? I was a lonely person until I came here. I don’t

believe I had one true friend. They used me like I used them. I’m not
a victim.  I just didn’t care enough about myself to  stop all the shit I
was doing. I slept with  a different guy every night, got high on pot
with  the guys I partied  with,  and if that didn’t do the trick I’d drink
until  I passed out. I had nothing to live for,  and these crazy little
letters were all I had to keep me going.” Avery’s chest heaved up and
down. It took him a moment to calm himself. “That was until I met

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103

you,  Landen. For the first time  in my life everything seems to be
falling into place.  I have my brother back in my life, I’ve made
friends.”  Avery looked around at everyone finally letting his eyes
settle on Landen.  “And I have you. I love you more than anything,
Landen. You make me want to be a better person and I’m so sorry
that you’re involved in all this shit.”

“I love you, too.” Landen kissed Avery on the forehead then

tucked him close to his side. “And don’t be sorry because I’m not.
We’re in this together no matter what.” Landen looked over to Oliver
then Levi. “So what do we do now?”

“Should we involve the police?” Levi asked Oliver.
“I’m not sure.” Oliver rubbed a hand under his chin. “I mean, it’d

be the smart thing to do, but the whole wolf shifter thing kind of
makes this a different situation all together. What happens if this
person sees one of you shift? What do we do then?”

“What about Caleb?” Ian suggested. “He’s a hunter and a cop and

mated to a wolf shifter. Maybe he can advise us on what to do.”

* * * *

Half an hour later Caleb showed up. He had two young boys with

him.

“Hello, Will.” The man looked over his shoulder at the boys

standing behind him. “I was on my way to take them to dinner. Hope
you don’t mind that I brought them along with. Seth is out of town
talking with his publisher, so I’m on kid duty all by myself for the
next few days.”

“No big deal, Caleb. Actually, Skyler will be dropping Carson off

here in a few minutes as well. He and Kelsey are working on some
project for school together.”

Caleb looked around the crowded room. “Looks like you’re going

to have a house full.”

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“What can I say? I like the noise.” Will ushered Caleb toward the

couch.

“Dad, can I go play with Kelsey?” the youngest boy asked.
“Sure, Kamden.” A warm smile lit up Caleb’s face as he watched

the boy run off toward Kelsey’s room.

“He’s calling you dad now?” Will asked.
“Yeah. He started doing that about a month ago. Made me cry the

first time he called us that.”

The boy standing behind Caleb rolled his eyes then plopped down

in the recliner in the far corner. Avery could see the anger and pain in
the kid’s eyes. He kind of felt like a kindred spirit to the young boy.
Avery knew what it was like to be unhappy all the time but Avery
knew why he was so unhappy growing up. He didn’t have one clue as
to why the moody teenager was so upset. But it wasn’t for Avery to
judge. What didn’t seem like a big deal to some people was a huge
thing to others.

“Caleb, this is my brother Avery.”
Avery stood up and shook Caleb’s hand. “Nice to meet you.” In

another life that seemed so long ago Avery would have hit on Caleb.
The man was thick with muscle, had short dark hair, and he was a
cop. Avery did have a tendency to go after a man in a uniform.

“Likewise.” Caleb sat on the opposite couch facing him. “So

what’s going on?”

Avery let Will explain what had been going on for the better part

of the last year. Landen never left his side and held his hand for moral
support as Will aired out all of Avery’s dirty laundry.

“Do you still have the letters?” Caleb asked.
“Here’s the one from today.” Avery pulled the crumpled piece of

paper from his back pocket and handed over to Caleb. “I have some
more at the house in my room.”

Caleb sat back and read the note. His brow creased as he looked it

over, and then he turned his attention back to Avery. “So you don’t
have any idea who might be sending these letters? We tend to ask this

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of all our victims of stalking, if they can think of anyone who might
stick out in their minds as someone suspicious. A friend that always
seemed a little more clingy than the rest or someone that you might
have dated even. This guy could be anyone, but does one person’s
name pop up in your mind?”

“No.” Avery shook his head. “Like I told them, I partied a lot,

Caleb. I mean a lot. All my friends were like me. We didn’t care
about other people and they didn’t care about us. It was all about
chasing the high and forgetting our everyday lives.”

Caleb nodded his head then looked back down at the letter.
“So what do we do?” Landen asked.
“I hate to say this but we just have to wait.” Caleb handed the

letter back to Avery.

“Wait?” Landen shouted and Avery grabbed his hand to help calm

him down.

“I’m sorry but yeah. I could take the letter in for prints but so

many people have touched it so it probably won’t  give us any leads
but the other letters might. Since you’re a shifter, Landen, I’m going
to involve Roderick  in this. It’s  better to have the hunter’s council
involved then the actual police.” Caleb looked back to Avery. “So I’ll
need the letters that you do have at the house. Hopefully we can get a
match,  but until then we’ll just have to sit and wait. People like this
usually make a mistake and we’ll be there to catch him.”

“Okay,” Avery whispered. He felt so much shame for having

everyone know what was going on. He wanted to be strong and tough
and not have to rely on anyone, but as it turned out he wasn’t any
good at taking care of himself.

“I think you should call Shane and Dominic and tell them what’s

going on and ask for a leave of absence from work,” Landen
suggested. There was a finality in his tone as if what he said was law
and Avery would abide by it.

“Uh, no.” Avery turned to look at his mate. “I’m not letting this

freak control my life. I’ve been living to please other people for far

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too long and I’m not going to let this asshole control my life. Yes, I’m
afraid, but sitting around in my quiet room all day will drive me nuts
and I won’t let him have that power over me.”

“Avery—”
“Landen, let’s talk in the kitchen.” Will interrupted Landen and

him and Caleb walked with Landen, Levi, Oliver and Kyle into the
kitchen.

Avery hated knowing they were in there talking about him. A

knock on the front door had the kid in the chair getting up to answer
it.

“Ryan, I didn’t know you’d be here,” Carson said as he entered

the house followed by one of his dads, Skyler.

“Trust me, I’m not here because I want to be.” Ryan spun on his

foot and walked away before Carson could say another word.

Avery had met Carson and his dads at the café one day. They

were a real sweet family. It made Avery start to think he wanted that.
A family.

“What’s shaking, Avery.” Skyler had a little bounce to his walk.
“Stalker issues.” He relaxed back into the couch.
“Come again?”
“Everyone is in the kitchen.” Avery waved his hand in that

direction. “They’ll fill you in.”

“You know he’s only mad because he cares about you,” Ryan said

as he sat next to Avery. “If I was in his shoes I’d feel the same way.”
Ryan looked toward the dining  room where Kamden, Kelsey,  and
now Carson were sitting. “If this were happening to the person I loved
I’d stop  at nothing to protect him.”  The young boy’s eyes followed
Carson as he moved about the room. “Kill first, ask questions later.”
Ryan shook his head then turned  back toward Avery. “Well,  that’s
what I’d do at least.”

Avery looked from Ryan back to Carson and back again. That was

totally weird. From what Kelsey had told him Ryan didn’t like Carson
and hadn’t been friendly to him since he’d moved here to live with

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Caleb and Seth. It didn’t matter. Avery had other things to deal with
and trying to figure out why Ryan was eye stalking Carson was none
of his business.

When they came back from the kitchen, Landen looked a little

more relaxed. He took Avery’s hand and pulled him to his feet. He
hugged him tightly around the waist and apologized for shouting at
him and told him he was right. Avery had to continue to live his life
and not allow this man have any control over him.

“Can we go home?” Avery asked.
“Yes. Caleb is going to come with us to collect the letters that you

have in your room.” Landen kissed the top of his head. “It’s going to
be okay, babe. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“I know you won’t.” Avery buried his face into Landen’s chest

and breathed in his clear, fresh scent. It made him feel safe and
comforted. Avery wasn’t alone in this and he believed that Landen
would do everything in his power to protect him, but would it be
enough?

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Chapter Fourteen

After Caleb and his sons had left with the letters, Avery had

excused himself. Landen heard the shower kick on knowing that for
now Avery was safe in the bathroom.

Landen hated how everything seemed out of control right now. He

also hated that his mate had kept this from him. Avery no longer had
to go through life all alone. Landen was here to help lighten the
burden, but it was up to Avery to let him.

“Dude, you’ve got to relax.” Levi slapped him on the back as he

stood at the foot of the stairs.

“How?” He turned to look at Levi. “A guy Avery doesn’t even

know is leaving him sick little letters. How can I relax knowing
someone is out there waiting to take him from me?”

“I get it, man, I do, but you can’t let this asshole control your

lives. He’s probably some stupid-ass pussy who, once we find him, is
going to be easy as fuck to kick his ass. Think about it, dude. This
guy’s messed with the wrong man. Not only are you a wolf shifter but
you have hunters on your side and a cop. This guy doesn’t stand a
chance.”

“I hope you’re right.” Landen had his doubts. This person had

been writing to Avery for over a year and hadn’t slipped up yet. He
could be like a ghost and go undetected until it’s too late. Losing
Avery wasn’t an option for Landen.

“Of course I’m right.” Levi chuckled. “Haven’t you bitches

figured out that I’m right all the fucking time?”

“You know there is such a thing as modesty,” Landen teased.

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“Yeah, not for me. When you’re this awesome, there’s no use in

hiding it.” Levi’s face started to crack and he laughed and Landen
joined him. “But seriously, dude, you just have to stay positive. Can’t
let this guy win.”

Landen nodded his head and said good night to Levi. He went

upstairs, bypassing his room to slip into the bathroom. He needed a
hot shower to wash away the stress of the day. With everything going
on he’d totally forgotten about his English paper that was due
tomorrow. He’d just have to get up early to deal with that. Right now
he just wanted to take his shower then crawl into bed and lie next to
his mate.

Once he dried off Landen wrapped the towel around his waist and

headed  toward  his room. He opened the door and stepped inside the
dark room. Avery lay on his side facing away from the door. He
didn’t say or move a muscle as Landen  walked about the room.
Landen tossed his dirty clothes in the hamper and hung the towel over
the back of his closet door then pulled the blanket back and climbed
under the sheets. He moved in close to Avery’s  back  and curled his
body  around  his with Avery’s back pressed into his chest. The
strawberry scent of his shampoo tickled at Landen’s nose and he
rubbed it back and forth trying to suck in every last bit of sweet smell
from his mate. As long as he had Avery in his arms everything was
okay.

“I love you,” Landen whispered next to Avery’s ear.
“I know.” Avery wrapped his arm over Landen’s and held him

tighter.

“And you know I won’t let anything happen to you, right?”
“I know.” Avery let out a deep breath and turned in Landen’s

embrace to look up into his eyes. “But I don’t want you to put
yourself at risk for me. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if
anything were to happen to you.” Tears pooled in Avery’s eyes and
his chin started to quiver. “I’m not worth it, Landen.”

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“Not worth it?” Landen pulled back enough to stare down at his

mate.  “You’re  worth  everything  in the world to me. Don’t you get
that? Without you there is no me. So please stop saying shit like that.
Sure,  this isn’t ideal,  but that would be the case for anyone. Having
some lunatic following you around is frightening but we’ll deal with it
together.”  Landen  dipped his head to  kiss the tip of Avery’s nose.
“We’re a team, you and I. What happens to you happens to me. I love
you, Avery Watterson, for better or worse.”

Avery nodded his head then lunged forward, capturing Landen’s

lips in a painful kiss. The pressure was so intense Landen whimpered
but didn’t pull away. If this was what  Avery  needed then Landen
would willingly  give it to his mate. Avery’s hands gripped at his
shoulders and he rolled until he straddled Landen’s hips. He rocked
back and forth,  grinding their cocks together. Landen  let his hands
rest loosely on Avery’s hips, letting his mate set the motion.

“Please, Landen, make love to me,” Avery said between kisses. “I

just…” Avery’s head fell forward to rest in the space between
Landen’s neck and shoulder. “I just want to forget for a while.”

Landen didn’t say a word. He rolled Avery underneath him and

reached out for the lube that sat on his nightstand. With quick
movements, he covered his thick shaft with the slickness then eased
the rest inside Avery’s heated center. Avery moaned and thrust his
hips down on Landen’s invading fingers.

Not wanting to wait a moment more, Landen pulled his fingers

free and positioned the blunt tip of his cock at Avery’s opening. He
looked up into his mate’s shining blue eyes then pushed forward. His
cock broke through the tight resistance and Avery gasped as his nails
dug into Landen’s swollen back muscles. Landen didn’t stop until his
balls were pressed up against Avery’s smooth ass cheeks. He held
still, giving his mate a minute to adjust to the fullness.

“Please, Landen.” Avery sat up the best he could with Landen

lying on top of him. “Make me forget.”

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111

The pleading in Avery’s eyes, the raw emotion seeping out his

pores,  had  Landen  pulling out to shove his entire length back inside
the  silky  hot channel. Avery lifted his legs to hook his ankles at the
back of Landen’s lower back and held on. Landen sped up his thrusts,
doing his best to give Avery what  he wanted and needed. Landen
wanted  to claim Avery  all over again. Cover  his body with his bite
mark, showing the world just who Avery belonged to. It wasn’t as if
Landen  thought of Avery as his property,  but he was his soul mate,
the love of his life.  And Landen wanted  the world to know,  and he
wanted the sick fuck who was harassing Avery to know as well.

Just the thought of someone watching Avery had Landen’s hips

speeding up. He slipped his arms under Avery’s back and curled his
hands around his shoulders to anchor them together. Landen let loose
with his control and plowed into Avery’s stretched hole, causing the
most delicious sounds to seep out Avery’s mouth.

“Yes, yes, right there.” Avery’s nails tore at Landen’s skin. The

hot press of his manhood, slippery with pre-cum, rubbed along
Landen’s stomach. “Make me come, baby.”

Sweat dripped from Landen’s body and the wetness eased the way

for Avery’s pulsing cock to glide back and forth. He could feel the fat
cock head swell then the first burst of sticky heat splashed between
their tightly pressed bodies.

Landen continued to thrust into Avery as he climaxed. The snug

walls of his ass rippled along his length until Landen couldn’t stand it
anymore and let himself fall over the edge into complete surrender.

He wasn’t sure when his teeth descended from his upper jaw but

they had. He scraped them along Avery’s shoulder,  and Avery tilted
his head to the side and pressed Landen’s head down into  the soft
flesh. Landen struck  fast and hard,  causing  another eruption to spill
out of Avery’s cock. He cried out and his legs clenched tighter around
Landen’s waist.

As his cum filled up Avery’s tight hole, Landen let go of Avery’s

neck and licked the mark closed. He then planted soft kisses along his

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mate’s jawline up to his ear. “I love you more with every breath I
take. Don’t ever tell me that you aren’t worth everything I have to
give to you.” His voice was husky and strained from the force of his
orgasm.

“Okay,” Avery said in a small voice. His arms tangled around

Landen’s neck and held on as if Landen were a life preserver and he
would drown in the dark and lonely sea without him.

They lay like that for a while longer until Landen rolled to his side

and positioned Avery against his chest. Covered in cum and sweat,
they fell asleep.

* * * *

Avery opened his eyes to see the room still shrouded in darkness.

He glanced over at the clock and saw that it was only a little after five
in the morning. The stout body lying next to him shifted and pressed
closer to Avery’s body. Avery smiled as he curled his smaller frame
around Landen’s. No matter what happened yesterday or the day
before that, Avery realized he wasn’t in this alone. He had his brother,
friends, and the love of his life standing beside him. He’d get through
this.

The sweet smell rolling off of Landen had Avery’s cock

stiffening. He pressed light kisses  to the back of Landen’s  neck and
rocked his hips back and  forth letting his hardened length slip
between  Landen’s  crease.  Landen  moaned and pushed back further
into Avery.

Avery moved his hands around to pinch and roll at Landen’s left

nipple. He then slowly made his way down Landen’s back by licking
a wet trail along his spine. When he reached the thick round globes of
his ass, Avery nipped at each cheek, which caused Landen to jerk his
hips against the bed. Avery gently pushed Landed to lie on his front
not quite sure if his boyfriend was even awake yet. He pulled the
blanket back then grabbed either side of the plump cheeks and spread

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them apart. Avery blew a hot breath over his entrance then flicked out
his tongue.

If Landen wasn’t fully awake he was now. Landen groaned and

pushed his ass up toward Avery’s face. Avery tongued the tiny
opening gradually pushing his saliva up inside Landen. The musky
salty flavor of Landen’s caused Avery’s dick to thicken even more.
Pearls of pre-cum oozed out the tip.

Avery eased a finger into Landen’s hole while he tongue fucked

him. With the wetness adding up, he was able to insert another finger.
Landen humped his hips into the mattress as he begged Avery to fuck
him.

Sitting up, Avery reached over to the side table for the lube and

quickly covered his painfully erect cock with the clear liquid. With
Landen still lying on his stomach, Avery positioned the tip of his
swollen dick at his entrance and pressed forward. As the round blunt
tip eased inside Landen, the muscle sealing around the thickness, both
men let out deep moans of pleasure.

Avery sunk his entire length deep into Landen’s tight channel

until he rested fully on top of his lover. The suffocating fit almost sent
Avery over the edge, but he took one breath after the other to regain
control of his own body.

No words were spoken as Avery pulled out to only push forward,

filling Landen’s tight hole. They moved together for what felt like
hours, their bodies in perfect harmony as they moved in an erotic
dance of give and take working toward a common goal.

Avery felt his balls draw up close to his body and sped up his hips

giving Landen everything he had.

“Avery,” Landen groaned into the pillow under his head as his

body shook beneath him.

The tight, slick walls of Landen’s ass clamped around his dick and

Avery lost the battle of his control. He erupted in a thick gush of cum.

As their breathing came back under control, Avery very gently

pulled out of Landen’s battered hole and kissed him on the shoulder.

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“Good morning, my love.”
“Morning.” Landen stretched his arms over his head and turned

his head to look at Avery. “What a way to wake up.”

“Only the best for my baby.” Avery winked at Landen.
“Oh, and I’m sure your dick got nothing out of it,” Landen teased.
“Most definitely my dick got something out of it.” Avery gave

him a chaste kiss them climbed over Landen’s body. “But come on?
You totally dug it. I’m completely irresistible.”

“And conceited.” Landen threw the pillow he was lying on at

Avery.

“Among many other things.” Avery caught the pillow then tossed

it back to the bed. “Now let’s hop in the shower. I’ve got to be at
work in like an hour. So let’s move it, sleepyhead.” Avery clapped his
hands together.

Landen’s smile fell from his face as he moved to sit up. He

winced a little when he sat on his ass. “You still want to go into work
after everything that has happened?”

“Landen.” Avery moved to sit next to his lover. He took Landen’s

hand into his own. “I need to. I can’t  let this freak run my life. I’m
going to carry on like I have been. If this guy really wants me it won’t
matter if I’m stuck here in the house or at work. If there’s  a will
there’s  a way,  and my will says to get up and live my life.”  He
brought Landen’s hand up to his lips and kissed it. “Please understand
that I need to do this.”

“I do, Ave, I do, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it.” Landen

wrapped his heavy arms around Avery’s thin frame. “Can I at least
drive you to work and pick you up? That will help make me feel
better about all this.”

“Then by all means, you can be my chauffer.” Avery stood up.

“Now let’s move it. I need a shower in the worst way.” He waggled
his eyebrows. “If there’s enough time left maybe we can do some
other things.”

Avery ran out of the bedroom with Landen hot on his heels.

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Chapter Fifteen

After a much too long shower, Avery and Landen headed

downstairs to the kitchen. Avery made coffee while Landen put a
couple of bagels in the toaster. They ate together and when finished
Avery led the way out the front door. He wasn’t thrilled that Landen
felt like he had to take him to and from work, but Avery just told
himself it was just a way to spend more time together.

The cool morning breeze ruffled the hair on his head as Avery

closed his eyes and breathed in the morning dew.

“Damn it,” Landen muffled behind him.
Avery turned around to see Landen staring at the front door.

“Landen, babe, what’s the matter?” He pulled on Landen’s shoulder
to get him to turn around.

A bright white piece of paper was taped to the black door. One

word graced the cover. Soon!

Avery rushed forward and tore it from the door and crumpled it in

his hand. Anger shot through him like a live wire getting ready to
shock. Black spots dance in front of his vision and his jaw clamped
tight.

“Avery.” Landen reached for his arm but he jerked away.
“No!” he snapped. “I’m sick of this.” Avery turned out toward the

quiet street. “Do you hear me? I’m sick of this. Fuck you! You can try
all you want to scare me but it won’t work. If you come after me be
ready for a fight. Because I will not go willingly, you sick piece of
shit.” Avery brought this arm back and threw the balled up paper out
into the street.

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“Baby.” Landen came up behind him and rubbed his hands up and

down Avery’s arms. “Calm down. He won’t win. Like you said, we’ll
keep living our lives.” He kissed the back of Avery’s head. “We’ll get
through this together.”

Avery nodded his head and let Landen lead him to his Jeep. He

decided right then and there he wouldn’t allow himself to be a victim.
This was his life and he’d roll with the punches. What other choice
did he have?

* * * *

It had been a week and a half since Avery had received the last

letter. He was starting to get his hopes up that the person that had
been sending them had given up. Sure it seemed highly unlikely, but
Avery would take what he could get. No notes meant a good day.

Avery was upstairs in the bathroom getting ready. It was

Halloween and he’d promised to go trick or treating with Ian and
Kelsey. Will had to work and Avery had never been trick or treating,
so he was more than a little excited.

“What are you supposed to be?” Landen looked up from the book

he was reading as Avery walked in through their bedroom door.

“Don Draper.” Avery spun in a circle and when he faced Landen

again he saw the blank look on his face. “From Mad Men.”

Avery had taken a lot of thought into his costume. He loved the

show and he’d seen the perfect suit at the thrift store in town. The suit
was a navy blue with a thin black tie. He polished his black dress
shoes, bought a plain white button-down dress shirt, and used gel to
slick back his hair. He thought he looked damn good.

“At least you aren’t going as Joan.” Landen chuckled.
“I’m not quite sure if the world is ready to see this body in a

dress.” He waved a hand down the front of him.

“If you wore a dress I wouldn’t let your hot little body out of the

house.” Landen hopped up off the bed and circled his arms around

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Avery’s waist and bent his head down to kiss the breath from Avery’s
lungs. “You look sexy in this outfit. We might have to role-play when
you get home.”

“Most definitely.” Avery nipped at Landen’s thick bottom lip.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you guys?”

Landen’s eyes were wide as he searched Avery’s face.

“Stop worrying, Lan. I’ll be fine. Ian will keep me safe. If

something happens, which I don’t think it will, Ian can go all wolf on
the guy. It’s all going to be okay.”

“Yeah but still.”
“But nothing.” Avery kissed Landen quickly on the lips then

stepped out of his arms. “It’s Halloween and the streets are going to
be swarming with people. We’ve all talked about it. This guy would
have to be a moron to try something tonight with all the witnesses
standing around.”

“I know I just hate that we haven’t caught him yet.” Landen’s

head dropped forward to rest his chin on his chest.

“Baby, look at me.” Avery reached out a finger to lift up on

Landen’s chin. “He hasn’t left a single letter in over a week. All the
tests Roderick ran on those letters turned up nothing. All we can do is
sit and wait. Yes, it sucks, but it’s the way it is.”

“Doesn’t mean I have to like it, though.” Landen pouted.
“No it doesn’t, but you do have a paper to finish so you better get

on that.” Avery reached around Landen to pat his bottom. “Because
you ass is mine when I get home.”

Just then the doorbell rang and Avery and Landen headed down

the stairs.

“Who are you supposed to be?” Avery heard Levi ask the person

at the door.

As he made his way down the stairs he saw that it was Ian and

Kelsey.

“I’m Peggy,” Kelsey said as she flipped her hair over her

shoulder.

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“Peggy?” Levi cocked an eyebrow at her and Ian rolled his eyes

from behind Kelsey.

“From Mad Men, you dork.” Kelsey shoved past Levi to run over

to give Avery a hug.

“Hey, baby girl.” Avery bent down to give her a better hug and to

look at her dress. He’d found this at the same time he found his suit
and thought it’d be fun to do a theme for the their costumes. Kelsey
was all for it. Little did Ian and Will know, Kelsey watched the series.
“You look smashing.” Avery held her hand as she spun in a circle.

“She looks like she belongs in the seventies with that polyester

nightmare she’s wearing.” Levi smirked.

“You’re just jealous because they didn’t have one in your size,”

Kelsey said without missing a beat, and the others started to laugh.

“You are way too sarcastic of a kid.” Levi pointed a finger over at

Ian then to Avery. “You two must be a bad influence on her precious
young mind.”

“Nah.” Ian put a hand on Kelsey’s shoulder. “She was born this

way. I had nothing to do with it.”

“What can I say? It’s what makes me awesome.” Kelsey shrugged

her shoulders and headed for the door. “Come on, boys. Let’s go get
some candy.”

“You heard the lady.” Avery nudged Ian in the arm.
Ian and Avery followed closely behind Kelsey as she went door-

to-door. After a while Avery asked, “So what are you supposed to
be?” He’d been trying to figure out Ian’s costume but was coming up
blank.

“I’m Scott from Teen Wolf. The series on MTV.” Ian said it as if it

were obvious.

Avery started to laugh. “First off, it’s funny that you watch that

show and second, you’re a werewolf going as a werewolf.” Avery
shook his head. “Too funny.”

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“Hey.” Ian shoved Avery in the arm, pushing him off the

sidewalk. “I got enough crap from your brother and my sister about
my choice in costume—”

“And your choice in TV shows?” Avery interrupted.
“You little shit.” Ian wrapped his arm around Avery’s neck and

proceeded to run his knuckles over his perfectly styled hair.

“Hey now, watch the hair.” Avery pulled back and straightened

his hair back into place. “And little shit? Please.” He made a sound
with his lips. “I’m older than you.”

“But I’m taller, so there.” Ian stuck out his tongue.
“Now, children, do I need to separate the two of you?” Avery

turned to see Seth, Ryan, and Kamden’s dad standing in the middle of
the sidewalk.

“Hey, Seth.” Avery greeted the other man. Seth and Caleb lived a

block over from them. “Caleb working tonight?”

“Yeah, he’s bummed about missing this, but duty calls right?”
“Same thing for Will. He wanted to see both Kelsey and Avery

out tonight.” Ian shot a smile over at Avery. “He and Avery have
never been trick or treating, and he wanted to see his baby brother out
on the town.”

“Ah, how sweet,” Seth teased.
“Both of you shut up, please.” Avery crossed his arms over his

chest.

“Carson! Kamden!” Kelsey took off after her friends as soon as he

spotted them.

“You’ve got Carson tonight?”
“Yep.” Seth nodded his head. “Noah was chaperoning a dance at

the college and he wanted Skyler to go with him so I offered to take
Carson with us.”

Avery watched as the three kids darted up the walkway to another

house and rang the doorbell. It was then that he noticed Ryan standing
behind Seth.

“Hey, Ryan, you not trick or treating?” Avery asked.

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“Nope. That’s for kids.” Ryan shoved his fingers in his pockets.

“I’m only here because dad number two wouldn’t let me stay at home
by myself.”

“Dad number two?” Avery arched a brow at Seth.
“That’s his new thing. I’m dad number two and Caleb is dad

number one. Go figure.” Seth turned to look at Ryan. “Son, there was
no way in hell I’d let you stay home by yourself because I know you.
I’d barely be out the door before you’d be running out it to meet your
friends. So sorry, dude, you’re stuck with us.”

“Hey, Ryan, come with us.” Carson ran up to Ryan.
“For the hundredth time, no.” Ryan rolled his eyes then took a

step back from Carson.

“Son, would it kill you to be nice?” Seth turned around to follow

the other children.

Avery let Ian walk ahead of him and he stayed back with Ryan.

They walked in silence for a few houses.

“I’m not going to apologize if that’s what you’re wondering,”

Ryan muttered.

“I didn’t say a single word.” Avery held his hands up. “I just took

it for granted you have a severe case of assholeism.”

“What?” Ryan stopped walking and cocked his head to the side.
“Well, it’s either that or you like the kid but don’t want to admit

it.” Avery shrugged. “Take your pick. I still haven’t decided yet.”

“I don’t like Carson.” Ryan let out a nervous chuckle. “He’s a

pest.”

“Everyone is, but you sure do like to keep your eye on that kid,”

Avery pointed out. In the few times he’d been around Ryan he was a
rude little jerk to Carson but he never strayed far from the kid. Almost
like he was watching out for Carson.

“He’s my brother’s best friend. I worry about him like I do Kam.

Nothing more than that.” Ryan started to walk again.

“I totally get that.” Avery nodded his agreement. “Oh look!”

Avery pulled out his cell phone to snap a picture. “Carson and Kelsey

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121

are holding hands.” They weren’t, but Avery wanted to see what
Ryan’s reaction would be.

“What?” Ryan shouted and his jaw clenched so tight Avery could

hear the kid’s teeth grinding together.

“Just teasing.” Avery giggled.
Ryan stayed quiet for a while after that and Avery didn’t push.

Avery assumed Ryan’s anger came from him liking Carson in a way
he wasn’t comfortable with. Which Avery could understand. Ryan
was thirteen and Carson was only eleven. Maybe when they got older
they’d figure all that out, but for now if it were easier for Ryan to
push Carson away. Avery got that.

Avery watched as the kids ran from house to house. They walked

so much he was surprised they hadn’t gotten tired yet. But then he
remembered all three of those kids were shifters and they could
probably go all night.

Finally around nine Avery threw in the towel. He said good night

to the Seth, Ian, and all the kids and headed back toward his house.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to walk with you?” Ian asked.
“Ian, I appreciate the concern but I think I’ll be fine.” He patted

Ian on the shoulder. “I’ll text you once I get home.”

Ian nodded his head and watched as Avery walked down the

sidewalk back toward home.

The street had grown a little quieter. Not nearly as many kids out

as there were at the beginning of the night. He noticed a few teenagers
looking very suspicious as they made their way down the street.
Avery remembered being a kid and being up to no good so he didn’t
say anything.

A car passed by going really slow. Avery glanced at the car but

didn’t think much about it. He was about a block from his house. The
same car passed going in the other direction, going even slower. It
was too dark for Avery to make out what the driver looked like.

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“That’s a little weird,” Avery whispered to himself as he watched

the car get down to the end of the street to turn around and head back
toward him.

Not thinking twice about it, Avery started to run. The car passed

him again and flashed its high beams at him. Avery pushed his legs
harder and faster and breathed a sigh of relief when the house came
into sight. He ran up the steps and opened the door. He rested his back
on the hard surface and gulped down one breath after another.

“You okay?” Oliver asked as he came out of his bedroom.
Avery yelped and clutched a hand to his chest. He smiled to cover

his fright. “Yeah, just got spooked is all.”

“I’m sure.” Oliver gave him an up-and-down look.
“Well, good night,” he said as he passed by Oliver to get to the

stairs.

“Night, Mr. Draper.”
Avery laughed as he walked up the stairs. His heart was still

racing a million miles an hour, but he refused to tell anyone what had
happened. For all he knew  it was just more teenagers out to scare
someone. And with Avery being on edge he was the perfect target. He
brushed it off as nothing and went into the room he shared  with
Landen. Inside Landen’s  arms was the safest  place in the world,  at
least for Avery.

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Chapter Sixteen

“Thanks again, Avery, for working tonight,” Dominic said as he

packed up the cupcakes he was planning on taking over to the
elementary school on Monday morning for Kamden’s birthday.

It was Sunday night and it should have been Avery’s day off, but

he didn’t mind it. Landen and Kyle were working on homework while
Oliver and Levi were out at the Carsten house going over shifter and
hunter business. So that left Avery with nothing better to do.

“Don’t mention it.” He smiled over at Dominic. “I’m glad I could

help out.”

There were a few people sitting around at the tables. He didn’t

recognize all of them but one did stick out.

“Hey, PJ, how’s it going?” He made his way over to the man he’d

sort of made friends with. PJ came into the café most evenings, and
Avery thought the guy was nice and he didn’t get a weird vibe from
him. If anything he found it odd that PJ, as far as Avery could tell,
only came in when Dominic was working. Seemed kind of strange.

“Oh, it’s going.” He smiled as he straightened up from his chair.

“How have you been? Things still good with the boyfriend?”

“Of course.” Avery pulled out the chair from across PJ and sat

down. “PJ, I know we don’t know each other that well but what’s
your deal with Dom?” Avery glanced over to where Dominic stood
behind the counter. “Are you, like, hot for him or something?”

“Eww, no!” PJ said a little too fast. His face was scrunched up in

disgust but he quickly relaxed his features. “Sorry about that.” He
chuckled. “No, I’m not hot for Dommy. He just looks like someone I
use to know.”

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“Oh, okay.” Avery thought that made sense. PJ could have been

lying to him but he got the strong impression that PJ was telling the
truth. “He’s a real nice guy, and so is his boyfriend. You should go up
and talk to him.” He shrugged. “Could become friends.”

“True but I don’t know.” PJ looked down at his coffee mug and

circled his finger over the rim. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.” Avery nodded his head and leaned his elbows on the table.
“Is he happy? Dominic, I mean.”
“From what I seen, yeah. I’ve heard he lost his memory after an

accident but he seems to have recovered well enough to live a happy
life.”

“And his boyfriend is good to him?” Avery nodded his head and

PJ breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good to know. Thanks, man.” PJ
stood up from his chair.

“You’re leaving?” Avery stood up.
“Yeah.” PJ tucked his long blond hair behind his ears.
“Dude, you just asked me a bunch of cryptic questions about my

friend and you don’t want to explain that to me?”

“Like I said, he looks like someone I use to know and I guess I

have a soft spot for him.” PJ darted his eyes in Dominic’s direction.
“My friend might be gone but at least knowing that Dominic is living
a good life it helps. It’s hard to explain.”

“Nah, I get it.” Avery patted PJ on the shoulder. “Sorry about your

friend. What happened to him?”

“Long story.” PJ gave him a tight smile then headed for the door.

“See you around, Avery.”

“Yep, later.” He called out as he finished making his way around

the café collecting empty mugs and plates. The last stragglers of the
evening made their way out the door and Avery locked it behind
them.

As he was wiping down the tables, a figure passing by the window

caught his attention.

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125

“What in the hell?” Avery ran over to the door, unlocked it, and

flung it open. “Ryan!” The kid turned around and had the decency to
look ashamed. “What are you doing out here and this late? Do your
dads know where you’re at?”

“What do you think?” Ryan pulled the hood up on his sweatshirt,

shielding himself from the cold air.

“Watch it, smart-mouth, and get your ass in here.” Avery stepped

back and held the door open for Ryan. “Landen and I will take you
home once I get off.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Ryan said as he passed by Avery. “I

was just on my way there now.”

“Uh, no.” Avery shook his head. “It’s dark and no telling what

might happen to you out there on your own.” He was projecting his
fears onto the boy, but still the world wasn’t a safe place.

“Are you going to tell the dads?” Ryan’s lips formed a pout.
“What do you think?” Avery repeated Ryan’s words as he put his

hands on his hips.

“Fuck!” Ryan let his head fall back on his shoulders to stare at the

ceiling.

“Hey!” Avery swatted the hand towel in his hand at Ryan.

“Language, mister.” Ryan grumbled a sorry then took a seat at one of
the barstools at the front counter. “So what were you out doing?”

“Hanging out with friends.” Ryan shrugged. “Nothing too

exciting.”

“It never is.” Avery wiped off another table.
“Ryan, what are you doing here?” Dominic asked as he came back

up front.

“He got caught doing the walk of shame pass the front windows

so I made him come inside,” Avery answered for Ryan.

“Sneaking out on a school night.” Dominic chuckled. “You’re so

dead.”

“Tell me about it.” Ryan let his head fall forward to rest on the

glass countertop.

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Avery and Dominic moved about the café getting it ready for

tomorrow morning. He needed to call Landen to come pick him up
but he wanted to wait until they were closer to being done.

“Avery, I’m going to pull my car around back. Do you mind

helping me load up the cupcakes?” Dominic asked.

“Sure, Dom.” Avery finished filling up the napkin holders and

slapped Ryan on the shoulder as he passed by. “Help me carry these
boxes out, will ya?”

“Fine.”
Avery handed one of the long rectangle boxes to Ryan then picked

up the other one. Avery pulled the lock on the back door and pushed it
open with his shoulder. They stepped out into the dimly lit alleyway
and waited for Dominic’s car. It didn’t take long before Dominic’s
headlights lit up the darkened alley.

“Thanks, you guys. I appreciate it.” Dominic popped the release

for his trunk and helped load in the boxes.

“Well, they are for my brother’s class, so I guess I should help.”

Ryan grinned up at Dominic.

“Smart-ass.” Avery chuckled.
They were too busy laughing and joking around they never heard

the footsteps approach.

“Avery,” a deep voice said from in front of the car.
“Yeah?” Not thinking twice about it, Avery turned around. A tall

man with thick black hair and lightly tanned skin stood a few feet in
front of Dominic’s car. Avery didn’t recognize the man. “Can I help
you?”

“I’m sorry it took me so long, but I was waiting for the right

moment,” the man said as he stared into Avery’s eyes.

“Oh my god,” Avery mumbled under his breath and pushed Ryan

behind him. “Dominic, get him inside and call the police.”

“What’s going on?” Dominic asked.
“Just do it?” Avery could hear the panic in his voice and his hands

began to shake.

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“Not so fast.” The man pulled out a gun and pointed it at Ryan

then Dominic. “You’re not going anywhere.”

Fuck! What do I do? Avery’s mind was racing. It seemed almost

anticlimactic how this was all going down. He never in a million
years would have thought his fucking stalker would just walk up to
him. That was just crazy.

“Hey, man, just let them go.” Avery glanced over his shoulder

toward Dominic and Ryan. “They have nothing to do with this and
I’m the one you want, right?”

“Avery, you don’t have to do this,” Dominic whispered out of the

corner of his mouth.

A deep growling sound came from Ryan as he stared over the car

at the man holding a gun on them. Avery noticed that Dominic’s
claws had lengthened and his eyes were glowing.

“Please just let them go. I won’t fight you. I will go willing. Just

please,” Avery begged.

Everything happened all once, and Avery wasn’t sure what was

going on until it was too late. Dominic shifted then lunged at the man.
The man raised his gun but Avery never heard a shot ring out. There
was nothing but silence.  He watched  as  Dominic  fell to the ground.
He ran over to Dominic with Ryan by his side. With the help of Ryan
they rolled Dominic  to lie  on his back. A dark-red slash grazed the
side of his head  and blood ran down from his scalp  from  where  the
bullet struck him.

“Dominic!” Avery felt for a pulse. “Oh god no!”
“Let’s go, Avery.” The man had snuck up beside him and was

pulling him to his feet.

“Let go of me.” Avery swung his arms and kicked out with his

feet. The man backhanded him so hard he saw stars. As he lifted his
head up he saw Ryan. “Ryan, no!”  he  screamed  as the young boy
leapt  up  from  the  ground. His eyes glowed a deep dark blue and his
teeth had lengthened  to sharp points. The man brought  his arm back

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and struck the butt of the gun to Ryan’s temple and he fell to the
ground. “Ryan,” he cried.

“He’ll be fine. Now let’s go.” The man started to drag Avery

down in the opposite direction from the café.

“Why are you doing this?” Avery struggled as best he could with

the man’s iron grip on his arm.

“Because we’re in love.” The man swung Avery around to face

him them wrapped both his heavily muscled arms around his waist.
Avery tried to pull away. “Don’t you remember all the fun we had?”
The man leaned forward and started to rub his nose against Avery’s
cheek and kissed along his jaw.

“Stop it.” Avery turned his face away before the man could

capture his lips. “I don’t even know who you are.”

“Don’t lie.” The man gripped a handful of Avery’s hair, yanking

his head back. “I know you remember. How could you forget me?”
He pushed Avery against the hood of his car and banged Avery’s
head on the metal surface until he felt like he was going to black out.
“I guess I’ll just fuck you until you do remember. How’s that sound?”
The man went for the fastening on Avery’s jeans.

Avery lay there limp as he was jerked around then flipped to lie

on his stomach. The cool air caused goose bumps to pebble up along
his bare ass as it stuck up in the air. He cringed as the man grabbed at
him but he couldn’t move. He was frozen in fear.

“You’ll forget all about college boy once I’m inside you.” Tears

came to Avery’s eyes as the man spoke into his ear. “I’m all you’ll
ever want. Do you hear me?” He fisted Avery’s hair again and banged
his head into the hood of the car. “Answer me.”

“Yes.” His body shook as his emotions took over. He was trapped

behind a dark building with no one to help him. Dominic had been
shot, Ryan was knocked unconscious, and Avery lay helpless as this
man was preparing to rape him. The urge to fight back overwhelmed
him, but how could he? He needed to get this bastard out of here

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before Ryan woke up. If anything happened to the young boy Avery
would never forgive himself.

The sound of a deep dark growl echoed in the alley off the stone

walls. Avery tried to look through his tears to see who it was. A dark
mass edged its way down the alley toward them. For a moment he
thought it might be Landen, but this wolf’s hair was pitch black, with
stormy navy blue eyes that looked just as black as its fur.

“What the fuck is that?” The man behind Avery eased up his grip

as he stood up.

One sharp bark was the only warning they got before the wolf ran

forward. The man raised his gun but was pushed forward onto the
ground by another wolf, a blond one with bright green eyes.

Avery pulled his pants back together and jumped up onto the car’s

hood and watched. The blond wolf bit into the man’s hand until he
released the gun. The black wolf went straight for the throat. The man
cried out and begged for his life but it was no use. The sounds weren’t
that loud, more of a mumble. Blood garbled up from his throat to leak
out the corner of his mouth. Avery watched as the life left the man’s
eyes. He should have felt bad but Avery didn’t care. To him the man
got what he deserved.

“Dominic!”
Avery looked over at the sound of the voice to see PJ running

back toward Dominic’s car. His naked form knelt down beside
Dominic and he lifted Dominic’s head into his lap.

As if in slow motion, Avery eased himself down from the car. His

eyes darted over to the black wolf and it whimpered and pawed at the
ground in front of the car. Avery slowly reached out a hand for the
wolf to sniff. The wolf nuzzled its large head into the palm of his
hand. He wasn’t sure why he did that but it felt like the right thing to
do. After all the wolf did just saved his life.

“Dommy, please wake up!”
At the sounds of PJ’s distressed voice, Avery spun around and ran

back toward the others. He could hear the wolf running beside him

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but he didn’t look over. Too much had happened tonight that he was
barely holding it together.

He bent down next to Ryan and shook his shoulder. “Ryan, can

you hear me?” Avery’s voice was rough with emotion. “Ryan!”

“Ave?” Ryan slowly opened his eyes and Avery breathed a sigh of

relief. “Where is he?” Ryan tried to sit up but Avery held him close to
his chest.

“You don’t have to worry about him anymore.” Avery looked

over at the dark figure lying on the ground. Ryan followed his gaze
and nodded his head. His arms found their way around Avery’s waist
and the teenager held on for dear life. “Is he alive?” Avery asked PJ.

“He’s still breathing.” PJ’s hands moved over Dominic’s body

checking for any more damage.

“PJ, who are you, really?” Avery got the feeling that PJ wasn’t

who he claimed to be. It couldn’t be a coincidence that he had been
hanging out at the café and was a wolf shifter. Something wasn’t
adding up but Avery couldn’t put the pieces together.

“My name is Peyton, not PJ.” He looked up to meet Avery’s

inquisitive stare. “I’m Dominic’s brother.”

Avery didn’t know what to say. He looked from Dominic’s

comatose body up to Peyton. He didn’t see any resemblance, but why
would PJ, Peyton, whatever his name was, lie?

“We should call my dad.” Ryan pulled out his phone and dialed

Caleb’s number.

“Let’s get him inside,” Avery offered as he stood up, pulling Ryan

with him.

Peyton picked Dominic up as he came to his feet. He waited by

the back door while Avery moved to open it.

“What about him?” Avery asked as he looked down at the large

black wolf.

“He’ll be fine out here.” Peyton turned his attention to the wolf.

“Silas, I’ll be back to the house as soon as I’m done here. Promise.”

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131

The wolf barked then took off down the alley out into the night. “He
doesn’t like to be in human form,” Peyton said in way of explanation.

“My dads are on their way,” Ryan mumbled as he glanced over at

Dominic’s limp form.

“He’s going to be okay, Ry.” Avery pulled Ryan into his arms and

met Peyton’s stare over his head. “Everything is going to be all right.”
He was making promises he had no business making but it helped to
lie to himself. Because if things did turn south at least he had the lie to
hang on to.

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Chapter Seventeen

It was closing in on ten thirty and Landen still hadn’t heard from

Avery. He was just about to call him when Oliver hollered out to him
from the living room. Landen grabbed his wallet and keys and headed
down the stairs. He was surprised to see Seth at the front door and
Oliver and Kyle preparing to walk out it.

“What’s going on guys?” Dread, heavy and thick, swam in his

stomach.

“There’s been an accident at the café.” Seth looked away unable

to meet Landen’s questioning eyes. “The stalker attacked. Avery’s
okay, but Dominic’s been shot.”

That was all Landen heard. He took off out the front door, pulling

his keys from his pocket.

“Landen, wait up.” Kyle grabbed him by the shoulder and turned

him around. “You need to calm down. Avery is okay but you need to
relax before you get behind the wheel of that car.”

Landen nodded his head. “Here, you drive.” He handed his keys

to Kyle.

Kyle drove Landen’s Jeep and Oliver climbed in the backseat. The

drive to the café seemed longer than usual. When Kyle finally pulled
the Jeep in front of the café, Landen jumped out. The front door was
unlocked when he pulled it open. He glanced around  looking for his
mate. At the far table Ryan sat clinging to Caleb and Seth rushed past
Landen  to reach his son and mate. Voices coming from the back of
the café had Landen walking back toward the main office. Lying  on
the couch was an unconscious Dominic. Roderick knelt beside him
holding a  red-stained cloth to his head. Another man Landen didn’t

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know stood off to the side, arms crossed over his bare chest, staring at
Dominic.

“Landen.”
He turned at the wounded-sounding voice of his mate. “Avery.”

Landen closed the distance between them and pulled Avery into his
arms. He pulled back to get a better look at his mate. To see with his
own eyes that Avery was all right. “He didn’t hurt you did he?”

“No.” Avery’s face scrunched up and tears fell from his eyes. “I

was so scared. He shot Dominic then knocked Ryan out. I was certain
I’d never see you again.”

“Ah, baby.” Landen yanked Avery back into his arms and rocked

him back and forth.

“Will’s on his way.” Avery wiped his face into Landen’s chest.

“He’s going to check on Dominic.”

“Shouldn’t he be in a hospital?” Landen asked.
“Roderick and Peyton said there’s no reason for it. He’s already

starting to heal.”

Will arrived then. He gave his brother a quick once-over and

hugged him tight then went to work on Dominic.

“Here, let’s step out to give them some room,” Landen suggested.
Once they were out of the office, Landen led Avery over to an

empty table. Caleb came over then and asked a bunch of questions
that Landen barely heard. His own mind was racing with the what-ifs.

“We arranged to have the body and car towed.” Caleb rubbed a

hand over his hair. “This is something we don’t do a lot of, but we
have to stage an accident.”

“Why?” For all he cared he’d be glad to see the body rot in a

ditch.

“The man stalking your mate was an ex-cop. Officer Fredrick

Morris out of a precinct in New York. From the background check the
hunter’s council was able pull the guy had been on medical leave for
about three years. It appears after being shot. His partner on the force
was killed in the accident. Apparently he had a mental breakdown.”

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“But why was he after Avery?” Landen asked.
“He worked security at one of the clubs I frequented when I lived

in New York,” Avery answered, not meeting Landen’s stare. “I didn’t
recognize him at first because his hair is longer now and I was trashed
every time I saw him.” Avery pulled out of Landen’s embrace and
wrapped his arms around himself.

“Ave, what’s the matter?” Landen reached for Avery but he pulled

away.

“I slept with him, Landen. I let that man fuck me and I couldn’t

even remember him. I brought this not only on myself but all of you.
My careless actions damn near got Dominic and Ryan killed.”

“You can’t blame yourself.” Landen picked Avery up and placed

him on his lap. He let his mate cry into his shoulder as he rubbed his
back.

“He’s right, Avery.” Caleb tapped his fingers on the tabletop.

“Morris was a loose cannon. No one could have predicted this. And
for my son, well, that’s mine and Seth’s fault. We should have kept a
closer watch over him.”

“Dad, don’t say that.” Ryan sobbed. “Please don’t blame yourself.

I’m a stupid kid who made a stupid decision.” Ryan stood up and
banged his fist against his chest.

“Hey, buddy, calm down.” Seth circled his arms around Ryan

from the back and Caleb got up to hug him from the front. “It’s going
to be okay, but I swear to god if you ever pull something like this
again I’m going to beat your ass.”

“Deal,” Ryan mumbled against Caleb’s chest.
“Baby, you can’t shoulder the responsibility for this.” Landen

used his finger to turn Avery’s chin up. “Dominic only did what any
of us would have done. Same with Ryan. And I know you would have
done the same for any of them.”

“He did,” Ryan said as he pulled away from his dads. “He offered

himself up, to go without a fight if the guy left me and Dominic
alone.” Ryan swiped a hand under his eye.

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135

A burst of pride filled Landen’s chest. His mate would have

sacrificed himself for his friends, and while Landen was proud of his
mate it also pissed him off. He never wanted to think of Avery putting
himself in harm’s way.

“And that right there is what makes you a good person, Ave,”

Landen whispered into Avery’s ear.

The silence of the café was broken up by shouting coming from

the back room that slowly got louder as the occupants came toward
the front of the shop.

“I’m coming with you,” a voice declared with strong authority.
“Like hell you are.” Roderick’s voice was menacing. Landen

glanced in the direction of the shouting and saw Roderick carrying
Dominic in his arms. “We don’t even know who the fuck you are.”

“Peyton!” Kyle stood up and looked at the newcomer arguing

with Roderick.

“You know this guy?” Roderick asked.
“He was a member of my mother’s pack. Well, adoptive mother,”

Kyle clarified.

“Oh, you’re really not coming with us then.” Roderick turned his

back on Peyton.

“Stop it!” Avery screamed and stood up. “If it wasn’t for Peyton

I’d be long gone by now with that sicko. He saved my life.” Avery
turned his full attention to Peyton. “Tell them what you told me.”

Everyone turned to look at Peyton and the guy couldn’t seem to

meet anyone’s stare. “Dominic’s my half brother. I’ve been looking
for him for the past five years.”

Now Landen and apparently everyone else weren’t expecting that.
“It’s a long story but it’s the truth. If you don’t believe call the

Northwestern Hunter’s Council. They’ll corroborate my story.”

“Hunter’s Council?” Roderick cocked his head to the side.
“Yeah.” Peyton ran a hand through his thick wavy hair. “I’m a

wolf shifter and a hunter.”

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“Caleb, make the call,” Roderick ordered as he carried Dominic

out the door with Peyton falling behind him.

“How crazy is all that?” Kyle asked. “I don’t know Peyton very

well, but he was one of the wolves that helped stop Sasha from killing
that innocent pack.”

“He’s kind of my friend,” Avery said as he took Landen’s hand

between his. “But I knew him as PJ. He came into the café at night
when Dominic worked. It all makes sense now.”

“It sure does.” Kyle glanced around the room. “Let’s say we all

get out of here?”

“What about the body?” Avery’s grip on his hand tightened to the

point of pain.

“It’s already been dealt with.” Caleb clapped Avery on the

shoulder. “Go home and get some rest. Do your best to put all this out
of your mind, Avery. And thanks for protecting my son.”

“I didn’t do much, but he sure did jump into action when things

got rough.” Avery smiled over at the teenager. “I think he might be
following in your footsteps to be a cop.”

“God help us all then.” Caleb chuckled. “Not sure my heart could

take the stress.”

Landen wrapped his arm around Avery’s shoulders and led him

out of the café and to his Jeep. He helped Avery get inside then
buckled his seat belt for him. Avery was unusually quiet on the way
home and Landen understood why. The things he saw tonight and the
guilt of not being able to prevent them would be with him forever.

Once at the house Avery walked silently up to the bathroom and

got in the shower.

Landen said a quick good night to his friends and followed Avery

up the steps. His phone began to ring and he answered it.

“Hello.”
“Hey, Landen, it’s me, Will. How’s he doing?” Will asked.
“Okay, I guess. Real quiet though.”

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“I guess that’s to be expected.” Will let out a heavy sigh. “If you

need anything don’t hesitate to call, okay?”

“Okay, man, will do.” Landen disconnected the call and tossed it

on his dresser.

Landen stripped down to his boxers and was throwing his clothes

in the hamper when Avery walked in through the door. Water dripped
from his hair, and his loose-fitting pajama pants clung to his hips. His
eyes were stained red and he had blotchy patches on his cheeks from
crying.

“Come here, babe.” Landen held his arms out to Avery but didn’t

move. He didn’t want to upset or push Avery away. This had to be on
Avery’s terms. One slow step at a time  Avery finally fell into
Landen’s arms. “Do you want to talk about it?”  A part of Landen
needed to know  what  happened,  but a part of him would be happy
never knowing.

“Not really.” Avery choked out a laugh. “But I want to tell you.

Talking to you about anything always makes me feel better.” Landen
moved them to sit on the bed with their backs leaning against the
headboard for support. “The funny thing about all this is now that I
know who he was I can’t get his face out of my mind. Every time I
close my eyes I see him but not the man that was out there tonight.
The one I met at the club. I knew him, Landen. I let him into my bed.”
Avery broke down again.

“Listen to me, Ave. There was no way of you or anyone else

knowing he would react this way. We all have our one-night hookups
or fuck buddies that don’t develop stalkerish behavior. This guy was
broken on the inside in ways no one knew. You can’t blame
yourself.”

“Logically I understand that, but it still hurts.” Avery took a

minute before he spoke again. He talked about how Morris surprised
them out back in the alley as they helped Dominic load his trunk.
Then how Dominic tried to stop Morris only to be shot. “I’ve never
seen anything like that before. The gun didn’t even make a sound.

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Caleb said he had some sort of silencer on it,  but still it didn’t take
away its effects. Dominic’s body jerked back like a rag doll then fell
to the ground.”  Avery covered his eyes as he cried  harder at the
memory. All Landen could do was hold him and he did. “He had me
pushed up against  his car, Landen. He would have raped me if it
weren’t  for Peyton. If Peyton  hadn’t been there…”  Avery’s voice
cracked as more tears overcame him.

Landen’s grip tightened on Avery. Realistically he knew that

might have been a possibility and he was so appreciative to Peyton for
stopping Morris before he got the chance. Had that happened Landen
didn’t know if Avery would have ever recovered. “But he was there
and that’s all that matters.” Landen owed this Peyton guy a lot. He
kept his mate safe and took out the sick fuck that had been tormenting
Avery for the better part of a year. It was a debt he wasn’t quite sure
he could ever fully repay.

“I love you so much, Landen.” Avery moved to straddle Landen’s

lap. He kissed along his cheeks down to his neck. “The thought of
never seeing you again made my heart beat so fast I thought I’d die
from that alone.” Avery sucked up a bruise on Landen’s shoulder and
he tilted his head to the side to give Avery more room to move.

“You don’t have to worry about that anymore.” Landen combed

his fingers through Avery’s damp hair. “I’m not going anywhere and
neither are you.” He moaned as Avery licked and sucked across his
collarbone to the other side of his neck. “Tell me what you need,
baby.”

“You and only you.” Avery sat up and stared into Landen’s eyes.

“I need to make love to you.” Avery’s hand slid between their bodies
and worked its way down to the bulge in Landen’s boxers. “Please, I
need to be inside you.”

“Yes,” Landen said breathlessly as he let Avery move him to lie

on his back.

Avery pulled down Landen’s boxers and he kicked them away. He

watched Avery’s frantic movements as he took off his pants and

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139

climbed between Landen’s spread legs. Landen  handed  Avery  the
lube he grabbed from  the side table and Avery made quick work of
slicking up his hard cock. Avery didn’t take the time to prep him and
Landen  didn’t mind. He could sense his mate’s  urgency  to lay his
claim. To do something  he could have control over and Landen  was
happy to give it to him.

The round, smooth tip found his entrance and Avery pushed

forward,  not stopping until he was fully seated in Landen’s  body.
Landen bit his lip to keep his cry of pain at the sharp,  intense  entry.
Avery held still for a moment as he lay on top of Landen’s body.
Landen’s  cock softened  a little from the searing pain but slowly
started to stiffen as Avery gently pulled out then pressed back inside.

Their lovemaking began slowly. They shared soft, sweet kisses,

tongues dancing together as their bodies worked together, edging
closer to that mind-numbing bliss they both needed.

“I never want to be without you,” Avery said as his hips started to

slap harder against his ass.

“You won’t ever have to.” Landen groaned as the flared head of

Avery’s cock massaged over his prostate, sending little shock waves
from his balls all the way to the top of his head. “We’re together
forever.”

Avery shifted to allow enough room to wrap his thin fingers

around Landen’s heated cock and started to pump his fist. “Come for
me, Lan. I need to feel you come undone around my dick. I need it.”

The desperation in Avery’s voice sent Landen over the ledge into

only a place that he and Avery existed. His balls shot forth his sticky
cum. The liquid heat spilled down Avery’s fingers. Avery grunted as
he plowed harder into Landen. He felt the head swell inside him and
then Avery let out a loud groan as his body surrendered to his release.
Landen held him close as his mate’s body shook with each pump of
cum from his cock.

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“I love you more than anything, Avery Watterson.” Landen kissed

the top of Avery’s head. “We’re in this together, so don’t feel the
need to hide anything from me. I’m here for you.”

“I love you, too, Lan.” Avery kissed along Landen’s neck. “And

trust me, I’ll tell you anything you want to know. Even the stuff you
don’t.” Avery sat up enough to smile down at Landen.

“Well, I didn’t say all that,” Landen teased.
“You dork.” Avery started to tickle along Landen’s sides, sending

him into a fit of giggles. “Remember this is for better or worse, my
friend.”

Landen rolled over, trapping Avery beneath him. “For better or

worse.” He bent down to kiss Avery’s swollen lips.

As Avery twined his body around Landen and the kiss deepened,

Landen realized there was no other place in the world he’d rather be
or another person he’d rather be with. Avery was it for him. His crazy
little human did drive him crazy at times, but that was love and Avery
was the love of his life, so Landen could take on anything his mate
brought his way.

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141

Chapter Eighteen

Avery woke up in the comfort of his lover’s embrace, but soon

after that reality set in. The memories of the night before sat heavy on
his shoulders and he could no longer sit still. He got up from bed,
showered, and got dressed, all the while with Landen following close
behind him. It was as if Landen thought he’d disappear if left out of
his sight for too long.

After breakfast Kyle suggested they all go over to Roderick and

Dominic’s house together. They didn’t live far from them and
everyone did want to see how Dom was doing.

“I still think they should have taken him to the hospital,” Kyle

said.

“What would be the point?” Levi asked. “He was already healing.

If they took him into the ER like that, with a healing gunshot wound
to the head, they’d know something was seriously wrong. And do you
want to be the one to explain to the entire town about shifters? Next
thing you’d know there would be a lynch mob after your small ass.”
Levi jabbed a finger into Kyle’s side, causing him to giggle.

“Hey!” Oliver took one hand off the wheel to smack at Levi. “No

talking about my mate’s tiny ass.”

“Good grief, it’s not that little.” Kyle huffed but couldn’t keep the

grin off his face.

As Avery sat there listening to the three bicker back and forth it

helped take his mind off of everything. He assumed they were doing it
on purpose. Avery had been quiet all morning and the guys probably
weren’t used to that.

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The first thing Avery noticed when they pulled up to Roderick’s

house was all the cars parked in the drive and along the street. They
got out of the car and walked up the front door. Oliver didn’t bother to
knock and they followed him inside.

Avery hadn’t met every single member of the Nehalem Pack, but

he had a feeling that was all about to change. He met one after
another. Some were wolf shifters and some were their human mates.
If they hadn’t said which they were, Avery would have never guessed.
To him they were all just people gathered for one cause, Dominic.

“Has he woken up yet?” Avery asked Will once he was able to get

him alone.

“Not yet.” Will shook his head, a grim look on his face. “But

that’s not uncommon. Shifters do have a different makeup to their
bodies than us humans but it’s normal for the body to heal like this.
It’s better that he is unconscious.”

Avery nodded his understanding. It might have been better for

Dominic to heal while unconscious but harder for the people he cared
about. “Will he be okay once he does wake up?”

“I have no reason to think he won’t.”
That was good at least. But Avery also wondered if Dom would

wake up but not remember any of them like the last time he suffered a
head injury. That would be devastating to everyone involved.

“Is Peyton here?” Avery wanted to change the subject.
“He is.” Will motioned with his chin at the bedroom door that

Dominic was staying in. “I guess everything checks out on the guy.
Apparently he’s a hunter as well as a wolf. His father consults on the
board for the council. He verified everything Peyton said. They are
brothers. Shared a mother.”

“Why was he looking for Dominic? Didn’t he know where he

was?” For all of Avery’s faults when it came to his brother he at least
knew where he could find Will at any given minute. He even had his
phone number even though he never used it until recently.

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143

“Come here.” Will wrapped his arm around Avery’s shoulders

and led him outside onto the patio. There was a chill in the air, but the
bright sun helped keep him warm. “Here’s the thing. Before Dom lost
his memory he never talked about his family. He was pretty tight
lipped about his life prior to moving to Nehalem and now we know
why. Dominic’s father killed his mother then shot himself in the head.
After all that he picked up and left. No one but Dominic can say why
he did that. Peyton’s five years older than Dom and was in college
when he took off. I guess Peyton and his father have been searching
for Dom this whole time.”

Avery’s heart ached for the pain Dominic had suffered through.

That would be a terrible thing to happen to anyone. It made Avery
feel even more selfish for acting like such a selfish snob all these
years toward his brother.

“But if Peyton and his father are part of the hunter’s council, how

come they just didn’t ask around or contact Roderick? He’s pretty
high up there from what Landen said.”

“There are several divisions to the council and several different

packs in the United States alone. All they had was his name and an
old photograph of Peyton and Dom from when they were kids. And
before Dom lost his memory he was a wicked computer genius. If he
didn’t want to be found he made sure he wouldn’t be.”

“Damn,” Avery muttered as he glanced back at the closed back

door. He thought it might be better if Dominic never got this memory
back. Who would want to remember something as horrific as that?

“You know the funny thing about all this?” Will looked over as

Avery quickly looked toward the ground. “It makes me think about us
and how even when I couldn’t stand the sight of you, I still cared for
you. I’d never pick up and moved away without you knowing how to
contact me. I might not have been the best big brother in the world,
but I did always love you.”

“I love you, too, Will.” Tears clouded his vision and Avery raised

a hand to clear out his eyes. “If you thought you were a bad brother I

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must have been horrendous.” He chuckled. “I’m just glad we are here
now. Working on mending our relationship.”

“Me, too.” Will stepped toward him and wrapped his arms around

Avery’s back and hugged him close.

The silence of the moment he was sharing with his brother was

broken up by the back door opening. Peyton stepped outside and gave
them a tight smile.

“Hi, Avery.” Peyton lifted his hand to give a small wave.
“Hey.” Avery shoved his hands in his pockets and wasn’t quite

sure where to look.

“I’m going to go inside and see if Roderick needs anything.” Will

excused himself and went back into the house.

“So I gather your brother filled you in?” Peyton asked.
“Yeah.” Avery nodded. He pulled his hands free to cross over his

chest. He was nervous but didn’t know why.

“I’m sorry for deceiving you in anyway. I just…” Peyton blew out

a breath and stared up at the bright blue sky. “I didn’t know what to
do. I’ve been looking for Dommy for so long, moving from town to
town trying to get a lead on him then I finally got one.”

Peyton smiled as he told Avery how he caught Dominic’s scent

off of Roderick when he came to rescue Ian and Kyle from Ian’s
psychotic mother’s house. He followed them back to Silver Creek,
and he’d been keeping watch over Dominic ever since.

“Imagine my shock when I get here and finally see my brother. I’d

been dreaming about this day for the past five years only to discover
that Dom  had  lost his memory and had no recollection of me at all.
Every shared memory gone, wiped from his mind.” Peyton swiped at
a tear that dripped down his cheek. “It was like losing  him all over
again. I couldn’t bring myself to say anything because I didn’t want to
bring  up the painful memories if they were better left forgotten for
Dom and his new life. He looked so happy in the café the first time I
saw him. I didn’t want to take any of that away from him.”

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145

Avery could tell that Peyton was trying to stay strong but was

losing the battle. Peyton dropped to sit on the concrete step and buried
his face in his hands and silently cried. Avery walked over and sat
next to Peyton and rubbed a hand up and down his back.

“Hey, man, don’t feel the need to apologize to me. I get it. For the

love of your brother and his happiness you were willing to walk away
and let him live his life. That’s a pretty unselfish thing to do.
Dominic’s lucky to have you.” Avery believed every word he said.

“Thanks for saying that, but it still doesn’t change anything. He

might wake up and still not remember me, but that’s okay. I can live
with that as long as he wakes up.”

“He will. He has too much to live for not to.” The sting of unshed

tears burned at the back of his eyes. Avery was so sick of crying.

“Thanks, Avery.” Peyton leaned over and gave him a hug.

“You’re my only friend here.” Peyton shrugged. “Well, besides
Silas.”

“Speaking of—”
“A story for another day,” Peyton interrupted.
“Hey, there you are.” Landen opened the back door and stepped

around Avery and Peyton. Avery and Peyton stood up from the step.
“Peyton, right?”

“Yes, and you must be Landen. Nice to meet you.” Peyton gave

Landen a small smile. “I wish it was under different circumstances
though.”

“Me, too. Sorry about your brother.”
“Thank you. I’m going to head back inside. See if there’s any

change.” Peyton went back inside, leaving Avery and Landen alone
on the back porch.

Landen pulled out one of the chairs from under the glass table on

the stone patio. He slapped a hand on his knee and Avery quickly
took the hint and sat down on his lap. They sat in silence watching the
leaves fall from the trees breaking off from the limbs to drift across
the yard only to be swept up by the wind.

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AJ Jarrett

“Whatcha thinking about?” Landen asked.
“Dominic, Roderick, and Peyton.” He snuggled closer to Landen’s

chest, letting his head rest on his shoulder. “I couldn’t imagine going
through all that. I mean, Dominic doesn’t know what’s going on and
maybe that’s for the best. Who knows?”

“Maybe, but he also might wake up with his memory restored.”

Landen turned to kiss Avery on the forehead.

“But would that be the right thing? The fair thing?” Avery

pondered his own questions. Would it really be a good thing for Dom
to be thrown all this at once after running away from it for the past
five years? Whatever the outcome Avery would just be happy to see
Dom wake up. To get back to his regularly scheduled life.

“That’s not for us to decide, Ave. Either way Dominic’s got

people here who care about him. He’ll get through this just like you
will get through this.”

“I’m not really worried about myself at the moment.” Avery let

out a bitter laugh. “For once in my life I’m not thinking about
myself.” Avery sat up straight and looked off into the distance at the
swaying trees. “Ever since coming here my life has changed for the
better. Sure I came here out of fear but I stayed because it’s what I
wanted. I wanted to be a better brother to Will, a stronger person who
others could rely on, and I wanted to be a better man for you. I love
you so much, Landen, and you only deserve the best life has to give. I
worry that I might not be enough.”

“Stop talking crazy.” Landen cupped his hands over Avery’s

cheeks. “You’re everything to me. Don’t get me wrong, you have had
your issues in the past but haven’t we all? It’s where we go once all is
said and done. You’re a good man, Avery Watterson. I just hope I can
be the kind of man you deserve.”

“You’re more than enough.” Avery leaned forward and pressed

his lips to Landen’s.

Avery broke the kiss and lay back in Landen’s strong embrace.

His life hadn’t been terrible but it hadn’t been perfect either. He had

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147

to grow up fast in a life he didn’t care for but all that had changed. For
once in his life Avery wasn’t worried about tomorrow. He’d been
given a gift when he came to Silver Creek. Not only did he and his
brother reconnect, but he’d also found the love of a good man in
Landen. Avery wasn’t sure what he did to get so lucky but he knew
one thing for sure, he’d live each day to the fullest and love Landen
for the rest of his life.

THE END

WWW.AJJARRETT29.BLOGSPOT.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

AJ Jarrett currently lives in the Midwest with her husband and

four children. A lover of M/M romances, she has started writing her
own stories for others to enjoy. She loves her characters to be
antagonistic toward one another but ultimately find their happy ever
after. She believes love can be found in the craziest of places, and a
little humor along the way never hurt. To her, there’s nothing sexier
than two men finding their soul mate in each other and falling in love.
When she isn’t chasing around her kids, she can be found sitting on
the couch with her trusted laptop, giving life to the voices in her head.

For all titles by AJ Jarrett, please visit