Out of the Cage: When taking on a wild animal, prepare to be bit.

Persecution from Jason Truollo’s immediate family becomes too much—his stepfather’s
backhand to the jaw is the final straw—and he heads toward the only family who had
understood when he came out, his Uncle Raul Braga. When he gets there, he’s shocked
when not only does his uncle welcome him with open arms, but he finds his uncle in a
committed relationship…with a man. Not only that, but many of Uncle Raul’s friends are
gay, too.

Finally, Jason feels like he’s found a place he fits in. Even better, he meets a man who

pushes all his buttons, Michel McDover, but surely the sexy rugged mountain man can’t
possibly be gay. Except he is, and he makes his interest in Jason plain. Deciding learning
the joys of sex from an older man is perfect, Jason begins a torrid fling with Michel. A
surprise encounter with some strangers in the woods makes Jason realize he may have
far more to learn than he ever thought possible. For the hope of love and acceptance, is he
willing to keep an open mind?

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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either
are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any
resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely
coincidental.

The Mountain Man’s Mate

Copyright © 2013 Charlie Richards

ISBN: 978-1-77111-662-6

Cover art by Angela Waters

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or
utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic,
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without the written permission of the publisher.

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The Mountain Man’s Mate

Wolves of Stone Ridge: Book Twenty

By

Charlie Richards

To all those people that actually read these dedications. We appreciate you, because

sometimes coming up with these is tough.

Chapter One

Jason Truollo stepped off the Greyhound bus, quickly grabbed his bags, and moved out of
everyone’s way. He took his time looking slowly around the depot, watching as everyone
seemed to be greeted by some loved one—complete with hugs and kisses—and
disappeared out of the building.

Would I be greeted like that if I’d told Uncle Raul I was coming?
Rubbing his forehead, Jason realized he didn’t really know. Sure, five years ago when

he’d come out, and his mom had picked up the phone and started crying into the line
about her degenerate son and his proclivities, Uncle Raul had been kind and calmed his
sister. Never once had his uncle asked to speak with him. Instead, he’d received a letter—
an actual hand written letter—from the man.

Uncle Raul had told him to give his mom time and he’d encouraged him to be himself,

no matter what anyone said. He’d also left his phone number and address. Almost three
months ago, when the threats and abuse started from his stepdad Arthur Barringer, Jason
had tried that number. It hadn’t worked. A letter to the address had been returned. It had
taken another two months to track down his uncle’s current whereabouts.

Sighing, fear and concern flooded Jason. He blinked back tears. He knew exactly how

much was in his wallet, and it wasn’t much. If his uncle hadn’t been sincere…or if he
didn’t actually live around there anymore…Jason didn’t know what he’d do.

Jason slung the duffle’s strap over his shoulder and headed toward the taxi stand near

the south exit.

He was the only one in line.
Forcing a smile to his lips, he turned to the waiting cabbie and pulled out his wallet to

reveal the slip of paper with his Uncle Raul’s address on it. He’d swiped the info from the
last birthday card his uncle had sent his mom, Raul’s sister, Brianna. The fact that he’d
needed to dive into the garbage to retrieve it totally sucked, but had been worth it…he
hoped.

“I need to go here,” Jason said, holding out the slip of paper so the large, dark-haired

guy could read his cramped script.

For just a second, Jason thought the cabbie opened his mouth as if he planned to ask a

question. However, he just nodded and popped open his trunk. He grabbed Jason’s bag
and easily tossed the crammed, heavy bag inside his vehicle.

Jason bit his tongue to keep from asking that he keep his bag with him.
Inside that black and tan flannel bag were all Jason’s worldly possessions…and most of

them weren’t actually clothes. At this point, Jason couldn’t give a shit about jeans and t-
shirts. He could get those wherever, if he found a place to settle.

Instead, he wanted the things that reminded him of better times…like the ball he’d

caught at the baseball game his father had taken him to when he was ten. That had
happened two weeks before his pops had split, leaving his mom to care for him and his

two younger sisters.

He wished he knew what had happened to the man. His mom never talked about it…

making him wonder if she’d heard anything about what had happened to him.

“That’d be typical,” he whispered. His mom had never been the most maternal woman,

but it had shocked even him when she’d just stood by and watched his stepfather issue
his ultimatum. Jason had come out five years before, so it wasn’t like he was going to
change now just because Arthur said he didn’t want a fag son. Be straight or he’d disown
him certainly wasn’t something Jason had cared about.

Asshole.
And now, all Jason’s hopes were pinned on an uncle he hadn’t seen or heard from in

several years. Self-consciously, he slipped his hand into his pocket, checking for the faded,
old letter from Uncle Raul as he watched pine trees zip by outside the window.

In less than twenty minutes, the taxi turned onto a narrow, tree-lined driveway. Jason

leaned forward in his seat and peered through the windshield as a small, single story
home appeared.

Jason didn’t know what he’d expected, but not this. There were several chairs on the

expansive front porch and one of those plastic, turtle sandboxes in the yard not far from
the bottom step. Frowning, he racked his brain for any memory that might indicate Raul
had gotten married.

There were also several vehicles in the driveway, including a sedan, a jeep, an SUV, and

a Porsche. Jason’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head at that. Who the hell drove a
Porsche in the mountains?

“That’ll be thirty-two sixty,” the cabbie stated.
Jason turned to focus on the guy, surprised to see the man’s assessing look as if trying

to figure him out. Deciding to ignore it, he pulled out his last two twenties and handed
them over, then pushed the car door open and stepped out.

The driver did the same and tried to hand him his change—which Jason waved away,

getting a thank you from the cabbie—as he walked around to the trunk. “Raul expecting
you?” the man finally asked while pulling out Jason’s bag.

“Um, no,” Jason replied, taking his luggage. Relief flooded him that, at least, his uncle

still lived here.

“You need me to wait?”
“Uh…” Shit, why hadn’t he thought about that? What if Raul didn’t want him to stay?

“Okay,” he mumbled, his nerves spiking.

The cabbie actually patted his shoulder. “Head on up then, son. I’ll hang here for a few,”

he assured.

Jason felt his brows shoot up in surprise. He couldn’t remember the last time a grown

man had been that…kind. Most people had no trouble pegging him as gay at first sight,
and he figured it was better that way. No mistakes. No confusion. So, to have a stranger in
a small town act so relaxed about him was…shocking.

Forcing a smile, Jason nodded. He sucked in a fortifying breath and headed up the walk

to the porch. He set his duffle on one of the chairs, rang the bell, then shoved his hands
into his pockets to keep them from trembling as he waited.

The door opened and a broad-shouldered blond peered down at him with a cool blue-

eyed gaze. Except it wasn’t the big, good looking man who held Jason’s attention. Instead,
it was the baby the man held in his burly arms that caused his mouth to open in
surprise…and a fair amount of disappointment and fear. Now the sandbox made sense. If
Uncle Raul had what looked like a new baby, surely he wouldn’t have time to help him.

“Can I help you?”
The guy’s deep voice pulled Jason away from his rising panic. He felt the heat suffuse

his cheeks. Damn fair skin. “Um, yeah,” he said, desperately trying to engage his brain.
“I’m looking for Raul Braga?”

“Sure,” the man replied. “Come on in. I’ll get him for you.” Stepping back, the blond

with the baby beckoned him forward into the front room.

“Thanks,” Jason murmured.
The man waved to the cab driver and, as he shut the door, Jason heard the vehicle’s

engine start. Jason hoped that if he couldn’t stay there, his uncle would at least be willing
to drive him back to town…and maybe loan him some money until he found a job.

“Who is it, babe?”
Jason straightened at the sound of his uncle’s voice, except who was he talking to?
“Don’t know. There’s a young man here to see you,” the blond answered.
He couldn’t help himself. Jason’s eyes widened and his jaw sagged open in shock. Was

this dude and his uncle… No, Uncle Raul would have told me! Wouldn’t he?

Jason watched his uncle stroll into the room. To his relief, when the man spotted him,

his green eyes lit up and a grin split his features. “Jason! What the hell? I didn’t know you
were coming!”

To Jason’s pleasure, his uncle wrapped him in his arms and gave him a tight hug, just

as he’d always done. A low growl sounded behind Uncle Raul and the man eased back,
chuckling. Keeping one hand on Jason’s shoulder, his uncle turned toward the blond and
said, “Down boy. This is Jason Truollo. My nephew.”

The blond shrugged, his smile apologetic even though he said, “I’m a jealous bastard.

You know that.”

Uncle Raul nodded. “Indeed you are, but I love you, and wouldn’t change anything

about you.”

The guy seemed incredibly pleased by that response for he grinned.
“Uh, Uncle?” Jason mumbled, uncertain how to ask what he so desperately wanted to

know.

His uncle must have caught on anyway. “This is Sean Garcia, my partner, and the sweet

girl in his arms is his niece, Lily. We’re her legal guardians,” Uncle Raul explained.

“Your partner?” Jason squeaked.
Raul shrugged. “Sometimes Fate has a way of stepping in.” Once again, he looked at

Sean. “She made a great choice,” he stated, something obviously unspoken in his words if
the heated looks passing between the men was any indicator.

“I didn’t even know you were gay,” Jason said softly. “Does mom know?”
“If Brianna were to ask, I’d tell her the truth,” Raul stated. “But she’s a bit…self-

absorbed.” Grimacing, he added, “You know that.”

Jason nodded. He did know that.
“So, have a seat and tell me what the hell you’re doing here,” his uncle ordered. He

steered Jason toward a couch, pausing to press a quick kiss to Sean’s lips as they passed,
asking quietly, “How about some coffee, babe?”

“Sure. Be right back,” Sean replied. He looked toward Jason, “It’s nice to meet you. Raul

speaks highly of you.” Then he strode from the room, heading toward the back of the
house.

Raul flopped onto the couch, his back toward the corner so he half-faced Jason, who

mirrored his uncle on the other end of the piece of furniture. “You should have told me
you were coming,” Raul scolded, smiling. “I’d have picked you up. Do you have a car now?
Did you drive out?”

“No, I took a Greyhound,” Jason told him. “Arthur started getting pretty vocal about my

lifestyle.” He couldn’t hide the sneer in his tone, nor could he bring himself to care. “He
says the college fund he put aside wasn’t for a fag and refused to pay for me anymore.”

“Bastard,” Raul growled. “And Brianna was okay with that?”
Jason’s own frustration eased in the face of his uncle’s rising ire on his behalf. He

shrugged. “Like you said. Mom’s a little self-absorbed. She told me to get a job and go to
the community college instead.” Seeing Raul scowl, Jason held up his hand. “Don’t get me
wrong, I’d planned to do just that, but…” He touched his jaw, knowing the bruises had
faded, but the memory was still fresh.

A man spoke, his tone chilly, “Did Arthur hit you, Jason?”
Whipping his head right, Jason saw Raul’s friend Jared had joined them and was

leaning against the wall, his arms crossed, a scowl on his face, and a frigidness in his
hazel eyes. He’d met the man a couple of times and had never seen anything but warmth
in his gaze. For a second, Jason just stared at the lean man.

“Yeah,” Jason finally admitted quietly. “I refused to stay after that.” He’d kept living

with his folks while going to college because he hadn’t wanted to be cut off from his
sisters and he knew Arthur would try to keep them apart. He loved his younger sisters
and enjoyed spending time with them. Unlike him, who Arthur had all but ignored even
before Jason had come out to his family, Arthur tried to be a father figure to the girls,
doting on them.

Now Alisha was nineteen and getting set to leave for college, so it wasn’t like Arthur

had the same control. Even Trina, being seventeen, got away with a hell of a lot more than
Jason ever did. The sun rose and set on the girls.

“I see,” Jared hissed.
Jason’s heart tripped in his chest. Raul’s friend had always been nice to him, so seeing

the oddly cold look in Jared’s eyes disconcerted him. Raul scowled at Jared. “Jar…red.”
Raul drew the man’s name out, a clear warning in just the single word.

When Jared smiled, it didn’t do a whole lot to ease Jason’s concern. “Come now, Raul,”

Jared said. “You know I’m an eye-for-an-eye type of guy. I’ll just make certain he thinks
twice about hitting someone under his care again,” Jared said, trying to sound innocent
and not quite pulling it off.

“Here’s the coffee,” Sean said, walking into the room. He glanced between them, then

rolled his eyes. “Geez, you threatening someone again, Jared?”

“I don’t threaten,” Jared replied.
Sean shook his head and set the tray he carried on the end table. “Maybe I ought to go

get Carson,” he muttered.

“Tattletale,” Jared immediately quipped, grinning unabashedly.
Suddenly, a big Native American man appeared and slipped an arm around Jared’s

waist. “Did I hear my name?”

Jason’s eyes widened. “You’re gay, too?” He didn’t know if he could handle any more

surprises.

“Only for him,” Jared replied, thrusting a thumb at the man holding him. “Carson, meet

Raul’s nephew, Jason Truollo.” He grinned at Jason. “This is Carson Angeni, my partner.”

“Nice to meet you,” Jason said on autopilot.
Carson nodded. “And you.”
“So, are you staying?” Sean asked, handing him a cup of coffee. “Cream or sugar?”
Jason looked around at the four men, his mouth working, but no sound coming out.
Raul chuckled and took the mug away from him. “Come on,” he said, urging Jason to

his feet with a hand on his arm. “I think you need some rest. You’ve been traveling and
were just handed several shocks. You could use some time to decompress.”

Jason followed docilely, his uncle leading him into a small bedroom. He wasn’t certain

how he should be feeling, and at the moment, could only distinguish relief in the flood of
emotion swamping him. His uncle had welcomed him. He’d worry about the rest later.
Right now, he was finally safe, with family.

“Thanks, Uncle Raul,” he stated gratefully, sitting on the bed.
Raul crouched down in front him and smiled encouragingly. “Do you want me to call

your mom and let her know you’re here?”

Jason nodded. “Thanks. I may not agree with her choice of parenting style…or even

husband, but I don’t want her to worry.”

Nodding, Raul stood and headed toward the door. “Get some rest.”
After kicking off his shoes, Jason lay down on the bed. He grabbed the pillow and

clutched it to his chest as he curled up on his side. He blew out a long sigh, feeling safe
and happy for the first time in months.

Chapter Two

“Thanks for the update, Michel,” Declan McIntire said, rising from his chair. “Let me
know if anything else strikes ye as odd.”

Thankful the meeting had come to an end, Michel McDover rose and nodded. “Aye,

Alpha.” When he’d left his mountain home to report finding traps in the national park
while out running in wolf form, Michel hadn’t expected his alpha to immediately call the
beta and an enforcer. Since the enforcer had been at Sean and Raul’s home, which was
located about halfway between the alpha and beta’s homes, they’d piled into their vehicles
and headed there to hold an impromptu meeting.

Michel hoped his leader’s suspicion—that it was the scientists again—was wrong. Of

course, with the shit the arsehole humans had pulled already, he figured his alpha was
probably right.

He ran a hand over his thick beard, hiding a shudder at some of the stories he’d just

heard. Living alone in the woods for the last three years, Michel had been mostly removed
from the pack’s dealings. Except the damage the traps could do to a wolf’s limb probably
wasn’t a coincidence, and they sure as shite couldn’t be ignored. Someone wanted to
injure what they caught.

He’d lived in Stone Ridge for nearly four decades and people had begun to talk about

how he didn’t appear any older than when he’d moved there. At three hundred seventy-
eight years old, he’d had to remove himself from society on several occasions, then return
with a new identity.

This time, he wasn’t certain he wanted to return. At his age, he knew he was set in his

ways. Even the desire for an occasional fuck didn’t really hit him anymore.

Shaking his alpha’s hand, Michel couldn’t help but remember when Declan’s

grandfather had run the pack. Things had been different back then, tough near the end of
Alpha Ian’s life. Declan had had to make a difficult decision, watch the pack be run into
the ground—his fellow shifters hunted down and killed as unnatural beings—or kill his
own grandfather to save the pack.

Declan had taken on his grandfather and won.
His decision to move them from Ireland to the US had been risky, but for the best, and

even with the beauty of his former home, Michel couldn’t imagine returning to the
Emerald Isle for more than a visit.

Michel followed Shane and Declan from the room, looking forward to returning to his

cabin. His wolf enjoyed hanging with pack-mates for a while, but both sides of him craved
the trees and wide open spaces the national forest—where his hunting cabin backed up to
—offered him.

He paused in the hallway, cocking his head. A pleasant scent tickled his senses,

something mildly sweet and spicy that called to him with surprising intensity…enough so
that it caused his dick to plump a bit.

Odd.
Sweeping his gaze over the men as he headed back to the front of the house, he tried to

figure out the source of the scent. Except he didn’t see anyone new or anything amiss. All
was as it had been when he’d entered a couple hours before.

Michel dismissed the strange reaction and headed out the front door, following Declan

and Shane as they said their goodbyes. He paused on the porch, the scent tickling his
senses again. This time when he looked around, he noticed a black and tan duffle bag on a
chair.

Stepping over to it, he picked it up and lifted it to his nose. Inhaling deeply, Michel just

held in a moan. His cock thickened to half-mast. The sweet and spicy scent permeated the
fabric as if the owner had clutched the duffle to his chest, and it was definitely a
masculine scent.

Mate!
His wolf howled in his mind. Whoever used this bag was his mate. That realization

rocked Michel to his core. He’d had regular lovers in the past, and watching them age and
pass had torn him apart. With a bonded mate, he wouldn’t have to fear someone’s death,
for when he claimed his mate, they’d be bound for the rest of their days.

Needing to know who had arrived or visited, Michel took the bag to the open doorway

and held it up. “Hey, Sean,” he called. “I spotted this on a chair on the porch. Someone
missing a bag?”

Raul crossed to him. “That must be Jason’s. I’m sure when he wakes up he’ll be looking

for it.”

When the human reached out and took the bag, for just a second, Michel had the

insane urge to snarl and clutch the duffle to his chest, and rub his scent on it. Instead, he
released the handle and asked, “Jason?”

“Yeah, my nephew,” Raul elaborated. “He arrived while you guys were finishing up. He

had a rough trip, so he’s taking a nap.” Raul lifted the bag, indicating it. “I’m sure he’ll be
looking for this. Thanks.”

Michel nodded. “Sure. Sorry to bombard ye when ye were expecting company.” He

really couldn’t give a shite, but he needed more information about Jason.

“Oh, no worries,” Raul replied. “I wasn’t actually expecting him. He’s having trouble

with my sister, his mother, as well as his stepfather, so we’ll help him however he needs.”

Damn, Jason sounds like he’s young…maybe even under age.
When Michel didn’t think up a response fast enough, Raul turned and headed away,

taking Jason’s bag with him. Needing just a bit more, he commented, “His mom let him
travel alone?”

Raul laughed. “Oh, even if Jason wasn’t an adult, I doubt my sister would care. She’s

not really the maternal type.”

Michel nodded, not caring about Raul’s sister’s lack of parenting skills, but that he’d

learned the most important information about Jason. He was a legal, consenting adult.
Now, he just had to figure out how to meet him and seduce him.

Turning away, his mind awhirl of possibilities, Michel climbed into his jeep. He knew

he’d need to be careful, since he was technically hiding out so people would forget about

him, but after so many years alone, there was no way in hell he’d pass up the opportunity
Fate had just handed him.

With that thought in mind, Michel rolled his eyes at his stupidity. He climbed back out

of his jeep and headed back up the walk. Knowing the door hadn’t been locked after he,
Declan, and Shane had left, Michel opened the door and stepped into the home’s front
room.

Sean poked his head around the corner and his brows shot up. “Hey, Michel. You forget

something?”

Michel nodded once, the faint scent of his mate tantalizing his senses. “Aye. I’m pretty

certain Raul’s nephew is me mate,” he stated, not seeing the need to beat around the bush
with another shifter. “I have every intention in pursuing him and finding out. I figured I
ought to give ye all a heads up.”

“Uh, wow,” Sean responded. “Congratulations.”
“That remains to be seen,” Michel replied. He turned back toward the door.
“Wait, don’t you want to meet him?”
“More than anything,” Michel admitted. “Ye think Raul is gonna be okay with that?”
Sean snorted. “I don’t see why he wouldn’t. He understands this shit.”
“How long has he known about shifters?” Michel asked curiously.
“Don’t know. You’ll have to ask him that yourself.” Shrugging, Sean led the way into the

living room where Raul sat with Jared and Carson.

“What do you want to know?” Jared asked before taking a sip of his beer.
Sean took a seat on the love seat next to Raul, answering for him. “He was wondering

how long ya’ll knew about shifters,” he said, taking his beer back from his mate.

“I’ve known for a good fourteen, going on fifteen years now,” Jared admitted. “I dragged

Raul down the rabbit hole a couple of years ago.”

Raul frowned at the other human. “Thanks for keeping secrets for so long.”
“I’m good at secrets,” Jared replied, smirking.
Sean cleared his throat. “You want a beer?”
“Aye,” Michel replied. “Unless ye got something stronger?”
“Are you okay?” Carson asked, frowning even as Jared rose and crossed to a bar set

along the far wall.

“Aye. Guess I’m just a wee worried about meeting Jason,” he admitted.
Raul’s eyes narrowed. “Why? Why do you even want to meet him?”
Sean patted Raul’s leg. “Easy, tiger,” he teased.
Michel nodded his thanks to Jared as he took the tumbler of amber liquid. A quick sniff

revealed whiskey and he took a tentative sip. The smooth liquid burned a trail down to his
stomach. “Shite,” he muttered, impressed. He hadn’t seen the brand, but from the taste,
he knew it had to be high end.

Finally, he looked toward Raul. “I think he’s me mate.”
“What?” Raul snarled, glaring.
Jared snorted and returned to the bar. “You could have told me Raul would need some,

too,” he commented, pouring another couple fingers of whiskey into a tumbler.

“Sean thought he’d take it better,” Michel snapped, happy to lay the blame on someone

else before he took another—this time more healthy—swallow of whiskey.

Chimes echoed through the house.
“That must be the groceries,” Sean said, rising again.
“Ye have yer groceries delivered?” Michel asked.
Jared nodded. “We both do. Why the hell grocery shop if you don’t have to?”
Michel understood that logic. At the moment, his grandson, Jonathan, delivered his

groceries, so he didn’t have to go to town. He cringed, recognizing the voice of the delivery
boy—Mark, one of Jonathan’s human friends. If Mark saw him, he’d be recognized for
sure, and Mark’s mother was a huge gossip, making his last three years of hiding a waste.

Getting to his feet, Michel quickly slipped through the room’s sliding door and onto the

back deck. Raul followed him. The human rested his own glass of whiskey on the railing
and tapped the glass with his forefinger. “You sure about Jason?”

Michel shook his head at the quiet question. “Not one hundred percent,” he admitted. “I

only caught a whiff of his scent in the house. It was the smell on the bag that really got
me attention. If someone else has used that bag recently, I suppose I could be out of
luck.”

“I’m sorry if I seemed upset,” Raul said, sighing. “I still need to call Brianna and let her

know he’s here. I don’t really relish that conversation.”

“Any family problems I should be aware of?” Michel asked.
Swallowing another mouthful of whiskey, Michel waited as Raul seemed to think about

how to answer, if the way he took a sip of alcohol and rolled the mouthful around his
tongue before swallowing was any indicator. Michel knew he was being nosy, but he
needed information so he could woo his mate, and he sure as hell wasn’t above pumping
his mate’s uncle to get it.

“His mother Brianna flipped out when he came out, and his stepfather is a

homophobe,” Raul commented. He snorted. “I have no clue how they both didn’t already
know. It’s glaringly obvious.”

Michel frowned. “What’s that mean?”
“You’ll know when you see him,” Raul replied. “He’s very…feminine for a guy.”
Nodding slowly, Michel fell silent as he thought about that. He hoped it didn’t mean

Jason was weak. He was a pretty big fellow and enjoyed rough sex on occasion. He didn’t
want to have to pussy foot around his mate.

The sliding glass door opened, drawing his attention…and Michel just about swallowed

his tongue. Out stepped a slender, barely dressed male. Yards of milky white skin begged
for his touch, since the only clothes the man wore were the smallest pair of jean shorts
Michel had ever seen.

The guy had short auburn hair—with more red than brown—that was in wild disarray,

telling Michel it probably hadn’t been brushed after waking. He stood maybe five foot
seven or eight, had lean swimmer’s lines, no body hair, not even a treasure trail, and his
slender bare feet sported neon green nail polish. Michel had the oddest desire to lick and
suck the man’s toes.

“Oh, um, sorry, Uncle Raul. Jared told me to come out here and start the grill,” the

young man stated, glancing between them uncertainly.

“I’ll just bet he did,” Raul muttered under his breath. Turning toward Jason fully, he

nodded at the grill. “Better get it started then.”

“Holy shite,” Michel mumbled.
Raul turned his back on Jason just long enough to quietly growl, “That’s my baby

nephew you’re ogling, asshole.”

Michel frowned at Raul, but the look was lost on him since he’d already turned away

and started toward Jason…who must have been having trouble figuring out the grill,
because the young man was leaning over, showing off the sexiest bubble butt. Michel’s
hands twitched, desire to cup and squeeze those round mounds roaring through him.

Between the man’s scent and his state of dress—or undress—Michel’s cock turned hard

as steel and he took a second while both men were occupied with the grill to adjust
himself, then pull his shirt down, making certain it was long enough to hide his arousal.

Finally, Raul turned to face him again. “Jason, this is our buddy Michel McDover.” He

waved a hand at his mate. “My nephew, Jason Truollo.”

Schooling his features, Michel offered his hand. “Nice to meet ye,” he said, pleased his

voice came out even, although his accent thickened due to his arousal.

“And you, sir,” Jason replied.
When Jason took his hand, Michel couldn’t help but notice how his big, calloused hand

swallowed his mate’s. He gave Jason’s hand a slight squeeze as he smiled, trying to quell
the urge to use the hold to yank the unsuspecting man into his arms and see if he tasted
as good as he looked and smelled.

“Call me Michel,” he commanded softly, releasing Jason’s hand.
Jason nodded, his face and neck flushing from either pleasure or embarrassment,

Michel wasn’t certain which. Roving his gaze over the other human’s chest, he wondered
if—in the heat of passion—that rosy hue would cover the rest of his torso.

Chapter Three

Jason ogled the big man Michel through his lashes as he picked at his food. His hand still
tingled from when they’d shook hands. As soon as he’d managed to get his tongue
unstuck from the roof of his mouth, he’d excused himself and found a shirt. If Jason had
known his uncle had company other than Jared and his boyfriend—Carson, he
remembered—he never would have left his room in just the shorts.

Parading around in the comfy shorts in front of family was one thing, but he never

would have had the courage to do that in front of a stranger—especially, one as sexy as the
mountain man currently sitting across from him. With his thick, black beard, dark world-
weary eyes, tall broad shoulders, and muscles in all the right places, Michel epitomized
Jason’s dream man…complete with callouses on his fingers that’d feel oh-so-good
running over his skin. If he’d thought he could get away with it, Jason would have
stopped in the bathroom and jacked off.

“The steak not to yer liking?”
Jason jerked his gaze up and discovered Michel staring at him steadily, his gaze intense.
And, God, his accent! Yum!
“Uh, n-no,” he stuttered. Realizing what he said, Jason shook his head. “I mean I’m just

not too hungry. I don’t eat much when I travel. Once I get settled in, I’ll get hungry
again.”

God, just shut up!
He knew he babbled when he got nervous, and this guy fired just about every nerve in

his body. His dick pressed against the zipper of his little shorts, probably leaving a mark.
So much for comfort.

“Ye don’t seem to have much weight to spare, Jason,” Michel commented. “Mayhap ye

better finish those last few bites anyway.”

Jason flushed, his face heating. Was the man checking him out? Oh, wait…he’d just

criticized how Jason looked…so why didn’t that make his dick go down? Was there any
more blood in his body? He obeyed the man, more because having food in his mouth gave
him an excuse not to talk than for any other reason. Just his luck. What he’d thought
might be appreciative glances were actually the man critiquing him…and Jason falling
short.

Story of my life.
“Raul didn’t say where ye traveled from,” Michel said.
Was that a question? Jason swallowed and answered anyway. “Hartford, Connecticut.”
“Did ye do much hiking there?” Michel pressed.
“Uh…no,” Jason replied, frowning, wondering where this was going.
Michel shrugged. “These mountains are amazing for hiking, biking, running, even

horseback riding. Ye into any of that?”

“I run,” Jason admitted. “I did track in high school, but I wasn’t really good enough to

compete at college level.”

Nodding, Michel stabbed a couple green beans with his fork before offering, “Well, if

ye’re interested in seeing some of the trails around here, I’d be happy to show ye.”

Hiking with a hard-on? Hiking with a big, burly, straight, sexy motherfucker who

thought he was too skinny? Not bloody likely. Except what else was he going to do other
than job hunt? Besides, he could use some friends and it was obvious Michel didn’t care
he was gay.

Wait, he was sitting at a table with four other gay men, maybe Michel wasn’t so

straight. Maybe he had a chance, after all. He hadn’t gotten laid in months…if what he’d
done with his last boyfriend could be called getting laid. Participating in hand jobs, blow
jobs, and rub offs, Jason had never got up the courage to go all the way. He bet the older,
burly man could show him a thing or two…except when Michel got tired of him, hanging
with his friends could get really uncomfortable.

Damn it…wait! If we kept it strictly as friends with benefits or a mentor teaching a

student…God, that sounds hot!

He must have let his internal ramblings get the best of him, remaining silent too long,

for he saw Michel now focused on his steak and saying, “Well, if ye change yer mind,
holler. Yer uncle knows how to reach me.”

“Wait, I’d really like to explore a bit,” Jason quickly blurted while racking his brain for a

reason for his silence that didn’t make him sound like a horny idiot. “I was just trying to
decide if I had anything to wear.”

“Wear those shorts. They’d be fine,” Michel immediately answered.
That time, Jason knew he wasn’t imagining the slight gruffness in Michel’s voice. It had

a direct effect on Jason’s cock, making it twitch in said shorts.

“Uh, o-okay.”
Michel rose and glanced around the table at the other men. “I’d best be off. Thanks for

supper.” He paused and stared at Jason. “It’s gonna rain tomorrow, but it’ll pass by
Wednesday. Be at me place about ten.”

Jason nodded quickly, and Michel headed out. A couple seconds later, the front door

closing reached his ears, and Jason let out the breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been
holding. Did he have a date? He wasn’t really sure.

“That’ll be fun,” Jared said, smirking.
Trying for nonchalance, Jason remarked, “I thought you liked running, too.”
Jared laughed. “I do.” He patted Carson on the shoulder. “Let’s go. My dick’s got plans

to ream your ass tonight, stud.”

Jason’s brows shot up at the man’s comment. Except Carson laughed and responded,

“At least one of your brains has a plan how to deal with this.” He lowered a hand under
the table and somehow, Jason just knew the broad-shouldered Native American was
palming his crotch.

Raul shook his head as the pair rose and left.
Sean smirked and stated, “They’re gonna have to learn to curb that when Lily starts

learning to talk. Can you imagine if she repeated something like that in preschool?”

Lily squealed and banged her tray with one chubby fist, as if excited by the idea of

creating a stir.

They all laughed.
While Sean gave Lily a bath, Jason helped his uncle clean the dining room and kitchen.

“How long have you and Sean been together?”

“Oooh, just over nine months.”
“Really? How long have you known him?”
Raul paused, his brows creasing, as if he were doing mental calculations. “Mmm, I met

him in passing a couple months prior to that, then he moved out here and moved in with
me.”

Jason scowled at his uncle. “You moved him in without getting to know him?”
His uncle shrugged. “We just knew. Love at first sight, I guess.”
Jason wasn’t so certain love at first sight existed, but he hoped it worked out for his

uncle. The two men did seem to fit well together, even with the baby. “So, what happened
to Lily’s mother?”

“She died in childbirth,” Raul replied softly.
“Oh.” Well, damn, he’d put his foot in it that time, hadn’t he? “I’m sorry.”
Raul just smiled, dried the last dish, and put it away.

On one hand, Jason really appreciated Raul letting him use his truck. On the other, he

really, really hoped he didn’t scratch the thing. Even though it was four years old, it
looked brand new and only had twenty-seven thousand miles on it.

Heading into town the day before hadn’t been very stressful, because it’d been on paved

roads. He’d put in three applications, two as waiters and one as a pizza delivery boy. He
really hoped to get one of the waiter jobs.

Today, Jason bounced down a rutted road, swerving to avoid the worst of the ruts and

pot holes. Michel lives way out here? Why am I not surprised? The guy screamed
reclusive mountain man from the top of his bushy-bearded head to the bottom of his
hiking-boot clad feet.

Yeah, I fucking noticed his feet.
Jason could admit he had a bit of a foot fetish. He always, always kept his toenails

neatly pedicured and painted…normally with some neon color. Right now, neon green
colored his toenails. When he had extra money, he’d pay others to get his feet
moisturized, exfoliated, and get cool designs painted on his nails.

Hmm, is there a salon in Stone Ridge that does manis and pedis?
Jason knew he’d followed the directions correctly, but he double checked them anyway.

He squinted at his uncle’s nasty scrawl, but felt certain he made the correct turn. Peering
through the trees wreathing the narrow track, Jason prayed he’d see a house soon.

Jason almost turned around after the first couple tree branches scraped along the

truck’s side, but then they thinned out and a cabin appeared. The small wood structure
appeared to be in good repair, no broken boards, windows, or even weeds clogging up the
yard. Michel even planted flowers in the window boxes. Jason hadn’t known people still
used those.

Sliding from the cab of the truck, Jason grabbed a small backpack, which held a couple

of bottles of water and a few snacks. His knock on the door received no answer. Frowning,
Jason stepped off the porch and looked around.

He glanced at his watch and realized he was around thirty minutes early. Deciding it

couldn’t hurt to look around, thinking maybe Michel was out working on something or
other out back. Maybe he was in the workshop, Jason decided, heading around the side of
the cabin.

Upon reaching the back yard, the sight that greeted him took his breath away. All the

blood flowed from his head to his dick, making him lightheaded enough to have to grab
the porch railing. Sprawled across the lawn, his dark-bronzed skin glistening as if he’d
just heaved himself out of the nearby pond, lay Michel…buck-ass nude.

For several seconds, Jason froze, uncertain if he should back away, wait half an hour,

and eventually return. Then he got over his shock and looked his fill of the bronze god
lying sprawled across the green mountain grass.

Jason realized very quickly that Michel was big everywhere. He had broad shoulders,

thick ropes of muscles across his arms and legs and—dayum!—his thighs had to be
thicker around than both of Jason’s combined! And there wasn’t a tan line on the man, so
he must lay out nude a lot.

Licking his lips, Jason knew he needed to make a decision about what to do. Retreat or

advance? That’s when he focused on Michel’s penis. When he’d first swept his gaze over
the man’s thick bush, hadn’t his cock been flaccid? Now, his prick had thickened to what
was probably half-mast, but even that was huge.

“Ye gonna stand there and stare all day? Or are ye gonna join me?” Michel’s deep, lilting

voice sounded across the space between them, and Jason snapped his focus to the nude
man’s face. The lounging male had one eyelid cracked open and he peered at him with
one dark-chocolate colored eye. “Hmm, those aren’t the same shorts, but they’re damn
similar. Ye got a whole drawer of those sexy shorts, sweetheart?”

Oh. Oh! Between Michel’s words and how his dick now stood tall and proud from his

groin, there was no misreading the man’s intensions. Michel was attracted to Jason and
had sex on the brain.

Jason’s feet started moving before he’d even consciously decided to approach the man.

From the slowly spreading grin on Michel’s face and the heat filling his piercing brown
eyes, Jason knew he was in for it. He’d never actually gone all the way before, but even as
inexperienced as he was, he could tell what Michel wanted.

Um, maybe that’s something I should tell him?
Except by then he stood next to Michel’s thighs…his thick, bronze thighs that led up to

the heavy, engorged dick—oh, my God! He’s uncut!—that Jason really wanted to lick like
a lollipop. How many licks…

He barely stifled a giggle.
“Hmm, I’m making ye nervous,” Michel purred. It wasn’t a question.
Jason wasn’t certain what he’d done to tip Michel off, but yeah, Michel’s intensity

definitely spiked his nerves…just like they had a couple days before.

“I know just the thing to settle ye, Jason.” Michel reached up and gripped his wrist.

“Come down here and take a load off.”

Allowing the other man to direct him, Jason slowly sank to his knees. Michel guided

him to straddle the other man’s lap. Jason shivered when he felt the wet head of Michel’s
dick slide across his upper thigh, and he found himself with Michel’s cock riding his crack
while Michel palmed half his ass in one huge paw.

With the other hand, Michel gripped his nape and pulled his face steadily closer. When

their faces were inches apart, Michel paused and murmured, “If ye don’t want me to fuck
ye soon, ye best tell me now, and I’ll let ye go.”

Jason whimpered, a shudder working through his body. His dick oozed in his suddenly

too tight shorts. “I’ve never gone all the way before.”

His face flushed bright scarlet. He couldn’t believe he’d just blurted that out!
Michel’s jaw tensed and flexed, and Jason really thought he’d blown it. After several

seconds, Michel asked, “How old are ye, Jason?”

“Twenty-two.”
Sighing, Michel nodded. “As long as ye’re legal, sweetheart,” he whispered. “We’ll see

how far we get today, hmm?”

Today? Did that mean Michel would want to see him again? Shit! I’m getting ahead of

myself!

“Hush, cub,” Michel crooned. “Stop thinkin’ so hard.”
Jason rather preferred sweetheart as an endearment, or pet name, or whatever, but

then Michel tugged his head down the remaining inches between them and sealed their
lips together. At first, he brushed them lightly several times, then settled his lips over
Jason’s in a firm press.

Michel’s beard’s bristles brushing across his lips and chin, softer than Jason would

have imagined, made for an interesting sensation. Feeling Michel’s tongue swipe over his
top lip, then his bottom, Jason decided he didn’t mind the facial hair one little bit and
opened to the other man. The older man thrust his tongue forward, invading his mouth.
Michel rubbed in slow easy strokes across Jason’s tongue, making his entire body tingle
at the contact.

Michel slid the hand from Jason’s neck, down his shoulder, then around his back. He

swept a hand up and down Jason’s spine, gently massaging the prominent knobs. Jason
whimpered into Michel’s mouth, his body shivering. His hands twitched where they
rested against the big man’s shoulders.

Feeling the hot, smooth skin, Jason shuddered.
Easing their mouths apart for several seconds, Michel mumbled, “Go ahead and touch,

cub. All ye want. I want to feel yer hands on me.” He latched onto Jason’s lips again,
thrusting his tongue in deep and tangling their appendages together.

Jason moaned, loving the way the man kissed and touched. He tightened his thighs and

tilted his pelvis, searching for friction on his trapped cock. Rocking his dick against
Michel’s hard abs, sensations shot through his body, a delicious ache spreading through
his groin, then across the rest of his body. His nipples beaded, hardening into sharp
points that rubbed over the silky strands of Michel’s chest hair.

His cock leaked in his jean shorts and Jason really wanted a hard dick to press against,

to know that his lover enjoyed things as much as he did.

Undulating his body, Jason managed to lift his hips up and away. He felt Michel’s thick

dick slide along his thigh and heard it slap between them. Moaning his pleasure, Jason
lowered his hips again and pressed against Michel’s thick, heavy cock.

Chapter Four

Michel groaned at the feel of his mate rutting against him. It took everything in him not
to spill right then. The realization that getting off quickly would only take the edge off and
allow him to please his new, young lover right flashed through his mind.

Liking that plan—and knowing the sexy man in his arms was about to blow, too,

considering the whimpers and grunts escaping the sweet human—Michel slid his hand
between them and made quick work of Jason’s fly. With his other hand, he gripped the
hem of the other man’s shirt and tugged it up.

“Sit up,” he ordered gruffly, pulling his mouth away. “I want to see ye.”
Jason obeyed quickly, sitting up and yanking his t-shirt over his head. Michel took the

opportunity to fish out his mate’s prick, moaning at the sight of his human’s slender rod
poking from between the flaps of his jean shorts, long, hard, and leaking. He jacked it
slowly, just to see the warm flush spread over Jason’s chest and up his neck. Plus, he
loved the way his human bucked his hips and moaned wantonly.

“So fucking sexy,” Michel growled.
Bucking, Jason thrust his cock through Michel’s grip. The man seemed completely lost

in his pleasure, and Michel thrilled that he was the one giving it to him. Ignoring his own
throbbing cock, he reached under Jason and gently palmed the human’s balls, feeling the
testicles roll and tighten in his grip.

“O-oh, M-Michel,” Jason whimpered.
Jason’s hips bucked again and the cock in Michel’s grip thickened and shot. Stream

after stream of his lover’s cum painted Michel’s chest and abs. The erotic sight of his
mate marking him caused Michel’s balls to pull flush to his body. He didn’t fight his need,
wanting to come and mix his seed with Jason’s and he reached for his prick.

His mate beat him to it.
Jason’s small, slender fingers wrapped around Michel’s engorged shaft. His breathing

erratic, Michel stared at where his mate touched him, the pale hand a contrast against the
dark, flushed skin of his cock. He groaned, both at the feel of Jason’s hand moving over
him, learning him, as much as from the sight of his mate pleasuring him.

“Harder,” he urged, his dick swelling. “I’m so fucking close.”
Jason worked his foreskin with his thumb, massaging his sensitive glans, and Michel

was there. His entire body tensed. His shaft jerked in Jason’s grip. His balls exploded,
forcing his cum up his shaft in thick jets. Michel roared as bliss swamped him,
endorphins roaring through his system.

Need for his mate to smell just like him rode Michel hard. Even before his cock finished

pulsing, Michel reached up, wrapped his arms around Jason, and rolled his mate under
him. The move smeared their combined essence onto Jason. He thrust his hips a few
more times as he spurted his last couple shots of cum between their bodies.

As Michel’s orgasm ebbed, he pressed his nose into the crook of Jason’s neck and

inhaled their combined scents. A low, satisfied growl rumbled through him. Remaining
on his elbows, Michel kept his torso’s weight off his much smaller lover’s, even as he kept
up a slow rut with his hips, enjoying the feel of their softening pricks moving against each
other.

His cock once again started to thicken, as did Jason’s.
Chuckling, Michel lifted his head and peered down at the sexy little man under him. He

took in Jason’s flushed face, disheveled hair, slightly glazed eyes, and open kiss-swollen
lips.

“Ye’re so fucking sexy, Jason,” Michel murmured. “Ye make me feel young again.”
Jason smiled up at him, wrapped his arms around Michel’s torso, and stroked his back.

Michel really liked his mate’s hands on him and felt pleased Jason felt the freedom to do
so.

Rolling his hips slightly, Jason increased the friction between their quickly hardening

shafts. “You seem to be recovering like a young man, too. You pop a little blue pill before I
arrive?” Jason teased.

Michel’s eyes widened in surprise and he barked out a laugh. Grinning at his much

younger lover, he quipped, “With you, I don’t need them.” He leaned down and captured
Jason’s lips, licking and nipping at the man’s lips. His hardened shaft reminded him of
what he really wanted to do, and rubbing off on his mate again wasn’t it.

Pulling his mouth away, Michel chuckled upon hearing Jason’s whimper of protest.

“Easy, sweetheart,” he crooned, ducking his mate’s attempt to follow his mouth. “I got ye
dirty, so how about I clean ye up? Hmm?” he mumbled against the warm flesh of Jason’s
shoulder.

Working his way down Jason’s lean form, Michel licked and nipped over his peck until

he reached Jason’s nipple. Sucking the hard nub into his mouth, he gave it a gentle nip
then a tug. Jason moaned and arched, searching for more.

“Oh, M-Michel. That’s…mmm.” Jason’s words faded to a hum of pleasure.
Michel looked up at Jason, liking the look of rapture on Jason’s face. He worked the

nub in his mouth harder and dipped one hand lower to palm his lover’s renewed erection,
jacking it twice. Jason gasped, his eyes snapping open to peer down at him.

Releasing Jason’s red and swollen nub, Michel made quick work of removing his mate’s

shorts, then ordered, “Spread your legs wide, sweetheart. I want to play with yer sexy
arse.”

Without waiting for a response, Michel licked his way across Jason’s chest to the

second nipple, licking up seed as he went. To Michel’s satisfaction, Jason obeyed and
widened his legs, giving him free access to his groin.

Michel lowered his hand and palmed his lover’s orbs. Jason whimpered and writhed

under him, grabbing onto his shoulders, and clutching tightly. He teased the soft skin
behind the man’s balls, listening to his mate’s escaping mewls of delight. Michel released
Jason’s nub and started moving down his body.

Jason’s fingers loosened and tightened spastically as Michel mapped his mate with his

mouth. On occasion, he noted a hot spot that made him twitch—like the dip below his
right peck or the indent of his innie belly button. When he nibbled the indent of Jason’s

hip, the man groaned and goose bumps broke out over his skin.

Michel lifted his head a bit to admire his handiwork, taking in the light red marks that—

due to Jason’s fair skin—might turn into bruises.

Gods, that’s so fucking sexy!
Spurred on by his once again throbbing dick, Michel grabbed the lube where he’d

hidden it in his towel. Aye, call me a fucking optimist. With years of ease under his belt,
he popped the cap and poured a liberal amount on his prick, then his fingers. He had to
drop the lube bottle and grab his cock’s base to keep from blowing.

Fuck, I can’t remember the last time I got it up a second time in the same evening, let

alone been hard as stone and ready to blow with barely a caress to me dick.

Focusing instead on his mate’s pleasure, Michel swallowed Jason’s prick down. Once he

heard the beautiful man’s howl, he gently rubbed a finger against Jason’s puckered
entrance. After a couple rubs, the muscle loosened slightly, and he pressed his finger
forward.

The first feel of constricting heat around his digit caused a pleased growl to erupt from

his mouth. He couldn’t resist pulling off Jason’s cock and looking down at where he
penetrated his mate.

Shite! So sexy and all mine!
He just resisted the urge to grip the base of his prick again.
He couldn’t remember ever being so hot for someone, but since this was his mate, it

made sense. Knowing, this was his little human’s first time, he eased his finger out of
Jason’s hole and gripped his hips, urging him to roll onto his knees.

At Jason’s questioning look, Michel assured, “This way I can eat yer arse.” He winked.

“Plus, it’ll be easier like this for yer first time.”

Jason shuddered, his eyes wide as he held Michel’s gaze. After several seconds, the

human nodded and rolled over. When Jason got to his knees and presented his arse,
Michel’s wolf wanted to howl and mount his mate right then and there. It took several
deep breaths to control his baser urges.

Instead, Michel reached up and ran his hands down Jason’s back, over his hips, then

down to his buttocks. He cupped the mounds, groaning at the firm handfuls, and gently
eased the globes apart. Not allowing his mate to wonder what the hell he was doing,
Michel lowered his head and swiped his tongue over Jason’s exposed, winking hole.

Biting back a moan at the taste of male musky sweetness—even the slight lube flavor

couldn’t hide Jason’s amazing flavor—Michel set upon his lover’s arse as if it were a feast
and he hadn’t eaten in months. He scraped his teeth over the pulsing ring, massaged it
with his tongue, and sucked it with his lips. Stiffening his tongue, Michel breached
Jason’s arse, tongue-fucking his mate thoroughly, soaking him with saliva. After a
moment, he lifted his still mostly-lubed fingers and pressed one in beside his tongue. He
didn’t stop until he’d buried his finger as far as it could go in his mate’s rectum.

“M-Mich,” Jason whimpered.
To Michel’s pleasure, his human didn’t tense up, but instead arched his back and

pressed toward him, silently begging for more. He lifted his head and obeyed his mate’s
silent plea. Carefully, Michel worked in a second finger as he stroked a soothing hand

down Jason’s spine. As soon as he felt certain he could reach, he crooked his fingers and
rubbed over his mate’s prostate.

Jason grunted and his hips popped up once, twice, as if trying to control the fingers in

his arse and force them to rub over his sweet spot over and over. When Jason finally
realized that wouldn’t work, he whined, “Please, more. I need more.”

Michel loved hearing Jason beg, but he didn’t want his mate to be left hanging for long.

He enjoyed touching the man and watching him react with pleasure far too much…and
his own throbbing dick spurred him forward, as well. Carefully, Michel pulled out his
fingers, drizzled more lube on them, then inserted three into Jason.

For several seconds, Jason froze beneath him. His chute tightened, telling of his

discomfort. Michel searched for the bundle of nerves again, knowing it’d help his mate
relax. When he found it, Jason let out a long, low moaning sigh.

“That’s so good,” Jason mumbled.
Smiling, Michel vowed, “It’ll get even better, sweetheart. Just wait until it’s me filling

yer arse, massaging yer gland with each thrust.” He draped awkwardly over Jason’s back
as he continued to stretch him. “Ye’ll squeeze me so good and love every second of it,
won’t ye?”

“Oh, God, please,” Jason whined, wiggling beneath him. “Yes, do it. I’m ready.”
The desperate plea in Jason’s tone drove Michel’s wolf nearly out of his mind with a

need to fulfill his mate’s desires. Moaning his own need, Michel slid his fingers out,
wiped the remaining lube on his dick, and guided his prick to Jason’s stretched hole.

“Condom?”
Michel froze.
Shite! How could I forget something no human would ever forget?
He racked his lust-muddle brain for an appropriate response. He settled on, “Ye’re a

virgin, and I haven’t been with anyone in nearly a decade. I’m clean.” It was actually
true…which told him how lacking his love life had been.

Not now, though.
Jason peered over his shoulder at him, his brows scrunched together. “Really? Why

ever not?” He shook his head once, confusion pouring off him. “You’re so hot. I don’t
know how anyone could resist you!”

Although Michel appreciated the compliment, he needed to refocus his lover’s

attention. He needed permission. Reaching down, he gently massaged Jason’s entrance.
His mate shivered under his touch and his mouth dropped open as he began to pant.

“Do ye trust me?” he asked, praying the man would say yes.
For several seconds, Jason grimaced in indecision. Finally, he blinked a couple times

and murmured, “Promise?”

“Aye,” Michel replied solemnly. “Ye have me word, Jason. No other but you.”
Jason jerked a nod. “P-please. Need you.”
Groaning, Michel kissed his dickhead to the hole he fondled and pressed forward,

popping his flushed cap passed Jason’s guardian muscle. Heat and pressure wrapped
around his cock head, causing heady bliss to shoot up his staff, but upon hearing his
human’s sharp hiss, he froze. It took every ounce of self-control to remain still when

every fiber of Michel’s being urged him to sink his shaft deep into his lover.

Instead, Michel focused on Jason, stroking his fingers down the slender man’s sides

and across his flanks. He laid over him and nibbled his mate’s neck and shoulder while
reaching under him and cupping the man’s softened prick.

It didn’t take long for Jason’s flagging erection to thicken and he wiggled his hips. “I’m

okay,” he assured, although Michel could still hear the slight pain in his mate’s voice.
“Keep going.”

Michel kissed the nape of Jason’s neck again, wondering how long it’d be before he

could sink his canines in right there and claim the human. Shite, how he wanted. Putting
those thoughts aside, Michel took his mate at his word and—while nuzzling his beard
against the side of Jason’s neck to, hopefully, distract his man from the pain—began
rocking his hips, driving his prick deeper and deeper into his mate.

It took four more thrusts to bottom out.
Jason mewled in his grip. Michel once again stilled. “Easy, Jason,” he crooned. “Just

relax. Breathe deeply. Yer body will adjust.”

“Fuck, why do people do this?” Jason whined.
“It’ll feel better soon,” Michel assured. “I promise ye’ll enjoy it.”
“Next time, I fuck you,” Jason snapped.
A rumbling laugh rolled through Michel. He nipped Jason’s ear before whispering,

“Deal.”

Jason craned his neck and met his gaze. “Really?” he gasped. “You’d really let me?”
Michel figured Jason had said the words out of frustration, not because he actually

thought it would happen…especially considering their age differences and sizes, but he
planned to share everything with his mate. He pressed an awkward kiss to his lover’s lips,
before responding, “I’d never expect ye to do something that I wouldn’t.” He pecked
Jason’s lips again, then admitted, “It’s been a long, long time, but I remember it being
pleasurable.”

Smirking at him, Jason’s eyes twinkled as he quipped, “Then you better show me.”
Narrowing his eyes into a predatory stare, Michel growled, “Oh, I plan to.”
Michel had felt Jason’s body relax as they’d talked, and though his chute still held him

snuggly, it no longer felt like Jason’s arse strangled his prick. Slowly, he withdrew his
cock until just the head stretched Jason’s anus before reversing direction.

Drawing on centuries of experience, Michel adjusted his angle and pegged his mate’s

gland.

Chapter Five

Jason’s entire body spasmed as ecstasy radiated from his chute through his body. When
Michel thrust in a second time, he couldn’t hold back his shout, screaming his pleasure to
the sky. He suddenly felt grateful his lover’s home was so far out of the way.

All thought fled as Michel wrapped his strong, hairy arms around his torso. Michel

rocked back, rearing up on his knees, taking Jason with him. Jason found himself
sprawled across his lover’s lap, impaled on his thick cock.

Michel rotated his hips. Jason moaned at the sensation of the big man’s thick, hot shaft

moving inside him, massaging his inner walls. When Michel had first speared him, Jason
had fought back tears at the invasion. So different than how fingers felt—because, hell,
he’d played with himself plenty—Michel’s erection had stretched him wider than he
thought he could handle.

Michel had stilled, held him, talked with him, and waited with more patience than a

man should possess. Now, every move Michel made set Jason’s nerve endings on fire,
radiating warmth and tingles and shivers of bliss. Never had he imagined sex could feel
like this, like he was connected to another human being on a spiritual level.

Michel tugging his nipples was just icing on the cake.
“Oh, my God!” Jason arched his back, simultaneously shoving his ass down harder on

Michel’s cock while pushing his chest more firmly into the mountain man’s sinfully
talented hands. His dick ached and throbbed, bobbing in the air before him. He wanted to
grab it and yank himself to completion. With the way his balls rolled and tightened
against him, he knew it would only take a couple strokes.

Evidently, Michel could read his body language. When Jason released his lover’s thighs,

where he’d placed his hands for leverage, Michel released Jason’s nipples—pulling a
groan of protest from Jason—and grabbed his wrists. Michel urged him to lift his arms
and wrap his hands around the thick tendons of Michel’s neck.

“Keep them there,” Michel ordered gruffly.
Jason mewled—a sound he never thought he’d make—but he needed to come,

desperately.

“Easy, sweetheart,” Michel crooned into his ear. “I’ll give ye all the pleasure ye can

handle.”

Michel hadn’t even finished speaking the words when one calloused hand gripped

Jason’s cock, jacking from root to tip in quick, hard yanks. The man spread his other hand
across Jason’s chest and stomach, his huge paw almost spanning it in its entirety. In fact,
even as Michel’s pinky played with Jason’s pubes, his calloused thumb scraped over one
distended, sensitive nipple.

“O-oh!” Jason whined as he stared sightlessly at the sky. His head fell back to rest

against Michel. His body felt like a live-wire, strung too tight, that his lover played with
ease. Heat blossomed through his chest, tingles danced up and down his spine before

settling in his balls, and his cock throbbed in Michel’s grip. All the while, Michel
continued to thrust and retreat his cock in and out of his ass. The delicious internal
massage to his prostate heightened everything.

“Come for me, lover,” Michel softly urged in his ear.
As if his body were hardwired to obey, Jason did. His balls felt as if they turned inside

out, spurting stream after stream of cum up his cock and across the green grass. Jason’s
mouth opened on a silent scream as he became a creature of pure sensation, waves of
bliss crashing over him with each ejaculation. Michel continued to jack him, slowing his
hand’s action, prolonging the pleasure until it almost became too much.

Jason wriggled in Michel’s grasp, his body uncertain if it wanted to continue thrusting

into that pleasure-giving grip or get away from the almost painful intensity. Michel, as if
sensing his body’s confusion, released his prick, then lowered his hand and gripped his
upper thigh.

“Gonna mark ye inside now, Jason,” Michel told him thickly. “Gonna fill ye up so ye

know ye’re mine.”

Even floating on waves of pleasure, Jason realized that his lover had yet to come. He

could feel Michel’s thick penis still slowly sawing in and out of him. Wanting his lover to
experience as much pleasure as Michel had given him, Jason turned his head and
whispered, “Yeah, do it. Do it now. Mark me. Fill me. Prove I belong to you.”

As he spoke, he tightened his anus muscles as much as he could and peered up at his

lover.

Michel’s eyes widened, meeting his gaze, and in that oh-so-brief instant, Jason thought

he saw…something—possessive intent. Then Michel broke the gaze and tucked his head
behind Jason’s.

“Mine,” Michel snarled.
Suddenly, pain pierced him, radiating out from the back of his neck. Just as quickly, the

pain blazoned into blissful fire that enveloped his body. His cock thickened and jerked,
and Jason convulsed, coming again. Black spots danced behind his eyes as a third orgasm
in less than an hour ripped through his system, his cock once more painting the grass.

Jason moaned, growing lax in Michel’s arms as lethargy crept over him as only a great

orgasm can produce. His arms fell to his sides and he rested his entire weight on Michel,
trusting the man to hold him up.

Humming, Jason smiled, feeling heat flood his rectum as Michel clutched him tightly,

shuddering and twitching behind him. “Amazing,” Jason slurred, not quite able to get his
mouth to cooperate with what he wanted to say. Never had he been so happy to give in to
impulse. Jason couldn’t imagine a better or more caring man to give his virginity to.

“Ye’re amazing, Jason,” Michel said softly. “So sexy, so responsive. Me amazing

human.”

Jason thought it an odd choice of words, and maybe he’d ask about it when he could get

more than two brain cells to fire. Right now, he just wanted to enjoy the bliss of
afterglow. He sighed and, turning his head, rubbed his cheek against Michel’s hairy chest.

“Love your fur,” he mumbled absently.
“Glad ye like it,” Michel returned. Gently, he guided Jason to the ground. Jason groaned

upon feeling the other man’s cock slip from his ass. Somehow, he felt like he’d lost a part
of himself, as if he and Michel belonged together.

Silly. It’s just great sex.
He tried to convince himself of that, but he couldn’t hide his delight when Michel

followed him to the ground. Michel rolled onto his back, then proceeded to gently
manhandle Jason until he was sprawled on top of the bigger man, legs falling to either
side, similar to their first position only without the driving need to fuck.

Jason really liked it.
Tilting his head, Jason peered up at Michel. Curiosity burning through him, he

muttered sleepily, “So, how old are you?” This guy had went ten years without sex? How
could that be possible? He was fucking sexy and made love like a dream.

Michel must have read his mind, for Jason could just make out a smirk playing behind

the bearded man’s lips. “I’m a lot older than I look, Jason,” he replied. Michel stroked his
hands up Jason’s back to gently fondle the tender mark he’d left on the nape of his neck.
His brows creased as he added, almost absently, “I guess that’s one of many things we
have to talk about.”

Sensing his lover’s suddenly subdued mood—especially after what Jason thought had

been mind-blowing sex—set off alarm bells for him. Maybe he’d been wrong. Maybe
Michel hadn’t enjoyed things as much as he had. He lifted up on his elbows and—focusing
intently on Michel—gathered up the courage to ask, “Are you done with me? Was this just
a one-off thing for you? Let me guess,” Jason continued, his tone darkening, even though
he knew he had no right to act this possessive. “You don’t do relationships and you just
want to be occasional fuck buddies, but I’m not worth keeping?”

Shit, I’m proving exactly how insecure and young I am!
Jason knew his mother’s fucked-up, apathetic parenting had done a number on him, he

just hadn’t realized it had messed him up that bad.

A look of shock crossed Michel’s face, before he unexpectedly snarled. Jason squeaked

as he found himself once more rolled beneath the much larger man. This time, no lust or
desire sparked in his lover’s eyes. Instead, he spotted one of anger and possession.

“Is that what ye think?” Michel snapped. “That this was just a fling for me? Ye think I’d

do that after almost ten years of celibacy?”

Jason’s jaw sagged open at the vehemence in Michel’s tone. That was kinda exactly

what he thought. “Y-yeah, I guess. We didn’t talk—I mean—I thought—” Jason managed
to shrug one shoulder around the weight of Michel’s body.

“I see,” Michel growled. He grabbed Jason’s wrists and lifted them above his head,

pinning them there with one big hand. With his other palm, Michel cupped Jason’s cheek
and forced him to meet his penetrating gaze. “Then let me straighten a few things out.”

For several seconds, Michel just stared at him, as if assessing to make certain he truly

had Jason’s attention. Finally, he stated gruffly, “You are mine, Jason. This is not a fling.
We’re not fuck buddies. I don’t share. No one else touches ye. Got it?”

“O-okay.”
That response seemed to ease some of the tension in the other man, for Michel’s

shoulders relaxed somewhat. “Good. Because we’ve started a relationship, Jason.” He

pecked a butterfly kiss to Jason’s lips, then smiled, his dark eyes twinkling. “I look
forward to learning everything about ye, sweetheart, from the tips of your pretty green
toes to the top of yer shaggy auburn hair.” His grin suddenly turned sly. “Which I happen
to love, by the way. I look forward to getting the opportunity to grip yer pretty hair, hold
yer head still, while I fuck this pretty little mouth.”

Jason’s mind conjured that image—Michel sliding his thick prick between his lips,

using his hair to hold his head still to do with him as he pleased—and his tongue tied in
his throat. He barely managed a garbled squeak.

Chuckling, Michel crooned, “Ah, I can see ye like that idea, don’t ye?” He lowered his

head and licked his way into Jason’s mouth, sliding his tongue inside and swirling it with
Jason’s, teasing and tasting, engaging him in a bout of sensual oral play.

When Michel finally broke the kiss and lifted his head, he smiled smugly down at

Jason. Panting hard, Jason tried to catch his breath. Licking his lips, he blurted, “So, what
is it we need to talk about?” As far as he was concerned, the sexy man on top of him
would make a damn fine partner…well, sort of. There was the slight problem of
commuting to a job if he lived out in the middle of nowhere with Michel. He’d have to
travel nearly forty minutes of dirt and gravel roads before even hitting the winding
mountain roads that led to town. And in the winter…forget it! Jason bet they’d be snowed
in!

Then he realized how presumptuous he was being. Jeez, Michel wants to learn about

me, not marry me! How come that thought saddened him so?

“What I have to discuss with ye is a wee…unconventional,” Michel started slowly, his

voice lowering, expressing without words his sudden seriousness.

Holy shit! Maybe he really is going to ask me to move in with him!
“Ye see, I’m different than most people.”
When Michel stopped talking, Jason’s brows creased in concern. Fear stabbed through

him. “You don’t have some terminal illness, do you?” he whispered, his brain immediately
jumping to conclusions. “Is that why you live way out here? Because you’re dying and you
want to live out the rest of your days in peace and quiet?” He reached up and threaded his
fingers through Michel’s thick, dark hair, then petting his way down the man’s face and
over his neatly trimmed beard. “How long do you have?”

Michel’s brows shot up. “Illness? Dying? Nay, Jason,” he denied, shaking his head. He

rubbed a thumb over Jason’s brow, smoothing away the creases. “Nay, I’m not sick. In
fact, I can hardly get ill at all. That’s part of what I need to explain.”

Okay, now Jason was completely confused. “Then what could be so bad?”
“I didna say it was bad,” Michel stated. “I said it was a wee bit unconventional.”
Exasperated by Michel’s sudden desire to play word games, Jason snapped, “Well, then

what is it?”

Someone speaking not far away interrupted their conversation. “The big oaf is trying to

figure out how to tell you he’s an animal. A wolf. An abomination,” the man sneered
derisively.

“Shifters are not abominations,” Michel snarled back.
Jason watched Michel lift his head and sniff. The wind maybe?

Then Michel’s lip curled as he growled, “Are you the one leavin’ the traps? Are you

Doctor Marlow? The asshole trying to injure us?” He continued gruffly, anger filling his
eyes and tensing his body. “The one who’s injured so many already?”

Jason found himself completely lost, his brain freezing on the term shifter, wolf, and

abomination. What the hell?

“Oh, yes, wolf. I am Doctor Sampson Marlow, and I will be the one who will eradicate

your abominable species from the earth, starting with you and your pack. I will not allow
you to contaminate us further,” the man Sampson stated.

Confusion and shock flooding his system, Jason watched as Sampson—who Jason saw

was accompanied by a slender brunette and a dark-haired, squat guy with glasses—lifted
his hand from his pocket, revealing a gun. The man pointed it at Michel, but instead of
trying to get away, his lover actually covered Jason further, protecting him with his body.

Michel looked down at him and whispered, “No matter what, I will never hurt ye.”
Just as Michel finished his cryptic words, he grimaced in pain. Glancing over the big

man’s shoulder, Jason spotted a green-feathered dart poking out of him. Jason’s focus
snapped to Michel when he felt him shudder hard against him.

“Fuck,” Michel hissed. “N-never wanted y-ye to f-find out like t-this,” he gasped through

clenched teeth. “W-won’t hurt ye, m-mate.”

Fear stabbed through Jason as he watched his lover begin to twitch violently, goose-

bumps breaking out over his skin.

Michel rolled off him then, growling, “G-get in the c-cabin. B-back door’s open.”
Before Jason’s eyes, he watched Michel’s already thick chest hair become even thicker,

then begin to spread over the rest of his torso. “M-Michel?” Jason squeaked.

“G-go,” Michel ordered, the shudders racking his body making it difficult to make out

the single word.

“No, stay, young man. Learn the truth of your lover,” Sampson jeered.
Jason glared at him, but when Michel barked, Go again, he obeyed. Grabbing his pack

and shorts, Jason sprinted barefoot over the grass to Michel’s cottage. A glance over his
shoulder told him the woman followed, running after him. She gained ground, probably
assisted by her taller frame. She wore sneakers, bike shorts, and a halter top, and a snarl
curled her lips, making her look almost…feral.

Putting on a burst of speed, Jason leaped onto the back porch and shoved through the

door. He slammed it shut just as the heavy wood shuddered, telling him the woman had
slammed against it. He yanked his phone from his short’s pocket while peeking out the
window.

He prayed he had a signal. To his shock, he did.
Just as he finished punching in his uncle’s phone number, a rocking chair came flying

into view. Jason screeched as he leaped back. The woman appeared in the broken window
and peered around. He backed away, drawing her focus.

“Doctor Marlow wants you, human. You will come,” she ordered. Her voice sounded

flat, emotionless, and scary as fuck.

Jason turned away and swept his gaze over the room, looking for some means of

escape. He stood in a kitchen, the woman peering through the broken window in the door

behind him. Ignoring her words, Jason headed deeper into Michel’s home. He hoped
whatever was in that dart didn’t permanently injure his lover, but he knew when
retreating was the better part of valor. He couldn’t fight three people, two of which were
larger, and at least one with a weapon.

He spotted an edge of a toilet and corner of a sink through one half-open doorway and

ran that way. Just before he slammed the door closed, he saw the woman vault easily
through the window, completely ignoring the blood dripping from her hands where she’d
gripped the ragged window edges.

There is something seriously messed up with that chick!
“Hello? Jason, is that you?”
Jason registered the sound of his uncle’s voice through his phone’s tiny speaker. Relief

flooded him as he brought the device up to his ear. “Uncle Raul! Oh, thank God! Me and
Michel were talking on the lawn and these three people came out of the woods and shot
Michel! He started having a seizure or something and he told me to run and—” He
paused, realizing how pathetic that made him sound.

“Wait, someone shot Michel? Who? Who’s there?” his uncle demanded right before

yelling for Sean.

Standing on the toilet seat, Jason looked out a tiny window, trying to see what the hell

was going on. His jaw dropped open. Where his lover once lay was a…dog? A big, brown,
monster-sized dog? “Oh, my God! What the hell is that?”

“Jason!” his uncle shouted, regaining his attention. “What the hell is going on? Are you

injured? Is Michel injured?”

“Wolf!” Suddenly, their attacker’s claim and Michel’s response began to make sense.

“Wolf shifter?” he mumbled, his brain freezing as he finally realized what he was actually
looking at. A massive brown wolf—my God, could that really be Michel? No, way!—lay on
the ground, it’s sides heaving as if struggling to breathe, and that Doctor Marlow guy
who’d shot him squatted next to him smirking and saying something Jason couldn’t hope
to hear.

“There’s a wolf outside,” Jason finally said into the phone.
“Shit! Michel shifted? How the hell did that happen? He’s a centuries old wolf shifter!

How the hell did they get the drop on him?”

Jason cringed, hearing Sean’s roared words. “We were, um, distracted,” he admitted,

answering the man even though he hadn’t actually been on the phone.

“Distracted?” Uncle Raul growled, before gruffly asking, “Jason, did you have sex with

him?”

Taken aback by the blunt question, Jason just stared out the window. The small man

with glasses kicked the wolf, making Jason’s gut clench. He whimpered.

“Jason!” Uncle Raul called insistently.
“Yes!” he snapped back, rage flooding him upon seeing the snide, smug look the man

cast upon the downed animal—shifter—Michel? What the hell am I thinking?

“Did he bite you?” This question came from Sean, who sounded like it was yelled into

the phone.

“No, he didn’t—” Jason paused and brought his hand back to his neck. “Y-yeah,” he

whispered. Did that mean something?

“Listen to me, Jason,” Sean said urgently. He must have taken the phone from Raul.
Jason tried to concentrate on his uncle’s lover as something hard thudded against the

thick wood bathroom door. “Um, okay?”

“Michel is a shifter. He shares his spirit with a wolf. You are his mate. That’s why he bit

you. He’d never hurt you, even in wolf form. Got it?”

Jason nodded, then realized the man couldn’t see him. “Um, okay,” he repeated again,

uncertain why Sean told him these things and even if he should believe him. Were these
people for real?

“Just hide, Jason,” Uncle Raul snapped, redrawing his attention.
Jason felt his head swimming with all the confusing information.
“Do you hear me? Hide, Jason. Stay safe. Me and my friends are on our way. You hear

me?”

“Uh huh!” Feeling the panic set in as he watched the bathroom door bounce, Jason

could hardly focus on the phone call anymore. He heard his uncle shout again—maybe
trying to get better confirmation—but just then, the hinges groaned and the doorjamb
splintered, showering wood shards in every direction.

Jason squeaked and jerked away, bringing his free hand up to shield his face. The

sudden movement caused his bare feet to slip on the slick wooden surface of the toilet lid.
Jason reeled. He swung his arms, pin wheeling.

Completely losing his balance, Jason went down. Unable to control his momentum, he

slammed his head on the metal basin of the sink. Stars danced across his vision, but then
a second spike of pain burst through him—probably from hitting the toilet or maybe the
floor—sending Jason into oblivion.

Chapter Six

Pain. Anger. Fear. Confusion.

Michel knew he was in his wolf form and knew he was in his home, but other scents

and an odd itching under his skin set his protective instincts into overdrive. Strange
humans were in his home, and he needed to protect it. Cracking his eyelid, he recognized
his bedroom.

He thought about his human form. Nothing.
Fear sliced through him anew. Suddenly, he remembered the human’s hands on him,

holding him down, shooting him with darts and poking him with needles. Rage flowed
through him as he recognized the scents in his house as those of the humans who’d
injured him.

They’d pay for what they’d done to him…as well as to others of his kind.
Michel lurched to his feet, almost stumbling. Whatever they’d given him completely

messed with his equilibrium. He took a few deep breaths, then stalked toward the door,
pleased to find it open a crack. He stuck his paw into the opening and pulled the door
open wider.

Prowling out of his bedroom, he sniffed around the room. He growled low in his throat,

hating how the scent of strange humans permeated his home. It almost seemed like
they’d rubbed against every wall, rolled on every floor, and touched every surface. It
grated on Michel’s territorial nerves, driving his aggression higher.

These humans will pay!
He’d shred them without mercy, tear them limb from limb. They’d attacked him and

invaded his home.

Unacceptable.
The atrocities these humans cast upon his people couldn’t keep happening…Michel

would never allow it…especially now that these same scientists had invaded his home.
He’d kill every last one of them.

Drool pooled in his mouth at the thought of sinking his fangs into the bastard who’d

shot him, who’d held him down and ordered the fat four-eyed human to shoot into his
veins whatever the fuck stopped him from shifting.

Michel understood that in time, his ability to shift would return. That didn’t stop him

from desiring vengeance.

A scent he sort-of recognized tickled his senses. His lips curled as he realized a guard

must be close. Freezing, Michel scented the air, sensing direction. The living room. He
headed that way. The cabin was small, and he worked hard to keep his nails from clicking
on the hardwood floors. He wanted to catch this bastard unawares.

Creeping around the corner of the recliner, Michel looked around and just bit back a

snarl. Across the room, stretched out on the couch, lay a human. From this far away,
Michel couldn’t scent which of the three it was, although, from the bone structure, he’d

guess it wasn’t the woman. For all he knew, the doctor could have more people with him
than just the three he’d seen.

Michel paused and watched the male for a moment, monitoring the rise and fall of the

human’s chest. From the steady cadence, he slept, although fitfully, judging by the way
the fingers hanging off the side of the cushion twitched.

Good. Anyone condoning the scientist’s behavior didn’t deserve restful sleep.
Michel stalked forward, one step at a time, closer and closer. Within six feet, he could

make out floppy hair, which appeared light brown in the dim light, falling over the guy’s
face. He hid most of his face under his other arm. The position exposed his throat.

Baring his teeth, Michel leaped. He sank his teeth into the tender flesh of the man’s

throat. The man screamed. As soon as blood spurted across his tongue, Michel released
his hold and flopped away in shock.

Mate!
Oh, shit! How did I forget I was with my mate when I was attacked?
He realized the scientist’s drugs had fucked him up even more than he’d first thought.
Michel whined and dropped to the floor, peering up at his injured mate. Oh, God! I

injured my mate! He’d done exactly what he said he wouldn’t. Never had he wished he
could undo an action more than this one. Even knowing he hadn’t bitten deep enough to
do permanent damage, seeing the blood trickling down Jason’s neck tore at his soul. He
wiggled closer, licking his lips. He needed to lick the wounds. His saliva would quickly
heal the punctures without a mark.

Jason pressed his back into the sofa, his knees up to his chest. Tears streaked down his

face.

Not certain how to convey his desires to his mate in wolf form, Michel had to trust in

the bond they had between them. He knew he’d already damaged it with his actions, but
he had to try.

Lifting his head, Michel pricked his ears forward and wiggled closer. When Jason didn’t

move, but stared at him with fear in his eyes—which hit Michel like a punch to his gut
that he had to ignore for now—Michel slowly lifted one massive paw onto the couch edge
and rested his head on Jason’s chest.

“You weren’t supposed to hurt me,” Jason whispered, pain lacing his words. “Sean said

you wouldn’t hurt me.”

Michel whined, wishing he could convey his sorrow, his regret. He wished he could

explain.

Later. I’ll make certain I get a chance, he vowed.
Sliding higher up Jason’s chest, Michel wiggled his nose under his mate’s fingers. He

licked, his long tongue sliding across the flesh. Slowly, his breath hitching, Jason eased
his hands away from his neck. Michel kept his movements slow, but took advantage of
the sudden trust.

Michel quickly cleared away the blood and soaked Jason’s neck with his saliva. The torn

skin healed swiftly under his ministrations. He finished by cleaning the sticky fluid from
Jason’s fingers, then eased off the couch and rested his head on Jason’s lap. Once again,
he whined.

Jason stared down at him. Michel still saw the fear, but now there was confusion and

uncertainty as well as he fingered his neck, tracing the newly healed skin. Slowly, Jason
lowered one hand to his knee, then—to Michel’s near shock, awe, and pleasure—he
settled the other hand on Michel’s head.

“Are you really Michel?” Jason whispered.
Michel pressed more firmly into his lover’s hand while nodding his head once. He

peered up at Jason and chuffed softly.

“This is what we needed to talk about.”
The softly spoken words weren’t a question, which was good, because Michel couldn’t

answer anyway.

The bang of a door sounded, and Michel jerked away from Jason, suddenly

remembering the scientists who’d been in his home. He turned his back to his mate and
growled low in his throat. His anger and aggression, which had eased in the face of what
happened with his mate, flared bright and hot when the trio trooped through his kitchen
into the dining room.

Once again, the doctor held a dart gun, but the syringe in the second male’s hand was

what raised Michel’s hackles. Snarling, he watched them stop, Sampson crossing his arms
over his chest.

“Well, well, well. I’ve never seen one of them overcome the aggressiveness created by

the drugs,” Sampson commented, frowning.

“Maybe we didn’t give it a big enough dose?” the second attacker said.
The woman just stared blankly at them. Michel couldn’t figure her out. While the men

smelled foul with maliciousness and cruelty, the woman smelled faintly of shifter…and
something else. It seemed odd that a shifter would aid these people, but from her attitude
and reactions, Michel wondered if she was all there or if under some kind of drug induced
coercion.

“Well, we’ll have to find out. Sedate them and bring them both,” Sampson ordered.
At that, the man with glasses started toward them. Michel bared his teeth, snarling. At

his back, he felt Jason move, perhaps rising to his feet. “What do you guys want? Who are
you?”

Doctor Marlow smirked. “Didn’t I already say? I’m so sorry. I’m Doctor Sampson

Marlow. This is my assistant Brett and our…” He looked toward the woman, who didn’t
even acknowledge him. “Helper, Rachel.”

“Well, kidnapping is a crime,” Jason said, his voice only wavering slightly. “You won’t

get away with it.”

Sampson grinned. “Ah, but you see, I’ve been getting away with it for years.” He

shrugged negligently. “Besides, it’s not like these beasts have any rights. They’re just
animals.”

“No, they’re not,” Jason insisted. “They’re not just animals.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about, boy,” Sampson snapped, obviously losing

patience. “Hurry up, Brett. Get on with it.”

“Stop right there, Doctor Marlow. Ye won’t be taking any more of us, ever again,” a deep

lilting voice snarled from the shadow of the doorway. Seconds later, Michel’s alpha strode

into the room. “Nice to finally meet ye face to face, Doctor. Ye’ve been a thorn in the side
of shifters long enough.”

The doctor snarled and backhanded the female. The blow snapped her head back. “How

could you allow these dogs to find us without warning me? You useless bitch!” He lifted
his hand again and the woman didn’t even flinch.

“That’s enough,” Declan roared. “Shane, Carson, grab the scientists. Manon and Kade,

secure Rachel,” he ordered.

Doctor Marlow swung his other arm up and pointed the gun at Declan. As the doctor

fired at the alpha, Declan dove forward and sideways. He rolled once, and in the process,
shifted, clothes tearing from his body as he went from man to wolf in seconds. Four
others, who Michel recognized as the beta, Shane, and the three enforcers, Carson, Kade,
and Manon, joined the massive brown wolf.

Howls sounded outside in response to the growls in the small cabin, which told him

more shifters were near.

Jason’s whimper of fear drew Michel’s focus and he backed against his mate’s legs,

trying to offer comfort. Brett, standing halfway between the charging shifters and Michel,
decided to run past him toward the front of the cabin, probably intending to run out the
front.

He didn’t get far. Shane appeared between him and his intended exit. The scientist held

the syringe in front of him threateningly, wielding it like a sword. A burning need for
revenge—and a desire to keep the human from injuring another—swept through Michel
and he leaped up onto the sofa, catapulted off the back and landed on the man’s back.
They both hit the floor with a thud, Michel landing on the human.

Michel sank his teeth into the guy’s wrist. Blood spurted. The man screamed. He

watched the human’s hand snap open on reflex, dropping the syringe.

Shane’s snout appeared in his line of sight, and the bigger, more dominant wolf growled

softly, then chuffed. Obeying his beta’s command, Michel released his hold, taking care to
slide his teeth out carefully. Unfortunately, as soon as he loosened his grip, the man
yanked his arm away. The move tore flesh, and blood spurted. Brett screamed.

Except instead of applying pressure to his heavily bleeding arm, the human again

reached for the syringe. Grabbing it, Brett screamed, “Vile beasts,” and swung the needle-
tip at him.

“No!”
Michel recognized Jason’s scream at the same time his mate shoved him aside. Shocked

that the human had followed him, Michel didn’t react in time, flopped sideways, and slid
across the floor several feet.

Jason screamed.
Michel righted in time to see the needle embedded deeply into the flesh of Jason’s

upper arm. His lover collapsed. This time, Michel’s panic-induced attempt to shift
succeeded. Pain ripped through his system, but he ignored it, forcing his bones to realign,
and his muscles to reshape.

Ignoring the sweat pouring from his body from forcing his shifter genes to counter the

drugs he still felt swimming through his system, Michel launched at Jason. He yanked

the needle from his lover’s limb and pulled Jason into his arms.

When Jason didn’t respond, Michel tucked his face against his human’s neck. He gently

rubbed his beard over Jason’s skin as he knew Jason liked and pleaded, “Come on,
sweetheart. Talk to me. Tell me ye’re okay.”

“Here, let me see,” a soft voice urged, reaching for him.
Michel growled, then realized it was Lark, the alpha-mate, and he adjusted his hold on

Jason, allowing Lark closer. After the human checked the dosage on the syringe, he
verified Jason’s pulse, pulled up his eyelids, and listened to his breathing. Just as Lark
pulled the stethoscope away, Jason’s body shuddered in Michel’s arms. He clutched his
mate so he didn’t flop away and slam his head on the floor.

“What’s going on?” Michel asked, sending a panicked look toward Lark.
“I think the syringe held a tranquilizer and it was loaded for a shifter’s mass and

metabolism. The overdose has sent him into a seizure,” Lark told him while pulling
another needle from his black bag and prepping it. “I need to get him to the lodge.”

“What the hell is that?” Michel couldn’t help but snap while pulling Jason closer and

away from the doctor.

Lark gave him a reassuring look. “Just something to stabilize him until I can get him on

a drip at the lodge. Come on, Michel. Let me help him.”

Swallowing hard, Michel nodded. He watched the doc insert the medicine into Jason’s

vein, then carefully removed it. “Okay, I know you have a jeep.” Lark looked over his
shoulder. “Kade, can you drive Michel and Jason to the lodge?” After getting an
affirmative from the wolf enforcer, Lark turned back to him. “I won’t be far behind you. I
just gotta check the others.”

“Not much to check here,” Shane stated coldly.
Michel looked over and realized the beta crouched next to Brett, whose throat was

ripped out. Lark grimaced and shook his head. “I can see that,” he said, getting to his feet
and turning away.

Shane, unrepentant, rolled a shoulder. “I got tired of him hurting our pack-members.”
“It had to be done,” Declan assured Shane, giving him a nod. His alpha claimed Michel’s

stare. “Go. We’ll clean up here.” He turned to Lark and gave him a quick kiss. “You, too.
We’ll bring Rachel to ye…see if we can’t figure out what the hell they did to her.”

“You’re killers! Murderers!” Sampson screamed.
Michel ignored him and levered to his feet, holding Jason close to his chest. He

followed Kade toward the front, nodding at his jeep keys in a glass bowl by the door. The
wolf enforcer swept them up and headed outside.

As Michel maneuvered himself and Jason out the door, he heard his alpha respond

coldly, “Ye declared war on me people, Marlow. Odd ye think I wouldn’t retaliate.” The
alpha’s voice hardened further as he said, “Ye’re damn lucky the CIA want ye alive.”

The door closed on the conversation.
Michel hustled across the gravel drive to his shed. Kade swung open the door and, after

starting the vehicle, backed it out. Normally, Michel would have locked up the shed door,
but only his mate mattered to him right then. After Lark hopped into the back, Michel
climbed aboard, still holding Jason close, and settled his lover on his lap.

As soon as he closed the door, Kade started them down the dirt road. “Hang on, man,”

Kade assured, expertly navigating the road. “We’ll have you there in no time.”

Periodically during the drive, Lark leaned forward and checked Jason’s pulse and color.

“He’ll be fine,” he assured each time.

Michel clung to his alpha-mate’s words, praying the human doctor was right.
Lark rubbed his shoulder, drawing his attention. “You claimed him, so that will help.”

Then he smiled wryly at him. “Although, from the conversation I overheard from Sean
and Raul, you have a lot of explaining to do.”

“Aye,” Michel agreed, grimacing. When his mate had all but begged him to mark him,

he’d completely lost control and done exactly that…he’d marked him, inside and out,
claimed him, and had every intention of keeping him for his own. Michel prayed to the
Fates that he’d be able to convince his obvious city boy to live in the mountains with him.

Setting aside those thoughts for later—I’ll find a way, damn it—he focused on the

immediate issue—getting his mate well, again.

“I’m gonna give Raul a quick call,” Lark informed him. He grimaced. “It took Jared

agreeing to stay with him to keep the guy from going to your place. If he finds out I didn’t
tell him about this, I’d have to hide behind Declan any time I saw the man,” he finished
on a mumble.

Michel grimaced. Damn, he sure as hell hadn’t thought about facing Jason’s uncle. Why

the hell did he suddenly feel like a teenager facing a parent? Speaking of the man’s
parents, did they need to be told, too?

“Maybe Raul can get me Jason’s vaccination records,” Lark commented. “I probably

won’t need them,” he continued, musing almost to himself, “but since you’re gonna
convince him to stick around, it’d be nice to have, nonetheless. Gotta know if he’s allergic
to anything.”

Michel appreciated Lark’s optimism.
Wait, vaccination records? Damn, he’d been out of interaction with human medicine

for way too long. Suddenly, he felt old…really, really old.

Chapter Seven

Jason shivered. Cold seemed to permeate his body, chilling him from the inside out.
Suddenly, heat slid along his right side. He instinctively wiggled toward it, letting out a
pleased grunt at feeling the warmth along his side spread over most of his chest and one
leg.

“Mmm, better,” Jason muttered. He lifted his free hand and tried to tug the thick

blanket over him further. His fingers slid across thick muscle and prickly hair. Confused,
Jason pried open one gummy eyelid.

Blinking, he didn’t recognize the room where he lay, but he sure as hell recognized the

man sprawled halfway across him. Dark eyes stared steadily back at him, filled with
concern. “Michel.” Jason racked his mind, trying to figure out where they were and why.

It hit him like a ton of bricks…or maybe a pack of wolves. Wolf shifters, to be exact.

“What are you?” he blurted.

Michel grimaced, but his gaze held steady. “Me name is Michel McDover. I’m a wolf

shifter. You, Jason Truollo, are me mate. I’ve already claimed ye, and I canna live without
ye.”

At that point, Jason knew his eyes were big as saucers. Huh? Seriously?
He watched Michel’s Adam’s apple bob.
After licking his lips, Michel spoke again, almost pleading, “I’d like the opportunity to

get to know ye, Jason. I’d like a chance to prove a relationship between us will work. Will
ye give me that chance?”

“Man as sexy as you,” Jason murmured, reaching up and tracing his lover’s deceptively

soft beard. “Should never have to beg. God, why would you want some little twink like
me? Can’t even handle a little needle in his arm,” he stated depreciatively. His brows
creased as he remembered how he’d ended up…wherever the hell here was with an IV in
his arm—which kind of itched, now that he noticed it. “You deserve better.”

“I deserve you,” Michel spat back while levering up on his arm and frowning down at

him. “That syringe was loaded for a shifter’s size and metabolism, and ye took it for me. I
could have lost ye. Don’t ye ever do that to me again!”

Jason gasped at the feral command, mixed with maybe a hint of fear, thrumming

through Michel’s tone. Before he could figure out a response, the sudden loss of warmth
provided by his lover’s body hit him hard, causing him to shudder. Jason whimpered and
clutched at the man’s shoulder.

“Shit, ye’re freezing. Why are ye freezing?” This time Michel scowled around in obvious

consternation. “Where the hell is the quilt? Just a sheet can’t possibly keep ye warm!”

Jason clutched his lover’s shoulder. “C-come back,” he pleaded. “P-please.”
“Ah, sweetheart,” Michel crooned. “I’m sorry. Ye’ll be fine. Lark said ye’ll be fine.”
Jason thought Michel sounded as if he was trying to convince himself more than him,

and he had no clue who the hell Lark was. “J-just stay. Please?” He hated begging—well,

outside of sex, because that had been so hot—but he’d do anything to keep Michel’s hot
skin pressed against him.

Hot skin? OMG! He’s naked!
Jason found his body reacting, which heated his blood, warming him from the inside

out. “Oh, mmm,” he hummed, rubbing his hardening prick against Michel’s hairy thigh.
“You feel good.”

Damn, did I say that out loud? Now, Jason knew he was hopped up on something!
“Shh, hey, easy,” Michel crooned, grabbing Jason’s hips, stilling his movements.
Jason whimpered. His prick throbbed and he needed.
“It’s okay,” Michel assured. “Ye’re me mate. I’ll take care of ye. I just want ye to know

what ye’re doing because ye want it, not because yer body is suddenly overheated after
bein’ so cold.”

Blowing out a breath, Jason paused and thought about that. He didn’t loosen his grip on

his lover, but he thought about what the older man said. Just being close to Michel
enflamed him—his earthy masculine scent, his rugged good looks, and the fact that he
was a fucking bear! It all played into Jason’s deepest desires, fantasies, and set his body
on fire. He loved the feel of him, the touch of his calloused fingers, the rub of his
whiskers against Jason’s sensitive skin.

Instead of helping him calm down, thinking about it set Jason’s blood on fire even

more. His body begged for his lover’s touch. He jerked impotently on Michel’s shoulders.
“P-please. I n-need, need you,” he admitted.

The low growl that rumbled through Michel’s body vibrated through Jason…and his

balls. “O-oh!” Jason’s cock throbbed and his balls rolled. Michel moved his thigh, pressing
it against his erection, giving him delicious pressure, and he came. Waves of pleasure and
warmth pulsed through him as his orgasm bowled over him. He twitched and shuddered,
this time in bliss. “M-Michel,” he slurred, his hand grabbing at his lover spastically.

Michel groaned and jerked above him. Warm fluid oozed over his hip, dripped down his

side and over his slowly softening penis.

Jason grinned. His lover had come just from seeing him do so, from holding him,

touching him, maybe even smelling him? “So fucking sexy,” he mumbled, smiling almost
drunkenly up at Michel.

Chuckling, Michel grinned down at him. “Gods above, sweetheart. The things ye have

me doin’.” He leaned down and nipped Jason’s lower lip. “I don’t remember the last time I
came with nary a touch like that.”

Sighing contentedly, Jason reached over and ran his fingertips over the course hair of

Michel’s thick beard. “You make me feel like that, too.”

“Like what?” Michel asked before turning his head and nipping Jason’s fingertip.
“Special,” Jason admitted. “You make me feel special.”
“Ye are special,” Michel returned, punctuating his statement with another kiss.
He reached over, grabbed a couple tissues, and cleaned them both up. He tossed them

in the garbage can beside the bed, grabbed the quilt, and pulled it up over both of them.
Manhandling him gently, Michel spooned up behind Jason’s back and held him close.

“So, ye probably have questions,” Michel murmured into Jason’s ear. “I’ll tell ye

anything, and probably even more than ye actually want to know.”

Jason remained silent for several minutes as he enjoyed the endorphins pinging

through him as well as the feel of Michel’s arms around him.

Finally, accepting that he couldn’t hide from the odd happenings of yesterday forever,

he asked, “Who were those men? And what happened to them?”

Michel gently stroked his chest for a few seconds before answering. “Me pack has been

fighting Doctor Sampson Marlow for a few years, tracking down his facilities, rescuing
shifters. The human believes we’re abominations just because we can turn into animals.
He’s been killing and trapping us, using us for experiments.”

Feeling the tension in his lover, Jason grimaced and threaded his fingers through

Michel’s, trying to soothe him. “He’s the leader, right? Does that mean you’ve stopped
him?” he asked, petting Michel’s arm-hair with his other hand.

“Aye, we’re hoping so,” Michel confirmed. “Brett is dead. That was the guy with the

glasses. Doctor Marlow is in custody. Declan is arranging to turn him over to the CIA.
They want him alive, although I haven’t heard why.”

“And that weird woman?” Jason pressed, shivering upon remembering the woman’s

cold, expressionless eyes and blank features.

Michel sighed and nuzzled into his neck, making Jason smile at the sweet move. He

liked that his lover took comfort from him. “Her name is Rachel Vinetti. She’s a wolf
shifter who was once part of our pack. She and her human husband betrayed us, sharing
information with Marlow’s people.” His arms tightened. “They have her on something
that controls her wolf. Lark is trying to figure it out, so he can help her.”

Jason didn’t know if he’d feel generous enough to try to help a human who’d hurt him,

but as long as he didn’t see her again, he wished that Lark fellow all the best. Knowing
there were other things he needed information on, he bit the bullet and asked, “Other
than being able to turn into a wolf, how are shifters different from humans? What does it
mean that I’m your mate?”

“I’ll answer yer second question first,” Michel told him. He paused for a few seconds,

idly petting Jason’s chest, perhaps gathering his thoughts. Finally, he explained, “A shifter
is granted by Fate one mate, who calms his restless spirit and fills the missing pieces of
his soul. When they find that person, they bond with them—in essence, marriage with no
opportunity for divorce.”

“Uh, wow.” Jason peered over his shoulder at Michel, seeing his serious expression.

“And you really think I’m your, uh, mate? How do you tell?”

Michel cupped Jason’s jaw and gently rubbed his thumb over his bottom lip. “A shifter

knows by scent, and I am certain. I—” He paused and grimaced, guilt flashing across his
expression, then revealed, “I’m afraid I’ve already bonded us, Jason. I—I can’t live without
ye.”

Jason’s jaw sagged open in shock at Michel’s whispered words. “I, uh. Wow. How?” He

stopped, knowing he made no sense.

Staring intently, Michel replied, “A shifter claims their mate by biting them during sex.

We share our seed and our saliva. I hadn’t intended to bite ye until ye understood, but…”
He actually flushed, the blood darkening his already bronzed skin around the edges of his

beard. His dark eyes turned nearly black as he swept his gaze over Jason’s blanket-
covered body. “Fuck, Jason. Ye were so sexy and begged so prettily. When ye asked to be
marked, I couldn’t control meself.”

“Oh!” Jason’s blood heated and flowed south responding to not only the feral light in

Michel’s eyes, but the low way he growled his words. On instinct, Jason pushed closer
and, rocking his ass, discovered Michel once more sported an erection.

Rolling over, he pressed his own quickly filling cock against Michel’s. He rocked his

hips, feeling near desperate for friction. “Fuck. Is that why we can’t seem to keep our
hands off each other?” Jason mumbled, threading his fingers through the thick chest hair
covering most of Michel’s chest.

“Exactly,” Michel growled, lowering his head and claiming Jason’s mouth. He licked his

way into Jason’s mouth, nipping and tasting, then lightly sucked Jason’s bottom lip
before releasing it and sighing. “Shite, we really need to talk.” He gave Jason a rueful
smile. “Mayhap I should leave the bed.”

Jason didn’t want that, and quickly told Michel so. “I’ll be good,” he promised.
Michel chuckled. “Right.” He still shifted his lower body away from him, which caused

Jason to thrust out his lower lip in a pout. Snorting, Michel shook his head. He released
Jason and propped his head on his hand, so he could continue to focus on him. To Jason’s
pleasure, at least his lover still kept one hand on Jason’s belly, lightly skimming his
fingers over the sensitive skin of his side.

“How about I give ye something else to think about,” Michel offered.
Jason bit his lip and nodded. Focusing on something other than the way his cock

throbbed, desperate for touch, for relief, even though it hadn’t been that long since he’d
come, would probably be a good idea. Just the memory made even more blood flow south.

Damn!
As if he could read Jason’s mind, Michel smiled knowingly. Fortunately, he started

speaking. “I am three hundred seventy-eight years old. I was born in Ireland and have
seen many changes take place over the years. On more than one occasion, just like I’m
doing now, I have to pull back from society, so humans I know forget about me. After a
decade or so of solitude, I’ll reenter society with a new identity.”

Jason’s brows shot up. “Wow! You’re almost four hundred years old? How old do

shifters live?”

“Me father died nearly seventy years ago at the ripe old age of five hundred twenty-

one,” Michel told him.

“And your mother?”
Michel smiled faintly. “She died within a week of him. That’s the way of shifters and

Fated mates.”

Cocking his head, Jason frowned. “Wait. If you could live over five hundred years, you

have possibly another hundred and fifty years, right?”

“Aye,” Michel confirmed.
“But humans don’t normally live too much past eighty.” Jason nibbled his bottom lip as

he worked out his thoughts. “Does that mean by mating with me, you’ve shortened your
lifespan?”

Michel reached up and used his thumb to tug Jason’s abused flesh from between his

teeth. “It’s the opposite, actually,” he revealed. “Yer life will be extended to match mine. If
I live another hundred fifty years, so will you. Me father was a shifter. Me mother was
human. She died because he did.”

For a second, Jason didn’t get it. It hit him and he gasped. “If you die, I die?”
“Aye.”
The quiet confirmation rocked Jason. He was now and forever, completely tied to

another man’s life. What could he say to that? And to have no say in the matter? “I—” He
stopped, realizing that he’d had a choice—and made it—without even knowing. What did
he do now?

“I don’t know what to say,” he whispered, stunned.
He’d already irrevocably changed his life once in the last month. Now, he’d done it

again, albeit unwittingly. He’d come here to get his life back on track, falling back on a
promise from an uncle he rarely spoke to, but who’d never judged him. Now, he found out
that some men could turn into animals and one had claimed him. What did that mean for
his life?

At least this conversation had caused his boner to dissipate. Michel had been right. He’d

definitely given him something else to think about.

Jason looked up and found Michel watching him, concern tightening his brows. He

sighed. “What do you expect to happen? What’s this mean for…us?”

Michel slowly blew out a breath between his lips. “It means…” He paused, his eyes

narrowing. For a second, Michel’s dark eyes glittered. “Fuck this is horrible timing,” he
grumbled.

Already uncertain about this thing between them, Jason snapped. “What the hell does

that mean?”

“Shite, I’m fucking this up.” Michel growled.
In a smooth move, Michel rolled on top of Jason and trapped his wrists in one hand

above his head, gripping his hair tightly in the other hand. He used the hold to tilt Jason’s
head back and he glared down at him fiercely. “You are me mate. Me life. I am nothing
without ye. I want to please ye, care for ye, see to yer every need and make ye happy. Keep
ye safe. I want to be yer partner.”

For several seconds, Michel swept his gaze over and over Jason’s face. “It’s fucking

horrible timing because I’m in hiding. I can’t woo ye the way I’d like, the way ye deserve. I
can’t wine and dine ye. I can’t go into town at all for probably another seven or eight
years, until everyone has forgotten all about William McTiedry.”

“Who’s William McTiedry?” Jason asked, because he knew he couldn’t process

everything else Michel had said.

Michel’s body seemed to sag. “I’m William McTiedry, Jason. Or I was up until just over

three years ago. Now William’s a name on a death certificate. It’s something I’ve had to
do before. Reinvent meself. Create a new history, start a new life. Shifters know it’s
something that has to be done occasionally and we support each other through the lonely
times.”

Growling in frustration, Michel released him and flopped onto his back beside him. He

stared up at the ceiling and snarled, “Now, I find I have a young, sexy mate, who’s just
starting his life, and I won’t be able to join him in all the fun things he wants to do.”

“That’s what you think of me?” Jason whispered, shocked at the man’s words. Michel

had just made it painfully obvious that he saw Jason as a pretty, playboy who didn’t know
what he wanted out of life. In his defense, they hadn’t talked, and Jason had fallen into
his arms as soon as Michel had crooked a finger. Still, if Fate had chosen him for Michel,
shouldn’t the man have a little faith in him?

Michel groaned and turned his head to look at him. “Ye’re twenty-two. What am I

supposed to think?”

Jason nodded slowly, trying to pull his thoughts together. The proximity of the other

man made it hard to think rationally. That’s when it hit him. Obviously, they both needed
time to get their heads on straight. Jason knew he needed time to accept that shifters
existed. He needed to decide how a life with Michel would work, too, and lying here next
to him didn’t give him the opportunity to figure that out.

“We don’t know each other very well. That’s true,” Jason commented, searching for the

right words. “It seems we’ve jumped into the deep end without really discussing the
consequences.” He cringed, knowing how that sounded even before he saw Michel wince.
“Look, I understand you acted on instinct, right? Cause you’re mixed with an animal?”
Grimacing, Jason quickly added, “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I understand,” Michel grunted. “This is new…overwhelming, for ye.”
Jason sighed. “I’d like us to get to know each other, but…after everything that’s

happened, I think I need us to slow down.”

Michel nodded slowly. “Okay. I—I ask only one thing as we do this.”
Nodding in encouragement, Jason prodded, “If I can.”
“Ye can’t have anyone else touch ye. Shifters are possessive sons of bitches,” he warned.

“And I worry I’d track the bastard down and kill him if I scented that something…intimate
happened between you and another.”

Jason nodded once. That was an easy one. He couldn’t imagine allowing anyone but

Michel to touch him any time soon, anyway. “Of course.”

Chapter Eight

Michel leaped over the log, his paws crunching on last fall’s leaves upon landing, and
galloped after the hare. It veered sharply left, and Michel almost didn’t make the turn.
Righting his course, he sped after the rabbit. His prey dodged wildly to the left, again.

Growling in pleasure, Michel knew he had it. He leaped, knowing the beast was about

to freeze upon figuring out its way was blocked by a cliff. Michel’s left front paw landed
on the hare’s back, nearly flattening the animal with the force of his landing. He instantly
wrapped his jaw around the creature and bit, hard.

Blood and hair filled his mouth and he quickly ripped out his dinner’s throat.
Once certain the hare dead, Michel grabbed it in his jaws and trotted through the forest

toward the clearing around his cabin. Dropping the rabbit on his porch, he happily started
chowing down his supper.

It felt good to be out in his wolf form, running and hunting, easing his needs in the

most primitive way. Lifting his head, he cocked an ear. The only way it’d be better was if
his mate had been waiting for him, encouraging him to shift so they could cook and enjoy
the plump hare together. Sighing, Michel peered around the clearing surrounding his
cabin.

A yip drew his attention, pulling him out of his melancholy thoughts.
A moment later, Jamie appeared through the trees. One of his best friends, the light

brown wolf trotted toward him, his tongue lolling. A moment later, two more wolves
appeared—one black and one blond—dragging a doe behind them. Jamie yipped again,
offering him part of their kill as recompense for hunting on his land.

Leaving his half-eaten hare behind, Michel trotted down the steps to join his friends

and enjoy the venison feast provided. For several minutes, the sound of tearing flesh and
crunching bone was the only sound filling the clearing. The blond wolf stepped back and
the man shifted. Within a minute, a muscular blond—who appeared in his forties but
Michel knew had actually celebrated his three century mark six years prior—crouched
next to them.

“All right, ye dogs,” Preall jeered. “That’s enough. Let’s get this deer quartered. I want

some fucking steaks tonight for supper.”

Michel growled and grabbed one hind leg between his teeth, playfully tugging it away

from Preall. His buddy laughed while Jamie, who evidently agreed with Preall, nipped at
his haunch. Michel growled again, but released the animal. He sat back and let his tongue
loll.

He really appreciated his buddies coming out to keep him company. Especially since, if

they hadn’t been here while out running as wolf, he would have been hunting Jason
down.

He’d known all of them for centuries, growing up—to varying degrees—in Ireland.

Jamie—a light brown wolf—was the youngest. He’d hit his three century mark in another

couple months. Still single, he hopped from bed partner to bed partner, claiming he
refused to settle down until he found his mate.

Michel completely understood. He’d felt the same way. Once more, his thoughts turned

to Jason and he had to drag them away to focus on his friends.

Laramie—the black wolf—had found his mate over a century before, right after they’d

come over from Ireland. He’d gone through his own time of exile almost twenty years
ago, with his sweet blond woman—Denise. They had two cubs together, and since they
were both grown, were making sounds as if they planned to try for a third.

He wished them both all the best.
Preall had just come out of their kind’s self-induced exile a year before, and Michel still

kicked himself for not joining his long-time buddy. It wouldn’t have been the end of the
world to go into hiding early, but he’d wanted a few more years to be Josh’s grandfather…
something else he’d need to discuss with Jason. Michel had kids.

If Jason ever returned his calls.
Michel had agreed to take things slow, even though leaving his mate with a concerned

Raul and Sean had been the hardest thing he’d ever done in all his life. He’d called Jason
the next day, but Sean had informed him that his mate had needed a couple days to
decompress and accept and hadn’t wanted to speak with him.

That had been four days ago.
Of course, that didn’t stop Michel from texting Jason’s phone several times a day.

However, the lack of response was getting old. It took every bit of self-control Michel
possessed to keep from hunting Jason down and demanding to know when slow had
turned into silent treatment.

A nip to Michel’s haunch brought him whipping around and snarling. Jamie whined

and dropped to his back. Michel immediately felt bad. He knew his friend was near
bottom on the totem pole that made up their pack, but he hadn’t meant to make him feel
like he had to show his belly.

Michel softly bumped Jamie with his snout, encouraging him back to his feet, then

nuzzling his neck and shoulder. Quick to rebound, Jamie nudged him back, then bounced
away.

Amused, Michel initiated his shift. Once human, he pulled the wolf into his arms and

ruffled his fur. “Ye silly, pup,” he murmured affectionately.

Jamie licked Michel’s neck and the chin of his beard.
Laughing, Michel shoved him away. “Shift already. We have a deer to skin. Congrats on

the kill, by the way,” he added, knowing his friend could always use more praise.

After one more yip and wriggling wolf prance—really, Michel had no idea when his

friend would grow up—Jamie initiated his shift. After a moment, a grinning, slender,
light-brown haired—and surprisingly short for a shifter at only five foot nine—man knelt
nearby.

Jamie jumped to his feet and rubbed his hands together, completely comfortable with

his nudity, as all of them were. “I call dibs on the liver. I plan to make liver and onions,”
he announced.

Michel opened his mouth to contest the claim. Liver and onions was damn good. He

thought better of it and huffed a laugh. “As long as I get invited to that meal.”

“Sure. You and yer boy toy,” Jamie replied. He winked. “I heard he’s really cute. How’d

ye let that little morsel slip through yer fingers?”

At that, Michel couldn’t control his growl of anger and annoyance. He didn’t know what

bothered him more—the fact that Jamie, and evidently some others, were checking his
mate out, or that Michel really had somehow allowed Jason to slip through his fingers.

He repeatedly racked his brain, trying to figure out what he’d said to make his mate

run. He just couldn’t figure it out. He thought he’d been clear. He needed Jason, wanted
to please him, care for him, and make him happy. What the hell more could someone ask
for? Even someone as young as Jason should appreciate that.

Michel’s eyes opened in shock and he felt the blood drain from his face as it suddenly

hit him. “Oh, shite,” he hissed. “Fuck, I’m an idiot.”

Laramie plopped down next to him, a knife in hand, and started working on the carcass.

“Aye, but we don’t mind ye anyway.” He paused and glanced over his shoulder. Upon
seeing Michel’s pale face, he cocked his head. “What is it?”

“I finally figured out why me mate wanted a breather,” Michel whispered.
“Last I heard, he took a big-arse needle in the arm for ye,” Preall commented from

where he, too, wielded a knife. “Ye wouldn’t catch me doin’ that, for ya. I’d a let ye take
that one on yer own.”

Jamie scowled around the group. “Come on, guys. Michel is hurtin’ here.” The shifter

came over and wrapped his arms around him from behind and rubbed his cheek against
Michel’s. “Tell us what happened. We’ll help ye out.”

Bowing his head, Michel sagged against the smaller man. He and his wolf appreciated

the support and camaraderie. “I essentially accused Jason of being a fickle party boy who
doesn’t know what he wants out of life.” He cringed at his own words, knowing how
brutal that could be, especially considering how sweet, kind, and open the young man had
been. “In retrospect, just telling me that we didn’t know each other and needed to slow
down was…kind.”

Preall glared at him. “I’d say so. I would have boxed yer ears for an insult like that, even

if it were true.”

“Now, he won’t talk to me,” Michel told them. “How can I fix this if he won’t talk to

me?”

“It sounds like ye need to ambush him,” Laramie stated, not missing a beat as he peeled

off the hide and tossed it over his shoulder. He stood and, cocking his head, focused on
Michel. “Can ye enlist the aide of Sean? He had to wait months before trying to find his
mate, surely he’d understand the strain ye’re in.”

Michel felt hope blossom in his chest. “Aye. Although, when he had to wait, they hadn’t

been mated. Carson knows what it’s like though, and his mate is friends with Raul. I
could go talk to them. Mayhap they’d help, too.”

The more he thought about it, the more excited Michel became. He was part of a wolf

pack. They were his family. They’d help, wouldn’t they?

“That’s the spirit,” Jamie urged. “Get off yer arse and fight for yer mate.”
Michel’s wolf snarled at the weaker wolf’s mild criticism, but he managed to keep it off

his lips. The younger shifter was right. He needed to stop wallowing. He had to prove to
Jason that he could keep him happy even though he couldn’t accompany him to town, or
on dates, or anywhere not pack related…but there were plenty of pack locations he could
take Jason to.

He would show his mate that he could please him when they were together…and when

they weren’t, well, he’d have to trust his mate to return to him. Trust was key in any
pairing.

Feeling more confident than he had in days, Michel leaped to his feet. “I gotta go.”
“Not so fast,” Preall called. “If ye want Jamie to invite ye to his liver and onion supper,

ye have to help us finish this.”

Michel lifted a brow and turned back to his friends. Spreading his legs and crossing his

arms over his chest, he scowled at his two friends. “Oh, really? It’s not enough I let ye
hunt on me land, now I have to clean yer kill for ye, too?”

“Aye!” Jamie punctuated his word by leaping up onto his back, his naked front flush to

Michel’s back and his legs wrapping around his waist. From the way Jamie tilted and
jerked his body, he was obviously trying to take Michel down.

Rolling his eyes at the playful shifter—aye, Jamie needs a keeper—Michel frowned over

his shoulder at his friend and lifted a brow imperiously. “That all ye got, cub?”

Jamie growled, which surprised Michel enough that he didn’t notice Laramie running

at him from his left…until his friend wrapped huge arms around both him and Jamie and
took them both to the ground. Seconds later, Preall howled and leaped on the pile.

Michel let go of his worries, his fears, and his tension, and lost himself wrestling with

his best friends. He didn’t know how long they rolled on the ground, limbs tangling,
chests heaving, as each attempted to pin another while avoiding being tackled and pinned
by still someone else.

His cock thickened. Michel jerked away from his friends in alarm. Never, never had he

reacted like that, and since he was mated, it shouldn’t have happened now.

“Oh, don’t stop on my account.”
Michel jerked around and found Jason standing on the back porch. The young man

glared frigidly as he took in the scene.

At least that explained his suddenly randy state, Michel decided. “Jason,” he cried in

shock, pleasure and confusion filling him in equal measure. What was his mate doing
here? And why did he appear so upset?

“Typical,” Jason mumbled.
Only Michel’s heightened hearing allowed him to make out his mate’s words.
“I need a few days to wrap my head around shifters and mating and everything else you

fucking dumped on me…” His voice rose in anger and hurt with each word he spoke.

Michel found his jaw sagging open in shock. What the hell?
“Well, fuck you, Michel! I don’t need you either!”
Still dumbfounded, Michel watched Jason whirl around and disappear around the front

of the porch. Hands shoving him from behind jerked him out of his stupor. “Go after him,
ye idiot,” Preall hissed.

Right!

Michel sprinted to the front of the house, spurred on by the sound of a truck engine

turning over. He didn’t know how he’d missed the loud sound while wrestling, but
evidently he had. Unfortunately, when he rounded the bend, he arrived in time only to see
the vehicle’s taillights disappear through the trees.

“Shite!”
Michel ran his hand through his hair and over his beard, frustration and despair filling

him. His mate had finally come to speak with him, and he’d found him wrestling, buck-
arse nude, with his friends. It wasn’t that much of a leap to jump to the wrong
assumption, especially since Jason was human.

Slender arms wrapped around him from behind and, although Michel recognized

Jamie’s scent, he didn’t turn to look at the shorter, smaller shifter. “I’m sorry,” Jamie
whispered.

Michel grimaced. “It’s not yer fault.”
“We’ll help ye fix this, Michel,” Preall assured, joining them in the group hug just as

Laramie did.

“Aye,” Laramie agreed. “Ye’ll be wooing him again in no time.”
Michel allowed his eyelids to slide shut and inhaled slowly, catching a trace of his

mate’s scent lingering on the breeze. His heart ached in his chest, making it hard to
breathe. After what had happened, he wasn’t so certain.

Chapter Nine

Jason lounged on the back deck, staring across the darkened expanse of lawn at the even
darker forest. Having been sitting with the lights off for the last half hour, his eyes had
adjusted, allowing him to make out the individual trunks and even the leaves.

The squeak of the back door’s hinge caught his attention. He turned his head and

watched Sean step through the darkened doorway and join him on the porch. “Ah, there
you are.”

“Here I am,” Jason responded. He returned his focus to his study of the forest as he

took a drink of his beer.

He imagined he could see several pairs of eyes glowing amidst the trees. It made him

think of Michel in wolf form, his eyes gleaming with feral intelligence. Waking to the pain
of the wolf’s bite had shocked Jason, but he’d figured out pretty quickly the beast had felt
remorse. It was odd, being able to sort of understand the creature’s mood and actions…
freaky really.

Jason bit back a sigh and took another swig of beer. After he’d left Michel’s—and didn’t

the fact that the man hadn’t bothered to come after him say it all—he’d needed a drink,
and some alone time to decompress. He’d zipped into town, picked up beer, pizza, hot
wings, and ice cream—all the best comfort foods—and returned home to figure out his
next step.

He’d heard from Antonio’s Pizzeria that morning. The mom and pop owned Italian

restaurant had offered him the waiter job he’d wanted. At the time, he’d taken it as a sign
that he should stay and try to figure out how to make a relationship with a certain
reclusive wolf shifter work. He’d found his lover rolling around with not one but three
other men.

Jason had just about died right then and there. He still didn’t know how he’d managed

to confront the man. He almost felt as though someone else had taken over his body, but
damn had it felt good to tell the guy off.

From the corner of his eye, Jason watched Sean slowly sweep his gaze over first him,

then the forest. Sean pointed at the beer and asked, “You old enough to drink that?”

“Yeah. Wanna see my license?” Jason responded sardonically.
“Nope,” Sean replied, dropping into the chair next to him. He turned and grinned at

him. “You gonna offer me one?”

Jason couldn’t help it. He snorted, amusement filling him against his will. “Here.”

Jason grabbed a bottle from the case of twelve sitting next to his gliding rocker’s base and
handed it to Sean. Besides, Jason reasoned, if he actually drank all of them, he’d end up
so sick. The couple friends he’d left behind at college hadn’t called him a lightweight for
nothing.

“Thanks.” Sean popped the cap and took several healthy swallows. Letting out a

contended sigh, he set the bottle on his thigh and asked, “Are you gonna tell me what

happened?”

“Nothing happened.”
When his uncle and Sean had bundled Lily into their SUV and left the house hours

earlier, Jason had been watching a movie. As soon as they’d gone, he’d borrowed his
uncle’s truck and headed to Michel’s. He sure as shit didn’t want to admit how that had
turned out.

They drank in silence for a moment. Jason finished his beer and started another.
“Did you know,” Sean started conversationally. “That a shifter can tell when someone is

lying?”

Jason almost spewed the sip of beer he’d taken. “What?”
“You’re lying, Jason,” Sean stated, not at all repentant about his accusation. “You know,

we can’t help if you won’t talk to us.”

Not wanting to explain, Jason remained stubbornly silent.
Sean wasn’t so inclined. “Well, let me guess then. You finally decided to get off your

mopey ass and seek Michel out.” He pointed the neck of his beer bottle at the cell phone
Jason balanced on his thigh.

Much to Jason’s consternation, the device had also remained stubbornly silent…except

for one call from his mom, which he’d sent to voicemail. He had no intention of dealing
with her right then. He didn’t even want to bother checking the message.

“I know you’ve been receiving texts from him.” Sean smirked at Jason. “The average

shifter’s eyesight is quite good. When your screen lights up, I could often make out the
name and number.”

Jason rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah,” he grumbled. “So you’ve mentioned. Quicker

healing, more agile, better eyesight, stronger, faster. Ya’ll are just so dandy.”

Sean laughed for a moment, before he took in Jason’s scowl. “For our mates, that’s a

bonus. Some of those perks transfer to our human mates when we bond with them,” he
explained. “You’ll have a higher resistance to illness as well as heal faster from injuries.
Not as quick as us,” he added with a wink, “but still…” Sean paused for a second and
leaned close. “Just think of Michel’s exceptional stamina and recuperative abilities,” he
quipped, waggling his brows comically.

Anger and hurt stabbed through Jason. Unable to keep his mouth shut, he snarled,

“Well, he seems to be sharing those things with someone other than me.” He rubbed his
neck, feeling the mark Michel had left on his nape. “Several someones. He was rolling
around on the ground with three other men.” He fought back tears of betrayal and added,
“He was hard…hard for them.”

“Wait a minute,” Sean said, holding up his empty hand. “He was getting it on with some

other guys? But—” He snapped his mouth shut while his eyes narrowed at where Jason
rubbed his neck.

Sean switched his beer to his other hand, then reached out and grabbed Jason’s shirt.
“Hey,” Jason tried to pull away, but Sean held fast.
“Hold still,” Sean growled.
Shocked at the man’s aggressive tone, Jason froze.
Sean tugged down the back of Jason’s shirt and traced one finger over Michel’s mark.

Jason just held back a shiver at the touch to the sensitive skin. Just as suddenly, Sean’s
hold disappeared.

Jason turned and frowned at his uncle’s lover. “What the hell?” he snapped.
Licking his lips, Sean’s eyes narrowed. He took a sip of beer, then pointed out, “That’s a

mating mark, Jason. I know you said you had sex. Is the bond complete?”

Uncertain what all bonding entailed, Jason just shrugged. He knew it’d been mentioned

a couple of times, but with all the information dumped on him, he wasn’t completely sure
how to answer that.

Growling, Sean glared at him for a second. Evidently, he correctly read Jason’s silence,

for he snapped, “Look. A shifter bonds with his mate by sharing both his seed and his
saliva. The bite on your neck mixed Michel’s saliva with your blood. Did you use a
condom?”

The blunt words and question caused embarrassed heat to flow up his neck and

through his cheeks. At Sean’s frustrated growl, Jason managed to unstick his tongue. “N-
no. He said he was clean and since I’d never—” He bit off the rest of his words.

“Shit,” Sean mumbled. He gulped the rest of his beer, put the bottle down, then turned

and captured Jason’s gaze. “Look, Jason. Whatever you think you saw, you really didn’t
see.”

Jason opened his mouth, ready to fire off an angry and indignant response. Sean wasn’t

there, so how dare he tell Jason what he did and didn’t see.

Sean held up his hand. “Let me explain.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, Jason arched one brow. This oughta be good.
“Okay,” Sean murmured. He huffed a sigh, then claimed, “Once a shifter is mated, he

can’t be turned on by anyone other than his mate. You’re a cute guy, but you could dance
naked on the porch railing and I wouldn’t get hard,” Sean claimed.

Jason flushed, once again embarrassed, at that image. He had no intention of testing

that particular theory. He remembered Michel turning around, naked, shocked, and hard.
“But I saw him. He was hard.”

Sean rolled his eyes. “Did you forget what I told you about a shifter’s heightened

senses? He was responding to you, not his buddies. You were near. You’re his mate. He
hadn’t seen you in days. You turned him on.”

Frowning, Jason grabbed another beer and popped the cap. After taking a drink to wet

his throat, he asked, “Then how come he didn’t tell me that?”

“Did you give him a chance?”
Jason curled a lip at the other man’s exasperated tone. “He was naked, rolling around

with three other men! Why the hell would I give him a chance? Why would I think it was
anything other than what it looked like?”

“Point taken,” Sean replied slowly. “But he’s a shifter. We don’t really care too much

about things like nudity. We’re not a modest bunch since we have to get naked to shift,
otherwise we’ll get tangled in our clothes.” Sean grimaced. “It happens to most of us at
least once as an adolescent while learning to control our shift. We learn pretty damn fast
that it’s not comfortable.”

Sucking in a breath, Jason felt his blood heat at the idea of a naked Michel. He rubbed

his forefinger across his brow a couple times, trying to get his thoughts in order and ease
the ache caused by stress behind his eyes.

Sean, Raul, Jared, and Carson had taken him running a couple times over the past few

days. He’d turned his back each time the men undressed and shifted. Those few runs had
taught him that shifters weren’t wild animals while in their wolf form, being able to
reason, understand, and even interact with others. Their hierarchy remained intact
regardless of whether human or wolf.

Jason hated to admit it, but Sean made sense. Shifting with clothes on would be a

problem. Still, that didn’t explain why Michel was wrestling with three other men. He
remembered Carson and Sean wrestle in wolf form. Would they do the same as humans?

Michel had said he was old, did that mean he had kids? Could those have been his

sons? Jason felt the blood drain from his face. There was a sobering thought. Would he
have to act as a parent? He knew he wasn’t ready for that.

Groaning, Jason grabbed a fresh beer and held the cool bottle to his temple. Tears of

frustration threatened the backs of his eyes. “Do you have any idea how frustrating it is to
not understand your culture?”

“You’ll get it,” Sean assured, patting him on the back, then he helped himself to another

beer and lounged back.

“Guess I’ll have to eat crow, huh?” he mused.
Sean snorted. “Michel will probably just be so damn happy you’re willing to talk to him

after such a misunderstanding you won’t even need to apologize.”

Although that heartened Jason, he didn’t think that’d be fair. He knew they both had

things to apologize for as well as a lot to discuss. “Guess I know what I’m doing
tomorrow.”

Sean just grunted.

Jason palmed his phone and tapped it against his shorts-clad leg. He didn’t feel right

about just dropping in on Michel…not after what had happened the last time.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t seem to gather enough courage to call the man either. Would
Michel return a text, maybe? But how should he start? Who were those men and why
were you naked with them?

He watched Uncle Raul scramble eggs and fry potatoes while Sean handled the bacon.

They touched each time they passed, a hand on a hip here, a trail of fingers over a
shoulder there. It was innocent and sweet, and Jason’s heart ached with longing. He
wanted that.

Screwing up his courage, Jason grabbed his mug of coffee and headed onto the back

porch. He set his coffee on the porch railing and sucked in a deep lungful of crisp,
morning, mountain air. Letting it out slowly, he hit send. The symbol for a call connecting
showed up on his screen. He lifted the speaker to his ear and waited with bated breath.

It went to voicemail. Disappointment flooded him, instantly replaced by longing as he

listened to Michel’s deep, gruff voice.

“Convince me to call ye back.”
Jason almost snorted at the curt command. Licking his lips, he opened his mouth to say

something…anything. Jason snapped his mouth shut just as quickly as three wolves
prowled out of the trees into the clearing.

He didn’t recognize them.
Dropping his phone, Jason heard the plastic clatter on the deck’s boards. He ignored it,

slowly backing away. A furtive look backward told him the door was three steps to the left.
The door opened and Uncle Raul stepped out. His uncle paused, frowning.

“I know I’ve seen you all around, but I’m not sure I know you,” Uncle Raul stated,

confirming that they were local shifters. “What’s up?”

Just then, a fourth wolf padded out of the forest. He growled at the other three, then

started to shift. Jason frowned. Did he recognize this one? To his shock, after about
fifteen seconds of listening to sinew pop and bones crack—which made Jason cringe—
Michel stood in the clearing…in the buff.

Saliva pooled in Jason’s mouth and his pulse sped up, flooding his groin with blood,

even as jealousy ripped through him. How the hell did other humans get used to their
significant others parading around naked in front of others?

Michel looked over his shoulder at the three wolves, who now sat in a semi-circle

behind him. “What the hell are the three of ye doing here?” he snarled, before turning
back to Jason’s uncle. “I came to see me mate.” Michel then fixed his piercing dark-eyed
focus on Jason. “We need to talk, Jason.”

“You need to put some clothes on.” Jason blurted the first thing that came into his

head.

Smirking, Michel ignored everyone else as he stalked toward him. “What’s the matter,

sweetheart? Don’t ye like the view?”

Michel’s deep voice rumbled through Jason, making his balls throb and his fingers

tingle with the need to touch all that hard muscle and course hair on display.

“Were you expecting a guest?” Uncle Raul asked, his dry tone cutting into Jason’s lust-

glazed thoughts.

Jason snapped back to the present, remembering their location. “Others shouldn’t see

your naked ass,” he hissed. After a heartbeat, Jason remembered Sean’s words the prior
evening about modesty, not to mention how Sean and Carson stripped in front of
everyone to shift. Jason quickly added, “At least, not for more than a minute before or
after shifting.”

Michel’s brows shot up. “I didn’t really have time to grab clothes. Me buddies—” He

glared over his shoulder at the three wolves, who were all in various stages of shifting
—“took off, threatening to bring ye to me. I guess they didn’t believe me when I told them
I’d planned to swing over here later.”

“Oh, uh,” Jason wasn’t certain how to respond to that. He glanced behind Michel and

swept his gaze over the three men behind Michel. Now that they were human, he realized
they were the men he’d been wrestling with yesterday. “Your buddies?” he mumbled.

The shortest man—a slender guy with light brown hair, appeared to be in his late

thirties, and stood perhaps an inch or so taller than Jason—stepped forward. His
expression tentative, he twisted his fingers together in front of him. “I’m really sorry
about yesterday. It was all me fault. Michel had been gettin’ set to come track ye down

when I got it in me hair-brained head to tackle him.” He grimaced and, glancing at the
ground nervously, added, “It’s me fault ye found us like that. We were just wrestlin’, ye
know?”

“Heads up!” Sean’s holler caught everyone’s attention just as sweats started flying

through the air toward the various naked men in the clearing. “Why don’t you all come
inside. You can help us fix more food, and we can leave Jason and Michel to, uh…talk.”

Jason’s jaw dropped as Sean winked lasciviously at him, then motioned toward the

sliding door that opened into the dining room. Jason watched as the other two men, a big
dark-haired fellow and an even bigger blond, patted Michel on the shoulder and gave him
encouraging smiles. The other guy, the one who’d spoken, gave Michel a hug, then offered
Jason a nervous smile as he hustled inside past them.

Uncle Raul turned and gave Jason a searching look. “You gonna be okay?”
Knowing he really needed to get things straightened out between them, Jason nodded.

“Yeah.”

After his uncle gave him an encouraging nod, Raul frowned at Michel. “Don’t fuck up

again,” he warned coldly.

Jason bit back a smile, pleasure filling him at his uncle’s protectiveness. As Uncle Raul

sauntered back into the house, Jason turned to find a now partially clothed Michel—too
bad, since they were now alone—stalking toward him.

“M-Michel,” he squeaked, unable to keep the needy whine out of his voice.
How did I stay away from him so long?
Then he remembered. His lover had been tangled up with those three men who’d

disappeared into his uncle’s house.

Jason took a step back and held up a hand. “I need to know what the hell you were

doing rolling around with three naked men.”

Having just stepped onto the deck, Michel froze.
“Y-you said I’m your mate, then…” Jason grimaced and waved his hand between Michel

and the doorway, vaguely indicating the guys who’d walked through it. “It fucking hurt,”
he whispered, swallowing hard, blinking hard to fight back the moisture threatening the
backs of his eyes.

Chapter Ten

Watching Jason blink back tears, Michel swiftly closed the distance between them and
wrapped his arms around his mate. He held him close, tucking the top of Jason’s head
under his chin—where he belonged. Seeing his sweet, young human fight his sadness, and
scenting the desolation, the betrayal Jason felt, almost caused Michel to tear up as well.

Michel ignored the man’s stiff posture and kept his hold on his sweetheart, knowing he

deserved nothing less after what his confused human mate had walked in on. “Those are
me friends…only friends,” Michel whispered into Jason’s ear. “They’d come over to cheer
me up, since I hadn’t heard from ye in a while.”

Grimacing at how accusatory that sounded, Michel slogged ahead. “I was depressed, so

they took me for a run. I caught a rabbit and returned to me cabin. While eating it, they
brought me a deer.”

Pausing, Michel tried to figure out if that would sound gross to a human. Realizing he

couldn’t really help it, Michel finished, “We were skinning the deer and shit when I
realized I shouldn’t have insinuated that just because ye’re young, ye didn’t know what ye
wanted or how to remain, well, faithful.”

Michel felt his lover tense in his arms, and he rushed forward. “I should have had more

faith in ye…trusted that ye felt our bond.” He gave in to his urge and rimmed the top of
Jason’s ear with his tongue for just an instant, momentarily satisfying his craving to taste
his mate. “I realize now why ye needed time to think, to be away from me. Please know,
I’ll do anythin’ to make it up to ye.”

Gently cupping Jason’s jaw, Michel tilted his mate’s head up so he could peer into his

lover’s beautiful green eyes. “Gods above, Jason. When I smelled ye, and me prick got
hard while wrestlin’ with me friends…it shocked the hell out of me. Then to find ye
standin’ there, so sexy in yer indignant rage…it took me breath away.”

He pressed his forehead against Jason’s.
“I never meant to hurt ye, mate. I’d never intentionally do that. Ye’re everythin’ to me.”

Michel fell silent, pleading with his gaze, knowing there wasn’t much more he could say
at that point.

Jason would either forgive him, or he wouldn’t.
Finally, finally, Jason’s arms came up and wrapped around Michel’s torso, completing

the embrace. Jason sagged against him and rubbed his cheek against his chest hair.
Michel sighed and kissed the top of his head, nuzzling the soft red and brown strands.
Closing his eyes, Michel relished the quiet moment.

“So, those are your friends?” Jason asked tentatively, his words muffled.
“They are,” Michel confirmed. “I’ve known them for centuries.”
“Centuries?”
“Aye. I grew up in Ireland. That’s where the pack originated. We moved here about a

century ago when superstitions abounded and the fears they created threatened the safety

of the pack,” Michel explained. “Laramie has a mate, Denise. They met right after we
moved to the United States. The other two, Preall and Jamie, are still searching for their
mates.”

Michel’s admission was met with silence for a few seconds. Jason tilted his head back

and Michel looked down to meet his young lover’s worried gaze. “And you don’t have
anything, um—” He paused for a second and nibbled his lip.

“Ye can ask me anything. To the best of me ability, I’ll tell ye the truth,” Michel vowed.
“You don’t have anything going on with any of them?”
Taking advantage of their position, Michel pressed his lips to Jason’s, licking along the

seam and nipping lightly on his mate’s plump lower lip before sucking it gently. He lifted
his head just enough to whisper against Jason’s lips, “Nay. Never. I’ll admit to having
relationships over the years.” Knowing he couldn’t hide anything from his mate, Michel
added, “I’ve even been married. Her name was Kelly,” he told him.

Bittersweet emotion filled him at the memory of his late wife. They’d had a good, long

run together and had been mostly happy. “We had three kids.” He’d gotten tired of
waiting for his mate, and wanted a stable relationship. “She knew about shifters, knew
about mates, and she knew she wasn’t mine, but we loved each other.”

Michel stared into Jason’s eyes, relieved to find no condemnation, only concern. “Kelly

was a good woman. She died almost ten years ago.”

“Your last relationship?” Jason asked, his brows lifting, quickly putting two and two

together.

“Aye. Two of our kids moved on to other packs,” Michel explained. “But our youngest

son, Darcy McTiedry, he lives locally with his mate, Leia, and their son, Jonathan. Me
grandson is the one who normally brings me supplies, since I can’t go into town quite,
yet.” Michel really hoped Jason would eventually volunteer for that duty…mayhap once
he convinced his mate to live with him.

Jason’s brows furrowed. “I’m not sure I understand that. Could you explain again?”
“Sure.”
Taking advantage of his mate’s willingness to talk and clear the air, Michel led the way

to one of the wooden gliders on the porch. He sat down and pulled Jason onto his lap,
pleased his human didn’t resist. Once situated, Michel started to explain.

“Because shifters live so long, every once in a while, we go into hiding. Our pack-mates

help us arrange for our old identity to die, and we live away from any humans that don’t
know about paranormals. We can still interact with pack-members, so we’re not
completely cut off,” Michel told him, idly slipping his hand under the hem of Jason’s
shirt, having missed getting to touch his mate.

“We stay mostly secluded until most of those that knew us best have either moved

away or passed on. Most of the time, it takes a decade or so. In any case,” he added, “we
change our looks a bit, in my case a beard.” Touching the thick, dark facial hair, he
continued, “We change our jobs, and avoid anyone who might recognize us.” He thought a
bit more and added, “Over the decade, we start to build our new identity. In me case, a
reclusive mountain man who’d prefer to live off the land and avoid society. I bought the
cabin from a pack-mate under me new name, Michel McDover, and over the course of the

years, the pack learns to call me by it, instead of me old name, making us all comfortable
with it.”

“And that works?” Jason asked, surprised.
Michel smiled. “Ye’d be surprised at what ye can hide in plain sight when people aren’t

lookin’ for it.”

“Huh.” Jason rested his head against Michel’s shoulder and they sat in silence for a

couple of minutes, lost in thought.

Michel continued to softly pet his mate’s skin, allowing him to assimilate everything

he’d just shared.

“I remember you saying you’re three hundred seventy-eight years old. That kinda blew

my mind for a while there,” Jason admitted. He rested a hand on Michel’s arm, running
his fingers through the hair there. “I wondered if you had kids. Now that I know you do,
you wouldn’t, um, expect me to be a stepparent or something to them, would you?”

Jason turned his head and glanced up at Michel through his lashes. “I’ve known I was

gay since I was fifteen, so having kids was never even a blip on my radar. Having to raise
one, well, that’d be an adjustment I don’t think I’m ready for.”

Michel appreciated Jason’s honesty. After all the info dumped on his mate, he knew it’d

take time to adjust, the assimilation process coming in pieces. This time, Michel vowed to
stand beside him. No way would he allow his mate to push him away again. He shouldn’t
have left his human the first time, but how could he have guessed how it’d turn out?

At least, Michel could lay this fear to rest. “Nay, sweetheart,” he replied. “All me

children are grown. After Kelly passed, I didn’t feel the urge to find another bed partner. I
really haven’t been with anyone in over a decade.” He winked. “No chance for wee ones
without sex.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean to insinuate you lied,” Jason quickly assured. He rubbed his

forehead against Michel’s neck, then reached up and nibbled the sensitive flesh under his
jaw where his beard started. “I love your beard. You’re not gonna shave it, are you?”

Grinning, Michel tilted his head to give him more access. “Nay, Jason. I won’t. It’s part

of me knew identity,” he admitted, winking. “Reclusive, crazy mountain man.”

Jason snickered, grabbed a few of Michel’s beard-hairs with his lips and tugged gently.

The move caused chills to spread down his neck, making his nipples bead and his prick
thicken.

“Don’t forget to add sexy in there,” Jason whispered. He wriggled a bit, turning around

until he sat across Michel’s lap in what was probably a more comfortable position and
started sucking up a mark on Michel’s neck.

“Ah, shite, Jason,” Michel moaned. He gripped Jason’s hips, holding his lover’s pert

arse firmly as he shifted his hips a bit, showing his lover just how good his mouth on him
felt. “Ye have to stop,” he pleaded, his prick aching in his borrowed sweats.

“Don’t wanna,” Jason mumbled where he worked his way up Michel’s jaw to his ear,

nipping, sucking, and tugging.

Hissing with pleasure, Michel forced out, “If ye don’t, we’ll end up givin’ everyone a

show, because I won’t be able to stop myself from bendin’ ye over the porch railing and
sinkin’ me aching cock into yer tight arse.”

The sound of the sliding door broke them apart. “As entertaining and hot as that

sounds, I don’t think your family would appreciate the show,” an amused male voice
stated. “Especially your mother.”

Jason lifted his head, revealing a dazed expression, dilated eyes, and puffy lips, swollen

from his beard hairs. So fucking sexy! It took every ounce of self-control Michel
possessed to keep from capturing his mate’s lips and ravishing him. Instead, he pulled his
gaze away from the enchanting sight and peered over to find Jared leering at them.

Michel growled softly. Not enough to offend the enforcer’s mate, but enough to warn

that he didn’t appreciate the man staring. The man’s actual words registered. “Wait.
Jason’s mother?”

“Indeed,” Jared replied, moving toward them. He held a pair of mugs in one hand and

held them out. “One’s black, and one contains a dash of cream and three teaspoons of
sugar.”

Clearing his head sounded like a good idea. Michel reached for the coffee mugs, easily

discerning which was which and handed the one with the extras to Jason. He’d have to
remember how his mate took his coffee.

“Where is he?” demanded a sharp, feminine voice.
Jason sighed and grimaced. “Sorry about this. Her maternal instincts come in waves.

Mostly she doesn’t care, but every once in a while…” He shook his head and called, “Out
here, Mom.”

When Jason moved to rise, Michel tightened his arm and kept him still. At Jason’s

questioning look, Michel instilled his voice with soothing calm as he said, “You and I are a
couple. She’ll have to get used to seeing us together if she plans to be a part of our lives.”

“O-okay,” Jason responded uncertainly. To cover the nervousness Michel scented

rolling off him, Jason took a sip of his coffee.

Michel followed his example. Over the rim of his coffee cup, he watched a reed thin

woman in red capris, matching wedge sandals, and a low-cut blue top—with obviously
fake tits—step onto the porch. She looked around, her lips pressing into a thin line and
her green eyes—so much like Jason’s—narrowed as she spied her son sitting on a clearly
older man’s lap.

“Jason, honey,” she greeted, stepping toward him. “When I heard about your illness and

you didn’t call me back, I got worried.” She stretched one hand toward him. “Come give
me a hug, sweetie.”

Jason glanced at Michel as if asking permission. Michel really liked that his mate

deferred to him, and he let him know by pressing a quick kiss to Jason’s lips and
whispering, “Come right back, sweetheart. Me arms feel empty without ye.”

The smile Jason bestowed upon him warmed Michel from the inside out. He felt his

heart clench in his chest as he released his hold and watched Jason cross to his mother
and give her a hug.

Gods above, I love that man.
Ah, shite! How did that happen so quickly?
Michel didn’t know, so blamed it on being a shifter. What he did know was that fighting

for his future with Jason was the only thing in his life right now. Instead of releasing him,

Brianna kept the fingers of her right hand—slender fingers so like Jason’s except tipped in
red and white acrylic nails—gripping Jason’s upper arm. Michel’s eyes narrowed when he
realized his lover couldn’t get away from the woman without appearing rude.

Rising from his seat, Michel stepped forward and held out his right hand. “I’m Michel

McDover. A pleasure to make ye’re acquaintance.”

With her right hand wrapped around her son’s arm, now it was her turn to have no

choice unless she wanted to be rude. From the pinched expression of her lips, Michel
figured she knew it, too. Reluctantly, she released her son and took his hand. “Brianna
Barringer,” she said.

While holding her hand, Michel took the opportunity to wrap his free arm around

Jason’s shoulders and tuck him in close. He kept his smile pleasant, even as Brianna
scowled.

As he released Brianna’s hand, he asked, “How’d ye hear about Jason’s illness?”
“Raul called. He said Jason had gotten sick from food poisoning and had fallen on some

rusty metal,” she stated. Turning to her son, she added, “He wanted to know if you were
up to date on your tetanus shot and if you were allergic to anything.”

Brianna swept her gaze over them, taking in where Michel held Jason. Her fingers

actually twitched as if she wanted to yank him away.

Michel rubbed his fingers over the exposed flesh of Jason’s upper arm, trying to ease

the tension in his lover’s body.

“Well, I’m fine, Mom. I’m sorry I didn’t call you back. I’ve, uh, been busy,” Jason

responded.

“I see.” Brianna lifted one brow imperiously. She waved acrylic-tipped fingers at Michel.

“And this man is, what? Your boyfriend? You can’t be serious.”

Michel growled almost silently in his throat, but he knew Jason could still feel it, for his

lover brought up his left hand and rubbed his exposed chest in reassurance.

Jason scowled at his mother. “Mother, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t speak about Michel

that way. I care deeply for him and enjoy his company. We enjoy the same interests, like
hiking and cooking and nature. He’s important to me and he’s a good man.”

He stopped and took a breath. Michel could see the woman gearing up to say something

else, probably equally scathing. Jason evidently figured the same thing.

“Mom, why are you really here?” Jason demanded, his voice soft but firm. “Your view

on me and my lifestyle was made quite clear when you allowed Arthur to knock me
around.”

Brianna had the decency to flush as she turned to peer at the trees around them. “I

understand how Arthur’s reactions can seem harsh, but he really just wants what’s best
for you.”

This time, the soft growl didn’t come from Michel, but Jason.
Feeling his brows shoot up, Michel watched Jason lift a hand and point a finger at his

mother as he snarled, “Arthur would never have hit Alisha or Trina, and if he had, you
would have intervened. You would have handed him his ass!” Jason’s voice lowered and
his gaze flicked toward Jared. “And if he had,” he growled, “we wouldn’t be having this
conversation, because I would have gotten all three of us away from him.”

“How dare you!” Brianna huffed.
“No!” Jason snapped. “How dare you, Mom! I love you, but your parenting skills need

work.”

Brianna’s eyes narrowed and she lifted one brow, peering down her nose at him. “It’s an

empty threat. We both know it.”

Scoffing, Jason shook his head, “Oh, no, Mom. It’s not.”
When Michel saw Jason glance toward Jared, who gave him a smug smile and slight

nod, he fought to hide his curiosity. What the hell was going on here?

“You keep Arthur in line, Mom,” Jason ordered softly, his voice cold. “Or we’ll make

sure he feels every strike he lays on my sisters.”

And that answers that. Even as pride flooded Michel at watching Jason stand up to his

odd, mayhap delusional mother, he hated scenting the rage and pain rolling off his mate.
He wished he could track down this Arthur fellow himself and give him what-for. No one
should lay a hand on his mate, and from the undertones, that was exactly what had
happened.

Michel vowed to lavish his young lover with as much pleasure as he could…as soon as

they were alone. He maneuvered around Jason until he stood behind him and wrapped
both arms around him, one over his shoulders and around his chest, just below the neck,
the other around his waist and palming his stomach. Michel rubbed his bearded cheek
against Jason’s bare one, just as he knew he liked.

“Easy, sweetheart. Calm down, love,” Michel crooned, trying to ease his mate’s pain

through touch as he would another shifter. Since Jason was his mate, he figured it should
work on him, too.

Jason sagged against him, the tension draining from his body. Turning his head, Jason

accepted his kiss. After a few soft, rubbing of lips, Jason returned his focus to his now
clearly seething mother, if her flushed face, narrowed green eyes, flared nostrils, and tight
lips were anything to go by.

Shaking his head, Jason stated, “I get that I’m a disappointment to you, so I don’t really

know what you hope to accomplish by coming here. Whatever it is, I don’t care. I’m here
now, I have a job, I have a boyfriend, and I have new friends.” He held on tight to Michel’s
arms before adding, “Don’t worry. When I enroll in online courses, I won’t ask you or
Arthur for any money.”

Of course, Jason wouldn’t, Michel silently agreed. He’d provide for his mate, but that

was a discussion for another time…when they’d settled in together a bit more.

Whatever counter-argument that Michel could see building up in Brianna’s eyes was

stalled by a loud squeal. Suddenly, a slender brunette came streaking out the door and
threw herself at Jason.

Chapter Eleven

“Jason!”

Jason turned and opened his arms just in time to welcome Trina into a tight hug—made

a bit awkward by his lover’s arms still around him. Knowing how possessive wolf shifters
could be, Jason eased his sister a few inches away from him.

Grinning, only too happy for the interruption, Jason greeted her. “Hey, sis,” wanting to

make it clear who she was to Jason right up front. The tension in the arms that held him
immediately eased. “I didn’t know you were here, too!”

“Well, sure,” Trina responded easily. “I wouldn’t miss the opportunity to see where my

big bro ended up. It sure is beautiful here,” she gushed. “Have you seen the forest? Been
hiking, yet? And the men!” she added, lowering her voice. “Have you seen the sexy men
here?”

Michel cleared his throat. Jason could feel his lover’s chest shaking slightly, telling him

his man struggled to hold in his laughter. “Trina, this is Michel. My, uh, my boyfriend.”

Trina blushed, but rallied quickly. “Nice to meet you, Michel,” she said, smiling, holding

out her hand. Michel took it and gave it a brief shake before returning his hold to Jason’s
middle.

Jason really liked that.
“Likewise, Trina. Welcome to the mountains of Colorado,” Michel responded.
Trina beamed up at him. “Thanks.” She pushed back a dark strand of hair that had

escaped her ponytail. “You sure work fast, Jase,” Trina teased, returning her attention to
Jason for a second. She winked and gave Michel a once over. “And not bad taste. You’re a
good looking guy, Michel!”

This time Michel didn’t even bother to try hiding his mirth and his laughter boomed

across the clearing. Jason felt himself flush. He mock scowled at his sister, who just
shrugged and looked completely unrepentant. “Well, your Michel is a good-lookin’ man.”
Then she winked and leaned forward, giving him a conspiratorial look. “So, can you tell
me if the handsome blond is single?”

Jason racked his brain, trying to figure out whom she spoke of. “Sean?” Ah, shit. Was

she hot for Uncle Raul’s man?

Trina quickly shook her head. “Uh uh. Uncle Raul introduced him already. I’m not into

men with kids. I’m not ready to be a momma, yet, although he is sort-of hot,” she mused.
Grinning, she told him, “The other blond. Looks to be in his early forties, is wearing faded
blue sweats, and has the yummy piercings in his nipples.”

His jaw dropping open in surprise, Jason turned to look at a still grinning Michel. His

lover smirked. “Ye must mean Preall. As a matter of fact, he is single. Ye want me to
introduce you?”

Realizing the guy must be one of Michel’s wolf shifter buddies—which meant he’d be

over three hundred years old and a wolf shifter to boot—reminded Jason of his sister’s

age. “Trina,” he chided. “You’re only seventeen.”

“I’ll be eighteen in a couple months,” she replied, winking. “What? You’re the only one

who’s allowed to like older men?” she teased.

Jason’s spirit lifted knowing his little sister didn’t mind the fact that, not only was he

gay, but he’d found love with a much older man. Of course, at that point, Trina didn’t
know how much older, but if she got involved with a shifter, she would learn eventually,
right? Could his sister be mates with this Preall guy? Jason would have to ask Michel
about it eventually.

Grinning at his thoughts, Jason turned his head and peered up at his lover. He was

about to ask for a kiss, when his stomach grumbled.

“Sounds like ye need feeding,” Michel murmured into his ear.
Feeling his mate’s semi-hard dick pressed against his ass, Jason could think of

something else he’d like to eat. Too bad he couldn’t right now. Sighing, Jason nodded.
“Time for breakfast. Come on.”

Jason led the group inside, pointedly ignoring his mother’s scowling countenance.

Trina bumped his hip, then leaned close and whispered, “Don’t worry. I’ll keep her off
your back. The only reason she’s here is because she feels guilty, and we both know how
long that will last.”

Watching his sister roll her eyes again, Jason realized that his youngest sister wasn’t

completely oblivious to everything that had gone on at home. He gave her a side hug and
bumped his head against hers. “Thanks.”

She gave him a wide smile, then he watched in shock as his out-going, boisterous sister

turned shy and hesitant before his very eyes. If he hadn’t seen it, he never would have
believed it.

“Jason,” Michel said, drawing his attention. “This is Jamie Stratton and Preall

McCollins.” Glancing around the crowded dining room and kitchen, full of talking men
and a happily giggling Lily, Michel frowned. “Preall, where’s Laramie?”

“He went home to his wife. He’ll join us for a run later,” Preall answered, never taking

his eyes away from Trina.

Smirking, Michel nodded before saying, “Well, then, I’ll introduce him another time.

Guys, you remember Jason Truollo. This is his sister Trina Truollo and his mother
Brianna Barringer.”

“Very nice to meet ye,” Preall responded, smiling at Trina. “Can I help ye fix a plate? Ye

like bacon and eggs, I hope?”

“Y-yeah,” Trina responded, her green eyes huge in her lightly blushing face. “Thank

you.”

“Raul,” Brianna hissed, watching them with narrowed eyes. “Your home is full of half-

naked men. What the hell is going on?”

Raul glanced around at the people filling his home. He shrugged. “They were out

jogging and dropped in for breakfast.” He smirked at his sister. “What? You’re not
enjoying the view?”

For a second, Brianna sputtered. When she managed to find her tongue, she snapped,

“This is not an acceptable environment for your under-aged niece. We’re leaving.”

She only managed to march two steps before Raul snagged her arm and snarled, “What

the hell, Bri? I’d never put my niece in a compromising situation. They’re all just being
polite.”

Jason watched his uncle give Preall a warning look that, fortunately, his mother didn’t

notice.

Preall grimaced, then nodded curtly.
“Besides,” Uncle Raul continued quietly, “they’re wearing a helluva lot more than most

men on a beach do. Don’t tell me Trina has given up sun bathing.”

At that, Brianna subsided. “Whatever.”
Michel handed Jason a plate of food. When the hell had he gotten it? Listening to his

fighting family must have really distracted him. He took the plate and sat down next to
his lover. Michel leaned close, a hint of concern in his eyes. “Trina really seventeen?”

Jason nodded. “Her birthday’s in a couple months.”
“Damn. Poor Preall,” Michel mumbled, before taking a bite of his eggs.
“Why? What’s going on?” Jason asked, although he had his suspicions.
After swallowing, Michel leaned and explained quietly. “They’re mates. Think she’ll be

willing to move here?”

The man’s warm breath sent goose bumps down his neck and Jason fought back a

shiver. He struggled to focus on Michel’s words. “Oh, um, maybe. She obviously likes the
area.” He glanced over at his lover. Movement in his peripheral vision caught his
attention, and he watched Uncle Raul place a plate of food in front of Sean, who was busy
feeding Lily. Uncle Raul kissed his lover.

A sharp hiss followed by Brianna shouting, “What the hell? Since when are you a fag?”

caused just about everyone in the room to freeze.

Lily, on the other hand, opened her mouth and let out a loud wail.
Uncle Raul straightened and frowned at his sister. “Brianna, you are eating a meal in

my home. I’d appreciate it if you would not use such language.”

“And I’d appreciate knowing what the fuck is going on!” she screeched back. “You know

what? Never mind. I don’t care what you deviants decide to do in your home! Trina! Come
on! We’re leaving!”

Trina glanced around the room with wide eyes. “But, Mom—”
“Don’t talk back, young lady!” Brianna scolded sharply. “Let’s go.”
“Good God,” Uncle Raul snapped. “Come with me, Brianna. It’s time we had a brother-

sister chat,” he snarled. Leaping to his feet, he grabbed her arm and led a sputtering
Brianna from the room.

Jason reached over and gave his sister’s hand a squeeze. “May as well have a seat, sis,”

he urged softly. “Mom and Uncle will probably be a while.”

Trina nodded, clearly uncomfortable. She stared at her plate as she lowered herself

slowly back to her chair. “Right, okay,” she whispered. Her flushed cheeks told of her
embarrassed state.

Trying to return to the ease of earlier, Jason asked, “So, tell me what Alisha is up to?

Since I’m just starting my job tomorrow, I can’t go anywhere for a while, I imagine, but
you all are welcome to visit any time. Ya know?”

Although Preall kept his mouth shut, he seemed very interested in her response. The

blond shifter paid close attention to every word Trina said. After breakfast, Jared, Carson,
and Jamie left for home—the latter promised to see Jason again soon, and he figured it’d
be true, since he was Michel’s buddy. Jared told Jason that if he had trouble with his
family, let him know—he had his back.

Jason wasn’t completely certain what that meant, but after the encouragement on the

deck, he figured it could be just about anything…and probably not all of it on the up and
up. He’d have to ask his uncle, if he ever managed to draw up the courage.

While Sean cleaned up Lily, Jason, Michel, Trina, and Preall made short work of the

dining room and kitchen.

At one point, Michel cornered Jason in the laundry room—where Sean said the clean

hand towels were in the dryer—and kissed him senseless. When Michel finally broke the
kiss, Jason panted for breath. Once able to speak, he gasped, “Wow. What was that for?”

“No reason,” Michel replied softly. “Just because I can and I wanted to.” He lowered his

head, but instead of resuming the kiss, he nibbled his way along his shoulder blade, up
his neck, to his ear, where he proceeded to suck lightly on the lobe.

Tingles spread down Jason’s neck, spread across his chest, and flooded his groin. His

cock jerked in his shorts, oozing, and Jason prayed he wouldn’t end up with a wet spot.
When Michel palmed one ass cheek, delved his middle finger into his crease, and pressed
on his denim covered hole, his chute clenched and need burned through him. Never had
Jason wanted to be filled so badly.

He whimpered and clung, gripping tightly, trying to get closer. Except Michel held his

hips with his other hand and kept him from moving as he wanted, as his body needed to
do.

“P-please,” he begged.
“Come home with me,” Michel urged. “Come home with me and I’ll fulfill all yer needs,

me mate.”

Jason groaned. Never had he wanted so badly. He jerked a nod. “Y-yeah. Okay.”
Growling his pleasure, Michel led them out the back door.

Three days.
Jason hadn’t seen Michel in three days. Need and excitement vibrated through him as

he bounced down the narrow road leading to his lover’s mountain home. He’d turned
down three invitations from coworkers yesterday—one to go to the movies from a girl,
whom he’d had to tell he was gay, but they could be friends, and two to go hiking with
some guys—because all he could think about was getting to his shifter’s home and feeling
his hands on him.

It’d been far too long.
Pulling up in front of the house, Jason shivered in excitement. His phone dinged,

telling him he had a text message. Picking it up, he smiled upon seeing it was from Trina.
His sister and mother had made it home safely. They’d stayed in town another two days—
the apology from his mother had shocked the shit out of him—not to mention her
promise to pass his info on to Alisha and to keep Arthur away from him and the girls…

well, within reason. Trina had even promised to convince Alisha to join her in visiting in a
few months. A certain blue-eyed blond wolf shifter might have had something to do with
that decision.

Shutting off his truck, Jason returned his focus to his current location—outside his

lover’s home. He tore off his shirt, knowing if he didn’t do it himself, it probably wouldn’t
survive. When Jason had called Michel while on his break last night, his lover had urged
him to just come over, even though he closed and wouldn’t have been there until about
half past midnight.

Jason had declined, although it had been tough. He’d really wanted to accept. Instead,

he had promised to be there today before nine. It wasn’t like he would be able to sleep in
anyway, not with his body anticipating the loving Michel would give him. The man was
insatiable, and Jason reveled in the need Michel expressed.

He slid out of the truck and grabbed his backpack. Tossing the strap over his bare

shoulder, his flip-flop clad feet skipped up the steps. Jason rounded the porch, knowing
he’d find his lover out back. Michel had told him, during the summer, he rarely remained
inside except to sleep.

Rounding the corner, the sense of déjà vu took Jason’s breath away. Michel lay nude in

the sun, his bronze skin glistening, drops of water clinging to his hair, beard, and chest.
Except this time, Michel lay sprawled on a lounge chair by the pond instead of the grass.
His legs were resting on either side of the footrest, his cock jutted thick and proud from
the nest of curls at his groin, and Michel’s broad fingers slowly stroked himself.

Jason didn’t even hesitate. He strode swiftly across the lawn, anticipating being with his

lover. As he drew closer, he spotted a gleam of pre-cum oozing from the half-exposed slit.
His mouth watered.

He didn’t deny himself.
Dropping to the ground, Jason batted Michel’s hand away, grabbed the thick piece of

meat, and swirled his tongue around the half-exposed glans. He slid his tongue under the
loose skin, licking and kissing the head, scooping up the tasty treat waiting for him.

Michel hummed above him and slid his hands into his hair. “Mmm, hello, sweetheart.

Welcome.”

Jason looked up at his man through his lashes and, pulling away from his treat for a

second, murmured, “Thanks.”

Before he could resume his exploration of Michel’s prick, his lover hauled him on top of

his body, flushing their chests together. “Kiss me.” Michel growled the order and captured
his lips without waiting for a response.

Shoving his tongue deep, Michel thrust into Jason’s mouth. He tangled their

appendages, coaxing Jason’s into his mouth so he could suck it lightly. Jason moaned.
Michel growled, tilting his head and licking deeper.

Palming Jason’s ass, Michel broke the kiss. “Love these little shorts,” he growled. “How

many pairs ye got of them, anyway?”

Jason grinned down at his lover, taking in his glittering eyes full of lust and feral need.

“A few.” He winked. “Plus, I got the website bookmarked on my laptop, so I can order
more whenever I need them.”

Michel groaned. “Shite. Never ending short shorts. Tell me ye’re going commando.”
Reveling in the hot desire prevalent in Michel’s tone, Jason leaned forward, licked his

lover’s ear, and whispered, “I’m going commando.”

Growls vibrated Michel’s chest, exciting Jason further. Almost as much as the sound of

fabric tearing as Michel sliced open the crotch of his shorts. Jason moaned, his back
arching when Michel reached a finger in and found his surprise.

Michel snarled, fingering the base of the thick butt plug filling his ass.
The silicone rubbed over Jason’s prostate, making his prick throb where it was trapped

inside his shorts.

“What a lovely surprise,” Michel crooned, playing with the toy. He pulled it out a couple

inches, then let it go, allowing the toy to slide back into his body and peg his gland.

“Glad you like it,” Jason panted. He dug his fingers into the solid flesh of Michel’s

shoulders as he tried to control his urge to rut mindlessly to completion. He wanted to
reach between them and unbutton his shorts, but if he touched himself, he knew he’d
spew.

“P-please,” Jason begged, needing more.
Rumbling his pleasure, Michel met his gaze. “This thing have plenty of lube?” He pulled

a bit on the plug again. “Ye ready for me, mate?”

Jason nodded wildly, desperate for Michel to fill him.

Chapter Twelve

Michel loved the rosy flush covering Jason’s chest, the beautiful color extending up his
neck, over his cheeks, and even covering his ears. His sweetheart’s mouth hung slightly
open, his pink tongue touching his bottom lip, and dilated eyes gleaming with desire. In
need, desperate for him, Jason was a thing of beauty.

Wanting to give them both what they needed, Michel grabbed the lube from under his

hip and spurted some on his hand. As he slicked up his dick, he slid the thick plug from
his man’s arse. Michel tossed the toy aside and lined up his prick. Not wasting time, he
grabbed Jason’s hips and guided him down. Tight, silken pressure swallowed Michel’s
throbbing dick.

Once buried to the hilt in Jason’s hot arse, Michel stilled. His mate’s whimper of need

sounded like music to his ears. Michel loved it. He loved the way Jason grabbed his lower
lip between his teeth as he tried to control himself. He loved how he bowed his back in a
silent attempt to entice Michel to nip and suck his nipples.

“Fuck, I love ye, Jason,” Michel blurted.
Jason’s eyes widened in shock. His straining body stilled. The most beautiful smile

Michel had ever seen spread across Jason’s plump lips and affection lit the man’s green
eyes. “Really?” he whispered. “You’re not just saying that because of, you know, sex?”

This time, Michel thought the rosy glow was a blush. Needing to ease his mate’s

concern, and knowing he’d probably expressed his affection at the worst possible time to
be believable, Michel rubbed his hands gently down Jason’s torso, a thumb flicking over
each hardened nipple, and down to span his mate’s waist.

“Aye, Jason. I love ye. I love ye very much. And I plan to tell ye again and again after

we’re done makin’ love, so ye’ll never doubt it,” he crooned.

Smiling, his eyes gleaming with what looked suspiciously like unshed tears, Jason

replied, “I love you, too. I thought you should know.”

Unable to stop his wide grin, Michel replied, “Thank ye, sweetheart. Ye’ve made me the

happiest wolf shifter in the world.”

A gleam of a completely different sort filled Jason’s eyes. Michel groaned when his

lover tightened his arse muscles repeatedly, milking his cock. “Ah, shite, me heart. Ye feel
so good.”

“Then fuck me,” Jason pleaded.
Michel chuckled deeply, rotating his hips a bit, fighting his growl of pleasure at the

exquisite pressure. “Oh, nay, me lovely mate. I’m gonna make love to ye.”

Jason whimpered, his eyes dilated. “Y-yes, p-please.”
“Let’s get ye more comfortable, sweetheart,” Michel purred while dipping his thumb

under the band of his shorts and rubbed over Jason’s cock head, pleased to find it slick
and weeping.

Nodding emphatically, Jason bucked his hips.

Michel made quick work of Jason’s button-fly. His lover’s prick immediately thrust

between the flaps. Jason hissed, a sound of pleasure, and Michel smirked smugly. He
reached in and cupped Jason’s testicles, drawing out the orbs, which were already high
and tight, pulling them free of the restraining fabric.

Setting his feet on the footrest of the chair, Michel encouraged Jason to lie back against

his knees. Humming, he took in the view, his mate impaled on his dick, sunlight dancing
across the skin of his chest, face, and limbs, and Jason’s slender prick waving in the air,
cradled by his lover’s hairless orbs.

“So pretty,” Michel crooned, admiring the pretty, pretty picture Jason made. He traced

his fingertips over the grooves of Jason’s hips, up and around his bones, then lightly over
Jason’s prick. When Jason mewled, it was all he could do not to grab onto Jason’s hips
and pound away.

Michel shuddered out a breath and took in the lines of his lover’s limbs. He spotted the

red polish on Jason’s toes. Uncertain why that drew him, but it did, Michel slid his hand
down the lean leg, shocked to find the hair on it so fine it was almost unnoticeable.

His dick jerked in Jason’s chute at the sensual feel.
Jason groaned and shifted restlessly. “W-what are you doing?” he whined, reaching for

his own prick.

Grinning, Michel took hold of Jason’s hand and placed it back on his thigh. “Keep it

there, sweetheart. Now that I have this delicious feast spread before me, I believe it’s time
to play.”

“What?”
Michel grinned at the disbelieving squeak in Jason’s voice. Oh, yes, teasing and pleasing

his lover was an art he wanted to learn every detail of. Using the hand on Jason’s waist,
he kept him steady, then used his other hand to lift Jason’s foot and bring it up, placing
the ball of the man’s foot on his shoulder.

“Hmm, ye changed colors,” he commented. Holding Jason’s gaze, Michel turned his

head, stuck out his tongue, and licked around his lover’s big toe, then sucked it into his
mouth.

“M-Michel,” Jason whined. He wriggled wildly on Michel’s lap, the movement jostling

Michel’s prick, rubbing it over Jason’s prostate. The stimulation caused Jason’s muscles
to flutter around his erection.

Michel’s balls pulled tight at the stimulation and he hissed through gritted teeth. The

toe in his mouth twitched, and Jason moaned. His back arched, grinding himself hard
against Michel’s groin. Grunting, Michel lifted his lover a couple inches off his prick, and
started a swift rhythm, rocking his hips up off the chair, driving into him over and over.

Once again, Jason started reaching for his cock. Michel released the toe he sucked and

gruffly ordered, “Hands back on your thighs.”

Jason obeyed with gratifying speed. Whimpering, he twitched and shuddered, jerked

and shivered, as Michel took his arse in long, slow, rolling thrusts, pegging his gland each
time. His lover’s mouth opened in panting gasps and his head fell back against Michel’s
knees, exposing the neck he had every intention of sinking his canines into again.

Speaking of canines, an idea formed. His teeth extended and he scraped them across the

sensitive flesh between his lover’s toes, teasing and nipping.

“Come,” he ordered gruffly, then pinched a bit of skin with his teeth.
Howling to the sky, Jason obeyed. His arse clamped down on Michel’s prick, massaging

him in a strong grip. Michel released his lover’s foot and clenched his jaw, barely
managing to keep from shooting his load at the feel, sight, and sound of his lover coming
apart in his arms and clamping on his cock.

Jason painted streaks of thick, fragrant cum across Michel’s chest. His lover’s face

twisted in pleasure, his eyes rolling back in his head. Mewls, whines, and hoarse cries
flowed from his throat, filling the clearing with his joyous noise.

Michel stroked his hands over Jason’s sweaty torso, up and down his arms. “That’s the

way, sweetheart,” he crooned. “Ye feel good now, mate?”

“Mmm,” Jason hummed, smiling almost drunkenly. “So good.”
“Good,” Michel crooned, continuing to touch lightly, tracing his lover’s skin. Ignoring

his own need, he thought about what he wanted to say. Finally, he decided on, “Just
think, ye can feel that good every night.” He chose his words carefully, gauging his lover’s
response. “I missed ye these last few days, Jason. I know I’m a bit off the beaten path, but
I’d really like ye to consider coming home to me every night.”

Jason stared at him for several seconds. Surprise etched across his features, replacing

the blissful expression from a moment before. “Y-you’re asking me to move in?” That
bright happy smile that Michel was quickly becoming addicted to brightened Jason’s face.

Leaning up, Michel cupped his lover’s face and drew him close. “Oh, sweetheart. Of

course I want ye to move in with me. Ye’re me mate. Every second ye’re away, I ache to
track ye down, so I can hold ye, touch ye.”

Michel licked Jason’s top lip, then across his lower one. Pulling the plump flesh into his

mouth, he sucked it lightly, then swept his tongue inside, probing deep. He lapped at the
other man’s tongue, tasting him, mapping his mouth. The change in position caused
delicious friction on his dick as he slid out an inch. Growling, ravishing his mate’s mouth,
Michel rocked his hips, driving back into his lover. Once he started, he couldn’t stop
moving his hips. Need rode him hard to take his mate, soak his channel, show him again
who he belong to.

When the need for air made itself known, Michel released his lover’s mouth. “Say ye’ll

be mine. Me lover. Me partner. In me bed every night,” he snarled, driving into his lover
again and again, pegging his gland.

“Y-yes,” Jason whimpered. “O-oh, yes.”
Growling with excitement, Michel rolled them off the low-lying chair. He cradled his

lover close, gently lying him on the lush carpet of grass. Jason still oomphed slightly, but
when Michel looked down at him, he saw dazed lust in his expression.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Michel muttered, slowly pulling his prick free. “Ye’re mine, baby. All

mine.”

“Y-yours,” Jason confirmed again.
Michel moaned, his wolf riding him hard. Grabbing Jason’s hips, he flipped his lover

and lifted his hips, ignoring the man’s surprised squeak.

“M-Michel?”

“I got ye, love,” Michel crooned. He kissed the head of his prick to Jason’s hole and

pushed, sliding back into his lover’s tight heat. “Now, I’m gonna spill in ye, sweetheart.
Make ye mine again.” As he spoke, he moved his hips, picking up speed, powering in and
out of the sexy man below him.

“P-please,” Jason begged. He arched his back and rocked into each thrust.
“Aye,” Michel growled. He reached below Jason and found his mate’s hot, hard, leaking

prick. Michel’s balls pulled tight at the knowledge he drove his mate so quickly back to
the edge. Knowing he wouldn’t last much longer and wanting his man to come with him,
he nipped his fangs over the nape of Jason’s neck in warning.

Jason whimpered, then bowed his head, baring his neck in offering.
Growling his pleasure, Michel struck. He sank his canines into his mate, drinking

several mouthfuls of Jason’s life-blood. His mate screamed and jerked in his arms. His
cock pulsed and cum spilled over his fingers. Jason’s massaging chute was the final straw,
and Michel’s orgasm crashed over him.

Michel extracted his teeth, threw his head back, and howled his pleasure. His body

bucked as his cock pulsed, slicking his mate’s rectum with his seed. Bliss coursed through
him. Endorphins pinged pleasantly through his system.

Wrapping his arms around his young lover, Michel took Jason to their sides, spooning

together, keeping his prick buried deep in the man that meant everything to him. He
licked the bite mark, healing it. Sighing, he nuzzled the back of Jason’s neck.

“I hope ye meant what ye said, Jason,” he murmured, feeling the pull of sleep that only

great sex could bring.

“Which part?”
Michel grinned. “All of it.” He kissed Jason’s neck quickly, then whispered, “I love ye,

Jason Truollo. Ye said ye loved me, too, and that ye’d move in with me.”

Craning his neck, Jason peered over his shoulder at him. “I meant it. I love you, too,

and I’ll move in with you.”

Sighing with relief, Michel took Jason’s mouth in a short, carnal kiss. When he lifted

his head, he grinned at Jason’s dazed expression. “Good. Now, sleep, mate. When we
wake, we’ll get yer stuff from yer uncle’s. Ye’ll sleep in me arms each night and let me
care for ye each day.”

“Only if I get to care for you, too,” came Jason’s sleepy reply.
Michel grinned. “Deal.”
Cuddling his mate close, Michel listened to Jason’s breathing even out as sleep took

him. Following him under, for the first time in over a decade, Michel looked forward to
the rest of his life.

About the Author

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

She can be reached at [e-mail]
Or visit her at www.charlie-richards.com