To Know Your Wild Heart

By Sam Singer

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JMS Books LLC

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jms-books.com

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Copyright 2014 Sam Singer

ISBN 9781611525472

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are solely

the product of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously, though reference
may be made to actual historical events or existing locations. Any resemblance to
actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Published in the United States of America.

* * * *

Prologue

The first rays of warm sunshine broke through the treetops, warming Adair’s

tawny brown coat. He yawned wide and stretched his paws in the dewy ferns. As he
contemplated climbing up into a tree to soak up the warmth, the quiet of the forest was
broken with a loud unfamiliar cry. Adair’s ears swiveled back and he stood up, body
stiff and alert, tail flicking. It took a few seconds for him to realize what he heard: the
cry of a human child. He raced off in the direction the cries were coming from.

As he neared, the cries grew louder, and he picked up the scent of blood.

Adair came to a clearing and saw someone had set up a make-shift camp. He didn’t
understand. Humans had been hunted to near extinction by skinwalkers, why would
they come into a known skinwalker habitat? He padded along, taking in the
destruction. Blood was everywhere, the smell of it overpowering. The tent was
completely destroyed; clothing and possessions were strewn all over. Adair flicked his
ears around, isolating the source of the cries. They seemed to be coming to his right.
Ears aching with the volume of the cries, he slowly made his way over to a twitching
bundle of blankets.

He looked down and there wrapped in the blankets, was a red-faced human

infant, tears streaking down its chubby cheeks. He couldn’t remember the last time
he’d seen a baby—if ever.

::Please, stop crying, human.:: He didn’t want any other skinwalkers—or

worse, whoever had killed the adults—to come and take the helpless human.

At a loss for what to do, he flicked out his tongue and licked away the child’s

tears. The human hiccupped and its cries tapered off to tiny sobs. He nuzzled the
baby and that made the child laugh and coo. He pulled back, tilting his head to the
side, and looked at the infant. Its round face was still blotchy from crying, but it was
smiling. It had big, dark eyes and wisps of golden hair.

He nosed around the blankets to uncover the child and recoiled. The child had

a messy diaper. Its little T-shirt was stained with dirt. Its fat little legs and arms flailed
as it made contented noises. Adair leaned in once more to nuzzle the baby and as he
did, little hands reached out, little fingers grabbed onto his ears, and pulled. Adair
growled low in annoyance and pulled his head back. The baby giggled and he could
not stay mad.

Staring down at the innocent baby, it occurred to Adair that others must have

heard the cries. Sooner or later—probably sooner—they would come looking for their
source. He couldn’t just leave the infant here but he couldn’t keep the baby either; he
was a loner and he liked it that way. Where could he take the child? A human village
was a few days’ journey away, but…What if the baby’s parents had fled from there,
for fear of their safety? If he took the baby back to the village, would he be returning
the child to an unsafe environment? Did he want to risk that? No, he didn’t.

He remembered a pack of wolves who had just celebrated the birth of a litter.

Of all the skinwalkers that inhabited the forest, leaving the human baby with the wolves
would be the wisest choice. Adair, like all skinwalkers, could change into a human, but

he preferred to stay in his animal form, a sleek cougar. He couldn’t even remember
the last time he’d changed into his human form. Wolves tended to take their human
forms more often and could interact with the child and help it grow. He would take the
baby to them and see what happened.

Chapter 1

Nineteen summers had come and gone since Adair had taken the baby human

to the wolf pack. There was some initial reluctance to give shelter to the baby, but the
second Aurelia—a mother to a new litter of cubs—laid eyes on him it was all over. The
maternal instinct was strong no matter what species. They named the baby Kai and he
was beloved by the entire pack, fawned over by the females and fiercely protected by
the males. Adair cared for and was just as protective of Kai as any member of the
pack. Naturally, Kai knew nothing about how or why he had ended up in the forest that
day. Neither Adair nor the wolves could find out why either.

Adair was perched on a low hanging branch above the sparkling water of a

lake, watching as Kai swam and splashed with his wolf brothers and sisters: Marius,
Cy, Cassia and Livia. He had grown into a happy and healthy boy—young man, Adair
amended absently as Kai broke the surface of the water. Adair was a frequent visitor
to the pack’s den as Kai grew. When he’d been a toddler he would climb on Adair’s
back and the cougar would take him for a ride, the child giggling and cheering as
Adair moved them swiftly through the forest.

When Kai grew too big to ride on Adair’s back the boy would walk next to him,

chattering about the pack, his family, and anything else that came into his mind.
Sometimes the pair would find a spot where the sun shone through the treetops, Adair
would lie down to soak up the sun’s warmth, Kai would rest his head on Adair’s body
and they would nap the day away; other times Kai would just talk. Over the years Kai
had confided many secrets to Adair, like how he wished he knew his birth parents,
how he sometimes was jealous of everyone’s ability to shift. Kai even confided in
Adair his thoughts and feelings about Justus or Philo, other members of the pack, but
had no idea what to do about them. Because Kai was human, he didn’t have the ability
to communicate telepathically as ‘Walkers did, but Kai could interpret Adair’s brand of
communication with a scary degree of accuracy.

“Adair! Come in with us!” Kai said, looking up at the cougar.
He gave a low rumbling growl in answer.
Kai grinned. “You never do anything fun.”
A moment later, Cy swam up behind Kai and dunked him beneath the water.
“Kai, Adair is a cat; lying around is fun for him,” Cy said after Kai resurfaced

spluttering.

“Well, I say…” Kai gazed up at Adair again, his eyes narrowed and full of

mischief. Adair cocked his head to the side, always interested in anything Kai had to
say. “Adair needs to have more fun!”

Before Adair realized what Kai was doing, he was pulled from his branch by

his tail and fell ungracefully into the lake with a splash. He scrambled to the surface
spitting and growling his displeasure. Kai, Cy, and Marius laughed boisterously at him.
Cassia and Livia were shouting at Kai disapprovingly.

Adair swam quickly to the bank and exited the water, shaking his feet, tail

cutting through the air like a whip in agitation. He turned, caught Kai’s gaze, his

brothers were still cackling but Kai looked ashamed. He let loose a fierce snarling
growl; the teens covered their ears and cringed at the volume.

::Damn it, Kai! You know better than to act like that! Impertinent little shit!::

His snarl tapered off to a hiss and he left.

The boys broke out into giggles and he heard Kai calling after him. He didn’t

turn back, just continued on until he arrived at the cave he called home.

The hell was Kai thinking? Adair groused, settling down to lick himself dry and

clean. Showing off for his brothers no doubt. That Cyrus was becoming a bad
influence on the human.

His ears swiveled forward and he heard running footsteps and rapid breathing.

He sniffed the air and knew it was Kai. Sure enough, a few moments later, the human
appeared at the mouth of the cave.

He gave a growl and hissed, but already his anger at Kai had faded. Kai

shifted nervously from foot to foot. “I’m sorry!” he called.

Adair heard the worry in Kai’s voice and picked up the subtle scent of fear.
“Can I come in? Please?”
He made a soft chirping sound and went back to cleaning himself. Kai’s

footsteps were hesitant as he approached. Adair looked up at the human; he held
himself stiffly and his face was tight with worry. Adair sighed and got to his feet. He
never wanted Kai to be afraid of him. He bumped his head affectionately across Kai’s
hip.

“I shouldn’t have done that, Adair,” the young man said, patting Adair’s head

and scratching his ear.

::No, you shouldn’t have.:: He looked up at the young man, taking him in.

Standing tall and strong, Adair realized what a handsome man Kai had become. His
frame, while still lithe, had lean, well-developed muscles. His shoulders were broad and
there was scruff on his chin and jaw. His face still held the delicate touch of youth, but
would soon settle into the chiseled angles of manhood. He wore a simple buckskin
cloth low on his slender hips that covered his genitals and butt. His skin was a light
caramel color from the sun. His golden hair was longish with unruly waves. Kai gave a
smile, got down on his knees, wrapped his arms around Adair’s neck, and buried his
face in the cat’s fur.

Adair gave a low purr and rubbed his cheek against the human. “I’m forgiven?”

Kai asked softly, as he sat down cross-legged on the ground.

Adair chirped again. ::Yes, brat.::
Kai gave a big grin. “I can tell you anything, right?” he asked, looking away.
Adair could hear Kai’s heartbeat pick up. Whatever he wanted to confide he

was nervous and maybe even a little ashamed of. Adair licked his shoulder and looked
at him with steady eyes.

“I really like someone.” Kai’s voice was soft and he wasn’t looking at Adair.

Adair felt his own heart pick up unexpectedly. He was very interested in what Kai
wanted to tell him but he couldn’t figure out why.

“I really like Marius,” Kai’s voice was barely audible.

Adair felt his chest constrict at Kai’s confession and felt the sudden urge to

find Marius and sink his claws deep into the wolf. Why did Kai’s admission provoke
that kind of reaction? Adair shook his head, hoping to drive away the unfamiliar
feelings.

“He’s my brother!” Kai’s voice was so distressed, disheartened.
Adair just wanted to make him smile again. He laid his head on one of Kai’s

knees and began to softly purr.

“He’s with Nia anyway. He’s going to claim her as his mate soon.” Kai sighed.

“I liked Philo. Then, I had a crush on Justus. Now Marius. All the guys I like, like
someone else. Why does it have to be like this, Adair?”

::You’re young. So, so young.:: Adair couldn’t remember much about his own

youth or adolescence, except feeling confused and awkward all the time. Adair stood,
rubbed his head against Kai’s, and licked his neck. Kai chuckled and hugged him.

“That your way of telling me it will get easier?”
Adair made a noise of ascent and bumped his head to Kai’s again, and licked

his face; an unexpected feeling of warmth washing over him when Kai laughed and
playfully shoved him away.

“Like I want your spit all over me.” Kai lapsed into silence but he seemed more

relaxed and happy.

Adair lay down and looked up at Kai. A feeling of contentment settled in his

heart. He loved the time he spent with the human.

Kai sighed and lay down, too, resting his head on Adair’s sleek body. “I see all

the people in the pack pairing off and mating and I know that will never happen for me.
I’m not one of them really.” Sadness crept back into Kai’s voice. “I want to have a
mate, too.”

Adair wasn’t prepared for the surge of something that went through him at

Kai’s words. Whatever it was he was feeling he didn’t want to examine it too closely.
He gave a soft growl and swished his tail.

“Okay, okay. Naptime,” Kai said.

* * * *

Aloof and amiable, Adair was liked by nearly every inhabitant of the forest,

which was why he could remain up in a tree as the wolf pack council met to discuss
the rumor that Marcellus had returned to the forest once more. It was well known that
Marcellus hated humans—not disliked, not mistrusted, as most ‘Walkers did. Decades
ago, when the human population first became aware of skinwalkers’ existence,
Marcellus’s mate and new cubs were hunted and killed. Marcellus found those
responsible but it wasn’t enough for him. He killed humans with impunity and no
amount of blood could slake his thirst for revenge. If Marcellus was in the forest once
more it was because he had somehow gotten wind of Kai.

Adair watched the goings-on with mild interest as the wolves took turns

debating whether or not Kai should be allowed to remain with the pack. Adair could

see both sides of the argument. When—not if—he picked up Kai’s scent, Marcellus
would annihilate everyone in the pack just to get to the human. On the other hand, the
pack and pack life were all Kai knew. To cast Kai out was cruel.

“He must leave,” the pack’s Alpha, Giaus, ruled, voice cutting across those of

the bickering wolves.

“You can’t do that!” Kai’s adoptive father, Maximus, Max, exclaimed. “He is, for

all intents and purposes, my son and as such, he is entitled to the pack’s protection.”

Giaus turned his eyes to Max. “I wish there was another way, Max,” the Alpha

said not unsympathetically, “but if Kai is allowed to remain, the pack will be in danger.
It is my duty to ensure its safety. Kai is a threat to that. The threat has to be removed.”

“He’s a boy! He cannot be expected to survive the forest on his own!” Max

argued.

Giaus stood up and approached Max with a deliberate gait. “There is no other

way.”

Instead of remaining seated, showing submission and respect for his Alpha,

Max got to his feet.

“You’re sentencing my boy to death!” Max said, voice a harsh whisper as he

looked up into his Alpha’s eyes.

“It is for the greater good. Now, take…your…seat!”
Adair could feel the tension rolling off the wolves and rippling around the

council. This could get nasty if Max chose to make an all-out challenge to the Alpha’s
authority. Adair jumped down from his limb, landing on his paws silently, and nudged
his way between the two posturing wolves. Giaus glared down at Adair. He bumped the
Alpha’s thigh with his head. Giaus cocked his head to the side before shifting into his
wolf-form, big, with a coat the color of mahogany.

::Adair, you dare interfere in the affairs of this pack?::
Adair’s tail twitched, but his gaze remained steady and even. ::No, but perhaps

I can help.::

The alpha didn’t respond but the hostility had left his eyes. Adair continued. ::If

he needs to be removed from the pack then that’s what should be done, but as Max
said, the boy won’t survive on his own. Let me take him to the human village. Kai
trusts me. He’ll come with me.::

::So be it.:: Giaus shifted back into his human form and addressed the pack.

“Adair has volunteered to take Kai to the village. There he will be protected and with
his own kind. For all of Kai’s lupine qualities, he is human and belongs with them.”

Adair rubbed his cheek against Max’s thigh, hoping to reassure the wolf. As

detached as Adair was in any sort of pack or pride, he would protect that boy with his
life. Max looked down at Adair with sad eyes full of understanding.

“Take care of him, Adair,” Max said, voice resigned.

Chapter 2

“I’m back!” Kai called. He waited for his littermates to greet him. He returned

back to the den after an early morning swim. Kai loved to swim; floating atop or cutting
through the water always made him feel like he was flying. He would drift along with
the current and let his mind wander—daydreaming, thinking, fantasizing, and more
often than not pleasuring himself.

Kai heard happy yips and barks a moment before his brothers and sisters

crashed into him. He fell back laughing and hugging them as they licked his face.

“You’re just in time for breakfast!” Cy said once he shifted to his human form—

slender but muscular build, light brown hair and blue-gray eyes.

Kai got to his feet. “Good! I’m hungry.”
Cy stood as well, snickering. “Oh, I imagine after your morning ‘swim’ you

worked up an appetite.”

Kai felt heat rush to his cheeks. He lowered his eyes and saw Marius standing

against the backs of Cy’s knees. He shoved Cy and he stumbled over the dark wolf,
falling in an ungraceful heap. Marius rose up on his back legs, paws on Kai’s
shoulders and licked Kai’s flaming face. Kai laughed as he hugged his brother.

“Thanks, Marius,” he said softly.
“Always lookin’ out for little brother,” Cy grumbled as he got to his feet.
Kai gave a smug smile. Being the baby of the pack had its advantages.
“Seriously, Kai.” Cy began walking the path toward the den. “You’re gonna pull

it off one of these days.” Cy tossed his head back and cackled.

Marius barked at Cy. Cassia and Livia, also still in their wolf forms, nipped at

their obnoxious brother. Kai laughed and led the way back home.

When they reached the den, a crackling fire and the smell of roasting meat

greeted them. Kai’s stomach rumbled. Marius gave a yip and bounded off in the
direction of a wolf that Kai knew to be Nia.

“Ooh! There’s Tarquin!” Cy preened a little before walking with a spring in his

step over to a handsome dark-headed man.

Kai wanted to tease or share a joke with someone at Cy’s expense only to

realize that he was alone. Cassia was getting cozy with Drucilla. Livia and Amais were
exchanging muzzle rubs. He looked around realizing most of the pack members his
age were either courting or had taken mates. A pang of loneliness hit him. So often
lately, Kai wanted what his littermates and other pack members had: someone to love
him and to love in return.

“You better get something to eat before it’s gone, Kai, sweetie,” his mother

said, patting him on the back and brushing his hair back from his face. “Are you
feeling all right?”

Kai thought about telling her what troubled him, but didn’t want to expose

himself that way. There was only one soul that Kai could confide his deepest secrets
to: Adair.

“Yeah, Mom. I’m fine.” She gave him a look that said she didn’t believe him but

let it go. He managed a smile before walking over to the fire to get himself something
to eat.

“Kai!” Marius greeted with a smile. “We were all waiting for you.”
Kai saw everyone in the pack grouped around the fire. It was odd. Usually

wolves came and went during the morning meal. Kai began to feel nervous.

“What’s going on?” he asked.
“I wasn’t going to announce it without my baby brother here to hear it.” A

young woman with long brown hair stood beside Marius. Marius looked lovingly at her.
“I’ve taken Nia for my mate. We’re going to have the bonding ceremony this evening.”

Applause broke out. Marius grinned like the happiest man alive and in that

moment he probably was, Kai thought.

“That’s great! I’m happy for you,” Kai managed. He was more than a little bitter

and a touch jealous, even though he knew he never had a shot at being Marius’s mate.

Marius gripped his shoulder, looking at him with those piercing blue eyes of his

like he knew about Kai’s crush. “Thanks, Kai.”

Marius and Nia were surrounded by members of the pack, accepting well-

wishes and hugs. The atmosphere took on that of a party rather than the morning
meal. The wolves laughed and joked as they ate. Kai did his best to laugh and joke
along with them, but he wanted to be back at the lake. He may have been on his own
but he hadn’t felt lonely, but here, surrounded by his friends and family, he’d never felt
more alone.

The laughter from his siblings and friends abruptly died off and Kai looked

around to see what had caused it. Adair stood at the edge of the wood.

“Adair,” Kai’s father greeted the cougar with a solemn nod.
Adair swished his tail and looked toward Kai before making a soft growl. Kai

smiled and went to his friend. A walk in the forest with Adair sounded like a great idea.

“Kai!” his mother said sharply.
Kai turned and saw a strained look on her and his father’s faces. He wondered

why they looked like that. It wasn’t like he had never gone off with Adair. He did it all
the time. His father had a hand on his mother’s shoulder and gazed down at her. Kai
knew his father was telling his mother something through the psychic bond they
shared. His father nuzzled her and a moment later, she waved goodbye to him.

“Tell Marius I’ll be back for the ceremony,” Kai called, jogging over to Adair,

following the cougar into the forest.

* * * *

It was a relief to escape into the solitude of the forest with Adair. Kai loved his

littermates, but more and more he was feeling less connected to the pack. Adair was
the only one he wanted to be around these days for any extended period of time. He
was curious about the cougar; he wanted to know what he looked like as a human. To
Kai’s knowledge, no one had ever seen Adair’s human form. Kai wondered if there
was a specific reason. He wondered if he could ever get him to shift and talk to him.

Kai wondered a lot.

“I’m glad you came to get me. I needed to get away,” Kai said, strolling beside

the silent cougar. “You remember what I talked to you about the other night?” Kai
waited for him to respond but the cat didn’t. “About liking Marius?” he prompted.

Adair looked up at him with bright yellow eyes.
“He claimed Nia for his mate.” He couldn’t keep the disappointment out of his

voice. Not that it mattered, Marius was his brother and Kai was a human. He never
had a chance. “Happened faster than I thought. I want to be happy for them. I know I
should be, but—” Adair gave a growl that Kai easily interpreted. “Yeah, I’m not,” Kai
said.

“I’m jealous and I’m frustrated. I love my family but most of the time I want them

to leave me alone.” Now that Kai had really started to talk he couldn’t stop.

“I think about sex all the time! I want it so bad. All the pack males run around

naked most of the time; its torture! I touch myself constantly but it’s never enough.”
Kai paused, trying to get himself under control. As easy as it was talking to Adair
about personal things he didn’t particularly want to spill all of his intimate secrets to the
ever-silent cougar. “And now my littermates are pairing off and soon everyone will
have families of their own…Where does that leave me? No one is going to want to
mate with the pet human.”

Kai lapsed into silence after that, thinking things over. The forest was silent

except for the birds, the rush of water from the nearby river, the hum of insects, and
the rustle of wind through the trees. It was nice and gave Kai a sense of peace that he
hadn’t felt in a while. It sucked growing up. He didn’t really belong with the wolf pack
but wouldn’t fit in anywhere else. He supposed it was just something he would have to
adjust to. It could be worse. He could be alone. If the wolves hadn’t adopted him, he
would have died as a baby. As frustrating as things were right now, Kai loved his life
and was glad to be alive. When he had been talking to Adair in his cave the other
night Adair had said—well not so much said-said—things would get easier. Kai wished
that would happen sooner rather than later.

As they walked deeper into the forest—deeper than they had traveled before—

he noticed Adair had been acting a bit different. It wasn’t really something Kai could
identify; something about his friend was just off. He wasn’t as animated or as
affectionate as usual. Kai hoped nothing was wrong with his friend. It wasn’t like Adair
could talk to Kai about it and Kai doubted Adair would shift into his human form to
communicate verbally.

“Adair,” Kai said sometime later as the cat stopped for a drink of water. “It’s

starting to get dark. We should head back to the den. Marius would be mad if I missed
his bonding ceremony.” Kai turned to head back but realized he wasn’t even sure
where they were now.

Kai may not have known where they were but Adair did. Kai took a few steps in

the direction they came from, but Adair pushed him to the ground and growled in his
ear. Adair was on his back, paws heavy against his shoulders, Adair’s sharp teeth
nipping at his neck. What was Adair doing? Kai tried not to panic. Adair was his

friend, he wouldn’t hurt him. But then again, Adair had been acting a bit differently
today. Maybe Adair was sick and not in his right mind. Kai’s heart began to hammer,
no matter how hard he tried to remain calm.

“Adair?” Kai asked softly, breathing rapid and shallow. “Please don’t hurt me.”

Another growl but softer, and Adair’s considerable weight left his back.

Kai scrambled to his feet, looking at Adair with wide eyes. Adair didn’t look

angry; his ears weren’t flat to his head and he wasn’t showing his teeth. If anything,
his eyes looked a little sad.

“Adair…what is going on?” He wasn’t afraid Adair was going to hurt him

anymore. He just wanted to know what was bothering his friend. The big cat began to
pace back and forth, head down, tail flicking. Kai had never seen his friend act like
this. Whatever was on his mind was heavy.

“Okay,” Kai said, reaching out to pat Adair’s head. “Is there any chance you’d

shift and talk to me?”

Adair gave Kai a look of disdain. “Is there any reason you don’t shift?”
The cat chirped. Kai knew that to mean Adair was happy. Adair stayed in his

animal form because that was how he was happiest. Kai smiled and scratched behind
Adair’s ear. The big cat rubbed against Kai’s hip. Kai dropped his hand back to his
side. Adair’s mouth opened and his jaws closed gently around Kai’s wrist. The cat
began to pull Kai along. In the opposite direction they had come from.

“Whoa! Whoa! Adair, I need to go back home.”
Adair growled and continued to pull at Kai’s arm. “Adair, let go of me! Mom will

be worried if I don’t get back home by dark.”

Adair let go of his wrist and looked up at him with those sad yellow eyes. Adair

was leading him further and further away from his home and he was insistent about it.
Sad, but insistent.

“Adair…You’re…You’re not taking me back to the den, are you?”
Adair whimpered and looked down at the forest floor.
“Why?” Kai’s heart constricted and he felt his eyes start to sting. He knew

Adair couldn’t answer in actual words but Kai found it didn’t much matter. He knew the
reason. He had been expelled. Kai had been raised in the pack, knew the reasons
why a member was expelled. He was a human, weak, and thus a danger to the
strength and integrity of the pack. Kai knew any danger had to be eliminated.

He sat down heavily—collapsed was a more accurate term. His butt hit the

ground hard and he held his head in his hands. What was he going to do now?
Where was he to go? The thought of having to survive on his own was unbearable. He
wasn’t even sure he could. Kai began to cry.

He had never been truly alone in his life; always he had gone to sleep curled

up with his littermates, warm and safe, protected by their mother and father. He had
friends to play with and talk to. His belly was always full thanks to the pack’s superior
hunting skills. Now he had nobody. He couldn’t really hunt on his own, and the forest
was cold at night. He was going to die. The pack had sent him to die. Kai began to cry
harder, sobs coming from deep within him. He wasn’t ready to die. He didn’t want to

die.

He felt Adair’s heavy head rest on a shoulder, felt his nose and breath wet

against his ear. He turned and wrapped his arms around the cougar’s neck and
buried his face in Adair’s soft, familiar coat. Adair purred loudly, a deep rumble that
helped Kai to calm down. Adair was his friend. Adair wouldn’t let him die. But Adair
wasn’t leading Kai to his cave. So where was he leading Kai this deep in the forest?
He trusted Adair and Adair was leading him someplace safe. That was enough for Kai
to know.

The thought that Adair was looking out for him calmed Kai and he got his tears

under control.

Slowly, Kai pulled away from Adair and wiped his eyes on his forearms. Adair

came around to sit in front of him, and then began licking the tears from his wet face.
Kai didn’t mind right now; it felt good to be taken care of.

“Are we stopping here for the night?” he asked once Adair had cleaned his

face.

Adair made a noise that Kai knew meant no.
“I’m hungry,” Kai said, feeling helpless.
Adair got up, bared his teeth and growled. Kai knew he was not to follow the

cat. Kai pulled his knees to his chest intent on not moving until Adair came back.

Adair had other ideas it seemed. He went behind Kai and began nudging him

to his feet.

“What?”
Adair gave a growl and lifted his eyes up to the tree, and a branch several feet

from the ground. A place Kai could wait safely for Adair to return.

“I can’t climb all the way up there. In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t have

claws.”

Adair hissed.
Kai knew the cougar was annoyed with him. “Well, I don’t!” Kai retorted.
Adair walked over to the tree and stood on his hind legs, razor sharp claws on

his front paws digging into the bark. Kai’s brow furrowed. Did Adair want Kai to climb
him? Again, the cat hissed.

“You can’t be serious,” Kai said, walking over to where Adair stood, trying to

figure out how to climb the skinwalker to get up to the branch. Objectively, Kai knew
Adair was a big animal—which only made him even more curious as to what his friend
looked like in human form—but standing on his hind legs Adair looked to be about six
and a half or seven feet tall, not including the length of his tail. Kai felt very puny.

Adair growled, clearly telling Kai to get on with it. He pushed away thoughts of

a human Adair and concentrated on how to get up to that limb. Well, there was nothing
else to do but just start to…climb.

Kai placed his hands on the cat’s shoulders, feeling the solid muscles under

the fur. He pulled himself up, feet scrabbling for purchase. He found a foothold on
Adair’s rump. He pulled himself up enough so he could get a foot on Adair’s shoulder;
then, his other foot, so he stood on the cougar’s shoulders. He could feel the strain in

Adair’s muscles tensing and bunching, causing Kai’s balance to be precarious at
best.

He stretched, fingertips grazing the bark of the limb. He could almost, almost

reach. He moved infinitesimally, straining, but lost his balance. With a startled yell, he
blindly grabbed out for anything to keep him from crashing to the forest floor and
breaking his neck. What he grabbed were Adair’s ears. The cougar yowled and
snarled. Kai let go and fell to the ground with a painful thump on his butt. He scowled
up at Adair. Adair snarled at Kai, teeth bared, obviously upset about the ear-pulling.

“This was your brilliant idea, Adair,” Kai grumbled, getting to his feet, rubbing

his butt.

A sharp snarl from Adair.
“Well, it was!”
Adair growled and flicked his tail before standing straight up again.
“Really? You want me to break my neck?”
Adair just continued to stare up at the branch. “Fine, but if I fall and die you’ll

regret it.”

With a little more ease and dexterity he climbed back up onto Adair’s shoulders

and looked down at the cougar. “This is as far as we got last time. Now what do I do,
Wise One?”

With a low growl, Adair lowered his head.
Oh, no. No way. He was not stepping on Adair’s skull. Then again, stepping on

Adair’s head would give him an extra inch or two, not to mention a certain satisfaction
for making him do this ridiculous thing.

Adair growled again. Carefully, Kai placed his right foot on the flat of Adair’s

head. This was unreal! He was standing on Adair’s head! Biting his lip in
concentration, Kai reached for the branch, swaying dangerously as Adair struggled
under Kai’s weight.

“Adair! Don’t move!”
Growl. Hiss.
Kai ignored him, stretched as far as he could and was able to get his fingers

wrapped around the limb. A happy sound escaped him as he got a firmer grip. He
brought up his other arm and struggled to pull himself up, legs swinging wildly. His
heart hammered and adrenaline coursed through him as he got securely up onto the
branch.

A second later Adair leapt gracefully up beside him.
“Show off,” Kai said, breathing hard.
Adair nipped at his shoulder.
Kai shoved him good-naturedly. “Are you going to feed me now? I’m a growing

boy. I need more than berries.”

Adair licked Kai’s cheek before he jumped down and slunk gracefully off into

the woods.

Kai got into a comfortable position on the thick limb, crossed his arms over his

chest and closed his eyes. A few minutes later he was snoring softly.

* * * *

Aurelia was able to keep her emotions at bay until after Marius and Nia’s

bonding ceremony, but as night set in it became too much and she burst into tears.
Her baby boy was gone from her, from the protection of the pack, from all he knew
and those who loved him. By now, he would know the truth, that he had been expelled
from the pack and that the den was no longer his home. The forest was a dangerous
place for a human. What if Kai was sick? Or hurt? Her son could be dead or dying
and she wouldn’t even know! Maybe Max could take comfort in the fact that Adair was
with him, but Aurelia couldn’t. Adair wasn’t a mother and didn’t possess a mother’s
instincts.

Max turned to her, and attempted to put a comforting arm around her. She

moved away, her rebuff saying more than words.

“Aurelia?”
She heard the question in Max’s voice. She clenched her jaw to keep inside

the accusations she wanted to fling. How could he have stood by Alpha Giaus’s
decision? The idea of Marcellus being in the forest was frightening, but he was only
one; the pack had nearly two dozen members—all of whom adored Kai and would
protect him with their lives. It made no sense to expel him!

“Mom?”
Aurelia sniffed and wiped her hands across her eyes. She turned toward the

sound of her cub’s voice. Marius looked at her, head cocked, face etched with worry.
Nia stood behind him also with a concerned expression. The newly-bonded couple
should be nothing but smiles with hearts in their eyes.

“Are you all right?”
No, she wasn’t all right! She would never be all right! How could she? Kai was

leaving for some human village and she would never see him again. Worry ate at her.
She wouldn’t be around to make sure he was happy and healthy. She wasn’t going to
add her worry to anyone else’s. She would be strong for the rest of her cubs. She did
her best to smile. “Of course. I’m just happy for you and your new mate.” She
reached out and hugged Marius and Nia, all the while thinking of Kai.

“Mom,” Marius said pulling away. “I’m not stupid. I can tell the difference

between happy tears and sad ones. What’s going on?”

Aurelia smiled to herself. The young alpha was too smart for his own good.
Max cleared his throat. She knew he was going to tell the cubs about Kai’s

expulsion from the pack. Kai was adored and she had no doubt the bad news would
travel fast. She was so angry. Damn it! He should have fought harder to keep Kai in
the pack. She could feel his eyes on her, but pointedly ignored him. “Your mother is
upset because Kai is leaving,” Max said.

Marius shrugged. “So? He’s always going off with Adair. He said he’d be back

before dark.”

“Not this time, Marius.” Max said. “Kai won’t be coming back home.”
“What do you mean?”

“Last night the pack Elders had a meeting. During which, it was concluded

that…your brother be expelled from the pack.”

Aurelia shot Max a withering look.
“What?” Two feminine voices asked from behind Marius.
“Dad just said Kai has been expelled,” Marius said to his sisters.
“Wh-why?” Cassia asked, face crumpling and eyes sparkling with tears.
“Kai hasn’t done anything wrong! He wouldn’t!” Livia said, turning to her sister.
“Hey-hey, family unit!” Cy greeted cheerily as he sauntered over, but his

demeanor changed. “What is it? What’s happened?”

“Marcellus is in this part of the forest again,” Max said. All skinwalkers knew

the stories of Marcellus’s malice and cruelty. He was something of a ‘boogeyman’ to
humans and ‘Walkers alike. “For the good of the pack, Alpha Giaus has expelled Kai.”

The devastated expressions on her cubs' faces only served to enrage Aurelia

further. Cassia and Livia began to cry, Marius was pale and mouth agape, and Cy
looked like he was waiting for his father to say, ‘just kidding!’ Her gaze caught with
Max's. He appeared lost and helpless. She could offer no comfort, not with the pain so
fresh. She glared at him before walking away, leaving him to deal with the aftermath of
his decision.

Chapter 3

When Kai woke it was dark. It took him a minute to remember why he was up a

tree and not in the den curled up with his brothers and sisters. Then he remembered.
The pack had expelled him. He was with Adair and Adair was…Kai looked around but
couldn’t see his friend. A horrible thought occurred to him. What if Adair had
abandoned him? The thought was ridiculous. Adair was his friend, and had been ever
since Kai could remember. Adair would not leave him in the woods to die. Kai was just
going to have to wait for him to come back.

The crickets chirped and owls hooted as the moon made its trek across the

night sky. The stars sparkled like diamonds in velvet and Kai lost track of time
watching them, thinking about his place in the world, and if he would ever find it. The
sound of rustling brought Kai out of his trance. Adair must be back with something to
eat. Kai’s stomach growled. He looked down, but found he couldn’t pick Adair out from
the shadows. Kai peered through the weak moonlight and watched as a constrictor
slithered through the leaves.

The shift was smooth. Kai blinked and in place of the great snake stood a

beautiful woman, completely nude, looking up at Kai. Her generous breasts sat high
and proud, her waist slender, and hips broad. Her long hair fell over her shoulders.
He’d seen plenty of naked women; they had never done much for him but this one was
something else. She was enthralling, captivating.

“Well, what do we have here?” Her voice was soft and melodious.
Kai wished he could figure out a way to get down to her safely. He began

looking around for any hand or foot holds.

The woman sniffed the air. “Ooh! You’re a human! Isn’t this something! What

are you doing in this part of the forest?”

“I…I…uh…” What the devil was he doing here?
“You look awful lonely up there, baby,” she purred. Kai blinked again and the

woman was gone but the snake was wrapping around the tree trunk and slithering
toward him. Kai’s heart thumped in his chest. He couldn’t get to her but she could get
to him.

As soon as the snake reached Kai’s limb she was human again and twice as

alluring as she had been on the ground. Her skin seemed to glow in the pale
moonlight, liquid eyes shining unnaturally bright. Kai couldn’t look away, completely
hypnotized.

“Who…who are you?” he asked, licking his lips. He had to have her. Had to.
She gave a slow smile and caressed his arm. His skin tingled and broke out in

goosebumps. “My human name is Sirona.”

Kai’s mouth went dry and his cock hardened. He swallowed hard. “Sirona,” he

repeated, voice rough like ground glass.

She nodded, her eyes never leaving his. She licked her lips, so pink and so

plump. He couldn’t wait to taste. She leaned in, hand sliding around Kai’s neck and
pulled him towards her. Her lips were agonizingly close to his. He could smell her

sweet breath. He wanted nothing more than to sink his cock into her over and over
again until he was dry and exhausted.

Their lips were about to touch when a deafening roar rent the air. Sirona pulled

back, her face a hybrid of human and snake, and she hissed.

Down below was Adair, tail slashing from side to side, head lowered, eyes on

the…creature Kai had been about to kiss. The cat’s ears were flat, lips pulled back,
teeth bared, and a deep growl resonated from his throat. Kai had never seen Adair
behave like this.

Sirona was once more the great snake and winding down the trunk of the tree.

When she reached the ground, she faced Adair. Adair slashed out with his big heavy
paws, claws out. He hissed and snarled, absolutely ferocious and frightening. The
snake was darting forward and back, egging Adair on. Adair was not backing down.
He continued to make those unfamiliar hiss/growl/snarl noises and swiping with his
paw. With one final hiss, the snake turned and slithered back into the shadows.

Once the thing was gone, Adair looked up at Kai and snarled. Kai knew he was

being scolded even though he didn’t know what had just happened. Adair climbed the
tree and leapt up onto the branch with his usual grace and agility. Adair sniffed Kai,
gave him a few licks before he let loose a snarl.

“I’m sorry!” Kai said, covering his ears. “What was she?” Kai rolled his eyes at

that. Adair couldn’t really tell him what had just happened, but it was obvious he had
just been saved from something dangerous. Kai had lived in the forest all his life and
never heard or seen a creature like the snake. She wasn’t an ordinary ‘Walker, Kai
knew that much.

There was a soft growl from Adair before the cat rubbed his cheek across

Kai’s shoulder.

“Yeah, I’m okay. It was scary though. It was like I couldn’t control myself. She

had me under some spell or something.” Kai shuddered. He wondered what would
have happened to him if Adair hadn’t come back.

Adair bumped his head into Kai’s stomach and looked up at him with curious

eyes.

“Nah, I think I lost my appetite for the night.”
Adair licked his cheek and gave a great yawn. Kai laughed.
“Sleep sounds good.”
The cat leapt over Kai and settled down on the branch. Kai turned to straddle

the branch. He folded his arms on Adair’s rump and laid his head down.

“Good night, Adair. And thank you.” He patted the cat’s flank.
The cat let out a soft, sleepy growl, telling Kai to shut up and go to sleep. Kai

grinned and closed his eyes, asleep in moments.

* * * *

He couldn’t do it. Try as he might, Adair just couldn’t stay asleep. Over and

over, he kept seeing Kai in the thrall of that succubus. A damn succubus! He had

thought parasitic species had died out when the human population dwindled. If he
hadn’t got back in time…he didn’t even want to think about it.

Adair sniffed the air, nothing around for several miles. The sky began to lighten

and life began to stir. Kai was still asleep, his head resting on Adair’s backside,
snoring softly. He began to purr; he found he did that frequently when Kai was
around. It had been a long time since Adair had cared about another soul, but Kai was
special.

He rested his head back down on his paws and let his mind drift back to the

things Kai had told him yesterday as they walked through the forest. Hearing Kai talk
about sex and touching himself had made desire pulse through him, immediately
followed by guilt. Kai had been confiding in him and Adair was a pervert to think about
Kai in any kind of sexual way. Kai was his friend.

Kai made a small sound and shifted in his sleep. Adair sighed. It was early but

the human village was still at least two days away.

Adair growled softly. ::Wake up, Kai.::
The human grumbled.
A little louder growl. ::Kai, we have to get moving.::
Kai smacked Adair between the ears. “Not time to get up.”
Adair hissed. Anyone else would be minus an arm for smacking him like that.

::Yes, it is, brat.::

The gentle weight of Kai’s head disappeared from his backside and Kai

yawned. “You still haven’t told me where you’re taking me,” he said, scratching the
back of his head and stretching. “Not that you could.” He sighed and looked sad.

Adair had the sudden urge to hold Kai—to shift into his human form and take

the young man in his arms. ::No. Absolutely not.:: He pushed that idea back as far as
it would go. Holding Kai could easily lead to kissing him, and kissing him could lead to
other things. Kai was a boy! Adair turned on the branch and looked at his charge. As
he did, he had to admit that wasn’t true anymore. Kai was a man. Young, but none the
less a man, a handsome one at that, and Adair needed to stop thinking like that right
now.

“So, any bright ideas for how I’m getting out of this tree?” Kai asked, breaking

into Adair’s confused thoughts. “I’m not using you to climb down so don’t even
suggest that.”

It was true Kai was too big to ride on his back but Kai could hold onto his neck

and Adair could get him quickly and safely down. He really should have thought of that
last night instead of having Kai step all over him…and yank his ears. Adair snorted
and bumped his head into Kai’s bicep.

The boy’s face showed confusion before understanding dawned. “Are you

sure?”

Adair blinked at him. Yes.
Kai’s arm’s came around Adair’s neck and he carefully climbed onto the

cougar’s back. Adair gave a growl. ::Hold tight, Kai. Very tight.:: He felt the boy’s

arms tighten around his neck and knees squeeze his flanks. Adair stood, dug his
claws into the bark, and climbed down. It wasn’t smooth, and with Kai’s added weight,
Adair scrabbled down faster than he would have liked, landing hard on his paws. As
soon as they were down, Kai’s weight disappeared from his back.

“And you couldn’t have done that last night to get me up the tree?” Kai asked

sardonically.

::Brat!:: Adair snarled. He turned and looked at the carcass of the deer he had

brought back last night. It had flies buzzing around it. Adair could eat it safely but Kai
could not. He would have to hunt again.

“Breakfast?” Kai asked.
Adair began to walk, trusting Kai to follow. Kai had to be hungry, Adair was

now as well. He was loathe to leave Kai alone after the incident with the succubus, but
he couldn’t hunt with Kai with him. Adair had wandered all over the forest in his years,
became acquainted with many of its inhabitants. There weren’t many dangers between
where they were and the village. There was Fabius—hedonistic but harmless. There
was also the lazy bear. Well not exactly lazy but he wasn’t a threat. That damned
succubus was still slithering around. Granted it was more likely to come around at
night. Of course, there was the ever-present threat of Marcellus.

Kai’s stomach growled and Adair made up his mind. He just had to find a safe

place for Kai to wait—up a tree was out.

They walked on for another few minutes, Kai uncharacteristically quiet, before

they came to a riverbank and an outcropping of rock. This was a good spot for Kai to
wait.

Adair growled softly and stopped.
“Huh?” Kai said quietly, turning and looking down at Adair. “Did you say

something?”

Adair cocked his head to the side. Kai was distracted. He wondered what was

going on in the human’s mind. Adair walked over to him and rubbed his cheek across
Kai’s hip.

::It’ll be okay, whatever it is, Kai.::
“Thanks, Adair.” Kai’s hand came to rest on Adair’s head, fingers scratching

behind his ears.

“I trust you and I know you’re taking me someplace safe, but…I kinda wish I

could just stay with you.”

For a moment, Adair actually considered that. He was pretty evenly matched

with Marcellus…except for the fact Marcellus was insane with grief and revenge. Adair
couldn’t watch Kai all hours of the day and night and it just wouldn’t be right, not with
the feelings he was developing for Kai. No, the human village was the best place for
him. There Kai could meet someone, fall in love, and have a family of his own. Adair
whined. The thought hurt like a physical pain. When he got Kai to the human village he
wouldn’t see him again.

“Adair?” Are you okay?”
Kai gazed at him with concern in his eyes. A warm hand was laid on his

shoulder. Adair purred, leaning into the touch, wanting more. Kai’s touch felt so good
and stirred feelings in him that had been dormant for decades. Why now, after all
these years? Kai had always touched him and never had it affected Adair like this
before. What was going on? Adair ignored the voice whispering in the back of his
mind that said he knew damn well what was going on. Kai was going to be leaving and
Adair was never going to see him again and Adair had—when, he didn’t know—fallen
in love with his human friend and didn’t want him to go.

“You’re affectionate this morning,” Kai laughed and kissed Adair on top of his

head.

The firm press of Kai’s lips to Adair’s skull had a panorama of images filling his

mind. He saw himself in his human form, Kai’s lips against him, hands on Kai’s tanned
skin, Kai beneath him writhing in pleasure.

::No, no, no!:: He could not allow himself to think like that. Adair gave a snarl

and pulled back.

“What? What did I do?” The hurt and confusion made the fight go out of Adair.

He never wanted to make Kai upset or think he had done something wrong. Adair was
the one with the issues here. He bumped his head against Kai’s shoulder and licked
his cheek in apology.

“You’re very moody. Are you having your monthly?” Kai asked, eyes glinting

with laughter.

Adair growled and pushed Kai down to the ground. ::Apologize, human!

Apologize!::

Kai laughed and playfully struggled. “Okay, okay! I’m sorry! Lemme up!”
Adair inhaled and caught a whiff of…something coming off Kai, something

new, musky, and incredibly arousing. Having Kai pinned beneath him was too erotic
for words. Kai wasn’t struggling to get away anymore, but looking up at Adair with
wide eyes. His breathing deepened and that delectable scent got richer.

“Adair?” Kai’s voice was low and unfamiliar. Lust hot as the sun washed

through Adair and he was off Kai like a shot.

::What the hell is wrong with you?:: He snarled, angry with himself. Kai

scrambled to his feet, a bright red blush staining his cheeks, neck and chest.

“I’m sorry!” Kai’s voice was strained like he was fighting tears. His back was to

Adair, like the boy couldn’t even bear to look at Adair.

Adair was so ashamed. Max trusted Adair to see his son safely to the human

village and here Adair was close to jumping him. He took a moment to reign in his
emotions. He couldn’t let Kai think he was mad at him. He padded over to Kai, purring.

“I’m really hungry, Adair.” Kai’s voice was still off. Now would be a good time to

go hunting. He could give Kai some time to collect himself and get his own head on
straight.

Adair brushed against Kai before stalking off.

* * * *

Kai wanted to run away. He was mortified. He and Adair played rough before,

wrestled around, but Kai hadn’t gotten aroused by it. Yet, this time when he had been
pinned beneath the cougar, his mind had immediately filled with wanton thoughts. He
loved the way it felt to be held down with the big ‘Walker above him, to be at Adair’s
mercy. It was obscene. Adair was his friend, a ‘Walker—a ‘Walker that never shifted
into his human form. Whatever it was Kai was feeling for Adair could never happen.
What was he feeling for Adair exactly? Kai was afraid to examine it too closely. Philo,
Justus, Marius. He’d developed feelings for all of them and knew nothing could ever
happen between them. Now he was falling for Adair? What was wrong with him?

Kai looked around before sitting down on the river bank to dangle his feet in the

cool water. He couldn’t imagine what Adair must be thinking of him. Adair had snarled
at him—a truly angry snarl that had never been directed at Kai before. Adair must
have realized. Kai sighed, wiggling his toes in the water. Adair had probably smelled
the arousal coming off Kai. He was probably disgusted which was why he had taken
off to hunt so quickly. What if Adair never came back? The thought of being
abandoned didn’t hurt as much as the thought of it being his fault.

The breeze shifted, ruffling his messy hair, and brought an unfamiliar smell.

Kai stood up and inhaled. The smell was pungent but with a hint of sweetness. Curious
and in need of a distraction from his turbulent thoughts, Kai walked cautiously along
the bank. There was a slight decline and a little waterfall that emptied into a pond. The
pond was in the middle of a small clearing and Kai noticed the peculiar smell was
stronger here. The clearing was very sunny and peaceful. The burble of the water was
relaxing.

Kai looked around and was startled when he saw a man laying spread eagle on

the ground. Unsure of what to think, Kai slowly approached the supine form. Next to
the man was a fire that had burned to embers, small pile of green leaves and
something made of clay. As Kai got closer, he noticed the man was laughing quietly
and mumbling to himself.

“Excuse me,” Kai said gently. “Are you all right?”
The man’s eyes—bloodshot and blue—popped open and he slowly sat up. Kai

cocked his head to the side, waiting for an answer, but the man only stared at Kai
dazedly.

Kai had no idea what was going on with this guy. Was he a ‘Walker? Was he

human and lost? Cautiously, Kai sat down next to him. “My name is Kai. What’s
yours?”

The blue-eyed man leaned in close to Kai and gave a great sniff. “You’re

human!” The man sounded friendly, curious. Kai relaxed a little. The man looked at
Kai like he was the most fascinating thing in the world.

“Yeah.” Kai nodded slowly.
“You are by far the most real hallucination I have ever had.” The man reached

out and ruffled Kai’s shaggy hair, then pinched his cheek.

“Stop it!” Kai said irritated, smacking the man’s hand away.
The man recoiled. “Maybe I shouldn’t have mixed the mushrooms with the

grass,” he muttered to himself, a thoughtful look on his face.

“I am not a hallucination,” Kai said, his patience wearing thin. “My name is

Kai.”

He peered at Kai intently as though he was making up his mind if Kai was

telling the truth or not. “Hello, Kai. I’m Dion.”

“Hi.”
“So you live in the forest?” Dion asked, picking up the object made of clay that

lay beside him.

“Yeah.” He watched as Dion placed some of the green stuff into a hollow at the

bottom of the clay object. “What is that you’re doing?”

Dion looked at him. “This?” He pointed to the thing he held. Kai nodded. “I’m

just smokin’ a little happy plant.”

“Happy plant?” Kai had never heard of a plant that could make a person happy.
“Yup! Just smoke a little o’ this and you are guaranteed to feel happy.”
Dion’s eyes crossed as he held up the clay pipe. Seemingly satisfied with it, he

picked up a twig and held it into the burned-down fire until it caught a flame. He put
one end of the pipe in his mouth and lit the other end with the twig

Kai watched as Dion inhaled deeply. “Can I try some?”
Dion nodded, still holding his breath, and passed the pipe to Kai. Kai took it

unsure what to do with it. After a few moments, Dion exhaled a pungent cloud of
smoke.

“Ahh, yeah. That’s the stuff,” Dion said. “Well, go on! Smoke up, my new

human friend.”

Uncertainly, Kai lifted the narrow end of the clay pipe to his mouth. Dion

nodded. Kai inhaled deeply. The smoke burned as it filled his lungs and he
immediately began to cough. His eyes watered as he fought to breathe. Dion
snickered but patted him on the back. Gods, why would Dion smoke this? He thrust
the pipe back to Dion.

“Oh, come on. One more little puff,” Dion said, refusing to take the pipe back.
“No!” Kai said, tasting the smoke in his throat and sinuses.
“Yes! The first one’s always the hardest, but now that you know what to expect

it’ll be easier. And trust me, this is some of the best happy plant ever.”

Warily, Kai brought the pipe back to his lips. One more try and then he would

make his excuses to Dion and head back to wait for Adair.

* * * *

Kai had been gone for twenty-four hours and the pack felt his loss acutely. It

seemed like some of the pack’s light was gone. There were fewer smiles and less
laughter. Max had spent most of the day on his own because he couldn’t take the
reproachful glares from the pack members. He wandered the outskirts of the pack’s
territory, where he would be less likely to encounter them.

He often found himself at Kai’s favorite spots, and even visited Adair’s cave.

His guilt over having done virtually nothing to keep his son in the pack consumed him.
Aurelia was still giving him the cold shoulder. His daughters were as well, following
their mother’s lead. Marius avoided him, using the fact that he was newly mated as an
excuse. Max wasn’t sure if Cy was ignoring him as well; the cub had disappeared with
Tarquin after the dust had settled about Kai’s expulsion and Max had not seen him
since.

When night began to fall, Max returned to the den. The other members of the

pack were eating and talking but the atmosphere was subdued. He avoided making
eye contact as he made up a plate of fruit and meat for his mate. He hadn’t seen her
eat since Kai left. Once the wooden plate was full, he retreated to his and Aurelia’s
den.

Aurelia was in her wolf form curled up, her muzzle resting on her paws. She

gave Max a glance before she stood, turned her back on him and curled back up.

“Will you please eat a little bit, Aurelia?” Max implored.
::I’m not hungry, Max. And I don’t see how you can act like everything is

fine.::

“I know nothing is fine.” He sighed heavily and set the plate down. It wasn’t like

he hadn’t noticed the way the other members of the pack looked at him, with blame in
their eyes. It wasn’t like he didn’t miss Kai or worry about him just as much as Aurelia
did. He regretted abiding the Alpha’s decision to expel Kai. “He’s my son, too, Aurelia.
I wish Kai was here just as much as you.”

Aurelia stood. She shifted to her human form in the blink of an eye. “Then how

could you allow the Alpha’s decision to stand? Kai is a helpless boy!”

“Adair is with him,” Max rationalized. “Adair loves Kai as much as anyone

does. He’ll get Kai safely to the human village.”

Aurelia glared at him.
As much as Adair did care for the boy, Max was his father and no one could

protect his son as well as he could. “What do you want me to do?”

“I want my son back!” Aurelia said vehemently.
“The Alpha made his decision.”
“And he is wrong!” Aurelia’s words echoed around their den, filling the space

and pressing against their eardrums. “The entire pack knows it.”

He sighed and dragged his hand down his whiskered chin. He lowered his

head. He had never felt as small as he did now. Kai was his son and Max had failed in
his duty to protect him. The Alpha’s decision was final and he wouldn’t go back on it.
The only way for Kai to be allowed back into the pack, was if the pack had a new
Alpha.

Realization washed over him like a flood. Aurelia didn’t…? She couldn’t

mean…? His chest felt tight. Cold spread through him. He felt dizzy. The gravity in the
implication was crushing. Seconds that could have been eons ticked by. What Aurelia
was suggesting hadn’t been done in an age. Giaus had succeeded his father as pack
Alpha at the tender age of 14 after his father had been killed by a group of humans
hunting skinwalkers. Giaus was everything a good Alpha should be: strong,

compassionate, authoritative, and commanding without being unfair. Under him the
pack had swelled to formidable numbers. Numbers not even Marcellus could hope to
defeat. Slowly, Max lifted his eyes to those of his mate, communicating so much
without the need for words of any kind.

A storm of emotions tore through him—uncertainty, disbelief, fear—before

calm settled over him. He nodded almost imperceptibly, eyes fierce and jaw set. He
was younger than Giaus, in his prime, and confident in his fighting prowess. He had
more to fight for and he was going to win.

Their son was coming home.

Chapter 4

Kai lay flat on his back staring up at the sky. The sky was so pretty and blue.

Had it ever been that blue before? Kai wasn’t sure. Why had he never noticed? It
should be a crime, Kai thought. He also thought blue was the best color ever. He
thought about all the things in the forest that were blue. There was the water, and
berries, and those pretty flowers. They didn’t really serve a purpose, but they were
nice to look at. No. That wasn’t true. Bees liked those flowers, and bees made honey,
which was the best thing ever. So, yeah, those pretty blue flowers were definitely
important.

He watched fascinated as fluffy white clouds drifted across the sky.

Periodically Kai would reach out and try to touch them. He wondered what clouds felt
like. Would they be soft? He snickered. Of course they were soft! Kai marveled at his
own stupidity. Fluffy things were always soft. Like the white stuff in Milkweed pods.

He sighed and stretched. He couldn’t ever remember feeling so calm and

relaxed. Whatever he had been worried about before didn’t seem to matter. He was
going to stay in the forest. It had everything he needed—food, water, shelter—
everything. He could survive. He would be fine. Everything was so simple. Everything
made sense. Kai giggled. He couldn’t believe he had been so upset before.

“Hey, human,” Dion said. “You wanna go have some fun?”
Fun. Kai liked fun. Fun was fun. Fun was the best thing ever. Kai snorted then

began to laugh hysterically. No, laughter was the best thing ever! Kai held himself
around the middle as he laughed. Tears streamed from his eyes. He couldn’t breathe.

Dion sat up and looked at him curiously. He had a lopsided grin on his face

before he started laughing as well.

“Wha-Wha-What’s so funny?” Dion gasped between belly laughs.
Kai opened his mouth to answer but he couldn’t breathe for laughing so hard.

Dion snorted like a boar, which sent them both into another fit of uproarious laughter.
Eventually the laughter tapered off to giggles, followed by intermittent snickers. Then
silence reigned.

“Hey, Dion,” Kai said after a few moments. “Didn’t you ask me something?”
“I…uh. I think I did, but I forgot.” Dion chuckled.
“Didn’t you say somethin’ about fun?” Kai ventured.
Dion’s face schooled itself into a look of intense concentration. “Uh,” he

scratched his head. “Oh yeah! I asked ya if you wanted to come with me to fabulous
Fabius’s place.”

Kai cocked his head to the side. He had never heard of anyone called Fabius.
“He lives in the Ruins and has awesome parties. There’s lots of dancing and

drinking and all kinds of fun. Wanna go?”

Kai stood quickly, swaying a little as he tried to reorient himself. He could really

go for something to drink and he was hungry. “Yeah, that sounds great!”

“Well all right, kid!” Dion stood up and looked around. “It’s this way…I think,”

he said before dancing off.

Kai followed Dion back into the forest, a little of the mellow, good feeling he had

been enjoying seemed to evaporate. Where exactly was Dion leading him? What
would Adair do when he came back to the clearing and found Kai gone? He
remembered what had happened to him while he had been pinned beneath the cougar
and suddenly it didn’t matter where his new friend was leading him.

The brown-headed man sang some made up song and occasionally plucked

berries. Kai danced along to the beat in his head. Somewhere along the way, the
music in Kai’s head seemed to be coming from without, rather than within. Kai
wondered if Dion heard it as well.

Apparently Dion heard the music, too, because he started bobbing along to the

deep drums and swinging his hips.

Kai stood and listened to the upbeat rhythm, seeming to soak in the music. It

wasn’t like anything Kai had ever heard before. He began dancing as well, a smile
tugging at his lips, his good humor returning.

“Come on!” Dion turned and crashed into Kai. “We’re almost there!”
Dion took Kai’s hand and looped an arm around his waist as he began to lead

Kai in a frantic dance; never seeming to mind when Kai stepped on his toes or
stumbled. Kai laughed as he tried to keep up.

They danced along, the music growing louder. The drums, seeming to resonate

in Kai’s chest, were accompanied by other instruments, giving the jazzy music a
deeper, more leveled sound. Kai really liked it. He could pick out voices singing and
loud bursts of laughter. Dion danced them in a wide circle and they crashed through a
thicket of fern fronds.

Kai had no idea where they ended up. They seemed to be inside some gutted

structure from when humans had been the dominant species. Ivy and vines covered
the walls. There were no windows, there were gaping holes in the walls where one
could see the forest beyond, and the roof was missing. It seemed a miracle the
structure was even standing.

Kai turned his attention to what was going on around him instead of where he

was. There were people and animals—skinwalkers in their animal forms, Kai guessed.
Everywhere he looked there was movement. People were dancing crazily; arms
waving above their heads, feet stomping, or legs kicking out. The environment was one
of carefree enjoyment. Beside him Dion danced in a small circle, eyes closed with a
huge grin on his face.

The longer Kai looked around the more he saw. His eyes widened and his jaw

dropped when he realized what was actually going on around him. Sure, some were
dancing but most were mating—having sex, Kai corrected. Mating was something
special, shared by people in love and bonded to one another. He felt himself blushing.
He shouldn’t be looking at something so private, but no one here seemed to think what
they were doing was intimate. He looked away and his gaze landed on a young
woman being mounted by one man while she had her lips wrapped around another
man’s cock. Shocked and at a loss for anything else to do, Kai looked up at the sky. A
tug on Kai’s hand made him turn to his right. Dion was trying to get him to dance. He

felt some relief, at least he wasn’t alone.

“Come on, kid!” Dion said, dancing around him. “I’ll introduce ya to Fabius.”

Dion shoved an earthen goblet filled with some liquid into Kai’s hand.

“What is this?”
“It’s wine. Drink it. It’s good.” Dion encouraged.
Kai had no idea what wine was. All the pack drank was water or juice. Kai gave

the goblet a sniff then took a small sip. He wrinkled his nose at the taste. It was bitter
but sweet, like fruit. It must be a different kind of fruit juice, Kai decided.

“This way!” Dion tugged Kai’s hand, leading him through the maze of gyrating

bodies and over to a man. He sat on a stone chair above the scene, drinking from a
goblet and tapping his toes to the beat of the music. He was younger than Dion but
older than Kai, nude—as all skinwalkers were—his slight build toned and muscled, and
a wreath of ivy sat on his blond head.

The man spotted them and tossed his goblet over his shoulder and erupted

from his seat. “Dionny!” he greeted.

“Fabby!” Dion said, sounding delighted.
The blond jumped down from his throne, threw his arms around Dion, and

kissed him sloppily. Dion clung to the other man and kissed him back.

Kai wasn’t sure what to do or how to act. Their bodies were pressed tight

together and their hands roamed all over as they kissed. As much as Kai wished it
wouldn’t, his body began to react to the scene Dion and his friend were putting on.
After a few moments they pulled apart, their cheeks flushed with color and cocks
erect.

“Well, hey now!” the blond man said with a big grin as he noticed Kai. “What

have we here?” The man—Fabby, had Dion called him?—gazed intently at Kai. He felt
himself blush under the close scrutiny.

“This is my new friend Kai,” Dion answered. He turned to Kai. “Kai, this is

Fabius the Fabulous.”

Kai gave a little wave.
“He was lookin’ for some fun, so I brought him here,” Dion added.
“Great! Have all the fun you want!” Fabius threw his arms out wide, indicating

the orgiastic scene. He turned to Dion. “You come with me, Dionny, and finish what
you started.”

Dion gave Kai a cheeky grin, wagged his eyebrows before he took Fabius’s

hand and was led away.

“Dion!” Kai called out. He downed the rest of the wine in his goblet and looked

around, unsure of what to do. He wanted to leave but didn’t know how to get back to
where Adair had left him. The pleasant feeling from smoking was gone and Kai began
to get scared. He didn’t know any of these people and the one person he did know
had abandoned him.

“Hey,” a male voice said from beside him.
Kai looked over and saw the voice belonged to an attractive man a few years

older than Kai. He had short dark hair and hazel eyes. He smiled softly.

“Hi,” Kai said and gave a smile of his own.
“I’m Luca.” The man held out a goblet.
Kai took it and peered inside. It was mostly full of deep red liquid. Kai took a

healthy drink in lieu of talking.

“Dion left you for Fabius?” Luca’s eyes swept over Kai’s body. He licked his

lips. “I can honestly say I have no idea why either of those two would leave a fantastic
lookin’ guy like you alone.”

Kai blushed. No one had ever told him he was attractive.
Luca took Kai’s hand, his thumb brushing over Kai’s quickening pulse. He gave

Kai’s hand a tug, indicating Kai should follow him. Kai dug his heels in; he wasn’t sure
how wise it was to go off with this guy.

“Aww, come on. You’re breakin’ my heart, beautiful,” Luca pouted. “I won’t

bite. I just wanna dance.”

Nervous, Kai downed the rest of the wine in his goblet.
“That’s the spirit!” Luca said boisterously. He snatched Kai’s empty goblet and

threw it away. Someone pressed another goblet into his hand before dancing away.
Kai downed it quicker than the last. Wine wasn’t so bad once you got used to the
taste. Luca slung an arm around Kai’s waist. He pulled Kai close.

“Here, put your arms around me and do what I do. Okay, baby?”
Kai really liked the endearments Luca was using. He liked Luca. He wrapped

his arms around Luca’s trim waist and copied the movements of the man’s feet and
hips. Luca’s erect cock brushed Kai’s hip, leaving a wet trail. Kai had no idea what to
do with that knowledge. It made him feel powerful to know he had that kind of effect on
someone.

Kai let himself get lost in the rhythm of the music, the feel of Luca pressed

close to him. His hands ran down Luca’s back, slippery with sweat. Kai had never
touched another guy like this before. Luca didn’t stop him. Instead, the other man
leaned in and brushed his lips across Kai’s neck.

“S’good, baby. Touch all you want.”
Kai shivered and his hands moved lower, itching to grasp Luca’s bare ass. He

didn’t know where he found the confidence to be doing this. He hoped he wouldn’t
lose it.

“Thirsty,” Kai said. “Wine?”
“Did someone ask for wine?” a voice asked from behind Kai.
Luca grinned. Kai looked back to see a man with a goblet of wine in each

hand. Kai removed an arm from around Luca and reached for one. The man—the
same age as Luca but with sandy colored hair—handed Kai the goblet and pressed
himself up against Kai’s back. Kai drained the goblet and laughed as he tossed it
away. The press of the new man’s cock against Kai’s ass shocked him.

Luca ducked his head, licked along Kai’s collarbone, and mouthed at his neck.

Kai closed his eyes and tipped his head back. His head landed on the shoulder of the
man behind him. Kai looked at him with unfocused eyes and gave a lopsided grin.

“Hey,” Kai slurred. “‘m Kai”

“Hey, back, gorgeous. I’m Sorin.” The man’s hands gripped Kai’s hips and

guided Kai in a slow grind. He struggled to think why this was a bad idea but his head
felt fuzzy.

The three men moved fluidly together. They touched, kissed, groped and

ground against one another. Kai reveled in the attention the two good-looking men
were giving him. He enjoyed the feel of Luca and Sorin’s hands on him, their lips. He
ran his hands all over Luca, learning the contours of the other man’s body, the
softness of his skin over taut muscle.

“I’m feelin’ left out, pretty baby,” Sorin husked in Kai’s ear.
Oh, he couldn’t allow that. Kai turned, wrapped his arms around the sandy-

headed man, and kissed him. Kai didn’t have any experience with kissing, but Sorin
didn’t seem to mind; he kissed Kai back, tongue pushing into Kai’s mouth. Kai wasn’t
sure what to do.

When they broke apart, Kai’s head was spinning. His vision dimmed at the

edges. He felt sick to his stomach. He wanted to stop dancing. Kai staggered back
into Luca and blinked blearily. Why were there two of him? He looked at Sorin. There
were two of him as well. What…? Oh gods. His stomach twisted. He felt like he was
going to be sick.

“I…I…” Kai swallowed. His tongue felt too big for his mouth and his eyelids too

heavy, his limbs too hard to control. “‘m not feelin’ t’ good. Wann’ lie down for a li’l
while.”

“Sure thing, baby. We can lay down,” Luca said.
Kai closed his eyes in an effort to stop the spinning. Hands were on him, arms

around him, directing him somewhere else. He couldn’t control his feet and nearly fell
face first.

“Whoa!” Sorin exclaimed, his hold on Kai tightening.
Kai sighed and leaned into him. He trusted Luca and Sorin to get him

someplace where he could rest. He just needed a little sleep then he would be ready to
dance some more. He hoped Luca and Sorin wouldn’t forget about him.

“Over here.”
“This is good.”
“Gods, he’s gorgeous!” Kai wasn’t sure he recognized that voice.
“I know.”
Kai was laid down on warm, hard earth. Kai sighed. It was nice not to be

moving anymore, if only the world would stop spinning. He tried to open his eyes, tried
to get his mouth to move to thank Luca and Sorin and whoever the third voice
belonged to, but he couldn’t.

“He’s out of it.”
“Nah, he wants it bad. He was all over us.”
Someone touched him, his chest, his nipples. Kai whimpered. He wanted to

sleep.

“See, Nhil? He’s moaning.”
“Sounds as pretty as he looks,” Sorin said.

Kisses were pressed to his neck and shoulders. Hot breath in his ear. Hands

on his legs, inner thighs.

Kai tried to move away from the touches. Fingertips skimmed across his

hipbones.

“The mouth on him!” Something wet pressed against his cheek.
“Yeahhhhh.” Wet slap against his lips.
He found the strength and lifted his arms, trying to push the men away.

Someone grabbed his wrists and pinned his arms above his head. Weak fear pulsed
through Kai. He tried to struggle, but blackness pulled him down.

* * * *

Adair licked the blood from his chops as he finished his meal; there was still

enough meat on the carcass for Kai to eat his fill. He had needed the single-
mindedness of the hunt to get his head together. When he’d been stalking the doe,
Adair had been able to push away the look of desire and lust in Kai’s eyes, push away
the rough timbre of his voice, push away the sweet smell of his arousal, and the pretty
way his golden skin flushed. More importantly, he could let go of the guilt that his own
lecherous thoughts were giving him. Kai was his friend. Adair had known him from the
time Kai was an infant, watched him speak his first words, take his first steps, watched
him grow into the young man he was. Any sort of romantic or sexual feelings for Kai
were completely out of line, he berated himself. Besides, Max would have his balls if
he knew Adair was lusting after his son.

Stomach full, but mind active once again—Adair figured it was just something

he was going to have to deal with—he stood. Grasping the kill around the neck, he
headed back to the spot where he had left Kai. His friend would probably be swimming
or wading in the river. Kai had always loved the water.

When Adair reached the riverbank where he had left Kai, he dropped the

carcass and looked around. He expected to see Kai either lounging in the sun or
swimming. Adair’s heartbeat stuttered when he didn’t see the boy anywhere.

::Kai?:: Adair growled low. He looked up at the low hanging branches, thinking

Kai may have climbed up there to doze, or jump into the river, but he wasn’t up there
either. He padded around the riverbank.

::Kai!:: Adair snarled. Where was he? ::Kai!:: He lowered his head, sniffing.

He could still smell Kai’s lingering human scent, but it was fading. Kai wasn’t here and
hadn’t been here for some time. This was his fault. He knew it. He had scared Kai off.
Where would Kai go? He didn’t know this part of the forest. Adair began to pace,
struggling to stay calm, to think. Marcellus was in the forest somewhere. Marcellus was
hunting Kai. Marcellus would kill him when he found the human. Kai could unwittingly
be moving closer to Marcellus.

::Kai!:: He growled louder this time, but it had a pained quality to it. ::Gods,

where are you?::

Struggling to keep the panic at bay, he closed his eyes. He breathed deep,

focusing on Kai’s scent.

North. Kai went north.
Adair opened his eyes and followed that scent at a sedate pace, as much as

he wanted to, he couldn’t run. The scent was faint and to run would risk losing it. He
followed the riverbank to a small waterfall that emptied into a pond. This was an ideal
place for a water-lover like Kai. He looked around but the human wasn’t here.

::Damn it, Kai!:: The boy’s scent was still fairly strong here, but it was mingled

with the scent of Marijuana smoke. ::Kai, what the hell have you gotten into?:: He
growled as he sniffed around. Mixed with the smoke and Kai’s scent was the scent of
another skinwalker, one Adair recognized. He groaned inwardly. Dion. That stupid,
perpetually intoxicated oaf! He couldn’t think of a worse influence on the naïve
human. Oh gods. Yes, he could and he knew immediately where Kai was. Dion was a
constant attendee of Fabius’s orgies. He took off running, not needing to follow Kai’s
scent any longer. Kai must have met Dion and Dion must have taken Kai to the Ruins.
He didn’t want to think about what Kai was being exposed to right now, things that
made jealousy surge hot through Adair’s veins.

It’s okay. You know where he is. He’s okay. He’s okay. He tried to convince

himself as he raced along. He knew where Kai was. He was going to get him and once
he found the human, Adair was not going to leave him alone again! He broke through
the trees to a clearing. He stopped both to take in the scene of complete debauchery
and to try and locate Kai. Fabius and his followers were drunk, as usual. Some were
singing and dancing about, but most were involved in the orgies that were taking
place.

“Hey, hey, it’s Adair!” Fabius said drunkenly, wobbling on his feet.
Adair gave a low growl.
“Well excuse the hell outta me for being polite!”
::Kai! Where is Kai?!::
“Huh? I don’ know no Kai.”
“Addy!” That voice belonged to Dion, the perpetually stoned bear. Adair had

little use for him but maybe he had seen Kai. “What brings you this part of the forest?”

::I’m looking for my friend. I left him at the river to go hunting and now he’s

gone. I traced his scent here.::

Dion blinked slowly, seeming to think about it. “Say now! This friend of yours,

is he human?”

::Yes! Yes, he is. Have you seen him?::
“Seen him? I brought him here!”
::You what? Why would you do that?::
“You talkin’ ‘bout that pretty human?” Fabius said, sitting down heavily on his

butt and looking unfocused at Adair. He seemed to be on the verge of passing out.
“He’s a pretty one! He’s…um…over there, I think.” Fabius indicated the cluster of
naked bodies writhing together. “Last place I seen Pretty anyway,” Fabius said before
slumping over.

Adair, followed closely by Dion, approached the group. The odor of

pheromones, vaginal fluids, semen, and sweat was like a noxious vapor. Adair
scanned each face twisted in pleasure and didn’t see Kai among them. Relief warred
with the worry coiling his gut. He had to find Kai. Kai hadn’t ever been exposed to this
kind of behavior before.

::What is he even doing here?:: Adair asked and began to prowl the perimeter

of the ruins.

“Well, me and him were havin’ a little smoke. We were feelin’ real good and I

asked him if he wanted to come with me for some fun—you know Fabius and his
group are always havin’ fun. The kid said yes and we came here. He was dancing and
singing and having some drinks, and that’s the last I saw of him.”

As furious as Adair was, he had only himself to blame. He had left Kai alone,

and again the kid had found trouble. Adair’s ear swiveled and he sniffed the air. He
heard a soft moan and picked up Kai’s scent. Adair slunk around a corner. Away from
the group he found Kai and the man wasn’t alone. He was with three men and their
hands and lips were all over him. Adair smelled no arousal coming off the young man.
In fact, Kai didn’t even seem to be awake or aware of what was going on. Going by
what both Fabius and Dion had said, Kai had been smoking and drinking. He wasn’t in
a fit state to consent to this. Anger and jealousy tore through Adair and he let loose a
thunderous roar. The men hovering over Kai leapt away from the human as if he were
on fire.

Adair growled, low and menacing, eyes pinning the trio. ::Get away from him if

you want to keep your guts on the inside.::

Fear rolled off them. They raised their hands in surrender.
Adair stalked closer to them, still growling, ears flat. ::Run…and maybe I won’t

chase you.::

The men didn’t need to be told twice. They turned and took off without looking

back.

Once they were out of sight, Adair returned to Kai’s side. He licked the

human’s sweaty face, hoping to wake him up. The young man whimpered but that was
it. Adair had to get him someplace safe for the intoxication to wear off.

“I didn’t mean for this to happen, Adair,” Dion said contrite; impaired but

contrite.

::Well it did! Kai doesn’t understand these things! His idea of fun is running

and swimming!::

Dion swayed as he bowed his head. “I’m sorry,” he muttered.
::Help me get him back to those caves near the river.::
Dion’s head shot up, bloodshot eyes wide and eager to help. “Yes! Of course!”

Dion’s gait became steadier as he approached Kai’s limp form. He carefully picked up
the boy and followed Adair away from the ruins.

It was a short distance to the series of caves from the ruins, but while Adair

had been racing to Kai’s aid, it seemed to take hours. Adair led Dion deep into the

cave, his feline eyes easily adjusting to the lack of light, until they reached a point
where the opening of the cave was a pinprick of light.

::Lay him down and follow me back out.:: Adair wanted to tear into Dion but

not here.

“Lead the way, Addy,” Dion snickered.
Once they were out of the cave, Adair turned to Dion. ::I appreciate your

help.::

Dion smiled and gave a little bow. “Not a problem. I like that kid. I was happy to

help.”

::Now stay away from him!:: Adair snarled.
Dion cowered at the volume. ::You don’t have to tell me twice!:: the man said

before taking his animal form—a big brown bear—and lumbering off through the
forest.

Adair went back into the cave for a look at Kai. He was out cold from the

alcohol and whatever he had smoked with Dion. He had never been as furious and
terrified in his life as when he saw Kai about to be compromised by those apes,
except for when he had seen Kai in the grip of the succubus. He wanted to be angry
at the boy but he couldn’t. Kai was young and naive; he knew nothing about alcohol or
the effects of certain herbs when smoked. Adair knew when Kai woke up he would
feel terrible. Part of him wanted Kai to suffer but the bigger part knew he had to go
and find something to help heal him. Preparing the medicines would mean having to
transform back into his human form—something Adair hadn’t done for decades, but
would for Kai—so he could have the use of human hands. He licked the unconscious
boy’s cheek before going off to look for things that would help with the after effects of
Kai’s drunken behavior.

Chapter 5

Kai woke up sicker than he had ever been in his life. His stomach felt like it

was trying to escape via his mouth and his head felt like it was going to explode. He
struggled to remember a reason for why he felt like this, but all he found was a black
spot. He remembered Adair leaving him to go hunt for food. He remembered meeting
Dion…then…and then…nothing. There was nothing. Had he fallen ill and was now just
waking up? If so how long had he been out? Or worse, was he dying? Kai felt cold all
over. He wanted to go home. He wanted his mother. But he knew he couldn’t go home.
The pack had expelled him. Adair. Where was he? Had Adair abandoned him when
he had fallen ill? Had Adair thought him too sick to make it?

Fighting to keep the panic that threatened to overtake him, he took stock of his

surroundings. It was dark and cool; there was the drip of water, light was coming in
from some distance away and the walls were rocky. A cave. He was in a cave. How
had he gotten here? Had to have been Adair. Kai sat up slowly, his head aching
worse. He moaned as his stomach revolted against the movement. He was going to be
sick. He struggled to his feet, and staggered to the mouth of the cave gagging and
coughing. The light assaulted his eyes, and the singing of the birds assaulted his ear.
Gods, what was wrong with him? Barely out of the cave, Kai emptied the meager
contents of his stomach and fell to his knees. He vomited once more, the effort of it
making his head feel like it was splitting apart. The need to vomit hit him once again
but nothing came up, just dry heaves. He collapsed onto his side, curled in the fetal
position. He didn’t want to die like this, alone in the forest.

Minutes seemed to drag by, but instead of feeling worse, his stomach calmed a

little and he felt better. His head still throbbed. The lights and sounds were still too
much, but at least he didn’t feel like he was in imminent danger of expiring. He lay
there listening and heard the rush of water from somewhere nearby. His mouth tasted
rank, and he was aware of his own body odor. A drink of water would be good,
followed by a swim to wake him up and wash away the rest of his sickness. Squinting
against the rays of sun coming through the treetops Kai walked toward the sound.
Along the way, he plucked some mint leaves and chewed them, wanting to get the
taste of vomit from his tongue. The trees broke onto the riverbank and in the water was
a man.

Kai’s throat caught in his chest. Adair. It was Adair in his human form, Kai

knew it. Gods, he was gorgeous—lean and muscular. His hair was long and dark. The
muscles in his back and shoulders flexed as he moved through the water with all the
cat-like grace Kai was familiar with. Kai wanted desperately to see his face, to see his
eyes, and hear his voice. Adair began swimming back to the riverbank. Kai’s cock
was hard, tenting out his loincloth as Adair got out of the water. Kai’s eyes drank in
the breadth of the man’s shoulders, the well-defined muscles of his torso, the narrow
waist that gave way to lean hips, and thick cock limp between his powerful thighs. If
Kai thought he had desired Adair before, it was nothing to the want he felt now with
Adair in the flesh before him. Almost unaware of it, Kai moved through the trees.

“Adair?” The beautiful man’s eyes—similar in color and shape to when he was

in animal form—locked with Kai’s before widening with surprise.

* * * *

Adair looked up at the sound of his name on familiar lips. His heart stopped in

his chest when he saw Kai staring at him with wide eyes. The breath left his lungs
when he saw the heat and desire in Kai’s gaze. He never expected Kai to be capable
of a sultry look like that. His gaze slid down Kai’s lean body to the obviously erect cock
between his thighs. Kai was hard, for him. Adair’s blood turned to liquid fire in his
veins. He imagined going to the young man, taking him in an embrace and showing
him what pleasures his body was capable of. Gods, he could see it and he was
desperate for it. He closed his eyes, fighting to regain control. He had to remember,
Kai was young; the wind could have that effect on him. Adair got down on all fours,
intending to change back to his cougar form.

“Please, don’t,” Kai said but his voice was rough with arousal. “Adair, I’ve

never seen you like this before. Will you talk to me, please?”

Adair paused, then slowly stood. He could never deny Kai anything. He heard

Kai’s heart thundering in his chest. The young man’s eyes were dilated, only a sliver
of dark green visible. He flushed a delicate pink all over and his nipples tightened. A
thick perfume of arousal radiated off the young man, ensnaring Adair.

“Adair…” Kai walked jerkily toward him, his eyes never breaking contact with

Adair. Adair was glad for that because he didn’t want the young man to see the effect
he had on his body. “I can’t believe it’s you.”

Gods save him. That voice, it was low and sensual. Kai was a potent poison

and Adair didn’t have the antidote. Even worse, Adair didn’t know if he wanted one.

Before Adair could react—damn his reflexes were slow in this form—Kai had

his arms around Adair tight and Adair knew he was well and truly damned. Kai felt so
good pressed against him. Adair slowly wrapped his arms around Kai, returning the
embrace. Kai sighed and seemed to melt against him.

After several long moments, Kai pulled back, but didn’t break the embrace. In

his animal form Adair had grown accustomed to looking up at Kai, and now he was
looking ever so slightly down into eyes that were full of desire and longing. Kai was a
boy; Adair scolded himself, even if the hard press of Kai’s cock against his hip told
Adair otherwise. He was crazed by hormones to take this further, to do what his body
begged him to do was wrong. Adair would be no better than those three men at the
ruins.

“Adair…” Kai’s hands slid down Adair’s sides to rest on his hips. Adair

shivered and his skin broke out in goose bumps. The sensations Kai caused
overwhelmed him. His control frayed like rotted rope, and soon Adair feared it would
snap.

Kai went on his toes to brush his lips across Adair’s slack mouth.
“Kai, no,” Adair said feebly.

The desire in the human’s eyes dimmed with hurt and rejection. Guilt washed

over Adair. He truly was powerless when it came to Kai. He should end this here and
now. Break this embrace and tell Kai that whatever was developing between them
couldn’t happen. Tell Kai he was too young. Tell him things could never be between
them. Tell him anything and everything, lie or truth, to squash this.

He did none of that. Instead, his arms tightened around Kai, and kissed him for

all he was worth. Kai’s lips parted on a surprised gasp and Adair’s tongue invaded his
mouth. Kai clung to him and began kissing Adair back, messy, but enthusiastic.

Adair pulled back, breathless. Kai’s lips were swollen, his cheeks flushed and

his eyes dazed. Adair felt pride that he was the first one to see Kai like this, consumed
by passion.

“Mate me, Adair. Please,” the human panted. “I want it to be you.”
Those words sent a flare of lust through Adair, the likes of which he had never

experienced. He growled and claimed Kai’s mouth again in a hungry kiss. Kai’s
hands, rough from years of play and work in the forest, roamed all over Adair’s back,
feeding the fire in his blood. His tongue invaded Kai’s mouth, drawing soft moans and
shivers from the other man.

Adair pulled back from Kai’s tempting mouth and cast his gaze around for a

suitable place to lay the human down and indoctrinate him in pleasure. This was Kai’s
first intimate encounter. He should be laid out on a bed of the softest pelts not on the
hard forest floor with only a covering of dead leaves, fronds and other flora.

The young man clung to him, his soft breaths puffing out against Adair’s

shoulder. “Always, in the darkest of night I would dream of coupling with someone. I
didn’t know his name. Couldn’t see his face, but now…” Kai looked up at Adair, his
hands resting on the ‘Walker’s pectorals. “Now I know the man in my dreams was
you, Adair.”

Adair’s heart clenched. He bent and kissed Kai softly. When he broke the kiss,

he traced the planes of the human’s face with his fingertips, the finely carved
cheekbones, the delicate jaw that was beginning to become more square and
masculine, the plump lips, and freckled nose. So beautiful. He took Kai by the hand.
“Here.”

He led Kai to a thick mat of leaves dappled with shafts of sunlight and guided

him to lay back. Kai went willingly, gazing up at Adair with open, trusting eyes.

The sweet, musky smell of the boy’s arousal grew thicker, wrapped around

Adair like a warm blanket, making it harder and harder for him to remember why
having sex with Kai was a bad idea. In the past, when the urge for carnal pleasures
struck, he would pay a visit to Fabius and his merry band of hedonists. None of those
encounters ever had him losing control like this. He wanted to bury himself inside the
young man but held himself in check. This was Kai’s first time and the need to make
this good for him overwhelmed the lust pounding through his veins.

He covered Kai’s body, hips slotting easily into the cradle of his thighs, and

kissed him. He nibbled Kai’s lower lip, dipped his tongue inside Kai’s mouth, tasting,
teaching. The human was a quick study when it came to kissing. At first his kisses

were timid, mimicking, but gradually became more sure and passionate—curling his
tongue around Adair’s, thrusting his tongue in Adair’s mouth.

Kai’s arms looped around Adair’s neck, a leg curled around his waist, and the

human’s hips jerked reflexively. A low growl sounded from Adair’s throat. He rolled his
hips, grinding against Kai. Kai was too tempting and Adair’s willpower was gone. If he
didn’t regain some semblance of control, this would be over well before it began. He
broke the kiss and fought to still the motion of his hips. Kai made a high-pitched sound
of disappointment and tried to chase after Adair’s lips. His chest heaved with his
panting breaths.

Adair pressed his forehead against Kai’s. “Need to slow down, Kai,” he

whispered. He dipped his head to brush his lips against the thin skin on the side of
Kai’s neck; he could feel the man’s pulse racing just beneath the surface. Kai’s hands
tightened on Adair’s shoulders and he tilted his head to the side.

Lust flared through Adair at Kai’s show of submission. He sucked the skin

between his teeth, worked his tongue back and forth across the tender flesh, clearing
away the salty taste of sweat until all that was left was Kai and Adair ached for more. A
purr rumbled through his chest as he licked and bit the skin. He never imagined Kai
would have this kind of effect on him. He pulled back to admire the deep purple bruise
he had left.

“Don’t stop,” Kai moaned. “Please don’t stop.” Kai lifted himself up and kissed

Adair, nibbling on his lower lip and soothing the sting with his tongue. Adair gathered
him in his arms and kissed him back, tongue caressing Kai’s, dipping inside for a
taste. “I want you so bad, Adair, all over me, in-inside me.” The emotion shining from
Kai’s eyes was frightening in a way—he was so young and untried to have that kind of
depth in his gaze.

Adair nuzzled Kai’s neck and dropped little kisses along the jut of his

collarbone. He kissed his way down Kai’s chest, pausing to flick his tongue across
Kai’s hard nipple. Then, he took the little nub between his teeth and gently pulled and
nibbled. Kai cried out and arched beneath him, hands clutching Adair’s shoulders.
Adair moved to Kai’s other nipple, circling it with his tongue and biting.

He worked his way lower, pressing kisses to each one of Kai’s clearly defined

abdominal muscles on his way south. He plucked at the ties that held Kai’s loincloth on
his hips. The leather strings gave and the cloth fell away, leaving Kai exposed to
Adair’s hungry gaze. His cock was hard and rosy, leaking at the tip, as it rested
against his thigh. He was red all over, plump bottom lip bitten near bloody; sheen of
sweat coated his toned, slender body.

“Gorgeous,” Adair breathed out. His mouth watered as he thought about

wrapping his lips around the eagerly twitching length, but he forced himself to take
things slow. He kissed along the inside of Kai’s thigh, feeling the muscle tremble
beneath his lips. Kai began to pant and make needy little whimpers because he didn’t
know what to ask for, but Adair knew what he wanted, even if Kai himself didn’t. He
kissed Kai’s opposite knee and worked his way up the inside of Kai’s other thigh.

“Adair, please,” Kai begged.

Adair ran his hands down Kai’s sides and gripped his hips, thumbs slotting

perfectly into the dents. Adair’s heightened senses swam with the musky scent of
Kai’s arousal. He nuzzled the dark gold curls at the base of Kai’s cock, soaking in that
delicious scent. Kai shuddered and whined, hips jerking up. Unable to deny him this
pleasure, Adair took Kai in hand and sucked the head into his mouth, moaning as
Kai’s sweet taste coated his tongue.

“Adair!” Kai veritably screamed and his hands grasped Adair’s head, fingers

tangling in his hair and pulling slightly. “Oh, gods. Oh!” Kai bucked his hips
involuntarily but Adair took him in easily. “Adair…I… Adair!”

Adair pressed down hard on Kai’s hips, stilling their movements. He slid his

mouth up the shaft, tongue curling around the tip. He groaned at the sweet taste of
Kai’s pre-ejaculate leaking from the tip. He tongued the sensitive slit, seeking more of
his boy’s taste, to commit it to memory since this was the only time he would have Kai
this way.

“Adair! I…I’m going to—”
Kai’s muscles locked and his cock thickened, grew harder in Adair’s mouth

before Kai wailed and pumped his seed down Adair’s throat. Adair swallowed greedily
until Kai had nothing left to give. Kai whined softly, body instinctively trying to wiggle
away from the over-stimulation.

Adair let Kai’s softening cock slip from between his lips. He looked up at the

human and his pounding heart stuttered. Over the years he’d seen Kai in almost every
state imaginable but completely relaxed and blissed out after an orgasm was the one
that would stay with Adair for the rest of his life. He would lock the memory of this
encounter away in his heart and wrap himself in it when the loneliness became too
much to bear.

Kai blinked down at him, eyelids at half-mast and a sloppy grin on his face.

“Adair, that was…Wow!”

Oh, he hadn’t even begun to show the human all the ways he could experience

pleasure. Adair felt a smirk pull at his lips. Kai was going to remember this encounter
for the rest of his days. Adair was going to make sure of that.

Adair kissed Kai, the boy gasping when he tasted himself on Adair’s tongue.
“Turn over for me,” Adair whispered against Kai’s lips. Adair sat back on his

heels and waited for Kai to comply.

Kai’s eyes swept over Adair’s body, settling briefly on Adair’s thick hard dick.

His eyes went wide and he started to worry, his bottom lip trembling.

Adair knew his size was intimidating to the virginal human. Adair would never

hurt him, would rather cut off a limb than to ever hurt Kai. He leaned forward and gave
Kai a soft chaste kiss meant to calm and reassure. “I won’t lie to you, Kai. It will hurt,
but I just ask that you trust me. I’ll make it so, so good for you.”

“I do and I know you will. I’m just nervous I guess,” Kai replied, looking

ashamed by his own reticence.

“Only natural.” Adair reached out and brushed his fingers through Kai’s golden

hair, some strands bleached near white by the sun. “We can stop if you want. It’s up

to you.”

“I don’t want to stop. I want to mate with you, more than anything.” Kai kissed

Adair quickly before turning over onto his stomach.

The skinwalker swallowed hard as Kai’s perfect ass came into view. The

human’s scent changed at this angle, becoming darker, less salty and more musk.
Adair’s cock throbbed and leaked copiously in response. He took himself in hand to
ease the ache.

Kai looked over his shoulder at Adair. “Is this okay?”
“Hands and knees, Kai,” Adair instructed softly. There was shuffling as Kai

took the desired position. The blush on his back deepened. Adair moved in close,
wrapped his arms around Kai’s middle, his cock rested innocently between Kai’s ass
cheeks. He wanted to be inside Kai desperately but knew he had to take time and
carefully prepare the human.

He kissed Kai’s nape and worked his way down, kissing every knob of Kai’s

spine. His big hands traced random patterns across Kai’s chest, occasionally
tweaking a nipple. Kai gasped and shuddered in Adair’s arms. He worked his way
slowly down Kai’s back, closer and closer to his ultimate goal.

Adair pressed a kiss to the base of Kai’s spine before grasping the firm cheeks

of his ass and spreading him wide. Kai’s breath hitched and he froze.

“Adair?” Kai’s voice was soft, hesitant. The acrid scent of fear interwove with

the musky-sweet scent of Kai’s arousal.

* * * *

Kai’s heart hammered. Sweat dripped down his temples, trickled down his

neck. He waited for Adair to begin mating him but the man simply held him and kissed
him. Kai closed his eyes. He loved feeling Adair’s arms around him. It made him feel
safe and loved - cherished. He had wished for a mate and now he had one: his best
friend. Kai wondered if maybe this was some sort of dream.

He felt Adair’s warm breath against his opening. He flushed with

embarrassment. No one had ever exposed him in this way. “Adair! You…what are
you…? You don’t mean to kiss me there?” The idea seemed too dirty, forbidden and
completely arousing. He heard Adair give a low laugh before feeling a wet tongue lick
across his hole. “Oh my, G—unh!” He broke off into helpless whimpers. His cock
throbbed painfully between his thighs, leaking steadily.

Over and over, Adair teased and tormented him in his most secret sensitive

spot. Barely there flicks of his tongue, broad swipes with the flat of it, kisses, and
nibbles. It drove Kai mad with pleasure. He had no idea mating would be like this, feel
this good. Never thought anything could feel this good. Kai screamed when he felt
Adair’s tongue breach him. He was going to die from this. It was too much. Too good.
Too right. And then Adair stopped. Kai mewled, panting harshly. He looked back at
Adair, about to order him to continue what he had been doing when Adair spoke.

“I need to be inside you,” he growled. Kai felt the blunt head of Adair’s cock

drag across his ass, leaving behind a wet, sticky trail.

Arousal pulsed through Kai. “Yes, yes, please. I want that so much.” He tried to

straighten, to get Adair off him so he could flip onto his back.

Adair’s arms came around him tight like steel bands. “Like this.”
“But…I want to see you.”
“I know,” Adair gentled him, “but trust me, it will be easier this way.”
Kai dropped his head between his shoulders. As much as he wanted to see

Adair, he trusted the other man’s experience. He was nervous about being penetrated
but ached to know what it felt like to be filled and joined with another person so
intimately. He felt Adair’s fingers stroking over his entrance, tip of his finger circling. It
felt good, not as good as Adair’s tongue but good nonetheless. After several passes,
Adair’s finger slipped inside him. Kai gasped. The sensation was unlike anything he
had ever experienced.

“Feels good,” Kai breathed out as Adair’s finger began to move in and out.
“Ready for another one?” Adair asked after several minutes.
“Yeah,” Kai panted.
There was a little more sting and burn as Adair slipped another finger in with

the first and Kai tensed up.

“Shh,” Adair soothed and mouthed along Kai’s neck. “Good. You’re doing so

good.” Kai relaxed under Adair’s kisses and murmured words. Adair began to move
his fingers in and out. Every now and again Adair’s fingers would skate over
something inside that would make Kai’s bones turn liquid with pleasure.

Kai lost track of how long Adair carried on this way, fingers moving in and out

of Kai’s body—three now—murmuring sweet words in his ear.

“I’m going to take you now, sweetheart. Ready for me?”
Kai’s heart swelled at the endearment. “Yes, yes. Please.”
Adair pressed a kiss to the back of Kai’s neck. His fingers slipped from Kai’s

body. Kai whimpered in disappointment. A moment later something thicker pushed
slowly into him. Kai gasped in pain as the head of Adair’s thick dick pushed past the
ring of muscle.

He bit his lip. Adair was so big. No way. There was no way Kai could hope to

take him. Adair would be so disappointed in him. His chest constricted. Tears filled his
eyes and he struggled to keep them from falling. “Hurts, Adair.”

“I know. You tensed up. Just try to relax and breathe for me. Your body will let

me know when you can take more.”

Kai breathed like Adair told him to—slow, deep inhales and exhales. Adair

remained still, caressing him and whispering reassurances in his ear. Gradually the
tension left his body and he relaxed.

Adair pushed in more and Kai gave a soft moan, having Adair inside him felt

weird but good at the same time. He could feel every vein of Adair’s cock, feel it
throbbing in time with his mate’s frantic heartbeat. It was intense and overwhelming.
Adair was inside him! The pain faded, leaving only a sense of fullness and pleasure
waiting to unfurl inside him. His cock perked back up, having gone soft when Adair

had penetrated him.

“Gods, Kai, you feel so good around me. So tight. I need to move. Can I

move?”

“Yes, yes, please,” Kai panted.
Adair set a steady pace of long, slow strokes. Every so often he would strike

that sweet spot inside Kai and Kai would scream as stars exploded across his vision.

“Yes, Adair. More,” Kai panted, rocking back to meet Adair’s thrusts. He was

on fire, consumed by passion, devoured by pleasure. “Harder! Please, Adair.”

Adair stopped his movements behind him and felt Adair’s cock slip from his

body. Kai felt like bursting into tears. Wha—? Had he been doing it wrong? Maybe he
shouldn’t have talked, tried to give Adair orders.

Adair flipped Kai over onto his back. Adair’s eyes were dark, his expression

feral. Kai shivered at being the focus of all that intense desire. Adair plunged back
inside and rode Kai hard. Kai screamed and writhed beneath him, this new angle
making everything more intense. He wrapped his legs around Adair’s narrow waist,
urging him on—faster, harder, deeper.

Adair’s balls slapped against Kai’s ass. His skin flushed a deep red. Muscles

and tendons bulged in his neck and arms. Sweat poured off him. Adair was wild, out
of control; the knowledge that he, Kai, was responsible filled him with pride and a
bone-deep sense of satisfaction. He would be the best mate Adair could ask for, give
the ‘Walker all he could, anything the other man could want. Adair had already given
Kai everything he had dreamed of. As he grew up, he had heard older, mated
members of the pack talk about the bond of a mated pair with such wonder and
reverence. Kai had always dismissed it, but what he was experiencing now made him
think everything he had heard had been massively understated.

“Yes! Adair! Yes!”
“Perfect. So damned perfect.” It was little more than a growl but it sent heat

sparking across Kai’s skin like lightning. Adair grabbed Kai’s wrists and pinned his
arms above his head as he pounded mercilessly into Kai.

Kai was on a knife’s edge, so close to release. His aching, neglected cock

trapped between their bodies, the defined ridges of Adair’s abs giving the perfect
amount of friction.

“Adair!” Kai moaned. Kai couldn’t hold back anymore. The tide within him

burst. A sound somewhere between a moan and scream tore from Kai’s throat as he
climaxed, thick hot ropes of semen splashing up his chest and neck.

The movements of Adair’s hips became erratic before stilling. His face twisted

in pleasure as Kai felt the heat of Adair’s seed being pumped into him, sealing their
union.

* * * *

It was late afternoon before Aurelia and Max emerged from their den. Max had

spent the remainder of the previous night and a good portion of the day making love to

Aurelia—relishing, imprinting. He wanted to show her how much he loved her, how
much she meant to him. He wanted one last perfect time with her in case he should
fail in his challenge. Aurelia never allowed him to think that way for long. To her it
wasn’t even an option.

Side by side, Max and Aurelia walked to Giaus’s den. The other pack members

must have sensed something, because they watched as the couple passed, some
pausing in their activities. There was a tension in the air that had been building since
Kai’s expulsion, charged like the air before a storm.

“Giaus,” Max said, voice already taking on the role of pack Alpha, implacable

and commanding. “A word.” The challenge had already been issued because Max
hadn’t addressed Giaus as ‘Alpha’.

It was a moment before Giaus appeared from the mouth of his den, brows

narrowed, eyes like flints. “Max.” There was a soft growl behind the word, a rebuff.

“My son never should have been expelled. Marcellus is no match for the pack.

We all know it. A proper Alpha would know it, too.”

Giaus shifted and attacked Max without hesitation. Max shifted and collided with

Giaus as the Alpha charged him. The wolves snarled and snapped at each other
before falling apart, eyes on each other, circling, waiting for the next attack.

Giaus was older than Max, slower. Max could beat him. He had to, and he had

to do it with as little damage to himself. Max struck again; Giaus rising up on his back
legs, Max meeting him, dragging his claws over his neck, carving through fur and
flesh. Giaus gave a cry of pain and fell back.

Max barked and darted forward. Giaus met him, barking ferociously. Giaus got

Max off balance and Max fell backward. Giaus swiped with a paw, claws glancing
across Max’s muzzle. Max twisted away and leapt back to his feet, snapping and
growling at Giaus.

They collided again, rolling in the dirt, sharp teeth and claws attacking

anywhere they could reach, growls and snarls coming from both wolves. They
separated again, barking and snapping at each other, only to attack once more.

Max wasn’t sure how long this pattern went on, but he knew he was wearing

down the older wolf. Max could tell Giaus was growing weary; he was panting harshly
and bleeding from the wounds Max had already inflicted. Max’s injuries were only
superficial. He attacked again, throwing all of his weight into Giaus, getting him down.
Giaus snarled and snapped. Kicked with his back feet, but Max was stronger, heavier.
He pinned Giaus with his front paws.

Giaus growled up at him. ::You’re going to have to kill me, Max.::
Max’s lips pulled back in a snarl, exposing his teeth. ::I never had a choice.::

Giaus shifted beneath him but Max was too quick. His jaws opened and clamped down
onto Giaus’s exposed throat, teeth sinking in deep. The metallic taste of blood spurted
into Max’s mouth. It tasted like victory.

He pulled back viciously, a good chunk of Giaus’s throat still clamped between

his jaws. Blood sprayed from the wound and rasping breaths slowed until they
stopped. Max spat out the meat and leveled his gaze at the pack, his pack.

Aurelia trotted forward. She rubbed her muzzle across Max’s, tongue licking

away the blood. He allowed himself a moment to breathe her in before he shifted back
to his human form and turned to address the pack.

“We’re going after Kai. Marius, Amias, Justus, Philo, Tarquin, you’ll come with

Aurelia and I.”

The five wolves moved forward.
“Dad?” Cy asked, approaching the group of chosen wolves.
“I’m not taking you, Cy. I need Alphas.”
His beta son was unphased by Max’s brusqueness. “I realize, but you should

take Caesar with you.”

Max shook his head. “Too old. I need youth and strength.” Max was eager to

get going after Kai. His young son had been gone too long. Neither Aurelia nor himself
would rest until they found him and ascertained that Kai was safe and once more a
member of the pack.

“Kai may be injured. You’ll need his knowledge of herbs and remedies if he is.”
Max saw the wisdom in Cy’s words. For all of Cy’s smart-aleck attitude, he had

brains. Max just wished he would use them more often. Oh well, he was still a cub.

“True enough. Caesar,” Max called. Caesar, an elder pack member and

healer, came forward.

“Alpha?”
“I need you to come with us. Gather what supplies you think you might need

and we’ll leave as soon as you do.”

Caesar gave a nod and headed back to his den. He came back scarcely a

minute later with a bundle hanging from his neck.

“Mark, Nia, keep things running smooth around here. We’ll be back as soon as

we can. Let’s go!”

Max shifted back into his wolf form and led the way into the forest, Aurelia and

the others following behind.

Chapter 6

Adair had mated with Kai once more after their initial coupling. Kai had been

resting with his head on Adair’s shoulder, Adair’s arms around him and they had been
kissing lazily. The kisses led to touches and touches had tumbled them into another
mating. There had been no pain when Adair had penetrated him the second time, just
sweet pleasure that left Kai dizzy, sated but greedy for more. Adair was cleaning
himself in the pond and Kai was swimming. The cool water felt good on his skin,
washing away the sweat and evidence of Kai’s multiple climaxes. Kai felt at peace in a
way he never had before, like a part of him that he didn’t realize was missing had
come back. He knew now the missing piece had been Adair: his best friend, his lover
and now his mate.

His mate.
As far as Kai knew, theirs was the first union between a human and a

skinwalker. If Kai still had been a member of the pack, he and Adair would have had a
public bonding ceremony. The fact he’d been expelled didn’t hurt so badly now. Kai
had thought he would be alone for the rest of his life, but now he had a mate, someone
to care for and love. A mate who loved him and would care and protect him in return.

Kai was incredibly happy as he floated along the surface of the water, not

really paying attention to where he was going, just enjoying the water holding him up
and the warm sun on his skin. He wondered what he and Adair were going to do now.
Were they going to go back to Adair’s cave or find a new place to live? Kai rather
liked where they were. It was peaceful with a good balance of shade and sunshine,
the pond for bathing, the nearby river for drinking water, and the cave would make a
good home. Kai hoped they could live here.

After some time, Kai heard splashing and was rocked by ripples. He opened

his eyes and saw Adair leaving the pond.

“Adair,” Kai called but his mate didn’t respond—he didn’t even turn around, just

continued walking until he was out of the water. Kai quickly swam to shore. “Adair.”

Kai wondered if he had done something wrong, if Adair was unhappy with him

in some way, if he regretted claiming Kai as his mate. The thought made Kai cold all
over. He tried to think more optimistically. Adair wouldn’t choose a mate without
thinking it through, and he had chosen Kai.

Once out of the pond, Kai walked up behind Adair and wrapped his arms

around his mate, kissing his shoulder. “Hi,” Kai said softly with a smile tugging up his
lips.

Adair pulled quickly from Kai. Kai tried not to let the rejection sting; Adair had

lived a solitary life for so many years and it was going to take time for him to adjust to
being part of a mated pair.

“Don’t,” Adair said, still not facing Kai, but rather looking at the place where

they had mated. “Get your cloth on, Kai. We should get moving again.”

Confusion spread through Kai like a wave. Why was Adair being so cold, so

distant? Maybe he had disappointed Adair. Maybe he hadn’t done it right. He looked

around for his loincloth and, once he found it, put it on as requested, at a loss for
anything else to do.

“Where are we going?” he asked with a tremor in his voice as he made sure

the strings of his covering were secure.

“I’m taking you to the human village,” Adair said, turning but looking at a spot

over Kai’s head.

That answered the question as to where Adair had been taking him, but why

were they going there now? “The human village?”

“Yes, I told your father I would see you safely there. Come.” Adair turned and

began walking.

Kai’s stomach plummeted to his feet. He didn’t want to live there. Adair couldn’t

live with him there. Kai had heard about human villages from older members of the
pack. ‘Walkers were not allowed; it wouldn’t matter if he and Adair were mates or not.
“We can’t go to the human village, Adair.”

Adair turned and Kai felt his heart speed up. Adair was such a beautiful man

and he belonged to Kai. “We aren’t going to the human village, Kai. You are.”

“No, I’m not,” Kai argued, confusion turning to anger. This wasn’t making any

sense. He and Adair should be figuring out their life together. Adair should not be
trying to get rid of him.

“Yes, you a—” Adair broke off, shaking his head. “This is ridiculous. I’m not

arguing with you. Let’s get going.”

“I said no!” Kai stood his ground. “I can’t believe that after what happened

between us you want me to go to the human village. You’re my mate now, Adair. You
can’t abandon me.”

“Mate? Kai, we aren’t mates. We had sex. It was great but that doesn’t mean

we’re anything more to each other than we were before.”

Adair’s callous words gutted Kai. How could he say a thing like that? What they

had shared had been a special experience and Adair was denying it. “You’re a liar!”
Kai lashed out. “I know what it means!”

“You know what it means in wolf culture, Kai.” Adair said, sounding

exasperated.

“Yes! We mate for life!”
“Kai, listen to me: you are not a wolf! You are a human and you do not belong

in this forest!”

Kai felt tears fill his eyes. He blinked and felt them race down his cheeks. How

could he have been so wrong about Adair, about what had happened between them?
He never imagined Adair could be so cruel as to use and discard him. Sex meant
something to the wolves—it was the supreme bond, the ultimate expression of love and
possession.

“I chose you for my mate. You! And you used me. I thought you loved me. I

thought we were going to be together.”

Adair sighed. “I’m sorry you misunderstood—”

“No! I didn’t misunderstand anything. I gave myself to you and you took. If you

didn’t want me like that you should have pushed me away. Why lead me on? Why
make me think we had something special? Did you get some kind of sick pleasure out
of it? Does it make you feel good to see me hurting like this?”

“No!” Adair said immediately, looking shocked at the accusations Kai was

throwing at him. “Never! I do care for you, Kai. You know I do.”

“I don’t know anything anymore!” Kai said near hysterical. “I don’t know you!”
“I’m Adair. The same Adair you’ve always known.”
No,” Kai said, shaking his head. He felt so small, so disillusioned. “You’re not.

The Adair I know would never hurt me like this. Never use me. He was my friend.”

“I am still your friend.” Adair closed the distance between them. He looked

down at Kai with soft eyes. Adair had no right to look at him like that. Like he knew
what was best for Kai, like he cared. He reached out and cupped Kai’s cheek. Kai
wanted to push him away but he found himself leaning into the touch.

“I’m trying to protect you, Kai. There is a skinwalker after you. A very bad and

very dangerous one named Marcellus and he hates humans. He knows there is a
human in the forest and he will not stop until he finds and kills you.”

Kai was more confused than ever. “What? Why? I don’t even know anyone

named Marcellus.”

“It doesn’t matter if you know him or not. You’re human. That’s enough. I’m

sorry you got the wrong idea about us. If you calm down and think rationally, you’ll
realize that the best place for you is in the human village. They can protect you. You’ll
be happy.”

Kai shook his head and looked up at Adair. How was he supposed to calm

down? His entire life was crumbling around him. “I’ll die there.” It was true. Kai
wouldn’t know anyone. He had no idea what it meant to be human. In the pack, in the
forest, he was free. The village would be a prison.

“If you stay in the forest you will die. The pack won’t protect you. Even I can’t

protect you. In all probability Marcellus is the one responsible for the deaths of your
birth parents.”

How dare Adair bring his natural parents into this? Adair knew how much Kai

thought about them, how much he missed them sometimes. Just when Kai thought
Adair couldn’t sink any lower.

“I hate you!” Kai screamed in helpless anger and pain. He saw Adair blanch

before he turned and took off running as fast as he could, tears blurring his vision and
hurt tearing his heart to shreds.

* * * *

Adair stood stunned as Kai ran away. He’d never seen Kai look the way he

had. Heartbroken, devastated. The fact he’d put that expression on Kai’s face left him
gasping. He wanted to go after Kai, knew he should, but he couldn’t seem to get his
feet to move.

I hate you! The words echoed in his ears, slicing into him like a blade. He just

wanted to keep Kai safe from Marcellus. He should have also kept Kai safe from
himself as well.

Adair should have realized what Kai thought was happening between them

when he used the words ‘mate me’. Kai had been raised with pack values and would
see their coupling as a sacred rite, not as an act of mutual pleasure as Adair did. He
was a damn fool. He knew better, yet gave in to his baser instincts and desires to have
Kai just one time. He let his judgment be clouded and now all hell had broken loose.

“Kai!” Adair called, heading off after the human. It felt awkward to walk on two

legs. “Kai! Come back here!”

Worry clawed at him. Kai was alone. Marcellus was somewhere in the forest.

Marcellus who hated all humans and was hunting Kai. Adair had to find him. He
stopped and sniffed the air, trying to pick up Kai’s unique human scent, but Kai had
just bathed and his scent wasn’t discernible. Kai could have run in any direction. With
no hint of scent, Adair had no clue which way to go. Any way could be the wrong
way, taking him farther away from Kai and bringing Kai closer to Marcellus.

“Kai!” Adair called, cupping his hands to his mouth. “Kai!” He was scared to

death. If anything happened to Kai it was on his head. He would never forgive himself.
“Kai!” he screamed at the top of his lungs, but either Kai couldn’t hear or chose to
ignore him. “Kai! Please!”

Adair was desperate and he felt wetness on his cheeks. His heart thudded

painfully in his chest. Vivid images of Kai with his belly slashed open, insides spilling
out, skin pale, eyes wide and staring, flashed through his mind. “Kai!”

Adair’s mind raced. He couldn’t go back to Kai’s pack and try to get help; the

den was too far away and they had expelled Kai because of this very reason. He
couldn’t ask Fabius and his followers for help as they were too intoxicated to offer
assistance; plus, there was nothing in this little manhunt for them. Adair was alone and
he would have to find Kai on his own.

Find him before Marcellus did.

* * * *

Kai ran. Ran as fast as he could. He didn’t know what else to do. Nobody

wanted him. His family had expelled him. His mate—or who he thought had been his
mate—didn’t want him. What was so wrong with him? Low branches slapped across
his bare skin. His vision became blurred by tears. His heart ached.

He ran. He ran until his legs and lungs burned. Adair had been his friend all his

life and Kai had convinced himself the ‘Walker had shared his feelings. Kai had been
a fool to think Adair had desired him, wanted to be his mate. They couldn’t have cubs
but they could spend their lives together loving and supporting one another. Kai had
wanted that so much, he didn’t even realize how much until Adair had taken it away
from him.

He ran. Ran until he collapsed, overtaxed legs unable to keep going. The

muscles in his legs twitched and he struggled for breath. The only sounds he could
hear were his own panting breaths, the wind whispering through the trees, and birds
calling. He was alone and on his own for the first time. He didn’t know this part of the
forest. He didn’t even know where the human village was, if he was even headed in the
right direction. To top it all off, there was a crazed ‘Walker out there called Marcellus
who wanted to kill him. Fear trickled down his spine, traveled through him, until an
involuntary shiver wracked his body.

Kai looked around as his tears tapered off and sobs turned to hitched

breathing. What was he going to do? He wanted his parents, and even though it sent a
stab of pain through his heart, he wanted Adair. What had happened between them
had been incredible, indescribably beautiful. He had never felt so close, so connected
to anyone as Adair when they had been mating. They hadn’t mated. There hadn’t
been any love between them—not from Adair at any rate. Adair had used him for
pleasure, used him and tossed him aside. He never would have thought Adair capable
of such coldness and cruelty. He shouldn’t have run away from Adair the way he had,
but he had been so hurt by what Adair had said. He hadn’t been thinking clearly and
had run away from the only being in the forest he knew and the only protection he
had. Sitting here crying wasn’t going to get him anywhere.

Kai climbed to his feet and looked around. It was going to be dark soon, plus it

smelled like rain. He would need to find a place to sleep tonight. He was hungry as
well. He began moving forward—he wasn’t going to go backwards, where he wasn’t
wanted.

Kai walked along, ears perked for any sound. He didn’t hear any running water

but that didn’t mean there wasn’t any. There could be a spring or a pool somewhere.
He could drink, and maybe find some fish. He wasn’t sure how long he had been
walking before he realized he could hear voices. He stopped, lest he be heard and
attacked.

“So?”
“Yeah.”
“Well?”
“Huh?”
“What?”
“Like, I dunno, man”
“Well, me either.”
Curiosity getting the better of him, Kai peeked through the trees. He saw a

clearing and four men sprawled around a crackling fire.

“Delicious!”
“Like, really Daddy-o.”
“Couldn’t eat another bite.”
The voices stopped and all Kai could hear was the fire crackling. He was so

hungry. He wondered if maybe they would have some food to share. He wavered a
moment, weighing the pros and cons of intruding on a group of strangers. After what
had happened with Dion and Fabius he was leery of strangers, which he had never

been before. He never had a reason to be; everyone in the pack was family, friends. It
hit him all over again how alone he was. He shouldn’t be here. He took a careful step
back. The cracking of a twig stopped him. He held his breath, hoping the men around
the fire thought it was just popping coming from the fire, but no such luck was to be
had.

“What was that?”
“I dunno. Sounded like it came from, like, uh, over there.”
Kai wasn’t sure to run or stay where he was, so he froze. The voices hadn’t

sounded angry, just curious. Maybe if he stayed silent they would forget about the
snapping twig.

A moment later, a man with long, light colored hair and bright blue eyes poked

his head through the brush. He looked at Kai like he wasn’t sure what to make of him.

“Hey, now! It’s a…”
“Kai,” Kai provided, not sure what else to say.
The man blinked at him. “It’s a Kai!” he shouted over his shoulder.
“Like, what’s a Kai?” someone asked.
Before Kai could react, the blond man took hold of his wrist and pulled him

towards the group.

“This is a ‘Kai’, man.” The blond man said, indicating Kai with a wave of his

arm.

“Not, ‘a Kai’. Just ‘Kai’. That’s my name.”
“Cool, man, cool,” a man with long, dark brown hair said. “I’m Costin. Like, that

cat beside you is Emil. That dude is Linos and that guy is Demicus.”

Kai gave a friendly little wave. “Hello.”
“Like, hi, man,” the man called Demicus said.
“What brings you here?”
“I…um…I was expelled from my pack,” Kai said.
“Whoa! That’s, like, a bummer, man,” Costin said.
“A drag. A real drag.”
Kai was a little confused. He only got the gist of what the men were saying.

They seemed to have their own language.

“So, like, why’d they kick ya out, kid?”
“Because I’m human.”
“Far out!”
The other men erupted into simultaneous shouts of wonder and disbelief,

before surrounding him and gazing at him as if he had two heads, or some other
abnormality. He felt very self-conscious.

Kai’s stomach growled and the four men laughed. Kai dropped his head and

once more felt tears sting his eyes. “If all you’re going to do is laugh at me I’ll be on
my way.” He turned to leave. He’d had enough rejection to last him a lifetime.

“Whoa, man! Like, don’t be such a cornball!” Arms were around Kai’s middle,

pulling him back.

“Like, really, man!”

“We’re just jivin’ ya, man. Just jivin’ ya. Cop a seat here and chow down with

us.”

“Yeah, we got plenty of grub, pal!” Costin slapped him hard on the back,

making his flesh sting.

Kai was directed over to the fire. He sat down cross-legged with the strange

group. A moment later a dish of roasted meat was placed in his hands. It smelled
delicious! Kai picked off a little piece to taste. He moaned at the taste, his hunger
taking over, and he ate ravenously.

“Like, when was the last time you ate, Clyde?” Costin asked, watching with

wide-eyed fascination as Kai devoured the succulent meat.

“I’m not Clyde,” Kai said, barely stopping to correct Costin. “I’m Kai.”
Costin and the others laughed again. They sure were a jolly bunch. “Like, I

know, man. It’s just an expression.”

Kai ignored him in favor of eating the new portion Emil placed on his dish.

“Thank you,” Kai said.

“So, like, not that it matters, but why did your pack expel you?” Demicus

asked, eating his own meal.

“Why wouldn’t they? I’m human. I can’t fight. I can’t hunt. I’m a burden on the

pack.”

The four men all made dismissive sounds.
“Like, you have a brain. You can learn.”
“And we are just the four cats that can teach ya,” Emil said.
“You’re cats?” Kai asked interested.
The four men laughed again. Kai wasn’t sure if they were really laughing at

him. They were a strange bunch. Kai couldn’t help but like them.

“Like, no, man. That is part of our lingo. Ya dig?” Demicus said, still smiling but

looking at Kai fondly.

“And you’re gonna learn it, too, if you link up with us,” Costin said.
“He’s kinda Squaresville, man,” Linos said.
“I can learn,” Kai said. “Man,” he added with a hopeful smile. He had never

encountered such a ragtag group of companions and he craved their acceptance.

“I think you can, Clyde,” Costin said. “Besides, you weren’t the hippest cat

when we found you either. Lin.”

Linos grinned sheepishly, and winked at Kai.
“I say we make Kai here a member of our pack!” Costin declared.
Elation coursed through Kai. All he wanted was friends and a place to belong.

Was it possible he found them? His heart still ached for Adair but he supposed that
would fade in time. He didn’t fool himself into thinking he would find another mate. He
may be human but he was raised in a wolf pack and wolves mated for life. Adair was
his mate. Always would be.

“Now that is a keen idea!” Demicus said, slinging an arm around Kai’s

shoulders.

“Like, the most, Daddy-o,” Emil imparted.

The three men looked at Linos.
“Like, uh, far be it from me to, like, deny a square the chance to run with the

coolest cats in the forest.” His tone was passive, but he had a small grin on his face.
Kai figured Linos liked him but it was just expected to give the new pack member a
hard time.

“See, Clyde, I reckon you were meant to find us,” Costin said, sitting next to

Kai, stealing a piece of the meat on his plate. “All of us were rejected from our families
but we found each other and, like, together we make one swell pack.” He ruffled Kai’s
shaggy hair affectionately.

Kai laughed and shoved him away. He already felt at home with these…cats.

And they were right. Just because he was a human didn’t make him stupid or weak.
He had been raised in the forest. He knew the dangers. He knew how to find shelter.
He knew what was safe to eat. He may not know how to hunt but he could learn. He
would learn.

The others gathered around and began to tease Kai good-naturedly. Through

their raucous laughter, Kai didn’t even hear the tiger crashing through the brush as it
launched itself into the midst of his new pack.

* * * *

Adair moved through the forest at a moderate pace, listening for any sound or

smell that might indicate he was on the right track. Kai had been running blind when
he’d left, but Adair thought he’d taken off in a southeasterly direction. Whether or not
Kai had continued in that direction was a matter of question. Adair figured it was more
likely than not, so he continued on in that same direction. Unfortunately, he hadn’t
seen any sign of the human thus far. He continued on his chosen path, desperation
growing. He had to find Kai.

Guilt gnawed at him. He’d hurt Kai and because of that, Kai was in more

danger than the human could possibly know. If anything happened to Kai it was on
Adair’s head. He would never be able to forgive himself and never be able to face Max
or any of the pack again.

“You’re my mate now, Adair. You can’t abandon me.”
“Mate? Kai, we aren’t mates. We had sex. It was great but that doesn’t mean

we’re anything more to each other than we were before.”

The words were cold and cruel and Adair had seen the light flicker and go out

of Kai’s eyes after he’d spoken them.

“I chose you for my mate!”
“I thought you loved me!”
Kai’s words rang in Adair’s ears as clear as if the young man was with him. He

was so ashamed of himself. Kai had confessed his love, given himself, body, heart
and soul to Adair. Had Adair treated those precious gifts with respect and reverence?
No, he’d thrown them away, broken Kai’s heart under the guise of protecting him,
when really he’d been protecting himself.

Kai was young, and in Adair’s experience, the young were often fickle. He was

terrified of the thought of settling into life with Kai as his mate only to have Kai leave
him when he grew older. Kai has so much more to experience. Even as the thought
occurred to him, he knew it was hollow. Yes, Kai was young, but he was old enough to
know his own heart and mind. Truth was, having sex with Kai had forced him to
confront the feelings he’d been trying to repress. He loved the young man, loved him
with a depth and intensity that was overwhelming.

His desperation turned into full-blown panic. His mind kept churning up one

horrific scenario after another. Adair backtracked for a period of time and abruptly
changed directions, sometimes heading east, shifting to a westerly course, then south.
He felt like he was going in circles. Time dragged on and twilight began to settle in,
blanketing the forest in soft orange and gold light.

Adair had lost him. His legs gave way; a crushing sense of grief taking away

his strength. If Adair had been in his human form he would have been crying, as it
was, low, pained whines were escaping from his throat. He couldn’t stop them. If
Marcellus found Kai before he did…

Kai; a plaintive whine. Adair cast his eyes about for some hint or trace of his

beloved human. He couldn’t detect any footprints or broken branches. Kai hadn’t run
this way.

The wind shifted, bringing with it a scent that made Adair’s stomach clench:

blood. He surged to his feet, inhaling deeply. It wasn’t from a carcass. It was fresh.

Please, please, don’t let me be too late. Please, gods, please. Keep him safe

until I can get there. Please. The single word repeating itself over and over. Adair
trotted along, nose in the air following the scent of blood on the breeze. When the
scent began to get stronger, he sped up.

Please, Kai. Please. Let him be okay. Please.
His ears twitched. As he ran, he heard voices, cries of pain, yelling, screaming

all accompanied by snarls of a cat. In Adair’s heart he knew it wasn’t just any cat. It
was a tiger. It was Marcellus.

Kai! Kai, please! He could smell sweat, blood, fear, and under it all he could

smell Kai. His paws slammed into the earth as he pushed himself faster, leaping over
fallen trees and creeks. His heart hammered crazily in his chest. Every second that
ticked by was another second that Kai’s life could be ticking away. By the gods, Adair
was not going to let him die!

Please, Kai. Please. Let him be alive. Just let him be alive!
The sounds grew louder, the smell of blood stronger. Even though it went

against everything his heart and mind was telling him, Adair forced himself to slow
down. It would do no good to announce his presence and ruin the element of surprise.
He crouched down and slunk through a deadfall to assess the situation. The scene
that greeted him was complete carnage.

He saw a man with his torso slashed open, viscera spilling out, mangled bodies

of a fox and badger, judging by what remained in one piece. A coyote was on the
tiger’s back, claws digging in, jaws snapping in futile attempts to bite. The tiger spun in

a circle, the momentum of its larger body propelling the coyote off. It slammed into the
ground with a pained yelp. In the middle of it all was Kai, terrified but alive. Thank the
gods! The relief made Adair dizzy.

::The human is mine!:: Marcellus growled lowering his massive head, staring

down the wounded coyote.

Somehow, the coyote climbed back to its shaking legs, meeting the tiger’s

gaze. ::You want him? You go through me to get him!:: The coyote snarled and
charged forward, hopping because one of its back legs was twisted.

::No problem!::
“Costin!” Kai cried out as the tiger rushed forward, powerful jaws opening and

clamping around the coyote’s neck, killing it.

Kai screamed in anguish which tore at Adair’s heart. He had never heard Kai

make such a sound.

Marcellus dropped the coyote’s limp, bloodied body and turned towards a

sobbing Kai.

::No one can save you now, human.::
Adair didn’t even think. He exploded through the brush, straight for Marcellus

with a deafening roar.

::Except me, you crazy fucking bastard!::

Chapter 7

“Adair!” Kai shouted in alarm as the cougar charged the tiger, not even sparing

Kai a glance.

At Kai’s cry, the tiger spun around, reared back and collided with Adair in a

lethal embrace. The cats battered each other over the head with their big heavy paws,
growling and hissing before breaking apart. They crouched down, gazes locked as
they began to circle, sizing each other up.

Kai sat frozen in stunned disbelief. This whole thing was like a nightmare. He

had just lost his new friends, slaughtered, trying to defend him from the tiger, and now
Adair was here? “Adair!” Kai screamed in abject fear. He wouldn’t be able to take it if
Adair was killed because of him. He wanted to help Adair but there was nothing
around he could defend himself with and he had no idea how to fight.

Marcellus roared, slashing out with a huge paw. Adair backed away, crouching

low, before darting forward and striking out furiously with his own paws. Marcellus
hissed and backed away, but Adair didn’t let up, charging forward. Marcellus rolled
and Adair had the tiger pinned on his back. Growls and snarls reached Kai’s ear; a
howl of pain and the cats broke apart again. This time, Marcellus was favoring his left
side. Kai saw a series of bleeding slashes across a meaty shoulder.

Adair snapped at Marcellus; dimly Kai knew the cougar was taunting the tiger.

With a snarl, the tiger slashed out, striking Adair across the face. Adair made a
pained howl as the tiger’s claws—the same claws that had effortlessly sliced open
Emil’s abdomen—ripped deep gouges across the side of Adair’s face. Blood poured
from the wounds. Kai was horrified when he saw one scratch was right across Adair’s
eye, most likely partially blinding him.

“Adair!” Kai screamed, pushing to his feet. He wasn’t going to let his oldest

best friend, his lover, his mate, die because of him. “Marcellus! Leave him alone! You
want me! Me! I’m right here!” Kai threw his arms out wide, prepared to sacrifice
himself if it meant Adair would be okay.

The tiger turned from the wounded cougar and charged right at Kai. Kai

shuddered and closed his eyes, waiting for the pain to hit. It didn’t. Instead there were
snarls and yowls. Kai opened his eyes to see Adair and Marcellus rolling on the
ground. Marcellus had Adair pinned, mouth wide as he tried to bite Adair’s throat.
Adair struggled, twisted, and growled. His back feet kicked frantically. Claws dug and
sliced into Marcellus’s haunches. With a hiss, Marcellus retreated and Adair climbed
back to his feet, staring the tiger down once more.

“Adair! Kai screamed again. “Stop this! Just let him have me!” His throat was

raw. His heart felt like it was going to explode in his chest. He wasn’t worth all this
bloodshed. Why had Adair even bothered to come after him at all?

Adair snapped at Kai, telling Kai in no uncertain terms to shut up. In the

second it took Adair to address Kai, Marcellus was on Adair again, biting the scruff of
Adair’s neck, shaking his massive head. Adair was too heavy, too big to be flung
around as Demicus had been. The animals rolled and wrestled, paws flying—hissing,

spitting, snarling. The sounds coming from them were as terrifying as the bloodbath
taking place. His stomach twisted and clenched, sick at what he was observing.

Kai felt completely helpless. This was his fault. Adair was fighting for him.

Costin, Emil, Linos, and Demicus had all died defending him. How many more people
were going to die for him? In desperation, Kai darted forward and grabbed Marcellus’s
tail and pulled. The tiger snarled and whipped around, abandoning his assault on
Adair, and looked at Kai with wide, mad eyes. Kai froze. He had wanted to distract
Marcellus enough to give Adair time to regroup, but now that he had Marcellus’s
attention, he had no idea what to do. The tiger growled at him, lips pulled back, baring
his bloody teeth.

There was a snarl and Adair was on top of Marcellus, claws ripping through fur

and flesh, jaws snapping. Kai staggered back, falling on his butt. Marcellus twisted and
snarled, limbs flying. Adair made the most agonized howl Kai had ever heard come
from an animal. It chilled him to the core.

“Adair!” Kai howled, trying to climb back to his feet.
Marcellus stood, turned toward Kai once more. Kai’s eyes widened. Adair lay

on his side, four deep gouges along his flank pouring blood. So much blood. Too
much blood.

“Adair!”
The tiger made a low rumbling growl and began to creep toward Kai. Kai

understood. He was being played with. Kai looked around for a rock or a limb,
anything he could use as a weapon but there was nothing, just leaves and moss and
twigs. Kai began to back away. Marcellus followed, eyes alight with insane glee.

“I didn’t do anything to you!” Kai cried, voice hoarse. Tears coursed down his

cheeks. Costin, Emil, Demicus, Linos, and now Adair. All dead. All because of him.

A ferocious roar split the air like thunder. Marcellus whirled around. Adair was

running full out and slammed into Marcellus, tackling him. Powerful jaws closed around
the tiger’s throat, and his front paws slashed furiously.

Through the shock and numbness, understanding slammed into Kai. All that

blood. Adair was dying, knew he was dying, and was giving all the fight he had left in
him to kill Marcellus to save him. He screamed some unintelligible sound, just pain,
anger disbelief and collapsed. All of this bloodshed was because of him; Adair was
dying because of him. Kai brought his legs up to his chest and sobbed helplessly,
trying to block out the sounds and smell of blood. He couldn’t take it anymore.

Marcellus spit and screamed as he tried to twist away but Adair’s jaws held firm

around Marcellus’s throat. A quick, violent shake of Adair’s head brought with it a loud
crack. Marcellus’s eyes widened and snarls ceased but the tiger still twitched. Time
ticked by and Adair held on until the tiger went still.

“Kai…”
A soft, panting voice and touch on his shoulder made Kai look up. Adair was in

his human form, arm clutching his side, blood flowing freely. The lacerations were
deep but at least he hadn’t been split open like Emil had been. His body was covered
in cuts and puncture wounds. His right eye was gone, ear torn, jaw sliced open but he

was alive. Kai made a strangled shriek of surprise and surged to his feet, wrapping
his arms around the big man. As soon as Kai got his arms around Adair, however, the
injured man crumpled, both falling to the ground.

“Help!” Kai shouted, desperately pulling Adair’s head into his lap. “It’s okay.

You’re okay.” He brushed Adair’s hair back from his sweaty forehead. Gods, he was
so pale, eyes bright with pain.

“K-Kai.” Adair’s voice was so soft. Why was he trying to talk? Kai looked

around, wishing someone, anyone, would appear and make this better. Kai didn’t
know what to do. He didn’t even know how to begin to help Adair.

“Adair, you need to change back to your animal form! Please! You’ll heal

faster!”

“Have to tell you…”
“Shh! It’s okay. You’re okay! You’ll be okay. It’s not even that bad.”
“I-I’m so-sorry.”
“Don’t talk!” Kai sobbed. “Help! Somebody help me!”
“No. No you don’t. Save your strength and shift. Please, Adair.”
“I lo-love you, Kai. S-so much.”
Kai’s heart cracked open at Adair’s admission. “I love you, too. That’s why I

need you to shift for me. Please, Adair,” Kai begged through his tears.

Adair breathed out and Kai felt a gush of hot sticky blood flow from Adair’s

wounds. His helplessness turned to panic. Adair was going to die and there was
nothing Kai could do about it!

“Help me!”

* * * *

Max and the chosen members of the pack ran through the night, knowing that

Adair and Kai had at least a two day lead. As relieved as he was to be going after his
son, he was also fighting the fear of what condition they would find Kai in. Caesar had
packed what he considered essential supplies in a bundle. Max hoped whatever
Caesar had brought would be helpful. His mind kept churning up images of Kai dead
or horribly mangled. He didn’t know what he would do if they found Kai injured. He
trusted Adair, knew he wouldn’t willingly leave his son exposed to the dangers of the
forest, but he couldn’t help but worry.

The pack followed Adair and Kai’s trail along a riverbank that lead to a pond.

Max sniffed the air. Along with Adair and Kai’s mingled scents, there was also the stale
scent of sex. Had Adair mated with his son? The thought crept into Max’s mind. What
if Adair had forced himself on Kai? Max began to growl. Max had trusted the cat,
thinking him noble and trustworthy! What a fool he had been! He should have
suspected something when Adair suggested he be the one to take Kai to the human
village. He was not going to be held responsible for his actions when he found the
cougar.

Aurelia turned to look at Max, who growled, low and threatening, hackles

raised. Caesar, Marius, Justus, and Tarquin hunkered back. Aurelia knew Max picked
up the same odor as she but had come to a different conclusion. She padded over to
her mate.

::Calm yourself, Max.:: She rubbed her muzzle against his shoulder.
::Calm myself? You know what happened here? That cat violated our son!::
::He did no such thing. Adair loves our son. I’ve seen it. Kai loves him as

well. The only thing that happened here is that they gave in to feelings that have
been developing between them for years.::

Max looked at her, thinking about what she’d said. He just thought they were

friends. Max never considered there could be mutual tender feelings between his son
and the skinwalker. ::How can you know?::

::There has always been some bond between them. This time alone simply

pushed things to the fore.::

Max’s anger left him. ::None of this should have ever happened.::
::Is it really important now?::
::No.:: Max lowered his nose to the ground and tried to isolate Kai’s scent. His

nose led him to a pond. Dammit. Kai had probably gone for a swim and wash after his
and Adair’s activities, washing away his scent.

::We follow Adair’s scent. I can still pick it up. He mated with our son. He

wouldn’t have left him alone after that.::

Max turned to his mate. ::Asserting your Alpha female status?::
She licked his muzzle and trotted off.
Max barked and the other wolves fell in line, following along and sniffing.
After some time and several direction changes, Max was beyond frustrated.

Whereas before Adair’s scent had been following a steady course, now it changed.
That didn’t sit well with Max. Adair’s direction changes reeked of desperation and
confusion. What had happened?

::Something’s wrong. Something changed.::
::I agree but w—.:: The rest of Aurelia’s sentence was cut off by the distant

sounds of snarls. Aurelia and Max took off in the direction the sounds were coming
from. As they got closer, the sounds of cats roaring and screaming grew louder and
there was the overpowering scent of blood in the air.

The pack raced along, nearly stopping in their tracks when the sounds of the

cats fighting stopped. The lack of noise was as jarring as a thunderclap on a sunny
day.

“Help!” Kai’s voice, terrified.
Max howled and took off in the direction of Kai’s anguished cry, Aurelia next to

him and the rest of the pack following close behind.

Max could pick up Kai’s voice speaking frantically—begging, pleading.
“Somebody help me!”
::We’re coming, Kai! We’re coming! Just hold on, baby.:: Aurelia raced past

Max and was the first one of the pack to come to a clearing where it was evident a

hellacious battle had taken place. The smell of blood was thick in the air. A man lay
gutted; there was a coyote with a cracked back, the remains of two other animals
along with the hulking form of a tiger. In the middle of it all, covered in blood and
crying, was Kai holding Adair’s head in his lap. The other wolves arrived, stopping to
take in the scene.

“Help me!” Kai shouted, distraught.
Kai’s cry broke the paralysis that seemed to have settled over the pack. .

Aurelia shifted to her human form and raced to Kai’s side, long blonde hair flying
behind her.

Max stood stunned taking in everything—the blood, the bodies. The gears

turned in his mind. Marcellus was dead. Adair appeared to be dead but Kai was alive.
Adair had died defending his son. He shifted to his human form and on numb legs
approached his mate and son.

“Kai! Oh, baby!” Aurelia was on her knees beside Kai touching him carefully,

inspecting him for wounds.

Slowly her son turned his head and looked dazedly at her. He looked beyond

devastated—face red, tears and snot leaking from his eyes and nose.

“Mom?” Kai’s voice was soft with disbelief.
“Yeah, baby,” she said.
“Oh, Mom! Adair’s dead. He’s dead, and it’s all my fault!” Kai’s voice was pure

anguish.

“Kai! Are you okay?” Max went to his knees to look at his son.
“Adair,” Kai choked out, petting the man’s long hair. “He’s dead.”
“We need to get Kai away from here.” Aurelia whispered to her mate.
Max nodded. “Kai, stand up for me. We need to let Caesar look at Adair,

okay?”

“Caesar!” Aurelia shouted over her shoulder. “Caesar! We need help over here

now!” Aurelia turned to Kai. “Honey, we’re here now. It’s going to be okay. Caesar’s
going to take care of him.” She brushed his hair away from his blotchy face.

“He died for me. To save me from Marcellus.”
“I know, son. Come with me now.” Max insistently pulled him away from Adair’s

body. Marius, Justus, Tarquin, Philo, and Amias were there, enveloping their brother
and friend in hugs.

An older man with a beard, carrying a bundle, approached Aurelia and the still

form of Adair. It didn’t seem possible that Adair could be saved. He was deathly pale
and still and didn’t appear to be breathing. Aurelia waited anxiously as Caesar gave
Adair a quick examination.

“Is he…?”
“No,” Caesar said after a lengthy pause. “But he is close to it. He’s lost too

much blood. I need to get these wounds in his side closed.” Caesar opened the
bundle containing his most essential medical supplies. “We can’t move him. He
wouldn’t make the trip back to the dens. I’ll do what I can but I can’t promise
anything.”

Aurelia looked over her shoulder and saw Kai being cuddled by Marius,

Tarquin, Amias, Philo, Justus, and Max. “Do you need anything? Is there anything at
all we can do?”

“Boiling water would be ideal but I don’t think I can wait,” Caesar said, looking

at a length of silk thread and a bone needle. “If I get the wounds closed I can cover
them with compresses and poultices. His body’s natural healing process should kick in
and speed things along. But only if these wounds are closed.”

Aurelia nodded. “Please do everything you can, Caesar. I’ll see about getting

water.” She walked over to Max and laid a hand on his shoulder.

Max kissed the side of Kai’s head and stood. He followed Aurelia away from

the action. “What? Is Adair…?”

“No, not yet.” Aurelia kept her voice low. Kai was silently crying as the other

young wolves held him. It broke her heart to see her son in such pain. She would give
anything to take it away. “Adair can’t be moved and Caesar needs water.”

“There is a burned out fire over there.” Max looked around. “There is a den and

what looks like warrens; around the campfire are bowls and plates. This is—was—
someone’s home. I doubt they would stay here if there wasn’t a source of water
nearby. Start the fire and I’ll go look for a water source.”

Aurelia nodded. “Hurry, Max. We owe it to Kai to do everything we can to save

Adair.”

Max signaled to Justus and Tarquin. The wolves extracted themselves from Kai

and came over to Max.

“Yes, Alpha?”
“I’m heading off to look for water. Justus, gather up those bowls and I want you

to come with me. Tarquin, I want you to inspect that den for anything we can use and
get someone to help you enlarge it. Adair can’t be moved so we’re going to be here
for a little while.”

Tarquin and Justus nodded before going their separate ways. Justus came

back moments later with the clay bowls he had gathered from around the camp. Max
looked over to where Marius was still holding Kai. He said a prayer that the gods be
kind and spare Adair before shifting to his wolf form and bounding off, Justus
struggling to keep up with the Alpha.

Max and Justus returned a few minutes later to a hub of activity with bowls full

of water. Caesar had already gotten to work stitching the wounds in Adair’s side.
Amias and Tarquin were busily digging out and enlarging the den. The bodies of
Marcellus, the man, coyote, fox and badger were moved far away from the camp.
Aurelia had a nice fire going. Marius was still sitting with Kai, who appeared to have
fallen asleep or passed out. Max assumed it was the latter. Too much trauma.

He took a moment to soak up the satisfaction that his pack were following his

orders, then set about helping them.

Chapter 8

Dead.
Adair was dead.
Adair was dead?
Dead?
Hands were touching him. He heard voices. In a daze, he turned his head and

saw his mother’s face. He thought he said something to her. He felt his mouth moving
but didn’t know if actual words were coming from his mouth. Then his dad was there.
Kai thought there might be others but he couldn’t be sure. What he did know was that
Adair loved him, called him his mate, and had died.

Adair was dead! Adair was dead! Oh, gods, Adair was dead!
Kai wanted to die with him. His heart was gone and in its place a hole that

would never be filled. He couldn’t live without Adair in his life. Adair had always been
there and Kai had thought he always would be. Now, he was gone. Who would he tell
his secrets to? Who would be there to comfort him or distract him from his sorrows?
Who would he take long walks with? Who would he spend the day with lazing around
in the sun?

Adair couldn’t be dead. He couldn’t be! Adair was young and strong. Well, Kai

didn’t know how old Adair was but he had always seemed youthful. Gods, there was
so much Kai didn’t know about Adair. So much he would never know or get to ask.
Why hadn’t he asked when Adair was alive? All those times they went walking in the
woods Kai had always been the one to talk, why hadn’t he asked Adair about himself?
Probably because the cougar couldn’t speak, but Adair had made himself
understood… at least to Kai. He petted Adair’s hair with a bloody hand.

Adair.
He was pulled away from Adair. He didn’t want to let go but he didn’t have the

strength to fight anymore.

Kai felt like he was drowning in quicksand, his grief slowly pulling him under.

Adair was dead and Kai couldn’t handle it. Everything took on a dreamy, muted
quality. Maybe that was all this was: a dream, a very bad dream. Maybe that’s what it
was. There was no other way to explain why his packmates would be here. Maybe
when he woke up he would be in Adair’s arms.

Arms surrounded him. Words whispered into his ears. He was moved into a

seated position. His head rested on a broad shoulder. Kai just went with it, numb to
anything and everything but the fact that his mate was dead.

* * * *

Kai smelled earth. He forced his eyes open and was in unfamiliar

surroundings. He was lying on his side. Someone was touching him, running their
fingers through his hair but he knew it wasn’t Adair. Adair was dead. Tears welled up
and raced down his cheeks. He closed his eyes tight, wanting to go away again.

Footsteps. Voices.
“How is he doing?”
“Well, I got the wounds in his side closed up and applied a salve to help with

the healing. His skin has already started to knit up. I can’t do anything about his eye
however. I think with rest he should recover.”

“How soon until we can move him back to pack territory?”
“Not for a couple of days at least. He’s weak from the blood loss and in too

much pain to stay conscious for very long.”

“What about Kai? He hasn’t spoken but he moves when we move him.”
“He’s in shock. Kai? Can you hear me?” The man’s voice was gentle and

coaxing.

Kai curled in on himself. He just wanted to be left alone with his guilt,

heartache, and grief.

Heavy sigh. “How long will this last?”
“Could be a few hours or a few days. Let him rest. Keep talking to him. Let him

know Adair is alive.”

“Thanks, Caesar.”
Footsteps. Maybe he was going to be left alone now.
“Your feline friend is alive. He’s still injured but he is alive. You can even go sit

with him if you want to.”

Kai turned his head away. He wouldn’t believe it. Couldn’t believe it. He had felt

Adair’s blood drain from him in a warm, sickening gush, saw his skin go from honey-
tan to ghostly white. Kai began to audibly sob. All because of him. He wasn’t worth it.
He was just a human in a forest he didn’t belong in. He should have died when he was
an infant.

* * * *

When Kai woke up again he was hot and felt a furry body pressed to his. His

heart pounded. Adair? Had it all been a horrible, incredibly vivid dream? No. The body
pressed to his was all wrong, it was heavy, not sleek. The fur was longer and fluffy, not
at all like Adair’s short wiry coat. Kai opened his eyes and realized he was surrounded
by not one furry body, but several. Wolves. Kai struggled to understand.

A den? He was in a den and surrounded by wolves? Was he back home? How

had he gotten here? He didn’t remember anything after Adair died. He thought he had
seen his parents right after but that couldn’t be right. He had been imagining it. Sort of
disconnected with reality and had conjured up his mom and dad.

Kai pulled himself into a sitting position. No, he was definitely in a den

surrounded by members of his pack. He recognized Marius, Justus, Tarquin and
Amias. Maybe he was back home but it didn’t look like any den he remembered. Dens
at home were…homey. This was just a hole in the ground. Kai shifted again, wanting
out of the too-hot cocoon of wolves. There was a whimper and Kai looked over to see
Marius. Now he was awake, Kai realized he was thirsty and had to relieve himself.

“Sorry,” Kai said, his voice sounding wrecked. “Call of nature.”
Marius stood up and acted like he meant to follow. Kai looked around for the

mouth of the den. Once he located it, he made his way toward it, his brother following.

“Marius, I ca-” his voice cracked. His throat hurt. He swallowed and tried

again. “I can go by myself.”

Kai could tell Marius wasn’t going to leave him, so he resigned himself to the

fact and exited the den. When he emerged, it took him a minute to get his bearings
and once he did, he wanted to sink back into the blackness where there was no pain,
just sweet oblivion. He was still at the little campsite where Costin, Emil, Linos and
Demicus had lived and where they had died. Four more deaths he was responsible
for. Kai began to shiver then the tears started. So much death because of him. Marius
bumped up against him and whimpered.

“Kai! Oh, baby!” Kai turned his head and before he knew it, he was enveloped

in a tight hug. “Your father and I were so worried about you!” Kai tried to breathe but
his mother wasn’t easing her embrace.

Marius whined and Aurelia released Kai. She pushed his hair away from his

face and carefully looked him over.

“Mom?”
She gave a breathy laugh and her eyes shined. “Yes, sweetheart.” She

hugged him again.

“I thought I dreamt…”
“Your feline friend is alive, Kai. He’s still injured but he is alive.”
“Adair! Is he…? Wh…?” Kai’s heartbeat skyrocketed and he began to shake.

He wouldn’t be able to take it if she said Adair was dead when a tiny spark of hope
had taken root in his fractured heart.

His mother’s face broke out into a shaky smile and Kai’s gut clenched. She

cupped the side of his face. “He’s alive, baby. He’s alive.”

Kai felt like he was falling, like the ground had dissolved. His head spun. Alive?

Adair was alive? He stared at his mother, eyes blurring with tears, barely able to
believe what she said, but he had no choice. His mother wouldn’t lie to him.

“Really?” Kai asked in a small voice.
Aurelia was crying as well. “Yes, Kai, really.”
Kai sobbed and reached out, clutching her, needing to anchor himself to the

earth. “Can I…I wan…I need t…”

“Yes, sweetie. You can see him.”
Kai laughed. He still needed to relieve himself but it could wait until he saw with

his own eyes that Adair was okay.

“I’ll take you to him.” Aurelia hugged Kai once more before taking his hand and

leading him over to another den opening.

“Now, Kai, he doesn’t look too good and he’s not awake, okay? Caesar said he

needed to rest.”

Kai nodded and swallowed hard before he went into the den. It was just like the

one he had woken up in except for the bedding. On a simple bed of leaves was Adair’s

still, prone form. There were slashes down his side that were stitched together, the
deep lacerations on his face were stitched up as well, and there was a small buckskin
patch over Adair’s eye. As Kai stared, he saw Adair’s chest moving in a slow, steady
rhythm. He was breathing. He was alive. A half laugh, half sob escaped him and he
clapped his hands over his mouth, not wanting to wake Adair. On shaking legs he
stumbled over to Adair and knelt beside him. Kai reached out and ran his fingers
through Adair’s hair, caressed his cheek; the warmth of his skin reassuring. He wasn’t
sure how long he sat there before his bladder reasserted its need to be relieved. He
kissed Adair’s soft, pale lips. “I love you.” He petted Adair’s hair one more time before
leaving the den and heading off to find a place to relive himself.

* * * *

After relieving himself, Kai washed in a nearby stream that Marius had led him

to. He felt more like himself. His mind was still whirling with the news that Adair was
alive but his heart was light. He was even smiling.

“We showed up right after,” Marius said, walking beside him, naked as all

shifters were after they changed. He had just got through filling Kai in on the change
in the pack, that their father was now Alpha and Kai was once more a member. “Mom
and Dad got you away from Adair and Caesar went right to work. When we’re able to
we’re going to take you and Adair back. Dad already has Justus and Tarquin working
on making a litter in case Adair isn’t on his feet yet.”

Kai was incredibly moved that his father had challenged Giaus, all for the right

to have Kai allowed back with his family. He’d spent the last few days believing no one
wanted him, that he had been tossed aside, and it turned out the opposite was true. He
was loved and wanted, both by the pack and Adair. He knew it was probably too early
but he was already imagining what it would be like when they got back to pack territory
and he and Adair could live as the mated couple they were. They would need a den of
their own, or they could live in Adair’s cave. It didn’t matter to Kai either way. All that
mattered was that he and Adair would be together. But would they? The fight that had
driven Kai away came back to him. Adair had said they hadn’t mated, that Kai had the
wrong idea about them. Had Adair been lying then or had he been lying when he’d
choked out his declaration of love as he lay at Death’s Door? Kai didn’t know what to
think.

“Everyone missed you.” Marius’s voice pulled Kai from his thoughts. “When

word spread that you had been expelled…it was like someone sucked the life out of
everyone.” Marius threw an arm around Kai’s shoulders. “It is going to be so good to
have you back, little brother.” Marius cackled, ruffling Kai’s hair before running off.

Despite his doubts about Adair wanting him, he smiled knowing that his family

did.

* * * *

Kai sat beside Adair, wiping the cougar shifter’s forehead with a cool damp

cloth. The skinwalker was in the grip of a fever and had been for the last couple of
days. The wounds in Adair’s side showed signs of infection. Caesar had been in to
administer medicines and teach Kai how to apply poultices. Kai insisted on learning
how to do it himself. He wanted to look after Adair the same way Adair had always
seemed to look after him. It was because of Adair that Kai was still breathing. He
mixed the crushed roots and herbs like Caesar had shown him when he heard Adair
whimpering. Kai turned away from his task to see Adair reaching out. Kai was by his
side in an instant, taking his hand. He was thrilled to see Adair awake.

“Kai…okay…?” His voice was so weak. He tried to reach for Kai.
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine, thanks to you.” He smiled and caressed Adair’s face.
“S’good. M’glad.” Adair’s eyes grew wide and he began to pant. He struggled

until he was able to pull himself into a sitting position. Kai tried to push him back down.
He couldn’t have Adair tearing the stitches in his side.

“Adair? Adair, what’s wrong?”
“Marcellus. He’s out there.” Adair pushed weakly against Kai, trying to get to

his feet. “Gotta get you safe.”

“Marcellus is dead, Adair. You killed him, remember? It’s okay now.”
“Gotta…”
“Adair, please, just lay back down for me all right. You’re sick and you’re hurt.

You need to rest. Please, Adair.”

Adair looked at him with unfocused eyes. “Where…? Wh…? Hot. Why’s it so

hot?”

“You’re sick. Please lie down for me. Okay?”
“Sick? You’re sick?” Adair tried to get to his feet. “You need to lie down. Here.”

He motioned vaguely to the leafy bed.

“No, Adair. You’re sick. You were hurt in the fight with Marcellus. Please lie

down for me. Please.” Kai felt himself start to cry. Adair was so sick and confused but
he was still trying to look out for Kai.

“Hurts, Kai. It hurts so bad.” Adair began to pant, sweat poured off of him.
“I know. It’s okay. Lie back for me.”
Adair grabbed Kai’s bicep with surprising strength and looked at him with his

remaining eye. “You’re really all right?”

“Yes, Adair. I’m fine.”
Adair blinked then he laid back. Kai hurriedly poured some water in a clay bowl

and held it to Adair’s parched lips. “Take a drink for me.” He tipped the cup and the
other man drank greedily. When the bowl was empty, Adair gave a sigh.

“Love you, Kai,” he muttered before he slipped from consciousness.
“I love you, too.” He kissed Adair’s too-hot forehead.
Kai sat and watched Adair for a few minutes before going back to work on the

poultice.

* * * *

“Kai, honey, go get something to eat. I’ll sit with Adair for you.”
Kai looked over at his mother. She was smiling sweetly at him. Kai had only left

Adair’s side to tend to nature’s call. The other man’s fever had broken the previous
day and he had been resting easy since, but Kai refused to leave him. His dad was
even talking about heading back into pack territory soon. Kai was eager for that. He
missed home and wanted to see everyone. Most of all he wanted to work on making a
den, a home, for himself and Adair.

“I want to be here when he wakes up. He was so out of it the last time he woke

up.” Seeing Adair that way had upset Kai more than he really knew. He saw Adair as
fragile for the first time and he was not going to take him for granted.

“I know you want to be here, but some fresh air and stretching your legs would

be good.” She kissed the side of his head and nudged him to his feet.

“But, Mom…” Kai couldn’t help whining a little.
“Don’t ‘but mom’ me. Get some food, visit with the others. I’ll let you know if

Adair wakes up.”

Kai gave Adair a kiss, sighed at his mother before leaving the den.
“Hey look! It’s Kai!”
“Kai!”
“Hey!”
Kai was greeted by his brothers, Tarquin and Justus. They gave him quick

one-armed hugs and Marius ruffled his hair. Kai smacked his hand away.

“I almost forgot how ugly you were!” Tarquin said, grinning.
“Shut up,” Kai said, smiling himself. After days in the den with Adair, Kai had

to admit it felt good to be in the sun again. Adair was still at the forefront of his mind,
but he conceded his mother was right. This was good for him.

“Come on over to the fire. Dad and Amias went hunting and caught a boar.

You’ve got to be hungry.”

“The Alpha says we’re heading back home as soon as Adair’s conscious,”

Justus said, sitting down by a low fire and handing Kai a plate piled with meat and
fruit. It was odd hearing his dad referred to as Alpha.

Marius handed Kai a bowl full of water and fixed his own plate of food. “Yeah.

Tarquin and Justus finished building the litter so Adair doesn’t have to walk. Dad wants
to get back home and make sure everyone and everything is all right.”

The three young men sat in the sun, eating and chatting. Kai’s heart felt

considerably lighter than it had in days.

“Kai, sweetheart? Adair’s awake and asking for you.” His mother’s hand was

gentle on his shoulder. She was smiling.

Elation made Kai’s heart soar. He leapt to his feet.
“Whoa, little brother. Take this,” he handed Kai a pitcher and plate of food.
Kai laughed and took the items before hurrying back to the den where Adair

was recovering.

* * * *

The first thing Adair was aware of was pain. Lots of pain. His side and face felt

like they were on fire. What had happened to him? He hadn’t felt pain like this in his
long life. The next thing he became aware of was the familiar scent of Kai. It was all
around him, but it was tinged with worry. He opened his eyes and looked around.
Wait. Something wasn’t right. He lifted his hand to his face. A strong hand gripped his
wrist.

“No, Adair.” Adair turned toward the voice. Instead of Kai, it was the boy’s

mother, Aurelia. “Don’t touch your face. You’ve got some nasty scratches and lost
your right eye in the fight.”

The fight? Marcellus! That made everything come back to him. He sat bolt

upright, ignoring the searing pain in his side. “Kai! Where is he? Is he okay?”

At Aurelia’s smile he felt himself calm. She wouldn’t be smiling if Kai was

seriously injured. “He’s fine, Adair.” She stifled a sob and tension inched back up
Adair’s spine. She reached out and cupped the unmarred side of his face. “Thanks to
you. You saved my son from Marcellus and nearly got yourself killed in the process.”

That would certainly explain the pain he was in and how he had lost an eye.

Adair felt the tension drain from him. “Where is he?”

“He’s been with you nearly all day, every day for the last several days tending

to your wounds. He insisted on doing it himself. I sent him outside for some fresh air. I
promised I would get him when you woke up.” She leaned forward and kissed his
forehead before she left the den.

Scarcely a minute passed before Adair heard rapid footsteps and Kai came

barreling into the little room. He carried a pitcher and clay plate, sporting a wide smile
on his beautiful face. Adair’s heart thumped in his chest. He also felt self-conscious
for the first time. He must look horrifying with his face carved up like a roast and
missing an eye.

“Adair!” Kai hastily put down the plate and pitcher and threw himself at Adair. A

huff of breath left Adair’s lungs and Kai’s arms tightened around him. Pain washed
through him as Kai held him but he pushed it aside. He could take any amount of pain
if it meant Kai was okay.

“Oh, gods!” Kai pulled back, a frightened look on his face. “I’m so sorry. Did I

hurt you?”

“No,” Adair said softly looking at Kai. He was perfect as always, not a scratch

on him, all the pain and the loss of his eye was more than worth it. He loved this young
man so much.

Kai bit his bottom lip and looked at Adair from under a fringe of dark lashes.

“Are you sure?”

“C’mere.” Adair reached out, taking Kai’s hand and pulled. The young man

toppled over and promptly scrambled away from Adair. Disappointment tugged at
Adair’s heart. Of course Kai wouldn’t be attracted to him anymore. He was going to be
scarred for the rest of his life and missing an eye. He let Kai’s hand go and looked
away.

“What’s wrong?” Kai asked. “Are you hurting somewhere? Caesar gave me

some stuff to give you if your pain was too bad. Want me to get it?”

“No, I’m fine,” he lied. “How long have I been here?”
“A week. Since the fight with Marcellus. Caesar got you stitched up but you

developed an infection. You were out of it for a couple of days with fever.” Kai turned
from Adair to fiddle with the pitcher he brought in. When he turned back he had a
plate of food and a bowl of water. “Here. You’ve got to be starving. The younger man
sat down cross-legged beside Adair.

“I am, now that you mention it. Thanks.” Adair began to eat, trying not to

swallow the plate whole in his ravenous hunger.

As Adair ate, Kai told him how Max had challenged Giaus for pack Alpha and

won and that Kai was once more a member of the pack. Adair was glad. Kai belonged
in the forest with his family. He hadn’t forgotten what Kai had said—that he would die
in the human village.

Adair finished off the plate of meat and fruits, licking his fingers.
“Want more?” Kai asked as Adair drank the cool refreshing water.
“Nah, I think I’m good for now.”
Kai took the plate and bowl and set it aside, then began looking very hesitant.
“What?”
Kai walked over on his knees and pressed himself up against Adair’s good

side. “This okay?”

The vice that had been squeezing Adair’s heart eased. He rested an arm

across Kai’s shoulders. Kai carefully cuddled close to Adair, a hand resting gently on
the middle of Adair’s chest. Adair kissed his temple, breathing in Kai’s scent.
“Perfect,” he said softly.

“Did you mean it?” Kai asked, breaking the comfortable silence between them.
“Mean what?”
“After you killed Marcellus, you were bleeding so much. You said you loved

me, called me your mate. Then, the other day when you were delirious with fever, you
said you loved me again. Did you mean it?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I meant it. I love you, Kai.”
Kai’s eyes shimmered and he gave a brilliant smile. “I love you, too.”
Adair gave a wry chuckle. “You love an old beat-up, scarred cat like me?”
“Yes. Those scar—”
“Oh, and let’s not forget I have one eye. I’m a catch.”
“Adair, shut up,” Kai said without heat.
Adair did. He was struck by how mature Kai looked—physically he looked like

he always had, but his eyes…there was a wisdom there that hadn’t been present
before. Kai was a man and he knew what he wanted and what he wanted was Adair.
In that moment, any fears he had about Kai leaving him evaporated. Kai wanted him,
loved him.

“These scars,” Kai’s fingertips trailed lightly along the tender, raised skin of

Adair’s side, “are a sign of your love for me.” Kai’s fingers danced over Adair’s scars.
He kissed Adair’s missing eye. “If anything, they make me love you even more.”

Kai leaned forward and brushed his lips across Adair’s before sealing their

mouths together in a soft kiss, tongue asking for entrance. Adair’s lips parted on a
moan, his tongue meeting and caressing Kai’s. His heart expanded in his chest, filling
to overflowing with love for the man kissing him.

“I do need to apologize to you, though,” Adair said, breaking the kiss. Kai

whimpered in disappointment.

“What for?”
“The things I said to you to make you run away. I didn’t mean any of them. I

just wanted to do what was best for you and I thought that was taking you to the human
village.”

“You don’t think that now?”
Adair shrugged. “With Marcellus gone and you a member of the pack again,

the best place for you is in the forest. It’s your home.”

“That’s not exactly true.”
“Oh?”
“My home is wherever you are. You’re my mate, Adair, and I belong with you,

to you. Wherever you want to go, I’ll follow.”

There was that maturity again, Kai putting Adair ahead of his own wants and

needs, but Adair wasn’t going to let him. He knew Kai would never be happy living
away from the wolf pack. “Well, I think we should stay with the pack. They already
know me, even accept me. Besides, I’m not big on change. I’m a cat. I like routine.”

Kai gave a smile, and his relief was probably more obvious than the young man

wanted it to be. It hit Adair that if he hadn’t gotten there when he did, he might never
have seen that smile again, never kissed Kai again, never made love with him again,
never heard the words ‘I love you’ from Kai again, and never told Kai that he loved him
back.

“When you ran off, I was so scared. Marcellus was out there and you were

alone and that was because of me. If anything happened to you I would never have
been able to forgive myself. When I saw Marcellus going for you, I didn’t even think. I
had to take him out even if it meant I died.”

“I thought you had,” Kai said, eyes raking over the skinwalker as if to confirm

he was still with him. “Worst feeling in the world, losing your soulmate.”

“You really think I’m your soulmate?”
“Of course. Don’t you?”
Like it was when he had seen Marcellus about to attack Kai, Adair didn’t even

think. “Yes, I do.”

“So…you think you might make it official?”
“We’ve already physically mated, Kai. I don’t think it can get more official.” He

kissed Kai’s temple.

“Make it official in the eyes of the pack, Adair, and have a bonding ceremony.”
“I’d love to,” Adair said, leaning in for a kiss.

Epilogue

Kai’s entire pack was assembled for the bonding ceremony. The afternoon was

bright and sunny, mild with a gentle breeze bringing with it the smells of pine and
wildflowers. Birds were chirping merrily. It was like nature itself was blessing his union
with Kai.

The members of Kai’s pack had left the campsite as soon as Caesar deemed

Adair able to travel. At Kai’s insistence, Adair had made part of the journey on the
litter Kai walking beside and fussing over him. When they returned to pack territory
and found everything in good order, Kai was swarmed by members of the pack
hugging and kissing him. He never had any idea that he was so loved.

Max, Aurelia and Kai exited their familial den. Kai fought not to blush as he took

his place beside Adair. Both men were unclothed as it was tradition to go through the
bonding ceremony nude to symbolize openness and honesty. The rest of the pack
wore buckskin trousers or skirts and tops. Aurelia kissed Kai’s cheek before taking a
spot beside Nia, Marius’s mate. Max took his place at the head of the assembly.

“Today is a great day for this pack and a proud one for me,” Max addressed

the members of his pack. “Today we welcome a new member to our ranks and I see
my youngest son bonded to his life mate: our friend and frequent visitor, Adair.” There
was a quiet round of applause. “Adair, speak now to Kai the words in your heart.”

“I never thought when I was walking through the forest, and found a screaming

baby it would turn out this way.” He laughed quietly and there were titters from the rest
of the pack. Kai grinned up at him. “Kai, I love you with everything in me. No one has
made me as happy or feel complete as you. You are my heart and the other half of
my soul. I promise to love you without reservation, comfort you in times of sorrow, to
be open and honest with you always, cherish you, and remain by your side the rest of
my days. Today, in front of your friends and family, I pledge my love and loyalty to
you in the name of the gods.”

“Thank you, Adair. Kai, speak now to Adair the words in your heart.”
It took Kai a few moments to find his voice. Adair’s heartfelt words made his

eyes sting and his chest constrict. He didn’t have anything nearly as beautiful in mind
for Adair. He hoped what he did have would suffice. “Adair, you have been a constant
source of happiness, love and trust in my life. You are my best friend, my lover, and
now, my mate. I will love you more each day, laugh with you, cry with you, remain
faithful to you through good times and bad. I give you my hand, my heart and my love,
now and forever more.”

“Thank you, Kai.” Max picked up a small knife from the table to his right.

“Adair, Kai, hold out your left hands, please.”

Both men did, eyes never leaving each other’s faces. Max quickly sliced

across each of their palms. Kai winced and Adair hissed before they joined hands.
Their blood flowed warm over the others palm, dripping down their wrists.

“By the joining of blood, we join your life’s journey. Never to be parted until

Death takes you,” Max intoned.

“Kiss!” Cy said, beginning to applaud. “Kiss!”
Kai ducked his head and laughed. He felt Adair squeeze his hand and looked

up at him. The older man leaned in, eyes drifting closed. Kai’s heart picked up and he
leaned in as well, lips meeting Adair’s in a tender kiss.

“Oww!” Cy hooted. Others joined him in his cheers and applause as Kai and

Adair kissed.

“Let the celebrations begin!” Max said.

* * * *

“Are you sure no one will miss us?” Kai said, eyes sparkling.
Adair had his arm around Kai’s waist, holding him close while others laughed

and talked around them. “I’m sure it’s expected that a newly bonded couple slip off.”
He leaned in and kissed Kai’s pulse point.

The post-bonding party had been going on for the past hour. Adair and Kai

had just found each other again. Every member of the pack wanted to offer them each
good wishes and congratulations, thus keeping them apart. It warmed Adair’s heart
that Kai was back where he belonged with those that loved him and that he had been
accepted into the pack. Max congratulated Adair, but made it clear if he hurt Kai it
would be the last thing Adair would ever do. Cassia and Livia had cornered Adair and
hugged and kissed him, welcoming him to the pack and as their new brother. All the
attention made Adair uncomfortable. He was unaccustomed to being touched by
anyone who wasn’t Kai, but wolves were very tactile creatures. He supposed he would
get used to it. His larger concern was being able to hunt and provide for Kai the way a
good mate should as he was finding it difficult to adjust to having one good eye.

“I think you’re right”. Kai pulled from Adair’s strong embrace, took his hand,

and led him to their den.

As soon as they were inside, Adair took Kai’s mouth in a blistering kiss. His

new mate kissed him back just as hungrily. Their hands possessively roamed over
each other’s bodies, hips rolling against one another, hard cocks sliding together.

“Adair?” Kai panted, breaking the passionate kiss.
“Yeah?”
“Can I touch you?”
“Anywhere,” Adair answered.
Kai’s hand slid down Adair’s chest to his big, thick cock. Adair let out a long,

low moan. “Yes. Gods, yes.”

Emboldened by Adair’s pleasurable sigh, Kai wrapped his fingers around

Adair’s shaft and tentatively started to stroke, nibbling on his collarbone as he did.

“Like this,” Adair said, taking Kai’s throbbing cock in a tight grip and stroking.

Kai tightened his grip on Adair’s shaft and matched Adair’s rhythm. “Yeah, like that.
S’good.” He took Kai’s mouth in another kiss, tongue invading Kai’s mouth.

The men panted and moaned into each other’s mouths as they sloppily kissed

and stroked each other. Adair wrapped his opposite arm around Kai’s waist, hand

drifting down to Kai’s supple ass. He slipped a finger between to stroke over Kai’s
hole. Kai whimpered and his hand stopped moving on Adair’s dick. He didn’t mind. He
intended to take pleasure in Kai’s body.

“Adair.” Kai shuddered and moaned, head dropping to Adair’s shoulder, hands

clutching Adair’s biceps.

“I got you,” Adair whispered back. He teased the head of Kai’s cock with his

thumb, nail digging into the leaking slit, finger of his other hand barely dipping into
Kai’s body. Kai went stiff in Adair’s embrace, and gave a choked whimper. Wet heat
splashed up Adair’s abdomen and over his hand as Kai’s hole clenched around his
finger. Adair’s forgotten cock throbbed, aching to be inside that tight body. He stroked
Kai through the aftershocks, kissing him softly as he jerked and moaned.

“Wha-what about you?” Kai panted, coming back to himself.
Adair laughed dark and low. He bent ever so slightly, gripping Kai’s ass and

lifting him up effortlessly. Kai gasped and wrapped his legs around Adair’s waist.
Adair turned them and lowered Kai down onto the tiger pelt that made up their bed,
covering Kai’s body with his own.

Kai laughed at the manhandling. He laced his fingers through Adair’s hair,

turning serious. He bit his lip.

“What?” Adair asked, nuzzling his neck, inhaling Kai’s scent.
“Can you maybe…um…”
Adair pulled back. A bright blush stained Kai’s cheeks. “Can I what?”
“Do what you did before…the first time?”
“Did a lot of stuff the first time,” he murmured, pressing kisses across Kai’s

shoulders, hands sliding down Kai’s body.

“Kiss me,” Kai said, voice rough as he turned over on his stomach. “There?”

He spread his legs wide.

Adair growled low in his throat. He got down on his knees between Kai’s

spread thighs. He gripped the younger man’s smooth, pale ass cheeks with both
hands, kneading and spreading Kai wide. He could hear Kai’s rapid, shallow breaths,
feel the fine tremors of anticipation running through him. He bent forward and licked
from Kai’s perineum to the top of his ass.

“Yes,” Kai sighed, wiggling that cute little butt.
Adair grinned and dove right into opening Kai up with his tongue. Long slow

licks with the flat of his tongue, tiny teasing kitten licks on the tight muscle. The deep
throaty moans pouring out of Kai, spurring Adair on. He licked and lapped, sucked
and nibbled, until the muscle was soaked in spit and loose enough for him to thrust his
tongue inside. Kai screamed and his hands clenched the tiger pelt.

“Yes, yes, please.” Kai whimpered and thrust his ass back onto Adair’s face.
Adair kept licking Kai’s entrance, Kai’s dark taste heavy on his tongue, his

mate’s musky scent surrounding him. He could do this for hours and never tire of it.
He wet his first two fingers and slid them inside Kai’s relaxed body. His cock ached to
be inside Kai, and feel that tight heat around him. He moved his fingers in and out
slowly, watching the muscle stretch, adding a third finger easily. Kai was so

responsive and so vocal. Adair loved it.

“Please, Adair. You. I want you,” Kai gasped and shuddered as Adair’s fingers

skated across his prostate. “Please, please! I’m ready. I want you so bad. Adair!”

He couldn’t refuse Kai’s pleas nor his own body’s demands any longer. He

removed his fingers from Kai. He stroked his cock, gathering the clear fluid on his
fingers and smearing it across Kai’s entrance. Kai moaned and moved onto his hands
and knees, tilting his ass out invitingly. This man was going to kill him.

He gripped his cock and guided it to Kai’s hole. He pushed forward, the head

of his cock popping past the first ring of muscle with ease. Kai moaned and dropped
his head between his shoulders. Adair held his breath, the tight squeeze around his
cock playing havoc with his control.

“Adair.” Kai’s voice sounded wrecked. “Please, I can take it. I promise. Please,

move.”

Gods, yes. Kai was going to kill him. He pushed forward slowly until his hips

rested against Kai’s ass, firmly seated inside that perfect body, that perfect body that
belonged to him and only him. The dormant, possessive side inside Adair woke up at
that thought. Kai was his, bonded and mated, his for life. He pulled out almost
completely, Kai’s body practically sucking him back in.

“Yes, yes, Adair. More. Harder. Please. Like last time, Adair, please,” Kai

begged.

Adair began to move, hard but slow, pegging Kai’s sweet spot, loving the sound

of his cries echoing off the earthen walls and mixing with the sounds of the bodies
smacking together.

“Yes, gods, yes,” Kai whispered, pushing back against Adair. “More, please.

I’m not going to break.”

Adair’s tenuous hold on his control snapped. He thrust in hard, fast and deep

into Kai, fingers digging into the young man’s hips, low, animalistic grunts accenting
Kai’s loud cries.

“Yes, just like that. More, Adair, please.”
Kai’s words inflamed Adair. He drove as deep as he could, as hard as he

could, giving no quarter to the body beneath him, pure raw animal instinct taking over.
My mate! Mine! My Kai!

“Yes, yes! Yours, Adair,” Kai shivered and sighed out. Gods, Adair hadn’t

realized he had spoken aloud, he was so out of control. Heat coiled inside him, his
balls drawing tight to his body. He needed release. “Only yours. Forever.”

At that, the coil inside Adair snapped and he thrust in hard one last time,

spilling his seed deep inside Kai’s body. Kai cried out and his channel clenched
around Adair as his mate found his release, prolonging his own orgasm.

When the waves of pleasure receded, he collapsed on top of his mate, cock

slipping from Kai’s used hole. Kai whimpered beneath him. Adair struggled to catch
his breath and rolled to the side. He gathered Kai into his arms. Kai clumsily snuggled
closer.

“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Adair asked, petting Kai’s long, sweaty hair.

A sleepy laugh from his mate. “Do you hear me complaining?” Kai’s voice was

a low, sexy rumble. If he could have gotten hard again he would have Kai pinned to
the ground again. As it was he didn’t think he would be able to move for the next few
hours.

“That’s okay,” Kai said. “I’m pretty sure it’s expected that a newly bonded

couple not leave their den for at least a week.”

What? Had Adair spoke aloud again and not realized it? Damn, sex with Kai

had completely destroyed the part of his brain that kept his thoughts inside. Not that it
mattered. Not leaving the den for a week sounded perfect to him.

THE END

ABOUT SAM SINGER

Sam Singer first discovered her love of writing in grade school and it’s an affair

that has continued to grow and flourish. She dabbled in traditional romance before
finding her one true love: male/male erotica and romance.

When not writing about beautiful men getting hot and sweaty she works part

time as a librarian, enjoys baseball, feeding her caffeine addiction, and watching
movies. She lives in a small town in the Midwest and is owned by her fickle Muse and
insane cat and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

ABOUT JMS BOOKS LLC

JMS Books LLC is a small electronic press specializing in gay, lesbian,

bisexual, and transgender fiction (including erotica, romance, and young adult), as
well as popular and literary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. While our preference is for
GLBT stories, we accept stories containing any and all sexualities, as well as general
fiction without a romantic subplot. Visit our site at

jms-books.com

for our latest

releases and submission guidelines!

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