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Brac Pack 21

Alex’s Secret

Alex's father ignored him, his stepfather tries to have him
committed, and his uncle looks at him like he's a freak. Now his

stepcousin Tater is trying to talk him into going to see his good
buddy, Taylor Tate, who's a counselor. Why can’t everyone just
leave him alone?

Gavin Lakeland discovers Alex is his mate when he helps some
guys whose truck broke down in town. He quickly whisks Alex

home to show him just how much he’s wanted. Gavin accepts
everything about his mate, even his closely guarded secret.

But Alex grew up in a home where his mated parents argued day
and night, so how can Alex trust Gavin not to toss him away at the

first sign of trouble? Worse yet, can Alex survive when he's the
latest to fall victim to the drug that's sweeping through the
paranormal world?

Note: Each book in Lynn Hagen's Brac Pack collection focuses on a

different romantic couple. To enjoy the overall story arc and
crossover characters, we recommend reading the series in

sequential order.

Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Paranormal, Shape-shifter
Length: 37,289 words

ALEX’S SECRET

Brac Pack 21

Lynn Hagen

EVERLASTING CLASSIC

MANLOVE

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www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Everlasting Classic ManLove

ALEX’S SECRET
Copyright © 2011 by Lynn Hagen
E-book ISBN: 1-61034-737-4

First E-book Publication: September 2011

Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2011 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

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

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

PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers

Dear Readers,

If you have purchased this copy of Alex’s Secret by Lynn Hagen from
BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank
you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy

This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or
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This is Lynn Hagen’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect
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ALEX’S SECRET

Brac Pack 21

LYNN HAGEN

Chapter One

“Ah, I see. You want to commit me, you dang willy-wuss. Don’t

you?”

“What in the hell is a willy-wuss?”
Alex narrowed his eyes at Tater as he picked up his messenger

bag. “Don’t change the subject. Admit it.” It crushed Alex that his
step-cousin was just like his stepfather. Neither of them understood
him, and neither of them wanted him around. His stepfather had given
up on him and shipped Alex off to live with Tater and his parents.
And now Tater was starting his shit. Some days it didn’t pay to crack
the old eyelids open.

It hadn’t hurt so much when dear old stepdad said Alex was crazy.

But for some reason, it stung like hell coming from Tater.

“I’m not trying to commit you, Alex. I just asked my best friend to

help you,” Tater protested.

“Help me with what? Hmm?”
Tater shook his head as he wiggled his finger back and forth in

front of him. “Oh no, you are not going to trap me with that question.
You’ll only twist it around.” Tater’s lips thinned as he stared at Alex.

Alex wasn’t listening. He pulled a few shirts from the hamper,

grabbed a stray sock from the floor, and then picked up his ant farm.

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He tried to no avail to get the farm in his bag. The dang thing was too
wide.

Looking around the room, he spotted a plastic corner store

shopping bag. Alex crossed the room and picked it up, tossing in his
toothbrush, his Mad Magazine—Spy vs. Spy special issue—and a
rattail comb into the plastic bag.

Next he tied the handles to his belt loop, and then pulled the

handle of the messenger bag over his head to secure it. Lastly, he
walked to his bed and picked up his ant farm, holding it tight to his
chest. “Good riddance.”

“I told you I wasn’t insulting you,” Tater called from behind him.

“I was only trying to help,” he added.

“Help this.” Alex turned, stuck his tongue out, and then spun back

around, heading for the front door as he walked down the steps. There
was no way Tater was going to have him committed. With his pale
skin, white looked terrible on him. Those straitjackets needed to come
in a variety of colors. Too bad they didn’t have rainbow-colored ones.

He rolled his eyes when he heard Tater’s heavy footsteps coming

down the stairs after him.

“Don’t you dare walk out of here.” Tater ran in front of Alex and

placed his fisted hands on his hips as his lips thinned once again, his
eyes holding a hint of dare. “Get back upstairs, mister.”

Alex stared at Tater dumbfounded for a moment before he burst

out laughing. “I’m a few years older than you, in case you have
forgotten.”

“You ain’t acting like it.”
“I’m not the one trying to commit a family member,” he argued.
Tater threw his hands up as he growled at the ceiling. “I’m not

trying to commit you, for the hundredth time. All I want you to do is
go talk to my buddy, Taylor.”

Alex tried to step around Tater, but his step-cousin wasn’t

budging. “Look, that’s the same thing my stepfather said. All I had to

Alex’s Secret

do was go talk to his buddy, Dr. Via. I’m not falling for it again. Now
move!”

Tater held his hands in front of him, as if trying to keep Alex back

without touching him. “Fine, you don’t have to talk to him.”

Alex eyed Tater. He wasn’t sure if he should trust him or not.

He’d been tricked before. His stepfather had said the man was a
medical doctor, but when he arrived at the place, Dr. Via had the
paperwork in order for his commitment. Alex had done some pretty
fast talking to get out of it. Thank goodness Dr. Via agreed with him
and not his stepfather.

After that, his stepfather, Clark, hauled ass home, packed up

Alex’s room, and brought him here. He couldn’t understand what the
hell everyone was in such a fuss about. He was as normal as they
came—barring his little secret.

“Swear,” Alex said warily. “Swear to me that you’re not going to

trick me into going anywhere near your buddy.”

“I swear.”
“Hell no, show me those fingers of yours.” Alex nodded at Tater’s

hands that were behind his back.

“Fine!” Tater pulled his hand in front of his body and splayed his

fingers. “I swear.”

To be honest, Alex had no clue where he would have gone. It had

frightened him to think of leaving here and going into the unknown.
He eyed Tater for a moment and then went back upstairs. Hopefully
his step-cousin could be trusted to keep his word.

So far Tater hadn’t proved to be mistrustful, but Alex couldn’t

help but worry. He sat his ant farm back down on his desk and then
untied the bag from his belt loop and took his comic book and
toothbrush out.

Sitting on the bed, Alex wondered why everyone was so hell-bent

on sending him away. What was so terrible about him that made
people want to get rid of him?

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He pulled the handle of the messenger bag over his head and

tossed it on the bed next to him. Alex was getting tired of people
telling him he needed his head examined. There was no logic behind
their statements. What was he doing so wrong that everyone was
ready to ship him off to the funny farm?

“Hey,” Tater said from the open doorway, his voice growing soft.

“I really wasn’t trying to commit you.”

Alex shrugged as he stared down at his hands. He picked at his

fingernails, wondering why Tater was ready to haul him off one
minute then talking nicely to him the next. Was it some sort of trick?
Was he trying to make Alex’s defenses lower so he could move in for
the kill?

“I have a bike I’m working on in the barn. Wanna help me?”
Alex looked up at him in surprise. When was the last time

someone wanted to spend time with him? Of his own free will?
“Sure.” He tried to sound indifferent, like it didn’t matter—when in
fact, it did.

“Come on. I’ll take you out to the barn.” Tater walked away, and

Alex jumped up to follow him. He didn’t care if they were going out
to pick up cow dung. Someone actually wanted to spend time with
him.

That was a big bonus in his book.
Tater just raised a notch on Alex’s list of nice people. Of course,

there were only two people on it. His mom and now Tater. His mom
took second place because she hadn’t fought for him. She was nice to
him, like a mom was supposed to be. But she had the same look in her
eyes that his stepdad did.

Pity.
Alex didn’t want it nor need it. He hated pity with every breath he

took. “What kind of bike are you working on?”

“It’s an older Honda. Not as nice as Harleys or those crotch-

rockets you see people driving, but it’s mine.” Alex could hear the

Alex’s Secret

pride in Tater’s voice as he spoke of his bike. He felt the same way
about his ant farm.

They were just common ants, but they were his. That made them

special. They really were special, though. They were fascinating and
fun to watch. Those little ants were industrialists and had different
levels of intelligence that made Alex watch them for hours.

They ate, drank, and looked like they had a good time in there.

Sometimes Alex wished he could shrink down and join their farm. He
would probably be accepted more by them than anyone around him.

It was a silly thought, but it made him feel warm inside knowing

he had a whole farm that loved him and he loved them.

Even if they were ants.
Alex followed Tater into the big, red building, feeling a few

degrees cooler as they stepped into the interior of the barn. He noticed
a loft right away, and a few empty stalls that looked like the
occupants hadn’t been there in a very long time.

In the middle of the barn, on the floor, all of Tater’s bike parts

were laid out on a tan and dirty blanket. “You didn’t tell me it was
laid out like a jigsaw puzzle.”

Tater laughed as he sat on a crate, picking up a few parts. “I’ve

taken it apart and reassembled it so many times I lost count.”

Alex grabbed the crate over by one of the stalls and carried it back

to where Tater was sitting. He took a seat and clasped his hands
between his knees. “I’m afraid I don’t know too much about bikes.”

“That’s okay. I was just looking for some company,” Tater stated

as he picked up a shop rag and began to clean the small part with
attentive care.

“Oh, okay,” Alex said as he looked at all the different shapes of

the small pieces lying in from of him. He had no clue what any of
them were. He was just enjoying the fact that someone wanted him
around.

Family no less.

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Alex leaned down and picked up one of the shop rags and then

one of the parts. He parroted Tater as he sat there and cleaned the
shiny piece. Alex had no clue what it was, but he had to admit, the act
of cleaning the piece was relaxing.

Maybe Tater used his time out here as a kind of therapy session.

Everyone needed one. That was Alex’s honest opinion. He glanced at
Tater when the man began to chuckle. “What?”

His step-cousin pointed at the oblong piece in his hand. “You’re

polishing a sparkplug. It’s okay to clean them, though.”

Alex looked down at the piece in his hand. How was he supposed

to know this particular part didn’t need polishing? He didn’t even
know what the heck a spark plug was. Maybe it was best he just sit
there and be an observer.

He leaned down and sat the cloth and plug back on the tan

blanket. So much for keeping occupied.

His eyes roamed over the empty stalls. “Where are your horses?”
Tater looked up from what he was doing, looking around as he

answered Alex. “There haven’t been any animals here since my
grandparents.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense. How do you live on a farm with

no animals?” Alex inquired. Alex knew he had a lot to learn. His
mother only married his stepdad a few months ago, so he had no clue
about Tater’s life and his family.

Alex didn’t even like referring to the prick as his stepdad, but his

mom insisted. Clark was a real piece of work. What the hell did his
mom see in the guy? The only benefit that Alex could see was getting
to know Tater. The guy was kinda cool.

When he wasn’t trying to have him committed.
“My dad runs an online business. I still use the barn for my

reprieve. A guy’s gotta have one of those.”

Alex wholeheartedly agreed with that. He got up, wandering over

to the stalls and resting his chin on one of the doors. It would have
been nice to have a horse in here. Alex didn’t know anything about

Alex’s Secret

them, about farming—beside his ants—but he was sure having horses
would have been nice.

He’d never seen one before, except in pictures and on television.

They were beautiful though. At least he thought so.

“I need to head into town. Do you wanna go?”
Alex spun around, feeling panic in his chest at Tater’s words. Was

this a trick? Was it that false sense of security he feared his step-
cousin was trying to lure him into?

“Calm down. I said I wasn’t gonna make you go.”
“Then why do you want to go into town?” he asked warily.
“There’s a new motorcycle shop that just opened up. I want to go

check out what they have. You haven’t been to town yet. It’ll give
you a chance to explore what’s in Brac Village.”

It was true. Alex had been here for two weeks and had yet to

explore his surroundings. He was so confused when he first got here
that he just mainly stayed in his room. He felt discarded and
unwanted. Yeah, real big motivators when you wanted to explore
your new surroundings.

“Come on, I got my truck running again.” Tater laid the part down

and then tossed the rag onto the floor next to it. He got up, stretched,
and then walked away. Alex had a moment of fear. If Tater really did
want to commit him, there wasn’t much he could do about it. Tater
was a large man, very capable of forcing Alex to do whatever the hell
he wanted him to do.

He slowly followed after the man, wondering if he shouldn’t just

go to his room instead. Alex met Tater at his big red truck, looking
the rusty thing over before opening the passenger door. It squeaked on
its hinges as Alex climbed in and slammed it shut.

The door popped back open.
Alex reached out and slammed it again.
The door popped back open.
“Hold on,” Tater said as he walked around to Alex’s side. “It gets

hung up sometimes.” Tater messed with something on the side of the

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door and then slammed it shut. This time it stayed closed. Alex wasn’t
sure how safe it was to ride with a broken door. He quickly secured
his seatbelt. If the thing was going to pop back open on the road, at
least he’d be secured in his belt.

His hands shot out and grabbed the dashboard when Tater started

the truck and it sounded as though it was going to explode. The
engine stayed that way for a moment, making Alex break out in a cold
sweat until the big hunk of metal settled into a grinding noise.

Alex waited, but that was the best the truck was going to settle

down. The gears began to grind as Tater shifted it into reverse while
Alex hung onto his seatbelt with a death grip. He prayed they didn’t
get stuck on the side of the road somewhere. The truck acted like it
was protesting movement as it piddled down the dirt driveway.

“What’s that smell?” Alex asked as he loosened one hand from his

belt and pinched his nose. Good god, it smelled like Tater had trash in
the bed of the truck that had been sitting out in the heat for days. Alex
wanted to gag.

“I hauled some manure for a friend of mine. Haven’t had a chance

to hose the bed out yet,” Tater shouted above the loud grinding noise.

Alex grabbed the handle to the widow crank, careful not to push

the door open. He yanked. Then yanked again.

“That don’t work. I need to take the door apart and fix the

mechanism in it.”

Alex was sitting in a truck that sounded like it was falling apart,

on a sweltering day with dried cow shit in the bed, and a window that
wouldn’t roll down. Yeah, maybe he should have gone up to his room
instead. He yelped when the truck sputtered and then the engine cut.

“Damn it.” Tater steered the truck to the side of the road. “Give

me a minute.” He pulled the emergency brake handle and then pulled
the lever for the hood. Alex watched him get out and go to the front of
the truck.

“Just great,” Alex mumbled as he looked out the smudged

window. His brain felt like it was about to melt in the interior of the

Alex’s Secret

truck. He unsnapped his seatbelt and waited for it to wind back up. It
didn’t.

Alex tossed the seat belt aside and opened his door, immediately

feeling the hot air. But compared to the heat inside the cab, it felt
degrees cooler. He didn’t get out, just turned his body to sit sideways
as he listened to Tater tinker under the hood.

“I think I got it,” Tater shouted. “Start her up.”
Alex stared at the driver’s seat, thinking a big hell no was in order.

The handle to the stick shift looked like it had been extended…by six
feet. The steering wheel held grease marks all over it. Alex would
have to move the entire bench up just to reach the pedal.

“Hurry up, it’s hot out here,” Tater shouted.
Really? Like it was any cooler inside the truck? Alex sighed and

crawled across the bench. When he sat down, his feet didn’t come
anywhere near the damn gas pedal. He reached under the seat for the
lever and shrieked, snatching his hand back when it made contact
with something fuzzy.

Was there a raccoon under there?
“What the hell are you yelling about?” Tater asked as he walked

over to the driver’s door. “Just turn her over.”

Okay, Alex was getting cranky now. It was hot and fuzzy inside

this damn truck. “There’s something fuzzy under your seat.” He
pointed down between his legs.

“Fuzzy?” Tater opened the door and pushed Alex’s legs aside,

shoving his head onto the floorboard and under the seat.

Alex had images of Tater coming away with an animal stuck to

his face, his arms flailing around as he screamed and ran in circles.
“Should you have your face so far under there?” he asked worriedly.

Tater chuckled and lifted his head, bringing his arm out. Alex

jumped, trying to scramble across the seat and out of the truck when
Tater held a small fuzzy animal in his hand. His step-cousin’s
laughter was loud as Alex jumped out of the passenger door and then
used the door as a shield.

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“It’s my stuffed squirrel.” He held it up and shook it at Alex,

making him duck behind the door.

Alex took a closer look, seeing that it was indeed a stuffed animal.

His heart was beating out of control behind his chest as his fingers
gripped the door.

“Now can you turn her over while I get back under the hood?”

Tater asked as he tossed the squirrel onto the bench seat. Alex
crawled back in, smacking at the toy with his fingers and making it hit
the passenger floorboard. Once again he got into the seat, this time
finding the lever and pulling the seat forward.

He grabbed the key and turned…nothing happened.
“You got to wiggle the key,” Tater shouted at him.
Hell, they would have been better off walking into town. He

wouldn’t be surprised if duct tape was holding this big hunk of junk
together.

Alex wiggled the key and then turned it, yelping when it sounded

like it was going to explode once again. The hood dropped and Tater
raced to the driver’s door. Alex scrambled to get out of the way as
Tater jumped into the driver’s seat and gave it some gas.

Was that wise?
“I think we’re good,” Tater stated as he closed his door.
Alex reached over and grabbed his, slamming it closed.
It popped back open.
This was not his day.
“Reach your hand on the side of the door.”
Alex reached his hand around.
“Do you feel a small clawlike device?”
“Yeah.”
“Wiggle it.”
The whole damn truck was a wiggle it. Alex wiggled the clawlike

thing and then slammed his door.

It stayed closed.

Alex’s Secret

He quickly put his seat belt on and then held on again for dear life.

Mental note, do NOT go back into town eeeever again.

By the time Tater pulled the truck into a parking space and cut the

motor off, Alex was drenched in sweat. All he wanted was someplace
cool. His body had soaked the heat up and he was feeling a bit
lightheaded.

“Come on. The shop’s right there.” Tater pointed to a building as

he got out. Alex noticed the back of Tater’s shirt looked as though he
had just walked out of a lake. It was soaking wet. His back muscles
were clearly defined as the T-shirt clung to him.

Good. At least he wasn’t the only one about to pass out from

heatstroke. Alex unsnapped his buckle and jumped out, practically
running into the shop. He prayed they had air-conditioning.

The blast of cold air to his body made his eyes roll back into his

head. He just stood in the doorway with his arms held out at his sides,
letting the cold air take him away.

“You okay, my man?” a Latino voice asked from somewhere in

the shop.

Alex ignored it as his brain reshaped itself. It no longer felt like it

had melted and stuck to the side of his skull. “Ahhhhhhhh.” He said
the word in a whoosh as his skin prickled under the cool air.

“’Sup, fellas,” Tater said as he pushed Alex aside and walked in.
“He with you?”
“Yep. That’s my cousin Alex.”
Alex finally let his eyes roll back into place, seeing three very

large men staring at him curiously. They were the same size as Tater,
very muscular, too.

Tater introduced him to Tryck, Law, and Dagon Santiago, the

owners of the bike shop. Alex took a seat by the counter as Tater
talked with the brothers. He didn’t care how long Tater took, the
longer the better.

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It meant he wouldn’t be back out in the truck anytime soon.

Maybe he could thumb it back home. Anything was better than
getting back into that truck.

“I’m ready,” Tater declared an hour later.
Alex couldn’t understand how anyone could spend an hour in a

motorcycle shop if he wasn’t getting repairs done. What was there in
the store that took an hour?

“Nice meeting you, Alex,” the brothers called out as he walked

toward the door. He liked that they were so friendly. Okay, the one
with the yellow bandana on his head looked like he’d kill you in your
sleep and steal your cookies, but the men had been nice to him.

“You, too.” He waved as he walked back out into what felt like an

oven on broil. He eyed the truck as he approached it, praying it didn’t
die on them on the way home. It was bad enough the house didn’t
have central air. He wasn’t about to bake in the truck as well.

Alex climbed in just as another truck pulled into the spot next to

theirs. Alex quickly closed the door.

And then it popped back open.
He growled, reaching for the door and feeling for the clawlike

thing. He wiggled it around and then slammed the door again.
Thankfully it stayed closed.

Tater jumped in and wiggled his key, but the truck wouldn’t start.

Oh hell. Just shove an apple in my mouth and declare me roasted.

Tater tried it again with no luck. It sounded like it was fighting to

come alive, but it wouldn’t turn over.

Alex’s head hit the back of the seat, wondering if his brain was

going to melt again or maybe his body would turn into one big puddle
and slide down onto the floorboard in one big ass pool of Alex,
landing next to the big fuzzy thing that was staring up at him.

“You guys need some help?”
Alex’s head whipped sideways, looking at the man leaning his

arm on Tater’s driver door. His body was bent slightly so his head
could see into the truck.

Lynn Hagen

Chapter Two

Gavin Lakeland damn near swallowed his tongue when the sexiest

man he’d ever seen stared right back at him. The heat must be getting
to him. There was no way his wet dream was sitting in this piece-of-
shit truck with sweat soaking his clothes.

His eyes locked onto the sexy man with the short brown hair.

Gavin had an urge to walk around to the passenger side and rip the
door open, extracting the sweet looking man. The object of his desire
sat there frozen, his breathing labored.

Gavin worried the man was suffering from heatstroke. He could

feel the heat coming from inside the truck in waves. It was hotter in
there than it was outside.

“It’s the damn alternator,” the redhead complained as he pushed

the door open. “I think it finally died.” Gavin backed away as the man
opened the driver’s door, but his eyes stayed locked on the passenger.

His big sapphire-blue eyes stared at Gavin like he had two heads.

His eyes were wide as he sat there frozen. Gavin walked around the
truck, opening the passenger door. “My truck’s a lot cooler if you
want to wait in it,” Gavin said as he held his hand out.

When the man unsnapped his belt and slid out, the smell hit Gavin

like a ton of bricks landing on his head. He felt dazed, confused, and
horny as shit in the span of a millisecond.

Now his breathing was labored.
Standing there right in front of him was his mate. He blinked, and

then blinked again. Gavin was the one frozen this time. His tongue
stuck to the roof of his mouth, refusing to let him speak.

Alex’s Secret

“Thank you,” the man said as he stepped aside and closed the

door. “I thought my brain was going to melt out of my ear in that
heat.”

“Yeah.” Gavin blinked at the man.
The sexy little beast pointed to his truck. “May I?”
“Yeah.” Gavin blinked at the man.
His mate sidestepped him and opened the driver’s door, sliding in

and slamming the door. Gavin winced. “No need to slam it.”

“Sorry,” the man said from behind the glass window.
Gavin turned and shut the door to the truck his mate just climbed

out of.

And then it popped back open.
Gavin ignored it and walked to the front of the truck. “Any luck?”
“Nope. She’s dead.” The redhead turned to him. “Name’s Tater.”

He stuck his hand out.

“Gavin Lakeland.” Gavin shook his hand. “Mark’s Garage is a

block down. I could have him tow it for you.”

“And pay the towing price? Heck no. I can push it.” Tater snorted.
“I’ll help.” Gavin walked back to his truck, noticing that his mate

was watching his every move. He opened the door and inhaled
deeply, wondering if God had made a sweeter smell.

“I’m gonna help your…”
“Step-cousin,” the man offered to fill in the blank. Gavin sighed in

relief.

“I’m gonna help Tater push the truck over to the repair shop. Sit

tight.”

“Okay.”
Gavin could listen to that voice all day. “What’s your name?”
“Alex,” he said as he slid out of Gavin’s truck. He watched his

mate, wondering what he was doing. The smaller man walked to the
passenger door, grabbed the door and wiggled something, and then
slammed the door closed. It stayed shut. Gavin was impressed.

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“My name is Gavin. Now get back inside. It’s too hot out here for

you.” Gavin held his door open, helping his mate climb in and then
softly closing his door. “I’ll be right back.”

“Okay,” Alex said as he sat back.
Happy that his mate was out of the heat and comfortable, Gavin

joined Tater to help him get this tin can over to Mark’s. By the time
they had it pushed over to the garage, Gavin was soaked in sweat.

He was anxious to get back to his mate. Gavin wanted to know

everything about him. “You’re not a mass murderer are you?”

Gavin’s head snapped back at Tater’s words. “What day is it?”
“Monday.”
“Then you’re safe.” Gavin chuckled.
“Good. Can you take my cousin home while I wait on my truck?

He’s a city boy and not used to this heat. He had central air.” Tater
said it like he was repeating someone else’s words. Gavin wanted to
smile at Tater. So his mate was pampered. Good to know.

“I’ll make sure he gets home.” Gavin nodded at Tater and Mark as

he walked out of the bay. He walked quickly down the street, anxious
to be with his mate. He reached his truck and opened the driver’s
door, that sweet-ass smell smacking him where he stood.

“Your cousin asked if I would take you home. You all right with

that?”

Alex nodded as he stretched over the console and planted his fine

looking ass onto the passenger seat. Gavin had wicked, wicked ideas
of what he wanted to do with his mate. He decided to keep it to
himself. No use frightening the guy when they’d just met.

“I have a few errands to run if you don’t mind hanging out.”
“I don’t mind as long as I can sit in the air-conditioning,” Alex

stated as he snapped his seatbelt. His baby was so pampered.

“Deal. Let me run into the bike shop, and I’ll be right out.”
“You’re not going to take an hour, are you?”
Gavin chuckled. “Nah, give me five minutes.” He slipped back

out, closing the door behind him. Gavin made quick work inside the

Alex’s Secret

shop and then came back out, seeing his mate laid back like he was in
heaven. Gavin smiled as he set the bag in the bed of his truck.

He climbed in and put the truck in reverse. “See, not long at all.”
“Thank goodness. I thought I was going to go nuts in there. Tater

took forever.” His mate whipped his head around and stared at him
with wide eyes. “Not that I’m crazy. It was a figure of speech.”

“I figured as much.” Gavin smiled as he pulled out of the parking

space. He needed to stop at the house and drop the part off to his
oldest brother Riley before taking Alex home. Riley was a bear when
he had to wait around.

“Where are we going?” Alex asked as he looked out of the

passenger window.

“I have to drop that part off at home.”
Alex swiveled his head to stare at Gavin, his brow rising slowly.

“Are you sure?”

Huh? “Uh, yeah, I’m sure.” What kind of question was that?

Although he had to admit, his mate looked hot with that brow finely
arched.

Gavin gripped the wheel as he turned onto the dirt road that led to

the Lakeland Ranch. He was going to jump out of the truck, throw the
part at Riley, and then be off with his mate before anyone was the
wiser.

It wasn’t that he was ashamed of Alex. Hell no. But he knew his

brothers. Not only were there seven of them, including him, but he
was the last born in a set of triplets. Bryce and Olsen wouldn’t let
Alex go.

Not that they would hurt him. But all the Lakeland men seemed to

have a mischievous side that loved to come out and play. They would
welcome Alex though.

Then there were the twins, Chauncey and Chance. Those two got

into so much trouble that they made their pa revert back to yelling and
punishing. Where one was, the other was close behind.

And these were full-grown men.

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The baby, Roman, was now mated to Steven, a really nice guy

that took a job as a cook at the local diner. Gavin loved when Steven
made it home in time to cook for them. The guy was a genius in the
kitchen.

“I’ll be right back. Sit tight.” Gavin jumped from the cab,

grabbing the bag from the bed of the truck and trying his best to make
quick work of his errand. He hurried across the lawn to the barn that
Riley was working in.

Gavin walked in as his oldest brother closed the latch on one of

the horse’s stalls. “Got your part for you.” He held up the bag, ready
to toss it at his brother so he could get back to his mate.

Riley crossed the distance and took the bag from Gavin’s hand.

He peered inside the bag and frowned. “I’m missing some items.”

“They said the parts were on back order.” Gavin glanced in the

direction of the exit, ready to get the hell out of there. He prayed
Riley didn’t try to start a conversation. Riley was like that. He was the
oldest and felt a fucked-up need to always give advice.

On any other day, Gavin would have hung around to shoot the

shit. But today, his skin felt like ants were crawling all over him. His
skin was itching like crazy to get back to Alex.

Riley studied him for a moment, those deep grey eyes boring into

him. Oh hell. Gavin did not want to stick around for this.

“What’s got you so wound up?” Riley asked as he set the bag on

the floor by the stall. “You look like you’re ready to bolt.”

Because I am. “The heat,” he said as he backed away and turned.

“Later.”

“Thanks for picking this up for me,” Riley called out.
“No problem.” Gavin waved over his shoulder as he exited the

barn. He skidded to a halt when he saw Olsen and Bryce leaning
against his truck…talking to Alex. Gavin groaned as he walked
quickly to his brothers.

“You been keeping this man here a secret?” Bryce asked as he

nodded toward Alex. Gavin had to stop the word from erupting out of

Alex’s Secret

his throat. Mine was on the tip of his tongue. Being territorial with
Olsen and Bryce was only inviting trouble.

“He’s a sexy one,” Bryce stated as he looked back at the truck.

“You gonna share?” he asked as he licked his bottom lip.

This time a growl did rip from his lips. It was low and full of

warning as Gavin looked Bryce in his eyes. “Not this one.” The
triplets had shared a man a time or two. They were close like triplets
should be.

But this was different. Alex was his mate. There would be no

sharing this time, or the next, or ever. “He’s not available.”

Bryce nodded, giving Gavin his award-winning smile. “Okay.”

Bryce stepped aside only to see that Olsen had climbed into the
driver’s side and was sitting too close to Alex. He glanced back at
Bryce who had a mischievous gleam in his eye.

He knew if he didn’t put a stop to this, he and his two triplets were

going to have a knock-down, drag-out fight in the front yard. And
wouldn’t pa have fun with them then.

If there was one thing he didn’t want to do, it was pissing their

father off. He’d never understand Chauncey and Chance. They made
a habit of it constantly.

“He’s my mate. So if you want to keep all of your teeth, back the

fuck up.” Gavin snarled at him. Bryce’s eyes widened and then a
smile pulled his lips back.

“Well I’ll be damned. Then I think you need to go get Olsen’s ass

from the front of the truck.”

Gavin nodded at his brother before spinning on his booted heal

and walking toward the driver’s side. He could see Alex staring at
Olsen curiously, his head cocked to the side. When Alex’s sapphire-
blue eyes locked onto his, there was a spark of…what was it? Gavin
wasn’t sure what he read in them.

He grabbed the door handle and yanked it open, taking a step back

so Olsen could climb out. When his brother didn’t, Gavin was ready

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to yank him out. Bryce leaned into the passenger window and nodded
at Alex. “I think you need to get out.”

Gavin wasn’t sure what game they were playing at, but he was

getting very fucking tired of it. He could feel the shift coming. His
nails were elongating and he was fighting the vicious need his teeth
had in making an appearance.

“Now,” Bryce said as he opened the passenger door and took a

step back. Alex climbed out, as he looked confusingly at Bryce before
turning to Gavin. His eyes grew wide as he stared at him.

Gavin knew he looked like a hot mess. His eyes had shifted and

his long, black nails were extended. The only thing he managed to
stop was his teeth unsheathing. Alex gave a quick nod of his head
before racing up the stairs, the screen door slamming behind him.

“What the hell is going on?” Olsen asked as he got out of the

truck, looking from one brother to the other. “I thought we were
gonna play.”

“He’s Gavin’s mate, dumbass. The long nails and shifty eyes

should have clued you in,” Bryce snapped as he stood on the other
side of the truck.

Olsen’s eyes grew large as he took a step back. “Oh shit. How the

hell was I supposed to know?” He scrambled around the truck to
Bryce’s side, the two standing there waiting to see what Gavin was
going to do.

“You two play a little too goddamn much. I left him inside the

truck for a reason. Did I bring him to you? Did I?” he yelled.

“Calm down, Gavin,” Bryce yelled back over the truck. “We

would never harm anyone. We just thought we were gonna have some
fun.”

Gavin looped around the front of the truck, his eyes narrowing at

his brothers. “Stay away from him.”

They both gave a slight nod as Gavin took a deep breath, calming

himself enough to return to normal. He climbed the front steps,
walking past the porch swing, and grabbing the screen door.

Alex’s Secret

Now he had to go find Alex and see what kind of damage had

been done by his display of barbarism.

* * * *

“What the hell just happened?” Olsen turned from the front door

to Bryce.

“You tried to mate his mate. I’m shocked you still have your balls

attached, dumbass.” Bryce shook his head as he walked toward the
back of the house.

Olsen scratched his chin as he stared at the screen door. How the

hell was he supposed to know?

“Come on. Let’s get these stalls mucked before pa finds out what

you did and tries to castrate us both,” Bryce yelled from the side of
the house.

That single word had Olsen running after his triplet, praying that

Gavin wasn’t that pissed off that he would tell pa.

* * * *

Gavin stepped inside the cool interior of the house. He let his eyes

adjust for a moment before looking off into the living room. Alex sat
perched on one of the couches, his hands clasped between his knees.

He wasn’t sure what he should say. By the way, I’m a bear-shifter,

and my dumbass brothers got too close to my mate. Which is you, by
the way.

No, that wouldn’t do. He cleared his throat, watching Alex’s head

snap toward him. Gavin tapped his thumb on his upper thigh,
wondering what in the hell would be good enough to say that would
break the tension between them.

“I have a farm,” Alex stated as he stared around the room. He

could tell his mate was using coping mechanisms. Gavin grabbed onto
Alex’s statement and went with it.

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He walked into the living room, taking a seat on the coffee table

in front of his mate. “Oh yeah, what do you raise?”

“Ants,” Alex boasted proudly. “I have a three-tube farm.”
Gavin wasn’t sure what that meant, but he loved the proud look on

his mate’s face. The smile made his brilliant blue eyes light up like
diamonds. He had to ball his hands into fists to stop them from
reaching out and pulling his mate in for a wet-dream kiss.

“I’d like to see it.”
Alex sat up straighter, an astonished look on his face. “Really?”

Gavin didn’t think his eyes could sparkle any brighter, but they did.

“Sure. I’ve never seen an ant farm before.”
Alex jumped to his feet so quickly that he scared the shit out of

Gavin. He had to catch the growl before it left his throat. “I can show
you.” His mate beat feet to the door, a wide and happy smile on his
face. “They’re really quite fascinating. One wouldn’t think ants could
be, but they are.”

Hell, Gavin was getting excited just because his mate was. Alex

could have been talking about tea dollies for all he cared. As long as
his mate’s face lit up like that, Gavin would stay interested in
anything he had to say.

Gavin pushed the screen door open for his mate to pass through.

“Show me the way to your ant farm.”

“Okay.” Alex giggled as he hopped down the steps.
Gavin saw Olsen and Bryce standing off to the side of the house,

huge smiles on their faces. Chauncey and Chance were right behind
them, big shit-eating grins on their faces and giving him a thumbs-up
as Gavin looked at them.

Didn’t they have chores to do? He could feel his face flushing as

he rolled his eyes. He snickered when he saw pa walk up behind the
four, cuffing Chauncey and Chance on the back of their heads. The
four scattered, leaving pa standing there smiling at Gavin.

He climbed into his truck, immediately cutting on the air-

conditioning for his mate. The interior of the truck felt like a thousand

Alex’s Secret

degrees inside. Sweat broke out on his upper lip and brow as he
waited for things to cool off.

“So, how long have you lived here?” Gavin made simple

conversation as he pulled the truck from the drive.

“Two weeks.”
“Did you live with your folks before that?” He knew he was being

nosy as hell, but he wanted to get to know his mate better.

“Sure.”
Alex’s answer made Gavin take a look over at the passenger’s

seat. Alex was staring out of the window, as if he really didn’t want to
touch the subject. Gavin left it alone for now. “You like it here?”
Simple enough question, pretty basic.

“All I’ve seen is Tater’s house. And the inside of the bike shop.

But so far, yeah.”

Gavin thought it was a shame. He planned on changing that. No

one should just hang around the house. “I can take you on a tour of
our town. It’s not big, but it’s expanding.”

“I’d love that.” Alex’s eyes once again lit up. Gavin could see it

was real easy to please his mate. He liked that. A simple guy, just like
him.

He listened to Alex’s directions as he drove down the country

road. It was a pleasure just to have his mate in the seat next to him.
Alex’s hands and face stuck to the window as they passed by a field
of grazing horses. “Ever seen a horse up close before?”

Alex shook his head. Gavin was going to give him a real treat

then. They had a few on the ranch. Maybe he could talk his mate into
going horseback riding with him. That should really get his eyes
sparkling like flawless diamonds.

“I can pick you up tomorrow and take you riding if you’d like.”
Alex’s head whipped around so fast that Gavin was surprised he

didn’t have whiplash. “Really?” There went that gorgeous sparkle
again.

“Yep.”

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His mate was practically buzzing with excitement as he sat next to

him. “I’ve never ridden a horse before. Is it hard?”

I am. “Nah. I’ll let you ride Buster. He’s a real gentle one.”
“I like that name,” Alex said as they pulled down the lane his

mate pointed to. Gavin parked the truck, cutting the motor and getting
out. He waited for his mate to show him the way. They walked
through the front door and up the creaking steps.

Gavin knew he was a big guy, but the steps sounded like they

were going to break under his weight.

“My room is down the hall,” Alex said as Gavin followed him. He

looked around the room once Alex opened the door and let him in.
There were piles of clothes here and there, like a typical guy’s room.
He also had magazines scattered about.

Gavin picked one up from the bed. “Hey, I remember this.” He

flipped through the Spy vs. Spy cartoons. He chuckled at a few. “This
is cool.”

“You like my collection?” Alex asked as he pulled a drawer open

and tossed a few more on the bed.

Gavin picked another one up, flipping through it. “Yeah, I like it. I

used to read these when I was a teenager.”

“I’ve been collecting them over the years. It was real hard to get

some of the older issues. The 1962 one was the hardest.”

“I’ll bet.” Gavin sat the magazine down. “Now show me your

ants.”

Alex walked over to his desk and picked up a glass casing,

handing it over to Gavin.

He took the case from Alex and peered into the glass. “Are they

away on vacation?”

Alex’s brows pulled together as he took the glass housing back

from Gavin. He smashed his face into the glass as he squeaked.
“Where the hell are my ants!”

Alex’s Secret

Chapter Three

“Don’t move.” He held his hand up to Gavin as his eyes scanned

the floor. Alex felt like crying. His ant farm was the only thing he
truly cared about. His ants didn’t judge him or try to have him
committed. They loved him.

He tried not to focus on the man in his bedroom. Gavin was a wet

dream walking in the here and now. His muscles stuck out like things
of worship on his arms and shoulders. His black hair fell in waves to
his shoulders and his eyes were dove-grey. If that T-shirt got any
tighter, it would rip at the seams.

He really liked the black leather bands around the guy’s wrists. It

made him look like a rebel. Alex forced his eyes to the floor as he
spotted a few ants crawling over his dirty socks. He walked carefully
to his desk and grabbed a sheet of paper, coaxing the ants to journey
onto it and then dumping them back into their farm.

“I must have popped the lid when I tried to shove them in my

bag,” he said as he spotted a few more. He was not going to sniff the
guy, even though he smelled so damn good.

Alex focused on the floor, Gavin taking up the hunt with him,

pointing his pets out when he spotted them. He was amazed the large
man wasn’t poking fun at him. He wasn’t. Instead, Gavin seemed to
be just as intent in finding the little guys as he was.

“I don’t think I’m going to find them all.” Alex felt silly when a

tear rolled down his face. They were only ants.

“We’ll keep looking,” Gavin said softly, “until we find them all.”
Alex knew that was impossible, but he appreciated the effort

Gavin was showing though. He didn’t think even Tater would have

Lynn Hagen

helped him like this. “I have an idea.” Alex walked carefully from his
room and rushed down the kitchen. He grabbed a few items and then
ran back upstairs, slowing down when he reached his room.

He walked to the center and poured a small dab of sugar water on

the floor, and then went over by the window and did the same.

“Smart idea.” Gavin sounded impressed. He grabbed a peppermint

from his front pocket, dipped it in Alex’s sugar water and then bent at
the waist, setting it on the floor.

They sat on Alex’s bed and waited for his farm friends to reveal

themselves. One by one, Alex and Gavin slowly filled his farm back
up.

Alex stared at the giant from under his lashes. “Thank you.”
“No need for thanks. I’m sure you would have helped if the shoe

was reversed.”

They sat on his bed the entire afternoon, ant hunting. It was a new

experience for Alex. He’d never had a close friend that helped with
stuff like this. He liked Gavin. “Can we be friends?”

“I thought we already were.” Gavin smiled at Alex. “A guy

doesn’t spend his afternoon chasing down ants if he wasn’t a friend.”

“True.” He giggled. He wanted to run outside and shout to the

world that he had a good friend that wanted to do crazy stuff with
him. “How about best friends?”

Alex feared he may have gone too far when Gavin looked at him

funny. He began to retract his question when Gavin spoke. “I’d really
like that.”

“If you already have one, I can be number two,” he offered just in

case Gavin was just being polite. He didn’t care, as long as Gavin
stayed his friend.

“You’re number one, and don’t forget that,” Gavin said as he

pointed another ant out. Alex slid from the bed, scooping his pet up
and depositing him back into his farm. He watched Gavin hold the
farm up, staring at the ants they had recaptured.

Alex’s Secret

“This is kinda cool,” he said. “I never really thought about the

little things before.”

Alex was proud he could share his hobby with someone else,

someone who seemed to appreciate it like he did. By the time the sun
set and the crickets were out, Alex knew he’d recovered as many as
he could. “I guess this is it.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”
He could feel his palms becoming sweaty. He’d never been

around someone like Gavin before. Alex didn’t want this day to end.
He tried to think of an excuse to keep him longer, but nothing came to
mind.

“I’ll walk you down.” Alex made sure the latch was secure before

setting the farm back on his desk. He didn’t want to have a repeat,
although having Gavin around to help made his day fly by, and more
enjoyable than he could remember.

“Are you still coming by tomorrow?” Alex asked as they walked

out onto the porch. He didn’t want to push, but he really wanted to see
Gavin again. Even though he had asked if they could be best friends,
Alex was starting to feel more.

He was just afraid Gavin would knock him on his ass if he made a

move…like a goodnight kiss.

“Bright and early,” Gavin said as he stood on the bottom step,

making Alex feel like he was Gavin’s incredible height. They were
face-to-face now, feeling the awkward moment out together.

“I’ll be up and ready,” he said but made no move to go into the

house.

“Not a problem with me.” Gavin smiled but didn’t walk away.
God, this was agonizing. Should he lean in for a kiss, or shouldn’t

he? Alex was terrified and all coiled up inside. His cock had gotten
hard, and he prayed Gavin couldn’t see it pressing into the front of his
jeans.

“What time are you coming?” Alex asked and noticed a slight

flare to Gavin’s nostrils.

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He cleared his throat, his eyes locking with Alex’s. “Six good?”
“Good,” he answered as he nodded his head. They both stood

there staring at each other, but neither said anything further.

Finally, Gavin took a step backward, chucking his thumb over his

shoulder. “I guess I better get going then,” he said as he walked
slowly backward.

“I guess,” Alex reluctantly agreed. He watched the good-looking

man get into his truck and drive away. When Gavin was finally out of
sight, Alex sagged against the porch, his breath blowing out loudly.

“Holy hell.” His arms sagged at his sides. “What a man.” Alex

walked in a dream state back to his room, thinking of that hot body
and those stunning grey eyes.

He was falling in love.
Throwing himself on his bed, he giggled at the ceiling. For the

first time in his life, he was falling in love.

* * * *

Gavin was up bright and early the next morning. After a day like

yesterday, he couldn’t wait to see his mate again. The guy was funny,
interesting as hell, and sexy as sin. He didn’t want to leave last night,
debating the whole time on the steps whether he should kiss Alex or
not.

He didn’t want to rush his mate, so he backed off. Hopefully

today he would taste those plump-looking lips. The thought had him
rushing to get ready.

“Off so soon?” his pa said as Gavin walked by the kitchen. He

could smell the fresh-brewed coffee but was in too big of a rush to
indulge in a cup.

“I’m going to see Alex.” He knew by now his pa had found out.

His brothers were always quick to tell.

Alex’s Secret

“I’d like to meet the young man,” his pa said as he sat his cup

down. “You rushed him out of here so fast yesterday, I didn’t get the
chance.”

Gavin felt like a heel. Not many fathers were accepting of a house

full of gay sons. His pa took it in stride. He never judged any of them,
and for that Gavin would always be grateful. “I’m going to pick him
up now so we can go riding.”

His pa nodded. “Good. Make sure you bring him in so I can meet

him.”

“Will do.” Gavin turned to leave but stopped, staring at his tall

and strong father. “Thanks.”

No more words needed to be said. His father knew what he meant.
His pa nodded as Gavin walked away. He rolled his eyes when he

saw Olsen and Bryce standing by his truck. “What?” Gavin wasn’t in
the mood for their games today. He was still ticked off about their
little scene yesterday.

“Oh, come on. You still mad at us?” Olsen asked as he moved out

of the way when Gavin grabbed the door handle to his truck.

“Yep,” he said as he climbed in. Gavin rolled the window down

and warned, “And I’m going to get him so we can ride. If you make
any moves on him, I’ll kick both your asses.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Bryce chuckled as he and Olsen walked

away. Gavin ignored them as he pulled away. He prayed the two
behaved. He sure would hate to make his pa grieve over the loss.

His mood became lighter when he pulled into the driveway at

Alex’s. He couldn’t wait to spend another day with him. Gavin
imagined all the fun they were going to have riding today.

He climbed the porch stairs, opening the screen door, and

knocked. Gavin knew he was here a bit early, but he didn’t want to
wait to see Alex.

When the door opened, Gavin saw a man standing there in his

robe with a cup of coffee in his hand. “Can I help you?”

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“I’m here to see Alex,” he stated. This must be his uncle. Gavin

knew Alex lived with his aunt, uncle, and cousin. He wasn’t too sure
about his mate’s background story, but he was sure he’d eventually
find out when Alex told him.

“Come on in.” The uncle stepped aside, allowing Gavin in. “How

do you know him?”

Gavin chuckled. “I helped him rescue his ants when they tried to

escape.”

The uncle stared at him as if he were certifiably insane.

Apparently that wasn’t the right reply. The man grunted. “He pulling
you into his crazy world?”

Gavin had no clue what the man was talking about, but it was

pissing him off. He hadn’t found anything wrong with his mate’s love
of ants. It was fun to spend the afternoon chasing them down. It was
definitely different.

“No, sir. Alex is a nice guy.” Gavin could see Tater standing off

to the side shaking his head. He couldn’t understand what he was
saying. He narrowed his eyes, trying to tell the redhead that he didn’t
understand.

Tater rolled his eyes and curled his hand like he had a microphone

in it. His hand started moving away, then near his mouth, like he was
shoving something into it repeatedly. When his tongue started poking
the inside of his mouth, Gavin’s eyes grew wide.

Tater pointed to his dad and shook his head. What in the hell was

the guy talking about? Gavin hunched his shoulders, telling Tater he
had no clue what the man was trying to say.

“You think Alex is a nice guy?” the uncle asked as Tater

continued with his charades. He formed his hands in front of him, like
he was holding onto something and then began to hump the air.

Gavin bit back the laugh that nearly escaped. He had caught onto

what Tater was trying to tell him from the get-go, but watching Tater
act it out was hilarious. So Tater didn’t want his dad to know Alex
was gay? Interesting.

Alex’s Secret

Gavin looked back at Tater and gave a slight shake to his head.

Tater smacked his face and shook his head as if all was hopeless.
“Yes, he’s a very nice man.” Gavin answered the uncle while Tater
went into another sexual charade.

“You’ll see,” Tater’s dad said as he walked away. Once the man

was gone, Gavin grabbed his side as he laughed.

“You knew what I was saying all along, didn’t you?” he huffed at

Gavin. The only thing Gavin was capable of was a nod.

“Prick,” Tater pouted as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“Your dad doesn’t like gay people?” Gavin asked in a lower

voice. He seemed a little haughty, but Gavin didn’t take him for a
bigot.

“Duh, why do you think I’m still in the closet?” Tater whispered

as he led Gavin upstairs.

Gavin never understood people like that. Maybe it was because he

came from a loving and accepting home, but it still didn’t make
bigotry right.

Gavin knocked on Alex’s door once Tater walked away. When no

one answered, he cracked it open and peeked in. He expected to find
his mate still sleeping, alarm clock forgotten. He didn’t expect to find
his mate on his knees crying with a cell phone in his hand.

He crossed the room, kneeling down in front of his mate. “What’s

wrong, Alex?”

His mate got to his feet, shaking his head as he wiped his eyes.

“It’s nothing.” He sat the cell phone down and grabbed his shoes.
“I’m ready.”

Gavin wanted to grab the cell phone and see who had called his

mate. His body was humming with anger. “Can you tell me what it
was about?” Gavin wanted to pull his mate into his arms and hush his
tears. He reached out, grabbing Alex’s hand, rubbing it in between
his.

“I’m okay, really.” Alex smiled through tears as he pulled his

hand free and laced up his second shoe. “Let’s go.”

Lynn Hagen

Gavin didn’t like it. He wanted to find the one responsible for

making his mate cry and pound him into the concrete. No one messed
with his. He let it drop for now, but Gavin wasn’t happy about that.

As they walked down the stairs, the uncle’s eyes followed Alex, a

scowl on his face. After what just happened upstairs, the guy was
asking for it. One wrong word and Gavin would nail his ass to the
wall.

Thank fuck the man kept his mouth closed as Alex led him

outside. He had to let the bad out and breathe in the good. If he didn’t,
Alex’s uncle was going to sport a fat lip for even insinuating Alex
was crazy.

Gavin had anger issues, big time, but he had been working on

them for a while now. Really wasn’t getting anywhere with it, but he
was working on it. “I promised you a ride.” He smiled at Alex as they
got into his truck.

“That you did.” He smiled back. The tension seemed to ease as

Gavin drove back to his house. It didn’t mean Gavin had forgotten
about what happened. He just let it go for the time being.

This was going to be a nice day for his mate or he was going to

make sure whoever ruined it lost a few teeth. Speaking of teeth, Gavin
had to stop grinding his. He was so angry after seeing his mate cry
that he wanted to punch something.

Yeah, he had real anger issues.
“I had one of my brothers set up Buster for you,” Gavin said as he

palmed the wheel and turned onto the dirt road that led to his home. “I
want you to let me know if it becomes too much.”

Alex shook his head as his eyes scanned the ranch. “It won’t be.”

His mate practically hopped out when Gavin put the truck into park.
His anger eased when he saw the thrilled look on his mate’s face.

“I’m really going to ride,” he said excitedly.
Gavin laughed as he led his mate to the barn. “Yep, you’re really

going to ride.” It wasn’t anything new to Gavin, but seeing his mate

Alex’s Secret

bubble with joy at the idea of riding put a whole new twist on the
experience.

Alex met him on the other side of the truck and practically ran to

the barn. Gavin chuckled as he watched Alex come to a dead halt.
Wanting to ride and actually seeing the horse he was about to ride
were two different things.

Buster stood there proud, waiting patiently for his rider to get

there. He was a gentle horse, the gentlest they had. He would show
Alex a good time without scaring his mate. Buster was very hard to
spook.

Gavin smiled when he saw that his triplets had even pulled

Mammoth out and saddled him up. They must be kissing some
serious ass to do that for him. Mammoth didn’t like anyone but
Gavin, and he liked to prove it at every opportunity.

“It seems weird to see two more of you,” Alex commented as

Gavin joined him by his side. “It’s like walking into a room of
mirrors.”

Gavin smiled as he led Mammoth out and Olsen led Buster out.

“You’ll get used to it.” He walked around Buster and showed Alex
how to mount the horse. Buster stood still and waited with the grace
he was known for.

Once Alex was seated, Gavin swung up onto Mammoth and

explained to his mate how to work his reins. Alex seemed engrossed
in what Gavin was telling him, not missing a word. “Okay, let’s try
this out.”

Alex yelped when Buster started moving but then quieted down as

they slowly rode the ranch. His mate looked like he was born on a
horse. They rode until Alex began to wiggle in his saddle.

Gavin had mercy on him and stopped under a shady tree. His mate

was saying something, but Gavin was so focused on Alex’s form that
he didn’t catch it. The guy was gorgeous from the ground up. He sat
under the tree, mesmerized by his voice, his smile, his scent, and by
his laughter.

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“Are you listening to me?” Alex asked as he let his back relax

against the bark of the tree.

“I was daydreaming,” Gavin admitted. “How’s our kids doing?”
Alex smiled. “Back in the farm and playing around.”
God love him. Gavin didn’t even have to explain who he was

talking about. Gavin threw it, and Alex caught the meaning. He really
was turning out to be the perfect mate.

“I’m glad to hear it,” he said as he tucked his hands behind his

head and closed his eyes. Just sitting here with Alex was enough for
Gavin. The comfortable silence spoke volumes about their budding
relationship.

“Are you gay?”
Gavin cracked his peepers to see Alex scoot a little away. Yeah, a

lot of straight guys would probably take a swipe at another man for
asking the question, so he could understand Alex’s fear. “Yep.” He
popped his lips on the P.

Alex seemed to relax and move a little closer. “I wasn’t trying to

pry. It’s just that my uncle is antigay, and I just wanted to let you
know in case it comes up with him.”

“I met him and figured it out. No worry, I won’t rat you out.”
Alex pulled a few blades of grass free and then twirled them

around in his hand. “I don’t care. I’ve been out and proud for a while.
But I do need a roof over my head. It sucks that I have to run back in
there now.”

“You don’t have to pretend around here. My family doesn’t care.”
Alex’s eyes rounded. “Really?”
His mate sure said that an awful lot. Gavin watched the wind blow

through the leaves, wondering what it would be like to have to hide
who he was. “My pa doesn’t mind. Sometimes I wonder though. He
has to crave grandkids. What parent doesn’t?”

“I know. I’m an only child, and my mom was devastated when I

came out to her. She wants grandchildren really badly. But what am I
supposed to do?”

Alex’s Secret

“Do you want them?”
Alex shrugged. “I never really thought about it given my

preference. I just crossed it off of my card. Not really though. That’s a
responsibility I’d rather not have.”

Gavin agreed. He loved kids, but he really didn’t want any of his

own. He liked giving them back to their parents after entertaining
them. Besides, he liked his freedom too much.

“You?” Alex asked.
“Nope. I like the freedom to come and go as I please and spending

my money on things I like. I know that sounds selfish, but I’m just
keeping it real.”

When Alex didn’t say anything else, Gavin cracked his eyelids

once more and looked over at his mate. Alex was on his knees,
pulling at the grass again. Did he give the wrong answer? Alex said
he didn’t want them either. “What’s wrong?”

“I was just thinking about my stepfather.”
Gavin didn’t like the way his mate’s face was frowning. He sat up

and pulled on Alex’s arm until his mate sat next to him. “What about
him?”

Alex just shrugged and looked away.
“Alex?”
“I don’t want to lose you as a best friend.”
Gavin pulled Alex around the waist until he was practically sitting

on top of him. “That’s what best friends do. They confide in each
other and never judge. They’re there for you through thick and thin.
Have your back when no one else does, and will get out of bed in the
middle of the night to listen to you cry about something or come bail
you out of trouble.”

Alex’s eyes became misty as Gavin rattled off his best friend list.

Even if they weren’t mates, Gavin would do all of that for Alex.
Because that was what best friends truly were to one another.

“You’d do that for me?”
“I said I was your best friend. I wasn’t joking about that.”

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Alex nodded and wiped at his eyes. “Forgive me. I’ve never had

someone who would do all those things for me. I must seem like a big
baby to you.”

He listened to his mate’s sniffle. Again Gavin wanted to pull his

mate into his arms and hush away his tears.

“Now, tell me what you were thinking about.”
“You have to tell me something about you first.” Alex laughed as

he wiped away his tears. “Then I’ll tell you something about me.”

That was fair. “You know I was born as a set of triplets, right?”
Alex nodded.
“Well, my brothers and I…” Gavin bit his bottom lip, unsure if he

should reveal this to his mate. He wanted Alex to trust him, and it
would help for his mate to know this in case it ever came up. It was
better to hear it from the source than from someone else’s mouth.

“Go ahead. I swear I won’t judge you,” Alex encouraged him.
He shrugged, brushing it off as if it were no big deal. It wasn’t to

him, but it may be to his mate. “We’ve shared guys before…at the
same time.”

Alex sat up straighter, a look of wonderment in his eyes. Gavin

watched the breeze catch his mate’s hair and toss it in the soft wind.
He had an urge to brush it aside. “You had an orgy?”

“Once or twice.” Gavin’s palms began to sweat. He didn’t like

that look on his mate’s face. Was it something he was interested in?
Gavin couldn’t see anyone but him fucking his mate. It made him
want to rip the fucker’s throat out, and it was only a conversation.

“Wow. I’ve never done anything that risqué before.”
“It’s not something you want to try, is it?” He braced himself for

his mate’s answer and was relieved when Alex’s head shook back and
forth.

“That’s not something I’ve ever been interested in.”
Thank fuck. “Your turn.”
Alex’s face turned seven kinds of red as he bit his bottom lip. “My

stepfather tried to have me committed.”

Alex’s Secret

Gavin patted himself on the back for not reacting to what Alex

just revealed to him. “Why would he do that?”

“He walked in on me and saw something.”
Now Gavin’s curiosity was piqued. “What did he see, Alex?”
Alex sat down on his ass and pulled his legs to his chest, wrapping

his arms around them as he looked away. “It’s a secret.”

This was not sounding promising. Gavin was afraid to ask. “Tell

me,” he coaxed gently.

Alex’s big blue eyes locked onto Gavin’s face as he said, “I like to

wear pantyhose and high heels…and nothing else…when I’m alone.”

Lynn Hagen

Chapter Four

Tater walked into the resource center. He liked that he was able to

still be friends with Taylor. He used the excuse of coming into town
to get another bike part just so he could hang out.

It was boring as hell at home. It always had been. His parents

were uptights that he really didn’t want to hang around. But what
person liked hanging around their parents anyway?

“Tater,” Taylor stated with a smile. “Good to see you.”
“Just running a few errands, thought I’d stop in.” He knew he

didn’t need an excuse, but to say his life was going nowhere fast
sounded pretty lame even to him.

Tater looked down at his feet when it became silent. He hated

silence. That was all he ever got at his parents’ house. That was why
he loved having Alex there so much. “I had to pick up some bike
parts,” he said to break the silence.

“I thought you were bringing your cousin in?” Taylor asked as he

sat back. The guy looked real good sitting back there. Tater never
thought he’d see the day Taylor had such an important job.

“I tried, but he thinks I’m trying to lock him up.” Tater kicked

back in a chair and studied the office. “You’ve done real well for
yourself.”

Taylor just shrugged. He was always a modest guy. That was one

of the reasons Tater liked him so much. “It’s not about that. It’s about
helping out those in need.”

“I guess.” When it became silent again between them, Tater

decided that was his cue to leave. “I should get going and let you get
back to work.”

Alex’s Secret

“Stop by any time, Tater. You know you’re always welcome

here.”

Now he really felt out of place. He could tell Tater was waiting

for him to confess something. He really didn’t have anything to
confess except that he missed Taylor coming by all the time and that
he was lonely.

Alex seemed to have taken up with that guy that gave him a ride

home. Tater was happy for his cousin. Alex seemed to have a glow
about him now. It looked good on the guy. But where did that leave
him?

Lonely again.
“Well, I guess I should be going.” Tater rose from his seat and

scooted it back in front of Taylor’s desk.

“You know, we could always use volunteers. And it wouldn’t hurt

to have extra muscle around here when we have someone in need
staying here.”

Tater knew what he was doing, and he appreciated it. But he

didn’t take handouts, not even the kind that just offered company.
“We’ll see.”

“Okay.” Taylor stood and bumped shoulders with Tater. “Just

remember the offer is always open.”

“You bet.” Tater nodded as he backed away. “I’m gonna go now.

Later.”

“Later.”
Tater walked out, looking around Brac Village. He wasn’t sure

what to do with his time now. Maybe he’d go work on his bike some
more. That would take up the rest of his life. And what a life it was.

Oh joy.

* * * *

Gavin wasn’t quite sure what to say to Alex. “Like women’s

pantyhose?”

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“No, men’s. Of course, women’s,” Alex said with a little bit of

bite in his tone. Gavin could tell his defenses were up. That was a
pretty intimate detail for anyone to have, and to hand that secret over
to Gavin had taken a lot of trust and courage on Alex’s part.

“I don’t see anything wrong with that.” There was no way he was

going to allow his mate to feel ashamed for something that made him
feel good. The thought of Alex strutting around in black lace and
heels was getting him hard as hell. Gavin was drooling to see it now.

“You don’t?” Alex asked with a little skepticism in his voice. “My

stepfather caught me and tried to have me committed for it.”

Gavin was stunned. Sure, it was a little strange, but to try to

commit someone because they like to dress different in private was a
little extreme. Okay, over-the-top extreme. “I can’t see how he could
have talked any respectable psychiatrist into doing something like
that.”

Alex stared at him for a moment before a smile crept across his

face. “That’s what I told Dr. Via. He agreed that my stepfather was
overreacting.”

“Good.” Gavin couldn’t resist any longer. He reached out and

pulled Alex onto his lap. “To be honest, I’d love to see you in those
stockings and heels. Can you paint your toenails, too?”

Alex’s jaw hit his chest as he blinked up at Gavin. “Are you

serious? You’re not making fun of me, are you?”

“I’m very serious, Alex.” Gavin dipped his head, kissing his mate

along his jawline. “As long as I can order you the stockings I want to
see you in.” His cock throbbed at the thought of seeing Alex in a pair
of thigh-high stockings with little red bows decorating the back
seams. Red pumps. Alex had to wear a pair of red stilettos along with
the stockings.

“You want to see me in them?” Alex squeaked.
“Very much so.” Gavin growled low as he nibbled on Alex’s ear.

“I want to see you in them and nothing else.”

Alex’s Secret

Alex moaned as his head tilted to the side, giving Gavin access to

his neck. His hand skated up his mate’s back as he ground his cock
into Alex’s ass. “Can you feel how the thought of seeing you in those
has my body hard for you?”

Alex nodded in quick bursts as his hands grabbed Gavin’s

shoulders. “I see.”

Gavin nipped Alex’s ears when his mate pressed his ass down into

his erection. Gavin slowly got to his knees, laying Alex out on the
grass below them. “How about racy-red stockings with spiked heels?”

“Uh-huh.” Alex agreed in a low moan. “Red sounds good.”
Gavin chuckled at his mate. Alex wasn’t paying his words any

attention from the look of lust on his face. He could see his mate’s
erection clear as day. He kissed his way back around his mate’s neck
and then took his soft lips in a heated kiss as he unsnapped his mate’s
jeans. “I want you, Alex.”

“Want,” Alex agreed.
Gavin snaked his hands into Alex’s jeans, pushing past the

waistband as his hand curled around an impressive erection. Alex
moaned into his mouth, his hips following Gavin’s hand.

Gavin broke the kiss and rocked back, his eyes hooding at the

sight before him. The head of Alex’s cock was engorged and leaking,
inviting him to taste a sample.

But Gavin knew a mere taste would never do. He opened his

mouth and took Alex all the way to the back of his throat.

“Oh holy hell,” Alex shouted as his hands shot out, grabbing the

grass below him as his ass lifted into the air.

Gavin smiled around his mate’s cock. Just knowing that he was

pleasing his mate was going to make him orgasm in his jeans. He
used his throat muscles to work Alex’s cock, making his mate scream
his name. The sound was music to his ears.

Gavin pulled at Alex’s jeans, needing desperately to get to Alex’s

hole. Alex kicked his legs, trying his best to assist Gavin. Once the

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pants were lying on the grass, Gavin pushed his mate’s legs back and
allowed a string of saliva to escape his mouth, coating Alex’s ass.

His finger pushed past the barrier as he swallowed Alex once

again. He couldn’t seem to get enough. A second finger joined the
first as Gavin backed off slightly. Alex was close, but Gavin didn’t
want him to come so soon.

He sucked the head as a third finger was inserted. Alex was

whimpering as his head thrashed from side to side. Gavin’s chest
expanded with pride. He was making Alex writhe underneath him. He
was the one responsible for making his mate feel so damn good.

Gavin removed his fingers and then shoved his jeans down his

thighs. “I’m about to fuck you into the earth.”

“Yeah, earth,” Alex panted as his legs spread apart for Gavin. He

grinned as his mate’s glazed eyes tried to focus on him. Gavin
grabbed his shaft and drove his cock deep, stilling to allow his mate’s
body to adjust to his wide girth.

His muscles tightened as his body shook. Alex was so fucking

tight that his own body begged to move, to thrust, to do something
besides stay immobile. Alex let out a deep breath and then nodded,
giving Gavin the go-ahead that he needed.

His muscles unlocked and his hands slid under his mate’s ass,

lifting it higher as he plunged into Alex’s tight hole repeatedly. Oh
god, his gums ached to bite his mate. He had to forcibly restrain them
from descending as his bear roared inside of him, glorifying in the
fact that he was claiming Alex.

“Bite. I need to bite,” Gavin begged as he pulled his cock back

until only the head remained and then drove back in.

He wasn’t sure if it was instinct, but Alex turned his head to the

side, showing off that beautiful pale skin to Gavin, giving him full
access.

Gavin moaned as his canines sank deep. He became mystified

when his claws extended and his hands tried to change into paws.

Alex’s Secret

Never in his life did a shift occur without his mind being fully
onboard.

Alex only mewled when his nails grazed his ass, his legs swinging

out and landing on Gavin’s shoulders. He could see goose bumps
rising on Alex’s skin from the scraping sensation. Gavin grunted,
lightly grazing his claws over his mate’s skin as he fucked his tight
ass.

Alex grabbed Gavin’s hair as he released his mate’s neck,

extracting his canines and sealing the wound. They were bonded now,
mates for life. It wasn’t the biting that had bonded them, but the sex.
And what great fucking sex it was.

Now the only thing left was to tell Alex he was mated to a bear-

shifter. Maybe he should have done that before he claimed him, but
the urge had been so strong that Gavin knew it was a losing battle.

Gavin’s hand shot out, grabbing Alex’s cock as he stroked it with

speed. He was close, and he wanted Alex to fall over the edge with
him. He winced when he saw that his claws were still extended.

Gavin glanced up to see Alex staring at them, but he didn’t say a

word about it. Alex’s eyes lifted to his as his lips parted, crying out as
he came. Gavin thrusted a few more times before he was there, filling
his mate’s ass with his seed.

He quickly moved his hand away, pulling his softening cock free

as he grabbed Alex’s pants and handed them to him. Gavin was
waiting for…he wasn’t sure at this point. All he knew was that he
wouldn’t be able to take his mate’s rejection. That was the one thing
he wouldn’t be able to live through.

Alex rolled to his knees and then stood, pushing his legs back into

his pants and then snapping them closed. “May I see them?” His hand
came out, palm up.

Gavin stood and righted his clothes. With a shaky hand, he placed

his clawed fingers onto Alex’s palm. It was something he had seen a
hundred times, but lying in Alex’s, it looked foreign to him. He
couldn’t meet his mate’s eyes, afraid of what he might see.

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Alex’s fingers brushed over his claws. Gavin had an urge to pull

away but fought it. If he was going to be with Alex, then his mate
needed to see who he was…all of him.

“They’re very long and sharp. Bear?”
Gavin nodded, looking past Alex’s head to the field of grass

behind his mate. “I’m a bear-shifter.”

Alex cleared his throat as he twisted the connecting palms, his

now lying in Gavin’s. To his amazement, small claws slid from
Alex’s nails. “A cat?”

Alex yanked his hand away, indignation marring his gorgeous

face. “I am not a housecat. I am an ocelot.”

Gavin reached down and took Alex’s hand back into his as he

stared down at the clawed hand, his fingers gently playing over them.
“I’m not real sure what that is, Alex.”

Alex sighed. “It’s nothing as spectacular as a bear, but not a cat

either.”

When Gavin shook his head, telling his mate that he still didn’t

understand, Alex continued. “It is from the feline family, but I’m a
genus leopardus, which is twice the size of a domestic house cat, and
my coat is prettier.”

Gavin bit back the smile threatening to make an appearance. His

mate was beautiful when he was indignant. “So I’m guessing you
know about us?”

“Yes. But I didn’t want to assume anything. Just because we’re

mates doesn’t mean you would want me. I would have settled for best
friends,” Alex finished quietly.

Gavin pulled both of Alex’s hands in his. His mate’s hands were

simply stunning. “You say that like you have personally witnessed
such a thing.”

Alex shrugged as his nails slowly contracted. “My parents. They

were mates but hated the sight of each other. My father used to tell
my mother all of the time that fate made an error when pairing them. I
know he said it just to hurt her.”

Alex’s Secret

Gavin pulled Alex into his arms, his heart breaking at the

shakiness in his mate’s voice. “What happened to your father?” He
remembered Alex referring to a stepfather. Gavin had never heard of
mates rejecting each other, but he was positive that a mated pair could
not live apart. The separation alone would drive them mad.

“He was killed when hunters spotted him. Our fur is highly

valued.”

Gavin petted his mate’s hair as he listened to what Alex was

telling him. “I’m sorry about your father.”

“It’s hard to miss someone who looked right through you. He

acted as though I didn’t exist.”

Gavin growled low at the way his mate was treated growing up.

He sat back down on the ground, placing his back against the bark of
the tree as he pulled Alex into his lap. “I’m overjoyed that we were
paired. I see everything about you.”

Not only did Alex’s face light up, but he seemed to glow.

“Really? You mean that?”

“I wasn’t just spouting empty words when I said we were best

friends. I meant it, Alex. Not only are you my mate, but I like you.”
He chuckled. “You’re fun to be around.”

“You don’t think my ant farm is stupid or…you know.” His mate

blushed a deep cherry red.

“Nothing about what you like is stupid,” Gavin stated with a

strong solidity to his voice, letting Alex know how serious he was.

Alex laughed as he rocked back in Gavin’s arms, the smile taking

Gavin’s breath away. “Thank you.”

“Anytime, kitty.”
Alex groaned. “And he starts with the kitty references already.”
Gavin laughed deeply at his mate as they stood and walked over

to the horses. Mammoth and Buster were grazing, seemingly at peace
with just standing there in the field and being at rest.

Gavin knew why he hadn’t smelled shifter on his mate when he

first met him. That sweet overpowering mate smell had permeated his

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lungs and Gavin had been blind to everything else. He helped Alex
mount Buster before swinging onto Mammoth. “Ready to head home
and officially meet the family?”

Alex shook his head as he pulled the reins in the direction Gavin

was heading. “No.”

Gavin smiled as he brought his horse next to Alex’s. “They won’t

bite. I promise.”

Gavin wanted to ease the stressed look on his mate’s face, but that

would require dismounting. They rode the back pastures until they
made it back to the barn. Riley offered to take care of the horses so
Gavin could take his mate inside for introductions.

“He seems nice,” Alex commented about Riley.
“Don’t let him fool you. He’s the oldest. Riley is very protective

of us. He’ll be watching you for a while until he thinks you’re safe to
be around his family.”

“That really isn’t helping my nervous jitters here,” Alex said as

they climbed the porch. “I already have to deal with my aunt and
uncle watching every move I make.”

“The Dr. Via thing?”
Alex nodded. “My stepfather felt like it was his duty to warn them

about how crazy I was. Thankfully he didn’t disclose why he thought
I was crazy.”

Gavin could feel his temper rising. He hoped he never ran into his

mate’s stepfather. He’d teach him a lesson about what was acceptable
behavior.

Gavin opened the screen door and allowed his mate to pass

through. He could see Alex taking measured steps. Gavin knew that if
the shoe were reversed and he was about to meet not only his mate’s
family, but his mate’s very large family, he’d be skittish as well.

He laid his hand on Alex’s back when his mate took a step back.

His entire family, minus Riley, was gathered in the living room. The
twins were goofing off on one of the couches, his womb mates were
sitting on the other. His younger brother, Roman, and Roman’s mate

Alex’s Secret

were cuddling together on the loveseat, and his pa was kicked back in
his recliner.

The chatter was blended, boisterous, and there was a lot of

laughter. When Gavin and Alex appeared, the room fell silent and
everyone turned toward them.

“Is this your young man?” his pa asked.
Gavin grinned from ear to ear as he gave a light pat to Alex’s

back, bringing his mate further into the living room. “This is my
Alex.” As tall as Gavin was, he felt ten times larger standing proudly
next to his kitty.

“Hot damn!” One of the twins, Chauncey, whooped as he jumped

up and barreled toward them. Alex yelped and then…Gavin blinked,
not trusting his eyes.

One minute his mate was standing next to him, the next, there was

a pile of clothes on the floor next to him. Chauncey stopped in his
tracks, the whole room staring in amazement at Gavin’s feet.

“Uh, what the hell just happened?” Chauncey asked.
It took a moment for the shock to wear off before Gavin reached

down and shifted through the garments. Gavin’s breath caught when
he uncovered his mate. He was the most beautiful creature Gavin had
ever seen in his life.

His coat was short and shiny, yellowish in color with gorgeous

rosette patterns decorating his body. Alex’s tail was ringed with bands
of black, and his ears had single white spots on the back of them.

Alex hissed and yowled at Chauncey, trying to get out of Gavin’s

arms. The only thing Gavin could think of was that his mate was
being territorial. He also smelled a light scent of arousal coming off of
Alex as well.

“Well hell.” Chauncey was standing there with his eyes locked on

Alex. “A cat?”

“An ocelot,” Pa answered for Gavin. “Very rare.”
The rest of his brothers got up, taking a few steps toward Gavin,

trying to get a closer look at Alex. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell

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anyone about his were-genes. Pa’s right, they’re rare, and I don’t want
my mate hunted.”

“We’re Lakelands. We protect ours,” Olsen stated with pride.
Alex tucked his head in the crook of Gavin’s arms, his body

slightly shaking. Gavin ran his hand over the soft fur, trying to calm
his mate. “I’m gonna take him outside. I’d appreciate some privacy.”

Why did he have a feeling he wasn’t going to get any?
“Go on,” Pa said as he waved his hand toward the back of the

house. “Go be with your mate. These boys won’t bother you.” Pa
glared at the twins.

Gavin gave a low growl at his brothers before taking his mate

through the kitchen and out the door. Once they cleared the house,
Gavin put his mate on the ground and shifted.

Alex backed away, rolled to his back, and bared his neck. Gavin

circled around him, sniffing at his mate. After a moment, when Alex
realized he was safe, he got up and circled around with Gavin,
sniffing as well.

Gavin gave his mate one long lick over his head and back. Alex

jumped away, his back rising as he hissed. Gavin gave a low growl
and then licked him again.

Alex batted at Gavin in warning. It was the funniest thing he’d

ever seen. Gavin mouthed his mate, telling Alex in no uncertain terms
who was the Alpha of the two. He was in charge, and Alex needed to
get that through his head.

Alex purred and lowered his body to the ground. That was better.

Gavin released him and playfully batted at his hindquarters, giving
him a light tap on his ass.

His mate lay there watching him intently. When Gavin turned

toward the house, Alex pounced, landing on his back. Gavin dropped
to the ground, growling at his mate.

Alex purred and circled his back, scratching lightly at his fur

before settling down. Gavin rolled his eyes. He may be the larger of

Alex’s Secret

the two, he may even be the mightier of the two, but Alex just proved
who was in charge.

“Damn, Gavin’s been put in his place by a cat.” Olsen laughed

from the back door, Bryce standing next to him with a big shitty-ass
grin on his face. He should have known his womb mates would go
against Pa to see his mate.

Gavin had no doubt that Olsen and Bryce would protect Alex with

their lives. They were triplets and very close. But this little power
play that Alex just exhibited was going to be remembered by his
brothers for a very long time.

“Hey, Alex, can you make him heel and fetch?” Bryce called out

and then broke into hysterics.

Gavin grunted, ignoring the idiots. He didn’t care what those two

non-mated morons at the back door said. He was too busy enjoying
his intense adorability high to give them an answer. They didn’t know
what it was like to be claimed by a mate.

And Alex just claimed him.

Lynn Hagen

Chapter Five

Alex had no clue why he had lost his damn mind. All he knew

was that he had the urge to play. When Gavin turned his back, he
presented Alex with the perfect opportunity. The mischievousness in
him reared its ugly head and Alex pounced.

Now he lay on his mate’s back, happy as a clam. He would have

said content as a kitten, but…that was so pun-filled.

Gavin just lay there, allowing Alex his time to shine. He heard his

mate’s brothers at the door, but Alex didn’t care at the moment. His
mate hadn’t refused him or turned him away. He was glowing.

“Supper, boys,” Gavin’s father yelled through the back door forty-

five minutes later. Damn, Alex was enjoying the peaceful nap. He’d
never been more comfortable in his life.

Gavin grunted and then stretched, inadvertently knocking Alex off

of his back. Alex harrumphed at Gavin before stretching his own
languid body.

His mate’s father held the back door open as Gavin and Alex

padded through, Alex following Gavin upstairs. He sniffed around
along the way. The scent of bears was strong. He trotted into a
bedroom as Gavin shifted and closed the door.

“I can give you something to wear,” his mate said as he started

shuffling through drawers. When he turned back around with clothes
in his hands and Alex hadn’t shifted yet, he got down on his knees.

Dear god, the man was very hairy! He was a bear in every sense

of the word. “As gorgeous as you are, I think Pa would have a fit if
you showed up for dinner in cat form.”

Alex’s Secret

To be honest, Alex was afraid to shift back. He’d made a scene

down in the living room and was too embarrassed to face Gavin’s
family.

“Shift, baby, so we can go eat.” Gavin took a step closer as Alex

ran under the bed and meowed. He was worried that Gavin didn’t
want to be his best friend anymore. He’d made a fool of him in front
of his family. From Alex’s experience, that was grounds for shunning.

His father had ignored him, his stepfather looked at him as if he

was an abomination, his uncle sneered at him, and his step-cousin
treated him like a simpleton. What would make this family any
different?

Gavin was just being nice now because he really didn’t know

Alex. They’d just met. What if his mate got to know him and their
relationship ended up like his parents had been? Alex couldn’t deal
with that.

The arguing, fighting, hatred, and malice he’d grown up with had

given him a lot of insecurities. Alex was aware of this. “Meow.”

“Come out from under there, baby. Shift and tell me what’s

wrong. If I can’t fix it, I’ll eat whoever offended you.”

Alex’s head tilted at Gavin’s words. Was the man nuts? If he ate

whoever was in the wrong, Alex was toast. “Meow.”

“I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong,” Gavin said

as he got on his hands and knees and peered under the bed. “Come on,
baby.”

Alex backed away until he hit wall. “Meow.”
“I promise that you’re safe.” Gavin let out a long sigh. “Please,”

he added on with such a pitiful voice.

Alex inched his way toward the edge of the bed, peering up at

Gavin as he let out a soft meow.

“Yes, I promise. Now come out, baby.” Gavin sat back on his ass

and crossed his legs, holding his arms out to Alex. He wanted to drool
seeing his mate sitting there naked. Alex didn’t have a chance earlier
to check out the total package—and what a package.

Lynn Hagen

Alex was so distracted looking at Gavin’s body that he didn’t

react in time when Gavin reached forward and pulled him from under
the bed, placing Alex in his lap. “Keep your claws in,” he warned.

He mentally snickered. There was no way he was damaging

anything on his mate’s body. Alex didn’t want any of this bear’s
assets harmed. “Come on, baby, show me your pretty face.”

Alex shifted, tucking his head into Gavin’s arm as his face heated.

He was just making this worse by the minute. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”
“Embarrassing you.”
Gavin grunted. “You could never embarrass me. I’ll admit, I was

a bit shocked when you shifted, but embarrassed? Never.” Gavin
reached over and picked the clothes up from the floor, placing them in
Alex’s lap. “Now get dressed, baby. I’m starved.”

“Y–You can call me kitten,” he said in a low voice. “I like it

coming from you.”

Gavin’s big, burly chest rumbled with laughter. “Thanks. I kinda

like it as well. Now, come on, kitten, I’m as hungry as a bear.”

Alex rolled his eyes as he pushed from Gavin’s lap and shoved his

legs into the pajama pants. He yelped when Gavin swatted his ass
before he had a chance to cover his rear end. “What was that for?”

“Running from me.” Gavin growled as he got to his feet. “Don’t

ever run from me, kitten.”

Alex nodded as he tried to figure out how to keep the very large

pajama pants from falling off of his hips. Every time he tried to pull
them up, they slid back down his legs. Gavin grabbed the side of the
pants, tying the right hip in a knot. “Better?”

“Yep,” he said as he grabbed the shirt. Alex sighed as the shirt

turned into a dress, the hem stopping at mid-thigh. Gavin chuckled at
Alex.

“You look good in my clothes.”
“If you say so.” His hip hiked up to show off the big knot at his

side. “This looks ridiculous.”

Alex’s Secret

“You look good, kitten. Trust me.” Gavin patted his ass before

shoving his jeans on. Alex groaned. It was such a shame to cover up
such a nice and hairy body. Thick black curls peppered Gavin’s
thighs. Alex wanted to run his hand over them.

“Later, love. Let’s eat first.” Gavin grinned as he pulled the T-

shirt on, shoving his head through. Alex watched the black hair
emerge and fall to Gavin’s shoulders. His mate was something to sit
and admire all day long. Fuck, he was hard.

The side of Gavin’s mouth pulled back into a lopsided grin as he

shoved some shoes on his feet. “You’re trying to kill me. I need fuel,
kitten.”

Alex looked down at his feet, trying to tuck his toes under. He

totally forgot that he had painted them. Shoes, he needed shoes, or at
the very least, socks. As if reading his mind, Gavin pulled a pair of
socks from his drawer and handed them to him. “They’re pretty.
Don’t be ashamed of them.”

Gavin sat on the side of the bed and tied his shoes as Alex covered

his feet. He didn’t give Gavin a response. What was he going to say?
The man already knew his little fetishes and told Alex that it was no
big deal.

But what would he say if he actually saw Alex in the getup?

Saying it was one thing. Seeing it was very different. He pushed the
thought to the back of his mind. It wasn’t like Gavin was standing
there asking him to put any pantyhose on.

He followed behind his mate, descending the stairs and heading

into the belly of the beast. Would Gavin’s brothers hold his shifting
and hissing against him? Alex wasn’t trying to be rude, but Gavin’s
brother had scared the crap out of him advancing like he did.

The kitchen was loud, and laughter floated his way as Alex grew

closer to his doom.

* * * *

Lynn Hagen

“Diapers.”
“Got ’em.”
“Change of clothes.”
“Got ’em.”
“Bottles.”
“Got ’em.”
“Toys.”
“Got ‘em.”
“Wipeys.”
“Got ’em.”
“Sleep mats.”
“Got ’em.”
“Kids.”
Murdock looked around as he shoved the diapers in the travel bag.

“Where are Matthew and Maddox?” he asked in panic.

Heaven rolled his eyes as he picked up their new daughter, Skyler.

“Just teasing. Gabby has them.”

Murdock growled and headed out of the bedroom. He hated when

Heaven messed with him about the boys. Yeah, he was one hell of an
overprotective father. But after what had gone on in their lives, he
couldn’t be blamed.

He was shocked when he realized the Lakelands had been living

right here in Brac Village for the past couple of years unbeknownst to
him. Back when he left his pack and on his way to join Maverick’s
pack, Murdock had gone through a small town of shifters.

The Lakelands had put him up for a while, taking real good care

of him. It sure felt like a small world seeing the youngest cub, Roman,
out in the backyard building the new cottages. He had invited
Murdock and his family to dinner.

Murdock couldn’t wait to get reacquainted with them and show

off his family. Rounding the corner, Murdock heard the laughter of
children. He smiled as he approached Montana and Gabby’s bedroom.

Alex’s Secret

There, on the floor playing, were his twins and Nevada, Montana

and Gabby’s son. Maddox squealed as soon as he spotted his daddy.
“Daddy, look. Vada has teef.”

Murdock chuckled as he sat on the floor with the children. “How

many teeth does he have?”

Maddox looked as though he was seriously thinking about the

question. His little shoulders hunched up as he looked over at Nevada.
“Ten.”

Gabby laughed as he started to gather the toys up and put them

away. “One, Maddox. Nevada has one new tooth.”

“One, daddy.” Maddox beamed up at Murdock proudly.
“That’s right, buddy. Now I need you and your brother to come

with me.” Murdock grabbed Matthew around the waist and hauled
him into his arms as Maddox ran around picking up toys and throwing
them in the toy box.

“I can get that, Maddox. Go on with daddy,” Gabby said as he

picked up the last of them and then pulled Nevada from the carpet.
“You guys have fun.”

“Thanks.” Murdock ushered Maddox from the room as he went in

search of Heaven.

They got everyone belted in, travel items shoved in the back of the

SUV, and then headed to the Lakelands. Murdock pulled down the
long dirt driveway before putting the vehicle in park. “You take the
twins. I’ll get everything else.”

Heaven snorted. “Sure, you get the easy job.”
Murdock pulled Skyler’s car seat out, kissed his daughter on her

tiny forehead, and then went to the back to gather the things they
would need for their visit. By the time Murdock made it to the door,
he was exhausted.

He was carrying the car seat with Skyler in it, the Pack ’n Play,

Skyler’s diaper bag, the twins’ duffel with toys, the twins’ small
backpacks with change of clothes, and trying his best to knock on the

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front door. Heaven had to chase the boys down. When they got out of
the vehicle, they immediately ran toward the corral of horses.

“You look like you could use a hand.” Roman chuckled as he

came to the screen door. “Where’s your mate?”

Murdock nodded toward the side of the house. “The boys spotted

the horses.”

Roman gave him an ah look. “I’ll grab your stuff and set it down

and then help your mate grab the whelps.”

“Thanks.” Murdock was careful of the baby as he unloaded both

arms. “Where is everyone?”

“They’re in the kitchen. We were just about to start eating. As

always, you’re right on time.” Roman chuckled as he walked out of
the front door to go help Heaven.

Murdock walked into a room full of men. He knew the faces of

his longtime friends. He even knew Steven, Roman’s mate. But the
man sitting next to Gavin was the one who shocked him the most. Oh
hell.

“You!” The man shot out of his seat and ran behind Gavin. “What

the hell are you doing here?”

Murdock sat Skyler down and took a stance in front of his

daughter, protecting her just in case shit got funky. “What the hell are
you doing here?”

Gavin stood and pulled the short man into his arms. “You two

know each other?”

Fuck if that wasn’t the understatement of the year. “Yeah, I know

him.”

“How?” Gavin asked in a low growl.
“Gee, I don’t know. Maybe I remember him because he tried to

kill my ass!”

“What’s going on?” Heaven asked as he walked into the kitchen

with Roman, each carrying one of the twins.

Murdock crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the man.

“Tell them.”

Alex’s Secret

“Alex?” Gavin turned to the man with his brows pulled together.

“What happened, kitten?”

Murdock laughed dryly. “Kitten? Oh great. Tell me he’s not your

mate?”

Gavin spun his head around and growled at Murdock. “He is, so

watch how you talk to him.”

Heaven laid his hand on Murdock’s arm. “What’s going on?”
“I tried to help him out,”—he pointed a finger at Alex—“and he

tried to kill me for it.”

“Help?” Alex shouted. “Help? You tried to have me neutered!”

* * * *

Gavin’s head snapped around so fast, a pain shot down his

shoulder. “You tried to…”—he looked over at Murdock’s family—
“clip him?”

“It was a long time ago, before I joined this pack. It was after I left

your town. This stray cat kept following me.”

“So you decided to clip him?” Gavin asked in astonishment. The

Murdock he remembered always did act before he thought. Gavin
hoped being mated and a father now, the knucklehead learned to use
his brain.

Murdock shrugged, looking unrepentant. “We were close to a vet

clinic. I was trying to do my part in keeping the population down.
He’s the one who went ballistic and clawed every inch of my body.”

Gavin bit back the laugh. He’d love to see Alex in full pissed-off

mode. He bet his mate was brilliant. “Duh, I would have. You
couldn’t tell he was a shifter?”

“Can you?” Murdock challenged him.
“Of course I can.” Gavin inhaled deeply. He smelled bears,

wolves, and that sweet scent his mate gave off, telling him Alex was
his mate, but… “Huh?”

“Exactly,” Murdock huffed.

Lynn Hagen

Alex huddled closer to Gavin as he spoke. “I’m an Ocelot. We’re

very small, so our shifter scent is barely detectable.”

“Oce-what?” Murdock asked. “I thought you were a stray cat.”
Gavin had to end this. His damn food was getting cold. “I’m

Gavin.” He reached across the table and shook Murdock’s mate’s
hand.

“Heaven,” he replied. “And these are our children, Maddox,

Matthew, and Skyler.”

The rest of his family introduced themselves, Pa taking to the

whelps right away. He shuffled them out into the backyard to go see
the horses as Heaven took the little girl into the living room to change
her diaper.

“Sorry I tried to neuter you.”
“Sorry I tried to kill you.”
Murdock laughed and took a seat at the table. “Water under the

bridge, my man. Welcome to Brac Village, Alex.”

* * * *

Alex dropped three drops of water into his ant farm, and then

crumbled small pieces of biscuit from this morning’s breakfast. Next
he dropped tiny pieces of apple into his farm and then snapped the
screen closed.

Alex bent down and looked into the viewing glass. The ants

seemed so oblivious to the harshness of life. He bet none of the dads
ignored their sons. He even bet none of them were shunned.

Setting the bowl of crumbs down, Alex sighed. The Lakelands

had made him feel like he was a part of their family, and Alex was
truly grateful for that. But he was waiting for the other proverbial
shoe to fall. It always did.

“You need to come down here, Alex.”
Alex stiffened when he heard his uncle’s voice shouting up to him

from downstairs. Now what? Whatever it was, it couldn’t be good.

Alex’s Secret

His uncle hadn’t said too many words to him since Clark had dropped
him off on the front doorstep like a baby in a basket being abandoned.
Tires squealed from his stepfather trying to get away so quickly.

Alex waved bye to his ants as he closed his bedroom door and

slowly walked down the stairs. Why did it feel like he was walking to
his doom?

“Come in here, young man,” his uncle said from the living room.
Alex entered, taking a seat on the edge of the couch. He clasped

his hands between his knees as he waited for that shoe to drop.

“I want you to know that I had no problem whatsoever taking you

in.” His uncle cleared his throat as he stood by the fireplace. “You
seem like a nice young fella.”

Oh god. Alex wasn’t sure what he was going to say next, but his

heart was beating out of control. His uncle wouldn’t meet his eyes,
and his body posture was stiff. Alex wondered what the hell he had
done to deserve being shunned by everyone who was supposed to be
family, supposed to love him.

“I can’t say that I know the Lakelands personally. I’ve never met

them, but their father seems like a good man to raise all those boys on
his own.”

This had to do with Gavin. Alex knew it. Tater had warned him

that his father wasn’t too partial to gays. His step-cousin said his dad
had spouted hateful things about gays before, so he had to be careful
around him.

“But I’ve been hearing things in town, things about the youngest

boy, Roman. It seems he’s dating another man, even had the young
man move in with him. Now I didn’t think anything of it when Gavin
started coming around. A man’s gotta have friends. But if you’re
dating him, it’s gonna stop right now.” Alex glanced up, but his uncle
didn’t give him a chance to answer. “Are you dating Gavin
Lakeland?”

Alex swallowed. His throat was dry, and it felt like his tongue had

swollen to three times its size. He broke out in a sweat. If he said no,

Lynn Hagen

then he would be denying his mate. If he said yes, he wasn’t sure
what his uncle would do. It wasn’t like Gavin had invited him to
move in.

Alex was on his own with this one.
Gavin may have claimed him, but as his father had proven, mates

didn’t always accept who fate paired them with. “Yes.”

His uncle turned an ugly shade of red as his shook his fist. “I will

not tolerate that under my roof. I’m warning you now, boy. If you see
him one more time, you are no longer welcome here. Do I make
myself clear?”

Alex didn’t fail to catch the note of hatred in his uncle’s voice. It

was hard and ruthless. He had no doubt his uncle would make good
on his threat.

“Do I?”
“Quite clear, sir,” Alex answered unsteadily.
“Good. Now you have a decision to make. I trust it will be the

right one. My brother, Clark, tried his best with you. He has a good
heart. I can see where you’ve gone wrong. I want you to let me know
by morning what your decision will be. But if Gavin Lakeland shows
up here to court you, well, he’s not welcome.”

Alex nodded his head numbly as he rose from his seat. “I

understand.” And he did. It was obvious what he had to do. There was
no way Alex could tell Gavin not to come around anymore. The man
was everything Alex had wanted in a mate, even if he found it hard to
fully trust Gavin.

He walked out of the living room in a daze, feeling as though his

world were crashing down around him. Alex wiped at the tears as he
walked back upstairs, feeling downtrodden.

Closing the bedroom door quietly behind him, he stood in the

middle of his room as he looked around. He lifted his shirt and wiped
his face, the tears falling freely. Alex grabbed the plastic bag on the
floor in one corner and tossed his magazines in it and his toothbrush.

Alex’s Secret

Next he grabbed his messenger bag, shoved his laptop in it along

with a few clean shirts and a couple pairs of shorts. Lastly, Alex
dumped the bowl of crumbs into the front zipper compartment of his
messenger bag and filled the dropper full of water, praying it didn’t
leak out.

Alex picked up his ant farm and headed back downstairs. His

uncle stood in the living room with a stoic face as he watched Alex
walk out of the front door. Gee, the guy could have at least said be
careful, or something. But what did he expect?

Walking down the long dirt driveway, Alex wondered where he

was going to go. He wasn’t going to be presumptuous and just show
up at the Lakelands’. Gavin hadn’t invited him, and if he showed up
and Gavin turned him away, Alex would be devastated.

He walked down the country road, fighting back the tears that

threatened to fall once again. Alex saw what looked like a hiker’s path
that veered off into the woods and decided to take it. The sun was too
hot on his skin, and his ants needed shade.

He wondered if Gavin would miss him. Alex already missed

Gavin. He readjusted his ant farm, being very careful not to jostle
them too much as he walked further into the woods.

Lynn Hagen

Chapter Six

Gavin stood on the porch, staring at Tater as if he spoke another

language. “Repeat that.”

Tater ran his hands over his head as he took a deep breath and

slowly let it out. “I came home last night and didn’t see Alex. I
thought maybe he was with you. But when I went into his bedroom
this morning to see if he’d come back, some of his things, including
his ant farm, were gone. When I asked my dad about it, he said that
Alex up and left. His choice. I came straight over here to see him,
thinking he’d moved in with you, but now you’re telling me he’s not
here.” Tater paced back and forth, worry on his face.

Gavin walked back into the house, Tater hot on his heels. “Pa!”

Gavin shouted as he stormed through the house. His baby was out
there somewhere. And from what Tater just told him, he’d been gone
since last night. “Pa!”

“What’s going on, Gavin?” his pa asked as he walked out of the

kitchen wiping his hands on a towel, Steven close behind him.

“Alex is missing. He left Tater’s last night. I need help.” Gavin

felt like a fist was wrapped around his heart, squeezing it tight and
preventing him from taking air into his lungs. He was beginning to
panic and that wasn’t conducive to the situation right now. He needed
his family, needed them to help him find his mate.

“Do you know which way he went?” Pa asked Tater.
“No, sir. My dad told me that he and Alex had a disagreement,

and then Alex just walked right out the front door. I don’t know
which direction he took.”

Alex’s Secret

“Why wouldn’t he come here?” Chauncey asked as he and

Chance walked in from outside.

“I don’t know, but we need to find him. He’s an Ocelot. I’m not

sure how well they can take care of themselves,” Gavin said
worriedly.

“He’s a what?” Tater asked.
“I’ll explain later,” Gavin said as he headed outside. They needed

to shift and find Alex’s trail. His baby was somewhere out there.
Damn it. He had started to ask Alex yesterday to move in with him,
but he didn’t want to rush his mate. Now look at things. They were a
total mess. Not only was Gavin worried beyond belief, but he could
feel the start of anger in his gut. It was cold, merciless.

If someone hurt his kitten, he was going to kill the son of a bitch.
“We’ll start at Tater’s,” his pa said as the family piled out of the

house. He noticed Olsen staring at Tater, scenting the air. Gavin
ignored it, his mind focused on finding his mate right now.

They drove to Tater’s farm, pulling off to the soft shoulder. His

family climbed out of the trucks and gathered around Pa.

“Riley, I want you to go over there,”—his pa pointed to the woods

across from Tater’s—“and see if you can pick up his scent. Do you
have anything with his scent on it?” he asked Gavin.

Shit. “No,” Gavin answered.
“I can run in the house and get something of his. But why, I don’t

see any hound dogs around?” Tater asked.

“Just go get it, son,” Pa said as he clapped Tater on his shoulder.
Gavin watched Tater take off toward his house. No one said a

word while they waited. There was nothing to be said. Gavin’s mind
was fucked up, and all he could think about was finding his mate.

They watched Tater jog back up the dirt road, tossing Alex’s shirt

to Pa. “It was in his hamper, so it should have his scent all over it.”

Gavin grabbed the shirt from Pa and held it to his nose, inhaling

deeply. He could smell Alex all over it. His chest tightened, and for
the first time in his life, Gavin felt like crying.

Lynn Hagen

“Give the shirt to Riley,” Pa said softly. “He’s our best tracker,

son. We’ll find him.”

Gavin inhaled one last time before handing the fabric over to the

oldest brother. “Find him,” he said as he swallowed, fighting back the
tears. Riley gave him a stiff nod, his jaw set as he took the shirt and
jogged across the road and headed into the woods.

“What’s he gonna do?” Tater asked, staring from one person to

the next.

“He’s gonna find Alex,” Olsen said as he stepped closer to Tater.

His womb mate once again inhaled Tater’s scent, his eyes slowly
closing and his face taking on the expression of pure bliss.

“Let’s go,” Pa said. The brothers followed him into the woods.

Riley was in bear form, sniffing the ground.

“Whoa.” Tater came to a halt and backed away. “That’s a damn

bear.”

Olsen walked up behind Tater, his hands landing gently on Tater’s

shoulders. “He won’t hurt you.” Tater seemed to lean into Olsen and
then quickly pulled away, taking a few steps back.

“What’s going on here?” he asked.
“I’ll explain all of it to you later. Right now we need to find your

cousin,” Pa said as they followed Riley.

Gavin was itching to shift, his body humming to track his mate

down. He glanced at Pa and then down at Alex’s shirt that was lying
on the ground.

“Go ahead.” Pa nodded.
Gavin reached down and snagged his mate’s shirt, walking ahead

of Riley and out of Tater’s line of sight. He stripped down and set his
clothes and shoes under a bush, laying Alex’s shirt down on the
ground. He tied his shirt to his leg and then he shifted. Gavin inhaled
Alex’s scent deeply and then went on the hunt.

* * * *

Alex’s Secret

Alex took a step back, clutching his ant farm to his chest. A wolf

had stepped into the clearing and was now watching him. It was the
biggest damn wolf he had ever seen.

Even if he shifted, there was no way he would win the fight. His

body was frozen, his muscles locked into place as Alex stared back.

The wolf took a step forward, sniffing the air. Alex stayed very

still. If he ran, the wolf would only chase him down, running him into
the ground. Alex was terrified, but he knew his best bet was to stand
motionless.

The wolf took another step closer as Alex began to shake. “I’m

not any threat to you,” he said as he looked at the wolf. “I just want to
pass through. I promise. My ants and I just want to get on our way. Is
that okay?”

The wolf took a step back, cocking his head to the side. Alex took

a step to the side, watching the wolf carefully. It didn’t attack, so he
took another step. He didn’t think he’d ever been this scared in his
life.

As he slowly walked away, the wolf slowly followed him. Alex

figured that if he didn’t make any sudden movements, the wolf would
hopefully lose interest soon.

The wolf gave off a low growl when Alex stepped into what

looked to be a very large backyard. There were small houses being
built further back from a very large mansion. Alex glanced down at
the wolf as it walked closer to him. “I’m not going to go anywhere
near the house,” he promised the growling wolf.

Alex started to turn back toward the wolf when he noticed a very

large man sitting on one of the picnic tables that littered the yard close
to the house. The guy jerked his head, indicating that he wanted Alex
to come closer.

He stared down at the wolf, wondering if he was going to be

attacked if he took a step in that direction. Alex readjusted the ant
farm and let out a long breath. “I’m going to go see what the man
wants. Please don’t attack me. I promise I’m not here to hurt anyone.”

Lynn Hagen

To his amazement, the wolf nodded.
“You’re a shifter,” he stated.
The wolf nodded again.
“Okay then. My name is Alex, and I really just want to move on. I

won’t cause any problems, I swear.” He walked across the large
expansion of grass toward the biker-looking guy. This was so damn
bizarre. Alex wasn’t sure if he’d rather take his chances with the wolf.
He looked less intimidating than the man sitting on the table.

“You’re fine.” The deep timbre of his voice carried across the

yard. “Kota won’t hurt you. He’s just protecting the house.”

Alex nodded and then looked back over his shoulder, but the wolf

was gone. He glanced back at the man sitting there watching him
intently. “Looks like you could use a rest.” The man smiled.

“I could,” he said as he sat on the picnic table across from the guy.

“Thank you.” He set his farm under the table, out of the direct
sunlight. Alex placed his messenger bag, along with his plastic bag,
on the table.

“Where you traveling to?”
Alex shrugged. “I’m not sure. I don’t have anywhere specific in

mind.” He clasped his hands between his knees as he stared at the
grass below his feet. “I’m just heading…somewhere.”

“I feel ya. Sometimes wanderlust hits you and you have to go with

it.” The man leaned back, placing his elbows behind him on the table
as he stretched his long legs out. “It’s been many years since I
roamed.”

“It wasn’t wanderlust,” Alex mumbled as he looked around the

backyard. He was tired, hungry, and he missed Gavin so badly that it
physically hurt. He wondered what his life was going to be like now
that he was a nomad.

“What’s your name?”
“Alex. Alex Hearte,” Alex said as he glanced up at the man.

“You?”

“Name’s Maverick. Maverick Brac.”

Alex’s Secret

The guy didn’t extend his hand for a handshake, so Alex just

nodded. It took him a second, but it finally hit him. “Brac? As in Brac
Village, Maverick Brac?”

“The one and only.” The man chuckled. “Welcome to my humble

town, Alex.”

Alex became nervous when he realized he was talking to the

Alpha of this pack-town. He’d never met an Alpha before. His family
had lived on their own, away from any pack. He wasn’t sure if he
should bow or something. “I don’t know pack customs, sir. So I’m
sorry if I don’t…” He wasn’t sure how to end that sentence.

“No worries. You’re fine. We’re just two guys chillin’ out on this

beautiful day.” Maverick smiled.

Alex was starting to feel anxious. He was scared he would do

something wrong to offend the guy. The man looked as though he
could break Alex like a twig. “I think I should be going.” He stood,
grabbing his bags and his farm. “It was nice meeting you, Maverick.”

“Same here, Alex.” Maverick stood and Alex felt like the sun

should be blocked out from the enormous size of this Alpha. Holy
shit. “I’ll walk you to the edge of the woods.”

“O–Okay.” Alex once again clutched his farm to his chest as he

followed the Alpha. It wasn’t like he could refuse. He watched the
grass under his shoes, the surrounding woods that were coming
closer, and…a bear coming out of the woods and approaching them.

Alex stopped in his tracks. It wasn’t Gavin. He knew what his

mate looked like in his were-form, and this bear wasn’t him. As the
bear got closer, Alex stepped behind Maverick. As crazy as it
sounded, he seemed like the lesser of two evils.

“It’s okay, Alex. He’s one of the Lakeland sons,” Maverick

reassured him. “The oldest if I’m not mistaken.”

“Riley?”
The bear lifted his head and opened his mouth, making a noise

like he was speaking.

Lynn Hagen

“Why are you here, Riley?” Alex asked. He wanted to smack his

forehead. Like Riley could answer him.

“I think he’s looking for you,” Maverick stated.
“But why?” Alex was confused. Shouldn’t Gavin be looking for

him? Why would Riley be in his bear form looking for Alex? It didn’t
make any sense to him.

“There you are.”
Alex’s head snapped around to see Tater and the Lakelands

approaching him. His heart dropped when he didn’t see Gavin with
them. Why wasn’t his mate with them? Didn’t he want him? Was he
mad that Alex left and now he didn’t want to have anything to do with
him?

The tears started to prickle his eyes as he looked down at his arms

wrapped around the glass housing of his ant farm. He was devastated,
but refused to show it. “I guess I’ll be on my way.” He braced his
shoulders and started for the woods.

“Where are you going, son?” Mr. Lakeland asked. Alex shrugged

as he kept walking. No one tried to stop him, and that hurt. The
impulse to run made him walk faster. He had to get away from them.
Being around the Lakelands only reminded him of Gavin, someone
who didn’t even bother to come looking for him.

As soon as he entered the woods, Alex let the tears fall. He

stumbled, but kept his footing. No one wanted him. No one. The truth
finally settled in him. The list was growing long of people who tossed
him away. His mother hadn’t stuck up for him. His birth father had
ignored him. His stepfather hated him. His uncle turned his back on
him. His step-cousin tried to commit him.

And now his mate was added to the list.
That was the one that hurt the most. His mate hadn’t even come

looking for him. Alex dropped down onto the dirt path, feeling so
damn lost. He hugged his ants as he sat there and cried.

“Are you hurt, kitten?”

Alex’s Secret

Alex’s head jerked up at Gavin’s voice. He had to wipe his eyes in

order to see the shadowy figure looming over him. His mate stood
there naked, staring down at him. “N–No.”

“Then why are you crying, baby?” Gavin knelt before him, gently

taking his ant farm from his arms and then taking the bags from his
hand, setting it all down on the ground before pulling Alex into his
arms. “I was so damn worried,” Gavin said as he hugged Alex close.

Alex didn’t know what to think. His bear had come for him. That

was the only thing bouncing around in his head right then. His bear
had come for him. Alex held onto Gavin with an iron grip. He was
terrified to let him go.

“I have you, baby. You’re safe.” Gavin stood, picking Alex up

with him. Alex wrapped his legs around Gavin, holding on for dear
life.

“You came for me,” he mumbled into Gavin’s neck.
“Of course I did.” Gavin’s hand cupped the back of Alex’s head,

holding him close. After a few minutes, Gavin leaned back. “Why did
you leave?”

“Because my uncle said I wasn’t allowed to see you anymore.”
“Then why didn’t you call me, come to me?”
Alex bit his bottom lip as he lowered his eyes.
“Alex?”
“I didn’t want to impose.” There, he’d said it. Alex couldn’t look

Gavin in his eyes. He didn’t know what he would find, but he just
couldn’t do it.

“Look at me, kitten,” Gavin encouraged gently.
Alex’s eyes darted around until they settled on his mate’s. “We

are not only mated, but you’re my best friend. Friends aren’t an
imposition, and they call when they are in need.”

“I–I’ve never had a best friend before. I’m sorry.”
Gavin chuckled. “You do now. You’re going to live with me. Got

that?”

“But—”

Lynn Hagen

Gavin shushed him by kissing him until his toes curled and he was

humping his mate. Alex wasn’t sure if it was Gavin’s acceptance, or if
it was the relief that his mate really wanted him. Maybe it was a little
of both, but he was hornier than hell and wanted Gavin with a
desperation that stole his breath.

Gavin must have sensed Alex’s needs or felt the same way,

because his mate ripped the back of his jeans, cool air kissing his rear-
end as fingers delved into his ass. Alex cried out into Gavin’s mouth,
neediness overtaking him.

He rocked back and forth, grinding his cock into Gavin’s stomach

and impaling his ass on those large fingers.

Alex wanted his shirt off. He wanted to feel Gavin’s hairy chest

against his bare one. He reached down, grabbing at his shirt and
lifting it over his head, groaning as Gavin’s chest hairs rubbed against
his oversensitive skin.

“I need to reclaim you, kitten.” Gavin growled low, taking them

both to the earthen floor. Alex’s head nodded in short bursts as he
tried to get his jeans to cooperate. His hands were shaking as he tried
to unsnap them.

Gavin took over, almost ripping his jeans from his body. Alex was

left with nothing but his shoes and socks. He spread his legs wide as
Gavin used his spit to coat his cock and then lifted Alex’s hips and
drove home.

Alex cried out. It hurt and felt so fucking good all at once. His

legs swung up, enclosing Gavin between his legs as his mate fucked
him like a crazed man. Alex clawed at Gavin’s back, needing his mate
closer, touching him. He wanted Gavin wrapped around him and
cocooning him in safety.

Gavin covered Alex’s body with his as he fucked him senseless.

Alex rubbed his cock against Gavin’s eight-pack abdomen, the
friction making him cry out.

“That’s it, baby, scream for me.” Gavin grunted as he thrust

harder. His mate was out of control. Gavin was touching him

Alex’s Secret

everywhere as he kissed every stretch of skin he could reach. There
was a wildness in his eyes when Alex looked up at him.

It was fear. Gavin had been afraid.
Alex circled his arms around Gavin’s neck, holding him close as

his mate’s cock plunged in and out of him. This was the first person
Alex had felt truly close to. “I’m sorry,” he whispered as Gavin
grabbed his hips.

“Don’t ever leave me again, Alex.” Gavin growled as he jetted

into his ass, making Alex’s eyes roll back. “Ever.”

“I promise,” he cried as his body exploded into a thousand tiny

fragments. Alex shattered on the ground, his body convulsing as his
heart burst from joy. His mate had been truly worried when Alex left.
Not that he was trying to worry anyone. Alex just thought no one
cared.

“I love you, kitten,” Gavin shouted as he arched his back, his neck

muscles tightening, and hot seed shot into Alex’s ass.

Alex clung to his mate long after the orgasm had left his body. He

was afraid to let Gavin go. He rubbed his cheek back and forth over
Gavin’s shoulder as they lay there. “I love you, too.”

“I’ll have Tater bring the rest of your things over. You don’t ever

have to go back there.”

Alex was overjoyed and terrified at the same time. It always

started out good, but it eventually crashed and burned. Every
relationship he had tried to form always fell apart.

He wasn’t going to worry about it now. He had his mate in his

arms, and he was going to enjoy it while it lasted. Alex would worry
about the crash and burn when it happened. For now, he had Gavin.

“Let’s go home.” Gavin got up, pulling Alex up as well. “You can

wear my shirt to cover the rip in your jeans.”

Alex got dressed and then put the oversized shirt on. Once again it

hit his midthigh.

“I still say you look damn good in my clothes.” Gavin wiggled his

brows as he picked up Alex’s bags.

Lynn Hagen

“I look like a dork.” Alex laughed as he picked up his ant farm

and followed Gavin through the woods.

“A sexy dork,” Gavin teased.
They ended up in Maverick’s backyard, the Lakelands and Tater

sitting around on the picnic tables. Alex was embarrassed. He’d acted
like a schmuck, and now he had to face the family. His family. Was
he ever going to stop making a fool of himself in front of these men?

“Glad to see you came back.” Maverick chuckled.
Alex grabbed Gavin’s hand, staying close to his mate’s side.

Gavin gave it a light squeeze as they approached the table. “We’re
ready.”

Tater smirked at him, eyeing Alex’s shirt. “You looked relaxed,

cuz.”

Alex could feel his face heating up as he glanced away. Had they

heard them? God, he hoped not.

Bryce stood, taking the ant farm from him. “I’ll carry these guys

for you.”

“Thanks. Be careful you don’t jostle them around.”
“Gotcha.” Bryce smiled at him as everyone got to their feet.
“Thanks.” Pa shook the Alpha’s hand.
“Anytime,” Maverick said as he walked away, going through the

back door of his house.

“Let’s head home, fellas,” Pa said as they walked around to the

side of the house.

Alex smiled up at Gavin, finally feeling like he belonged

somewhere. It might not last, but he wasn’t going to worry about that
right now.

His bear had come for him.

Alex’s Secret

Chapter Seven

Gavin laughed as he sprayed Alex with the hose. He was seriously

trying to wash his truck, but with his mate soaping down the front,
Gavin couldn’t resist the mischievous side of his nature.

Alex tossed the sponge back into the bucket as he held his hands

up, trying to stop the spray from hitting him. Bryce caught Alex
around the waist and brought him around to Gavin’s side as Gavin
hosed him down, getting his brother wet in the process.

“You’re supposed to be getting him, not me!” Bryce jumped

away, but it was too late. He was soaking wet. Gavin dropped the
hose and took off when Alex picked up the soap bucket and chased
him down, Bryce close on their heels.

His brother tackled him as Alex caught up with them and dumped

the bucket over both of them.

“Okay, don’t ask for my help if I’m only going to end up being

the target.” Bryce laughed.

Alex laughed as he chucked the bucket and took off across the

yard, laughter following close behind him as both brothers chased him
down. His mate was fast. Alex ran toward the barn and damn near ran
Chauncey over.

“Help!” Alex yelped as they gained on him. Chauncey grabbed

Alex and took off toward the back of the house.

“He wants to play.” Gavin growled as he and Bryce rounded the

corner, falling on their asses as they tried to stop too quickly. Pa was
standing there with another water hose in his hand, aimed straight at
them as Gavin and Bryce tried desperately to get to their feet and
avoid the onslaught of water.

Lynn Hagen

Steven stood off to the side, laughing his ass off. Gavin threw his

hands up as he cut to the right, grabbing his mate around his waist and
tossing him over his shoulder. “If you hit me, you hit him,” he taunted
his pa.

Chauncey gave chase, grabbing Alex from Gavin and taking off in

the opposite direction. Gavin twisted his body, his hands hitting the
ground to stop his fall as he spun around and went after his mate.

Wrong move. Pa shot him as soon as he was in reach. Gavin took

it as he chased Chauncey down. He growled when Chauncey handed
Alex off to his twin, Chance.

Chance gave him an evil grin as he ran behind the grill, feigning

left then right as Gavin tried to anticipate his move and recapture his
mate.

Gavin was taken by surprise as someone tackled him from behind

and took him down. He rolled over, ready to growl when he saw that
it was Steven. He tickled the mate until Steven cried uncle and rolled
away.

By the time he got Alex back, they were all soaking wet. He

wiped his hand down his face and then pushed his hair from his face.
“Payback,” he threatened his pa.

“Bring it on, junior. Anytime you feel like your balls have grown

to the size of watermelons, boy.” Pa slapped his chest with the palms
of his hands. “Papa bear will take you down.”

“No doubt.” He chuckled. He wasn’t stupid enough to think he

could take on papa bear. Gavin lifted Alex up, tossing him over his
shoulder as he smacked his ass. “You can’t take my brother’s side.”

Alex laughed as he kicked his feet up and down. “You shouldn’t

have started it.”

Gavin chuckled as he set his mate on his feet. “Lie out and dry

off, baby.”

Gavin removed the leather bands from his wrists, laying them out

on the table in the backyard to dry out. He shook his hair out,

Alex’s Secret

untangling strands from the clasp that held his gothic Celtic stainless
steel cross pendant.

He smiled at his mate, who was laid out on his back, his hands

tucked behind his head as he dried off in the sun. Alex had been here
for five weeks now, and was adjusting to bear life fairly easily. His
family loved the hell out of his kitten, but not as much as Gavin did.

It was hard to believe he could love someone as much as he loved

Alex. They had become best friends in the true sense of the word.
Gavin didn’t think he’d become closer to anyone than he was with his
womb mates, Bryce and Olsen, but he had.

He pulled the shirt over his head, laying it out flat on the table to

dry, and then removed his necklace. The pendant was hanging from a
strip of leather that he wanted to dry out.

Gavin started rocking back and forth when Bryce cranked the

volume up, the tunes blaring through the backyard. God, he loved
rock ‘n’ roll.

Pa fired up the grill, Riley bringing out a large plate of steaks.

Hell yeah. He was starving.

“You seen Olsen?” he asked Bryce when his brother walked up to

him and joined him at his side.

“Nope. He’s probably still stalking Tater.”
“Give me one of those,” he shouted to Roman when his brother

grabbed an ice cold beer from the cooler, holding his arm up and
catching the tossed bottle. He twisted the cap off as he thought of
Olsen. His poor brother was chasing after a mate who was afraid to be
with him.

He was trying to understand the situation. Tater’s dad was a big-

time bigot, hating gays with a passion. Why didn’t Tater just move in
with them? The house was big enough. Every one of them could mate
and still have enough room. He wasn’t one to judge, so he didn’t hold
it against Tater, but he really hated to see Olsen go through the hell he
was in not having Tater at his side.

Lynn Hagen

Gavin caught the Frisbee and tossed it back at Steven as he took a

drink of his beer. It was a beautiful day. The sun was out, a nice
breeze was blowing, and his mate looked happy and content lying on
the grass. His family was having a good time, and the grill was fired
up. What more could a guy ask for?

Bryce nudged him as he jerked his head. Gavin looked over to his

left to see Olsen and Tater coming around the corner of the house.
They were about two feet apart, Tater’s eyes scanning the yard until
they settled on Alex, a relieved look on his face.

“Glad you could make it.” Gavin stuck his hand out, giving Olsen

a man hug. “You okay,” he whispered low to his brother.

Olsen shrugged. “Getting there.” He took the beer Bryce handed

him. Tater walked over to Alex and took a seat on the grass.

“How’s it going with him?” Bryce nodded toward Tater.
“Complicated as hell,” Olsen said as he removed the cap and

damn near drank the whole bottle down in one swallow. Gavin
noticed Pa watching them from the grill. He knew his pa worried
about them even though they were all full-grown bears.

Ever since their ma passed away, Pa was terrified he’d lose

another one of his family members. Gavin couldn’t blame him. That’s
why none of them had moved away. Not only were they very close,
but none of them had it in their hearts to leave him.

Pa griped about them getting on with their lives, but none of them

were fooled. Gavin wished he found someone to at least fill his bed at
night. He loved his pa with everything in him and only wanted him to
be happy.

“What are you going to do about it?” Bryce asked. Gavin watched

his mate sit up as he talked with Tater.

Olsen blew out a breath as the three watched Alex and Tater.

“Hell if I know.”

Gavin clasped Olsen’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “You’ll

figure it out, bro.”

Alex’s Secret

Gavin held out his non-beer hand as Alex approached him and

hauled his mate to his side. Alex laid one hand on Gavin’s back, one
on his stomach as he leaned his head in, resting it on Gavin’s side.

Tater came close, but kept his distance from Olsen. Gavin leaned

down and kissed the top of Alex’s head as he stood there talking with
his brothers. It felt damn good to have his mate at his side. It only
made his heart go out to Olsen and Tater even more so.

“You get that bike put together yet?” Alex asked Tater.
Tater shook his head. “Eventually.” He shoved his hands in his

front pockets as he stole glances at Olsen.

Gavin pulled Alex into the house as Olsen and Bryce started to

ask Tater about his motorcycle. He lifted Alex up and sat him on the
counter. “Hi.” He smiled and situated his body between Alex’s legs.

Alex smiled up at him, his eyes holding a glint of wonder in them.

“Hello, teddy bear.”

Gavin smiled as he dipped his head, capturing his mate’s lips.

Alex was like a drug to him. It didn’t matter when he got a fix. He
was always pulled back to the source, begging for more.

“I got something for you,” he teased as he nibbled Alex’s earlobe.
Alex groaned as his head tilted to the side. “Show me,” he panted.

Gavin pulled away and helped Alex down, taking his hand and
leading him upstairs. His heart was racing as he took Alex upstairs
and into their bedroom.

He closed the door behind him, locking it before crossing over to

his dresser and opening the top drawer. Gavin removed his gift and
then put his hands behind his back. He turned around, his mate
watching him curiously. “You have to get naked.”

Alex’s brows pulled together, but god bless him, he stripped in

front of Gavin, making his cock come to life as the creamy flesh was
revealed. Gavin licked his bottom lip as Alex tossed his shirt aside
and then looked at Gavin. “Now what?”

Lynn Hagen

Gavin’s mouth pulled to the side, a grin showing as he brought his

hands around to the front, revealing the stockings and heels. “Put
these on.”

Alex’s eyes darted from the items in his hand to Gavin’s face. He

could see how scared his mate was. “I want to see you in them.” He
took a step forward, handing the things to Alex. “Go ahead.”

Alex took them, his body flushing as he walked over to the bed.

Alex kept his back to Gavin as he lifted one leg at a time, pulling the
thigh-high, black fishnet stockings on. They had pretty red bows
running down the back seams.

Gavin could feel his cock leaking as the material slowly climbed

up his mate’s legs. As Alex’s fingers swung back and forth, slowly
pulling the stockings into place, Gavin swore he was going to have a
heart attack at the erotic sight. His hands clenched into fists at his
sides to stop them from reaching out. He wanted to watch the entire
scene play out, no interruptions.

Alex leaned forward, placing one hand on the bed as he slipped

the red stilettos onto his feet one at a time. The heels had little black
hearts dangling from the straps. Gavin couldn’t have picked out a
more perfect pair.

When Alex straightened, but stood still, giving Gavin his back. He

couldn’t take it anymore. Gavin had been nervous as hell, worrying
that Alex would become upset at Gavin’s bold move of purchasing
these things. “Turn around, kitten.” He could see the slight shaking of
his mate’s body. “Please.”

His breath caught as his mate turned, his cock lying flat against

his stomach. “You look gorgeous.” He grinned from ear to ear. “Walk
to me.”

Alex’s eyes lowered as he crossed the distance. Gavin groaned

when he saw how well his mate walked in the heels. There was
nothing unsteady about him.

Alex’s Secret

He could hear the music from the backyard and his brothers’

voices floating up to them, but Gavin tuned it all out. His prize was
strutting his way, and Gavin’s attention was solely on Alex.

“Does it make you feel sexy? ’Cause you damn sure look the

part.” Gavin growled.

Alex brushed his hands through his hair as he nodded. “Yes.”
“Spin around for me, kitten, give me a show.”
Alex looked nervous as hell but did as Gavin requested. Gavin’s

mouth watered when he saw Alex’s rounded ass. It flared perfectly
and looked like heaven sitting atop those stockings.

Gavin knelt before Alex, running his hands up the inseam of his

mate’s legs. He glanced up, seeing how unsteady his mate’s smile
was. “You look beautiful, Alex.”

“Thank you,” his mate replied shyly. Gavin ran his fingers down

to Alex’s ankles, playing with the dangling hearts. He just couldn’t
believe how seductive Alex looked right now.

He’d been a little hesitant in ordering the stuff. His mate hadn’t

mentioned anything recently about his fetish, and Gavin hadn’t
pushed. But he was dying to see what Alex would look like wearing
this.

It had been a damn good choice.
Gavin leaned forward, taking the tip of Alex’s cock into his mouth

as his hand ran up and down Alex’s legs. His fingers played with the
holes in the fishnet and then continued their exploration.

Gavin’s right hand reached down and played with the stiletto as he

took Alex to the back of his throat. His left hand ran up the back of
Alex’s thigh, grabbing his mate’s ass as he sucked Alex off.

“G–Gavin.” Alex’s hands ran through Gavin’s hair as he groaned.
Gavin backed off, allowing his mate’s cock to slip from between

his lips. “Put your legs on my shoulders.” Gavin helped Alex until his
mate was straddling his face. He stood, Alex grabbing his hair. “Trust
me, kitten. I won’t let you fall.”

Lynn Hagen

Alex loosened his grip as Gavin let him slip back a little. He took

Alex’s cock back into his mouth as his head moved around, sucking at
the tasty length. Gavin walked slowly to the bed, enjoying the cock in
his mouth.

He laid Alex down, his hands running up and down the stockings.

Gavin couldn’t seem to get enough of how they felt under his fingers.
Alex writhed under him, his knees falling apart, presenting Gavin
with a gorgeous sight.

Gavin grabbed the lube from the drawer as he continued to suck,

making Alex’s tight entrance slick. He played with his mate’s ass
until he had him nice and stretched.

With great reluctance, Gavin released Alex’s cock as he stood. He

almost swallowed his tongue at the way Alex was laid out in front of
him.

He was so damn beautiful.
Gavin grabbed Alex’s ankles as he pushed his cock into Alex’s

rosette. His fingers played with both stockings and heels as he inched
his way in, pulling back and then pushing forward again.

He groaned as he thrust Alex’s legs forward, and then apart. He

turned his head and licked Alex’s ankle, his tongue running along the
fabric of the stiletto.

“You really like them?” Alex moaned.
“God yes,” Gavin answered as his cock plunged in and out of

Alex’s ass. His mate grabbed his own cock, snapping his wrist as he
got himself off.

Gavin was torn. He wanted to watch his cock dip in and out of

Alex’s ass, but he also wanted to watch his mate masturbate. Which
one?

The choice was made for him as Alex’s lips parted, his back came

off of the bed, and he cried out as ropes of cum splashed his chest.
Gavin was thrown over the edge from the sight and scent of his
mate’s seed on him.

Alex’s Secret

Gavin roared as he jetted into Alex, his orgasm grabbing him like

a tight fist and flinging him into satiation. His hips jerked as he tried
to catch his breath. He rested the side of his face against Alex’s high
heel. “You look so damn sexy.”

Alex’s head flopped to the side as he panted. Gavin lowered

Alex’s legs as he crawled onto the bed next to his mate and pulled
him into his arms. “That was so worth it,” Gavin mumbled.

* * * *

Alex stretched as he opened his eyes. He couldn’t move. Gavin

was draped over his back, his body heat making Alex sweat profusely.
When Alex tried to pull away, Gavin wrapped his arms around Alex
tighter, pulling him further under his large and hairy body.

“Gavin, let me up.” Alex tried to pull free once again. Gavin gave

a low and devilish chuckle, making the bed shake.

“Now why would you want to leave such a comfy position? You

feel good underneath me, kitten.”

Alex agreed. Having Gavin wrapped all around him felt nice and

safe, sexy and close. But he was hungry. “Maybe because before I had
a chance to eat you pulled me away from the barbeque to fuck my
brains out and then we both fell asleep.”

Gavin grunted. “It’s a valid point, but I still don’t want to move.”

Gavin tried to prove his point by grinding his erection into Alex’s ass.

“No more sex until I get something to eat. If there are leftovers,

I’ll bring you something back.”

Gavin kissed his neck before rolling away. “The bed is cold

already, baby,” he complained.

Alex laughed as he crawled away. His big teddy bear was a cuddle

monster. Alex loved it, but his stomach was grumbling. He was going
to start nibbling on the pillow if Gavin hadn’t released him. “I’ll be
right back.”

“You better change, or I’ll have to kill everyone who sees you.”

Lynn Hagen

Alex looked down to see he was still wearing his stockings and

heels. He felt his face heat up as he smiled. “On it.” He walked over
to the closet and unstrapped the heels, placing them in the very back
where no one could accidently come across them.

Next Alex pulled the stockings free, placing them in the bathroom

to hand wash later. He tossed some lounging pants on and a T-shirt
before walking to the door. “I’ll be right back.”

Gavin grunted and rolled over. Alex closed the door behind him

and headed downstairs. He didn’t turn the hallway light on, knowing
his way by now.

Once he made it to the kitchen, Alex crossed the room and turned

the light on. He didn’t want to flood the kitchen with the overhead
light. The slim panel flickered a few times before a soft glow lit up
the counter space.

Alex grabbed two plates from the cupboard and then rummaged

through the fridge to see what he could find. Yes! There were
leftovers in storage containers sitting on the top shelf.

Alex prepared two plates and then tossed them into the microwave

one at a time. His mouth watered for the delicious looking food as he
waited for Gavin’s overfilled plate to finish its rotation around the
microwave.

He glanced up when he spotted a shadow cutting across the front

yard. It was the middle of the night. Who the hell could it be? Alex
watched as the microwave sounded off, telling Alex the food was
ready.

He ignored it as he watched the barn. The shadowy figure had

disappeared inside. He was just about to go get Gavin when Buster
raced out of the barn, galloping toward the main road. Alex shot out
of the kitchen and out of the front door, trying his best to chase Buster
down.

He would be devastated if something happened to the gentle

creature. He and Buster had become friends. “Buster!” Alex shouted
as he crossed the lawn in his bare feet.

Alex’s Secret

Alex screamed when he was tackled from behind and then lifted

into the air. Whoever it was threw him across the lawn, knocking the
wind out of him as he landed. A sharp and acute pain shot through his
arm as he landed with it behind his back.

Someone was on him in seconds. Alex tried to yell, but he

couldn’t pull enough air in. His uninjured arm shot out and smashed
against his attacker’s face when he saw a set of fangs, gleaming and
sharp against the moon’s illuminating light.

A fucking vampire! Alex panicked, twisting his body around,

trying desperately to escape. When he saw he couldn’t get free, he
shifted. Alex shot across the yard, agonizing pain radiating through
his broken arm.

He collapsed about twenty feet from the front door, his body too

consumed with pain to continue. He yowled loudly when he was
grabbed by his scruff and tossed onto the front porch, his body hitting
the screen door.

Alex could hear roars coming from somewhere, but his head felt

like someone was hitting it repeatedly with a hammer as he lay there
in pain.

Bryce walked up onto the porch and grabbed Alex, picking him

up carefully as he pulled the screen door open. “Gavin and the family
are out there fighting right now. I’m going to lay you on the couch
and call the Alpha. Don’t try and move.”

Alex couldn’t give any sign that he’d heard him. His body hurt too

damn bad. He prayed Gavin was all right. That vampire seemed to be
out for blood, in a killing sense, not a drinking sense, which didn’t
make any sense.

Vampires drank blood. That was what they did. They didn’t go

around beating people up or trying to fucking kill them.

Bryce knelt down in front of the couch. “Maverick is calling the

wolf physician now and sending him our way. In the meantime, Dr.
Nicholas Sheehan will be coming over to take a look at you. Hang in
there, buddy.”

Lynn Hagen

Alex heard Bryce, but he just couldn’t register the words right

now. His body hurt so damn bad.

“Just hang in there, Alex.”
Alex panted heavily as he closed his eyes. He prayed he passed

out so he wouldn’t feel the pain anymore. He was relieved when his
mind shut down and he blacked out.

Alex’s Secret

Chapter Eight

Maverick sat behind his desk staring at the head of each clan.

Panahasi, the leader of the demon warriors, took up a large amount of
the leather sofa.

Christian, the prince of vampires, sat with his legs crossed in the

leather chair across from Maverick’s desk.

Zeus, the Alpha of the Eastern pack, paced his office. Maverick

tried to invite Shanta, the leader of the Wood Elves, but the man had
refused the invitation, stating that his tribe had nothing to do with
what was going on and planned on staying out of it.

Maverick blew out a long breath as he scratched at the three-day

growth on his face. “So you’re telling me that this Liquid Wrath is
affecting vampires now,” he asked Panahasi.

The drug had originated in the demon realm and had spilt over

into the human realm. They had taken care of the main distributor,
David, and Maverick had prayed that would be the end of the vile
drug.

“My demons are trying to track down the new distributor. He’s

very elusive. My warriors Takeo and Rainerio tracked him to the
human realm but lost him.”

“But what about the vampires?” Christian asked with a clenched

jaw as he turned to Panahasi.

“Bloodlust,” he stated. “One of the vampires residing in the

demon realm used it and killed three people before he was killed
himself. It makes the vampire stronger than he normally would be and
he loses his mind. The need to kill supersedes his thirst. But once he
killed his victims, he drained all three of them dry.”

Lynn Hagen

Christian sat there with a look of horror on his face. “He drained

all three of them? One after the other?”

Panahasi nodded. Christian cursed as he sat back.
“What happens if anyone else takes it?” Zeus stopped pacing and

looked over at Panahasi for answers.

“If shifters take it, it masks their scent, gets them high, and they

become very aggressive. If humans take it, they die.”

“Why do you think it affects the vampires the way it does?”

Christian asked.

Panahasi sat forward, placing his arms on his knees. “Liquid

Wrath’s main component is human blood. I think that, along with the
other ingredients, is a lethal combination to a vampire’s sanity.”

“Just fucking great,” Christian mumbled.
“What about half-breeds and fey?” Maverick asked. He had both

under his roof and wanted to know how it would affect them as well.
Shanta needed to know this information whether he wanted to be a
part of this meeting or not. Knowledge was power, and they all
needed to be prepared.

“I honestly don’t know. We haven’t come across any half-breed or

fey users so far,” Panahasi answered.

“And demons?” Maverick asked. Taylor, one of the mates, was

half-demon. It seemed Maverick had a melting pot under his roof, and
he cared for them all. He wasn’t going to see any of them harmed by
this new drug, but he needed to know how it would affect them.

When Panahasi took a moment to answer him, Maverick became

worried. The demon warriors were very powerful creatures. He
needed to know what the hell it did to them. They could just walk into
his home through a shadow and do a lot of damage if they were hyped
up on this drug.

Maverick was still trying to figure out a way to stop them from

using the shadows in his home. Other than flooding every room with
light, he hadn’t figured anything out yet.

Alex’s Secret

Panahasi shook his head as he stared down at his hands. “It

literally brings out their inner demons, turning them into killing
machines. The only good thing is that the drug seems to negate their
powers.”

“Permanently?” Zeus asked.
“No, only while they are under the influence of the drug. We have

a facility that caters to the creatures that have had their souls sucked
out of them. This facility has opened a wing for Liquid Wrath users.
A detox program if you will. I’ve gone there and seen what a creature
goes through when the drug wears off. It isn’t a pretty sight.”

“We need to find the source here and dry it up.” Maverick’s fist

connected with the top of his desk. “Finding a counteracting drug is
taking longer than we thought. So the only solution at the moment is
to get to the source.”

“I agree.” Christian nodded. “It’s bad enough we deal with rogues

within our species, but now they’re aggressive killing machines? We
have to stop this.”

“It hasn’t come as far east at the moment, but I want to be

informed of what is going on with this. Please keep me updated,”
Zeus asked as he took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the desk.

“We should all keep each other posted when something occurs,”

Maverick said as he laid his arms on his desk. He had a family to
protect, little ones running around. He would make sure all of his
warriors were on alert. This was not going to come near his family.

* * * *

Gavin lay stretched out on his bed as he ran his hand down his

Ocelot-shifter mate. Alex was asleep. Dr. Nicholas Sheehan had just
examined Alex and said he would heal as long as he stayed in his
shifter form.

Gavin had gone out of his mind when he came barreling out of the

house to see Alex lying on the porch, a vampire charging after him.

Lynn Hagen

From the limp way Alex had been laying there, Gavin had feared the
worst. He had thought Alex was dead, or close to it.

It took the entire Lakeland clan to bring that damn vampire down.

Gavin had never seen anyone that strong before. It was as if the damn
thing was obsessed with Alex. He was tearing at the bears as he tried
to get to the house.

Pa had left to go talk to Alpha Maverick, and his brothers, except

Roman, who was guarding Steven, were outside in bear form, walking
the perimeter of the ranch. They found Buster. He’d come back to the
barn. Thank God.

Gavin picked Alex up, laying him in his lap. He stroked his

mate’s fur as he waited for Alex to wake up. Gavin’s jaw clenched
when Nicholas told him Alex’s arm had been broken. It was a lucky
thing that shifters could heal from that.

He ran his fingertips over Alex’s head, his thumb grazing the

beautifully colored ears. Relief swamped him when a low purr
rumbled through his mate’s chest, vibrating his lap. “You like that,
kitten?”

Alex nudged Gavin’s hand with his head, wanting more. Gavin

used both hands this time as he petted Alex’s body. The purr
continued to rumble as Alex rolled over. “You’re a spoiled little one,
aren’t you?”

Alex shifted, his eyes fluttering open as Gavin stared down into

those sapphire-blue eyes. His mate stretched languidly, smiling up at
Gavin. “You did it to me. I’m spoiled because of you.”

“How do you feel? Do you hurt?” Gavin looked Alex’s naked

body over, his hands feeling for anything out of the ordinary. It
started out with Gavin concerned about any injuries his mate may still
have, honestly. But once his hands touched his mate’s skin, Gavin
was hopelessly drawn in.

His let his claws lengthen slightly, gently scraping his mate’s skin

as his fingers climbed higher, rounding to the small flare on his

Alex’s Secret

mate’s backside. Alex lay there staring up at him like Gavin held his
next breath. He just lay there and watched Gavin’s face intently.

Gavin’s eyes followed his hands as they trailed over slim thighs,

perfectly rounded knees, and then around well-defined calves. Gavin
grinned when his mate’s toes curled, showing off the racing-red nail
polish.

He was glad the polish didn’t transfer to claws when Alex shifted.

He would have gouged anyone’s eyes out who saw his mate in his
private way. Alex was his personal playground, and Gavin wasn’t
sharing. He wasn’t even going to let anyone window shop.

“You’re like an angel without wings, baby.” Gavin let his nails

drag lightly up the back of Alex’s thighs. “Do you know how much I
need you?”

Alex shook his head as he continued to stare at Gavin, his lips

slightly parted, the lashes over his liquid blue eyes falling down,
landing on his cheeks as Alex closed his eyes. Gavin raked his claws
over Alex’s abdomen, seeing the muscle quiver at his touch.

He watched in wonder as goose bumps rose, his mate’s navel

jerking back as Alex moaned. Gavin circled a clawed finger around
the flattened plane, small blond hair rising as Alex shivered.

Gavin ran the clawed finger over his mate’s length, watching his

sac pull up quickly. His nail traced the V on one side of his leg and
then around to his hip. Gavin cradled Alex’s head with his other hand,
letting his thumb rub back and forth over his mate’s hair.

Alex whimpered as he spread his legs apart. Gavin’s canines slid

down, his eyes focusing on his mate’s reaction to what he was doing.

Gavin leaned forward, laying his mate out in front of him. Gavin

got to his knees, using both hands to tease his mate’s flesh. He
scraped his nails over Alex’s chest, rounding his nipples, and then
took them down his mate’s sides.

“Gavin.” Alex’s hands flew to the sides of his head, landing on

the bed and balling up into fists.

Lynn Hagen

He grabbed his mate’s legs with one hand, gathered Alex’s ankles

in his hand, and then pushed them up and then over to the right side of
his body. He scraped his nails over his mate’s ass and then retracted
his claws as he inserted a finger into his mate’s tight star.

“Yes.” Alex thrashed his head from side to side. Gavin removed

his finger, leaned over and grabbed the lube, using one hand to snap
the cap and drizzle some between his mate’s cheeks. Gavin tossed the
bottle and then inserted two fingers.

“Damn, baby,” Gavin said huskily. He inserted a third finger,

glorying in his mate’s silky entrance. Gavin’s hand tightened on
Alex’s ankles, fighting back his orgasm. Gavin bit his bottom lip as
he removed his hand and grabbed his cock, scooting closer until the
head kissed his hole.

Gavin spread his knees apart as he thrust in, bottoming out.

“Shit,” he gasped. He was literally fighting back his release. He took
Alex’s legs and spread them apart, putting them around his waist as
he landed on his arms, cupping Alex’s face in his hands. “Open your
eyes, kitten.”

Alex’s lashes lifted, the blue in his eyes darkening as their eyes

locked onto one another’s. Alex ran his hands over Gavin’s chest,
grabbing chest hair and then curling his fingers. Gavin grinned as he
snapped his hips. “I think someone likes my hairy ass.”

“And the rest of you as well.” Alex smiled up at him.
Gavin dropped his head. The kiss was like the heated solder that

joined metals as Gavin got lost in his mate. Hell, he wasn’t going to
come out of this sane. His hips swayed around, feeling Alex’s
erection dancing over his stomach.

One of Alex’s hands left his chest, snaking between them as he

started stroking himself. Gavin lifted slightly, giving his mate room to
play.

Alex began to moan into his mouth, biting Gavin’s bottom lip as

he arched, warm heat and wetness smearing their chests. Gavin thrust

Alex’s Secret

harder as he cried into Alex’s mouth, his orgasm gripping him and
slinging him over the edge.

Gavin growled and slammed into Alex’s ass, making the bed

scoot an inch or two across the floor. His breath became ragged as he
continued to taste Alex in the wickedest of ways. “You’re my
goddamn drug, Alex. Did you know that?”

Alex smiled against Gavin’s lips. “I do now.”
Gavin swatted his ass as he rolled over. “Brat.”

* * * *

Alex walked out of the barn, his body screaming at him. He’d

never in his life worked so hard. Gavin had taken him with the
brothers this morning to mend fences, and then Pa had him muck out
the stalls. His shoulders felt like they were locked into place.

He cupped a hand over his eyes as he saw Gavin sitting up on

Mammoth, galloping full speed toward him. His mate pulled the reins
as he stopped inches from Alex. Gavin reached down and grabbed
Alex, tossing him up onto the saddle as he kicked his feet and made a
clicking noise with this mouth, Mammoth taking off.

Alex’s head fell back as he laughed, sore muscles forgotten.

Gavin had been doing this a lot lately. He’d spot Alex out in the open
somewhere and swoop him off of his feet. He held on as the large
horse raced across the land.

He tilted his head back as he closed his eyes, enjoying the breeze.

Alex had never in his life felt so wanted as Gavin made him feel. His
mate had one hand planted on Alex’s stomach as he slowed, guiding
Mammoth toward a stream.

“How’s my baby doing?”
“I’m good. You?” They had just seen each other this morning, and

Gavin was acting like they hadn’t seen each other in eons. But Alex
wasn’t complaining. He finally had someone who wanted him. Nope,
no complaint from him.

Lynn Hagen

Gavin hugged him close, resting his chin on Alex’s shoulder. “Are

you happy here, kitten?”

Alex looked back at Gavin. “Why would you ask me that?”
Gavin shrugged as he lifted his head. “Because I know what your

life was like before me. I want to make sure I’m giving you
everything you need.”

Alex reached up and kissed his cheek. “Yes, I’m very happy,

teddy bear.”

Gavin nodded as he led Mammoth back toward home.

* * * *

Curtis, Mark and Caden’s son, sat at the desk with Taylor, bored

out of his mind. His dads were over at the garage, but one could only
take so much grease and pneumatic air sounds before going insane.
He may be a man, but the oily shop wasn’t a place he wanted to hang
in since he was a teenager and following his dads around like a lost
puppy. “What do you do here?”

“We help out families in need. The resource center works in

conjunction with the rec center in getting people to the right help they
need. Your dads are a part of it.”

This caught Curtis’s attention. “Really?” He had been delayed

getting to his dads this summer. His mom was insisting he go to
college. It had been a couple years since he graduated high school, but
college wasn’t something he was really interested in right now. Curtis
wasn’t up to speed on everything that had happened since last
summer.

He now knew they were shifters, including his father’s mate,

Caden. He never told anyone back home where he lived with his mom
about having two dads. It wasn’t that he was ashamed of his father,
Mark. It was the fact that he couldn’t go into detail about any of this
and quite frankly, the people he did tell, they looked at him oddly
when he said he had a mom, stepdad, and two fathers.

Alex’s Secret

“So you really going to do it?” Taylor asked as he filled out some

paperwork in front of him. Curtis caught a glimpse of what Taylor
was writing on. It seemed someone was applying for a home loan.
Wow. They really did help out in a lot of aspects.

Curtis crossed his arms on the desk and then rested his chin on

them, staring out of the big window up front. He liked this small
town. Living in the big city was so impersonal. Here, everyone pretty
much knew everyone. “Yep. Now all I have to do is tell my mom I’m
moving here permanently. She’s gonna flip. She has this big plan of
me going off to some big college and becoming a doctor.” Curtis
loved his mom, but college wasn’t for him, and a doctor? He hated the
sight of blood. What kind of doctor would that make him?

“There’s nothing wrong with your mom wanting you to have the

best. I wish my mom had been like that,” Taylor mumbled as the pen
flew across the forms.

Curtis had heard Taylor’s mom was a demon. That had to really

suck. His mom got into her moods at times, but he’d take that over an
actual demon. “Where’s Drew? I thought he worked here, too?”

Taylor picked up the papers he’d been filling out, tapping them on

the desk to align them, and then sat them to the side. “He’s over at the
rec center helping Thomas with scheduling. They have to change their
NA meeting to a different day this week, so they’re calling the people
who attend to let them know.”

Curtis nodded as he continued to stare out of the window. He’d

heard that Brac Village was expanding and that he could get in on it.
He just wasn’t sure what he wanted to do. What kind of business did
he want to own?

He spotted a truck pulling into one of the empty parking spots and

a very large man getting out of the driver’s seat. Curtis’s eyes
followed him. He sorta looked like the guy working at the Den.
Roman. But he knew it wasn’t him.

Curtis had a thing for big men. He had questioned his sexuality

years ago. He even tried to date his dad’s mechanic. That didn’t go so

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Lynn Hagen

well. Curtis had backed away from the whole experimenting thing
when Billy had tried to pressure him into moving too fast.

Curtis hadn’t tried to date since. How screwed up was it to be in

his early twenties and still a virgin? The longer he waited to
experience sex, the further away the possibility seemed. Curtis had to
admit though, the guy was hot as hell. He looked gruff and rugged.
Just the way he liked them.

“That’s one of the Lakeland brothers. I’m not sure which. There is

a set of twins and a set of triplets. And then there is the oldest and the
youngest. You met the youngest, Roman,” Taylor said as Curtis’s
eyes stayed glued on the mountain of a man.

“There’s seven of them?” Curtis wondered if any of them was

single. He’d love to get rid of this virgin status. It wasn’t something
he was carrying around proudly. It was there out of circumstances.

“Yep. They’re ranchers.”
Curtis had an urge to wipe the drool from his chin. Fucking

cowboys. How hot was that? Correction, big, mountainous cowboys.
Damn, talk about a dream come true.

Taylor and Curtis sat back and started looking busy when Steven

walked in. Neither of them wanted to get busted ogling the big
rancher that was still standing across the street. Taylor was mated and
Curtis wasn’t a poacher, but he could look. Curtis wanted to growl
when Steven stepped in his line of sight. He wanted to see more of
that mountain man.

“Hey, Steven. Are you working at the diner today?” Taylor

cleared his throat as he shuffled some paper around his desk. Curtis
jumped up and grabbed the broom from the utility closet and began
sweeping. He sure hoped Steven hadn’t caught them drooling at the
man across the street. Dagon would have a fit, and Curtis would get
an endless lecture from his dads about OPP.

“I have the afternoon off. I came over here to hang out until

Roman was done for the day. That’s if you don’t mind.”

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101

“Of course not.” Taylor shot Curtis a conspiratorial look. Curtis

bit back his smile as he pushed the broom around. His head lifted
when the door opened again, Tater walking in. Now this guy Curtis
liked. He was real cool to be around.

“Hey, Tater.” Curtis nodded as he leaned against the broom.

“Whatcha doing around these parts?” Curtis laughed. He loved
teasing Tater.

Tater rolled his eyes at Curtis as he grabbed a fold-out chair,

twisting it around and then straddling it.

“I thought you were going to bring your cousin in here a while

back?” Taylor asked.

Tater shrugged. “He hooked up with some guy. I guess whatever

they got going on is working. He seems happy.”

“Who?” Curtis asked. He had no clue who they were talking

about, but he wanted in on the conversation. If he was going to be a
permanent resident here, he wanted to be privy to the gossip.

“Gavin Lakeland. My dad had a royal fit about it, too. Alex told

me that my dad had given him an ultimatum. Stop being gay or get
out.”

Curtis whistled low. “That’s some pretty fucked-up shit. I take it

he got out.”

Tater pointed to the truck across the street. It was the same truck

that gorgeous man had climbed out of. “Yep. He and Gavin live
together now, and Alex looks happy as a clam.”

Curtis just bet Alex was happy with a man like that. He had

learned about mates and the different species in the paranormal world.
Hell, there were two vampires and two fey living at the Den. Not to
mention the half-breeds like Taylor.

Looking at the man, one would never know though. Taylor looked

as normal as the next guy.

Tater cleared his throat as he looked at each man standing there.

“Is there any way I can talk to Maverick? It’s kinda important.”

“Is it something I can help with?” Taylor asked.

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Lynn Hagen

Tater shook his head. He had a jittery look about him now. Steven

moved closer to Curtis, both of them listening.

“No, something’s going on at my house, and I need to talk to

Maverick. I hear he’s the go-to guy around this town.”

“Haven’t you lived here your whole life?” Curtis asked. Why

wouldn’t Tater know about Maverick if he’d grown up here?

“Yeah, but I pretty much stayed to myself. I knew who Maverick

was, the founder. But I didn’t know he was the guy to see when…”

“When what?” Steven and Curtis leaned in.
Tater rubbed his face with his hand. “I just need to see him. How

do I get a hold of him?”

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103

Chapter Nine

Alex sipped on his cold smoothie as he walked next to Gavin.

They’d just come from the post office, and Gavin was carrying a box
under his arm. Alex stirred his straw around the thick drink as his
eyes darted back to the box.

Gavin had seemed excited when he picked it up, and Alex was

dying to know what it was. “What’s in the box?” he asked as casually
as he could without screaming show me.

Gavin chuckled huskily. “Another gift for you, kitten.”
Alex’s head snapped around, wondering if anyone heard his mate.

There were a few people passing by them, but no one turned their
head in Alex’s direction. “Like what?” he whispered.

Gavin laughed out loud this time, a mischievous gleam in his

eyes. “You’ll see. It’s a little extra. I hope you like it.”

Okay, Alex went from curious to full-blown had to see. He

climbed into the truck, practically grabbing the box from Gavin’s
arm.

“Slow down, kitten.” Gavin laughed as he started the truck.
Alex ignored him and tore the box open. His jaw dropped at all

the pink lace. It was definitely more than just panty hose. There was
way too much extra fabric here. His fingers glided over the material,
rubbing it between his fingers. “What else is in here?” he asked.

“You’ll see, Mr. Impatient.”
Alex could see that Gavin was watching him closely. He lifted the

fabric up as best he could without anyone else seeing what he was
doing. There were a lot of snaps and catches. He shoved it back into
the box when a couple walked by, feeling his face heat up.

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Lynn Hagen

Gavin chuckled as he pulled out of their parking spot and headed

home. Alex laid his left arm on the box, fearing the fabric was going
to jump out and show itself to everyone. He watched Gavin’s strong
hand with the large leather band on it steer the truck.

He felt anticipation, excitement, and fear build in him when Gavin

pulled into the drive and then parked the truck.

“I’ll take that up. Go shower.” His mate winked at him as he stole

the package from under Alex’s arm.

Alex jumped from the truck and tore to the house. He practically

ripped the screen door off as he shot inside.

“Where’s the fire?” Chauncey teased as Alex flew by him and up

the stairs. He threw his bedroom door open, kicking his shoes off as
he went along. He ripped his shirt from his head as he ran into the
bathroom.

Alex had the shower going and his jeans off in mere seconds. He

washed his body from head to toe, taking extra care where it counted
the most. By the time he was done and stepping out, the box was
lying on the closed toilet seat.

He dried his skin off with a towel as his eyes kept straying to the

box. Alex was dying to see everything in it. He tossed the towel in the
hamper and began to pull lace from the box. The thigh highs were
gorgeous. They had diamond-shaped patterns and felt as soft as silk as
he pulled them up his legs.

He’d never had a pair that had small strips attached to them. Alex

had always bought the first pair he could get his hands on and gotten
through the checkout as quickly as possible. Gavin was giving him
expensive and fancy ones. He loved them.

Alex held up a piece of fabric, unsure what he was supposed to do

with it. It was one piece of fabric with a few clasps to hold it into
place. He wrapped it around his waist, seeing a button on each side.
Hmm.

Maybe those straps on the thigh highs attached to the buttons?

Alex looked into the box but there weren’t any instructions.

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105

His fingers fidgeted with the straps and found that they did indeed

snap together. Now the hard part. How did he reach the ones in the
back? Alex twisted around, trying to grab the straps that dangled on
his back thighs and attached them. He slipped the pink heels on that
had little hearts on them before trying to snap the damn straps.

Easier said than done. He turned in a circle a few times trying to

get them snapped. Alex was getting dizzy from turning around so
many times. He peeked his head out of the bathroom door. Gavin was
sitting on the bed naked, his hard-on lying flat on his stomach.

“Psst. I need you here a moment.”
Gavin smiled as he got up from the bed and walked over. He was

trying to look past Alex’s head into the bathroom. “Doesn’t it fit?”

“It fits fine. I just need you to snap the back buttons.” Alex spun

around and presented his ass to Gavin.

“Damn,” Gavin whispered as his hands cupped Alex’s ass.
“Hey, buttons. Focus, teddy bear.”
Gavin reached down and snapped the straps into place. Alex

turned and shoved Gavin back as he closed the door. “Sit back on the
bed,” he called through the door. Alex waited a moment, taking a few
deep breaths before opening the door and strutting out.

His mate’s jaw dropped as Alex walked to the middle of the room

and hitched a hip to the side. He began to sashay again, wondering
how to put on a show for Gavin.

Alex stole a glance at his mate. Gavin was lying there giving his

cock a slow stroke as he watched him strut around.

They both jumped when a booming knock sounded on the

bedroom door. Gavin growled as he got up and Alex ran to the
bathroom, slamming the door behind him. He cracked it open to see
what was going on.

“Pa needs you downstairs,” Olsen barked out.
Gavin shut the bedroom door as Alex came out of the bathroom.

“What’s going on?” he asked as Gavin got dressed. Alex felt

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disappointment course through him that there wasn’t going to be a
performance.

When Gavin shot from the room, Alex kicked his heels off and

realized that he was having a difficult time getting the strap to
unbutton. “Shit.” He grabbed a pair of jeans from the drawer and
pulled then on over the panty hose and then shoved a shirt over his
head.

He didn’t have time to wrestle with the lace. It was covered to

where no one was going to see it. He pulled on a pair of socks and
then shoved his feet into his shoes, taking off downstairs to see what
was going on.

Alex ran down the stairs at full speed, slamming into Steven as

they both went flying and ended up sprawled out on the floor. He
shook his head a few times and then got to his feet, helping Steven up.
“What’s going on?” he asked as he looked around an empty house.

“The cattle broke through the fence in the south pasture. Olsen

and Bryce came to get everyone while Riley stayed to get them back
in.”

“Does that happen often?” Alex asked as he walked out on the

front porch. No one was in sight. It was as if the place was deserted
except for him and Steven.

“Dude, I’m from the city, hell if I know.” Steven sat on the swing

and kicked his toe out, putting it into motion. Alex took a seat next to
him.

“Me, too.” He’d helped around the ranch, but he hadn’t a clue

what took place here. Not in depth anyway. Alex was a little shocked
and a bit confused when Tater’s truck pulled into the driveway and
headed their way.

What would his step-cousin be doing here this late? Alex stood

and walked to the top of the steps, laying his hand on the banister. He
wanted to smile when the truck stalled halfway up the drive. He could
hear Tater cursing from a distance.

“Isn’t he your cousin?” Steven asked as he joined him at his side.

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“Yeah.”
They watched Tater get out of his truck and head their way. For

some strange reason, Alex’s senses started going crazy. He couldn’t
put his finger on it, but the hairs on the back of his neck stood. His
eyes darted around, scanning the surrounding area. The only thing he
could see was a dark yard.

“Hey, is Olsen home?” Tater asked as he approached the porch.
“They went to get the cattle back into the fence,” Alex informed

him. “I guess the fence broke on accident and now the cattle are out.”

Tater shook his head. “I don’t think that was an accident.”
Alex stood straighter, that niggling in the back of his mind getting

worse. “Why do you think that?” he asked as he took a step closer to
Steven. How much did he really know about Tater? Not much.

Clark was Tater’s uncle. He lived with his step-cousin for two

weeks before coming here. So he couldn’t say he was that familiar
with the guy. Steven, on the other hand, was family now. They were
both mates to the Lakeland family. He’d gotten to know him pretty
well.

“My cell phone disappeared. Can I use your house phone?” Tater

asked as he walked up the porch steps. Alex turned, pressing his back
into Steven.

“Go ahead.” He nodded toward the screen door. Tater walked into

the house, not saying a word. Alex grabbed Steven’s hand and opened
the door quietly, tiptoeing into the kitchen where the house phone was
located.

“Where is he?” Steven asked when they saw the kitchen was

empty.

“We need to get out of here.” Alex pushed Steven back toward the

front door. That feeling of something wrong was getting stronger,
clawing at his gut. He pushed Steven through the front door and out
onto the porch. “Barn.”

They took off down the steps, racing across the yard. “What’s

going on?” Steven panted as they entered the darkened barn. Alex

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pulled Steven into Buster’s stall, latching the gate and walking behind
the horse.

“I don’t like this.” Steven began to tremble. “Why didn’t anyone

stay behind with us?”

When Buster became agitated, Alex grabbed Steven and squatted

down. They both listened to the sounds of the barn, hearing nothing
that would make Buster prance around nervously.

He was getting tired of the chaos. It always seemed that when

things were going smooth, something had to happen, and not a good
thing either. Why couldn’t he just be left alone to be happy with
Gavin? Was that asking too much?

And from what he gathered from Steven, the man could use a

break himself. His ex, David, had knocked him around. The
Lakelands’ cousin had gotten hooked on drugs and tried to kill
Steven, and then someone on Roman’s crew had gone after Steven as
well.

What was with the nut jobs? He knew the paranormal world was

an interesting place to live, but when did it become a dangerous place
to live? None of this was making any sense to him. It was as if the
paranormal world had gone crazy.

“I hear something,” Steven whispered and then covered his mouth

with his hand. They both waited to see if anyone was in the barn, but
heard nothing else. Alex’s muscles were coiled tight, and his nerves
were beginning to frazzle. Okay, they had already been frazzled. His
stomach was tied in knots as he waited.

“Alex?” Tater called out. Alex slapped a hand over his mouth,

mirroring Steven. Everything in him wanted to scream for Gavin, but
his mate was out somewhere mending a fence. Was this a setup? Did
Tater cut the fence to get everyone away so he could do whatever it
was that he came here to do?

He could feel Steven shaking apart beside him as heavy footsteps

approached. They scooted a little more to their right, Buster blocking
any view Tater might have of them in the stall.

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Alex saw Tater’s shoes stop right in front of Buster’s stall. Now

he was the one shaking apart. His step-cousin wasn’t a small man. He
may not be as large as the Lakeland men, but Tater wasn’t a
lightweight either.

Tater could do some serious damage to him and Steven if he

wanted to. Alex prayed he didn’t want to. The man had seemed like a
nice guy, but with all the strange things going on, he wasn’t going to
trust anyone with his well-being except Gavin.

“You in here, Alex?” Tater called out.
Yeah, right. Like he was going to stand up and say “Here I am,

come kick my ass.” That was not going to happen. Alex had to bite
his bottom lip to stop himself from screaming from the sheer terror of
the moment.

The booted feet disappeared, the sound of heavy footfall fading

away. Alex waited a moment, and then waited another moment before
uncovering his mouth. “I think he’s gone.”

Steven nodded as they both slowly stood and looked over the stall

to make sure Tater was gone. Once they saw the barn was clear, Alex
pulled Steven along with him as they exited Buster’s stall.

Steven screamed when Tater appeared in the barn. He was

standing at the entrance. They both turned and shot out from the back
of the barn, taking off across the back field. Alex had to stop once to
help Steven up when he fell and then they took off again.

They gained ground, getting closer to the woods. If they could just

get to the woods, they could hide in there. Alex could shift and climb
a tree, but Steven was human. There was no way he was leaving him
to fend for himself.

Alex put on a burst of speed, dragging Steven along when he

spotted Tater’s truck barreling around the side of the barn and heading
straight for them. His lungs began to burn he was running so fast.

They made it to the woods as Tater’s truck came to halt. Why

couldn’t it have stalled out halfway to them? It figures the damn thing
worked properly when Alex didn’t need it to.

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“Go,” he yelled at Steven as they heard the truck door slam.
“Damn it, Alex. What the hell is wrong with you?” Tater shouted

from behind them.

Him? What was wrong with him? He wasn’t the one hell-bent on

running Alex and Steven into ground. He wasn’t the one who asked to
use the phone and then disappeared. He wasn’t the one who was
chasing someone like a madman.

Alex ran as fast as his tired legs would take him, and then he ran

some more. He had to think about Steven. There was no way he was
letting harm come to the human.

They jumped over fallen trees and around low-hanging branches,

trying their best to stay ahead of Tater. Alex wished he’d paid more
attention to those movies where the guys were in the woods and set up
traps to catch the bad guy.

What the hell was he thinking? This was no time to let his mind

wander. He had to stay focused. Not only did his life count on it, but
so did Steven’s.

“Alex!”
He heard Tater yelling for him but he didn’t stop, couldn’t stop.

Steven yelped and stopped midstride, pushing Alex to the ground.
They belly-crawled under some bushes as Alex tried to get his
breathing under control.

His muscles hurt. He was tired, and his lungs were on fire. He

glanced over at Steven to ask why they stopped running when he saw
the reason walk past their bush. Alex slammed his eyes closed. There
was no way another bloodsucker was out for him. This couldn’t be
happening.

After the last attack, he was even more terrified of them. He’d

learned that the last vampire was hyped up on some drug called
Liquid Wrath. Alex wondered if this one was as well.

He lay deathly still, not making a sound as the creature walked

past them. Even with the thought that Tater was after them, he hoped
his step-cousin didn’t run into the vampire. No one deserved that.

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111

Alex shot out of the bush when he heard Tater screaming. He had

to help him even if Tater was out to hurt him. His instincts for family
kicked in, and Alex wasn’t going to let Tater face this alone.

He wasn’t sure what the hell he was going to do, but he had to do

something. The shouting was getting louder, telling Alex he was
getting close. He could feel Steven hot on his heels, and he wanted to
curse.

Alex didn’t have time to argue with the mate. Tater needed him.

His eyes scanned the area as he ran to his step-cousin, trying to find
anything that he could use as a weapon.

Shifting wouldn’t help, as it was already proven. It was best to

stay in his human form for the fight. If he was injured, he could
always shift to heal.

“Get back,” Tater shouted at him. “Run!” he added when the

vampire turned and set his sights on Alex.

Alex came to a halt, unsure of what he should do now. He didn’t

have a weapon to use, just his bare hands and he knew for a fact that
those weren’t going to help. He could hear Steven whimpering behind
him and Alex knew he had to do something. But what?

The tension in the air was thick as everyone stood still. Alex

swallowed hard when the ends of the vampire’s lips curled into a
cruel smile. In a flash, the vampire leapt, tackling Alex to the ground.

Tater jumped on the vampire’s back, punching and pulling at the

thing as Alex kicked and scratched to get free. His heart was in his
throat when he saw Steven pick up a large branch and swing it toward
the vampire.

Alex covered his head, hoping Steven’s aim was dead accurate.

He heard the large branch make contact and the vampire snarl. Tater
was on the thing’s back pummeling him, but it didn’t seem to be
wearing the vampire down.

In fact, Tater was the one who looked like he was running out of

energy. His fists were still flying, but the intensity and accuracy were
starting to falter.

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Tater shouted a warning as bears appeared in the clearing. Tater

doubled his efforts to free Alex as he shouted for Steven to get into
the fetal position. Steven dropped to the ground and balled up. Alex
wanted to roll his eyes.

Steven must not know why Tater was telling him that. There was

no way the bears were going to hurt the mate. Their problem was this
damn thing with fangs and sharp nails trying to dig into him.

Tater had his hands on the vampire’s jaw, trying to twist it and

keep the fangs away from Alex. His step-cousin shouted when he was
pulled off of the vampire, kicking and screaming, fighting Olsen and
trying to get back to Alex.

Alex knew Tater was no match for the vampire and that Olsen

was doing the right thing. But that left him to defend himself now. No
sooner than the thought crossed his mind, Gavin, in bear form,
crashed into the vampire, making Alex roll with them.

He tried to free himself, but the vampire had a pretty good hold on

him. His nails were digging into Alex’s shirt and skin, making it
impossible to get free.

Alex tried to rip his shirt off but then remembered the midriff

corset. Okay, he had a decision to make here. He could rip his shirt
free and expose his secret to everyone, or let the vampire tear into his
flesh, possibly killing him.

He knew there was only one choice to make. As much as it was

going to humiliate him, he had to get free.

With great effort, Alex twisted around until the vampire had only

his shirt, his sharp nails snuggly in the fabric. Alex tried with all his
might to get the nails free as Gavin fought to keep the vampire’s fangs
away from Alex.

Letting out a brave breath, Alex rolled away, his shirt tearing and

setting him free. He jumped up, the pink corset visible for everyone to
see. Tater cleared his throat as Olsen blushed and averted his eyes.

Steven stood there with his mouth hanging open, his eyes wide.

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113

This was so not happening. His worst fear was coming to life. The

entire Lakeland clan, Tater, and Steven were standing there staring at
him like he was a freak. Alex took off, the tears burning his eyes as he
ran.

He wasn’t sure what direction he was going, but anywhere was

better than standing there showing off how much of a freak he really
was. Now he would have to leave. There was no way he was going to
live under the same roof with these men and see the disapproval and
disgust in their eyes every time he looked at them.

Alex hugged his midsection as he continued to run. There might

as well be a big ass banner above his head stating that he liked to wear
woman’s undergarments. Everyone knew now.

He shouted when a hand wrapped around him and pulled him

from his feet. Alex kicked, trying to get free.

“Will you still those damn legs?”
It was Pa. Alex was mortified that the head of the house was

witnessing his humiliation. The man was probably going to ask him to
leave now. He was probably going to tell Alex what a disappointment
of a son-in-law he was.

“Please, let me go. I’ll pack quickly and get out of your house. I

promise,” Alex cried.

“What the hell are you talking about, son?” Pa asked.
Alex shrugged as the tears fell. “You want my perverted ass out

from under your roof. I understand.”

“Alex, calm down. You aren’t going anywhere. I don’t care about

this,” Pa said as he lowered Alex to his feet.

“You don’t?” he asked as he wiped his eyes.
“I think it’s hot.” Chauncey grinned from ear to ear as he cleared

the woods.

“You do?”
“And I’ll kill him if he comes near you,” Gavin said as he walked

out of the woods naked.

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Chapter Ten

Gavin held his mate in his lap as his family sat around the kitchen

table. Alex was sipping on a cup of coffee, but he knew his mate sat
there feeling as embarrassed as any one being could be.

“So why the hell did you guys run?” Tater asked as he leaned

against a counter, as far away from Olsen as possible.

Gavin and Alex had dressed before joining his family downstairs.

He had to calm Alex down. His mate was hysterical in their bedroom,
throwing things and crying. He didn’t want to come downstairs and
face anyone.

“You asked to use the phone, and then when we came inside, you

weren’t anywhere in sight,” Steven answered. “Why did everyone
leave? There should have been at least one of you here,” Steven stated
angrily.

The entire room looked over at Olsen. “We did leave someone

here,” Pa said with a bite.

“I was in the backyard,” Olsen defended himself. “I didn’t go

anywhere and leave them defenseless.”

“I saw Olsen in the backyard and went out there with him,” Tater

said from behind everyone. “When I went back out on the front porch,
these two were gone. I went searching for them.”

“But…” Alex glanced up at Gavin and then down to the mug

clasped in his hands. “Why did you chase us?”

Tater sighed heavily as he pushed away from the counter.

“Because something happened at my house and I had to call
Maverick. I saw some guys with fangs on my property, and I was
afraid there were some here as well. There are a lot of freaks out

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tonight. Why would anyone go around trying to scare someone with
fake fangs?”

Gavin stared at Tater for a moment, unbelieving that the man

thought it was a human pretending to be a vampire. Really?

He shook his head and concentrated on the problem at hand.

Gavin could see how the misunderstanding took place. Alex had told
him that some sixth sense was warning him of danger. Since Tater
was the only one around, his mate had assumed it was his cousin.

“I can’t believe you thought I was out to hurt you,” Tater

mumbled. Gavin could hear the hurt in the man’s voice, see it in his
eyes. He’d be hurt, too, if his family looked at him like a monster.

He could see Olsen tensing. His brother’s shoulders stiffened as

he glanced in the direction Tater was standing. It made Gavin hold
Alex tighter, appreciating what they had. Alex was so giving, so
caring that he didn’t know what he would do if his mate refused to be
near him.

And he had no doubt Tater was Olsen’s mate. The air seemed to

crackle when the two were near each other. The desperation in
Olsen’s eyes tore at Gavin. Olsen and Bryce were his womb mates.
That made them closer to each other than any other person on the face
of the planet. Everyone except Alex.

His bond with Alex was different though. It was the bond of a

mated pair. Nothing could or would ever come between them. It still
didn’t make looking at Olsen and Tater any easier. He hated to see the
distance and pain in each of them.

“What happened at your house?” Pa asked, saving Alex from

having to comment on Tater’s words. He could feel his mate’s
rigidness while sitting in his lap. Alex regretted what he had done,
regretted how he had treated Tater.

“My uncle Clark is there. Which is strange enough since he

vocally advocated to have Alex locked away and said he never
wanted to step foot around him.”

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Gavin growled low. His hand rested in the middle of Alex’s back.

He didn’t want his mate to feel hatred from anyone. He knew he
couldn’t stop it, but he could shield him from it, protect him from the
hatred.

“He asked my dad if he could use the barn for some project he

needed to do for his job. My dad thought nothing of it and said yes.”
Tater crossed his arms over his chest. “But I use the barn a lot. So I
went in there, intending to tell my uncle that we were going to share
the space. He wasn’t in there, but it looked like a chemist’s lab. I’m
not sure what he’s brewing in there, but I don’t think a computer
programmer needs beakers and Bunsen burners.”

Gavin, along with his family, cursed. “Get Maverick on the

phone,” his pa demanded. “He needs to know about this. I think we
found our distributer.”

Bryce nodded as he got up and let the room.
“Distributer?” Tater asked as he stared at everyone in the room

with confusion. “As in drugs? Tell me that’s not a fucking meth lab in
my damn barn.”

Gavin shook his head, wishing he could say it was anything but

drugs. Tater seemed like a nice guy and the kind of man that wouldn’t
put up with something as vile as drugs on his property. “It’s worse
I’m afraid.”

“Worse?” Tater said incredulously. “How can anything be worse

than meth? I’m not an expert when it comes to drugs, but I’ve heard
what that stuff can do. And I also know it’s very unstable.” Tater
began to pace. “I can’t chance my fucking home burning down
because my uncle is trying to sell poison.”

“It’s bigger than that,” Olsen said as he got up from his chair and

stood in front of Tater. “It’s a lot deeper than you can imagine.”

“Then someone needs to tell me what the hell is going on around

here. This secretive shit isn’t washing with me. This involves me
now. I deserve to know what the hell is going on around here, damn
it.”

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117

“That you do, son,” Pa said as he nodded at Olsen. “And your

mate should be the one to tell you.”

“Mate?”
Gavin felt for Tater. He looked so lost standing there. He was the

only one in the room ignorant of the world around him. Gavin wanted
to tell him, but it wasn’t his place.

Tater blew out a long breath as he ran his fingers through his hair.

“I can handle anything you have to say. I don’t freak out too easily.
Tell me.”

“We’re bears,” Olsen said as his hands landed on Tater’s upper

arms.

Tater’s eyes seemed to shift for a moment from Olsen to the rest

of the room before he looked back at his mate. “Okay, I can handle
that. What about Alex?”

Gavin was shocked Tater had asked. As far as he knew, Alex

never told him what he was.

“Oh come on. I know there’s something different about him. And

I’m not talking about his preference for dressing like…” Tater waved
his hand toward Alex. “You know.”

Alex shrank back in Gavin’s arms. Gavin held him tight as he

narrowed his eyes at Tater. Cousin or not, he wasn’t going to allow
anyone to make his mate ashamed of what he liked. Gavin thought it
was a big turn-on, and he would not sit here and let anyone berate
Alex for it.

“I don’t care about it. Hell, I think his magazine collection is

stranger than his need to dress up like a woman,” Tater stated.

“I’m not a woman,” Alex shot at Tater. “I’m not a freak,” he said

softly as he buried his face in Gavin’s chest.

“No one thinks you’re a freak, kitten.” Gavin ran his hands over

Alex as he glared at the room.

“I told you I thought it was hot,” Chauncey added, but he wasn’t

smiling. Gavin nodded toward his brother. He’d kill Chauncey if he

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ever came near Alex, but he saw the bear’s declaration for what it
was. He was trying to make Alex feel better.

Gavin loved his family even more. They supported one another no

matter what happened. They were a force to be reckoned with. Come
after one and you had to take the whole lot on.

“Maverick is on his way,” Bryce said as he walked back into the

room.

“He’s an Ocelot,” Gavin informed Tater.
“An Oce-what?”
“A house cat.” Chauncey snickered.
Alex leaned forward and hissed at Chauncey.
“Anytime, pussycat,” Chauncey taunted. “I’ll take you with one

arm tied behind my back.”

“And brainless,” Gavin grumbled. If he damn near killed Murdock

for trying to snip his balls off, he could imagine what his baby would
do to Chauncey for taunting him. His brother was biting off more than
he could chew. He had a feeling size didn’t matter when it came to
Alex’s anger.

“Enough,” Pa called out to the room. “We need to concentrate on

the outbreak of rogues around here.”

Gavin watched the Alpha and two other wolf shifters walk into

their large kitchen. The three massive bodies seemed to suck the
oxygen out of the air. The kitchen shrank as the three men stood there
in their massive forms.

“Evening, gentlemen.” Alpha Maverick nodded to the room as the

two men stood quietly at his flank, their hands clasped in front of
them and a look that would make a lesser man faint.

Gavin recognized them. It was Beta Kota and Commander Hawk.

He had a feeling there were a few more Timber wolves outside. He
would bet his life that there were. Gavin just prayed it wasn’t the
Santiago brothers. Rumor had it that those men liked to burn things
down.

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119

“You have information for me?” Maverick turned to Tater. His

stance was casual enough. Maverick’s hands were behind his back, a
small smile on his lips. Gavin wasn’t fooled in the least. This Alpha
was very deadly. His aura screamed lethality.

Tater nodded as Olsen moved closer, protecting his mate. “My

uncle Clark is doing something in my barn. He’s using chemist
equipment.”

“And this is odd how?” Maverick questioned.
“He’s a computer programmer, sir,” Tater answered. “But my dad

doesn’t know what he’s doing. He’s innocent in this.”

Maverick cocked his head to the side as he studied Tater. “How is

he ignorant of what’s happening on his own property?”

“He hasn’t gone out there to see what Clark is up to. My dad is

basically a hermit.”

Maverick nodded. “I’ll take that into consideration.”
“But—”
Olsen grabbed Tater and shook his head. Gavin could see the

confusion and desperation on Tater’s face. The human had no clue
what was going on here.

Maverick’s head snapped back to Tater. “But nothing. Your uncle

is producing a drug that needs human blood as its main component,
but if humans use it, they die. It makes paranormals even more
aggressive than what is in their nature. It turns vampires into killing
machines, shifters into abusers and addicts, and in order to get the
human blood, a human is completely drained.”

Tater’s face paled as the Alpha spoke. He looked like he was

going to be sick. “I swear,” he whispered. “My father knows nothing
about this.”

“Then your father needs to become aware of what is happening on

his own property,” Maverick bit out then pinched the bridge of his
nose. “If he truly has no clue, he will be unharmed but warned.”

“Thank you,” Tater whispered as he looked helplessly at Olsen.

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Maverick nodded. “Thank you for your information. It has saved a

lot of lives.” The Alpha walked out of the kitchen, his men following
behind him.

Olsen grabbed Tater’s neck and hauled him to his chest. Tater

growled and pushed Olsen away, storming from the house, Olsen
close behind him.

Gavin stood with his sleeping mate in his arms. “I’m heading

upstairs.”

Roman did the same, Steven knocked out in his lap as well. Gavin

could feel the tension all around him. One of the mates was in
distress. That didn’t sit well with any of them.

Their hearts went out to Tater, but if his father had any knowledge

of what was going on, he would be dealt with harshly. That was what
pack did. They dealt with problems swiftly and justly. There would be
no sparing a life if his father was in on making the very drug that was
fucking up the paranormal world.

Gavin climbed the stairs, going into his bedroom and laying Alex

on the bed. He removed his shoes and then pulled his shirt over his
head. Alex slept through it all. Gavin pulled his jeans free and then
covered his mate as he sat on the side of the bed and watched his
kitten sleep.

* * * *

Maverick and Zeus walked into the big red barn as Prince

Christian materialized and Panahasi walked out of a shadowed corner.
It was dead of night as the four walked over to the setup at the back of
the barn.

“Now we have all the ingredients of how it’s made,” Christian

stated as he picked up the bag of human blood.

Maverick studied the table as Zeus stared at it all. “This is

unbelievable.”

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121

Panahasi growled as he snagged a small, clear jar. “This is from

my realm. It’s something we use when a warrior is injured. A very
powerful powder mixed into a drink to heal the warrior from the
inside out. No wonder humans are dying,” he said angrily.

Christian shook his head as he walked around the table with

beakers. “They’re using vampire blood as well.” He pointed to a bag
that held a deeper color of blood. It was almost black. “That’s rogue
blood.” His fangs lengthened as he picked it up. “When a vampire
goes rogue, he consumes large quantities of human blood, making
him go mad from the overdose. Their blood is basically poison.”

Maverick picked up some herbs, turning them over in his hand. “It

looks like they’re all here.”

Zeus nodded. “Looks that way.”
“What?” Christian asked.
“The herbs we use when a shifter is going through his first shift.

It’s almost like a sedative when combined together.” Maverick took a
step, anger ripping through him as he headed toward the barn
entrance. “They’re using something from every species. It’s a miracle
paranormals aren’t dropping like flies.”

“But humans are, and I have them in my pack. They are just as

important to us as the rest of the pack,” Zeus stated. “One of my
mates is human.”

“Mine as well,” Maverick reminded the other Alpha.
“Both of mine are.” Christian growled.
Maverick noticed Panahasi didn’t add to their conversation, which

told him that the demon leader hadn’t found his mate yet. If this drug
wasn’t destroyed, he may not. If his mate was human and this drug
killed him before the leader found him, it would devastate the man.

If his mate was paranormal, then he could go mad. It was a lose-

lose situation. He headed into the house, Zeus close behind him. Why
wasn’t he surprised when he walked in and found two human men
arguing in the living room?

“What the hell is the meaning of this?”

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Maverick recognized him as Tater’s father. “By all means,

continue your debate.”

Panahasi walked in from the back room as Christian walked down

the steps from upstairs. The human who he assumed was Clark shrank
back, his eyes darting between the four of the intruders. “You know
who I am,” Maverick stated at the obvious fear in the man’s eyes. He
nodded as he stepped behind his brother.

Maverick hated a man who was doing wrong and then used

another to shield him. That was a coward’s way. He looked Tater’s
dad in his eyes. “Did you know what Clark was doing in your barn?”

When Tater’s dad tilted his head and looked at Maverick like he

had no clue what he was talking about, Maverick had his answer.
“Leave us.”

Tater’s dad started to do as he was told when Clark grabbed his

brother, a knife appearing in his hand as he laid it to his brother’s
throat. “I don’t think so. You’re going to let me walk out of here
unharmed and none of you freaks are going to follow me.”

Maverick rolled his eyes. The man was dumber than a rock. If he

seriously thought he was walking away from this, then the stupid son
of a bitch deserved to die. Zeus gave a low chuckle next to him as
Christian appeared behind Clark, grabbing his arm with the knife and
twisting it behind Clark’s back.

“Leave us,” Maverick repeated to Tater’s dad.
Tater’s dad was smart enough to take off upstairs. Maverick was

glad. He would have hated to do something to the man. He could see
the pain in Tater’s eyes as he begged for his father’s life.

It bothered him, but his pack and the Lakelands came first. The

destruction of this drug outweighed high-strung emotions.

“Fuck.” Panahasi shot out of the front door, Maverick close

behind as an orange glow lit up the night. The barn was on fire, its
flames licking toward the sky.

Maverick raced across the yard and tackled Tater, pulling him

away as the barn exploded, splinters of wood, debris, and fire raining

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123

down on them. He got to his feet as he pulled the human up with him.
“Are you fucking crazy? Do you know how explosive those
ingredients are when in their natural state?”

Zeus pulled Tater away before Maverick lost his temper and killed

the dumb fucker. A truck came racing up the driveway, one of the
Lakelands behind the wheel. Tater better be damn glad his mate was
coming to get him.

Maverick stormed away as he walked back into the house. “Get

him to my house,” he yelled at Christian as he left. He was going to
kill Clark. There was no doubt about that. The man knew exactly
what he was doing. But first he was going to find out who in the
demon realm was supplying the human realm with that fucking drug.

On nights like this, he wished he could take his family and just

walk away from it all.

* * * *

“Turn around, kitten.” Gavin groaned as Alex strutted around in

his pink lingerie. His cock was rock hard in his hand as Alex modeled
it for him.

It had taken some fancy talking to get Alex to put it back on. He

was humiliated that everyone knew his secret and swore he was never
going to be caught in it again. That protest lasted all of five seconds
when his mate pulled the pink lace from the bathroom and laid it out
on the bed for Alex to see.

Alex couldn’t resist the lace as it called to him. Gavin wasn’t

playing fair, but Alex couldn’t seem to get mad about it. He hitched
his hips from side to side as he shook his butt at Gavin.

“Bring that fine-looking ass over here, kitten.” Gavin growled.
Alex blushed as he strutted in his heels, feeling beautiful and

powerful at the moment. He kicked one leg up onto the bed, shaking
his hips as his cock bobbed in front of Gavin’s face. “You like?”

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Lynn Hagen

“Every damn inch of you,” Gavin said huskily as he grabbed Alex

and tossed him on the bed. “You’re a wet dream.”

Alex squealed as Gavin tossed his legs back and wiggled his butt

plug. “I’m about to tear this ass up.”

“Tear away,” Alex moaned as his mate removed the plug, lubed

his cock, and then sank into him. He tossed his heels onto Gavin’s
shoulders as he lifted his ass for Gavin to go deeper.

“You are my angel without wings.” Gavin leaned forward, taking

Alex’s lips with his. Alex groaned when Gavin’s tongue swept across
his.

He was glad that Gavin had discovered his secrets. His life was far

from perfect, but having Gavin accept him for who he was, it made it
damn close.

* * * *

Tater stared at Olsen as the fire consumed his red barn. His bike

had been in there. His reprieve was no longer standing, welcoming
him when he needed to be alone.

He turned to Olsen, the man who seemed to want to be a part of

his life. Tater had been lonely for a very long time, as long as he
could remember. But this was too much for him to handle right now.

He turned and walked toward his house as the fire department

showed up. Olsen followed him to the porch, grabbing his arm and
spinning him around. “Tater.”

Tater pulled his arm free, fearing the emotions assaulting him. He

wasn’t going to allow himself to care for this man.

He couldn’t. It would never work. It was bad enough he had to

sneak into the city whenever the feeling hit him to have sex, but now
someone close to home wanted a relationship, wanted to take it to
another level.

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125

Tater couldn’t handle that. A small part of it was the fear of his

father finding out, but that wasn’t a drop in the ocean compared to the
real reason.

Tater feared commitment, closeness.
Tater feared Olsen Lakeland and what the man could do to his

heart. “Go home, Olsen. There’s nothing here for you.” Tater walked
into his house, feeling his heart breaking as he closed the front door.

THE END

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lynn Hagen loves writing about the somewhat flawed, but

lovable. She also loves a hero who can see past all the rough edges to
find the shining diamond of a beautiful heart.

You can find her on any given day curled up with her laptop and a

cup of hot java, letting the next set of characters tell their story.

Also by Lynn Hagen

Everlasting Classic ManLove: Brac Pack 1: Maverick’s Mate

Everlasting Classic ManLove: Brac Pack 2: Hawk’s Pretty Baby

Everlasting Classic ManLove: Brac Pack 3: Sunshine’s Savior

Everlasting Classic ManLove: Brac Pack 4: Remi’s Pup

Everlasting Classic ManLove: Brac Pack 5: Stormy Eyes

Everlasting Classic ManLove: Brac Pack 6: Oliver’s Heart

Everlasting Classic ManLove: Brac Pack 7: Keata’s Promise

Everlasting Classic ManLove: Brac Pack 8: George’s Turn

Everlasting Classic ManLove: Brac Pack 9: Loco’s Love

Everlasting Classic ManLove: Brac Pack 10: Lewis’s Dream

Everlasting Classic ManLove: Brac Pack 11: Mark’s Not Gay

Everlasting Classic ManLove: Brac Pack 12: Nutter Nero

Everlasting Classic ManLove: Brac Pack 13: Heaven’s Hell

Everlasting Classic ManLove: Brac Pack 14: Nicholas’s Wolf

Everlasting Classic ManLove: Brac Pack 15: Murphy’s Madness

Everlasting Classic ManLove: Brac Pack 16: Montana’s Vamp

Everlasting Classic ManLove: Brac Pack 17: Carter’s Tryck

Everlasting Classic ManLove: Brac Pack 18: Joshua’s Law
Everlasting Classic ManLove: Brac Pack 19: Dagon’s Ride

Everlasting Classic ManLove: Brac Pack 20: Steven’s Journey

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