Eden Cole Reluctant Mate 2

Reluctant Mate 2

By Eden Cole

This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this novel
are fictitious or used fictitiously. All rights reserved, including the right to
reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.

Sugar and Spice Press
North Carolina, USA
www.sugarnspicepress.com

Reluctant Mate 2

Eden Cole

Prologue

Cameron sat up on the side of the bed and stretched. The bones in his

back and neck cracked, and his muscles burned a little from the tension.
When a few locks of his hair tumbled onto his forehead, he frowned and
pushed them back. His hair was getting too long, and he needed to get a
trim soon. He hated it too wild.

“Are you sure about this?” His lover’s hand came around his waist and

was followed by a soft kiss to his back. Cameron tried not to flinch.
Lately, it was getting harder to hide his feelings of wanting to break it off.
Maybe it was a good thing that he was going to New Orleans, but even
still he wouldn’t go and leave the relationship the way it was.

“I’m sure,” he said, and rose. “Besides, it’s not like I have much of a

choice.”

“You always have a choice,” Owen said and reached out to touch

Cameron, but he moved out of reach. The weight of his obvious love for
Cameron got to him sometimes. He hated that he had to hurt the man, but
it was wrong to stay in a relationship where he wasn’t in it with all his
heart. In the end, that would hurt Owen more.

Once he was dressed, he swung around to face his lover. “Listen, I was

thinking...”

Owen sat up and allowed the sheet scarcely covering his naked form to

slip lower. Despite his eagerness to leave the relationship, Cameron
acknowledged that Owen had a great body. Although lean, every muscle
was defined under smooth, pale skin. Owen had trouble tanning no matter
how much time he spent in the sun. He wore horn-rimmed glasses almost
twenty-four seven, which added to his geek persona. Then again, he was a
brilliant scientist. His beautiful mind was what allowed Cameron to do
what he intended in a few days.

“My brother was murdered, and the police are sitting on their asses

because they’re too chicken shit to find out the truth about what happened
to him in New Orleans. I want to see justice, so no, I don’t have a choice.”

“And vengeance,” Owen muttered.

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Cameron frowned at him. “He was all I had.”
“You have me,” Owen insisted. He perked up a little. “I can come with

you.”

Cameron sighed. “We discussed this already. You can’t take the drug,

and you need to be in a safe place where I don’t have to worry about
watching over you. My main focus is going to be finding my brother’s
killer. That’s all.”

He paced to the window overlooking the street. Their apartment—or

he should say Owen’s apartment—lay in a decent neighborhood in D.C.
Owen had a couple of small contracts with the government, but he’d kept
the shifter experiments under wraps. Cameron worked as a lowly tech at a
second rate auto shop. He didn’t even get the salary of a mechanic because
all he did was change oil. The fact that he’d hooked up with someone like
Owen had at first been a huge feather in his cap.

“Why does that sound final to me?” Owen asked.
Too smart for his own good. Cameron ran a hand through his hair.

Maybe he would buzz cut it. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to change, or if I
do, if I’ll be able to switch back. One of them may even kill me. I can’t
have ties here.”

Owen leaped from the bed and came at him. Cameron couldn’t hold

him off from throwing his arms around his waist and pressing close. He
also couldn’t control the hardness in his cock when Owen’s brushed his
thigh. Owen peered up at him with tears in his eyes. “I’ve been working
too much. You haven’t had a lot of time with me. I’ll cut back. Don’t
break it off, Cam. I know I can do better.”

Cameron cringed inside. He hated when men cried. He didn’t like a

weak man. As far as he knew, the last time he cried was when he was
eleven and his mother passed away. That’s when his brother took over
raising him, and he’d been there ever since. They never knew their dad.
Even though he loved his brother more than anyone, Cameron hadn’t shed
a tear at his funeral. Kyle deserved more than that. He deserved Cameron
ripping his killer apart.

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He allowed Owen to hold him a little longer and then pushed him

away gently. “I’m sorry. The last thing I want to do is hurt you, Owen.
You’re a good man, but it’s better if I make a clean break. I have to do this
my way.”

“It’s always your way,” Owen railed. “I love you. That has to count

for—”

His patience snapped. “Damn it, don’t you get it? I’m not going to be

human. I may never be again. We both agreed on the risks.”

“You agreed!”
Owen turned his back and stomped over to the closet. He raked

through hanger after hanger of pants and shirts. Cameron’s entire
wardrobe lay in the bottom drawer of the dresser. He’d not allowed Owen
to buy him anything in the time they had been together.

“I didn’t have to tell you about what I was working on,” Owen said

with his gaze averted. “I didn’t have to admit the formula was done.”

“You’ve been honest from the beginning, and our belief that what

killed my brother was not an animal—not one we’re all familiar with—
was what brought us together.” He strolled over to stand behind Owen and
rested his hands on the shorter man’s shoulders. Cameron gave them a
squeeze, just enough pressure. He kissed Owen’s neck and felt the shiver
that passed through the man. “You also know I’m not letting you back out
of this.”

“It’s because of your aggression that it will work on you and not

someone like me.” Owen’s words sounded like a complaint, but he’d
always liked Cameron’s roughness, his total lack of class. He wouldn’t
know how to act in the upper crust parties Owen sometimes attended if he
tried, which was why he’d always refused to go.

Owen pushed his ass out, rubbing it against Cameron’s thigh, but

Cameron stepped back. Now that he was breaking it off, he wouldn’t have
sex with Owen again, even if he was tempted. This afternoon, he would
find somewhere else to stay until he left for New Orleans. Excitement to
get started and fear of the unknown stirred in his belly.

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“That’s right, so don’t give me any grief about it,” he said. “I’m the

perfect candidate, and like you said, we don’t know if I’ll change, but I’ll
give off a scent like I’m one of them. That might be just enough to get me
in, and I’m taking it.”

Owen’s shoulders slumped. “Fine. But say you’ll think about us while

you’re gone. I want us to be together. I’ll accept your decision now, but I
expect you to come back. Even if—”

Cameron spun him to face him and shook the man. “You put a bullet

between my eyes or you inject me with something lethal if you can’t fix
me. That’s what you promised!”

“I…”
“Owen!”
“Fine, fine,” he conceded.
Cameron turned away from the deep hurt he saw in the other man’s

eyes. A twinge of guilt and sadness passed through his chest at the end of
a good relationship. He might not have been in love with Owen, but he
cared, and they’d had fun. He hoped despite his selfishness, he’d given
Owen some happiness even if it hadn’t lasted. Now everything was going
to change.

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Chapter One

Cameron pulled his car to the side of the road. He swiped an arm over

his moist forehead and blinked several times. One minute his vision was
clearer than it had ever been in his life, and the next he couldn’t see for
shit. His heart raced in his chest, and it seemed like every muscle had been
put through the ringer.

Even with the A/C on, he was drenched in sweat, and so overheated,

he had to roll the window down. They were still one month away from
spring, and the weather hadn’t turned warmer. Aside from that, he was
burning up. When the window didn’t do it for him, he stepped out of the
car. The early evening air whipped over his head, slightly cool on the new
buzz cut.

He took a step and staggered against the car. They hadn’t planned for

this. He’d been a fool to push Owen to give him the drug, and then cut the
monitoring time short. Back in D.C., everything had looked fine. Now, he
wouldn’t be surprised if he keeled over dead right here.

The next time the wind swept through, he picked up a scent he’d not

smelled moments before. He scrubbed at his eyes and peered into the
darkening night. All around him were trees, big ones with branches
stretched over the road and blocking the sky. He thought he got a view of
the bayou off in the distance, but his mind could be playing tricks on him.

Dizziness assailed him, and he fell down to his knees. His head grew

heavy, and the blood rushing in his ears was only drowned out by his
heavy panting. A low growl reached him, and Cameron turned his head in
that direction. He just caught a shadow zipping among the trees, and then
a wolf stood a few feet away. If Cameron’s heart had been racing seconds
before, it seemed to have stopped now. The beast was huge with lots of
hair, much bigger than the lean wolves he’d seen on TV. The thick coat
was as black as midnight, and the eyes were silver. They appeared to glow
in the dull light.

Then it changed, subtly at first and then with the precision of having

done it a million times. The beast grew, if that was possible, and the hair

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didn’t exactly fall out, but it was all of a sudden gone. Replaced by
smooth—human—tanned skin that stretched over the big, hard-muscled
body of man.

“Y-You are real,” Cameron rasped and collapsed in a heap on the

ground.

* * * *

Cameron opened his eyes and groaned. His muscles had been sore

earlier. Now they were on fire. His skin ached. The bed he laid on even
though it was nice and the sheets were quality-made, hurt him. Wait, bed?
Where am I?

He pushed up to his elbow to have a look around, but right away

strong hands descended to his shoulders to push him down. “Hold on.
You’re not ready to get up just yet.”

To his annoyance, Cameron cried out in pain at the touch. The man

leaning over him withdrew his hands right away.

“Sorry about that, love. You okay?”
Cameron frowned at the use of the endearment, but the dialect let him

know the man was native to New Orleans. He’d found his way here, he
guessed. “I’m fine,” he muttered. “Where am I?”

“In the Cain household,” the man said with a smile of pride. Silver

eyes twinkled at him, reminding him of the wolf he’d seen. Or was that a
dream? The man was big, really big. His shoulder span went beyond any
that Cameron had ever seen on a man, and his dark hair lay in semi-
disordered ringlets about his head. From the way he held himself,
confident yet kind, he appeared to be one hundred percent male and
probably not gay. A shame, he mused, feeling his attraction rise. Okay get
a grip on your hormones, Cameron. You have one job here, and that’s it.
Find the shifters.

Whatever symptoms of becoming a shifter he’d experienced before

such as enhanced sight and smell were long gone for the moment. He just
felt like a very sick man with no clue to what was going on around him.

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For some reason even though he’d had no lengthy use of the extra senses,
without them it was as if he were naked and blind.

The man put a cloth in a bowl of water and wrung it out before placing

it on Cameron’s forehead. He opened another wad of material to reveal
some herbs and took up a pinch. “Chew on this.”

Cameron frowned. “Hell no. What is that, some kind of voodoo stuff?”
The insult was clear in the man’s eyes. “No, it’s just herbs. It will

make you feel better and take care of some of the pain. If you don’t want
it, I have no problem letting you suffer. You’re not from around here even
if you are a wolf.”

Cameron froze, and his eyes widened. Shifter. This man, whoever he

was, thought Cameron was a shifter. So the drug worked, but that meant
his dream was real. The man he’d seen change from wolf form to human
was this guy. Fear tightened his stomach, and the man’s nostrils flared.
Too late, Cameron remembered that animals could smell fear.

He leaned down over Cameron and breathed in deep. From his neck to

his chest, just touching Cameron’s bare skin, he moved down toward his
pants. Hovering somewhere between his stomach and his crotch, the man
stopped exploring, and Cameron willed his cock not to harden any more.
He’d already insulted the guy and didn’t know if being turned-on would
cause him to attack.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” the man said after some time. Amusement

in his eyes when he met Cameron’s gaze pissed him off.

“Like you could,” Cameron spat.
The man chuckled. “Anyway, I smell a man on you. A human if I had

to guess. I don’t smell any women.” His silver eyes flashed. “Are you gay,
cher?”

Cameron swore. “Isn’t it more polite to introduce yourself first before

asking a person their sexual orientation?”

Another chuckle made Cameron grit his teeth.
“Mato Cain,” he announced with a slight nod. “As I said, this is the

Cain residence.”

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“You say that like I should recognize the name,” Cameron answered.

“I’m Cameron Holbrook.” He had chosen a random last name off the top
of his head. If these people had anything to do with Kyle’s death, he didn’t
need them recognizing the name and looking him up. He and his brother
had looked nothing alike, him taking after his mother with chestnut hair
and Kyle apparently inheriting their father’s looks, being fair. Kyle had
been no one special either except he’d worked two, sometimes three jobs
to support them until Cameron finished high school. Kyle hadn’t allowed
him to work before that, causing many arguments between them. Thinking
this man in front of him could have been the one to snatch away the
person who meant everything to him made his last words sound harsher
than he’d intended. His plan had been to get in good with the shifters not
insult them and alienate himself.

Mato only smiled at him. “I know how it is. I’ve been here just five

years. Didn’t know the Cains from a hole in the wall even though I lived
my entire life in Nawlins.”

Cameron’s eyes widened. The question must have been in his

expression because Mato went on to explain. “I grew up in a little shack
on the edge of the bayou, raised by my grandmother since my mother was
too busy sleeping her way through half the men in Louisiana. Luke Cain,
an influential man in these parts, was my father. I just found that out when
my grandmother was on her deathbed.” He shrugged like it was all matter
of fact, but Cameron saw the pain in his eyes. He knew that loss but was
used to hiding it. Mato went on. “I decided I wouldn’t have anything to do
with the Cains, but my grandmother had other plans.”

“I don’t mean to be rude,” Cameron interrupted, “but if your mother

was sleeping around, how do you know this Luke Cain was your father?”

Mato stood up and moved away from the bed. For some odd reason,

Cameron found himself wanting to follow after him, to stay close by. He
resisted the feeling. Besides, he was sure if he tried to get up, he’d fall on
his face. He would not look like a fool in front of him.

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“For one,” Mato said without a hint of offense, “I inherited his wolf—

midnight black coat and silver eyes—and two, I am the spitting image of
him.”

He continued to talk about his past and the Cain family, which he’d at

first rejected, along with their status in life, their obvious wealth. From
what Mato shared, that wealth had come from the mating between his
cousin, the present head of the Cain family, and the son of another shifter.
Cameron listened to the deep, rumbling tone of his voice. Something
inside of him was soothed, although he couldn’t have put his finger on
what it was. He glanced down at the bed beside him and saw that the herbs
had been left there. He hesitated only a second before grabbing up the
small pile and tossing them into his mouth. The taste was bitter at first and
then sweet.

“Am I supposed to swallow?”
Mato turned back to face him. Once again, amusement lit his eyes.

Cameron knew he was in trouble. He wanted this man, but there was no
way in hell he’d sleep with someone who wasn’t human.

“Cher, it’s always good when you swallow.”
Cameron groaned. He didn’t bother to comment on the statement but

swallowed the sweet liquid his chewing had generated. To his surprise, the
burn inside him lessened, but then he began to worry that somehow the
herbs would cure him. Were they that powerful? He knew nothing of such
things, but had heard that people in these parts didn’t always depend on
doctors—or for that matter, the law.

Mato returned to his side and sat on the bed. His gaze burned into

Cameron’s as if he could see straight down to his soul. Cameron squirmed,
hoping one of the gifts Mato had as a shifter wasn’t knowing a counterfeit
wolf from a born one. He darted his tongue over his dry lips, and Mato’s
attention was arrested there. The bulge swelling in his pants was no longer
something he could hide. No one would believe he wasn’t gay.

“I’m curious,” Mato said, breaking Cameron’s train of thought.
He tried to pull himself together. “Curious about what?”

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“First, are you feeling better?” He rested a hand on Cameron’s chest.

The touch was light, but damn if it didn’t feel like he crushed him, such
was his attraction. One stroke could probably set his body to flaming as it
had been earlier. This time though it would be desire and not pain.

“I’m better,” he pushed out around shortness of breath. He cursed

himself, hating the fact that he sounded like an inexperienced woman
rather than a man who’d never denied his preference. Kyle had accepted
him, which was one of the reasons he’d loved him so much.

Mato bent over him bringing his face so close to Cameron’s that the

warmth from his breath teased Cameron’s nose. Against his better
judgment, Cameron shifted his focus to Mato’s lips. They were full and
thick, sexy as hell, and invited him to taste them without a word. Cameron
held himself stiff and swallowed over and over. No amount of mental
exercises could get him to calm down, and when Mato sucked in a deep
breath as if taking in Cameron’s essence, Cameron scratched at the sheets
under him.

“Careful, cher,” Mato whispered, “you’re giving yourself away.”
“What do you mean?” Cameron demanded.
Mato reached up and brushed fingers through Cameron’s hair. “You

know of course. I sense your desire. The women get wet, and I can smell
it. You know. Down there.” He pointed so close to Cameron’s hard-on
that it twitched in his pants. “I suppose if you got more excited, you would
give off a stronger scent in your own way.” The wonder in his expression
drew a certain suspicion in Cameron.

“What are you curious about?” he asked.
Mato stared at him as if he wondered how honest to be. “I’ve never

been with a man.”

Cameron froze and then shoved at Mato’s chest. Something in Mato’s

tone made him question whether he was telling the truth. He couldn’t
imagine why the man would lie though. He moved to swing his feet over
the side of the bed and rise, but Mato blocked his path. He didn’t get why
he was so pissed off. After all, he’d already decided he wanted nothing to
do with this man. Mato wasn’t human, and the last thing he intended to do

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while he conducted his investigation was to fuck an animal. No, wasn’t
happening.

He pushed to take a stand, but the room began to spin. Mato’s strong

arms came around his waist. Cameron gave him a mighty shove that had
knocked smaller men on their asses. Mato didn’t even stumble, nor did his
grip lessen.

“Where are you going?” he murmured in Cameron’s ear.
The menacing sound sent chills racing along Cameron’s spine, but

when he forced his head up and the fear down, he found desire instead of
malice in the shifter’s gaze. Their chests vied for space and ground against
each other with them breathing hard. Cameron’s cock couldn’t strain any
more in his pants. The shaft wanted out to play, but if there was one thing
Cameron hated, it was men who just wanted to “experiment” with being
gay. He liked a man who knew what he was and lived it.

“Thanks for taking care of me, but I think it’s time for me to go,” he

announced while struggling to get out of Mato’s hold. Having a man best
him in strength wasn’t something he was used to.

If anything, Mato’s embrace contracted, encircling Cameron in a

prison that took away his control. He didn’t appreciate it. With extra
effort, he elbowed more space between them and managed to twist away
from Mato. That turned out to be a mistake when the man spooned him.
Cameron let a string of epithets fall from his lips.

“There’s something different about you,” Mato said while nuzzling his

neck. “You smell different from all the other wolves.”

Cameron thought fast. He sneered. “Is that why you want to fuck me?

Because I’m not like the others?”

Mato ran a hand over his abs and lingered there a while. The feeling of

having his palm against his skin brought the realization that Cameron
didn’t have a shirt on, and his feet were bare. He couldn’t help watching
Mato’s hand movements and imagining him pushing past the waistband of
his pants to take the edge off his erection. Annoyed at himself, he covered
Mato’s hand with his own.

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“You’re so beautiful,” Mato commented. “I want you. What would it

be like to have it in my mouth? Would it taste good? I think you should let
me try it while we have the opportunity.”

Cameron opened his mouth to answer, but the bedroom door opened,

and another man appeared in the archway. As if they had been waiting for
that particular moment, Cameron’s enhanced abilities switched on full
force. When he’d buried his brother, he’d kept a shredded piece of his
brother’s shirt on Owen’s advice, saying he might be able to pick up a
scent with it. Cameron had memorized the scent during the times when his
sense of smell was that of the wolf. He could never mistake it, and right
now, this man in front of him carried that same scent.

“Who is this?” Cameron asked in a tone of voice he didn’t recognize.
Mato released him and stepped away. “This is my cousin and head of

my family, Lucas Cain.”

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Chapter Two

Mato watched Cam across the table. He’d taken to calling him Cam

because he thought it suited the man better. The nickname was less formal,
and if anything Mato preferred casualness, fun. He couldn’t believe how
attracted to Cam he was. The feeling inside him was almost a need to be
closer. Mato had had many lovers. His sexual appetite was healthy, but he
was also open-minded about whatever interested him. Cameron Holbrook
was the number one interest. He shouldn’t want Cam this much. What
could it mean? Could he be his mate? No, that was impossible.

Now that he’d taken on the Cain name and lived in the household with

access to many more opportunities like the gatherings at Lucas’s mate’s
family home, he enjoyed his life more. He met other shifters on a regular
basis. He looked at Cam again and breathed deeply, taking in his scent. A
man bred and raised in the city, he bet, masculine, full of pride. Mato’s
cock hardened. He got a hard-on just smelling him. The way he’d behaved
was like a bitch in heat, touching Cam the way that he had and wondering
at tasting him. The wolf in Mato whined for it, but he tamped down the
longing, for now. What bothered him was how from the moment Cam met
Lucas, he was enthralled with every word that dropped from his lips. Mato
had come to admire his cousin, but at that moment, he could have happily
ripped into his neck.

“Mato, what’s that look for?” Lucas’s question pulled him from his

thoughts.

Mato leaned back in his chair and set his fork down. He’d not eaten

much of his dinner, often preferring to run in wolf form out along the
bayou and hunt for his food. That’s what he’d been used to doing much of
his life. His human grandmother had never put him down for it. “Nothing,
just wondering if I will have to fight you for Cam.”

Lucas raised his eyebrows, and Cam frowned.
“Don’t be stupid. I have a mate whom I’m connected to in every sense

of the word.”

Mato chuckled. “All except leaving New Orleans for him.”

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Lucas’s lips tightened. “He’s away on business. He will be back.”
“I’m not judging your relationship, cousin.” Mato shifted his gaze to

Cam. “I just know my lover would not sleep away from my bed—ever.”

Cam’s face reddened, and Mato grinned.
“Don’t you have something going with Bella?” Lucas snapped. His

cousin knew better than that. Bella was not anyone Mato would ever be
interested in.

The accusation in Cam’s expression pleased him more than anything.

If Cam wasn’t interested, he wouldn’t give a damn. Mato laughed. “No, I
don’t. How can a woman hold my interest with Cam here?”

His attitude seemed to get under Lucas’s skin more than usual. Mato

enjoyed poking at his cousin. They got along fine most days as Lucas was
usually busy with work in his mate’s company. Everyone told him his
cousin had an easy-going personality, and he’d have to agree. However,
with Gray gone, Lucas’s wolf rose to the surface more often than not, and
that was a whole different kind of personality.

“You never take anything seriously, Mato,” Lucas complained.
Mato wasn’t insulted in the least. “I’m eager to be just like my cousin,

who I admire like a big brother.”

The growl that rose in Lucas’s throat was hard followed by the slight

scent of fear. Mato glanced at Cam, and something tightened inside him.
He didn’t understand how Cam could be riled so easily, but he didn’t like
it. He surged to his feet and leaned over the table, ready to go at Lucas.

“Calm down now!” he commanded.
Lucas’s eyes went to slits, and he dropped his napkin beside his plate

before rising slowly to his feet. Between clenched teeth he pushed out,
“You’ve forgotten your place.”

“My place is wherever I say it is,” he countered.
They glared at each other for long moments, and then Cam dropped

his hand on Lucas’s shoulder and squeezed. “It’s okay, Lucas. You should
just ignore him. I think he just likes getting under people’s skin. It’s gotta
be tough not having your...um...mate around.”

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The rejection couldn’t be clearer. The impact was like getting a kick in

the gut, which it shouldn’t be since they weren’t mated. Mato hadn’t even
kissed Cam, yet he was drawn to him like no other person.

Lucas straightened. He glared right at Mato before laying a hand over

the one on his shoulder. “Thanks. I appreciate the understanding.”

He dies.
Mato’s teeth sharpened in his mouth. The rumble of a growl started

deep in his throat but wasn’t auditory just yet. He’d heard the wolf
unmistakably, confirming what he suspected. His beast had already
claimed Cam, and for Lucas to touch Cam, he had every right to kill him.
Cam would be terrified, but it couldn’t be helped.

Mato pointed a finger on the dining room table, the nail sharpened and

thick like the wolf’s. He scraped the surface, creating curls of wood
spiraling into the air. “He belongs to me. I found him. I brought him back.
I healed him.” The simplicity of his speech was a testament to losing
control. He’d seen it in others of his kind and saw that Lucas noted it as
well. That didn’t matter for one second. “You touched him. You die.”

If Mato had been in his right mind, he’d recognize that Lucas was in

essence his alpha, being the head of a family he had accepted as his own.
Lucas called the shots, and when he gave an order, Mato needed to obey.
Normally, that was not an issue for Mato. Lucas didn’t use his authority to
push people around, and he got it that Mato did what he damned well
pleased. However, Mato had it in him to be alpha being his father’s son,
and he had a good fifty pounds of muscle over Lucas. He could easily
slice and dice his cousin and serve him on a platter if Lucas didn’t use the
power in him.

Mato watched his cousin’s ears elongate and point at the tips. He bared

his teeth, and snarled. They faced off with Mato circling the table to get to
Lucas’s side. He hadn’t climbed over it for the simple fact of loving the
feel of a coming fight. The greater distance to his opponent built his
adrenaline and pumped hot blood through his veins. Anticipation was
sweet in his mouth. Soon he would taste his cousin’s coppery life source
and relish the kill.

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From a distance, Cam’s voice reached him. “Stop this, you two. Stop!

You’re family. Lucas! Mato!”

Cam, although he gave off great fear, stepped between them. He stood

straight and tall, his eyes fierce. Mato liked it in him, that he was willing
to face what he was afraid of like a man—like a wolf. While Mato would
never hurt Cam, he knew Lucas had no qualms about hurting whoever was
in his way, interfering with the fight he longed for as much as Mato. He
would tear Cam apart, so Mato pushed him roughly aside. Cam stumbled
and dropped toward the floor, but he caught himself with both hands in a
crouch. Mato turned back to Lucas.

“You dare challenge me?” Lucas spat. “I’m your head.”
“You’re my head because I choose it,” he replied.
Lucas growled and began to crouch, preparing for an attack. “Come

here, puppy!”

Mato launched himself at his cousin, but all of a sudden Cam was

there. His arms came up around Mato’s waist, and he wedged himself tight
into Mato’s length. The shock of having the man he desired pressed
against him snatched Mato from his violent intentions, and he stared at
Cam. Something in his eyes must have still appeared wild, because an
expression of desperation flitted across Cam’s face. He moved his hands
to Mato’s ass cheeks and squeezed then closed the space between their
heads. Cam’s lips closed over Mato’s, cutting off any thoughts or growls.

Mato willed his teeth back to human form so he wouldn’t cut Cam’s

mouth, and he lost himself in the kiss. He brought his hands up to Cam’s
back to press him closer. His cock swelled in his pants as he lost himself
in a flavor that went beyond all previous experiences. He filled Cam’s
mouth with his tongue, and to his surprise, Cam tongued him back with as
much gusto. The moans which had been aggressive earlier preceding the
fight were just as animalistic now, but for a whole other reason.

As if he’d been starving for years to taste Cam, Mato devoured the

man’s mouth. Greedy and hungry, he kissed along his throat, sucking at
his Adam’s apple. He went after Cam’s legs to wrap them around his waist
so he could get a better feel of the erection he knew his soon to be lover

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was sporting. Cam’s struggle in his hold and a cleared throat stopped his
actions, and he raised his head.

Cam gave a hesitant frown. “You’re angry?”
Mato wondered at what he meant but then realized what he must be

seeing. When Mato was sexually excited, he lost himself, and the wolf
surfaced a lot more, but not in a way to fight. His eyes almost glowed, and
they paled more than they were in his human form. He kind of liked them,
and they’d made more than one lover both excited and nervous. He
enjoyed Cam’s reaction too.

“No, how can I be? You offered yourself to me.”
His tease made Cam shove him off and take a step back. He jerked at

his clothes and tried to hide that he needed to adjust his cock. “I was just
doing whatever it took to keep the two of you from fighting. Don’t make it
more than it was.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Mato glanced over at his cousin to see that

Lucas had returned to his seat. Cam’s actions had served to calm him as
well. Mato reached for Cam’s plate and shoved it to his side of the table.
He strolled around to his seat and sat down. “You’re over here, Cam.”

Cam’s nostrils flared. Mato found he liked flustering his partner.
“I can choose where I sit!”
“And I can beat my cousin senseless.” Mato calmly buttered a roll and

took one bite before popping the rest into his mouth.

Cam didn’t move, but he flexed his fingers forming fists at his side.
“Better to go over there,” Lucas said in a weary tone. “His wolf has

claimed you.” Lucas didn’t appear happy about it.

“That’s not the way I operate,” Cam snapped, but he did comply.
Lucas examined the new wolf in a way that irritated Mato. He gave a

small grunt in warning. His cousin averted his eyes, sighing. “You smell
different.”

Cam shifted in his chair. “I’m not from around here.”
“He’s from D.C.,” Mato volunteered. “As I said, I found him delirious

on the side of the road. I was out for a run and smelled something sweeter
than honey. I’ve yet to do a taste test, right, cher?”

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“Shut up.”
They sat chatting about Cam’s background and the kind of work he did

in D.C. Mato thought he seemed evasive about what he was doing in New
Orleans. The man’s gaze skittered away, breaking eye contact. He vowed
to unearth all of Cam’s secrets, and then he would make him his bonded
mate.

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Chapter Three

Why did I kiss him, damn it! Cam had been railing at himself all night

long because instead of sleeping, he was lying in bed replaying that dining
room scene. Not the part where two werewolves were about to rip each
other’s throats out of course. That would have been terrifying alone, and it
was. No, his idiot head had to dwell on the feel of Mato’s lips on his, and
along his throat. He’d never felt so...so... “Fuck it!”

He flung the covers back and began pacing the room. Earlier he’d

insisted on having a room to himself and not sharing Mato’s bed. Right
now with the painful hard-on between his legs, he’d like nothing better
than to be flat on his stomach under Mato, and that was ridiculous.

Cam pushed his hands through his hair and closed his eyes, but that

turned out to be a mistake. He could see Mato’s big body, hard and wet
from the shower. Before Cam had been able to escape, he’d caught sight
of the man coming out of the bathroom with just a towel around his
narrow waist. How he’d longed to snatch it off and feast his eyes on what
must be the most perfect male in the world.

Sure, Lucas had been sexy, but he had nothing on Mato. With thoughts

of Lucas, Cam tried bringing to the forefront the fact that the head of the
Cain wolf shifters might well be the murderer who’d killed his brother.
The knowledge had thrown him for a loop for only a short while, and then
he’d plotted to get in close to the man. Mato had shared with him that
Lucas was mated to another man. Cam didn’t pretend to understand all the
mating stuff, but he knew New Orleans law didn’t recognize them as
married. If Lucas was gay, maybe he should try seducing him.

He stopped pacing near the bed and looked down at the rumpled

sheets. Mato’s bed had smelled of him, earthy and wild. The taste of his
mouth, the feel of his tongue curling with Cam’s sent chills of desire
racing over Cam’s flesh. He wanted more, but no, sleeping with Mato was
out of the question. He might think of seducing Lucas, but having sex with
him hadn’t entered his mind. Mato, however, wouldn’t let it end with a bit
of teasing and flirting, a few kisses. He’d want to take it all the way, and

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the problem with that was that Cam longed for the same thing. He couldn’t
risk it. Could he?

“No, no, no.” He rested his forehead against the cool glass of the

window.

Movement below caught his attention, and he peered out into the

night. Earlier, he’d noticed that the clouds completely covered the moon.
He looked up. The moon was still out of sight, and yet, he saw the terrain
with no issues. The wolf in him wasn’t gone. Despite that, he felt like
something was missing from him, something unlike the others. What had
Lucas said? “His wolf has claimed you.”

Cam remembered thinking he talked about the wolf as if it was a

separate entity. Was there internal dialogue with this beast? No, it couldn’t
be, but even if there was, Cam was not aware of anything inside of him, no
additional consciousness other than a sense of greater ability and power.
Even with that, he felt inadequate, like he didn’t measure up to the kind of
shifters both Lucas and Mato were.

A dark figure moved again in the shadows, and Cam studied the area.

He was sure now that there was a man down there. The lithe figure
crouched and then shifted. Cam pushed his window open. The wolf
paused, and he knew it had heard or smelled him. Was it Mato? He took in
a deep breath, and on the cool night air, he recognized the scent. The wolf
was Lucas, big and black, but not nearly the size of Mato’s counterpart.

Cam clutched the window sill. He heard the sound of scratching before

he looked down and found that it was him. His claws had grown out
without him realizing. “Wait, claws? I really am like them.”

“You’re nothing like us.”
Cam jumped and spun around. Mato stood in his room naked. Cam’s

heartbeat kicked up a thousand times normal. Partly he was worried he’d
been found out, and partly his desire had grown beyond reason looking at
Mato.

In Mato’s face, he caught no hint of suspicion or anger. Mato took a

step closer to him, essentially blocking him from escape without a fight.
Battling with this man, though, was the last thing he wanted to do.

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Mato bent forward and licked one of Cam’s nipples. He’d worn only

boxers to bed. The sensation of being licked, along with the cool night air,
hardened his nipple. His head tilted back, and his eyes began to close
before he caught himself and shuffled away from Mato.

“I didn’t tell you you could come in.”
Mato followed as if drawn by an invisible magnet. “You called to me,

cher. I felt your need. Mine echoes yours. I know you want me to do what
I just did and more. If you tell me what you want, I will give it to you.” He
grabbed for Cam’s hand and placed it on his dick. Cam was hard-pressed
not to give the shaft a squeeze and a stroke, but he didn’t find the strength
to pull away. Mato’s cock seemed to pulse under his hand, and Cam licked
his lips.

“I don’t want a virgin.” He sneered. “My lovers have experience.”
“Really?” Mato’s eyes glittered with amusement in the darkness, and

he tilted his head. “So you don’t think I can please you here?” He reached
around behind Cam and grabbed his ass. A finger pierced his crack and
pushed at his hole. He sucked in a sharp breath and almost sank to his
knees. Virgin or not, Mato’s every touch lit him up. He hated his body’s
reactions and wanted to run, but he’d never backed down from a
challenge.

“Whether you can please me or not is not the issue here.” He infused

his tone with as much blandness as he could so Mato wouldn’t suspect
how much he was affected. “I’m not interested in taking this further.”

Mato moved so close, his chest pushed into Cam’s. Only pride kept

Cam from stepping back, but Mato’s scent and the touch of his skin
bombarded his senses. Something sweeter in his aroma tickled Cam’s
nose.

Mato ran a finger along his cheek. Cam frowned and turned his head,

but that allowed Mato to kiss his cheek and nibble at his ear. Cam growled
and shoved at him. Mato didn’t budge. He grasped Cam around the waist
and dragged him closer. Cam’s cock swelled in his boxers, and the
expression of self-satisfaction on Mato’s face pissed him off so much, his
scalp tingled.

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“I don’t want—”
Mato stroked the line between his cheeks. “You don’t want?”
Cam swore under his breath. Against his will, his hands slid up Mato’s

back, luxuriating in the plains and valleys, the hardness of his muscles.
Cam dipped his head, not meeting Mato’s eyes. He expected any second
for Mato to take it further, but he seemed to be waiting until Cam came to
a decision on his own.

With his breath expelling in shorts bursts, Cam leaned in and filled his

lungs with air while running his nose along the expanse of skin from
Mato’s neck to his shoulder. “I—I don’t understand,” he muttered, when
an urge rose in him that made no sense.

“You want to bite me,” Mato responded.
“No, I would never…uh…” He couldn’t admit that Mato was right.

The thought was insane. No rational human being would think of such a
thing. Of course. The urge hadn’t come from the part of him that was
human. The wolf wanted it, he realized, that wildness in him to claim
Mato. He hadn’t felt anything like that for Lucas. Why Mato? The truth
was he needed to. Everything inside him ached to go as far as possible
with Mato.

In his mouth, Cam’s teeth grew sharper, and the moisture increased. If

he let himself go, he’d be salivating for Mato, and just the thought of such
a thing disgusted him. He pulled back and took a few steps in retreat. He
thought Mato would follow, but the man stood where he was, as still as a
statue. After a few moments, Mato turned and walked to the bed. Cam
found himself following. What the hell is wrong with me?

An ache like none other compelled him to trail after Mato. He drew up

behind the man and rested his hands on Mato’s hips. Without considering
what he was about to do, he pressed his lips to Mato’s neck. The next
instant, he’d bared his fangs and readied to take a bite. Mato’s hand came
up and caught his jaw in a massive palm. For a minute, Cam growled and
fought the hold. He turned his head and raised an angry gaze to lock with
Mato’s.

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Silver eyes mesmerized him, and Mato swung to face him. He took

Cam into his arms and reached without hesitation to the swollen bulge
between his legs. Cam nearly howled with pleasure, and Mato pulled the
material of his boxers down slowly, torturing him.

“I know you want to bite me, but you’re still an innocent in that way,”

Mato said.

Cam, his mind clouded with desire, didn’t get it.
“You don’t understand what it means if you bite me,” Mato explained.

“Even though we both want it, I can’t let you go that far and not get what
you’re doing.” He released Cam’s shaft from its barrier and wrapped his
fingers around it. “Trust me. If I had my way, I would possess you in
every sense of the word. That’s coming. I promise you! But not yet.
Tonight, I’m having you.”

“You’re not nervous,” Cam said and knew it was true.
“Why should I be?” Mato looked down, and Cam followed his line of

vision. He didn’t remember being this hard before—or as long. Mato
flicked a thumb over his cock head, capturing a bit of pre-come. “This is
what I want, and I usually get what I want. The question is, are you going
to give in to what you want. Well?”

“This doesn’t mean anything,” Cam asserted. “If we fuck.”
“Oh, cher,” Mato teased, raising his chin for a kiss. “This is not

fucking. This is making love.”

The moment Cam ended up on the bed, face down with his boxers

discarded on the floor, he knew he wouldn’t regret it. Mato’s lips and
tongue on his ass sent chills racing over his skin. He arched his back,
pushing his ass into the air. Mato stretched out behind him and licked from
his balls to his anus. He rimmed it with such firm pressure, Cam moaned.

“It’s okay?” he asked, hoping it was. If Mato stopped, he’d lose it.
Mato’s answer was to groan and lick him again. He used his thumbs to

push Cam’s cheeks apart then danced his tongue over the sensitive skin.
Cam pushed higher and rocked his hips. Mato kissed and gently sucked at
him until Cam scrabbled at the sheets.

“You’re a natural,” he panted. “Eat it, Mato. Damn it, don’t stop.”

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“I won’t,” Mato assured him, and reached under Cam to stroke his

cock. Cam rocked up and down, forcing his dick to slide back and forth in
Mato’s palm. When he could hold back no longer, he let go. His come
spurted out thick and white, coating the sheets. He’d need a clean set, but
right now he didn’t give a damn. He wanted more. He needed to be filled
with Mato’s cock.

Cam flipped over and reached for Mato’s shaft. His hand shook as he

circled his lover’s tool. Mato was as massive down there as he was all
over, but it excited Cam more than made him afraid. He’d been with big
men in the past. The fact that they’d never been good in bed or outside of
it had been bitterly disappointing. Already Mato had made him feel better
than any previous lover. What surprised him was that because he was so
dominant, Cam didn’t have to take the lead position as he assumed he
would.

Cam glanced up into the silver eyes and then bent forward to take his

cock between his lips. He moaned at the first burst of flavor on his tongue.
Mato’s come was tangy and thick. He sucked hard for a bit more of the
pre-come and then swallowed as much of the shaft as he could. Mato’s
fingers knotted in his hair. He groaned and pushed Cam lower.

“Oh, yes, my love, take it all. Feels incredible. Suck me, Cam.”
Cam worked his hand up and down the shaft at the same time he

played with Mato’s balls. Mato’s hips came up off the bed, and he pumped
in and out of Cam’s mouth. A growl rose in Cam’s throat, and he was so
intensely aware of the man in front of him, it was almost like he was
losing a bit of himself but gaining some of the shifter. For a moment, fear
stole over him, and he stopped moving. Mato pulled him up, and they
faced each other, both sitting on their haunches.

“Stop,” Mato said.
“Stop what?”
He grasped Cam’s chin, but Cam brushed his hold off. Mato took his

hand. At first he pulled away, but then he let the other man thread his
fingers between his. They leaned in closer and began kissing. Cam
couldn’t deny this, whatever it was.

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“I need to be inside of you,” Mato whispered into his ear.
“I know,” Cam said. He ducked his head because he felt something

too, something that shouldn’t be there. His teeth sharpened in his mouth,
and he gritted them, trying to keep control.

“Don’t fight it.” Mato pulled his chin up, and once again Cam tried

pushing him off, but his bigger lover wouldn’t be dislodged this time.
“You want to bite me, and it feels wrong, but I assure you it’s what we do
when we claim our mate.”

Cam narrowed his eyes at him. “How come you’re not asking me why

I don’t know that?” He shouldn’t call attention to his ignorance, but a
blind man could see he was the dumbest wolf shifter in existence. He
should have studied up on them, but then where would he have gotten his
info? Owen had shared all he knew, which wasn’t much.

Mato brought his mouth in close to Cam’s, and their lips just brushed.

Cam ran the tip of his tongue over Mato’s bottom lip, and the man
shuddered in ecstasy. “What matters to me is that we belong together. You
need to know that. But…” He hesitated and stared into Cam’s eyes. “I
can’t let you bite me until you fully realize what you’re getting into.
There’s so much I want to say, but not yet.”

“Then let’s fuck,” Cam suggested. He was at his limit. He needed to be

filled just as badly as Mato needed to get into him.

“Make no mistake about it, cher. What we do here tonight is far from

fucking. We’re making love.”

“You already said that!” Cam didn’t know how to react to those

words. Whenever Owen had talked about love, he changed the subject,
backed off, and found somewhere else to be. After a while the scientist
had gotten it that Cam didn’t feel the same. He just believed that love
would come eventually. Cam had known Owen wasn’t the one for him,
but with Mato he tried imagining walking away when his digging for the
truth was over, and the pressure in his chest was too much. They’d just
met. He knew nothing much about Mato except that he’d been raised
without his father just as Cam had been. He’d had one family member that
he loved and lost, just as Cam had lost Kyle. Still, it seemed that

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something deeper connected them from the moment their eyes met. He
wouldn’t believe it was the wolf as that part of him was manufactured, a
fake produced from a lab.

“I’m not sure,” Mato said, snapping him from his thoughts.
Cam focused on him and was taken aback by the uncertainty in his

gaze. Mato had appeared to be bred from confidence. Was he changing his
mind about having sex? “What do you mean? You’re the one who pushed
for this. If you don’t want it—”

“Who said I don’t want it?” Mato interrupted. “Do you think I’m

walking away after going this far? No, you taste too good for me not to
have all of you.”

Cam jumped a little when Mato pressed a finger at his ass hole. Desire

took away most of his strength, and he leaned his forehead on the man’s
shoulder. He still felt a desire to bite him and fought it. “I have lube. Wait,
I’ll get it.”

Earlier he’d taken the lube out of his bag and set it on the side table.

He guessed something told him he’d be giving in to what they were about
to do. As he greased two of his fingers, excitement built inside of him.
More often than not, he’d been the one to take Owen, but he didn’t prefer
it that way. He was a strong man, even dominant sometimes, but he had
always wanted a man like Mato. Thinking about the shifter, he clenched
the fingers he still had on Mato’s shoulder to balance himself while he
worked at his anus. Get a hold of yourself, man. Don’t fall for him. He’s
not human. Cam didn’t get all the “mate” stuff anyway.

Mato seemed to pick up on the mushy feelings that were passing

through Cam’s head. He nuzzled his neck and nibbled gently at his lips.
They clung to each other, while Cam tried yanking his emotions under
control.

“Lay on your back. I want to straddle you,” he instructed Mato.
His lover grinned, and his silver eyes flashed as if he was not used to

receiving and obeying orders, but he said, “Whatever you want, baby,”
and laid down.

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Cam allowed his gaze to roam over Mato’s body, taking in the broad

chest, big arms, and flat abs. He feasted on the smooth, hard thighs,
sprinkled with dark hair. Mato’s cock jutted up from his big body, erect
and ready for him. Rather than face Mato, Cam turned around so his back
was to him and he scooted up higher on the bed. One thigh on either side
of Mato’s hips, Cam brought his ass down onto Mato’s cock while he held
it up to thread inside of him. He caught his breath as the expansive tool
stretched him wide.

Mato uttered some type of animal sound and grasped Cam’s hips. His

claws, which had grown out, dug into Cam’s skin. He winced, but nothing
could dull the pleasure in his rear. He wiggled a bit as inch after inch
disappeared inside of him. Before long, Mato was buried to the hilt.
Mato’s hold tightened.

“Just a second,” he moaned. “I’m so close to coming, but not yet. I

want to feel this a while. I want to pump into you.”

When Mato gave the signal, they began to move in a perfect rhythm.

Cam raised his ass by arching his back and holding onto Mato’s thighs.
Mato tugged him down onto his erection each time he rose as if he
couldn’t stand them separating.

“Oh, yes,” Mato hissed, “your ass is tight. I feel like I can’t fit, but it’s

smooth. Deeper! Faster! I want it all.”

He sat up, and one arm encircled Cam in a viselike grip. He held

himself upright with the other hand on the bed as he thrust upward again
and again. Cam bounced on him, loving the feel of Mato’s dick ravaging
his hole. He put his head back and moaned. Mato’s sharp teeth grazed his
neck. He turned into it and put a hand up to force the man’s mouth closer.

“You can’t want that,” Mato muttered, but he licked Cam’s skin.
Cam was hot, and moisture collected on his body in every place that

Mato touched. The shifter’s fingertips burned a tattoo of pleasure and
desire. “I need…” Cam began, but he didn’t know what it was he needed.
What he was sure of at that moment was that Mato had it, whatever it was.
“Please…”

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Mato spasmed, and hot liquid filled Cam’s ass. He grasped his own

cock and gave it a fast pump before he followed his lover, releasing thick
come onto his fingers and belly. The tips of Mato’s teeth just pierced his
skin, and Cam arched even more to receive the bite.

A shout and a bang on the door made them both freeze. Mato frowned.

Cam would have moved off of him, but he held on. They both turned
toward the door as it opened. Cam clenched his jaw at the sight of Lucas
standing there, and breathing in his scent was a cold bucket of water on his
lust. He’d been busy sniffing around Mato, being led by his dick when it
was this man he needed to get to know.

“I’m sure you weren’t about to do what I think you were,” Lucas said

in a quiet tone.

Mato didn’t appear to be ashamed at them being caught, and Cam

admired him for it. He did wonder, though, if these people were more
comfortable in their own skin since they had to be naked to shift into
wolves. Maybe it was their way to live like nudists.

“What I was going to do isn’t your concern, cousin.” Mato’s hand

slipped from Cam’s waist to cover his cock. While Cam liked the feeling,
now he just wanted to escape and get off display. Again, Mato appeared to
pick up on his emotions and hauled him tighter to his chest. “You know
he’s mine.”

“It’s false.” Lucas’s words sent a chill racing down Cam’s spine. Did

he, too, know Cam wasn’t a real shifter and therefore couldn’t be his
mate? Cam’s stomach muscles knotted, and he fought to keep his fears
under control. Both men would smell it, and there was no question as to
why.

“When I moved in here, I said I would recognize you as leader, but

you would not rule my life. Maybe you forgot that, Lucas.”

“How could anyone forget it?” Lucas snapped. “There’s a meeting.

Now. You’d better be there.” He disappeared from the doorway but didn’t
shut it behind him.

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Mato at last let go of Cam, and he moved off the bed. He looked

around for his boxers and snatched them up from the floor while watching
his lover. “About what he said…”

“Leave it.” Mato pulled him close for a kiss and then released him just

as quickly. He strolled to the door. “I’ll be back by morning. Wait for
me?”

Cam considered that if Lucas and Mato knew he wasn’t a real wolf,

then they might kill him. In fact, he didn’t know why they hadn’t killed
him already. He should get his ass out of town now and forget he ever met
these people. There was one problem with that decision. Two actually. He
was no coward, and Kyle deserved better than that.

“Yeah, I’ll be here when you get back.”

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Chapter Four

Cam slipped into his clothes after Mato left. He walked over to the

door and listened at the panels. No sounds reached him. Somewhere in the
near distance, a car started and drove off. So they hadn’t run on all fours to
whatever meeting they were going to. He didn’t know why he felt like
they were so wild modern conveniences like the car weren’t used. After all
they lived in a mansion, a nice one at that, and they weren’t hurting for
cash. Someone, he assumed Mato, had brought his car to the house after
he’d passed out his first night here.

He opened the door and stepped into the hall. Again, he stopped to

listen. He’d learned that Lucas had kids, brothers and sisters of Mato’s
whom he raised. However, none were in the house. The nanny had taken
them away on a trip. Lucas had been vague about it, and Mato didn’t shed
much more light. When Cam asked, Mato had simply said the family
needed to take care of a few matters, and the kids didn’t need to be around
for it. That was one more clue that he might be skating on thin ice here.
Better to find some proof of what happened to his brother before his time
ran out.

Cam first tried all the doors on the floor where he was. Most of them

were locked. The ones that weren’t were empty, and one was Mato’s. As
soon as he opened that door, the man’s scent assailed him. A powerful
longing came over him, and he wished with everything inside him that
Mato was there or that he was wherever Mato was. He banged the palm of
his hand against his forehead. “Snap out of it. You’ve got a job to do.”

He sucked in a deep breath and got moving again. A preliminary

search of Mato’s room didn’t produce much. If he really wanted answers,
he’d go through Lucas’s stuff. But of all the skills he’d acquired over the
years, lock picking wasn’t one of them.

The first floor was no better. He’d seen Lucas disappear into a

particular room, and from a glance beyond, he guessed it was his office,
but that door too was locked. Cam swore. Almost as if they expected him
to snoop. At the back of the mansion, he came to the last door to check

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before he had to abandon his search. To his relief, the knob gave when he
turned it, but from the moment he opened the door, pain constricted his
chest. The scent coming up from the deepest, darkest recesses was
unmistakably blood—Kyle’s blood.

Cam felt around on the wall for the light switch. For some reason his

night vision had turned off. He put it down to the emotions that almost
clouded his reason. Stairs led downward, and he descended them. On the
level below, he was met with cement floors and rocky walls. Boxes lined
the space, all neatly stacked and labeled. Cam skipped checking them out,
led by his brother’s blood, which had intensified. He moved with caution
farther into the basement, past wine racks that were filled with bottles.
None had collected any dust, and he wondered if a servant kept them clean
or if they were new. Those too he passed, and then he saw it. A cage with
metal bars and a sturdy lock. The door lay open, and beyond it was just a
square of concrete for a floor with chains and cuffs hanging from the back
wall.

Even if he didn’t have the wolf abilities, he could identify the dark

stains on the cuffs and on the bars. The scent was so strong, it burned his
nose, but the worse part was finding out what they had done to his brother.
Cam’s eyes burned. He’d fucked that bastard that had been a part of it.
He’d eaten at the same table, just above this prison. Had they fed on him?
No! He closed his eyes and sank to the ground. He couldn’t think like that
or he’d go insane.

Cam didn’t know how long he’d sat there struggling between despair

and rage, but apparently he’d lost track of time. He’d known long before
the car drew up to the house that they were returning. In the silence
surrounding him, he scraped the concrete with his claws and fought to
think through his next move. With supreme effort, he pushed up to his feet
and returned to the stairs. He shut the basement door behind him and
climbed the steps to the second floor. In his room, he turned the lock and
switched off the light. After he shed his clothes, he stood under a cold
shower in the dark. When the knock on his door sounded, he ignored it.
He waited for Mato to call out to him or to pick the lock, but after a while

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he went away, and Cam fell into bed. The light of dawn was just piercing
the small gap in his curtains.

* * * *

Mato barged into Lucas’s office without knocking. “So he’s seen the

cell.”

Lucas looked up. “You talked to him?”
“No, he wouldn’t answer the door. I didn’t want to push him. He needs

time to calm down.” He sighed and dropped into a chair. Everything inside
him wanted to go up there and force the door open. He felt Cam’s pain,
and it tore him up inside. He craved being near him, touching him, kissing
him. Scenes of their love-making played out in his mind over and over,
tormenting him. The knowledge that he and Cam were all but mated now
did nothing for his mood because of what he’d seen in the basement. Mato
expected him to either attack or leave at any moment, and if that
happened, well, the shit would hit the fan. Cam couldn’t leave.

“You know what this means,” Lucas said.
Mato bared his teeth. “He belongs to me, and I’ll be damned if you kill

him like you did his brother.”

“You must see reason, Mato. If he—”
“Fuck reason!” Mato jumped to his feet. “He’s my mate, and I’ll die

before I let anyone hurt him. No…you will die. That’s a promise.”

Lucas didn’t appear to be cowed. He wouldn’t be. He took his position

as head of their family very seriously. He cared about them all and their
well-being. On some level, Mato knew that. He could even acknowledge
that Lucas cared about him, but none of it mattered if Lucas thought he
could take away his mate. Cam might be altered, but they would be
bonded as soon as they exchanged bites. Now he had every intention of
making that happen after he spoke with his lover and explained how it
worked. Lucas would not get in his way.

* * * *

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When Cam woke up it was after three. His muscles ached as if he’d

run a marathon, but he put it down to stress and the pain of discovering
how his brother died. Remembering that cell almost brought him to his
knees once again, but he pushed up to his feet and cleaned up before
dressing. He had a plan. If Mato stayed out of his way, he could bring it to
fruition.

On the dining room table, he found a note telling him to help himself

to anything he found in the refrigerator. They’d welcomed him to
whatever they had. If they weren’t cold-blooded murderers, he’d marvel at
the way they took in ones of their own kind. Cam forced himself to eat to
keep his strength up. If it came down to a fight between him and Lucas,
he’d need it. Come to think of it, since he’d been a wolf longer, his skill
might be higher. Cam used to do some boxing as a way to stay in shape.
He was pretty good at it, but that might mean nothing to a wild animal.
After he’d made a couple of ham and cheese sandwiches, he wiped off and
pocketed the knife he used to cut it in half.

When his meal was done, he went in search of Lucas. He found him in

his office. “Mato around?” he asked to be sure the coast was clear.

Lucas regarded him with a calm expression, serving to unsettle him. “I

got him to stop pacing the place waiting for you to wake up by sending
him into the city. Can I do something for you in the meantime?”

Cam hesitated and then feigned a casual air with a shrug. He came in

and shut the door before taking a seat. “Bored I guess. Not used to this
quiet life. I mean don’t get me wrong, your mansion is cool. Just that in
D.C., I worked and lived in the heart of everything. Traffic, people rushing
about, you know.”

“Yeah.”
Cam waited for Lucas to say more, but he sat staring back. Cam

shifted in his chair. “I hear your mate is out of town. I bet you miss him,
huh?” He dropped his voice lower. “Get a little lonely at night.”

Lucas went still, his eyes widening. Cam thought he’d blown it. He

was never any good at seducing a guy. Either they were into him, or they

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weren’t. To his surprise, Lucas sat back in his chair and smiled. “I guess it
does. A man has needs, and with Gray gone, it’s hard. You know?”

“Yeah, I know.” Cam stood up and came around the desk. He sat on

the arm of Lucas’s chair and put a hand out to touch his chest. He could
have sworn Lucas flinched. He couldn’t be sure because the sensation of
this being wrong was so overwhelming, he wanted to leave the room and
never try this again. His desires all turned toward Mato. Pushing the
longing to the back of his mind took effort, but he did it and focused on
Lucas. “I was thinking you and I could have a little fun of our own.”

“What did you have in mind?” Lucas extended a hand as if he would

squeeze Cam’s crotch, but he changed direction and rested his palm on his
thigh. Cam almost blew a sigh of relief. He’d never be able to keep the
charade up if Lucas touched him there. He hated that he felt like his cock
belonged to Mato, but that’s exactly how it was.

He searched his mind for a way to make Lucas admit to what he’d

done without revealing that he knew about the cell. “Back where I come
from a few of the, uh, shifters, like to play around with the humans. All in
fun mind you.”

Lucas’s eyes narrowed, and he frowned. “Play with humans?”
Cam couldn’t back off now. He had to keep pushing to get at the truth.

“Yeah, like lock them up and scare the piss out of them—among other
things.”

“I assure you—”
The door burst open, and the streak of movement that zipped across

the room could only be identified by Cam’s enhanced sense of smell
because he definitely didn’t get a good look at it. The chair’s arm, which
he’d been sitting on, gave a loud crack, and then he landed on his back on
the floor.

Cam shook his head and pushed up to a sitting position. Mato had

Lucas against the wall, an arm crushing Lucas’s windpipe. Something in
Cam snapped. Seeing Mato with his teeth bared, a growl in his throat, and
aggression in waves, set Cam off. He flew at Lucas as well. His claws tore
at his skin as they grew out, along with hair springing from every direction

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on his body. He heard the rip of material but ignored it as he pushed past
Mato to get at his enemy. Lucas had seemed to hold back with Mato, but
he apparently felt no such restraint when it came to Cam. He half shifted
to the same form Cam had taken on and sent him backward with a blow
that hurt so bad, Cam wondered if he’d cracked a rib.

Mato howled and went at Lucas again. He returned the hit with a fist

to Lucas’s jaw. The wolfman’s head smashed into the paneling behind
him, creating a hole in the wood. Books fell from shelves, and a figurine
shattered into hundreds of pieces. Mato didn’t appear satisfied.

“Enough!” Lucas bellowed.
Some weird power rippled over Cam’s consciousness, and he

staggered for a moment, shaking his head. He thought he heard whining
like a puppy and realized it was him, then clamped down on his jaw.
When his vision cleared, Mato had taken a knee. He still bared his teeth,
and his silver eyes might have been shards of ice as hard as he glared at
Lucas. He didn’t move from the spot he held. Cam guessed Lucas had
done something to Mato to make him back off. The mere knowledge
pissed him off. He must have used that same power to force Mato to go
along with him to kill his brother. He would pay.

When Cam had his head together, he rushed on Lucas. The other man

side-stepped him and threw a punch that doubled Cam over. Cam
coughed. His muscles burned, and his throat hurt it was so dry, but he
smiled. “You’ll fight me as a man? Fine.”

He got a hold of himself and somehow managed to pull the wolf back

in. He balled his hands into fists and went up to his toes. Cam would take
great pleasure in pummeling the hell out of Lucas, and then he would use
the knife in his pocket to finish the job. He threw a few rapid fire punches
that dropped Lucas to the floor. The shifter recovered quickly and faced
Cam head on.

“I don’t want to fight you,” Lucas said between gritted teeth. “Back off

now before you do something you will regret.”

“Like you did?” Cam ground out. “Except you don’t regret it at all, do

you? It’s all sport to you.”

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Lucas snarled. “You don’t know anything about it. In fact, you know

nothing of us.”

“Lucas,” Mato warned.
Cam went at him. Lucas threw a punch, but Cam was the one to side-

step it and slammed a fist home in the man’s jaw. Another one Lucas
blocked, but Cam kept coming at him. His vision blurred for a second
when he felt the power roll off of Lucas once more. He didn’t let it slow
him down.

“Damn it, Mato, he doesn’t respond. Make him back off before I lose

my patience and get serious. He will hear the truth!”

Lucas’s words were like the buzzing of an insect in Cam’s ears. All he

heard, all he saw, were his brother’s cries and his face twisted in torment.
He smelled the blood in his nostrils, and what humanity he had in him
slipped. He raged and crouched, ready to attack as his bones cracked and
popped in the midst of a change Owen didn’t think he’d be able to pull off.
This time, he would go all the way, he knew. The pain was beyond
excruciating, but Cam accepted it as a way to take on his brother’s
injuries.

His clothes were all of a sudden too constricting, so he ripped them

from his body. His thighs burned and shrank. Where two legs held him
before, now they weren’t enough. He dropped to all fours and growled like
he’d never done. The last he felt as the change took hold was reason
melting away.

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Chapter Five

“Let me up, Lucas,” Mato demanded. “I’ll stop him. I won’t let you

hurt him. Damn it, let me up!”

The power that kept him on his knee lessened, and Mato jumped up.

The second before Cam made impact with Lucas’s chest, Mato stepped
between them. Cam’s jaws, gaped for a brutal bite that would rip Lucas to
shreds if he let him, snapped shut with a click. His teeth grazed Mato’s
neck, scratching the skin and making it bleed just a little. Mato didn’t
mind. That was a small thing, and it would heal.

Cam’s eyes narrowed, and he growled at Mato.
“Don’t threaten me, cher,” he said in a light tone. “I can’t let you kill

him. It would be too messy, and then I’d have to defend you against his
mate, who would surely want your head.”

Cam fought to get out of his arms, still barking and trying to get at

Lucas, but Mato held onto him, his fingers tangled in the thick reddish-
brown fur. If they weren’t in such a dangerous situation, Mato would stop
to enjoy the vibrant beauty of his mate in animal form. Fear that things
were already farther than they should have gone kept him focused.

“He’s out of control,” Lucas said.
“No!” Mato dragged Cam tighter into his arms. “If you leave, I can

calm him. I know I can.”

Lucas looked from Mato to Cam and back again. Mato saw the

disbelief, especially with the way Cam’s eyes had begun to roll. His heart
ached. He had to try. He would not lose another mate. He couldn’t live
through it again.

“You have one hour,” Lucas told him and left the room.
After he was gone, Cam continued to struggle and bark, but Mato

believed if he’d stopped himself from hurting him, then he wasn’t gone.
He recognized Mato as belonging to him. Mato pressed his lips to Cam’s
ear and spoke in a low, calming tone. “Baby, come back to me. I promise,
I will tell you everything that happened to Kyle. And if you still want to
kill him, I will help you.”

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At first he didn’t think Cam heard, but then he began to whine, and at

last he stopped struggling. Mato looked into his eyes and saw the fear the
same time he smelled it. His lover was confused and lost. He wasn’t a true
wolf, and he had no idea how to change back. Mato hugged him close and
whispered into his ear again.

“I love you. Come back to me, Cam.”
The wolf howled, but Mato felt it within himself when Cam began to

change back. Slowly, painfully, he shifted, and then he lay naked on the
floor, his head resting on Mato’s chest. His breaths came in shallow
bursts, and he’d closed his eyes as if in exhaustion.

“That proves you’re for me, and I’m for you,” Mato said while

stroking Cam’s hair.

Brown eyes peered up at him in amusement. “You’re an idiot. I’m my

own man.”

“That’s what you think.” Mato’s cock hardened seeing his lover’s

uncovered, but now wasn’t the time for making love.

Cam appeared to remember what he’d been so angry about, and he

frowned. “Tell me everything, now.”

Mato nodded. He scooted along the floor until his back touched the

wall, and he patted his leg. “You can sit here if you want.”

Cam flared his nostrils. He picked up a shred of clothing and held it

over his dick while he took Lucas’s chair. “I’ll pass. This is fine.”

Mato sighed, but he didn’t mind the view, if only the cloth wasn’t

there. The reason he loved Cam so much, so quickly, had to be considered.
He hesitated to admit it to Cam.

Lowering his gaze to the floor, Mato cleared his throat. “I’ll get

straight to the truth about what you probably don’t know. Did you ever
wonder how your scientist developed a drug that could turn you into a
shifter?”

Cam gasped. “You knew?”
Mato looked up at him and nodded. “Yeah, from the beginning.”
“And Lucas?”

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“Pretty much.” He ran a hand through his hair. “We knew because

we’d talked to Kyle extensively on the subject.”

“Kyle.” The single word held such anguish in it when Cam spoke,

Mato slid closer to him and grasped his hips in the chair. He gave Cam a
squeeze, and his lover dropped a hand on his shoulder. He knew Cam
drew strength from him, or he’d have pushed him off. “How could he have
known about Owen? I met him after Kyle was killed. We ran into each
other by chance when I went to claim Kyle’s body. Owen was following a
lead.”

“Your meeting was not chance. Kyle was his first experiment.”
“What?”
Cam surged up from the chair and paced the floor. The cloth that had

covered him lay abandoned. Mato stood and took the chair. He knew Cam
would come back, and he did. He stood near Mato but without touching.

“Something else you may not have known,” Mato told him. “Your

brother had a recessed gene to be a shifter, just like us.”

“That’s not true!”
Mato recognized that Cam was being overloaded with all he was

learning, but he had to know it all. They couldn’t back off now. “It’s true.
This is only a guess based on your scent and your brother’s, but my nose is
excellent, and Lucas agrees with me. You two do not have the same father.
Kyle was only your half-brother.”

This time, Cam said nothing. He sank to the desktop and stared at the

wall. Mato stood up and stepped closer to him to take the man into his
arms. Cam let him hold him, and Mato lifted his chin to kiss him. Cam
pulled away, but he didn’t move out of Mato’s embrace.

“I think you need to consider how the scientist—I think you called him

Owen—how he could make the formula without a real wolf shifter. He
couldn’t pull it out of thin air, and trust me, we are a far cry from the
animals you’ve seen on TV.”

“Bigger and stronger,” Cam muttered. He rubbed his forehead. “I can’t

process this. It’s too unreal. You don’t understand how much Kyle meant
to me.”

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“I can guess.”
Cam met his gaze, confusion clouding the mocha depths. “I’m sorry.

Your grandmother raised you, and she passed. You can understand. But
think about what a blow it would be if someone told you she wasn’t really
your grandmother.”

“I’m not telling you he wasn’t your brother, Cam. I’m just saying his

father was a shifter. Yours was not. I said we guessed the truth by smell,
and that’s partly true, but it wasn’t the whole truth. Kyle told us that much.
He also said he allowed Owen to experiment on him to activate the gene.
The problem was…the manipulation didn’t go as smoothly as they would
have liked.”

Cam went still. “What do you mean?”
Mato hesitated once again, but then he forged on. “Your brother lost

reason. Neither I nor any of the others could bring him back. He was out
of control, violent, and a danger to himself, our people, and to the humans.
He had to be put down.”

“You fucking liar!” Cam shouted.
He shoved Mato away and moved out of reach. Mato couldn’t believe

how empty his arms felt and how desperate he was to pull Cam back
where he belonged. Out of concern and respect for the man in front of
him, he held his emotions in check. If Cam reacted like this to how his
brother died—and he didn’t blame him—he wondered how Cam would
take his other secret.

“I’ll show you,” he said.
Cam frowned at him. “What do you mean you’ll show me?”
“We taped it,” he answered. “There had to be a record, proof for the

families we’re in an alliance with. The decision to put Kyle down had to
be justified, and the recording shows that. I have to warn you, cher, it’s
hard to watch. Especially for you who loved him so much.” And for me.

“I want to see it. I have to know.”
Mato nodded. He left Cam in the room and went to Lucas. “I need the

recording.” He didn’t have to explain which one he meant.

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“You really think that’s wise? Mato, I’m telling you, he’s no different

from his brother. He could snap at any time. What I saw in there earlier—”

“What you saw was a man in pain at having learned a little of what his

brother went through before he died. He’s my mate. I will control him.
Not you. I have that right.”

Lucas’s lips tightened. “You have that right for a real mate. Cam is not

your mate.”

“Say it again,” Mato threatened. “Please, insult me to my face again.”
“You’ve never had respect for my position.”
“You can flex your muscle at any time, and you know it.” The fact that

Lucas had that ability over him was a point of contention, even if he’d
never used it before. Not even in the early days when he was more
rebellious than he was now. He’d been wilder, grieving for the loss of his
grandmother. Lucas had taken him in just like he’d done with the little
ones, Mato’s brothers and sisters who he’d never known existed.

“That’s not how I choose to handle my family,” Lucas said.
Mato agreed. “And violence isn’t how I choose to help my mate.

Nothing else matters except for him. If you can’t accept or believe that,
then it’s your problem. Give me the recording.”

With the recording in hand, Mato returned to Lucas’s office and set it

up on the widescreen TV there. He picked up the remote and sat close
beside Cam. Their thighs touched, but Cam didn’t move away. He took
that as a sign he wouldn’t be rejected if he put an arm around the other
man’s shoulders. Love and lust rose inside him, but he contained both and
clicked the button.

* * * *

Cam stared at the screen in shock and disbelief. He wanted to look

away, but the cruelty and pain held his gaze. Unmistakably, his brother
was there in the cell. Big and brawny with muscle to spare, he shouted and
raged in human form. A close up of his face revealed the crazed
expression, the dilated pupils, foaming at the mouth. He growled and

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shouted, then banged his head over and over on the bars. Cam realized it
was why there had been blood in that spot.

After a short while Lucas walked in with another man that Cam hadn’t

seen before. He was older and had a sternness to his mouth. He advised
Lucas to put him down, but Lucas insisted on trying to reach Kyle. On
film, Cam couldn’t feel the release of that awesome power that Lucas had
demonstrated earlier. Still, he knew that’s what he’d used because Kyle
stopped struggling and fell to one knee. He raised his head with apparent
effort and growled again.

“I’m going in,” Lucas told the other man.
“That’s dangerous. You can see the condition he’s in. I say put him

down and get it over with.”

“But since I’m not under your rule or your house, and he was found on

my property, I call the shots here,” Lucas countered. He retrieved a key
and turned the lock.

For the next few hours, and over several DVDs, Cam watched Lucas

work with Kyle. His brother shifted maybe a hundred times, mostly out of
his head, violent to the point of wounding Lucas in a way that would leave
an ordinary human dead. Another man came in often, closer to Lucas’s
age. The way he interacted with Lucas, Cam guessed he was the mate who
had been out of town since he arrived. The mate, a man by the name of
Gray, didn’t try to convince Lucas to let Kyle go. Together, they worked
with him until the end. Through it all, Lucas was able to glean bits and
pieces of Kyle’s past and about the scientist, but not his name or where he
was.

At the last, Cam blinked away moisture in his eyes when his brother

muttered in a thick, scratchy tone, “Tell Cam I’m sorry.”

Lucas had been the one to kill him, but Cam had turned away at the

final blow. When the recording ended, he stood up, silent.

“Cam, talk to me,” Mato encouraged.
“I have to go.” Cam didn’t explain where he was going. He dressed,

gathered his things, and hopped into his car to drive away. He kept going,
no idea which direction he was headed. When he came to a populated area

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that must be the city, he drove around the cramped streets, around
Bourbon. A sign hanging on a second floor balcony said Apartment for
Rent. He had no reason to stay in New Orleans, but he called the number
anyway. With a wad of cash he’d saved and couldn’t afford to part with,
he finagled the landlord to let the place to him. A furniture store he
stumbled onto sold him a cheap bed and a tiny kitchen table with two
chairs. He had them delivered. By evening, he lay on a bare mattress with
no sheets or pillow and stared at the ceiling. Somewhere in the near
distance, bluegrass music belted from a nightclub, and a trolley bell
dinged. He rolled over to his side.

Kyle, I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you. I’m half the man that you

were.

A knock on the door startled him. No one knew he was here. He sat

up, and without thinking about it, breathed deep. He smelled him, even
heard his elevated heartbeat. Mato was both eager to see him and nervous
about it. The fact that he could identify who was at his door without even
leaving his room told Cam that the shifters were advanced beyond
anything he could imagine. Mato had probably tracked him. He couldn’t
hide. Not that he’d been trying to. He’d just needed some time, and his
thinking earlier hadn’t been clear. Now that he thought of it, he longed to
see Mato as much as the man wanted to be with him.

Cam opened the door and stared at him. Mato wore jeans that hugged

his narrow hips, and the T-shirt he’d chosen seemed out of place stretched
over the broad expanse of his chest. Cam had always seen him in collared
shirts. If he’d had as wild an upbringing as he’d claimed, Cam imagined
this look was more him. The other might have been Lucas’s influence.
With thoughts of Lucas, he realized he didn’t hate the man any longer, but
that didn’t mean he could forgive him yet for being the one to end it for
Kyle.

“Are you going to invite me in?” Mato asked.
“I doubt you’d let me close the door in your face,” Cam said.
Mato chuckled, but Cam caught the sadness in his eyes. He hurt for

Cam, and knowing it softened Cam’s feelings toward him. Just a little.

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Mato strolled by him but stopped just inside the door. Cam hadn’t thought
about it. He just found himself inside Mato’s embrace, accepting his kiss.
He tilted his head back and parted his lips. The air was crushed from his
chest, and he held onto Mato’s big arms as they devoured each other’s
mouths.

After a few moments, Cam broke off the kiss, struggling to calm his

racing heart. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“Why?” Mato pushed him against the wall and followed with his

length, once again overwhelming Cam with his presence, his force of will.
Cam raised his chin, and Mato grazed his neck with his teeth. Aching need
tore at Cam’s insides. He needed to be bitten, but Mato held off. He didn’t
understand why. Wasn’t this their way? He had no idea, and the
understanding wouldn’t come unless Mato told him. Maybe he wasn’t
good enough. His brother hadn’t been. That was the only conclusion he
could come to. His brother had been a true shifter and died. Out of the
blue, Mato growled and thumped him against the wall a second time. Cam
fought back, but his lover kept him there. “Stop it!” Mato demanded.

“What the hell are you talking about?”
He backed off but took Cam’s hand and pulled him farther into the

apartment. He stopped and frowned at the lack of furniture. Cam shifted
from one foot to the other, and then Mato dragged him into the bedroom.
His smile seemed self-satisfactory as if he’d had something to do with
Cam choosing to buy a bed.

“Good. We have at least that,” he said.
Cam glared at him, but Mato appeared happier. He thrust Cam onto the

bed and followed him down. Cam didn’t fight against the big man lying
half on top of him with one leg thrust between his. Cam’s cock hardened,
and Mato reached between them to stroke it through his boxers.

“My hand has been itching to touch you here. Do you know that?”

Mato kissed him, and Cam loved the taste of his mouth and the feel of
their tongues teasing each other. His lover broke off the kiss and nuzzled
his neck, breathing in his scent. “I’ve missed you.”

“It was only a few hours.”

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“I’ve missed you,” Mato insisted. He raised his hand and brushed over

Cam’s hair. “You’re worrying. I feel your emotions like they were my
own. They’re strong. You’re so unhappy, it’s killing me.”

Cam glanced away. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to cause you pain. I got

away so I could think. My brother and I have been a lot of trouble to you
and your people.”

“You’re my people now.”
“Stop saying that!”
Mato sat up straddling him. Their cocks rubbing together sent Cam

over the edge. He ached to be penetrated right now by no one except
Mato, but having sex with him would be a mistake. He couldn’t drag Mato
down anymore. When he looked up into Mato’s eyes, he realized the
sensing of emotions went both ways. “You’re keeping something from
me. There’s more? What is it! Tell me.”

Mato shook his head. He rolled off of Cam and lay on his back with an

arm tossed over his eyes. Cam watched his chest rise and fall. He wanted
to push the T-shirt up and lick his skin, to feel the heat from his body. Just
as Mato’s hands had itched to stroke Cam’s cock, he craved to lie on or
under this man and not stop until he was good and satisfied. If I leave New
Orleans, maybe it will fade.

“There’s something, but it’s not what you think,” Mato said. He

lowered his arm and looked at Cam. “I know I’m being a manipulative
bastard, but if you let me love your body again, just once more, I’ll tell
you everything. Then you can curse me and leave if that’s what you
want.”

Cam’s eyes widened. “You’ve been straight forward from the

beginning, always saying what’s on your mind. You have no qualms about
admitting you’re blackmailing me.”

“A soft blackmail,” he teased. “We both want it.”
“I want it,” Cam agreed. Boy, do I want it.
Mato lowered his hand in a sort of slow motion move. Cam followed it

all the way down to his abs, and then he was on Mato with his shirt shoved
up. He licked his skin and sucked, moaning. Mato’s abs might as well

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have been chiseled from stone. Just tasting him, Cam’s cock hardened and
ached. He tugged at Mato’s belt and got it loose before attacking his
button and zipper. When it was down, he fished out his lover’s massive
shaft and stuffed it between his lips. The moans this time came from them
both, and Cam swallowed as much as he could.

“Cher, you’re horny, huh?” Mato murmured. “Take it deep, but don’t

make me come. I’m going to eat your pretty ass, and then I’m going to
bury myself in it until we’re both spent.”

They lay on their sides. Mato had torn Cam’s boxers from his body

and sucked his cock into his mouth to the hilt. Cam could scarcely
concentrate on what he was doing because it felt so incredible. He paused
in sucking Mato’s dick and shuddered while a ripple of pleasure shook his
body.

“I’m going to come,” he rasped.
Mato didn’t slow down in his movements. His head bobbed up and

down at a fast clip. He squeezed the base of Cam’s cock until Cam’s hips
came up off the mattress. He clawed at the bed and bucked. A kiss to
Mato’s shaft was all he could manage. All the strength left his body to do
anything but feel when he exploded. Mato made noisy, sucking sounds as
he drank Cam’s come, and when Cam was empty, the shifter didn’t stop
there. He released Cam’s shaft to begin licking beneath it, on down to the
sensitive bit of skin between his balls and his anus. Cam gasped and cried
out Mato’s name. Already he started getting hard again. There was
nothing in the world like Mato’s touch, and he couldn’t get enough.

“You want me here?” Mato asked and trailed the tip of his tongue over

Cam’s rear entrance. Cam arched his back, but he didn’t say anything.
Mato pushed him down, holding him with one big hand on the mattress.
He gave Cam another lick, sending him close to the edge. When he began
rimming Cam’s anus, he knew he was in this man’s control. Whatever
Mato asked at that moment, he would give it to him. Mato gave him a kiss
and a light suck right at the center of his rear. He squeezed Cam’s cheeks
and massaged them. “You want my cock in you, cher?”

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Cam swore. He gritted his teeth. He knew Mato was playing with him,

taking his control and using his desire against him. What’s more, he didn’t
give a damn. He liked it. He loved giving it all over to this dominant man.
Mato’s kind of attitude toward his lover was exactly what Cam had been
looking for in a partner all these years. Could he accept that Mato wasn’t
human, though? Did it matter?

“Don’t tell me,” he said. “Not yet. I want this. Clean and clear. I want

you to possess me in every sense and come in me. I want your bite.”

Mato’s eyes widened. “You can’t know what that means.”
“It means you and I are one, right? That we’re mated for life?” He

stared into the silver eyes that he’d come to rely on in just a few days. He
didn’t need weeks or months to know what he felt for Mato. He knew this
man was what he’d been searching for, and he felt no qualms anymore
about claiming what could be his. Cam raised his chin and offered Mato
his throat. “Bite me. I want to belong to you and only you.”

For a long while Mato stared at him. The intensity in his gaze could

have burned through steel, but Cam held it with his own. At last, Mato
flipped him over to his stomach. He slid down his body and licked his
anus until it was good and wet. Then he climbed up back up and
penetrated Cam. Moisture came to Cam’s eyes, but he gritted his jaw and
blinked it away. Mato jerked him close to his chest and drove his cock as
deep as it could go.

“Not yet,” he whispered in Cam’s ear. “You’re going to be bonded to

me with my bite, but not yet.”

Disappointment hit Cam hard, especially since he’d all but bared his

heart and soul, but Mato pumping so hard and fast into him took hold of
his mind and didn’t let go. He turned his head to accept his lover’s hungry
kiss, and they twirled their tongues together as their bodies pounded out a
lust-filled rhythm. Mato’s embrace tightened, and he jerked a little. Cam
knew he was close to release, and he arched more to accommodate his
lover. Mato dropped his head, resting it on Cam’s shoulder. His cry
preceded the warmth spreading throughout Cam’s ass.

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“Being inside of you…” Mato murmured. “It’s not enough. I want

more. I’m spending the night.”

Cam chuckled. “Do I get a say?”
Mato’s pale eyes widened. “You don’t want me to?”
Cam rolled off the bed and started toward the bathroom. “Never mind,

idiot. Stay as long as you like.”

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Chapter Six

Mato leaned against a pole next to the trolley doorway. This time of

day, the vehicle was packed. Everybody wanted to take the famous trolley
in New Orleans, he and Cam included. They’d spent the last few days
going everywhere, visiting all the tourist spots in town and getting to
know each other. They’d been staying at the apartment to give them some
alone time. He still hadn’t bitten Cam, although his wolf demanded each
time he made love to the man that he do it. Mato wanted to tell him the
truth about Kyle before that happened. Cam could decide to walk away
and never see him again. If he did, Mato didn’t see a future for himself. He
suspected he was being melodramatic thinking that way, but it was true
nevertheless.

Across from him, Cam occupied a seat, and Mato hadn’t taken his eyes

off his lover the entire time. Cam was good to look at, muscular and tall, a
rugged jaw, and chocolate eyes that got Mato hard every time he lost
himself in them. Cam’s mouth tightened, and a slight frown marred his
handsome face. They’d argued earlier because Cam pushed him to explain
himself about delaying the bite. Mato had refused. He wasn’t worried
though. After their day of riding a ferry and seeing what could be found at
the shops, he would seduce Cam and burn off his anger.

The trolley stopped with a jerk, and a few people got off only to be

replaced by more. A strange scent took Mato’s attention from his partner
to scan the newcomers. A man about his height but a bit slighter in build
pressed past him and stood right in front of Cam. Mato tightened his jaw.
He raised a hand to tell the man to be somewhere else but paused when he
spoke to Cam.

“Hello, I’m Alexi, and you are?”
“Taken!” Mato bit out.
Both men’s gazes swung to Mato, and Cam frowned. He looked back

at the man and smiled. “Cameron. Nice to meet you.” They shook, and
Mato knocked aside a few standers to move behind the guy. He dropped a

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heavy hand on his shoulder and leaned forward until his lips were less
than an inch from the guy’s ear.

“You don’t know what you’re messing with touching him,” he said.
Eyes almost the color of fire glittered at him. “I think I do.”
“He’s my mate.”
The guy took in a deep, assessing breath, “Funny, I don’t sense it.”
“You will never sense anything again if you don’t back off!”
Cam jumped to his feet and thrust at Mato. “Damn, would you lay the

hell off? I can take care of myself, and who I choose to talk to is none of
your business!”

Mato stared at him in disbelief. All this time, Cam had been saying he

understood what it meant to be mated, but he didn’t get it at all. In the end,
he was a human, even if his makeup had been fucked around with.

He shoved past Mato at the next stop and exited the trolley. Mato

followed, and to his disgust, so did the other man. He growled at him, but
the man just chuckled. When Mato passed him to get to Cam, he dropped
his tone low and muttered, “Can’t control your ‘mate’? What a shame.”

“Fuck you,” Mato snapped. “Why don’t you go play with your own

kind?”

Mato turned back to Cam, and the frown on his face let him know that

Cam had heard the exchange. He sighed. Human with a splash of wolf.

“What do you mean by his own kind?” Cam asked, revealing his

ignorance.

Mato pulled him close with an arm around Cam’s waist. When Cam

turned his head to keep him from kissing his lips, Mato planted a few on
his neck. “Do us both a favor and trust me.”

“Hey,” Alexi called out to Cam.
Mato held onto him, keeping him where he was, but he couldn’t stop

Cam from answering. “Yeah?”

Alexi shoved his hands in his pockets. “If you ever want a real man,

look me up.” He flicked a card to Cam and walked away. For the first time
since they’d run into him, Mato breathed a sigh of relief. He peered down
the street and spotted a couple of guys who were a part of the alliance.

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Alexi had been outnumbered. He wouldn’t have stood a chance. Of course
Mato could have taken him, and he would when it came to Cam, but better
to avoid confrontation.

Cam escaped his arms. “What did you mean? Tell me now.”
Mato examined the man he loved more than life. A sharp pain like a

knife twisting in his gut made him pause before he answered. “You
smelled something you thought identified him as a wolf shifter. He wasn’t.
He was a jaguar. We can usually tell if a person is a shifter, but not always
what they are. I happened to have come across a few on the bayou. They
encroached on my land. Not my favorites. You do not get to be friends
with one.”

“And you think you can tell me what to do?” Cam got into his face.

Mato was more turned on than pissed off. He liked Cam’s fire. He noticed
that his lover never reacted with fear now that he’d learned a lot more
about them and about Mato himself. He seemed to know Mato would
never hurt him. But you have the power to destroy me.

“It’s time for us to have our talk,” he said in answer.
Cam stilled. “You’ll tell me your secret?”
“Yeah.” A heavy weight pressed down on Mato’s shoulders, but he

took his lover’s hand, and they walked down to the river where they would
take a ferry ride. He’d never been on one even though he’d been born and
raised here. This might be the first, last, and worst experience of his life.

* * * *

Cam leaned on the rail as the ferry sailed from one side of the

Mississippi River near the French Quarter toward the other. They were
heading to Old Algiers Point, and while he was eager to know what Mato
wanted to tell him, he couldn’t help being awed by the New Orleans
cityscape, and even the experience of watching cars pull onto the ferry
along with the pedestrians. He’d only ever seen that in movies, not real
life.

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Mato stood close beside him with a light hand at his waist. Cam had

been pissed off at his lover earlier, but he would never seriously consider
another man. Mato was the one he wanted, no doubt about it.

When they were well away from dry land, Mato began his explanation,

maybe so Cam couldn’t get away if he wanted to. “The thing I didn’t say
about Kyle was…” He paused and heaved a huge breath. “Kyle and I were
mated.”

Out of an infinite number of words Mato could have uttered, those

were the last that Cam expected to hear. “What did you just say?”

The pity or whatever it was that Cam saw in Mato’s eyes made him

want to smash his fist there, but he held it together. Mato reached out to
touch his face, but Cam ducked away, and Mato sighed.

Now that he’d dropped the big bomb, he seemed to want to share

everything all at once. “He and I dated when he came to New Orleans,
and—”

“My brother was not gay,” Cam snapped.
Mato blinked at him, but he didn’t bother trying to change Cam’s

view. He went on with his story. All the while, Cam flexed his hands at his
sides. He’d taken a couple steps away from Mato and stared out at the
approaching dock.

“We dated. It wasn’t serious. I knew after a while that there was

something going on with him. I sensed the wolf in him, but it wasn’t
strong. Not much at all. He intrigued me. One day that changed. His other
side was as if it had awakened. Instead of questioning the sudden change, I
got excited. My wolf was turned on, and I couldn’t deny what it wanted,
especially when I agreed.”

Cam gritted his teeth. He’d loved Kyle, but jealousy ate at him

knowing that he’d touched Mato, if what he was saying was true. Kyle had
kept that side of his love life secret, but if he had been gay, maybe that’s
why he’d been so accepting of Cam.

“We…” Mato glanced at him and then looked away, shoving his hands

into his pockets. His normally cheerful expression had become tight with
tension. “We had sex, and that’s when it became serious. I chose him as

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the one, and he chose me. We mated. It didn’t happen right at the first time
or anything. It was over a few weeks.”

Cam remembered the time Kyle had said he would be visiting New

Orleans. He’d said it was a vacation, and that he’d be back in a week.
Each time Cam talked to him on the phone, he put him off, saying he had a
lead on a job and it would take time. Cam had thought he was lying, but he
didn’t want to face it because Kyle had never lied to him before. At least,
that’s what he’d always thought. Now he realized he’d barely known the
man. Kyle had been aware that they had different fathers and never told
Cam.

“We bonded, but things weren’t perfect.” Mato’s eyes glazed as if he

were remembering it all. “He’d blow up with jealousy or some supposed
insult sometimes. I mean, I know how our kind are. We’re aggressive and
territorial, but Kyle took it to a whole different level. He nearly beat a man
to death because he thought he disrespected him in some way. When
questioned about it, Kyle had no rational answer. That’s when I knew it
was getting bad.”

Cam didn’t want to acknowledge the hurt he sensed in Mato, but it tore

at him knowing his lover suffered over Kyle’s loss. He put a hand up to
his shoulder and squeezed. “I’m sorry.”

Mato seemed about to lean into his touch, but he held himself stiff.

The move couldn’t have been more of a clear signal that there was now a
rift between them. “So he got progressively worse?”

Mato nodded. “He eventually confessed about the scientist waking up

his latent wolf gene, and I talked to Lucas about it. You saw in the
recordings what it all led to. Owen used Kyle’s blood and your shared
genes being related on your mother’s side to make the drug for you, and
my wolf saw you as its mate from the first time I laid eyes on you. No,
before that I smelled you coming, and I shifted to find you that first night.”

All the air left Cam’s lungs. So what they had shared was all a lie. This

was why Lucas said the two of them being mates wasn’t real because
Mato didn’t want him. He wanted the bit of Kyle still left inside of him
because of the drug. Cam turned and gripped the railing and stared down

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into the swirling depths below them. An urge to catapult over the rail and
lose himself down there came over him, and he closed his eyes. I’m not
that weak.

“Then what we shared was a lie,” he muttered.
“No!”
Cam turned on him, shoving at his chest. “Wasn’t it? You don’t love

me. You don’t even want my body. You want Kyle. Well fuck you, Mato.
I’m leaving New Orleans tomorrow.”

“Cam, wait.” He reached for Cam’s arm, but he shook him off and

walked away. He paced like a caged animal until the ferry docked and
then hurried off down the street. He had no idea where he was going, but
he wanted to get as much distance between himself and Mato as possible.

A few hours later, Cam ended up back in the French Quarter. He

stopped at Napoleon’s Itch on Bourbon Street. Chairs rather than stools
lined the bar, but all were taken. In a space between the chairs, he stood
and ordered a beer from the shirtless bartender then turned back to take in
the crowd. He didn’t know why he had come to a gay bar, and from the
interested looks tossed his way, he realized it probably wasn’t the best
choice given he wasn’t in any mood to smile or talk.

“Well, well, I guess you got rid of your puppy for the night. Good for

me.”

Cam turned. His eyes widened at the sight of the man, even though

he’d smelled a hint of him seconds before. “Alexi.”

The man grinned. “You remember me. I’m flattered.” When he moved

so close that their bodies were about to touch, Cam was forced to take a
step back. Alexi played with the buttons on Cam’s shirt. “How about we
have a little fun tonight?”

“The dog’s away, and the cat will play?” Cam asked drily.
Alexi rolled his eyes. “So you figured out what I am. So what? We’re

men, right? I know if you were mine, I wouldn’t let you be in a place like
this alone. I saw several hungry looks tossed your way, human and non-
human.”

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That unsettled Cam a little. He had no idea there were so many shifters

in the world, and there seemed to be a huge concentration in New Orleans.
Meeting Alexi made him realize there were many more than wolf shifters
out there, and he had not picked up on any of them in the bar. There were
too many different scents here, and he was due for another shot of the
drug. He hadn’t wanted to take it.

Thinking of the drug made him wonder, though. If he had become

Mato’s true mate, would he be forced to take the drug for the rest of his
life, and what would happen if Owen refused to give him more? He would
be no better than a blind human, oblivious of what was around him. With
the scent of a werewolf on him, he was a sitting duck. Or did it even work
that way? He had no idea.

“I see so much confusion in your eyes, so many questions,” Alexi said,

amusement coloring his gaze. “Did he keep you locked up or something?
If you were mine, I’d let you out to play.” His hand slid down to the front
of Cam’s pants. Alexi was right. A host of thoughts chased each other in
his mind, one of which was did he want to give in to Alexi. The man was
attractive, muscular, and very dominant. He might be able to wipe Mato
from his head and heart if he slept with him.

“I want to go to your house,” Cam announced.
Alexi’s smile grew. He wrapped an arm around Cam’s shoulders and

turned him toward the French doors leading out to Bourbon Street. “By all
means. Let’s go.”

They headed outside. As they continued down the street, Cam fought a

battle in his head. Thoughts of Mato sprung up again and again. The truth
was he couldn’t bear another man touching him. He hadn’t had much
sympathy for Owen knowing the man loved him, but now he knew just
how it felt. He loved Mato. The shifter was perfect in every way, and he
longed to spend his life with him.

“Where do you think you’re going?”
Alexi pulled him to a stop just inside of an alley. The surrounding area

was cast in shadows, and Cam could hardly make out the two figures
ahead. He needed more of the drug because the effects were fading fast.

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Maybe a few more hours, and none of the shifters would peg him as one of
them, except to know that he’d slept with one recently.

“Get out of the way,” Alexi warned. “We have nothing to do with

you.”

The leader of the group stepped forward, and for the first time, Cam

saw him clearly. A chill raced over his skin. Jagged scars marred his face,
but even without them, he wasn’t an attractive man. His nose, long and
thick, looked like it had been broken half a dozen times, and his lips curled
back over sharp teeth—a wolf’s.

“Oh, I think it is our business,” the man said. “Especially since you’re

in our territory, cat.”

“I wasn’t aware there were territories.” Alexi flexed his shoulders. He

was a big man in his own right, but Cam suspected he’d never hold his
own with werewolves. Not four of them at once.

The wolf chuckled. “Didn’t you get the memo? Too bad.”
One minute they were talking threateningly, posturing like animals,

the next instant someone had shoved Cam onto the ground. A huge hand
planted in the middle of his chest held him down, while three other men
attacked Alexi. Howls of pain rent the night.

Damn it, I have to help him. Cam fought to get free, but whatever

strength he’d had was gone. He was all but ordinary now. The man
kneeling over him frowned down at Cam, an expression of confusion in
his eyes. Cam figured he could smell it. He was almost human.

Beyond the man’s shoulder, Cam caught sight of Alexi. He’d shifted

into his cat form, sleek and beautiful. He moved with sure-footed grace,
but again and again the wolves slammed him into the concrete or against
the wall. The advantage Alexi might have had over the big, heavily-
muscled werewolves was his speed, but the more hits they got on him, the
more he slowed down. Cam blamed himself. If he hadn’t been with Alexi,
they might have left him alone.

He searched the ground around him and caught sight of a brick. He

had no idea where it had come from, but it didn’t matter. Before the man
holding him down could see what he was about to do, he snatched it up

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and brought it down on his ear. The guy howled, and Cam shoved him
away. He rolled over to his knees and brought the brick down again. The
wolf shifter lay unconscious.

He turned toward the fighters and found the four men back in human

form. Two held Alexi while the leader pummeled him with his fists.
“Stop!” Cam shouted and ran at him. He raised the brick, but the shifter
caught his wrist and squeezed. Cam gasped in pain. All strength left his
hand so that he dropped the brick, and another hand wrapped around his
neck. His air supply cut off, he struggled to take in a breath.

“He’s one of you. Let him go,” Alexi rasped.
“No, he’s not,” she shifter growled. “I don’t know what trick he pulled

earlier, but he’s not one of us!” The hand at his throat tightened. Blackness
played at the edges of Cam’s consciousness. He was going to pass out, but
he did all he could to fight. The battle was a losing one. He had nothing
left.

Mato.
A growl that turned Cam’s blood cold came from the darkness, and

then he found himself on the ground. He watched in horror as a wolf
ripped into the leader and shredded him with claws and teeth until he laid
still, eyes wide and staring in death. Another wolf as black as the first
attacked the other two men, but after a quick skirmish, they shifted and
disappeared into the darkness.

The first wolf swung his huge head from his kill toward Cam. Fear

crept up Cam’s spine, and he slid back until he hit the wall. His throat was
raw and painful, and his wrist ached. He knew they were the least of his
worries since he was about to die the same violent death as the other guy.

Then the wolf lowered its head and whined. In an instant it changed,

and Cam didn’t know why he hadn’t recognized his lover. Mato stood
naked before him and rushed over to take Cam into his arms. He searched
Cam from head to foot. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” He frowned
over his shoulder. “I should kill him again.”

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“He’s not coming back.” The other wolf had been Lucas. He too stood

naked in the alley along with Alexi. The only one with clothes still on was
Cam, but somehow it didn’t appear strange to him anymore.

“I’m fine,” he said and winced because of his throat.
Mato was about to take him into his arms, but Cam pushed him away.

“I can stand on my own two feet. Thank you for helping us.”

Mato’s angry gaze turned to Alexi. “By rights I can kill you, too, but I

will let you live since you didn’t run off and leave Cam. You fought for
him, so I can forgive you this time. You do not come near him again.”

Alexi frowned. He didn’t appear to be cowed, but he rotated his

shoulders as if to get the tension out and nodded. “Fair enough.” He
glanced at Cam with regret. “There’s nothing that interests me anymore.”

With that he shifted into his jaguar form and padded off.
Mato stroked Cam’s cheek. Longing took hold of Cam, but he tamped

it down. He stared at the ground, disgusted at himself and despairing over
the future.

“Come, cher,” Mato said. “I’ll take you home.”
Cam didn’t argue. He was exhausted. The two shifters changed before

him and on all fours led him deeper into the alley. Down a few more,
sticking to the shadows, they guided him to a waiting car, and Lucas
shifted then slipped behind the wheel, while Mato sat in back with Cam.
In silence, Cam watched them each pull a shirt on and button it. When
they were fully dressed, Lucas started the car. Cam said nothing about the
fact that they headed out of the city rather than toward his apartment. He
didn’t complain or pull away either when Mato laced their fingers
together.

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Chapter Seven

Cam woke to early morning sunlight shining in his eyes. He glanced

around the room and remembered that he’d slept in Mato’s bed. They
hadn’t made love. In fact, Mato had saw to his bath, pampered him, and
fetched dinner for him before seeing that he got a good night’s sleep. He
raised his hand. At one point, Lucas had come in and bandaged his wrist.
They were treating him well, not shunning him like he was less than they
were because he was human.

“How are you?”
He jerked hearing Mato’s voice. Before when the drug had been

working, he’d have sensed Mato was awake. His lover hadn’t moved a
muscle, and Cam hadn’t known he was beside him. Now that he paid
attention, he felt the heat from Mato’s body. From what he’d seen, all of
them were warmer, a small difference that would probably be missed by
anyone who didn’t know it.

“I’m okay, a little sore,” he admitted. “I should get back to my

apartment.”

Mato touched his cheek. “Why?”
Cam blinked. “You know why. I’m sure you can sense it or smell it or

whatever it is your kind do. I’m not one of you anymore, not that I ever
really was. I’m fully human. The drug has worn off.”

“So?”
Cam stared at him, confused. “I don’t belong—”
“You belong wherever I am,” Mato interrupted. He leaned up on an

elbow and moved closer to Cam. “Haven’t you figured it out yet? As you
said, the drug has worn off. You’re human. You’re you. Yet, I love you
with all my heart, and I want you as my mate. Cam, I don’t want you to
leave. Stay with me forever. I promise, I will protect you just as I did last
night.”

Cam’s eyes widened. His breath stuck in his chest hearing Mato so

casually declare his love, but then he took it further and said he’d kill for

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him. “You’d rip a person apart for me? T-That’s extreme. I have to admit
it shook me.”

Mato dragged him into his arms, and Cam didn’t fight. He laid his

head on Mato’s shoulder, breathing in his rich, male scent and loving it. A
shudder rocked him because he might not get to smell it after today. Then
again, Mato had asked him to stay.

“Isn’t that proof enough that it’s you I love?” Mato said. “And yes, I

have the right to kill any shifter who touches you because I declared you
my mate. While I haven’t bitten you, it doesn’t change the fact that my
scent is on you, my claim from loving your body over and over again.”

Cam’s cock stirred in his boxers at the words. “And if I decide never

to take the drug again, if I’m human? I know now that I’m blind, deaf, and
dumb. I can’t see your kind. I can’t smell them. I don’t even speak the
same language. I am a foreigner in this land, and lost.”

“I’ll lead you, baby.” Mato lifted his chin and kissed his lips. Cam

brought his good hand up and rested it on Mato’s chest. He thrilled in the
feel of the hard muscles under his palm and arched into Mato’s hips to rub
their shafts together. He was so hard it ached, and all he wanted was to be
taken by the man he loved. Mato seemed to sense his need and turned him
around to spoon his ass. He pushed a hand inside the band of Cam’s
boxers but didn’t go farther than his hip. “Tell me you’ll stay. Or if you
prefer, I will follow you wherever you want to go.”

Cam shut his eyes and reached for Mato’s hand. He guided it to his

cock, and his lover squeezed gently. He swelled even more and moaned.
“I love you, Mato. I want to stay with you, but I don’t want to be a burden.
You can ask me to go whenever you want, and I will. Until then, I’ll be at
your side.”

“In that case, you’re never leaving.” Mato tightened his hold and

kissed Cam’s bare shoulder.

“But we won’t be able to be bonded. I’m guessing I can’t really bite

you and have it do anything.” The thought of not being connected to Mato
scared him. He liked the more permanency of their ways, but knew he
wouldn’t risk taking the drug again. He now believed Mato did love him

Reluctant Mate 2

Eden Cole

for himself, and he didn’t want to revive Kyle in him no matter what. That
might be selfish, but it was how he felt. Mato was his and his alone.

He glanced back over his shoulder in time to see a flash in Mato’s

eyes. They were brighter than he ever remembered seeing them. “I can
bond myself to you by biting you. I will be forever faithful to you. No
other person on this planet will ever have an appeal. You on the other
hand will be free to change your mind about me at any time.”

Cam stared into his eyes. “You’re okay with that?”
“I’d risk anything for a day with you.”
Cam shivered. “I’ve never had a man love me that deeply, not one like

you.” He tilted his head to the side exposing more of his neck. “Bite me. I
want you to belong to me and only me.”

“After I’m inside you,” Mato responded.
He ran his hand up and down Cam’s dick and then pushed his boxers

down. Cam scooted out of them. He knew Mato was already naked. His
lover reached past him for a small bottle on the nightstand. Cam didn’t
recognize it as his own and figured Mato had picked some up. He grinned.

With one arm holding Cam across his shoulders back against his chest,

Mato reached behind Cam with the other and began massaging his hole.
Cam shut his eyes. His lips parted on a moan as his lover pushed two
fingers inside of him, and then three. Mato scarcely paused long enough
for Cam to adjust to the invasion, but he didn’t care because it was so
good. As if he’d not had Mato in bed for weeks, his body was starving for
the man’s attention.

“You were with Alexi,” Mato whispered in his ear and then licked it.

Sharp teeth grazed his skin but didn’t injure him. “You were going to use
him to push thoughts of me away.”

Cam stiffened. Even if they weren’t connected, Mato could read him

like a book.

“You should know I thought I could let you go free to do whatever you

wanted, but I will kill any man who touches you in that way, and I will
punish you if you let him.”

Reluctant Mate 2

Eden Cole

“Fuck you,” Cam growled, angry at Mato’s attitude this time. “What I

decide—”

“What you’ve already decided is that you’re mine. Bonded to me or

not, I take that seriously. When I bite you I am responsible for you, and
you will please me in every way a lover pleases his mate.”

Cam clenched his teeth and flared his nostrils. “Every day?”
“And every night.”
He thrust his cock deep into Cam and began a slow stroke that took

away all of Cam’s annoyance. “Yes, oh, yes,” Cam groaned.

The bite was sharp and painful when it came, but he endured it. Mato

licked the wound, blood and all, and held himself inside of Cam to the hilt.
He felt his lover come and sighed. Even if they weren’t bonded in the
traditional sense, Cam didn’t care. As far as he was concerned, he’d found
just where he belonged, and he would spend his life in Mato’s arms and
deep in his heart.

The End

About the Author

Eden Cole is the author of several erotic works including male/male

and ménage, and she has many more on the way. Please visit Risky Ink to
find out more about her First Time Series of male/male novellas and other
published works. Website: http://riskyink.blogspot.com

Sugar and Spice Press

Where romance is everything nice.

www.SugarNSpicePress.com

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