Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 1

Shifting Perspectives Book One: Oliver and Angus

by Nerine Petros

Dedication: I can write a book, but that doesn’t mean
you’ll ever get to read it. For that to happen, three
people need to be thanked. First is Cameron Dane,
thanks for the inspiration and the support. Second is
Kate, my editor, for not strangling me via e-mail and for
answering every single question, no matter how
mundane. Third, to my angel, who kept the kids out of
my hair long enough for me to put fingers to keypad in
the first place.

Chapter One

Oliver, and don't dare call him Olli, strolled through the
center of town, returning to work after an afternoon at
the hairdresser. Oliver thought to himself it was a good
thing his mother owned the place, because otherwise
monthly maintenance could have become quite
expensive. Not many males would have been caught
leaving that place at any time of day, but Oliver took
pride in his appearance.

Being the token gay man in the small, outback town
wasn't easy. It was his looks alone that allowed him to
survive without becoming fodder for the masses. Well,
his looks and maybe his ability to tear to shreds even the
smartest man or woman in town for just daring to look
at him sideways, let alone actually managing a
comment.

You didn't get to be gay at his age and live in a remote,
rural community without being a tough old codger -- at
least on the inside, because there was no way anyone

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 2

would have said the buttery-soft skin still gracing
Oliver's features at the age of twenty-seven was tough or
old. Add in a touch of light caramel skin tone without
the need for a suntan, thanks to his mother's Greek
heritage, and you had one hell of a little package.

Oliver's size and appearance had worked in his favor on
more than one occasion; people often underestimated the
smaller man. Unfortunately, it also made for a lonely
existence, women envious of his looks and men scared
of them, especially after he made his orientation well
known. Oh, no one was mean, but all of the farmers
were now very careful about not appearing to be too
nice.

Apart from Jacey. Thank God for Jacey. But there was
no way Jacey would be anything but his close friend. It
would have been nice to be wanted, but looking at the
way things were now, the chances were slim.

Lost in his own thoughts, Oliver didn't remember any of
the walk back to the butchery he owned and loved. It
was win-win situation as far as Oliver was concerned --
the farmers kept him stocked with first-rate meat straight
off the farm, and Oliver in turn kept them stocked in the
freshest, highest quality cuts you could find within a two
days' drive.

It also provided Oliver with plenty of delicious eye
candy. Men with a light sheen of sweat over their skin, a
little dusty and sun-kissed, flushed from hours of hard
work in the sun, rolling with muscles only developed
through hard work.

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 3

Oliver might never have remembered the walk back to
the butcher shop, but he would always remember
walking through the front shop door. Jacey, his shop
assistant, was falling all over himself trying to catch the
seemingly uninterested attention of a heart-stoppingly
attractive man standing in front of the counter.

Jacey's behavior was particularly odd because he was
normally so grounded and down to earth. Regardless of
how fine this man was, there were also some pretty fine
farmers round these parts, and Jacey had never shown
the slightest fluster around any of them. Nor any other
male. As far as Oliver knew, Jacey was straight as they
came.

Just when a stutter started to present itself, Oliver
strolled forward into the man's line of sight, although he
couldn't shake the feeling this man had always known he
was there, even before Oliver walked through the door.
Oliver never discounted his feelings; they'd kept him
alive so far, and given who and what he hung out with,
that was saying something.

Holding his hand out in front of him in the universal
sign of friendship, Oliver strode forward.
"Nice to meet you, the name's Oliver. I'm the butcher.
This here is Jacey, but we all call him Jack. It helps him
deal with being named after his birth nurse."

"Call me Jack and you're dead where you stand," came
the trained, automatic response from Jacey as the
stranger raised his own hand and shook Oliver's briefly.
Aaah, it was good to know some things were reliable at
least, but Jacey still looked a little shell shocked.

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 4

"It's good to meet you, I'm Fynn. My family and I are
new to the area. I've come to town on a scouting
mission, and I guess meat is usually the first port of call
for any hungry Waangoo." The man responded in a
wonderfully deep Australian accent, the type that could
only be earned by being born and bred right here.

Oliver knew some Aboriginal dialect, but the word
"Waangoo" eluded him. Oh, well, there were more
important things to worry about if he had a shot at
staying ahead of the gossip.

"So, if you're new in town, does that mean you and
yours have moved in down on the old Doolan lot?"
Oliver asked. Anything else meant that new land was
being developed, and that hadn't happened out this way
since before his mama's papa was born.

"Yeah, we're starting to fix it up. We have a little over a
quarter finished. It's enough for me and my three
brothers to be comfortable," Fynn responded.

Hoowee, Oliver bet that had made old Beryl at the local
real estate office real happy-like. Beryl had been trying
to move that property since the time of the dinosaurs.
Rumor had it old man Doolan had been a mean so and
so; no one had wanted to even think of taking it on after
he passed when Oliver's mama was a little girl. It had
long since fallen into disrepair after being the local party
hangout for the high schoolers for years, as well as that
mythical haunted house for just as long for the grade
schoolers.

Oliver hadn't heard any rumors around town, which
meant either it had all happened very quickly, or the rest

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of the town was dead from the shock. Usually people
were trying to get out of this place, not looking to settle
in. He was sure it wouldn't be long before the gossips
were beating a path to his door, though.

Speak of the devil, Oliver thought, as Patrice walked in
from the post office across the way. It may have been a
little unkind to think of her that way, but Patrice was the
biggest gossip in town, and at only twenty-four, that was
quite a feat.

Starting to speak before she was even inside the shop,
Patrice started with "Oh, my goodness! Lordy Lord,
have you heard, Olli? Beryl was just in, and I swear,
going on and on about the new blood in town, and how
they look dangerous, and have you heard..." Patrice
finally looked up, and stopped short at the sight of Fynn
standing in the middle of Oliver's shop.

"Hi, Patty, how you doin'? Have you met one of our
newest residents?" Oliver asked with unholy glee. "This
here is Fynn."

Precious Patrice had been on his back about one thing or
the other since she had "found the Lord" in the ninth
grade. Oliver had no problem with organized religion;
he had his own thoughts on how Jesus would have
picked his chosen ones was all. In his own mind, if the
Bible was to be believed, Jesus had love and acceptance
for all. The other thing Oliver couldn't get his mind
around was if God was his creator, why would He have
created him with attraction to other males ingrained in
his DNA if it was supposedly so wrong?

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 6

Well, that was a puzzle for another day, because he still
had the precious Patrice to deal with, currently glaring
holes through the middle of his forehead with her laser-
beam eyes for daring to call her Patty. Plus, he was still
feeling spiteful for her "Olli," so he let the torture
continue.

"Yeah, Fynn here has moved into the old Doolan place
and is fixing it up," Oliver finished.

No need to mention those three other brothers Fynn had
been talking about. Patrice sure didn't need help in
drumming up church members, and could Oliver really
help it if he held even just the slightest amount of hope
that at least one of the four brothers might fall into his
fraternity of the rainbow flag?

Oliver's words caused Patrice to pause, and she spent the
next thirty seconds taking a good look at just who had
happened to move into their town. Cowboy boots gave
way to long, lean, firm legs encased in dusty, work-
roughened jeans. The best kind of jeans, the ones that
had been worn so much they now knew a body's shape.
A chesty Bonds t-shirt finished the ensemble, and with
his Stetson in his hands, Fynn completed the picture of a
farm-boy pin-up.

The change that came over Patrice was astonishing to
see. Gone were the anger, the laser-beam stare, and the
frown lines, and in moved the simpering southern belle,
which was such an oxymoron to see in the Aussie bush
that Oliver almost bent over double in laughter. He held
himself back just in time to see the look on Fynn's face
form into what could almost be termed mistrust. Funny
how it had taken Oliver almost half his life to realize

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 7

what precious Patty was about, but Fynn had her
measure in less than thirty seconds.

"The pleasure is all mine," claimed Patrice with a flutter,
holding out her hand for Fynn.

"I'm sure it has been, ma'am," replied Fynn in polite
tones, and ignoring her hand, continued, "but I have
some business I need to attend to with Jacey, so if you
could please excuse us?"

Fynn then proceeded to grab Jacey's hand and head to
the back of the shop, leaving Oliver with a very
confused Patty. Oliver had felt the heat between the two
men, but still couldn't help wondering how long it would
be before Jacey woke from his trance to realize a man
was holding his hand -- and whether Fynn would return
with a black eye.

"Well, I, I just don't know about that," Patrice
murmured, shock on her face.

"You can't fault his manners," Oliver responded. "He's a
farmer, his hat was off inside, and he refrained from
shaking your hand on account of the dirt."

Oliver couldn't say why he was giving this woman's
pride an out, but immediately after, he was again
desperately trying to hold back his laughter.

"Yes, yes, of course, that's what it was," Patrice replied,
completely ignoring the fact that Fynn had grabbed hold
of Jacey's hand without hesitation. Oliver knew that, in
her mind, it didn't count. After all, Jacey was male. "I
need to get back to work."

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 8

Her words trailed off, and, apparently deep in thought,
Patrice turned around and left the store, the door
banging shut with a tinkle of the bell behind her. Oliver
could see her through his front window, walking back to
the post office. He returned to his own post behind the
counter to begin wrapping up for the day. No way was
he putting his hair net back on, though, not after the
work his mother had just done!

Jacey returned to the front of the store a few moments
later, again with a shell-shocked look on his face. That
was quickly becoming the norm, Oliver thought, and for
the next five months, he would go on wondering what
had happened in the back room of the shop on that
particular afternoon.

Fynn also walked into the room with a very satisfied
expression on his face and completely ignored Jacey.

"Hey, Oliver, we eat a lot of meat, and part of my job is
dealing with our day to day requirements food-wise, so
you'll be seeing a lot of me from now on. I'd like to
place a standing weekly order, if I could?" Fynn
requested.

"I have no problem with that, as long as I have the
stock," Oliver responded.

Fynn grinned, revealing a full mouth of perfect, even
white teeth, made even starker white by the dark, dark
tan nothing but hard work out in the elements could
create. "Thanks, mate. Makes my job even easier if I
don't have to call once a week with the order for you. I
know the boys would live on steaks if they could, but

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 9

since I'm the cook out at our place, if you could just do
us up a whole cow in the standard cuts, and I'll collect
each week. Money is no worries, I'll pay for the first
cow now, and each week when I collect, I'll pay for the
next cow in advance. Sound all right?"

"Yeah, sounds fine, mate." That was the only response
Oliver's brain could come up with on the fly. He
finished the transaction for this week's cow and watched
Fynn walk out the door to the beat-up utility vehicle
parked out front, only then realizing that he'd never
noticed it on his way in.

The only other thing Oliver could think of was just who
was supposed to tell the current shifter pack that another
shifter pack had moved in? Because although Oliver
wasn't a shifter himself, growing up around them, there
was no way he could miss not only the consumption of
an entire cow on a weekly basis, but also Fynn's loose,
smooth, rolling gait.

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 10

Chapter Two

Two days later, and having gotten no further in
contemplating the dilemma, Oliver got a call from his
mother letting him know about a town meeting that
night.

"What's it about?" Oliver dared to ask.

"Never you mind, but it's pack business, so make sure
you're there," was the response before Oliver heard the
phone's dial tone.

Oliver sighed. Two guesses what this meeting was for,
and he would only bet money on one of them -- the
latest addition to our lovely town, he thought.

***

Later that evening, after shutting up shop, Oliver
plopped his gen-u-ine R.M. Williams hat on his head
and made his way slowly toward the only place close to
being big enough to hold an all-attendance meeting,
which were the only types he got invited to. Oliver just
had a feeling something was going to happen tonight.
Add this feeling to the thought of the cramped
Community Hall, along with the heat of the day, and he
reached nauseated pretty quickly.
No sense rushing a body with the barometer reaching
eighty-seven percent humidity that morning, and with
the temperature having soared above forty degrees
Celsius earlier in the day. He could have moved at a
snail's pace and still broken a sweat in the shade.

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 11

The Community Hall, which had seen better days,
would be a killer, because although it had air-
conditioning and although the community was small, no
more than one hundred and fifty people, once everyone
was all jammed in there, they were going to cook like
sausages on a barbecue.

Arriving at the hall, Oliver walked in and waved at his
mother and sister, both standing at the front of the hall
with his sister's husband, Alex, the pack Alpha. Oliver
quickly found a seat, positioning himself toward the
back of the room and close to the door. Oliver could see
the Alpha's facial expression from here and knew Alex
was unhappy at Oliver's choice of seating. No doubt
Alex had been hoping for one big, happy support group.
Well, that's exactly what Oliver had been hoping for
when he came out to his family a couple of years earlier,
and hadn't the Alpha stomped shit all over that dream?
What else could Oliver do but return the favor?

Thankfully, Alex had no time to make an issue as a
group of five men strode into the hall. Oliver guessed
these were the guests of honor, as he didn't recognize
any of them but Fynn. They were led by the biggest man
Oliver had ever seen. This same man walked straight up
to Alex and shook his hand, bowing his head with a
small greeting, but never losing eye contact. Alpha.

A red flag was raised in Oliver's brain at this and also at
his body's reaction. Oliver could not pull his gaze away
from this new Alpha. Nor had Oliver any hope of
controlling the erection that had sprung up at his first
glimpse of that killer (literally) body. The new Alpha
was what cowboy dreams were made of, right down to
the leather chaps showcasing heavily muscled thighs and

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 12

outlining a rather impressive appendage in between.
Oliver saw the unknown Alpha's body shift, an almost
imperceptible stiffening missed even by the equal at his
side. Oliver again tried to look away as the new Alpha
turned his body slightly to scrutinize the gathered group.

"I'm a dead man, I'm a dead man, I'm a dead man..." was
the chorus Oliver quietly chanted beneath his breath as
those eyes swung past, returned, and settled briefly on
Oliver's.

Oliver and the new Alpha locked gazes for less than a
minute, but it shook Oliver, and he was glad when the
new Alpha broke his gaze to start proceedings, because
it meant Oliver could release the breath he had been
holding.

Alex strode to center stage and stood behind the podium,
looking poised. Oliver's brother-in-law was a pompous
ass, but he could sure pull it off when he needed to.

"My fellow pack mates," Alex began, and Oliver stifled
his chuckles at the close emulation of many a Ronald
Reagan speech opener, "we are gathered together today
on a matter of grave importance. We have come to vote
on the giving of sanctuary for an individual pack living
separately from ours, but still within our territory. This
is not a regular occurrence, but as your Alpha, I have
met with Angus, the new pack's Alpha, a number of
times over the last week. Although this is still up for
vote, I will let you know I have placed my blessing upon
this, with which my wolf has no issue for two reasons.
First, they are dingo shifters and pose no threat to us
wolves, and second, this will truly be sanctuary, as they
have had to leave not only their home territories on

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 13

Fraser Island due to government intervention, but have
also been excommunicated from their home pack for
being homosexual in orientation."

Okay, it was unanimous after a vote of one from Oliver.
His brother-in-law really was a stuffed shirt, and was it
Oliver's imagination, or had every head in the hall jerked
in his direction toward the end? Oliver wasn't sure; he
only knew his head was slow to catch up with what was
happening around him.

"I would like a show of hands for those in support of
sanctuary for the dingo pack," the Alpha finished.

Of course, after that speech, no one dared say no. Once
the Alpha put his blessing on something, the vote really
just became about record keeping anyway. But Oliver
didn't vote. He never did on principle, but this evening
he couldn't have even if he had wanted to. He was still
in shock as what his Alpha had spouted on about finally
sank in -- a whole pack of gay shifters? Be still his
virgin heart!

***

As the crowd broke up and got organized for supper,
Fynn approached Oliver.

"You didn't vote?" Fynn asked in a puzzled tone.

"Yeah, never do," was Oliver's reply as he started to
head toward the door, hoping to avoid...

"Why?"

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 14

Damn! Too late.

"Because I'm not pack. I can pretend all I like, but my
vote isn't really counted," Oliver explained and quietly
walked out.

***

Angus walked up beside Fynn, his pack Beta, and
looked down at Fynn with an inquiring expression on
his face.

Angus did not need to say anything; Fynn knew what he
wanted. When Fynn had come home from his first trip
to the butcher's, Angus had held him against the wall
and demanded to know where Fynn had been and who
he had seen. It was either Oliver or Jacey, and thank
God it was Oliver, was all Fynn could think. The hard
edge to the expression currently on Angus' face was
telling.

"That was Oliver. He's the butcher."

"Oliver."Angus rolled the name around on his tongue.
"You will get him out to our place."

"Yes, Alpha," Fynn replied, and that was that.

***

Oliver slept well that night for the first time in two
weeks, not even the slightest bit aware that his future
had been decided for him that evening with just a
shared, heated glance.

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 15

Chapter Three

A few weeks later, Oliver got a call from Fynn, asking if
Oliver would mind if Fynn picked up their order the
next day. Needing to get out of the butcher shop, Oliver
motioned to Jacey and quickly checked that he was fine
with it, then offered to just take a trip and drop the order
out to Fynn himself.

Besides that, Oliver was dying of curiosity, not only
about the house and how it had turned out, but also
about Fynn's brothers, because none of the others had
been seen in town. No one else had had reason to head
out that way, so no one had any idea what they had done
with the house since moving in. Won't precious Patty be
beside herself with jealousy, was Oliver's final thought
as he closed the van doors and walked to the driver's
side.

***

"Thanks for bringing that out for us," Fynn said.

"That's all right. It was nice to have a walk around the
property and see how it's all come together for you,"
Oliver responded from inside the back of the van as he
helped carry the meat inside.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get out there this week. Fergus is
waiting for a part for the ute, and Kyran and Aden are
using the other two vehicles."

"It's no worries," Oliver assured him, meaning it.

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 16

They walked into the kitchen together, and Oliver again
admired it as he had done earlier on his tour. It was
beautiful; the brothers had done a good job. Oliver could
hear a rumble in the study as he walked past this time,
and wondered who was home.

In the kitchen, Oliver placed the last of the order on the
bench for Fynn and moved to the door to head back out,
starting to make his goodbyes.

"Not leaving us so soon, are you?" a deep voice asked.

Oliver turned and immediately lost himself in the most
intense pair of eyes he had ever seen, entranced by the
amber color.

"Uh... umn... nahar..." was all Oliver could stammer.
This was obviously the source of the rumble from the
study, and of course, Oliver, standing in front of the one
man he would have liked to actually impress, managed
to become tongue-tied.

"'Course he's not, you just didn't give me time to tell him
he was here for dinner whether he liked it or not," Oliver
heard Fynn respond as if from far away. He had yet to
disconnect his gaze from Angus.

"Good," Fynn's Alpha answered. "I am Angus, and
while Fynn is cooking and we are waiting for the others,
I will show you around."

He should have known, Oliver thought later, that when
he hadn't been able to tell Angus he had had already
seen the property, Oliver was in big, big trouble.

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 17

As they were walking the property, Oliver could hear
Angus talking about current plans, future improvements,
and other things of the like, but all Oliver could
concentrate on was the broad, solid shoulders and firm,
molded buttocks of the handsome-as-sin man walking in
front of him.

To distract himself, Oliver thought he had better pretend
he had been paying attention, and sought a question that
wouldn't show just how much he had missed.

"Do you miss it? Fraser Island, I mean. Do you regret
having to move here?" Oliver blurted out before he
could censor his mouth. Angus turned to face him as the
Alpha thought over a response.

"This is our barrabooka now. K'gara used to be our
hunting grounds, but the native Dingos there are
endangered now. The government is working to help,
and that includes tagging. Could you imagine the life of
a tagged shifter? No, a move out here was necessary,
and we are resilient, we will adapt. We will exchange
golden sands for bronze earth."

Before Oliver could blink, Angus moved so fast that
Oliver was pushed face first against a gum tree, Angus
speaking softly into his ear. "Besides, what type of man
would I be if I could not be happy that such a move has
brought you into my life? My name means 'One Choice,'
my little boorri, and as my mate, you are that choice."

As soon as they touched, Oliver could feel the heat of
Angus. He could hear Angus talking still, but what
Angus was saying, Oliver had no idea. It didn't help that
Angus was so bloody huge; he stood at least a head and

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 18

a half above Oliver. Oliver felt like he was literally
surrounded in mind-blowing body heat. Add that to the
already warm morning at eight a.m., and the sweat
Oliver could smell that had worked itself onto Angus'
skin, and ting, ting, ting, it was Aroused Male 101.

Angus pushed his hips forward into Oliver's lower back,
and there was no escaping the fact that if Oliver was
merely aroused, Angus was burning with desire. There
was nowhere for Oliver to move; he could only stand
there and feel. Feel Angus working Oliver's neck with
lips, teeth, and tongue, feel Angus' hips working as he
followed nature and her mating rhythm, feel Angus'
hands slide from Oliver's hips, over his sides, and up his
arms to cover Oliver's hands clutching at the tree trunk.

Oliver instinctively tried to move his head to hide the
back of his neck, but Angus was having none of it.
Angus' lips came up, and Angus' chin sensually slid onto
his shoulder. Angus' head swung around until lips met
Oliver's ear. Hands moved down and opened Oliver's
trousers, freeing his erection to the throbbing heat rising
from the scrubbed grass on the ground beneath them.

With Angus' hand working his straining erection, Oliver
could do nothing but let his head roll forward and go
with the flow. Who would really want to walk away
from this?

Angus removed his hand from Oliver's shaft, bringing it
up to Oliver's mouth.

"Lick the palm," was the rough instruction softly
growled in Oliver's ear. "Cover it in your spit."

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 19

Oliver did what he was told, only to have the hand
return to his shaft and start a long, slow glide down and
then up with a slight twist at the top, then back down,
repeated over and over again.

Oliver was pretty sure his head was going to blow off at
any moment, it felt so good, but Angus wasn't finished
with him yet. Angus moved the other hand around to the
lower curve of Oliver's bottom and gently started
stroking. When Oliver had calmed, he felt Angus move
up to gently stroke the cleft between his arse cheeks.
Oliver's breathing kicked up another notch, and his hips
started moving of their own accord. Angus held him
steady by moving both hands to his hips and stopping all
motion.

By this stage, Oliver was incoherent. Being a virgin had
no bearing now. Oliver had done the research, he knew
it would hurt the first time, but he wasn't thinking about
it right then.

"Oh, God, please don't stop, please, please," Oliver
begged, "Feels so good, been so long..."

"Ah, never fear, my little boorri, you will never be left
wanting again if this is what you desire." Angus spoke
directly into Oliver's ear, sending warm puffs of breath
over the lobe and inner whorls.

Oliver started shivering; that just sounded like the best
damn idea he had ever heard.

"Yeah, yeah... Angus, please," was all he could get out,
hoping Angus could even understand that much.

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 20

Some of what Oliver was trying to get across must have
gotten through, because that hand came up to his mouth
again, and damn if he didn't spit right on it in his haste to
get going again. He could feel and hear a deep rumble
behind him, but was too far gone to care if Angus might
be laughing at his actions. Besides, right then Angus'
hand returned to his shaft, and all other thoughts left the
building.

Oliver felt Angus move his other hand over Oliver's
hand on the tree trunk again, then Angus' hips moved
back. Oliver instinctively allowed him to slide Oliver's
hand down the trunk so Oliver was more comfortable.

Afterward, Oliver thought quietly to himself how glad
he was that no one had been close enough to hear them.

Angus took his hands away, and Oliver moaned in
protest, only to shout a moment later as Angus used both
hands to separate the cheeks of Oliver's bottom. He felt
Angus' extended, rougher, shifter tongue take a hot,
slow lick up the crease, before moving into longer,
sweeping licks and tiny, nibbling bites in and around the
ribbed treasure hole, slowly driving Oliver out of his
mind.

All of a sudden, the urgency level rose. Angus moved
from nibbles and licks to swirl around the entrance and
thrust in with just the tip of his tongue.

"Unghg," was Oliver's garbled response to this move.

Angus chuckled, which sent a shiver coursing through
Oliver that settled just underneath his balls. Angus
brought one hand underneath and rubbed the thumb

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 21

gently back and forth over the sensitive strip of skin
behind Oliver's balls.

"I love the view from this angle, the perfectly molded
globes of your arse, your hole clenching and fluttering
around my tongue," Angus rumbled, making Oliver
quiver.

Oliver had no idea how long this went on, but at last
Angus upped the ante again by thrusting his tongue and
fucking Oliver with that long, tensile muscle. The
roughness of his tongue sent shivers cascading over
Oliver's body once more. Angus moved his thumb up,
and Oliver felt the pad press against him, only to jump
as it popped in while Angus continued to fuck the hole
with his tongue.

Another finger followed Angus' thumb, and as his
tongue would pull out, his finger and thumb would
thrust in, almost making Oliver come. Angus pulled his
tongue back, making space to add another two fingers.

All of a sudden, the fingers were gone, and Oliver
wailed into the morning air.

"Patience, my little boorri, I am here," Oliver heard
Angus whisper through his lust-fogged brain.

Oliver felt the hot head of him pushing, and then
burning pain as Angus entered. Oh my God, Oliver
thought, he's killing me! Splitting me in two! It wasn't
supposed to hurt like this, the web research he had done
hadn't anything about that!

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 22

"Breathe, little one, I need you to breathe through the
pain, and understand as a shifter I am bigger than others
you have had before."

"Never had anyone... before," Oliver managed to puff
out when he'd worked out what Angus had said.

"I am truly honored, little one, I had no idea," Angus
responded, leaning over and beginning to nibble on the
back of Oliver's neck, helping to distract him while
Oliver's hole adjusted to his breadth.

Oliver turned his head for a long, hot kiss and managed
to relax enough for Angus to push in, all the way in,
right up until Oliver felt Angus' hairs tickling his arse.
This helped, and as the pain eased, Oliver pushed back
into him, letting him know without words that Oliver
was ready.

Angus started pulling out, only to push in again almost
immediately, and oh, it felt so good now, the angle at
which Oliver was standing making each thrust hit his
prostate almost dead on. He broke the kiss so he could
pant for breath.

"Close," Oliver whispered, and Angus sped up in
response, reaching around with one hand to pinch a
nipple with a little twist. That was all it took.

Angus bent forward and sank his teeth into the base of
Oliver's neck, marking Oliver for his own. With a howl,
Oliver went over once more before collapsing from pure
pleasure in Angus' arms.

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 23

Chapter Four

Oliver came to in an unfamiliar room, and as pieces of
the morning came back to him, could only lie there
shaking his head in wonder at the turn of events. He
stood up from the monster-size bed and walked over to
the window, belatedly realizing he was naked. The dusk
outside the window revealed how much of this day he
had slept through.

Oliver heard a noise and turned around to find Fynn
standing in the doorway, a look of incredulity and
helpless lust on his face. All of a sudden, a loud growl
rent the air. Fynn stiffened and immediately dropped his
gaze to the floor, shuffling quickly backward out the
door. A moment later, Angus filled the doorway and
instantly moved over to pull Oliver into his arms,
dominating with his kiss. There was no other word for it.
It was hot, wet, and intense as Angus searched out every
section of Oliver's mouth.

When Oliver could again breathe, he looked up at
Angus, wondering how Angus had known he was even
awake, or someone else was in the room.

"You are my mate; we share a mate bond. We can't read
each other's thoughts, but we will be able to
communicate with our minds. I will also be able to share
your emotions, but only those you feel strongly." Angus,
at his most arrogant, explained the situation before
Oliver even asked the question. "When we mated earlier,
I marked you both through my both my scent and the
bite on your neck. This first bite will leave a permanent
mark."

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 24

That explained why Oliver's neck was throbbing. Oliver
took a moment to gather his thoughts, and opened his
mouth to let fly.

Before Oliver could go any further, there was a
commotion downstairs. Angus grabbed his hand and
moved him to the bathroom door, telling him to dress
and meet Angus downstairs. This did not sit all that well
with Oliver. But Angus was already out the door, and
Oliver was curious, so he followed orders for the
moment.

Walking down the staircase, Oliver walked directly into
a comfortable room with large, open doorways letting in
the early evening sunlight and the slight breeze that
came with it. Before he could start to relax, though, a
whirlwind flew at him and knocked his head sideways.
A stinging started in the left side of his face.

"How could you?" the attacking shrew demanded in a
high-pitched voice, making Oliver wince.

Five minutes later, after Angus flipped his lid and
almost beat Oliver's sister to a pulp, Oliver had managed
to calm Angus down somewhat by asking for a drink.
Everyone sat down in relative calm to discuss the
situation at hand. Well, Angus brooded at the window,
Fergus paced, and Oliver sat directly opposite his sister
at one end of the table, with the remaining pack
members sitting between.

"Well?" his sister, Andie, again demanded, never known
for her patience.

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 25

Then again, mated to an Alpha as stubborn as hers was,
Andie needed the extra benefits.

"It's not like I had any control over it, and anyway, how
did you find out about it so fast?" was Oliver's
quicksilver response, since he wasn't one to back down,
either.

His sister looked away guiltily.

"Well?" said Oliver. "How did you know so fast?"

"We, that is, the Alpha and I," Andie began falteringly,
"felt your pack connection snap, and kind of came to
conclusions of our own."

Pack connection? What pack connection? Oliver's
confusion was complete. He looked to his sister to
clarify her statement. She sighed deeply before dropping
her gaze once more to the table top and continuing.

"Every member of the pack is connected to their Alpha
in some way. This connection enables the Alpha of each
pack to know that their members are healthy, strong, and
safe at all times. Emotions and, sometimes, if a
connection is strong enough, individual locations can be
felt along these connections, so the Alpha is able to
manage his pack more effectively. When your
connection disappeared, the only way it could have
occurred was either through death or by the
establishment of a newer and far stronger connection
that overrode the original."

Oliver sat dumbfounded, unable to take it all in
straightaway. As the product of a human/shifter pair, he

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 26

and his sister had had a fifty-fifty chance of being
human or shifter. His sister was shifter, Oliver was
human. It had never occurred to him that things such as
this, which his sister had obviously taken for granted,
would ever be available or even an option for him,
because he was human.

No one had ever told him any differently, obviously
happy with the status quo. Shaken to the core, Oliver
said, "You couldn't have thought to mention this to me
before today? It may have changed a few things, you
know?" Oliver heard a low and constant growling
coming from the window behind him and turned to view
the expression on Angus' face, taken aback by the fierce
scowl.

"I will not say I agree with how you have been treated in
the past, but I will not interrupt unless you ask it of me."
Angus' words rolled through Oliver's head before his
attention was again claimed by his sister.

"We didn't want you to feel left out because you can't
feel the connection on your end. We wanted to protect
you," Andie proclaimed.

"Well, that was all well and bloody good for all of you,
but I never knew I could be claimed, and look at me
now! First time I have sex, and I have to go and get
myself bloody claimed! I need to take some time for
myself, I need to have time to think this all over and
work it out in my head away from all of you!" Oliver
finished emphatically, too upset to worry about
revealing his virgin status to everyone. He began to rise
from the table just as a chorus of protests rose from all
members of the pack within the room.

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 27

"You're not getting it, guys!" Oliver said, heading for the
door but seeing Fynn step in his way, "I come out here
single, to drop off a cow of all things, and am now
walking out of here one half of a mated pair with
someone I have known for less than twenty-four hours!
And this is all after growing up believing as the human
child that I would never bond. It is all just a little much
at the moment."

Angus had been looking out the window while Oliver
spoke. "Let them go," he said quietly.

Fynn looked up, obviously not expecting that response
from his Alpha.

The rest of the pack immediately started protesting
again, although the only word Oliver could understand
was "hurting." Angus held up a single hand, halting all
speech.

"Let Oliver and his sister leave. Oliver will return to us
in time, won't you, Oliver?" Angus asked Oliver
directly, claiming his gaze and not letting him flinch
away.

"Of course I will!" Oliver stated. "I'm still the only
butcher in town." Oliver could see the frown on Angus'
face produced by that remark.

Since Oliver and Andie were no fools, they took the
opportunity presented and got out of there quick smart.

***

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 28

Less than three hours later, Oliver heard the screen door
squeak open and looked up to see his sister silhouetted
against the doorway.

"That wasn't so bad," she started. But she had to have
heard Oliver's feeble snort with her exceptional shifter
hearing, and sat beside him, continuing, "It could have
been a lot worse. Being the Alpha's brother-in-law does
have its perks. You know you always have a home here
if you want it."

When none of that last sentence raised any response
from Oliver, she leaned a little closer. He turned his
head and look at her dead on at that moment. "I don't
think that is going to be an option," was all he could get
out before he had to drop his head back into his hands as
the agony continued. Oliver knew from the horrified
gasp he heard that his sister had been able to see how
sick he felt.

"Get in the car," she said, heading toward the screen
door again, "I'll grab the car keys. We're getting you
back to that dog ASAP. I assume you're in this state
because of him."

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 29

Chapter Five

As they pulled up at the Waangoo spread, Oliver jumped
out of the vehicle before it had even come to complete
standstill. His overnight bag was in one hand as he raced
up to the porch, just as Angus opened the door.

His sister, whom Oliver considered a classy bitch in any
circumstance, rolled down the window and bellowed,
"You look after him properly this time, you filthy mutt,
or I WILL be back to finish you off!" Then she rolled
her window up and took off in a cloud of red dust.

Shaking his head at her antics, Oliver walked up the
steps, demanding, "You knew, didn't you?" without
missing a beat.

"I hoped," Angus corrected, "but it doesn't work the
same way for all shifters, especially those mated to
humans. Does your sister feel pain separated from her
Alpha?"

Stopping his ascent about halfway up the porch steps,
Oliver looked his lover of less than a day directly in the
eye.

"No," Oliver admitted, "but that means nothing. Her
mate would never leave her in pain; hell, he would never
allow her to start feeling pain in the first place! You
knew this would happen, you hoped this would happen,
and yet you still chose to let me leave this afternoon and
not say anything!"

By the last word, Oliver was once again yelling. With a
mighty roar of his own, Angus leaped forward out of the

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 30

doorway and landed directly in front of Oliver, quicker
than human eyes could track. Oliver found himself
thrown over a shoulder in a fireman's hold, being hauled
up the staircase inside the house to the bedroom.

When he realized everyone in the house could see him
in such an undignified position, Oliver started fighting,
squirming and beating at Angus' back to try and get free.
Angus raised his other hand and brought it down smartly
on the fleshy curve of Oliver's behind, giving Oliver
enough of a shock to keep him stunned and allowing
Angus to make it to their bedroom with no more trouble.

What had totally shocked Oliver was not only the fact
that Angus had spanked him, spanked him for crying out
loud as if he were five years old, but that Oliver seemed
to have enjoyed it in more than a disciplinary way.

Angus dropped Oliver to his feet inside the bedroom and
pushed him against the closed door. In a very low, very
controlled voice, Angus spelled it out for Oliver.

"For your information, I had to allow you to leave this
afternoon. But you had fifteen more minutes in the time
I had allotted you before I was coming after you, pride
be damned. And if I had had to collect you, there would
have been punishment involved for allowing yourself to
remain hurting. I am Alpha, and to me, you are my
mate; you hold my heart and soul in your keeping, and
your health and safety supersedes all else. Do not be
forgetting so soon how our mate bond enables me to feel
exactly what you have been dealing with. Do you wish
to continue with this argument?"

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 31

Slightly shocked, not only by Angus' outburst, because
that was the most Oliver had ever heard come out of his
mouth at once, but also at the words within the outburst,
all Oliver could do was shake his head in the negative.
There seemed to be little else he was capable of at that
point.

Angus picked Oliver up and used his body to hold
Oliver against the wall. His hands came up to frame
Oliver's face, and his mouth descended, devouring
Oliver's mouth whole in one of his all-consuming kisses.
Moaning, Oliver wrapped both legs around his waist,
clung to his shoulders, and held on for the ride.

Angus' hands moved down Oliver's sides to cup a cheek
of his bottom in each hand, before roughly grabbing
Oliver's cut-offs and wrenching outward. Oliver heard
the seam split, and then felt large, hot hands return to
cup the now-naked cheeks again.

Angus let loose with a deep, chest-rumbling growl as his
fingers grazed the outer edges of a plug. Oliver had
slipped it in at Andie's place in an effort to ease the ache
before giving up and heading home. And that was it:
Oliver knew he would never want to be anywhere else,
or with anyone else. Angus was home for him.

For some reason, the thought turned Oliver on. Or it
could have been the fingers that Angus was now using
to pump the plug in and out. As he did, Oliver could feel
himself leaking out the top onto his own abdomen,
making the head of his shaft slide smoothly as Oliver
humped Angus in time with the plug's movements.

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 32

After one more agitated growl, Oliver found himself
flying through the air. Before he could think enough
concerned, he had already landed on his back in the
middle of the bed. Angus very quickly landed on top of
him. Oliver could feel the plug moving inside with every
move they made, increasing the sensations felt with each
twist and thrust.

Clothes quickly became unnecessary and were removed,
whether by being torn or taken off. It was a good thing
Oliver had packed a bag; he was going be out of clothes
by the end of the week at this rate.

Oliver was at the point of no return and could feel
Angus against his thigh, heavy, hot, and hard. Kissing
Angus, Oliver slid his hand down his torso and around
his thigh to remove the butt plug. Then he felt a sharp
slap on the hand, and heard a growled "mine" in a very
deep, gravelly voice as Angus pulled away from him.

Opening his eyes in shock, Oliver looked up not into the
slumbering, deep gold eyes he was used to, but into
glittering, intense amber instead. Oh, good golly, Miss
Molly. Angus' dingo had come out to play, and Oliver's
arousal level spiked into orbit.

Obviously seeing Oliver's reaction, and probably
smelling it too by that stage, Angus quickly flipped
Oliver over, head down, arse up, and to a symphony of
mewling cries, moans, and whimpering sighs, proceeded
to fuck Oliver with the butt plug while stroking his
perineum with a long, rough tongue.

"Please, please, please, please, please, oh good God, just
please, anything, what do you want? Please!" was the

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 33

litany flowing from Oliver's mouth as the torture
continued.

Just as suddenly as he had started, Angus pulled away,
removing the plug as he did so. But Oliver was not left
to beg. Oh, no. As soon as the plug came out, Angus
went in, all the way in, on the first go. Oliver arched his
back, tipped his head even farther back, and howled as
the pleasure/pain of this first thrust echoed through his
entire body.

Starting up a steady, deep rhythm, Angus withdrew and
thrust again, deep inside, filling Oliver completely.
Oliver fell forward in rapture and let the intense
stimulation wash over him, very quickly putting him on
the edge. Angus held both his hips securely in large, hot
hands, keeping Oliver in place for the driving, pounding
thrusts.

Angus leaned forward, draping over Oliver's back and
layering him in intense heat, adding another sensation to
the mix. This was the last straw for Oliver's body, which
broke into climax under the pressure, his body
squeezing. With one final thrust, Angus groaned, and
Oliver felt heat fill him as Angus sank sharp teeth into
the flesh joining his neck to shoulder, throwing Oliver
into a second climax with a shout before he sank into
oblivion.

***

Later, after coming to for the second time, Oliver
plucked up his courage and asked Angus about the
separation thing.

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 34

"Dingo shifters have an extra mutation in their DNA,"
Angus said. "This means that partners of these shifters
that are mate marked cannot be apart from each other for
more than a couple of hours without both of them
experiencing extreme discomfort -- vomiting,
headaches, stomach cramps, blurred vision, sweats,
chills. I have even heard of one case where the young
lad went into convulsions. This bond used to be
necessary because dingos are solitary, roaming animals,
and shifters used to be the same. This is no longer the
case these days; we band together now in packs for
convenience and safety, among other things. But our
DNA may take a few more generations to catch up,"
Angus finished heavily.

"Maybe your DNA just knows you're all arrogant
enough that your mates continue to need that
connection?" Oliver asked.

"You little imp, after all of that, you'd still try to leave
me?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, it has only been two days," came Oliver's reply.
"You'll have to spend the next twenty years convincing
me that here is where I should be."

"Oh, my little boorri, gladly, for longer than that. You
are home now, you are mine, my only mate, my one
choice."

After that, they were busy for a few days, not leaving the
bedroom for much. Oliver discovered Fynn was a really
good cook and did great room service.

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 35

Angus and Oliver could not agree on the butcher shop.
They had been debating, in between bouts of rather hot,
consuming, sex, whether Oliver should continue with it
or not. Sex was Angus' version of distraction, because
Oliver continued to lose consciousness each and every
time.

Oliver was all for returning to work. He loved his little
shop. Angus insisted that they were rich; Oliver had no
need to work. He was needed at the house to help the
pack and keep Angus happy, and besides that, what
would happen with the separation?

Oliver called him an arrogant puppy quite a bit in those
first few days, but as with everything (apart from dingo
DNA), they found a compromise.

It took a couple of months, but finally Oliver's new
butcher shop was complete, the pack having built it for
him close to the front of the block and near the road.
That way, Oliver could still have his shop, he would not
need to be separated from Angus for any length of time,
and Angus could fulfill all of those protective urges and
check on Oliver whenever he felt the need -- which
Oliver hoped was often, because there was a huge cold
storage room with a lock on the door they still needed to
christen.

No one in town or its surrounds seemed to mind the
change in location. Either that or they were just too
scared to raise the issue, and since that worked in
Oliver's favor, no way was he going to help them by
raising it himself. Jacey, however, was another story.

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 36

Oliver tried talking to him about it, but Jacey wanted
nothing to do with that, and stormed out the door at any
mention of his "mood." Oliver quickly decided to leave
well enough alone and put up with it, or he just might
lose himself not only a good friend, but a fantastic
butcher's assistant as well.

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 37

Chapter Six

A few weeks later, it came to a head when Fynn called
Jacey out at the breakfast table about Jacey's antics the
night before.

Everyone else in the pack were very early risers and had
already been up for hours, so it had been just Oliver and
Aden sitting together at the breakfast table, each
absorbed in their own reading material: Oliver in the
latest Butcher's Voice that had arrived last week but had
been sitting waiting, and Aden in a Gardening Australia
magazine that had arrived yesterday, but was two
months old.

Whoever might have wondered about a shifting dingo
being interested in gardening had yet to meet Aden, who
could manage to grow something from nothing without
even trying. In fact, all of the pack's grains and
vegetables came from Aden's hard work.

Both men looked up, Oliver with his mouth open and a
spoonful of Weet-Bix trailing milk halfway to his
mouth, as Jacey stumbled in and claimed the seat closest
to Aden's end of the table. He looked very much the
worse for wear.

Oliver wrinkled his nose at the smell, glad Jacey was
sitting closer to Aden than him, but then rethinking that
opinion, because if he could smell Jacey from here, how
bad was it for Aden, being a shifter and being closer?
But Aden gave no outward indication if the smell was
getting to him.

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 38

"What is that smell?"Oliver asked. "And are those
yesterday's clothes you're still in?"

"Yes, and the smell is probably a mix of sawdust, cow
poo, cheap perfume, cigarettes, and however many beers
they threw on me," came the answer out of Jacey's
hands, which was where his head was resting.

"So where did you sleep?"Oliver wanted to know.

"In my car, out in the car park for the butchery. Didn't
want to be late to work, you know," Jacey said.

Oliver took one long breath and expelled it slowly,
thinking that his closest friend really was a dick of the
highest order at times. "Are you telling me that you went
out for a night on the town, did something that made
people want to throw beer all over you, then drove your
car out to our place, which is at least forty-five minutes
away from the closest bar, and slept in your car the rest
of the night?"

"Geez, man, lower your voice a bit, it's no biggie."

"No biggie? No biggie? You were drunk! Behind the
wheel of a car! Where did you go?"

"The Pig and Whistle, you know the one, always full of
those curves, and I don't mean the architecture," Jacey
slurred out.

"What?" This from Aden, who had finally decided to
open his mouth. Oliver was beyond words anyway.

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 39

"Yeah, I needed to relax, so I drove out to the Pig and
Whistle and had a really good time. I think I did,
anyway, can't rightly remember most of the second half
of the night. But I do remember riding the 'bull' and
getting it down, that was where the beer shower came
in."

Jacey really should have stopped when ahead, because
by this point, Aden had developed a tic in his cheek.
Even though he had only been there a short time, Oliver
knew that was not a good sign. He decided to step in and
try to get Jacey to see reason.

"Okay, so you rode the bull and you stayed on for a
time, congrats for that, but what made you get in the car
and drive in your condition?"

Oliver would regret ever asking that question for the
answer he then received.

"Oh, I had to drop Cristal off at her place; a gentleman
always takes his date home, even if he only gets said
date at the bar," Jacey informed them knowledgably.

"Ah, and how is the wonderful Cristal?" Oliver asked,
already knowing the lady in question by reputation.

"My memory's vague, but she gives good head."

Aden said not one word, just slammed the magazine
closed, breathed deep once, stood up from the table, and
walked out.

"What's his beef?" Jacey came out with smarmily.

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 40

"I have no idea, Jacey. I mean, really, what could his
problem be with how you spent yesterday evening and
last..."

Before Oliver could continue, he heard a door slam and
pounding footsteps announcing an arrival, just before
Fynn came striding around the corner at a rapid clip and
set infuriated eyes on Jacey.

"You did what with whom last night?" he growled
between lips so thin and tight Oliver could barely see the
slash they made on Fynn's face.

Jacey, looking shocked, pumped out a very articulate
"Huh?" He continued to look at Fynn as if
dumbfounded.

"I said," Fynn repeated, taking a deep breath and
releasing it slowly -- seemed people were doing a lot of
that this morning. "You did what with whom last night?"

"How is any of that your business?"

"I'm making it my business as of right now. When you
are irresponsible enough to get behind the wheel of a car
drunk, EVERYTHING about you has just become my
business!" Fynn exploded. "I've taken possession of the
keys to your car. You are not going anywhere without
permission from now on. Aden tells me you got a nice
little present from the lovely Cristal last night in the
form of a blowjob. Was it good for you? The last
blowjob you'll ever get from a woman, did it do it for
you?"

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 41

"What the fuck? I said she did good head, I never said
she did me. Get your facts straight! And what's that
about, the last blowjob a woman will ever give me? And
give me my fucking keys back! Where do you get up the
nerve to go poking around in...?"

Jacey's voice trailed off as he followed Fynn out the
back door, still arguing fiercely. Aden returned to stand
just inside the entry to the kitchen, apparently waiting
for something.

Suddenly, they both heard a startled shriek, a splash,
and then a scream.

"I am going to KILL you for this, just you wait! I'd be
sleeping with one eye open if I were you. And let's not
forget who helps your Alpha's mate prepare the meat
you cook! I might just add something personal to the
mix that'll only affect the chef..." Jacey went on, again
fading out as he took his tirade elsewhere.

Oliver and Aden looked at each other and shared small
smiles, both of them more than familiar with Fynn's
method of cooling down an argument with the help of
the water trough, before they cleaned up and headed out
for the day.

***

They didn't see Jacey for the rest of that day. Oliver
raised the issue with Angus later that night.

"Angus, I'm worried about Jacey. I have no idea what is
going on, and I can't seem to get through to him. He's
acting like a girl at the moment, with his moods up and

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 42

down all the time. Then throw Fynn and his mate Aden
into the mix, and the whole thing becomes one volatile
cocktail!"

"Ah, baby, I would not worry about it too much. Those
three are fighting for what they think they can't have,"
Angus said cryptically.

"What are you saying? Wait a minute, what are you not
saying?" Oliver demanded to know.

"That is the point, isn't it?" Angus asked, "It's what
everyone isn't saying that counts in all of this."

Oliver thought back to the morning, to the fight that had
broken out at breakfast, to when a normally tense meal
had broken out into an inferno of emotion.

"Oh, my God, you're right!" Oliver exclaimed. "I
thought Jacey was straight. He's fighting his attraction to
Fynn and Aden."

"Got it in one, sweetheart, and I wish him the best of
luck!" Angus said. "Fynn told me this afternoon that he
is sick of waiting for Jacey to catch up. He and Aden
never expected that the emptiness they both felt meant
they needed a three-way mating. If Jacey doesn't act
soon, they are going to do something drastic."

"Oh, no, what are they thinking of?" Oliver asked, his
brain going a million miles an hour. "Can we hold them
off somehow, or help them all out?"

Both of them stopped for a moment, trying to think of a
way to help pack mates and long-time friends before

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 43

everyone lost their heads, or other parts of their
anatomy, over this.

"I've got it!" squealed Oliver.

"So have I," growled Angus right back, grinding his
jean-clad erection into Oliver's hip. "I've never heard
quite that pitch come out of your mouth yet, baby, and I
want to hear it again, for me this time."

Oliver thumped Angus on the shoulder. "Get your mind
in the game, buddy," he reprimanded playfully.

Angus was quick to make a downward sweep of his arm
and to nibble on his mate mark. "Where do you think my
mind is at, other than in our game?"

"No, no, no, we need to be thinking of Jacey, Fynn, and
Aden right now..." Oliver tried, to no avail, to bring his
wayward mate back on course, but it was not to be. Oh,
well, there was always tomorrow night to talk about a
grand opening party for the butcher shop.

The End

Word Meanings:
Boorri: Fire
Burrabil: Light
Barrabooka: Hunting Ground
Waangoo: Dingo
Balaka: Content
K'gari: Fraser Island, meaning paradise.

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 44

Shifting Perspectives

Copyright © 2010 by Nerine Petros

All rights reserved. No part of this eBook may be used or
reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written
permission except in case of brief quotations embodied in
critical articles or reviews. For information address Torquere
Press, Inc., PO Box 2545, Round Rock, TX 78680

Cover illustration copyright Alessia Brio
Used with permission

ISBN: 978-1-61040-063-3

Printed in the United States of America.

Torquere Press, Inc.: High Ball electronic edition / September
2010

Torquere Press eBooks are published by Torquere Press, Inc.,
PO Box 2545, Round Rock, TX 78680

Shifting Perspectives: Book 1: Oliver & Angus - 45