The journey to become a better man isn’t easy, especially
when there’s something worth fighting for.

Evan has been alone since Kaine’s death, moving from place
to place, and for the most part, keeping to himself. He never
expected to cross paths with Mason and Niall again. When
he gets caught up in something bigger than himself, he is left
injured, scared, and with nowhere else to turn.

Michael is like no wolf Evan has ever met before. Born a

werewolf, Michael is stronger and faster, but has yet to truly
tap into his abilities. Taken in by Mason and Niall, Michael
struggles to come to terms with the horrific events in his past
and the loss of his family. In Evan, Michael finds an
unexpected focus. And despite warnings of Evan’s own dark
past, Michael finds Evan to be someone worth fighting for,
and someone who can help him understand exactly what he
is capable of.

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infringement, including infringement without monetary
gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to
5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and
do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of
copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights
is appreciated.

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

The Bad Wolf

ISBN: 978-1-77111-828-6

Cover art by Latrisha Waters

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the
reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part
in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means,
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Published by eXtasy Books

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The Bad Wolf

The Lone Wolf Trilogy 2

Meredith Russell

Dedication

For my family and friends.

Prologue

Nine years ago.

r Roth? Can you hear me?”
Evan fought against the hands of the people holding

him down and desperately clawed at his face. Where was
he? What the fuck was going on? He felt like he was being
smothered. Something covered his mouth and nose,
confining and hot against his skin. His vision blurred. A
bright light disoriented him, and all he saw were black spots
bursting across a white background.

“We need to get him stabilized…type and cross-

match…get a line in.” Barely hearing the jumble of orders
shouted over him, Evan focused on the key words.

Was this a hospital? Was that where he was?
In a brief moment of clarity, he looked around. A sea of

people frantically moved about him, passing objects over
him. They were dressed in white and green, and it became
clear to him he was in the ER.

What the hell had happened? He’d been at a nightclub

called Shiver, all dark, close spaces full of too many hot
bodies. He remembered drinking, dancing, some guy feeling
him up. Evan had been out with friends. It was supposed to
have been a night of fun and catching up. It had been too
long since they’d all met up and done something together as
a group.

Am I dying?

“M

Meredith Russell

Pain knifed through him as he struggled to sit up. He

wanted out. He hated hospitals. He hated the smell and the
cloak of death that hung around them. His father had been
in and out of the hospital, helpless and wasting away from
colon cancer that had been caught too late.

“Mr Roth, can you hear me?” Evan stopped struggling

and looked up into the clear blue eyes of the young woman
standing over him. She held his head and he focused his
gaze on her. She must be an angel. Was this it? Was this how
his life was going to end, bleeding out on some ER table?

“You need to let us help you,” she continued. “Don’t fight

us.”

Evan swallowed awkwardly, the taste of his blood

metallic and bitter in the back of his throat. He didn’t want
to die.

“Do you understand?”
Nodding, Evan reached out and grabbed her wrist. He

understood. “Please,” he managed from behind the mask.
His hold weakened as the room darkened around him, a
vast black space sucking him in. Please don’t let me die.

Help me!
The desperate plea caught in Evan’s throat. Opening his

eyes, Evan tried to sit up. His heart beat madly in his chest
and pain shot through him, forcing him to give in. He fell
back against the pillow and steadied his breathing. It took a
moment for him to realize where he was, and he slowly
curled his fingers in the starched white sheet of the hospital
bed. The bed was solid and real and he thanked God he was
alive.

Last night was a blur of blood and pain. If he was honest,

he wasn’t sure he wanted to remember, though little flashes
of memories were slowly knitting together to form a
terrifying picture. From the nightclub, he’d foolishly thought
walking home was a good idea. Yes, shit happened, but shit

The Bad Wolf

happened to other people, not him. He was happy in his
little world of Evan, safe and sound. But last night, he’d been
terribly wrong.

The path through the city park was poorly lit. It had been

for years, despite the handful of petitions to the city council.
Evan had walked through the park what must have been a
hundred times before, and not once had he ever considered
himself in danger or potential fodder for some serial killer.
He was a strong young man. Guess he’d learned his lesson.
The attack had started with the simple sense of being
watched. He recalled strange growling and the rustling of
leaves, the hair on the back of his neck standing up, and then
the blur of motion before he was dragged from the path and
into the bushes.

Teeth, claws, pain—how was he even alive after that? A

wolf. It had been a wolf. He remembered now. A large,
black-furred wolf with pure white eyes. Uncomfortably, he
scratched at his bandaged hand and fingered the line in his
arm. His breathing became ragged, and he wondered where
to find a nurse. He wanted the line out and to put on his
clothes. He wanted to get out of there.

“You shouldn’t play with those,” someone said from the

corner of the room.

Evan looked fearfully to the shadows, surprised to find a

man standing in the dark. Had he always been there?

The man stepped forward. “You should rest. Looks like

you had one hell of a night.” The man wore his long dark
hair back from his face and the overhead fluorescent light
reflected in his eyes, making them seem almost silver in
color.

Eyeing the man curiously, Evan noted the look of

amusement and pleasure on the man’s face. He was dressed
in jeans and a dark jacket, and Evan was sure the man
wasn’t a nurse or a doctor.

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“Who are you?” he asked. The man stepped forward and

an unwelcome feeling settled in Evan’s gut. The heated
sensation of familiarity spread through him, but he swore he
didn’t know the man. The heat sparked in his gut and mixed
with something more. Was it fear? Attraction?

The man moved closer and came to stand beside the bed.

He looked Evan up and down and grinned. “You mean you
don’t know?” he said as he reached out. Delicately, he ran
his fingers over Evan’s bandaged side.

Evan swallowed uncomfortably as his chest ached at the

man’s touch.

“The name’s Kaine, and I have a small proposition for

you.”

“I don’t understand.” Evan took an unsteady breath. A

proposition? What could this man, Kaine, possibly want
from him?

“You will,” Kaine said and suddenly Evan was seeing red

and white in a scalding pain. Kaine pressed his fingers
ruthlessly into Evan’s side, bringing his other hand up to
cover Evan’s mouth and smother the sound of his scream.
“And when you do, I want you to come see me.” Just as
quickly as he’d ignited the pain in Evan’s side, he pulled
back his hands and stepped away.

Evan coughed and pressed his hand to the now blood-

soaked dressing. Carefully, he cradled his injured side, a
wave of nausea crashing over him as he watched Kaine.
What was this, some fucked-up dream? This couldn’t be
real. This creep of a guy was a figment of his morphine-
indulged imagination. “Who are you?” he asked again.

Kaine gave a tooth-filled grin, only to quickly step back as

the door to the room opened and a nurse walked in.

The nurse stopped dead and looked between the two of

them. “You shouldn’t be in here,” she said, directing her
words at Kaine. “You know that.”

What the hell?

The Bad Wolf

The nurse moved closer and audibly sighed as she caught

sight of Evan’s side. “You’re such an asshole,” she stated
with a sideward glance at Kaine. She brushed back her long
blonde hair. Her skin was fine and pale like porcelain,
almost translucent as she leaned over him and into the light.

She smiled sweetly at Evan, her six-foot frame made no

less imposing by the curl of her lips and her soothing sounds
as she attended his wound.

“Go now,” she said, though she wasn’t talking to Evan.

Kaine hesitated but eventually left without another word.

The nurse removed the dressing covering Evan’s stomach

and gazed at the jagged wound. “The stitches are fine. It’ll
clean right up.”

Evan stared at the pattern of his wound and gauged the

size of the bite mark. The wolf must have been huge. How
was he not dead? He turned away as the nurse worked. His
memories brought forth another question. Had there been
someone else there? He was alive. Was that because the wolf
had stopped, or was he right and someone else was there?
Did they save him?

“There,” the nurse said, pulling Evan from his thoughts.

“Good as new.” She smiled again as she rolled off her latex
gloves. “You’ll be fine.”

“Who are you?”
“Sian,” she said. “My name’s Sian.” She flattened down

the front of her pale green scrubs.

“And who was he?” Evan asked. It was clear she knew

this Kaine guy.

The nurse chewed thoughtfully on her lip. “A friend. He

can be your friend, too.”

“Why would I want him to be my friend?”
Sian shook her head as she walked around the bed and

toward the door. “It won’t be about want. It’ll be about
need.”

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More riddles. “Right,” he said, dismissively. “And how

will I find him if I need to?”

Stopping by the door, Sian looked back at him. With a

smile, she simply said, “You just will.”

The Bad Wolf

Chapter One

Present Day

ou want fries with that? Salad? Onion rings?”
Evan eyed the plump waitress from over the top of his

menu. “Just the burger,” he said, lowering the menu and
smiling politely. He could remind her he had told her once
already, but that was likely to result in her spitting in his
meal. “Please.”

“Okay, sugar. Burger and a Coke coming right up.” She

pushed out her chest slightly as she leaned forward to take
the menu. A sliver of each strap of her red push-up bra was
visible from beneath her open-necked uniform as the crease
of her middle-aged cleavage came too close to his face for
comfort.

Evan did his best not to shy away and offend her. He

cleared his throat and glanced at her name badge. Tammy.
He’d known a Tammy once, back home in Pittsburgh when
he was a sophomore in high school. She’d had a thing about
sticking her tits out to impress the guys, too.

With a flirty wink, Tammy swayed toward the counter

with his order, leaving Evan to relax before sliding lower in
the booth. With a sigh, he rested his head against the
window and looked out at the gloomy world. It was a little
after six in the evening, and already nighttime was settling
in. He looked at the half-filled lot and noted a couple
standing beside a dark SUV. Not a couple, he hoped, as he

“Y

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realized just how large an age gap there was between the
two of them. Father and daughter, maybe?

Shit. He watched as the man pushed the girl roughly

against the side of the vehicle. Regret lurched in his chest as
he turned away. He was just passing through and couldn’t
afford to get caught up in some domestic dispute.

He had gotten into town late last night and had slept

fifteen hours straight. He had been exhausted. The last forty-
eight hours had felt like they’d never end. After running into
trouble in Atlanta, he had spent the last two days looking
over his shoulder and putting as much distance as he could
manage between him and the city. He’d headed north,
figuring it was as good a direction as any, and out to the
mountains near the border. Plenty of space to keep to
himself. The forests would be a good place to let his wolf
roam free, uninhibited and stripped to its basic instincts.
Being in control was tiring and he just wanted to let go for a
little while.

The full moon was in a little over a week and Evan

guessed it would be easy enough to lay low in the small
mountain town of Blackhill until then. He looked back out
the window. The man and girl were gone. He stared at the
handful of cars. Would it really be as easy as he thought?
Smaller population, everybody knowing everybody. He’d
stand out like a sore thumb. Shit. He’d been alone for four
years. Sian, Kaine, the others, everybody had either left or
were dead. From having people—a pack—he trusted, he
now had nothing and no one.

It had been strange at first. He was a free agent, his own

man. No Kaine telling him what he could and couldn’t do,
who he could and couldn’t see. It was kind of liberating, but
also incredibly sad. He had no clue how to connect with
anyone anymore. So instead, he kept to himself, below the
radar. Or he had until Atlanta.

The Bad Wolf

A night spent drowning his sorrows and he’d lowered his

guard. He’d wanted a connection and to spend time with
someone who was just like him. She’d approached him first,
all long blonde hair, big tits, and legs that looked like they
could crush a guy’s head. Her name was Jenna, and God
how she had reminded him of Sian, her looks, her voice, and
her scent that was distinctly female, distinctly wolf, but also
distinctly alpha. And then there was her beta, her mate,
equally blond, and equally desirable. Evan should have
known better, but he’d been so damn lonely, and the
temptation of the warmth and solid feel of another man,
another wolf, was too much to ignore.

The alpha’s heady scent had made Evan follow the two of

them to the dance floor. The beat of the music, the dreamlike
intoxicated blur of his vision, his lowered inhibitions, and
the feel of two sets of hands on his body brought out feelings
in him he couldn’t ignore. He had felt like he was losing his
mind. The assault on his senses was crazy, and the three of
them could have been fucking right there and then in the
middle of the club.

Following temptation, he’d returned to the woman’s

home and engaged in a twisted threesome among silk bed
sheets. Evan had been a fool, caught up in the lust and heat
of the encounter. His attention had been firmly on the male,
the beta, Adam. Stupid mistake.

“One Coke and one burger,” the waitress said, returning

to his table. “Anything else I can get ya?”

Evan shook his head. “I’m fine. Thanks.”
With a smile, she then headed toward a table at the other

end of the diner where a young couple had just sat down.

Staring at the large glass of Coke, Evan watched the fizz

of tiny bubbles on the inside of the glass. He stirred the
drinking straw and the bubbles scattered, escaping in a
frantic crackle across the surface of his drink. Worrying his

Meredith Russell

lower lip, he released the straw and sat back, leaning his
head against the back of the booth, breathing in the scent of
the cooked meat patty as his stomach growled to be filled.
Bumping his arm on the table edge, he grimaced. Slowly, he
rolled back the sleeve of his jacket and looked down at the
end of the long wound that traveled up the inside of his arm.
It would heal eventually, but for now it was a reminder of
his stupidity.

For two weeks, he had been caught up with Jenna and her

kinky games of wax and wolfsbane. She liked taking pain
and inflicting it, and in some ways Evan had, too. But then
there was Adam and the fleeting, tender moments between
them, the looks, the touches. Adam was strong and
powerful, and temptation and lust had gotten the better of
Evan. They should never have dared to embark on
something together. Just the two of them.

Evan rolled down his sleeve and leaned forward, picking

up his burger and resting his elbows on the table. He took a
bite and chewed the overcooked patty. He wondered if
Adam had survived that night, Jenna having caught them in
the act, naked, and Evan buried balls-deep in Adam.

Do you really care?
Sure he cared. Evan closed his eyes and took deep

breaths. Who was he trying to kid? It had just been sex, the
need of a warm body to fuck and hold. It had been a long
time since he’d cared about anyone but himself. He’d been
loyal to Kaine, Sian, and the others, but he wasn’t sure he’d
managed to care, not even when they were gone.

Another deep breath and Evan opened his eyes. A scent

hit the back of his throat and familiarity made his chest ache.
Lifting his head, he scanned the diner’s patrons. The scent
was like Kaine’s, his alpha, but it wasn’t him, couldn’t be.
Kaine was dead. There was something different, a mix of
Kaine and…

The Bad Wolf

“Mason,” he said in a hushed voice. He dropped his half-

eaten burger on his plate.

Evan hadn’t seen Mason since the night of Kaine’s death.

He had watched through drugged, half-lidded eyes as
Mason’s wolf had torn out Kaine’s throat and Kaine’s black
wolf had breathed its last as it bled out across the dusty
theater stage. That night felt like a lifetime ago. Kaine’s
stupid desire for revenge and control had gotten him killed,
Sian, too. Evan never imagined crossing paths with Mason
again, not after saying his goodbyes to Mason’s lover Niall
in a parking lot outside a diner not all that different to this
one.

Evan subtly sniffed the air and finally found the source of

his torment. He shrunk away as Niall, not Mason, exited the
bathroom and stopped at the counter. He watched as Niall
collected a small cardboard box and thanked the man at the
register. The human smelled like his lover, and Evan
imagined the scent of Niall was equally strong on Mason.

There was an easy smile on Niall’s face as he headed to

the door and out into the parking lot. Evan stayed low in his
seat, narrowing his eyes as he peered through the window.
As he had said to Niall four years ago, he had no intention of
seeing either man again. They weren’t a threat to him and he
had no intention of going up against Mason.

The man, his wolf, had taken on Kaine and won. Maybe if

Sian had still been around, he could have been convinced to
seek revenge. But if he was honest, Kaine had deserved it.
He’d been a murderous bastard, cruel, cold, and calculating.
Kaine had known what he wanted—power and a pack to
rival all others.

Evan took another bite of his burger and fished some

coins out of his pocket, dropping them with a clatter on the
table as he quickly got to his feet. Curiosity had gotten the
better of him. Mason was all over Niall, and the smell of the

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connection they’d once shared through Kaine was driving
him near crazy. He wanted to know and see what Mason
had. Was it just him and Niall? Did they have a home? Did
they have friends, family?

Stepping outside, Evan glanced around the parking lot.

An engine started and Evan watched the Honda truck pull
away, Niall seated in the driver’s side. Quickly, Evan got in
his own car and made to follow Niall. Reversing out the
space, he suddenly slammed on his brakes as someone
appeared behind him in the mirror. He turned around in his
seat and looked over his shoulder. She looked like the girl he
had seen arguing with who he had assumed to be her father.
She was maybe eighteen—though it was hard to tell in the
dusky light—skinny, dark-haired, with a strange look on her
face as she stared at him through the rear window.

“Get out the way, you freak,” he said through gritted

teeth, too quietly for her to hear.

A smile spread across her face and she lowered her head.

She turned away, walked from behind the car, and up
toward the diner. Evan eyed her suspiciously, though she
never looked back, simply going inside the diner and out of
view.

What the hell was that about?
Dismissing it as no more than small town behavior, Evan

finished his maneuver. Keeping some distance between him
and Niall, he followed the Honda up into the hills. The ride
didn’t take long. Fifteen miles in, the pickup took a right
down what appeared to be a private road. Evan drove past,
slowed down, and then backed up. He sat at the end of the
road and stared down what looked like nothing more than a
dirt track through a dense wall of trees. Chewing on his lip,
he considered what to do. He didn’t want to make his
presence known, but he was damn curious to see what had
become of his old pack member.

The Bad Wolf

There was no harm in looking. Evan made his decision

and turned into the track. He drove a little way before
finding somewhere to pull in. From there, he went on foot,
following the track until the trees thinned and he could
make out a house ahead of him. Detouring among the trees
for cover, he kept to the shadows and circled the property. If
on the ball, Mason would easily catch his scent, as he had
Mason’s. Silently, he moved through the brush and around
the back of the house. Finding a spot overlooking large glass
doors, Evan crouched down. An ache formed in his chest as
he caught sight of Mason. The man looked good. There was
an ease to the way he moved, no longer the guarded and
wary man Evan remembered. Above everything else, from
where Evan was standing, Mason looked happy.

Evan shifted his position to rest on one knee and folded

his arms, resting them on his other. Envy twisted in his gut
as Niall entered the room and wrapped his arms around
Mason’s waist, handing over the box from the diner, which
was revealed to contain two large muffins. Niall kissed
Mason’s cheek and neck, and the two shared a smile and
laughter.

Lucky bastard. Evan wondered what it must feel like to be

loved, really loved, and not just some casual fuck. Kaine had
only wanted him as a number, one of the pack. He had been
newly twenty-one when Kaine had turned him, never been
in love, and the only love he’d had was from his family.
Regret lurched in his chest as he remembered his mother
and the night he had killed her. Too easily he had forgotten
what Kaine had encouraged him and others to do to their
loved ones. Not really him, he figured. Together as wolves,
he and Kaine had ripped his mom apart in her bed and
brutally slain her new lover who was lying beside her. Evan
truly hoped they had been asleep, that their murders were
over too quickly for them to have woken or suffered.

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Oh God. Evan pressed the back of his hand to his mouth as

nausea washed through him. He hadn’t thought on them in
almost nine years. Now was not the time to get all
sentimental. They were dead and buried, much like his
heart.

Looking back at the house, he was surprised to see

another person inside. Evan eyed the newcomer with
interest. The man appeared younger than the others and
held himself a lot like how he remembered Mason had done
once upon a time—hesitant, wary, and on edge. Though he
knew he would never have an answer, he wondered what
had happened in the young man’s life that had made him
look so vulnerable, so in need of love and support.

Slowly, Evan got to his feet and began to back away. This

wasn’t his world, and he had invaded upon it for too long.
He should return to his motel room before night settled in
and try for a good night’s sleep. He shouldn’t stay in the
town now he knew Mason was here. Evan figured he could
keep out of the man’s way. He was too tired for games and
watching every step. A reunion would not be welcomed by
either of them, and Evan doubted a meeting would end well
for him. Mason clearly had people and a home worth
fighting for. No, tomorrow he would move on, head cross-
country and find anonymity in a different town.

He took a last look at the three men. He was better off

alone.

The ride back to the motel had been one filled with

uncomfortable thoughts. Ones of what if? What if he hadn’t
gone out that night nine years ago? What if Mason hadn’t
stepped in and stopped Kaine from killing him during the
attack? What if he’d been more like Mason, stronger and
rejected Kaine’s ideals and influence? So many people might
have still been alive now, his mother included.

The Bad Wolf

What if? What if? What if? Evan slammed his fists against

the steering wheel of his parked car and closed his eyes. He
was lost and confused. He didn’t know what to do. Keep to
himself? Join others? Start his own pack? As of yet, none of
those options had appealed to him and each one brought its
own risks and problems. He wondered if there was a way he
could ever lead a normal life. After everything he had done
and the people he had hurt, how could his life ever be
normal again?

Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes and looked

through the window. Evan sat back, narrowed his eyes and
stared at the girl standing in front of him. She was the same
girl he had seen before at the diner. She was dressed in black
jeans, a leather jacket, and heeled boots that lengthened her
slim body. Her dark hair hung limply on either side of her
thin face and her dark eyes locked with his. There was
something scary but sad about how she looked at him. Evan
leaned forward, resting on the steering wheel as he
considered her thoughtfully. What was up with her? Was
this how the locals hooked up? Or was this more a case of a
business proposal? Not that it mattered. She was far from his
type and barely looked legal.

Evan pressed his mouth in a line, before pushing open the

car door and getting out. He stood for a moment behind the
sturdy door.

“You okay?” he asked. Maybe she’d had more than a spat

with her daddy. Maybe she really needed help. The girl
didn’t say anything. She simply stood and stared back at
him.

“Great,” he said and pushed shut the car door with a

grating creak. “Are you out here alone?” She looked like she
wanted to say something but remained silent. What should
he do? Keep pushing? Walk away? He wasn’t in the mood
for games. “Remind me never to play the Good Samaritan

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ever again,” he said to himself and then looked at the girl.
“Okay, well, night.” She was a little too weird, even for him.

He locked up and headed for his room. As soon as he

moved, he stopped again at the sound of movement from
behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he discovered the
girl had taken several steps toward him. She held something
in her hand and to her chest. From the look in her eyes, he
swore she was apologizing. He turned around and stared at
her thoughtfully. He went to offer his help again but was
surprised as a bright light shone in his face. The girl had a
flashlight and all Evan saw was an explosion of white.

“What the hell?” He stepped back and shielded his eyes.

This girl was nuts. Lowering his hand, he blinked away the
white fuzz. The girl was gone. Evan scanned the area when a
sharp click drew his attention to the shadows. He tilted his
head at the familiar sound. It was a gun. Before Evan had a
chance to react, a loud pop was accompanied by
excruciating pain. The smell of grease and gunfire filled the
air around him, and Evan stumbled backward. A second
louder shot from a different weapon rang in his ears and
Evan cried out in pain. His shoulder, chest, and stomach
burned and he clawed madly at his clothing as he spun
around and fell to his knees behind the car. The ammunition
was made from silver and Evan hurt like hell. Blood covered
his hands and attacked his senses in a metallic burst. He
could smell his own burned flesh.

Footsteps closed in, two, three—no, four people, maybe

more. Grabbing the trunk of the car, Evan dragged himself
to his feet. He didn’t risk looking at who had attacked him.
There was no time, and as far as he was concerned it was
better to run and live than try and fight his attackers. With
that in mind, he ran as fast and as far as he could in the
direction of what he considered was his only salvation. He
ran for miles and time passed in a fuzzy haze. He ran until

The Bad Wolf

he could run no more, and exhausted and bleeding he fell to
the leaf-covered ground. His breathing was ragged as he
rolled onto his back. Pressing his hand to his stomach, he
stared up at the canopy of trees and then arched back his
head and looked around. Nothing looked familiar. He had
run for miles and had no idea where he was. All he knew
was that he was done. Holding his side, he dared to close his
eyes.

I need to rest. Just for a moment. Just for a little while.

Meredith Russell

Chapter Two

ou know I’m going to expect these every time you head
into town now, right?” Mason jumped up to sit on the

kitchen counter. He picked up one of the large triple
chocolate muffins and took a bite. “Seriously,” he said as he
chewed. “These are amazing.” He broke a chunk off the top
of the muffin and held it out to Niall, who cleared away the
last of the dishes.

“I have one of my own,” Niall pointed out.
Mason shook his head and laughed. Taking Niall by the

hand, he pulled him close and pressed the crumbling food to
Niall’s lips. “I was trying to be romantic,” Mason insisted.
He pushed firmly, part of the muffin making it into Niall’s
mouth, the rest crumbling down the front of his lover’s shirt.

Niall laughed and grabbed Mason’s wrist, licking his

mouth before moving forward and stealing a kiss. “I can
think of other ways to be romantic,” he said with a low
groan. He gently nudged Mason’s legs apart and stepped
into the space, pressing his crotch to Mason’s with a rotation
of his hips.

Grinning, Mason leaned forward and captured Niall’s

mouth in another kiss. “Maybe when my supper’s gone
down.” He patted his stomach and then linked his arms
around Niall’s neck. Slowly, he threaded his fingers through
the soft curls of Niall’s hair. “I’ve been thinking,” he
eventually said. “We should get away somewhere for the
weekend. Just the two of us.”

“Y

The Bad Wolf

“Really?” Niall didn’t look convinced. “You want to get

away? What about this place and Michael?”

Mason pulled Niall into a hug and rested his chin on

Niall’s shoulder. It wasn’t for his sake he’d suggested the
getaway. “I just thought you might need a time out.” He
held Niall close and closed his eyes, enjoying the comforting
feel of Niall in his arms. “It’s been a long year.”

There always seemed to be something else and no real

time to enjoy being a couple. Just the two of them. They both
had their own jobs and then what started as a simple favor
for a friend—offering sanctuary to him and his wolf self—
had led to somewhat of a calling for Mason. In helping
others deal with their curse, it had helped him, too. Helped
him understand who he was and how he could use that to
be a better person, and in some small way, make up for the
past. He had come a long way since then, since Kaine. Both
of them had.

“I don’t want you to think I’m ignoring you,” he said.

Slackening his hold, Mason opened his eyes as Niall stepped
back. He looked at his lover. What was Niall thinking? Did
he regret his decision from almost four years ago?

“I don’t think you’re ignoring me,” Niall assured him.

“Sure, sometimes I wish we had the place to ourselves. But
to see you happy and so…” He didn’t seem to have the
words. “It’s been good for you. I wouldn’t dream of
changing anything.”

Niall was right. The last year had been good for him.

They had opened their home and lives to others, people like
Mason—werewolves. In doing so, it had helped Mason
move forward, forgive himself for actions he had had no
control over. He and his wolf had been two very different
creatures back then, but by letting the wolf in, he now had
control and influence over it. During the transformation, it
was like they were united and working as one.

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“Hey,” Niall said, interrupting Mason’s thoughts.

“Everything’s good. You don’t need to worry about me.”

Mason gave a reluctant nod. “I know. But I can’t help it.

What if something happened? I’d never forgive myself.”

Niall reached out and cradled Mason’s face in his hands.

“Nothing is going to happen. I trust you.”

“I didn’t mean me,” Mason said solemnly. Three months

ago, a young couple had stayed with them. Mason had
wanted to help them, he really had, but they were careless
and reckless. They didn’t understand nor did they want to
know exactly how dangerous and vicious their wolf side
was. They hadn’t seemed to care how little control they truly
had when they turned, and showed no consideration for the
safety of themselves or others. They had broken Mason’s
rules and that had put them all at risk. Mason wasn’t willing
to do that ever again. Niall could have been hurt or worse.
He frowned as he remembered the news report following
the final night of the full moon. A man had been attacked,
mauled by an animal. Mason couldn’t help but feel guilty.

“Stop apologizing.” Niall leaned forward and pressed a

firm kiss to Mason’s mouth. Gently, he tilted back Mason’s
head and moved his hands backward to circle the back of
Mason’s neck and draw him closer.

Mason closed his eyes as Niall’s kisses wandered

downward, his lover’s lips teasing a line to the crease of his
neck. “They got in the house. Our house.” He swore he
could still smell them and had spent several days mopping
away the paw prints that only he seemed to see. Not even he
would risk entering the house in his wolf form. This was a
home for him and Niall, for humans.

Niall rested his hands on Mason’s hips, pulled him close

and to the edge of the counter. He moved forward between
Mason’s legs. He didn’t say anything, instead continued his
trail of kisses across Mason’s shoulder.

The Bad Wolf

The sensation of Niall’s teased kisses sent a wave of desire

through Mason that went straight to the head of his dick.
Opening his eyes, he rested his hands on Niall’s shoulders
and looked out the large glass doors on the back of the
house. His desire suddenly turned to fear as he was
bombarded with emotions that were not his own. He
stiffened and tightened his grip on Niall’s shoulders.

“Mason.” Niall’s voice was strained. “What’s wrong?” He

tried to move away, but Mason’s hold was too strong.
“Mason,” he said sharply.

Mason flinched, his focus now on Niall. Slowly, he

loosened his grip and looked at his hands. What was wrong
with him?

“You’re shaking.” Niall wrapped his hands around

Mason’s and gently rubbed them. “Hey.” He met Mason’s
eyes, obviously concerned. “Come here.” He wrapped his
arms around Mason and Mason appreciated the shared
warmth. A cold chill passed along his spine and he couldn’t
shake the uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“I’m sorry,” he managed and pulled back a little. “Did I

hurt you?” He looked across Niall’s shoulders and chest. He
remembered holding on so very tightly, clinging to the solid
feel of the man—forever his anchor.

Niall shook his head, though winced as he rotated his left

shoulder. “Nothing serious.” He looked worriedly at Mason.
“What was that?”

Mason had no idea. It was like someone had slammed his

chest in an ice-cold vise. He had been scared but there was
no rational reason for him to be. “I can’t explain it.” He
hadn’t had such feelings of fear and loneliness in a long
time. He was here with Niall. He was safe and loved.

Anxiety rose in Mason. His breathing was unsteady and

his chest ached. As calmly as he could, he touched Niall’s

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chest and then pushed him away. Niall, however, wasn’t
going to let him off that easy.

“Why do you do that?” Niall asked. Mason looked at him.

“Push me away when things get weird?”

Mason smiled and stopped pushing. He slid his hands

upward, held Niall’s face, and looked him firmly in the eyes.
“I’m not pushing you away. Not like that. I just need space
sometimes.”

“I know. I didn’t mean—”
“I appreciate you looking out for me. Always have and

always will. Just, you know, sometimes…”

“It’s too much? I’m too much?”
Mason leaned forward and kissed Niall. “I guess you

could say that. And not meaning to do the whole it’s not
you, it’s me thing. But it is me. My issues. Not you.” He still
woke in a cold sweat some nights. Nightmares of the things
he did as a wolf, and everything that happened with Kaine
still haunted him. Once upon a time, the nightmares seemed
so real, so vivid—he breathed in the smoke from the burning
theater and flames scorched his skin. He would wake with
tears stinging his eyes and the taste of Kaine’s blood filled
his throat. Things were slowly getting better. Too slow for
Mason’s liking, but at least there had been some progress.
He wasn’t running away from their bed, scared of what he
might do. Scared of unconsciously lashing out and hurting
Niall.

“Well, I love you and your issues,” Niall said. “Every.

Single. One.” He punctuated the words with kisses before
pulling Mason into another hug.

The embrace was short and Mason was surprised when

Niall released him, and flashed an awkward smile over his
shoulder.

Mason twisted to look behind him. Michael.

The Bad Wolf

“Sorry,” Michael Blake said as he hovered behind them.

“I didn’t…” He fidgeted with the packet of smokes in his
hands. His amber eyes darkened and embarrassment
colored his cheeks. “I just…” He waved his lighter and then
put his head down, moved quickly across the room, slid
through the backdoor, and disappeared outside.

Mason sighed and leaned forward, resting his forehead

against Niall’s. “I’ll go,” he said. Michael had been with
them for seven months. Seven difficult months. But things
were getting better, for all of them. If only he and Niall could
stop feeling so Goddamn guilty about sharing the smallest
moment of affection and intimacy when Michael was
around.

Shaking his head, Niall kissed Mason on his temple. “It’s

my turn. Finish your muffin.”

“You sure?” It was a week until the full moon and he

knew Michael was on edge.

Niall nodded. “I’ll be back in a minute.” He backed from

between Mason’s legs. “And don’t even think about
touching mine,” he joked about his muffin before heading
outside.

* * * *

Michael took a drag of his cigarette. Resting his elbows on
the edge of the rail surrounding the back porch, he leaned
his head back and blew the smoke upward. He eyed the
large moon above the tops of the trees. One more week, he
reminded himself, and sighed as he rubbed a line over his
brow. The headaches were getting stronger the closer it got
to the transformation. He could almost make out their voices
now—other werewolves. Could there really be so many, so
close?

Shut the fuck up.

Meredith Russell

He pressed the ball of his palm against his temple and

tried to push away the sharp pain that sparked from behind
his left eye. Not that it helped. Nothing he’d tried seemed to
touch them. He’d had the headaches since puberty dealt him
a devilish hand. At fourteen, he transformed for the first
time, and hell, it had hurt. Still did, even now, ten years
later. Taking another drag of the cigarette, he looked toward
the trees. He narrowed his eyes and curiously scanned the
dark line of the property. Something seemed off. He couldn’t
pin down exactly what it was, but something had the hairs
on the back of his neck standing to attention.

“Michael,” Niall said from behind him.
Michael briefly looked over his shoulder before focusing

back on the forest. “I didn’t mean to disturb you,” he said.
Despite having his own room and space in their home, he
always felt like he was intruding.

“You didn’t,” Niall assured him and came to stand beside

him. “This is your home, too. You know that.”

Michael nodded. The two men had told him so over and

over. Comfortingly, he rubbed his hand over his short cut
hair. “I just feel like I keep getting in the way. Like I manage
to pick the one moment you guys are together, and getting
to be a couple, to freak out or disturb you by doing
something as simple as walk through a room.” He licked his
fingers and snubbed out the half-smoked cigarette, before
slipping it back inside the crumpled packet and then away
in his jeans pocket. Brushing the ash off his hands on his
pants, he turned around and leaned against the rail. He
shifted his feet and tried to relax. He didn’t know what it
was, but he always felt that little bit uncomfortable around
Niall.

Niall smiled as Michael met his eyes. “Though you

probably don’t want to hear it, Mason and I have plenty of
uninterrupted couple moments.” His smile turned to a smirk

The Bad Wolf

as he turned, leaned his elbows against the railing, and
stared at the back of the house. His eyes seemed to follow
Mason around as he busied himself with wiping down the
kitchen counters and stove.

Laughing, Michael turned back to the forest. “I’m glad,”

he said and let out a heavy sigh. “I wish I could get myself
straightened out and from under your feet.” The words
pathetic and useless sprang to mind.

“Some things take time.”
Michael glanced briefly at the house. “He’s not okay, is

he?” Mason went through phases, it seemed. One minute he
was the happiest guy on the planet, and then the next he was
beyond serious, edgy, and miserable as fuck.

“He will be.” Niall smiled. “What happened with Rafe

and Chloe really bothered him. It reminded him just how
dangerous wolves are. You are. He is.”

“I would never hurt you. I’d leave if I ever thought I

would—”

Niall hushed him. “I wasn’t getting at anything. It’s just

how things are.” He sighed and combed his hand back
through his brown hair, streaks of early white catching the
light and Michael’s attention. “I sometimes wonder if things
would have been easier if I had stayed a wolf instead of
Mason always worrying about me.” The man might not
share Mason’s curse any longer, but he bore his own—
human frailty.

“Would you?” Michael asked.
“What?” Niall’s brown eyes held warmth and

compassion. He was a good man. A loving man. Mason was
lucky.

“Want to be a wolf again?”
Niall seemed to consider the question, but eventually

shook his head. “For one, Mason would kill me,” he said

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with a snorted laugh. He then sighed and stared at the
ground. “But no, I would never choose to be like that again.”

Michael gave a slow nod. No one would choose to be like

this, no decent, sane human being anyway. Sure there were
the pros—the strength, the speed—but the bad stuff would
always outweigh the good. All that pain and rage, the brutal,
wild instincts of the wolf, and the constant fear of losing
control. Of course it was easier for Michael than it was for
Mason, or it should have been. Michael was born a
werewolf, though the transformations didn’t kick in until
puberty. Maybe if he’d been with his family, his own kind,
then things would have been a hell of a lot easier. But shit
happened, right? Instead, he’d found himself dealing with
these changes alone, no one around who understood them.
Just those people. His captors.

“How are you feeling?” Niall asked, pulling Michael from

his memories. “The moon’s a week away. Do you feel
okay?”

Instinctively, Michael rubbed at his brow. “I can hear

them,” he said. “And I wish they’d shut up.” He forced a
smile. It had taken him years to figure out what was
happening to him. There had been no one to explain that
these were the voices of his kin, of other werewolves.

“How many do you think there are?” Niall asked and

looked toward the trees.

Michael shrugged. He felt antsy. He could really do with

finishing his smoke, a habit he’d picked up that calmed him.
“It’s a single, rising chorus of…I don’t know how many.
Tens? Hundreds? I mean, are they in town? The county? The
state?” He’d tried so damn hard to block them out, and
failing that, tried to focus on a single voice. It hadn’t worked.
It never worked.

Help me. A voice louder than all the others penetrated his

skull. What the hell? Michael lurched forward, holding onto

The Bad Wolf

the railing for support. It wasn’t possible. That had never
happened before.

“Are you okay?” Niall asked. Niall touched his shoulder,

squeezing it in support. “Do you want Mason?”

“No,” Michael said and held Niall by his wrist. He didn’t

want to worry Mason with this. “It’s nothing.” Slowly, he
stood up straight and narrowed his eyes. A flash of silver
captured his attention. “Did you see that?” he asked.

“See what?” Niall joined him in examining the line of

trees.

“I thought—” There it was again, this time accompanied

with the sound of uneven footsteps against the hard ground.
The low evening light reflected off something beyond the
brush. Without hesitation, Michael released Niall’s hand and
leapt the railing, landing on all fours on the other side.

“I’ll get Mason. Michael, wait,” Niall called after him.
But Michael didn’t wait—curiosity had gotten the better

of him, and he sprinted across the space and between the
trees. Slowing, he ducked beneath some branches and
looked around. What am I doing? Wandering off alone was
rarely a good idea. There was blood in the air and the scent
of something distinctly wolf. Someone was definitely out
there, and he suspected they were hurt.

“Hello?” he called and ventured farther from the house.
Cautiously, he moved forward, scanning the ground for

evidence of whoever was out there. He stopped, spotting a
trail of blood across the ground. He crouched down and
stared at the fresh droplets.

“Michael,” Mason said in a hushed voice, emerging from

the trees behind Michael. “What’s going on? Niall said you
ran off.”

Getting back to his feet, Michael waited for Mason to join

him. “Someone’s out here and they’re hurt.” He pointed at

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the blood and looked at Mason who seemed suddenly pale
and wary. “What is it?”

“We should get back to the house.”
“Why?”
“It’s not safe,” Mason insisted. He looked nervously

around them and gently nudged Michael in the small of his
back. “We should wait for morning.”

Michael stood his ground. “They’re hurt, bleeding. They

might not be able to wait for morning.”

“He can wait.” Mason sounded very sure.
“He?” Michael eyed Mason curiously. “You know who it

is,” he stated. Michael breathed in deeply, something within
the stranger’s scent that was familiar. “Who is he?”

Mason moved closer. “Dangerous. And if he’s here, it

isn’t to catch up on the good old times.”

That was it. The underlying familiar part of the scent was

what also lay beneath Mason’s—the wolf that had turned
Mason and who had also turned the man out there in the
dark.

“You can’t just leave him.”
“I can and I will.” Mason looked back along the path

they’d taken. He was clearly unnerved by the man’s arrival.

“Well, I won’t,” Michael said firmly. “Because I was

taught better than to turn my back on someone needing my
help.” He looked pointedly at Mason who knew exactly
what he was getting at as guilt creased the man’s brow.

“Shit,” Mason hissed and rested his hands on his hips as

he dropped his head and seemingly searched the ground for
a solution. “Fine, but Niall’s not going to like it.”

They continued searching together and it wasn’t long

before they came across who they were looking for. They
found the injured man sitting against the trunk of a large
White Pine. He was barely upright and he struggled to lift
his head to look at them. The moonlight caught his eyes

The Bad Wolf

making them glow silver before fading as he leaned back his
head.

“Mason,” he growled and winced in pain. Blood had

soaked through his clothes and his t-shirt was shredded at
his left shoulder and down over his chest.

“Evan,” Mason simply said and stepped forward, placing

himself protectively between the man and Michael. He
checked the area and raised his head to sniff the air. Michael
did the same. There was no one else nearby.

With a pained expression on his face, Evan held out his

hand. “I wasn’t sure you’d come.” He reached toward
Mason, sniffing a laugh when his hand was not welcomed.
Dropping his hand, he stared past Mason at Michael.
“Who’s your little friend?”

“None of your concern.” Mason stepped forward and

then crouched beside Evan. Though his initial words had
been harsh, he seemed to soften and was clearly concerned
by the man’s appearance. “What the hell happened? Who
did this?”

Evan raised his bloodied hand and roughly grabbed

Mason around the back of his neck, pulling him close. He
didn’t seem to say anything, simply meeting Mason’s eyes
with his own intense blue stare. There was sadness there,
vulnerability. He was weak and hurting. If he was going to
say anything, he didn’t have the chance because Niall
appeared from the right and yanked Mason from his hold.
Niall stood over Evan, a shovel in his hands as he looked
vehemently down at the injured man.

“Niall, wait,” Mason called as he fell on his ass on the

forest floor. He raised his hand and shook his head. “Don’t.
Just look at him. He’s not going to hurt us. He can barely sit
up.”

Niall looked from Mason and then back at Evan, who

wore a crooked smirk as if to taunt the other man. Slowly,

Meredith Russell

Niall backed away, and then in one quick move, he swung
the shovel. There was a metallic clunk as the shovel hit Evan
on the side of the head, and the man slumped sideways to
the ground and fell unconscious.

Turning, Niall looked at Mason. “He’s gone by morning,”

was all he said, before heading back the way he came.

Michael waited until Niall was well on his way back to

the house, before crossing to help Mason to his feet. “Are
you okay?”

Mason wiped his hands on his pants and nodded. “I’m

fine. Help me with him.” He indicated toward Evan. “We’ll
get him patched up and call the doc.” He leaned down to lift
Evan’s shoulders.

Michael tried to figure out where to put his hands. Evan

was a pretty big guy. “What about Niall?” Niall clearly had
issues with Evan.

Mason gave a strained smile as the two of them lifted

Evan off the ground and said, “You leave Niall to me.”

The Bad Wolf

Chapter Three

ou have got to be fucking kidding me?” This was the
last straw. Not only had Mason defended Evan in the

forest, now Niall was expected to accept the man into his
home. “I don’t want him here.” There were only bad things
on the horizon with that man staying under the same roof as
them.

“Where’s he supposed to go?” Mason said in a hushed

voice, linking his arm with Niall’s and guiding him away
from where Michael kept watch as Doctor Oliver Anderson
tended to Evan’s wounds. “You heard Anderson, it was
silver. He’s peppered with shots. It’s going to take time for
him to heal.”

“Like you?” Niall spun around and grabbed Mason’s

waist, applying a little pressure to his side. The moment he
did it, he regretted it. He never intended to hurt Mason. Not
like that.

Mason quickly slapped Niall’s hand away and stepped

back, wide-eyed, hurt etched on his face. “You did not just
do that.” He pressed his hand to his stomach and grimaced.
The stab wound inflicted by Kaine four years ago troubled
Mason even now and focused pressure on the area still
caused him pain.

“I’m sorry,” Niall said and lowered his head. “I just

wanted to make a point. He did that to you.”

“No, Evan didn’t,” Mason said angrily. “You know that.”

“Y

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“But he was there with Kaine in that alley and he was

there in the theater, too.” He looked firmly at Mason. “He
would have killed me without a second thought. You and
Saskia, too, if that’s what Kaine had wanted.”

Mason seemed to back down a little as memories of that

night were no doubt now at the forefront of his mind. “So,
what then? We throw him back out there to whatever fate
awaits him? You said yourself he helped you find me in
Westlake. If he hadn’t, God knows what I might have done.”
He held up his hand and made a gap between his finger and
thumb. “I was this close to giving up, Niall. To just saying
what the hell and putting a stop to the nightmare.” He took
a steadying breath, clearly getting caught up in the moment
and needing to calm himself down. “But I didn’t, because
you found me. That’s what he did for me.”

If Mason was trying to make him feel guilty, then he was

damn close. Niall remembered how desperate Mason had
looked sitting beside his sister’s grave. No, it wasn’t enough.
He wouldn’t be made to feel sorry for Evan. Niall shook his
head. “You don’t understand.”

“Understand what?”
“I’m worried, okay? About you and Michael. You have no

idea how far you’ve come. Both of you. To have someone
like him around you and now so close to the full moon, it
can only bring about bad things. He’s not like you. He’s not
sorry for anything he’s done to you, me, or anyone else. He’s
as bad as the monster who created this mess in the first
place.”

Mason looked weary and he closed his eyes. “He’s not

Kaine.”

Niall circled his arm around Mason’s waist. Though

Mason seemed reluctant at first, he eventually allowed Niall
to pull him close. With a heavy sigh, Niall leaned back his

The Bad Wolf

head and rested his chin against Mason’s forehead.
“Whether he is or he isn’t might not be the only problem.”

“I know,” Mason said.
“Someone did this to him. Someone who knew what he

was. If they followed him out here, we could all be in
danger.” He gently kneaded the back of Mason’s neck. “Are
you willing to risk that for him?”

“I was wrong about Kaine, about there being anything

but darkness in his heart, but if you’d seen the way Evan
looked at me out there…Maybe this time it’ll be different.
Maybe he’s different.”

Was maybe enough? Was there really anything

redeemable about the man? Evan had hunted as part of
Kaine’s pack, killed people, eaten people. The thought
turned Niall’s stomach and he slipped his arm from around
Mason. He wished he could believe Evan could change, had
changed, but he was blinded with hate for Kaine. For
anything that reminded him of the link that wicked animal
had once shared with Mason.

“You really want to do this?” Niall asked. Mason could be

damn stubborn sometimes.

“Yes,” Mason said.
“And this is because of Evan, for him, not Kaine, right?”

He sounded like a jealous asshole and he knew it. It wasn’t
Mason who woke to his lover in the grip of a nightmare
beside him in the middle of the night, fear and pain etched
on his lover’s face as he desperately sought to escape an
invisible horror.

Mason’s expression softened. “It’s for neither of them. It’s

for me.”

It had been four years since Kaine’s death and the move

out here, yet Mason still couldn’t see how different he was
from Kaine and his pack. He couldn’t see what a good
person he was and always had been.

Meredith Russell

“Mason,” Doctor Anderson interrupted. “Can I have a

word?”

Mason met Niall’s gaze and from the look in his eyes, it

was like he was asking permission.

Niall rubbed a line over his brow. He was tired and in

desperate need of some air. “Do what you need to. I’m
heading out.”

Mason caught his arm as he went to leave. “Where are

you going? It’s late.” He was clearly concerned.

“Just out.” He pulled Mason close and kissed the top of

his head. “I just need to get out of here, okay? Before I say or
do something I can’t take back.” His emotions were running
him in circles and bad feelings were riled up inside him. He
needed space and time to get his head straight. “Okay?”

Nodding, Mason released him. “Be safe.”
Niall smiled, kissing Mason for a second time, this time

on the cheek. “I’ll be back soon.” He glanced to where
Michael stood guard. The young man seemed to be
fascinated with Evan. An uneasy feeling lurked just out of
Niall’s reach. Nothing good would come from this.

Grabbing his jacket and keys, Niall headed outside and to

the truck. It felt strange to be the one leaving. Usually,
Mason was the one who sought time to himself. Time to take
stock of what he had, who he was, and where he was going.
Niall looked back at the house. Guilt and fear clenched in his
stomach. Was Mason safe? Was he walking away when his
lover needed him? Mason had Michael, a much better bet if
it came down to a fight for their lives.

Pulling open the door to the truck, Niall slid inside.

Mason would be just fine and so would he, as soon as Evan
and whatever mess the man had gotten caught up in were
gone from his home. Starting the engine, he shifted into
reverse and turned the truck around. He’d head into town
and to his store. A couple of hours of sawing, chiseling, and

The Bad Wolf

sanding the dresser he’d been working on would vent some
of his anger, and then he could return home and to bed—his
and Mason’s bed. They’d apologize, trade I-love-yous, and
everything would be right with the world again. Smiling,
Niall shifted into first and started out toward the road. After
all, they’d come through a hell of a lot worse than this.

* * * *

Who is he?

Michael leaned against the door jam and watched the

injured man sleep. The pain had gotten too much for him.
Doc Anderson had spent the last hour carefully removing
the silver pellets from Evan’s shoulder, chest, and stomach,
and then suturing the largest of the wounds. The man had
regained consciousness for a short while when Michael and
Mason had gotten him back up to the house. He’d been
evasive, choosing to remain silent as they cleaned him up
and changed his clothes. There had been so much blood. The
silver kept the wounds fresh and meant they continued to
bleed.

“Michael, come away,” Mason suggested. He and

Anderson were sitting at the dining table. Both men wore
serious expressions.

Reluctantly, Michael moved away from the door, closing

it before joining the others.

“He won’t be going anywhere for a while,” Anderson

said. “Plus I’m worried about the coming full moon.”

“What about it?” Mason asked.
Michael slid into the seat opposite Mason and listened as

the doctor shared his concerns.

“The wounds will close in a few days on the surface, but

the muscle damage will take a lot longer.”

Mason nodded. Michael was aware of the wound Mason

carried, as Mason was aware of his.

Meredith Russell

“Also, I found traces of wolfsbane.”
“For what purpose?” Michael questioned. “I thought that

stuff just made us sick?”

“If ingested, yes.” Anderson rested his elbows on the

table. His green eyes darkened as he furrowed his brow.
“It’s a poison. Get it in our bloodstream and it’ll make us
sick, weak. It looks like the plant has been dried and ground
into a powder.”

“So it was in the bullet?”
“Shell, yes. Maybe in the gunpowder or something. I’m a

doctor, not a weapons expert.” Anderson shrugged and
leaned back. “Whoever shot him knew exactly what he was.
There wasn’t enough wolfsbane to do any permanent
damage, just cause greater suffering.” He tensed his jaw and
looked serious. “Have you heard of anyone in the area? Any
hunters?”

Anderson rested his head in his hand and gently twisted

the curls of his blond hair. He was older than Mason, in his
late thirties, and was the one who had brought Michael to
Mason seven months ago. Doc Anderson had been kind, and
had tried his best to help Michael get a handle on his life
again. But things had been beyond the good doctor’s
knowledge and skills. He’d been dealing with a werewolf
and that wasn’t something he could look up in one of his
medical books. Maybe if it had been, or if Michael had felt
able to explain, then things might have gone differently.
When they’d eventually found Mason and Niall, Mason had
needed to help them both.

Michael lowered his eyes as the open cuff of Anderson’s

shirt slipped down his wrist, revealing the edge of a scar—
an animal bite.

“I’ve heard of no one. But then, as you know, we keep

very much to ourselves out here.”

“I guess.” Anderson gave a heavy sigh. “Just be careful.”

The Bad Wolf

“You should be, too,” Mason advised.
The hairs on Michael’s neck prickled. Their eyes were on

him, sharing the same sympathetic look. He stared at the
tabletop, trying to separate out the thoughts inside his head
and see if he could lock in on theirs. He could guess what
they were thinking but he wished to hear it for himself. He
couldn’t. For him, Mason and Anderson’s thoughts were like
needles in a pile of needles, undistinguishable from the
others inside his head.

“Michael?” Mason rested his hand on Michael’s shoulder.

When had he moved closer?

Breathing in deeply, Michael lifted his head and looked

between the two men. “I’m fine,” he said. “It was a long time
ago.” He knew Mason would think he was referring to the
many years he’d suffered at the hand of men he suspected
were hunters of some kind, but he also meant that fateful
night of the full moon when the doctor had had the
misfortune of getting too close. His gaze settled on
Anderson, who shifted in his seat and instinctively reached
for his arm, pulling his sleeve to cover the bite mark Michael
had inflicted him with and therefore the werewolf curse.
Anderson knew what Michael had meant. Guilt lurched in
Michael’s stomach. He hadn’t known any better, had known
no control, and because of him, people had gotten hurt. He
met Anderson’s eyes. People kept getting hurt.

Anderson got to his feet. “I should go. It’s late and I think

we all need some rest. I’m on call in a few hours.” He
worked at a hospital in the city, a little over an hour away.
He specialized in eyes, though Michael couldn’t recall the
professional title.

“Thank you for your help,” Mason said. “I’m sorry we

woke you.” He got to his feet and his hands never left
Michael’s back, for which Michael was grateful. Mason’s
touch was warm and comforting.

Meredith Russell

“I’ll check up on him during the full moon. Until then, he

should rest. I gather there’s history between you and him?”

Mason tightened his grip on Michael’s shoulders, before

relaxing. “It’s complicated,” Mason said.

“Okay.” Anderson seemed like he wanted to know more.

Instead, he said, “It would be best if he stayed here. But if
that’s going to be a problem, I can make arrangements for
him somewhere safe—”

“He can stay,” Mason interrupted.
Anderson glanced at Michael. “You sure?” The doctor

had grown protective of Michael while the young wolf had
been under his care, and at fourteen years his elder, had
become somewhat of a father figure, and the first positive
influence in Michael’s life in a long time.

“We’ll be fine,” Michael said, supporting Mason’s

decision. As much as he appreciated it, sometimes the kid
gloves got old. He was an adult, twenty-four years old, and
it was time he acted like it instead of the screwed up
teenager he’d been for far too long. “He can stay.” He
glanced toward the bedroom door. Evan lay behind it, all
mussed brown hair, tall and lean. There was something
about the man that had attraction flaring in the pit of
Michael’s stomach, which threatened to spread outward and
lower.

Shifting in his seat, Michael looked back at Anderson.

“You don’t need to worry.” But from the expression on the
doctor’s face, it was clear he did. Could he see just how
interested Michael was in Evan? Michael had always been
good at hiding his feelings, a habit of always being on guard
and too scared to let anyone in. But Evan. Evan had gotten
in. Michael had heard him as clear as day in his head—his
voice above all the others. “I promise,” he added, and
Anderson’s body language changed. He was going to have
to accept Michael was capable of making his own decisions.

The Bad Wolf

A smile spread across Anderson’s face. “Okay, Michael. If

that’s what you want.” He seemed proud and Michael was
comforted by his mentor’s support. He took his coat from
the back of his chair. “Keep an eye on his wounds,” he said
as he pulled on his dark jacket. “They seem to be healing,
though slowly. Call me if there are any concerns. Otherwise,
I’ll return on the seventeenth.”

“Thank you,” Mason said and went to show the doctor

out.

Michael waited until the two men were outside, then he

turned and stared at the closed door. He focused on the dark
wood, imagined the man lying in the bed behind it. Closing
his eyes, he listened to the disjointed clutter of voices in his
head, wincing as they seemed to rise into a crescendo. He
couldn’t do it. If Evan’s thoughts were there, he couldn’t
find them among the others. Michael opened his eyes and
gently ran his fingers over his brow. Maybe it had been a
coincidence, just some trick of his own mind. Maybe the
voice hadn’t been Evan’s at all.

Great. Now I’m hearing things. With a sigh, he pushed out

his chair and stood up. Rubbing his face, he decided it was
time to call it a night and headed for his room. He was tired
physically and mentally. It took a lot out of him to quiet the
voices to a level where he could function like a normal
person. Night time was always worse. No sounds outside
his head to distract him from those inside. On the nightstand
sat the sleeping tablets Anderson had prescribed for him.
For the most part they helped at least in getting him to sleep.
Staying asleep was a little harder and Michael couldn’t
remember the last time he’d had a full night’s sleep and
woke up feeling rested.

Quickly, Michael stripped down to his underwear, took

two of the sleeping tablets, and then climbed beneath the
comforter. He pulled the bedding up and under his chin and

Meredith Russell

stared up at the dark ceiling. Outside, he could hear Mason
and Anderson talking and his head hurt too much to catch
every word, but from what he did hear they were talking
about him, how he was getting on, and what progress he’d
made.

Progress. Yeah, sure.
Closing his eyes, Michael focused his mind. First, he

reached for old memories and the few happy ones he still
remembered. It was like they faded that little bit more
everyday—his parents, his brothers, his uncles, neighboring
packs, the young girl in the pretty floral dress, his first kiss.
He focused on the girl, teeth too big for her mouth, braided
pigtails, and bright blue eyes. He recalled her scent, eleven
years old and puberty bringing her wolf raging to the
surface. She’d smelled good. She’d smelled right. They were
a good match, his father had always said, but the way
Michael’s mother looked at him made it clear she knew he
was different. He wasn’t going to take any of the pretty girls
his father pointed out for a mate.

He kept his thoughts on the girl, drawn to her eyes as she

seemed to look out from his memories, pulling him in. When
she had him close, her eyes darkened and her features
changed.

Evan.
Michael opened his eyes. Catching his breath, he closed

his hand around his dick. The memory of Evan’s steely gaze
burned on the ceiling above him, tormenting him. Michael
stroked his dick and heat coursed through him. It had been a
while since he had last touched himself or had a reason to do
so. What the hell was it about Evan that had Michael
behaving like a bitch in heat?

Roughly, he tugged his erection more firmly. A low growl

caught in the back of his throat as he bit down on his lip,
stifling the pleasurable sound. Fuck, it felt good to wrap his
fingers around his dick. He lifted his hips, fucking up into

The Bad Wolf

his hand as he quickened his strokes. All the time he thought
of the man in the room next to him. Evan’s defined,
muscular body, his square-jawed, brutal good looks, his
mesmerizing eyes.

Fuck.
Michael tensed his stomach as he leaned up off the bed,

pushing the comforter off him. His orgasm rose in his balls
as he spread his legs a little and then with another strong
stroke, he came. In a muted shudder, white heat shot across
his stomach, coating the dip of his belly button. Breathless,
he fell back against his pillow and gently stroked the silky
length of his softening erection. He swallowed, moistening
his lips with his tongue as he turned his head to stare at the
adjoining wall.

“Was it good for you?” he said in a low voice, capturing

his lower lip with a tooth as he danced his fingertips over
the head of his dick. Staring at the wall, he was surprised as
the din inside his head seemed to part, a single voice
breaking to the surface.

Goodnight, the voice simply said. The thoughts of the

other wolves then washed it away in a murky wave and no
matter how hard Michael searched, he couldn’t find it again.

Michael wriggled out of his underwear and wiped down

his stomach before settling back under the comforter. He
rested on his back, turning his head to briefly look at the
wall.

Had the voice belonged to Evan? It wasn’t possible, was

it? Shit. He rolled onto his side, so the adjoining wall with
Evan’s room was to his back, and pulled the comforter
around his chest, resting his arm above the covers. One more
thing for him to deal with tomorrow. He closed his eyes. A
tomorrow that never came. So much crap in his head he
thought it might explode one day soon. Doing his best to
dismiss his new concerns, Michael hugged his pillow and

Meredith Russell

waited for the sleeping tablets to kick in. Maybe this time
he’d have a good night’s sleep. Maybe.

The Bad Wolf

Chapter Four

he memory of gunfire jolted Evan awake. Damn. He
hurt like hell. The whole left side of his body screamed

as he moved and was forced to concede. He wasn’t going
anywhere. He raised his right hand to his head and gently
pressed against his temple. He winced as he applied a little
too much pressure, catching what must be a bruise. What
had happened?

Evan looked around the room he had woken in. Where

was he? There was nothing he recognized. The room was
filled with wooden furniture. A chair beneath the window
looked like a custom piece. The window was concealed
behind a closed, slatted blind, and daylight leaked in around
the edges.

Memories came back in a series of flashes. He’d been at

the motel. There had been a girl and then…He pushed away
the bed sheet and looked across his injured chest and
downward.

“Well, fuck,” he said. His chest looked like crazy paving.

His skin was littered with pink and red marks. Most looked
like nothing more than scabbed over scratches, but some
larger wounds had been sealed with stitches. Delicately, he
ran his hand over his chest and felt out the unhealed ridges.
Silver, he remembered. He touched his forehead again.
Crap. Niall. Niall had hit him. Not that he blamed the man.
He knew very well he’d done things that deserved a shovel
to the face before now.

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“Lucky shot,” he muttered.
Slowly, he inhaled the air. His stomach rumbled. He

could smell breakfast—bacon, eggs, hash browns, coffee.
What he would give for some coffee right now. Beneath the
smell of food, he could make out two distinct scents. There
was Mason, his scent as powerful as Kaine’s had been. The
stink of Kaine was mixed in with Mason’s wolf and it hit the
back of his throat, ice-cold and bitter. The sensation left him
lightheaded and he grimaced at the intrusive taste on his
tongue.

Seeking a distraction, he thought on the second person in

the house. He recognized the young wolf’s scent. Though
they had only briefly met, the smell of the man did crazy
things to Evan. A wave of arousal coursed through him and
his dick hardened at the thought of how the man would feel
beneath him. Evan had memories that could not be his of the
young man naked and looking up at him through wide
amber eyes, draped in lust. A vivid dream, that was all. A
cloud of fog separated the images from Evan’s reality. It
must be the silver, or whatever that doctor had given him to
ease the pain, playing tricks on him.

“Down boy,” Evan said to himself. Now was not the time

to be thinking with his dick. He was in Mason and Niall’s
home and it was difficult to think of them as anything but
the enemy. He was pretty sure Mason wouldn’t kill him or
anything so bold, but give Niall an excuse and he was sure it
would be a second round with the shovel. Curling the
fingers of his left hand, he winced. Niall would probably
win that round, too.

He lowered his hand as he heard someone outside his

room and the door was opened cautiously by whoever it
was. Eventually, the young man entered the room, a plastic
tray in his hands containing a plate of the breakfast stuff
Evan had smelled. The man seemed wary at first, resting the

The Bad Wolf

tray on the dresser so he could open the blind. He was tall
and slim, his black hair cut short and close to his head,
revealing his handsome face.

Beautiful. Evan eyed him curiously. There was something

different about him compared to all the other werewolves
Evan had had contact with.

“What’s your name?” Evan asked, causing the man to

flinch. He wasn’t sure he’d ever been told the man’s name,
certainly not in the forest, and he was suffering from a
shovel to the face and some blood loss when they’d made it
back here.

The man looked at him, hesitating beside the dresser.

“Michael,” he said. Composing himself, he brought the tray
to Evan. “We thought you might be hungry.”

Evan eyed the offered tray. “I’m not hungry,” he lied.
It was clear Michael didn’t believe him. “You should eat.

It’ll help with the healing.”

“Get my strength up?” Evan said. He sniffed a laugh as

Michael didn’t seem to appreciate the sarcastic tone he’d
taken. “How long have I been here?”

“Just the night.” His body language screamed victim. His

head was low, he avoided eye contact, and he edgily shifted
his weight to his other foot. “I guess I’ll leave it here,” he
said. He pulled the chair from beneath the window closer to
the foot of the bed and placed the tray on it. “Can you
reach?”

Evan struggled to sit up. His discomfort must have shown

on his face, as Michael quickly came to his side and tried to
help.

“I can do it,” Evan snapped. Michael removed his hands

but only for a moment as Evan continued to struggle. “I said
I can do it.” Pain shot through his chest and he instinctively
lashed out against it, grabbing Michael roughly by the arm.

Meredith Russell

Both men froze, Michael out of fear and Evan from the

overwhelming urge to pull the man closer and tell him how
sorry he was.

Michael looked terrified. And not your oh-shit-it’s-a-

werewolf kind of terrified Evan had seen too many times to
count. This was something deeper, more horrifying, and the
man was almost transparent from shock.

Michael’s fear hit Evan hard. He wasn’t sure he’d seen

anything like it ever before. This was an old fear, something
deeply unsettling and very real behind Michael’s eyes.

“What’s going on?” Niall appeared in the doorway and

Evan released Michael.

Michael stepped back and took a deep breath. Calming

himself, he glanced over his shoulder. “Nothing,” he said.
“I’m fine.”

Evan briefly met Niall’s eyes. The human made no effort

to hide his distrust, possibly hate, of Evan.

“A misunderstanding,” Evan added. He settled his gaze

on Michael, who was visibly shaken and didn’t seem to
know what to do as he started to rearrange the items on the
tray, straightening the cutlery and plate.

“It’s okay, Michael,” Niall said and moved closer. “I’ll

deal with him.”

Relief seemed to flood through Michael as he nodded and

swiftly left the room. Niall waited until Michael was out of
the room before stalking angrily across the room. “You stay
away from him, or God help me—”

“What?” Evan said, sinking back into his pillow. “You’ll

do what?”

Niall seemed to take a step back in his judgment. His

voice less angry. “Just leave him alone. He’s been through
enough.”

Enough? Are those the things that had left their invisible

mark on Michael? The man was clearly troubled, despite his

The Bad Wolf

effort to hide his true emotions. What would cause someone
to appear so haunted?

Evan shook his head. “Like I said. Misunderstanding.” He

was hurting and it was all too easy to lash out at the wrong
people.

“You need to eat,” Niall said. Evan doubted Niall had

suggested it from any concern for his wellbeing. Niall picked
up the tray and pulled the chair close, sitting down beside
Evan. “Eat, feel better, get the fuck out of our lives.”

Evan curled his top lip as he held back a growl. As if he

wanted to be here anyway. These people were pathetic.
“Don’t get too close,” he warned and bared his teeth.
“Wouldn’t want any little accidents.” Niall remained
unfazed. “What makes you think I wouldn’t bite you? Or
worse?”

Niall lifted his hips as he balanced the tray and pulled out

what seemed to be a knife. The blade was folded down,
concealed beneath a carved wooden handle. “Because I
would not hesitate in taking you with me. One less monster
in the world.”

Evan eyed the blade. “Silver,” he assumed.
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking I care what happens

to you.”

Snorting a laugh, Evan said, “I’m under no illusions.

Trust me.”

“You promised we’d never see you again. Why are you

here?”

Shaking his head, Evan eyed Niall cautiously. He had

sworn to never seek the men out and he had told Niall that
four years ago. But life had a funny habit of kicking you in
the balls and having a laugh at your expense.

“Coincidence,” Evan said. The look on Niall’s face looked

anything but convinced. “You might not believe me, but it’s
all I got. I didn’t plan this. I’ve moved around a lot since…”

Meredith Russell

His gaze settled on the knife in Niall’s hand. He knew the
man was serious about using it. Back then it had been clear
Niall had a thing for Mason, and the man’s feelings could
only have strengthened over the years. “If I’d known you
were here I’d have stayed away. I have no intention of
hurting you or Mason. Sometimes shit happens. Believe it or
not, that’s the truth.”

Niall seemed to accept his answer. “You should eat,” he

advised and slid the tray across Evan’s lap. He stared at
Evan and Evan waited. Clearly, the man had more to say.
“Who did this to you?”

“I don’t know,” Evan said in a strained voice as he eased

himself to sit up a little.

“You didn’t see anyone?” Niall pressed.
Evan narrowed his eyes as he thought. There had been

someone there. The girl. How he’d love to rip that little
bitch’s head off.

“Evan?” Niall looked at him suspiciously.
“Nobody,” he said.
It was clear Niall didn’t believe him.
With a smile, Evan said, “I don’t remember anybody.”

* * * *

Biting nervously at his fingernails, Michael stared at the
closed door. Should he have left Niall alone in there?

“You okay?” Mason asked from behind him.
Michael looked over his shoulder and chewed on his lip.

“I’m fine. Niall’s in there.”

Mason raised an eyebrow. “When did he get back?”
“Just now.”
Mason came to stand beside him. Mason was clearly

concerned, but Michael wasn’t sure for whom, exactly.

The Bad Wolf

“Did something happen? I took out the trash. I thought

you’d be okay.”

“It’s fine,” Michael assured him. “I’m fine. It was my

fault.”

“I doubt that,” Mason said and rested his hand on

Michael’s shoulder.

Michael didn’t mean to, but he couldn’t help but roll his

shoulder away from Mason’s touch and fold his arms
protectively across his chest.

“Did he hurt you?” Mason asked, concern etched across

his face.

Michael shook his head. “He grabbed me, that’s all.”
“What?” Mason looked like he was ready to storm into

the room.

“Not like that. I was trying to help him sit up. He was

hurting.” He looked at Mason. “People lash out when
they’re hurting.” He knew that all too well.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let you go in there,” Mason

said.

Michael lowered his head. Flashes of bad memories

invaded his mind. He’d been doing pretty well, had
managed to overcome the worst of them. But they were
always there, a touch, a word, something bringing them to
the surface.

“Don’t let this set you back,” Mason said. “You’ve come

so far.” He smiled as he looked at the closed bedroom door.
“We both have.”

“I know Niall says things take time. But I’m sick of

waiting for everything to be okay.” He looked at Mason. “I
hurt the doc, I hurt you. I don’t know how you can stand to
be near me. How you can even think to trust me around
Niall?”

Meredith Russell

Mason looked at him firmly. “Stop it. You’re not that

scared person anymore. If you could see yourself—there’s
no way you would hurt anyone, not now.”

Michael took a deep breath. His first transformation had

been behind bars, a space with barely enough room for his
wolf to turn around. Born a werewolf, his adult wolf was
everything like Mason’s or Evan’s was, but better. As a wolf
he was bigger, stronger. He could heal more quickly and
take a hell of a beating before ever being killed. The people
that had taken him from his family were hunters, he’d
figured, interested in seeing exactly how a wolf ticked. He
was just a kid, hadn’t even turned for the first time, but
when he finally did, all he remembered was the pain, and it
had been worse than anything he had ever imagined
growing up.

He glanced sideways at Mason. “Do you think there are

hunters in town?” Fear and anger crawled the length of his
spine. Though time and Mason had helped him gain control
over his wolf again, there was still much hate and vengeance
inside him clawing for release. His wolf had protected him
for years, taken the worst of the pain and abuse, and had
almost completely taken Michael over. His transformation
was controlled by the moon like any other werewolf, but
being born this way, he and his wolf were one and the same,
like two personalities within the same body. His wolf was
always there, always listening and whispering in his ear.

“I suspect so,” Mason admitted. He moved closer. “We all

need to be careful. The full moon is a week away. Maybe
they’ll move on by then.”

“Or maybe they’ll be waiting for us.” When Michael’s

captors had grown tired of him, they’d set him free, free so
they could hunt his wolf down—another trophy for their
pelt- and teeth-covered walls. “If they think Evan is alive,

The Bad Wolf

they’ll come for him.” His mouth went dry and he
swallowed uncomfortably. “They won’t stop coming.”

Mason wrapped his arm around Michael’s shoulder and

pulled him into a hug. This time Michael didn’t pull away.
The warmth of Mason holding him made everything seem
okay, if only for a moment. Michael closed his eyes. He felt
like his teenage self again, his mother hugging him close and
telling him there was no such thing as monsters, telling him
he wasn’t a monster. She had been right. Turned out you
didn’t need fangs and claws to be evil.

“Nobody is going to hurt you again. I promise.”
Michael wished he believed Mason. He really did. He

opened his eyes as the bedroom door opened and Niall
stepped out. He carried the tray of empty dishes.

“Are you okay?” Niall asked Michael as he came to join

them in the kitchen.

“I’m fine. Just being a little sensitive, I guess.” He leaned

into Mason for comfort.

Niall nodded. He looked from Michael to Mason and his

face softened, visible regret from how they’d parted last
night. “I need to get back to the store.”

“But you only just got home.” Mason’s grip on Michael

lessened as he looked desperately at Niall. “I waited up.”

“I fell asleep on the couch in the office. I just came back

for a shower and a change of clothes, and then I’m heading
out again.” He turned to Michael. “And you’re coming with
me.”

Michael tensed. “What?”
“We talked about you helping me out, and I think now

might be a good time to start.” Niall wore a determined
expression, but all Michael felt was panic. Sure, he wanted a
job and money of his own, and he’d been excited and scared
when Niall had offered him a place at the store. But was
now really the right time?

Meredith Russell

“It’ll do you some good,” Mason chipped in. “Get you out

the house and your mind off things.”

“But…Evan.” Michael looked at Mason. Did Mason really

want to be left alone in the house with him? He turned to
Niall. “Shouldn’t someone else be here?”

Niall looked past Michael to Mason. “Mason will be just

fine.” He smiled at his lover. “I trust him to know what he’s
getting into.” He looked directly at Mason. Michael glanced
over his shoulder to see Mason smiling back. A small
warmth leaped in Michael’s chest. He hated seeing the
couple argue, but it was clear they were okay. It would take
more than Evan showing up to truly tear the two of them
apart.

“Will you be okay?” Michael asked. He wasn’t clear on

exactly what the history Mason and Evan shared was, other
than sharing the scent of their maker.

Mason nodded. “Go with Niall. We’ll be okay here.”
Leaving him no way to argue, Michael could do nothing

but agree. “Okay,” he said. “Okay.”

The Bad Wolf

Chapter Five

he ride over to the store had been kind of surreal. Niall
had talked to Michael and acted as if nothing had

happened last night. Niall chatted about Michael’s plans for
the future. Did he want to learn a skill? Did he want to go
back to school? Did he plan to stay in the mountain town of
Blackhill or try and find his family?

Family. Michael wasn’t sure if he had any. Men, hunters,

whoever they were, had attacked his home. Despite having
pushed the memories to one side and tried to ignore them,
he had never forgotten the sound of his mother screaming as
their home went up in flames. Having been dragged away,
beaten and semi-conscious, he remembered passing his
eldest brother’s body—his throat cut, his body sliced from
navel to sternum, and his innards pooling on the floor beside
him. No. Michael doubted he had any family to find.

“What do you want me to do?” Michael hovered at the

front of the store. Hopefully, as Mason had suggested, some
time out the house would help take his mind off things. He
walked a circuit of the store floor, stopping beside a large
wooden dresser. A sold sign hung off one of the drawer
handles. He ran his hand over the smooth edges, leaned
close, and gazed at the carved image on the front of the top
drawer. The image was of a wolf, its fur merging with trees
either side. Intrigued, Michael stared into its eyes and swore
it was looking right back.

Meredith Russell

Shaking the feeling away, he looked at the window,

jumping slightly as he stared into the gray eyes of a girl on
the other side of the glass. Her dark eyebrows knitted into a
frown as she eyed him curiously. She glanced over her
shoulder and pursed her lips, and Michael craned his neck
to try and see what she was looking at. She turned back to
him and smiled, pressing her hand to the glass briefly before
turning on her heels and heading away from the store.
Probably more interested in the pretty trinkets and jewelry
in the store down the street.

“Some man from the city bought it last week,” Niall said

of the dresser. “He was out here on vacation. I’m waiting on
getting it shipped to him.”

Michael waited as Niall turned the closed sign to open in

the door window. “I thought you used to live in the city.”

Niall grinned. “Maybe, once upon a time. But I never felt

like I fit in there.” He joined Michael and held out an apron
and broom. “We all find where we fit.”

“Sweeping floors?” The familiar jaunts of pathetic,

useless, worthless broke through the noise inside his head.

“Consider it the first step on the path to discovering

yourself,” Niall said. “But no matter what, floor sweeper or
neurosurgeon, we all have our place in the world.”

A place to fit. Michael hoped that were true. “So, how did

you realize you could do this?” He nodded toward the
dresser. He’d seen several pieces in the house Niall had
crafted over the years.

With a shrug, Niall leaned past Michael and ran his hand

over the wooden furniture. “Just something I enjoyed back
in school. I ended up working in a hardware store from
college and never really took the design stuff anywhere until
here.”

“You know what all that stuff’s for?” On the far side of

the building were several shelves and racks of tools,

The Bad Wolf

replacement parts, and other home improvement
accessories.

Niall laughed. “Yeah, I know.” He rested a hand on

Michael’s shoulder. “Consider that step two. This floor isn’t
going to sweep itself.”

Sighing, Michael glanced behind him. Everybody started

somewhere, he figured. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure,” Niall said.
“Are things okay between you and Mason?” Even before

Evan had shown up, things had been a little strained
between the pair.

“We’re fine,” Niall assured him.
Nobody seemed to tell him what was going on, like he

was some delicate flower who would fall apart at the
slightest bump in the road.

Michael dragged the brush across the floor. “You all tell

me it’s good to talk about my feelings. That you’re listening.
But when I’m there to listen, it seems the rule doesn’t apply
to anybody else. Talking’s suddenly a bad thing.” He
chewed on his lip. He could sense a change in temperature
as Niall moved closer. The man radiated heat, but also
awkwardness.

“It’s not like that.”
“Then what? I’m not the kid of the house. I’m twenty-

four. I’m a man.” He wished he had sounded more
convincing.

Niall smiled, briefly closed his eyes, and scratched above

his eye. “It’s not that we think you’re a kid, okay? We just
figured you had your own stuff to deal with.”

“So, what’s wrong? I’m not blind or deaf. You’ve been

snappy and off with each other for a couple of months.”
Where Doc Anderson was a father figure, Mason and Niall
were like big brothers. He loved and admired the pair of
them for being together—a werewolf and a human.

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Niall looked to the ceiling as if asking for direction.
“Are you splitting up?”
Shaking his head, Niall said, “Nothing like that. Okay,

these last months have been hard for Mason. First, what
happened before Christmas with Rafe and Chloe.”

Michael remembered the young couple. They’d both been

turned and were directed to Mason to learn to understand
and control their wolves. They hadn’t wanted to listen.
“They came into the house as wolves,” Michael recalled.
“Strayed from the perimeter of the house.”

“They did, but they also…” Niall’s voice trailed off and he

cleared his throat. “We think they attacked a man in town on
the third night and killed him.”

Michael narrowed his eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“We weren’t sure. Not one hundred percent.”
“They left the property. How could it not be them?”
Niall shrugged. “For Mason’s sake, I just hoped maybe

we were wrong. He took them in. Brought them into our
home.”

“It’s not his fault if they didn’t follow the rules. They were

stupid and dangerous. They didn’t listen or want to learn
control. They killed that man, not Mason,” Michael insisted.

Niall seemed to appreciate Michael’s defense of Mason.

“Thank you.”

“You said, first,” Michael pointed out. “Has something

else happened?”

For a moment, Niall looked uncomfortable, as if maybe he

wasn’t the person to say. “Last month was his sister’s
birthday.” Niall paused, clearly giving the comment a
moment to sink in with Michael. Mason’s dead sister. She’d
just been a kid, another young innocent stripped from the
world. “And next month is the anniversary of her death. His
parents’ deaths.”

“Shit,” was all Michael could think to say.

The Bad Wolf

“Emotionally, he’s been up and down so much, it’s

making me seasick, and Evan showing up, I guess, was the
last straw and everything finally got to me.” Niall relaxed
his shoulders. The confession was apparently a weight that
needed lifting.

“I’m sorry,” Michael offered. He didn’t know what to say

and knew nothing he uttered would be of any comfort.

“Me, too.” Niall gave a sad smile. “Me, too.”

* * * *

I need to get out of here.

Evan stiffly sat up in bed, pushed the covers away from

him, and eyed his chest dubiously. The smaller wounds had
healed over, leaving pale pink marks. The larger wounds
appeared tender. Evan had made the mistake earlier of
running his fingers over the sutured lines. They’d stung like
hell, his nerves raw as he’d felt out the raised lumps.

Not wanting to pull anything and set back his recovery,

he carefully turned until he could swing his legs over the
side of the bed and lowered his feet to the solid floor. He
curled his toes against the hardwood boards and winced as
blood seemed to rush to them, causing a sharp numbness.

“Where do you think you’re going?”
Evan looked up to find Mason leaning against the

doorframe. Evan squeezed the edge of the mattress, twisting
his fingers in the bed sheet. “You can’t make me stay here.”

Mason snorted a laugh and shook his head. “I’m not

making you do anything. But even you’re not a big enough
idiot to think you’re better off out there alone. Look at
yourself.”

Lowering his head, Evan stared down at his bare thighs.

“Where are my clothes?” He lifted his head and looked
firmly at Mason. He had never liked being told what he
could or could not do.

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“You’re really that pigheaded? Can’t you see I’m offering

to help you? Give you somewhere to stay?”

“Why would you help me? Niall’s made it very clear he

doesn’t want me here.” Evan did his best to sit up straight.
As far as Mason was concerned, Evan didn’t give a fuck, and
that was how he wanted it to stay. He was strong enough to
look after himself. Always had been. “Can’t blame him,
though. If not for that stunt you pulled with the silver at the
theater, I’m pretty sure he’d be dead. You, too.”

“Are you trying to scare me?” Mason asked. He seemed

unfazed by anything Evan had said. “Look, if you want to
leave, I’m not going to stop you. Like you said, Niall would
prefer we’d never found you. But we did, and like it or not, I
kind of feel responsible for you.”

Evan wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that. He didn’t like

the thought of owing anybody, and had thought he’d drawn
a line between him and Mason when he’d helped Niall back
in Westlake. “Well, you shouldn’t.”

It was like Mason knew what Evan was thinking. “I don’t

expect anything in return. I just…” He chewed on the inside
of his mouth as he seemed to look for the right words. “I’m
sick of feeling hopeless.” Evan met his eyes. Though Mason
had seemed happy from a distance, it was clear by the look
in his eyes he was anything but. “That I don’t have to stand
idly by while bad shit keeps happening.” He gave a sad
smile. “I don’t want something bad to happen to you.”

Evan took a deep breath. “Nothing bad is going to

happen to me.”

Mason quirked an eyebrow. “Really? Because sorry to say

it, but you look like crap.”

And with that the tension in the room eased. “Yeah,”

Evan said. “Yeah, I do.”

The Bad Wolf

“What happened?” Mason asked. “And I don’t want

some bullshit line like you spun Niall that you can’t
remember.”

Gently, Evan pressed his hand to his chest, feeling the

steady beat of his heart. In all the years in Kaine’s pack,
Mason had been the only member he was sure he could
trust. Hell, if Mason hadn’t stopped Kaine from killing him
the night he was first bitten, he wouldn’t have been in the
pack then or here to discuss it now. He pressed his lips in a
line. Whether that had been a blessing rather than a curse
was still up for debate. Evan had been part of some
monstrous acts while running with Kaine. He had truly been
seduced by the power he had been given.

“Evan?” Mason pressed.
“Some girl, all limp black hair and gothic makeup. Acted

strange. Smelled funny, too.” He remembered the smell of
gunfire, but also what had lain beneath it.

“She did this?”
Evan shook his head. “No. But she was with whoever

shot me. Maybe three, four others. I didn’t see them, and I
wasn’t going to stick around until I did.”

Folding his arms across his chest, Mason sighed and

stepped farther into the room. He sat on the chair still sitting
beside the bed. “And you did nothing to provoke this?”

“Nothing. I swear.” He wasn’t sure why, but he wanted

Mason to believe him. “I’d gotten back to the motel, stepped
out my car, and then…” The girl had been standing there
like some foreshadowing omen. “The girl shone a light in
my face and you know the rest. They shot me with silver, I
ran, and out of some crazy survival instinct, I ended up
here.”

Mason had a puzzled look on his face. “And you’d never

seen her before?”

Evan shook his head. “Not that I remember.”

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“How did they know you were a wolf?”
Evan shrugged. “The light, I guess.” If light caught his,

Mason’s or any werewolf’s eyes at just the right angle, they
shone silver.

“I mean before that. I doubt she runs around shining

lights in just anybody’s eyes. Could they have followed you
to town?”

Where had he been? What had he done? Evan was sure

Mason was trying to figure out exactly how to blame him for
what happened.

“No. I didn’t bring them here. I’d been in town less than

twenty-four hours. There was no reason for anyone to think
me anything but a regular guy passing through,” insisted
Evan. He felt deflated. In the end, it probably made no
difference what he said. Mason would always have his
doubts.

“Okay,” Mason said. He then looked at Evan in a way

that left Evan feeling more hopeful. He was sure Mason
believed him. “If you want to leave, I won’t stop you. Just,
give it a couple more days, please?”

Evan considered Mason’s request. A couple of days

wouldn’t hurt, he figured. It wasn’t as if he had anyone or
anyplace to go. “Sure. But two requests of my own,” he said.

Though clearly wary, Mason agreed, “Okay.”
“One, can someone collect my car from the motel? Or the

very least, gather together my things, my clothes?”

“Yes, we can do that. And the second?”
Why was it so damn hard to ask for help? Evan lowered

his gaze and spoke toward the floor. “Can you help me to
the bathroom?” He glanced up at Mason. “Please?” he
added.

Mason got to his feet and leaned forward, hooking his

arm under Evan’s to support his weight. “See, that wasn’t so
bad,” he said and helped Evan off the bed and to his feet.

The Bad Wolf

They stood together for a moment and looked into each
other’s eyes. Both men screwed up their noses and shared a
low growl. The scent of Kaine was strong in the air and Evan
hoped he could be forgiven for thinking the man was alive
and in that very room with them. Mason’s hold on him
loosened as he put space between them. There’d never been
anything but Kaine as a connection between them, and in
such close proximity, it seemed the man’s ghost was
determined to haunt them.

“Kaine’s dead,” Evan said. “He can’t hurt you anymore.”

He didn’t know everything that had happened between
Mason and Kaine up to Mason finally breaking free and
running away from the pack. But he had seen enough. He
had seen the bruised aftermath of whatever twisted
relationship the two men had been caught up in.

From the look on Mason’s face, he was surprised not only

by Evan’s words, but also the compassion in Evan’s voice.

“I mean it,” Evan continued. “He can’t hurt anyone

anymore.”

Mason looked at Evan. His silence held a question and

Evan was sure he knew what. Yes, Kaine was dead, but his
legacy lived on in others, including Evan.

“I won’t hurt you.” Evan could never dream of excusing

his past behavior, but he could do what was right here and
now. “Any of you.”

Mason moved closer, wrapping his arm around Evan’s

waist as he guided him out of the room. “Thank you” was
all Mason said as he helped Evan to the bathroom. But for
Evan, that was enough.

Meredith Russell

Chapter Six

wo days passed and Evan had itchy feet. He wanted to
get on the road in search of his own space. Problem was,

it wasn’t just his feet that were itching. Frustrated, he
scratched at his chest through his t-shirt. He didn’t want to
scratch too hard, but damn, the itching was almost
unbearable and he felt like his skin was on fire. He was
stronger, healing, and his body had already begun to absorb
the sutures the doctor had put in. He felt normal again, or as
normal as he ever had. He knew despite outward
appearances, the wounds from the silver pellets were still
tender and needed several more days to really heal as much
as they would beneath the surface.

Mason looked up from his laptop as Evan passed him.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Evan said and made for the front of the house.

“Just need some air.”

He pulled open the heavy main door and then pushed the

screen, which creaked, swung back, and closed with a bang.
Frustrated, Evan pulled off his t-shirt and with a heavy sigh,
he walked forward, crossing the short front porch to lean
against the low fence that surrounded it. The cool February
air hit his chest, and he welcomed the relief it offered his hot
skin. He was still sore, stiff, but at least he could get himself
to the bathroom now. The wolfsbane was completely out of
his system, and only the injuries to his shoulder and chest
remained.

The Bad Wolf

Folding his arms, he leaned against the rail. He eyed his

car and considered making a break for freedom. Where
would he go? It was five days until the first night of the full
moon. Was it really worth moving on before then? He felt
stronger, but who knew how much of the healing a
transformation might undo. Better to stay here and away
from people, right? Safest for him and for them.

The swing chair creaked and he turned, surprised to find

Michael sitting to his left. The young man looked
apologetically up at him and said, “I didn’t want to disturb
you.” Michael lowered his eyes and settled back in his seat,
the chair creaking again as he pulled a dark blanket up and
over his thighs.

“What are you doing out here?” Evan asked. “I thought

you were with Niall.”

Michael shrugged. “It’s Sunday.”
Some answer that is.
“What are you doing out here?” He repeated Evan’s

question. His gaze fell to Evan’s chest and then just as
quickly he was looking elsewhere.

Evan couldn’t help but grin. Michael looked so damn

uncomfortable and embarrassed it was almost cute. Evan
pursed his lips as he considered the man. There was
something appealing about Michael’s shyness, probably
because he was the complete opposite from anyone Evan
had met before. Kaine and his friends had always been
showmen, confident and extravagant. His mind went to
Sian. She had been the worst, luring men in with her long
legs, high heels, and the erotic way she moved and draped
herself around any man she wanted.

“Needed some air,” Evan said dismissively. He stared at

his car. To fucking escape.

“You feel trapped?” Michael asked.
Evan glanced sideways. “I guess.” The temperature

seemed to drop, and Evan pulled his t-shirt back on. “Don’t

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you?” He noted how Michael watched him roll the material
down over his stomach to meet his jeans.

Keep dreaming, kid. I’d eat you alive.
“I’m not a kid.” Michael looked annoyed.
“What did you say?” Evan tightened his grip on the

railing as he turned to look at Michael square on.

Michael narrowed his eyes. “I said I’m not a kid.”
“I never said you were.” Or had he? Losing my fucking

mind. He stared at Michael who simply stared back through
wide eyes. He seemed paler than usual. “What?” Evan said.
“You’re not going to faint on me, are you?” He could do
without giving Niall a reason to reintroduce him to his
shovel.

Michael didn’t say anything, but shook his head.
“Okay. Good.” Freak. Evan looked up at the sky. We both

are.

Can you hear me? Michael’s voice sounded strange, distant.
“Yeah,” Evan said. A gray cloud moved slowly overhead.

You can really hear me?
“I said yes,” Evan snapped and turned to Michael. The

man wore a peculiar look—a mixture of excitement but also
disbelief.

How? Michael leaned his head to one side as he studied

Evan.

Evan quirked his head in surprise. What the hell? He had

heard Michael speak but he swore the man had never
moved his lips.

You can. Michael got to his feet and Evan’s automatic

reaction was to step away. “You weren’t born a werewolf,”
Michael said as he moved closer, looking Evan over with
interest. You were bitten like Mason.

What the hell was going on? Evan raised his hands. This

was strange, even for him. “I don’t mean to sound weird,
but why the hell are you in my head?”

The Bad Wolf

Michael continued to move forward, and the hairs on

Evan’s arms rose in a prickling shiver. Images flashed in his
head of the two of them together, Michael in his bed,
keening from his touch, naked and wanton.

Michael stopped and met Evan’s eyes. Had Michael seen

it, too? Evan didn’t know what to say or do. Had they been
Evan’s own thoughts, or Michael’s? There was no denying
Michael was handsome. There was a haunting beauty about
the young man. Hell, he could be mistaken for a model.
Ebony hair contrasted the flawless pale skin of his heart-
shaped face—high cheekbones, full, kissable lips, and bright
amber eyes that Evan swore saw everything when Michael
looked him over, right down to the stains on his soul.

“How did you do that?” Evan asked. He’d never

experienced anything like that before, the invasion of
another person’s thoughts inside his head.

Shaking his head, Michael looked into Evan’s eyes and

Evan was left to wonder about Michael. Was Michael in his
head now? Could he hear Evan’s thoughts? If he was, Evan
neither heard nor felt anything.

“I don’t know,” Michael said. “I didn’t know I could. I

mean, the other night, I wondered, but…” His words trailed
off as his mind seemed to work overtime on figuring out
what had just happened.

Evan had heard rumors about those who were born a

werewolf. They ranged from embellishing their superiority
to plain ridiculous. He eyed Michael warily. Was it possible
the man might sprout wings?

“I didn’t mean anything by it,” Michael quickly said. He

looked eager for Evan to believe him. “Just all of a sudden
there you were. I heard you inside my head.”

This was kind of awkward. Evan liked the man, but to

have him running around inside his head, that was a
different thing altogether. Just how deep could Michael go?

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“I’m sorry,” Michael said. His shoulders dropped and he

lowered his head.

Great. Now Evan felt like a dick. He ducked his head a

little and smiled as Michael looked at him. He rubbed his
jaw and glanced through the window. Through the
reflection of light off the pane, he could just make out Mason
sitting on the couch as he worked. Company and some
human interaction wouldn’t be a bad thing he figured.

“Do you want to go for a walk? I could do with stretching

my legs.”

Michael’s face brightened. “Sure.”
Evan jumped the four steps from the porch to the ground

and waited for Michael to join him. Falling in side by side,
they walked. “So, how’s this thing work?”

* * * *

Michael walked beside Evan and couldn’t help but
occasionally glance at the man. Had that really happened?
Had they spoken to each other through thoughts alone? This
was incredible and also meant he wasn’t going mad after all.
The voice he’d heard that night had been Evan’s. Evan had
called out for help, not with his voice but with his mind, and
Michael had heard him. If only he could figure out why—
and how.

Excitement made Michael’s chest ache. Fuck, he needed to

calm down. Fishing his packet of smokes and lighter from
his pants, he fumbled to pull out a single cigarette and light
it. His first drag helped to calm him down. “Do you want
one?”

Evan cast him a sideways glance before stopping. “I don’t

smoke.”

Michael shrugged and slid the packet back in his pocket.

The Bad Wolf

“And neither should you.” Evan took the cigarette from

between Michael’s lips and dropped it on the ground,
crushing the smoke beneath his boot.

“What? They’ll kill me?” Michael rested his hands on his

hips and looked at Evan. He hadn’t been sick a day in his
life.

“You don’t know they won’t.” Evan met his eyes. With a

smirk on his lips, he moved closer. Heat radiated off Evan
and Michael could feel the man’s breath on his cheek as he
leaned forward.

“What are you doing?” Michael took a sharp breath,

surprised as Evan rested his hand on the small of his back.

Jesus. Michael had never met anyone like Evan before, a

man that had his stomach tied in knots, his dick tenting in
the confines of his jeans, and his mind so thoroughly
intrigued. For some reason, they had formed a connection
before they had even met. Evan had called and Michael had
listened.

Oh God. Evan was so damn close. He stood a couple of

inches taller than Michael, his body muscular and solid
beneath the material of his t-shirt. Evan met Michael’s gaze
with his perfect blue eyes, and Michael struggled to breathe.
Michael wondered how he had not noticed before how
amazingly flawless they were, like the bluest of seas. He
took a moment to appreciate Evan’s good looks. His
gorgeous eyes were set beneath thick, yet neat eyebrows.
They were a shade darker than his brown hair. There was a
slight wave to the bangs he wore swept back from his face.
Evan had a strong beauty about him, a square jaw, straight
nose, and dimples when he smiled. And damn, he was
smiling right now.

Michael closed his eyes and listened to the rhythm of his

heartbeat rising in his ears. Evan slid his hand downward,
his fingers tracing a line over the curve of Michael’s ass.

Meredith Russell

Evan’s breath was warm against the skin of Michael’s throat
and was released in calm and controlled puffs.

How the hell was he so calm? Michael’s dick was

painfully hard, but damn it felt good. Fuck, if Evan was to
touch him just once, Michael was damn sure he’d come right
then and there. Evan moved his hand down, cupping
Michael’s ass briefly, before he slipped his fingers into the
back pocket of his jeans and then pulled away. Michael
opened his eyes and Evan smirked.

“You don’t need these,” Evan said of Michael’s smokes

and lighter.

Michael went to snatch them back, only for Evan to grab

his wrist, pull him close, and hold him tight to his body. Yes,
Evan was as firm as he looked. Michael squirmed in Evan’s
hold, gasping as his erection brushed Evan’s thigh. From the
look on Evan’s face, the man knew exactly what was going
on in Michael’s pants.

“You want a hand with that?” Evan teased. Evan curled

his hand against the top of Michael’s ass, the sharp corner of
the cigarette packet poking Michael in the back.

Michael arched backward and looked into Evan’s eyes.

What was Evan waiting for? He couldn’t figure out what
Evan wanted from him. Kiss me. Michael directed his
thoughts toward Evan, but there was no indication the man
had heard him this time.

Kiss me. Michael looked directly into Evan’s eyes, and this

time he knew Evan had heard him.

Evan dropped the smokes and brought his free hand up

to cup Michael’s face. He blinked, seeming uncertain as he
drew his hand downward and pressed it to Michael’s chest,
just above his heart. You’re crazy to want anything from me.

Michael’s whole body ached, and Evan’s touch was like

fire across his skin. God, he never knew the touch of another
man could ever feel so good. Evan was so damn close, his

The Bad Wolf

mouth a mere breath away from Michael’s. What was he
waiting for? This was like torture. Lust suddenly made way
for apprehension as Michael searched Evan’s eyes. Did Evan
know? Had Evan realized just how inexperienced Michael
was?

Michael’s life was one long, screwed-up story, one that

had never had room for love. He had never been with
anyone before. He’d never loved anyone. He’d never even
been kissed, not properly, not by a man. He started to pull
away. Evan could never want him. Evan would want
someone who knew what they were doing, knew how to
make love to a man.

Shut up. Evan’s voice was in his head.
Fuck, had Evan heard all that? Heat rose in Michael’s

cheeks as Evan’s gaze traveled south, focusing on his mouth.
Michael moistened his lips. Nerves made his throat dry and
his limbs weak. Thank God Evan was holding him.
Thoughts ran through his mind, but none of it mattered as
Evan kissed him.

Michael arched into the kiss, positioning himself to make

the most of the moment. Evan was gentle at first. Slow kisses
were interspersed with pauses as he seemed to test the
connection between them. A low ache coursed through
Michael’s body. Damn, Evan knew how to tease, and his lips
were so soft and warm. The ache turned to something more
primal as Michael suppressed the urge to growl. It had been
some time since his wolf personality had vied for control in
such a way.

Briefly, Evan pulled back. He seemed to ask for

permission with his eyes. Permission to claim Michael.

“Kiss me,” Michael said out loud. He reached out and

wrapped his free hand around the back of Evan’s neck,
pulling him roughly forward.

Meredith Russell

Their mouths collided in a torrent of kisses, and Evan

released Michael’s other hand. Evan rested his hands on the
back of Michael’s thighs and Michael held onto Evan as he
was suddenly lifted from the ground. The two of them
moved across the forest floor until Michael’s back hit the
solid trunk of a tree. The bark scratched the back of his arms
as Evan smothered his mouth.

Hungrily, they kissed one another, all teeth and tongues

and desperate breaths. This was better than anything
Michael could ever have fantasized about. Evan was solid
and real, and with his hard body pressed firmly between
Michael’s legs, Michael was eager to move, to ease his
erection. His dick was hard and though he desired release,
he feared making a fool of himself.

Shit. Michael groaned as Evan rotated his hips, creating

friction against Michael’s erection. Had Evan heard him
again? Michael’s senses spun. He had no idea what emotions
or thoughts he sent toward Evan, or what the man could
actually hear. Closing his eyes, Michael took deep breaths.
Evan had switched to pressing kisses over Michael’s jaw and
throat. Michael leaned back against the tree. He could feel
the graze of Evan’s teeth across his jaw as Evan kissed his
way back to focus on Michael’s mouth.

Evan stopped and Michael opened his eyes. There was a

crooked smile on Evan’s face. Michael was curious, but only
for a moment. Evan started to move his body in a way that
left Michael panting. The pressure on Michael’s dick felt
amazing. They should stop, right?

Michael didn’t want Evan to stop, and Evan didn’t seem

like he wanted to either. He captured Michael’s mouth in
another string of kisses, invading Michael’s mouth with his
tongue as he continued to grind their bodies together.

Oh, fuck. Michael’s wolf rose inside him in a wave of

hunger and desire, and hell, Michael liked how it felt. He

The Bad Wolf

held Evan’s face, held him steady as he started to move in
time with Evan. No more waiting. No more fear. Excitement
flooded through Michael as he kissed Evan. The movement
of their bodies brought Michael to the edge and with loud
growl, he tumbled over. His body shuddered in a delicious
orgasm, and he bared his teeth as he roughly kissed Evan.
Evan smiled into the kiss and Michael growled again,
nipping at Evan’s mouth and tasting blood.

Evan gasped and pulled back from him. Breathless, they

looked at one another. Evan held Michael, and Michael
rested his hands on Evan’s shoulders and leaned back
against the tree. He had never had such a reaction to
someone before. Evan was like an addiction, and he wanted
more. He leaned forward, licked the small cut on Evan’s lip,
and placed a gentle kiss on the swollen area. Evan leaned in
for more kisses—slow and openmouthed. Evan moved his
hands over the tight material of Michael’s jeans, his touch
electric as he soothed lines over Michael’s thighs and settled
on Michael’s waist. Eventually, he lowered Michael to the
ground and ended the kiss. He looked at Michael with such
a sad expression that Michael feared he’d done something
wrong.

“What?” Michael said. He reached out, but Evan raised

his hand to stop him. “Did I do something wrong?”

Evan simply shook his head.
“Then—” He shut up as Evan kissed him to allay his

fears.

“Don’t,” Evan said and ran the back of his hand gently

over Michael’s cheek.

Michael leaned into the touch and closed his eyes. If he’d

been a cat, he was sure he would have purred.

I’m not a good person.
Michael opened his eyes as he heard Evan’s voice in his

head. He made no indication he’d heard Evan, because he
was sure Evan hadn’t meant for him to hear.

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I’d be so bad for you. Evan’s gaze lifted from Michael’s lips

and settled on his eyes.

Michael tried not to give anything away, but Evan must

have seen something as he lowered his hand and chewed on
his lip. He looked away from Michael and back toward
where the house was just visible through a clearing in the
trees.

“I should go.” Evan shrugged as he took a step away from

Michael. He glanced at Michael. “Are you okay?”

Michael looked at the ground. What did Evan think? He’d

break?

“Okay, good.” Evan sounded tense. “I’ll see you up at the

house.”

Michael lifted his head as Evan crammed his hands in his

pockets and edged away. He met Michael’s eyes once more
before turning and stalking through the trees.

Closing his eyes, Michael leaned his head back. He shifted

his footing and grimaced at the discomfort of the wet patch
in his underwear. He looked up at the canopy of branches
above him and the patches of sky visible among the dark
clouds.

It looks like rain.
Gently, he ran his hand over his stomach. He could feel

his wolf curled up beneath the surface. He sensed its desire
for Evan matched his own and wondered what would
happen when the two wolves met on the full moon. From
experience, he knew his emotions grew stronger the closer to
the transformation he got—his sexual desires, his anger and
fear, his animalistic urge to tear into flesh. Mason had taught
him how to control them for the most part, but they were
always there. His wolf had suffered greatly at the hands of
the hunters. It had saved his life, so who was he to deny its
needs?

His wolf stirred and a wave of anger washed through him

as he thought of Evan and whoever had shot him the other

The Bad Wolf

night. For years, Michael’s wolf had protected him and now,
together, they would protect Evan. Michael reclaimed his
smokes and lighter. They’d protect Evan, Mason, Niall, and
anyone else they needed to. He wasn’t some scared kid
anymore.

Meredith Russell

Chapter Seven

i,” Mason said as he answered his cell phone.
“You working?” Niall asked.

“Just need to attach the file and…” He clicked the send

button. “Edits sent back.” He settled back on the couch and
smiled. “You busy?”

“Not really. The guy that bought the dresser got in touch

to arrange delivery. Says he’s a firefighter.”

Mason grinned and imagined all the places Niall’s mind

had raced to—uniforms, hoses, helmets. “Did he now?”

“He was very nice, and he has a dog named Darcy.”
Mason snorted a laugh. “I won’t ask how you got that

tidbit.”

Niall laughed. “I’m a very likeable person. People feel at

ease around me.”

“Not sure Evan would agree,” he teased. There was still a

clear tension between the two men that left any room they
entered together ice cold.

“I stay out of his way and he stays out of mine. It works,”

Niall pointed out.

“I guess,” Mason said with a sigh. He lifted his feet and

rested them on the edge of the coffee table. “He’ll be gone
soon and everything can go back to normal.” He knew
things had been strained, even before Evan showed up.
“We’re okay, right?”

There was a smile in Niall’s voice. “Of course.”

“H

The Bad Wolf

Niall’s words lifted the oppressive feeling Mason carried

with him all too often. He just hadn’t had the guts to ask
Niall. He needed the comfort and support Niall offered in
his words. “I love you,” he said. “You know that, right?”

“Sure I do. Are you okay?”
Mason worried his lip. It was the moon, he figured,

playing with his emotions. “I’m fine. Hurry home.”

“I have an order to go through with a restaurant in

Vermont, but I’ll close early and be with you soon. Love
you,” Niall said.

“You, too,” Mason said and hung up. Taking a deep

breath, he shook away his moroseness and leaned back. The
house was silent, and for that he was grateful. The last few
days had been stressful, to say the least. Cocking his head,
he listened. The silence made way for heavy footsteps on the
steps and across the porch, the screen door creaked, and the
front door opened. The scent of Evan filled the air and the
door slammed shut.

Great. “Problem?” he said. Evan walked across the room.

Christ, Evan’s footsteps sounded like those of an elephant.

Evan stopped and turned around. He looked at Mason,

meeting his eyes with a desperate gaze. “I’m sorry,” he said
and spun around, quickly retreating to his room.

What’s up with him? Mason sat forward and stared at

Evan’s shut door. Should he check on him? The screen door
opened again and Mason looked over the back of the couch.
He waited as Michael slipped quietly into the house and
stood beside the door. Mason eyed him curiously. The
young man’s cheeks were flushed, there were red marks on
his neck, and he smelled like…Oh shit no.

“What’s going on?” Mason asked. His mind had raced

three steps ahead, and he didn’t like where it headed. Was
that bark on Michael’s shoulders?

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“Nothing,” Michael insisted. He ran a hand over his head

and smoothed the material of his t-shirt at his shoulders.

Turning around, Mason kneeled on the cushion and

rested his arms on the back of the couch. What was he
supposed to say? He wasn’t Michael’s father, brother,
keeper, but whatever was going on with Evan, he couldn’t
stand by and say nothing. Could he?

“Michael. Evan, he’s—”
“Stop,” Michael said. “You don’t need to tell me he’s no

good for me. He did that all by himself.”

Mason shook his head. “It’s not that. It’s just…” Okay, so

maybe it was. Evan was an okay guy, probably. “He’s
unpredictable,” Mason said. He had no right to label Evan as
bad or good. He knew that. Being a werewolf was neither
black nor white but infinite shades of gray. “Maybe he
thought things were going too fast.” He didn’t want to deny
Michael the first connection he’d made beyond simple
friendship. But he also didn’t want Michael to get hurt. Evan
wasn’t going to stick around forever.

“What is it with everyone?” Michael sounded agitated.
“What?”
“Do I have fragile, handle with care stamped on my

forehead? I’m not going to break.” He looked firmly at
Mason. “Bad stuff happened. I know, okay? I was there. But
bad stuff happens to lots of people. You keep telling me I
need to get past all that and move on with my life. You tell
me I’m not the same person I was. Not some feral creature
who didn’t understand when someone was trying to help
me. But then you all act like this. Doc Anderson doesn’t say
anything, but I know he hates me for what I did.”

“No, Michael. He doesn’t hate you.” Anderson had had

no idea who Michael was when he had found him on the last
day of the full moon cycle. Maybe if he had, things would
have gone differently. The doctor had found the near-feral

The Bad Wolf

young man on a hiking trip not far from town. Scared and
cornered, Michael’s wolf had lashed out even before the
transformation had taken place, protecting his human host
from a threat that was never really there. Doc Anderson was
a good man. “It was an accident.”

Michael shook his head. “And what about you? I hurt

you, too, broke your arm in three places.” Was he really that
wild and out of control in the beginning?

“Stop.” Mason narrowed his eyes. Michael had never yet

ventured into self-pity territory. “That isn’t you. Not
anymore.”

“Then why don’t you trust me? You pretend like

nothing’s going on with you and Niall, playing happy
families for my sake.” He stopped and took a breath. “I just
want…I want you to know I can be here for you as well.” He
gave a small smile. “You tell me I’ve changed, but I need to
believe it, and to do that, I need you to let me.”

Michael looked awkward as he hovered in front of the

door. His speech had left him nowhere to go. Getting off the
couch, Mason walked over to Michael, and smiling, he
pulled the man into a hug.

“Kind of ruining the we’re all grown men thing I was going

for,” Michael said, his voice strained and breathy as Mason
hugged him tightly.

Mason didn’t care. He wanted the best for Michael,

always had, but he figured Michael was right. Time to take
the kid gloves off. He breathed in deeply, the scent of
Michael’s wolf stronger than he remembered, but strangely
comforting. He smiled as Michael rested his hands on his
back and Mason could feel the young man’s warmth
through the back of his shirt.

“You’re never too old for a hug,” Mason stated and

leaned his chin on Michael’s shoulder.

“A man-hug,” Michael said with a laugh.

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Mason nodded. He patted Michael on the back before

pulling away. “Okay, well, I guess I’ll fix us some lunch.” He
glanced over his shoulder at Evan’s room. “Do you want to
get him, or shall I?” He turned to Michael, who looked
hesitant. “I don’t mind.”

“I’ll go,” Michael decided. “Can you give us ten? I guess

we need to talk.”

“Sure. Just…” Michael was old enough to make his own

mistakes, Mason guessed, and by Evan’s reaction, the man
was already trying to do what he thought was best by
Michael. Maybe there was hope for Evan after all. He smiled
and looked firmly at Michael. He’d learned the hard way
with Niall, but the best way was always to be true to
yourself and your heart. “Be honest and ask him to be.”

Michael smiled and headed toward Evan’s room. Mason

watched as Michael knocked, waited a moment, and then
entered Evan’s room, closing the door behind him. Mason
worried his bottom lip. Would Evan let Michael down
gently? Or would there be no letting down, just more of
whatever the hell they’d been doing outside? Awkward
images flashed in his mind. “None of my business,” he
muttered to himself and headed for the kitchen in search of a
distraction.

* * * *

“I didn’t say come in,” Evan pointed out as Michael closed
the door. He looked up at Michael from where he was sitting
cross-legged on the bed. He eyed Michael with interest. The
man smelled as amazing as he had in the woods, and Evan
fought the rise of his own arousal. Resting his hands in his
lap, he kept his gaze on Michael as the man moved toward
the bed.

“I wasn’t sure you would,” Michael said and sat down.

The Bad Wolf

Evan smirked as Michael readjusted himself and

grimaced. “Maybe you should head for the shower,” he
suggested.

Michael sighed and shook his head. “I want to talk to

you.”

“About what?”
“About what happened.”
“What do you think happened?”
The games were clearly not appreciated as Michael

looked angrily at him. “We kissed.”

“And I made you come in your pants,” Evan added. He

watched Michael closely. The man seemed disappointed at
how easily Evan had made the statement. What had he
expected Evan to do? Dress it up in posies and rainbows?
“And you thought what? You’d come in here and we’d hold
hands and be boyfriends?” Disgust stabbed at his chest.
Disgust at himself and his words. Michael was a sweet guy,
but Evan knew this was for the best. He’d end up hurting
Michael—maybe not today, tomorrow, or next week, but he
would. Evan knew he was a dick and he was okay with that.

There was a strange expression on Michael’s face. Was he

trying to get inside Evan’s head?

“Hey,” Evan snapped. “Don’t even think about it.”
Something sparked in Michael’s eyes. “You’re lying.”
“What makes you think that?” Evan asked.
“You won’t let me in. You’re blocking me.”
Evan scoffed a laugh. “Sure I am. We don’t even know

how you got in my head or me in yours. Maybe it was a one-
off. A fluke.”

It’s not a fluke. Michael’s eyes shone as he set his gaze

firmly on Evan.

Evan broke eye contact in the hope of pushing Michael

out of his head.

I know you can hear me. And I know you want to. It’s two-way.

I have to want in and you have to let me.

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“I don’t want you messing around in my head,” Evan

said. He looked back at Michael and shook his head.
“There’s things you wouldn’t want to see. Things I don’t
want you to see.” He had carried out some horrible acts
since becoming a werewolf, and he wasn’t sure he could
make up for it, not in his lifetime.

“I’m not stupid,” Michael said. “I know what our wolves

are capable of.” He looked so incredibly sad. “Besides, I
don’t think that’s what this is.” Gently, he touched his
forehead with his fingers.

Evan pursed his lips. “Then what?”
“I don’t know, exactly.” Michael smiled. “But I’d like to

find out.” He pursed his lips and looked at Evan through his
dark lashes. “If you’d let me.” He chewed on his lip before
lifting his hips and pulling out his lighter and smokes.
“Look, I’ll even quit.” He threw them past Evan and into the
wastebasket.

Evan pursed his lips. Who was he kidding? Michael

fascinated him. The man was lust and innocence rolled up
into one, and Evan wanted to explore every inch of him—
body and mind.

“No bad stuff, right? The past stays where it is?” It hurt to

remember, and this was no wound Evan wanted to scratch.
He had all but forgotten his old life and the transition to his
new one. Too much pain and too much blood.

Michael shook his head. It was clear the past was too dark

a place for him as well. “No. The past is the past. Just us and
just now.”

“Okay,” Evan said guardedly. Michael had moved closer

and Evan couldn’t stop himself from staring at the man’s
mouth, which he swore dared him to kiss Michael again. The
moment in the woods had left a lasting impression, and
Evan wanted to know what the rest of Michael tasted like.
His lips had been sweet, mixed with the inhaled smoke of

The Bad Wolf

the cigarette before Evan had taken it away. Evan smiled
inwardly. He’d always had a sweet tooth.

What was the worst that could happen? Niall and his

shovel sprang to mind. But Michael was his own man. If this
was what Michael wanted, no one had the right to say what
was and wasn’t right, even Evan himself. Something about
Michael had Evan and his wolf wanting to curl around him
and protect him from the world. Michael deserved to be
loved and safe and maybe that meant Evan should push him
away.

You deserve love, too. Michael’s voice was like a bright

beacon in the darkness of Evan’s mind.

Did he really deserve to be loved, and by someone as

sweet as Michael? Evan hated how he could doubt himself.
He used to be strong and confident and pretty much wore a
big fuck you around his neck. He didn’t do feelings or get
attached, but then, this was the first time in a long time he’d
actually experienced such emotions. When he became a
werewolf, it was clear he had not been there to be loved.
He’d had a thing with Sian. Kaine, too, after Mason had left.
But that wasn’t what Kaine had been about. Evan had been a
weapon. Nothing more. Kaine had taught him that. He’d
taught him to let go and accept the curse, and taught him to
kill, to murder. Though the thought brought with it a twinge
of regret, at the time, damn, Evan had enjoyed the freedom
his wolf gave him. Just to share the animal’s primal instinct
and desire for the hunt had been exhilarating. Evan breathed
in deeply as Michael touched his face, shifting his focus to
him.

Gently, Michael guided Evan forward. He brushed a

delicate line over Evan’s jaw with his thumb and, smiling,
leaned over and placed a kiss on Evan’s mouth. The kiss was
slow and teasing and gave each man the opportunity to taste
and test each other. Michael lingered over the swollen bite

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mark, gently licking at Evan’s broken skin. The small mark
would be gone by the afternoon as if it never happened.

Evan arched his neck, catching Michael’s mouth in a hot,

openmouthed kiss. He wrapped his hand around the back of
Michael’s neck and pulled him close. The kiss became
rougher and deeper, their tongues meeting in a struggle for
dominance that excited Evan.

In one quick move, Evan got to his knees and nudged

Michael, encouraging him onto the bed. Leaning over him,
Evan guided Michael until he was lying beneath him. He
covered Michael with his larger body, one leg sliding
between Michael’s as he straddled the man’s thigh. With a
pleasurable groan, he pressed against Michael’s leg,
applying pressure to his hardened dick.

What you do to me, he thought and knew Michael had

heard him.

Michael pulled at the front of Evan’s pants, freeing the

button and zipper to reveal a path for his hand to take inside
Evan’s clothing. Evan let out a groan as Michael closed his
hand around his dick and started slow strokes along his
length.

The smell of sex still clung to Michael and his scent was

dizzying. Evan lifted himself higher, creating space for
Michael to move his hand. He held Michael’s face, pulling
him into a firm kiss as his orgasm rose. The man was like a
welcoming fire wrapping around his body. Heat prickled
across his skin, and all he could think was, what would it
feel like to be inside him? To have Michael. To fuck him. To
really love him.

Images flashed in Evan’s head of Michael, naked and

spread open beneath him. The image shot straight to his dick
and Evan unleashed his desires. He kissed Michael hard and
thrust his dick into Michael’s curled hand over and over
until he could take no more. With a low growl, he reached

The Bad Wolf

his climax. His body shuddered like crazy as he continued to
fuck into Michael’s hand. Eventually, he stilled, gasping as
Michael pulled his hand free and held it away. Evan rested
his forehead on Michael’s chest and eyed the sticky, white
mess across Michael’s fingers. Laughing, he lifted his head
and held himself on his arms. He looked down at Michael
and smiled, kissing him before he pushed himself away and
sat back on his heels.

Evan tossed Michael the box of tissues from his bedside.

“Mason’s going to kill me,” he joked.

“Only if you break my heart,” Michael said. He took two

tissues and threw the box back at Evan.

Evan met Michael’s eyes. He didn’t want to hurt Michael.
Michael sat up and shook his head. “Don’t look so

serious. It was a joke.”

“I know,” Evan said. He lowered his head and stared at

the box in his hands. He had no idea where this was
heading. Getting each other off was one thing—a bit of fun,
something to pass the time. Evan hadn’t developed a
relationship with someone in a long time. There’d been a
guy after high school, sweet and all about holding hands
and kissing in the backseat of his car. Was this going to lead
to handholding? Was this something sweet and innocent?
Or, like every other man since, just sex and heat then done
and on to the next?

“Evan?” said Michael. “You okay?”
Evan nodded. “I’m fine. We take it a day at a time, right?”

He looked at Michael and smiled. He wouldn’t mind
holding Michael’s hand, if that was what Michael wanted.

Michael returned his smile. “Right.” He got to his knees

and rested his hands on Evan’s shoulders, looking into his
eyes before leaning forward and kissing him. He kissed a
path along Evan’s jaw and pressed his lips just below Evan’s
ears. He whispered, “One day at a time.”

Meredith Russell

Chapter Eight

van rested his head in his hand and stared across the
large room to where Mason was sitting at the dining

table. There was a clear edginess to the way Mason sat.
Every now and again he shifted as if stung by some unseen
foe, and Evan knew exactly how he felt. Tension was
mounting as the closeness of the full moon brought about
heightened emotions.

There were two days left before the first night of the full

moon, and Evan had doubts about his decision to remain
with the others. Within him there was a battle. For three
days he had fought against the ingrained desire that pulled
him toward what he knew was wrong. It was like his wolf
was wound tightly around his heart, whispering to him,
encouraging him in a direction he knew would only lead to
pain and heartache. Not that he would ever go there, not
willingly. Mason shifted again and gave a visible shudder. It
was clear Mason felt it, too—the pull. Evan figured it was to
do with Kaine having turned them both. Some primal need
of their wolves that had them calling out to each other—the
desire to be a pack again.

“What do you want to do today?” Michael said as he

dropped down on the couch beside Evan. He wore a bright
smile as he curled toward Evan and planted a kiss on his
cheek.

“Aren’t you helping Niall?” Mason asked.

The Bad Wolf

Michael shook his head. “Not today,” he said. He looked

at Evan with bright amber eyes.

For the last three days they had spent a lot of time

together, learning as much as they could about one another
without straying into the past. It was all about the present
and about who they were now. In that time, Michael had
continued to explore his new-found skills. Evan was
apparently a welcome distraction from the other voices
inside his head. Being able to focus on just him had meant
the rest had melted into the background, where usually this
close to the moon he would be wiped out and barely able to
function.

“How’s the head?” Evan asked and gently soothed a line

over Michael’s forehead. He seemed a little warm. “You
feeling okay?”

Michael winced and pulled away. “I’m fine,” he said.

Evan wasn’t convinced. There was an edge of hostility to
Michael’s voice. “Really, I’m fine.”

“Did you sleep?” Mason asked, turning around in his

seat.

Michael didn’t say anything, and it was clear from his

silence he hadn’t.

“Go back to bed,” Evan suggested. He doubted a cranky

and sleepy Michael was as cute as he imagined.

Michael shook his head. “It hurts less when I’m up and

busy.”

“Have you been taking your meds?” Mason checked. He

glanced toward Evan. He was clearly concerned about the
young man.

“I did already,” Michael snapped. He looked at Mason

and Mason flinched.

Evan was curious. Had Michael just directed his thoughts

onto Mason? The man certainly looked freaked out.

“Mason?” Evan said.

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Mason blinked as if freeing himself from a trance. He

turned to Evan and swallowed uncomfortably. “It’s fine. I
need to get on with this.” He turned around and focused on
his laptop.

Wrapping a hand around Michael’s wrist, Evan pulled

him close and looked into his eyes. What did you do?

Michael struggled to free his hand, but eventually gave in.

A sense of sadness and guilt washed through Evan and he
could only assume those emotions belonged to Michael.

“I’m sorry,” Michael said out loud. Evan assumed it had

been for Mason’s benefit, not his, though Mason gave
nothing away as to whether he thought the same.

Outside, he ordered. Evan got to his feet and pulled

Michael with him. He wasn’t sure whether he was more hurt
that Michael had shared his thoughts with someone else or
the fact that Michael had clearly done something to upset
Mason. His wolf was sending him vibes on both counts, torn
between the feelings he had for both men.

Evan glanced at where Mason was sitting, busying

himself with whatever piece he was editing. He made no
show that he was interested or cared about them leaving.
What had Michael said to him? He guided Michael out onto
the large back porch and down the few steps. He glanced
back at the house and kept his voice low. “What did you say
to him?”

“I didn’t say anything,” Michael said. “I…” Frustrated, he

rubbed a hand over the top of his head, curled his hand
against his hair, and closed his eyes. “I didn’t realize he’d
see it.”

“See what?”
Regret filled Michael’s eyes as he lifted his head and

looked at Evan. I’m sorry.

Show me.

The Bad Wolf

Michael nodded. He held Evan’s gaze, his eyes seeming to

glow as he directed his thoughts toward Evan.

Images flashed across Evan’s mind. His vision blurred

and all he could see were two men entwined in what was
clearly sex. The images flickered and he was suddenly
barraged with the sensual sounds of intercourse and he
realized exactly who the two men were—him and Mason.

The images receded and Evan blinked to clear his vision.

“What the hell, Michael?” he said harshly.

Michael recoiled at the loud words. “I didn’t mean to. I

promise. I guess I got jealous.”

“Jealous? What the hell of?”
“I’m not stupid. You wanted me out of the way so you

two could—” Michael tensed his jaw. “I see how you two are
around each other. My wolf sees. It knows and it wants to
tear away the bond you share.” A wicked smile broke across
Michael’s face, and Evan grabbed him by the tops of his
arms and shook him.

Michael snapped out of whatever had taken hold of him,

and he covered his ears with his hands as he closed his eyes.
“I’m sorry,” he said again. He grimaced as he pressed his
palms firmly to his ears.

Were the voices in his head making Michael act this way

or was it his wolf side? Evan didn’t know a lot about being
born a werewolf, but he figured the wolf had always been a
part of Michael. Hell, it was Michael.

“Hey,” Evan said and cupped Michael’s face with his

hands. “It’s okay.” He guided Michael’s head until he faced
him. “It’s okay.” He leaned forward and kissed Michael,
holding the man steady until he relaxed.

I didn’t mean it. Michael’s voice sounded so small.
I know. Evan strengthened the kiss and moved his hands

downward until he came to rest on Michael’s waist. He

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gently squeezed Michael’s hips before wrapping his arms
around Michael and holding him tight.

We’ll figure this out, he promised, though he wasn’t sure

what he could do. He’d devoted the last few days to Michael
and wasn’t sure what more he could offer the young man
and his wolf.

Michael slowly pulled away. “Thank you,” he said. “I

don’t deserve you.”

Evan leaned his forehead against Michael’s and gently

shook his head. “No you don’t,” he said. You deserve better.

This was going to be a long couple of days.
“Everything okay?” Mason asked as Evan pulled the door

to Michael’s bedroom shut.

Evan nodded and came to sit at the dining table with

Mason. Michael had taken something to help him sleep. He
had clearly been in pain, but after an hour curled against
Evan, he had finally given in to slumber. “Is it usually this
bad?”

Mason looked grimly at him. “Worse.” He sighed and

rested his head in his hand. “Believe it or not, you’ve
actually helped a lot.”

Sighing, Evan glanced back at Michael’s door. “He

seemed okay and then he just…” He folded his arms on the
table and rested his chin against them.

“It’s difficult, I know.” Mason offered a comforting smile.

He sat back in his seat and eyed Evan curiously.

“What?” Evan asked.
“Nothing.” He smiled. “It’s just weird having you here.”
Evan rubbed at his eye and nodded. It was weird

especially to say the last time they had seen each other they
would have happily torn each other apart. “All in the past,”
he said. It seemed the rule he’d made with Michael was just
as relevant here.

The Bad Wolf

They sat in silence for a moment, both likely appreciating

the strange relationship they had that once upon a time had
them ready to kill, but now was a horror they wanted to
forget.

“I was thinking I might head farther out and away from

the property this full moon,” Mason suggested. He lowered
his gaze and idly ran his fingers across the keyboard of his
laptop.

“Why?” asked Evan. “Because of me?”
“Not just you.” Mason swallowed awkwardly and

eventually met Evan’s eyes. “It’s taken time, but Michael has
been able to rein in his wolf. For a while it was almost like
that’s all Michael was. But as Michael came to trust people,
the wolf personality backed down I guess and Michael the
man took control.”

“Okay,” Evan said. He wasn’t entirely sure where this

was going.

“I don’t want to damage that trust. He likes you,” Mason

pointed out.

Evan snorted a laugh. “You think me and you might do

what? A bit of doggy?”

“No. I don’t think we would.” Mason sounded sure. “I

love Niall. Anything I may feel for you I know is rooted in
hate.”

“Tell me how you really feel,” Evan huffed.
Mason shook his head. “I don’t hate you. I hate him.”

Mason couldn’t even bring himself to say Kaine’s name.

“Then why?”
“You saw how Michael was earlier. What he did—though

I don’t know how—was out of jealousy.”

“He knows we would never do—” The fake memory left

Evan feeling very confused.

“Maybe, but does his wolf? I have gone through seven

full moons with him and never before have I feared him. But

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he’s getting stronger every month, and now this? I don’t
think he realizes how dominant he is in wolf form. He’s
bigger and stronger than me. I don’t know if I could take
him in a fight anymore, and I don’t know where your wolf’s
loyalties would stand.”

Evan felt the tight curl of his own beast in his chest. He

wasn’t sure whom he would choose if it came down to it.

“If I’m not here, I can’t be seen as a threat.”
This wasn’t a good idea. “No,” Evan finally said.
“I don’t see we have much choice. We’re not like Michael.

He is his wolf. If he picks a fight, we can only influence ours
to a degree. If they both choose to move against him…”
Mason let his words trail off, leaving Evan to imagine his
own outcome.

“We could kill him.” Evan wanted to believe that

wouldn’t happen. He had to. After everything he, Mason,
and Michael had been through, they deserved to catch a
break. “I think you should stay. I’ll go.”

Mason shook his head. “We still don’t know what

damage a transformation might do to you this early in the
healing process. Even now, the wound Kaine inflicted on me
still causes me pain when I turn.” He smiled comfortingly.
“Better you’re here if anything happens.”

“You forget why I was hurt in the first place,” Evan said

seriously. “What if they’re still in the area?”

Mason ran a hand back through his hair. “I’ll be fine.”
Oh, no. Niall would do more than smack him round the

head with a shovel if something were to happen to Mason
because of him. “No,” Evan said again. He met Mason’s
eyes.

“Then what?”
“I don’t know. But I’m not going to risk your life on a

guess. You don’t know how any of us will react to one
another.” There had to be a better way.

The Bad Wolf

“Okay,” Mason agreed. He was clearly apprehensive

about the situation. But it was obvious he understood the
risk to any of them if caught outside the property. “But if
things don’t look good, I’m leaving. I won’t risk any of our
lives, and I don’t want Niall getting caught up in it either.
Are we clear on that?”

Reluctantly, Evan nodded. Niall loved Mason as fiercely

as Mason loved him. And Evan was sure Niall wouldn’t
hesitate to step in to protect his lover, wolf of not. “It’ll be
fine. You’ll see.”

Meredith Russell

Chapter Nine

ichael had slept for five hours straight, and when he
opened his eyes the light was already fading outside.

With a groan, he sat up in his bed and held his head in his
hands.

Evan. Michael waited. The familiar jumble of voices

cluttered his mind, and he strained to listen for Evan
returning his call. But there was nothing. His head was all
over the place, and he lacked the concentration to search out
a single mind.

Gently, he ran his fingers in circles just above his

eyebrows and let the motion soothe him. He closed his eyes
and tried to focus on Evan. Evan. He worried his bottom lip.
Evan, please. The other voices were too great a distraction,
plus he was sure his own mood had something to do with it.
Calming himself, he took slow, steadying breaths. He
focused his mind on the gray swirl behind his eyes and
stared deep into the whirlpool of voices. He reached out
with his mind, searching for the thread that he hoped was
Evan. One thread stood out, darker than all the others. He
mustered every ounce of energy and concentration he could
to keep his mind solely on that thread, until all the others
began to fade into the background.

Are you there? A voice came into focus, but the voice he

heard was not Evan’s. It flowed through his mind like silk
and seemed to belong to someone female. An image flashed

The Bad Wolf

across his vision of what looked like the inside of a hotel
room. I’ve been looking for you, she declared.

Who are you? Michael searched for an image or a clue but

the girl offered him nothing.

He’s coming.
Who? Who’s coming? And just as abruptly as she had

appeared, she was gone again, leaving him with an
unsettling feeling in his gut.

Had he imagined it? Pinching the bridge of his nose, he

closed his eyes and wished for silence. He needed a focus.

Evan.
I’m here, Evan replied.
Relief flooded through Michael, and he lifted his head as

his bedroom door opened. He smiled as Evan stepped
inside. “Evan,” he said. Quickly, he got to his feet and
wrapped his arms around Evan’s neck. “I thought I’d lost
you.”

“Lost me?” Evan asked.
“All these voices in my head, and I couldn’t find you.” He

pressed his mouth in a line. Should he mention the other
voice? Had she even been real or his mind tormenting him
during his search for Evan? No, he didn’t need a reason for
Evan to think him more crazy than he probably already did.

“Do you hear them now?”
The girl was gone, having returned to the low rumble of

noise. “A little,” Michael said. “But not like before.” If he
could focus on Evan, then all the rest faded away along with
the torment they caused him. He kissed Evan and held onto
him tightly. He didn’t want to lose him among the others
ever again.

“It’s okay,” Evan said as he broke the kiss. “But we need

to talk to you.”

We? Michael released Evan and hugged himself. “I don’t

know what to say to him.” He had never meant to upset
Mason. It had been stupid of him to send the thought. He

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knew Mason cared about him, loved Niall, and would never
dream of hurting either of them, not because of Evan.

Evan wrapped his hand around Michael’s. “The truth,” he

said. Was it really that simple? “You were able to show him
your thoughts just like you can with me. I think it would be
good if we did this together.”

Michael wasn’t so sure. He connected to Evan when Evan

had called out first, maybe even with this girl who was God
knows where. But could he really choose to pick out another
voice from among the others? He didn’t want to risk losing
Evan again. “Why?”

Something flickered in Evan’s eyes. Concern, fear,

Michael couldn’t decide. But there was clearly something
bothering Evan.

Please. The truth. Michael needed to hear whatever had

Evan suddenly so wary.

“I promise. But you need to hear it from both of us,” Evan

said. He kissed Michael and smiled. You won’t lose me. No
matter what.

Reluctantly, Michael let Evan guide him by the hand

through to the main room. Mason was sitting at the dining
table, his closed laptop in front of him as he rested his
elbows on the edge of the table. He smiled as the two men
joined him. “How did you sleep?”

Michael nodded. “I feel better,” he said. He and Evan sat

in the seats opposite Mason, and Michael was glad Evan still
held his hand. It became clear that neither Mason nor Evan
were all that comfortable either. There was a weird tension
in the room.

Relax. Evan’s voice comforted him, and he dropped his

shoulders and leaned back in his seat.

“I’m sorry,” he said to Mason. He should have never done

what he did. He had no right to invade Mason’s mind that
way.

The Bad Wolf

Mason seemed to relax as well. “It’s okay,” Mason said.

He looked between Michael and Evan. “How did you do it?
I thought it was only Evan you could share your thoughts
with.”

Michael nodded. “It was. Like with him the first time, I

think it was more by chance than actually knowing it would
work.”

“It’s still hit and miss with us,” Evan chipped in. “It

seems to differ every day, affected by our moods, our
emotions, our desires. I assume the coming full moon also
influences what happens.”

Mason looked from Evan to Michael. “Can you do it

now?” Mason asked.

“Are you open to it?” Michael asked. “You have to want

to let me in. After this morning, I wouldn’t blame you for
shutting me out completely.”

“I want to do this,” Mason said. From the look in his eyes,

he was telling the truth.

Evan squeezed Michael’s hand, offering his support.
“You know I don’t know how this works, right?”

Seriously, at times Michael wished he’d come with a user
manual. Michael took a deep breath and locked eyes with
Mason. He focused on their color and almost swore he saw
the hazel ignite, yellow sparks skittering around the edge of
Mason’s pupils. He imagined Mason’s voice, used it to focus
in on the same tone within the mass of voices. The threads
wove in and out of one another, all the same, all one large
mass, but suddenly one moved closer toward him, leaping
from the crowd. The thread shimmered silver and with it
came the familiar sound of Mason’s voice.

Hear me. Hear me. Mason was repeating the words over

and over.

Mason.

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From the smile on Mason’s face, Michael knew his friend

had heard him.

“Oh my God,” Mason said.
“You hear him?” Evan asked.
Mason nodded. This is incredible.
Thank you. Michael smiled.

For what?
For not shutting me out.

“So what now?” Michael asked. He was drained from

focusing so damn hard on keeping both Evan and Mason
from disappearing back among the other voices.

Mason’s smile slowly faded. He had seemed to enjoy

being part of Michael and his developing skills. He glanced
toward Evan, and Michael felt a surge of envy at the
connection between the two men. There was no way to
emulate that same bond in his and Evan’s relationship.
Chewing on his lip, he tried to shake away the negative
thoughts. He didn’t believe either man would choose to
have such a connection if given a choice.

“Michael,” Evan said and squeezed his hand, reining in

his racing mind.

Michael pulled his hand from Evan’s and leaned forward.

“I’m sorry.” He looked at Mason. He hated feeling this way,
because he knew better than that.

“We need to figure this out,” Mason said.
“I know,” Michael agreed. “It’s like my wolf is blinded by

the bond you share. That’s all he can see.” He paused. “It’s
all I can see.” He was his wolf after all.

“If you can’t get control, either Mason or I will have to

leave,” Evan confessed.

“What? No.”
Evan took Michael’s hand in his again. “You wanted the

truth and here it is. We’re concerned what your wolf will do.
Clearly, it is still driven to protect you.”

The Bad Wolf

“But you aren’t a threat. Neither of you are.” Michael met

Evan’s eyes. An image flashed in his mind. The same one he
had shown Mason. Anger flared in his gut as he let out a low
growl and turned to face Mason. It was everything he could
do not to jump across the table and slash at Mason’s throat.

Mason sat back, clearly unsettled by the rage etched on

Michael’s face.

“No,” Michael said desperately. He closed his eyes and

calmed his urges. How could he stop this? He needed Mason
as much as ever. Mason had grounded him for all those
months, had been his rock. This wasn’t fair.

Evan was suddenly in his head. We’ll fix this.
How? Michael met Evan’s eyes. Their clear blue pulled

him in and wrapped him in a feeling of tranquility and
peace. Right then, he believed everything would be okay.

You’ll see.
Evan turned to be able to pull him into a warm embrace.

Michael rested his chin on Evan’s shoulder and looked at
Mason. They would figure it out. He had faith in Mason and
Evan. Things would be okay.

* * * *

Evan idly stroked his fingers through Michael’s hair. After
supper, the two of them had claimed the couch, Michael
curling up and laying his head in Evan’s lap. From the soft
snores, Evan was sure Michael was asleep, but he found the
feel of Michael’s short hair beneath his fingers relaxing. With
a sigh, he turned from the television and looked across the
open plan room to where Mason and Niall were standing in
the kitchen area. He watched the two men share a tender
moment. Niall had his hands on Mason’s waist, his mouth
close to Mason’s ear as he whispered I-love-yous, causing
color to rise in Mason’s cheeks. The couple were good

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together and good for each other. Both seemed to have
grown as people—strong, happy, settled.

Looking down at Michael, Evan wondered what it must

be like to commit to someone, to be each other’s everything.
Could he do that? Could he love someone that much? He
stroked Michael’s hair. It was all about finding the one,
right? The one that changed everything. He pressed his lips
together. Did he want to change? Being in the pack with
Kaine had been easy. No reason to take responsibility for his
actions. There was always Kaine to blame. Kaine was bad
and Evan was bad by association. The last four years,
however, that was all him. Anyone he’d hurt, anyone he’d
fucked over, that was all on him. Michael stirred and slid his
hand into the pocket of Evan’s pants. Evan smiled. Maybe
there were some things worth changing for.

“What time is it?” Michael asked sleepily. He gave a soft

groan as he stretched his other arm out from under him.

“Nine thirty,” Evan said and rested his hand on Michael’s

shoulder. “You had about forty minutes.”

Michael took a deep breath as he struggled to sit up. He

squinted as he looked at Evan and then at the television.
“Did I miss anything?”

Evan smiled. “Nothing.” He wasn’t entirely sure what he

was watching. He’d flicked through the channels, settling on
what looked like a made-for-TV cop movie of some kind.
There hadn’t been an actor he’d recognized.

Michael yawned and rubbed at his eyes. “I might head to

bed.” He sat up and rotated his shoulders.

“You want any more meds?” Evan asked.
Michael shook his head. “I’m okay.” He glanced to where

Mason and Niall were talking in the kitchen and then looked
back at Evan. “Will you come with me? Just until I fall back
to sleep.” He smiled hopefully.

The Bad Wolf

Evan leaned forward and kissed Michael’s cheek. “Of

course,” he agreed.

They said their goodnights to Mason and Niall and

headed for Michael’s room. The room was larger than
Evan’s—big enough for a double bed compared to Evan’s
single—and had a walk-in closet. Both men stripped down
to their underwear and climbed into bed.

Evan settled beneath the comforter, and Michael curled

against him. He laughed as Michael’s feet entwined with his
in a playful game of footsy and lifted his arm so Michael
could move closer. Hugging Michael close, Evan gently ran
his fingers up and down Michael’s bare arm.

Thank you. Michael’s voice sounded small and far away.
“For what?” Evan asked.
“For everything,” Michael said. He traced circles over

Evan’s chest.

Evan sighed. He didn’t feel like he’d done all that much.

In fact, he felt like he had only caused more problems in his
time there. This thing with Mason. If Evan hadn’t shown up,
Michael wouldn’t resent the man who had been nothing but
his friend.

“I know there’s nothing there,” Michael said.
“Were you listening in?” Evan asked. He really needed to

get used to internalizing better.

You’re very open.
Evan kissed Michael’s forehead.
“I trust you. I keep telling myself over and over again. I

just can’t make it stick.”

What do you fear? What can’t you get past? Evan hugged

Michael close.

The two of you. That you’ll choose him over me.
Would never happen. Yes, there were feelings there for

Mason. But not in the way Michael feared. It was more a
sense of familiarity. A sense of pack.

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100

“But he’s…” Michael stopped moving his finger and laid

his palm flat against Evan’s chest.

“What?”
Michael lifted his head and met Evan’s eyes. He could

satisfy you.

Gently, Evan touched Michael beneath his chin, guiding

his head back before kissing him. With his other hand, he
took Michael’s hand and pushed it down beneath the covers.
“You satisfy me just fine,” he whispered into the kiss. He
pushed Michael’s hand lower until they reached his erection.
“See.” He smiled as Michael closed his hand around his dick
and applied a gentle pressure. Evan considered pushing
upward and appeasing his rising arousal, but then he had a
better idea.

Claim me. Evan kissed Michael more firmly, cupping his

jaw and holding him close. Claim me as yours. Michael went
to shy away, but Evan held him fast. “No you don’t,” he
said.

“But, I’ve never…” Michael looked into Evan’s eyes. In

the dim light from the bedside lamp, Michael looked scared.

“We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.” Evan

leaned forward and kissed him. “I promise. We need to
show that wolf of yours I belong to you, nobody else. But
you need to take control.” He kissed Michael openmouthed
and more aggressively.

“Okay,” Michael said breathlessly into the kiss. “But I

don’t have anything in here if we decide to, you know?”

Evan stopped and pursed his lips. “Okay. I’ll be right

back.” He jumped out of bed and quickly pulled his clothes
back on. There’d be lube and condoms in his pack. “Don’t
move,” he said. Kissing Michael on the cheek, he slipped out
of the room.

* * * *

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101

Michael lay on his bed and looked up at the ceiling. What
the hell were they doing? Kissing and hand jobs were one
thing—this was something else. Claim Evan? How the hell
did he do that? Michael had always been more inclined to
fantasize about some big strong top manhandling him into
the sack and having his wicked way with him. Did that
work on the claiming front?

Where are you? It felt like forever since Evan snuck out of

his room.

One minute, Evan told him.
Michael smiled and stared at the adjoining wall between

their rooms. He imagined Evan raiding his bag, clothes and
toiletries flung around in a desperate search for lube.
Michael slid his hands beneath the covers and rested them
over his dick. Just the thought had him hard. Brushing the
head of his dick, he tugged down his underwear and kicked
them away. Hurry up.

On that thought, his bedroom door opened. He smiled

and waited for Evan to join him. He chewed on his lip as
Evan undressed. Wow. His gaze glided over the perfect
naked body of the man standing in front of him. This had to
be a dream, right?

Evan looked at him and grinned. The man was clearly not

embarrassed about his body, nor should he be. He was
beautiful. His body was a perfectly defined map of muscle. If
not for the marks on his chest from the silver, his skin was
flawless and tanned. Just wow.

Michael’s gaze roamed over each dip and bulge of Evan’s

body and then downward. Oh crap. The guy was, well, as big
as anyone Michael had ever fantasized about.

Placing the condoms and lube on the nightstand, Evan

joined Michael in bed. He arched his body into Michael,
eliciting a growl from Michael as Evan’s erection pressed on

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102

his thigh. “Kiss me already,” he uttered and Evan complied.
In a sweeping move, Evan was suddenly over him, kissing
him and pressing their erections together. He moved his
body over Michael’s, causing an overwhelming friction. It
was as if every nerve in his body was being teased as he
trembled beneath Evan.

He held Evan’s face as they met in a sloppy, hurried kiss.

Arousal coursed through him as he moved his hands around
the back of Evan’s neck and joined his hands. Evan bucked
against him, sending pulses through his body from his head
to his toes. Evan’s touch was electric. Each touch caused
sparks across Michael’s skin. He closed his eyes. His chest
felt tight and all he wanted was to kiss Evan harder and
more aggressively in order to quell the hurting ache of his
body.

Eventually, Evan broke the kiss and slipped from

Michael’s hold. He met Michael’s eyes before kissing him
gently. Slowly, he worked his way down Michael’s body in a
series of nips and licks. Evan kissed Michael’s neck inch by
inch, his chest and each nipple, and onto Michael’s stomach.
Each time Evan returned his gaze to Michael’s between
kisses.

Michael looked down the line of his torso. Evan dipped

his tongue in and out of Michael’s belly button and then
licked a line downward. Please. He squirmed in delight as he
felt Evan’s breath on his erection. Evan nuzzled the side of
his dick and kissed his thigh.

“Mine,” Evan whispered. He applied pressure with his

lips, sucking until he had surely marked Michael’s skin. On
a kiss, he moved his attention back to Michael’s dick.
Cupping Michael’s balls in one hand, Evan held Michael’s
shaft, holding it upright as he gave it several firm strokes.

Oh shit. Michael arched his back as Evan took his dick in

his mouth. It was an amazing feeling, all wet and warm, and

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103

fuck, how Evan was moving. Evan teased his tongue around
the head of Michael’s dick and met Michael’s gaze as he
hollowed his cheeks. He took all of Michael into his mouth,
sucking hard before focusing his attention on the head of
Michael’s dick. Evan sucked and licked every inch of him, all
the time gently squeezing and massaging his balls.

This was all kinds of crazy and all Michael could think

was, I want you in me. He reached down and wound his
fingers in Evan’s shaggy locks. Gently, he guided him
upward and into a kiss. He breathed in through his nose and
sighed as Evan finally pulled away to claim the lube from
the nightstand. Closing his eyes, he waited. Evan stroked
and kissed a path down his body and positioned himself
between his legs.

“Bend your knees,” Evan instructed.
Michael did as he was told and settled in a comfortable

position. Evan stroked Michael’s inner thigh, and used his
other hand to gently tease Michael’s dick, keeping him hard.
When the touches ended, he opened his eyes and watched
Evan squeeze some lube into the palm of his hand and then
spread it to his fingers. Nudging Michael’s legs higher, Evan
rested one hand on Michael’s knee. He met Michael’s eyes,
holding his gaze as he lowered his hand between Michael’s
legs.

Catching his breath, Michael tensed at the feel of Evan’s

hand against him.

Relax. Evan was with him inside his head, and Michael

felt more at ease. He relaxed and focused on the sound of his
breathing. Evan ran his hand across Michael’s entrance. The
sensation was strange at first and a low ache twisted in
Michael’s stomach, creating a wave through his body. He
waited, knowing Evan would press inside soon. He tried not
to tense and bit on his lower lip as Evan finally inserted a
finger.

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104

The preparation was slow and sensual. With each finger,

Evan leaned over Michael for a kiss and then gently teased
his erection.

And that’s three. Evan moved his hand slowly back and

forth, and Michael clawed at the bed sheets. His senses went
crazy, the smell of sex, the taste of Evan’s mouth on his, the
feel of Evan inside him. He was driven to the edge, but Evan
wasn’t ready to let him jump. A few more steady thrusts and
Evan pulled away. He tugged on his own dick until he was
fully erect and quickly sheathed himself. Dick in hand, he
moved forward and teasingly rubbed the head of his dick
against Michael’s entrance as he squeezed more lube along
his length. As he teased, Evan looked at Michael. He waited,
clearly checking for the green light from his lover.

Michael indicated he was ready. Be mine.
Clearly, it was what Evan needed to hear. Steadily, Evan

pressed against the slicked dip of Michael’s body, breaching
his entrance. Michael panted and held onto Evan’s
shoulders. Evan edged forward, pushing Michael’s knees
back and farther apart.

A delicious burn coursed through Michael’s body as Evan

thrust deeper, filling him. It was incredible, the feel of
having someone inside him like that. Like he was drawing
Evan in and wrapping his body around him. Though it hurt
a little, Evan seemed to slide in without causing him too
much discomfort, and soon Evan’s thighs were flush with
his ass. Evan leaned down for another kiss as he stroked
Michael’s dick, and Michael tensed as his orgasm rose.

Fucking tight. Evan groaned.
Evan released Michael’s dick and the thought of having to

wait nearly drove Michael insane.

Move. Take me as your lover, he pleaded. He wanted to be

fucked, to be loved.

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105

Evan smiled and kissed Michael. Michael hungrily

nipped at Evan’s mouth and dared to lift his hips. Michael
gasped as he seemed to drive Evan deeper. Was it possible
to be split in two?

Soon. Slow. Evan moved lower, hooking his arms under

Michael’s legs and pushing them higher. He leaned forward,
almost bending Michael in half as he sought one more kiss
and then he started to move. He made slow and steady
thrusts at first, but that was not enough to satisfy either of
their wolves.

“Fuck me,” Michael growled and wrapped his hands

around Evan’s strong arms, holding on as Evan seemed to
give himself over to the animal inside him and thrust
hungrily inside Michael. “Fuck.” Michael bit on his lip,
trying to keep his voice low, though from the sound his bed
was making, he was under no illusions Niall and Mason
were now aware of their union.

Evan thrust hard and true, exciting every nerve in

Michael’s body as Michael held onto Evan as if his life
depended on it. Hunger twisted in his gut, and he looked up
at Evan through wide eyes.

So fucking close. Evan grabbed Michael’s legs and spread

them wide. His thrusts were rough, violent almost as he
sought his release. He leaned back, creating space and
Michael instinctively went for his dick. He was so damn
hard and needed to come like right-the-hellnow. Roughly,
he brought himself off. He dug his fingers into Evan’s arm,
tensing his body as he came across his stomach in white, hot
threads. Breathlessly, he held onto Evan. Each of Evan’s
thrusts caused friction against his sensitive balls and he
could barely take it. He clung to Evan, started to move,
encouraging Evan to find his own release.

With a groan, Evan thrust fast and hard, his body

shuddering as heat radiated from him and through Michael.

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106

With a stilted cry, he arched back as he came, his body
trembling as he gave a final thrust and collapsed, boneless,
across Michael. He panted, his warm breaths falling across
Michael’s chest.

Stiffly, Michael lowered his legs and wrapped his arms

around Evan.

You okay? Evan asked as he caught his breath. He lifted

his head and rested his chin on Michael’s chest. He looked
into Michael’s eyes and waited.

Michael slid a little lower, managing to capture Evan’s

mouth in an awkward but tender kiss. That was… He wasn’t
sure he had the words. He smiled and stared directly at
Evan. It must have worked, as Evan closed his eyes and
breathed in deeply. A euphoric expression passed over his
face as Michael shared his emotions with him.

That good, huh? Evan greedily kissed Michael.
Michael nodded. “Uh huh,” he mumbled into the kiss. He

breathed in deeply as he listened to Evan’s thoughts. The
guy was an open book. Evan’s every thought and every
emotion tumbled across Michael’s mind, reliving every
moment of their union, but this time from Evan’s point of
view. The man had loved every minute. The unadulterated
emotion of pure pleasure coursed through Michael, and he
was already hard again. He kissed Evan hungrily, nipping a
line down across his jaw and to his neck.

He sucked hard, desperate to bruise Evan’s skin, even if it

would only last a short while. Claimed. Content with his
marking, he lay back against his pillow and ghosted his
fingers over Evan’s back and shoulders. If this was what
claiming Evan was about, he would certainly like to claim
him all over again.

Give it ten minutes. Evan lifted his head and grinned.
Michael laughed and hugged Evan tight. He looked up at

the ceiling and stroked Evan’s hair. Mine.

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107

Evan kissed Michael’s chest. Mine, too.

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108

Chapter Ten

van woke slowly. The smell of coffee filled his nostrils
and gently lured him from his slumber. Blinking, he

looked down at Michael, who lay on his front, his head on
Evan’s arm and his own arm across Evan’s stomach. The
position didn’t look all that comfortable. Michael’s arms
seemed to go back and away from him as he hugged Evan’s
waist. Tiredly, Evan rubbed at his eyes. He wasn’t sure what
time the two of them had finally succumbed to exhaustion,
but being deprived of sleep was worth what he had
experienced last night.

Michael might not believe him, but Evan found him

amazing. The way he’d made Evan feel. The touches, the
kisses, the primal urge to fuck the young man into the
mattress and make him his forever. Fuck. The thought had
him hard all over again. Evan wasn’t sure he’d ever felt this
way about someone before. Sure, he had fucked and claimed
and made his lovers his for the night, but that was pretty
much it—for one night.

Trying not to wake Michael, Evan slid his arm from

beneath Michael’s neck. He sat up and couldn’t help but run
his hands over Michael’s back. Michael’s skin was littered
with scars, and Evan was damn curious. There were only
two things that scarred a werewolf—the bite that made
them, and silver. Evan brushed his fingertips over the raised
edges of the largest scars. He could never ask what Michael
went through at the hands of the people who took him as a

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109

child. Yes, he’d heard the story, or part of it, from Mason.
Mason had wanted him to understand how far Michael had
come, and heaven help him if he hurt Michael in any way.

Evan leaned down and kissed Michael on the cheek. He

could never ask. It was their rule. Never look to the past,
only the now.

The smell of coffee teased him, and Evan decided it was

time to get up. He was in desperate need of a shower. The
scent of Michael and sex clung to him in a heady mix and as
delicious a memory last night was, the call of hot water and
the sweet smell of soap was too strong to ignore.

Quickly and quietly, Evan dressed in yesterday’s clothes

and then slipped outside, pulling the door shut behind him.
He turned around and was met by a concerned-looking
Mason. “Everything okay?” he asked. Then he remembered
exactly whose room he had stepped out of. “Is this going to
hurt?”

Mason sighed and hugged the mug he held.
Coffee called to him, and Evan bravely stepped forward

to get himself a mug.

“You really think last night was a good idea?” Mason

finally said. He leaned back against the kitchen unit.

“Yes,” Evan said honestly. The way he figured it, the

closer and more secure Michael felt about the two of them,
the less likely he’d see Mason as a threat.

Mason rubbed his forehead. “You were at it pretty late.”
“You heard, huh?”
“Heard, felt, saw.” Mason closed his eyes and shook his

head. “Saw more than I ever wanted to.” He nodded toward
Evan’s crotch and then turned around. “I guess he was
making a point.”

“I didn’t realize. Should have figured, though.” Evan

poured himself a drink. Whether aware he was doing it or
not, Michael would have wanted Mason to know Evan was

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his and only his. “You okay?” he asked. Mason certainly
looked tired. Evan smiled inwardly as he remembered just
how many times he and Michael had made love last night.

Mason shrugged. “Apart from wanting to scour my eyes

clean and being so fucking horny last night that Niall’s still
sleeping it off, or he could be dead, who knows, but
otherwise, I’m great.”

Evan quirked an eyebrow. “I’m not sure what to say.”

Awkward didn’t quite cover it. He doubted he’d appreciate
the image of a couple of guys screwing being beamed
directly into his head either.

“Nothing. I think it’s best you say nothing.” Mason

smiled this time and sipped his coffee. “I doubt there’s
anything you can tell me I don’t already know.”

“Sorry,” Evan said.
“It’ll be worth it.” Mason looked at Evan. “If it works,” he

said.

The thought was sobering. Okay, so Evan wouldn’t say

the sex had been for nothing. He liked Michael—more than
liked Michael, if he was honest. Sleeping with him wasn’t
just about tomorrow night, it was about the connection they
shared. With Michael, there was a chance to finally have
someone beyond a fuck. Maybe an actual relationship.
Michael had called to him, and hell he had been well and
truly drawn in. He hugged his drink. He just hoped it wasn’t
like the story of sirens and he’d end up smashing his ship on
the rocks. They had been through too much already. It
wasn’t fair for Mason or Michael to suffer because of him.
But then, why should it be any different here. Bad stuff
followed him around. Fuck, he’d had a hand in causing it for
years.

Mason sipped his drink. “I guess we just wait and see.”
Evan nodded. He might not trust himself to make the

right choice all the time, but he had faith in Mason and in

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Michael. Tomorrow would come soon enough, and no
matter what, he would do everything within his power to
see they all got through the night safe and together.

* * * *

This was a really shit idea. Niall chewed on his thumbnail as
he looked up at the moon. Though he couldn’t tell, he knew
there was a sliver missing. The true full moon wasn’t until
tomorrow night, but for whatever reasons, Mason’s and the
others’ curse extended on either side.

“I’d prefer it if you went into town tonight and got a

room at the motel,” Mason said from behind him.

Niall closed his eyes as Mason wrapped his arms around

his waist and pressed his body to Niall’s back. “I’d prefer it
if we could both head to town.” He turned around in
Mason’s hold and met his lover’s eyes. There was already
the hint of silver blotting out their usually beautiful hazel
color. “But we don’t always get what we want,” he pointed
out.

Mason sighed and kissed Niall. “Promise me you’ll stay

inside the house.”

“You won’t hurt me. You never have and never will,”

Niall said.

Mason gave him a firm look. “I remember a time back at

my apartment when you were pretty sure I was ready to
take a bite.”

Niall shrugged. “I like to think that was more about my

wolf than me.” Just one of the many memories filed away
under werewolf crap.

“Maybe.” Mason didn’t look convinced. “But this isn’t

just about me.”

“Michael wouldn’t hurt me,” Niall insisted. Though the

closest he had gotten to Michael in wolf form involved them

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sitting either side of the toughened glass doors at the back of
the house.

“This isn’t about anyone going after you. This is about

you wading in if there’s a problem.” Mason released Niall
from the hug and pressed his palms to Niall’s chest. “You
stay inside. No matter what.”

Despite what Niall thought on the subject of Michael and

Evan, it seemed that since their night together, things
between the three wolves had gotten better. Or at least that’s
what he had been led to believe. “I thought everything was
okay. Is it?” He hated when Mason thought lying to him was
the best option—the safe option.

“We’re fine,” Mason assured him. “I promise.” He smiled

as he leaned in for another kiss. “But like I’ve said before, I
don’t know how all this works. Just because things seem
okay while we’re human doesn’t necessarily mean anything
once we’re wolves.”

Nothing was ever simple. “Okay,” Niall said.
“You stay inside. I don’t need you playing hero. I would

not be able to live with myself if something happened.”

Mason had made a habit of telling Niall how much he

loved him almost every day. Niall had apparently been his
rock and his reason to move on after Kaine. Having already
lost so much, Mason was very protective of Niall when it
came down to anything wolf-related. He had told Niall on
many occasions he didn’t want to see Niall cursed again or
worse, and for that Niall was grateful. Niall loved Mason’s
passion and the flame he held just for him.

“Promise me,” Mason insisted. His eyes seemed to glow.
“I promise.” Niall pulled Mason into a hug. “But I need

you to promise, too.”

“What?” Mason asked.
He would not see Mason hurt. “If things go south, you

run off the property and you don’t stop until you’re far

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away. You’re smaller and faster than Michael. You’ll be
safe.”

Smiling, Mason nodded. Niall knew he wasn’t a fool. “I

love you,” he whispered and kissed Niall on the cheek.

“I love you, too,” Niall said. He stepped away and looked

across the room. Michael was standing with Evan beside the
large sliding doors at the back of the house. “Be careful.”

Mason nodded. “I always am.” Mason took his hand and

guided him to join Michael and Evan. Niall noted how
firmly Michael held onto Evan’s arm. He hoped Evan’s
grand gesture had been enough. Though Michael and his
wolf were in essence the same, years of abuse had somehow
split the two apart and the wolf personality had stepped up
to protect him.

“It’s okay,” Mason said in a low voice. He drew Niall’s

focus back to him with a kiss. “Lock the doors behind us and
stay away from the windows. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Niall nodded. A sense of loss spread through him as

Mason slipped his hand from Niall’s and then joined the
others. He waited, watching as the three men stripped down
to their underwear and then, each picking up a blanket,
headed outside. Cold air stung Niall’s cheeks as Mason
opened the door and the three men stepped out onto the
porch. Niall hugged his waist and walked up to the door. He
looked at Mason. The familiar pained expression creased his
brow.

“Goodnight,” Niall said, smiling as Mason leaned back

inside to kiss him.

“Lock the door,” Mason instructed.
The couple shared another kiss, and then Niall slid the

door shut and turned the key. He met Mason’s eyes one
more time through the glass before all three men rid
themselves of their underwear and descended the steps.
Niall drew the blind across the door and looked through the

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open slats. He hated watching Mason shift into a wolf. The
transformation was much more painful from man to wolf
than wolf to man. He watched the men walk toward the
trees, putting space between each other before stopping and
looking up at the moon. It was like some strange form of
theater, a choreographed performance as the three men
started to transform.

Mason fell to his knees, his body swelling as his bones

twisted and reformed. Niall closed his eyes when Mason
cried out. His lover’s cries blurred with those of Michael and
Evan until they turned to howls. He opened his eyes. First he
checked on Mason, his wolf disoriented as he settled into his
changed form. Next he checked on Evan. Though there was
obvious discomfort as he moved, Evan’s wolf seemed
unfazed by the injuries his human host had suffered. Mason
and Evan’s wolves were similar in size and build. While
Mason’s coloring was auburn and light browns, Evan was a
single dark shade of brown. Niall watched Mason for a
while as he shook away the haze of transformation. The wolf
was its own being, separate from Mason. But with practice,
Mason’s personality and thoughts had a clear influence on
the animal. He assumed it was the same for Evan, since he
was the one who had said Mason needed to accept his wolf
if he was ever going to truly learn to live with it.

A shiver passed over the length of his spine as he heard

the deep howl that belonged to Michael. Niall narrowed his
eyes and ducked his head. Where was Michael? Niall
searched the line of the trees and nervously worried his
bottom lip. How would Michael react to the new situation?

Suddenly, Michael appeared. His black wolf ran from the

right and stopped in front of Mason and Evan. When he had
first turned, though larger in height, Michael’s wolf was as
skinny as he was. Years of abuse and then living rough had
brought about malnutrition, and apart from desperate

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scrapping, neither human or wolf had had the energy to
fight. But now Michael was stunning. His wolf’s coat was
thick and blacker than night, shimmering in the moonlight
as he moved. His body was strong and muscular, and his
eyes glowed yellow. He was the perfect hunter.

This was it, Niall guessed. After everything, did Michael

have control over himself and his emotions to accept the
shift in dynamics? Nervously, Niall waited. Michael moved
between the two wolves, bumping his head against both of
them and checking them out in turn. He rubbed his head
against Mason wolf’s side, nudging at the auburn wolf as if
testing him and seeing how he’d react. But Mason’s wolf
didn’t. The wolf stood there, simply lifting his head as
Michael continued to rub against him. Michael then moved
on to Evan’s wolf. The contact between the two wolves was
similar to that with Mason’s, but more lingering. Michael
seemed more dominant as he continued to nudge at Evan’s
wolf until the brown wolf lowered his head. Niall watched
as Mason’s wolf struck the same pose as Evan’s and he
lowered his head.

Fascinated, Niall waited. It was as if the two wolves had

submitted to Michael, accepting his dominance over them.
Did this mean Michael was some kind of alpha to them? The
leader of their ragtag pack? Niall had always imagined
Mason in that kind of role. He’d been the father figure, the
big brother to waifs and strays. But it was clear that was not
to be. There was no doubt of Michael’s leadership here.

Niall watched the three wolves for a little while longer as

they seemed to adjust to each other and their new roles.
Eventually, Michael headed toward the trees and Mason’s
and Evan’s wolves followed him. Niall breathed a sigh of
relief before closing the blind. He didn’t want to jinx it, but
all he could think was how things were looking up and that
finally, for once, things were going their way. The right way.

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Chapter Eleven

unlight shone on Evan’s face, warming him as he
struggled to open his eyes. His eyelids fluttered as he

broke through the sleepy barrier. Dazed, he opened his eyes
and lifted his head, trying to figure out where he was. What
had happened last night? Memories came back to him as he
realized he was not alone. Michael was in front of him. There
was dirt on the man’s face and around his fingernails.
Michael was sleeping on his arm and curled up facing Evan
with one of his legs draped across his lover’s.

There was a noise behind Evan, and he looked over his

shoulder to find Mason. Mason lay on his side with his back
to Evan. Dirt and dead leaves clung to his skin. Evan looked
up at the sky. The sun sat above them but gave no real clue
as to what time it was.

They had fallen asleep in a clearing somewhere in the

wood near the edge of the property. The chest-high wire
around the land stood a few yards away wrapped around
trees marked with the strong smell of Mason. Evan shuffled
closer to Michael and wrapped an arm over his waist,
pulling the man to him and into a sleepy kiss.

Michael groaned but didn’t open his eyes, instead

choosing to bury his face in the warmth of Evan’s chest.
Evan grinned as he felt Michael’s erection against his thigh.
He checked behind him. Mason appeared to be asleep.
Gently, Evan stroked Michael’s hair and thought on the
previous evening. He remembered how his wolf had felt. He

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remembered his wolf’s desire to belong and how readily he
had submitted to Michael. Evan shifted a little, the memories
arousing him. Despite Evan’s strength and tough guy image,
the idea of Michael dominating him was pretty damn hot.
He had accepted Michael as his alpha, and Mason had
followed his lead. Whatever their roles as humans, their
wolves followed a different set of rules. Michael was in
charge—and how amazing it had been. Michael could talk to
their wolves, lead them, organize them. They hunted as a
unit, and the bobcat that had strayed onto the property
hadn’t stood a chance.

The sound of footsteps on dry leaves drew Evan’s

attention, and he lifted his head to find Niall making his way
toward them with the blankets. Niall stopped a few feet
away and looked at the three men. On spotting the small
distance between Mason and the couple, Niall seemed to
relax. Evan could only imagine the fears he’d had for both
the emotional and physical wellbeing of his lover.

“Morning,” Mason said as he rolled onto his back and

stretched his arms above his head. He lifted his head and
looked at Evan. He nodded and then Niall helped him to his
feet. “What time is it?” he asked and shrugged the blanket
up and around his shoulders. He lowered his chin beneath
the beige material and leaned into Niall’s side.

“Almost noon. I didn’t want to come too soon.”
Mason smiled and kissed Niall. “It’s fine.”
“Time to get up,” Evan said to Michael. He gently teased

Michael’s hair and brushed his finger over his forehead.

Michael mumbled a protest into Evan’s chest and then

rolled away and onto his back. He took a deep breath and
lifted his head from the forest floor. He looked from Evan to
Mason and smiled. “We did it,” he said.

“We did,” Mason agreed.

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“What exactly happened?” Niall asked and hugged

Mason close.

“I’ll fill you in over lunch,” Mason said and bumped his

hip to Niall’s.

Niall smiled. “Okay, then Michael and I need to head to

the store.”

Michael squinted against the noon light. “Really? Today?”
“‘Fraid so,” Niall told him. “I’ve a delivery at three. Need

your help to bring it in and unpack.”

With a groan, Michael lay down and draped his arm over

his face. “Fine,” he said.

Evan snorted a laugh. He leaned over Michael and kissed

him. Unfortunately, Michael’s alpha status had little sway in
the human world. “I’ll be here when you get home,” he
reminded him. “And you can tell me about your day?”

Dropping his arm from over his eyes, Michael looked up

at Evan. I’d like that.

Michael’s words warmed Evan from the inside. Never

had he imagined sticking around anywhere or with anyone
long enough to hear about their day. Damn, he’d become all
domesticated. He suppressed a smile. He kind of liked it.

Lunch came and went quickly, as did the afternoon. Evan

was sitting on the couch. Last night had left his chest tender
and his shoulder stiff. He didn’t think there was anything
seriously wrong with him, but the stress his body had been
under shifting to wolf form had taken its toll.

“The doc should be here by four,” Mason said. “He’s still

forty minutes out. Detours due to a semi losing its load.” He
sat down beside Evan and held out a mug of hot chocolate.
“Thought this might help.”

Evan took the drink and smiled as he admired the neat

spiral of cream and mini marshmallows. “Just like Mom
used to make,” he said. He met Mason’s eyes and shared a

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brief moment of grief. “When will Niall and Michael be
home?”

Mason scratched behind his ear and then stretched out his

neck. He sipped at his own drink. “The delivery’s running
late, caught in the same traffic jam as Anderson.”

“Will they be back in time?”
“Niall won’t be late,” Mason said. He sounded sure, and

Evan figured Niall knew the risks. It had taken Evan more
full moons than he remembered before he was able to stave
off the transformation until the last possible moment. It
seemed Michael had no true control as of yet. Michael might
have been born a werewolf, but he lived by the same laws as
Evan and Mason did. The moon influenced him every
month, and once the sun set and the moon took its place in
the sky, the urge to transform was overwhelming.
Apparently, it hurt him too much to fight the
transformation. Taking wolf form offered him relief from the
constant din of voices in his head. Evan could only imagine
how difficult it must be to never be alone, never to have
space or a moment of quiet.

Mason sighed and glanced at Evan. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For proving me wrong.”
“How?”
Mason rubbed his shoulder as he seemed to search for the

right words. “For not being the asshole I remember.” He
smirked. “For being his friend.”

Evan snorted a laugh. Not that he could disagree. “I was a

bit of a dick, wasn’t I?” Nine years didn’t sound all that long
ago, but in light of everything that had happened in a single
week, it felt like a lifetime.

“Maybe a little,” Mason agreed. “But of everyone Kaine

turned in the five years I was with him, you were the only

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one I thought might be different.” He met Evan’s eyes. “Who
I thought might hold on to a shred of his humanity.”

Unease settled in Evan’s stomach. “I’m not different,” he

said. He wasn’t. His wolf had killed people and Evan had let
it and had even enjoyed it.

“Our worst critics are always ourselves,” Mason stated.

“You’re not the monster you see yourself as.”

“You have no idea what I see.” When he looked into a

mirror, no longer was he able to ignore the stains on his soul.
Instead of things getting better, they were actually getting
harder.

“You’d be surprised what I know.” Mason offered a

comforting smile before asking, “Do you love him, even a
little?”

Love? Evan wasn’t sure he’d ever loved anything in his

life, not even himself. One thing he’d learned in the nine
years was life was short and he shouldn’t get attached to
anything, anywhere, or anyone. Be able to make a clean
break, and above all else, always have an exit strategy.

“Evan?” Mason pressed.
“I don’t know,” Evan said honestly. He had feelings for

Michael. Of that, he was sure. But what those feelings were,
he hadn’t quite figured out yet. He cared about the man, and
the way Michael made him feel just by looking at him was
amazing. God, the thought had him aching to see Michael
again. He wanted Michael to be safe and hell if he didn’t
want to be the one who protected him. He dared to look
toward Mason who eyed him with interest.

“I think you do,” Mason said. He sipped at his drink and

turned away. A knowing smile spread across his face.

Evan looked at his drink, a smile of his own at the corner

of his mouth as he realized just how much of his heart
Michael had stolen.

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* * * *

Michael was bored. The delivery was late, Niall was looking
through the accounts, and he had run out of jobs. He’d
swept the floor to within an inch of its life, tidied the shelves
and racks, and packed the large dresser for collection. He
then played Mister Interested to the handful of customers
needing screws, fixtures, and fuses as they detailed their
days to him. His favorite story had been the one about some
man’s kettle tripping the power late last night and him
falling over his toddler’s train set. Exhilarating stuff here in
Blackhill.

As Michael closed his eyes and yawned, the bell above

the door rang and he quickly covered his mouth. If it was
the little old lady looking to set him up with her
granddaughter again, he might have to call Niall to the front
of the store and make out right then and there. Sorry I’m gay
hadn’t even made the woman blink as she had rattled off
details of her granddaughter’s life.

The breeze through the open door brought with it a

strange scent. Michael eyed the girl standing before him.
Familiarity struck him and he tried to recall why. Not that he
knew many residents of the mountain town, but he was sure
she wasn’t a local girl. She looked to be in her teens—not
more than sixteen—thin, and dressed in dark denim. Her
dark hair was tied back from her face, exposing the pale skin
of her swanlike neck. She was unconventionally pretty. Her
heavy straight bangs gave her face a hard edge, but makeup
softened her mouth and cheekbones.

“Afternoon,” Michael said and stood up straight. He

wasn’t sure what it was, but he was undeniably fascinated
by her and had the strange desire to make an impression.

She looked at him through smoky gray eyes that were

outlined with dark eyeliner and mascara. Smiling, she

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glanced over her shoulder before walking toward the
register.

“Can I help you?” Michael asked.
The girl didn’t say anything, simply looked at him.
The other day through the window. That’s where he’d seen

her. He breathed in deeply. What was with the way she
smelled?

She arched her neck and took a deep breath as she seemed

to inhale his scent. She met his eyes in an intense stare and
reached out to hold him by the wrist. It was all Michael
could do to not stumble backward. A high-pitched sound
rang in Michael’s ears, and he curled his hand against the
counter. The girl’s grip was bruising as she wrapped her
hand more tightly around his wrist and held it to the
wooden surface.

Images flashed in Michael’s mind though he struggled to

make out much as they moved behind a gray mist. He closed
his eyes and tried to focus. He saw what he was sure was the
same motel room he’d seen the other night. Was this the girl
who had spoken to him? A short sequence played out in his
head, a guided tour of the room that ended in the bathroom
and in front of a mirror. He looked in the mirror and the
girl’s reflection stared back at him. Mascara mixed with tears
ran down her cheeks in dirty black lines. There was a
terribly desperate look in her eyes, and then like skipping a
reel in a movie, suddenly she had the edge of a razor
pressed to her throat. Her reflection smiled. Blood was on
her teeth as she dragged the blade across her skin.

Pain shot through his forehead as the image changed to

the girl standing in front of some trees, her hand
outstretched as she pointed toward him. Then came a
barrage of flashes accompanied by loud bangs—gunshots.

Michael opened his eyes and snatched away his hand.

The girl shook her head, a tear running down her cheek as

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she slowly backed away. Her eyes on his, Michael heard a
voice in his head. They’re coming.

The bell rang as the door opened and a tall, dark-haired

man stepped inside. He rested his hands on the girl’s
shoulders and she looked up at him. As she nodded, he
grinned and looked at Michael.

Michael held onto the edge of the counter and desperately

tried to catch his breath. The bell above the door rang again
and Michael lifted his head to find the pair gone. There was
no doubt about who she was. She was the girl Evan had seen
before he’d been shot.

“Are you okay?” Niall asked from behind him, and

Michael flinched.

“It was…” Michael’s legs weakened and he sank to the

floor.

“Shit. What happened?” Niall rushed to his side,

supporting his weight.

Michael clutched his chest. Fuck. It felt like a panic attack.

Niall gently lowered him to the floor and then disappeared
to the back of the store, returning quickly with a glass of
water and a wet paper towel.

“Here.” Niall held the glass to Michael’s lips, and Michael

lapped at the tepid liquid. His chest hurt, but the water had
distracted him enough for his breathing to steady. Gently,
Niall pressed the paper towel to Michael’s head. It was cold
against Michael’s hot skin.

“Better?” Niall asked.
Michael nodded and sat forward as Niall rubbed his back.

“We need to call Mason.”

“Sure, whatever you need,” Niall said.
“You don’t understand.” He met Niall’s curious gaze.

“They’re coming,” he repeated the girl’s words.

“Who?”
“The hunters.”

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Fear and panic flickered behind Niall’s eyes. Quickly, he

got to his feet, returning with his cell phone and the store’s
cordless phone. He handed Michael the handset. “You doing
okay?” he checked.

Michael nodded.
“You try the house. I’ll try Mason’s cell.”
“Okay.” He looked at the phone, reminded himself of the

number, and typed in the digits. He waited, listening to the
repetitive tone as the call waited to be picked up. He glanced
up at Niall. Why hadn’t Mason answered one of them
already?

“Shit.” Niall looked at his cell briefly before trying again.

“Do you know Evan’s number?” he asked.

“No,” Michael said. He hung up. “How about Doc

Anderson?”

Niall ended the call and made a new one. They waited

and relief visibly relaxed Niall’s body. “Are you at the
house?” Niall asked. He paused and Michael focused on
Anderson’s side of the conversation.

“I just arrived,” Anderson told Niall. “Some accident on

the eighty-seven.”

“Is Mason okay?” Niall interrupted.
“Sure, he’s standing right here.”
“Can you put him on, please?”
There was a pause and Michael made out Mason on the

other end of the line.

“Why weren’t you answering your phone?” Niall asked.
“I came out to meet the doc. It’s on the dining table.”
“Did you not hear the house phone?”
“Maybe…What’s wrong? You’re being kind of weird,

Niall.”

Niall handed Michael the phone. “Tell him.”
“Mason, it’s Michael. Is Evan there?”

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“Yeah, hiding under the hood of his car, polishing his

sparkplugs or something,” he said and laughed. “Seems he
hates doctors.”

“Thank God.” Michael took a calming breath.
“What’s going on?”
“She was here. The girl Evan saw.”
“You sure?” Mason asked.
Michael rubbed his throbbing temple. “Yeah. I’m sure.”
“Put Niall on.”
Michael held the phone out to Niall. “He wants you.”
Niall took the phone, checked Michael was okay, and

then disappeared out back so Michael could no longer listen
in.

Michael leaned back against the counter and closed his

eyes. The voices in his head sounded unsettled, as if his own
emotions had affected them. How had the girl done that? He
thought back to her and the strange scent that surrounded
her. It had held intoxicating warmth. Familiar and yet not.
Something within it screamed wolf, but if she was a
werewolf, he couldn’t tell. And why was she working with
the hunters? Wolf or not, she had been in his head. How?
Why had she revealed herself? And why show him what she
had?

Opening his eyes, he pulled his knees up to his chest and

folded his arms on top of them. Fear swelled inside him and
he felt lost. What the hell were they going to do?

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Chapter Twelve

ichael shifted uncomfortably at Mason’s side. He and
Niall had gotten in around twenty minutes ago and

the sun was already setting. Nobody seemed to know what
to do. He and Niall had closed the store within ten minutes
of calling Mason and headed for home. They stopped only to
buy food and bottled water, all the time looking over their
shoulders, praying to see no one there.

“Why the hell did you come here?” Evan said angrily. He

pointed at Niall. “You should have gotten in your car and
driven far from here. Somewhere safe.”

“Safe?” Niall shouted back. “Seriously? Just me and

Michael, a couple of hours from sundown, and a bunch of
hunters tracking us? You call that safe?”

“So better they follow you here?” Evan shook his head.

Michael wasn’t sure what drove Evan—fear for himself or
fear for others.

“I told him to.” Mason stepped forward. “Here or

somewhere else, we’re stronger together. We move
together.”

“You could come to my hunting grounds,” Anderson

suggested.

“We don’t have time.” Mason looked over his shoulder at

Michael. “We can’t risk him turning in a populated area. We
can’t risk any of us.”

“Don’t suppose you have any of those needles lying

around, just in case?” Evan said to Mason with a huff.

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Mason had told Michael how he used to combat the

change, before he came to accept the beast and control it.
Michael wondered if such a mixture would work on him. If
they could stay human, the hunters might not track them as
easily as in their wolf form. It would be a hell of a lot harder
to stay on top of tire tracks across miles of road than paw
prints into the mountains. They could get away so much
more easily.

Shaking his head, Mason turned to Anderson. “Would

anything else work? Wolfsbane? Silver?” Mason’s hand
went instinctively to the cross he wore outside his clothes.
He winced as he brushed the metal with his fingers.

The doctor didn’t know.
“We don’t have time,” Niall pointed out. “Besides, better

you’re wolves than defenseless.”

“I have a gun.” Anderson went to his medical bag and

pulled out a handgun.

“You’d be lucky to get a shot off before they filled you

with holes,” Evan said snidely. None of them were
invincible whether they were born or made werewolves.

“Maybe we could talk to them?” suggested Anderson.

“None of us have done anything wrong. I’ve never killed
anyone.”

The men looked between each other. Nothing wrong?

Michael wished that were true.

“They don’t seem big on the talking,” Evan scoffed. He

pressed a hand to his chest, rubbing at his shoulder.

“Is it hot in here?” Michael scratched at his arm. He felt

like something was crawling beneath his skin. He
swallowed, his mouth dry as he was struck by a dizzy spell.
Mason must have seen it coming and grabbed him by the
arm. Awkwardly, Michael held on to Mason, keeping
himself on his feet. Just.

“Evan, help me,” Mason instructed.

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Michael clung to Mason and looked to where Evan had

strayed toward the door. Don’t leave.

Evan met his eyes. “I’m not going to stand around here

and do nothing.” He reached for the door handle.

“Evan, stop,” Mason said. “Don’t be an idiot.”
Evan hesitated. “We should act first,” he said in a low

voice. “I know her scent. Michael, too. We have an
advantage, and we should use it.”

“Advantage? What advantage?” Mason asked. “We don’t

know how many of them there are. What weapons they
have.” He looked pointedly at Evan. “You want to do what?
Hunt them down? Murder them? And what if some
innocent person gets in the way? Would you kill them, too?”

Evan tensed his jaw. “It’s what I do,” he stated.
“Be better than that. Be smart.”
Michael’s head cleared and he stood on his own. He

pulled away from Mason and moved between him and
Evan. “Stay,” he said. Stay with me.

I could end this.
Alone, you’ll die.
Evan visibly flinched at the word and tightened his hand

around the handle. Maybe. He pushed down the handle.

Michael rushed forward and wrapped his hand tightly

around Evan’s. Evan angrily met his eyes, but just as quickly
his anger turned to fear. The dominant personality of
Michael’s wolf came to the surface, and he leaned in close,
grunting as his hand began to painfully stretch. “We stand
together,” he said with a growl. He ran his tongue over the
pointed edge of his lengthened incisors.

“Niall,” Evan said. “Go to your room.”
“What?” Niall gave an indignant snort.
Michael closed his eyes and focused on his breathing. He

was running out of time.

“Get out. Now!” Evan insisted.

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“Shit,” Niall said. He’d clearly seen the start of Michael’s

transformation. There were scuffled sounds behind Michael
as Mason no doubt hurried his lover to safety.

Michael opened his eyes and looked at his hand around

Evan’s. Slowly, he released Evan and stared at his fingers.

“It’s okay,” Evan said. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Michael nodded. Fuck, it hurt. It always hurt.
What should I do? Evan was in his head. “How can we stop

this?” he asked out loud.

“Keep him focused,” Anderson offered. “Keep him

focused on you.”

Michael let Evan guide him toward the couch. “I’m

sorry,” he said breathlessly. The voices in his head were
getting louder. He needed to calm down. He needed to
regain what little control he did have. Talk to me. Maybe if he
could keep his mind on Evan and only Evan, maybe then he
could chase the influence of the others away.

Okay. Evan squeezed his hands and met his eyes. I’m here.
Michael took slow, deep breaths and kept his eyes on

Evan. He could hear Anderson and Mason behind him and
the wave of voices inside his head rushing back and forth.

It’s going to be okay. Evan massaged the back of Michael’s

hands with his thumbs. I promise you.

* * * *

Mason pressed his palms together and held them to his
mouth. He bit at his fingernail anxiously. They weren’t
ready. He wasn’t ready. In his twelve years, he’d never come
up against hunters of any kind. He’d heard stories, seen such
things in TV shows and movies, but never thought there
were truly any out there. But then again, when he was a
child, werewolves were only make-believe, too.

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“What are we going to do?” asked Anderson. The man

screwed up his hands and then opened them over and over.
He was scared, just like everybody else.

Mason shook his head and stared at where Evan and

Michael were sitting on the couch. Evan was keeping
Michael calm and distracted from the threatening
transformation. He glanced over his shoulder. Niall was in
their room with the door secured, though he knew it wasn’t
the werewolves that had him scared. He looked around the
house. The glass was reinforced, the walls built from heavy,
thick wood, and they could barricade the door in addition to
the locks and bolts that already held it firm. He worried his
bottom lip. Wood burned. They shouldn’t trap themselves
inside.

“We should head outside,” the doctor suggested. “At

least out there we can run.”

“And leave Niall?” Mason couldn’t do that. Not after

everything they’d been through.

“He’s human.”
“Who just happens to be hanging out with four

werewolves. Do you think they’ll hesitate to kill him, too?”

Anderson rubbed his hands over his face, clearly

frustrated. “Then what?” He winced slightly as he curled his
hand at his side. They couldn’t hold back the transformation
forever.

“I don’t know—”
“She’s here,” Michael said loudly and sprang to his feet.

He growled as he stared at the front door. Anger radiated off
the man, and Mason closed his eyes as he let Michael’s
emotion race over him.

Anderson picked up his gun and aimed it at the door. “A

car,” he said, releasing the safety.

Mason moved to Anderson’s side and eyed the door. He

cocked his head and listened. The low rumble of a car engine

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131

stopped and he made out the sounds of people organizing
themselves. He pressed his finger to his mouth when
Anderson went to speak. He tried to figure out how many
people were out there and exactly where they were.

“Four,” he whispered. He looked at Evan, who agreed.
There were soft sounds outside—footsteps on creaking

boards. Cautiously, he stepped back, around Anderson, and
toward the closed door of his bedroom. He stood fast. He
would not let anything happen to Niall. The sound of the
screen door opening made all four men look at the door.
Mason flinched as Anderson released two rounds. The
bullets hit the door, splintering the wood as they passed
through the panel.

No one moved.
Michael’s low breathy growls echoed in the otherwise

silent room, and Mason’s heart raced. Curling his hands into
fists, he tried to calm down. His wolf was tightly wound in
his chest, desperate for freedom.

“Did I get them?” Anderson stumbled backward in panic.
A gunshot rang out and a large hole was blown in the

door, blasting pieces of wood into the house. There were
people outside and then something was thrown through the
hole in the door. A metal object hit the ground and rolled
toward Anderson. The commanding voice of a man ordered
everyone to clear the porch.

Realization hit Mason too late. He darted forward,

rushing Anderson in a desperate attempt to tackle him out
of the way. He grabbed the doctor’s shoulder as there was a
terrible sound. The object exploded and filled the room with
smoke and debris.

A sharp pain shot through Mason’s leg, and he fell to the

ground, dragging Anderson with him. Mason rolled onto his
back and stared up at the ceiling. Dust filled the air above
him. His ears were ringing, and he could just make out the

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muffled voices of everybody else. Someone cried out in pain.
They sounded so far away. Coughing, Mason tried to move.

He gasped as he managed to sit forward and grimaced as

he looked at his leg. Three pieces of shrapnel from the
explosion had struck his thigh. With a shaky hand, he
tentatively reached out. He hissed as he touched the pieces
of metal. Silver. Gritting his teeth, he pulled at the first piece,
sliding the shard from his flesh and discarding it on the
floor. He removed the other pieces and looked around.
Michael and Evan were disoriented but safe. The couch had
offered them protection from the worst of the explosion.

“Doc,” Mason called, dragging himself the couple of feet

to be at Anderson’s side. He rested his hand on the doctor’s
back and panic rose in his chest. The cries he had heard
belonged to Anderson. Though muted beneath the
aftershock of ringing in his ears, Mason could feel the
vibrations of the man’s pain coursing through his body.

“Evan!”
Evan looked over from where he held Michael, keeping

the young man safe and calm.

“I need you.” Slowly, he rolled Anderson over and

screwed up his face as he saw the damage. Silver shards
shone as they caught the light. The shrapnel was peppered
down the left side of Anderson’s face and neck. Mason
checked lower. More pieces were in the man’s torso and leg.
None of the wounds looked deep and none were bleeding
severely, it was more the quantity that left Mason reeling.
“Evan!”

Staying low, Evan made his way to Mason’s side. “Fuck,”

he said as he saw Anderson’s injuries. “What do we do?”

How was he supposed to know? He glanced warily at the

door. They didn’t have time.

“Doc,” Mason cried, holding the doctor’s head steady.

“Oliver!” The doctor’s eyes snapped open, his breathing

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133

ragged as he looked up at Mason and grabbed his arm.
“What do we do?”

Anderson’s eyes rolled upward and his eyelids flickered

before sliding shut. His head rolled to one side as his body
became dead weight.

“Shit!” Mason shook Anderson by the shoulders. “Come

on. Don’t do this!”

Evan reached past Mason and checked the doctor’s neck

for a pulse. “He’s alive, but there’s nothing we can do for
him now,” Evan said. He placed his hands over Mason’s and
carefully pulled them away. “You need to focus, because any
minute we’re going to have company.”

Mason nodded and let Evan help him to his feet. He

hopped until he found a comfortable footing. Grimacing, he
pressed his hand to his leg. Nothing serious, but it stung like
hell. “If they were looking to piss me off, they did it,” he said
and stepped forward.

“You okay?” Evan checked.
“Fine.”
The two of them joined Michael, who was crouched by

the couch with his hands pressed to his ears and his eyes
tightly shut. Mason looked at Michael’s hands and the claws
sticking out from his lengthened fingers.

Evan got Michael to his feet, and Mason looked the young

man over. He wasn’t hurt, but his transformation had taken
hold. His eyes were already bright yellow, his jaw was
swollen, and the muscles in his arms had expanded
downward to his now enlarged hands. No matter what,
Michael’s wolf would always protect him.

“What about Niall and Anderson?” Evan said, pulling

Michael to him, keeping the young man as calm as he could.

Niall was safe in the bedroom for now. Mason was glad

Niall had done as he’d been told—no matter what he heard,
he was to stay in that room. Mason glanced back to where

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Anderson lay unconscious. He didn’t know if the man
would change or not, having passed out from the silver and
his injuries.

Mason narrowed his eyes and looked toward the busted

front door. He raised his hand and said, “We protect them.”
He winced as he let the first part of his transformation begin.
Claws extended from his fingers, and he could feel his teeth
change, becoming too big for his human mouth.

A grin spread over Evan’s face. “Finally,” he said at the

prompted action.

Michael slipped from Evan’s hold and looked between

Mason and Evan before turning around. He pulled off his t-
shirt and kicked off his shoes. Removing the last of his
clothes, he got to his hands and knees.

Mason and Evan followed his lead, each man fighting his

own pain as they began to transform. As Mason turned, he
let out a feverish howl and the last thing he remembered as
his human self was Michael’s voice in his head, leading him
into the fight and promising, They will never hurt anyone else
again.

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Chapter Thirteen

ichael looked at the wolves standing on either side of
him. Mason’s wolf limped slightly as it stepped

forward, accustoming itself to the injury on its hind leg. He
looked at Evan. The dark brown wolf bristled in anticipation
of the fight.

Steady, Michael told them both. He looked at the door.

The girl’s scent was strong, mixed in with the distinct smell
of four other people. He listened. There were voices outside,
apprehension in their tone as they debated their next move.
The door was still standing, bolted in three places, and the
hinges intact. The hole from the shotgun blast was jagged
and splintered, the size of a human head. In wolf form there
was no way to unlock the bolts, and he feared it would take
them too long to break through the door, despite its poor
state.

He figured they could wait it out, hide and hope the

hunters did the hard work and blasted the door free. But
there was nothing to stop them throwing in more explosives
or even setting fire to the house. They needed another way
out. He stepped back, and the floor creaked beneath his
weight. Curiously, he looked down. The wood was charred
and silver pieces had buried themselves in the boards. He
pressed down hard with his paw and the board creaked and
splintered.

The floor, he instructed.

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The two wolves joined him in clawing at, jumping on, and

biting the wooden boards. They managed to pry some of the
damaged wood away from the joists and smash the others
through. Lowering his head into the hole, Michael examined
the crawlspace. It would be tight, but they could get to the
back of the house and easily break through the panels
circling the base of the building.

Giving his orders, he directed Mason and Evan into the

hole and told them his intended steps. Once they were out of
the house and had the space to run, the hunters would be
easy to take down.

Evan’s wolf curled his top lip and growled. Michael could

sense the animal’s eagerness to hunt and kill. Bitterness
brought about the desire for revenge. Michael stood tall. He
felt in control of his wolf. He looked Evan’s wolf directly in
his milky white eyes. They were not murderers. They killed
out of the need to protect themselves and the people they
loved, not for the sake of it. The dark wolf seemed to get the
message as he submissively lowered his head.

Ducking his head and stretching his body, Mason’s wolf

dropped down into the hole first. He stopped and looked up
at Michael.

Michael sensed Mason’s concern from within the animal

for the people they were leaving behind. It’s the only way, he
insisted. If they wanted to protect Niall and Anderson then
they needed to leave. They needed to be outside and able to
fight back.

Reluctantly, Mason’s wolf moved forward, freeing space

for Evan and Michael to follow him into the hole. They
crawled forward through the closed space until they reached
the back of the house. Mason’s wolf clawed madly at the
trellised panel, breaking it easily and dragging himself
through. Finding his feet, he dashed for the trees, running
off his injury as he sought cover. Close behind him were

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Michael and Evan. Gunshots rang out, but they didn’t stop
until they hit the edge of the trees. They had to be sure all
the hunters were focused on them. They had left Niall and
Anderson with no real protection, so they couldn’t risk even
one hunter breaking his way inside the house.

Michael could sense Mason’s unease. The auburn wolf

bristled beside him, ready to run if Mason’s lover needed
him. Cautiously and keeping out of sight, Michael checked
the area. Four men moved toward them, quick and low
across the open land. They were all there, though there was
still no sight of the girl. Assuring Mason they had the
attention of all the hunters, Michael urged them to continue
away from the house.

The voices of the four men and more shots echoed behind

them as they ran through the foliage. They ran as fast as they
could, putting distance between them and the hunters so
they had time to organize themselves.

Clever boy. Michael skidded to a halt as the girl’s voice

came loud in his head. He caught his front paw under a
raised root and flipped over himself, crashing against the
trunk of a tree and landing on his back.

Mason’s and Evan’s wolves rushed to his side. They

looked startled and scuffled with one another as they turned
themselves in circles.

Michael rolled over and got to his feet, shaking off the

surprise of the fall. I’m fine. He tried to calm them, hoped
Mason and Evan could help him to influence their wolves
emotionally.

He brushed his head against both wolves. The action

worked and the wolves settled and took their place on either
side of him. He narrowed his eyes. Who was the girl that she
could talk to him? There was something strange about her
scent. At its roots there was the scent of wolf and her ability
to talk to him was surely the same as his, gifted to him

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having been born a werewolf. And yet, there was something
not quite right, not wholly wolf.

Michael pricked up his ears. The hunters were getting

close. Michael smiled inwardly. It was clear from the echo of
their voices they had spread out to cover more ground. He
looked over his shoulder and passed on his instructions.
Evan’s wolf was to go right and Mason’s left, leaving
Michael heading straight and back to the house.

Be careful.
With a barked growl, Evan’s wolf darted to the right.

Mason looked at Michael, bowing his head before running
left. Michael waited. He could smell grease and cigarettes
and was sure the two hunters in front of him were in close
enough proximity that if he attacked one, the other could
easily retaliate. Warily, he headed in the same direction as
Mason to begin with. If he could get behind them, he would
have the element of surprise. He ran forward, but his
progress was halted as a scream ripped through the trees
accompanied by gunfire. A pain hit him in the chest, but it
was not his pain. No. Please, no. He ran toward the barrage of
sounds, trying to pick up anything that hinted at what was
going on. The metallic scent of blood hung in the air as he
raced through the trees.

Skidding to a halt, he stopped, nearly tripping over a

body lying on the forest floor. Michael dug his claws into the
hunter’s body and rolled it over. His eyes were pale and
lifeless and blood glistened across his chest and neck.
Michael lifted his head as he heard a sound in the brush.
With a growl, he backed away, staying low as he watched
the twitching leaves. Limping from behind the bush,
Mason’s wolf appeared in the clearing. There was blood
around his mouth and a look of regret in his eyes. It was
clear from the way the auburn wolf delicately moved he had
been wounded again. Michael moved closer. A dark clotting

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wound was in the wolf’s chest. The bullet hadn’t been silver,
but it was clearly causing discomfort. Michael breathed in
deeply. Wolfsbane. He wondered how much of the poison
the bullet had contained. It would cause Mason pain and
make him sick, but at least the wound would heal.

The sound of footsteps behind them had both wolves

coiled and ready to attack. A branch broke under a heavy
boot and Michael ushered Mason away. More gunshots
echoed from the other side of the forest and briefly a pang of
guilt lurched in Michael’s chest. He knew very well Evan
could look after himself. The sound of footsteps indicated
the hunter was close. Michael made for the cover of the trees
and waited.

Eventually, the hunter appeared to Michael’s right.

Checking the area, the hunter moved to his partner. Anger
creased the man’s brow as he realized the man was dead,
and he turned around, scanning the area with his gun. He
looked to the ground, tilted his head, and moved forward.

Michael narrowed his eyes. What had the hunter seen? As

the hunter stepped forward, Michael emerged from his
hiding place and scanned the ground. He looked at the
blood trail that lay parallel to the man’s boot prints. Mason.
Cautiously, he pressed on, staying low as he followed the
hunter’s tracks.

A whimper urged Michael forward and his only thought

was to protect his friend. He raced on, horrified to find the
auburn wolf on the ground, the hunter over him, aiming his
weapon at Mason’s head. Michael leaped forward, growling
as he slammed his weight into the man. The gun went off as
it was knocked from the man’s hand. The bullet hit the
ground behind Mason, causing the wolf to kick at the dirt.
Michael landed running, circling round to put himself
between Mason and the hunter. He stood and bared his
teeth, daring the hunter to try anything.

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The man crouched on the ground and met Michael’s eyes.

Michael was aware of where the man’s hand was and what
he was reaching for.

Don’t be an idiot.
The man grabbed for his gun and Michael felt a surge of

hate wash through him. His wolf was not one for second
chances and this man had just lost his. The hunter managed
to get a round off, the shot grazing Michael’s shoulder as he
charged forward. Michael tackled the man to the ground,
knocking the gun from the hunter’s hands as he slashed
frantically at the man’s face and arms. He hooked his claws
in the shocked man’s cheek and mouth. The man looked
terrified, but Michael had no mercy to give him. Blood
sprayed in a crimson mist as Michael violently pulled back
his paw, the hunter’s jaw ripped from his face. The man
gasped and horrid gurgling sounds escaped his throat as
blood poured from the gaping hole in his face. The hunter
was suffering and Michael felt the tease of pleasure beneath
the horror of what he’d done. Baring his teeth, he lunged
forward and tore out the man’s throat. The dying hunter
crumpled to the ground and quickly bled out on the forest
floor.

Michael looked at Mason’s wolf. The wolf was trembling

and seemed unable to get to his feet. The Wolfsbane would
be in his system now, the poison disorienting him, making
him weak.

Euphoria surged through him, and he raised his head as

he heard Evan’s wolf howl from across the forest. Wait here.
I’ll be back. Quickly, he raced through the trees. He could
smell blood and his heart beat madly in his chest. He prayed
Evan was okay.

Clearing the trees, he jumped into a clearing and was

greeted with the terrible reality of just what Evan was
capable of. The body of one of the hunters, or rather parts of
him, lay strewn across the forest floor in a pool of blood and

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innards. Beyond the carnage, Evan stood over the last of the
hunters who had entered the woods. Michael recognized the
man from the store and moved toward him. The man’s leg
was missing at the knee but he was alive. Michael crossed
the clearing to stand at Evan’s side.

“You think this is it?” The hunter spat, blood on his lips as

he grimaced from the pain. There were further injuries to his
shoulder and arm. “There are others. They’ll come looking
for us.”

Michael lifted his head and stared through the trees.
Is he telling the truth? He waited. Would the girl hear him?
“Does it matter if he is?” Michael looked up as the girl

stepped from behind a tree and stood at the edge of the
clearing.

Evan’s wolf tensed and growled beside him, but Michael

ordered him to stand down.

Yes.
The girl shrugged. “Yes and no.”
“Tilly,” the man warned.
The girl closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Opening

her eyes, she looked at the man with disgust and then stared
directly at Evan. She nodded and before Michael had time to
figure out what was happening, Evan violently lunged for
the hunter’s throat. In one sweeping move, Evan bit into the
man’s flesh, getting a tight hold before twisting it, breaking
the man’s neck and killing him.

Unsettled, Michael padded the ground. He glanced at

Evan’s wolf. The wolf licked its lips and then stepped away.
The animal looked confused as he frantically looked from
the dead hunter to the girl and then to Michael. There was a
mournful look in his eyes when he looked at Michael, and
Michael swore it was Evan himself looking at him,
apologizing.

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“I never did like him telling me what to do.” The air

around Tilly seemed less oppressive in light of the man’s
death. Childishly, she rocked between her heels and tiptoes
with her hands behind her back.

What did you do?
“Unlike you, he is just a wild animal. It is in his nature to

hunt and kill. I merely influenced that instinct within him.”

She had more sway over Evan’s wolf than the man

himself. Michael looked at his lover’s wolf. The animal
didn’t seem to appreciate having been taken advantage of as
it hunkered down, readying itself for an attack.

Who are you?
She stopped. Her smoky eyes met Michael’s as she

smiled.

“Natalie Peters.” She pointed at the man on the floor.

“And he was my uncle.”

Are there others?
“There are, but they won’t come looking for you.”

Why should I believe you?
The girl smiled sweetly. “You don’t have to believe me.

But it’s the truth. My uncle didn’t like to share his
playthings. He wouldn’t want others interfering with his
hunt. His prize.”

Michael filled his lungs with her scent. Was she another

plaything? She was like no one he had met before. What are
you? You smell like a wolf. He stepped forward and she
stepped back.

It’s complicated, she replied, this time speaking inside his

head.

Try me. Michael growled.
Tilly eyed both wolves warily. She seemed to sense just

how heated Evan’s blood was. He would rip her apart if she
even looked at Michael the wrong way. Do you know the

chances of a pregnancy coming to term where only one parent is a
werewolf?

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It’s impossible. From what he knew only parents who were

both born werewolves themselves had ever produced
offspring. It wasn’t unheard of for wolves created from bites
to become pregnant, but the fetus never survived—either the
baby was not strong enough to survive the transformation
on full moon or a human mother’s body rejected the foreign
cells.

The girl shook her head. It’s not.
How? Could there be others like her?

Luck. Misfortune. Take your pick. My mother was eight and a

half months pregnant when she was bitten. She took another
step away from them. I was born before the next full moon.

Why the hell was she out here with these men? Why was

she helping them to hunt him and other wolves?

What are you?
I am neither one thing nor the other. I am not a wolf, but on a

technicality I share your curse.

She had been born. Her mother had been bitten and was

therefore a werewolf. It was kind of incredible, and Michael
would surely have appreciated the revelation if not for the
fact he was standing in the blood and guts of the people who
would have happily slain him and the others.

I can hear every single one of you. She pressed a hand to her

forehead as she pulled a gun from behind her back. And it
hurts.

Michael eyed the gun as she aimed it toward him. Evan’s

wolf growled from his crouched position. He was ready to
attack if he needed to. Wait, Michael instructed. He sensed
no danger from the girl, merely confusion and relief.

It’s hurt since I can remember. She looked at Michael with

sadness in her eyes. It hurt in here, too. She pressed a hand to
her heart. My father is dead at my mother’s hands. She and many
others dead at my uncle’s and because of me. She looked to the
dead man on the ground. It doesn’t hurt anymore.

Don’t do this. Maybe they could help each other.

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I don’t hear them now. Only you. I’ve never known silence.

Tilly smiled and raised the gun to her head. I knew you’d be
the one.

No! Michael leaped forward as a shot rang off. It was too

late and all he could do was watch as the girl fell to her
knees. Her arms hung limply at her sides and the gun
slipped from her hand as her body fell sideways and she hit
the ground. Her gaze never left his, and Michael lost himself
in the peace held in her eyes.

Closing his eyes, he sat down and lowered his head. A

sense of mourning washed through him, and he was
thankful when Evan’s wolf rested against him. He looked at
the girl. There was blood and brain on the ground and yet
despite the horror, she still seemed to be smiling.

He closed his eyes and let the warmth of Evan’s wolf’s

body comfort him. He knew he’d never get an answer, but
all he wanted to know was why? Why here? Why them? Just
why? Opening his eyes, he got back to his feet. He had to
think about the living right now. His friends were hurt—
Mason and Anderson and Niall. They had been his family all
these months, his support. He glanced at the girl before
turning his back. They were the reason he hadn’t taken a
gun to his own head by now. They were the reason he was
alive.

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Chapter Fourteen

t might as well have been a lifetime, the wait to become
human again. Evan opened his eyes and stared up at the

pink glow the morning sun had cast across the sky. The
color was unsettling and flashes of his wolf’s actions from
last night weighed heavily upon him. He had wanted to be a
better person for Michael. He’d wanted to be a good person.
Last night his wolf had taken over and fiercely defended
itself against the hunters.

He swallowed uncomfortably and grimaced at the

memory of blood on his tongue and slick in his throat. His
wolf had never been one for subtlety. He just hoped Michael
could forgive him. He’d seen the look of disgust and
disappointment in his lover’s eyes. Even more so when with
a simple word of permission from the girl last night, he had
keenly torn out her uncle’s throat. No second thoughts or
hesitation. Not until after Evan’s guilt and shame seeped
into the wolf’s consciousness.

Michael stirred where he lay with his head in Evan’s lap.

They had taken it in turns to watch guard over the house
and each other until the morning. Though Michael was sure
the girl had told the truth about there being no others, they
couldn’t be absolutely sure.

“Morning,” Evan said.
“Hey. Where’s Mason?” Michael asked as he stretched.
“The minute he was human again, he headed inside.”

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146

Michael nodded and rubbed his neck. Evan frowned as he

noted the red-brown smear down beneath Michael’s chin
and how it spread down toward his chest. What had they
done?

“I don’t blame you,” Michael said out of nowhere and

Evan realized he must have been thinking too loud. He
looked up at Evan and his amber eyes seemed to glow.
“What you did to that man…” He paused. I killed a man, too.

“But what I did—”
“Stop.” It was like Michael’s eyes were on fire.
Evan breathed in deeply as he was flooded with

emotions, Michael’s emotions. He smiled. There was nothing
but love.

“Like I said before, I’m not stupid. I know what our

wolves are capable of.” He shifted to sit up and then leaned
back against the glass doors with Evan. He sighed and
stared out toward the trees. “I’m not saying it was easy to
see, but I can understand it.” He leaned into Evan and
smiled. “It’s over, right?”

“I think so.”
Michael fell silent and Evan wondered what must be

going through his mind.

Michael eventually asked, Will you go now?
Evan lifted his arm, inviting Michael into a hug. He

waited for Michael to settle before simply saying, “No.” He
rested his chin on the top of Michael’s head and ran his
hands over the man’s cool skin. He guessed he’d stick
around and see what happened next.

* * * *

“Niall!” Mason grimaced as he banged on the bedroom
door. “Niall!” He held his injured shoulder and leaned his
head against the bedroom door. “Niall,” he said. Standing

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147

straight, he tried the handle, surprised as the door opened.
He’d told Niall to lock himself inside. Pushing the door, he
checked the room. Where the hell was he?

“Mason.”
Mason spun around. Relief hit him hard as he stared at

Niall across the room. “Oh my God,” Mason said
breathlessly. He pressed his hand to the wound at his thigh
before taking a step forward.

“I know you said don’t come out, but—”
Mason quickly crossed the room, shutting Niall up when

he pulled him into an awkward hug. “Shut up,” Mason said
and clung to his love. Closing his eyes, he held onto Niall for
fear he might be spirited away if he dared to let go.

“I’m sorry.”
Mason shook his head. He didn’t care. “Why does this

keep happening to us?” He didn’t really expect an answer.

“Are they dead?” Niall’s voice was flat and void of

emotion.

Opening his eyes, Mason leaned back. What was he

supposed to do? Lie? Pretend he’d played no part in those
men’s deaths? “They’re dead. All of them.”

Niall simply nodded. Gently, he ran his hand up Mason’s

arm and stop before he reached the raw wound on Mason’s
shoulder. “Good,” he finally said. He met Mason’s eyes,
clearly aware Mason was about to object to his coldness.
That wasn’t Niall. Niall was warm, good, and someone and
something that wasn’t all this shit and violence. “I mean it.
You did what you had to do. They weren’t going to stop
until we were all dead.”

His gaze fell to Mason’s mouth. He appeared unsettled as

he cautiously reached up and wiped the corner of Mason’s
mouth.

Mason caught the scent of the dried blood as Niall

disturbed the dried stain on his cheek. Disgust lurched in his

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148

stomach. He had killed a man tonight. “I swore to never let
the wolf take over like that ever again. I wanted you to be
safe, not scared of me.”

“I’m not scared,” Niall said and Mason dared to believe

him. His eyes shone with a renewed strength and certainty.
“You protected me.” He leaned forward and gave Mason a
chaste kiss. “You protected our home and our friends.”

Friends. Shit. “Anderson?”
“He’s alive, but…” Niall glanced over his shoulder. “I

heard something inside the house so I waited for the sun to
come up before I came out. When I found him he was out
cold.”

Carefully, he cupped Niall’s face and looked his lover

over. Not a scratch. He pulled Niall into another hug. He
didn’t know what he would have done if something had
happened to Niall. Despite their best efforts, it seemed they
couldn’t outrun the past. Blood and death followed them
around. Would their lives always be like this? So violent and
desperate?

“Niall, you’re okay.” Michael sounded relieved as he

stepped inside the house.

Mason looked over his shoulder at Michael and Evan.
“Well, this isn’t awkward,” Niall said as he saw more

than he clearly wanted to of Evan and Michael who were
standing naked near the door. “Not awkward at all.” He
slapped Mason’s naked ass then averted his gaze toward the
back of the house.

Evan cupped his dick and cleared his throat, muttering

some kind of an apology as he twisted his body in attempt to
reclaim a little of his dignity.

Michael, however, didn’t seem to care. He ran up to

Mason and caught him in a one armed hug. No one spoke. It
didn’t seem any of them had the right words to express how
they felt about last night. Michael released Mason and

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stepped back to look around the room. He looked over the
broken furniture and settled on the shards of silver
protruding from the deep red stains that marked the
wooden boards.

When Michael looked at Mason the expression he wore

asked a question, one Mason didn’t know how to answer.

What did we do?
What had they done? They’d killed people. But it had

been self-defense, right? They’d had no other choice. Mason
took a deep breath and reached for Niall’s hand. They would
get through this. They all would.

* * * *

Niall pressed a hand to his mouth. God, he felt sick. He
stopped digging and leaned on the handle of the shovel.

“How can you do that?” he asked.
Evan held one of the dead hunters by his ankles. He

dragged the man toward the first of the deep holes he and
Niall had been tasked with digging. Dropping the body’s
legs, he wiped his hands on the back of his overalls. “It’s just
meat,” he said coldly and crouched down beside the body.
He patted the man’s pants, and after pulling his sleeves
down over his hands, he reached into the man’s pocket.

Niall raised an eyebrow as Evan freed a wallet and

proceeded to take cash from it and tuck it in the back pocket
of the overalls. “Have you no shame?”

“He doesn’t need it,” Evan stated. He flicked through

several cards, pulling them out and piling them on the
ground. He then tossed the empty wallet in the hole. “We’ll
burn the IDs later. Just in case.”

“In case what? There’s no reason anyone would look for

them here.” Though every fiber in him screamed for them to
run as far from this place as possible, the house and the land
were home. And if last night proved anything, it showed

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150

how strongly they would defend it. If the girl had told
Michael the truth, there was no one who would come
looking.

“Doesn’t hurt to think about the what-ifs,” Evan said. He

held up a photograph from the man’s wallet. “Everybody
has somebody.”

Niall stared at the image of the man, younger than he

looked now, and a woman. For some reason the thought of
dead bodies in his garden with no ID was far more
unsettling than just the bodies themselves. One day,
hopefully a long time from now, someone might stumble
across them and give them a proper burial.

“Was she the reason he hunted us?” Evan said of the

woman in the photograph. “Or is she sitting somewhere,
waiting for him?” Evan sighed. “We have an SUV sitting
outside the house filled with weapons and ammo. We have
five bodies and their belongings. Our clothes, our
fingerprints, and our DNA on anything we touched, or…”
He wafted a hand at the row of bodies.

“Ate?” Niall offered. Evan glared at him. “Throw them

in.”

“You sure?”
“If someone digs up a bunch of dead guys on my land, I

don’t think them knowing their names is going to be my
biggest problem. Let’s just get this over with, yeah?” Niall
wasn’t in the mood for some weird bonding session over
grave digging and dead bodies.

Evan pressed his mouth in a line. “What if someone does

come here?”

“There is no reason anyone should.” What-ifs were what

got people caught, made them doubt what they were doing,
and inevitably led to mistakes. “And there’s no reason
they’ll ever be found.” Niall met Evan’s eyes. “Unless you
plan on digging them back up tonight.” He rested the shovel

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151

against the side of the deep grave. Digging was hard work
and then some. He held out his hand and waited for Evan to
help him up and out of the hole.

Standing beside Evan, he looked down at the two graves

they had dug out, and he caught his breath. One large and
deep for the four hunters’ bodies and then one a little way
from them for the girl. A pang of regret struck at his heart.
Would their lives always be like this and tainted by blood
and gore?

“You all right?” Evan asked.
Niall nodded. He was tired and dirty and wished they

had more time before sunset, but yeah, he was okay. “Are
they really just meat to you?” he asked. He remembered
how devastated he had been just thinking he might have
killed someone when he was a wolf. Turned out, he hadn’t.
If he had, he wouldn’t have become human again when
Mason had killed Kaine.

Evan rested his hand on Niall’s shoulder and joined him

beside the grave. “Honestly, I try not to think about it.”

“They were people.”
“Sure. Bad people. They hurt your doctor friend. They

hurt Mason.” Evan pulled his hand away and moved
around to the head of the body closest to the edge of the
hole.

“Is that what you tell yourself about all the others?”
Evan met Niall’s eyes but said nothing. Niall had only

ever seen ice in Evan’s eyes, but just then, for a moment, he
was sure there was something else. A fleeting sadness. Guilt.
Maybe Mason was right after all—there was still a slice of
humanity in Evan’s heart.

“Grab his shoulders,” Niall said. Time to take a piece of

his own advice and not linger on things that couldn’t be
changed. He bent down and grabbed the man’s ankles.

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152

Together they lifted the man, and Niall gagged at the

smell of blood and the disgusting sound when the man’s
head flopped backward. Maybe Evan had it right.

“It’s just meat,” Niall told himself. They hefted the man

the couple of feet to the edge of the hole. They looked at each
other.

“On three?” Evan said.
Niall nodded.
“One.”
They swung the man back and forth.
“Two.”
Niall braced himself.
“Three,” Evan said.
The body hit the bottom of the hole with a dull thud.
“One down,” Evan said with a smirk. He moved back to

the line and picked up the leg of the next body. Just the leg.

Niall watched as Evan threw it easily into the grave.

Thank God he’d skipped lunch.

* * * *

Michael hugged his waist as he stood on the porch. He
closed his eyes and listened. He could make out the sound of
Niall and Evan in the forest, carried on the breeze along with
the sickening smell of blood and death. He’d asked for Tilly
to have her own grave away from the others. It didn’t feel
right to lump her in with those men. She had just wanted to
be set free. He could relate to that. For years, the voices had
driven him close to insane. They never stopped and he
wasn’t sure they ever would. He understood Tilly’s desire
for silence, but he wished she had been able to find a
different way to escape the voices they both heard.

If the doc hadn’t found him, he wondered what might

have become of him. Would he have eventually been faced

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with the same terrible choice? Would he have seen death as
the only way out? He smiled as he felt Mason’s hand on his
shoulder. The heat from the touch soothed him and pulled
his mind from the dark questions.

“How are you feeling?” Michael asked.
Mason leaned against the railing on the porch and stared

at the line of trees. “I think the vomiting is finally over,” he
said hoarsely and gently kneaded his shoulder.

“And Doc?”
Mason shook his head. “Not good. I’ve dug out what I

can but there’s still some discomfort. I’ve given him some
painkillers for now.”

“What about tonight?”
“He’ll turn and it’ll hurt like hell. But we’ll get him

through it.” Mason rubbed his hand over his neck. He
seemed frustrated. “I don’t know what else to do. He needs
more than I’m capable of.” Mason pushed his hands back
over his face and through his hair, linking them behind his
head. “There’s nothing we can do today. There isn’t time.
The sun sets in a couple of hours.”

“He’ll be okay,” Michael said. He gently touched the back

of Mason’s hand and met his eyes. He’ll be okay. Michael’s
touch and words seemed to calm Mason. “What will you
do?”

“When?”
“After tonight? Will you stay here?”
Mason was clearly torn. The house and its land had been

a haven for Mason, and for the wolves who had taken
shelter there, for three years. Until now, no one had
threatened the safety it offered.

“I don’t know,” Mason said. “Part of me thinks, yes, move

on, leave all the bad stuff here.” He lowered his gaze and
stared at the ground. “But I’ve done that before. Moved on

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and left it all behind. Seems bad shit just follows me
around.”

“So, you’ll stay?”
Mason nodded. “I think so. I have to believe the girl was

telling the truth. I’m tired of running. This is my home.”

Michael smiled and breathed in deeply. The smell of

blood was mixed with dirt. “Why did she do it?” he asked.
Last night had played on his mind. He’d tried to think of a
way things might have turned out differently.

“Which part?” Mason asked.
“All of it.”
Mason frowned and gave a shrug. “I don’t know.”
“If you had to guess.”
Mason folded his arms. “I would guess she was torn

between her loyalty to her uncle and to her mother. To
humans and to wolves.” He looked at Michael and offered a
comforting smile. “I would think she was tired. Tired of the
voices, tired of the killing. She felt guilty for the deaths she’d
caused and wanted a little peace. She saw you as someone
that understood.”

“I could have helped her.”
“It had gone too far.”
“You helped me.”
“Stop it,” Mason said. “You’ll just drive yourself nuts.”
Michael knew Mason was right. But it was hard. She had

been standing there in front of him and shot herself in the
head. That wasn’t an image he was going to forget easily. He
met Mason’s gaze. There was something hesitant in the way
he looked at Michael.

“What?” Michael asked. Was something wrong? Was it

the doc? Was it Mason?

Mason reached behind him and pulled a tattered-looking

journal from the back of his jeans. “Niall found this in their

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car.” He curled his hands tightly around the bound pages.
“It was hers.”

Michael looked at the journal. Odd extra sheets of paper

were stuffed between the pages. “Have you read it?” he
asked.

Mason nodded. “A little. She was a deeply troubled

young lady.”

Pursing his lips, Michael studied Mason’s face. He

seemed sad and was clearly upset about what he had read.
“What’s in there?”

“She talked about the voices, about the hunts, and about

her uncle.” Mason gave a sad smile.

A cold shiver passed along Michael’s spine. “Did it say

why they were here?”

“Seems they came across an article about the animal

attack before Christmas.”

“The one you suspected was Rafe and Chloe?”
Mason nodded. “They were here investigating when she

came across Evan.” He held the book out to Michael. “Her
life was anything but a fairytale.”

Shaking his head, Michael turned down the offered book.

He didn’t need to read it, though he was curious about one
thing. “Did she mention me?”

Lowering the book, Mason said, “The last few entries. She

writes how she wished things were different. How if they
had been, maybe you could have helped her.”

Michael nodded. There were too many ifs and maybes.

Mason was right. He would drive himself crazy keep
thinking about them.

“What do you want me to do with this?” Mason asked.
Michael looked toward the trees. He knew where it

belonged. Thinking of Evan, he told his lover, Wait for me.

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156

Michael chose to make the walk alone. He made his way

through the trees to where Evan and Niall were working.
The early evening light was tinged with red and an eerie
glow lit the clearing. Michael walked forward. From the
large area of uneven ground, it was clear Niall and Evan had
been busy.

“Hey,” Evan said. He stood back from the unfilled hole

and folded his arms across his chest.

Niall was standing on the opposite side of the grave and

glanced down into it. He seemed pale, and dirt and blood
were smeared together in reddish brown stains down the
front of the overalls he wore. Under different circumstances,
the sight of Evan and Niall in matching getups might have
made Michael laugh.

“We waited,” Evan stated. Wiping his palm on his pants,

he then held his hand out to Michael.

Unease crept through Michael. Taking a deep breath, he

walked over to Evan. He wrapped his hand in Evan’s as he
joined him beside the grave. Edging forward, he glanced
down into the hole. He wasn’t sure what he expected to see
when he looked down, but as it turned out, Evan and Niall
had taken great care to lay Tilly’s body in her grave. A small
posy of greenery and pink-flowered stems rested on her
stomach.

Michael looked at Evan who shied away. You?
They’re just some weeds. Nothing special. He seemed

embarrassed.

Michael smiled and looked across the grave at Niall. The

man had a bemused expression on his face. He clearly knew
Michael and Evan were communicating, but as a human,
Niall could not be part of the telepathic connection Michael
shared with the others. It just didn’t seem to work that way.

The journal felt heavy in his hand. He knew getting rid of

it wouldn’t solve anything, but it did, however, feel like the

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157

closing of a chapter. He squeezed Evan’s hand. Where Tilly’s
story had ended, Michael felt that finally he was ready to
move on with his. He had people who cared about him,
supported him, and because of them, he had been able to
step out of the darkness and not lose himself to it.

He glanced at the front of the journal before crouching

down and dropping it into the hole near her feet. He wished
he could have spent time with her, gotten to know her
beyond pages in a journal, even helped her. Maybe then he
could believe the emotions and loss he felt were truly all for
her. But they weren’t. They were for himself. They were
about what he had lost—his family, his childhood, who he
might have been.

“You all right?” Evan asked.
Nodding, Michael moved close to Evan and rested his

head on his shoulder. “I’m fine.” Because of people like
Evan, he had a future and chapters to add to his story. He
smiled inwardly and held Evan’s hand tightly. I’m okay. He
really was.

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Epilogue

van eyed the eight ball. He’d done his best to take it easy
on Michael, but this was their third game and the urge to

make it three for three had gotten the better of him. He
checked the remaining balls on the table. He didn’t think
Michael had had chance to sink a single ball this match.

“Top right,” he said, choosing his pocket.
You sure about that? Michael teased
Evan glanced at Michael, who was standing at the

opposite end of the table. He grinned. I’m sure.

If you say so. Michael sipped at his beer.
Who of the two of them was the one who could actually

play this game? He was sure. Evan took the shot. The cue
ball smacked the eight ball before falling into the exact
pocket Evan had picked out.

Michael sighed and finished his drink. “You can make it

up to me later,” he said and picked up his jacket.

A smirk spread across Evan’s face as he thought about all

the ways he could indeed make it up to Michael. Most
involved them being naked. “Do you want to get something
to eat?”

Shaking his head, Michael pulled on his coat. He lifted his

shoulders as he stretched. “Home will do just fine.”

Home. Evan smiled. They’d been renting the one-bedroom

apartment for a month since leaving Blackhill. The sense of
pack that came about after the night the hunters attacked
Mason and Niall’s home had been a hard one to break. As a

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159

group, they’d been strong and secure, and Evan had been
happy to stick around for four months. He’d probably have
stayed longer if Michael hadn’t made the decision to move
on.

The idea to leave had actually been a seed planted by

Mason. He understood Michael better than anyone and
knew it was time for Michael to grow as an individual, as a
man, not just how he had developed within the dynamics of
the pack. The fact Mason was able to give Evan and
Michael’s burgeoning relationship his blessing brought
about an overwhelming feeling of pride in Evan. Mason
trusted Evan to look after Michael, and that meant a lot.
Evan didn’t know how long they’d stay in the city, and he
didn’t really care, as long as he was at Michael’s side.

Stepping outside, both men pulled their coats around

them. The wind brought with it chilling rain. Evan grabbed
Michael by the hand and they jogged across the street in
search of shelter. The buildings protected them a little from
the wind but the rain was getting heavier. Michael slipped
free of Evan’s hold and sprinted in front of him. He turned
around and looked at Evan and then up at the sky. His hair
had grown in the last few months and was plastered to his
head in wet, dark locks.

What are you doing? He followed Michael, who walked

backward along the sidewalk.

Have you ever danced in the rain?
Evan watched Michael curiously. No.
Michael stopped and outstretched his arms. Me either. He

looked up at the sky above the city. It’s so big. He wiped at
his face and lowered his gaze to meet Evan’s eyes. Water
clung to his lashes and his beautiful amber eyes held a smile.
Evan wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Michael look so happy.
Walking briskly forward, he took Michael by the hand once
more and guided him down an alley. He pushed Michael so
his back was to the building. He cupped Michael’s face and

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160

ran his hands back through the young man’s dark hair. His
gaze fell to Michael’s mouth and he had the overwhelming
urge to kiss him.

Passion and desire surged through him and he pulled

Michael close. He kissed him, all openmouthed and hurried,
as if his life depended upon it. The kiss deepened as he was
granted entrance to Michael’s mouth and he slid his tongue
between Michael’s soft lips. He breathed in through his nose
and enjoyed the taste of the man—his man—on his tongue.

With a pleasurable groan, Michael leaned into him and

rested his hands on his waist. Let me love you.

Michael’s voice was in his head. A delicious shiver passed

through his body as the kiss turned tender, and he slowly
pulled away. He met Michael’s gaze and brushed the wet
hair from Michael’s forehead. The subject of love in its
gentlest form had been something Evan had tended to push
to one side. Yes, he was attracted to Michael, and hell if he
didn’t find his body amazing and the sex equally so. Saying
the word love was something else. Something deeper.

“Do you love me?” Evan asked. He watched Michael

closely. It had been a little over five months since chance had
brought them together, and in that time Evan had seen
Michael bloom. Seriously, the man was incredible and
stronger than anyone Evan had ever known. There was
much about Michael that Evan had grown to love. That
those things were all wrapped up in the gorgeous man
standing in front of him often had him wanting to pinch
himself to see if it were real.

Do you?
Michael met his eyes. There was a brightness to them that

warmed Evan’s heart.

Smiling, Evan assured him, I want you to love me.
Without hesitation, Michael answered him. I love you.
Evan stepped forward and looked deep into Michael’s

eyes. Gently, he ran the back of his hand over Michael’s

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161

cheek. You are amazing. He leaned forward and kissed
Michael before pulling him into a brief hug. Leaning back,
Evan focused on Michael, admiring every inch of his lover’s
face. Let me show you how much I love you. He breathed in
deeply and closed his eyes. He opened his mind, letting
Michael in, and thought on his lover and every moment they
had shared. He shared how brave, strong, and kind he
thought Michael was, how he valued him as a friend and as
a lover, and how truly blessed he felt to have found him.

Michael’s hands closed around his and he opened his

eyes. Michael’s eyes shone as he smiled. They kissed again,
and Michael’s hands traveled south. Evan groaned as
Michael brushed his erection, and all he wanted was to claim
him right here in the rain.

Nipping Evan’s lip, Michael instructed, “Home.”
Michael didn’t hide his emotions, and his arousal

wrapped around Evan like a taut line.

The mix of his desires and Michael’s drove Evan near

crazy. Fuck, how Evan wanted the man naked and writhing
beneath him. Evan pulled Michael into a hot kiss. I love you.
He planned to show Michael how much he loved him more
than once that evening.

Michael kissed him again and grabbed him by the wrist

before venturing out into the rain. He looked over his
shoulder and grinned, letting go of Evan’s hand. “Race you
home.” He ran and Evan chased after him.

It didn’t take long for Evan to catch Michael, hooking his

arm around Michael’s waist, and spinning the man around
and into his arms. Laughing, they kissed. The rain poured
down as thunder rumbled above them.

Evan held Michael close as he kissed him. Mine.
Michael nipped and sucked at his lips. I am yours, my love.

About the Author

Meredith Russell lives in the heart of England. An avid fan
of many story genres, she enjoys nothing less than a happy
ending. She believes in heroes and romance and strives to
reflect this in her writing. Sharing her imagination and
passion for stories and characters is a dream Meredith is
excited to turn into reality.

Document Outline

Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Epilogue
About the Author

Wyszukiwarka

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