The haunting eyes in the picture capture Caleb

Belikov’s attention, and he knows he has to confirm
whether the white buffalo is really just an animal, or a
shifter trapped at a zoo near Albuquerque. Caleb talks
his alpha and a few friends into accompanying him and
discovers not only is the buffalo a shifter, but he’s his
mate. But rescuing Emmett will put the lives of
innocents in danger, creating a whole new set of
problems. Can Caleb and his friends figure out how to
keep everyone safe from a blackmailing alpha?

The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of
this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright
infringement,

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monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is
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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.

Hope for a Buffalo

Copyright © 2012

Charlie Richards

ISBN: 978-1-77111-203-1

Cover art by Angela Waters

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the
reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in
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means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden
without the written permission of the publisher.

Published by eXtasy Books

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Hope for a Buffalo

Kontra’s Menagerie: Book Three

By

Charlie Richards

To Tina – Thank you for your faith in me and

all those amazing covers!

1

Chapter One

ey, check this out,” Sam called, drawing
Caleb’s attention. The bull shifter held up a

paper for Kontra’s perusal. “Look at the eyes,” he
added, pointing. “Don’t they look like they’re more
than just an animal’s?”

“Hmm, you may be right,” Kontra replied, staring at

the page.

Interested, Caleb wandered across the dining room.

He wasn’t the only one. By the time he got to the table,
five others of their motorcycle gang were already
crowded around the pair and leaning over staring at the
picture. Being one of the slightest in their group, Caleb
waited impatiently for someone to move so he could
squeeze in. Standing five foot ten, he knew he wasn’t
small by human standards, but considering most of the
other guys stood well over six feet, he was definitely
short by comparison.

Eli, a tall slender python shifter grunted and moved

away. “Looks like it could definitely be more than just
an animal,” he said, adding his two cents.

The man’s move opened a small space for Caleb to

slip between a couple of the guys, allowing him to see
what they were talking about. He cocked his head and
stared at the picture of a white buffalo in a fake zoo

“H

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2

habitat. The headline of the story read Rare White
Buffalo: showing for one week only at the local
zoological park!

Ignoring the information in the article, Caleb stared

at the eyes of the animal in the photo. He’d heard that
the eyes were the windows to the soul, and in this case,
it was accurate. Beneath the relaxed look of the dark
eyes was so much pain and despair, it nearly knocked
the air out of Caleb’s lungs.

“Oh, gods,” he whispered, reaching out to touch the

thin paper. “We need to help him.”

Kontra straightened, blowing out a breath. “We’ll

need to confirm that he’s really a shifter,” he stated,
“which means a trip to this…place.” It looked like
Caleb wasn’t the only one uncomfortable with heading
into a zoo. Kontra’s resigned tone and lip curl said it
all. The big alpha glanced at the men around them.
“Any volunteers?”

“I’ll go,” Caleb immediately replied, his quick

response surprising even himself.

Sam sighed. “I’ll go, too.”
Kontra nodded. “Looks like some of us are taking a

trip south,” he said. “Not all of you need to come. It’s
only an hour or so away.” He crossed his arms over his
chest and looked around at the group of men.

Terence grimaced and ran a hand through his honey

brown locks. “I guess I don’t mind a trip to the zoo.
When does this exhibit open?”

“This paper’s a week old,” Sam admitted. “I pulled it

out for the crossword.”

“So he may not even still be there?” Caleb wasn’t

certain why that news disturbed him so much, but he

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3

felt his heart speed up at the possibility of not checking
on this guy.

Kontra must have noticed his tension for he settled a

hand on Caleb’s shoulder and squeezed lightly. “No, it
looks like today is his final day. If we hurry, we can get
there before noon. Hopefully, that’ll give us time to
find a way to get close enough to figure out if he’s a
shifter or not,” he assured.

Caleb nodded and flashed a smile up at his alpha.

“Thanks.”

“Sure,” Kontra replied. “No shifter wants to live his

life in captivity. Let’s get a move on.”

It turned out nearly half their gang joined them. Ben,

Mutegi’s human mate, had wanted to check the zoo out,
so their friend had agreed to the outing. They were
joined by Kontra, Sam, and Terence, along with
himself. The rest settled in the living room of Gallo
Ricci’s home. The recently mated horse shifter would
be staying with his newly discovered detective mate
when they left in a few days. Although Caleb and his
friends were sorry to leave the sweet shifter behind,
after the tough life Gallo had endured, they were
pleased that he’d found a measure of happiness.

Just like Kontra said, it took them just over an hour

to reach Albuquerque. It took another twenty minutes
of driving around to find the place in question. After
parking, Caleb took a fortifying breath and followed his
buddies to the ticket booth. Kontra paid for everyone,
which was pretty customary when they did something
as a group. They all traded stocks as a way of income
and pooled half their resources for just that reason. The

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4

other half went into private accounts they used for
personal expenses, like fuel, clothing, and toiletries.

Caleb watched Ben grin at Mutegi as they entered,

then look around at everyone’s somber faces. His smile
faded. “Are you feeling this way because of the
situation or the location?” the slender human asked.

Mutegi took his mate’s hand and leaned close. “A

little of both,” he admitted for all of them. “We would
never leave one of our brethren in need, but a zoo, with
all these caged animals, makes us uncomfortable.”

When Ben’s brows creased in concern, he was really

quite cute, Caleb decided. Watching the interaction,
Caleb was glad Mutegi had found such an
understanding man for his mate. “Why?” Ben
questioned curiously.

Caleb knew his own brows weren’t the only ones

shooting up at that one word question. Why, indeed?
How to put it into words?

Kontra looked around at the people milling by them

and led the way off to a couple of empty benches set up
near a group of restrooms. “Because we share our soul
with an animal, Ben,” he rumbled softly. “That animal
doesn’t want to suffer the fate of ending up in a cage,
plus, even though many of these animals are happy
here, a few are not. They are uncomfortable, angry,
aggressive, and our animal picks up on that, too.”

“Ah, I see.” To Caleb’s surprise, Ben’s expression

turned into a grin. “Then I’ll try to keep my enthusiasm
to myself!”

Mutegi chuckled. “We do not mind that you are

happy to be here.”

Terence nodded, winking at the human, which

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5

earned a playful growl from Ben’s mate. “Just don’t
expect us to share in your joy.”

That settled, they resumed their trek through the

park. According to the map, the temporary exhibit was
near the back, of course. They tried not to appear like
they were hurrying, plus Ben paused to read just about
every plaque hanging on or near a cage, so that slowed
them down.

Finally, Caleb’s nerves were shot and he gripped

Terence’s arm. When the lion shifter turned a
questioning look toward him, he said, “I don’t know
how much longer I can take this. Will you go straight
there with me?”

His lips pressed into a thin line, but he didn’t

question Caleb, for which he was grateful. Caleb didn’t
understand himself why this was so important to him.

“Sure thing, Caleb.”
Terence turned to tell Kontra, but the big grizzly

shifter had heard. “Sam will hang with Mutegi and Ben.
Once we’re done, we’ll contact them and find a place to
meet,” Kontra said.

They strolled as swiftly as possible, without being

conspicuous, toward the area where the white buffalo
was kept. When they got there, it took them a moment
to spot the animal, as it was lying down near the back
behind some logs. Being a good fifty feet away, along
with the many humans milling around, Caleb knew
there was no way he’d be able to catch the animal’s
scent from outside the enclosure. But how can I get
closer?

Kontra must have been having the same thoughts.

He placed a hand on Caleb’s lower back and guided

Hope For A Buffalo

6

him off to the side and toward a low stone building.
Restrooms. Caleb gave his alpha a questioning look and
the big man smirked, leading him inside. He crossed to
the sinks and washed his hands, and Caleb followed his
lead, trying to keep his questions at bay.

Suddenly, he found himself being dragged into the

handicapped stall by the shifter. Staring up in shock at
the much larger man, he knew the what-the-hell
question was in his eyes. Kontra didn’t make him ask it,
ordering, “Strip down and shift. I’ll tuck you under my
coat and carry you to the edge of the enclosure. There’s
a tree near the edge that you should be able to get to.
Go swiftly and carefully. We’ll cause a disturbance if
anyone spots you.”

Caleb shivered, thinking of how so many things

could go wrong with this plan, but he nodded anyway.
He didn’t understand the driving need to verify the
identity of this animal, but he started pulling off his t-
shirt anyway. He quickly stripped down, folded his
clothes, and initiated his shift, letting his chameleon
take over. His skin thickened, his body shrank, his head
changed, and the world became a much larger place.
After the few seconds of disorientation from his eyes
adjusting passed, Caleb crawled up his alpha’s leg. He
carefully kept his claws out of the man’s skin and
wrapped his body around Kontra’s torso under his
leather coat.

He tightened his grip as the bear shifter headed out

of the bathroom. He could just see a strip of daylight
where Kontra’s coat was unzipped. It wasn’t much of a
view, but at least it let him know the general area they
were passing. After a couple of moments, Kontra

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7

stopped walking and leaned against a railing. “Now.”

Caleb crept from under the coat, blinking a few

times as he moved into the sunlight. Using slow,
deliberate movements, he carefully crawled under the
wooden fence, then over a stone one, all the while
praying he wouldn’t be noticed. He circled the inside of
the fence until he reached branches and logs. He
crawled between them, working his way toward the
resting buffalo.

He paused for a second, admiring the animal’s

thickly muscled body, noble head, and arching horns.
Caleb decided he really was a good looking animal. He
took another step closer and a soft breeze wafted across
Caleb’s skin, carrying a musky scent to him. Caleb
froze and inhaled again. This creature was definitely a
shifter, and he was Caleb’s mate!

Just then, the shifter opened his eyes and lifted his

head. A soft brown gaze focused on Caleb. He found
himself frozen in that fixed look. Gone was the sadness
he’d seen in the picture. Gone was the despair. Instead,
he saw surprise, concern, and confusion.

Caleb cocked his head and allowed his curiosity to

rise, as well as his desire to fill his nostrils again with
his mate’s scent. His rocking gate moved him forward,
closer, and it pleased Caleb the shifter didn’t feel
threatened enough to rise while facing him. Instead, the
buffalo lowered his head and stretched his nose out
toward him.

Taking the offer for what it was, an invitation to fill

their nostrils with the other’s scent, Caleb touched his
nose to his mate’s. A shiver of desire worked its way
through his small body at the contact. He wanted to

Hope For A Buffalo

8

shift and pounce on this man, but a commotion off to
his right caught his attention. Someone had spotted him.

He quickly ducked behind some wood, using his

natural abilities as a chameleon to blend in with the dirt
and sand beneath him and the brown wood in front of
him, all but disappearing to everyone but the most acute
observer.

Waiting, he remained perfectly still. He heard

Terence’s voice as he scoffed at whoever thought he’d
seen Caleb. After a good twenty minutes, the noise
quieted, and he thought about trying to make his escape
when a shadow fell over him. He’d been so concerned
about what was going on, he hadn’t noticed that his
mate had risen.

The animal’s big head lowered and nuzzled him,

snuffling softly against his leathery skin. The
affectionate gesture sent a shiver of warmth through
Caleb, and he rubbed his own head against one white,
furry cheek. Then the animal was gone, lumbering over
to a pool and sinking into it, splashing playfully. At
first, Caleb felt hurt that the shifter would rather go for
a swim than be near him, but then the reality of the
situation hit him, as pictures snapped and humans
laughed and pointed. His mate was giving him a
diversion.

Caleb took the offered opening and made his escape.

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9

Chapter Two

mmett watched his mate crawl out of his enclosure
and disappear under the coat of a large, leather

daddy. His thick brown hair with interesting silver
flecks peppering it was pulled into a short tail. Add the
goatee, tattoos creeping up his neck where his t-shirt
ended, and biker leathers, in eighty degree weather, and
the dude could only be called the quintessential biker.
The guy must be nuts.

He knew he focused on the biker because thinking of

his mate tucked up under the man’s coat was just too
painful to contemplate. Emmett had known the little
shifter had to leave, and it had been the right thing to do
to help the chameleon by creating a distraction, but that
didn’t make him any happier about it, or any less sad.
For just a couple of moments, Emmett had been with
his mate. A male mate. Something his old shifter herd
had banned him for desiring.

Seeing his mate safe, Emmett stopped his ridiculous

display of playing in the water. Although it did feel
good to be wet on such a hot day, it didn’t make him
happy. With a heavy heart, he headed back into the
shade and began picking at his hay, but even that didn’t

E

Hope For A Buffalo

10

interest him.

With one eye, he watched the biker holding his mate

slip into a restroom. He swallowed, imagining all the
pleasurable things he’d like to do to the man in the
confines of a bathroom stall. He bellowed loudly, doing
the only thing left to him to express his rage at the
injustice of it all. First, his alpha had trapped him in
buffalo form when his father told him he was gay, then
they’d sold him to a zoo, where he had no hope of
escape because the damn vet knew who and what he
was. And nice though Randy Layton was, he reported
back to Emmett’s alpha. Now, he’d found out that he
did indeed have a male mate out there, but had no clue
who he was, couldn’t ask, and even if he could,
wouldn’t put the man in that kind of danger. It was a no
win situation.

Turning his back on the crowds, he lay down and

ignored everything around him. His heart ached at the
injustice of the world, and he willed the dark oblivion
of sleep to take him.

He’d been feigning sleep for over an hour. It wasn’t

until Randy walked into his enclosure that Emmett
lifted his head. “Hey, buddy,” Randy said warmly.

It really was a pity Randy was under his old alpha’s

thumb. Emmett thought he probably was a good guy,
but the vet wouldn’t tell him why he worked with
Emmett’s herd to keep him in the zoo. Every time
Emmett had managed to become human over the years,
Randy would give him a few days to shift at will, as
long as he didn’t reveal himself to anyone. They’d chat
and joke, even play chess, but then eventually Emmett
would find that, once again, he couldn’t shift back to

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11

human form, and he’d be stuck in animal form for at
least another couple of months. It sucked.

Knowing there wasn’t a damn thing he could do

about it, Emmett levered himself to his feet and headed
toward the vet. Evidently, something in his eyes or
movements must have caught Randy’s attention,
because his brows drew together in concern. Once he
was close enough, Randy whispered, “I really am sorry
about this move, Emmett, but, I didn’t have any
choice.”

Emmett had no idea what Randy meant, but he

couldn’t hide his shock at the vet actually referring to
him by name while in the yard. He was usually so
careful. Something had to be going on; too bad Emmett
had no way of figuring out what.

He grunted in acknowledgement, and didn’t fight as

Randy slipped a halter over his head and led him out of
the enclosure. People watched Randy guide him toward
a trailer. That’s when he remembered Randy had told
him they were only at this place for a week. He balked,
not because he knew he was supposed to, but because if
he got in that trailer, he’d never see his mate again.

Randy went through the usual soothing routine, and

Emmett watched him get more and more frustrated as
he continued to throw a bigger and bigger fit, tossing
his head, prancing on the end of the lead rope, and
jerking backward. Emmett kept his movements mild,
not wanting to hurt the human, but he needed some way
to get his point across. Randy had instructed him to
balk, even choreographed what moves to do together
any time he needed to be moved. This time, Emmett
refused to give in as he normally would. He didn’t want

Hope For A Buffalo

12

to get in that trailer.

Finally, Randy stopped his efforts of coercion and

gave him a narrow eyed stare. He approached slowly,
making it look like he was still trying to soothe him, but
Emmett knew the truth. Randy planned to yell at him.

True to his hunch, as soon as Randy drew close, he

hissed, “What the hell are you doing? Stop being a shit
or I’m going to sedate you!”

Fuck! What can I do now?
His gaze strayed to the shocked crowds around them,

seeing their wide eyes. One of the things he’d heard
humans saying was how docile he was, and he sure
wasn’t living up to that reputation.

“Now, come on,” Randy snarled.
He almost balked again, but then he spotted the big

biker he’d seen with his mate earlier. It was as if the
guy knew he was watching him because he tilted his
head toward the large trailer hooked to a small semi and
mouthed Get in. Emmett couldn’t hold in his shocked
snort, and even let Randy lead him a couple of steps
before stopping again.

Returning his gaze to the big man, Emmett noticed a

much smaller auburn-haired man standing next to the
big biker. He, too, wore biker leathers over his lean,
muscular build. He stared at the scene with wide blue
eyes, and a thought hit Emmett. Is that my mate? At
that distance, he couldn’t catch the men’s scents, so he
had no way of knowing. But even if it was, he didn’t
want to scare his mate by acting like a psychotic idiot.

Letting out a disgruntled sigh, he allowed the vet to

lead him into the trailer.

As far as trailers went, it was nice. It had a spacious

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13

forty-eight by eight and a half feet of space, with a thick
bed of shavings covering rubber mats, a couple of nets
filled with hay, and several ventilation windows to
increase air flow.

Randy sighed as the doors closed behind them.

There was a side escape door that Randy would be let
out of after he checked him over, and probably after
Emmett got a talking to. As soon as they heard the clasp
click, Randy rounded on him. “What the hell was that
all about, Emmett? I said I was sorry. Do you think this
is any easier for me?”

The guy ran both hands through his black hair and

strode away from him. If he could have rolled his eyes,
Emmett would have. Come on? How the hell does
Randy expect me to answer? Ignoring the human, he
crossed over to the closest hay net and took a bite. He
wasn’t interested in food, but he didn’t care what the
guy had to say. His life sucked, and Emmett just
couldn’t see the silver lining anymore.

After a few moments of ranting, Randy threw up his

hands and left. Emmett turned away from the hardly
touched food and settled in the corner, lowering his
massive body to the floor. Half an hour later, the semi
roared to life and the trailer vibrated. As it started
moving, if Emmett could have cried while in buffalo
form, he would have.

Hope For A Buffalo

14

Chapter Three

re you sure this is the best way?”

Caleb had whispered the question two hours

ago, and his alpha had assured him it was doable, that
everything would be fine. Now, nerves fired through his
system, making him want to jump out of his skin.
Haben dropped a hand onto his thigh. “Relax,” he
muttered without changing his gaze from where he
looked out the window.

“Sorry,” he replied immediately.
The tarantula shifter nodded once. Caleb looked at

the dark-haired man, the picture of relaxed male, and
tried to emulate him, relaxing into the car’s seat.
Nothing more was said for twenty minutes, then the car
they’d rented slowed. “Get ready,” Kontra ordered from
the front seat where he drove the sedan.

He and Haben shucked their clothes and quickly

shifted. They crawled over the seat and settled on Eli’s
slender shoulders. Kontra stopped the car in front of an
expressway gas station. Off to the side, Caleb saw
where the rig carrying his mate was parked in a semi
pump lane, presumably gassing up. Both shifters
crawled under Eli’s coat and out of sight after their

“A

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15

friend stepped from the car.

Feeling Eli moving, Caleb gripped his torso tighter

and waited with Haben hanging on above him. He
heard Eli call out to someone. Caleb focused on the task
at hand. He listened to Eli exchange comments with the
driver of the rig, asking questions, and showing
enthusiasm. Finally, a door squeaked open and Eli
made appreciative and interested noises before asking
more questions about the dials and gauges. Eli lifted an
arm and braced it on the door frame, leaning into the
cab.

Knowing that was their moment, Caleb followed

Haben out from under Eli’s jacket and made his way
into the cab and behind the seat as quickly as possible.
It was then they were faced with an unexpected
inconvenience. The vet who’d led the buffalo into the
semi was sitting in the passenger seat, sending
impatient looks at Eli and the driver. Haben and Caleb
crept into the sleeper cab and waited.

“Where’s the fire, man?” the driver grumbled a

moment later. The vet didn’t respond and the semi’s
engine roared to life. With a shudder and jerk, the
driver got the truck and trailer moving.

Between the noise of the radio, the whine of the

semi’s engine, and the grinding of gears shifting, they
figured they had enough sound to cover the pops and
groans of morphing tendons and bones realigning. They
both initiated their shift and after a few seconds, the
two men crouched in the sleeper bunk, carefully hidden
by the half pulled sheet separating the bunk from the
cab.

Searching the area quietly, they found a heavy duty

Hope For A Buffalo

16

flashlight which Caleb hefted experimentally. They
waited two minutes then crept from the back. Just as he
brought the large, plastic object down on the vet’s head,
the driver shouted. The vet immediately slumped over
and Haben slammed the driver’s head against the side
window.

The truck swerved, but Caleb quickly leaned over,

grabbed the wheel, and straightened it as Haben yanked
the now unconscious man from his seat. The shifter
dropped into the bucket seat and grimaced. “I’m going
to want a shower after doing this,” Haben muttered,
glaring at where his naked backside was resting. “No
telling what’s been on these seats.”

Caleb curled his lip as he dragged the unconscious

vet out of the passenger seat and dumped him, along
with the other man, in the sleeper bunk. That was a
thought he hadn’t needed. He settled in the other seat,
half turned so he could keep an eye on the unconscious
men.

It only took ten minutes for a rest stop to appear, and

Caleb thanked the gods for small favors. Haben steered
the semi into the lot and parked as far away from other
vehicles as he could. Eli and Kontra appeared at their
windows with clothes, which they quickly yanked on.
Haben checked the humans, who were still out. The
tarantula shifter remained behind to watch them while
Kontra led Eli and Caleb to the side door of the trailer.

They found the buffalo standing in the middle of the

cavernous space. He watched them warily as they
stepped inside and shut the door. Caleb stepped
forward, and the animal’s eyes seemed to gleam with
recognition as he caught Caleb’s scent.

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Caleb smiled slightly. “Hi. I’m Caleb Belikov.

You’re my mate.”

The buffalo responded by nodding. At least he

agreed, Caleb decided, somewhat relieved. “Will you
shift?”

A sad look filled the shifter’s eyes and he shook his

head.

Nibbling his lip, Caleb thought for a moment. “Is

that by choice?” He didn’t know what he’d do if his
mate refused to become a man for him. It wasn’t like
they could mate in animal form. Besides, he wanted to
see what the handsome creature looked like.

Again the buffalo shook his head.
“So, you’re stuck in that form?” he whispered,

shocked. He’d never heard of that happening before and
glanced over his shoulder at Kontra. His alpha cocked
his head and frowned, obviously in thought. Returning
his focus to his mate, Caleb saw the buffalo shifter hang
his head, as if ashamed. “Hey, it’s okay,” Caleb
assured. He quickly stepped forward and ran his fingers
through the shaggy fur around his mate’s neck. “We’ll
think of something.” He looked toward his companions
again, uncertain what to do next.

Eli stepped forward. “Maybe I can help.”
To Caleb’s surprise, the big buffalo nudged him to

the side, insinuating himself between the doctor and
himself. It pleased him that his mate felt some
possessiveness toward him, but at the moment, he
needed to figure out how to make it possible for his
mate to shift. “It’s okay. This is Eli Raetz. He’s a
doctor.”

Again the shifter shook his head, blowing out a

Hope For A Buffalo

18

frustrated snort. Caleb wasn’t certain what that meant.

Kontra closed the distance between them, his eyes

narrowing in speculation. “Does the vet know you’re a
shifter?” The buffalo nodded. “Does he know why you
can’t shift?” Another nod filled Caleb with hope. “We
have the human in the cab of the truck. I’m sure we can
get him to tell us what’s going on,” he said with a
toothy grin. “When he wakes up, anyway.”

That had the buffalo’s eyes widening in what could

only be called alarm. Well, that was interesting, Caleb
thought. What’s going on here? Kontra must have
caught it, too, for he said, “Don’t worry. We haven’t
permanently harmed the man. We just knocked him out
to take over the truck. I’m just going to make certain
the choice of shifting is returned to you.” He turned
about to leave the vehicle then paused, asking, “Oh, the
driver, does he know you’re a shifter?”

The animal did an amazing job of shrugging. Caleb

couldn’t stop a chuckle. “Sorry,” he immediately said,
seeing the buffalo tilt his head in confusion. “That was
just really impressive.” He watched his two friends
head toward the door. “Is it okay for me to stay here?”
he asked.

They exchanged a look, then Kontra replied, “Sorry,

Caleb. It’s illegal for a human to ride in the back of a
trailer, and I think we’ve got enough to deal with
without you possibly being caught. Don’t you?”

Caleb frowned. “Oh. Then I’ll just shift. Then it

won’t be a problem, right?”

Kontra chuckled. “Yeah, little one. That’ll be fine.”
“Cool!” He started stripping. He’d just tossed his

shirt to Eli when his buffalo bellowed angrily. “Hey,

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19

just relax. We’re all shifters here,” he murmured,
running soothing palms over his mate’s body. “Eli is
just a friend, and this is Kontra Belikov,” he said,
pointing toward the bear shifter. “He’s our alpha.
We’ve all seen each other naked when we shift and run.
You know how that works.”

The animal grunted, but at least he settled down.

Caleb finished undressing, then quickly shifted, not
wanting to stress his mate out any more than this whole
mess must already cause him. Once he was safely in
chameleon form, Eli and Kontra left, closing the door
behind them.

A few minutes later, the trailer shuddered, and Caleb

lost his balance, nearly going down. The shavings
strewn floor didn’t leave much for his claws to grip.
Just in time, a large snout settled against him, and Caleb
sighed as he leaned against his mate.

Once they were traveling steadily on the road, the

buffalo moved to the side of the trailer and settled his
massive form onto the floor. Caleb crawled over, and
after a seconds’ hesitation, he climbed onto the
buffalo’s body and curled up in the shaggy fur on his
mate’s back. The big shifter let out a deep sigh. From
where he was positioned, Caleb saw one big, brown eye
watching him, so he stared right back.

No words were needed as they reveled in each

other’s scents, just relaxing together. While his body
rested, Caleb’s mind went a mile a minute with
questions. How did his mate get stuck in that form?
Why would the human keep him trapped? Who was he
to the other shifter? Knowing there was no way to get
the answers any time soon, Caleb let his eyelids slide

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20

shut. After the stress of the day, it didn’t take long for
sleep to claim him.

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21

Chapter Four

e listened to the even breathing of the small
shifter asleep on his back. Emmett couldn’t figure

out how he’d ended up in this position. Where had
these shifters come from? How had they taken over the
semi? One of them was his mate, and the big guy who
looked like a biker, Kontra, Caleb had said his name
was, didn’t seem to mind that they were both men. Did
that mean he accepted two males mating? And how
could he and Caleb share the same last name? They
looked nothing alike. Their scents were completely
different, too. So many questions he couldn’t voice.

With his mate so close, his body kept straining to

shift. He wanted to hold the man, touch him, feel him
with his hands. He wanted to stroke Caleb’s darkly
tanned skin, tangle his fingers in his short auburn hair
and use the hold to pull the man’s head down so he
could taste the bow-shaped lips. He wanted to see
passion glaze Caleb’s dark blue eyes. Would the dark
eyes become darker? Lighter? How would he look with
his lids lowered to half-mast and his gaze filled with
desire?

The fact that he couldn’t shift and ask questions, or

H

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22

at least properly hold Caleb, made Emmett tense and
sleep remained elusive. Emmett settled for breathing in
Caleb’s scent. The fact that the man Fate deemed his
perfect partner was nearby soothed his straining
muscles. Gradually, he was able to slow his racing
pulse and relax.

Emmett rested quietly, trying not to allow his

questions to rule him, as he listened to the wheels of the
semi and trailer rumble on the asphalt. It didn’t escape
his notice that the trailer slowed to a stop, then made a
complete U-turn. Where the hell were they going?

He struggled with the amount of time passing, but

eventually the vehicle slowed to a stop and shut off.
Caleb climbed to his feet and, to Emmett’s
disappointment, headed down his body. Emmett let out
a soft huff and lifted his head. His mate paused and
looked at him with one rotating eye before rubbing
against his cheek. He let out a deep, pleased rumble.

The large latch on the door banged, and the back

gate swung open revealing the two men who’d
accompanied Caleb earlier. Kontra and Eli stepped into
the trailer and a few seconds later, another shifter he
hadn’t seen before pushed a trussed up Randy before
him.

Eli grabbed the edge of the door and swung it almost

closed behind them. Emmett pushed himself to his feet,
wishing he could question these men concerning their
intentions. Watching the stranger push Randy to his
knees, Emmett tried to decide if he should defend his
one contact to his old life, or not.

“I know you have questions for us,” Kontra said,

drawing Emmett’s attention. The big man crossed his

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23

arms and leaned a hip against the side of the trailer.
“We’ll get to them in a minute. First, Randy, why don’t
you tell us how you’ve been keeping the buffalo in his
animal form.”

Randy remained stubbornly quiet.
Kontra’s eyes narrowed. “You really don’t want to

test me, vet.” His deep voice took on a hard edge. The
alpha pushed off the wall and crossed to stand in front
of the kneeling human. He crouched, dropping to the
same eye level as the man. “I won’t threaten you,
human, because I don’t care what happens to you. The
only thing keeping you safe is that buffalo, right there,”
he said coldly, pointing over his shoulder at Emmett.
“Now, my friend Caleb here wants to be able to
communicate with his mate, and I’ll do whatever I need
to do to accomplish that, including pissing off that
mate. I don’t need Caleb’s mate to like me to make
Caleb happy. So…”

He straightened up and moved away. Emmett clearly

saw the fear filling Randy’s eyes. He prayed he’d
finally get some answers about why Randy was helping
his herd and how they were keeping him trapped in
animal form.

“Let’s try this again,” Kontra rumbled. “How are

you keeping the buffalo in animal form?”

Emmett really hoped he never pissed the big shifter

off, because that icy tone had a shiver running through
him, and it wasn’t even directed at him.

“It’s a drug Emmett’s alpha sends me. I don’t know

how he gets hold of it, but I add it to Emmett’s food and
it inhibits his ability to change,” Randy replied.

“And how long does it last?” Kontra asked.

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24

“I give him a dose weekly in his grain,” Randy

admitted.

That was news to Emmett. As a buffalo, his animal

enjoyed the daily grain rations that gave him the
necessary proteins the human carnivore in him needed.
It had never occurred to him that it was used as a
weapon against him.

Kontra addressed another question Emmett wanted

to have answered. “When will the current dose wear
off?”

When Randy remained stubbornly silent, Emmett’s

frustration grew. He pawed the floor with one large
hoof, shaking the trailer. Seconds later, Caleb shifted
next to him and his naked mate buried his fingers in his
mane. “Easy, handsome. Everything will be okay,” he
crooned.

Emmett grunted, shifting his weight. Caleb remained

behind him, keeping his nakedness from the view of the
others. It didn’t matter that Emmett knew it was
irrational, but he didn’t know any of these men. How
was he to know what the relationship between the men
was? Trying to focus on the issue at hand, he swung his
head to focus on Randy and bellowed his anger. Randy
cringed.

“I think you better tell us,” the shifter standing

behind Randy said gruffly. “Your buffalo is losing his
patience.”

“Haben is right, Randy,” Kontra pointed out, his

tone deceptively mild. “Best get it all out in the open.”

“Twelve hours,” Randy hissed. “I planned to dose

him again with the morning’s grain.”

Twelve hours! In twelve hours I’ll be able to hold my

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25

mate, talk to him, touch him. Excitement and lust in
equal measure slammed through Emmett. Caleb
groaned and rested his forehead against his side.
“Emmett,” he whispered. “Just a little longer.” Caleb
twisted his fingers in his fur and added, “Your scent is
killing me. Please, calm down.”

Emmett shuddered, nuzzling the bare body next to

him.

A deep throat clearing caught his attention,

reminding him they weren’t alone. Eli was smirking,
his gaze focused out the window, Haben was looking at
Randy with a speculative gleam in his eyes, and Kontra
was grinning at the pair. “All right,” the alpha said with
a grunt. “We get you’re looking forward to shifting.
Now, let’s focus on why you’re in this predicament in
the first place.” He looked toward Randy and lifted a
brow. “Well?”

Randy blushed. “Isn’t it obvious?” he muttered. “He

was locked up because he’s gay.”

To Emmett’s surprise, Kontra growled low in his

throat and the other men glared as they crossed their
arms over their chests. Randy glanced around at them in
surprise. “What?”

“Your attitude leaves a lot to be desired,” Kontra

warned.

The vet glanced around at the men, and he must have

come to the same conclusion Emmett did. These men
didn’t mind they were gay. “You’re an alpha and you
don’t care that your friend Caleb is gay, so you don’t
care that his mate is a male?”

“Smart man,” Haben grunted, irritation lacing his

words.

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26

“I—sorry,” he muttered. Clearing his throat

nervously, he said, “Um, the story I heard was his
father followed Emmett when he went out one night
and saw him go into a club. A, uh, a gay club. Leonard
asked their alpha for help, and when Emmett refused to
go to counseling, they decided to hide him away, like a
dirty secret,” he finished with a grimace. “Emmett is a
really good guy, but they think he’s an abomination.
They couldn’t very well hide him in an asylum like a
human, so they went this route instead,” he finished and
shrugged.

Emmett wanted to scream at the injustice of it. He

remembered that night. His father had been riding him
hard about finding a mate, settling down, and breeding
a few cubs. Emmett had needed to blow off some
steam, not to mention get a little liquid courage to
finally break the news to his father that he was gay.
They’d never told him how they’d known. His father
and Alpha Bennett had just confronted him.
Admittedly, Emmett had lost his temper at their high-
handedness, but then the next morning he’d woken in
buffalo form in a pen. His alpha had appeared and told
him he’d stay just like that until Emmett changed his
mind. A week later, he’d been introduced to Randy and
taken to the zoo.

“And what are you getting out of it, human?” Haben

sneered, drawing Emmitt’s attention back to the group
of men. “Money?”

Randy cringed. “No. My sister is mated to one of the

shifters in the herd. Alpha Bennett’s threatening Lydia
and her cubs if I don’t keep Emmett under wraps.” His
gaze dropped to the floor and anguish filled his voice.

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27

“That’s my niece and my nephew, and now they’re
going to be taken away from Lydia because of my
failure.”

Sadness filled Emmett. He’d met Lydia only twice,

but that didn’t mean he wanted the human woman to be
injured because of something he had no control over.
Grunting softly, he stepped toward Randy and lowered
his head, wishing he could express how sorry he was
that his alpha had put the vet in such a difficult position.

“Where is Emmett’s herd, Randy?” Kontra asked.

“Why are you moving him cross-country?”

“The herd had to relocate due to a territory dispute,”

Randy replied. “They’re settling in northern California,
just east of some of the redwood forests up there.
Whatever land they managed to snag backs up to the
parks, so they’ll have plenty of room to shift and run
whenever they like.”

Kontra nodded. Resting a hand on his chin, he

rubbed his goatee thoughtfully. “Randy, when are you
supposed to have Emmett at the next stop?”

“We’re supposed to take the next few days to drive

to a zoo in Sacramento.” Randy paused. His brows
were drawn together and his jaw tightened. “We’re
expected there within the next seventy-two hours, and
I’m supposed to contact Alpha Bennett when I arrive.
It’s normally only a two day drive, but with an animal
that constantly needs to be checked, it can take longer.”

“We need more time,” Kontra mused softly. “Randy,

you’re going to tell everyone that you’ve been delayed.
The transmission on the semi went out, and you’re
waiting for repair or replacement.” Randy sputtered,
trying to raise an objection, but Kontra ignored him.

Hope For A Buffalo

28

“We’ll have the gang meet us here. I’m sure Sam and
Catlin can get a couple of friends to bring the extra
bikes. In the meantime, we wait for the serum to wear
off.”

“Now, wait a minute—” Randy finally managed to

get out.

“Listen up,” Kontra snarled, interrupting him. “You

will help us, human, and in return, we’ll help your sister
and her cubs. That’s the deal. Now, I want you to take
me to this serum. I have a friend who will find it very
interesting.”

Emmett watched the shifters lead a sullen Randy

from the trailer. The door closed, but from the sound of
it, the bar had only been folded over the back of the
door and not latched completely. In a pinch, Emmett
could shove it open.

Caleb’s touch reminded him he wasn’t alone, and

from the sounds of things, he’d never have to be alone
again. His mate’s words confirmed his suspicions.

“We’re going to get through this,” Caleb murmured,

rubbing his neck. “Kontra would never leave a shifter
trapped like you are, even if you weren’t my mate.
Everything will be okay.”

For the first time in a long time, Emmett felt the

stirrings of hope.

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29

Chapter Five

aleb grunted, trying to hang onto the last vestiges of
his dream. It had been so nice being held and

touched by his mate. The face of the man in his fantasy
was hazy, except for the deep brown eyes, same as in
his buffalo form. But his imagination gave Emmett a
thick, heavily muscled body; large, rough hands; and
the most skilled tongue ever to trace the dips and ridges
of Caleb’s abs, and when Emmett had lowered his
mouth to Caleb’s straining erection, he’d just about lost
his mind.

“Oh, gods, Emmett,” he groaned, then jerked fully

awake as a soft growl vibrated up his shaft.

Snapping his eyes open, Caleb looked down and just

about swallowed his tongue. He sure as hell couldn’t
stop the moan of appreciation at the sight greeting his
still sleep-muddled brain. Those beautiful brown eyes
stared up at him from between his thighs. A wide,
straight nose that tipped up slightly at the end segued
into a full upper lip stretched thin by Caleb’s jutting
cock filling the man’s mouth.

He sucked in a breath, and his mate’s aroused scent

slammed into his senses. Caleb’s cock twitched in

C

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30

Emmett’s mouth and the much larger man, even larger
than Caleb’s dream mate, pulled off his dick and
grinned seductively.

Emmett wrapped his large fist around Caleb’s shaft

and stroked. His calluses created delicious friction
against his wet, sensitive flesh. “Come for me,” he
urged. Emmett’s deep voice rumbled from him as he
increased his hand’s speed, rubbing his thumb against
the wrinkled flesh under the head of Caleb’s cock then
pressing a blunt nail into the slit.

Caleb’s jaw sagged open on a silent groan as his

balls contracted almost to the point of pain for one, two
seconds. Then his cum burst from him, spraying over
Emmett’s massaging hand and his own abs and chest.
His body jerked and shuddered as his mate wrung every
last bit of seed from him. Ecstasy zinged wildly through
his body, and he was unable to look away from
Emmett’s extremely pleased expression.

His chest still heaved as Caleb struggled to catch his

breath when Emmett wiped a finger through Caleb’s
pale pools of cum. Emmett lifted the finger to his
mouth and sucked it clean, a deep groaning growl
escaping him as his eyelids slipped closed. A shudder
worked through his big body, then his eyes snapped
back open and Caleb’s breath caught in his throat at the
stark need lighting Emmett’s dark eyes.

A low growl escaped Emmett, and he scooped up a

large dollop of Caleb’s semen. When he dropped his
hand between Caleb’s spread thighs, he knew the man’s
intent. He spread his legs wider and planted his feet,
signifying his acceptance. With quick, skillful
movements, Emmett worked Caleb’s seed into his

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31

opening, loosening his muscles and preparing his hole.

It only took a few moments for Emmett to have

Caleb ready. Caleb rocked his hips, his again rock hard
shaft slapping his abs with each movement. A soft
growl escaped Emmett’s throat as he slipped his fingers
from Caleb’s clenching body.

Crawling up Caleb’s torso slowly, Emmett’s lust-

darkened eyes held Caleb’s steadily. Once he’d
completely covered Caleb’s much smaller frame, he
settled his weight against him. His heavily muscled
body seemed like heat and safety personified.

The tip of Emmett’s thick erection tapped Caleb’s

ass as his mate searched for his hole. Shifting his hips,
Caleb pressed up, encouraging the round cap to press
forward. Emmett wasted no time accepting his
invitation. He thrust forward steadily, opening Caleb
wide with his massive cock. He didn’t stop moving
until he was fully seated inside Caleb’s clutching body,
the crinkly hair of his balls brushing sensually against
Caleb’s crack.

Emmett froze, staring down at Caleb. His eyes

searched Caleb’s for several seconds before he leaned
even closer and whispered, “Hello, mate.”

Caleb brought up a hand and cupped Emmett’s

square jaw. He rubbed his thumb over his lover’s full
upper lip, then used his fingertips to urge Emmett’s
head closer. He leaned up and brushed his lips over the
other shifter’s in a slow caress. “Welcome back,
Emmett.”

A low moan escaped Emmett. He turned his head

and nipped at Caleb’s thumb, catching the pad of his
finger between his teeth. Emmett’s tongue swiped over

Hope For A Buffalo

32

his flesh, tasting him. Groaning, he released the digit.
His brown eyes darkened further, shining nearly black
with need and feral possession. “Mine,” he snarled right
before he drew his hips back and plunged them
forward.

His mate’s cockhead scrapped across his prostate

and Caleb let out a pleased hiss. He lifted his hips,
offering himself up to the growling shifter above him.
Emmett slammed into him again and again, and Caleb
knew he would have skidded across the shaving-strewn
floor of the trailer if it hadn’t been for the big man’s
strong grip on his shoulders.

Emmett leaned down and claimed his lips, his

tongue thrusting deep, just as his cock claimed Caleb’s
body. He felt the man’s need almost burning through
his skin. Caleb had no idea how long his mate had been
stuck in his animal form, but he knew desperation when
he saw it. His mate needed to connect, to feel alive, to
feel human, to realize he was no longer alone. And
Caleb knew just how to accomplish that for him.

He rocked his body, greeting every stroke with a lift

of his hips, welcoming Emmett’s cock into him. “My
mate,” he crooned against the other man’s lips. Tension
coiled in the man’s bunched muscles under Caleb’s
hands. He stroked his palms over Emmett’s back,
shoulder, hips, ass, anywhere he could reach. “You’re
mine,” he whispered, “and I’m never letting you go.”

A howl like a wounded animal escaped Emmett’s

throat, and the man buried his face against Caleb’s
neck. His hips stuttered, his thrusts becoming erratic,
and Caleb knew Emmett was close. Fire burned through
Caleb’s blood, reminding him of his own need. His

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33

body felt like he was coiled tighter than he’d ever been,
and the slightest touch would set him off.

Emmett’s tongue slid up the tendons along the side

of his neck. His huffing breaths sent puffs of warm air
across the wet skin and shudders of pleasure through
Caleb. He tilted his neck in invitation. “I am yours,” he
whispered.

It was all the reassurance Emmett seemed to need.

His teeth sank deep into Caleb’s neck. The pain of the
bite immediately morphed into the most amazing sparks
of ecstasy, radiating from his neck through the rest of
his body. His balls pulled tight, expelling his seed
between them as his orgasm slammed through him.
Emmett growled against his neck, his jaw gripping
Caleb’s shoulder and his big arms banding around him
as he slammed his cock into his ass once, twice more.
Then the man stiffened, his cock swelled and shot,
coating Caleb’s rectum with semen.

Caleb remained still, enjoying the sensations

coursing through his well-used body. He waited a
moment, then two, for Emmett’s shudders to subside
and for him to withdraw his teeth and loosen his hold,
but he didn’t. Growing concerned at the ragged
breathing against his neck and the trembling body
above him, Caleb ran his hands lightly over Emmett’s
back, caressing, soothing.

He turned his head as best as he could and kissed

Emmett’s sweaty temple. “Everything will be fine,” he
reassured. “I promise.”

Slowly, the man’s canines slid from Caleb’s neck.

Emmett licked the claiming mark, closing the wound,
sending shivers of aftershocks rippling across his skin.

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34

Caleb nuzzled his still silent lover, trying to soothe him
without words.

“I’m sorry,” Emmett finally hissed. “I’m sorry.”
Caleb pressed another kiss to Emmett’s temple.

“Don’t apologize for something we both enjoyed so
much,” he scolded gently.

That had Emmett’s head jerking up, and his brown-

eyed gaze roved over Caleb’s face. “But I took you like
an animal. Once I was in you I couldn’t…” He
swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing with the
force. “I couldn’t help myself. I needed…”

Again he paused. He shook his head, as if uncertain

just what he was trying to say. But Caleb knew. He
lifted both hands to Emmett’s face and gently pulled
him down for a slow, deep kiss. Easing the kiss to a
finish, he drew back and stared up into his mate’s face.
“I am always happy to give you what you need.”

Groaning again, Emmett’s head swooped back down

and he eagerly claimed Caleb’s lips. He let Emmett
dominate him unchallenged, allowing the man to set the
pace. Caleb enjoyed the sensation of Emmett’s tongue
brushing against his own, prodding his sensitive gums
and lips, then stroking deeper to map him and learn his
taste. Emmett broke the kiss, giving them a second to
breathe, then came back together, again and again.

Caleb didn’t know how long it went on, he just

enjoyed their time kissing. When Emmett finally lifted
his head, tugging on Caleb’s lower lip as he went,
Caleb felt his mate’s cock pressing against his belly.
The hot shaft rubbed against his, and he rocked up into
the larger body, reveling in the enjoyment of touching
his mate’s flesh.

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35

Wanting more, Caleb pushed insistently on

Emmett’s shoulders. The man’s pale blond head lifted,
his brown eyes searching Caleb’s face. Caleb grinned,
then wrapped one leg around Emmett’s and rolled the
unsuspecting shifter.

Emmett let out a startled grunt, but he didn’t fight

him. Caleb landed on top, straddling his lover’s hips.
He sat up and stared down at Emmett, taking in the big
man’s heavily muscled chest and arms, the deeply cut
eight-pack abs, and the smattering of pale blond hair
that was a bit lighter than what was on his head. The
soft pelt spread across Emmett’s chest, around both
nipples, then tapered in a treasure trail down past his
belly button to his groin. The thin thatch surrounding
Emmett’s proud cock couldn’t hold Caleb’s attention
once he saw the thick shaft that had filled him so
wonderfully. It jutted up from his mate’s groin, begging
for attention, a pearl of moisture already glistening
from the large slit.

Caleb rolled his hips forward and pressed his dick

against the buffalo shifter’s. It didn’t matter to him that
his own cock was quite a bit more slender and a couple
of inches shorter. The differences between them, when
he wrapped his fist around both their dicks and stroked
them hard, felt amazing.

Emmett groaned and gripped Caleb’s thighs with his

big hands.

Seeing the need simmering in his mate’s dark eyes,

Caleb grinned. He brought his hand to a stop and leaned
down. “My turn to taste you,” he growled.

Hope For A Buffalo

36

Chapter Six

mmett wanted to bellow his dismay when Caleb’s
hand moved away from his cock, but then the

smaller man leaned down and bit into his neck. It
wasn’t hard enough to break skin, but it still felt
amazing. A fresh wave of lust and desire slammed
through Emmett. It took every bit of self-control he had
to keep his hands on his mate’s thighs instead of
flipping him over and again driving his dick deep into
Caleb’s body.

He knew the man would welcome him if that’s what

he wanted, but Emmett desperately desired to know
what Caleb would do if left to his own devices. Caleb
didn’t make him wait long.

His little mate nibbled a path down his neck, then

over his collarbone. Caleb’s lips hovered over one
nipple, his warm breath making the nub tighten. A low
moan escaped him, and that seemed to be the queue
Caleb was waiting for. The chameleon’s mouth latched
onto the bud of flesh and sucked, hard.

Emmett’s body bowed and his nails dug into the

flesh of his mate’s thighs. Hot sparks seemed to dance
just beneath the surface of his skin. His cock jerked and

E

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37

twitched where it was caught between their bodies.
When Caleb nipped him then moved over and gave his
other nipple the same treatment, a drop of pre-cum
oozed from his slit.

“Oh, gods,” he groaned, unable to string any further

coherent thought together.

He’d never considered his nipples that sensitive

before, but something about Caleb’s mouth on him
turned him into a twitching, burning pile of flesh. Caleb
stroked his sides, his abs, his hips, and everywhere he
touched, Emmett’s skin seemed to flare to life.

He needed more. He needed everything. “Caleb!” he

cried when the man above him returned to his neck and
nipped lightly while rocking their groins together.

Caleb smiled against his lips, obviously pleased by

the way Emmett reacted to him. His blue eyes were lit
with satisfaction. Emmett saw how Caleb enjoyed
pleasuring him. If he’d had any doubt about that, it
would have vanished when in the next instant, his mate
slithered down his body and swallowed his shaft to the
root.

With his lover’s nose buried in his pubic hair, the

head of his dick was lodged in the back of Caleb’s
throat. Caleb swallowed once, twice, massaging his
sensitive head before sucking hard while he slid
halfway up his stalk.

Caleb cupped Emmett’s balls and rolled the tight

orbs. He growled and bucked, losing control of his
body’s reactions as Caleb’s mouth sank on him over
and over. The way the man massaged him with his lips,
caressed him with his tongue, and worked him with his
hand swiftly drove him toward mindless oblivion.

Hope For A Buffalo

38

Suddenly, Caleb’s touch was gone. Emmett froze,

the pain of abandonment gripping him. Then something
soft and warm tapped against his cockhead. His eyes
flew open just in time to see Caleb sink down onto his
shaft. The shifter’s body, still open from their prior
coupling, easily swallowed his dick in one smooth
downward stroke.

Pressure and heat and slickness surrounded his shaft

and this time he couldn’t stop the bellow. The sound
burst from his lungs, telling anyone close enough to
hear of his pleasure. Caleb groaned above him, lifted
his body, then slid back down.

“Oh, by the gods, Emmett,” Caleb panted, the words

coming between strokes. “Your cock was made for my
ass!”

And it was, Emmett knew that. Caleb was his, his

mate, his lover, his everything as decreed by Fate. And
he had every intention of keeping him, the rest of the
world be damned.

“You’re mine, Caleb,” he snarled as he snapped his

hips up to meet the smaller shifter’s downward strokes.
“Now and forever.”

“Yes!”
Emmett pulled Caleb down and latched onto his lips,

thrusting his tongue deep into his lover’s mouth,
mimicking what his dick was doing to his mate’s ass.
Holding Caleb tight, he felt his balls pull impossibly
tighter. Wanting his mate to come with him, he broke
the kiss, reached a hand between them, and grabbed
Caleb’s shaft.

He jerked it swiftly. Growls escaped his throat as he

listened to the sexy moans escaping his man. The erotic

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39

sounds heated his blood and his arm moved faster.
“Come with me, my mate,” he pleaded. “Let me feel
you squeeze me.”

“Oh, yessss!” Caleb hissed. His cock erupted. White

cream shot over Emmett’s hand and chest as his mate’s
chute clamped down and pulled his own orgasm from
him. Emmett gave up the fight, filling his mate with his
seed as he added his own pleased roar to echo within
the confines of the trailer.

Caleb collapsed on Emmett’s chest, and he pulled

the little shifter tight against him. He loved the way the
smaller man fit in his arms. As their breathing slowly
returned to normal, he caressed the soft skin of his
sides, then moved to his back. He paused for just a
second when the pads of his fingers slid over a small
patch of raised, puckered flesh. Caleb tensed above
him, and Emmett fought the desire to track down and
destroy whoever had injured his mate.

He exhaled slowly then kissed his man’s temple.

Before he could figure out a way to ask what he
desperately wanted to know, metal moving on metal
vibrated the trailer. He growled and rolled, placing his
back to the trailer’s emergency exit. Watching over his
shoulder, he spotted an arm. It threw in a backpack,
then disappeared. The door closed, though not locking,
behind it.

“I guess that means it’s time to get up,” Caleb

murmured.

Emmett looked down at the other shifter, pleased to

see amusement had replaced the stiffness from a
moment ago. “I guess so,” he replied.

His cock slid from Caleb’s ass, and he couldn’t stop

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40

himself from thinking about when he’d be able to
seduce his little mate again. The ideas of the different
positions he’d like to try had his dick making a valiant
effort to rise again.

Caleb picked up the bag and turned to look at him

with his brow lifted. The corner of his mouth curved in
a wry grin as he pointedly sniffed the air. “I’m afraid
we have a few things to take care of first, big boy.” He
sauntered toward him, comfortable with his nakedness.
He rested a hand on Emmett’s chest as he held up the
bag with his other one. “But I do look forward to
exploring every nook and cranny of this magnificent
body of yours,” he crooned, running his palm across
Emmett’s chest.

Growling softly, Emmett bent and captured Caleb’s

lips. He kept the contact brief, knowing if he didn’t,
he’d have his mate spread out on the floor again, or
maybe against the trailer wall, or maybe—his thoughts
reeled with possibilities. With a groan, he pulled away
and stepped back. “Gods it’s been too long since I held
anyone, and knowing you’re my mate just makes it ten
times harder to keep my hands off you.”

The little imp grinned and moved away from him,

sashaying his ass as he went. Emmett growled and
palmed his once again hard dick. He took several deep
breaths, but that didn’t help since all he could smell was
the combined fragrance of their love-making.

He took a step toward his mate, intending to take

him again and the consequences be damned when the
backpack came flying toward his head. Emmett caught
it on reflex. “There are some wet-wipes in there as well
as some clothes that should fit you,” Caleb said. He

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41

grinned at Emmett as he pulled on a pair of faded blue
jeans. The worn material looked soft and molded to the
muscular curves of the smaller man’s legs and ass.
Emmett swallowed, his fingers tightening on the bag.

Caleb chuckled. “Dress first, food second,” he said,

his voice muffled for a second as he pulled a black t-
shirt over his head. Once his head popped out again, he
gave Emmett a sympathetic look. “There’s nothing I’d
like more than to spend a week in bed with you. I’d like
to get to know everything about you without
interruption, but we can’t do that, yet. Later, okay?
Once we get this situation with your herd straightened
out.”

Emmett sighed and shut his eyes. He nodded once.

“I haven’t felt connected with anyone in so long,” he
admitted, opening his eyes he found his mate on the far
side of the trailer. “You make it hard to keep control.”

Smiling in apparent understanding, Caleb replied, “I

can offer you my family. None of us are buffalos, and
we’re just a rough group of bikers, but we’ll always
have your back.”

He swallowed hard, fighting back emotion. “That

sounds nice,” he finally said, his voice deeper than he
wished.

Caleb nodded then slipped out the door, giving him a

few moments to compose himself before joining the
rest of whoever was out there.

Rummaging through the bag, he found the wipes and

cleaned himself up. Then he pulled on a pair of jeans.
They were a bit big, but fortunately someone had
planned for that possibility and provided a belt, too. He
cinched it tight. The shirt fit surprisingly well,

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42

considering the jeans were big. After lifting the collar
of the shirt to his nose and inhaling deeply, he realized
the clothes were Kontra’s, even though the laundry
detergent did a pretty good job of removing the man’s
scent. The large bear alpha would be bigger around the
waist than him, but due to the massive front end on a
buffalo, their chests were about the same size.

He took a deep breath, smiling once more at the

soothing combined scents of his mate, and headed for
the door. He stepped out and glanced around. Pine trees
towered over him, telling him they’d traveled north a
good ways, and Emmett wondered where they were.

Knowing he had other things to worry about, he

headed toward the nearby cabin, but the sound of voices
on the other side of the structure caught his attention.
Emmett walked around the building and a lake
appeared about sixty feet away and down a gentle
slope. The mountain views were stunning.

Laughter had him focusing on the group of a dozen

or so men gathered around a couple of picnic tables
between the cabin and the lake. “You’re just jealous
that you haven’t found a big, sexy mate to make you
smell like me,” Caleb was saying while giving a
haughty look to a smaller man.

The other guy immediately got a wistful look on his

face. “Yeah, you’re right.”

Caleb’s expression softened and he wrapped an arm

around the guy. “You’ll find him, Yuma. Don’t worry.”

“And until then, you always got me,” teased a big

blond who wrapped his arms around Yuma from behind
and pulled the now laughing man against his chest.

Grinning, Yuma turned his head to the side to accept

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43

a kiss on the neck from the blond. “But I’ll always play
second fiddle to the bikes with you, Adam,” he teased
right back.

Adam laughed. “We all have our vices, man. Not

much we can do about that.”

“They’re a good group of guys.”
The deep voice from his right nearly sent Emmett

crashing into the pine tree on his left. He looked at a
smirking Kontra and huffed out a laugh. He hadn’t even
realized he’d stopped his approach to watch the
exchange between the bantering men. Emmett nodded.
“Caleb considers you his family.”

Kontra nodded slowly, his dark eyes sweeping over

the men before moving on to the water then the forest
around him. “They are his family. The only family he’s
ever known.” His gaze returned to Emmett and locked
onto him. “We have his back, no matter what, no matter
against whom. You’ve claimed him, now what are you
going to do?”

“I—” He snapped his mouth shut. Well, shit, he

hadn’t thought that far ahead. All he’d been thinking
about was bonding with his mate.

The alpha seemed to recognize his dilemma, for his

shoulders relaxed and he actually smiled, although on
his goateed face, Emmett wasn’t sure if the look was
any less scary. “How long have you been stuck in a
zoo, Emmett?”

He shrugged. “Best guess, nearly eight years. You’d

have to ask Randy for an exact time.”

Kontra’s eyes narrowed. Emmett thought he might

have been trying to hide a grimace. “That’s a long time
to be without a herd.” His focus shifted back to the

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44

forest, as if he were searching for danger. Hell, Emmett
thought, he probably was. “If you want to join us on the
road, you’re more than welcome,” Kontra stated.

Emmett watched Kontra walk toward the group,

wondering if that was as warm and fuzzy as the bear
got. He followed the man, relieved to have at least one
option, and wondering if the others would be as
accepting. To his surprise, everyone greeted him with
smiles, slaps on the back, and good natured jokes about
the scent of sex still clinging to him and Caleb. It was
like he’d walked into a family reunion with his brothers
and cousins.

There was no animosity that a stranger had suddenly

taken Caleb’s attention. He couldn’t confirm all the
shifter scents, but none of them smelled similar, telling
him that every man seemed to be associated with a
different animal. And they were all okay with that.
There wasn’t even a division between the predators and
the prey. It was baffling, and amazing, and being
welcomed by this group seemed to fill something deep
inside that Emmett hadn’t even known he’d been
missing.

Someone

—

Adam, he thought

—

handed Emmett a

beer. He held the bottle for a second, staring at the
amber liquid. He hadn’t had a cold one since the night
before his capture. Tilting the glass opening to his lips,
he swallowed down several gulps. “Oh, that’s better
than I remember,” he moaned.

Those nearest to him laughed. The slender doctor,

Eli, slapped him on the back and pointed toward a table
laden with food. “Eat. If you like the beer, you better
make yourself a burger. Medium rare patties are on the

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45

right, done patties on the left,” he added with a wink.

Excitement filled him as he neared the table, until he

noticed Randy eating at a table nearby with Haben. His
stride faltered. Caleb was beside him instantly. He
wrapped an arm around his waist and assured, “No one
will ever trap you again. You’re safe.”

Turning his head, he buried his nose in the crook of

Caleb’s neck and inhaled. The warm, sweet musky
scent of his mate soothed him and he was able to smile
again. “Thank you,” he whispered. Lifting his head, he
pressed a chaste kiss to Caleb’s lips.

Caleb smiled. “Go eat, big guy.”
Returning his focus to the food, his anticipation

returned when he saw the array of choices. His last
burger had been almost a year ago, when Randy had let
him shift for a couple of days and had brought him a
greasy burger from some fast food joint. Inhaling
deeply, Emmett knew this was going to taste so much
better.

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Chapter Seven

aleb followed the rest of his group down the
highway, watching the signs on the road indicating

they were drawing closer and closer to Redding,
California. Supposedly, Emmett’s former herd’s new
lands were just east of there on property adjacent to the
National Forests. Randy had given them directions, and
Eli and Haben rode point, leading the way.

He liked how Emmett’s arms felt wrapped around

his waist, but knew sitting behind him wasn’t the most
comfortable position for the bigger man. They’d need a
bigger bike once Emmett learned how to drive. At least,
Caleb hoped Emmett planned to travel with them.
Caleb knew Kontra had offered. He’d overheard the
conversation, but Emmett hadn’t really replied.

The closer they got to the herd-lands, the more tense

the arms wrapped around him became. Finally, unable
to remain quiet, he patted his mate’s hands and said,
“It’ll be okay.”

Emmett sighed and rested his helmeted head on

Caleb’s shoulder. “I don’t want anyone hurt because of
me,” he admitted.

“Don’t worry,” Kontra’s voice sounded through their

C

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helmet mikes. “We have a plan.”

“You do?” Emmett straightened. “What’s your

plan?”

“Well, we have two, actually,” the biker leader

admitted. “Our first option is the frontal approach. We
all go in and confront the alpha.”

By the way Kontra growled the words, Caleb knew

his alpha liked the idea of this plan. He wanted to go in
and give the guy a piece of his mind for the way he’d
treated Emmett. Warmth swelled through Caleb at his
alpha’s response. It didn’t matter that Emmett wasn’t
from his pack, he knew injustice when he saw it.

Kontra continued speaking. “Our second option is to

figure out where Randy’s sister’s family is living and
sneak in to tell them of the danger. But if your sister
and brother-in-law won’t let us evacuate them, Randy,
we still run into the issue of safety for your family.
We’ll need to have several of our group discreetly
guarding the human and the cubs.”

Randy, who was riding behind fellow biker Lamar,

had remained quiet up until now. After a moment’s
hesitation, the man said, “I’d really like to give my
sister a heads up before we go charging in there. I think
if we can prove that Bennett is dangerous to her kids,
she and Darrell will be willing to be evacuated.” There
was a pause, then Randy muttered, “At least, I hope
they will be.”

“Okay,” Kontra replied. “Haben, once we get close

to their territory, you and Payson will scout. Do you
have a picture of your sister, Randy?”

“Yes,” the human replied.
“Good. Give it to them, so they can figure out where

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48

they’re living in the herd. I’ve noticed that herd animal
shifters normally live close together, so they shouldn’t
be too hard to find. Just be careful that you’re not
detected.”

“Will do,” Haben responded.
Payson chuckled. “If you have something with her

scent on it, it’d be much easier.”

“Uh, I haven’t seen them in nearly four months,”

Randy admitted. “Not since plans to move the herd
started.”

“Well, if she smells similar to you, it still shouldn’t

be difficult,” Payson commented.

“One way or another, we’ll find them,” Haben stated

confidently.

During the course of the conversation, the tension in

Emmett’s arms and body had slowly eased. Caleb
rubbed his mate’s arm. “Before long, this will all be
settled.”

Emmett let out a breath and pressed closer to him.

“Good.”

“Kontra and the others are in position,” Haben said.

“Follow closely.”

Caleb stayed right behind Emmett, bringing up the

rear of the four man group with Randy between Haben
and Emmett. He knew Payson was nearby, keeping
watch as they moved, but the hyena shifter’s
personality was too unpredictable to join them in
talking to Randy’s sister. They slipped swiftly through
the trees, passing between dark buildings and keeping
to the shadows. It was nearly eleven o’clock at night,
and only one of the four homes they passed had any

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49

lights.

They came to another small home, this one with a

faint yellow glow coming from a front room. A
nightlight or table lamp perhaps? Haben pulled a small
roll of cloth from his jacket and extracted a couple of
pieces of metal. He inserted the items into the lock,
working the deadbolt first, then the standard knob.
Once he’d popped both locks, he led the way into the
home.

“Randy, I’ll go with you to wake your sister and her

husband. We need to keep the noise level down,” he
warned.

Caleb watched the pair creep deeper into the home.

After they’d disappeared, he looked around, noticing
the light coming from the bulb above the stove. He
walked to the nearby dining room table and took a seat.

A soft gasp, followed by a grunt, then a squeal

sounded from deeper in the house. The sound was
quickly silenced. Voices, too muffled for even Caleb’s
shifter hearing rumbled, then he heard the sound of a
door closing.

Caleb waited, his hand wrapped around Emmett’s

where it rested on his shoulder. His mate stood next to
him, his hip pressed close to Caleb’s shoulder, as if
needing the reassurance brought on by contact with his
mate’s body. After the years spent in Kontra and the
gang’s presence, showing his affection to another man
was second nature to him, so he was happy to help
Emmett any way he could.

Haben and Randy reappeared, followed closely by a

sleep tousled man and woman. The man’s eyes widened
when he spotted Emmett and he grinned. “Emmett, is

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50

that you?” Out of the corner of his eyes, Caleb saw his
mate nod, but he made no move to draw closer to the
guy. “It’s been years. Where have you been?” Lydia’s
mate asked, concern creasing his brows when he saw
Emmett’s trepidation. “We thought you were dead!”

“That’s part of why we’re here in the middle of the

night,” Randy murmured. “It’d be dangerous for
Emmett to come during the day.”

“What do you mean?” the woman asked.
Randy sighed. “For those of you who don’t know,

this is my sister, Lydia and her mate, Darrell. Lydia,
this is Haben and Caleb,” he said, pointing to each in
turn. “Almost eight years ago, six months after you two
mated, Emmett’s father discovered that Emmett is gay.
When Emmett refused to mate with a female, the alpha
somehow managed to get hold of a compound that
forced Emmett to remain in animal form. He was sold
to the zoo where I worked as a vet, and in order for you
to remain safe, I had to make certain Emmett stayed
there.”

With each word Randy spoke, Lydia’s face paled

more. At the announcement that Emmett was gay,
Darrell’s head swung around and his jaw dropped.
Emmett’s hand on Caleb’s shoulder tightened, but he
made no comment. By the time Randy was done with
his exceedingly short explanation, Darrell was glaring
at him.

After a very tense several seconds of silence, Darrell

hissed, “That’s total bullshit. Alpha Bennett would
never condone such actions. He’s accepting of my
mating with Lydia.”

“Then why haven’t you ever been promoted,

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51

Darrell?” Haben pointed out.

Darrell switched his glare to Haben. “How do you

know that? Who are you?”

Haben shrugged, but instead of answering either

question, he said, “You were born in this herd. You’re
the best tracker they have. And yet, you’ve never been
promoted to lead tracker, even when the position came
open, twice,” he pointed out. “In fact, you’ve been
stuck playing fourth fiddle since you mated with Lydia
over eight years ago.” He turned a smile on a clearly
shocked woman. “No offense, ma’am.”

Caleb reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a

folded piece of paper. “Here. Maybe this will help.”

Darrell took the paper and unfolded it, spreading it

across the table. He looked at the picture and gasped.
Emmett’s mournful expression stared from the picture.
“By the gods,” the other buffalo shifter murmured,
taking in the headline about the white buffalo appearing
at the zoo in Albuquerque. “How could this happen?
How did you get away?”

Emmett shuddered next to him, but he finally spoke.

“My father didn’t like the fact that I’m gay. Neither did
Bennett. I woke up, in animal form, and the next thing I
knew, I was in the zoo. Randy, here, cared for me as
best he could.” He grimaced and looked at the human
male. “I know what happened to me wasn’t your fault.”

Randy had the decency to blush. “I’m still sorry.”
“My mate found me,” Emmett said softly. He

glanced down and squeezed Caleb’s shoulder as he
smiled fondly at him. “Caleb and his friends freed me.”
Returning his focus to Darrell and Lydia, he said, “Now
we need to make certain you’re kept safe as well.

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52

They’re good guys and don’t want you to suffer just
because they helped me.”

“But, why?” Lydia whispered. “Even if they didn’t

agree with who you wanted to…” She blushed, but
forged ahead, “to take to your bed, surely this is
extreme, isn’t it?”

“You’d think so, wouldn’t you?”
Caleb leaped to his feet as the rest of the group

turned to see a tall, dark-haired, heavily muscled man
standing just inside the kitchen door. His feet were
planted shoulder width apart and his thick arms were
crossed over his broad chest. His dark brows were
drawn down and his lips pressed into a line of
displeasure. It didn’t take any introduction for Caleb to
realize that this was Alpha Bennett. Authority simply
oozed from the big man.

“But, you see, what happens in my herd is a direct

reflection of me, and though I don’t particularly like
humans mating with my people, I understand that, at
times, it becomes necessary. Being saddled with
someone as disgraceful as you, Emmett, is simply
unacceptable,” he finished with a sneer.

“Then you really put Emmett into a zoo?” Darrell

asked softly.

Bennett’s lip curled in derision as he glared at

Darrell. “And you, what the hell is wrong with you?
There were three perfectly fine buffalo shifter women
for you to choose from, but what did you do? You
mated with a human!”

Darrell straightened to his full height and stated

stiffly, “Lydia is my true mate. I love her!”

“Enough!” the alpha roared. He snarled at Randy,

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53

“You didn’t uphold your part of the bargain. Your
sister’s life is forfeit.”

Randy paled. “It wasn’t a bargain. It was blackmail.”
Ignoring the vet, the alpha bellowed and charged

toward Lydia. Darrell reacted instantly. He shoved his
mate out of the way and met his alpha’s charge.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t nearly as large or strong as
Bennett. The bigger buffalo lowered a shoulder and
rammed into Darrell’s chest, knocking him back into a
wall.

Glaring, Bennett sneered. “I’m going to bust you up,

Darrell. Then I’m going to slit your wife’s throat while
you watch. Once I’m done there, I’m going to drag your
little brats from their beds and snap their necks, all
before I put you out of your fucking misery.”

Darrell let out an enraged bellow, shoved away from

the wall, and launched toward the alpha. Caleb let out a
cry of warning, knowing a confrontation would be in
Bennett’s favor, but Darrell ignored him. They tumbled
out the open kitchen door and into the night, the sounds
of fists hitting flesh echoing between the trees.

Caleb turned. Seeing his mate’s shocked expression,

he yanked Emmett’s arm to get his attention. “He’ll
never win against an alpha. We need to help him!”

Emmett met his gaze, then looked at Haben. “Keep

him safe.” Caleb watched with trepidation as Emmett
followed the brawling couple out the door, stripping as
he went.

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Chapter Eight

mmett whipped his shirt over his head, knowing the
only way he could come even close to fighting his

ex-alpha was with his animal. As a buffalo, he was
nearly as large as the other man. If he could get Darrell
to shift, too, then figure a way to keep the others out of
it, they stood a fighting chance.

What he found outside stopped him in his tracks.

Bennett already had Darrell on his stomach. One of
Darrell’s arms was twisted up behind him. The alpha
was tugging that arm higher and higher as he pinned the
other shifter to the ground with a knee on the small of
his back. A look of intense hatred gleamed from
Bennett’s dark eyes.

The alpha must have heard his footsteps, for he

paused and looked up. He scowled at Emmett, saying,
“This is your fault, you know? If you’d just stayed
where I put you, this wouldn’t be happening.”

A roar of outrage ripped through the woods, catching

both men’s attention. “And if you’d be an honorable
alpha, this wouldn’t happen either,” growled Kontra as
he strode closer. His long, six foot six frame ate up the
ground between them.

E

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55

“Who the hell are you?” snarled Bennett.
“This is Kontra Belikov. My alpha,” Emmett stated,

hoping the bear shifter wouldn’t contradict him.

Bennett yelled, “I am your alpha!” In a move so

quick it belied his bulky frame, the buffalo alpha
released Darrell and jumped to his feet. He came up
swinging, landing a hard uppercut to Emmett’s jaw.

Emmett stumbled back several steps, but managed to

keep his feet. He bellowed in anger and raised his
hands, readying himself for the man’s next charge.

“You haven’t been Emmett’s alpha since the day

you trapped him in animal form and sold him to the
zoo,” Kontra called out. “He’s under my protection
now. You strike him again and you’ll face me.”

By then, dozens of people had gathered around the

group. Lights came on in the houses around them and
even more shifters peeked through the windows. A
quick look from the corner of his eye showed him that
Caleb was being held back by Haben, for which
Emmett would be eternally grateful. Lydia peered
around them, her face pinched with fear.

From the trees appeared half a dozen members of the

motorcycle gang, and Emmett recognized Adam,
Terence, Mutegi, and Payson. There were a couple of
others, but he couldn’t make out their faces in the
gloom. Amazement filled him. These men, whom he’d
known for only a couple days, stood with their alpha
and backed Emmett.

“Alpha, what’s going on?” Emmett recognized

Lloyd’s voice, the herd beta. Looking that way, he saw
two men flanking him. One he knew was Jason, a herd
enforcer, which would make the stranger a second

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56

enforcer. Their shirts were already gone, loose sleep
pants around their hips. They stood ready to attack or
shift, whatever was needed, in case of trouble.

Bennett glanced around at the assembled shifters. He

smiled coldly. “These strangers are trying to say we’re
in their territory. I stopped an attack on Darrell here,”
he stated, waving a hand toward the downed buffalo
tracker.

An unreasonable anger seared through Emmett. He

didn’t see his family in the midst of the herd members
gathered around, but he still knew many of these
people, and none of them seemed to recognize him. It
had only been eight fucking years since he’d lived and
worked besides them. Bellowing, he drew everyone’s
attention. “You lying sack of shit!” he roared. “These
men saved me. Saved me from your drugs and
imprisonment!”

“Who are you?” asked the enforcer he didn’t know.
He smiled grimly. “I am Emmett Donaldson. Son of

Leonard Donaldson. I grew up in this herd, was one of
you, until I displeased my father and the alpha. Then I
was drugged, trapped in animal form, and sold to a zoo.
My mate and his friends rescued me.”

“Emmett Donaldson is dead,” called another voice.
Seeing his father stride through the crowd and deny

him sent a shard of pain through him. “You lie,
Leonard,” he snapped, unwilling to even call the man
father. He turned and stared directly at Jason and Lloyd.
“You know who I am, Jason. So do you, Lloyd.”

He kicked off his jeans and shoes and initiated his

shift. He knew Kontra or one of the others in the gang
would have his back if someone tried to attack while he

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57

was defenseless, and wasn’t that a heady feeling? These
shifters have my back! It took less than a minute for
him to shift into his massive white buffalo form and
bellow at the two men he’d singled out. Since his father
had been a tracker, he’d known both those men, not to
mention the alpha. He’d even been in training to
become a tracker himself, then they’d all turned on him.

Lloyd’s eyes widened and Jason’s jaw sagged open.

“Holy shit, Emmett!” the enforcer whispered. “We
thought you were dead.”

That was what he needed, for his identity to be

recognized. He quickly shifted back. “I’m here for
restitution from Bennett and Leonard.”

“For what crimes,” Beta Lloyd asked quietly.
“For drugging me, trapping me in my animal form,

and putting me in the zoo,” Emmett replied. “For
blackmailing Randy with the safety of his sister and her
family in order to keep me there for nearly eight years.”

“You’re not going to believe this shit, are you,

Lloyd?” Bennett snarled. It must have taken too long
for Lloyd to answer, because the alpha started stripping.
“I’ll teach you to lie, you little faggot!”

Emmett expected the attack to come halfway

through his shift, since one of the abilities of an alpha
was to shift in a matter of seconds. But the attack never
came, and a good twenty seconds later, Emmett shook
out his fur and focused on his surroundings. He spotted
the alpha and watched in dismay as Bennett reached
Darrell and stabbed his right horn clean through him.

Bennett tossed his head, and Darrell’s body was

lifted like a rag doll, flying through the air to land with
his leg at an unnatural angle beneath him.

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58

Bellowing with rage, Emmett charged. The alpha

pivoted on his hind legs, and instead of hitting him in
the side, he glanced off the slightly larger buffalo’s
shoulder.

The other shifter swung back around and pain

erupted through Emmett’s haunch. Damn, Bennett is
fast! He leaped away and spun, trying to get into
position to face the other shifter. He knew he wouldn’t
make it, so lurched sideways at the last second. He
swung his head and just managed to sink a horn into the
other shifter’s shoulder before the alpha pivoted away.
It wasn’t a deep wound, but it would bleed.

A roar erupted from nearby, and from the corner of

his eye, Emmett spotted brown fur with silver tips, then
made out the massive jaws and huge head of the grizzly
bear as it bore down on them. Even though he knew it
was Kontra, it didn’t stop the shock from freezing him
to the spot. The shifter was big when in human form. In
bear form, he was huge, well over a thousand pounds.
Once he reached the frozen combatants, he stood on his
hind legs, showing an impressive height of over eight
feet, and roared.

Emmett took advantage of the distraction and

charged Bennett. The bigger buffalo didn’t turn in time,
and he managed to imbed a horn into his back leg.
Jerking his head, he tore a muscle.

Bennett bellowed in pain and anger. Gathering

himself, the alpha charged again, this time at Kontra.

The bear wasted no time dropping to all fours before

bringing up one massive paw and swiping it toward the
charging buffalo. At the same time, Emmett pivoted
and kicked out with both back legs. Kontra’s swipe

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59

connected with Bennett’s shoulder. The strike sent him
rocking sideways toward the white buffalo, and
Emmett’s large, sharp hooves connected with the
alpha’s skull.

Emmett felt bone crack when the powerful blow

connected, sending a shudder up his spine and through
his body. The alpha fell to the ground, the impact of his
heavy body making the earth shake. Splaying his feet,
Emmett waited for the ground to stop trembling before
he turned around to look at the alpha.

His heart nearly stopped as he gazed at the hatred

gleaming from Bennett’s brown eye. Seconds later, the
life drained from Bennett’s body as surely as the blood
drained from the wounds on his head and chest. Emmett
initiated his shift, and once in human form, stumbled
sideways as pain flared through his hip where the alpha
had managed to catch him with a horn. A hairy arm
wrapped around his waist, steadying him.

He looked up at a human Kontra’s face, but the bear

shifter’s expression gave away none of his thoughts. To
his surprise, his new alpha seemed to know exactly
what Emmett was thinking. Those hard brown eyes met
his gaze and he said solemnly, “I take care of those
under my protection, Emmett. I warned him that if he
attacked you, he’d face me.”

“Wow.” Emmett blew out a breath and stared at the

silent group. He jerked his gaze back to his new alpha
and whispered, “Thank you.”

Kontra nodded once and released him. Caleb

instantly took his place supporting him, and Emmett
limped away from the dead Alpha Bennett. He moved
to Darrell’s side and stared down at the man the vet had

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60

tried to protect for over eight years. Darrell’s breaths
came in shallow gasps as Eli carefully poked and
prodded him, checking for internal injuries, measuring
the damage the horn thrust had caused.

The gang stood around them, making certain none of

the other buffalo shifters could draw near. Lydia knelt
by the man’s head, smoothing the hair from his
sweating brow and murmuring non-sense.

“How is he?” Emmett asked.
Eli didn’t even acknowledge him, instead keeping

his focus on helping the downed buffalo. A small
shifter Emmett recognized as Yuma glanced his way
before helping Eli and Adam roll Darrell onto his back.
“He’s not sure, yet,” the small shifter admitted.

Adam gripped Darrell’s shoulders while Yuma held

his head. Eli grasped Darrell’s left leg firmly and
twisted. A sick snap resounded through the clearing,
and a quick sweep over the crowd showed Emmett that
he wasn’t the only one cringing.

Eli looked toward Emmett, but it was behind him

that the dark-haired man focused. He knew Kontra
stood just behind him. “I need to get him out of here.
He has a broken leg, a hole in his side, and internal
bleeding that I can’t pin down. He needs a shifter
friendly hospital,” he whispered urgently.

Kontra jerked a nod. “Take him to the airport. I’ll

make certain a jet is standing by and we’ll take him to
Colorado. I’ll let Lark know you’re on the way. He’ll
help.”

Emmett had no idea who they were speaking of or

why they’d send him to Colorado, but that didn’t seem
to matter. To his surprise, Jason stepped forward. “I’ve

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61

given the keys to my SUV to Noel. He’ll bring it here.
Take it and get to the airport.”

“Thank you,” the alpha replied solemnly. Then he

looked at Lydia and said, “You can stay here with us or
bundle up your cubs and go with them. I know the
wolves will welcome you with open arms.”

“Wolves?” she whispered after a gulp.
“Yes,” Kontra replied. “Lark is the mate of a wolf

shifter alpha and an experienced shifter doctor. They’re
good men. They’ll take care of you and your family
until Darrell is back on his feet. If you don’t think you
can deal with the fact that they’re a mated pair of gay
men, then stay here and Darrell will be returned as soon
as possible.”

She stared at the alpha for a second, then she stared

down at her mate. Her silent debate was interrupted by
the roar of the engine of the approaching vehicle. She
kissed Darrell’s forehead and then leaped to her feet.
“Me and the kids will be ready in a minute. I don’t care
who the doctor loves. If he saves my mate, I’ll forever
be in his debt.”

Kontra nodded once, and she scurried into the house.

Randy left where he’d been speaking with Lloyd and
followed his sister. Emmett knew she’d have help from
her brother, but he couldn’t help wondering what the
vet had been speaking with the beta about.

The vehicle pulled up as close to Darrell as possible

and a man slid from behind the wheel. He folded down
the rear seat and helped Eli and Yuma load Darrell into
the back of the vehicle, the two shifters climbing in
after him. Lydia and Randy reappeared, a confused cub
in each of their arms. After settling them into the

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62

vehicle, Randy took the keys from the man who must
have been Noel and climbed behind the wheel.

Randy paused and turned toward Kontra. “Thank

you for everything.”

The big man grunted.
He must have realized that was the only response he

was likely to get from the alpha, for Randy closed his
door and brought the vehicle roaring to life. Emmett
watched with mixed emotions as the only friend he’d
had for the last eight years guided the SUV into the
night, filled to capacity with Eli, Yuma, Darrell, Lydia,
and their two cubs.

A throat clearing drew Emmett away from where he

watched the SUV’s taillights disappear into the gloom.
The beta, alpha now unless the herd voted for a new
leader, stepped in front of Emmett and help up the
newspaper cutting. “Your mate showed me the
newspaper article, Emmett. And Randy took a minute
to explain everything. I really liked Darrell and his
mate, and could never understand the excuses that
Bennett always came up with to refuse his promotion.
But he was the alpha.” Lyle shrugged. “For the most
part, he was good for the herd. I understand how you
wouldn’t agree,” the man added, obviously reading
Emmett’s incredulous expression. “I’ve ordered your
father to be secured at the lodge. To complete your
restitution, I need to know what you want done with
him.”

Emmett frowned, surprised by the man’s blunt

statements. Blowing out a breath, he struggled to decide
what he really wanted. Lifting his gaze to the beta
turned alpha, he said, “I want Leonard to stay out of my

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63

way. I want to be able to see my mother, if she wants to
see me, and my brother and sister. I’d like to make
certain he can’t refuse them the opportunity, if they
wish it, to spend time with me.”

The new alpha smiled and nodded. “That can be

arranged.”

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64

Chapter Nine

aleb insisted on helping Adam clean and dress
Emmett’s cuts and scrapes from his fight before his

mate saw his mother. He knew how important it was for
Emmett to know if his mother was in on the
banishment. Caleb prayed that she wasn’t.

They followed Lloyd and the second enforcer who’d

been introduced as Branson, through the trees to a small
house with the porch light on and a bright glow shining
from several windows. As they approached, the front
door swung open, silhouetting a slender female form. It
was hard to make out features with the light shining at
her back, and Caleb found himself praying to whatever
gods cared to listen that the woman would welcome her
son with open arms.

“Beta Lloyd? What’s happened? Where’s Leonard?”

she asked hesitantly.

Lloyd held up a hand while standing outside the

circle of the porch light and asked, “Nadeen, I don’t
know how else to tell you other than to just come out
and say it. Your son, Emmett, is alive. Leonard and
Bennett conspired against him because your son is gay.
They trapped him in animal form and sold him to a zoo,

C

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where he’s been trapped, until now.”

“Emmett is alive?” she whispered. She took a step

forward, and the light finally no longer shone directly
on her back, allowing Caleb to make out a hopeful
expression. “Where is he?”

Relief filled Caleb that, at least, Nadeen hadn’t been

involved in the kidnapping and exiling.

“I’m here, mother,” Emmett replied, stepping past

the other buffalo. He walked toward his mother. “I’ve
missed you. I’m sorry that father told you I was dead.”

“Oh, my boy!” she cried. Nadeen lunged forward

and pulled him into a tight embrace. Emmett grunted,
but his injuries didn’t stop the white buffalo from
returning the hug. After a second, Nadeen stepped back
and settled her hands on his arms so she could look him
up and down. “What happened? Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. Just a few cuts,” Emmett assured.
“And your father,” she said softly. “Does he know

you’re alive? Where is he?”

Emmett sighed, and lowered his head. “Father didn’t

like it that I’m gay, mother,” he stated bluntly. “He and
Alpha Bennett decided that I wasn’t worthy to remain
in the herd, so the alpha found some drug that trapped
me in animal form.” He looked over his shoulder and
Caleb gave him an encouraging smile. Emmett
grimaced. “I’ve spent the last eight years as a buffalo in
the zoo, mom.”

“All because you think you might be gay?” she

questioned. “Well, maybe you just haven’t met the right
woman.”

Caleb wasn’t the only one who recognized the

hopefulness in her smile as she gazed up at her son.

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66

Emmett shook his head, again glancing over his

shoulder at Caleb. He gave his mate another smile, and
he again turned to his mother. “It’s not that I might be
gay, mom. I am gay. Even Fate knows it.” He held out a
hand toward Caleb. “This is Caleb Belikov. He’s my
mate. He and his friends rescued me.”

Nadeen drew back as Caleb stepped forward and

took Emmett’s hand. Emmett pulled him close and
wrapped an arm around his waist. Caleb couldn’t help
but smile up at Emmett. He liked being tucked in close,
able to breathe in the man’s masculine scent, feel the
heat of his hard body. Emmett’s other hand came up
and cupped his jaw before pressing a light, chaste kiss
to his lips.

“You’re the best thing to ever happen to me. Thank

you for saving me,” Emmett whispered.

Warmth flooded Caleb and he smiled up at his mate.

“I love you, my mate. I will always be there for you.”

“And I love you, Caleb,” Emmett replied without

hesitation.

His words sent a fresh wave of pleasure through

Caleb. A throat clearing stopped him from doing what
he wanted, namely grabbing his mate’s head and
pulling it down for a passionate kiss. They both turned
to see a delighted smile on Emmett’s mother’s face.
“Congratulations on finding your mate, son,” she said.
“That’s wonderful.”

Caleb was a bit surprised by Nadeen’s seemingly

easy acceptance, but her next words cleared it up. “My
brother is gay, too,” she whispered. “Your Uncle
Grippen left the herd and found a nice human to settle
down with. I don’t think he’s my brother’s true mate,”

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she mused, “but he’s happy.” Nadeen turned toward
Lloyd. “And my mate?” she murmured. “I know he’s
not the most open-minded man, and I’ll certainly be
giving him a piece of my mind, but I do love him.”

“He has been ordered not to speak against your son,

or to keep you from seeing each other,” Lloyd stated, a
smirk curving his lips. “If he does, let me know,” he
ordered.

“Yes, Alpha,” she replied swiftly.
Lloyd nodded. “Once your son leaves, he’ll be

back,” Lloyd told her.

“Thank you,” she replied, then led them into the

house.

They chatted for several hours, and it was

abundantly clear Emmett had no idea he had a gay
uncle. Nadeen told him all about her second oldest
brother, Grippen, and even gave Emmett his contact
information. She explained that the shifter had chosen
to leave the herd when it became apparent he wouldn’t
be accepted. He’d kept in touch with only a handful,
including Nadeen, over the internet.

Eventually, Caleb’s eyelids drooped and his limbs

grew heavy. Emmett smiled down at him and caught
the tail end of his yawn. He rose, pulling Caleb along
with him. They said their good-byes, agreeing to visit
again in the morning so Emmett could see his siblings.

Fifteen minutes later, Caleb brought his bike to life,

glad the night air had perked him up a bit. Emmett
climbed on behind him. Leaning forward, the larger
man called, “I’m going to have to learn to ride one of
these. No offense, Caleb, but your bitch seat isn’t all

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68

that comfortable.”

Caleb chuckled. “None taken.”
He put the bike in gear and drove them to the motel

where Terence’s text had told him the gang had
acquired rooms. He’d parked the bike and was headed
toward his friend’s room when a large form emerged
from the dark shadows of the building. At first, he
stiffened, but then he caught the man’s scent.

“Hey, Kontra, everything okay?” he asked, watching

the large man amble toward them, the light glinting off
the silver flecks in his dark hair. It looked so much like
his fur in bear form that it was uncanny, and freaky as
hell, which seemed to suit his alpha just fine.

“Yep,” the man’s deep gravelly voice rumbled. “Just

wanted to make certain you two made it back safely.
You feeling okay, Emmett?” He regarded Caleb’s mate
solemnly, as if assessing his condition with his eyes.

Emmett nodded. “Yes, sir. Nothing that a hot shower

and a rub down from my mate won’t cure,” he said,
sending a teasing wink toward Caleb. Caleb grinned
back, and Emmett returned his focus to Kontra. “Thank
you for backing me, Alpha,” he said. “It means a lot to
me that you’d help me even though I hadn’t given you a
definitive answer about staying with you all.”

Kontra nodded once, then lifted a shoulder in a shrug

as his gaze strayed to the dark parking lot. “You’re
important to Caleb. That makes you important to the
gang. Beside,” he added, holding up a key, “I knew
you’d stay with us. See you in the morning.”

After Caleb took the key, they watched him head

down the line of rooms and slip silently into one three
doors down. Emmett looked down at Caleb, his brows

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lifted in concern. “He’s a freaky shifter, you know that,
right?”

“He’s a good alpha,” Caleb replied. After reading

the number on the tag Kontra had given him, he led the
way into their room. Once the door was closed, he told
Emmett, “He’s a good man, too. He saved me and a
number of others in our gang. He’s given us all a family
when our own turned their backs on us. There isn’t
anything we wouldn’t do for him.”

Emmett nodded. “I understand that, and believe it or

not, I feel the same,” he admitted. He headed toward
the bathroom, pulling off clothes as he went. “I was just
pointing out that he’s a bit on the mysterious side. Do
you even know where he’s from?”

Caleb shook his head, following his mate, admiring

the view of his ass when Emmett dropped his pants. “I
have no idea. I don’t know if any of us do. He doesn’t
exactly encourage questions, you know?”

“I noted that.” Emmett reached into the shower and

turned on the water before looking over his shoulder at
him. “Gonna join me?”

The lusty glint in Emmett’s eyes was all the

instigation Caleb needed. “Hell, yeah,” he whispered,
quickly stripping out of his own clothes.

Once ensconced in the warmth of the shower, Caleb

relished the feel of Emmett’s hands on his head as his
mate washed his hair. “Baby,” Emmett murmured,
nibbling Caleb’s neck sensuously.

“Hmm?”
“You said your alpha saved you. Is that why you

carry his last name?”

Caleb stiffened, his eyelids snapping wide. He’d

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known he’d have to explain this sooner or later. There
was no way in hell people would ever mistake them for
being related.

Emmett must have felt him stiffen, because he

remained silent while he tilted Caleb’s head under the
spray of water and rinsed his hair. Then he cupped
Caleb’s face in one big, warm hand and brought his
gaze up to meet his. “It doesn’t matter. If you don’t
want to tell me right away or ever, then I won’t pry.
Just know that whatever it is, it won’t make me love
you any less.” He finished his words with a soft, chaste
peck on the lips.

Caleb settled his hands on Emmett’s wet shoulders

and held on tight. “A homeless woman found me
discarded in a dumpster,” he admitted. “I don’t know
anything about my parents. I grew up on the streets.”

“Oh, love,” Emmett crooned. His arms wrapped

around him, trying to pull him against his chest.

Caleb shook his head and held Emmett’s gaze,

needing to share the story with his mate. “It wasn’t that
bad,” he said. “The woman who found me, Irene, she
was a decent mother to me. Even patched me up when I
got shot by a guy I was trying to pick the pocket of,” he
admitted, feeling the heat of a blush burn his cheeks.

“That’s how you got this,” Emmett murmured,

running his fingers over the puckered flesh on his back.

Nodding, Caleb continued, “We never really talked

about how fast I healed, then I hit puberty and went
through my first shift. I had no idea what was
happening to me, and neither did she. Irene started
asking questions, and somehow it drew Kontra’s
attention.” He paused for a second, a smile curving his

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lips at the next memory. “I tried to pick his pocket.”

Emmett snorted. “You what?”
He shrugged. “I was a fifteen-year-old street rat,

remember? I was a damn good thief.”

“Right. So let me guess,” Emmett said, chuckling

softly. “He caught you, realized you were a shifter, and
invited you into the gang?”

Caleb nodded. “Spot on. That is, after he knocked

me out, took me to his room, and scared the shit out of
me by shifting into a bear.”

Emmett’s eyes widened in shock. “He did what?”
Chuckling, Caleb stated, “The object lesson stuck.

Use all your senses. I knew there was something
different about him, but I wanted his wallet, so I
ignored what my sixth sense told me.”

“And what was that?” Emmett asked dryly.
“Not to fuck with a bear.”
This time, Caleb let his laughing mate pull him

close. Emmett kissed the top of his head. “How long
have you been with Kontra?”

“I’ve been traveling with him for thirty-two years,”

he told Emmett. “I was the third person Kontra picked
up. It wasn’t until I was seventeen and came out to him
that he revealed that he and the other guys were gay,
too.” He shook his head. “Gods, I was so angry at him.”

Emmett leaned back and frowned down at him.

“Why?”

Grimacing, Caleb answered. “I finally had a family,

even if it was unconventional. I was afraid they’d leave
me behind if they knew, but it got to the point where I
didn’t want to hide anymore, either. I’d seen two guys
making out and wanted to be able to do that, too. It

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72

would have saved me so much inner turmoil if they’d
just told me.”

His mate gave him a gentle kiss. “He was waiting for

you to trust him,” he said sagely.

Caleb nodded. “Yup. That didn’t make me any less

angry at the time,” he admitted.

“Well, I’m glad you got over it,” Emmett murmured,

punctuating his words with soft kisses over Caleb’s face
and jaw. “And I’m very grateful that you found me, and
not just because you rescued me.”

His breathing sped up as Emmett’s large hands

caressed his shoulders. “Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah. I love you, my mate. I’ll follow you

anywhere.”

Desire mixed with contentment crashed through

Caleb like a tidal wave, filling him with happiness and
need. “I love you, too, Emmett,” he replied before
ducking his head and flicking his tongue over one taut
nipple.

Emmett growled and lowered a hand to the curve of

Caleb’s back, the other to his ass. His mate’s fingers
delved into his crack, brushing against his hole. Caleb
gasped, loving the feathery-light touches but needing
more, so much more.

“I was so worried about you,” Caleb admitted,

before he lost all ability to speak. “I feared you be taken
from me.”

Releasing his hold, Emmett reached for Caleb’s

bottle of conditioner. “Nothing will take you from me,”
he replied, pouring a large glob of the cream onto his
fingers. “Not even bigoted, psychotic alphas.”

“Good,” Caleb managed to gasp as Emmett’s finger

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breached his ass.

He lifted a leg and hitched it over Emmett’s hip,

opening himself more for his mate’s talented digits.
“Oh, gods, Emmett,” he groaned, letting his head fall
against the shower wall. Emmett added a second finger
and scraped them over his prostate, sending a shard of
pleasure straight to his balls. “Fuck, just like that.”

“My mate,” Emmett growled before capturing

Caleb’s lips. He thrust his tongue deep into Caleb’s
mouth, lapping at his tongue, his teeth and gums.
Emmett mapped his mouth with a single-minded
determination, before drawing Caleb’s tongue into his
mouth and sucking on it.

Caleb moaned into the kiss as his cock pulsed his

release between them, an orgasm from nowhere
blindsiding him with pleasure. Emmett continued to
work both his mouth and his hole, rubbing his prostate
with three fingers now, wringing out every last drop of
cum from him.

The hand on his ass encouraged him to wrap his

other leg around Emmett’s waist and his mate pressed
him into the tiles, holding his body steady. The fingers
disappeared from his ass, but before he could even
think to complain, Emmett’s thick cock bumped his
hole then pressed into him. His mate’s shaft filled him
to capacity as his muscles gave way and welcomed his
lover.

This was what he needed. His mate. His lover. His

love. Here in his body, in his arms, Emmett holding
him as Caleb held him back. Emmett paused, smiling
down at him, the love, trust, and affection shining
clearly in his brown eyes. “Thank you,” Emmett

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74

whispered.

Caleb’s brows rose. “For what?”
Emmett pressed a soft, sensual kiss to his lips before

lifting his head again and replying, “For giving me my
freedom, for giving me my life back, and for giving me
your love.”

“I’ll always be there for you,” he vowed. At

Emmett’s pleased grin, Caleb winked. “Think you can
finish what you started?”

“Hell, yeah.”

About the Author

Charlie lives on a mini ranchette in Utah with her
husband and furry, four-legged children. She started
writing fantasy when she was eight, and after stumbling
onto her first erotic romance at age nineteen, she
realized her true calling. She now focuses on writing
erotic romance, normally of the paranormal variety,
with heroes and heroines of all kinds. You can often
find her curled up with her laptop and a cup of tea or
glass of wine, creating her next adventure. Charlie
enjoys exploring the mountains on horseback, 4-
wheeler, or motorcycle. Her favorite exercise is
jumping lessons with her Arabian gelding Apache or
her Thoroughbred mare Repo. And she can’t get
enough of sexy highlanders with their kilts and swords.
Right now, she and her muse are working with
dedication on her Wolves of Stone Ridge series and
Kontra’s Menagerie series.

She can be reached at [e-mail]
Or visit her at www.charlie-richards.com