Nehalem Pack 9

A Wolf’s Forgotten Life

Dominic Gabardi is living life one day at a time. After waking up from a coma he has no
recollection of his past and struggles every day to find some sense of normalcy. Everything
changes when Roderick Morgan walks into his life. Remembering his past takes a backseat when
up against his strong attraction toward Roderick.

Roderick is a hunter who is set with the task to create peace between his fellow hunters and wolf
shifters. In doing so, he must also find a way to keep their secret from the human world that
shifters do exist, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to guard that information.

When Roderick learns about Dominic’s condition he immediately wants to eliminate the problem
for the greater good, that is, until he meets the man. Now Roderick must find a way to help
Dominic remember his true nature before he loses control of his wolf and exposes his secret.

Ge nre :

Alternative (M/M or F/F), Contemporary, Paranormal, Vampires/Werewolves

Le ngth:

42,135 words

A WOLF’S FORGOTTEN LIFE

Nehalem Pack 9

AJ Jarrett

EVERLASTING CLASSIC

MANLOVE

Siren Publishing, Inc.

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IMPRINT: Everlasting Classic ManLove


A WOLF’S FORGOTTEN LIFE
Copyright © 2013 by AJ Jarrett
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62741-008-3

First E-book Publication: November 2013

Cover design by Harris Channing
All art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

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Table of Contents

Title Page
Copyright Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
About the Author

A WOLF’S FORGOTTEN LIFE

Nehalem Pack 9

AJ JARRETT

Copyright © 2013

Chapter One

Dominic closed his eyes then opened them again. He did it again

only clenched his eyelids tighter, begging that something looked familiar
when he opened his eyes.

Nothing. Not a spark of a memory, just more questions than answers

rattled through his bashed-in head about the life he led before the
accident.

Dominic sat in his sunlit room and the damn thing looked the same as

it did when he was brought to this house two weeks ago. The large room
with its beige-colored walls that nothing hung on. No pictures or
decorative candleholders, nothing. The room was bare except for his
bed, desk, and dresser.

There were stacks of boxes that sat in the corner of the room that he

had gone through but nothing jumped out at him as something from his old
life, a life he couldn’t remember.

* * * *

Two weeks ago Dominic woke up in a brightly lit hospital room.

Machines produced a constant beep as they read his vitals, the strong
stench of bleach and disinfectant burned his nose. When he opened his
eyes a man sat next to his bed, staring at him as if just waiting for that
very moment. He sighed in relief, pulled out his phone, and started
making calls. Dominic watched with a wary eye as the man started to
talk as if he knew him.

Dominic tried and tried but he couldn’t place the man’s face. The

hurt expression the man gave him made Dominic feel guilty. No matter
how hard he tried, everything came up blank.

“Dominic, it’s me, Devon.” The man paused, giving time for the

information to sink into Dominic’s brain, but Dominic only shook his
head in confusion. “Don’t you remember me?”

He shook his head no, then asked, “My name’s Dominic?” Up until

that point he didn’t even know he had a name.

A doctor came in and explained that memory loss was common in

cases like this. Dominic didn’t even have a clue what that doctor meant.
“What happened to me?”

According to Devon, he’d been attacked and badly beaten. He’d

suffered extreme damage to the side of his skull and it had caused his
brain to swell. A part of him was thankful that he couldn’t remember
that. Who in their right mind would want to have memories of getting
their head kicked in?

But nonetheless, he had to know the circumstances that left him in

this condition. Apparently the man he’d been dating decided to end their
relationship by ending Dominic’s life. The whole thing would have been
more upsetting had he not learned that his attempted murder had also
fooled the townspeople of Silver Creek. Dominic had gotten off lucky
considering the man was a serial killer and had killed two members of
the Silver Creek swim team.

The thought that he had been intimate with a person that was capable

of something like that still caused chills to ripple over his skin.

Dominic stayed in the hospital a few more days after he woke up.

More visitors came to see him but still nothing. No one took offense to
him not remembering them and just kept telling him stories of who he
used to be.

A young man by the name of Erik came by every day and still did,

since he’d been released from the hospital. From what Erik said,
Dominic didn’t have any family and came to live with Erik and his
brothers when he was nineteen. The old Dominic didn’t talk about his
past and Erik said he pretty much kept to himself and buried himself in
his work.

Devon and Erik both raved about how great with computers he had

been but Dominic couldn’t even tell them how to turn one on now. It all
came up blank in his mind.

Dominic could read and after a little work with a therapist was able

to do some basic math, but no way did he believe Erik when he told
Dominic he had worked as an accountant. Just the little bit of math he’d
worked on bored the hell out of him. He could never imagine doing that
for a living.

Three days after waking up from his four-week nap he was released

from the hospital. Dominic didn’t know where he was going, only that
Devon was taking him to the place he called home. He was given his
own room and free range of the house.

Life at the Carsten manor wasn’t bad. Everyone he had met was

really nice and didn’t treat him like some freak. He did find it a little
strange that all the men in the house were gay. Dominic shrugged it off.
Who was he to judge? Apparently he was gay but he had no memory of
that. Hell for all he knew he was bisexual and dabbled in both sexes. Not
knowing who he was kind of trumped any kind of sexual desires he might
have toward anyone, man or woman.

* * * *

Dominic got up from where he sat on the bed and walked over to his

dresser and looked into the mirror. His blue eyes seemed more gray than
blue, and a little dull. His black hair looked a little shaggy but he wanted
to keep it longer. On the left side of his head was a wide scar, also a
small indention in the bone where it had healed.

He had no recollection of what he looked like prior to the accident,

only what he’d seen in pictures. The men in the house had shown him
plenty of photographs of a smiling man with short, spiky hair and pale
skin. A glow seemed to radiate off him, drawing Dominic closer to the
pictures. Dominic thought the guy he used to be was pretty damn
handsome but it wasn’t who he was now. That Dominic fell asleep and
never woke up. All that was left was the outer shell of the man everyone
had grown to know and love. The man he was now was a stranger in his
own skin. Not the Dominic Gabardi from six weeks before his accident.

Dominic ran a hand through his hair but the lifeless strands fell flat.

He made sure to comb his hair to the side to help cover the hideous scar
then headed for the door. The sun was out and he felt like a little fresh
air. Dominic felt his most relaxed while sitting outside. He didn’t know
what that meant. Maybe before his accident he was some sort of nature
enthusiast, who enjoyed camping in the woods. Who knew?

In the week and half of living in the Carsten house, he had gotten

pretty familiar with the layout. He knew where the living room was,
where everyone seemed to gather in the evening, and the kitchen. Some

of the most wonderful smells came from that beloved room.

Dominic came down the stairs and looked around. Every now and

again he’d walk into a room and close his eyes. Hoping beyond hope that
something would come back to him.

“Hi, Dom, whatcha doing?”
He cracked open one eye and saw a little boy standing in front of

him. Short, brown hair, the brightest blue eyes he’d ever seen, and, well,
a kid. He should be able to remember his name. It sat right on the tip of
his tongue.

For god sakes! Dominic, you idiot. You played kickball with him

two days ago, his voice echoed in the hollows of his head.

“Uh, uh.” Dominic snapped his fingers trying to spit the kid’s name

out.

“Carson,” the little boy said slowly and loudly as if he thought

Dominic was deaf.

“Shit, that’s right,” Dominic shouted. Then something inside him

reminded him he shouldn’t use foul language in front of a child. “Damn
it.” He balled up his fist and prayed that the next thing that came out of
his mouth wasn’t offensive. “I’m sorry, Carson. I didn’t mean to forget
your name or say those bad words.” He squatted down until eye level
with the small boy. “Can you forgive me?”

“Sure.” Carson raised his small hand up and lightly stroked it on the

side of Dominic’s head where the scar was. He had to fight against his
body’s natural instinct to flinch away. “It’s not your fault you can’t
remember stuff. But my dads say as long as you try that’s all that
matters.”

The kid said it like that answered all the problems in the world and

excused the fact that Dominic’s brain was mush.

“I like your dads.” He returned the little boy’s smile. “They sound

pretty smart.”

“Well duh, they are.” Carson rolled his eyes.
“You little stinker.” Dominic reached for Carson and started to tickle

his sides and the little boy squealed in delight. He gave one last tickle
then stood up. “You hungry?” Carson nodded his head. “Me, too, let’s go
see what’s in the kitchen.”

Dominic let Carson lead the way. The sound of voices could be

heard before he reached the entry into the kitchen. Once he stepped into
the kitchen, all talking ceased. That had happened a lot lately but
Dominic didn’t think he should be offended by it or at least he tried not
to be. He was a stranger in the Carsten house even if they knew him
before his accident.

Skyler, one of Carson’s dads, Carl, and Aiden stood around the

island in the center of the kitchen.

“Dad, I’m hungry,” Carson whined and stuck out his lower lip.
“You do realize you sound like a little girl when you pout like that?”

Skyler teased his son. “I think that little Tatum girl is rubbing off on you
too much.”

“She is not!” Carson tried to look appalled by the fact that his dad

had just ousted him in front of everyone that he hung out with a girl.

“Who’s Tatum?” Dominic asked as he ruffled his hand through

Carson’s soft brown hair. “Is she your girlfriend?”

“Why? You jealous?” Carson asked in all seriousness without

missing a beat. Dominic was dumbfounded and didn’t know what to say.

“Now that, my friends, is my boy.” Skyler held up his hand to his son

to give him a high five. “And you have extremely good taste because she
is the cutest little girl I think I’ve ever seen. Makes me want to have
another child.”

“Yeah, I don’t think the rest of us can put up with another little

protégé of yours.” Aiden got up from his seat to refill his coffee mug.
“How you doing this morning, Dom?”

“Good I guess.” He pulled out the milk from the fridge and filled a

glass.

“I still found it completely odd that you can’t remember liking

coffee?” Skyler pointed to the glass of milk in Dominic’s hand. “You
used to live off the stuff.”

Dominic shrugged his shoulders and took a drink. “It’s too bitter.

I’ve tried it a couple of times but I can’t stand the stuff.” He picked up
one of the banana muffins sitting on a platter on the countertop and took a
bite. His eyes fell shut and he moaned as the sweet, moist texture rolled
over his tongue and down his throat. Dominic was surprised he hadn’t
gained twenty pounds since being released from the hospital. Carl
always had something baking and ready to offer him in a heartbeat.

“I take it you like those?” Carl asked.
“I love them,” Dominic said around a mouthful of muffin. “You’re

the best cook ever.”

“There was a time you thought I was.” Dominic heard the mumbled

words Skyler said under his breath as he turned around to refill his
coffee mug.

The room grew quiet except for the sound of Carson singing along to

the theme song of Spongebob Squarepants in front of the TV that hung on
the wall in front of the kitchen table. No one seemed to make eye contact
with Dominic and it was times like this he hated most of all.

“I’m sorry, Skyler,” Dominic found himself apologizing. He’d

become a pro at doing that lately. It wasn’t his fault he couldn’t
remember but it wasn’t these men’s fault for having these cherished
memories of Dominic Gabardi. He was their friend and this Dominic
they were now stuck with was a lacking substitute.

“No, don’t be.” Skyler brushed a hand under his eye. Dominic

couldn’t be sure but he thought he saw a tear slip out the man’s eye.
“You’ll come to remember.” Skyler paused before correcting himself.
“You’ll come to see I like to be the center of attention and Carl keeps
steeling my spotlight with his damn baked goods.”

Aiden and Carl began to laugh and Dominic took that as a clue to

chime in. Skyler smiled and laughed and joked around, but Dominic
knew he had upset the other man. If he could just remember, episodes
like this wouldn’t happen as often. But no matter how much he hoped and
prayed, his mind was an empty abyss of nothingness.

“Gentleman, I’m sorry to say this but I have to go.” Carl put the

muffins in a plastic container and left them on the counter. “Margie has a
doctor’s appointment today and I promised Shane I’d come help out at
the café.”

Dominic had been to the café in Silver Creek once since he came to

live here. He liked it. The fresh, sweet scent of baked breads, muffins,
cakes, and cookies was like a drug to his system. Even the strong aroma
from the different coffees they served there weren’t too bad.

“Can I come with you?” Dominic asked, needing an excuse to get out

of the house. After hurting Skyler’s feelings he needed to escape the
awkwardness that made his skin crawl.

Carl looked over at Aiden who gave a quick nod, as if Dominic

needed permission to leave, but he guessed that he kind of did. If he got
separated from Carl, he wouldn’t know his way back home or a phone
number to call for help.

“Sure,” Carl said in a chipper voice. “Let me use the restroom real

quick then we’ll go.”

Dominic couldn’t contain his smile. He was free of the house even if

for just a little bit. Skyler’s disappointment sat thick in the air and it felt
like a noose around Dominic’s neck. He needed to get out of here before
it consumed him.

Chapter Two

“How was your trip?”
“Exhausting,” Roderick answered Brandon as he threw his suitcase

in the back of the man’s truck.

Over the past seven weeks, he and another hunter, Phillip, had

started the interview process on all hunters that were current members of
the East Coast section of the hunter’s council. Phillip was one of the only
other hunters he trusted to assist with the interviews. There were hunters
who truly wanted to accept the new changes and those only saying they
agreed but continuing to kill. It was a cluster fuck to try and weed
through the mess.

Roderick had grown tired of all the lies he had heard over the past

few weeks. Most of the hunters who worked with the council didn’t
know Roderick’s background and he didn’t give the information to just
anyone.

Prior to working with the hunter’s council, he had been a marine.

Joined up right after he graduated high school. He loved the daily life of
a soldier. He knew what was expected of him and he was good at
following and giving orders.

His ability to pay attention and keep calm in any situation made him a

valuable asset as a sniper. To be able to sit for long periods of time and
just watch his mark before he could take a shot. Roderick had been good
at that. But like most things in life, things changed and after too many
years of killing human beings, and watching too many of his friends die,
he needed a change.

Killing wolf shifters was different for him at first. He’d seen what a

crazed, out-of-its-mind wolf could do to a person’s body and it wasn’t
pretty. Roderick thought he was doing a public service by ridding the
world of these beasts. It wasn’t until he met one did his opinion start to
change.

Just like humans, there were bad and good. Roderick had only been

shown the bad until he met a sweet female wolf shifter. His boss on the
West Coast council’s son fell in love with one of the wolves he was
ordered to kill. The love those two shared was beyond anything

Roderick had ever seen before. Watching those two together proved to
Roderick that it was wrong to kill off an entire species based on what a
few had done wrong.

Now Roderick worked to protect both humans and wolf shifters.

There were humans who hunted wolf shifters for sport and wolf shifters
who did the same to humans. Evil was evil and it didn’t differentiate
between human and not-completely-human individuals.

For Roderick, it gave his life a better purpose. He didn’t want his

life to be nothing but blood and death. Killing for the past ten years had
started to tarnish his soul. He needed a change and so did the council.

“But it’s for a good cause.” Brandon pulled away from the curb and

headed for the highway. Roderick eased his chair back and closed his
eyes. “There are hunters out there who need to be stopped and those that
want to protect those who cannot protect themselves, be it humans or
wolves.”

“Yeah, but it’s tiring to have to read between the bullshit to see who

really believes what they say and those who just want me to believe
what they say so they can go on like they have been.” Roderick rubbed a
hand over his eyes. “If I see one more report about a kid wolf shifter
being killed, I swear I’m going to kill the hunter responsible.”

“I hear ya. Ever since I met Erik, I feel the same way. All I was ever

taught was to believe these beings were evil and deserved to die. Until
you see it firsthand, it’s hard to accept,” Brandon said.

“Yeah, I know. It’s hard to accept change.” He looked over to

Brandon. “But in this case it’s either change or the council will find a
way to eliminate you. Don’t get me wrong, there are some bad
motherfucking wolves out there that need to be put down, but we can’t
classify them all in the same manner.”

“True.” Brandon looked at him and held Roderick’s stare. “These

new changes make our jobs harder, but it’s worth it. You know that,
right?”

“Of course I do and that’s why I’m not bitching about it.” Roderick

turned to face forward and closed his eyes again.

“Oh I almost forgot. Dominic woke up while you were gone.”
Roderick opened his eyes just a bit to keep the bright sun out of his

eyes. “That’s good. Does he remember what happened?”

“Nope, not a single thing, and when I say a single thing, I’m not

exaggerating.” Brandon blew out a deep breath. “He doesn’t remember
anything from his old life. Not his job, his hobbies, if he’s gay or
straight. Nothing.”

“So are you saying this guy doesn’t remember he’s a wolf shifter?”

Roderick waited for Brandon’s answer. He’d just gotten back in town
and he didn’t want to have to deal with this, too. A wolf shifter who
doesn’t know he’s a wolf shifter was a serious problem.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Brandon answered.
“Shit,” Roderick mumbled under his breath. He’d never met Dominic

but he had to assume the other members of his pack might get a little
upset if he had to put Dominic down out of safety for the community.
“Does he suspect anything? I mean, fuck, how does the guy not remember
something like that? Forgetting what your favorite food is or if you can
drive a car is one thing, but this?” He shook his head. “This is bad,
Brandon, and you know it.”

“I know and that’s why I avoided calling you. I wanted to give Dom

time to remember.” Brandon’s grip on the steering wheel tightened and
Roderick could see the whites of his knuckles. “It’s only been two
weeks, Roderick.”

“Brandon, I know this guy is a member of your mate’s pack but you

know this could end very badly. Best-case scenario he remembers, but it
could easily go the other way. What happens if this guy shifts in the
fucking grocery store or while at the movies?” he asked Brandon,
knowing his friend didn’t have an answer for either question. “Him not
knowing what he is is a threat to everyone around him. Knowing what he
is could drive him crazy and a crazy wolf shifter is a bad thing, a real
bad thing.”

“I understand what you’re saying, but we need to give him more time.

I’ve got an idea.” Brandon passed the turnoff for his house and kept
driving. “Dom is helping out at the café today. I’ll take you there and you
can talk to him, get a feel for how he’s doing.”

“Brandon.” His voice lowered, conveying his exhaustion. He just

wanted to curl up in bed and sleep for a week.

“Come on, Roderick. Your opinion carries weight at the council. If

you say he’s fine then they’ll believe you.”

That was true. What was a few more minutes? “I guess I don’t have a

choice in the matter since you’re driving.”

“True, and since you’re staying with me, I guess you’re at my

mercy.” Brandon chuckled.

“Yeah, so not funny.” Roderick rolled his head on his shoulders

trying to work out the kinks from the long plane ride. “I’ll go speak with
him then I need to go and talk with Devon. He needs to know what will
have to happen if this Dom guy loses his shit.”

* * * *

Dominic cleared the empty mugs and plates from the table then

wiped it clean. He’d been at the Early Bean Café for the past three hours
and he wasn’t bored yet. He enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the daily
crowd that flooded into the little shop. The people were nice and he
enjoyed helping them. Granted he was only serving them coffee and
snacks, but still it made him feel like he wasn’t worthless.

The customers who came in didn’t know him so it made it easy to be

around them and talk with them. They couldn’t bring up what he used to
be like and inadvertently make him feel guilty for not being that same
person.

Dominic hummed along with the song that played over the radio. He

carried his tub of dishes around the counter to the sink and started to
rinse them off to put in the dishwasher. He wasn’t curing cancer, but
doing this job made him feel special. It gave him a purpose instead of
just sitting around the house waiting for his memory to come back.

“I’ve never seen someone take such pleasure from doing dishes,”

Shane said with a smile that Dominic returned.

“It’s fun.” He shrugged. “It’s something I can’t screw up and I don’t

need my memory to know how to wash dishes.” Dominic did his best to
keep the irritation from his voice. He didn’t want to offend or upset the
men who had taken him in.

“True.” Shane took a step toward him. “I’m not going to lie and say I

know what you’re going through. It’d just be an insult to you, but I will
say this, we all still care about you. Be it this person you’ve become or
the old you. It doesn’t matter to us. You’re still Dominic.”

“Yeah but not the Dominic everyone remembers.” He turned around

and rested his hip against the sink. “I hate seeing the disappointment in
their eyes whenever I don’t remember something or if I say the wrong
thing. It’s hard to deal with.”

“I can imagine.” Shane put a hand on his forearm and gave him a

gentle squeeze. “Just keep doing what you’re doing. We all love you.
And quite frankly”—Shane crossed his arms over his chest and blew his
light brown hair out of his face—“I like the new you. I can finally
understand what you say when you talk. Before, all that computer lingo
you used to spout off about confused the shit out of me and it made you
kind of scary.”

Dominic started to laugh. “I like you, too, Shane.” As Shane turned to

leave, Dominic said, “And thanks.”

“For what?” Shane raised his eyebrows.
“For liking the new me.”
Shane grinned and gave a quick nod of his head and went back to the

front counter. Dominic turned on the faucet and started to hose down the
dishware. The bell above the front door chimed, indicating a customer
had just come inside. With Shane manning the front counter, Dominic
stayed where he was washing off the dishes.

Dominic began humming along with the radio again but a strong,

enticing aroma made him lose focus. He closed his eyes and took a
bigger sniff, his nostrils flaring as he sucked it in. The scent made him
think of the crisp, cool mornings when he’d go outside before everyone
else woke up to watch the sunrise. A strong pine smell mixed with
morning dew. Dominic didn’t realize how much he loved that smell. His
palms grew sweaty and warmth flooded his chest.

“Dom, you okay?” Carl asked as he stepped around the corner

carrying a large bag of flour.

“Huh?” He looked at his friend.
“Are you all right?” Concern flashed in Carl’s eyes.
“Do you smell that?” The aroma grew stronger, to the point of

annoyance. He had to find out where that smell was coming from.

“Smell what?” Carl asked slowly.
“You know.” Dominic waved a hand around in the air, sending water

droplets flying. “That smell you smell first thing in the morning.” At

Carl’s blank look he elaborated. “The crisp, cool breeze cutting across
the trees, sending the smell of pine and dew right up your nose.”
Dominic took a deep breath. “It’s my favorite smell.”

“Hey, Dom…” Shane’s stopped in mid-sentence, looking between

him and Carl. “What’s going on here?”

“Tell him, Dom.” Carl pointed to Shane.
“Tell me what?” Shane glanced over his shoulder toward the front of

the store.

“It’s nothing.” Dominic was quick to explain. “Really. I just got a big

whiff of pine trees and morning dew.” He didn’t understand what the big
deal was.

“Huh?” Shane had a look of confusion on his face.
“That smell just so happens to be his favorite smell.” Carl gave

Shane a pointed look as if trying to tell the other man something without
saying the words.

“Let me get this straight.” Shane put this hand on his hips. “You just

started to smell this water and tree scent out of the blue?”

“Yeah.” Dominic nodded. Even now the smell was so strong if he

closed his eyes he could imagine sitting on the porch as the sun came
over the horizon and seeing the light glistening off the grass. He smiled at
the way the freshness and beauty of the scene made him feel.

Dominic opened his eyes, coming out of the trance he had fallen into.

His eyes landed on a man sitting at one of the front tables. The man
wasn’t alone. Brandon was with him, but Dominic couldn’t seem to pull
his attention from the other man.

“Who is that with Brandon?” The man seemed out of place in the

small coffee shop. His large frame was folded neatly into a chair, one
leg crossed over the other as he relaxed back into his seat. Dominic
could see the man’s lips moving but couldn’t make out a single word
over the blood pounding in his ears. The rugged handsomeness of his
face seemed to pull Dominic closer even though his feet never moved
from where he stood. High cheekbones, slightly crooked nose, and the
fullest bottom lip Dominic had seen since he’d woken up from his four-
week nap. There wasn’t anything soft and pretty about this man. He was
all hard lines and masculinity. In a way, it reminded Dominic of the
beautiful scenery of the land surrounding the Carsten house. Untouched

by the outside world, pure.

And god help him, the guy was drop-dead gorgeous. Every time his

arms flexed, the man’s muscles bulged at the cuff of the shirt where it
was wrapped around his bicep. Dominic’s fingers itched to touch the
golden, tanned skin.

Dominic took a deep breath and the smell seemed stronger, if that

were possible. A tingling sensation started low in his stomach and
fanned outward toward his balls. In response, his dick twitched and he
moved his hands to cover the growing bulge in his jeans.

“That would be Roderick. He’s a friend of Brandon’s. Brandon

actually brought Roderick here to meet you. Why don’t you go on up
there?” Shane patted him on the back, urging him forward. “I need to go
and call Erik.”

“Okay.” His voice sounded unsteady to his own ears. For some

reason he was completely nervous. He looked to Carl for help.

“It’s okay, Dom. I’ll be right back here if you need anything.” Carl

gave him an encouraging smile.

Dominic nodded his head and walked toward the front of the shop

toward Brandon and Roderick’s table. The closer he got, the more his
palms started to sweat. He wiped them on his shorts, trying to dry them
before he reached the table, then he raised his hand to nervously paw at
the bare spot on his scalp, embarrassed by what this man might think if
he saw his deformity.

He must have made a noise because both Brandon and Roderick

turned to look at him. The soft warm color of Roderick’s eyes took his
breath away. At least now he felt safe in saying he knew whether he was
gay or not.

Chapter Three

Roderick yawned so wide his jaw popped from the strain. All he

wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep for a week, but duty called.

Brandon drove them to the Early Bean Café so he could speak to

Dominic. He had never met the man before but had heard a lot about him.
According to the members of the pack, this guy was scary with what he
could do with a computer. But that had been before the accident.

Shane greeted him when he walked through the door with his usual

sarcasm. Today it was something about all work and no play made
Roderick a dull boy. He was too tired to come back with a witty
comment so he took a seat.

Brandon explained that they were there to see Dominic, and Shane

walked to the back to get the man.

Roderick didn’t know what Brandon hoped to accomplish by

bringing him here. Even if Dominic didn’t remember anything now and
seemed normal, it didn’t mean he’d always be like this. Roderick’s
biggest fear was that Dominic would shift in public, exposing his secret
to the world, or that he’d go crazy knowing what he truly was. A crazy
wolf was a dangerous one.

Either way Roderick felt like shit and didn’t want to be the one to

tell Brandon or Devon that this guy needed to be taken care of. The
world wasn’t ready to know that the things that went bump in the night
were real. Fear was a powerful emotion that drove countries to war and
the last thing Roderick wanted was for wolf shifters to be in more danger
than they already were.

The sound of shuffling feet drew Roderick’s attention up. Brandon

stood up and introduced them.

The sight of Dominic had his tired body waking up to take notice.

The soft glow of his pale skin and the crystal clearness of his blue eyes
stood out like a spotlight drawing all of Roderick’s focus.

He stood up and held out his hand to Dominic. “Hello, Dominic. My

name is Roderick Morgan. It’s nice to meet you.” It took a moment of
Dominic staring at his hand before he finally took it, and when he did
Roderick felt a spark shoot through his hand all the way to his toes.

“Hi,” Dominic whispered so softly Roderick took a step forward,

still holding on to the other man’s hand. Dominic cleared his throat and
spoke again. “Hi, Roderick.” He looked over to Brandon. “And nice
seeing you again, Brandon.”

Dominic’s grip was light but firm and Roderick found himself not

wanting to let go. Damn, I must be more tired than I thought. Roderick
forced himself to release Dominic’s hand and pulled out the chair
between him and Brandon for Dominic to sit in. “Please have a seat.”

Once they were seated, Roderick leaned forward and rested his

elbows on the table. He looked from Dominic to Brandon, unsure what
he should say or what Brandon wanted him to say.

At the moment, Roderick was doing his best to keep his body in

check. His skin sizzled with awareness of Dominic sitting so close. The
poor guy looked so frail sitting in his chair, arms covering his
midsection like he was afraid.

“So, Dominic, how’s things been going today?” Brandon asked,

starting the conversation.

“Good, I guess.” Dominic brought a hand up to trace a pattern on the

tabletop.

“That’s great to hear.” Brandon looked to Roderick but he only

shrugged. “I wanted you to meet my friend Roderick. He’s staying with
Erik and I for the time being.”

“I remember Erik mentioning that.” Dominic glanced at him from the

corner of his eye.

Roderick looked over at Brandon and raised his eyebrows. Brandon

tilted his head to the side and nudged it toward Dominic. Roderick was
still not certain what he should say and somehow asking Dominic if he
wanted to go back to his place and fuck seemed highly inappropriate.

A sharp sting shot up his shin from the kick Brandon aimed at him.

“Shit.” He bent down to rub at the knot forming on his leg. He narrowed
his eyes at Brandon, promising to get him back for this.

“You all right?” Dominic asked.
“I’m great,” Roderick managed to say. “So Brandon told me you lost

your memory.” He blew out a breath. “That has to be hard.”

“It is.” Dominic sat up straighter in his chair. “But I think it’s harder

for everyone else. I’m not the one missing anything from my old life

while everyone around me is suffering. I just wish everyone just
accepted me the way I am now, not what I was before.” A shocked look
appeared on Dominic’s face as if surprised he said so much.

Dominic’s bluntness started to thaw the ice around Roderick’s heart.

It had to be tough on this guy to not have any recollection from his old
life. And to add to that, the man didn’t know what he was capable of.

“I can’t believe I just said that.” Dominic looked to Brandon. “I’m

sorry. I didn’t mean it to come out like that.”

“It’s okay, Dominic.” Brandon patted Dominic on the hand and a

spark of jealousy coiled in Roderick’s gut. “I can only imagine what
you’re going through. I think you are handling all of this pretty well.”

Roderick began a slow tap of his fingers on the table. Brandon hadn’t

moved his hand and the smile that lit up Dominic’s face from the
kindness Brandon was showing him was really starting to piss him off.
“So, Dominic, nothing else about your new life feels odd or strange?
Any questions you feel the need to ask?”

“No, not really.” Dominic narrowed his eyes at him. “Why do you

ask?”

“Oh no reason.” Roderick slapped his hand on the tabletop. Both

Dominic and Brandon jumped at the sharp sound. “We should be going.”
He stood up and held his hand out to Dominic once more. “Nice meeting
you.”

“Same here.” A smile curved Dominic’s upper lip.
Roderick followed Brandon out of the café and got into his truck. He

took a deep breath, filling his lungs. While around Dominic, he couldn’t
seem to think or function. That had never happened before. Lovers came
and went, no one was ever special enough to garner a second thought
once they left Roderick’s bed, but there was something about Dominic.
He felt the need to protect the other man and tell him it didn’t matter if he
ever got his memory back. As long as Roderick was there, he’d take care
of Dominic.

It was an odd and eerie feeling. Roderick didn’t like it. He had a job

to do and, like it or not, Dominic was just another one of his many jobs
he had to take care of. If the wolf did panic once the realization set in
that he wasn’t like everyone else, it would mean putting a bullet between
those pretty blue eyes.

What is wrong with me? Why do I care this much? Roderick

silently asked himself. Dominic was just a man, and there were plenty of
others out there. No shortage in the male population.

He’d gone too long without sex and was sucked in by the innocence

in Dominic’s eyes. I need to get laid.

“Where to now?” Brandon asked.
“Devon’s.” Roderick buckled his seat belt. His chest felt tight with

the thought of ever hurting Dominic but what else could he do? He
needed to separate his lustful thoughts from what his job required of him.
He’d sworn to protect humans and wolves and sometimes that meant
from their own nature. “We need to discuss our options before this goes
any further.”

* * * *

Dominic watched as Roderick and Brandon drove out of sight. He

felt a twinge in his chest, almost an ache. His hand came up and his
fingers rubbed in a circular motion over the center of his chest.

“Dom, you okay?” Shane asked as he came around the counter to

stand by him.

“Yeah. Just tired I guess.” He stepped away from the window and

went back to the sink to finish loading the dishwasher.

“You like him don’t you?” Shane followed behind.
Dominic turned to look at him and noticed that Carl, too, had stopped

to stare at him. “I don’t know.” The burning heat of the flush that crawled
up his neck had given away how he really felt.

“You do!” Carl clapped a hand over his mouth.
“I guess it’s safe to say that you’re gay, huh?” Dominic had a strong

urge to smack the grin off Shane’s face. “Don’t even try to deny it. I saw
the way you were drooling after that guy. You’re totally smitten.”

“Well duh. The smell thing was a total giveaway. That’s what

hap…” Carl’s sentence was cut off by Shane throwing a wet hand towel
at his head. “What the heck?”

Shane gave a slight shake to his head. It was like they were talking

telepathically but Dominic didn’t know what about.

“What about the smell?” Dominic asked.

“Nothing.” The usual chipper spark was back in Shane’s tone. “Let’s

get back to work so we can close up on time. I can’t wait to tell
everyone that you have a crush on Roderick.”

“I do not!” Dominic snapped.
“Whatever. You totally do.” Shane pointed down at Dominic’s

crotch. “I saw exactly how much you liked him.”

Dominic sputtered, trying to think of something to say, but his

embarrassment made his tongue feel too heavy for his mouth.

“Don’t try to hide it.” Shane called out over his shoulder. “It’s good

to see you like a guy. One more thing we all have in common.” Dominic
laughed when Shane waggled his eyebrows at him.

“Are you sure we were friends before my brain got bashed in?”
“Of course!” Shane looked offended. “Like the best.”
“Now I know you’re lying.” Dominic smiled and got back to work.
It had been an exciting day to say the least. He couldn’t get over how

much he enjoyed helping out at the café and loved helping Carl decorate
the cookies and cakes. It was a full day. To top it off, his heart got a
workout, too. For the first time since waking up in that hospital bed, he
felt truly alive. Alive in a way that had everything to do with the way
Roderick made him feel.

“Just for the record.” Carl stood beside him and helped load the

dishwasher. “Roderick was totally checking you out, too.”

“Really?”
“Yeah.” Carl bumped shoulders with him.
He couldn’t imagine what a man like Roderick would see in

someone like him. Roderick was fit, with rippling muscles covered by
golden, sun-kissed skin. Like a Viking without the long hair. In
Dominic’s estimation, absolutely beautiful.

Dominic lacked in comparison to Roderick. He was tall and lanky,

pale like a vampire and he didn’t even know who the fuck he was. Not
remembering his life before the accident was bothering him less and
less, but what did he have to offer another person? He was broken in
ways he wasn’t entirely sure could be fixed. If it weren’t for the Carsten
family, Dominic wasn’t sure where he’d be.

Carl didn’t want to think any more about what used to be and lusting

after a guy he just met shouldn’t even be a priority at the present. The

only thing that mattered was the here and now, and he needed to figure
out what he was going to do with the rest of his life.

Chapter Four

“Hey, guys.” Devon said as he rushed into his office, shutting the

door behind him. “Sorry I’m late. I left the job site as soon as I got your
call.” He took the seat across from Roderick and Brandon. “Roderick,
it’s good to see you. When did you get back to town?”

“A few hours ago actually.” Exhaustion still lay heavy in his bones

but images of Dominic’s angelic face kept flashing behind his eyelids.

“No offense, but you look like hell. Are things not going over well

with the hunters you’ve spoken to?” Roderick could see the concern on
Devon’s face. If hunters didn’t follow the new code of conduct set forth
by the council, it meant bad things for the wolf shifters of the world. In
order to keep the secret hidden from the world they had to rely on
hunters to not come forth and spill the beans. They also didn’t want a
hunter out there on a personal mission to kill everything in sight.

Roderick clenched his eyes tight and rubbed a hand over his face. He

just so badly wanted to lie down and go to sleep. “So far so good. Some
of these men have been doing this for years. Change is always difficult at
first, but I think the alternative had them seeing reason.” He left out the
part about the ones he could tell were lying to him even at the expense of
their own safety.

“That’s good to hear.” Devon crossed one leg over the other, resting

his ankle over his knee. “So what’s so urgent that I had to rush home?”

When Brandon didn’t say anything, Roderick sat up in his chair.

“Dominic.”

“What about Dominic?” Devon asked. “Is he all right?”
“Yes, he’s fine.” Roderick steepled his fingers and searched for the

right way to say this. “This is more about the fact that he doesn’t know
what he is. What’s your contingency plan if he doesn’t remember?”

“I don’t know.” Devon sat back in his seat, staring daggers at

Roderick. “What exactly are you getting at here, Roderick?”

“Devon, you have a wolf shifter walking around town thinking he’s

just like everyone else. It’s not safe.”

“Why isn’t it safe?” Devon’s asked in a clipped tone. “He’s lost his

memory, not his mind.”

And herein lay the problem. Roderick knew he’d be the bad guy once

he brought this up but what else was he supposed to do?

“True, but what will you do when his emotions get the better of him

and he shifts in public? Or if he shifts in the privacy of his own room and
doesn’t know what is happening to him?” Roderick started to get angry
on Dominic’s behalf. It wasn’t fair to let him find out by accident what
his true nature was. The shock and fear could rip Dominic apart, causing
him to lose his mind. “What then, Devon?”

“We’ll deal with it.” Devon said it like that statement was final and

that was all that needed to be said. “He’s pack and we take care of our
own.”

“That’s your solution?” Roderick chuckled. “Well that won’t solve

the problem if he goes from human to wolf in the middle of the fucking
street, now does it?” He stood up and started pacing the room. This just
wasn’t his day. “He could hurt someone or put you all at greater risk of
discovery.” Was he the only one who saw Dominic not remembering
what he was as a real issue? This could be very bad for everyone
involved.

“So what do you suggest then, Roderick?” Devon stood up from his

chair.

Roderick halted in his footsteps and faced both Devon and Brandon.

Brandon’s face had grown pale as if he were going to be sick. Some
people couldn’t handle situations like this. Death wasn’t always the
route he wanted to take, but to spare thousands he would sacrifice one.

“Please don’t tell me you’re thinking of putting a bullet in his head?”

The harshness in Devon’s tone would have frightened a weaker man but
Roderick just ignored it.

“We can’t let him run around unaware of what he truly is.” He was

hoping they saw his reasoning. “He could unintentionally expose the
whole lot of you, then what?”

“So killing him is your solution?” Devon shook his head in disgust.

“I thought you were different than the others. I guess I was wrong.”

Tension had Roderick’s muscles pulled tight and his hands shaking.

Before he could say another word, the office door banged open and Erik
came stomping in. A look of pure hatred on his face.

“Erik?” Brandon stood up and walked over to his mate. “What are

you doing here? I thought you were at home.”

“I won’t let you kill him.” Erik ignored Brandon and zoned in on

Roderick. “He’s a member of our family not some stray off the street.”

“Erik, I know this sounds harsh but what kind of life will you all

have if Dominic exposes your secret? You would risk hundreds of lives
to spare just one? How would you feel if he killed an innocent human?”

“We’ll find a way to make it work.”
“Erik, I wish it was that easy.” Pain cut through Roderick’s chest like

a hot poker. “I don’t want to kill anyone but…”

“There’s no buts to it!” Erik shouted at the top of his lungs. “You

can’t kill him, especially considering what he is to you.”

The room went dead quiet and Roderick, along with Brandon and

Devon, stared at Erik. “Erik, what are you talking about?” Brandon
asked.

“What is he to me?” Roderick asked, afraid to hear what Erik had to

say.

“Your mate.” A smile spread over Erik’s face. He seemed rather

pleased with himself for dropping that gigantic bomb. “Knowing that, do
you really think you’d put a bullet between his eyes, you egotistical
bastard?”

“That’s not funny,” Roderick mumbled. The room started to sway

and Roderick’s head felt too heavy to hold up any longer. He started to
stumble forward and Devon reached out to steady him then helped lower
him into a chair.

“I know it’s not.” Erik sat on the table in front of him and laid a

gentle hand on Roderick’s knee. “But do you see now why killing him
isn’t an option? At least not an option for you. He’s your mate.
Something inside you must feel a connection to him.”

Something did but Roderick had hoped it was the lack of sex that had

these emotions racing through his body. “How can you be certain? If he
doesn’t know what he is how can he possibly know I’m his mate?”

“He smelled you once you walked through the front door at the café.”

Erik stared down at the floor as he spoke. “Shane called and told me
everything. Dom was back washing dishes when you and Brandon
arrived. Carl said Dom started going on about this smell and asked if he
smelled it, too. There was no one else in the café but Carl, Shane, and

Brandon, and he’s already been around them plenty of times since he
woke up. You”—Erik looked up, meeting his gaze—“were the only other
person in the shop and the only person Dom didn’t know. Like it or not,
he’s yours.”

Roderick sat completely still for a moment, doing his best to absorb

everything Erik just told him. Dominic was his mate. Could he even call
it being a mate since Dominic didn’t remember he was a wolf shifter? It
was all too much to handle. Roderick always wanted to fall in love and
find that one special person, but this? Destined to be with a man he might
have to kill if he goes rabid and starts eating the neighbors. Dear god in
heaven this wasn’t fair.

“What the fuck am I going to do?” Roderick shot up from his chair

and started to pace the floor again. Hands gripped tightly at his head,
doing their best to keep his skull from splitting into pieces.

“Yes,” Devon said. “What are you going to do?”
“What do you want from me?” A cool sweat dampened his palms

and he could feel the first beads of perspiration trickle down his back. “I
didn’t ask for any of this!”

“And neither did he.” Erik stepped in his path, blocking Roderick

from taking another step. “The question is, now that you know, what will
you do to help him and yourself?” Erik reached for his hand and
Roderick didn’t resist. “I can tell that you’re lonely and here’s your
chance at happiness. Don’t let it slip away.”

“He’s right.” Brandon stood up and wrapped his arm around Erik’s

shoulders. “I saw the way you looked at him today. Deny it all you want
but you’re attracted to Dominic.”

“That doesn’t mean anything.” He pulled away from Erik and turned

away from his knowing stare. Just because he was attracted to Dominic
didn’t mean they’d fall in love and live happily ever after.

“But what if it does?” Devon asked. “This could be the answer to all

our problems.”

“Excuse me?” Roderick spun around to face the crazy alpha. “How

can this in any way be a good thing?”

“Just hear me out.” Devon held his hands in front of him. “Dom’s

doctors said not to pressure him into getting his memories back. Said to
show him pictures, share memories we have of him but not to force the

issue. What if you”—Devon pointed at him—“are in fact his mate?
Being around you might help wake that side of himself up. If he can at
least remember what he is, he can learn to handle it. And with you being
a skilled hunter, who better to watch out for him?”

“So what you’re saying is you want me to babysit him?” Not that it

would be a hardship being around Dominic, but what if things didn’t go
as Devon suggested? What if Roderick grew to care about Dominic only
to have to put him out of his misery? How would that be fair to either of
them? Roderick avoided relationships for this purpose. He didn’t want
to hurt anyone or be hurt in return. Love could do strange things to a
person and Roderick didn’t want to fall victim to that.

“You can’t technically call it babysitting. Babysitters aren’t allowed

to fuck the people they are caring for.” Erik said bluntly. “So I think
you’ll be just fine spending time with Dom.”

“I hate to say this but I agree with my brother.”
Of course he would. Roderick sat back down, taking a deep breath

before he spoke again. “You guys are basing all this on the fact that he
liked the way I smelled.” Feeling a little self-conscious, he sniffed at his
armpit. “It was a good smell, right?”

“According to Shane, Dom couldn’t stop talking about it.” Erik

grinned at him.

“But still you guys are putting a lot of hope in the fact, just because

he likes the way I smell, that we are destined to be together.” A part of
him wanted it to be true but didn’t want to admit anything to his friends.

“Roderick, you of all people know a wolf’s sense of smell is vital to

their way of life. Typically the first thing a wolf notices when they find
their mate is their scent. Then when they see them the attraction is
undeniable.”

“I know that but it sure as shit didn’t seem like Dominic was having

to hold himself back from me today. He seemed rather indifferent toward
me.” Now had Dominic straddled his lap and planted his plush lips to
his, Roderick would be more willing to believe all this.

“Can I come in?” Roderick looked over Devon’s shoulder to see

Shane standing in the doorway.

“Sure, come on in.” Devon waved him inside.
“I couldn’t help but overhear you guys talking.” Shane closed the

door behind him and came over to them.

“Where’s Dom?” Roderick couldn’t help but ask. Knowing that the

man might be in close range had his pulse racing and all his blood
flowing southward.

“He’s outside with Carl.” Shane knelt down beside Roderick’s chair

and looked up at him with sympathetic eyes. “This isn’t fair to you but
neither to Dom. He’s a great guy and didn’t deserve to have his head
bashed in and his memories stolen. Since he woke up, he’s just been
going through the motions of living until today.” A single tear ran down
Shane’s cheek. “You should have seen him after you left, standing by the
window watching until you drove out of sight, and then on the way home.
Dom had this goofy grin on his face the whole entire time. I could smell
his happiness. For two weeks that man has been walking around like a
zombie then you came along and woke him up in ways we couldn’t.”
Shane took Roderick’s hand in his and squeezed. “I know what it’s like
to be alone and I can’t imagine you or Dom want to live the rest of your
lives like that. So I’m begging you, help him and in the process you might
just help yourself.”

The way Shane looked at him made Roderick uncomfortable. He

didn’t want to think this man saw through the façade he put out there for
the world to see. Like Dominic, Roderick was alone in the world. He
kept that knowledge to himself, not wanting other people to pity him. If
he only had to count on himself there was no way anyone could ever
disappoint him, but now? Now he had a man who might be the one
person who would never fail him. Roderick just had to be strong enough
to take a chance on someone other than himself.

“Fine, I’ll do it.” Roderick barely had enough time to catch his

balance before Erik and Shane jumped into his lap, hugging him around
the neck. “Okay, now get off me.” He stood up and headed for the door.

“Hey, Roderick?” He turned at the sound of Devon’s voice. “If you

need anything don’t hesitate to ask. He might be your mate but he’s still
our friend.”

Roderick nodded his head then stepped out of the room. His chest

felt tight and anxiety prickled at his skin. Dating had never been his thing
and he prayed he didn’t fuck this up. But in the end a lot more was riding
on this than him getting a boyfriend. If Dominic couldn’t handle being a

shifter, Roderick would have to do the one thing that might send him over
the edge. And that thought scared Roderick more than falling in love.

Chapter Five

“Here.” Carl held out the metal spatula to him. Dominic stared at it

like it was a snake posing to attack him. “Come on, Dom. Just flip the
hamburgers over every few seconds. It’s easy.”

Dominic took the spatula in hand and turned over the first patty. He

flipped it over nicely without it falling in between the grates of the grill.
It was actually kind of fun.

The sun had begun its descent in the sky. A warm breeze blew across

his face and he closed his eyes, taking in the wild scents of the great
outdoors.

There it is again. Dominic’s hand began to shake and the spatula fell

from his hand to clank on the wooden deck floor. He turned around,
following the smell.

“Dom, you okay?” He heard Carl ask but didn’t answer.
He walked in the direction the smell was coming from. With eyes

shut, he let his nose lead the way. The smell grew stronger and Dominic
became anxious to find the cause of that smell. The rational part of his
mind said it was nothing, but a small piece said it was Roderick. He had
been so jittery when he met the man earlier that day. Dominic half prayed
that Roderick was at the end of the trail his nose was leading him on.

“Hey, now.” A pair of strong hands clamped down on Dominic’s

shoulders, stopping him in his pursuit. Dominic opened his eyes. “You
need to be more careful. Don’t want you to fall and hurt yourself.”
Roderick smiled down at him.

Dominic couldn’t speak. The man he had been daydreaming about

since he met him stood right in front of him. Damn, he was even prettier
up close. No, not pretty, handsome. Nothing about Roderick was pretty.
He was all hard edges and masculine perfection.

“Thanks,” Dominic mumbled. “Just got a little distracted is all.”
“I can tell.” Roderick winked at him.
Dominic dipped his head down to hide the blush fanning over his

cheeks. He didn’t want to look like a total moron in front of this man. It
was bad enough Roderick knew he suffered from brain trauma. He didn’t
want the man to think he was crazy, too.

“So I was wondering,” Roderick said, letting go of Dominic’s arms.

“Would you like to go for a walk with me?” He nudged his chin toward
the backyard.

The Carsten family house backed up to a wooded area. They owned

a great deal of the land and Skyler and his husband owned the land just
north of the Carsten house. So calling the backyard a yard was a little
silly. It was more like their own personal forest.

Dominic loved taking long walks through the woods, enjoying all the

scents and sights. At times Dominic swore his vision got sharper as he
tracked a rabbit scurrying across the ground. A tingle would creep
across his skin and he had the strangest urge to follow the small animal.
But for the life of him, Dominic couldn’t imagine what for.

“I’d love to,” Dominic said with a smile and followed Roderick

down the porch steps.

“You like being out here, don’t you?” Roderick asked.
“I do.” He put his hands in his pockets and his eyes felt heavy as his

body loosened from the tension of being inside all day. “Being out
here”—Dominic canted his head to the side, indicating the wide-open
land in front of him—“is the only time I feel really comfortable. It’s like
my skin doesn’t feel so tight and my mind isn’t running rapid with
questions I can’t answer. I’m at peace you could say.” It was his favorite
thing to do, or at least it was now. What he enjoyed before was still a
mystery to him.

“Interesting,” was all Roderick said as they continued to walk out

toward the furthest part of the yard, leading into the trees.

Birds squawked as they neared the trees and took flight. The chirping

of crickets filled the night air. Dominic wanted to record the sounds that
played in the forest at night. The animals doing their nightly rituals, the
breeze howling through the thicket of trees, and then listen to the
recording when he went to bed at night.

He took a deep breath and the usual scents of the woods were

lessened by the smell of Roderick walking beside him. Roderick’s smell
was so fresh and clean. Dominic thought having the comfort of the forest
around him and Roderick beside him made for the perfect evening.

“So tell me a little about yourself.”
Roderick’s question pulled him out the calm tranquility he was

feeling. He looked over at Roderick and lifted an eyebrow. “Are you
seriously asking me that?”

“Fuck me,” Roderick whispered. His eyes fell shut and he hung his

head in shame.

“Well since I don’t know you that well, maybe a rain check?”

Dominic didn’t know where this teasing side of himself came from. At
seeing Roderick’s apparent distress, it seemed like the right thing to say
to break the tension.

“Did you just make a joke?”
Dominic shook his head in disbelief. “I think I did.” He started to

laugh and so did Roderick.

The sounds of their laughter sent more birds to flight. Dominic’s

sides ached from laughing so hard. It felt good to finally be able to cut
loose with another person who didn’t have any preconceived notions
about what he used to be like.

“I’m sorry about that whole tell-me-about-yourself comment.”

Roderick said once he sobered up. “I guess it would be kind of hard for
you since you don’t remember yourself, or the self you used to be.” A
low and rough chuckle vibrated out Roderick’s full lips. “I hope that
made sense?”

“Yes.” Dominic started walking again. “Perfect sense, and don’t feel

bad. They say memory loss is quite common when a person has their
head caved in.” His joked seemed to fall flat.

Roderick stopped walking and reached out a hand to stop Dominic as

he tried to put some distance between them. “I didn’t know you before
the accident so don’t feel like you’re not meeting some checklist of
expectations that I might have.”

“It’s just…” Dominic couldn’t seem to bring himself to meet the

man’s eyes.

“What?” Roderick placed his finger under Dominic’s chin, lifting his

face to meet his steady gaze.

“Everyone else gets this far off look in their eyes every time the

accident is brought up. It’s like they’re on the verge of tears because they
miss their Dominic.” His throat grew tight as his emotions started to get
the better of him.

“I’m sure they do,” Roderick said. “But that doesn’t mean they don’t

like the way you are now. They’re just getting used to you and relearning
your likes and dislikes. Trust me, it must be just as big of a mind fuck for
them as it is for you. To know someone for so long and then, bam.”
Roderick snapped his fingers. “Every moment you shared with that
person is gone. Has to be rough. But you also can’t be something you’re
not. These guys”—Roderick thumbed over his shoulder—“are good
people. They understand that, even if they don’t say it all the time. All
they want is for you to be comfortable in your own skin.”

Dominic held Roderick’s stare. The fingers that held his chin had

started to lightly caress his jaw. The words he spoke and the way
Roderick made him feel had all his doubts and worries floating away on
the wind. Somehow this man had the ability to make him feel good in a
way that had his body coming alive. It didn’t matter that he couldn’t
remember what his old job used to be or that he didn’t like coffee
anymore. Those things seemed so trivial now.

“I love the way you speak to me.” Dominic gasped as Roderick’s

rough fingertips continued to stroke his cheek. It was like a live wire
sparked against his skin, jolting him out of his self-made prison of stress
and worry.

“Yeah, well I love the way you look at me.” Roderick took a step

closer. “It’s like you see something that no one else does.”

“I feel the same way.” Dominic took the remaining step forward,

bridging the gap between them. “Why do you think that is?”

The lines around Roderick’s mouth went ridged as if he had to hold

back something he wanted to say but just as soon as Dominic noticed it,
it was gone.

“I’m not sure.” Roderick’s eyes darted between Dominic’s and he

edged even closer.

Dominic licked his tongue out to moisten his lips. He saw the way

Roderick’s eyes tracked the movement. The heat from Roderick’s touch
burned a desire deep in his gut. Dominic wanted to be closer but they
were already standing chest to chest.

Roderick’s lips were right there. A buzzing sensation hummed over

his skin. He was dying to feel the way they felt under his own. The upper
lip was thinner than Roderick’s lower. The bottom lip was full and fat
and made Dominic want to take a little nibble from it. He actually felt the

strong urge to just bite any part he could of the man’s tan skin.

“If I kiss you, you won’t freak out and trip and bump your head?”

Roderick’s lips curled up into a teasing grin.

“I’ll try not to but I can’t promise anything.” Before Roderick could

initiate the kiss, Dominic rose up on his toes and slanted his mouth over
Roderick’s.

The first contact of soft flesh against soft flesh had a moan seeping

past his lips. Nothing had ever felt so good. He wanted more. Dominic
snaked his arms up to wrap around Roderick’s neck and Roderick’s
arms moved to circle his waist. The hard press of steel behind his zipper
was met in kind by Roderick’s. Roderick’s arousal seemed to have
changed his scent. Made it stronger and spicier. God how Dominic just
wanted to climb inside the man and never come out.

The point of Roderick’s tongue traced over his lips. He gasped in

pleasure and Roderick took that as an opening to sink his tongue deep
inside. The hot, moist heat and sweet flavor of Roderick’s mouth sent
pulsing waves of need down to his cock.

The skin covering Dominic’s cock grew tight and flushed with heat

as a thrilling sensation coiled in his balls. He could feel wetness dampen
his shorts from where the head of his cock leaked. The harder Roderick
kissed, the harder Dominic rubbed his length into Roderick’s. Roderick
groaned and circled his hips as Dominic thrust forward, wanting more
friction and more of that scorching kiss.

Dominic’s orgasm sat right at the edge, ready to plummet over some

invisible wall to ecstasy. He pulled Roderick tighter, his fingers curling
into the soft cotton of his shirt. Roderick yelped but didn’t pull away and
Dominic didn’t think he could, even if Roderick asked him to.

Roderick walked him backwards until he was backed against a tree,

the rough bark digging into his skin. He lifted Dominic up and Dominic
wrapped his legs around Roderick’s narrow hips.

What are you doing? Dominic asked himself. You just met this guy

and you have your tongue down his throat. Was I this easy before?

Dominic didn’t know and didn’t care. Something that felt this good

couldn’t be wrong.

Roderick’s hips sped up, slamming Dominic’s back into the tree. He

broke the kiss and gasped for air. Roderick moved his mouth down to

kiss along Dominic’s jaw and nip at the sensitive skin of his neck. The
action had Dominic bucking wildly into Roderick’s hard length.

A sharp piercing sensation pressed along his upper gum tissue,

distracting Dominic as his orgasm rocked through his body, flooding the
inside of his shorts. Roderick dove in for another kiss but Dominic
turned away. His mouth felt unusually full and he could feel pinpricks
along the sides of his tongue. It was strange and awkward but just as fast
as it happened the feeling started to fade and Dominic was only left with
a toe-curling pleasure that filled his body.

He reached for Roderick and met him in a hard kiss. Roderick’s

tongue filled his mouth and Dominic sucked long and hard until he felt
Roderick’s body go stiff and his hips jerked erratically. Roderick buried
his face into Dominic’s neck and groaned as his body emptied itself.

Dominic gulped for air, desperate to catch his breath. He clung to

Roderick’s back, unwilling to let go. Since waking up two weeks ago to
a crowd of sad faces, this was the first time he felt truly happy.

“God damn,” Roderick mumbled against his neck then kissed the

chaffed skin. The whiskers on Roderick’s jawline scratched against his
skin but Dominic thought it was worth it to have this man holding him in
his arms. “I needed that.”

“I’m glad I could accommodate you.” Dominic smiled as he felt

Roderick’s breath brush over his skin as he laughed. “Just promise you
won’t think less of me in the morning. I have a reputation to uphold. I
think.”

Roderick pulled back enough to look at him. His lips pursed tight

together keeping in his laughter. “As long as we get to do this again, I’ll
only think good thoughts about you, always.”

After they caught their breath, Roderick lowered his feet to the

ground. Dominic shifted uncomfortably in his shorts as the cooling cum
caused the material to stick to his skin. He had to have had a gallon of
jizz in there. He didn’t know how sexually active he used to be but it had
been a good six weeks since he came and no telling how long before
that.

“We should head back to the house before the others start to worry

that I injured you or something crazy like that.” Roderick held out his
hand for Dominic to take.

“Why would they think that?”
The grip on his hand tightened for a brief second then loosened

again. “They’re weird like that.” Roderick gave him a lopsided grin.

“Okay,” Dominic said as he let Roderick usher him back to the

Carsten house. He wasn’t ready for his time with Roderick to be over.
When he was with Roderick he felt free and able to be himself without
feeling guilty for not being the person he was before. That Dominic was
a ghost now and Dominic wouldn’t change a thing if it meant not having
Roderick in his life. It was silly for him to be so attached to a man he
just met, but something inside himself felt connected to Roderick as if he
knew him his whole life.

“So, Dominic,” Roderick said slowly. “How would you feel about

going out to dinner with me some time?”

“I’d love to.” He rested his head against Roderick’s thick arm. “But I

need to make sure it’s okay with them first.” He pointed toward the deck
where everyone sat outside eating dinner under the light of the falling
sun.

“Dom, baby, you’re a grown man who doesn’t need permission to do

anything.” He kissed the side of Dominic’s head. “Plus you’re with me
and I don’t give a fuck what they say.”

“We heard that, asshole,” Viktor shouted as they neared the back

deck.

“What?” Roderick kept ahold of Dominic’s hand as he led him up the

steps to sit at the table. “It’s the truth. If you want, we can box it out.
What d’ya say, Viktor, feeling lucky?”

“Blow me.” Viktor threw his napkin at Roderick.
Dominic sat down at the table next to Roderick. Everyone was

laughing and joking. The atmosphere was lighthearted and comfortable.
Dominic smiled and laughed when appropriate. His hand still tucked in
tight with Roderick’s. The world could end right now and Dominic
wouldn’t care. He hadn’t realized how unhappy he was until Roderick
walked into his life. Now he just needed to find a way to keep the man
coming back for more.

Chapter Six

“So you and Dom are going to go out on a date?” Erik asked, the

moment he sat down in the kid’s car.

“Is this why you wanted me to ride back to Silver Creek with you?

So you can interrogate me?” Roderick hit the lever to push the passenger
seat back so his knees didn’t hit the dashboard.

“No! Never!” Erik said in a mock-astonished voice.
“Yeah, right.”
“But really, did anything besides you two getting off happen while on

your walk?”

Roderick knew Erik was concerned for Dominic and afraid of what

actions would be taken if Dominic went crazy after learning he was a
wolf shifter. He got that. After just spending part of an afternoon and all
evening with the man, Roderick didn’t want to see anything bad happen
to the guy. For the first time in years, Roderick actually liked someone as
more than just a friend.

“First off, that, my little friend, is none of your business.” Roderick

reached down and pulled the front of his pants away from his body. The
dried cum made the material stiff. Then he thumped Erik on the ear. Erik
yelped and clasped a hand to his head. “Hey, both hands on the wheel!”
The car had started to swerve but Erik quickly righted it.

“Fuck, Roderick, it isn’t like we couldn’t hear you two moaning and

grunting.” Erik glanced down at Roderick’s lap. “Plus we can smell it.”
A thoughtful look took over Erik’s face. “I wonder if Dom just thinks
he’s a real good smeller and hearer. I mean, seriously, he might have lost
his memory but not his abilities. This has to be totally weird for him.”

Roderick nodded his head in agreement. Poor Dominic probably just

thought it was normal though. But when the man found out the truth,
would he be able to accept it or be in denial over it? Now that was the
true question.

“He doesn’t know any different, Erik. He probably thinks we all

have excellent hearing and sense of smell.” Roderick positioned his
elbow against the door and rested his head in his hand. “Dominic did
mention to me tonight that he likes being outside. How he feels at home

and free out there.” Roderick could still see the way Dominic’s face lit
up as he talked about being outside walking through the woods.

“That’s a start, right?” Erik asked. “Wolves tend to be more

comfortable when surrounded by Mother Nature. This is a good thing.”

“Like you said, it’s a start,” Roderick answered. “I still can’t believe

you guys have been able to keep him in the dark for the past two weeks.
Surely you guys are still shifting to go on runs at night?”

“We are, but everyone waits until he falls asleep. It doesn’t feel right

doing that without him though. It’s not fair.” Erik whispered the last part.

Roderick didn’t like having to deal with emotions or when people

were upset, but he felt the need to make Erik feel better. “Erik, man, you
shouldn’t feel guilty about this.”

“It was my fucking swim coach who did this to him!” Erik shouted,

tears streaming down his face. “I should have known the guy was
dangerous.”

“How?” Roderick shifted in his seat to look at Erik. “You’re a

shifter not a mind reader. And need I remind you this is the same man
who was planning on killing you next? The only person to blame is that
dead piece of shit.”

He hadn’t been in town when all that took place. Brandon had called

him afterwards and Roderick couldn’t believe what had happened.
Erik’s swim coach seemed like a nice enough man. No one would have
ever pegged him a killer of young men. But Roderick had learned in life
people wore many different faces.

“I know but it doesn’t change what happened to Dominic.” Erik

swiped a hand under his eye. “It must be so lonely for him inside his
own head. Not remembering anything or anybody.” Erik looked over at
him. “When we brought him home I could see the fear in his eyes. We
are strangers to him.”

“But it’s getting better, Erik.” He pinched Erik’s cheek and Erik

laughed. “He might not remember you guys but he knows that you all care
a great deal for him. Who else besides family would go through all that
for him? Trust me, he appreciates it.”

That seemed to help Erik and his tears dried up. When they pulled

into the drive, he headed for the door while Erik waited for Brandon to
park his truck.

Staying with Brandon had been okay before Erik moved in but now

he needed to start looking for his own place. The two lovebirds were
still newly mated and needed their own space without the fear of
Roderick walking in on them, or worse hearing them have sex. That was
the last thing Roderick wanted.

Roderick headed to his room and shut the door. He flopped down on

the bed, relieved he was finally able to lie down.

The thought of buying a house and settling down with someone had

never seemed important to him until now. He didn’t know if it was
because he had become such good friends with Brandon and Erik’s
family. But he knew if he looked more closely, under the tough guy act he
used to mask how he really felt, he knew it had everything to do with
Dominic. Now he just needed to help Dominic make that transition from
thinking he was human to coming to terms with being half human and half
wolf shifter, and then they could start a life together. Roderick hoped.

* * * *

After Roderick had left, Dominic went straight to his room and took

a shower. The dried cum on the inside of his shorts had grown
uncomfortable over the course of the evening and he needed to get it
cleaned up.

As the water washed over his body he sighed as the tension worked

its way out of his muscles. He hadn’t realized how tired he was until
Roderick left and now he felt depleted and a little lonely.

Once finished with his shower, Dominic dried off and walked out

into his room. He turned off the bedroom light and settled himself in bed.
The green light from his clock flashed 9:50. Dominic didn’t typically go
to bed that early but after experiencing all those new and exciting
sensations with Roderick, he was beat.

It didn’t take long for him to fall into a deep sleep. Thoughts of

Roderick kissing him pulled him into the blissfulness of dreamland.

Dominic sat up in bed, clutching his comforter to his chest, a fine

layer of sweat coating his skin. He looked over at the clock and saw it
was well past one in the morning. Dominic raised both his hands to rub
against his head. Ever since he came to live at the Carsten house he’d

been having weird dreams. The things he saw and felt in them weren’t
possible but still seemed so real.

The dreams were always the same. He dreamed that he’d been

running in the woods, jumping over dead tree branches and leaping over
small hills. The wind blew against his face causing his eyes to water, but
he just ran faster. Every sound he heard magnified in his ears. The bright
greens in many different shades stood out like works of art only allowed
to be hung in a museum.

Dominic took in all the sights and sounds and it fueled his body to go

faster and faster. The ground was hard under his feet but it didn’t deter
him from continuing on. He caught sight of a deer in the distance bent
over, drinking from a stream. Dominic veered off his path and headed
toward the animal. As he got closer, the deer must have heard his
approach and taken off. Stopping to catch his breath, Dominic bent by the
stream’s edge and was taken aback by his reflection.

It wasn’t his face staring back at him but that of a large brindled-

colored wolf. As Dominic gazed at the creature in fascination, he
couldn’t help but notice the grayish blue eyes staring at him. His eyes.

“It was just a dream,” Dominic whispered to himself as he climbed

out of bed. He headed to the bathroom, not bothering to turn on the light.
Even in the darkness, his vision was pristine. He could easily make out
the toilet, sink, and even the small decorative soaps that sat on the
counter.

After relieving his bladder, Dominic walked around his bed to look

out the large window that overlooked the back part of the Carsten
property. The crescent moon was still high in the clear night sky, casting
a soft glow toward the earth.

Dominic sighed and sat down on the bench seat that sat next to the

wall. Just looking out into the open space of nature took away the
uneasiness left by his dream. He couldn’t fathom why he’d dream about a
wolf or why he always put himself in the place of the wolf. It wasn’t like
he ever saw one up close or even owned a dog, let alone a wolf. He
shrugged it off as just a weird wiring mishap in his brain.

As Dominic looked out toward the black horizon with slices of light

over the surface, movement from the trees tugged his attention away from
the wondrous sight. He glanced down and his heartbeat sped up.

“No freaking way!” Dominic mumbled.
Sitting right at the edge where the trees began and the clearing

stopped sat a wolf, no, two wolves. One was large with light brown fur
and one small with dark, almost black, fur. They sat there staring up at
the night sky. The little one nuzzled up close to the larger one and the one
with light brown fur licked its long tongue over the top of the smaller
wolf’s head. Their fur had a glossy shine from the reflected light of the
moon.

Dominic leaned closer to the window to get a better look and banged

his forehead on the glass.

“Shit!” Dominic grabbed his head at the sharp sting blooming across

his forehead. He clenched his eyes tight and hissed out a breath. Giving
the spot a good rub, he opened his eyes. To his surprise, both wolves
were gone.

Dominic pressed his face to the window, his breath fogging up the

glass. He darted his eyes all over the lawn but he didn’t see anything.

Out of habit, Dominic raised his left hand and touched the scar

grooved into his skull. Maybe he didn’t really see those wolves sitting
outside. It could be a case of his overactive imagination getting the better
of him.

Giving up any hope of seeing anything else, Dominic crawled back

into bed. His eyes hung heavy with exhaustion and Dominic let them fall
shut. He pictured Roderick’s strong, handsome face and thick arms
holding him tight. The heat from Roderick’s body set a fire of need over
every inch of Dominic’s skin. The soft brush of Roderick’s lips burned
his as Roderick kissed him with passion Dominic never knew existed.

Just like before, Dominic fell into a restful sleep without incident.

All thoughts of wolves forgotten as his subconscious became consumed
with thoughts of Roderick.

Chapter Seven

Roderick pulled up to the Carsten house just past six. He had made a

reservation for dinner in the neighboring town of Anderson. The quiet
little town was about an hour from Nehalem but had a lovely little
restaurant right on the lakefront that made it worth the drive. Roderick
had been there before and thought the homey atmosphere and being
outside would be good for Dominic.

Before he could shut his truck off, Dominic came hopping down the

steps, a huge smile on his face. He wore a pair of faded, dark-colored
jeans and a plaid button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up. To top off
the ensemble he had flip-flops on, his bare feet just as pale as the rest of
him and Roderick had the strong desire to lick the high arch of the man’s
foot.

“Hey!” Dominic opened the door and climbed inside. The smile he

wore made his lips look fuller and he had a twinkle in his eyes. His dark
hair had been styled to the side, covering the scar on the side of his head.

Everything about Dominic had Roderick’s body thrumming with

desire. Just breathing the same air had his dick going from soft to hard
like flipping a switch. There had to be more at play then a simple
attraction. Roderick wasn’t quite sure if that scared him or not.

Roderick couldn’t tear his eyes from Dominic’s lips. The skin was

moist from his tongue. Unable to stop himself, Roderick reached out and
wrapped his hand around Dominic’s neck and pulled him close. He
covered Dominic’s lips, not giving him time to do anything but accept
what Roderick wanted to give him.

Dominic’s lips were soft and silky. They parted at the first jab of

Roderick’s tongue. A slight whimper slipped past Dominic’s throat,
vibrating against Roderick’s lips. He licked deep inside, growling at the
way Dominic’s curved against his, sucking it farther inside.

Roderick became lost in the kiss and the world outside seemed to

fade away. As their tongues tangled, Dominic’s hands curled into
Roderick’s shoulders pulling him even closer. Roderick would never get
used to the strength hidden behind this man’s thin body.

Roderick, not to be outdone, wrapped his other arm around

Dominic’s waist and lifted him into his lap. Dominic molded his thin
frame around him and Roderick pressed harder into the man, body and
mouth. The kiss seemed to short circuit all other thoughts from his head.
All that mattered was getting as close to Dominic as he could.

The need for air had Roderick pulling back from Dominic’s red,

swollen lips. He gave one final nip at which Dominic’s eyes fell shut
and he moaned loudly.

The sound of birds chirping had Roderick coming back to his senses.

If he didn’t slow down he’d end up fucking Dominic right there in the
front seat of his truck in broad daylight. He slowly placed Dominic back
into his seat but kept a grip on his hand.

“We need to slow down.” His voice was rough with arousal.
“I think you’re right.” Dominic adjusted the steel pole lying against

his hip. “I’m not sure if I’ve openly had sex in the past in front of an
audience but I don’t think I’d like that too much now.” Dominic
chuckled.

“Me either.” Roderick’s eyes roamed over Dominic’s body, stopping

to stare at the bulge in his pants. He quickly looked up. “I’d have to beat
the shit out of anyone that saw you naked. Your body is for my eyes
only.” The possessive feeling seemed to come naturally to Roderick and
it felt right. He had no desire to share any part of Dominic with the
outside world.

“I feel the same way.” Dominic’s cheeks became flushed and he bit

down on his lower lip as he stared at Roderick’s body in return.

“You keep looking at me like that we’ll never make it to dinner.” His

cock pulsed in his jeans and he reach down to adjust himself.
“Regardless of what just happened, I’m not a cheap date.” He turned the
key and his truck roared to life. “You at least have to feed me first,” he
said in a serious tone. “I have a reputation to uphold.”

Dominic gave him a curious look. His body had gone tense with

uncertainty. Roderick shot him a wink and then Dominic seemed to relax
and laughed. “Well I wouldn’t want to soil your good name.”

“Oh, baby, I have full intentions of soiling you plenty later, but first,

we eat.”

He glanced over to see the small grin on Dominic’s face and his

cheeks burned a bright red. Dominic seemed so shy at times but then at

others he was like an animal. Last night in the woods and today in his
truck, granted Roderick instigated both encounters. Dominic seemed to
come alive and gave just as good as he got. Roderick couldn’t wait to
see what happened once he had the other man underneath him, begging
for his cock.

“So where are we going?” Dominic asked.
“It’s a restaurant called the Lazy Blue. It’s in Anderson. That’s about

an hour’s drive from here.”

“That explains why you picked me up so early.”
“Are you complaining?” he teased.
“Oh, no, never.” Dominic made the gesture of crossing his fingers

over his heart. “Just didn’t know if you got some crazy discount for
eating early or something. Like a senior’s discount.”

“Excuse me?” Roderick turned toward Dominic. “I’m not that much

older than you.”

“Huh, really.” Dominic gave a thoughtful look. “I guess I don’t know

much about you. Every time we’ve been alone you have your tongue
down my throat and I can’t ask any questions.” He could see Dominic
fighting back a grin.

“I sure as shit didn’t hear you complaining.” Roderick reached out

and took Dominic’s hand into his. “It’s a long drive so ask me anything
you want. I’m an open book.”

“Okay.” Dominic was silent for a moment. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-eight.”
“Are you from around here?”
“Nope. I grew up on the west coast. Out around San Jose. I came

here because of work.”

“California?” Dominic’s eyes opened wide. “I wonder if I’ve ever

been out there before.”

“I’m not sure.” Roderick gave a little shake to Dominic’s hand. “I

can always take you out there if you want?” He couldn’t believe he just
suggested that. The offer had come so easily from his mouth but he
wouldn’t take it back. He liked the idea of being alone with Dominic out
on the open road away from Nehalem.

“Really? You’d commit to going across the country with me? A

person you just met?”

“Of course,” he said without one doubt in his mind. “And to be fair, I

think I know you better than just some random person off the street.” He
waggled his eyebrows. “Like you said, I do seem to have my tongue
down your throat an awful lot.”

“Yeah, but I like it.” Dominic raised their joined hands and kissed

the top of Roderick’s knuckles.

Seeming content, they drove a few miles in silence. The quiet didn’t

seem to bother Roderick. Just having Dominic next to him, touching him,
seemed to be enough.

“Erik said you and Brandon work together. What’s it like being a

bounty hunter?”

Roderick’s left hand tightened on the steering wheel. Erik and

Brandon hadn’t informed him that’s what they said they did for a living.
If he thought about it, they were kind of like bounty hunters, just not
hunting humans to bring them back to face justice.

“It’s okay. I mean I get to travel a lot.” He answered honestly

because that part was true.

“I don’t know if I could do that. Go searching for a person that might

shoot me just to get away.” Dominic blew out a breath. “Scary stuff.”

You have no idea, Roderick said inside his head. At times he’d

rather be attacked by a person with a gun instead of a three-hundred-
pound wolf hell bent on killing him or a trained hunter at odds with the
new creed set forth and wanting to kill him just to get Roderick out of the
way. A person with nothing to lose was definitely a terrifying thing.

They chatted a little more about their likes and dislikes. Roderick

discovered that Dominic hated math and numbers. This was odd since
the guy used to do accounting work all over Silver Creek before his
accident. What shocked Roderick the most was that Dominic said he had
no use for a computer. He’d rather be outside under the wide-open sky
enjoying life.

A part of Roderick wondered if this was just due his head trauma or

if Dominic hadn’t liked what he did in his previous life prior to his head
injury and now his subconscious had him despising everything to do with
his old life. In a way, this was a brand new start for Dominic and
Roderick had no need for trying to get that person back. He liked
Dominic just the way he was now.

“I really enjoyed working in the café the other day,” Dominic said

out of the blue. “I like working with my hands.”

Roderick had to swallow his moan as Dominic started to massage

the inside of his palm with his fingers. Yes, he loved that Dominic liked
working with his hands.

“I think Margie should expand her store, make the café side a little

bigger. That place is always so busy, but it’s small and people get their
coffee and go. Just think. If she had a larger seating area more people
would stay and spend more money. She’d make a killing if she did that.”

“You seemed to have put a lot of thought into this.”
“Some.” Dominic shrugged. “I just really enjoy working with

people.”

They had arrived at the Lazy Blue and Roderick parked his truck. He

held his hand up to Dominic, signaling him to stay inside the cab. He
walked around and opened the door for his date.

Date. That still felt a little awkward but there was no turning back

now.

Dominic gave him a shy smile and accepted his hand in helping him

down. Roderick held his hand until they reached the front door then he
held it open and ushered Dominic inside. The hostess sat them outside,
close to the deck railing overlooking the water. The wind swept over the
lake, sending a soft breeze in their direction.

The waitress took their drink order and left to give them time to look

at the menu. When she returned, they placed their order and sat under the
shade of the deck overhang. Dominic had a huge smile on his face as he
stared out over the water. Roderick new this would be the perfect place
to bring him. Dominic needed to be in wide-open spaces with nature all
around him.

Roderick hoped that when Dominic did find out he was a wolf

shifter, he’d be at ease knowing that it explained why he liked being
outside so much. If he connected with the land, it might lessen the blow
of his reality.

“So what’s the plan for later?” Dominic asked. “Is dessert on or off

the menu?” He lifted his eyebrows up and down.

“What am I going to do with you?” Roderick laughed and reached for

Dominic’s hand again.

“Hopefully keep me,” Dominic whispered then quickly turned to

look away from him.

Roderick got up from his chair and walked over to kneel right in

front of Dominic. Dominic looked around them, eyes nervous.

“That isn’t even a question you need to ask.” Roderick couldn’t

believe he was saying this. “I like you, Dominic. Sure we just met but I
know when I like something and I like you.” He straightened on his knees
to brush a soft kiss over Dominic’s.

“I like you, too.” Dominic closed his eyes and rested his forehead

against Roderick’s.

“Good.” He moved back and waited for Dominic to open his eyes.

“Now let’s enjoy dinner and if you’re a good boy I’ll let you order a
dessert that’s not on the menu.”

What he said had the desired effect. Dominic started to laugh and

seemed to be pulled out of his melancholy. More than ever, Roderick
wanted to help Dominic discover his wolf side. The thought of having to
hurt Dominic made his stomach sour.

As he sat and watch Dominic talk about the café or point out a deer

sprinting across the open expanse of land next to the lake, he couldn’t
bring himself to imagine a life without him. He’d never been in love
before but he had the distinct impression this was the beginning of it.

Chapter Eight

By the time the waitress came by with the check, Dominic couldn’t

wait to leave. His fingers itched to reach out and touch Roderick’s hands
and face. Fuck! Any part of the man’s body he could get ahold of.

All through dinner he kept finding himself staring at Roderick’s lips.

The top one was much thinner than the lower one but it looked right on
him, not disproportionate. Every time Roderick’s tongue came out to lick
across them, Dominic had to squeeze his hands tightly together to keep
from jumping out of his chair and into the man’s lap. He could still taste
the kiss from earlier on his tongue and he couldn’t wait to do it again.

Then if it wasn’t Roderick’s mouth consuming all his attention it was

the man’s caramel-colored eyes. The softness when he showed affection
or the wild glint when he’d tease Dominic that had his balls twisting
together in agony. Did the man not realize how sexy he was? And what it
was doing to Dominic?

Roderick had a self-confidence about himself that Dominic could

only someday dream of having. Even in the mildly crowded restaurant
Roderick never hesitated to reach out to touch him, hold his hand, or
plant a soft kiss to his lips. He had no fear of what the other people might
think or say. Roderick just lived his life out loud and proudly and
Dominic admired that.

“Where to now, Captain?” Dominic asked.
“How about a drive around the lake?” Roderick opened the door for

Dominic to get into the truck. “You’re in no rush to get home are you?”
he asked with a tilt of his head.

“No,” Dominic answered. “When I’m with you there’s no other place

I’d rather be.” And there wasn’t. This man had become a daily
requirement for him to be happy.

“Good answer, Dom, baby.” Roderick gave him swift kiss on the

lips then turned him around to get in the truck. Dominic yelped when
Roderick’s hand came down on his rear end, giving him a good smack.
“Hurry up.”

“Yes, sir.” Dominic saluted him.
“Sir?” He could see Roderick mulling that over in his mind. “I like

the sound of that.”

“Of course you would.” Dominic rolled his eyes then started to

laugh. “Something tells me you might prefer master.”

Roderick flashed him a wink then walked around to get into his side

of the truck. He pulled out of the parking lot and headed down the road.

Night had fallen and the light came from the stars shining bright

above them and the soft glow from the moon. The windows were rolled
down and the fresh scent of dirt and trees filled his nose. Dominic would
never tire of that smell.

Roderick drove further down the main road then hung a right. The

paved road turned to gravel and became bumpier. Before too long the
truck broke free of the cover of trees near a little open cove that fed into
the lake. Roderick pulled to the side then reversed around so the bed of
the truck faced the lake.

When Roderick got out, Dominic followed him. Roderick released

the latch on the tailgate and stepped up inside. He leaned down and
pulled a blanket out of the truck box next to the cab. He flattened out the
thick blanket than held out his hands. “What do you think? Does it scream
romance?”

Dominic looked from the twinkling stars above, out to the glass-like

surface of the dark water, and back to Roderick. The whole setting was
very romantic and had his heart doing flips in his chest.

I could fall in love with him. Dominic’s smile widened. He could,

and he was falling harder every second he spent with Roderick.

“It’s perfect, Roderick.” Dominic took Roderick’s hand when he

held it out to help him up onto the bed.

Roderick wrapped his arms around Dominic’s waist in a loose grip.

Dominic rested his hands on Roderick’s chest. Roderick started a slow,
side-to-side sway and Dominic let him lead. The only music was that of
the insects in the grass but it was enough. Dominic had never danced
with another person before, or at least that he remembered. It amazed
him that this big, strong man held him so gently in his arms, arms that
could easily crush Dominic. It made him feel special.

Slowly Roderick’s arms started to rub up and down Dominic’s back.

“Is this okay?”

The hard press of Roderick’s cock against his stomach had him

stammering, “Yeah.”

Roderick started to roll his hips forward in a steady grind and

Dominic’s aching cock pulsed in his jeans. Every time Dominic tried to
get closer, Roderick would take a step back. Dominic felt like his skin
was going to fall off. He wanted Roderick now.

Dominic used his fingers to outline the thick corded muscle hidden

under Roderick’s shirt. Roderick groaned as Dominic’s fingers started to
play with his nipples. Both peaks were tight and hard and Dominic
couldn’t seem to keep his fingers off of them. Roderick buried his face in
Dominic’s neck and started to nibble on the soft skin where his shoulder
and neck connected. The wet swipe of his tongue had Dominic gasping
for breath.

Dominic circled his arms over Roderick’s neck and lifted his left leg

to rest on Roderick’s hip. It opened Dominic up more to grind his
erection harder against Roderick’s thigh. He could feel the ripple in
Roderick’s muscles as he tensed up.

Roderick lowered his hands to grip Dominic’s ass. He squeezed tight

then lifted him up, causing a whimper to break as Dominic’s body came
into contact with Roderick’s. His flip-flops fell to the ground as he
locked his feet at the ankles to hold himself in place. The position they
were in had both their hard lengths aligned.

“There’s no way to go slow with you.” Roderick said as he kissed

his way up Dominic’s neck, heading toward his mouth.

“I don’t want you to go slow.” He cried out at the sharp sting of teeth

biting into his flesh. It didn’t break the skin but it stoked the flames
already burning inside him. Dominic pulled his face away to stare into
Roderick’s eyes. His fingers brushed along the stubble on his jaw. The
light reflected the need in the brown depths, the same need clawing at
Dominic. “I need you.”

Like a wild animal set loose, Roderick growled his victory and

covered Dominic’s lips in a bruising kiss. Roderick then dropped to his
knees pushing Dominic down on his back, forcing himself between
Dominic’s thighs. The blanket softened the impact but it didn’t matter.
Dominic would let Roderick have him on the hard, dirty ground as long
as it got him what he wanted.

Dominic pushed up on the hem of Roderick’s shirt, wanting to see

more of his body. Roderick sat back on his heels and then pulled it off
the rest of the way, exposing his rock-hard abs. A fine layer of hair
covered his chest. With the shirt gone it gave Dominic free rein to do as
he wished.

His finger traced down the groove between Roderick’s pectoral

muscle then lower down to the dips and valleys of his abs. Roderick’s
chest rose and fell with every inhale of breath he took. He could hear the
grind of teeth as Roderick clenched his jaw tightly together. Dominic
liked that his man was barely holding on to his control and he wanted to
see what happened when that control slipped from his grasp.

Letting his fingers go lower, Dominic sat up with his legs still spread

and started on the fastening to Roderick’s jeans. He looked up to watch
Roderick’s face as he pulled his thick and long cock free. His face
tensed up and his lips pursed together.

Dominic lowered his eyes to stare at the prize in his hand. The plump

purple head had a bead of excitement glistening at the tip. Leaning
forward, Dominic tasted Roderick’s juices. Roderick’s hands moved to
the top of his head but didn’t force Dominic down on his length. Dominic
lapped his tongue around the head as he let his fingers stroke up and
down the veiny underside.

The strong, manly scent of Roderick was like a drug to Dominic’s

body. He couldn’t touch him enough or taste him enough. There would be
no way he’d ever grow tired of this.

“Come on, baby,” Roderick said in a low whisper. “Take more

inside that hot fucking mouth of yours.”

At Roderick’s request Dominic went down deep until his nose was

tickled by the short, trimmed hair surrounding Roderick cock.

“Fuck me, you don’t have a gag reflex,” Roderick moaned. Dominic

looked up, mouth stretched wide around Roderick’s girth. “This is going
to be fun.”

Dominic didn’t get a chance to register what that meant before

Roderick pulled almost all the way out then slammed forward, filling his
mouth and throat with his length. He sucked and slurped around the shaft,
drool dripping down his chin.

“That’s it. Take it all.” Roderick groaned. “Never had a guy suck my

cock this good before.”

The thought of another man doing this to Roderick pissed him off.

Dominic reached around and curled his fingers into the tight muscle of
Roderick’s ass, forcing him forward. He needed to prove he was the
only man Roderick would ever need.

“Fuck, Dom.” Roderick used his hand to try and urge Dominic to

look up but he ignored him and went down deeper, swallowing around
the flared head. “Dominic!” Roderick snapped as he simultaneously
pulled Dominic by the hair to get him to release his cock. Dominic
looked up panting for breath. “You need to watch those nails, baby.”

Roderick rubbed his thumb over Dominic’s lips and Dominic sucked

the digit into his mouth. He circled his tongue around it and hummed as
Roderick pushed it in and out of his mouth. Dominic didn’t look away as
Roderick fingered his mouth slow and steady over and over again.

Dominic’s cock grew harder in his jeans and the material bit into the

sensitive skin. Roderick must have seen the frustration on his face and
pulled his hand away.

“Take off your clothes but”—Roderick held up a hand—“don’t get

up. I want you to stay just like that on your back.” Roderick jumped off
the back of the truck, his cock bouncing from the effort.

As Dominic yanked his shirt over his head, Roderick disappeared to

around the front of the truck. By the time he came back, Dominic had his
pants flung off and lay there stroking his dick.

“Did I say you could touch yourself?” Roderick asked in a stern

voice.

“No, sir.” Dominic shook his head from side to side and took his

hand away from his aching cock. “You didn’t.”

Roderick’s nostrils flared as he took a deep breath and Dominic

could see the man’s hands tremble. He tossed whatever was in his hand
up on the blanket then climbed back up and wedged himself between
Dominic’s spread thighs. The blunt tip of Roderick’s cock jabbed at the
sensitive flesh right behind his balls as he rocked into Dominic, pulling
moans from the light, teasing touch.

“I fucking love that.” Roderick braced his hands on either side of

Dominic’s head then came down to attack his lips, assaulting Dominic
with his forceful tongue.

Dominic opened wide, letting Roderick have his way. It felt good to

lose himself in this man’s touch. Suddenly Roderick broke the kiss and
started working his way down Dominic’s body. Roderick licked and
nipped at his nipples. The sharp pain lessened by the wet warmth of his
tongue.

The lower Roderick went, the more Dominic started to thrash around

underneath him. Only Roderick’s mouth touched and teased his body and
it drove Dominic insane. He wanted to feel those rough, hard fingers
caressing him, bringing him pleasure.

As if reading his mind, Roderick sat up and grabbed Dominic’s

ankles, pushing his legs toward his chest. Dominic bent his knees and let
Roderick position him until his knees nearly reached his ears.

“Put your arms around your thighs and hold yourself open for me.”

Roderick waited until he did so before he let go. “Good boy. Now don’t
move.” He gave Dominic a mischievous grin as he lowered his head.

“Yes, sir.” Dominic’s words ended with a squeal as Roderick blew

his breath out on Dominic’s exposed hole. The hot gust sent shivers over
his skin and Dominic’s grip on his legs tightened.

At the first touch of Roderick’s tongue at his entrance, Dominic cried

out and would have pulled his thighs tightly together had it not been for
Roderick’s broad shoulders between his legs. Roderick licked around
the rippled opening, flattening his tongue to paint his spit over Dominic’s
hole. Dominic moaned and pushed his ass back toward Roderick’s
teasing tongue, needing more of that sensation.

“Fuck, yeah,” Dominic shouted when Roderick’s tongue pierced his

opening, breaching the muscle barrier. All the blood in his body rushed
to his inflamed cock, making it harder. He so badly wanted to wrap his
fingers around his length and stroke himself until he came but he couldn’t
do that, not without Roderick’s permission.

His body responded to the wet, soft invasion of Roderick’s tongue,

opening up, letting Roderick go in deeper. A finger slid in beside his
tongue, going smooth from all the spit Roderick shoved up his ass. The
dual sensations of tongue and finger had Dominic whimpering. “Please,
sir, I need to come.”

Roderick’s deep, rich chuckle fanned another breeze over Dominic’s

oversensitized hole. Roderick sat up and pulled his finger from
Dominic’s ass. The loss made Dominic feel empty but he watched

Roderick reach for the condom he had tossed on the blanket earlier.

Dominic pulled his legs further apart so he could watch Roderick

sheathe his red, swollen cock in the thin latex casing. He reached for
another little pack and used his teeth to tear it open. Roderick squeezed
the clear liquid out on his fingers then rubbed it along his length.

Roderick moved closer and lined up his erect cock right at his

opening. The head brushed over the tender flesh, smearing the lube over
his hole. Then without warning Roderick pushed forward, the head
breaching his entrance.

At the sharp, burning sting, Dominic closed his eyes. Roderick’s

cock felt too big and only the head was inside him. He felt like he was
being split in two and didn’t know if he could take any more than the
small portion of the tip.

“Open your eyes and look at me.” Dominic unclenched his eyes and

did as Roderick said. “Good boy. I want you to watch as I fuck your
ass.” The sharp tone he used implied there was no room for debate on
the issue.

So Dominic took a deep breath and kept his eyes on Roderick’s hard

face. Slowly Roderick rocked his hips forward, feeding his cock a little
further inside then retreating but leaving the head in him. Back and forth,
over and over again, Roderick did this until he laid all nine inches of his
pipe deep in Dominic’s clinching, tight channel.

“So fucking tight.” Roderick’s eyes fell shut and his head rolled back

on his shoulders. “Like a virgin.”

After giving Dominic a moment to adjust, Roderick pulled out then

pushed back in, setting up a slow, easy rhythm. Dominic grew desperate
to feel the fullness and stretch of Roderick’s thick cock claim him,
marking him from the inside out.

“You okay?” Roderick asked.
“Yes, sir.” Dominic swiveled his hips, pulling a loud groan from

Roderick. “Now fuck me.”

A wild, animalistic look came over Roderick’s face and his hands

gripped hard on the back of Dominic’s thighs. He pushed them farther up,
knees nearly touching the bed of the truck, and slammed home, forcing a
gasp from Dominic’s lips.

Sweat dripped from Roderick’s body as he pounded harder and

harder into Dominic. Dominic tilted his ass up higher, letting Roderick’s
hot staff go deeper. He whimpered as the tip brushed over the bundle of
nerves in his ass. Fireworks flashed behind his eyes each time Roderick
nailed that spot.

No further words were spoken as they chased down their own

release. Their loud grunts and drawn-out moans overpowered all other
sounds coming from the woods behind them.

A pained look came over Roderick’s face and Dominic could feel

his cock swelling inside him. Roderick sped up his movements. He lifted
up one hand to wrap his fingers around Dominic’s cock, wanting them to
finish together, but Dominic had other ideas.

He knocked Roderick’s hands away and with strength he didn’t know

he had, rolled over, and pushed Roderick to his back.

“What the hell?”
Dominic silenced Roderick with a hard kiss. The shift in positions

had Roderick’s cock hitting at a different angle inside him and he gasped
out his delight at the full feeling and the pleasure from every up and
down glide. He used his thighs to move faster and faster. His body
propelled forward, the tension in his balls boiling, demanding to be set
free.

Roderick dug his fingers into Dominic’s narrow waist to help guide

him down on each thrust of his hips. They were moving so fast his balls
slapped against Roderick’s creating an erotic tingling sensation inside
his body.

Dominic let his head fall back on his shoulders and enjoyed the ride

he was on. He couldn’t believe how free he felt. Having Roderick’s
cock buried so far inside him made Dominic feel complete. He didn’t
care if he ever remembered his other life. He had Roderick in this one
and nothing would ever compare.

A sharp, prickly feeling pushed at his gums and Dominic’s head

snapped up. Roderick had his head buried into Dominic’s chest, licking
and sucking at his nipples. The urge to push Roderick away and wrench
his head to the side became overwhelming. His mouth felt full and heavy
and all he wanted to do was bite down into the hard muscle of
Roderick’s shoulder.

“I’m close,” Roderick mumbled against his fevered skin, and

Dominic jolted on Roderick’s cock when he felt his hot fingers wrap
around his leaking cock.

Dominic’s vision seemed to grow sharper and he panted for breath

as he stared forward, letting the fire in his body erupt. The cock inside
him became thicker and pulsed a steady beat as Roderick roared out his
release. The man’s hand never faltered on Dominic’s cock and just as he
felt his cum spurt out from the tip he bent forward and embedded his
teeth into Roderick’s shoulder.

The man cried out. Dominic couldn’t tell if it was from pleasure or

pain at first. Then he felt another shudder rumble through Roderick
ringing another, smaller orgasm from the man.

As their bodies stopped moving, Dominic slumped forward. The

coppery taste of blood flooded his mouth and he jerked away. He was
horrified by what he had done. Blood dribbled out red, angry, piercing
holes. He couldn’t believe he had done that. He shifted and tried to
climb off of Roderick’s lap.

“Dom, stop.” The kindness in Roderick’s voice was too much and he

struggled to get free but his tired, sedated body wouldn’t let him.

“I’m so sorry.” He covered his hands over his mouth, his fingers

smearing Roderick’s blood into a bigger mess. He thought he must look
like a monster. “I don’t know what came over me.” Tears ran down his
cheeks to further contaminate the mess on his face.

“Shh.” Roderick pulled Dominic’s hands away from his face and

cupped Dominic’s cheeks. “Baby, it’s fine. I’m fine.” He shook
Dominic’s head lightly. “You got carried away, so what?”

“I hurt you,” he stammered out as another set of tears dripped from

his eyes.

Roderick glanced down the best he could at the bite mark then

looked back up to meet Dominic’s red, swollen eyes. “That is nothing. If
anything, it was kind of hot.”

Dominic didn’t believe him and tried to pull free of Roderick’s

strong hold.

Roderick growled out a curse then crashed his lips to Dominic’s. His

tongue licked into his mouth and Dominic knew the man could taste his
own blood on Dominic’s lips. After a thorough kiss, Roderick let him
go. Blood had been smeared across his face and Dominic thought if

someone came upon them now they’d run for the hills in fear.

“You’re not mad at me?” Dominic’s eyes darted between Roderick’s

searching for the truth.

“Fuck no!” Roderick said loudly. “That was the hottest sex I’ve ever

had in my freaking life.” The grin Roderick gave him eased Dominic’s
guilt. “Plus if I got pissed at you for that, how would I get my second
helping of this sweet ass?” Roderick squeezed his butt cheek to
emphasize his point.

“Seconds, huh?” At seeing Roderick’s smiling face, the weight he

pressed down on himself started to lift.

“Let’s face it, Dom, baby. I’m not sure if I will ever get my fill of

you.”

Dominic’s heart expanded in his chest and he thought he might die

from happiness right there in the middle of the woods in Roderick’s
truck.

“I like the sound of that.” Dominic rested his forehead against

Roderick’s. “I’m ready when you are.”

They both began to laugh and Dominic curled his body tighter around

Roderick. So many things he didn’t understand since waking up, but one
thing he knew for sure, he was falling head over heels in love with
Roderick Morgan.

Chapter Nine

After a little post-best-sex-of-his-life cuddling, they got dressed and

headed back to Silver Creek.

Roderick wasn’t ready for Dominic to leave his sight after what just

happened between them and suggested Dominic stay the night with him.
That worried look that Dominic always seemed to wear came out in full
force and wouldn’t go away until Roderick phoned the Carsten house to
inform them that Dominic would be staying the night with him.

The drive back to his house was done in silence. Dominic had dozed

off and Roderick sat in his seat watching as the white lines passed by,
trying to analyze what he just let happen. He wasn’t stupid. He knew
what it meant when a wolf bit a person that they thought was their mate.
It was like being married.

What the fuck have I gotten myself into? Roderick ran a hand over

his head and let out a heavy sigh.

Dominic didn’t know what he was and Roderick couldn’t muster up

one ounce of anger toward the man. Dominic only did what felt natural
for him to do during sex.

Roderick hadn’t realized until now as he drove in the silence of the

night that he had already accepted that Dominic was his. Even if they
weren’t true mates, he’d never let Dominic get away from him. If one
day Dominic woke up and realized all this was some big mistake and left
him, Roderick knew he’d hunt the man down all over the world until he
had him back. This wasn’t a typical feeling he had ever had. Roderick
blamed it on the mating bond. There could be no denying it.

When they reached his house he parked his car in the free space in

the driveway. He gave a light shake to Dominic’s arm to wake him.
“Dom, we’re here.”

Dominic jerked awake and sat up looking around him as if he were

afraid. It took a few seconds of heavy breathing for his focus to land on
Roderick. Dominic’s face softened and he smiled at him.

The house was dark and it appeared that Brandon and Erik were

already asleep, but no such luck. No sooner had they opened the door did
a loud piercing howl come from down the hallway. Roderick cringed

internally at what he knew was taking place in that bedroom and that
Erik just howled. Not just any howl but the sound a wolf would make.
Shit!

“What was that?” Dominic turned to ask.
Roderick didn’t know what to say. Telling the truth wasn’t an option.

“Oh you know.” He swallowed around the lump of nerves in his throat.
“Brandon and Erik having a little alone time if you know what I mean.”

Dominic’s lips rounded into an O and his eyes went wide. “They’re

so loud.” He laughed.

“Well, you weren’t all that quiet earlier yourself.” Roderick walked

Dominic backwards until his back came flush with the wall. “I loved the
sounds”—he traced a finger over Dominic’s lips—“you make.”

Dominic stared up at him, his eyelids falling shut as he reached

toward him, and Roderick was just about to kiss him when a loud
banging came from Brandon’s room. He had to bite his tongue to keep
from shouting down the hall to tell them to keep it quiet.

“Why don’t you show me your room?” Dominic reached up to kiss

his lips then gently pushed at Roderick’s chest. “It might get awkward if
they come out and know we heard them having sex.”

“It would serve them right though.” He led Dominic to his room. He

didn’t bother turning on the light.

Once in his room, Dominic stood there with a look of panic in his

eyes. After everything they just did, Roderick thought it was cute that
he’d be nervous.

“Come on, Dom.” Roderick pulled off his shirt and went for the

button on his jeans. “Let’s get into bed.” When Dominic headed for the
bed, Roderick held up a hand to stop him. “Clothes off first. Anyone in
my bed has to sleep naked. It’s a rule,” he teased.

“Oh really?” Dominic chuckled. “Who am I to disobey?” Dominic

stepped out of his flip-flops and removed his clothes and tossed them to
the floor.

Roderick’s eyes were glued to all that pale skin as Dominic crawled

up on the bed and pulled the sheets down. In the darkness Dominic’s
body looked like he had been made of marble, so flawless and beautiful.

Without further hesitation, Roderick yanked off his jeans and got on

the bed, curling up behind Dominic. Dominic’s body radiated heat and

smelled of man and sex. God, Roderick could get drunk on that
combination. He dipped his head down to nuzzle his nose in the soft skin
behind Dominic’s ear. It didn’t take long for Roderick’s body to respond
and he positioned himself so that his hardened cock fit perfectly between
Dominic’s rounded ass cheeks, right in the crease.

He felt Dominic’s body tense and he rubbed a hand over his belly.

Just as quickly, he could feel Dominic relax and melt into him, pushing
his ass further into Roderick’s lap.

“Have you ever had sex in this position before?” Dominic looked

over his shoulder at him.

“Never.” Roderick shook his head as he pulled Dominic closer to his

chest and started to nibble on his neck, as he ground his hardness
between his slim cheeks.

“Liar.” Dominic whimpered.
Roderick angled his cock rubbing at Dominic’s crease. The feel of

the bare skin against his shaft had Roderick wanting to fuck his lover
with nothing between them. Never in his life had he ever had unprotected
sex but with Dominic it seemed wrong to not plunge his naked cock deep
inside his silky smooth body.

“How do you feel, baby?” Roderick laid his hand over Dominic’s

cock and gave a gentle squeeze. All seven solid inches of Dominic’s
manhood pulsed against his fingers. “You ready for round two?”

“Fuck yeah,” Dominic moaned, arching his back.
He pulled away from the comfort of Dominic’s body to grab a

condom and the lube. As he clutched the condom in his fist, it seemed
such a waste. Dominic, being a wolf shifter, didn’t carry diseases like
humans did. He so badly wanted to toss it to the ground and feel how
perfectly Dominic’s clenching hole felt around his naked cock.

“Everything okay?”
Roderick put the foil packet to his mouth and ripped the package

open. He held Dominic’s stare as he rolled the condom down his length
then flipped the top on the lube and squeezed some out. “Everything will
better once I’m inside of you.” After covering his shaft in the slickness
he moved up behind Dominic and ran his hand down Dominic’s flank
until his hand rested just below his hip. “You ready for me?”

Dominic nodded his head. Roderick grabbed the base of his cock and

positioned the tip at Dominic’s hole. With one steady movement he
pushed inside, Dominic’s body still loose from their early encounter.

Dominic’s scorching heat sucked him right in, drawing him deeper

and deeper. He didn’t stop until he was pressed flush against Dominic’s
back. Roderick moved one arm under Dominic’s head and draped the
other over his chest and held still, letting Dominic get used to the
fullness.

With precise, measured movements, Roderick pulled out just a little

then pressed back in. Dominic moaned loudly and wrapped his hands
around Roderick’s arm in a pinching grip. Roderick kissed and licked
along the back of Dominic’s neck, tasting the salt as he began to sweat.

Roderick rolled his hips and fucked Dominic in slow, long strokes.

They moved together like a rolling wave crashing to the shore. The build
was slow but getting stronger with every thrust.

Dominic pressed back into Roderick with a little more force each

time, driving Roderick out of his mind with the need to come. He lost
himself to sensation and drilled into Dominic with powerful thrusts. He
squeezed his palm around Dominic’s length and tugged in short pulls.
Roderick was close and wanted to feel Dominic come apart around his
cock.

“R–Roderick,” Dominic stuttered as hot cream pumped over his

fingers.

He growled into Dominic’s shoulder as the man’s ass clamped down

on his invading pole, his body relinquished its hold on his orgasm, and
he came in a fierce grunt, hips twitching, filling the condom with his
seed.

Once he got his breathing under control, Roderick pressed a kiss to

Dominic’s shoulder then as easily as he could slipped free of Dominic’s
body. He removed the condom and let it fall to the floor then rolled back
to his lover’s side.

“I can’t believe I don’t remember how much fun that is.” Roderick

could hear the smile in Dominic’s voice.

“I rather like you not remembering that.” Roderick smacked Dominic

on the ass.

“Hey.” Dominic rolled over to face him. His smiling face like a

golden ray of sunshine shining down from heaven. The sight of it just

brightening up Roderick’s world. “What was that for?”

“Because when you’re with me, I want to be the only person you’re

thinking about.” The truth of what he said nearly took his breath away.
“Or want to be with.”

“I feel the same way about you.” Dominic stared off at something

over Roderick’s shoulder then after a moment met his stare. “When I’m
with you there’s no other place I’d rather be. I feel whole in here.” He
laid a hand over Roderick’s chest, fingers feather light. “How can this be
happening so quickly?” Dominic flipped backwards on his back, shutting
his eyes. “And what is this? God, I must sound like some lovesick kid.”
Dominic peeked out the corner of his eye. “Am I scaring you away yet?”

“No.” Roderick started to laugh.
“What the hell, man?” Dominic sat up and braced his weight on his

left arm. “I bare my heart to you and you laugh in my face. That’s it. No
more of this for you.” He made a sweeping motion over his body.

“Hey, now. Let’s not be too hasty.” Roderick used his weight to push

Dominic back down into the mattress then lay on top of him. “You love
the things I do to all this.” He wiggled his hips where they lay nestled
between Dominic’s spread thighs.

Dominic moaned and reached his arms around Roderick’s neck and

pulled him down for a kiss. After just a few kisses, Roderick pulled
away and moved back to his side of the bed and draped his arm over
Dominic’s stomach.

“I really do like being with you.” Dominic rolled to his side and

toyed with the fine hair covering Roderick’s chest. The action sent a
chill down his back.

“I like being with you, Dom.” Now with Dominic facing him, he

kissed the tip of his nose.

“Can I ask you a question?” Dominic’s looked up through his thick

eyelashes, hesitation in his eyes.

“Shoot.”
“Do you have a family? I mean obviously you came from one, but do

you have anyone besides your friends that are close to you? Devon told
me I came to live with them when I was a teenager and never spoke
much about my family. Just that I was all alone.” Dominic rushed to
explain. “I guess I’m asking if there’s anyone else you need to get back

to?”

Roderick hated thinking about the past. It never served anyone any

good to dwell on things that couldn’t be changed, but he did owe
Dominic some information about his life.

“No, I don’t have anyone waiting at home for me.” The strong, bitter

taste of how life could be cruel stung on his tongue. “My father died
when I was just a baby. After he got out of the Marines he became a cop.
One night he stopped some guy in a routine traffic stop. The guy had been
speeding. As my dad approached the car, the driver shot him. He died
later at the hospital.”

“That’s awful.” Dominic cuddled closer to Roderick’s side.
“It was, but I was so young I never got the chance to know him.

Sometimes it’s better that way.” Losing his father sucked but he never
got the chance to know the man before he was taken from him. All he had
were stories of the man his father used to be.

“But still it’s not fair.”
“No it isn’t, but what’s really not fair is that my mother was

diagnosed with breast cancer when I was a senior in high school. By the
time the doctors had caught it the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes
and there wasn’t much they could do for her.” The anger of that day still
had the ability to makes his teeth cringe and fists tighten. “As if it wasn’t
bad enough that god had taken my father, now he was taking my mother in
a slow, painful death.” His body tensed and tears burned at the backs of
his eyes. This was why he didn’t like thinking about the past. To show
emotion was to show weakness and Roderick never wanted to feel that
weak again.

“Roderick, I don’t know what to say.” Dominic pressed a soft kiss to

the center of his chest. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt that kind of pain
before, but if I had I’m glad I can’t remember it.”

“Yeah, it’s something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.” He idly

ran his hand up and down Dominic’s back, tracing each vertebra with his
fingertips. “She died a month before I was set to graduate from high
school. Once she was gone I packed up the house with the stuff I wanted
to keep then put the house on the market. There wasn’t anything left for
me there so I joined the marines after graduation and never looked
back.”

“You did that all on your own?” Dominic asked. “No other family

members to help you?”

Roderick shrugged. “My mom had a sister but she was younger and

had a family of her own to raise. She didn’t need another mouth to feed
hanging around.”

“Did you even give her the chance?”
He hadn’t. If he got close to his aunt and her family and if something

happened to them, then what? He couldn’t stand to lose any more people
he cared about. “Let’s talk about something else.”

“Roderick—”
“Please, Dom.” He held his lover tight. “All that is in the past now

and I want to keep it there.” Roderick used his hands to lift Dominic’s
face to his. “I will not regret a single thing I did after my mom died
because the path I took led me to you.”

“You believe that?” Roderick could hear the tears in Dominic’s

voice and his body began to tremble.

“With every part of my being. Yes, we just met, but I’ve never felt

this way about anyone before.” He let the magnitude of what he was
saying sink in. “I’m not just in this for a good time. I like you, Dom.”

“I like you, too.” Dominic sniffled.
“That’s good.” Roderick smiled and leaned down to kiss Dominic

passionately on the lips.

They lay there kissing and cuddling tightly together for a while

longer. A yawn made Dominic’s jaw pop and Roderick suggested they
get some rest. Sharing his past with another person had drained Roderick
both mentally and physically. But it felt good to tell Dominic. It made
him feel closer to Dominic and for the first time in forever that didn’t
scare him.

Chapter Ten

The next morning Roderick left Dominic sleeping, curled up in a ball

on his bed. Dominic looked so peaceful lying there. The soft glow of his
skin in the morning light took Roderick’s breath away. His black hair lay
in disarray on his head. Dominic was so warm and cuddly Roderick
wouldn’t have minded staying tucked in close to all that bare flesh of
naked man all day long but the fullness in his bladder had him getting up.

Roderick dragged on his discarded jeans from the previous night and

pulled a clean shirt over his head. The bite Dominic had gifted him with
was a bright, angry red. The last thing he wanted was for Erik or
Brandon to see. They’d want answers to questions Roderick just
couldn’t answer yet.

He shut the door behind him and walked down the hallway. He used

the restroom first then headed toward the kitchen. He could hear
someone clattering around and found himself not looking forward to any
type of “Did Dominic remember anything yet?” conversation.

To his dismay, Erik stood facing away from him, putting water in the

coffee maker. The man stood there in a pair of royal blue boxer briefs
tight enough to leave nothing to the imagination. Erik’s rounded little
bubble butt was on perfect display. It was a good thing Roderick didn’t
find the annoying little shit attractive or encounters like this could be
really awkward.

“Stop staring at my ass,” Erik said without turning around.
“Yeah, right. Don’t flatter yourself.” Roderick went to the fridge and

pulled out the orange juice. He took a drink straight out of the carton.
“How did you know it was me standing there and not Brandon?”

“I can smell you.” Erik turned around and leaned against the counter,

crossing his arms over his bare chest. He sniffed the air. “So I take it
Dom stayed the night as well?”

“I understand it’s just your wolfy senses but that shit is creepy.” He

pointed a finger at Erik. “And you need to watch what you say.”

Erik peeked around the corner then looked back to Roderick,

lowering his voice. “So still nothing?”

“It’s only been two days, Erik. I’m not a miracle worker.” Now that

would have been perfect. Then he could help Dominic remember without
him freaking out. But miracles seemed to run in short supply in
Roderick’s life.

The younger man’s face fell sullen. “I know, I’m just worried about

him.”

“I know you are, Erik, but we can’t push him to remember either.”

He patted Erik on the shoulder as he walked past to retrieve a cup from
the cabinet. “It’ll come. I have complete faith in that.”

“You have faith?” Erik cocked an eyebrow at him, then a knowing

look spread over his young face. “Oh, my, god! You’ve fallen in love
with him haven’t you?”

“What?” Roderick glanced over his shoulder to make sure Dominic

wasn’t standing there listening. He absentmindedly reached up and
rubbed at the bite mark. “Don’t be crazy.”

“Don’t deny it. It doesn’t suit you.” Erik filled his coffee mug to the

brim. “It’s that mating magic.”

Roderick rolled his eyes. He wasn’t a wolf and he wouldn’t say

what he felt was because of some mystical occurrence between two
mates. What he felt for Dominic was his and his alone.

“Let’s not forget I’m not a wolf shifter so that shit doesn’t affect me.”

Roderick wanted to play it cool. The thought of getting his heart broken
made his stomach ache and his mouth go dry.

“Bullshit. I’ve seen the way Aiden is around Devon and how Noah is

around Skyler. Wolf or not, you feel it.”

Erik’s grinning face should have annoyed him but the little shit was

right. Try as he might, he was falling in love with Dominic but he chose
to believe he would have felt this way even if Dominic wasn’t a wolf
shifter.

“Like I said, it’s none of your business.” He took a seat at the table

and busied himself with looking at the newspaper.

“I don’t mean to be a busybody. I just hope and pray that the

connection you guys share will be strong enough to help Dominic deal
with the inevitable,” Erik said in a hushed tone.

“What are you talking about?” Roderick glanced up at Erik.
“I’m only speaking for myself, but I couldn’t imagine not knowing I

was a wolf shifter. To not have any previous knowledge of who and

what you are until bam!” Erik clapped his hands together. “You shift into
a huge fucking wolf.” He blew out a breath. “Talk about messing with
your mind.”

Yeah, that’s what Roderick was afraid of. Before he had the chance

to respond, the sound of shuffling feet came from down the hall. A few
seconds later, a bleary-eyed Dominic came into the kitchen.

Dominic looked down at Erik’s underwear-clad ass then to his face.

“Dude, don’t you own a pair of pants?”

Roderick took a drink of his juice to keep from laughing out loud.
“Good morning to you, too.” Erik grabbed the hand towel from the

wall hook and put it over his groin area. “I guess I’ll go put on some
clothes so as to not offend anyone.” He tried to sound as if he were upset
but Roderick saw the small traces of a smile on his lips.

“Oh come on, Erik!” Roderick called out to him as he left the

kitchen. “Don’t be mad. We love you. We just love it when you have
more clothes on.”

“You don’t think he’s that upset do you?” Dominic looked over his

shoulder in the direction Erik left. “Maybe I should go and apologize.”

Roderick stood up and grabbed Dominic around the wrist. He sat

back down and pulled Dominic to sit on his lap. “He knows you were
just kidding.” He placed a tender kiss to velvety smooth lips, losing
himself to the luscious flavor of his lover’s mouth. “Mmm, I love the
way you taste.”

“Thanks,” Dominic whispered, his eyelids gone heavy.
“Did you sleep well?” Roderick patted him on the hip then moved

Dominic around to sit in the chair while he got up to make breakfast.

“I got to say, for only getting a few hours of actual sleep, I feel

great.” The smile on Dominic’s face overwhelmed his youthful features.
“Best night’s sleep of my life.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” As he walked around the table to grab the

eggs and milk from the refrigerator he looked in Dominic’s direction.
“Any big plans for the day?” Roderick asked, not wanting to just assume
Dominic wanted to stay and hang out with him.

“I don’t know.” Dominic took a big gulp out of the glass Roderick

left on the table. His voice shook when he spoke. “Do I?”

“Dom, baby, I can keep you busy all day and night long.” He set

aside the eggs and went to stand in front of Dominic. Roderick caressed
one finger down the left side of Dominic’s face. “So what do you say?
Feel like staying to play for a while?”

“Depends.” A bright blush dotted Dominic’s cheeks. “What did you

have in mind exactly?”

Grinning like a wolf, Roderick bent over and took Dominic’s lips in

a kiss that not only had the ability to curl a man’s toes but stiffen his cock
as well. Oh the things Roderick looked forward to doing to his new
lover.

Chapter Eleven

The sun seemed to shine brighter, the sky to be a clearer shade of

bright blue, and the birds sang louder than usual, or at least Dominic
thought they did. Life was good and getting better by the day.

He’d been seeing Roderick for a little over a week now and the more

time that passed, the more helplessly in love with the man he became.
The way Roderick looked at him like he was the only person in the
world made his heart skip a beat. Roderick’s honey-colored eyes
seemed to cut right into Dominic’s soul and made him forget that he still
hadn’t remembered the years stolen from his memory. Why did he need
to remember the past when his present and future held so much joy for
him?

With Roderick having to work, there were times they only got to

spend a few hours together, but they made the most of them. Even just
kissing Roderick’s full, supple lips was enough to feed Dominic’s
hunger for the other man. They both couldn’t keep their hands off the
other. The moment Roderick would walk through the door or pick him up
from his house, they were on each other in a blink of an eye.

Dominic loved trailing his fingers down Roderick’s muscular chest

and running his fingernails under the groove where the muscles on his
lower waist formed a V. The man was built so solid and firm Dominic
could never get enough of touching him. He wanted to commit every line
and hard ridge of muscle to memory just in case Roderick woke up and
saw the light and realized he could do better than a bashed-in head case.
Not that Dominic felt sorry for himself, but he just wished he could
remember some little detail from his past so maybe people wouldn’t
look at him like he was broken on the inside.

Everything he had learned so far about Dominic Gabardi didn’t seem

to fit with the way he was now. The old Dominic loved to play around
on the computer, read comic books, and had a fascination with numbers.
All those things didn’t hold one bit of interest for him now. Staring at a
computer screen gave him a headache and made him sleepy. Anything
more involved than addition and subtraction made him lose interest and
he didn’t understand the appeal of a comic book. Brightly colored pages

with bubbles holding the dialog seemed more like a child’s choice of
reading material, not something for Dominic. Now give him a science
fiction thriller or murder mystery and that would suck Dominic in for
hours.

Besides those three major things, everyone else had commented on

how different he was, but not that it was a bad thing. The old Dominic
kept to himself more. Aiden had told him they’d only see Dominic if he
had work to do at the Carsten and Son’s office. Other than that, Dominic
had lived in an apartment in Silver Creek and rarely visited.

Dominic thought his old life seemed very lonely. He couldn’t

imagine not being around Erik, Aiden, Skyler, and Carl. They were his
friends and helped him the most with everyday tasks when he came home
from the hospital. They would sit and talk with Dominic for hours on end
and never seem like they were bored. And Dominic had noticed that they
stopped trying to prod him to remember his old life. The sadness that
would flash across their faces happened less and less. Deep down
Dominic had a feeling that they were starting to realize they liked him
better now than before. He’d never ask them, but he could sense it in the
way they’d smile.

In between spending time with Roderick or hanging out with his

friends, Dominic had been going into work with Shane at the café.
Summer was coming to a close and their part-time help had to get
prepared for the beginning of a new school year. Dominic wouldn’t wish
anything bad on another person but their loss was his gain and he loved
going in to help out.

He started a routine. Dominic would get up in the morning and go for

a walk, but after few days he started to make that a morning run. The
cool morning air fanning across his face helped wake him up and get the
day going. He’d then go inside, shower and change, and ride into Silver
Creek with Shane. They’d get the café opened and Dominic had really
taken a liking to helping Margie get the muffins and cakes prepared.
Dominic had been surprised at how much fun he was having.

Dominic usually left the café around one or two. If Roderick wasn’t

busy he’d pick him up and drive him home or if Brandon and Erik
weren’t at the house they’d go there. They’d make love and lie around
naked and talk about their day. He’d started to notice they talked more

about his day than Roderick’s. When he’d ask, Roderick would shrug it
off as just another day tracking down criminals. Dominic didn’t know a
lot about bounty hunting and thought that Roderick’s secrecy about his
job was normal. It sounded like a dangerous profession to be in and
Dominic didn’t want to think about his lover being in harm’s way on a
daily basis.

When they weren’t wrapped naked around each other, Roderick had

taken on the task of teaching him how to drive. Dominic owned a silver
Honda Accord that sat parked in the Carsten house’s garage. The sleek
curves of the car and leather interior, along with the loud sound system,
had Dominic eager to learn how to drive again. He didn’t mind being
chauffeured all over the place, but it made him feel like a child at times.
Dominic wanted to have the option to get up and go if he chose to.

Like clockwork Roderick came through the café door at two o’clock.

The bell chimed indicating a customer had just come in but Dominic
didn’t bother to look up from where he stood at the counter wrapping up
the cookies he just pulled out of the oven. The strong masculine scent that
belonged to Roderick, soap and aftershave, fluttered under his nose.

At times Dominic thought it was weird he could smell Roderick so

strongly. He assumed it had to be a love thing. Everything Roderick did
stood out amongst everyone else. The sounds he made, the smells that
wafted off his body. And at times, as odd as it may seem, he could feel if
Roderick was happy, mad, or sad, just by the vibration humming off his
body. Dominic didn’t know if it was a sixth sense he had always had or
if it came along after his brain injury but either way he enjoyed being this
close to another person.

“Hey, babe.” Roderick walked around the counter and kissed him on

the cheek. “You ready for your driving lesson?”

“I didn’t know you needed a license to ride cock,” Shane said as he

passed by.

Dominic nearly dropped the plate of cookies in his hands. Roderick

reached out and saved the dish and the cookies.

“Shane!” Dominic took the plate from Roderick and sat it back in the

display case. “I can’t believe you said that.”

“Oh please.” The man flipped over the close sign on the door and

came back to lean over the counter. “You opened yourself up for that.”

Dominic squinted an eye at Shane and shook his head. Shane huffed out a
loud breath. “It was a joke, man. Jeez, take it easy. Don’t get your undies
in a twist.”

“I’m not upset but hell, Shane, what if Margie was still here?”

Dominic really liked Margie and didn’t want her to have a heart attack
from Shane’s vulgar comments. Funny as they were, but still a little
embarrassing.

“Really? With the way you two look at each other? She might be old

but she’s not blind.” Shane pointed a finger in their direction. “Look at
you now. You guys are always touching each other. It’s obvious you two
are fucking.”

Dominic didn’t have to look. He could feel Roderick’s arm wrapped

loosely around his waist, holding him close to his side. The warmth of
his thick fingers bled through Dominic’s shirt. The sensation had become
so familiar, Dominic didn’t notice it anymore. There was no
awkwardness when they touched. For Dominic it would have been weird
if Roderick wasn’t touching him every time they were together.

“But I still don’t need to advertise it.” He turned his head to look

around the café. “When did she leave?” The afternoon rush seemed to be
busier than usual and now that Dominic thought about it he hadn’t seen
her since then.

“Her hip was bothering her so she went home early. Her doctor

thinks she should go ahead with the hip replacement surgery sooner
rather than later,” Shane muttered. He quickly turned away and busied
himself at the front counter.

Shane had lived in Nehalem for the past two years and Margie had

been the first person who took him in and gave him a job and a place to
live. She was a part of his family. Shane had told him that he had lost his
mother at a young age and Margie helped fill that void. Even though he
didn’t remember his own mother, Dominic knew that it had to be hard for
his friend. Margie was getting older and any time a person went in for
surgery, there were risks involved. If anything ever happened to Margie,
Shane wouldn’t be the only one heartbroken over the loss.

Margie was a caring woman who gave a person all her attention

when they spoke to her. She always made Dominic feel welcomed, even
after learning he didn’t remember a single thing about her. She shrugged

it off saying that it wasn’t every day a person got the chance to make a
second first impression. She was a sweet and funny lady that Dominic
had come to care a great deal for.

Dominic looked up at Roderick and his lover gave a nod of his chin

in Shane’s direction. He smiled up at Roderick then walked over to
Shane. The man had his back to him so Dominic wrapped his arms
around Shane’s chest and rested his chin on his shoulder.

“It’s going to be okay.” He gave Shane a little shake, erupting a laugh

from his friend’s throat. “She’s a tough old bird. It’ll take more than that
to take her from us.”

Shane placed his hand over Dominic’s forearm and rubbed his hand

up and down. “I know. I still worry but I guess we all do, huh?” Shane
looked over his shoulder at him.

“Yeah, we do.” He kissed Shane on the cheek then went back to

finishing up his close-up duties.

Roderick helped out by mopping the floor in the kitchen area while

Dominic and Shane cleaned up the front area. Twenty minutes later, they
were walking out the door and he waved good-bye to Shane.

All the talk about Margie and her impending surgery had sucked the

air from Dominic’s sail. He didn’t know if he had ever lost someone that
he loved but the thought of losing sweet old Margie caused a pain so
deep inside him, Dominic felt like he couldn’t breathe. Death was so
final and it wasn’t fair.

“Babe, you all right?” Roderick asked as he came to his truck and

opened the door for Dominic.

“Yeah.” He climbed inside. “I just hate to think about anything bad

happening to Margie. She’s been so good to me.” He remembered how
earlier that day they stood in the back joking while she helped guide him
in preparing the sugar cookie dough then sat there and decorated cookies
with him. She told stories of when she was younger. The woman was a
fountain of information that still had so much to give.

“It’s hip surgery, not a death sentence.” Roderick stated bluntly.

“She’d probably kick your guys’ asses if she knew you were sitting
around just waiting for her to keel over.”

Dominic swung his head around to stare at Roderick. Was he being

serious?

“Don’t look at me like that.” Roderick lightly flicked Dominic on the

tip of the nose. “When my mom was sick she’d always get mad when I
got all doom and gloom on her. She’d ask why I was already planning
her funeral before she even took her last breath.” Roderick stared
straight in front of him and Dominic could see the slight tilt of his lips as
he smiled over the memory.

“Sounded like she was a wise woman.”
“She was.” Roderick leaned over the console and kissed him on the

lips. Dominic moaned into it and opened wide for the quick stab of
Roderick’s tongue in his mouth. He whimpered when Roderick sat back
in his seat. “Now stop your moping around and think only good thoughts.
Margie will need it.”

It never seemed to amaze Dominic how Roderick always knew the

right thing to say and do to make him feel better. The man was a gift from
heaven dropped in his lap. Dominic didn’t know what he did to get so
lucky but he’d spend every day making sure Roderick knew how much he
cared for him.

“You’re right!” he said in a chipper voice.
“I’m always right.” Roderick pulled away from the curb and headed

down the road.

Dominic rolled his eyes. “No one likes a smartass.”
“No but they love a cocky one.” Roderick waggled his eyebrows at

him and Dominic started to laugh.

During times like this, Dominic didn’t care about what his life had

been like before. This life he had right now was too good to trade for a
billion dollars let alone a glimpse into his past. If it was something
important he’d remember it in time, but right now he wanted to enjoy the
ride. See what life had to offer him now.

Chapter Twelve

Roderick drove to the outskirts of town where there were long,

paved country roads that were nearly deserted this time of day. It gave
Dominic plenty of practice on those windy roads without having to deal
with traffic.

Roderick pulled his truck over to the side of the road and Dominic

hopped out without waiting to be told. He loved driving Roderick’s
truck. The large piece of machinery made him feel powerful. The drive
was smooth and he was up high enough he didn’t panic when another car
passed him going in the opposite direction.

“Okay, Dom, head down the road. In about fifteen miles you’ll come

to Hillsdale Road. Go left and go down about another fifteen miles.”

Dominic nodded his understanding, then adjusted the seat and

mirrors. He latched his seatbelt then looked out his window. No
oncoming cars so he pulled out onto the road. The nice, slow hum of the
truck relaxed him.

Clouds had rolled in and it looked like rain. The windows were

down and the wind rushed into the cab of the truck, whirling around his
head. Dominic took a long, hard whiff, nostrils flaring. He could scent
rain in the air.

Off into the distance, a flash of lightning streaked across the sky. The

bright light against the darkening shades of gray looked stunning.

He glanced over to see Roderick with his head laid back on the seat

rest and eyes closed. The hard lines of his jaw seemed tense and the
deep set of wrinkles around his eyes stood out, making him look older
than his twenty-eight years. Even his scent was different. More bitter, not
sweet and sensual like it typically was. Something wasn’t right.

“Everything okay?” he asked. “Tough day at work?” Dominic still

didn’t know what all being a bounty hunter entailed but he knew it
consisted of tracking people down who were evading the law. Seemed
like a stressful job to him but Roderick never shared anything work
related. So if Roderick was feeling the strain of his job he kept it all to
himself and Dominic was sick of it. They were together and he wanted to
know everything about this man’s life. The good, bad, and the ugly.

“Nah, just tired.” Roderick didn’t even bother to open his eyes.
Another vague answer.
“You know I’m here to listen if you want to talk about it.”
“I’ll keep that in mind when I have something to say.” Roderick’s

tone was emotionless as he spoke. Did he really not think of Dominic as
someone he could confide in? “Now keep your eyes on the road and
drive.”

Dominic ground his teeth together and squeezed the steering wheel

tightly in his hands. He thought he heard the wheel creak under the
pressure but he didn’t care. The turn for Hillsdale Road came into view
and he took the corner doing fifty miles an hour, causing them both to
jerk to the side.

“What the fuck, Dom?” Roderick shouted.
“Oh this is my fault,” he grumbled as he continued to drive. “You

keeping everything bottled up has nothing to do with this?” He looked
over at Roderick.

Dominic pulled over to the side of the road, threw the car into park,

yanked the keys from the ignition and jumped out.

“Where are you going?” Roderick called out to him.
“For a walk to get some space from you!” He held the keys so tightly

in his hand the metal prongs dug into his skin. The bite of pain fueled his
already pissed-off mood. The day had been going so great but he
couldn’t deny that Roderick seemed to be keeping a part of himself
hidden from Dominic. It wasn’t fair.

“Seriously?” Roderick’s fingers wrapped around his bicep and

pulled Dominic around. “Are you pouting? Or is this a tantrum?”

With strength he didn’t know he possessed Dominic spun around and

placed his hands on Roderick’s chest and pushed. The man landed on his
ass about ten feet from Dominic. Dominic quickly masked his shock with
an expression of rage. It served Roderick right to be knocked on his butt,
but how did he do it? Roderick outweighed him by a good fifty pounds.

Dominic wanted to hang on to his anger and not be sidetracked by his

surprise strength. He stalked up to where Roderick sat on the ground
staring at him with wide eyes.

“I might not remember my phone number, address, or what the hell

my life used to be like.” He threw the keys in his hand at Roderick. “But

I’m a person nonetheless. I don’t need you to protect me from anything. If
all I am to you is someone to fuck then I’m out.” He held up his hands. “I
want a man who is willing to share his day with me. I want to know
about your life, Roderick, and that means how your job is going. It’s
obviously a big part of your life. Why won’t you share that with me?”

* * * *

As Roderick stared up at a red faced Dominic, he couldn’t believe

his day could get any worse. It had gone to shit the moment he woke up.
A call from council headquarters informed him that a family of wolf
shifters in Maine had been slaughtered. A mother, father, and their three
children. According to the report, there weren’t enough of the remains to
make a positive ID on who was who. And the cause of death was from
being torn apart. Basically eaten alive by some rabid, enraged wolf.

The violence that people inflicted on each other never ceased to

amaze him. Here Roderick thought it would be hunters disagreeing with
the council’s orders to not kill on sight that would be the cause of more
wolf slayings. But no, it was wolf-on-wolf attacks. But why?

That had been the question Roderick had been working on answering

all day. He’d made calls to some of the hunters he trusted to set out and
canvas the area. If a wolf had gone rabid and was killing its own kind,
there was nothing stopping it from going after humans next.

The only bright spot in his day was knowing he’d be able to see

Dominic. It wouldn’t erase the images he had seen or the knowledge of
what evil walked the Earth but it helped relieve some of the stress.

As Roderick sat on the ground looking up at his wolf shifter mate, the

anger in his eyes pinned him to the ground. “Because I love you so
fucking much, I don’t want you to think about the horrors that are in the
world.” He told him a partial truth. There was no way around it.
Dominic wouldn’t let him off the hook without some sort of explanation.

Holy shit! His mind echoed in his empty head. I just said I loved

him. Did Dom hear it, too? Or was I just thinking that in my head?

“I…um...I,” Roderick stammered as he tried to backtrack what he

just admitted. They needed to stay focused on one issue at a time.

“Did you just say you loved me?” Dominic’s eyes lit up for a brief

moment before he glared down at him. “Save it. We can discuss that in a
minute, but first I want to know more about the horrors you are keeping
me from. I never asked you to protect me from the bad things that happen
every day.” He blew out an annoyed sigh. “Fuck, man, look at me. The
bad things out there happened to me, so please don’t patronize me. I’m
not stupid so please, for the love of god, talk to me.”

And tell him what? That seeing the body parts of a family ripped

apart was just another day at the office for him? He had to tell Dom
something, he owed him that much but he had to do it in a way that
wasn’t a complete and total lie.

“I know you’re not stupid, I just don’t want you to have to deal with

the shit I see on a daily basis. There are some fucked up people in the
world who do some pretty vicious shit to others.”

“I can handle it.” Dominic sat down in front of him and crossed his

legs underneath him. “If this is stuff you have to deal with then I want to
know. I want you to know that I’m here for you and I can be your
shoulder to lean on when you need it.” Dominic grinned at him. “I’m
tougher than I look.”

“I can tell.” Roderick rubbed a hand over his chest. He’d probably

have bruising from the force of Dom’s hands on his chest.

“I’m sorry about that,” Dominic said shyly. He tore his gaze from

Roderick. “I just got so frustrated with you treating me like I’m not
mature enough to handle what you have to say. Just because my memory
isn’t what it used to be doesn’t mean I’m a complete moron.”

“I never thought that.” Roderick held out his hand for Dominic’s. He

clasped the thin, warm fingers in his grip. “I don’t want you having to
live with the images I’ve seen burned into your mind. It’s not pretty stuff,
Dom.”

“I get that but I don’t want you to have to shoulder the burden on your

own.” Dominic squeezed Roderick’s fingers. “I know I’m a little rusty
but isn’t that what people who are in a relationship do? Share things with
one another. I could be wrong though.”

The look on Dominic’s face told him there was no getting out of this.

Roderick could give him pieces of the truth.

“Okay, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Dominic used his other hand to

wave him on. “The current assignment I’m working on now is to track

down the people responsible for killing a family in Maine. A mother,
father and their three young children.” He paused to let the information
sit in and give Dom the chance to tell him to stop.

“A family?” Dominic asked and Roderick nodded. “Why?”
“I’m not sure.” He shrugged. “But it’s my job to find out why and

bring them to justice.” And he would. The council would stop at nothing
to prevent these brutal killings. Roderick just hoped it was an isolated
incident because if not they had bigger problems on the horizon.

“That’s awful,” Dominic said after a few minutes of being silent.
“See.” Roderick tugged on Dominic’s hand until he was able to pull

the man into his lap. Dominic’s long legs straddled his hips. Roderick
dipped his head down to meet Dom’s eyes. “That is exactly why I didn’t
want to tell you any of that.”

“I know but me not knowing doesn't change the fact that you still have

to handle all that on your own.” Dominic brought his hand up to brush the
hair out of his face exposing his bright blue eyes. “No matter what, I
always want you to come to me. Sometimes talking about it helps.”
Dominic gave him a small smile. “It will make your soul feel lighter.”

“I’ll have to remember that,” Roderick said in a low voice as he

neared Dominic’s lips.

“Oh no you don’t.” Dominic brought his hand up to cover Roderick’s

mouth. “I’m glad we got that settled but we still have one more thing to
talk about.” He nipped at Dom’s finger as it tapped him on his lips.

“What’s that?” he teased, knowing damn good and well what

Dominic wanted to discuss. For the first time wanting to say I love you
to another person didn’t frighten him. If anything it felt fucking good.

“That you love me.” Dominic prompted. “Remember?”
“Hmm.” Roderick leaned back on his hands and closed one eye as he

looked up at the darkened sky. “I don’t recall. Are you sure that’s what I
said?” He asked, but couldn’t hide the smile tugging at his upper lip.

“You jerk.” Dominic tickled along Roderick’s ribcage and he started

to squirm.

“Okay, I give.” He fell backwards to lie on his back. “Yes, I love

you more than I thought possible.”

Dominic hovered above him, hands braced on either side of

Roderick’s face. “That’s very flattering.” Dominic nodded his head and

sat up. “You do understand I’ll need time to think on this.”

Roderick narrowed his eyes and stared up at Dominic. The man

looked so serious but he saw a slight twitch on the upper right corner of
his mouth. Roderick bucked his hips up and rolled Dominic underneath
him. He used his knee to push Dom’s legs apart to make room for his
body to lie snug against his.

“Was that supposed to be funny?” Being so close to Dominic and

feeling the heat from his body had Roderick’s cock growing to full
hardness. He rolled his hips against Dominic’s, the man’s mouth fell
open, and a low moan passed his lips. “Because I don’t see the humor in
it.”

Dominic writhed under him, arching his back to raise his hips up to

get more friction from Roderick. The hard shaft in his lover’s pants made
his skin crawl with desire.

Just as Dominic reached for him, Roderick pulled back. Dominic’s

lip stuck out in a pout. “I was only teasing you.” He reached for
Roderick again but he evaded his hands.

“I’m not sure I believe you.” Roderick made a clicking sound with

his tongue. “Typically when a person tells another person they love
them, they tend to say it back. I’m pretty sure it’s proper etiquette or
some shit.”

“Oh really?” Dominic lay back on the ground and put his arms

behind his head.

“Really.” Roderick moved to settle closer to Dominic until their

chests touched. “Plus leaving a guy hanging like that is worse than a case
of blue balls.” His heart pounded in his chest waiting to hear Dominic
say those three words. He hoped Dominic felt the same way because if
he didn’t Roderick didn’t know what he’d do.

“Roderick, Roderick, Roderick,” Dominic said after what felt like

forever. His eyes were glinting with mischief. “As much as I love your
balls, and I do, I love you ten times more than that, and if your balls fell
off I’d still love you.”

Roderick released the breath he’d been holding and collapsed on top

of Dominic, bringing his lips down hard for a bruising kiss. He had an
overwhelming desire to mark him. The whole world needed to know that
Dominic belonged to him. God, he loved this.

“Babe.” Roderick eased back. “Let’s not talk about our cocks and

balls falling off.” He cringed internally at the thought. He gave himself a
good shake.

“Whatever you say, my love.” Dominic’s fingers massaged at the

muscle on the back of his neck and Roderick went in for a deeper kiss.

Even as close as they were, Roderick wanted to be closer still. His

love for Dominic seemed to make everything seem brighter, more
attainable, with this man by his side or underneath him wiggling with
desire. Roderick would never tire of this feeling.

Chapter Thirteen

Dominic let his tongue dance alongside Roderick’s, sucking in the

minty taste of his mouth. It moved slow and sensuous to the point
Dominic found himself clawing at Roderick’s shoulders. He had to get
his hands and mouth on every part of this man’s luscious body.

“What are you doing?” Roderick asked, a smile dancing across his

lips as Dominic pushed him to his side.

“I have a strong desire to taste you.” He ran a finger down the front

of Roderick chest, causing the man to moan as he rolled to his back, eyes
clenched tight. Dominic trailed his finger all the way down until his hand
palmed at Roderick’s generous bulge. “I want this in my mouth.”

“Who am I to deny you that?” Roderick said as another loud moan

erupted from his throat.

Dominic went to work on his lover’s zipper, pulling and tugging until

he had Roderick’s’ pants peeled down to his thighs.

His breath got caught in his throat at the sight of Roderick’s tan

lower abdomen, the muscles so taut his veins pushed against the surface.
His mouth filled with drool at the view of Roderick’s thick and heavy
shaft with the bright red crown. A small drip of desire seeped out the
slit. Dominic couldn’t resist. He fell forward and licked the rounded tip
like a lollipop, taking in the salty flavor.

“Fuck, Dom,” Roderick growled. His fingers tunneled through

Dominic’s hair, urging him lower on his thick pole.

Dominic relaxed his jaw and eased the tip further down his throat.

His tongued the underside of the veiny cock as Roderick slid deeper.
Dominic pulled up and swirled his tongue around the ridge of the crown,
coating Roderick’s dick in his saliva.

Once the pulsing flesh was slippery enough, Dominic swallowed him

down to the root. His chin nudged up against Roderick’s balls and his
nose was buried in the finely trimmed thatch of hair surrounding his
base. Dominic rubbed his face from side to side as he worked his throat
on Roderick’s dick. The dual sensations had his strong, handsome lover
purring like a kitten.

“That’s it, baby,” Roderick whimpered. “Take it all.”

It was a request Dominic was happy to oblige. He bobbed his head

up and down, savoring the constant flow of pre-cum oozing out the tip.

His own desires worked to a fever pitch and he needed to give a

little attention to his throbbing cock. While his mouth worked Roderick’s
shaft he used one hand to massage the rounded stones in his sac. Dominic
used his free hand to unfasten his shorts and pull his cock free.

He moaned around the mushroom head at the first touch of his hand

on his hot flesh. The need for release sat right on the tip of his cock. He
started to suck Roderick faster as his hand pumped with fierce motion.

“Yeah, right there.” Roderick’s hips bucked up off the ground. “Just

like that, baby.”

Dominic relaxed his throat to take the brutal pounding Roderick gave

him. He could feel the shaft widening in his mouth and hollowed out his
cheeks for ample suction.

“Oh, fuck!” Roderick shouted. “Here it comes.”
Dominic pulled back to catch the gooey load on his tongue. A few

seconds later the hot, bitter cream filled his mouth and he guzzled it
down like a man dehydrated. The thickness coated his throat all the way
down to his stomach, filling him with warmth.

The little whimpering sounds Roderick made as he sucked him dry

and the heavy load in his mouth, pushed him over the edge. His cum
flowed from the tip, spraying the ground beneath him. His mouth went
slack as he succumbed to his own release.

After the jittery shock left his body, Dominic licked Roderick’s cock

clean and sat up. He was breathless as if he just ran a marathon.

Roderick had one hand behind his neck supporting his head and one

hand resting on his belly. His eyes were only halfway open. A look of
utter contentment hung on his face. It was a look that suited him. His
cheeks were flushed pink, sweat dotted his brow, and his hard body
looked relaxed and lazy as he lay there.

“That was amazing.” He held a hand out for Dominic to take.
Dominic let Roderick pull him on top of him and he kissed his lover,

sharing the flavor Roderick’s seed left in his mouth. Roderick sucked on
his tongue as if he couldn’t get enough.

Thunder cracked in the distance and Dominic eased away to look up

at the graying sky. Rain would be upon them before too long.

“We better get going before we get wet,” Dominic said as he went to

his knees then stood up. He tucked his softening dick back into his shorts.

“I rather like it when you’re all wet, baby.” Roderick came to his

feet and pulled Dominic to his chest.

Roderick’s pants were still down past his ass and his naked cock

rubbed over Dominic’s. The semi-erect shaft nudged at his, threatening it
to stand up for another round.

“What’s that word people say when a person can’t get enough of

something?” Dominic tilted his head back as Roderick kissed down his
neck.

“Insatiable.” Roderick’s lips tickled his neck when he spoke.
“Yeah,” he said on a sigh. “That’s what you are.” Dominic held

Roderick’s head close to his neck eager to feel more of the little bites he
peppered along his skin.

Another crackle of thunder ripped through the afternoon sky. As the

sound receded, the distinct sound of a wolf howling rang low and
directly in his ears. Dominic’s fingers fell slack and dropped to
Roderick’s shoulders. He looked in the direction of the surrounding
trees, curious if he’d see the large brown wolf and the little black one.

“What’s the matter?” Roderick took a step back and followed the

path Dominic’s eyes had taken. “Did you see something?”

“No but…” Dominic chewed on the inside of his cheek. It felt stupid

to mention that he thought he saw two wolves from his bedroom
window. So what if he did? He lived out in the country for goodness
sake. It shouldn’t bother him so much that he saw them, but it was more
than that. There was something about those wolves that struck him as
familiar but he couldn’t figure out why.

“But what?” Roderick prompted him.
“It’s stupid really.” Dominic tore his eyes from the trees to look at

Roderick.

“Baby.” Roderick took a step toward him, resting his hands on

Dominic’s hips. “Tell me what’s going on in that gorgeous head of
yours.”

“Fine, but you can’t call me crazy once I tell you. Okay?” Roderick

nodded his head. “A few nights ago I got up to go to the bathroom and
when I came back, I stopped to look out the window. Nothing unusual.

You know how much I love the outdoors.”

“Go on.” Roderick’s eyes stared intently into his.
“It’s probably nothing, but I saw two wolves sitting outside staring

up at the moon. One was quite large, and a smaller one.” Dominic
looked over Roderick’s shoulder as if seeing the two animals right in
front of him. “They looked so beautiful. The little one snuggled up close
to the bigger one. The way they interacted almost reminded me of a
mother and child.”

The memory was still fresh in his mind. The glossy shine of their fur

and the way they sat so contently together. Maybe he used to be an
animal activist or something. Why else would he care so much or
remember in such vivid detail these two wolves?

“Did you see anything else?” Roderick grumbled as if he were

angered by what Dominic had said.

“No.” He looked at the man he loved. “Should there be? I mean hell,

Roderick, it was two freaking wolves. Nothing special. The sight of
them just stuck with me is all.”

“I’m sorry, babe.” Roderick smiled and Dominic could clearly see

that it was forced upon his handsome face. “Let’s get out of here before
the rain comes.”

Dominic let Roderick lead him back to the truck. Like always,

Roderick opened the passenger door for him to climb inside. The sweet
gesture always melted his heart and soon enough he wasn’t upset over
Roderick’s odd reaction to his mentioning of seeing wolves in the
Carsten’s backyard.

Chapter Fourteen

Dominic didn’t say anything else about the wolves he saw on the

Carsten property and that was probably for the best. From the
description he gave, Roderick knew exactly who it was and once he got
Dominic dropped off at home he was going to speak to Devon about it.

It pissed him off to think that Skyler would be so careless as to go

running around in wolf form with his son knowing there would be a
chance that Dominic could catch them. Granted Roderick didn’t think that
was their intention but still. Roderick had been given the task of
watching over Dominic and he didn’t need anything causing him any
unneeded stress.

Roderick had already lost his heart to Dominic and he didn’t want to

take any chances of losing him. The thought of Dominic cracking under
the pressure and hurting an innocent person would be devastating to him.
Roderick knew what would need to be done if Dominic lost his ability to
control his wolf and the thought of that kept him up at night.

“Home sweet home,” Dominic said as they pulled up the long drive

leading to the Carsten house.

He’d been so consumed with his thoughts that the journey home went

by in a flash. Roderick wasn’t ready to say good-bye to Dominic just yet,
but he had work that needed to be done and one alpha to talk to.

“I know you’re busy so you don’t have to walk me to the door.”

Dominic leaned over and kissed his cheek then turned to exit the truck.

“Hey, wait a minute.” Roderick flung open the door and jumped out

of the truck. He met Dominic around the front. “I’m never too busy to see
the man I love to the door.” He grinned, doing his best to erase any signs
of worry from his face. “My mama would roll over in her grave if she
thought I wasn’t using the manners she instilled in me.”

“Fine, you can walk me to the door.” Dominic rolled his eyes and

did his best to sound annoyed but Roderick saw the ghost of a smile on
his face. “But that’s it. I know that you are busy with work stuff so no
hanky-panky. Got me, mister?”

“Yes, sir,” he leaned forward and whispered in Dominic’s ear. He

felt the man tremble.

“Shit, you were right.” Dominic’s eyelids lay half-hooded and he had

a lazy grin on his lips. “It is hot being called sir.”

Roderick tickled Dominic right under his armpits and the man

squealed in laughter. “Let’s not forget who the master is here.” He
tugged Dominic by the hand until he stood flush to Roderick’s chest. He
lowered his hands to grip at Dominic’s ass.

“Master?” Dominic cocked an eyebrow at him. “That seems rather

kinky, sir,” he said in a teasing tone and licked his lips lavishly.

“You have no idea how kinky I can be.” He moved forward to take

Dominic in a rough kiss to demonstrate just how dirty he intended on
getting with him but the front door banged open.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Aiden said, and he had the decency to look

embarrassed. “But I wanted to catch you before you left, Roderick.”

Dominic buried his head in Roderick’s chest, doing his best to

smother his laughter at being caught by Aiden. Roderick kissed the top of
his head and raised his hands up from Dom’s ass to wrap around his
waist. He then looked up at Aiden. “Not a problem. I was hoping to
speak to Devon before I left anyways. What did you need, Aid?”

“It’s your lucky day. He’s down at the office.” Aiden tilted his head

in the direction of the Carsten and Son’s office down the hill from the
house. “But on to what I wanted to ask you. We are throwing a surprise
party for Carson tomorrow night and wanted to see if you would like to
come.”

“I thought you said Carson’s birthday was in two weeks?” Dominic

turned in Roderick’s embrace to look at Aiden.

“It is but ever since we threw Erik a surprise party the little booger

has been busting balls to have one of his own. Plus, Noah and Skyler are
taking Carson on vacation so he won’t be here on his birthday.” He
clapped his hands together. “He’ll be so surprised and he’ll get to
celebrate his birthday twice.”

“You all spoil him way too much.” Roderick pointed a finger at

Aiden.

“So? He’s the only kid around here. With Erik all grown up and

moved out all we have left is Carson to spoil rotten.”

Roderick remembered hearing stories about Erik before he met him

and it seemed all that extra attention made him a pain in the ass. But he

had high hopes for Carson. Even he liked being around the little boy.
Carson still had that glow of excitement in his eyes. The future held so
much promise for him and he didn’t know the evils of the world just yet.
To be naïve to the harsh reality that lay out before him was a godsend to
a child.

“So what do you say?” Aiden asked as he bounced up and down on

the balls of his feet. “You coming?”

“Hey!” Dominic pulled free from Roderick’s embrace and walked

up the porch steps. “Were you going to ask me?”

“Sweetie, you live here.” Aiden patted Dominic on the back. “And

you’re family. It’s a given you will be here. It’s corralling your
boyfriend to get here on time that is the question.”

“Oh.” Dominic’s smile was so wide it met his eyes. “Thanks!”
“Well since you pointed out that my boyfriend will be here then

count me in.” Roderick shrugged. “And I wouldn’t mind seeing Carson.
That little guy is pretty awesome.”

“Yes he is. Now be here tomorrow by six.” Aiden informed him.
Once Aiden was inside, Roderick walked up the remaining steps and

gave Dominic a long and hard kiss. When he pulled away, Dominic
gasped for breath and a vibrant red stained his cheeks.

“I love you.” His voice sounded grave and strained to his own ears

but this man had the ability to pull all kinds of emotions from his body
and soul.

“Love you, too.” Dominic nuzzled his nose against Roderick’s cheek.
“See you tomorrow night.” As Roderick turned to leave, Dominic

swatted him on the ass. “Hey!” He jerked around, covering his bottom
from another slap.

“Sorry. I couldn’t resist.” Dominic giggled. “See ya tomorrow.”
Roderick chuckled to himself as he made his way down the hill. A

bright light lit up the office and he could see Devon sitting behind his
desk. Roderick walked up to the door, knocked once then walked inside.

“Devon,” Roderick called out as he shut the door behind him.
“In here.”
Roderick went straight to Devon’s office and sat down in the chair

right in front of the man’s desk.

“What’s going on, man?” Devon shut down his computer as he

waited for Roderick’s reply. “Everything okay with Dom?”

“Everything is great.” He crossed his left leg over his right, resting

the ankle on his knee.

“I can sense a ‘but’ coming.” Devon looked up at him.
“Dom is doing fine. He hasn’t remembered anything about his past or

that he’s a wolf shifter.”

“Okay, so what’s up then? You wouldn’t be here if everything was

fine.”

Roderick respected Devon and admired his honesty and ability to be

up front. There was no beating around the bush with this guy.

“You need to tell the pack to be more careful. The other night

Dominic saw two wolves in your backyard.”

“Oh shit,” Devon mumbled. He rubbed a hand over his eyes then

pinched the bridge of his nose. “Who was it?”

“From the description I’m going to say it was Skyler and Carson.”

He laughed at how Dom had described them.

“What’s so funny?” Devon pulled his hand away from his face and

narrowed his eyes at Roderick.

“He said it looked like a mother and child.” Now Roderick couldn’t

contain his laughter.

“Fuck me.” Devon leaned forward and his head thumped on the desk.

Roderick could hear the other man laughing. Devon looked up. “Skyler
would be so offended being mistaken for a woman.”

“I know, right?”
Devon met Roderick’s eyes and they both started laughing harder.

Skyler liked to prance around and at times came off more feminine then
manly. Everyone loved Skyler just the way he was but he had his
moments of being a complete and utter diva.

“Seriously though, is Dom okay with what he saw?” Devon asked

when his laughter died down. “Did he suspect anything?”

“No, he’s fine. But I could tell by the look in his eyes that on some

level he recognized them. Not them them, like who it was, just that they
weren’t ordinary wolves.” His eyes got a faraway look in them almost as
if he envied the wolves. Dominic loved being outside and if he
remembered why he felt that way, he might come to terms with the
situation quicker, but Roderick wasn’t in a rush to fill in the blanks for

Dom. Roderick was so happy and in love, and he didn’t want anything to
disturb his happy little world he’d created with Dom.

“That’s a good thing though,” Devon said with all sincerity. “Small

steps.”

“I agree. It’s just—” Roderick ran his hand over his head searching

for the right thing to say. He didn’t want to keep the truth from Dominic.
He just didn’t want to lose him either.

“You’re afraid of what will happen once he remembers.” Devon

finished his thought for him.

“Yeah.”
“I’m not going to lie and say I know what you’re going through

because this is uncharted territory for all of us but you have to be strong.
You’re his mate and claiming you might be the only thing that grounds
him.”

Roderick reached his hand up and laid it over the bite mark on his

shoulder. It had already healed but left behind a scar. What if by letting
Dominic bite him, he’d taken away the one thing that could actually help
him once the truth came out?

His fingers curled into the collar of his shirt and he yanked it down,

exposing the scar. “What do we do if he’s already done that?”

Devon’s eyes went as wide as baseballs. He looked from the mark

then back to Roderick’s eyes then did it all over again. After a few
moments of open-mouth gaping like a fish out of water Devon said, “We
hope that the love he feels for you is enough to calm him down when the
time comes.”

It all boiled down to love. An emotion that Roderick didn’t even

believe in until a few days ago. Now he had to stake his whole life on it.
He loved Dominic more than he had ever loved another person, not
counting his parents. But would it be enough? Roderick had thought
about it many times and if someone told him he could turn into a fucking
dog he’d either, one, think they were crazy, or two, go freaking berserk
when he turned into a furry creature that stood on all fours.

The look on his face must have sent a warning to Devon. The man got

up from his desk and moved to stand in front of him. “Do you love him?”

“Of course I do!” Roderick said more loudly then he intended. “What

does that have to do with anything?”

“Everything, Roderick. Let’s say he goes feral once he discovers the

truth.” He pointed a finger at Roderick. “You might be the only thing to
bring him back. All this amnesia shit is new to all of us and everyone
I’ve asked about it said there are no known cases of this ever happening
before. But we all agree on one thing and that is it will be a major shock
for Dominic when he does find out.”

“That’s not very comforting.” Roderick sat up and rested his elbows

on his knees. He wished there was an easy fix to all this but there just
wasn’t.

“Roderick,” Devon said sympathetically. “God only gives us what

we can handle and this is just one of those times you have to have faith
and believe it will all work out.”

Roderick stopped believing in god when he put his mother in the

ground but now he had to make amends. If it took getting down on his
knees every night and praying, he’d do it. He couldn’t lose Dominic.

“Hope you’re right, Devon.” Roderick stood up.
“Me, too.” Devon patted him on the back as he walked Roderick to

the door.

“Just please talk to the guys.” Roderick turned to face Devon. “Tell

them for the time being just don’t shift while on your property. I’m sure
Noah wouldn’t mind letting the pack use his land. I don’t want to chance
Dominic seeing anything else that might spook him.”

“I totally agree. I’ll call Noah tonight.”
Roderick nodded his head and started up the hill.
“Hey, Roderick!” Devon hollered to him. “Remember that old

saying, ‘love conquers all’?”

He did and Roderick chuckled to himself. “Yeah.”
“Just remember that.” Devon gave him a salute. “See you tomorrow

night.”

Roderick walked up the hill smiling to himself. If being in love could

make a big guy like Devon quote poetry and believe in god, then love
had to be one very powerful emotion and Roderick welcomed everything
that came with it. For Dominic, there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do.

Chapter Fifteen

By the time Roderick arrived for the birthday party Dominic only had

enough time to kiss him on the cheek and get back to work. Aiden had
everyone pitching in to fill balloons and hang streamers outside for the
big event. Dominic had come inside to grab more tape when he saw
Roderick coming through the front door carrying the birthday cake
Margie had made for Carson. Margie was supposed to come but at the
last minute called to cancel. She wasn’t feeling well and didn’t want to
spread any of her germs. Luckily Roderick had been able to stop by and
pick the cake up on the way to the Carsten house.

After depositing the cake on the kitchen counter Roderick followed

Dominic outside and lent a hand getting everything set up.

The back deck was alight with royal blue and neon green balloons.

Carson’s favorite colors. The streamers were in the same shade and
Aiden had Viktor and Devon twisting them together to wrap around the
deck railing. The two brothers looked rather flustered as every time they
pulled on the thin, rippled paper, it tore.

Carl stood at the grill flipping hamburgers and hot dogs. Chips and

dip sat on one table with potato salad and some sort of macaroni salad.
An ice chest filled with soda and beer sat underneath the table. It was a
good old-fashioned cookout that Carson would love.

As Dominic looked around the backyard, he wondered what his

seventh birthday was like. Did he have a party? Or did he just spend it
with family? The more time that passed, Dominic didn’t think he’d find
out. His memory still hadn’t come back but it didn’t bother him as much
anymore. Life was beyond good. He developed a routine, going to the
café to help out, spending time with the Carsten family and all the
extended family members, and spending time with Roderick. He couldn’t
fathom that his old life could compare to this one.

“Hey, Dom, help me hang this sign.” Shane waved him over.
Dominic pulled one of the lawn chairs over to stand on but he wasn’t

getting high enough to reach the top of the overhang.

“Can you get it?” Shane asked.
“Hang on.” Dominic stepped out of the chair and up onto the railing.

He glanced down and saw that the drop off was four feet and his legs got
a little wobbly. He didn’t think he was afraid of heights and it wasn’t
that far from the ground but it would hurt like hell if he did fall.

“Are sure you should be doing that?” Shane asked. “You look a little

shaky up there.”

“Just hand me the tape.” Dominic held one end up against the side of

the house and reached out for the tap. Once he had a few strips stuck to
his fingers he reached for the corner. He was still too short so he went
up on his tiptoes and stuck down the side of the happy birthday banner.

Just then, a bee buzzed his head and Dominic swatted it away. He

lost his balanced and started to tip backwards. He reached out for the
side of the house but his fingertips grabbed nothing but air.

I should have known this would happen, Dominic said to himself as

he toppled over the edge to land on the very hard ground. His head flung
back, snapping against the unforgiving surface, and he saw stars flashing
in his vision.

“Dominic!” He could hear Roderick shouting as he and the others ran

to his rescue. “Don’t move.” Roderick ordered when he tried to sit up.
Roderick knelt in front of him and felt around his head. “What hurts the
most?”

Dominic reached up and rubbed at the back of his head. The spot

where his scar lay felt very tender but other than that, the only other thing
that hurt was his pride and maybe his ass.

As Roderick helped him into a seated position, he noticed everyone

staring at him. Their eyes were wide as if waiting for some big reveal.
He just fell on his butt, nothing major.

“Do you remember anything?” Viktor asked.
He looked at the tall blond and tilted his head from side to side

trying to shake something loose but still nothing. “No, still empty.” He
grinned around at the small crowd that had formed around him. “Were
you all hoping that by conking myself on the head I’d remember
everything that I had forgotten?”

“Well, sure.” Erik shrugged. “It happens in the movies all the time.”
“You dork.” Viktor lightly slapped his little brother on the back of

the head. “This is real life. If anything, he probably did more damage.
Maybe we should take him to the hospital to make sure he doesn’t have a

brain bleed or some shit.”

“He’s right.” Roderick helped him to his feet and cupped the sides of

Dominic’s cheeks with both hands. “I don’t want to take any chances.”

“Babe, I’m fine.” He wrapped his fingers around Roderick’s wrist

and reluctantly pulled Roderick’s hands from his head. “If I start to feel
sick, I’ll tell you. Promise, but right now we have a little boy on his way
here for a super-duper surprise party. And I for one can’t wait to see the
look on his little face.”

Roderick gave him an assessing glare before nodding his head.

“Okay, but if you start to feel bad and don’t tell me, I’m going to spank
that tight little ass of yours,” he whispered low for only Dominic to hear.

“That sounds like it could be fun.” Erik chuckled as he walked away.
Dominic looked after the young man and couldn’t believe he had

heard what Roderick had said. He could barely hear it and it was said
into his ear.

“Come on, let’s finish up.” Aiden clapped his hands together, trying

his best to get everyone moving again. “They’ll be here any minute.”

They finished and sat around the deck whispering to one another.

Skyler was supposed to text Aiden when they got close. The sounds of
car doors shutting had everyone preparing to scream happy birthday but
it wasn’t Carson that came around the corner.

“False alarm,” Erik said as he took his seat.
“I’m sorry guys,” Casper, Carl’s younger brother, said as he walked

up the steps and sat next his brother. His boyfriend Phillip, who also
happened to be Aiden’s father, walked over to talk to Devon and Aiden.

Dominic hadn’t spent too much time with Casper or Phillip since

they lived full-time in Silver Creek. A few of the others at the party lived
there, too, and it was harder for Dominic to remember them since he
didn’t see them on a regular basis. But they all were very nice to him.
Always polite, asking how he was doing, and never pressuring him to
remember them. Dominic guessed that he mustn’t have known them that
well before the accident.

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, Skyler texted that they were on

their way. Everyone wore eager smiles waiting to surprise the birthday
boy. Dominic was one of them. Carson was always sweet to him and at
times when he felt lonely and was losing hope that he’d never remember

a single thing, Carson would come over and ask him to play catch or go
for a walk. It was as if the little boy knew exactly what to do to take his
mind off of his troubles.

The sound of doors slamming and giggling had everyone on alert.

Dominic squatted down next to Roderick and peeked up over the table.
The talking grew louder as Noah, Skyler, Carson, and Carson’s uncle,
Holden, made their way around the back of the house.

“Where is everyone?” Carson asked.
“Surprise!” Everyone shouted in unison and leaped up from their

hiding spots.

The first reaction on Carson’s young face was fear from being scared

by twenty shouting men then a large bright smile lit up his little face. He
turned and hugged both his dads and uncle.

“This is awesome.” Carson danced around and slapped at a few of

the balloons tied around the railing. “I knew you guys would throw me a
surprise party.”

Once all the hellos were given to the birthday boy, Aiden directed a

line to start at the food table. Shane stood in front of Dominic and
Roderick at his back. He could feel the warm press of Roderick’s body
as he stepped closer to him. Dominic leaned back just a little to get a
better touch.

“Dom, over here!” Carson pointed to a chair beside him at the table.

“Come sit by me.”

“Do you mind?” He looked over at Roderick to see if he would be

bothered by it.

“Of course not.” Roderick kissed him softly on the lips. “Go have fun

and I’ll be over here if you need me.” He pointed to the table that Phillip
and Devon sat at.

“Happy birthday, Mister Carson,” Dominic said as he pulled out a

chair and sat down between Carson and Erik. “Were you totally
surprised or what?”

“Very.” Carson took a bite of his hot dog then sat it down. “I mean,

my birthday is still two weeks away,” he said matter-of-factly. “So yeah
I can’t believe it! This is awesome.”

Dominic sat and listened to the little boy go on and on about this and

that. His dads had a trip planned to go to Disneyland in a week and a

half. He’d be able to celebrate his actual birth date there. It sounded like
a lot of fun and Dominic couldn’t help but think the little guy deserved it.
He might not remember or know a lot of things, but Dominic did know
children needed to be loved and taken care of. From what he had seen so
far, Noah and Skyler went above and beyond for their son.

“Personally I think the trip to the greatest place on Earth is because

Skyler wants to have lunch with Cinderella,” Shane said with a wink.

“You know it.” Skyler covered Carson’s ears with his hands. “I’m so

going to steal that bitch’s tiara.”

Dominic had just taken a bite of his hamburger and started to choke

on the meat in his mouth. Shane jumped up and started to pound him on
the back. “Breathe,” Skyler ordered. “We all know you can breathe with
your mouth stuffed full of meat.”

“Shane!” Skyler said in a chastising voice. “Language.” He motioned

with his eyes down at his son.

Dominic swallowed down the bite in his mouth and started to laugh

so hard he couldn’t breathe. The others joined in, even Carson, who
didn’t even know what he was laughing about.

“And it would appear you can swallow like a pro,” Erik quipped,

followed by another roar of laughter from their table.

The night went off without a hitch. As the sun fell in the sky the stars

took their place by lighting up the night. Aiden brought out the cake and
Carson blew out the candles. Dominic was having a great time with his
friends. All the laughing and joking made him feel like he belonged.

After Carson opened all his presents, Dominic snuck off to sit by

Roderick. Roderick was talking quietly with Phillip.

“Hey, baby.” Roderick put his arm around Dominic’s shoulders.
“Hello there, Dominic.” Phillip held out his hand for him to shake.

“I’ll call you later on that issue, Roderick.” Phillip stood up. “I’m going
to go and find Casper and see what he’s up to.”

“I didn’t mean to interrupt anything.” Dominic cuddled in close to

Roderick’s side. The scent of his aftershave tickled his nose and he had
a strong desire to lick if off his lover’s neck.

“Oh you didn’t.” Roderick shifted on the bench and wrapped his arm

around Dominic’s chest, hugging him close. “So how’s your head
feeling?”

Dominic had almost forgotten all about that. “Fine.”
“Still, I think it’s for the best that I stay with you tonight just to make

sure you really are all right.” Roderick wiggled his eyebrows up and
down. “What do ya say? Can I stay, baby?” Roderick’s voice rumbled
against his ear where he nuzzled close and sucked at his earlobe.

“Do you even have to ask?” A small moaned slipped past his lips

before he could rein it back in. His body instantly reacted to Roderick’s
soft kisses and touches. If he wasn’t careful, he’d come in his shorts and
really embarrass himself.

Roderick lightly started to kiss down the side of Dominic’s neck and

gently bit down on the area of flesh right where his shoulder and neck
connected. A warm, numbing feeling began to spread from his balls
outward. Dominic sat up and gripped Roderick by the chin. He was just
about to suggest they go inside when the loudest, most pain-filled howl
came from the woods at the back of the house.

“What was that?” someone shouted.
Roderick stood up and walked to the very edge of the deck. Dominic

followed right behind him, a little afraid of what was happening.
Another howl followed by a few sharp barks sounded out next. Roderick
shoved Dominic further behind him.

Devon, Viktor, Phillip, and Noah came to stand beside Roderick.

The rustling in the bushes grew louder. Sweat prickled over his skin and
Dominic was terrified of what he’d see break through the trees.

A very large wolf came crashing through the trees, scattering leaves

everywhere. The beast looked to be massive, surely not a common wolf.
The animal’s fur was a bight blond with brown streaks swirling around
its body.

Blood rushed through his ears and Dominic couldn’t hear anything

other than the constant flow of blood as his mind tried to comprehend
what it was seeing.

The wolf stumbled forward a few more steps than fell to the ground

halfway up the backyard. Dominic stood there gawking as a shimmering
light surrounded the animal. Grotesque sounds of popping and crunching
wrenched through the shocked silence. He thought he was going to be
sick. Then the light started to fade and a naked man lay unconscious on
the ground.

“Oh my god.” Holden pushed by him and ran toward the man. “Seth!”

he shouted.

Carl’s boyfriend, Jake, jumped over the side of the deck, landing

gracefully on his feet and took off after Holden. Roderick, Noah, Phillip,
and Devon followed quickly behind Jake.

Dominic stood there watching in shock as everyone went toward the

thing that just turned from a wolf into a person. Were they crazy?

Carson zipped passed him and out of fear for the little boy, Dominic

chased after him. He reached up and caught Carson by the back of the
shirt, stopping him from going any further.

“Carson, stay back.” Dominic bent at the waist gasping for breath.

He glanced over at the naked man. “We don’t know what that is.”

“Dominic.” Carson’s brow pinched together in what Dominic thought

was confusion, then he gave him a sympathetic smile. He placed one of
his small hands on Dominic’s cheeks. “It’s okay. He’s one of us.”

With that, Carson let go of him and ran toward the others. Dominic

stood there staring in disbelief. He’s one of us. What did that mean?

He looked at the scene in front of him and it felt like the world had

started to spin. Dominic touched a hand to his head trying to stop the
sickening twirling sensation rolling through his body. A vision of
Roderick wavered in front of his eyes and he could faintly hear him call
out his name but Dominic couldn’t respond.

His vision grew fuzzy and his body too heavy for him to hold up. A

sharp pain struck him in the shoulder then another in his hip causing him
double over. He fell to his hand and knees gasping for air. Dominic
curled his fingers into the dirt under his hands. Searing pain rippled
down his spine. He had his eyes clenched tight unaware of his
surroundings. The agony was too much.

Somebody, please help me!

Chapter Sixteen

“What the fuck is wrong with him?” Roderick shouted as he knelt

down next to the naked man.

“He’s bleeding from his right side.” Phillip prodded at the area with

his fingers. “Looks like he’s been attacked.”

“Seth.” Holden shook gently at his friend’s shoulder but the man

didn’t move. “Is he going to be all right?” Panic had Holden’s voice
wavering as he spoke.

“I’m not sure. Let’s get him inside.” Phillip helped hoist the man up

off the ground.

Devon stepped forward and carried Seth back toward the house.
Roderick stood up and turned around. Dominic stood a few feet

behind him. His face as white as snow and his eyes unblinking, staring
straight ahead of him. A slight tremble quaked over the man’s body.

“Dominic,” he said softly as he started toward him. Dominic didn’t

say anything, didn’t even flinch at the sound of Roderick’s voice. “Dom,
can you hear me?”

Something snapped in Dominic’s eyes. A visible tremor shook his

body and Dominic cried out. He blindly grabbed his shoulder then bent
at the waist, gasping for air. Roderick watched as Dominic fell to his
knees and started to shift.

“Oh god, no!” Roderick shouted.
Dominic’s body contorted in an unnatural away. His face scrunched

up in a look of intense pain.

A soft, glowing light shimmered around Dominic’s body then right

before his very eyes Roderick watched as Dominic’s body went from
that of a human’s to that of a wolf. The pain must have been too much
because by the time the shift was complete Dominic lay passed out on
the ground in wolf form.

Roderick walked over and knelt by Dominic. The large brindled-

colored wolf lay on its side breathing rapidly. He reached out a hand and
caressed his fingers down the soft fur on Dominic’s side. Dominic’s
pulse beat so fast Roderick could feel every thump of his heartbeat as his
blood coursed through his body.

“Roderick!” He heard Viktor shout his name. The sound of heavy

footfalls shook the ground as the other man grew near. “Fucking Christ.
He shifted.”

No words came to mind and no sound left Roderick’s lips as he sat

there staring at Dominic’s beautiful form. A nod of the head was all he
could offer Viktor in a way of response. He feared if he opened his
mouth he’d lose control of his emotions and cry like a baby.

“What happens now?” Viktor asked as he squatted down next to

Roderick.

“I don’t know.” He shook his head. Suddenly the idea of keeping this

part of Dominic’s life from him seemed like an astronomically bad idea.

Roderick like everyone else feared if they had told Dominic the truth

up front about what he truly was he wouldn’t have believed them.
Dominic was already dealing with getting his memory back on the
everyday stuff that had been stolen from him. The knowledge that he was
a shifter was important but Dominic had been dealing with enough stress
no one wanted to add anymore on top of that. The truth about what he
was coupled with trying to remember what his life was six weeks ago
could have caused him to have a mental breakdown.

They had done what they did to protect Dominic but Roderick was

left kicking himself now. He’d been a coward, telling himself it was for
Dominic’s own good, and partly it was, but what did they do now? The
one thing he feared would happen happened, giving Dominic a crash
course into a world he didn’t even know existed. They should have told
him the truth from the beginning.

“Fuck, this could be really bad.” Viktor stood up. “I’m going to grab

Devon and have him come out here.”

Viktor headed back toward the house. Roderick didn’t bother to

watch him go. His frustration was turning his grief into anger. They
should have listened to him and told Dominic he wasn’t a full-fledged
human but they didn’t. And now they had to wait until Dominic regained
consciousness to see how he was going to deal with this.

“This can’t be happening,” he whispered to himself. Roderick gazed

up at the night sky and did something he didn’t think he’d ever be able to
do. “Please, god, if there is even a god.” He chuckled but it came out
more sounding like a choked sob. “I know I haven’t spoken to you in

years but I really could use your help now. Please bring Dom back to
me. I only just found him and, see, he’s all I’ve got.” Tears leaked out his
eyes and down his cheeks.

Knowing that wolves existed and being one were two totally

different things. A human like himself could handle knowing that these
creatures lived in their world. Mostly because they couldn’t tell the
difference between a shifter and a regular human. But a shifter had the
knowledge of what they were day in and day out. They knew what their
abilities were and they grew up knowing that and accepted that as a part
of their life. For Dominic, he had no clue that shifters were even a thing
and he sure as shit didn’t know that he, too, was one.

Sitting up late one night with Brandon and Erik, Roderick had asked

Erik what it felt like to be a shifter. The young man said it was hard to
explain but that he could feel a source of power always turning inside of
him. At any moment he could shift. He said at times it scared him
because if he lost his temper his wolf could take over and there would
be nothing he could do to stop it. It was a matter of control and taking
charge over the animal inside oneself. A trait learned over years of
living with the wolf inside, but after Dominic’s accident, he didn’t even
have the slightest memory from his old life. They all were hoping he just
accepted it and prayed it all turned out for the best.

One thing Roderick had learned as his years as a marine and a hunter

was that best laid plans always fell to shit. He knew this but still
allowed them to persuade him to watch out for Dominic and, if need be,
kill him if he went feral. Not that any of them wanted that, but Roderick
knew to protect all humans and shifters, he would in fact have to do that
if Dominic couldn’t handle the truth. But as he stared down at his mate
now, he knew without a doubt that he could never hurt him. If he had to
end Dominic’s life for the safety of the town and the pack he would, but
then put a bullet through his own head in return. He could not and would
not live without Dominic.

“Has he woken up yet?” Devon asked as he stepped up beside

Roderick’s kneeling form.

“No, not yet.” Roderick stood up. His hands shook so badly he

shoved them in his pockets.

“So I’m going to assume him seeing Seth come busting through the

trees as a wolf then turning into a human is what brought the change on?”
Devon asked as he walked a circle around Dominic’s prone body.

“What the fuck do you think?” Roderick snapped. His patience had

worn thin and he didn’t have time to state the obvious for the pack alpha
who Roderick blamed for all this. “You should have told him from the
very beginning.” He pointed an accusing finger at Devon.

“I sure as hell didn’t hear you complaining about the decision.”

Devon crossed his thick arms over his broad chest. “If I remember
correctly, you wanted to end his life right then and there and it wasn’t
until Erik told you that Dominic was your mate did you decide to not kill
him. So please don’t pull the holier-than-thou attitude with me.”

“You smug son of a bitch.” Roderick reared on Devon and pulled

back his arm to land a punch on his perfectly chiseled face but Viktor
and Brandon intervened. He wasn’t sure when Brandon came outside but
all he wanted to do was break free of his friend’s hold to kick the shit
out of Devon. Someone needed to be held responsible for this and it
wasn’t possible to beat the crap out of himself.

“Guys, stop it!” Viktor shouted as he yanked his brother toward his

chest. “Fighting about this will get us nowhere. And we don’t even know
if there is a reason to be upset. Dominic might wake up and remember
his old life or at least remember being a wolf shifter. It might not be as
bad as you two think.”

Roderick stopped fighting against Brandon’s hold and stared at

Devon with narrowed eyes. He wanted to have faith in what Viktor said
but Roderick was a pessimist and didn’t want to put hope into anything
just to have it ripped away from him.

The sound of a low and menacing-sounding growl had him tearing

his gaze from Devon. They all looked down to see that Dominic had
come to his feet but sat in a low crouch as if getting ready to attack. His
ears lay back flat against his head and his lips were pulled back baring
his sharp, pointy teeth.

“Dominic,” Roderick said in a calming tone. Brandon let go of him

as he edged closer to the snarling wolf. “It’s okay, baby.” He held his
hands up in a show of surrender. “I’m not going to hurt you. No one is.”

He took another step closer and Dominic snapped his large teeth at

him, saliva dripped from his meaty jaws.

“Dominic, please, don’t do this.” Roderick pleaded. “Come back to

me.”

Roderick took one more hesitant step toward Dominic but he snarled

and lunged at him, forcing Roderick to stumble back a step. The blue of
Dominic’s eyes looked murky, and the enraged expressions on the wolf’s
face didn’t remind him of Dominic at all.

Just as Roderick reached a hand out toward his mate, consequences

be damned, a shrieking howl ripped through the night. Dominic’s pointy
ears perked up. He spun around on his paws and darted for the woods,
never looking back.

“Fuck.” Roderick cursed under his breath as he chased after

Dominic, the others not far behind him, but it was no use. Dominic was
faster than he anticipated. The only sounds were of his heavy breathing
as he fought to catch up to his mate and the others clanking around behind
him.

The trees were full of dark-colored leaves, blocking out any light

from the starry sky. There was a stillness in the air and the pitch
blackness shrouding over them left no room to search without proper
equipment. Roderick was human and he could barely see five feet in
front of him. He’d already stumbled on the uneven ground several times.

“He’s gone.” He bent at the waist, bracing his hands on his knees,

gasping for air. “He’s fucking gone.” A burning sensation started in his
chest as if his heart were splitting in two. Dominic was out there all
alone. Anything could happen. They needed to find him and soon.

“Come on, Roderick, get up.” Devon patted his back then pulled on

the back of his shirt to get him standing. “Viktor and I are going to shift
and go on foot. You and Brandon head back to the house and get the
others. We shifters can track his scent while you and Brandon go on
foot.” He pulled up on the hem of his shirt then tossed it to the ground.
“Have your tranq gun ready. We’re going to need it.”

Devon removed the rest of his clothes and Viktor had already begun

to shift. The two brothers started off at a fast run when something
occurred to Roderick. “How will we find you?” he called out to the two
wolves.

Devon, the large blond-colored one, looked over his shoulder and

released a low, ear-piercing howl, and Roderick understood completely.

If they found Dominic they’d howl to get the others attention.

Viktor and Devon took off and became invisible to the eye in the

darkened woods. For the first time in his life, he wished he were a
shifter. Dominic needed him but Roderick was held back by his human
capabilities.

“Come on, let’s head back.” Brandon nudged him in the arm. “We’ve

got work to do.”

Roderick followed his friend out of the woods behind the Carsten

house. A few of the others were waiting for them as they emerged from
the trees. Brandon quickly explained the situation and what needed to be
done. They determined it best for Phillip to stay with Seth in case the
shifter woke up and needed more care. Skyler and Aiden stayed back to
keep an eye on Carson. The little boy was eager to help find Dominic but
they all refused. The last thing they needed was for the small child to
become lost in the dense forest.

Roderick and Brandon pulled out their gear from their trucks and

loaded the tranq guns. He didn’t want to shoot his mate but if he had to,
at least it was with a tranquilizer not a bullet.

Erik stuck with Roderick and Brandon. They followed the gray wolf

and listened to the others barking and howling to communicate with one
another. Roderick hoped that Dominic would hear the others and come
back. Maybe if he realized that he wasn’t alone, he could come back
from the shock of this discovery.

Chapter Seventeen

Hours had passed and there was still no sign of Dominic. The

horizon was starting to lighten in the distance and before long the sun
would begin to rise. Along with the light of day came the bigger chance
of exposure by the human world. They had to find Dominic before
someone else did.

“Any signs?” Noah asked over the earpieces he and Brandon had on.

Roderick, Brandon, and Noah were staying in contact just in case they
got separated from the much faster wolves.

Noah had offered to drive his SUV on the back roads surrounding the

property on the off chance Dominic would move further into town.

“Still nothing,” Roderick answered back.
Over the past six hours they hadn’t heard or seen a single thing that

would lead them toward Dominic. Devon had shifted back to human
form to explain that he feared that Dominic had waded through the small
stream that ran along the outer edge of the property line. If Dominic had
done that then it would be harder for the wolves to catch his smell and it
also meant he was traveling toward town, which would be a very bad
thing.

Nehalem wasn’t a very large town. They didn’t even have their own

schools. All the kids were bussed into Silver Creek. Calling Nehalem a
town was being generous. It was more like a subdivision of Silver
Creek. But just beyond Nehalem was Silver Creek, which was a
considerably larger town. If Dominic made it that far, Roderick didn’t
know what they’d do.

They trudged along and Roderick had seen Brandon wince a few

times as he walked along. He, too, was feeling the strain of being on his
feet hiking for hours on end, but he kept going and so did Brandon.

Out of nowhere they heard a loud, long howl echo in the distance.

Roderick hustled after the wolves, Brandon following behind him.

“I think we might have something,” Roderick said in his radio.

“Howls coming from the northwest side.”

“I’m heading that way.” Noah said.
If the wolves were reacting in such a way then they had to have found

something. They took off at a fast clip to catch up with the others. Erik
hung back a little as to not lose him and Brandon.

Shane in his tiger form was more agile and soared past the rest of

them. The tiger shifter didn’t have as good of a smelling capability. After
working long hours in the coffee shop, Shane’s nose was pretty much of
no use unless he took a couple of days off work.

The sounds of barking and snarling could be heard on the wind.

Roderick placed his rifle over his shoulder and ran as fast as he could.
With the clutter of trees and undergrowth, it was hard to make out
anything visible.

Up ahead in the distance he could make out movement. Roderick

moved closer, doing his best to navigate the untried terrain. They had
long since left the Carsten family property lines and Roderick didn’t
know for sure where the hell they were exactly.

The growling grew louder followed by an ear-vibrating roar. The

sound was so sharp and distinct there was no denying that a tiger was out
in the woods right now.

“What the fuck is going on up there?” Brandon asked as he ran

forward.

Roderick didn’t answer, just kept moving. As they neared the

commotion he saw his light brown, white and gray-colored wolf rolling
around on the ground with Shane. Shane, still in tiger form, wasn’t
attacking Dominic, but trying to stop him from running off. The other
wolves were beginning to surround Dominic and by the ferociousness in
the way Dom was fighting, he was afraid.

“Ease up, guys!” Roderick shouted. “He feels trapped. You’re

scaring him.”

The blond wolf shifted and Devon stood to his full height. The

fighting tiger and wolf stopped and stared. Devon held his hands in the
air and spoke in a soft and soothing tone. “Dom, we’re your family.
Please come back with us.”

Dominic’s wolf head swept across the group and Roderick saw the

panic infused in his deep blue eyes.

“No!” he screamed as Dominic took off up the hill.
Roderick followed, along with the others, after Dom. At the crest of

the hill there was a steep drop-off. A paved road sat at the bottom.

Dominic didn’t slow down and tumbled down the hill.

Headlights up ahead lit up the road. Roderick raised a hand to shield

his eyes, trying to see if it was Noah, but he couldn’t tell.

“Noah, is that you up ahead? Do you see us?” he asked in a panicked

rush.

“No, I don’t see anything. I’m about fifteen miles south of your GPS

coordinates. Why? What do you see?”

“Oh god no.” Roderick held onto tree branches as he slid down the

hill calling out to Dominic to stop.

“Roderick, is that Noah?” Devon asked as he maneuvered himself

down the steep incline.

“No.” He lost a grip on the tree limb he was clutching to and it

swung back around, whacking him in the face. Roderick sucked in a deep
breath and fell halfway down the hill.

It was as if everything happened in slow motion. Dominic reached

the bottom of the hill and darted across the road but he wasn’t fast
enough. A large black pickup truck slammed into Dominic’s side. The
wolf let out a sharp yelp and the truck skidded sideways as the driver hit
the brakes.

Roderick climbed to his feet and ran in the direction Dominic had

gone. He could hear the soft sounds of breathing but he had to pull out his
flashlight to search further in the heavy brush beside the road.

He saw the bottom of Dominic’s foot first. Somehow he’d managed

to change back. Roderick rushed toward him and gently rolled his lover
onto his back. Blood seeped from a gash on his forehead and dirt and
mud were matted to his skin.

“Dom, baby, can you hear me?” He felt for a pulse. It beat hard and

strong against his fingertips. Roderick breathed a sigh of relief.

“Is he okay?” Shane asked as he stepped over the small dip between

the road and where Dominic’s body had been thrown.

“He’s alive but beyond that I’m not sure of the extent of his injuries.”

He ran the flashlight over Dom’s body and could see small scratches and
bruises forming on the left side of his body.

“We need to get him to a hospital,” Shane said.
“We can’t.” Roderick put away his flash light and picked Dominic

up. One arm under his shoulders and the other under his knees and stood

up. “If he wakes up in a panic claiming to be a werewolf, they’d admit
him to a psychiatric hospital. That would be bad for everyone if that
happened.”

“Damn it.” Shane helped steady him as he made his way back to the

road. “But what if he’s hurt really bad?”

“Phillip will check him out when we get back to the house. Right

now that’s our only option for keeping Dom safe.” Another set of
headlights flashed as it approached and Roderick recognized Noah’s
dark gray Escalade.

Noah came to a stop and hopped out of the car. “In here.” He opened

the passenger door and folded the seats down to lay Dominic on the
floor.

Once he had Dominic laid out on the floor of the car he rushed over

to where Brandon and Devon stood with a flashlight shining into the
truck that had hit Dominic.

“Is the driver okay?” Roderick asked.
“Yeah.” Brandon took a step back so Roderick could peer inside.
The strong stench of whiskey met his nose and his eyes began to

water. An older man sat behind the wheel, by the looks of it passed out.
A bit of drool dripped down his slack, opened mouth.

“I guess you can say we got lucky on this one,” Brandon said with a

small smile. “Even if he saw what he hit, who’d believe a drunk?”

Roderick looked at Brandon with a raised eyebrow. The man had a

point. “Give Caleb a call. I believe this area is within Silver Creek’s
city limits. He can handle this.”

“I’ll wait with the driver until Caleb shows up,” Brandon said. “Go

ahead and get back to the house. Get Dominic looked at.”

“Thanks, Brandon.” Roderick ran back to Noah’s SUV and pulled

open the passenger door. Devon sat in the front seat and Shane in the
back combing Dominic’s hair off his face. Roderick climbed inside and
sat on the other side of Dominic and held one of his smaller hands in
between his larger ones.

The whole ride back to Nehalem, Roderick kept checking Dominic’s

pulse. It beat at a more steady rhythm now. Dominic’s poor body took
one hell of a beating as his mate ran crazy through the woods, then to be
hit by a truck.

Roderick felt like this was all his fault. If he’d only had told Dominic

from the beginning. Maybe they could have been better prepared for this.

“Just so you know, I wasn’t trying to hurt him,” Shane said softly.
“I never thought you were.” Brandon saw the way Shane in tiger

form had tried to approach Dominic, but not in a defensive way. But it
didn’t matter because Dominic still attacked Shane. The man sat cradling
his arm to his chest. Dry blood coated his fingers. “And I don’t think he
would have done that if he was thinking clearly, Shane.” He nodded to
the man’s arm.

“I know.” Shane gave him a small smile. “I was just hoping he’d

recognize my smell and not be so afraid but”—Shane held up his arm
—“guess I was wrong.”

“We’re here.” Noah pulled up the driveway to the Carsten house and

threw the car into park, jolting Roderick forward.

Devon opened the door for Roderick and he carried Dominic into the

house. Aiden met them at the door and ushered them to a room on the
first floor. The room was small and Phillip stood by waiting for them.

“Boys you do realize I’m a vet, not an actual people doctor?” Phillip

said as he took in Dominic’s battered body.

“I know, Phillip, but we can’t take him into town.” He laid Dominic

on the bed. “We don’t know what his state of mind will be once he
regains consciousness.”

“Very true.” Phillip told him to step back and he got to work

examining Dominic’s body.

Roderick sat down in the chair by the window and watched as

Phillip did his thing. He wished he could help but he didn’t know the
first thing about first aid unless it involved putting a Band-Aid on a cut.
By the looks of it, Dominic had more than just a few cuts.

“The cut on his head isn’t deep. A few butterfly bandages will work

for that.” Phillip waved him over. “I can’t be certain but I don’t think
anything is broken. We’ll know more for sure once he wakes up. By the
looks of it, the truck clipped the side of his body, not a full-on impact hit.
I imagine Dom here was running pretty fast.”

“Yeah.” Roderick sat down on the edge of the bed by Dominic. The

fist around his heart started to loosen and he could finally breathe.

“He’s going to be fine, Roderick.” Phillip rested a hand on his

shoulder. “With everyone here willing to help him.” He pointed down at
Dominic. “He’s going to get through this.”

Tears started to pool in his eyes and Roderick could only nod his

head, afraid that if he spoke he’d get all choked up, unable to say
anything coherent.

So much had happened in such a short time. He could still see the

angry look in Dominic’s blue eyes before he took off into the woods.
Would the man he loved wake up in that bed, or only a ghost of his
former self?

Chapter Eighteen

Leaves brushed over his head while he ran. The hard ground

helped propel him up in the air and over downed tree limbs. He had
never felt so free.

The smell of moist dirt and pine waved under his nose, beckoning

him further into the deep green of the forest. Birds sang a welcoming
tune as he ran along. Rabbits and squirrels darted out of the way as he
approached.

The warm summer breeze ruffled his hair and Dominic grinned

wildly as he ran faster and harder. Nothing was there to stop him and
he wasn’t afraid. The earth, wind, and sun above spoke to him but he
couldn’t make out the words. He just kept running.

As he came over a hill, he stumbled to a stop but not soon enough.

He toppled down the hill and landed at the bottom with a teeth-
clattering thump. He gave a shake of his head and looked around him.

Slowly a group of wolves emerged from the cover of trees and

moved to surround him in a semicircle. The one in front seemed to be
larger than the rest and stood out in front of the group. It gave a low
howl and the others joined in on his chorus.

Dominic reached up to cover his ears but he couldn’t feel his

hands. He looked down to see brown, fur-covered paws. His heart
stuttered to a stop and he looked up at the giant wolf before him. The
beast gave one slow, up-and-down nod.

One of us.
Dominic slowly opened his eyes. It was only a dream, but was it

really?

He tried to sit up but his body protested the effort. A sharp pain in

his side kept him rooted in his spot. Dominic raised a hand and rubbed it
across his forehead. His fingers brushed against a bandage right above
his left eye.

The way he felt, it was as if he’d been hit by a bus.
“You’re close. It was a Chevy Truck.”
“Huh.” Dominic looked up to see Roderick sitting in a chair beside

the window. He hadn’t noticed him when he first woke up.

“You said you felt like you had been hit by a bus but it was actually a

truck.” Roderick stood up and walked slowly to the bed. “The driver
was drinking and probably didn’t see you until it was too late.”

Dominic looked down to stare at his hands. He hadn’t realized he

spoke that out loud.

“Do you recall anything from last night?”
Images flashed through his mind like snap shots from a digital

camera. He remembered being so afraid, thinking he was a monster, but
on the other hand it felt so right. For the first time since he woke up from
his coma did he feel comfortable in his own skin, which was funny
because it took turning into a dog to accomplish that.

“I do.” He met Roderick’s gaze. The man’s brow was knitted

together as if he were afraid. “I know I should be freaking the fuck out
but I’m not.” Dominic laughed softly. “It took turning into a dog to feel so
—” Dominic looked up at the ceiling, searching for the right words to
say.

“Normal.” Roderick finished his sentence for him.
“Yeah.” He tilted his head to look at the man who, in such a short

time, had become a big part of his life. “Is that odd?”

“No.” Roderick shook his head.
Silence seemed to draw out between them and it was driving

Dominic crazy. “I’m a werewolf, huh?” It seemed like an easy first
question to get this conversation going.

“Actually your kind likes to be called wolf shifters.” Roderick

chuckled. “Something about it being a Hollywood cliché being a called a
werewolf. Either they make you guys out to be mindless monsters or
lovesick fools.”

“My kind?” Dominic shifted on the bed trying to find a more

comfortable position, but the movement pulled at his side and he hissed
in pain.

“Are you okay?” Roderick scooted forward and gently laid his hand

on Dominic’s hip.

“Just a little stiff is all.” When Roderick went to pull his hand away,

Dominic latched onto it. Roderick’s posture became tense. “You’re not
like me?” His voice was barely above a whisper when he spoke. If
Roderick wasn’t like him then what was he? And did he not want to be

with him anymore knowing this?

“Nope, I’m nothing as special as you are. I’m just a regular old

human.” Roderick smiled at him but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“But how do you know what I am?” Dominic had to think not

everyone in the world knew of people with the ability to turn into other
things. Even though he couldn’t remember his old life, it seemed rather
impossible for something like this to be common knowledge.

“Because I’m a member of the hunter’s council.” He simply stated.

“Which means it’s my job to know everything about shifters.”

Dominic knew what the term hunter meant but for some reason that

didn’t fit Roderick. He didn’t appear to be a man that hunted down
animals for sport. Because if he were, why would he begin a
relationship with Dominic in the first place?

“So what does that mean exactly?” Dominic could feel his throat

start to constrict. He loved Roderick and didn’t know what would
happen now. “Are you supposed to take me into custody or kill me?” The
familiar burning sensation started to flood his eyes.

“Oh god no!” Roderick said loudly. He then quickly grabbed both of

Dominic’s hands in each one of his. “Let me explain this better.” He took
a deep breath before he spoke. “Yes, there was a time when all the
members of the hunter’s council did was kill shifters. It was our job to
eliminate the threat against humans, but as time went by, we learned that
not all shifters were bad, just like not all humans are good. There’s bad
in each species and it’s not our job to take innocent lives, be it human or
shifter. We work now with other shifters and hunters with a common
goal of keeping your people’s existence hidden from human society and
to protect both shifters and humans from any threat created by the other.”

Dominic absorbed what Roderick had said. He took the

understanding that at one point in time the man he loved killed other
people like him, but not anymore. His job was to protect all innocent
people, human or not. Dominic saw that as a good thing. Sure, Roderick
admitted to a time that it wasn’t always like that but the man he had
fallen in love with wasn’t some heartless killer and he wouldn’t punish
him for the things he did in his past. Dominic would be the last person to
judge a person on past actions since he couldn’t even remember his own.
He could have been a total asshole in his old life but no one, including

Roderick, held that against him.

“Okay,” Dominic said with a smile.
“Okay?” Roderick tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes

at Dominic. “I just admitted to being a killer of your kind and, let’s not
forget, I kept the fact that you were a shifter from you. And all you can
say is okay?”

“It’s simple really.” Dominic pulled his hands from Roderick’s and

positioned himself higher up on the bed so he could rest his back on the
headboard. “You said you’re not here to harm me and from what you just
told me, you’re not a killer of all wolf kind.” At Roderick’s blank stare
he rolled his eyes, but he did it good naturedly. “Roderick, I’d be a
hypocrite to judge you on things you’ve done in your past. I love you. All
you’ve ever shown me is kindness and understanding. A person can’t
fake those things and I don’t think you’d be here if you didn’t have
feelings for me, too.”

“I do love you.” Roderick reached out his hand and cupped the side

of Dominic’s cheek, his thumb rubbing the delicate skin under his eye.
“But aren’t you mad that I kept the truth about who you really are from
you?”

That thought had never entered Dominic’s mind. Everything had

happened so fast he hadn’t really had a lot of time to process all the
details. Sure, it would have been nice to have a heads-up before he saw
a wolf turn into a naked man in his backyard. But Dominic knew for a
fact if anyone would have told him he was some sort of half-man half-
wolf type of creature he’d have thought they were crazy.

“I could be mad but what purpose would it serve? You did what you

thought was right and you did that because you love me.” He pulled on
Roderick’s hand, beckoning him closer.

Roderick slid up the side of the bed until he was hip to hip with

Dominic. “I do love you so very much, Dom, baby.”

“I know.” Dominic leaned forward and rested his forehead against

Roderick’s.

Roderick’s moved his fingers to the back of Dominic’s neck and

pulled him closer until their lips met. The kiss was slow and passionate
and exactly what Dominic needed.

“Are you sure you’re okay with knowing that you can turn into a

wolf?” Roderick asked as he eased out of the kiss.

Dominic gave a moment’s thought about it then nodded his head.

“Sure it’s different but if you think about it it explains a lot. I mean my
love for the outdoors, the way I can smell stuff so intensely, and my
vision is impeccable.” Dominic chuckled. “And let’s not forget my fetish
for biting things.” He winked at Roderick.

“You truly are amazing, you know that?” Roderick gave a swift peck

to his lips.

“Well I’m not sure about that. I did have a freak out when I saw that

guy and I did run off like a total drama queen.” Dominic rolled his
shoulders, trying to work out some of the stiffness. “And it’ll take some
time getting used to my body contorting like that. It hurt like a bitch.”

“I hear you get used to it after a while.” Roderick kissed his lips

softly then started to work his way down Dominic’s jaw.

“I hope so.” He moaned as Roderick worked his way down licking

and nipping at his neck. The pleasure that Roderick was bringing to him
at that very moment was overshadowed by one little thing that he still
couldn’t piece together about last night. “Did I really see a large white
tiger or was that part of my imagination?”

Roderick stopped his oral onslaught of Dominic’s neck and sat back,

laughing so hard he put a hand to his mouth to cover the joyous sound.

“Dom, baby, you still have a lot to learn about your new life and

family.”

* * * *

Dominic came to learn that Shane, one of his best friends, was a tiger

shifter. If he thought finding out he was a wolf shifter was fascinating, he
went completely overboard bombarding Shane with questions.

At times Dominic caught himself laughing knowing that Shane was a

tiger amongst a house full of wolves. The preconceived notion that cats
and dogs didn’t get along didn’t apply in the shifter world.

Dominic still hadn’t tried to shift since that first night. Between being

hit by a truck and fear of feeling his bones pop out of place when he
shifted, Dominic was in no rush. Erik and Shane didn’t have a problem
shifting to their other forms in front of him and Dominic found himself

holding his hands to his ears as their bodies molded into that of a wolf
and tiger.

Every time he watched one of his friends shift he could feel a tingling

sensation creep up his spine. His skin prickled with anticipation and his
teeth would lengthen in his mouth but he was still too weak to go through
with the change.

The man that had unintentionally unveiled the shifter world to

Dominic was still at the Carsten house. Dominic had been worried about
him too but Shane said that Seth would be all right. He had been attack
and had some bite wounds that were in the process of healing. But all in
all he’d make a full recovery after getting some rest just like Dominic
would.

Roderick stayed with him, only leaving his side to use the restroom.

The man was very attentive and showered Dominic with love and
affection.

“What is a mate?” Dominic asked one night as they laid there

cuddling together, staring out the window at the brightly lit stars. Erik
had briefly mentioned him and Roderick being mates in passing but
didn’t elaborate on the issue much.

“How do you know about that?” Roderick propped on his elbow and

pushed on Dominic’s shoulder until he lay on his back.

“Erik said something about it and that’s how he refers to Brandon.”

Dominic started to worry his bottom lip. “What does it mean?”

“Wolf shifters mate for life with only one person. That person is

perfect for them in every way. The attraction and love they feel for each
other is instant.” Roderick kissed both his cheeks. “So much so that they
don’t know how they would survive without that person.”

“That sounds beautiful,” he mumbled. Dominic felt all those things

for Roderick.

“Thank you, mate.”
“Mate?” Dominic’s eyebrows arched up his forehead.
“Yeah, I’m your mate and you’re mine.” Roderick sat up and pulled

off his t-shirt, exposing his silky smooth skin. The glow from the stars
cast a shimmering light on his muscular chest. “See this?” Roderick
pointed to the bite mark Dominic had given.

“Yes.” Dominic caressed a finger up the curve of Roderick’s

pectoral muscles where they divided between his chest in a deep groove,
to trace the mark on his lover’s neck.

“You don’t necessarily have a biting fetish.” Roderick chuckled.

“Wolf shifters mark their mates in this way. It indicates to other shifters
that we belong to someone else. It’s a show of our love and loyalty to
one another.”

“I do love you more than anything,” Dominic whispered. His

emotions were getting the better of him and he could feel the tightness in
his throat and the sting in his eyes as tears started to gather.

“I love you, too, Dom, baby.” Roderick smiled down at him and took

his lips in a slow and sensual kiss, their tongues gliding and twirling
together in a rhythmic dance of love.

Roderick’s gentle fingers slid down Dominic’s body and tugged

down his pants. Dominic reached down and helped remove Roderick’s.
The feel of Roderick’s heated skin made Dominic’s cock pulse in need
and made his orgasm spring to the surface.

They lay there kissing and Roderick ground his hips down into

Dominic’s letting their engorged shafts rub against one another. It sent
waves of desire up Dominic’s body until he was begging Roderick to
take him. To make them one.

Roderick reached over to the night stand and grabbed the lube. He

covered his hardened cock then painted the remainder in his hand on
Dominic’s excited entrance. He jerked and twitched at the wet glide
over his most sensitive skin.

Very slowly Roderick guided the rounded blunt tip to Dominic’s

opening. Dominic’s breath hitched as inch by slow inch Roderick filled
his tight channel. The slight burn mixed with mind blowing pleasure that
had Dominic panting in need.

Roderick took him slowly and with kindness that made Dominic fall

in love with him even more. He whispered sweet words of love into
Dominic’s ear and all became too much.

The muscle wall that covered Roderick’s stomach rippled up and

down Dominic’s shaft until he came crying out Roderick’s name. One,
two, three thrusts of Roderick’s hips later had his mate following after
him.

As they lay entwined together coming down from their blissful high

Dominic started to think about his life. He still couldn’t remember his
past. Every time he tried, he was met with a black wall of nothingness.
But he couldn’t and wouldn’t dwell on it or feel guilty for not
remembering it. He may never get those memories back and that was
okay. Dominic had the love of a good man and a family that accepted him
regardless of all that. What more could he ask for?

THE END

WWW.AJJARRETT29.BLOGSPOT.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

AJ Jarrett currently lives in the Midwest with her husband and four

children. A lover of M/M romances, she has started writing her own
stories for others to enjoy. She loves her characters to be antagonistic
toward one another but ultimately find their happy ever after. She
believes love can be found in the craziest of places, and a little humor
along the way never hurt. To her, there’s nothing sexier than two men
finding their soul mate in each other and falling in love. When she isn’t
chasing around her kids, she can be found sitting on the couch with her
trusted laptop, giving life to the voices in her head.

For all titles by AJ Jarrett, please visit

www.bookstrand.com/aj-jarrett

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com