Hidden Wolf

Who would have thought a waxing could lead to
happily ever after. Not Ashley Neilson that was
for sure.

Ashley Neilson was in pain, he was sticky in all
the wrong places and all he wanted was a shower.
So, of course it stands to reason that he would run
smack bang into Mr. Tall, Dark, and Crazy. Who is
this man and why does he keep talking about
them being friends?

Vaughan Jacobs doesn’t understand why

Ashley  knows  nothing  about  the  mate  bond.
They’re both shifters, right? Vaughan can smell it,
but  as  he  gets  to  know  the  man  fated  to  be  his,
secrets  buried  deep  in  the  past  manage  to  find
their way to the surface.

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

Hidden Wolf

ISBN: 978-1-77111-707-4

Cover art by Latrisha Waters

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Hidden Wolf

Tassie Wolves 1

Tori Griffin

Chapter One

really don’t know about this,” Ashley
Neilson said to his best friend in the entire

world.  He  looked  over  at  Kieran  Moss  and
watched  as  he  pulled  the  handbrake  and  turned
off  the  car.  The  wicked  grin  his  friend  bestowed
upon him made him even more nervous. He could
feel the butterflies in his stomach doing cartwheels
and  dive-bombs  and  if  Ashley  wasn’t  careful  he
thought he might actually throw up.

“It’s going to be fine, Ashley. Just think about

the end result, not how you have to get there. I’ve
been getting them for months now and it feels
amazing.”

That thought really wasn’t very comforting. He

loved Kieran to death, but he did not want to think
about that.

“Ew, K, just ew.” Kieran’s laugh was almost

manacle and Ashley thought his friend was
enjoying this entirely too much.

“Get out of the car, Ashley.”
Ashley shook his head. Not wanting to move at

all. He watched with mild trepidation as Kieran

“I

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exited  the  car  and  walked  around  to  his  side.
Ashley  didn’t  bother  trying  to  lock  the  door,  his
friend  had  the  keys  and  could  easily  unlock  it
again.

Kieran opened the door and looked down at

him. “Either you get out of the car by yourself or I
drag you out of there. Which is it going to be?” He
jutted a hip and raised an eyebrow as he stood
there waiting for Ashley to make up his mind.

“I really hate you right now.” Ashley knew it

was hopeless to argue, Kieran would drag him out
of the car. Even though he only stood an inch
taller than Ashley’s own five ten and didn’t have
any bulging muscles anywhere on his body, he
was nonetheless stronger than Ashley.

Ashley had never been a fighter. He hated it

when  people  fought  and  often  shrank  back,
wanting the situation to calm down enough so the
issue could be talked through. He’d been the voice
of  reason  on  the  rare  occasion  when  arguments
arose  between  his  parents  when  he’d  been
younger. Since Ashley had moved in with Kieran,
the pair of them had yet to have a real fight about
anything.

“No you don’t, you love me.”
If Ashley was a more aggressive person he’d

snot his friend right in the nose for the smug look
he currently sported. “Now move that sexy little
ass of yours or we’re going to be late.”

Hidden Wolf

With much reluctance Ashley unclipped his

seatbelt  and  exited  the  car.  He  felt  like  he  was
heading to his death. He wondered absently if this
was  what  people  on  death  row  felt  like,  then
dismissed  his  silly  thought  immediately.  How  he
could  even  compare  the  two  situations  was
beyond  him.  Although  with  the  way  he  was
feeling…

Before Ashley had a chance to centre his nerves

or even take a deep breath, Kieran had a hold of
his hand and was dragging him down the
sidewalk to the day spa.

The bright airy atmosphere of the spa warred

with Ashley’s thoughts and feelings. Ashley zoned
out  completely,  not  paying  attention  as  Kieran
spoke  with  the  perky  blonde  sitting  behind  the
counter.  Instead  Ashley  walked  over  and  sat
down heavily on the couch they had in the waiting
area.  Concentrating  on  breathing,  Ashley  jumped
when  Kieran  sat  down  beside  him  and  placed  a
hand on his thigh.

“Jesus, Ashley. Calm the hell down, will you?

Everything is going to be fine and you’ll be
thanking me for this in the near future, just you
wait and see.”

“I’m trying but it’s not happening and I highly

doubt that, asshole. How in the world did I even
let you talk me into this?” Ashley could barely
even remember the conversation from a couple of

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nights  ago.  Serves  him  right  he  supposed  for
getting  pissed  in  the  first  place.  Ashley  really
should  know  better  by  now  than  to  agree  to
anything Kieran says when they’d been drinking.

Kieran shot him another shit-eating grin.

“‘Cause you love me and you know I’m right.”

“As if. On both counts.” There was no way

Ashley was going to agree with Kieran. He
wouldn’t give his friend that kind of satisfaction at
the moment.

Just then Kieran looked up as the door leading

to the back swung open and two girls in a
matching uniform to the one sitting behind the
desk walked out.

“Gentleman, if you’d like to follow us please.”
Ashley swallowed the lump in his throat and

Kieran pulled him to his feet. They walked along
behind the women until one of them broke away
slightly, pointing to a room on the left.

“Ashley Neilson, you’re in here with me. If

you’d please strip and lay face down on the bed
I’ll be back in a moment and we can start.”

Ashley shot one last death glare at Kieran. His

friend  just  cackled  and  went  into  his  own  room,
already  stripping  his  shirt  before  the  door  was
closed.  Taking  one  last  deep  breath  to  settle  his
nerves,  Ashley  walked  into  the  room  and
reluctantly started to remove his clothing.

Hidden Wolf

He was sore in places that Ashley didn’t think

people should ever be sore in. He felt sticky and
tender and he wanted to go home desperately and
shower.

Ashley had sworn, groaned, whimpered and

screamed—yes he’d even screamed—his way
through the last half hour of his life. He was
having trouble comprehending why Kieran would
go back time after time and subject himself to that
torture.

He was positive the entire spa had heard him

when  the  first  strip  with  wax  had  been  removed
from  his  body.  He’d  been  embarrassed  as  hell
when Megan—as she’d introduced herself to him
while he was naked on the table—had asked him
to  get  on  his  knees,  head  down,  and  part  his  ass
cheeks.

Ashley had felt his entire body get hot with

embarrassment. No one should be that close to his
nether  regions  unless  they  had  been  invited
specifically  by  Ashley.  Megan  had  most  definitely
not  been  invited.  He’d  felt  a  stirring  inside  him.
One  he’d  felt  before  on  previous  occasions.  It
lasted  the  entire  time  he  was  in  there,  but  the
second Megan had stepped out of the room to let
him  dress  once  again  the  feeling  disappeared.
Ashley  had  never  been  able  to  pinpoint  exactly
what  it was that  he felt inside him, there seemed
to be some sort of barrier or blockage that he was

Tori Griffin

unable to get through so he could examine it
closely.

When Ashley was once again bundled up ready

to  face  the  cold  Launceston  weather,  he  walked
out  of  the  room.  If  he  walked  a  little  gingerly  he
wasn’t  going  to  admit  to  it  when  he  saw  Kieran
again.  As  he  pushed  through  the  door  leading  to
the  reception,  his  gaze  immediately  zeroed  in  on
his  so-called  best  friend.  The  wide  smile  and
knowing look said more than Ashley was willing
to. He wanted to walk right past Kieran and leave
the  pain  in  the  ass  here  to  walk  home,
unfortunately  seeing  as  how  Kieran  had  driven,
that kind of killed that idea dead.

“Not a single word,” he said when it looked

like Kieran was about to make a smart-ass
comment. Ashley ignored his friend and turned to
actually pay the woman for inflicting copious
amounts of pain on him. He even cringed at how
much he had to fork out for his torture.

Tucking his wallet back into his pocket, Ashley

pulled  open  the  door  and  left,  ignoring  the
snickers he could hear behind him. Ashley tucked
his  hands  deep  in  his  pockets,  his  breath  misting
on the air as he walked along the sidewalk to the
car.  He’d  been  so  nervous  on  his  way  in  that  he
had  completely  missed  just  how  bloody  cold  it
was outside.

Too busy concentrating on watching his breath

Hidden Wolf

mist in front of him, Ashley let out a grunt as he
walked  right  into  a  solid  mass.  He  could  feel
himself  falling  backward  until  large  hands
wrapped  around  his  arms  and  stopped  his
momentum in its tracks.

“Shit, sorry,” he apologised quickly, concluding

that he’d run into the man that still held him up.
Ashley looked up at the man before him and then
looked up a little more. Jesus, the guy was huge.

He blinked several times, wanting to make sure

that he was actually seeing what he thought he
was and not imagining the god-like creature
standing before him.

Tall. Bloody hell was this guy tall. He had to

stand at least six and a half feet, the most piercing
green  eyes  Ashley  had  ever  seen,  a  perfect  nose
and  lips  that  looked  inviting  as  all  get  out.  His
dark hair was shorn down to nothing but stubble
and Ashley wanted to run his hands over it to see
if it felt as good as it looked. The strong face was
topped  off  with  what  Ashley  assumed  to  be  a
permanent five o’clock shadow.

“Mate.”
Oh, how that voice sent shivers down his spine.
“Ashley?” Kieran called from behind him.
“Pardon?” Ashley asked the stranger, ignoring

his friend for the minute.

“You’re my mate.”
Ashley was starting to wonder if all the pain

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he’d just endured hadn’t affected his mental
abilities.

“I’m sorry, but I think I would know if you and

I were mates. I’ve never seen you before so how
can we be friends?”

“Not friends. Mates.”
The stranger was looking at him with a curious

expression now and that unknown part inside
Ashley stirred for the second time that day.

Ashley started to back away from him slowly

only to be stopped when he realised the guy was
still holding onto his arms.

“Please let go of me,” he asked quietly, his

voice trembling a little. Kieran walked up beside
him then and tugged him backward.

The man in front of them growled a little and

Ashley shrank back when another man walked up
beside the stranger.

When Mr. Tall, Dark, and Crazy turned to look

at  the  guy  who’d  just  joined  the  party,  Ashley
grabbed Kieran’s hand and they made a run for it.
Their car wasn’t all that far away and soon enough
they  were  there  and  clambering  to  get  inside.
Once  the  doors  closed,  Ashley  locked  his  behind
him  just  for  good  measure.  As  Kieran  pulled  out
of the car park, Ashley couldn’t help but look back
at the man who still stood on the sidewalk staring
right  at  him.  He  didn’t  know  what  it  was  about
this  guy,  but  something  about  him  flicked  all  of

Hidden Wolf

Ashley’s switches, even if the man did seem a few
Fruit Loops short of a cereal box.

“What the hell was that all about?” Kieran

asked as they pulled out onto the road.

“I have no idea.”
“Who was that guy?” Kieran looked at him for

a moment before turning his attention back to the
road in front of him.

“Once again, no idea. He said we were mates.

Seeing  as  how  I’ve  never  met  him  before  I  can’t
see how we’d already be friends. I think he must
have confused me with someone else.” Man didn’t
that  thought  suck.  What  he  wouldn’t  give  to  be
friends  with  someone  that  looked  like  that.  Then
again,  Ashley  would  probably  make  a  complete
fool out of himself if they were friends and then be
too embarrassed to show his face.

“Huh. Weird.”
“I know, right?”
“So…”
Ashley waited as Kieran paused for a long

minute.

“How was your first waxing?”
Ashley groaned as he settled back in the

passenger seat.

“I really hate you.” Kieran just cackled at him.

Fucking cackled!

* * * *

Tori Griffin

Vaughan  Jacobs  stood  on  the  sidewalk,  watching
as  his  mate  disappeared  with  another  man  in  a
car.  He  still  couldn’t  quite  believe  what  had  just
happened. Hugh Pike, one of his enforcers, and he
had  been  heading  to  the  liquor  store  to  collect  a
last minute order he’d had to place as his supplier
didn’t have what he needed.

The second he’d gotten out of his SUV, his

senses started going off. It took a moment for him
to sort through all the possibilities of why he was
suddenly feeling more alert and on edge, but then
the faintest trace of a scent caught his attention
and he’d been hooked.

Vaughan hadn’t stopped and thought, he’d just

followed his nose until it led him to the most
intoxicating man he’d ever laid eyes on.

Ashley. His friend had called his mate Ashley.

Vaughan liked the name. His mate stood a couple
of inches under six feet, had short brown hair that
had been spiked artfully, his almost sea-foam blue
eyes  were  soft  and  Vaughan  didn’t  think  he’d
even seen another colour blue like it before in his
life,  they  were  enchanting.  Ash’s  cheeks  and  the
tips  of  his  ears  had  also  been  tinged  pink,
Vaughan assumed because of the cold weather.

What surprised him the most though was that

his mate smelled like wolf, but was pretending to
have no idea what a mate was. His friend,

Hidden Wolf

however,  was  completely  human.  Vaughan
needed to find Ashley again and talk to him. Find
out  why  he  acted  as  if  he  had  no  idea  what
Vaughan had been talking about, and more to the
point,  why  he  wasn’t  apart  of  Vaughan’s  pack
already. First he had to find the man, and that was
going to be easier said than done he realised.

Tori Griffin

Chapter Two

shley slept like crap. He’d been plagued all
night by images of the drop-dead sexy man

he’d run into on the sidewalk yesterday as well as
by  dogs.  Ashley  had  to  really  concentrate  for  a
moment  before  he  corrected  himself.  Not  dogs.
Wolves. There had been wolves in his dreams last
night.  Lots  of  them.  Ashley  couldn’t  ever  recall
having a dream quite like it and frankly thought it
a tad disturbing.

Now though, as much as he hated to admit it,

the sun was shining and he had a new workday to
start.  Even  though  he  worked  from  home,  that
didn’t  allow  him  to  remain  in  bed  all  day  long.
Ashley had clients waiting for him to deliver what
he’d promised and Ashley never fell behind on a
project  without  a  bloody  good  reason,  and  a
disturbing dream was not that.

Standing in the kitchen, Ashley bit down on his

nice warm piece of vegemite toast and savoured
the flavour. It was one of his favourite spreads

Hidden Wolf

with peanut butter coming in a close second. He
knew it might seem silly for a grown man to have
the same thing for breakfast day in and day out,
but Ashley liked it and really, he looked forward
to his breakfast every morning.

That’s not to say he didn’t have the occasional

cooked  breakfast  or  porridge  when  he  was really
cold.  But  Ashley  hated  cereal.  Ever  since  he  was
about  ten,  Ashley  hadn’t  been  able  to  stomach
cereal and the way it got soggy if it wasn’t eaten
fast  enough.  So  he’d  just  stopped  trying  and
switched to toast to start his day with.

As he waited for his coffee to finish, he heard

his phone ring and leaned over the kitchen bench
to pluck it up from where it had been resting on
the other side.

He looked at the caller ID and answered with a

smile. “Morning, Mum.” Ashley bit into his toast
again, nearly finishing his breakfast.

“Morning, honey. How are you today?”
His mother’s bright cheery voice carried

through the line and Ashley could feel the love
she had for him clear as day.

“Well, so far so good. I woke up alive again

today so that’s got to be a good start to the day,
right?”

“You’re hilarious, really.”
Ashley chuckled at his mother’s sarcastic

answer. God he loved his family. He knew in this

Tori Griffin

day  and  age  with  families  breaking  up  left,  right
and centre, parents kicking their kids out for this
or that or who they slept with, it was weird to find
a family as normal as his. Ashley had managed to
grow  up  in  a  household  with  loving  parents  and
an annoying younger brother. When he came out
at the age of fourteen and asked his dad if it was
okay  that  he  liked  boys  instead  of  girls,  his  dad
had just pulled him into a bone crushing hug and
assured him that no matter who he liked it would
be alright.

“I know, but you still love me anyway.” Before

his  mum  could  answer  him,  Ashley  continued,
“What  can I  do  for you this fine morning?”  Fine,
Ashley’s  ass.  It  was  downright  freezing.  Ashley
wished he had a fireplace in his small apartment,
but unfortunately he just had to make do with the
heating.  Even  with  the  heating  on,  Ashley  could
still feel the cold bite in the air around him.

“I just wanted to make sure you’re still coming

for Sunday dinner?”

“Of course, Mum. I wouldn’t miss it for the

world.”  Ever  since  both  he  and  his  brother  Toby
had  moved  out  of  home,  his  mum  had
implemented  Sunday  dinner  at  the  Neilson’s.  A
roast  was  usually  served  on  these  occasions  and
Ashley loved it. He usually dragged Kieran along
with  him,  not  that  he  really  had  to  twist  his
friend’s arm or anything. His folks had often said

Hidden Wolf

that Kieran was like another one of their boys.

“Okay. We’ll see you then. I’ll let you go now

so you can get back to work.”

“Love you, Mum. See you Sunday.”
“Bye, honey.”
Ashley clicked off the phone and picked up his

cup of coffee that had finally finished pouring. He
chewed down the last bite of toast, then took a
nice long sip of his hot brew, his hands warming
nicely around the outside of the mug as the liquid
heated his insides.

Evidence had been left in the kitchen that

Kieran  had  already  been  through  here  that
morning.  Ashley  looked  at  his  watch  and
wondered if his friend had had an early morning
meeting  he’d  had  to  get  to.  He  wasn’t  usually
gone at this hour.

Resolving to call Kieran later and check on him,

Ashley  finished  his  coffee  before  he  put  the  cup
back  on  the  kitchen  bench  and  headed  for  the
bathroom.  He  needed  to  shower  and  then  get
some more coffee so he could start his day.

Several hours later, Ashley stretched as he

leaned back in his chair. His back was starting to
hurt  from  being  bent  over  his  desk  all  morning
working  away  on  his  computer.  Even  with  his
mind  as  scattered  as  it  had  been  this  morning,
Ashley had managed to get a fair amount of work
done and was happy with the progress he’d made

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on the site he was currently building for a local
pub.

His stomach rumbling, Ashley went into the

kitchen looking for something to eat for lunch. He
opened  the  fridge  and  stood  there  staring  at  the
contents. Nothing jumped out at him as appealing.
Ashley  did  the  same  thing  with  both  the  freezer
and the cupboard, hoping he would see something
he  wanted.  He  knew  exactly  what  the  problem
was.  He’d  been  staring  at  pictures  of  the  food
served  at  The  Den,  the  pub  he’d  been  building  a
new  website  for,  and  really  wanted  one  of  their
beef and mushroom pies.

Closing the cupboard doors in resignation, he

pulled his phone from his pocket and called
Kieran. Thankfully his friend answered after only
a couple of rings.

“What’s up?” Kieran said by way of greeting.
“You eaten yet?” Ashley hoped not, he really

didn’t want to go by himself.

“Just about to head out and grab a bite, why?”
“I want to go to The Den, I’ve been staring at

their food all morning and if I don’t get what I’m
craving I’ll just keep eating and eating ‘cause I
won’t be satisfied.” Ashley ran his hand through
his hair in frustration.

Kieran laughed at him and he scowled at his

friend even though he couldn’t see it. “Yeah, I
hear ya. I’ll meet you there in twenty, I’ve haven’t

Hidden Wolf

had a chance to actually eat there yet.”

“Thanks, man, I owe you one.” This wasn’t the

first time Ashley had called Kieran up wanting to
go somewhere because he’d been staring at
pictures of their food, and he doubted it would be
the last.

“Yeah, ‘cause this is such a hardship for me.”
“Smart ass. See you soon.” Ashley hung up his

phone and shoved it back in his pocket. He made
sure he had his wallet and keys before going back
and  making  sure  his  work  was  saved  before
locking his computer. He didn’t work in an office
where  just  anyone  could  walk  up  and  touch  his
things,  but  he  always  figured  it  was  better  to  be
safe than sorry.

Ashley headed to his bedroom where he

shoved his socked feet in to his boots, the laces he
left loose. His jacket pulled on, he wrapped his
scarf around his neck and then grabbed the beanie
his mum had knitted for him last year.

Finally ready, Ashley left the house and walked

the short distance in the freezing cold temperature
to where his car was parked in the complex car
park. The drive to the bar only took about fifteen
minutes and by the time he’d arrived, he was nice
and warm again, thanks to the heating in his
vehicle.

It seemed everyone else had the same idea as

him for lunch as the streets were packed with

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vehicles  and  Ashley  was  forced  to  park  three
blocks  away.  The  wind  felt  like  it  blew  right
through him as Ashley  exited  the car and started
his  trek  back  to  the  pub.  By  the  time  he  arrived,
Ashley  was  freezing  again,  his  hands  shoved
down  deep  in  his  jeans  pockets.  All  the  warmth
he’d  accumulated  on  the  drive  over  was  long
gone.

Ashley breathed a huge sigh of relief as he

pushed  open  the  door  to  The  Den  and  was  hit
with a wave of warmth, immediately followed by
a wave of noise. It took Ashley a moment for his
eyes  to  adjust  to  the  dim  atmosphere,  but  when
they had he was met with a pub full of people. He
couldn’t  believe  just  how  popular  this  place  was
for  a  Thursday  lunch  time.  Scanning  the  crowds,
Ashley  was  starting  to  wonder  if  he  would  even
be able to get a table to eat when he spotted Kieran
about halfway through the place standing up and
waving  madly  at  him.  There  was  no  way  Ashley
would have heard him if he’d tried to yell.

He waved back at Kieran and then pulled the

beanie from his head and unwrapped his scarf as
he started to make his way through packed tables.

When Ashley arrive at the small booth Kieran

had managed to snag, he sunk down on the bench,
feeling like he’d just run a marathon to get to his
table.

“So,” Kieran said to him over the noise. “This

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isn’t exactly what I was expecting.”

“Me either.”
“I ordered you a pint.”
“Thanks. I could use a beer after that.”
“Tell me about it. I had to practically beat off

three other guys for the rights to this table. Hell, I
even had someone sit down and start talking to
me like we were on a date.”

“Cute?” Ashley asked teasingly.
Kieran just laughed at him. “Not even a little

bit.”

“That sucks.”
“Yep.” Just then their waitress arrived with

their drinks and asked if they were ready to order.
Ashley  knew  what  he  wanted  and  told  the
waitress  so  and  after  Kieran  ordered  one  of  the
schnitzel  specials—the  reason  for  the  busy
Thursday  lunch  so  Ashley  found  out—the
waitress headed off into the sea of tables and took
more orders before disappearing out the back.

Ashley picked up his beer and took a long

drink  before  placing  it  back  on  the  coaster  and
looking around the place. He already had a fairly
good idea of what the place looked like due to the
pictures he had to go on the site, but it was always
different  seeing  it  in  person.  He  really  liked  the
feel of this pub. It had a nice homey quality to it.
The  walls  were  all  exposed  wood,  there  was  a
raging  fire  going  in  the  back,  heating  the  place

Tori Griffin

perfectly. The tables, booths and even the bar were
all made with thick chunky pieces of wood, there
was a dance floor and stage area set to one side
where live music played Thursday through
Sunday nights.

There were flat screen televisions hung on the

walls  showing  all  manner  of  different  sporting
games  and  music  videos.  Ashley  soon  turned  his
attention  back  to  his  friend  and  they  started
chatting about their day so far.

He had no idea how long they had been talking

when a shadow fell over him and Ashley looked
up in time to see the drop-dead gorgeous man
from the day before place his meal on the table in
front of him and then place Kieran’s in front of his
friend.

“You,” was all his brain seemed to be able to

process.

“Yes, me.”
The rich sultry voice washed over him and

Ashley  had  to  stop  his  body  from  reacting.  That
small part of him deep inside seemed to stir again
and Ashley  wasn’t sure if he  wanted to jump for
joy at seeing the stranger again or run screaming
from the crazy man. Seeing as how he’d done the
running  yesterday  he  wondered  absently  if  that
meant it was now time for the jumping.

* * * *

Hidden Wolf

Vaughan couldn’t believe how busy he was. Every
one  of  his  staff  was  run  off  their  feet,  including
him. He’d been called out of his office a half hour
ago  to  help  out  on  the  floor  due  to  the  large
number  of  people  wanting  lunch.  Ever  since
Vaughan  had  opened  The  Den  a  couple  of  years
ago  the  place  had  been  steadily  growing  and
business was now booming.

He walked into the kitchen to pick up the next

order and yelled out to his staff. “Keep it up, guys,
these look great.”

“How are we looking out there?” Brandon, his

head chef, asked as he served up another plate of
schnitzel.

“Busy, with no sign of letting up anytime

soon.”

“Just the way we like it, eh, boss.”
Vaughan laughed. “Hell yeah.” He picked up

the plates, looked at the docket under them and
headed out the swinging door to traverse the
crowded room.

As he made his way closer to the table he

needed, his body started reacting in a way similar
to the day before. Even in this crowded room with
all the overwhelming scents around him, one still
managed  to  make  it  through  to  him  and  lit  his
body  on  fire.  Vaughan’s  mate  was  somewhere
within  these  walls.  He  knew  it  deep  down  in  his

Tori Griffin

soul, just like he knew he was a shifter and that he
preferred the company of men over women.

Vaughan looked about almost frantically as he

tried to spot his mate, even standing as tall as he
did didn’t help him in the slightest as he couldn’t
see the man anywhere.

He needed to deliver the food and then go table

to  table  to  try  and  find  him.  Vaughan  couldn’t
believe how lucky he was to actually run into his
mate by chance two days in a row. Vaughan had
only  managed  to  glean  his  mate’s  name  the
previous day. He hadn’t seen what shop they had
come out of, and even if he had, he doubted they
would  be  willing,  or  able,  to  give  him  any
information pertaining to his mate.

Vaughan stopped dead in his tracks as he came

round the corner and saw the same man that had
been  with  his  mate  the  day  before  sitting  at  the
very table he was heading to. God he hoped that
meant  Ashley  was  with  him.  They  really  needed
to  talk  and  Vaughan  needed  to  get  some  more
information  on  his  mate  other  than  just  his  first
name, like a last name or a phone number.

After what had happened yesterday, he was a

little hesitant as to why his mate didn’t recognise
him.  The  man  smelled  like  wolf,  in  fact  Ashley
smelled  amazing  to  Vaughan.  What  he  couldn’t
understand was why Ashley didn’t seem to know
what  he  was  talking  about  when  he’d  said  they

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were mates. It was instinctual in all shifters to
recognise their other halves by scent and the
reaction their bodies had. So why hadn’t Ashley?

Vaughan was jolted out of his thoughts when a

customer  jostled  him  as  he  tried  to  squeeze  past.
He  apologised  to  the  man  and  started  walking
again,  not  stopping  until  he  stood  at  the  edge  of
the booth and looked down into the seat that had
its back facing toward where he’d just come from.

The sight of Ashley sitting there, a relaxed

happy  smile  covering  his  face,  had  Vaughan’s
heart  rate  increasing  and  his  dick  stirring  in  his
jeans.  Vaughan  placed  the  plates  down  on  the
table and then stood up straight and stared down
at  the  slightly  stunned  expression  on  Ashley’s
face.

Those stunningly beautiful sea-foam blue eyes

stared up at him with a mixture of excitement and
caution. “You.” Ashley breathed out and Vaughan
really liked the way it sounded. Would have been
better if it was his name though, he thought
absently. He watched as Ashley ran his hand
through his short spiky brown hair.

“Yes, me.” He confirmed, a smile gracing his

lips.

A fake cough from the other side of the table

had Vaughan tearing his gaze away from the most
amazing set of eyes he’d ever seen.

“I don’t believe we’ve met before. Kieran Moss,

Tori Griffin

and you are?”

Vaughan grinned as his mate’s friend sat there

with his  hand out, waiting for an introduction. It
didn’t  look  like  Vaughan  intimidated  him  at  all.
Even  though  the  guy  was  nearly  a  foot  shorter
than him and a good thirty kilos lighter. Vaughan
couldn’t help but chuckle as he shook hands with
him.

“Vaughan Jacobs.” He then turned to Ashley

with  his  hand  out  and  waited.  When  his  mate
continued  to  sit  there  staring  at  him,  Vaughan
raised  an  eyebrow  and  let  a  low  rumble  out.
Ashley  reacted  immediately,  his  head  cocked  to
the  side  slightly,  and  held  his  hand  out  for
Vaughan.

Fuck, the sight of his mate submitting to him

made  him  hard  as  a  rock.  Instead  of  shaking
Ashley’s hand, he held it gently  in his larger one
and  waited.  The  feel  of  his  mate’s  skin  touching
his own had his body lighting up in ways it never
had  before  and  Vaughan  wanted  nothing  but  to
throw Ashley over his shoulder and take him back
to his office where they could get naked. His wolf
was riding him hard to do exactly that. He wanted
to  get  to  know  the  other  man  a  whole  lot  better
and fast.

“Ashley Neilson.”
The whispered words were hard to make out

over the noise of people talking and eating and the

Hidden Wolf

music playing in the background, but Vaughan
still caught them.

“It is an absolute pleasure to make your

acquaintance,  Ashley.”  He  bent  down  and  kissed
the  back  of  his  mate’s  hand.  He  heard  the  sharp
inhale  of  breath  and  smiled,  knowing  his  mate
was just as affected as he was.

Vaughan stood up straight again and felt peace

settle inside him for what he thought might very
well be the first time in his life. It didn’t last very
long though when Justin, one of his waiters, called
out to him.

Reluctant to leave his mate, but knowing he

had to, he caressed the hand he still held one last
time. “Enjoy your meals, gentleman. Please call for
me if you should need anything.”

Vaughan headed over to Lucy who was

standing at the computer. “Table thirty-seven is on
the house. Anything they want. Make sure they
get some of the chocolate cake for dessert as well.”
Vaughan pulled out one of his business cards from
his wallet and scribbled a message, along with his
private mobile number on the back and handed it
to Lucy. “Can you please make sure Ashley is
given this before they leave?”

“Yes, boss.”
Vaughan watched as Lucy tucked the card in

the front pocket of her apron, not once did she
look to see what he had written.

Tori Griffin

“Thanks, doll.” As much as Vaughan wanted to

go back and get to know his mate better, he had a
restaurant to run and other customers to serve
right at that very moment.

Hidden Wolf

Chapter Three

ell that was unexpected,” Kieran said with
a smirk as he picked up his knife and fork

and stared eating.

Ashley didn’t say anything. He didn’t think he

could at this point in time. His mind reeled from
seeing the sexy man that had haunted his dreams
last night. Ashley’s insides were doing
somersaults and his hand still tingled from where
Vaughan’s lips had pressed against his skin.

He also couldn’t explain the instant hard-on

he’d  gotten  when  the  man  had  growled  at  him.
The  damn  thing  had  a  mind  of  its  own  and  still
wouldn’t go down, making sitting there decidedly
uncomfortable.  Ashley  couldn’t  ever  remember
having  such  an  intense  attraction  to  another
person before in his life. He didn’t know why, but
he wanted to get up and chase the man down until
he agreed to be Ashley’s. Something buried deep
inside  him  told  him  that  Vaughan  Jacobs  was
supposed  to  be  his.  How  ridiculous  did  that

“W

Tori Griffin

sound? Ashley scoffed at himself for his fanciful
thoughts.

Trying to get his mind away from the encounter

with the sexy god, Ashley looked down at his
plate. His stomach grumbled, letting him know he
needed to get a move on and eat already. The food
did look delicious.

“Man, that was so good,” Ashley sighed as he

sat back in his chair and looked down at his now
empty plate.

“Tell me about it. I’m thinking this is going to

become a regular occurrence for us.”

Ashley didn’t answer right away. The idea of

coming  back  here  definitely  had  its  merits,  that’s
for sure. But did he really want to take a chance on
a guy that yesterday he thought might have been a
little  crazy.  He  still  had  no  idea  what  Vaughan
had  been  raving  about  on  the  street.  Before  he
really  had  a  chance  to  get  his  thoughts  in  order,
one of the waitresses came back to clear the table.

“I hope the food was to your liking,

gentleman.”

“The food was delicious, thank you.” At least

Ashley’s brain seemed to be working enough for
him to converse again.

“I’m glad to hear it. Now please indulge

yourselves, compliments of Mr Jacobs.”

Ashley was a little confused until he noticed the

Hidden Wolf

waitress that had taken their order originally was
standing there holding two plates with the most
amazing looking chocolate cake ever.

“Yep, definitely coming back here again. If this

is the kind of perks you get, Ashley, I’m dragging
you along with me,” Kieran said, not once taking
his eyes from the plate as it was put down in front
of him.

“Please convey our thanks to your boss.”
“I will. He wanted me to give you this and to

let you know not to worry about the bill, it’s on
the house.” The waitress pulled out a business
card from her apron pocket and handed it over to
Ashley.

He took it and thanked her, but was too intent

on the card in his hand to watch her leave.

It was a pleasure to meet you, Ashley. Please call me.

A mobile number was also written beneath the
message. Ashley didn’t know quite what to make
of all this, but tucked the card away in his pocket
for later anyway. Now he had a cake to consume
and, if the noises coming from the other side of the
table were anything to go by, Ashley was going to
enjoy it.

It wasn’t until hours later when Ashley was

back at home sitting in front of his computer that
it dawned on him. If Vaughan Jacobs owned The
Den, then Ashley was actually working for the

Tori Griffin

man.

Ashley frantically searched back through his e-

mails  and,  sure  enough,  there  was  Vaughan’s
name  in  all  its  glory. How  in  the  world  could  he
have  not  reconciled  this  fact  sooner?  He  put  it
down  to  temporary  insanity  after  the  way
Vaughan  had  turned  his  brains  to  mush.  The
business  card  he  had  been  given  sat  resting
against  his  computer,  in  his  line  of  sight  for  just
about everything he did.

As much as Ashley wanted to pick up the

phone and call the guy, he really wasn’t that
confident. He had no idea what someone like
Vaughan Jacobs could possibly see in him. Ashley
was so much smaller than Vaughan, he was quiet,
and hated confrontations and wasn’t all that good
in crowded places. The Den had been right on the
cusp of his comfort zone. Ashley had a feeling if it
wasn’t for Vaughan and his brain short-circuiting,
he may not have made it through lunch.

Vaughan Jacobs would never be his and it was

silly of Ashley to even entertain the thought.
Sighing in resignation, Ashley threw himself into
work, hoping he could forget about the very sexy
man and the way his body came alive at Vaughan
simple touch.

Nothing worked. No matter what Ashley did to

try and forget about Vaughan he couldn’t. It was

Hidden Wolf

like the man has slithered in under his radar and
buried himself beneath his skin, never to come out
again.  He  invaded  Ashley’s  dreams,  oh  God  did
he.  Every  night  for  the  last  half  a  dozen  nights
Ashley  had  gone  to  bed  determined  not  to  think
about  Vaughan  and  every  night  he’d  woken  up
crying his name as his body released its pleasure
into his sheets.

Ashley had gone so far as to try and stay

awake, but he hadn’t made it much past midnight
before he’d succumbed to sleep and the inevitable
dreams  of  Vaughan.  As  erotic  and  hot  as  the
dreams  were,  they  never  started  off  that  way.
Frankly  they  confused  the  hell  out  of  Ashley.
Wolves running together in a large pack, hunting,
playing and some even rutting. Then the animals
shifting  and  turning  into  humans.  Vaughan
standing  before  him  in  all  his  naked  glory,
soothing  and  comforting  Ashley  as  Vaughan
petted his fur.

Ashley had never thought he had such a vivid

imagination, but now all of a sudden he was
dreaming about Werewolves.

Sitting at his desk late Wednesday morning,

Ashley couldn’t believe how tired he felt. He’d
barely slept, and worked like a maniac the rest of
the time. Now staring at the computer screen, he
was starting to regret his choice of outlets. The

Tori Griffin

website  was  done.  Well  as  done  as  it  could  be  at
this  point.  His  client  now  had  the  opportunity  to
look through the site and make any changes they
wanted  prior  to  it  going  live.  There  was  just  one
problem  with  this.  His  client  happened  to  be
Vaughan  Jacobs.  The  one  man  Ashley  couldn’t
stop  thinking  about  and  the  one  man  he’d  told
himself he wouldn’t call.

Ashley stared as the curser on the e-mail

blinked  back  at  him  repeatedly.  All  he  had to  do
was click send and the e-mail would go, along with
the site details, and Ashley’s phone number where
Vaughan  would  be  able  to  contact  him.  Ashley
scolded  himself  that  he  was  being  ridiculous.
Vaughan  already  had  his  number  from  the
previous e-mails they had exchanged in regards to
the site.

Regardless of his personal feelings on this

matter,  he  was  running  a  business  and  Ashley
couldn’t afford to let this get in the  way. Sighing
heavily,  Ashley  clicked  the  send  button  and  then
sat  back  in  his  chair.  Both  relief  that  it  was  done
and trepidation at what was to come filled him in
equal measures. Ashley would be lying if he said
he wasn’t looking forward to hearing that rugged
voice  again,  the  stirring  inside  him  was  proof
enough of that.

Knowing he couldn’t just sit there and wonder

when his phone would ring, Ashley berated

Hidden Wolf

himself and returned to work. He had other
projects that would be due soon and needed to be
finished.

Ashley was pulled from his work several hours

later when his stomach protested Ashley’s neglect
at the same time his phone rang. Lost in what he
was doing, Ashley answered the phone. “This is
Ashley.”

“I’m very disappointed in you.”
“Hmm,” Ashley answered absently, still

concentrating on what he was doing.

“You didn’t call.” The sexy voice on the other

end of the line finally registered.

“Oh shit, Vaughan.”
“Yes, me.” The warm chuckle sent shivers

through Ashley’s body. “So why didn’t you call
me?”

What to say? “Umm. I don’t call people.”

Which was true, Ashley really wasn’t confident
enough to make the first move and call.

“I’m not just people, Ashley. I’m your mate.”
“I don’t know what that means. We don’t know

each other. How can we be friends already when
I’ve met you a total of two times and spoken with
you for no more than five minutes?” Ashley really
was confused. It seemed like the crazy guy from
their first meeting was back again in full force.

“That’s not the kind of mate I’m talking about,

Ash.” Ashley shivered when Vaughan called him

Tori Griffin

Ash. Why did his name sound so erotic when
Vaughan said it?

“What other kind of mate is there?” he

wondered.

“I need to see you. You should have called me.”
Ashley could tell the other man was a little

frustrated with him, but was trying not to show it.
“The site wasn’t ready before today,” Ashley
replied, being deliberately obtuse.

The deep rumbling growl had Ashley’s prick

going from half hard to full mast in seconds. He
groaned at the ache he felt and pressed against his
erection, trying unsuccessfully to get it to go back
down again.

“Come to The Den. Let me feed you and we can

talk.”

The satisfaction in Vaughan’s voice let Ashley

know the man knew what effect he was having on
Ashley’s body. “That’s not a good idea,” he
argued.

“It’s a great idea. Be here in twenty minutes or

I’ll come and collect you. And, Ashley, I know
where you live, so don’t think you can get away
from me.” Then he hung up.

Ashley was left staring at his phone, open

mouthed. The idea that Vaughan knew where he
lived should scare the crap out of him, but all it
did was arouse him even more. “Traitor,” Ashley
groused as he looked down at his straining dick. If

Hidden Wolf

he wasn’t careful he would end up with a
permanent zipper imprint in his flesh.

Ashley stood and then sat back down again. He

really didn’t know if he should go and see
Vaughan or not. The man seemed like he might
have a few screws loose.

A minute later he stood again and made his

way  to  his  room  to  get  his  jacket  and  scarf.  He
couldn’t  believe  he  was  really  going  to  do  this.
Ashley  would  go  and  listen  to  whatever  it  was
Vaughan wanted to talk to him about and then he
could  leave.  He  doubted  that  whatever  it  was
Vaughan  had  to  say  could  be  all  that  important
anyway. Bundling himself up against the weather,
Ashley  walked  outside  and  locked  the  door
behind him.

* * * *

Vaughan paced back and forth across the length of
his  office.  He’d  been  going  out  of  his  mind  since
Thursday when he let his mate walk out of his pub
without  leaving  a  contact  number.  That  didn’t
stop  Vaughan  from  doing  some  digging  of  his
own  and  finding  out  where  the  man  lived.  He’d
gone  past  his  mate’s  apartment  every  day,  but
Vaughan refused to do anything until he’d heard
from Ashley. He wasn’t sure how much longer his
resolve would have held out.

Tori Griffin

Vaughan couldn’t believe his eyes when an e-

mail came through from his new website designer
with Ashley Neilson’s name listed in the
signature. Vaughan hadn’t put two and two
together previously, although he should have, but
he had to admit his brain had not been operating
at full capacity for the last few days.

Now his mate was once again on his way here

and  Vaughan  couldn’t  wait  to  lay  eyes  on  the
man.  It  almost  felt  like  a  compulsion.  His  body
was aching for its other half and Vaughan refused
to  let  Ashley  go  until  they  had  things  sorted
between them.

He had a feeling claiming his mate was going to

be a hell of a lot harder than he always imagined it
would be. By the previous conversations they’d
had, Vaughan was really starting to wonder if
Ashley even knew who he was.

A knock on his door had Vaughan stopping

midstride “Come in,” he called out as he turned to
face the door.

Lucy walked in with Ashley trailing along

behind her. “Your guest has arrived.”

“Thank you, Lucy.” He smiled at his staff

member before turning to face his mate. Fuck, the
man really was breathtaking. “Can I get you
something to eat and drink? This might take a
while.”

Vaughan could tell Ashley was about to refuse

Hidden Wolf

him when the man’s stomach grumbled loudly.
The blush that crawled up his cheeks was truly
stunning.

“Thank you, that’s very kind of you. Can I

please get the Cajan beef salad and a lemon, lime
and biters?”

“Certainly. I’ll have my usual, thanks, Lucy.”
“No worries, boss. I’ll put the order in now.”
“Thanks. We’re not to be disturbed.”
Lucy nodded in understanding before she left,

closing the door quietly behind her.

“Please, won’t you have a seat?” Vaughan

indicated  the  large  dark  leather  sofa  he  had
situated off to the side of his office. “Let me take
your coat for you.” He walked up to Ashley, who
was still standing in the same spot, just staring up
at  him.  Vaughan  smiled  reassuringly  down  at
him,  then  reached  up  and  unwrapped  the  scarf
from  around  Ashley’s  neck  and  laid  it  across  his
arm.  He  then  started  to  undo  the  buttons  on
Ashley’s  jacket,  stepping  around  behind  Ashley
when he was done.

There was no mistaking the shiver that racked

his mate’s body as anything but arousal when
Vaughan’s fingers brushed lightly over Ashley’s
skin before he took hold of the coat and gently slid
it off.

Vaughan couldn’t help himself, he ran the tips

of his fingers down the now exposed neck in front

Tori Griffin

of him. The scent of arousal permeated the air and
intensified Ashley’s very unique aroma.

For a moment Vaughan felt Ashley press back

into his touch before he seemed to realise what he
had done and stepped forward. Ashley didn’t stop
with  one  step,  he  walked  all  the  way  over  to  the
couch  and  then  sat  at  the  far  side  of  it.  Vaughan
wanted  to  laugh  at  his  mate’s  very  obvious
attempt  to  get  as  far  away  from  him  as  possible.
Instead, he placed the coat and scarf over the back
of one of the visitor’s chairs, picked up his laptop
and wandered over to join Ashley.

Vaughan sat down, close. He placed the laptop

on  the  coffee  table  in front  of  him  and  pulled  up
the  site  Ashley  had  created  for  him.  He  didn’t
want  to  get  into  any  deep  and  meaningful
discussions  at  the  moment  when  he  knew  they
would  be  interrupted  again  by  their  lunch
arriving.  So  Vaughan  figured  he  might  as  well
discuss  the  site  with  Ashley  and  point  out  the
minor adjustments he wanted made.

When Ashley realised Vaughan wasn’t going to

be making a move on him and wanted to talk
business the man thankfully started to relax. “Can
I get a notepad and a pen so I can take notes?”
Ashley asked him.

“Certainly.” Vaughan stood and gathered the

required items before heading back and sitting
next to his mate once again. He handed over the

Hidden Wolf

pad and pen and soon enough they were both
huddled over the computer, pointing to the screen
as they bounced ideas off one another and Ashley
furiously took notes.

A knock at the door interrupted them some

time later and it took a moment for Vaughan to
remember where he was. He’d been so caught up
with being with his mate and their discussion that
he had managed to exclude everything else.

The smell of their lunch drifted into the room as

Lucy  walked  in  with  Ashley’s  salad  and
Vaughan’s steak. Their drinks had arrived earlier
and  Vaughan  put  the  laptop  away  so  they  could
enjoy  their  lunch  without  having  to  worry  about
work.  They’d  managed  to  cover  all  the  minor
adjustments he wanted made anyway.

Lunch was placed on the table in front of them

and Lucy left after asking if they were in need of
anything else. Alone at last, Vaughan picked up
his utensils, his mouth watering at the succulent
aroma of the steak. “Please, let’s eat, then we can
talk about why I wanted you to come down here.”

Ashley picked up his knife and fork and started

to eat his salad. Vaughan had no idea how in the
world  a  salad  would  sustain  a  werewolf.
Personally  Vaughan  tried  his  hardest  to  avoid
eating roughage at any point. Give him a nice fat
juicy  rare  steak  and  he  was  a  happy  man.  He
reluctantly ate his veggies, only because he knew

Tori Griffin

man couldn’t live on steak alone, but his staff
knew to keep the rabbit food away from him.

They made light conversation as they ate, and

Vaughan was finding it harder and harder not to
reach  out  and  touch  his  mate.  He  desperately
wanted to put his hands on Ashley, not only in the
hopes of trying to seduce the wolf into his bed, but
just  because  he  wanted  to  feel  the  connection
between them. He knew once they  had mated he
would feel complete, whole and that anytime they
were  in  the  same  room  together  it  would  be
almost  like  a  compulsion  to  touch  his  other  half.
Now the need was there, but it was muted.

Once he’d finished his meal, Vaughan placed

his  knife  and  fork  down  and  sat  back  into  the
corner  of  the  leather  lounge,  bringing  his  left  leg
up  to  rest  against  the  cushion  in  front  of  him.
Vaughan  watched  as  Ashley  finished  eating,  his
wolf desperate to get out and take his mate as he
saw  the  way  Ashley’s  lips  wrapped  around  the
fork as he slid a bite of food into his mouth. Fuck!
If that wasn’t the sexiest thing Vaughan had ever
seen in his life he didn’t know what was.

“You know, it’s a little disconcerting to have

someone staring at you while you’re trying to
eat,” Ashley said, pulling Vaughan’s attention
away from his lips.

“Sorry, but you’re mesmerising.”
The blush creeping up Ashley’s cheeks only

Hidden Wolf

served to reiterate what he had just said.

Ashley cleared his throat and then he, too, sat

back against the corner of the couch, mirroring
Vaughan.

Vaughan hated how much distance there was

between them at the moment, but figured it might
actually  be  necessary  for  him  to  be  able  to  get
through the upcoming conversation. If Ashley sat
any  closer  to  him,  Vaughan  might  not  be  able  to
stop  himself  from  reaching  out  and  starting
something.  They  really  needed  to  talk  before
anything  physical  happened  between  them,  as
much as it was killing him to do it.

“So…” Ashley’s voice trailed off, as if his mate

had no idea what else to say.

“So…” Vaughan copied him. He paused for a

minute and smiled reassuringly at Ashley before
he dove right in. Vaughan was Alpha of his pack
and as such was not about to pussy foot around
any problem. “What I want to know is why you’re
denying the mate bond between us?” He could see
both confusion and annoyance wash over Ashley’s
face at his words.

“And what I want to know is what the hell are

you talking about?”

“Ashley, every wolf knows about the bond

between mates, we’re taught about it when we
shift for the first time during puberty.”

“Umm…I’m not quite sure what to say to that

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except…What…The…Fuck. What are you talking
about, wolves and shifting? Have you completely
lost your mind?” Ashley jumped to his feet and
started to back away.

Vaughan wasn’t having any of it. Before Ashley

knew  what  hit  him,  Vaughan  had  him  pinned
against  the  wall.  Ashley  breathed  heavily  and
Vaughan  could  feel  his  erratic  heartbeat  even
through their clothes.

Ashley’s hands were fisted in his shirt and

Vaughan  couldn’t  tell  if  his  mate  was  trying  to
push him away or pull him closer. Vaughan bent
and  ran  his  nose  down  the  side  of  Ashley’s  face
until he reached the crook of his neck. He inhaled
deeply.  Ashley  instinctively  tilted  his  head  back,
giving  Vaughan  more  room  to  manoeuvre.  The
deep  rumbling  growl  of  approval  at  Ashley’s
show  of  submission  toward  him  had  his  mate
shivering under him.

Vaughan flicked his tongue out in desperate

need to taste the man, if only briefly. The intense
flavour of his mate burst across his palate and
Vaughan thought the man tasted like the finest
wine.

What he couldn’t understand was why Ashley

didn’t know about anything Vaughan had just
told him. It was there, Vaughan could smell it and
taste it. Ashley’s wolf was definitely there, muted
somehow, almost hidden, but there.

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“When was the last time you shifted?” He

wondered if that was the reason for the
suppressed feelings he was getting.

Ashley swallowed hard before he replied. “I

really have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m
just me, I don’t shift into anything. There is no
such thing as shifting people.”

“How can that be?” Vaughan rumbled.

Reluctantly, he leaned back, bringing his hands to
hold either side of Ashley’s face as he looked
down into the beautiful see foam blue eyes. “Ash,
I can feel him, taste him. He’s inside you. How can
you not know what I’m talking about? Have your
parents never talked to you about this?”

“What’s inside me?” Ashley trembled slightly

in his hold.

Vaughan pulled him close and wrapped Ashley

in his arms, hating how scared his mate was.
Vaughan could feel it coming of him in waves.

“Your wolf, Ashley, you have to believe what

I’m saying to you.”

“Why? Do you know how crazy you sound?”
Even as he said the words, Ashley held on to

Vaughan a little tighter. No matter what, Ashley
knew deep down that he could trust Vaughan. He
probably had no idea why, but the bond between
mates could not be denied.

“I have a fare idea, yes. However, I would

never do anything to cause you harm. You know

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this.  You  might  not  know  why  you  know  it,  but
you  do.  Deep  down  you  know  that  no  matter
what,  I  will  not  hurt  you.  I  would  rather  cut  off
my  own  arm  than  course  you  the  smallest  of
harms.

“You are my mate. A bond forged by fate itself.

You are the other half to my soul and my perfect
partner in every way. We are Werewolves. Or
wolf shifters as some people like to be called. We
are not bound by the moon, but can shift to our
animal halves whenever we like.”

Ashley shook his head and tried to pull away

from Vaughan. Not wanting to cause his mate any
more distress than he was already under,
Vaughan let him go, but kept a hold on his hand.
He needed to stay in contact with Ashley.

“You’re nuts.” Ashley tugged experimentally

on his hand, but gave up when he realised
Vaughan had a firm grip and wasn’t letting go.

“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“Would you like me to prove it to you?”

Vaughan didn’t think this was really the best place
to be shifting, but he needed his mate to listen to
him, and he didn’t think that was going to happen
until the man had proof that what he was saying
wasn’t all a bunch of shit.

“Fine, go right ahead.” Ashley smirked at him.
Vaughan smiled, knowing exactly what his

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mate was thinking. Reluctantly he let go of
Ashley’s hand, immediately missing the soft
touch, and reached down grabbing the hem of his
shirt and pulled it off over his head.

“Holy shit.” Ashley’s mouth hung open as his

eyes stared right at his chest.

Vaughan couldn’t help himself and flexed a

little, loving the fact that his mate liked the way he
looked.

“Like what you see, Ash?” he asked, his voice

low and husky.

“Ah huh.” Ashley snapped out of it as soon as

the words left his mouth and he shook his head.
He looked so cute when he was all flustered. “Can
I ask why you’re getting naked when you just
agreed to prove a point to me?”

“Ash, I can’t shift with my clothes on, unless I

want  to  leave  here  this  evening  naked,  and  with
the  temperatures  outside,  I’m  going  to  say  no
thanks.”  Vaughan  toed  off  his  shoes  and  reached
down  to  flick  open  the  button  on  his  jeans,
Ashley’s gaze following his every movement.

Vaughan slowly pulled down the zipper, the

sound of the teeth unclicking loud in the suddenly
silent  room.  Ashley’s  tongue  darted  out  and
moistened  his  lips  and  Vaughan  had  to  force
himself  to  stay  where  he  was  and  not  tackle  his
mate to the ground.

Knowing he wouldn’t be able to control himself

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much  longer,  he  shoved  his  pants  down  his  legs
and shifted. The shift was fluid and smooth, he’d
been  shifting  since  he  was  thirteen.  When  he’d
first started there had been some pain, it had taken
minutes to complete his shift the first half a dozen
times.  Now  it  was  all  over  and  done  within  a
matter of seconds, first a man and then a wolf, his
body reshaping into the large black wolf that lived
inside him.

He heard the gasp and looked up just in time to

see his mate go completely white, his eyes roll
back in his head and then collapse to the ground
in a heap. Shit!

Hidden Wolf

Chapter Four

shley groaned as his eyes fluttered open. His
head hurt and he had no idea why. Ashley

blinked rapidly, trying to clear his vision and find
out where he was.

Vaughan came into view above him and Ashley

smiled up at the man. He couldn’t believe
someone as hot as Vaughan Jacobs seemed to be
interested in him.

Ashley gasped suddenly as he remembered

exactly where he was and what had happened. He
scrambled back, trying to put as much distance
between Vaughan and himself.

The man had turned into an animal. A frickin’

wolf for crying out loud. Ashley thought  he may
have been going nuts. Either that or maybe he was
having  some  sort  of  delayed  allergic  reaction  to
having  his  ass  and  balls  waxed,  something  that
would  cause  him  to  hallucinate.  Anything  was
possible. Well anything except what he’d just seen,
but then again he didn’t just see what he saw. He

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was hallucinating and Ashley needed to go see a
doctor. Glad he had it all sorted, he now needed to
get out of here, and fast.

Unfortunately the very large, semi-naked man

in front of him seemed to have other ideas. Ashley
also might have other ideas if the man wasn’t
certifiable.

“Are you alright?”
“Pardon?”
“You hit your head pretty hard when you

fainted.” Vaughan reached out and ran his large
fingers over the side of Ashley’s head.

Ashley couldn’t explain why he didn’t pull

away or how good it always felt when this man
touched him. He also wanted to know why in the
world he felt so safe in Vaughan’s presence given
what he had not just witnessed.

“I’m fine, well at least, I think I am. I really

didn’t just see what I think I did, did I?” Ashley
closed his eyes and groaned, how much of an idiot
did that sentence make him sound like? Hell he
said it and he could barely make sense of it.

Vaughan laughed, the sound rich and deep.
Ashley felt it pull at something inside him.
“Yes you really did just see me turn into a

wolf.”

“Man, couldn’t you have lied to me or

something?”

“Sorry, but I make it a habit to try not to lie to

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my mate.” Vaughan’s hand had worked its way
down his body without Ashley really noticing
until Vaughan now held onto Ashley’s hand.

“I so don’t understand what you’re talking

about.”

“And that is troubling to me. Why don’t you

understand? You should know all about shifters as
you are one.”

Ashley scoffed “I think I would remember it if I

turned furry.”

Vaughan watched him intensely.
Ashley had the strangest desire to tilt his head

to the side and bare his neck. Weirded out by the
feeling, he spoke before he thought it, “Why did I
just feel that way?”

“What way?”
“Like I wanted to bare my neck to you.”

Vaughan’s expression was a little hard to read, so
Ashley just waited. It took a moment as Vaughan
seemed to be gathering his thoughts, but finally he
spoke.

“Because I am both your mate and an Alpha.

It’s in your blood to submit to me at all times. You
are a wolf shifter, Ashley. I have no idea why you
haven’t  shifted,  as  you  say  you  have  not.  I  also
don’t  understand  why  your  parents  have  never
taught  you  about  our  culture  or  pack.  Wolf
shifters are born, not made, and can only be born
if at least one of the parents is a shifter.” Vaughan

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paused and took a breath, when he spoke again,
his voice was low and laced with caring. “Have
your parents passed?”

It took Ashley a moment for understanding to

sink  in  about  what  Vaughan  meant.  “No,  my
parents are alive and live in the next suburb over
from  me.  My  family  is  close,  but  I’ve  never  once
heard  them  mention  anything  about  wolves.”
Ashley  hated  the  thought  that  his  parents  might
have  been  keeping  this  a  secret  from  him.  His
family  had  always  been  open  and  honest,  and  it
hurt something in Ashley to believe his mum and
dad could keep something so big from him.

“I know we’ve just met and it’s going to take

time for you to trust me. But, Ash, I need to meet
your  parents.  I  need  to  get  to  the  bottom  of  why
you  haven’t  shifted,  why  you  know  nothing  of
mates  or  pack.  Plus  if  there  are  wolves  in  my
territory that are not part of my pack I need to find
out.”

This was all happening too fast for Ashley. He

had  no  idea  what  to  think  or  who  to  believe.  He
liked  Vaughan.  The  half  hard  dick  in  his  pants
was  testament  to  that,  even  after  everything
tonight. The larger man made him feel in ways he
never  had  before  and  didn’t  think  were  possible.
The  big  question  though  was  whether  or  not  he
trusted Vaughan around his family.

As scared as he had been when Vaughan had

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shifted  in  front  of  him,  and  as  trippy  as  it  was
learning  there  was  an  entire  world  out there  that
Ashley  knew  nothing  about,  somehow  it  all  kind
of made sense. Like he had known something had
been  missing  from  his  life  all  along.  Ashley  had
always  felt  as  if  he  wasn’t  complete  and  now,
knowing what he knew, Ashley started to wonder
if  the  stirrings  inside  him  all  this  time  might
actually be his wolf.

“I think I can feel him,” Ashley blurted, once

again speaking before thinking.

“Who?” Vaughan looked confused, but

squeezed his hand gently to reassure him.

“My wolf.” Whatever Vaughan had been

expecting Ashley to say it obviously wasn’t that.
The complete shock on his face conveyed his
astonishment.

“Really?”
“Yeah.” Ashley blushed and looked away,

thinking about the part inside him that had always
felt  different  and  fluttered  at  odd  times.  “He’s
been there for as long as I can remember, but he’s
hidden  or  maybe  buried  is  a  better  description.  I
can  feel  him  deep  down  inside  me,  most  of  the
time he’s quiet and I forget all about him, but then
sometimes  he’s  not.  Since  I  met  you  it’s  been
almost a constant feeling.”

Vaughan looked happy with a faint trace of

smugness at his last confession. “We’ll get him

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out, Ash, I promise.”

Ashley really didn’t know if he should be

scared or relieved by that. “Why didn’t I shift
when I should have?”

“I’m not sure.” Vaughan reached up and

cupped his cheek with his other hand.

Ashley nuzzled into the large palm, enjoying

the warmth and touch.

“It could be any number of reasons. Something

may have happened to you when you were
younger, one of your parents might be human, or
your wolf might just not be ready yet.”

“What does one of my parents being human

have to do with anything?”

“I told you already that Werewolves have to be

born,  they  can’t  be  made.  It’s  one  of  the  many
things the movies got wrong. A human cannot be
converted  into  a  werewolf  with  a  bite.  Most
wolves  mate  with  other  wolves.  It’s  very  rare
when a wolf mates with a human. It’s not against
the rules or anything, just very rare.

“The children of these unions are always

wolves  as  the  werewolf  gene  is  more  dominant
than the human one. However, not all the children
shift  for  the  first  time  when  a  full  blooded
werewolf does. It usually happens at the onset to
puberty.  Some  half  wolves  have  been  known  to
shift as late as eighteen or nineteen even.”

“Vaughan, I’m twenty-six. That’s a hell of a lot

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older than nineteen,” Ashley said, starting to
worry that there was something wrong with him.

“I know, Ash,” Vaughan said as he pulled

Ashley into his arms. “I promise you, we will get
to the bottom of this. Everything is going to be
fine.”

Ashley felt himself calming almost immediately

as Vaughan’s hand rubbed up and down his back
in soothing strokes.

Ashley snuggled into the larger man, enjoying

the heat that seemed to radiate out from Vaughan.
His scent was also quite intoxicating this close and
Ashley found himself drawing in large lungfuls of
air. If Ashley could wallow in that smell for the
rest of his life he would be one happy man. He just
wanted to grab it and wrap it tight around him
like the cosiest of blankets.

“Why don’t you call your folks, Ash, and ask

them to meet you here for dinner? That way we’re
in  a  public  place  and  no  discussion  of  wolves  or
shifters can happen,  we can  just get to know one
another,  because  no  matter  what,  I  plan  to  have
you  in  my  life  for  a  very  long  time.”  Vaughan
squeezed him a little.

Once again Ashley was both a little scared and

overjoyed at the prospect that this large, gorgeous
man seemed to want to keep him.

“However,” Vaughan continued, “they will be

able to tell I’m an Alpha and that should,

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hopefully, lead to a more private talk a little later.
How’s that sound to you?”

“Umm…Which part exactly? The dinner, the

having of me or the talk with my parents?”
Vaughan laughed and the sound rumbled all the
way through his chest.

“All of it.”
“I think…I think it sounds good.”
“I’m glad.” Vaughn squeezed him again and

bent down and placed a kiss on the top of his
head. Vaughan manoeuvred them until he was
more lying on the couch, then sitting.

Ashley found himself draped over the man like

a  living  blanket.  He  was  so  comfortable,  Ashley
thought  he  might  be  able  to  sleep  after  all,  the
excitement  of  the  day  seemed  to  have  worn  him
out.

“Here, Ash,” Vaughan handed him a mobile,

“call your folks and see if they’re free for dinner.”

Ashley took the phone and, without moving

from his comfortable position, dialled his parents
and waited for the call to be answered. His dad
picked up after a half dozen rings.

“Hello.”
“Hey, Dad.”
“Ashley, to what do I owe this pleasure?” His

dad was always pleased to hear from either of his
two boys.

“I wanted to ask if you and Mum would like to

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join  me  and  a  friend  for  dinner  tonight  at  The
Den.” Ashley smacked Vaughan in the side when
the  big  guy  started  growling  at  the  term  Ashley
had  used  to  describe  him.  He  shot  a  look  up  at
Vaughan,  telling  him  silently  to  stop  it,  the  man
didn’t look apologetic in the least.

“Kieran?” his dad asked.
“No, Dad, not Kieran. A different friend, his

name in Vaughan.” The growl started up again
and, as annoying as it was, Ashley also found it
extremely sexy.

“Oh, okay then. Well we don’t have anything

special planned for tonight so what time?”

“How about seven?”
“Sounds good. We’ll see you then.”
“Great, love you, Dad.”
“Love you, too, son.”
His dad hung up the phone and Ashley handed

his back to Vaughan.

“What in the world was all that growling about,

I was on the phone with my dad. How did you
expect me to explain that if he had heard you?”

Vaughan shrugged as if it really wasn’t that

important. “I didn’t like you referring to me as a
friend. You are my mate and that is so much more
than mere friendship.”

“So you say.”
“I do,” Vaughan’s arms tightened around him.
Ashley didn’t attempt to escape. He still wasn’t

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a hundred percent sure exactly what being a mate
meant,  but  he  did  know  that  despite  everything,
he  felt  a  connection  to  Vaughan  and  if  there  was
even  a  remote  possibility  that  this  man  wanted
him for life then who was he to say no.

“Even though you can’t shift, you feel the

connection between us. I know you do. You might
not fully understand it yet, but you are mine,
Ashley. Mine to look after, mine to cherish and
most of all, mine to love.”

Ashley hated to admit it, but that all sounded

rather good to him.

“For now all you need to do is rest. You’ve had

one hell of a day so far and a little nap will do you
some good.”

Ashley wasn’t about to argue the point with

Vaughan because he was exhausted, his eyes
drifted closed within moments of Ashley deciding
to take Vaughan up on his offer and before he
knew it, sleep had overtaken him.

* * * *

Vaughan lay on the couch with his mate for nearly
an hour, doing nothing but holding Ashley close
to him. God, it felt so good to have his mate in his
arms. He knew they had a long way to go figuring
out everything, but hopefully Ashley would let
Vaughan claim him soon. His wolf was jumping at

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the bit with the possibility.

Unfortunately for him he couldn’t stay here all

day, he had a pub to run, orders to make and bills
to pay. Very carefully, so as not to disturb Ashley,
Vaughan gently manoeuvred Ashley over onto the
actual  couch  and  slipped  out  from  underneath
him.  Standing,  he  looked  down  at  the  peaceful
expression  on  his  mate’s  face  and  lightly  ran  his
fingers  down  his  cheek,  needing  that  little  touch.
Vaughan  grabbed  the  throw  off  the  back  on  the
couch and placed it over Ashley, hoping his mate
would be warm enough.

He picked up the laptop from where it had

been left on the coffee table and headed back to his
desk. He then finished dressing in case one of his
staff  members  wanted  him.  They  had  been  lucky
so  far  and  had  been  left  alone  as  per  his
instructions,  but  Vaughan  couldn’t  expect  that  to
last forever.

First order of business was to call through to

the front and let them know he would need a table
for four tonight as he would be dining in house.
Once that was taken care of Vaughan unlocked his
laptop and went to work.

Ashley started to stir from his sleep and

Vaughan looked up from what he had been
concentrating on. He checked the clock on the wall
and realised an hour and a half had passed. He

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grabbed a bottle of water that he kept in a small
mini fridge behind his desk and walked over to
Ashley.

Vaughan sat on the coffee table and watched as

his mate fully woke from his sleep. The man was
utterly adorable, his face creased from where it
had been pressed against the cushion.

Ashley’s hand came up and rubbed at his eyes

before he blinked them rapidly.

“Afternoon, sleepyhead.”
“What’s the time?” Ashley’s voice was rough

with sleep.

Vaughan couldn’t wait to hear his name first

thing in the morning in that exactly same tone. “A
little after three.”

“Shit!” Ashley sat up quickly, then grabbed his

head. “Wow, head rush.”

Vaughan chuckled. “Take your time, Ash,

there’s no rush.”

“Yes, there is. I have work I need to get done

and  taking  a  lunch  break  for  more  than  three
hours  is  not  going  to  get  it  done.  I  need  to  head
home  and  work  for  a  little  while.  I’ll  be  back  for
dinner before seven.”

As much as Vaughan hated to see his mate

leave, he understood that Ashley needed to earn a
living  as  well.  He  wasn’t  happy  about  watching
his  mate  walk  out  of  his  office,  but  there  really
wasn’t  anything  he  could  do  to  stop  it.  Besides,

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Ashley would be back in less than four hours.

Just as Ashley reached the door to his office,

Vaughan called out to him. Ashley turned around
and looked at him. Vaughan stalked over to his
mate, took his face in his large hands and bent
down and plastered his lips to Ashley’s.

Ashley’s hands went immediately to the front

of his shirt, fisting the material. Vaughan licked at
Ashley’s  lips  until  the  man  opened  and  allowed
him  entry.  Vaughan  didn’t  waste  any  time,
wanting  to  taste  this  man  and  lay  claim  to  him
even if it was only with a kiss. He wanted Ashley
to remember it while they were apart.

Knowing he had to let Ashley go at some point,

Vaughan slowly gentled the kiss before breaking it
altogether.

Vaughan looked down at his mate and smirked.

He  lips  were  red  and  swollen,  anyone  who  saw
him  would  know  the  man  had  been  kissed  to
within  an  inch  of  his  life.  His  eyes  were  glazed
and his cheeks were pink. Altogether the look was
stunning  and  Vaughan  wanted  to  throw  Ashley
back down on the couch and fuck him until they
both  passed  out  and  there  was  no  doubt  left
between them that Ashley belonged to Vaughan.

“You had best leave before you are no longer

able to,” Vaughan said, his own voice sounding
much lower than it usually was, lust and heat,
riding him hard at the moment.

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Ashley nodded before he turned and practically

ran from the office.

Vaughan chuckled to himself. His mate could

run all he wanted, it wasn’t going to do him any
good. Vaughan might give him a little time, but he
would make Ashley his one way or another.

Hidden Wolf

Chapter Five

aughan left work around five and headed
home. He wanted to clean up before meeting

his mate and his new in-laws for dinner. The drive
took him a little longer than usual as he had to
contend with all the other nine to five workers
who were also trying to get home.

Twenty-five minutes later Vaughan finally

pulled  up  in  front  of  his  house.  He  pressed  the
button  attached  to  his  visor  and  the  garage  door
slowly  started  to  open.  Vaughan  pulled  his
Outlander  in  and  parked  it  next  to  his  Ducati
Monster.  He  missed  riding  his  bike,  but
unfortunately at this time of year it was just far too
cold to be able to take the bike out for a ride.

Vaughan closed the garage door behind him

and made his way into the house through the
connecting door that led into his kitchen. He loved
his home, he really did, but he’d always felt as if
something was missing. It was a little large just for
him as it had five bedrooms, three baths and a

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three car garage, but with all the visitors received
as  Alpha  of  the  pack,  it  suited  his  needs  ideally.
Vaughan hoped that when Ashley moved in—and
he  would,  soon  if  Vaughan  had  anything  to  say
about  it—the  feeling  that  something  was  missing
would disappear.

He walked to the fridge and grabbed out a beer.

Twisting  the  top  off,  Vaughan  brought  the  cold
glass bottle to his lips and drank deeply. Vaughan
held onto his beer as he made his way through the
carpeted house and up the stairs to his bedroom.
His room was large, it had to be to accommodate
his king size bed. The bed was made out of dark
mahogany  with  a  large  headboard,  but  no
footboard,  that  was  something  Vaughan  had
learnt a long time ago due to his height.

The side tables, tallboy and dresser all matched

in the same dark wood and sleek lines. There
wasn’t a handle in sight as all the draws were
push to release.

The fireplace in the corner with a small couch

set off his room nicely. That area received a lot of
use  in  the  winter.  Only  the  living  room  and  the
master bedroom had their own fireplaces. He did
have central heating, but there was just something
about  curling  up  in  front  of  a  raging  fire  that
Vaughan  enjoyed.  He  couldn’t  wait  to  do  it  with
his mate.

Vaughan swallowed the last of his beer and

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placed the now empty bottle down on top of his
dresser to dispose of when he left again.

He stripped off his clothes and made his way

into  his  attached  bathroom.  This  room  was  done
in  dark  midnight  blues  with  granite  bench  tops,
dual  sinks  and  heated  flooring.  It  was  one  of  the
first  things  Vaughan  did  after  he  brought  the
place. He hated waking up from a nice warm bed
and having to go to the bathroom only to step on
freezing cold tiles.

Walking around the large piece of glass

separating the shower from the rest of the
bathroom, Vaughan reached in a turned on the
water. When he saw the steam start to fog up the
glass, he stepped under the hot spray and sighed
as the water hit his skin. God that felt good!

Vaughan relaxed slowly and let all his stress

and  worries  flow  from  him.  Even  though he  was
an  Alpha,  he  was  lucky  in  the  fact  that  his  pack
very  rarely  had  any  problems.  Don’t  get  him
wrong, there were still idiots out there who liked
to  cause  him  trouble,  but  they  were  few  and  far
between.  His  pack  respected  him  as  their  Alpha
after he had taken over the position five years ago
from the previous Alpha.

Mitchell Faulkner had pulled him aside not

long after his twenty-eighth birthday and told him
he was looking at retiring and he believed
Vaughan to be the logical choice in replacing him.

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Mitchell had led their pack for the last forty years
and  even  though  he  was  an  Alpha  male  through
and  through,  he  wanted  a  change.  His  wife
wanted  to  travel the world  and  Mitchell  couldn’t
put her off any longer.

Vaughan had been touched by the Alpha’s

confidence  in  him  and  his  parents  had  been  very
proud  to  see  their  son  as  the  new  pack  leader.
Alphas  were  either  appointed  by  the  previous
Alpha  or  had  fought  to  claim  their  right  to  the
position. The title was held by the strongest in the
pack. It wasn’t a hereditary title like a lot of people
write about in soppy romance novels. Just because
the  Alpha  is  the  strongest  member  of  their  pack
that doesn’t mean their offspring will be.

In the first few months of Vaughan taking over

the  pack,  he’d  had  to  defend  his  position  more
times than he cared to count. There had been a few
in  the  pack  that  weren’t  overly  happy  with  their
Alpha being gay, but as there was no necessity for
Vaughan  to  produce  pups,  then  there  was  really
nothing  they  could  say  or  do  about  it.  He’d  put
down  every  opponent  that  had  tried  to  take  him
on and would continue to do so. Vaughan tried to
lead  the  pack  the  way  Mitchell  had,  as  one  big
family.

On the third Sunday every month, they all

gathered at Vaughan’s place for the pack get
together. Everyone brought either, drinks, salad or

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desert and Vaughan supplied the meat. They
barbequed in his large backyard and just hung out
and talked. Vaughan made it a point to work his
way through every member of his pack during the
night and catch up with them all, wanting to make
sure everything was well.

They ran together on the full moon, on a block

of  land  a  little  outside  of  Launceston.  The  block
was  nothing  but  forest  and  it  served  them  well.
The land was passed  down from Alpha to Alpha
with the stipulation that it can never be sold. Even
though  they  weren’t  bound  by  the  moon  in  their
shifting, Vaughan had kept the tradition.

Vaughan had longed to be able to run through

the  trees  with  his  mate  by  his  side.  Now,  having
finally  found  Ashley,  that  wish  would  hopefully
soon  turn  into  reality.  Vaughan  just  had  to
convince  his  mate  to  let  him  claim  Ashley  and
then figure out a way to bring Ashley’s wolf out.
Vaughan  hoped  that  by  claiming  Ashley  this
would do the trick.

The thought of being able to mark his mate had

Vaughan’s thoughts coming  back to the here and
now  and  he  became  fully  aware  of  the  raging
hard-on he sported. Just being near his other half
had  had  him  in  a  semi-state  of  arousal,  but  this
pulse  pounding  need  that  currently  zipped
through  his  veins  was  something  else  entirely.
He’d felt it earlier in the day when Vaughan had

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kissed Ashley before he’d left. He’d had to fight
his wolf then to let his mate walk out the door.
Vaughan wasn’t sure if he would win the battle a
second time.

Needing to take the edge off before he saw

Ashley  again,  he  grabbed  a  bottle  of  conditioner
from  the  recessed  shelve  and  poured  a  generous
amount in his hand. Placing one hand against the
now  warm  tiled  wall,  Vaughan  planted  his  feet
and  used  the  wall  to  hold  him  upright.  The  hot
water continued to rain down against his back as
Vaughan  reached  down  and  fisted  his  hard
leaking shaft. He hissed as the first touch sent little
shocks down to his balls.

Vaughan moaned low in his throat as his hand

slowly made its way up to the head of his dick. He
slid a finger along his slit and felt a small stream
of pre-cum leak out. Vaughan rubbed the liquid
around the head and then tightened his grip once
more and started to jack himself. Slowly to begin
with, then he gradually increased the pace.

What he wouldn’t give to have Ashley here

with him. Not necessarily to touch him, but
because Vaughan, without a doubt, was an Alpha
and he wanted nothing else but to be able to mark
his man.

Vaughan closed his eyes and imagined Ashley

on his knees on the floor beneath him. His
stunning sea-foam blue eyes staring up at him

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with hunger and love, his plump just-kissed
mouth open and ready to receive his spend and
his deliciously naked body dotted with water that
Vaughan would love to spend hours licking dry.

The image was too much for Vaughan and he

cried out in pleasure as his orgasm raced through
his body and erupted from his dick. He pictured
his cum painting Ashley’s face, that perfect little
pink tongue poking out to gather Vaughan’s seed
from off Ashley’s lips.

“Fuck!” Vaughan’s body continued to shake

with  smaller  aftershocks.  Eventually  Vaughan  let
go of his now softening prick and gasped for air.
He’d never felt a more powerful release in his life.
If that was what it was like after just meeting his
mate  and  imagining  him  there  with  Vaughan,  he
thought  actually  having  Ashley under him might
just kill him.

When he felt like his legs might be able to once

again  hold  his  weight,  Vaughan  pushed  off  the
wall  and  grabbed  the  body  wash  he  used.  He
needed  to  finish  his  shower  and  get  back  to  the
pub to meet his mate and his family.

A half hour later, Vaughan walked back

through the doors to The Den. The place was
already busy with over half the tables filled with
people wanting to order dinner.

Vaughan still had a half hour until Ashley was

due so he made his way around checking on his

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staff. With everything running smoothly out front,
Vaughan  made  his  way  out  back  to  check  on
things  in  the  kitchen.  As  soon  as  he  stepped  foot
through the door, he was assaulted by Brandon’s
loud voice yelling out orders to his staff. Vaughan
walked  around,  making  sure  not  to  get  in
anyone’s way. He knew how things worked back
here and made a point to never interfere unless he
was needed.

Brandon was a member of his pack, hell, half

his staff were pack. Seeing as not everyone was
privy to their secret though he’d made it a rule to
never discuss pack business anywhere but in his
office.

He stopped to chat with Brandon for a minute,

but as the chef was busy, Vaughan didn’t want to
keep  him  from  his  duties  for  too  long.  Not
wanting to go to his office, because Vaughan knew
if  he  did  he  would  get  sucked  into  working  and
lose  track  of time,  he  decided  to  go  sit  at  the  bar
and have a beer.

One of his enforcers, Elijah Grant, was his head

barman and came over to him as soon as Vaughan
took a seat on his stool. The other two bar staff
continued with filling orders.

“Evening, boss. Usual?” Elijah asked him as he

turned to one of the fridges behind him and
removed one of Vaughan’s favourite beers. He
twisted the top before placing the bottle down on

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the counter in front of Vaughan.

“Thanks, Eli.”
“Big plans for tonight?” Elijah asked as he

looked Vaughan over.

Vaughan knew he was looking a little tidier

than he usually did. Nice black jeans, boots, and a
dark green top. Vaughan had thought about
shaving as well, but he honestly thought he
looked better with the stubble and decided to keep
it.

“Dinner with my mate,” Vaughan replied, not

even thinking about what he was saying.

It wasn’t until Eli’s eyes nearly bugged out of

his  head  that  it  clicked.  Vaughan  hadn’t
announced  to  the  pack  yet  that  he  had  met  his
mate.  He  was  hoping  to  do  that  at  the  gathering
next weekend.

“I’m sorry. I think I must have heard

wrong…did you just say dinner with your mate?”
Both Eli’s hands were against the bar and he was
leaning in close so they couldn’t be overheard.

“Yes I did. I’m hoping to announce it next

weekend so don’t go flappin’ your trap to
everyone.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Eli managed to say

with a straight face.

“Yeah right.” Vaughan knew exactly what Eli

was like. His enforcer stood at six foot four,
powerfully built, but not overtly muscular, could

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scare any troublesome pack members straight, had
a stare that just seemed to bore right into you at
times and a bigger gossip he’d never met.

Vaughan picked up his beer and took a long

pull before smiling at his friend. “Get back to
work. I don’t pay you to stand around talking to
people all day.”

“That’s exactly what you pay me for, man. Now

quit your bitching and go sit down at a table and
leave me alone.”

Vaughan smiled as Eli wandered off to start

filling table orders. He sat at the bar for another
five minutes until he saw Ashley walk in, closely
followed by two elderly people that he assumed
were Ashley’s parents.

“Ohh in-laws,” Eli said, laughing behind him.
“Fuck off.” Vaughan finished his beer and left

the bottle on the bar. He gave Eli one last glance
and found his friend watching him with a large
smile on his face.

Vaughan made his way through the pub until

he came to a stop beside Ashley as they waited up
front to be seated. He lifted his hand and caressed
it down the side of Ashley’s face before he bent
and placed a light kiss against his mate’s lips.

“Hmm, missed you,” Vaughan stated before he

straightened and turned toward Ashley’s parents.
He paused in the act of introducing himself when
he caught their scent. It wasn’t so much as their

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scent  that  held  his  attention,  but  the  lack  of
something.  Neither  Ashley’s  mother  nor  father
were  shifters.  They  were  both  completely  human
and  that  could  only  mean  one  thing.  Vaughan
groaned  inwardly  as  he  realised  he  was  going  to
have  to  tell  his  mate  that  his  parents  were  not
really his parents. Fuck!

* * * *

Ashley  looked  up  at  Vaughan  when  the  man
tensed beside him. It had taken him a moment to
gather himself after Vaughan had kissed him. He
hadn’t  been  expecting  it,  but  loved  the  fact  that
Vaughan had done it. Now though, Vaughan was
looking  at  his  parents  kind  of  weirdly.  Ashley
tugged  gently  on  his  arm,  wanting  to  get  his
attention so he could make the introductions and
they could go eat, ‘cause he was starving.

Vaughan looked down at him and smiled

reassuringly.

“Vaughan, these are my parents, Donald and

Katherine Neilson. Mum, Dad, this is Vaughan
Jacobs.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Vaughan said as

he held out his hand for Ashley’s father to shake.

“A little more than a friend, I’m guessing,” his

mother said as she shook Vaughan’s hand in
greeting as well.

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Vaughan chuckled beside him before wrapping

an arm around Ashley’s waist and pulling him
close.

“Yes, ma’am, I’m working on him. It’s slow

going unfortunately.”

“Vaughan,” Ashley said aghast!
Both his parents laughed and that just made

Ashley groan.

“I’m sure you’ll wear him down. Now please

call us Don and Kate,” Ashley’s dad announced.

“Thank you.” Vaughan looked behind him to

the waitress that stood there waiting with the
menus in hand. “I think our table is ready, if you
would like to follow me, we can get settled.”

“Lead the way, son.”
Ashley knew his dad wasn’t talking to him and

smiled at how Vaughan had already seemed to
win his folks over.

They were led through the dining area to an

unoccupied booth. Ashley slid in first with
Vaughan sitting beside him, his dad sat opposite
Ashley with his mother on the end. They were all
handed a menu.

“Good evening everyone, my name is Lucy and

I’ll  be  your  server  tonight.  The  specials  for  the
evening are listing on the board just over my left
shoulder.”  Lucy  pointed  behind  her,  then  pulled
out a little electronic device. “Can I interest you in
something  to  drink  while  you  look  over  the

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menus?”

They placed their orders and Lucy disappeared

to have them filled and leave them to decide on
dinner.

“So, Vaughan, Ashley tells me you own this

place. What would you recommend?” Ashley’s
mum enquired.

“I do, yes. I suppose it all depends. I’m partial

to the steak. It’s always tender and just about
melts in your mouth, the schnitzels are superb and
we have a wide range of toppings to choose from,
however if you wanted something a little lighter
the grilled barramundi with a lemon cream sauce
is delicious.”

“Well, that all sounds wonderful, but I think I

might go with the barramundi,” his mum
announced as she closed her menu.”

“Steak for me,” his dad said as if neither Ashley

nor his mum knew that’s what he was going to
order. Ashley laughed when his mother rolled her
eyes playfully.

“What about you?” Vaughan asked him.
“I think I’m going to go for the beef and

mushroom pie again. It was delicious last time.”

“It will be this time as well, I assure you.”
Their drinks arrived not long after and they

placed their orders, then were left alone once
more. Small talk started between his parents and
Vaughan, Ashley actually learned a fair bit about

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the man from his parent’s questions, but he
couldn’t help but notice something seemed off
about Vaughan.

Admittedly Ashley hadn’t know the man for

very  long,  but  he  could  tell  that  something  was
bothering  Vaughan  and  he  wasn’t  completely
here. Ashley doubted his parents could tell. They
seemed  to  be  enjoying  getting  to  know  Vaughan
and  he  could  tell  they  already  really  like  him.  So
did  Ashley  for  the  matter.  That  place  inside  him,
what  Ashley  thought  might  be  his  wolf,  stirred
once  again.  Ashley  rubbed  his  belly  and  tried  to
send soothing thoughts to his animal.

Feeling eyes on him he looked up to find

Vaughan’s  attention  focused  solely  on  him.
Vaughan  grabbed  his  hand  and  placed  a  kiss  to
the  back  of  it,  but  he  didn’t  let  it  go  again  as  he
turned and continued the conversation he’d been
having with Ashley’s father.

Ashley settled back, content just to be where he

was and listen to the people that meant the most
to him get to know one another.

* * * *

Vaughan was never so thankful than when the
meal was finally over and he was walking Ashley
to the door along with Don and Kate. He really
didn’t want to say goodnight to Ashley, but knew

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he needed time to figure out what in the hell was
going on.

He needed to go home and call Archer and see

what  his  Beta  could  dig  up  on  the  Neilson’s  for
him.  Vaughan  refused  to  say  anything  to  Ashley
until  he  had  all  the  facts.  Only  then  would  he
discuss  it  with  his  mate,  because  he  knew  no
matter  what,  Ashley  was  going  to  be  hurt  by
whatever the outcome.

“Don, Kate, it was a pleasure to meet you, and I

hope to see you again soon,” Vaughan said as they
stood outside on the sidewalk.

“You, too, young man,” Don agreed
“We’d love to have you round for Sunday roast

one weekend if you’re free.”

“That sounds lovely, thank you.”
“Thank you for a wonderful evening. Ashley

we’ll talk to you tomorrow no doubt. Goodnight.”

“Night, Mum, night, Dad, love you guys.”
Vaughan’s heart broke a little for his mate as he

watched Ashley hug and kiss his parents goodbye
before he came back and snuggled into Vaughan’s
side.

“Is everything okay?” Ashley asked quietly.
Vaughan looked down at his mate, surprised by

the question. “Yes, why wouldn’t it be?”

“You’ve seemed like you were distracted ever

since you met my folks. Is something wrong?”
Ashley’s voice clearly showed the concern and

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worry he felt.

Vaughan couldn’t believe how attuned to him

Ashley  was  already.  He  didn’t  think  anyone  else
would  have  been  able  to  tell  that  Vaughan  had
been  wrestling  with  a  problem  all  night.  It  just
went  to  show  that  Ashley  really  was  meant  for
him.

“It’s not something I can discuss with you at the

moment.” Ashley shifted slightly until he was
looking up at Vaughan, worry stamped across his
features. Vaughan hated keeping this from
Ashley, but he needed to give Ashley the facts, not
his assumptions.

“Please, Ashley, just give me twenty-four

hours, then I’ll tell you whatever I can. Just
remember that no matter what you will always
have me.”

“Vaughan, I’ve got to tell you that you’re

scaring me a little right now.”

“I know and I’m sorry, I don’t mean to.”

Vaughan  leaned  down  and  placed  a  soft  kiss  to
Ashley’s forehead. Ashley tilted his neck back and
pursed  his  lips.  Vaughan  laughed  and  gave  his
mate what he was looking for. He kissed him. Not
deep and carnal, they were standing on the street
out  the  front  of  his  pub  after  all,  but  soft  and
tender  and  hopefully  it  helped  to  show  his  mate
that Vaughan cared.

“Hmm,” Ashley moaned as they broke apart.

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“You taste good, like hops and steak and home.”

“I like the sound of that.”
“Me, too.”
Vaughan tightened his arms around his mate

and just held him. He wanted to claim Ashley in
the worst possible way, but now he had to get the
drama with Ashley’s parents sorted first.

Eventually they said goodnight and Vaughan

walked  Ashley  to  his  car,  to  make  sure  he  had
gotten there safely. Not that there was much crime
in this neighbourhood, but Vaughan wasn’t taking
any  chances  with  his  mate.  They  kissed  one  last
time  and  Vaughan  watched  Ashley  drive  away.
When  he  could  no  longer  see  the  taillights,
Vaughan  pulled  out  this  phone  and  dialled  his
Beta.

“Hey, Vaughan.”
“I need you at my house in thirty.”
Archer Ryall didn’t argue with him or complain

that  it  was  already  after  ten,  he  just  agreed  and
hung  up  the  phone.  Archer  had  been  his  best
friend  since  pre-school  and  as  soon  as  Vaughan
had been made Alpha, he’d asked Archer to be his
Beta.  The  previous  Beta,  Cameron  Williams,  was
happy to step aside and more than willing to give
Archer some pointers.

Vaughan made his way to his car and then

headed home. He didn’t bother going back into
the pub. He wasn’t there every night as his pack

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duties took up his time also. His staff was the best
and they knew what they were doing. He trusted
them not to burn the place down or rob him blind.

Twenty minutes later Vaughan parked his car

in the garage and made his way inside. He was
just settling on the couch with another beer when
the front door unlocked and Archer walked in.

The three other members of his inner circle plus

his family all had keys to his house. If they needed
him, they needed to be able to get access to him.

Archer closed the door behind him and strolled

in like the world was his oyster. Vaughan pointed
with his beer toward the other one sitting on the
coffee table and Archer picked it up and saluted
him with it.

“Thanks, man. It’s the least you could do after

dragging me away from the two pretties I had
going for me.” Archer was also a dog. He’d never
seen his Beta with the same guy twice, although
he had seen his Beta with more than one guy at a
time.

“Sorry about that,” Vaughan smirked at him.
“No, you’re not, so don’t even bother trying to

apologise ‘cause it’s all just a load of horse crap.”
Archer took a long drink of his beer as he settled
back in the chair he sat on. “So, what’s up?”

“I’ve met my mate.”
“No shit!”
Vaughan was just thankful that he’d timed that

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correctly. The last thing he wanted was a spray of
beer and saliva from his friend.

“Yep, Ashley Neilson. Let me tell you, he is

everything I’ve ever wanted and more.” Vaughan
thought about his mate and smiled, his wolf
sitting up, sniffing the air as if he expected Ashley
to be near. He huffed and lay back down again
when he realised Ashley wasn’t there.

“Well, congrats, mate. I know how long you’ve

wanted to find your other half,” Archer said,
genuinely pleased for Vaughan.

“There’s just one little problem…Well a couple

actually.” Vaughan rubbed his hand over his
head, the short spikes of hair grazing against his
palm.

“What’s the matter? He not gay or something?”
“No, he’s definitely gay, he’s also a wolf.”

Vaughan  held  up  his  hand  to  hold  Archer  off
when he saw his Beta about to start talking again.
Archer  nodded  at  him  and  Vaughan  continued.
“He’s  a  wolf,  like  I  said,  however,  he  hasn’t  ever
shifted,  knows  nothing  about  wolf  culture,  packs
or  even  mates.  I  met  his  parents  tonight,  and
they’re both human. This means either one or both
of  them  aren’t  his  biological  parents  and  Ashley
has no idea.” Vaughan felt exhausted.

“Jesus H Christ, you certainly don’t do things

by half do you?

“Nope. You should know that by now.”

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“Okay, so what do you need from me?”
“I need you to look into Ashley’s parents,

Donald and Katherine Neilson, and get me
everything you can on them. I’ve got twenty-four
hours until I have to tell my mate what’s going on
and I would prefer to know the facts before I tell
Ashley anything that is going to cause him pain.”

“You got it. I’ll see what I can do. I’ll have the

information  to  you  by  late  tomorrow  afternoon.”
Even  though  Archer  owned  and  operated  a
courier  company  the  man  was  a  wiz  with
computers  and  anything  he  wasn’t  able  to get  he
knew people that could help him get it.

Vaughan had asked him about it once and

Archer  had  just  smiled  and  patted  him  on  the
shoulder  and  told  him  to  let  him  do  his  job  and
not  to  worry  about  it.  Vaughan  hadn’t  asked
again.  He  trusted  his  friend  and  his  Beta
implicitly.

“Thanks, man.”
“Don’t mention it, that’s what I’m here for. So

tell me about this mate of yours and when I’m
going to get to meet him.”

Vaughan took another drink and settled back to

talk with his best friend. Archer stayed for another
half  an  hour  before  leaving  and  once  again
reassuring him that he would have everything he
could  find  on  Ashley’s  parents  to  him  tomorrow
afternoon.  Vaughan  locked  up  the  house  and

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trudged up the carpeted stairs to his room.

He stripped naked and climbed beneath the

cool blankets. Vaughan flicked the lights off and
settled down to sleep, wishing his mate was next
to him. He silently prayed that tomorrow didn’t
turn out to be the worst day of his life.

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Chapter Six

shley woke feeling just as tired as he’d been
the previous night. He hadn’t slept worth a

damn, half the night he had spent wishing
Vaughan was with him and the other half he
tossed and turned worried about his parents.

He had no idea what it might be that Vaughan

had found so troubling, but he desperately wanted
to know. However, he’d told Vaughan he would
be patient and give him the time he needed. It was
only fair seeing as how the bigger man was doing
the same thing for him.

Ashley showered and dressed and padded

down the hall to the kitchen.

Kieran was sitting at the small table eating a

bowl of cereal. “Morning,” his best friend said
around a mouthful of flakes.

“Pig.”
“You love me.”
“I have no idea why sometimes.” Ashley made

his way to the coffee machine and waited for it to

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fill his cup. As soon as he had it fixed to his liking,
he took a sip, careful not to burn himself as he’d
done so many times in the past by drinking it too
quickly.

“So how was dinner last night with Mr. Tall,

Dark, and Sexy and your parental units?” Kieran
asked as he stood from the table and made his
way into the kitchen with his now empty bowl.

“Vaughan and my folks got along just fine,”

Ashley replied.

“But?” Kieran had always been able to tell

when Ashley was holding something back. They’d
been friends for far too long.

“Nothing.” He shrugged, trying to dismiss his

friend’s question. “Everything went well.”

“Sure it did. You know you will eventually tell

me, right?”

“Yeah, I know.” Ashley always ended up

caving and spilling everything to Kieran. He hated
secrets and he hated confrontation.

“I can wait.”
“Thanks.”
“No worries. Alright, I best be off. Have a great

day. Will I see you tonight or do you have plans
again? Maybe plans that will put your waxing to
good use?”

“Kieran!” Ashley could feel his cheeks heating.

Kieran just laughed loudly and walked out the
door. Ashley heard the front door open and close

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not long after.

As embarrassed as Ashley was at what his

friend had just said to him, it didn’t come close to
how turned on he felt at the thought of Vaughan
touching his newly bare skin. Fuck, he was getting
hard just standing in the kitchen. Ashley breathed
deeply for a few minutes, trying to will his body to
calm the fuck down.

When he could finally move again without the

threat of orgasming, Ashley downed the rest of his
coffee,  made  himself  some  toast  and  headed  into
his  office  to  attempt  to  get  some  work  down.  He
wasn’t  sure  how  successful  he  was  going  to  be
with how scattered his thoughts were.

* * * *

Vaughan  had  purposefully  kept  himself  busy  all
day to try and distract himself. He’d called Ashley
at  lunch  just  to  hear  his  mate’s  voice  and  had
invited  him  for  dinner  at  Vaughan’s  house  that
evening. It would be the first time they were alone
together  in  a  private  place  where  no  one  could
disturb them. Ashley had readily agreed, Vaughan
was  filled  with  both  the  desire  to  see  his  mate
again  and  trepidation  about  what  he  might  be
telling him.

At five o’clock on the dot a knock sounded on

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his office door. “Come in,” Vaughan called out.

He was both relieved and worried to see his

Beta entering his office. Archer’s expression didn’t
hold out much hope that Vaughan was going to
like what the man had to say.

“So, what did you find out?” Vaughan asked,

wanting to get this over and done with as quickly
as possible.

“You’re not going to like it.”
“I already figured that much for myself

thanks.”

Archer handed over the file he held in his

hands and placed in on the desk in front of him.
With a heavy heart, Vaughan opened the folder
and started reading.

“Fuck!” Vaughan swore when he was finished

reading everything.

“That about sums it up.”
“Are you positive this is correct?” Vaughan

asked, hoping Archer may have for once in his life
made a mistake.

“Yeah, man, you know me. I always triple

check things before they come to you.”

“I know, but this is my mate we’re talking

about and I had to ask.”

“Don’t worry, I understand. No offence taken.”
“Thank you for this. Now I just have to figure

out how to tell Ashley.”

“Good luck with that.”

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“Thanks, I think I’m going to need all the luck I

can get.”

Vaughan gathered his things, including the

folder that  Archer had given him and the  pair  of
them walked out of The Den. They said goodbye
on the footpath out the front  and Vaughan made
his  way  home  with  a  heavy  heart.  He  wished  he
could  spare  his  mate  the  heartache  he  knew  was
coming.  However,  Ashley  had  a  right  to  know
what had happened.

He drove home on autopilot, not really paying

much  attention  to  his  surroundings,  until  he  was
pulling  his  car  into  his  driveway.  Vaughan
checked  his  watch  and  realised  that  Ashley  was
due in less than half an hour.

Turning the lights on when he went inside, the

first  thing  Vaughan  did  was  start  the  fire.  The
temperature had dropped that morning and even
being  a  werewolf  Vaughan  had  felt  cold  most  of
the day.  He wondered if that  had anything to do
with what he had to discuss with his mate.

Putting the whole thing out of his mind for the

moment, Vaughan made his way into the kitchen
to make a start on dinner. Spaghetti bolognaise
with garlic bread and a nice bottle of red sounded
just about perfect to him.

Vaughan pulled out the onions, garlic, bacon,

mushroom and mince and started dicing
everything. The pan went on the stove, along with

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a little oil and butter and when it had gotten up to
heat, the onions and garlic went in. Vaughan  lost
himself in the act of cooking. This was his father’s
recipe,  it  had  been  handed  down  from  his
grandma,  and  it  was  the  only  thing  his  dad  ever
cooked.  Vaughan’s  mum  did  all  the  cooking
except when it was time to have spaghetti.

Vaughan could remember being a kid and

standing  in  the  kitchen,  watching  his  dad  every
time he cooked. He thought that fascination might
have something to do with the fact that it was so
out of place for his father to be in the kitchen that
Vaughan just had to watch him. Or it could have
been  that  his  dad’s  spaghetti  was  his  all-time
favourite  meal  growing  up  and  Vaughan
unconsciously  wanted  to  learn  exactly  how  his
dad did it.

It wasn’t until after Vaughan had left home that

he’d made it for the first time without even
realising what he was doing.

He was just browning the meat when the

doorbell rang. “Come in,” Vaughan called out as
he continued to stir the contents of the pan.

“Vaughan?” Ashley’s wonderful voice yelled

out in inquiry.

“In the kitchen, Ash, come on in.”
Not long after, Ashley wandered into the

kitchen with a large smile on his face. “Something
smells delicious.”

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“It’s just spaghetti. I hope you like it.”
“I’m sure I will.”
Vaughan turned and left the meat browning for

a minute as he walked over to his mate and took
him in his arms. The second he touched Ashley,
Vaughan felt a million times better, he felt calmer
and more in control of his emotions, the agitation
he’d been feeling since his meeting with Archer
that afternoon drifted away.

He leaned down and kissed Ashley. God he

missed  his  mate.  Vaughan  wanted  Ashley  with
him.  Vaughan  wanted  to  wake  up  next  to  him
every morning and go to sleep holding him in his
arms  every  night.  Right  now,  right  this  second
though,  Vaughan  wanted  to  claim  what  was  his
more than anything else in the world.

“Fuck, I missed you today,” Vaughan said as he

broke the kiss.

“I missed you as well. I didn’t sleep very well

last night.”

Vaughan knew he shouldn’t be, but he was

pleased with Ashley’s confession. The pink
staining Ashley’s cheeks was sexy as hell.

“You’re welcome to sleep here anytime you

like,” Vaughan offered. He kissed Ashley one last
time before releasing his mate from his hold and
going back to see about dinner.

“Vaughan?” Ashley sounded timid and

uncertain.

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Vaughan knew immediately what he mate

wanted.  “I  know,  Ash,  I  promise  to  tell  you
everything  after  dinner,  okay?”  He  hoped  they
could  at  least  have  a  nice  meal  before  the  night
went to shit. Vaughan watched as Ashley nibbled
on  his  bottom  lip.  The  innocent,  unsure  gesture
made Vaughan’s cock hard. He wanted to go over
to  his  mate  and  suck  on  Ashley’s  lip  until  it  was
swollen and red from his ministrations.

“Okay, I trust you.”
Ashley’s soft voice broke through his thoughts.

“Thank you.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“You can pour us both a glass of red wine if

you would like and then you can sit at the bar and
tell me all about your day. Just having you close
and listening to your voice sooths me.”

Vaughan had to think about what he’d just

said.  He’d  never  been  the  type  of  guy  to  be  all
soppy  and  romantic.  What  he  had  just  confessed
to Ashley was the truth though. Every time Ashley
was  near  him  Vaughan  felt  better,  and  he  was
starting to think that that wasn’t just because they
were mates.

Vaughan started to wonder if it wasn’t just one

reason that Ashley’s wolf was hidden to him but
several.

He’d been so lost in thought that Vaughan had

completely missed when Ashley had walked up

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next to him. Ashley’s hand pressed flat against his
stomach  and  then  slowly  made  its  way  up  his
body until it wrapped around his neck and pulled
him  down.  Vaughan  wasn’t  about  to  fight  or
protest.  Anything  that  had  his  mate  wanting  to
touch him was alright in his books. Their mouths
came  together  in  a  soul  searing  kiss  that  had
Vaughan ready to lay Ashley down on the kitchen
floor and claim the man once and for all.

“Now that that’s out of the way, where can I

find the wine?” Ashley asked as he broke the kiss
and smiled impishly up at Vaughan.

“Another kiss like that and you won’t be

leaving  my  bedroom  for  a  week.”  Vaughan
watched  as  Ashley  shuddered  at  his  words.  He
smirked  at  his  mate,  knowing  Ashley  loved  the
idea of being in his bed.

“The wine is over there.” Vaughan pointed to a

wine  rack  off  to  the  side  and  turned  back  to
dinner. He needed to start paying attention or he
ran  the  risk  of  burning  it.  Vaughan  returned  to
cooking as he listened to Ashley potter around the
kitchen.  This  was  something  he  could  definitely
get used to. He just hoped Ashley would give him
the opportunity after what he had to tell him.

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Chapter Seven

inner was amazing and the company was
even better, Ashley decided. Now they were

on the large, dark-brown suede sofa in the lounge
room. Vaughan sat against the corner and Ashley
lay  with  his  back  against  Vaughan’s  chest.  The
flames danced in the fireplace and Ashley sighed
in  what  he  could  only  describe  as  utter
contentment.  Vaughan’s  arms  were  wrapped
around  him,  his  large  hands  drawing  patterns
against his stomach.

Ashley wished this moment could last forever,

but he knew better. Vaughan had something he
needed to tell Ashley about his parents and
Ashley had a really bad feeling he wasn’t going to
like whatever it was.

“Vaughan?” he enquired softly, reluctant to

break to peacefulness of the moment but knowing
it had to happen. Ashley heard Vaughan’s deep
sigh.

“Please know that what I’m about to tell you I

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don’t do to cause you any hurt. The information I
have received has been verified and triple checked
as being correct.

“Vaughan, you’re really starting to scare me.”

Ashley rolled over and sat up on his knees, facing
Vaughan. He needed to be able to see Vaughan’s
face.

“I know and I’m sorry.” Vaughan reached out

and cupped his cheek in his large hand, rubbing
his thumb back on forth over Ashley’s skin.

Ashley pressed into the hand, wanting some

sort of connection with this man as he listened to
what Vaughan had to say.

“Do you remember me telling you that

Werewolves are born and not made?”

Ashley nodded, he remembered.
“And that Werewolves have to have at least one

shifter parent?”

Again Ashley nodded.
“Ash, both your parents are human. I could tell

as soon as I met them last night.”

“What? No!” Ashley scrambled back. “You

must be mistaken. They’re my parents. I’ve known
them all my life.”

“I know, love, and I wish I was. I’m so sorry.”

Vaughan paused and took a deep breath. “Are
you sure you want to hear this?”

Was he? Ashley wished he knew. His mind was

still trying to process the last thing Vaughan has

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said. Without really thinking about it, he nodded.

The sympathetic look Vaughan sent his way

had Ashley almost changing his mind, but before
he could open his mouth and tell Vaughan he
didn’t want to know, Vaughan started talking
again.

“The information Archer was able to find for

me showed that on the night you were born there
was another couple. There had been a terrible car
accident,  they  were  hit  by  a  semi  that  didn’t
bother  to  stop.  The  man,  Russell  Parks  died
immediately,  his  human  mate,  Lindy  made  it  to
the  small  hospital,  but  died  as  they  wheeled  her
into  the  operating  theatre.  They  operated
immediately to try and save the baby she carried,
but  it  was  reported  he  died  shortly  after  birth.
Archer was able to trace Russell and his mate back
to a small pack in Port Arthur.

“While all this was going on, your mum had

gone  into  labour  and  delivered  a  baby  boy,  I
believe  your  parent’s  biological  child  didn’t
survive  his  birth  and  one  of  the  nurses  thought
that no one would ever figure out if they switched
the  babies.  They  had  two  dead  parents  with  a
living child and two expectant parents with a dead
child.  I  honestly  believe  they  thought  they  were
doing a good thing.”

Ashley didn’t realise he was sitting there

shaking his head over and over until Vaughan

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grabbed him and pulled him into his arms. “No,
that can’t be true.”

“I’m so sorry, Ash. If I could have saved you

from this I would have. If it’s any consolation I
don’t believe your parents have any idea about
what happened.”

Ashley could feel his entire body shaking as

huge racking sobs burst from him. How could this
be happening? Vaughan’s touch and soothing
words helped to calm him a little, but Ashley’s
mind continued to real with everything the bigger
man had just told him.

“I need to go.” Ashley tried to push away from

Vaughan, but the man just continued to hold him,
refusing to let him go.

“No, love. You need to stay. You need comfort

and  time.  You’re  in  no  condition  to  drive
anywhere  at  the  moment  and  if  you  go  to  your
parent’s house looking the way you currently do,
imagine what that will do to them. I know you’re
hurting, but they didn’t do anything wrong and if
you want  to tell them the truth, then I’ll be there
with  you  when  you  do,  but  you  have  to  calm
down first.”

Everything Vaughan said made sense to

Ashley.  Knowing  he  didn’t  really  want  to  go
anywhere  anyway,  he  stopped  fighting  to  get
away  from  his  mate  and  instead  collapsed  into
Vaughan’s  hold.  Tears  still  fell  and  Ashley

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clutched Vaughan to him like his life depended on
the man staying connected to him at all times.

Eventually, Ashley had no idea how much time

had passed, Vaughan stood with Ashley still in his
arms.

“Wrap your legs around me.”
Vaughan’s deep voice soothed as he continued

to  rub  in  circles  on  Ashley’s  back.  Ashley
complied and Vaughan walked around the room,
turning  everything  off.  Vaughan  made  sure  the
fire  had  just  about  died  and  that  the  protective
screen  was  in  place  before  flicking  the  last  set  of
lights off and carrying Ashley up the stairs.

Ashley felt like his head was stuffed with cotton

wool. He didn’t pay any attention to his
surroundings. Vaughan sat down on the edge of
the bed and grabbed at the hem of Ashley’s shirt.

“Let’s get you into bed.”
Ashley didn’t have it in him to argue, not that

he wanted to anyway. All he wanted at that point
in time was to be held and go to sleep. Hopefully
when he woke up the world would be back to
normal.

He lifted his arms and allowed Vaughan to take

off  his  shirt.  Next  Vaughan  pulled  down  the
covers on the bed and lay Ashley down, his socks
were removed, he’d taken his shoes off as soon as
he’d  arrived  earlier,  then  his  jeans  quickly
followed.  Vaughan  didn’t  say  anything  about

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Ashley going commando under his jeans. The
second Ashley was naked, the thick warm covers
were pulled up and he was tucked in.

Ashley closed his eyes and, a short time later,

the  bed  dipped  behind  him  and  he  was  being
pulled  against  a  hard,  slightly  hairy  chest.  He
didn’t  say  anything  about  the  erection  he  could
feel  poking  at  him,  Ashley  just  relaxed  in
Vaughan’s  arms  and  let  his  mate’s  steady
breathing calm him.

“Whatever you need, Ash, you have but to

ask.”

“Just this.” As much as Ashley wanted more

with this gorgeous man, he just couldn’t deal with
it at the moment. Ashley laid there, the scent of
Vaughan and the feel of him completely
surrounding him and eventually Ashley was able
to sleep.

Ashley made it through the weekend in a kind

of haze. It wasn’t every day that you found out the
people  that  had  raised  you  from  a  baby  weren’t
actually  your  biological  parents.  Or  the  fact  that
your biological parents had died and someone had
switched  you  at  birth.  It  was  a  lot  to  take  in  and
Ashley  still  wasn’t  sure  if  he  wanted  to  tell  his
mum  and  dad.  One  thing  he  did  know  for  sure
was  that  Donald  and  Katherine  Neilson  were  his
parents.

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They had raised him from birth, taught him to

be the man he was today, fed him, clothed him
and helped put him through school. If that didn’t
make them his parents, then he had no idea what
did.

Even knowing that, it didn’t stop the hurt that

Ashley  felt  at  what  Vaughan  had  told  him  had
happened.  Did  he  wish  the  nurse  hadn’t  played
God  with  his  life?  He  just  didn’t  know.  Ashley
had no idea what his life may have been like had
he not been given to the Neilson’s to raise. He may
have  ended  up  in  foster  care,  or  maybe  been
adopted  or  his  biological  parents  may  have  had
family that could have taken him in. That thought
brought  him  up  short.  Did  he  want  to  know  if
there  was  any  family  out  there  that  he  didn’t
know about? Ashley just wasn’t sure. If there was,
he didn’t think he was ready to meet any of them
yet. This was still all too new to him.

Vaughan had called Kieran on Sunday and

asked him to come round. Vaughan had explained
the situation, leaving out all the parts to do with
people shifting into animals. Kieran had hugged
him so hard Ashley thought he might have busted
a rib.

They’d had dinner and Kieran had stayed the

night in one of the guest rooms. Ashley hadn’t
gone home since he found out. He wanted to be
close to Vaughan and his mate wasn’t turning him

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away. Kieran had left early Monday morning so
he could make it home in time to change and get
to work on time.

Kieran had brought a couple of his files, his

computer and some of Ashley’s clothes with him
so at least Ashley could get some work done and
hopefully take his mind off things.

Ashley knew he’d eventually have to go back to

his place, but at the moment he was happy where
he was and Kieran understood so he didn’t have
to worry about his friend.

By Wednesday Ashley was almost feeling

normal again. There was still an ache in his heart,
but  there  was  also  a  different  ache  that  he  had
been feeling more acutely the last couple of days.
Vaughan  had  been  wonderful,  giving  Ashley
everything  that  he  needed  and  never  asking  for
anything  in  return.  Ashley  thought  it  was  about
time he gave something to his mate.

They had talked a lot over the last week or so

about  being  a  werewolf  and  what  it  meant,  also
Vaughan’s  role  as  pack  Alpha  and  subsequently
Ashley’s role as not only his mate, but, if Vaughan
was  correct  in  his  assumptions,  also  as  the  pack
Omega.

Ashley had sat quietly and listened as Vaughan

had explained that he believed the reason Ashley
hadn’t been able to shift was a combination of his
mother being human, him being an Omega wolf

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and the trauma he suffered during his birth.

Apparently all Omega wolf’s mates were

Alpha’s  but  not  every  Alpha  was  mated  to  an
Omega.  There  were  significantly  more  Alphas
than  Omegas  in  the  world.  Ashley  being  an
Omega  would  explain  his  hatred  of  conflict  and
why  he  was  always  the  peacekeeper  when  fights
or arguments broke out.

Right now though, Ashley didn’t want to think

about  Omegas  and  Alphas  and  pack.  All  he
wanted  to  think  about  was  one  man  and  the
possibility  of  being  claimed  finally.  Ashley  knew
Vaughan had held off for him, to give him time to
come  to  terms  with  a  world  he  knew  nothing
about and then to deal with his family  problems.
But what Ashley wanted more than anything was
to feel like he belonged. He wanted the connection
that Vaughan had spoken constantly of when they
had discussed mating. Ashley wanted to be bound
to the other man and for Vaughan to be bound to
him in return.

With that in mind, Ashley set about getting

ready for Vaughan to get home from work.

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100

Chapter Eight

oming home from work every day this week to
his mate being in his home had given Vaughan

a  taste  of  what  his  life  could  be  like.  He  wanted
Ashley with a desperation bordering on abnormal.
However,  he  would  never  do  anything  his  mate
wasn’t  ready  for  and  he  would  never  take
advantage of Ashley while he was dealing with so
much  stress  from  other  areas.  Vaughan  would
continue  to  be  a  safe  place  for  his  mate  for
however  long  he  needed  without  putting  any
pressure on Ashley about mating. Even if it meant
jerking off furiously in the bathroom several times
a day.

Vaughan pulled the car into the garage and

clicked  the  button  for  the  door  to  close  behind
him. Vaughan exited the car and smiled when he
looked  over  and  saw  Ashley’s  car  parked  in  the
third  bay.  Looking  forward  to  seeing  his  mate,
Vaughan headed inside.

Something was different as soon as he stepped

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101

foot  into  the  kitchen.  Usually  Ashley  was  down
stairs  snacking  on  something  while  he  gathered
the ingredients to make a start on dinner. Today,
though,  the  lights  were  off  and  Ashley  wasn’t
anywhere in the kitchen.

Vaughan placed his keys and phone on the

bench where he usually left them, shrugged out of
his jacket and laid it over the back of chair with his
scarf and gloves. He headed in the direction of the
living  room,  the  lights  were  off,  but  a  soft  glow
from  the  fireplace  illuminated  the  area  nicely.
Vaughan  caught  his  breath  when  he  spotted  his
mate,  his  very  naked  mate,  lying  in  a  makeshift
bed  of  thick  warm  blankets  and  pillows.  Ashley
watched  him  as  he  slowly  stroked  his  own
erection.

“Would you like to join me?” Ashley asked

seductively.

“More than anything else in this world.”

Vaughan  had  seen  Ashley’s  naked  body  several
times  over  the  last  week,  but  he’d  always  held
himself back. Refusing to touch him intimately for
fear  that  once  he  started  he  wouldn’t  be  able  to
stop.

Vaughan stripped his clothes off in record time,

not paying any attention to the tearing sounds he
heard. His boots were made short work of and
finally, blessedly, he was naked. Vaughan stood at
the edge of the makeshift bed and stared down at

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102

his mate. Ashley’s body wasn’t toned, there were
no defined muscles anywhere on the man, but he
looked utterly gorgeous to Vaughan. His sea-foam
blue  eyes  sparkled  in  the  firelight  and  his  short
brown hair had been spiked perfectly. What really
hit Vaughan was his groin, his completely hairless
groin.  Vaughan  couldn’t  wait  to  get  his  mouth
down  there  and  lick  and  suck  at  the  perfectly
smooth skin.

Vaughan dropped to his knees at the edge of

the bedding and slowly crawled his way up
Ashley’s body. Ashley’s legs parted for him. He
kissed and licked as he went, marking flesh with
his teeth. The sounds of Ashley’s pleasure served
only to ramp up Vaughan’s own. Seeing his marks
on his mate’s body had Vaughan fighting with his
wolf to claim Ashley right that second.

Ashley’s hands pressed into Vaughan’s chest,

kneading his muscles, and Vaughan hissed
through gritted teeth as Ashley twisted one of his
nipples.

“Fuck, I feel like I’ve waited forever to get you

like this,” Vaughan rasped as he looked down at
his mate below him.

“Thank you for waiting.”
“Anything you need.”
“Right now I need you to claim me and make

me yours.”

Just hearing those words was too much for

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103

Vaughan.  He  bent  down  and  ravaged  Ashley’s
mouth,  thrusting  his  tongue  inside  Ashley’s  and
battling  until  his  mate  submitted  to  him.  When
Ashley  relaxed  in  his  arms,  Vaughan  thought  he
might explode right then and there.

“I hope to Christ you brought lube, because this

first time is going to be hard and rough, I promise
to take my time the rest of the night though,”
Vaughan growled out as he pulled away and
licked at Ashley’s now kiss-swollen lips.

Ashley pointed up behind his head.
Vaughan spotted the bottle of lube from his

bedroom. He grinned wickedly and reached over
and retrieved the lube.

Vaughan flicked open the cap and poured a

generous  amount  of  the  viscous  liquid  into  his
palm. He sat back and gazed down at his mate as
Ashley  watched  him  coat  his  hard  cock.
Vaughan’s eyes flicked to Ashley’s own prick and
watched  as  it  throbbed  and  danced  under  his
intense stare.

Once Vaughan had his fingers and dick well

coated, he moved into position. “Hold your legs
for me, love.”

Ashley nodded enthusiastically and raised his

legs into the air, pulling them back against his
chest.

Ashley’s smooth groin was on complete display

and Vaughan was going to take full advantage.

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104

His slippery fingers found the tight puckered hole
and  his  mouth  descended  on  Ashley’s  hairless
balls.  Vaughan  sucked  one  into  his  hot  mouth  as
he  pushed  inside  Ashley  for  the  very  first  time.
Ashley cried out above him and arched his  back,
pushing  down  on  Vaughan’s  digit,  working  it
deeper inside himself.

Vaughan worked the nut in his mouth for a

minute as he pushed in and out of Ashley with his
finger.  Pressing  a  second  digit  in  to  join  the  first,
Vaughan  lathed  at  the  silky  sac  tight  with  need.
Vaughan  worked  his  tongue  all  the  way  to  the
head  of  Ashley’s  dick  and  then  flicked  it  in  and
out of the little slit, gathering every delicious drop
of liquid as he did.

“Vaughan, please I need to come, I want you

inside me.”

“One more, love.” Vaughan pressed in with a

third and final finger and Ashley cried out above
him. His mate was so close, his body practically
shaking with his need to come.

Vaughan couldn’t hold back any longer. He

scooted forward and placed the tip of his prick at
Ashley’s  entrance.  Vaughan  leaned  down  and
kissed  Ashley  at  the  same  time  he  pressed
forward,  breaching  his  mate’s  body.  Ashley’s  cry
of  pleasure  was  muffled  by  their  kiss.  Vaughan
strained,  but  managed  to  take  his  time.  Pressing
forward  slowly,  he  knew  he  wasn’t  a  small  man

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105

and had no plans to hurt his mate the first time
they made love.

When he was fully seated inside Ashley, he

broke the kiss and pulled back a little to be able to
look down at his mate. Those beautiful eyes stared
back at him, filled with hope and wonder and
what he thought might be the beginnings of love.
God I hope so.

“You feel so fucking good wrapped around me

like this.” Vaughan moved his hips, allowing his
cock to retreat until just the head remained inside
his mate before he thrust forward again, burying
himself in the hot, silky depts.

“Ah huh.” Ashley nodded, his hands holding

onto Vaughan’s biceps as he leaned over the top of
him.

“Sorry, Ash, but I can’t hold back.”
“It’s okay, I want what you have to give me. I

can take it.”

Vaughan nodded and once again kissed Ashley

as he let go and pounded into his  body, his wolf
completely taking over as he sought frantically for
release.  Ashley’s  nails  dug  into  Vaughan’s
muscles as they strained to hold Vaughan’s weight
above  his  mate  as  he  pistoned  in  and  out  of
Ashley’s body.

Without warning, Ashley screamed into his kiss

and Vaughan felt the wet heat of his mate’s release
between their stomachs. Ashley’s body clamped

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106

down  around  Vaughan’s  prick,  Vaughan  broke
the kiss and Ashley immediately tilted his head to
the side, exposing his neck to Vaughan. He didn’t
hesitate.  Vaughan’s  canines  extended  and  he  bit
down  deep.  Ashley  cried  out  for  a  second  time,
only  in  pain  this  time.  Vaughan  clamped  his
mouth  down  and  sucked,  taking  his  mate’s  life
giving  blood  into  his  body.  Ashley’s  pained  cry
soon turned into pleasurable whimpers.

Vaughan pulled back and licked his mark

closed, then tilted his head to the side, offering his
mate his own neck. It was a sign of complete trust
for an Alpha to offer any his neck.

Ashley surged forward and the second razor

sharp canines pierced his flesh, Vaughan thrust
deep one last time and howled his climax to the
stars. Still Ashley held on and sucked at the mark
on his neck. Vaughan could feel the exact second
their bond snapped into place.

As soon as the aftershocks seemed to have

dissipated, Vaughan collapsed. He held Ashley in
his arms and rolled them so Vaughan was on his
back and Ashley above him. Fuck. Vaughan felt
like he’d died and gone to heaven.

They both groaned when Vaughan’s slightly

softened member slid from Ashley’s body.

“Mate.” Vaughan sighed as he held Ashley

close.

“Vaughan?”

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107

“Hmm.” Vaughan could do with a nap right

about now, then maybe some food and then a
repeat performance or three.

“I don’t feel so good.”
That snapped Vaughan out of his post orgasmic

haze as he looked up at his mate. Ashley lay there,
his eyes shifting between his beautiful sea-foam
blue and lupine jade. His wolf was trying to come
out.

“Everything’s fine, love. It’s just your wolf

wanting to come out for the first time. I thought
our mating might help him along, I just didn’t
realise it would be this soon after.”

“What do I do?” Ashley sounded so scared.
Vaughan hated to hear his mate sound like that.

“Just relax and stay calm. You’ve seen me in my
wolf form several times. Just close your eyes,
concentrate and look deep inside yourself, try and
find your wolf.”

Ashley went still in his arms as he followed

Vaughan’s instructions. Then he cried out and,
less than a minute later, Vaughan found himself
with a pure white wolf lying on his stomach.

“You did it, love,” Vaughan praised. Ashley in

wolf form was significantly smaller than Vaughan,
but with Omegas it was expected. And Ashley
was definitely an Omega. The pure white coating
proved that without a doubt.

Ashley the wolf scooted forward on his belly

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108

until he was close enough to lick at Vaughan’s
face. Vaughan laughed and tried to shoo his mate
away, but Ashley was insistent in his licking.

Instead, Vaughan carefully placed Ashley on

the bedding beside him and then he, too, shifted.
Vaughan stood still as Ashley crawled toward him
on  all  fours.  When  he  had  gotten  as  close  as  he
wanted,  he  rolled  over  and  exposed  his  belly  to
Vaughan’s  much  larger  wolf.  Vaughan  rumbled
his approval, then bent and did some licking of his
own.

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109

Chapter Nine

shley couldn’t remember being this nervous
before. Not even when Kieran had dragged

him  into  that  bloody  day  spa  to  get  his  balls
waxed.  Which  it  looked  like  he  would  be  going
back  to  do  again  and  again,  because  Vaughan
seemed to have a fascination with his smoothness
down there, not that Ashley was complaining. Not
in the least. Since they had mated on Wednesday,
every spare chance they found they seemed to end
up naked together with Vaughan’s face buried in
his cock, balls or ass.

They had gone running together out on the

pack lands in the mountains every night since, in
an  attempt  for  Ashley  to  get  to  know  his  wolf
better  after  being  kept  apart  for  so  long.  Ashley
couldn’t believe how exhilarating it was to be able
to  shift  and  run,  the  wind  blowing  through  your
fur, the sounds or the forest around you, the smell
of the other creatures nearby.

Ashley hadn’t been prepared for the natural

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110

instincts  of  the  wolf  when  there  were  smaller
animals  about.  He  still  had  a  little  trouble
digesting  the  fact that  he  had  killed  a  Tasmanian
Devil.  Vaughan  had  reassured  him  that  it  was
natural and Vaughan’s wolf had taken part in the
spoils of the kill.

Now though, now it was the third Sunday in

the month and the entire pack had come over to
their place for a barbeque. Yes, Ashley was
thinking of it as their place.

Vaughan had asked him to officially move in

after they had shifted back that first night. Ashley,
not wanting to sleep without his mate again, had
agreed.  His  parents  had  taken  a  little  fast  talking
on  Ashley’s  behalf  to  convince  them  that  Ashley
hadn’t  lost  his  mind  and  that  he  wasn’t  moving
too quickly with a man he hardly knew.

Ashley had spent long hours discussing with

Vaughan  the  pros  and  cons  of  telling  his  parents
about what had happened at Ashley’s birth and he
decided  that  until  it  became  necessary  to  do  so
Ashley didn’t want to cause his mum and dad any
pain  and  sadness.  He  hated  keeping  it  a  secret
from them, but he also had to keep the fact that he
was now and always had been a werewolf a secret
as  well.  This  was  especially  difficult  as  they  had
always  said  there  would  never  be  any  secrets
between  them  and  Ashley  was  now  keeping  two
fairly huge ones.

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111

Kieran on the other hand was over the moon

for  him  and  assured  him  that  their  friendship
would not suffer any  just because they  no  longer
lived  under  the  same  roof.  He  had  no  problems
visiting Ashley in his new house and just hanging
out like the old days and he expected Ashley to do
the same. Ashley had hugged his friend tight and
thanked  him  for  understanding  that  this  was
something Ashley had to do.

“You ready?” Vaughan asked as Ashley walked

down the stairs from their bedroom.

Ashley must have changed clothes fifty times in

preparation for tonight. Vaughan would probably
kill him when he walked upstairs and found the
bedroom floor strewn with discarded clothing.

“Not even in the slightest.” Ashley swallowed

the lump in his throat as he took the outstretched
hand Vaughan held out for him. His mate smiled
reassuringly at him and Ashley actually managed
to calm a little.

“Our pack are good people, love, they will be

nothing but happy for us. You’ve been hidden
away for too long, it’s time to step out and be who
you were born to be.”

“I hope you’re right.”
“I am.”
“Smart ass,” Ashley teased playfully.
“You love me.”
“I do. Thank you, for finding me.”

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112

“It was my pleasure, Ash, now come, our pack

is waiting.”

Ashley nodded once and walked outside, hand

in hand with his mate.

About the Author

Toni  Griffin  lives  in  Darwin,  the  smallest  of
Australia’s  capital  cities.  Born  and  raised  in  the
state  she’s  a  Territorian  through  and  through.
Growing up Toni hated English with a passion (as
her  editors  can  probably  attest  to)  and  found  her
strength lies with numbers.

Now, though, she loves escaping to the worlds

she  creates  and  hopes  to  continue  to  do  so  for
many years to come. She’s a single mother of one
and  works  full  time.  When  she’s  not  writing  you
can  just  about  guarantee  that  she  will  be  reading
one of the many MM authors she loves.

Feel

free

drop

her

line

info@tonigriffin.net anytime.

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/toni.griffin.author#!/

toni.griffin.author

Webpage:

www.tonigriffin.net

Blog:

www.tonigriffin.blogspot.com

Email:

info@tonigriffin.net

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