by Lisa Oliver
“Cam. Cam. Are you all right? Can you move at all?”
Okay, that wasn’t Donoghue. In fact the voice didn’t belong to anyone that Cam knew. What the hell? He tried to push himself up, aware that there was more than one person in the room with him, but with the darkness he couldn’t make out any features of the faces. He got the impression of three men, big men…no, not men. Their scent hit his nose. These mountains were shifters.
Cam’s body trembled with fear and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Shifters, wolf shifters meant more pain. Not just the physical stuff that Cam had endured almost every day for four years, but the psychological as well. To be rejected by those who were supposed to protect you…nope, Cam wasn’t going to go there, his mind would break.
“Please,” he said, wincing at the raspy nature of his voice. “Please, I don’t know who you are, or what you want, but you have to go.”
“Not without you little wolf.”
One of the mountain men came closer, and Cam could see the man’s harsh face was scarred. Although Cam didn’t think the guy was an Alpha, he was big, scary and would hate what Cam represented.
“You don’t understand. I’m an Omega. Please just leave me,” Cam said desperately. He pulled away as far as he could, but he felt the lashes in his back split and the smell of blood tinged the air. The scarred man pulled back, but not far enough in Cam’s opinion. His wolf was doing a fucking happy dance as the scent of the wolf shifter’s invaded his tiny space and Cam fought his change yet again.
“Get Roger in here,” the scarred man said, and another man took off out the door. Cam didn’t know what was going on – why after all these years would any wolves hunt him out. He’d left the pack, never crossed the territory of another pack. He totally immersed himself in the human world and fuck it all – he did his best to be the most obedient sub in existence. Why weren’t these guys leaving him to die?
His wolf didn’t want to die, of course he wouldn’t. Stupid wolf probably thought the huge shifters in his room had come for a play date. But Cam knew better. Wolves could be all protective and lovey dovey with a female omega wolf. A male one was a totally different story. Cam knew he was cursed from the day he’d shifted. Knew he was gay and he had done his best to fit into a world where that wasn’t a problem. Now his wolf wanted to come out, shift and be at one with animals that would tear him to pieces.
Fighting the change, frantically trying to control his wolf who seemed to feed on the presence of others of his kind, Cam twisted his head backwards and forwards, his eyes clenched tight. He could feel the hair on his arms get longer, his teeth didn’t fit in his mouth. Cam had never had this much trouble controlling his wolf before and he cried out, “No!” trying to yell his wolf into submission.
Suddenly Cam was airborne as he was held in two strong arms and surrounded by what appeared to be a strong chest. “You can’t shift here little wolf, it’s not safe,” the most sexy voice in the world said. The relief, the way his wolf just subsided under his skin – it was instant and so freaking fast that Cam gasped. And that’s when his nose was filled with the most amazing scent in the world – vanilla with undertones of deep, dark chocolate. Despite being scared, and in incredible pain, Cam’s cock reacted and he struggled to get free, knowing with everything that he was, that his life would be forfeit if his savior smelled his arousal.
“Settle.” There it was again, Cam just relaxed. Why did this incredible smelling shifter have so much power over him? Cam couldn’t work it out.
“We’ve got to get out of here.” The scarred man was standing next to the man who held him, holding out a blanket, which Cam then felt wrapped around his bare skin. He winced as the blanket hit his open back, but it seemed the man who was holding him didn’t notice.
“Did you get the others?” The sexy voice said.
“Yeah, Hugh’s got them, going to take them to some authority or other,” the scarred man replied. “He’ll make sure they’re safe.”
Now Cam was more confused than ever. Who were these guys? Who were they saving? Donoghue’s other three subs? Why would these guys do that? Didn’t they know this was a BDSM club and pain was the name of the game? Cam knew Donoghue’s other three subs were as reluctant as he was to be controlled as much as they were by someone like their Master. The other three subs were all human, but like Cam, the boys had been on the streets for years and would do anything for a meal.
He didn’t get a chance to say anything though. The man who was holding him, turned swiftly and headed out of the door of Cam’s cell, moving not towards the front doors of the club, but for the fire escape at the end of the hallway. Cam couldn’t bring himself to say a word as he was hoisted out of a window, carried down the iron steps of the fire escape, and then placed into the back of a black SUV. His rescuer clambered in after him, and then Cam felt himself manhandled again as he was placed carefully on the big man’s lap.
“Let’s get out of here,” the sexy voice said to the two men sitting in the front of the vehicle.
“He’s cute,” the driver said, looking at Cam in the rear vision mirror with a wink. And then the big man laughed as his smaller companion beside him hit him on the arm.
“What?” the driver said, laughing again. “He is.”
“Just drive.” Cam caught a growl as an undertone to the sexy sound this time and he couldn’t help but cringe. What did the big shifter have to be angry about? It wasn’t as though Cam meant anything to him? Had he done something wrong? He was just sitting where he had been put? Cam was confused and didn’t know what to do. Then a strong hand soothed through Cam’s long dark hair and as though his body was on autopilot, Cam felt his muscles relax.
“Hi Cam, my name is Roger,” the sexy voice said and Cam dared to look up and was caught in the most wonderful dark eyes, set in a strong face framed with shoulder length, untamed blond hair. As the SUV drove under street lamps, Cam caught glimpses of a solid jaw, a lean face with high cheek bones and an almost pointed chin. Roger's nose looked like it had been broken once, and left unfixed as there was a decided bump up near the eyes, but Cam thought it gave the man character.
Roger's mouth was straight and firm, and Cam wondered why he had taken the time to notice that Roger's top lip was less fullthan the puffy bottom one. If he had any commonsense at all, he wouldn't be noticing anything except ways to get out of his current predicament. But for reasons he couldn’t explain, Cam felt safe in this big man’s arms. Probably not a sensible way to feel, but for the moment Cam decided to go with it. He knew it wouldn’t last.
“How do you know my name?” Cam said as he stared deeper into Roger’s dark eyes. A memory flickered in his brain, of a time, a long time ago. Then he remembered, his ex-Alpha’s office. Roger was a visitor to the pack and…shit, he knew Cam’s ex-Alpha. That couldn’t be good. Cam felt panic flood his system and he tried to move.
Roger must have followed the emotions that flashed over Cam’s face as the arms that were around his waist tightened and Roger nudged Cam’s face into his neck.
“Settle, petal,” Roger said softly as Cam took in deep breaths. It was almost as though he couldn’t get enough of the man’s delicious scent. “Yes, we’ve met before, a long time ago. But you have nothing to fear from me or my pack. You’re my mate.”
“But…” Now Cam was even more confused. He knew what a mate was, of course he did. His ex-Alpha, the Beta of his home pack, all of them were mated. To women. As far as Cam knew, true mates could only be of the opposite sex. Same sex couples were banned in his home pack and from his years living among the humans in New York, Cam learned that many humans felt the same way. But why would this sexy blond hunk of a man lie to him about something so important.
“I can’t be,” he said, not wanting any misunderstanding. “I’m an Omega wolf, and a man. I can’t be anyone’s mate.” That was something he did remember from his ex-Alpha’s rantings. There would never be a mate for him. Nothing but a life of loneliness after he’
d been banished from the only home he’d ever known.
It was a shit of a curse, being a male Omega and Cam couldn’t even work out why the hell he’d been born. It wasn’t his fault, but it was the hand he’d been dealt. But why the hell was Roger, and the two men in the front of the vehicle laughing like he had said something funny?
Chapter Four
Roger didn’t mean to laugh at Cam’s words, but honestly he was so fucking relieved to be holding the man in his arms at all, anything that came out of the little sweetheart’s mouth would be funny. But the look of pain on Cam’s face, as though the man thought he was being laughed at, shut him up pretty quickly.
“Have you ever heard of the Washington pack?” He asked, reducing his laughter to what he hoped was a caring smile.
“I haven’t been near any packs since I was banished,” Cam said quickly, averting his eyes. Roger didn’t like seeing his mate look so defensive, and he ran his finger under Cam’s chin, tilting his head back up again. He felt a quiet thrill that the green eyes he remembered still held a spark of life. A tangible sign of his mate’s inner strength.
“Most of the men who came with me tonight are from the Washington pack. They’re all shifters and they are all gay, except for Devin. He’s a vampire, not a shifter, but he’s gay too. It’s kinda a requirement to be in the pack.”
“A gay pack?” Cam had never heard of such a thing. How could there be a whole stack of wolves, all gay, when his Alpha had made it quite plain how much of a freak he was. For the longest time Cam didn’t think there was any such thing as another gay wolf, let alone a pack of them.
“Fifty odd wolves, one cat shifter, that’s Teric sitting in the front there with Kyle his mate, and a vampire. All male, all gay, and most are in the BDSM lifestyle in one form or another,” Roger said, frantically trying to think of something that would ease the wolf in his arms.
“I’m a good sub,” Cam said with a proud tilt to his head, obviously hearing some of what Roger was trying to explain. “I can take pain. I don’t like it, but I can take it. Anything you can dish out. Will I be one of yours, or…” Cam trailed off and Roger could see he was looking at Kyle and Teric, the fear coming from him causing Roger’s nose to wrinkle.
Roger muttered a curse under his breath. He had no idea what the Romney Alpha had told Cam about Omega wolves, but clearly it wasn’t anything good. Being one of four subs belonging to one Master in a human club had simply reinforced Cam’s idea that his body was only any good for sharing with others. He needed to knock that thought on the head straight away.
“You will belong to me. You are my mate,” he said firmly, trying not to let any aggression show in his tone. Cam was frightened enough. “You will not be shared. You will not be servicing anyone else but me, and if anyone makes a move on you I will rip their throat out. Is that clear enough for you?”
“Yes, Master.” Cam’s voice was so quiet that even Roger had trouble hearing him. For the first time in his life, Roger didn’t get a sense of pride in his honorific. If anything he felt shame. He knew as a Dom, he had never harmed the subs he played with – never beyond their limits at least. That’s what safewords were for. Roger doubted that Cam even knew what a safeword was, and even if he did, Roger knew that Cam would have never used it. There was an element of pride in the young man’s voice, as though being a ‘good sub’ was something he strived for. But Roger wasn’t sure that he wanted a sub for a mate, although he always assumed he would have one. Why, now he held his cute little man in his arms, did he feel that he wanted something more?
/~/~/~/~/
Cam sat quietly on his new Master’s lap, not daring to say or do anything that might incur a punishment. His back was still sore from Donoghue’s beating and the bloodletting the human liked to do. Cam didn’t want to let his new Master down in any way.
That didn’t stop his mind running a mile a minute. Was it possible that this big man was telling the truth? That gay wolves could have mates? That big wolves, who weren’t Omegas could even be gay? Cam had certainly never heard of such a thing before. But Roger didn’t have to tell him they were mates. At least that would explain the inappropriate cock spring. Cam was glad of the blanket and hoped that his lack of hygiene would mask any scent of arousal. He burrowed closer to Roger’s chest, seeking the warmth and that enticing scent. He didn’t think he had ever felt such delicious heat. So warm, so clean, so nice…
“Do you want to be dropped off at your house or the club?” Kyle’s voice startled Cam. Damn, he must have been dozing. He had tried to stay awake in case he missed something his new Master wanted, but the warmth of Roger’s body, the softness of the blanket and the gentle motion of the car had conspired against him. He resolved to be more vigilant in the future.
“My place, please,” Roger said softly. “Cam will need to shift, heal, get cleaned up and fed before I take him to Pearson.”
Cam was glad he’d kept his eyes closed. Take him to Pearson. Roger had lied! Clearly they weren’t mates, or Roger wouldn’t be taking him to anybody. Maybe this Pearson was going to be his new Master? Shit, maybe he was going to be shared around the pack, or the club Roger mentioned. Cam scrunched his eyes up, trying to stop the tears from falling. He didn’t want to be taken away from this lovely smelling man – the one who said they were mates. But since when had anything he wanted ever been important?
“Cam, are you okay?” That big hand was back in his hair again, and Roger’s voice sounded so concerned. Cam realized he must have been shaking, he was trying so hard to hide the fact he was crying.
“Of course, Master,” Cam said, pushing his traitorous thoughts to the back of his head. What I want is not important, he reminded himself sternly.
“Did you hear what I said?”
“Yes, Master. You said I was to be clean, fed, healed and then you were going to give me to Pearson.”
“I didn’t…” Roger said at the same time as Kyle said, “We’re here.”
Not even realizing the car had stopped, Cam looked out of the window, but he couldn’t see much. It was still winter and it would be a few hours before the sun would make an appearance over the horizon. All Cam could see was the outline of tall trees and the silhouette of a large house with a porch running along it.
“Thanks guys, for all of your help tonight,” Roger said, still holding Cam close as he opened the door. “Can you let the Alpha know I won’t be in for a few days? It looks like I have some work to do with my mate.”
Kyle came round and held out his arms, and after a moment’s hesitation, Roger carefully placed Cam in them. Cam didn’t feel anywhere near as safe with Kyle as he did with Roger and as Kyle headed up the path towards the house, Cam wanted to stand on his own two feet, but he was too frightened to say anything. He looked back and saw that the other man, Teric, had his hand on Roger’s arm but the two men were talking too quietly for him to hear.
In the meantime, Kyle had pressed some buttons in a keypad by the front door of the house, walking inside, calling out “lights,” as he went. The room was bathed in a soft light, and from what Cam could see he was in the living room of a really comfortable home.
“Where do you want to be put, little one,” Kyle said, looking down at him for the first time. In the light, Cam could see Kyle was a good looking man, with the face of an angel, dark, chocolate eyes and a full mouth. His long hair fell in waves around his face and appeared to go down his back. Cam quickly looked away, not wanting to challenge anyone this big. He knew wolf shifters didn’t like anyone looking them in the eyes.
“On the floor if it pleases you,” Cam said quietly, trying to calm his nerves. He felt grubby, and dirty and he knew a sub like him didn’t deserve to go anywhere near the immaculate furniture he could see. He could see the floor had a plush rug covering it, but maybe, if he didn’t move, he wouldn’t make too much of a mess.
“He’s not going on the floor. I’ll take him,” Roger said from the doorway. Kyle just grinned and handed Cam over a
s though he was a food parcel or something. Cam didn’t know where that comparison came from, and he didn’t want to be reminded of the fact he couldn’t remember the last time he ate.
“Have fun you two,” Kyle said with a wink and the big wolf shifter headed out of the door, closing it behind him.
Roger didn’t look very happy. In fact, he had a snarl on his face and anger poured from his body in waves. Cam had no idea what he had done wrong, but he knew it had to be something important. Twisting his body sharply, even as the pain ripped through his back, Cam fell out of Roger’s arms and onto the floor. Ignoring the pain to his hip and shoulder, Cam tried to move into the position Donoghue favored – scrunched over his knees, his head on the floor and his arms prostrate out in front of him.
“I’m sorry,” he cried out, as he felt the blood pouring from the wounds on his back.
Please don’t let him hurt me too much. Please.
Chapter Five
Roger looked down at his prostrate mate, not sure what needed to be addressed first. There was no denying the boy at his feet would make an erotic picture if it wasn’t for the mass of scars, and welts across his back, some of them bleeding anew. But the fear that was coming off of Cam’s body was so intense Roger could almost see it in the air, and when Cam whimpered as Roger growled again at the thought of his little mate being scared of him, Roger knew at least one thing Teric had said was right. His mate needed careful handling.
Sinking to his knees by Cam’s head, Roger carefully moved his mate onto his side, hoping that would help the poor man’s back. He cradled Cam’s head on his lap, softly stroking the long dark hair that would benefit from a decent wash and brush. But for the moment Roger focused on calming his mate. The boy couldn’t begin to trust him, or to feel safe anywhere until he calmed down.
“Now do you want to tell me why you said you are sorry, little wolf,” he said softly as Cam’s tremors eased off. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You have nothing to be sorry for.”