by Shea Balik
“Umphf,” Iniko grunted as he bounced off all that muscle.
Large hands wrapped around Iniko’s upper arms, thankfully stopping him from making a bigger fool of himself by landing on his ass. “Whoa, Iniko. Where are you going in such a rush? Did you insult someone again and they threatened to pummel you?”
Krill glanced over Iniko’s head with a fierce scowl. “I’m happy to have a word with whoever it is and set them straight.” When his expression morphed from pissed to sappy, Iniko knew Harper had caught up to him.
It still amazed him that Krill, who Iniko had insulted from the moment they’d met, would defend Iniko against anyone. Well, not Harper, but the man was his mate, so Iniko understood. But he also wasn’t so sure Krill would be quite as supportive when he found out Iniko had managed to offend every mate in Miracle, Krill included.
“Uhm, thanks for stopping me from falling on my ass, but I’ve gotta go.” Iniko yanked out of Krill’s grasp and he’d almost gotten a full step away when Harper stopped him.
“Don’t let him go, Krill.” One of Krill’s exceptionally large hands was back around his arm, holding him in place.
With little chance of getting out of Krill’s grasp, Iniko did the only thing he had left in his arsenal. He looked over his shoulder and glared at his best friend. Okay, not exactly a great attack, but Iniko wasn’t much of a fighter. If he were completely honest, he didn’t have the muscle strength to kill a fly, though not from lack of trying.
For years growing up, he had tried tirelessly to work out so he would be strong enough to defend his mother. It was when his father kicked him out for being gay that Iniko realized he was never going to have any muscle. Not when his father had picked Iniko up like he weighed less than a feather, and tossed him out the door.
“Iniko, please,” Harper pleaded softly. “Just give me five minutes. If you still want to bolt, Krill will take you to any of the surrounding towns you want.”
Figures his best friend would know Iniko wasn’t just leaving Mousetrap, but that he was planning on leaving town. There were times it was irritating how well Harper knew him.
Since Iniko didn’t exactly have much choice with Krill holding him, Iniko said, “Fine, but you only get five minutes.”
Harper smiled and Iniko scowled when he heard Krill sigh in pleasure at the happiness on his mate’s face. Jerk. Iniko was tired of the mated pairs shoving their happiness in his face. The need to lash out and make them as miserable as he was had him opening his mouth when he just should have kept it shut. “But you and your Neanderthal here aren’t changing my mind, no matter how sickeningly sappy you two appear to be.”
Iniko wasn’t sure what was worse, the sadness in Harper’s eyes at his words, or Krill’s. He was kind of used to his friend feeling sorry for him, but Krill, while he would defend him out of some sort of sense of duty to his mate, didn’t make any bones about not really liking Iniko. The last thing he wanted was the big man’s pity.
The only good thing that came out of Krill’s sympathy was that he let Iniko’s arm go. Then again, that was probably only because Harper basically flung his body against Iniko’s to wrap him in a fierce hug.
“You know your dad and mom weren’t true mates.” Harper pulled back to look right into Iniko’s eyes. “You’ve seen the mates here in Miracle. Do any of them act like your father?”
There was a part of Iniko that knew Harper was right, but the little boy that grew up watching his mother being beaten daily wouldn’t let the images go. He couldn’t trust that his own mate wouldn’t behave like his father. Or, for that matter, like so many of the other couples in their old colony.
In a way, Iniko had been lucky. He’d been kicked out of the house before his father had turned his fists onto Iniko. Too often Iniko would witness his friends come to school with bruises all over their bodies. Some had tried to defend their mothers. But for most, their fathers felt hitting their mates wasn’t enough, they had to take it out on their kids, too.
No way was Iniko going to wait around to find out what kind of man his own mate was. “I can’t stay,” Iniko whispered. “You saw him. My mate would kill me with just one punch if you’re wrong.”
Krill placed a comforting hand on Iniko’s shoulders. “Why don’t you move back in with us,” Krill offered. Iniko had moved out when his store had been built. Chadwick, their architect, had added a small room with a shower in the back so Iniko didn’t have to feel as if he were infringing on Harper and Krill’s privacy. “We’ll keep you safe until you have a chance to get to know your mate. Then, if you still want to leave, I will take you wherever you want to go without telling anyone where you are.”
It was on the tip of Iniko’s tongue to say no, but the scent of lavender once more tickled his senses and Iniko knew he was about to make the biggest mistake of his life. Weird that for the first time he couldn’t find his voice. So he nodded, praying he would survive his decision.
CHAPTER 6
Greyson moved to go after his mate, but Alpha Edrick placed a hand on his chest to stop him. “I normally wouldn’t get in between mates, but I think, in this case, you would do better to let his best friend, Harper, talk to him first.”
The need to protect his mate warred with his desire to keep him happy. In the end he decided to take the Alpha’s advice, although, in part, that was because he needed to get help for his friends. It wouldn’t be right to put his own needs ahead of theirs when they were in trouble.
“Alpha Edrick Rapp, I’d like you to meet Iniko’s mate, Greyson.” Blaze was suddenly there next to them to give the introduction.
It wasn’t until Edrick didn’t hesitate to hold out his hand to him, that Greyson felt his first moment of relief. The gesture didn’t necessarily mean the new alpha would be accepting, but it went a long way to giving Greyson a sliver of hope.
Too often alphas only postured, as if they needed to prove themselves superior to Greyson. Not that he blamed them. Greyson was a black panther, one of the most unpredictable and dangerous predators in the wild. Even as shifters, their human halves weren’t always able to temper their ominous side.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Greyson. Welcome to Miracle,” Alpha Edrick greeted. “May I ask what caused you to come to our little town?”
For a moment, Greyson feared the alpha was about to challenge his reasons for traveling to Miracle, but there was only sincerity in the man’s voice. It was now or never. The moment when Greyson would find out if the stories of Miracle’s acceptance and kindness were exaggerated or not.
“My friends and I are on the run from my old Alpha’s enforcers.” The rage at being trapped in a burning building bubbled up again and Greyson couldn’t help but clench his jaw and curl his hands into fists at the thought of what happened to Kylo and Elton.
What Greyson hadn’t expected was to see the same rage he was feeling on Edrick’s face. “Do you know how many are chasing you?”
Greyson answered, praying the alpha wasn’t mad at him for bringing danger to this little town. “Ten that I saw, but there could have been more. Two of my friends were hurt, one has been severely burned and has been unconscious for the past couple of days so I wasn’t able to do as much recon as I would have liked.”
It wasn’t something Greyson had ever thought he’d see but he would swear even as Edrick’s blue eyes turned to ice, there was also a flame burning in their depths. It was the weirdest experience of Greyson’s life. He could see why the man was an alpha.
“Lucca, Hudson, Blaze.” Two men who had been guarding the entrances came forward. Greyson assumed these two men were Lucca and Hudson. “Gather twenty men to go with Greyson and bring back his friends. Take the injured to Nole as soon as you get back.”
The three men gave a curt nod and headed out the front door.
“Take them to your friends,” Edrick told Greyson. “I’ll tell Nole, my mate and the town’s doctor, that your friends are on their way.”
Without waiting for Greyson
to respond, Edrick turned on his heel and headed out the back door. Greyson blinked, sure he had imagined the whole encounter. There was no way anyone, much less an alpha, had just offered to help his friends.
Normally, at most, they were barely tolerated, much less a force sent to protect them. Maybe the town name had it right all along. This was a miracle.
“Dude,” Blaze called out to him. Greyson turned to find the man held the door open just enough for his head to poke through the opening. “Are you going to show us where your friends are or are you hoping we’ll find them on our own? Not saying we can’t, but that might take us awhile and you said your friends are hurt.”
That was all Greyson needed to propel him out of his state of shock. He could question if any of this was real later. Right now, his friends needed him.
***
As if things hadn’t been strange enough the moment Greyson had stepped foot in Miracle, he was somehow in the front passenger seat of an SUV, with another one following them and fifteen motorcycles surrounding them like a shield. Surreal wasn’t a strong enough word for what Greyson was experiencing.
He was seriously starting to wonder if he had been killed in that fire and was in some sort of alternate universe. Or, it had been him that had been seriously hurt, not Kylo, and Greyson was hallucinating.
In fairness, what were the odds of finding Miracle, the town that the new Council had chosen to make their home, was nothing more than…well, town was definitely too big a word to use for that hole in the wall blip on the map. Hell, Greyson was fairly certain even GPS couldn’t find the place.
To add to the bizarre day, Greyson not only met his mate, who Greyson had been beginning to fear didn’t exist, to have the man run from him like Greyson was some sort of monster. Although, to be fair, as a black panther, Greyson was used to people believing that about him, but he had thought his own mate might give him the benefit of the doubt.
He would have thought the weirdness would have ended after his meeting with the alpha, but Greyson supposed he should have known better.
“There,” he pointed to a small trail just barely visible through the trees to the side of the road.
Blaze, who was driving the SUV, narrowed his gaze at the tiny path. “There is no way we are going to fit with this big thing. I knew I should have brought my motorcycle,” Blaze mumbled at the end.
Seconds later Blaze pulled off to the side of the road and parked. The second SUV pulled up behind them, while the motorcycles created a giant circle, all facing out to protect them.
Lucca, who had pulled his bike up next to Blaze, knocked on the window. Blaze lowered it and pointed to the path that was now behind them. “We can’t take the SUVs through those trees.”
Lucca glanced in the direction of the path and then turned back to stare at Greyson. The man was eerily similar in appearance to their alpha, with the main exception being his grey eyes. “How far are your friends from here?”
“About a mile. But there’s no way Kylo’s going to be able to stay on a motorcycle. He’s been passed out for a couple of days now.” Greyson prayed he was even still alive at that point. He’d only been gone a half a day but anything could have happened in that amount of time.
Not sure how he was supposed to take Lucca’s brief nod, Greyson followed Blaze when he stepped from the vehicle. Did it mean Lucca was going to leave Kylo behind, or did he have a way to get him back to the SUV? Greyson shook his head. What did it matter? If he had to, Greyson would carry Kylo all the way to Miracle himself.
Lucca drove around to where Greyson stood. “Get on. Two scouts to the south of us have sighted the men chasing you. They will be here shortly and I don’t know about you, but I’d like to have your injured friends safely on the road before they get here.”
Fuck.
That wasn’t what Greyson wanted to hear. Sure, he had an army of men helping him, but his former alpha had been a ruthless man. There was zero doubt in his mind the leader’s men would be armed to the teeth. From the little Greyson had seen of those helping him, only one had been carrying a rifle case attached to his bike, which would only be helpful if the man had time to stop and unload it from the bike first.
The raw fear clawing at Greyson must have shown on his face, for Lucca grinned at him. “Not to worry. Hudson is protecting us in the trees. Whoever is trying to kill you won’t even get close before they find themselves with a bullet between their eyes.”
Lucca gestured to a large tree just off the side of the road. Even with his perfect eyesight, Greyson found he had to squint to make out the man he’d seen with the rifle perched near the top.
“He’ll be able to see them coming from all directions,” Lucca assured him as Greyson climbed onto the bike behind Lucca.
“Just know, my old alpha doesn’t fight fair and his men are just as bad,” Greyson warned. Although, considering the alpha had tried to burn down a house with Greyson and his friends inside, he wasn’t sure the warning was necessary.
Lucca glanced over his shoulder at Greyson. “That’s okay. Our former alpha didn’t believe in fairness, either.”
As the bike took off down the dirt path, Greyson wasn’t so sure if he was comforted by Lucca’s admission or not. There were times when it was impossible to do anything but brawl in the muck with those who had no morals, but it wasn’t something Greyson or his friends preferred. Usually, they tried to leave before things got that bad, but it wasn’t always possible.
For now, he wouldn’t jump to conclusions. Just because Lucca indicated they knew how to fight dirty, didn’t mean they chose to do it that way. Greyson only did when it became a matter of life or death. He just hoped his new alpha and his men felt the same way, especially since he wouldn’t leave Miracle now that he’d found his mate.
Iniko… Greyson’s lips twitched upward just thinking of his mate. It didn’t seem to make any difference they were racing through the forest to rescue his friends before his pursuers found them. Nor did it seem to make any difference that Iniko didn’t appear to want a mate.
Greyson wasn’t about to push Iniko into accepting him, but he wasn’t above nudging the man. Plans of wooing his mate stopped when they approached the small cave where his friends were hopefully still lying low. He tapped Lucca on the shoulder and pointed to the barely observable entrance.
A few seconds later they stopped and Lucca turned off his bike. Six other bikes came to stop also, while others fanned out around the area, keeping them safe from any surprise intruders.
The moment the bike stopped, Greyson raced for the mouth of the cave, calling out as he ran. “Ward, it’s Greyson. I’ve brought help.” Help was an understatement. For there now stood ten men waiting for his signal that it was safe to approach in order to get his friends back to Miracle. That didn’t even include those still on their bikes, or the sniper up in the tree watching over all of them.
For the first time since leaving his home in Maine, Greyson felt hope. Hope that he and his friends had found a home. But most of all, hope that now that he knew who his mate was, Greyson would finally have the one thing he’d always desired – a family to love.
CHAPTER 7
“Seriously?” Iniko stared at Cotton, sure the man had lost his damn mind. First of all, who the hell named their kid Cotton? Not that he should talk, since Iniko was just a bunch of letters strung together, but still it was better than being named Cotton, especially when his last name was Gin.
Iniko mentally shook himself from going off on a tangent about people who shouldn’t be parents if they were going to be so irresponsible with something as precious as a person’s name. It was as if they wanted poor Cotton to be mocked his whole life.
“Why? You don’t think it’s a good idea?” Cotton asked.
Iniko blinked, sure Cotton couldn’t actually have asked such a stupid question. “Dude, you’re like five-foot-four and weigh maybe a hundred and twenty pounds.”
Cotton cocked his head to the side as if considering what
Iniko was saying, but he clearly wasn’t getting it. “Yeah. So?”
Iniko sighed. “There is no way you can tell me you can even lift one of those chainsaws much less hold it long enough to cut down trees.” Iniko wasn’t even sure what had made Cotton think he would be part of the logging crew that was providing the lumber for the town. As far as he knew, Cotton had never stepped foot in the forest that surrounded the town.
Red seeped into Cotton’s normally dark brown skin. His heartbroken gaze shifted from Iniko to the ground. His teeth clamped down on his bottom lip, which had started to quiver as if he were trying to stop himself from crying.
Shit.
Iniko had done it again. Cotton was the tenth person he’d managed to make cry in the past two hours. If he didn’t get ahold of his runaway mouth soon, he was going to be the most hated man in Miracle. Then again, Iniko was pretty sure he already held that title but he wasn’t about to start placing people in jobs they weren’t suited for.
He had a job to do and if that meant hurting people’s feelings to get it done…well, it was something everyone in town expected from him.
“Look, Cotton. What made you think you’d want to be a logger anyway? I thought you were enjoying learning to bake with Harper.” With as many people as they now had living in Miracle, they barely any homes built. People were therefore unable to make their own meals, so Jari had taken over making most of the meals and Harper did the baking.
It had quickly become apparent the two men couldn’t do it all on their own so they’d asked for volunteers to help. Cotton had taken to baking like a fish to water. “I had your chocolate molten cake the other day and it was to die for.”
That was all it took to change Cotton’s dejected look to morph into a beaming smile filled with excitement. “Did you notice the hint of orange zest in the filling?” Cotton asked him, practically bouncing up and down where he stood. “Harper told me it was a stroke of genius to add the orange.”