by Shea Balik
Frowning, Elton nodded. “Yeah. What about it?” It hadn’t been one of his favorite places to live. Of course, part of that had to do with his determination to change.
“For six months you refused to do anything that would call attention to yourself.” It had been awful. “No makeup. No clothes that might be consider girly.” Kylo chuckled. “You refused to even look at another man.”
It was hell on earth.
“Did you know Greyson, Teddy, Ward, and I placed bets on how long you’d last, what would cause you to revert back and how outlandish you’d be?” Kylo grinned. “I won for how long you’d last and what would cause you to revert back.”
Elton felt his jaw drop. He wasn’t sure what shocked him more, that his friends were placing bets against him, or that Kylo had known what would finally shove him over the edge into insanity. “You knew that I would go to the rodeo, try to jump on a bull rider and shout, ‘Come on big guy, I can show you what it’s like to be ridden and I promise it will take a hell of a lot longer than 8 seconds,’ before sucking his tongue down my throat wearing only a pair of skimpy jean shorts and a tank top that said will ride for free?”
Kylo grabbed his stomach, while laughing too hard. “Oh, my gods, stop. It’s too much.” This time, it took his friend a good five minutes to stop as tears ran down his face from laughing so much. “If only I had been smart enough to think of bringing one of those video cameras. Or better yet, I wish smart phones had been invented, then I would be able to play it whenever I needed a good laugh.”
“It wasn’t funny.” Elton scowled at his friend. “That guy chased me for a mile before finally giving up and that was only because he had to get ready for the bull riding competition. The guy was as big as a fucking bear and would have crushed me with one hand tied behind his back.”
Kylo shrugged. “We would have stopped him. And to answer your question, no, I had no idea you’d snap that spectacularly. That’s why no one won the final bet.”
“How did you know I’d last six months?” To this day, Elton had been shocked by how long he’d maintained his boring demeanor. Talk about being dull. He’d worn jeans and flannel shirts in the winter, switching to plain dark colored t-shirts as it got warmer.
Every day, he went to work, came home, ate, watched some stupid show on tv and went to bed. He might as well have been dead for all the fun that hadn’t been.
Kylo’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “Because when we moved there, I saw the posters still up from the previous year’s rodeo. No way were you going to be able to control yourself at a rodeo.”
So damn true. From the moment Elton had seen the posters for that rodeo being put up the month before, it had been like every cell in his body had started humming in excitement. By the time the weekend arrived, he was jumping out of his skin.
It wasn’t until that bull rider started to chase him that Elton even realized he’d put on the skimpy, suggestive outfit or flirted with nearly every guy in a pair of chaps he came across. He’d been like a kid in a candy store, drooling over each of the tasty treats.
“What you’re saying is I can’t control myself.” It killed Elton to know that’s how his friends saw him. How the world saw him. Who was he kidding? It was how he saw himself.
“No,” Kylo exclaimed. “Well, okay, technically, yes. You and self-control,” Kylo wrinkled his nose, “not about to happen. But that wasn’t my point.”
“Does it matter?” Elton hadn’t believed he had a heart left to break, but apparently, he did. “It still means my mate will never want me.”
“Fuck him,” Kylo said vehemently. “And yes, I’m swearing. Get over it.”
If Elton wasn’t so depressed, he would have found his friend’s sudden spine highly amusing, but it only served to remind him that he was, once again, responsible for their lives going to shit.
“He’s an idiot.” Kylo reached over and placed his hand on Elton’s “While you are an amazing person who refuses not to take life by the horns and ride it for all its worth. That, my friend, is worth more than a few burns, or moving around the country a few times.”
A snort from deep in his belly erupted from Elton’s mouth. “A few? The longest place we stayed was North Dakota when I tried to be ‘normal.’ Let’s face it, you all would have been better off without me.” It killed him to admit that, but it didn’t make it less true. “And, if I’m being honest, Wray will be better off without me, too.”
“No, I won’t.”
Elton’s head turned so fast behind him to where the voice came from, he’d gotten a little dizzy. The next thing he knew, he was falling backward, but his feet caught on the underside of the picnic table, causing him to end up doing a backbend over the bench.
Glaring up at the sky, he grumbled, “Really? You can’t give me a break, just once?”
But he’d forgotten all about his humiliation when the most heavenly sound surrounded him as his mate chuckled. It wasn’t a full laugh, but it was a start. A good one, too, if Elton’s hard as nails cock was anything to go by.
CHAPTER 7
Wray was caught between horrified at what he’d said and humor as his mate appeared disgruntled at ending up sprawled backwards over the bench. Unable hold it in, Wray found himself laughing, feeling lighter than he had in… well, ever.
He didn’t really remember much before he’d gone on that first hunt at five. Since then, he’d been plagued with remorse that his own people plotted to kill other shifters, fear at being caught helping those shifters when he’d gotten older, terror when he’d realized his parents had every intention of killing him that day he’d been found out, and anxiety of having to conceal everything about himself in order to stay hidden from his cackle.
For the past week, he’d struggled with what he should do, while every second his hyena growled at him to find their mate and beg him to forgive his cruel behavior. In the end, he’d had to at least see Elton. It was all he’d planned, for no matter how many people told him he was stupid, crazy, a moron, and a dozen other insults, Wray refused to drag his mate into danger by claiming him.
Images of Elton being shredded apart by his cackle kept him from doing anything rash. Like finding his mate, ripping off his clothes so he could feast on all that delicious pale, pink tinged flesh, before plunging balls deep into that tight, mouthwatering ass and making him Wray’s for all eternity.
Yet, he’d thrown all his control away when he’d heard the dejection in his mate’s voice as he told Kylo everyone would be better off without him. What kind of mate would he be to allow Elton to believe that?
A fucked up one.
Admittedly, Wray was probably as fucked up as they come, but not even he could stand to hear his mate talk like that. Elton was meant to be as outlandish and vivacious as possible.
“You know you could stop laughing and help me,” Elton groused as he struggled to sit upright, which he might have accomplished if Kylo weren’t trying to help him.
Wray had no idea how they managed to move in opposite directions. But each time he tried to sit the end result was Elton falling back, wincing as his foot was still caught by a piece of wood.
He was shaking his head in wonder at how the pair ever managed to survive being chased if this was how they handled something so simple. It was as if the two were performing some sort of comedy act.
First, he needed to talk to his mate and clear the air. It would be challenging to keep Elton from the clutches of his cackle, but he was starting to realize it would be worth every sleepless night to have Elton curled up next to him.
Striding over to Elton’s sprawled form, Wray bent down and reached under the table to first free his foot, then he gently pulled him off the bench and straight into his arms. The moment Elton’s tall, yet slim body was cradled against his chest, it was as if something clicked within Wray.
Mind numbing terror filled him that he wouldn’t be able to keep this amazing man safe, who not only was filled with unrepentant energy, but actually br
ought that zest for life to others. It was why Wray had kept his distance. Why he’d nearly killed that part about his mate he loved so much.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered fervently. “I know I don’t deserve it, but would it be okay if we talked?”
Stunned, translucent green eyes stared at him as Elton nodded.
Not having planned to even speak to his mate, much less beg for forgiveness, as well as another chance, Wray wasn’t quite sure where to take Elton for some privacy. The little stream came to mind and he headed in that direction, hoping it wasn’t filled with bad memories from their last talk.
***
“Are you going to speak, or just sit there staring at the water?” Elton said as they’d been sitting side by side on the rock for the past fifteen minutes.
Wray found himself chuckling. The sound was just as foreign as his laughter from earlier. “You amaze me, you know?”
For a brief instant, Elton’s face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. Then, he frowned before ending up scowling. “I suppose that was another dig at my inability to sit still.”
If he could, Wray would kick his own ass for causing his mate to feel as if he were anything but the fabulously gregarious man that he was. “No, bubbly. I meant I’m a predator, and you…” Wray could tell by the anger simmering in Elton’s eyes that he needed to tread lightly. “Well, let’s face it, you aren’t exactly a bird of prey.”
He held up his hand stop Elton when he opened his mouth clearly ready to argue. “Wait. Let me finish.” Letting out a sigh when Elton sealed his lips once more, Wray said, “I just mean, in nature, I should be the brave one, yet, I’ve been the one hiding, too afraid to even claim my mate and you…”
Wray smiled at Elton, who even toned down without any makeup on and his hair in a ponytail, still outshone everyone in Miracle. “You not only refuse to be anyone but who you are, you bring life to everyone around you. I’m in awe of you.”
He must have said the right thing, watching as joy filled those light green eyes, causing them to shine as bright as the sun. “Do you really mean that?”
There was so much hope in that one question. Wray opened his mouth to assure his mate he not only meant it, he hoped some of Elton’s vibrancy would rub off on him, when a sound echoed through the trees that sent fear unlike any he’d known before to race up and down his spine.
“Is that…” Elton’s eyes grew wide as he whipped his head around for the source of the sound. His mate swallowed loudly. “Cackling?”
“Promise me, if you get the chance, you’ll run,” Wray demanded even as he stood and stepped in front of Elton, prepared to die to save his mate.
When ten hyena shifters stepped out of the trees, Elton’s hand reached out to grasp his as he whispered fiercely, “Only if you promise to go with me.”
Dread filled every cell of Wray’s body at his mate’s announcement. No way was he going to allow his mate to die because of him.
Then, the two people who had tried to kill him all those years ago stepped out of the trees. Anger, rage, and pure unadulterated hatred flooded his body. He used to question how he could feel that way about his own parents, but their drive to end his life killed any love he may have felt for them in the past.
“Look, Aroon,” Wray’s mother, Narra, said to her husband. “Wray brought us a snack.”
Wray’s fingers tightened their grip around Elton’s hand, warning him to remain silent. “What are you two doing here?”
Aroon threw back his head and gave a completely fake laugh. “Now, son, is that any way to greet your parents?”
Wray didn’t fall for the bait. “You stopped being my parents the day you took me on that first hunt. Now, I suggest you leave.”
No way would it be that easy, but Wray had to try. Protecting his mate was all that mattered.
His mom lifted her hand up with her fingers curled toward her as if she were studying her fingernails. Wray wasn’t fooled for a moment, as she took in everything about Wray and Elton, sizing them up. “Now, why would we do that, son?” emphasizing the last word to try and irritate Wray.
Little did she know nothing they did any longer upset him. Added to the fact that his mate’s life was at stake, nothing she could say to him was going to get under his skin. He may have only been in Saber’s troop for a few decades, but they had taught him everything he needed to know about fighting, including not letting his opponent goad him into doing something rash.
“Because I’m a part of Saber Thorsen’s troop now. You know, the new Council Leader. Killing me would be like signing your death warrants.” Saber protected his own. No one touched a hair on his troop without the ape exacting revenge.
When his parents both laughed in earnest, the rest of the cackle joined in, the sound ominous as it rang throughout the forest. “I don’t think so, son,” his mom said between bouts of laughter. “See, we’re not here just to kill you, although, it is our first goal. Nor are we alone.”
Raw terror swept through him as he squeezed Elton’s hand painfully hard. “Run,” he begged his mate. “You have to warn the others.”
But his mate only got up to his feet to stand next to Wray. “If you think I’m going to let this bunch of twittering idiots try to kill you, you all are out of your fucking minds.” Elton gasped. “Oh, my Gods, I get it now.” Elton literally jumped up and down, clapping as he beamed at Wray.
“It’s not about my mind actually fucking,” he exclaimed. “but about being crazy.” Elton pointed to Wray’s parents. “Normally, I’m not one to throw that word around as it tends to hurt people’s feelings, but in the case of your parents, crazy seems kind of tame. Insane, demented, even deranged are more appropriate but why split hairs on the name calling?”
Wray wanted to close his eyes in dismay. Well, if he was being honest, he had to admit to wanting to laugh at the looks of rage on his parents’ faces as Elton insulted them. But there was no way he would be able to get Elton out of this alive if his mate continued to antagonize them.
Narra sneered at Elton. “I’m going to enjoy tearing you apart piece by piece.”
Elton grinned at her as if she hadn’t just told him she was going to kill him. “As far as threats go,” Elton said with a shrug, “I have to admit it was kind of lame. I mean, you took your five-year-old on a hunt for shifters. Then, when he was older, you beat him and left him for dead. I figured anyone that cray-cray would at the very least come up with something a little more original for a threat.”
His mate tapped a finger against his bottom lip three times and then nodded as if having decided something. “Sorry, I’m going to have to give it a five on a scale of ten. It lacked any creativity,” he told her. “I mean, I once had a turkey shifter tell me that he’d flay my skin from body, then open me completely up so he could play in my entrails.”
Elton gave a body shiver. “Talk about imagery. As dumb as turkey shifters are, even he was better at this than you are.” His mate shook his head sadly. “But I’ll tell you what, since you are Wray’s parents, I’ll give you another shot, but I’m warning you, this better be good.”
Sure his mate had lost his damned mind, Wray was tempted to clamp a hand over his mouth to shut him the hell up. That’s when a scent washed over him. Saber was somewhere near.
His gaze scanned the woods behind his old cackle. It took him nearly a full minute as Elton continued to insult Wray’s parents to find Edrick and at least a dozen others surrounding the hyenas, including Pryor and Draco from his troop. How?
When he gave his mate a sideways glance, Elton smirked at him as if he’d known all along what was going on.
A chuckle burst from his mouth, pissing off his parents for daring to laugh at them while Elton continued his verbal assault. “You, my mate, are truly amazing, funny, and I’m honored to know that fate made me yours.”
This time, he not only meant it, but Wray had no more doubts about claiming this feisty man.
CHAPTER 8
Elton p
reened under his mate’s praise. He didn’t even mind that Wray had clearly thought he was off his rocker as he’d taunted his sadistic parents. Would it have been nice if his mate hadn’t assumed the worst? Sure.
Then again, his crazy-assed parents were threatening to kill them both. Elton decided to assume Wray was too worried to be thinking clearly. His mate would get a pass – this time.
Now that the cavalry was there, it was time to try and find out more about the reinforcements Wray’s parents had claimed to have. His mate must have been thinking the same thing as he asked, “How did you even find me?”
“Please,” his mother bit out. “Leave it to you to end up in this immoral town. The moment we heard about this den of sin, we contacted other packs who wanted this place destroyed, as well as that depraved, self-proclaimed Council Leader.”
Elton was sick of being people wanting him dead simply because he liked men. “Tell me, is the fact that your son likes to fuck me really that insulting to you?”
Wray’s father frowned. “What? I don’t give a crap if he fucks men or women.” Then he sneered at Elton. “But I’ll be damned if he fucks a filthy flamingo.”
Confused as shit, Elton glanced over at his mate, who thankfully explained. “Hyenas are one of the few shifters who don’t care about sexuality, but they refuse to allow mixing of breeds in any way. That includes being friends with anyone but a hyena.”
Elton nearly congratulated the hyenas for not having a problem with sexuality, but it didn’t change the fact that they were willing to kill for mixing races. It might not be the type of hate he was used to, but it was still bigotry.
“By the end of the week, everyone will be here, and we’ll reinstitute the old laws again,” Wray’s mother promised. Then she snarled at Elton. “Not that you’ll be around to see it.”
Without another word, Wray’s parents came at them. His mate pushed Elton behind him and slashed out, his sharp claws raking across this mother’s chest. Stunned Wray attacked his mother first, Elton barely managed to roll out of the way as his mate’s father tried to pounce on Elton.