by Fel Fern
Darkfall Mountain Pack 8
Saving Riley
Riley Stevens is a deficient Omega who can’t shift. Even worse, Riley has no reliable mate or pack to fall back on. Taken by human scientists eager to take apart and study the supernatural, Riley thinks all hope is lost...until the transport convoy he's in is attacked by a powerful dominant werewolf.
Zack Simmons is supposed to be watching the Darkfall Mountain Pack’s borders and warn off intruders. When his wolf catches wind of Riley’s scent, Zack abandons his post and attacks a human convoy. It's strange, Zack is usually calm and logical, but something about Riley calls to the dormant primitive urges within him to protect and keep. It's full moon season and he suspects Riley is his mate. But Zack has never committed himself to one man before and Riley is terrified to trust again. Can they make things work?
Genre: Alternative (M/M, Gay), Paranormal, Shape-shifter
Length: 21,460 words
SAVING RILEY
Darkfall Mountain Pack 8
Fel Fern
EROTIC ROMANCE
MANLOVE
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Erotic Romance ManLove
SAVING RILEY
Copyright © 2016 by Fel Fern
E-book ISBN: 978-1-68295-212-2
First E-book Publication: May 2016
Cover design by Harris Channing
All art and logo copyright © 2016 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
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Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
About the Author
SAVING RILEY
Darkfall Mountain Pack 8
FEL FERN
Copyright © 2016
Chapter One
Riley Stevens nervously checked his reflection in the side mirror of his car. A young man in his midtwenties stared back at him, slender, blond, and blue-eyed. He would have fit the standard profile of any eligible male Omega, a must-have for any wolf pack.
Too bad Riley didn’t possess the complete package. He nearly jumped when his cell phone vibrated on the dashboard. Seeing his mother’s number, he sighed, debating whether to answer or blow her off. Since she set up this blind date, he answered.
“Riley, where are you? You’re supposed to be meeting Warren in about five minutes.”
Riley winced at the sharpness of her voice. He calmed himself before answering. “I’m in my car, about to meet him right now.”
Damn it, a grown man shouldn’t be relying on his mother to set him up with dates but she had a point. Riley wasn’t getting any younger. Having grown up spurred and rejected in his parents’ pack for being a disappointment, a deficient Omega unable to shift, Riley managed to convince them to let him go his own way.
He’d dated a lot, mixed in a couple of one-night stands and hook-ups too with humans, shifters and other paranormals. Riley expected to feel that tingling sensation werewolves felt when they sensed their mate nearby. Nothing magical happened. Cold reality hit. Those men only wanted one thing—his body, but his heart they could do without. After Riley’s failure of a relationship where he thought he was actually going with a dominant werebear, his mother stepped in.
Riley ran a hand through his shaggy hair, listening with half an ear while his mother went on about how grateful he should be Warren agreed to the meeting. From the side mirror, he spotted a blue sedan parked two cars behind him. Riley frowned. Why did it seem that car followed him from his apartment?
“He couldn’t make out the driver, but the outline suggested it was a male. God, but he was getting paranoid. Did he dread the blind date so much?
“Riley, just don’t screw this up. Your father and I are looking forward to doting on grandchildren,” she finally added. It was the last nail in his coffin.
Being a male Omega capable of being pregnant should have made Riley the hottest thing in the werewolf market. The healer in the Northfield wolf pack assured his parents that while Riley hadn’t managed his first shift, nothing else about him was flawed. Tough luck.
“I’ll call you again, Mom.” Riley ended the call, feeling worse, apprehensive even. “I might as well get this over with.”
He got out of his car, peering outside the windows of the coffee house, before entering. A busy-looking silver-haired man in a suit was on a phone, with the same features on the photo his mother sent him. Warren, his last name Riley had forgotten. He glanced at his own casual wear—a plain shirt, jeans and sneakers.
Should he have worn something more date-appropriate? Riley felt comfortable in these though, since he’d just gotten off his shift at the café. Warren, his mother never failed to repeat, was an influential local business owner in town. While the dominant werewolf didn’t belong to the Northfield wolf pack like Riley or his parents, Warren had connections with humans and supernatural denizens who held power and position.
With a deep breath, he pushed his way in. Warren didn’t even look up until he cleared his voice. Annoyed, Warren
put down his phone. His brown eyes lit up when he saw Riley. Riley felt uncomfortable being seized up like that, as if Warren saw him as an object as opposed to a real person.
“Very nice indeed. Your mother hadn’t been exaggerating,” Warren said, licking his lips.
Riley prevented himself from shuddering in revulsion when Warren reached out, large hand settling on the curve of his ass like he was merchandise on display. “Have a seat, Omega.”
Not bothering to order anything, Riley sat and decided he didn’t want to waste any unnecessary time with this jerk. What was his mother thinking? Mating was a scared thing, more permanent than any binding marriage contract. Worse, shifters mated for life. Riley wasn’t desperate enough to become some asshole’s fuck toy, which this guy apparently thought all he was good for, being deficient and all.
“Why don’t we take this to somewhere more private?” Warren suggested.
Riley blinked. Did he miss a huge portion of the conversation? His wolf snarled when Warren gripped his wrist. Warren leaned in close to his ear to whisper, “I want to break in my new bitch first.”
Pissed, Riley grabbed Warren’s still-steaming hot cup of coffee, spilling the liquid all over the jerk’s suit. Yelping, Warren released him, making a grab for the napkins to wipe at the best.
“You clumsy piece of shit,” Warren yelled. “You’re going to pay for this.”
Not waiting to see what happened next, Riley made a run for the doors. He heard an angry snarl behind him. Knowing Warren would want retribution, he fumbled for the keys in his jeans pocket. Maybe he’d disappear from the town of Northfield for a little while. Embarrassing Warren like that would have serious repercussions, because the asshole had connections. Dominant wolves especially, possessed a lengthy memory and a ton of pride.
Riley considered packing an overnight bag and attempting what all young shifters living in Northfield were warned never to do—drive over to the mountains, to the next town. Remembering the rumors surrounding the town of Darkfall, he shivered.
A bloodthirsty wolf pack claimed that territory and all kinds of scary tales floated around, tales about what they did to outsiders stupid enough to cause trouble on their land. Hell, those stories ranged from the crazy to the impossible, from how they dealt with serial killers and fanatical human hunters. Some of it had to be true, but by going there, Riley knew Warren or his parents wouldn’t be able to follow.
Resolved to disappear, Riley headed for his car. The blue sedan was still there, the nondescript driver munching fries. He shook his head. This day was getting on his nerves. Once he got into Darkfall, he’d contact his mother. Tell her he was done with these ridiculous blind dates, that he’d rather die alone as opposed to being some asshole’s fuck toy.
Tears blurred at the corners of Riley’s eyes. Angry, he wiped them off and headed to his apartment. He had enough of living to someone else’s expectations. His parents didn’t expect much out of him. Riley graduated high school, went to the local town college, but never finished his degree or pursued his dream of becoming an artist. Instead, he endured one meeting after another, meeting prospective mates eager to have an Omega on their breeding roster.
Some Omegas were taken care of by their possessive mates, essentially living like kept mistresses. His parents convinced Riley to put all his focus on finding a mate who he could live comfortably without. It sickened Riley to think the wolf community still thought in those medieval terms. Instead, he kept his job as a barista and placed some distance between himself and his parents. Nonetheless, shifters came in pairs. Loneliness often hit Riley at the oddest times, making him wonder why the hell fate would make him a flawed Omega.
Reaching his street, Riley parked his car. From the corner of his eye, he glimpsed the blue sedan. He froze. Two men got out, looking nothing out of the ordinary in their dark clothes, but something about them felt off. Despite their attempts at blending in, they were huge and practically screamed trouble. Wait, Warren couldn’t have sent them, could he? Riley saw that car before the date.
When both men began to walk in his direction, Riley’s wolf told him to run. He ran, but despite smelling like humans, the first man caught him, wrapping thick arms around his chest. The second came up to the side of him. Something glinted under the afternoon sun—a needle and a syringe. Panicked, Riley tried to fight them off, but Omegas weren’t really known for their strength or power. He kicked and attempted to scream, but the first goon clamped his hand over Riley’s mouth.
“Don’t struggle, puppy. Schmidt likes it too much if you do,” the first hissed in his ear.
Riley could smell arousal on the second. Oh God. Who the hell were these men? What had he gotten himself into? Schmidt jabbed the syringe into the side of Riley’s neck. Riley felt the drug kicking in. What was in that?
He might not be a powerful shifter, but few modern drugs worked on his kind. That formula had to be something specially made to contain them. Riley’s vision swayed. His limbs felt like lead. He wasn’t aware of sliding against his captor. The goon released his hand over Riley’s mouth. Riley fought to remain awake, but his body began to shut down.
With a grunt, the first goon tossed Riley over his shoulder like Riley didn’t weigh a thing. Riley could hear the second propping the trunk of the sedan open. He wanted to scream, but his jaws and mouth wouldn’t work.
They had guts to take him in broad daylight. That wasn’t good news. His parents often warned Riley to pick a mate strong enough to protect him. Riley asserted he could defend himself. Were the fates laughing at him now? Despair filled Riley as the goons slammed the trunk shut. Hearing the engine start seconds later, Riley fell unconscious.
* * * *
The next time Riley woke, he thought he’d dreamt it all. First, a date gone wrong then his kidnapping, it all sounded too surreal to be real. He peeled his eyes opened, wondering why his entire body felt so stiff. A second later, he realized he was propped up against some kind of bench.
Silver-lined cuffs had been slapped on his wrists and were connected by a thin chain to matching shackles on his ankles. Riley snuffed back a scream. When he looked around him in panic, he saw other captives sitting on his bench and the one in front of him. Tires squealed. With a pang, Riley realized they were all on some kind of convoy.
“Oh God,” Riley whispered. “What’s happening? Why did they take us? Who took us?”
So many questions raced in his head. Miserable faces didn’t look at him. Finally, the prisoner in front of him answered. “To hell or some kind of testing facility.”
“Humans took us, right?”
“Scientists,” the other prisoner answered glumly.
Riley’s stomach churned. The reveal of the supernatural might have occurred before he was born, but until now, not everyone embraced their presence. The area he lived in might be more forthcoming to integration, but he knew there were millions out there who embraced the “Humans First” movement. Were these mysterious scientists part of that movement?
“Is everyone here an Omega?” Riley asked.
The other man shook his head. “I’ve asked. There’s no particular preference.”
“Do you have any idea where they’re taking us?”
The man shook his head, nodding to something, the upper corner of the convoy. Riley followed his gaze to see a tiny camera probably recording their conversation. A quick look around the convoy showed him more cameras watching them from all angles. He slumped against the wall, but he refused to admit defeat like some of the captives there. A woman prayed out loud, another man wept silent tears. At least the guy he spoke to looked lively enough.
Riley thought about his parents. Surely, Warren would bitch to his mother about his behavior. How long would it take for his parents to decipher he was missing? But Riley had withdrawn from the Northfield pack. Would they get to work on his disappearance? Would his parents do a thing, knowing he was a disappointment, or was Riley essentially alone in this fight?
He let out
a breath. Did the humans pick him and the others, because they were isolated individuals without anyone to turn to? That seemed the most logical way to go about this. One thing was certain, if he were to concoct some kind of half-baked escape plan, it had to happen before they were taken to whatever facilities these human ran. Riley had a feeling whoever was in charge ran his operations efficiently and effectively.
The other man met his gaze. How the hell would they be able to communicate if they were being watched?
Chapter Two
“Zack are you sure about this? You don’t need to take over my duties,” protested Matt, Zack’s best friend and pack mate.
“It’s fine. I like being busy, plus Jordie’s been complaining you spend way too much time in the woods,” Zack pointed out.
His younger brother, Jordie, glanced up from reaching the morning paper across the breakfast table.
“Zack,” Jordie complained. “I told you that in secrecy.”
Laughing, Matt leaned over to give Jordie a kiss on the cheek. “You miss me, pet?”
“Oh screw you, Matt.”
“What did you say, little human?”
Witnessing their usual bickering, a strange shot of longing shot through Zack. Was it only two months ago Zack found out his best friend was banging his little brother? Zack remembered how he’d reacted once he learned they were keeping it from him. He’d overreacted, assumed the worst out of Matt, and challenged his best friend in an official duel in front of the entire pack.