As much as he hated the prospect of his planned life, he didn’t want to disappoint his parents. That meant he still had a few years of freedom before he had to follow in his father’s steps and get married to a suitable young woman his mother would choose for him. The girl would be rich, pretty, and Noah would have to create a child with her.
He shuddered at the thought. Noah had nothing against women. He just didn’t want to deal with bits that were better kept hidden under clothes. He really didn’t know how he would manage to get his future wife pregnant. Maybe he could imagine he was in bed with another man. There was problem with that solution, though. Noah was a bottom. He’d tried to top, but he didn’t particularly enjoy it. He wouldn’t have a choice once he was married, though.
“Noah? Are you sure you’re fine?”
Noah looked up and realized both his parents were done eating while he’d only played with his food. “Ah, yes. Yes, I’m fine. Just tired, I read until late last night.”
“I hope it was something interesting,” his father intervened.
Noah nodded. “A US History, Father.” Noah tried to imagine what his father would have said if he’d said, the truth—he’d been reading a gay erotic romance—and the first thing that came in mind was anger.
His father nodded once before pushing away from the table and getting up. “I have work to do. Good night, Noah, Sharon.”
Noah waited for his father to be gone before slumping in his chair.
“Noah!”
“Mother, please.”
“You shouldn’t act as if you were alone in you room, you know that. You have to—”
“Keep in mind who I am at all times and act appropriately. I know, Mother, but I’m in my home. Surely I can relax at least here.”
His mother’s lips were pinched and Noah knew it meant she wasn’t happy. She delicately took her cup of coffee and took a sip before attacking. “Oh, honey. I met Gillian and her daughter today. Amber is just a year younger than you are and so pretty! You should have seen her, she wore a pale pink dress that highlighted her swirls so nicely.”
“Mother... I already told you I have no interest in girls, as pretty as they might be.”
“Oh, I know that’s what you think, honey, but we really should start looking for a suitable bride for you. It’s going to take a bit of time to find the perfect one, then you’ll have to be engaged for at least a year before you can get married. What about Eloise? She went to school with you.”
Noah shook his head and got up. “Mother, could you really listen to me for once? I don’t want to marry a girl I don’t even know!”
“That’s what the engagement period is for, honey. You’ll get to know her during that year, and I’m sure you’ll fall in love with her. Just look at your father and I.”
Noah knew his parents had been particularly lucky in their arranged marriage. They’d fallen in love soon after meeting, and they still were, as far as he could tell. He wanted that, too, and he knew he wouldn’t have it if he bent to his parents’ wishes. He wasn’t sure he had the strength to not do it, though.
“Sure, Mother. I’ll be in my room if you need me, but I’m pretty sure I’ll fall asleep as soon as I get into bed.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow then. Good night, honey.”
Noah leaned in and kissed his mother’s smooth cheek. She smelled of roses, just like she always had, and it reminded Noah of long hours spent with her when he was a child, reading and talking. He’s stopped spending so much time with her when he grew up, and sometimes he regretted not being as close to her as he once had been.
He left the dining room and climbed the stairs to his wing of the house. He entered his room and let himself fall onto the bed, his thoughts leaving his mother and going to what he was about to do. The canopy above his head held no answers to the questions flying in his mind, but it didn’t matter, not when his hand crept under his pillow and came out cradling a rigid piece of paper.
Duncan Teague, Addiction Therapist.
The name and title were followed by two addresses and phone numbers. The printed ones were clearly Duncan’s job place and his professional phone number, while the hand-written ones were where he lived and his private number. Noah had already looked for that address and had found out Duncan lived in the middle of the woods, but wasn’t isolated. There were several houses around his, so Noah would have to be careful not to be seen.
He’d solve his transportation problem by taking one of his father’s cars from the garage. He had permission to use the cheapest ones, but he had to take care not to be found out sneaking out so late at night when he was supposed to be sleeping, which was why he’d already moved the one he’d chosen right outside the gates. It was hidden in the woods now, and Noah just had to climb over the wall. He hoped he would be able to put it back where it belonged without anyone noticing its absence, and he knew he had a pretty good chance to do just that. His father had so many cars he never noticed when Noah took one. Noah just had to choose carefully and avoid the man’s favorite ones.
Noah got up and opened his dresser. He took out a worn pair of jeans and a T-shirt and quickly changed out of the suit his father insisted he wear most of the time. He wrapped his tail around his waist this time, knowing the T-shirt was long enough to hide it from human eyes.
Once he was ready, Noah slid the card Duncan had given him into his pocket and grabbed the paper sheet he’d printed the map he needed on. He folded it and pushed it in his pocket. The car keys were next, then Noah braided his long hair. He looked at himself in the mirror and was satisfied. Yes, his hair was blue, but it wouldn’t be noticeable in the dark, and he hoped no one would see him anyway. If they did, they’d only see a heavily tattooed guy with dark hair.
Nodding at his reflection, Noah turned the light off and headed to the French window.
* * * *
Duncan bounced up the stairs of the alpha’s house. He didn’t bother to knock—no one ever did. “Anyone home?”
“Kitchen!” Zach’s voice answered, so Duncan headed that way. He wasn’t surprised to see the room was far from empty. Zach was cooking with Jago while Kameron was sitting at the table with Thomas and his mate, Craig. Everyone but Jago turned to look at Duncan when he walked in.
“Hey, Duncan. You’re already back from Whitedell?” Craig asked.
Duncan slumped into one of the free chairs, choosing the one in front of his alpha. “Yeah. I need to talk to Kameron.”
“Oh?” the alpha asked. “What about?”
Duncan looked around the kitchen. He trusted all the men there, so he had no problems talking in front of them. “I need some free time.”
“Sure. Take all the time you want.”
“I also need permission to move to Whitedell for a while.”
That grabbed everyone’s attention. “Something wrong with Derick?” Kameron asked, and Duncan hurriedly shook his head.
“No, he’s fine. I just met my mate, and he probably lives around there.”
Duncan enjoyed the way the other men reacted very much. It made him feel part of a family, a family he’d never really had. Kameron leaned forward and clasped his arm while Zach squealed and kissed his cheek. Thomas’s smile wasn’t as wide as Jago’s, but he clapped Duncan’s shoulder. “Congrats, man. It was about time you found him.”
“A man, huh?” Kameron asked. Duncan nodded. “That’s not going to go down easy with your parents.”
Duncan grimaced. “Yeah, I know, but there’s nothing much I can do about that.” That was the only reason why Duncan had always hoped his mate would be a woman. He wasn’t looking forward to telling his parents the truth. “Do you think I could move in here for a while?”
“Of course you can. You can even have one of the upstairs guest rooms,” Zach declared.
Duncan couldn’t help it. He beamed and stood up before pulling the smaller man in his arms. Offering Duncan a room on the floor where the alpha couple
lived meant they considered him family, a brother, and Duncan knew it would help him a lot after his parents disowned him. It already did. “Thanks.”
“Okay, you can let him go now,” Kameron said and everyone laughed.
“Oops, sorry. You know I think of Zach like a pesky little brother, nothing more.”
“I know. Just wanted to remind you of that. So, tell us more about your mate.”
Duncan sat down again. “I don’t know much about him, actually. We met in the club yesterday night but he kind of ran away with his friend.”
“Do you have his phone number?”
“No, but I gave him mine, and Derick took the plate number of the car Noah was in, so if he doesn’t call, I’ll go look for him.”
“Let us know if we can do anything to help, either with your mate, or most of all with your parents. You know I won’t tolerate homophobia or any kind of bullying.”
Duncan nodded and relaxed in his seat. “Yeah, thanks.”
“And say hi to Derick for me. Tell him he’s always welcome here. We miss him.”
Zach placed a plate in front of Duncan and he smiled gratefully at him. Dinner was loud, filled with laughter and talk, at least until one of the men who were supposed to patrol the perimeter burst in the kitchen.
All the heads in the room turned toward Brent and Kameron stood. “What is it?”
“We caught someone, a guy. He was trying to get on the pack’s land. We brought him to the front of the house.”
Thomas and Craig jumped up along with Duncan. Kameron turned to him. “Duncan, stay with Zach and Jago inside the house.”
“If you’re sure.”
“Brent, do I need all three of them with me?”
“I don’t know. The guy doesn’t seem dangerous, even if he’s weird.”
“What do you mean, weird?”
“He has blue hair and strange tattoos just about everywhere I can see except his face.”
Duncan bolted. He didn’t need to hear anything more to know exactly who it was that had tried to get past the patrols.
“Duncan! What the fuck?”
Duncan hoped Kameron wouldn’t mind once he explained what had happened, but he couldn’t risk his mate being hurt. He ran to the front door and threw it open. His eyes immediately went to a small figure standing between two taller ones. Noah’s face snapped up at the sound of the door and relief flooded his face.
Duncan bounded down the stairs and opened his arms, engulfing Noah in them without giving Miguel and Daryl a second glance. “What are you doing here?”
Noah’s arms went around Duncan’s back. “You said to make good use of your card.”
“I meant for you to call, not to show up here.” Noah tried to step away, but Duncan held tight. “I’m happy to see you, though.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Duncan let Noah go but stayed close. By then Kameron and the other men had followed him outside and were looking at the two of them. “Uh, guys, this is Noah.”
“Your mate?” Jago asked, and Duncan groaned.
Noah’s eyes snapped to Jago. “What do you mean, his mate?”
“Oops.”
“Duncan? What does he mean?”
“Ah, well, maybe we should go somewhere and talk.” Duncan looked at Kameron and pleaded for help with his eyes. The alpha looked like he was about to laugh, but he just pointed to the house.
“Go ahead. You can have my office or any one of the free rooms.”
Duncan reached for Noah’s hand, but Noah moved away. “I’m not going anywhere with you until you tell what the heck is going on!”
Duncan desperately wanted to do that away from everyone else. He didn’t mind his friends so much, but he wasn’t as close to Brent, Miguel and Daryl, so he turned to them. “Guys, I think you can go back to your patrol.”
Brent looked like he wanted to argue, but a stern look from Kameron stopped him. The three left and Duncan tried to maneuver his mate toward the house. “Do you want to sit down?”
Noah stomped his foot, looking very much like a kid. “I want you to talk. Now!”
“I don’t envy, you, Duncan,” Jago said, and Noah’s gaze went to him. Duncan was sure Noah was about to attack, so he stepped in front of him and grabbed his arms.
“Let’s go inside, please. We can get more comfortable and I’ll answer all your questions.”
Noah opened his mouth, probably to be a brat again, so Duncan dragged him closer and pressed their lips together. Noah squeaked, but he didn’t try to push away, not even when Duncan licked his lower lip and slipped his tongue inside his mate’s mouth.
Once Noah’s body relaxed, Duncan moved away, but he kept his hands on his mate. “Can we go inside now?”
Noah nodded, so Duncan took his hand and pulled him along when he started climbing the stairs. The door was still open, so he walked in and steered Noah toward the living room. The other men followed, but Duncan didn’t look at them. He sat on the couch and pulled his mate down next to him.
Someone gasped and Jago’s voice rose in the otherwise silent living room. “Are those horns?”
* * * *
Noah swore. “Damn it!” His hands flew to his head as he tried to hide the horns, but he already knew it was too late. He’d been discovered.
So he pasted his best snotty expression on his face and turned to look at the tiny man who’d talked. “Yes, I have horns. What about you? Is that color from a bottle?”
Noah crossed his arms on his chest and waited. He wanted nothing more than to get back to his car and go home. This had obviously been a mistake, but he didn’t think Duncan would let him go that easily, not after the word mate had been said. Noah might have grown up in a relative isolation from the rest of the world, but his father had made him study it. He knew several paranormal creatures who had mates. He just couldn’t tell which kind Duncan belonged to.
The small man snarled and showed Noah his teeth, but Noah wasn’t afraid. He was more scared of what the other men in the room could do to him. Most of them were very big, and they would make only one bite out of him if they decided he was a menace.
“Jago,” one of them said, and even Noah could feel the undercurrent of power in his voice. He was clearly the one in charge.
“He insulted me!”
“Let him be,” Duncan said. “We need to talk.”
Noah was scared to look at Duncan. He knew horns weren’t common—obviously. Only demons had them, and demons didn’t have the best reputation with humans. Duncan might not be one, but he lived in the human world. Noah didn’t want the man to be afraid or disgusted by him.
The biggest man moved toward Noah and sat on the coffee table in front of him. Noah was mildly surprised to see that the piece of furniture held the guy’s weight without problems, but he kept his mouth shut when a nasty remark tried to make its way out. Noah hated how mouthy he became when he was scared.
“I’m Kameron.”
Noah looked at the offered hand as if the thing was a snake about to bite him. He looked up into Kameron’s copper eyes and tried to read them. The only thing he could see in them was curiosity, so he slowly held his own hand out and clasped Kameron’s. They shook, and Kameron pointed at the rest of the men in the room. “The red-head is Jago, the blond is Zach, my mate, and the other two are Craig and his mate, Thomas. You obviously already know Duncan.” Kameron smirked and Noah felt the need to blush.
He fought it as hard as he could and let his focus move over all of them to think about something else. He was surprised to see they were all men, and that even the leader was in a same-sex relationship. “I’m Noah Newcombie.”
“What are you?” Jago asked, and Noah opened his mouth to make another scalding remark. A hand on his thigh stopped him, and this time he did blush. He looked down to see Duncan’s hand on his leg. Noah wasn’t use to that type of casual physical contact. It wasn’t something that was done
in his world, in the house he grew up in.
“I don’t know why you seem to have something against Jago, but he’s only asking the question all of us want to hear the answer to,” Duncan said.
Noah straightened and looked at the man. “I’ll tell you when you tell me what you are.”
“That’s fair. I’m a wolf shifter.”
Noah looked around again. “All of you?”
“No. Craig is human and Jago is an Elephant Shrew shifter.”
Noah crinkled his nose. “What’s that?”
“I’ll explain later, okay?”
“Fine.” Noah paused and looked down. He knew he had no choice but to tell them what he was. He just hoped they wouldn’t take it badly. “I’m a demon.”
The room was silent and Noah risked a peek around. He’d expected fear and maybe anger, but he couldn’t see any of that in the men surrounding him.
“Wait, there are demons, too?” the guy Kameron had presented as his mate said.
“Obviously,” Thomas drawled, earning himself an elbow in the ribs from his mate.
“Cool.”
Zach flopped next to Kameron on the coffee table. “Can I touch them?”
“Zach!”
“Oh, come on, Kam. How many times did you meet a demon?”
“You know it’s the first time.”
“And don’t you want to touch his horns?”
Noah bit his cheek to avoid laughing at the alpha and looked at Zach. “Sure. You can touch.”
The guy’s face lit up and he started to bounce up and down. “Really?”
Noah nodded. “Yeah.” He tilted his head forward to expose the horns even more. They were just above his temples, hidden in his hair for the most part, but the fact that he’d braided it exposed them a bit more than usual, which was why Jago had noticed them.
He felt fingers skim over his hair, but he couldn’t feel them on the horns, even if he knew Zach was touching them. Noah was still tense, waiting for someone to kick him out, to start yelling, but the men around him seemed to have accepted what he was easily. They’d been surprised, but that was all.
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