by Lynn Hagen
“He’ll be fine. Thanks.” Cody shook the doctor’s hand.
The wolf doctor took his leave as Cody sat down next to Keata.
“I sleepy.” Keata yawned as he snuggled down under the blanket.
Chapter Seven
“Seems they were followers of Jackson’s.” Maverick informed his Sentries. Too bad he survived Oliver’s staking. It seemed the ex-Alpha just kept coming back to bite them in the ass.
“Why would they attack one wolf and two humans?” Tank wished he could sink his teeth into them again. When he emerged from those woods and saw Keata being attacked, his heart nearly stopped beating. Keata was only five two, a hundred pounds soaking wet. The sight of him laying there being attacked burned into Tank’s memory.
“Had a grudge against Oliver for Jackson’s capture. The crazy bastard was planning to re-challenge Zeus but with a little help and a lot of dirty fighting involved. Zeus took them back to his pack to be dealt with. I think they were the guys at the marina Paul told us about.” Maverick couldn’t figure out for the life of him why Jasper didn’t follow the Alpha, instead he insisted on returning here.
Jasper needed to let Cody go. He understood the pain Jasper was feeling, but he was making matters worse. Zeus damn near dragged Jasper with him, howling when his intended mate followed Maverick. Cody and Jasper should have never crossed that line from friendship to lovers. It made separating almost impossible.
“Are there more followers?” Micah asked his Alpha, throwing his arm over the back of the leather couch as he stretched his legs. They needed to find out who broke off from Jackson’s pack when he was dethroned, everyone was a suspect as far as Micah was concerned. His temper flared at the thought of Oliver and Keata being hurt.
“That’s what Zeus is looking into now. Just be aware of the possible threat, and keep two eyes on the mates, especially Cecil.” Maverick rolled his eyes as he thought of his wayward mate. The guy found more ways to get into trouble and elude the warriors than Maverick cared to think about. He would make sure he warned his mate of what was going on. Maybe Cecil would get it into his head to behave. Maverick snorted. Yeah, right. “Okay, guys, back to patrol. Watch your backs.” Maverick cleared his throat. “By the way, before you go. Zeus is sending one of his soldiers as a replacement for when his mate, Jasper, finally decides to join him.”
“What?” Jasper shot off the couch. “Why would he do something like that? I didn’t even agree.”
This was all Maverick needed. He wasn’t going to get into it with the Sentry. He had already accepted the other Alpha’s offer. Jasper would just have to get over it.
“Calm down, Jasper,” Tank said, coming up beside him, “Maverick didn’t say he was shipping you off…yet.” Tank wiggled his eyebrows.
Jasper threw his hand up, not wanting to hear it. Tank had never heard of a wolf refusing his mate before. This was one for the records.
“Whatever.” Jasper stormed out of Maverick’s office in a huff.
The other Sentries just shook their heads, thankful Jasper wasn’t their headache and at the same time sympathizing with the poor guy.
“He’ll be here tomorrow. His name is Jason Colt. I’ll do introductions once he arrives.” Maverick waved his hand to dismiss the pack.
Oliver wrestled with the words Kyoshi had assigned today in their makeshift class. He thought once he was done with high school, he’d be done with school. As much as he wanted to complain, it was his idea. He hadn’t realized learning another language would be so dang hard.
“Hmm, you look like you could use a break.” Micah wrapped his arms around Oliver, kissing his neck.
“Yeah, break.” Oliver panted. He leaned his back into Micah’s chest as his mate unsnapped his jeans then snaked his hands down to grab a hand full of cock. Oliver sucked in his breath through his teeth. He would never get enough of Micah.
Micah nibbled up his neck and sucked on his ear lobe, his breath exciting Oliver’s cock to full attention. Micah pulled the jeans off and pushed Oliver forward so his mate leaned over the bed, kicking his legs apart. Micah ran his fingers down Oliver’s crease then stopped.
Oliver grinned when he heard Micah inhale. He knew what his mate was looking at.
“When did you get a butt plug?”
“Internet. Came today.” Oliver hitched his right leg up onto the bed.
Micah pulled at the plug, wiggling it around.
“God, yes.” Oliver moaned.
Micah pulled it free, lubing his cock as his mate sunk all the way in.
“Fuck me, Micah. Hard,” Oliver pleaded.
Micah grabbed Oliver’s hips as he thrust into him, pulling Oliver a little higher on the bed for leverage. His mate reached around, grabbing Oliver’s cock with his lubed hand and matched the rhythm to his thrusts.
“Gonna” He erupted hot seed into Micah’s hand before he finished what he was going to say.
Stiffening, Micah cried his release, falling onto Oliver’s back. They lay there out of breath and sweaty.
“Now that was a break.” Oliver smiled.
Oliver browsed the bookshelves in the local bookstore in town. He had been here a few times and become friends with the owner, Murphy. The guy was pretty cool. He had a wide selection that Oliver always took his time looking through. For some reason, Murphy told him that the mates weren’t allowed in the adult section, something Maverick had forbidden.
“I got those Japenese Manga books in that you ordered, Oliver,” Murphy called to him from behind the counter.
“Cool, Keata’s gonna love them. Did you get all six of them?” Oliver strolled over to the counter and leaned over, trying to spot them.
“Yep, I even ordered a different set. Should be in next week.” Murphy went to the backroom then reappeared with the books in his hand. Oliver took one and flipped through it. He had no idea what they said since he didn’t read Japanese, but he knew Keata would have a fun time with them.
“You have to read them from back to front. Mangas are set up differently.” Murphy picked up one of the books and showed Oliver the order in which it’s read. How can anyone remember to read it that way? Not only was it from back to front but the pages were opposite as well.
“Not hard once you get the hang of it.” The store owner chuckled.
“If you say so. I’m gonna go find the next book in the series I’m reading.” Oliver went back to his search.
The bells tinkled above the door as Oliver ran his fingers along the spines of the books he was looking through.
“Hey, Oliver. Gonna be much longer?” Gunnar yelled from somewhere up front. The Sentries elected to wait outside to give Oliver his room to breathe and feel a little less babysat. Gunnar and Murdock had volunteered to escort Oliver into town to get some shopping done while Micah was out on patrol. Six Sentries always patrolled the surrounding forest of the estate to ensure no threat existed while the mates lived there. Mates were cherished above all else and were protected fiercely.
“Almost, Gunnar. Just trying to find my book.” Oliver finally found what he was looking for, and he was even lucky enough to find the next two in the series. Wicked.
“Murdock wanted to stop for lunch if you aren’t in a hurry to get back.”
Oliver walked to the front to see Gunnar leaning casually against the counter. With the size of the wolf, he was surprised it held him. Oliver laid his books on the counter and Murphy set the Manga along with it, ringing up his total.
“I have a special running all next week. Buy one get one half off. If you want to, tell Drew and Cecil about it.” Murphy informed him as Oliver paid for his purchases. The mates often wandered in here. The bookstore owner had to keep an eye on Cecil though. He would try and sneak over to the adult books to try and read through them when the others had their backs turned.
“I’ll let them know. Thanks, Murphy.” Oliver smiled as he grabbed his bag.
“Always a pleasure, Oliver.” Murphy waved at the two as they exited the stor
e.
“You hungry?” Gunnar asked as he scanned the area.
Oliver knew with Jackson’s crazy followers aroundand not knowing who they werethe wolves weren’t taking any chances with the mates. “A tad. Something light should do.” Oliver flipped through the Manga, trying his best to figure the story out by the pictures. Murphy had said to read it from back to front, left to right, yet it was confusing.
“Here you go.” Gunnar held the diner door open as Oliver walked through, his nose still in the book.
“Oliver, over here.”
Oliver looked up to see he had headed in the wrong direction. Maybe walking and looking through a book at the same time wasn’t such a good idea. He shoved the book back into his bag and slid into the booth next to the wolf.
The waitress set them up with menus and took their drink orders. Oliver couldn’t help but notice the guys sitting one booth behind them. They were all out staring at him. He slid a little closer to Gunnar as one of them sneered at him. What was up with that guy? Oliver averted his gaze. He was feeling uncomfortable. He heard Gunnar give off a low growl and looked toward his escort.
“I think we just found some more of Jackson’s followers. Don’t leave my sight, Oliver,” Murdock whispered.
“Don’t have to ask me twice.” Oliver glanced back up to see the same man still staring at him. He grabbed the menu, pulling it up so his face was hidden. He didn’t care if anyone thought him chicken. It was better than bruised and broken.
They ordered their food and ate in silence, Oliver sneaking a peek every now and again to see if he was still the object of the stranger’s attention—yep.
“Let’s get out of here. I’ll go pull the truck up front while you guard our man here.” Murdock tilted his head toward Oliver.
“Kay.” Gunnar grunted, finishing his food.
They got Oliver out of the diner and into the truck without any hassle. He wondered why the show of dislike if they weren’t going to do anything, but he was grateful that they hadn’t.
“At least now we know what a few of them look like,” Murdock pulled out into traffic and steered them home.
“For me?” Keata took the books from Oliver and flipped through them, his eyes growing misty. “Thank you.” Keata hugged Oliver around the waist as he sniffed. Oliver could tell he was holding back tears. He knew Keata would be excited, but he didn’t know he would make the guy cry. Geez.
“I have more coming, so enjoy them.” Oliver pried himself out of Keata’s clutches to go find his mate. He was a touchy-feely skin person, but only with his mate.
Keata pulled Oliver’s neck down and kissed his cheek before he took off up the stairs. Well, okay, so Oliver did feel good about himself now. Making Keata happy had given him a warm glow inside.
Oliver snuck up behind Micah, slid his arms around Micah’s waist, and laid his cheek on his back.
“You are aware that you can’t sneak up on me? I heard you before you even came close.” Micah rubbed Oliver’s hands that were entwined on his stomach.
“A guy can try.” Oliver gave a tight squeeze before releasing him. “I got some more books. I think I’m going to go to our room and read.”
Micah tilted back and kissed his mate before he ran upstairs. He watched Oliver until he was out of sight. How he had gotten so lucky he could only guess. Oliver was everything to Micah. He knew he had a dark past, but Oliver had been working hard to get past it and that made Micah proud.
“Hey, earth to Micah.” Remi chuckled as he took his shot, knocking the nine ball in.
“Cheater.” Micah laughed. He turned when Maverick walked in with the most rugged looking man Micah had ever seen. He wasn’t gorgeous, per se, but more on the manly side, with a full head of dark brown hair that fell in waves to his shoulders and a scar that ran from his right temple to his jaw. He wasn’t even that tall, maybe six one. This must be the guy Maverick said was replacing Jasper. He thought grey wolves were strong and fierce, judging by Zeus. Guess not.
“Everyone, I would like for you to meet Jason Colt. He is the grey wolf soldier Zeus sent over.” Maverick turned toward the guy. “This is Micah and Remi,” he pointed out. “And over there lounging on the couch is Jasper.”
The guy’s eyes narrowed slightly then quickly masked his face. Apparently, Zeus’s soldiers weren’t happy that the redheaded Sentry was making their Alpha wait.
“Hello,” Jason said.
Micah guessed if he was introduced into another pack, he would be standoffish as well.
Drew came running into the den but came up short when he noticed the stranger standing next to Maverick. He sidestepped, quickly leaning into his mate Remi’s arms.
“Drew, this is Jason. He will be staying with us.” Remi pulled Drew closer to signify that Drew was his mate and off-limits. The man must have taken the cue because he gave Remi a slight nod.
Micah had an urge to haul Oliver down here and stake his claim in front of the grey wolf himself. The warriors knew Oliver was his. This guy did not.
“Who strange man?” Keata asked as he followed behind Drew.
“Keata, this is Jason.” Maverick smiled down at him. Keata really was gorgeous.
The new guy leaned toward Maverick, whispering, “I’m not trying to offend anyone, but is Keata a male or female?”
Micah thought it was a legitimate question because of Keata’s feminine features.
“No offense taken. Male.” Maverick hid his smile.
This was going to be very interesting. The Sentries had no problem identifying Keata as a male. They knew from the moment he walked through the door.
Jason smiled at Keata as the little Asian ran over to Jasper and plopped down on the sofa.
“Cody, this is Jason.” Maverick introduced them as soon as Cody walked into the den. Cody said his hellos then looked over at the couch, his eyes growing slightly larger in surprise.
“Nice to meet you, Jason.” Cody almost ran back out of the den.
Jasper was getting really tired of him dodging him. This was ridiculous. They had been friends and lovers for two damn centuries, and now he was acting like Jasper carried the black plague. Cody didn’t even want to hold a decent conversation anymore. He ran the other way every time he spotted Jasper.
“Continue what you were doing. I’m going to take Jason around to the rest of the men and mates.” Maverick waved Jason from the den.
Chapter Eight
Micah slid his hand into Oliver’s as they walked toward the fallen log. It was nice to get out of the house, even if it was taking a walk in the forest.
“It’s beautiful out here,” Oliver commented as Micah helped him over the log. He could do it himself, but where was the fun in that? It gave Micah an excuse to touch him. His mate let go of his waist once they passed it.
“It is beautiful.” Micah leaned down and kissed his temple. “You’re a more beautiful sight though.”
Oliver blushed. Gee, the guy knew the right thing to say. With a gleam in his eye, he pulled his hand away and took off through the woods, his heart pounding, and laughing when he looked over his shoulder to see Micah in pursuit. Oliver knew Micah could catch him with no problem, but the chase was half the fun.
He was almost to the edge when Micah grabbed him around the waist and hauled him off of his feet. Oliver laughed as his mate swung him around in his arms and laid a deep kiss on his lips.
“Micah.” Oliver moaned as he leaned his head to the side, Micah sucking up a bruise on his neck.
Micah pulled Oliver down to the forest floor where he quickly removed Oliver’s pants then swallowed him to the root. Oliver’s brain exploded. The thought of this fierce warrior sucking his cock made him want to parade around yelling to the skies that Micah was a fucking god.
Oliver hitched his hips as Micah bobbed his head and slid a wet finger past his balls and into his hole. Oliver grabbed leaves and twigs as his fists grabbed for anything to hold onto.
“Yes.” He pushed down on Micah�
��s finger, wanting to feel his cock there. Micah inserted two more fingers. His mate was impatient, Oliver thought with delight. He groaned loudly when Micah pulled back, kissing his crown.
“On your knees.” Micah stood and pushed his jeans down past his knees then positioned himself behind Oliver. With one quick thrust, he was buried balls deep.
“Micah,” Oliver shouted as his mate grabbed his hips and pounded into him. Oliver’s head swam with the sensations racking his body. Micah hit that sweet spot every time he pulled back. Oliver’s cock ached for release. He didn’t care about the Sentries patrolling, didn’t care if they were caught. All he cared about was Micah.
Grabbing Oliver’s cock, Micah matched his rhythm with his thrusts. Oliver clawed at the earth as his mate spun his pending orgasm higher.
“Close…so close.” Oliver’s legs trembled as Micah picked up the pace, his ministrations becoming erratic as Micah too was getting there. Oliver panted heavily, shaking his head from side to side. He was mindless with lust.
Oliver yelled out Micah’s name as he filled his mate’s hand with his seed. His arms shook and threatened to give out, but Micah let go of his cock and wrapped his arm around Oliver’s chest to hold him up. Aftershocks rocked his body. Micah sank his teeth into Oliver, and a throaty whine left his lips with each spurt of cum Oliver felt shoot inside of him.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?”
Micah pulled from Oliver and threw him to the ground. His mate growled as he pulled his pants up quickly.
Oliver looked over his shoulder to see the three men from the diner. Oh, fuck. How did they get past the Sentries?
Micah shifted, standing over Oliver as his muzzle pulled back and a warning snarl sounded.
“There’s three of us, wolf. Stand down and hand us the little human.” The one speaking took a step forward, and Micah let out an ear-piercing howl. Oliver slammed the palms of his hands over his ears. He thought for sure they would bleed from the sound.