Idiot.
Gregor pulls into the packhouse and parks the truck.
“Let me deal with this,” Luke says. He doesn’t wait to see if Gregor answers.
He can feel the rage rising in him, and he wants to let it. This is his pack that Sherwood is trying to scam.
It makes the protective alpha wolf in his soul want to break through. His teeth want to lengthen, and he can feel his hair tingling its roots.
Words first, bite later. And there will be biting if he doesn’t get a damned good explanation from the man. Fury rises again.
Somewhere in the back of his head, Luke recognizes that he is far angrier than the situation demands.
Rowland — Sherwood, he corrects himself — is just a grifter. There are plenty of them. If the man hasn’t run for it already, Luke should just throw him out and that will be the end of it.
He doesn’t know yet what made Caleb Sherwood run, or where he is, but the first thing to do is pull his room apart and find out. If Sherwood is still here, he’ll pull him apart instead.
Luke strides furiously through the common room hoping like hell that Sherwood is in his room, because he’s not going to get away with this. Even if Luke doesn’t know what this is yet. His skin feels white hot. Fiery rage streaks up his spine.
Jax is sitting by the fire in the common room, waiting for them to get back from the summit. “Hey man, how did it—”
Jax breaks off. The omega’s nostrils flare and his eyes widen. The instinctual reek of fear drifts towards Luke.
Luke’s never gone full rage-alpha before. Jax’s reaction isn’t quite enough to completely jolt Luke out of it, but enough that his brain retakes the driver’s seat.
He breathes in deep, trying to regain control. He almost wishes he hasn’t when his mind kicks back in. It just makes him aware of the scent of his rage that threatens to overpower almost every other scent in the packhouse.
Almost every scent.
Below, Luke’s own fury, there’s still the wrong scent of Sherwood that’s been tormenting him since he arrived.
He’s still here.
That means Luke will have the satisfaction of throwing him out. That wrong scent should have been a sign too. The man smelled wrong from the beginning, and Luke did nothing about it.
Luke closes his eyes. He breathes in deeply again, and out. The wolf’s still there, under his skin, as furious as ever, but the human part of him calms.
He climbs the stairs to the attic rooms where they stash the passers-through. Luke pauses at the top of the stairs and takes the time to try get his emotions under control.
He’s utterly furious. He’s also nervous for no good reason at all. Sherwood is no threat, and even if he were, Luke stands easily a head above him on top of his alpha muscles.
No, this is a threat of a different kind. Sherwood’s easy smile makes Luke feel wobbly, and Luke’s not a wobbly kind of wolf. He’s not one to have his head turned by a good-looking man. Except that, it seems that he is.
Luke knocks, even though he wants to barge straight in and start shouting. He’s not that kind of wolf either.
“Come in.” There’s an element of panic to Sherwood’s voice. Good. It’s not good that the voice sends electric shivers down Luke’s spine.
Sherwood is standing when Luke comes in, backpack over his shoulder as if he’s on his way out already. His dark hair is mussed, and he’s clearly dressed in a hurry. His shirt is untucked and his belt is unbuckled as if doing up a single buckle was too much effort for a man about to make a run for it. The entire room stinks of cheap deodorant.
Luke focuses and realizes he’s been staring much longer than he should. He’s evaluating the threat, he tells himself.
There’s something about the man that’s nagging at Luke, but Luke is too furious to concentrate on anything other than the knowledge that man is a threat. He’s a con artist and a crook. And he is right here in the midst of Luke’s pack.
Luke has always prided himself as being a civilized wolf so the reek of fear coming from Sherwood is new. The man’s green eyes are bright and wide as they stare at Luke.
Despite the man’s fear, he still stands up ram rod straight as if refusing to give an inch.
Luke tries to ignore the rage in his brain and the nagging feeling that he’s still missing something. Very slowly and deliberately, he says, “So... it turns out that your name’s not Paul Rowland.”
Sherwood’s gaze is fixed firmly on the floor and he says nothing.
“And Caleb Sherwood is wanted on extortion charges.”
That one gets a rise as if Sherwood is genuinely startled by the news. “What?”
“What? That’s all you have to say? This is my pack.”
But then Luke notices something. Sherwood is sweating. A bead rolls out of the messy dark hair and down the side of his flushed face.
His face reddens further as Luke watches. It’s not hot up here. Luke watches, fascinated.
“I need you to tell me what you’re doing here. Right now.” Luke doesn’t even try to hide the growl from his voice.
The sweat keeps coming, and that odd beta scent is disappearing along with it. Luke can’t pull his eyes away. This man is the strangest wolf he’s ever met, whether alpha, beta or omega.
The flushed look suits Sherwood. Makes him even prettier, makes him look like...
Oh.
It’s not just the pressure of being found out or Luke’s questions that are making Sherwood’s eyes glisten and his pretty face slick with sweat.
Oh hell, Luke thinks again.
Omega heats are carefully managed in Aylewood. The unmated omegas are mostly on suppressants, and those that aren’t plan their days carefully. The pack owns a cabin up in the mountains purely for that purpose so that omegas can get away from unmated alphas when their time comes.
Why the hell isn’t Sherwood on suppressants? He must have known what was coming and what that might mean for him in a strange pack.
He couldn’t have known they was a good pack. Adam, Luke and Gregor have all made sure of that. No one forces themselves on an unwilling omega here.
The problem is that when the heat hits, no one’s unwilling. Thus, the need for preparations. Sherwood’s scent saturates the tiny room. Sex. Want. Need. Lust.
Luke swallows, and that makes it worse. He can almost taste him. His gaze drags not-so-reluctantly down to where slick is beginning to darken the groin of Sherwood’s jeans.
And yet, the omega just stands there. He doesn’t beg or bend down and present or tell Luke to get the hell out. He just stands there trembling as if waiting for orders. Where on earth did the man come from?
This pack is a good one. Luke intends to be one of the good ones. He steels himself and takes a step back, then another.
“I’m going to lock you in, okay? The other alphas here are... they’re just fine, but let’s make it easier for all of us?”
He’s still walking backwards slowly. Sherwood is still doing nothing other than standing there, sweating and quivering and giving off the most incredible scent. It’s all Luke can do not to stride over there.
Just two steps and he can be biting into the corner of that delicate throat and claiming. Mine.
He needs to get out of there, but then the son of a bitch whimpers and looks up at Luke with dark desperate eyes and Luke is pinned to the spot.
The omega finally says something. “Please.” His voice is honeyed, thick and desperate.
Luke finds out it’s not two steps, it’s just one big one.
The growl rumbles in the back of his throat before he’s even conscious of doing it. Up close, Sherwood smells like pure sex. Luke is painfully hard, erection straining against the roughness of his jeans, the thin layer of cotton underneath doing little to help.
Sherwood’s lips are unexpectedly soft. He opens them for Luke with a faint whimper that makes Luke want to roll his eyes back in his head and eat the sounds right out of his mouth.
Instead, he leans into the kiss, and into a mouth that is hot, desperate and hungry.
He pulls the man closer to him, eager to get everything.
Sherwood’s fingers scrabble at Luke’s shirt, then hot fingertips graze his ribs lightly as if he’s not sure if he’s allowed to touch. They slide upwards on Luke’s skin so softly it’s almost ticklish, the sensation sending shivers straight to his dick. Luke feels his nostrils flaring, taking in that overpowering scent of mate and pure horniness.
Luke can’t resist it anymore. He reaches between the man’s thighs to the hardness there and rubs the side of his hand along the hard length.
The son of a bitch whimpers again. Then he turns his neck to Luke, as if inviting him to bite it.
Yes. This is what Luke wants. He wants to put his mark on him and claim him, make him Luke’s forever. Luke bares his teeth, feels them lengthening in his mouth.
He bites down softly, not hard enough to break skin but enough to taste the deliciousness that was Caleb Joel Sherwood. Mate. Luke has never longed for anything so badly.
But he still has some brain cells left, and those tell him that marking a criminal who’s come into his pack under false pretenses is a very bad idea.
Luke manages to stop himself, although later he’ll look back and wonder at his willpower. He takes a step back and that’s enough to break the spell. He races out of the door like a terrified cub, slamming it behind him.
He stands on the landing panting as if he’s just spent the night on the run, erection still straining at his jeans. Luke closes his eyes and concentrates, trying to get his breathing under control. There’ no sound at all from the other side of the door.
Luke breathes out in one big breath, then he knocks. There was no answer, and Luke doesn’t wait for one.
“I’m sorry. I should have managed this better.”
He looks down at the tent in his jeans, the mate scent still overpowering everything.
He is so screwed.
CAL
into the mountains
The door slams behind Luke. Cal stands completely immobile, not knowing what to think or to feel.
He’d actually bared his throat. What the actual hell was that about?
Cal doesn’t know what he thinks or what he’s feeling either. It’s something between abject humiliation, pure horniness and the desperate need to race after Luke on the stairs and bare his throat to him again.
It doesn’t help that he can still feel the slick running down his legs and smell Luke on his skin and taste him in his mouth. And most of all, it doesn’t help that he’s still rock hard, horny as hell and wants nothing other than to bend over that damned desk so Luke can fuck him good and hard, and finally give Cal the satisfaction he’s craving.
There’s a knock and Cal’s heart starts hammering. He’s coming back.
Instead, Luke’s voice drifts through the door. “I’m sorry. I should have managed this better.”
What does that mean?
Luke’s footsteps sound on the narrow stairs as he leaves. Whatever the moment had been, it has definitely passed for the alpha, but not for Cal. He still can’t move, is still horribly and desperately horny. Now what?
Now you run, idiot. But where?
It’s too late for the bus. His little fantasy about finding an omega shelter fades to mist. Whatever he does, he can’t stay here. The Aylewood pack seem a decent bunch but he can’t trust them, not really.
Jax seems lovely, as does Luke, but neither of them are leader of the pack. Cal doesn’t know Adam at all, other than a couple of glimpses of him as he arrived or left his room.
The tall alpha always has a solemn expression. Cal thinks he’ll take the safety of his pack seriously. There are few alphas out there who’d want to pick a fight with Mason Reed.
Adam won’t risk the safety of his own people for a strange omega who he already knows had lied to them. Reed was probably already on his way to get Cal back.
And what’s with the extortion charges? Cal shakes his head, trying to shake all the thoughts away with it.
Run now. Figure it out later.
Right. His spare clothes are lying in the snow outside Luke’s bookstore. There’s no point going back for those. All he has are his fantasy novels and some cash. It’ll be faster if he turns wolf and just heads into the mountains.
He doesn’t like having to leave the books behind, but he has no choice. The cash will fit into a bag on a loop around his neck. He can maybe fit in the shirt and some underwear if he folds them tightly. The books and his jeans won’t
That will have to do, and at least when he turned human again, he’ll not be completely naked.
Cal strips the jeans off and shoves the cash into the little bag, then heads out the door. The stairs are a nuisance for someone trying to move fast but he does his best.
He has no idea where he is going. He’s got a vague plan to run straight up. Maybe there’s a cave somewhere up in the mountains, he can hide in while his heat passes. Cal has never been a fan of raw rabbit, even in his wolf form but beggars can’t be choosers. All he needs to do is make sure he hides his tracks and his scent well enough that no one can track him.
He shoves open the window of the guest room at the bottom of the tower and tumbles out into the snow, standing immediately and stripping off the last of his clothes.
“Nice.”
Cal turns to see Jax leaning against the wall of the tower.
“Leave me alone. I need to go.”
“You know, I figured you were an omega,” Jax says, dryly but his expression is sympathetic.
“Congrats,” Cal replies. “I’d give you a medal but I’m kind of running light today.” He indicates his compete lack of clothing or anything really.
“Oooh, someone’s snarky when they’re horny.” Jax looks down. “And that you are.”
“What do you want? Did Luke send you here to stop me getting away? I’m not going back.”
Jax folds his arms. “Back where? Back up the tower? Why would I care about that? Oh...” Realization dawns in Jax’s brown eyes. He steps forward, ignoring the way Cal shrinks back. He grips Cal’s shoulders. “Hey! Hey! Calm down. No one is going to ship you back to whatever shithole you came from. Trust me.”
“I do. I trust you. I don’t trust them. I can’t.” Cal feels tears welling up, but they’re nothing compared to the terror that’s still roiling in his stomach. What if Jax doesn’t let him past? He doesn’t want to hurt the other omega. Jax has been nice to him. “Let me go!” he growls, trying to put as much threat into it as possible.
“Dude, you’re hysterical. Don’t make me slap your face. I don’t do the dom thing.”
Cal’s shoulders slump. He’s too exhausted for this. Exhausted, and horny and absolutely terrified. “You don’t know what it was like.”
“No, but I can imagine. Look, I think you’ve got the wrong idea. I’m not sending you back anywhere. No one is. Luke sent me to check on you. We’ve got a cabin high up in the mountains for omega heats. It’s miles away from anywhere. I’ll drive you up there and you can wait out your heat. We can deal with whatever shit you’ve brought down on us once it’s passed.”
“But your alphas...”
“Are not going to bother you. They won’t do anything. They won’t talk to you. They won’t call anyone. That’s why they sent me. Whatever is going on, no one with any ethics is going to do it while you’re in heat. We all know that.”
Cal feels the tension drain away. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Look, while you’re in heat, you’re in no danger to anyone. Well, maybe to Luke’s concentration levels. Boy, is he taken with you.”
Despite himself, Cal feels a glimmer of hope. “Really?”
“Geez, the two of you.” Jax shakes his head. “Yes. And if you run as soon as your heat’s done, well then that’s a problem that Adam won’t have to deal with.” He jangles his keys. “Get in the truck. Just maybe just put your pants on first.”
<
br /> Cal does as he’s told. It’s too damn cold not to, especially if he’s going to stay human shaped. He follows Jax out to his truck, tightly gripping the bag with his cash.
When he climbs into the passenger seat of Jax’s truck, the other omega wrinkles his nose. “Dude, you stink.”
“Oh god, I’m sorry.”
Jax laughs. “Don’t worry about it. I’m way worse when it’s my time. Then you can drive me up here and be the one complaining.”
Cal glances at the smaller man. Jax seems to think Cal is going to stay. Maybe he will. Maybe Luke would be willing to protect him, bring him into the Aylewood pack. Luke’s big. He’s at least a head taller than Reed, and Cal has seen the muscles on the man. Luke could take Reed in a fight. Maybe. Cal suspects Luke is the type to play fair. Reed certainly isn’t.
The truck coughs to life and Jax reverses out of the parking spot. The packhouse is completely quiet. Cal wonders where Luke is and what he is going to do about Cal. Luke had seemed utterly furious before he’d kissed him.
“I didn’t do those things,” Cal blurts out. “I don’t even know what it is I’m supposed to have done.”
Jax barks out a laugh. “Then how do you know you didn’t do it?”
Cal is nonplussed. “Luke said I was a criminal. That I was wanted.”
“Oh, he wants you all right. Oh fine, I’ll be serious. There’s a charge sheet out there with your picture on. And your real name, assuming that you are Caleb Sherwood. That is your name, right? If the pic fits and all that.”
Jax turns the truck left, taking them higher up the mountain pass. The oaks of the town start to dwindle and are overtaken by white-coated firs and pine at the sides of the road, lit by a brilliantly blue sky above. It would be stunning if Cal’s stomach doesn’t hurt so much. And his dick. It’s still hard as a rock. At least he’s wearing pants, otherwise there’d be slick all over Jax’s seats. Cal has no idea what he was going to wear once he gets to the cabin. Maybe nothing if there’s no one else there.
Winterstoke Wolves Collection : An MM Mpreg Shifter Romance Bundle Page 6