Sammy sighed. “Some did in their own ways. Many tried to leave but were brought back and punished. Others who spoke out against him disappeared. I often wondered what happened to them and now I may have figured out where at least the females went.”
“Where?” Dakota asked quietly. His gaze had never left her, but Sammy wasn’t worried. She had nothing to hide.
“When Alpha Clifton found out about your plans to invade the mental facility, he ordered us to pack up everything and get ready to leave. I tried to help your friend Radar.” She glanced at the leader of the Rogues. “How is he?”
Sadness appeared in the man’s eyes before he quickly masked his emotions. “As well as can be expected. He told me what you did for him. Very clever, but where did you get the blood to cover him with?”
Sammy grinned. “Let’s just say one of Alpha Clifton’s new recruits didn’t take no for an answer.”
“You should think of adding her to your team, Blaze. From what Charlie told me she has skills,” Sparky’s hand fluttered down his body. “Of course, she’s pretty enough with those golden-brown eyes and body that most men would kill for—not that I’m interested.” He winked at her before he continued, “Charlie told me she managed to not only avoid being detected when he scanned her, but she’d come up with the plan to allow him to escape. He said she was fearless with a warrior’s heart.”
“Jake taught me,” Sammy said as she placed her hand on her brother’s arm. “He wanted to make sure that I could protect myself in case Alpha Clifton decided to take things too far. Believe me, if I could have figured out a way to kill the bastard without getting myself caught—he’d be dead.” She glanced around the room and noticed no one seemed shocked. Sparky gave her a thumbs up sign while Jason smiled at her.
“If she wants a spot on the team, she has it,” Blaze said without pause. “We will need more warriors. But where do you think the missing female wolves went?”
Sammy shuddered. “The alpha had an infirmary on the third floor of the facility. There were at least ten beds, all contained pregnant females.” She glanced at her brother, “You know how he tried to get all the women to breed in our pack?”
“You mean the bastard took those who didn’t agree to become—” Jake stuttered.
“Broodmares,” Sammy growled. “The bastard was breeding the females. But there was more going on than that.”
“What do you mean?” Alpha Grant asked.
“I mean I think he’s somehow messing with the breeding. There was a human doctor there who mentioned some kind of experiment. Then the alpha checked both pups for something before he decided to sell them. Apparently, if the offspring didn’t meet some sort of criteria, he sold them to goddess knows where. I managed to escape with the two pups before he could carry out the sale.”
Sparky’s eyes filled with tears. “He sold them?”
“I wonder what he was looking for?” Dakota asked softly.
“I think we better find out,” Alpha Grant growled. His eyes hard as he glanced at each member sitting at the table. “Our job just got harder.”
Chapter 10
Jake watched as his sister fed the two pups. “Have you come up with a name for them yet? I mean, we could call them Thing One and Thing Two…”
Sammy rolled her eyes, “This isn’t Dr. Seuss you moron. I thought I’d wait until Drake saw them and we’d name them together.”
Jake’s stomach fell as he realized in all the rush, he’d never told her what happened to the wolf she had planned to mate. He stood and rubbed a hand through his hair. This was so messed up. He knew what he said next could destroy his sister. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
“Just tell me,” Sammy said quietly.
He turned and placed both hands on her shoulders. “I’m sorry, but he was one of the wolves who fought for Alpha Clifton. You know how proud he was to be considered an enforcer for the pack.” He couldn’t say the words, but he could tell from the tears in his sister’s eyes she had guessed.
Sammy dropped her head and turned to walk away. Her shoulders shook, but there was no sound. Jake walked forward and wrapped his arms around her. “You know in his own way; he did love you, Sammy. That day, I tried to talk him out of fighting, but he’d seen you go with Alpha Clifton. He thought he was fighting on the same side as you.”
“I never told him how I felt about the alpha. If we’d mated, then it would have become a moot point since the bastard seemed to recognize matings at least.” She sniffled, “I should have told him.”
Jake sighed. “No, it was better this way. He died loving you, Sammy. Besides, you saw what the alpha tried with Ricky. If he’d wanted you, mated or not, he’d take you. That would have destroyed Drake.”
Sammy glanced over at the pups who were starting to whimper. They were so attuned to her emotions already. Jake knew she’d be the perfect mother for them. He walked over and picked up one of the pups while he handed the other one to her. As they rocked them, Jake continued, “You’re not alone here, Sammy. I told you I’d help.”
His sister smiled, though tears still slid silently down her cheeks. “You’re going to be busy sucking up to Shadow after the way you’ve treated him.” She wiped the tears with the back of her hand, “I’ll be fine, big brother—I have to be for these two.”
A short time later, both pups were sleeping in their cribs. Jake followed his sister as she moved quietly to the chairs by the windows. They both sat in silence, lost in their own thoughts until the sun almost set. Sammy glanced at Jake, “I appreciate you being here, but don’t you have a mate to woo?”
Jake chuckled. “Shadow is probably still sleeping. We talked and agreed to see where things go but—” He paused, not sure how to proceed. He wanted to try with Shadow, but what if he couldn’t be what the wolf wanted in a mate?
Sammy punched him lightly on the shoulder. “There you go again, thinking too much, big brother. You know, I’ve been thinking about me and Drake. I should be more upset about his death, but you know what?”
“What?” Jake asked.
“We’d been drifting apart for a while. We just didn’t want to admit it—I didn’t want to admit it.” She squeezed his arm, “What I’m trying to say is, do I regret the time we had together? No. Would it have worked out for us in the end? I’m not sure, but I’m glad at least we tried.”
“It’s just that I’ve had to hide who I am for so long; I don’t know if I can just jump out of the closet.” Jake sighed, “I mean, it’s clear this pack is gay-friendly—I mean, look at Sparky.”
Sammy laughed. “You mean his purple jeans and the t-shirt that said, ‘I like boys’ wasn’t a clue?”
“I don’t want Shadow to think he’s my dirty secret, but I also don’t know if I can—you know,” Jake blushed. How in the world did he end up having this discussion with his sister? He saw the slight smile on her face and knew she understood without him having to say the words. He’d never been with a man, and he was scared. He didn’t know how to act in public with a man at his side.
“You need to talk to Shadow and let him know how you feel. If he’s the right wolf for you, he’ll help you. If not, then let me know, and I’ll remove his balls for you.” Sammy chuckled at the look of horror on Jake’s face. “Go to him, give it a chance, and if it doesn’t work, I’ll be here to catch you, big brother.”
Jake pulled Sammy into a hug and whispered into her ear, “and I’m here for you little sister. I know you’re hurting and if you need me, I’ll always be here for you.”
Sammy pulled back and made a fist. Jake chuckled and made one of his own, tapping it against hers. “Wonder twins united,” he said softly.
His sister replied, “Always…”
♦ ♦ ♦
“I don’t care what you have to do! I want that bitch and those pups before the week is out. I don’t plan on losing the $50,000 those pups will bring.” Alpha Clifton growled at the man who sat across from him.
“And how do
you think we’re going to get access to them? The Windy River pack protects them. We already tried once to attack them and ended up losing one of my best men. My daughter still grieves over his loss,” Ashton remarked. The man’s long dark hair hung limply around his shoulders, but it was the black eyes that always made the alpha cringe. They were dark as night and appeared to look directly into your soul.
“It would have worked if our spies hadn’t gotten the death of the alpha wrong. Is our other spy still viable in the Windy River pack?” Alpha Clifton asked as he glanced around the bar to make sure no one was within hearing distance. Of course, they were meeting in one of the Cloverleaf Coven’s BDSM clubs, but still, he had learned to be careful in public settings.
Ashton crossed his arms and sat back. “As far as I know, our spy is still embedded, but it may be some time before we get more information. Apparently, they have figured out we’ve infiltrated their little paradise.” The magi leaned forward, his eyes blazing, “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t send you to the ether. After all, it was your stupidity that lost us the omega and his guardian. Then you compounded it with having your own spy right in your very bedroom.”
Alpha Clifton growled, “Don’t take that tone with me. You know I’m not as stupid as you think. If I disappear, then certain information will be sent to Alpha Grant. Even you can’t stand up to a whole wolf pack.” The alpha smirked, “You already lost a large part of your coven in Salem to mere humans, didn’t you?”
The magi shrugged. “I only lost what was useless to me. I also don’t fear the Windy River pack. They will fall, eventually.”
“So, how do I get my merchandise back?” Alpha Clifton sat back and took a drink from the beer sitting beside him. “I put the buyer off for a few weeks, but after that, the deal will fall through. If you want an army, you need money. Not to mention the cost of our experiments.”
“Yes, how are they going?” Ashton asked as he lifted a glass containing scotch and took a sip.
“We’re close, I know we have the formula right. We just need the exact ingredients.” He shook his head, “I’m dealing with a human scientist, so we can only go so far without letting the man know what we’re really trying to do.”
“I may know a way to lure out your paramour, but she may not bring the pups with her. It will be up to you to figure out how to get to the pups.” Ashton waved his hand at a man standing in the shadows. Alpha Clifton watched as the man appeared in the light.
His jaw dropped open as he gazed at the wolf, he thought was dead. “Drake?”
♦ ♦ ♦
Shadow watched as Doc Houston removed the IV from his arm. He had to admit a good night’s sleep had made him feel better. But his hip still wasn’t healed. “Go ahead son and shift but don’t go too far. That leg will take some more time to heal.”
The warrior smiled, “Don’t worry, Doc, I’ve had worse and survived.”
“Dang idiot, don’t listen and see how much longer it will take for that leg to heal—or worse, you could damage it further.” Doc huffed, “Don’t know why I bother, none of you listen to me anyway.”
“Don’t worry, Doc, I’ll make sure he doesn’t overdo it,” Jake replied from the doorway. Shadow’s gaze jerked to take in the man he hoped to be with permanently. Jake’s hair cascaded down in light brown ringlets to his shoulder, accentuating his chocolate brown skin. His five o’clock shadow had been neatly trimmed. The man sure had cleaned up nice. Shadow had to check his mouth to make sure he wasn’t drooling as his soon-to-be mate walked further into the room.
Doc chuckled, “I’ll check up on you in a couple of days. You know how to reach me if there are any problems.”
Shadow didn’t notice the man leaving because his eyes were glued to Jake. He could tell the man was nervous, so he stayed still. They had talked, but things were far from settled between them. Jake stood by the bed for a moment before he took a seat on the side.
“I’m sorry I didn’t come by yesterday. I had the meeting in the morning with the inner circle and then, well, I had to tell Sammy about Drake. The time just kind of got away from me.” Jake paused and looked up uncertainly. “I wasn’t running.”
Shadow smiled. “I didn’t think you were, and it’s fine. Blaze told me about the meeting, but who was Drake?”
Jake sighed. “Sammy and Drake met years ago. He worked the next farm over, and one thing led to another.”
“Were they mates?” Shadow interrupted, wondering where this was going. He could tell Jake was worried. He reached over and grabbed the man’s hand, slowly rubbing his thumb over it in a comforting gesture. He’d love to pull the man into his arms, but he was pretty sure Jake wasn’t ready for that yet.
“No, but they had talked about it.” He rubbed his other hand across the back of his neck, “he died during the Willow Creek battle.”
“Ah, so is she okay?” He kept rubbing his thumb back and forth, amazed that Jake hadn’t pulled back yet. Shadow knew he’d have to pull Jake from the closet slowly, but he was more than up for the challenge—if the man stopped running from him.
Jake looked down at their joined hands with a soft smile on his lips. “Yeah, she will be. My sister is strong.” The man pulled his hand from Shadows and slapped him on his stomach with the back of his hand. “We should get going so you’ll have time to rest before dinner.”
“You could always give me a rub down when we get back.” Shadow ducked the swat aimed at him and followed Jake from the room.
Jake enjoyed running with Shadow in their wolf form. Even though the other wolf limped on his hind leg, he still was able to move quickly and quietly through the forest. His black wolf easily blended in while Jake’s, rusty brown color was a little harder to hide. Still, they managed to cover quite a bit of ground before Shadow slowed.
He watched as the black wolf walked slowly toward a small stream and took a drink before flopping down on the forest floor. For now, at least the valley was free of snow. It made the run easier for Shadow. Jake took a quick drink and scanned the area before he joined the other wolf. For a moment, he enjoyed the sounds and smells of the forest. A slight shimmer beside him alerted him that Shadow had shifted.
Jake shifted as well, enjoying the full display of male perfection in front of him. Where Jake was more muscular and had a six pack he worked at whenever he could, Shadow was thin but well defined. The cock hanging between his legs wasn’t bad either. Jake tried to imagine what it would feel like in his ass. There was no way something that big was meant to fit in there.
“Why did you shift, are you hurt?” Jake managed to get out as he felt his own cock rising to attention. There would be no hiding this time, and for once, he didn’t mind. He watched as Shadow kneaded his thigh for a moment. “We went too far, I knew it.”
“Calm down; I just have a little cramp from not using the muscles for so long. It’ll pass.” Shadow leaned closer, his lips brushing against Jake’s before he sat back. “But you could help me relieve some of the pain.”
“What do you want me to do?” Jake whispered, his heart racing in his chest. Somehow, he couldn’t take his eyes off Shadow’s cock. It was like that part was calling for him even though he had no idea where to start. Sure, he’d made out with she-wolves, but that was all.
“Such a loaded question,” Shadow chuckled as he ran his knuckles down Jake’s cheek. “But I think we can help each other out, don’t you?”
Jake blushed as he noticed his cock was waving at full mast, pre-come dripping down it as his balls began to ache. He jumped when Shadow gently pushed him back to lie down on the cold hard ground. For a moment, he thought about how cold it was outside without their fur, but the fire that was building inside him seemed to be keeping him warm. “Easy tiger, we’ll go just as slow as we need to. If you want to stop, all you have to do is say no.”
“No—I mean don’t, don’t stop,” Jake gasped as his body began to burn from a need he didn’t entirely understand. He’d never felt this way when he�
��d been with any of the she-wolfs from his pack. Of course, being gay in his pack meant he learned to fake it. For the first time in his life, sex wasn’t a chore—it was just—holy crap on a cracker!
Before Jake could say anything else, Shadow began to lick and suck his way from his neck to his chest. Jake’s body sang when the man first sucked one nipple into his mouth before biting down gently. He repeated the process between his nipples until Jake felt like he’d jump out of his skin. “Please…” he begged.
“I’ve got you,” Shadow whispered against his skin. “My own private bar of chocolate to enjoy and watch melt.” He moved lower, licking and nipping at the skin on Jake’s stomach. Shadow traced each six-pack with his tongue until the wolf thought he’d explode. Soon he was moving lower, pressing his face into Jake’s pubic hair and breathing in for a moment before he finally got to the part that needed attention.
“So good, I’m going to make you feel so good my little M&M,” Shadow mumbled before he licked the head of Jake’s member.
“Ah—Oh—what are you—” Jake couldn’t seem to get a complete sentence out as the man continued to lick his cock like a lollipop. He felt the man softly play with his balls while the other hand moved over his stomach.
Before Jake could process what was happening, Shadow swallowed his cock down to the root. “Oh, my goddess, Shadow!” Jake yelled into the night. For a moment, he worried about someone hearing them, but then the marvelous shifter began to suck his cock while humming softly in his throat. He tried to stay still, but it was like his body had a mind of its own.
Jake began to thrust into his lover’s mouth, gently at first but then with more force. Part of him was afraid of hurting Shadow, but the man continued to work his cock. He watched as the hand that had been patting his stomach moved to begin pumping the shifter’s own cock. Part of Jake wanted to swat the hand away and take what he knew was his, but when Shadow pushed a finger inside his hole, his world exploded.
For a few moments, it was if the world had stood still. Jake could little more than breathe as Shadow continued to swallow until there was nothing left for him to give the man. As he slowly came back to himself, he noticed Shadow had also come.
Out of the Shadows Page 8