Sawyer's Hope

by Shelby Lynn

  His life was so lonely before Mandy had become his best friend. He actually hadn’t had a friend since Lance. When Mandy called and told him about her live-in nanny job, he had been worried until he heard the name of her new employer. Haven Storm was a hero of sorts to him. Honestly, if it hadn’t been for his promise to watch over Mandy, he would have asked to join Haven’s Pack a long time ago.

  Haven was an inspiration to every gay wolf out there. He gave up everything to be his true self. Coming here and forming a Pack, helping anyone who found themselves in need. His rescues were known throughout the Wolf Packs across the nation. Teddy often wondered if he knew how much he had affected the gay men throughout the Packs. Giving them hope and acceptance in some cases.

  When this last book tour was over, he planned to contact Alpha Haven and ask permission to explain about the Weir’s living among the humans. Then he hoped to join the Pack himself…

  Sawyer’s Hope

  Haven’s Wolves

  Book Three

  Author: Shelby Lynn

  Editor: Caroline Kirby

  Artwork by JK Publishing, Inc.

  Published by JK Publishing, Inc.

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it or it was not purchased for your use only, then, please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

  Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales are entirely coincidental.

  © Copyright February 2013 JK Publishing, Inc.

  All cover art and logo © Copyright 2013 by JK Publishing, Inc.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

  Website: www.jkpublishingbooks.com

  Bookstore: www.shop.jkpublishingbooks.com

  Dedication

  To my Awesome readers, thank you for supporting me, and buying my books!

  To my Amazing Family! I love you all!

  To my mom, I wish you were still here. I miss you every day, even though I know you’re in a much better place, pain free.

  I want to thank Lena Drew for her contribution to Sawyer’s Hope.

  Last, but definitely not least, thank you to JK Publishing for taking a chance on me. Caroline Kirby, my editor, who has taught me so much already. Thank you, Caroline. You are amazing!

  Thank You,

  Shelby Lynn

  I would love to hear from you!

  Website: www.shelbylynnauthor.com

  Email: www.shelbylynnauthor@yahoo.com

  Facebook: www.facebook.com/Shelby.Lynn.313924

  Prologue

  Sawyer was the perfect replacement for the Beta position in the Haven Pack. His temper got the best of him from time to time, but it’s nothing that he’d ever allow to get out of control on his job. Haven knew that it all came from the childhood abuse he suffered from his stepfather. Sawyer’s birthfather was a Scottish wolf, killed right after his birth, and then his mother took up with Stan a couple of years later.

  From a very young age, Sawyer knew he was different from many of the other wolves in his Pack. He never looked at the girls with longing in his eyes as the other teenage wolves did. Sawyer was comfortable with himself. There wasn’t anything wrong with him. Damn it, this is how the Spirits made him.

  Stan started pushing him from the young age of twelve toward pornography, as if he knew Sawyer leaned in the other direction. When Sawyer wanted nothing to do with it, he would call him all kinds of disgusting names. This took place while his mother was away at work, so she wouldn’t find out what an ass she had hooked up with. Stan would say, ‘What she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her,’ as he laughed.

  The bigger Sawyer got—the harder Stan got on him, going as far as to bring a prostitute in the house for him to fuck. Stan was screaming at him that he was, ‘A fag for not fucking her brains out.’ Then he made Sawyer stand there while he fucked her. Like that would “fix” his problem, as he called it. All it had done was disgust Sawyer while Stan had the time of his life.

  After that, Stan hadn’t even bothered to hide the women whom he fucked all over the house while his mom was at work supporting the family. It was meant to be education for his “fag” of a son, who wanted nothing to do with the opposite sex. He even brought in a man once to prove his point. Stan seemed to enjoy himself, fucking the man's ass just as easily as any woman’s pussy that he had there before.

  Sawyer had a good laugh from that, but he had stayed to watch that time to make sure the man wasn’t hurt. He saw just how the man loved his job. Stan was a good-looking man. Like most of the wolves, he was better than average and hung in the cock department. Shit, Sawyer watched him fuck enough no matter the sex. It was no hardship on the man. He was groaning and asking for more as Stan reamed his ass in abandon. Sex was not something the wolves hid in the bedroom behind closed doors. Stan went far overboard in his quest to change Sawyer into a “real” wolf, as he called himself.

  That one time was enough to prove to Stan that Sawyer was indeed the “fag” he called him. What came next wasn’t as easy to hide from his mom. Since Stan threatened to hurt his mom if he ever told her what was going on, during the times she was gone, Sawyer tended to make excuses for the bruises that were visible. The bigger he got the worse it became as Stan started inviting his drunken friends over for the fuck fests that became a daily party.

  It all came to a head when Alpha Haven came through his town of Charlotte, Louisiana, on a rescue trip in the next town. Sawyer had just blown his top, for the first time, from the abuse the whole bunch of wolves had thrown at him. He had walked away from the house without a shirt, and the bruises were clearly visible when Haven had seen him.

  Alpha Haven pulled his truck over and started walking along the road with him, and it just all seemed to pour out of the seventeen-year-old Sawyer. Haven listened, as no one had bothered to do before. Haven told Sawyer his own story. When they both finished telling their stories, Haven told him, “It’s time, Sawyer, let’s go talk to your mom.” He gave Alpha Haven directions to the restaurant where his mom was the server and sometimes cooks.

  Haven stood in the background as his mom ran to him when she saw the bruises that covered his chest and arms. She cried as if the world was ending because she was so busy making a living for them that Mary had missed what was going on right under her nose. Sawyer sat there in the booth for the next hour as he poured out every detail of what had happened to him over the years.

  When both had finally stopped talking, Haven came up to the table and introduced himself to Sawyer’s mom. “My name is Haven and I’m an Alpha from the Washington area. I came upon your son today and wanted to help him.” He continued to tell them about the home that he had established in the last two years. Haven told them of his plans to create a sanctuary for others like himself and those in bad situations.

  It was like an answer to a prayer for Sawyer and his mom. They packed up their few belongings and moved to Washington with Haven. Mary almost immediately found her True Mate and lived just a few miles away. Sawyer chose to stay with Haven and become a part of the small Pack, over the next few years he helped with many rescues and became the man destiny chose him to be.

  Sawyer came back to the present as he drove toward the Pack house, were his Alpha was staying and helping their friend Tyler. He pulled into the driveway in no time and headed toward the front door. His friend led him inside to join in their meeting. Just as he was about to enter the room, he breathed in the most intoxicating sm
ell—his mate.

  Sawyer was still reeling from finding his mate. When he came down to the Cedarhill Pack to help his friend Tyler, he never imagined that his mate would be there. His breath had ceased the first moment he looked upon the beautiful man. His scent was like the fresh rain in a pine forest, the most intoxicating scent imaginable.

  He was there on a mission, so he had to push all feelings into the background. Hell, that's so much easier said than done, thought Sawyer, as they filled him in on Timmy, the little boy who he was there to track. Sawyer would do everything in his power to find his friend’s son.

  Sawyer thought back to those first moments of meeting his mate. He was so thankful for the blessing of finding his mate. While the mission hadn’t quite turned out as he’d have liked, his friend’s son was now safe, and together Tyler, his mate, and adopted son became the Phoenixes of Legend.

  He was still reeling from finding out there was another species of wolves called Dream Weavers that were not only able to transform into a second animal form, but were also blessed with other exceptional abilities, and their mates became a part of that legacy as well.

  Sawyer was so happy for his friends, and he was ready to get back to his mate and learn everything about him.

  Chapter One

  Johnny woke up out of another nightmare that he should know by heart now. He was running through a dark forest, the tree limbs so dense it was almost impossible to see anything in front of you. He could hear a little one crying and screaming, “Help me,” over and over. The closer he would get to where he thought the voice was coming from, the farther the voice sounded.

  Then Johnny would hear evil laughter as the child screamed louder for help. In all of his dreams, he had never been able to find the child. He would run until he no longer had the strength. Always falling down in front of a small stream and leaning over to get a drink.

  At first, the water would ripple with the vision of a small boy, only to change to a man with flowing golden hair and amber eyes filled with such pain and loneliness, as his athletic body leaned over the water. Every time the man would look further into the water, he would only see the reflection of another man over his shoulder laughing, “You really thought you could get away from me. You are mine, Johnny, you will always be mine…”

  Johnny would wake out of those dreams, realizing he was that man. He was drenched in sweat as if he had just ran all night through the woods, running away from the man who he’d grown up beside, as he watched his stepbrother turn into a brutal beast of a man. Chad had been his tormentor for as far back as he could remember. The bigger they got, the harder the punches and cruel tricks he would play on anyone he considered beneath him—which was everyone!

  From the time he was old enough to know what it meant for someone else to be in pain, and to understand that not everyone could heal with his or her hands, Johnny knew he was different from all the other wolves. He’d already healed many animals he’d found hurt, from the first baby bird that had broken its wing from falling out of the nest, to a large Clydesdale that broke its leg in a gopher hole.

  Johnny kept the healing a secret throughout his younger years. He’d already seen the cruelty of kids to someone even slightly different. It was bad enough living with Chad and his cruelty. Giving him another thing to ridicule him with wasn’t something that Johnny wanted to happen.

  He was very cautious of anyone getting too close to him. Johnny had to hide such a large part of himself, he never developed friendships. He was a loner all of his teen years. During his senior year, a bear attacked his adopted mom. She would’ve died without Johnny’s help. Unfortunately, he wasn’t home alone when his adopted father rushed her into the house.

  Johnny reacted instinctively to someone being hurt. He quickly took over and stopped the blood flow. He was hoping that his mom’s Weir was strong enough with his help to take over her own healing. Without his help, she would’ve bled out from the extensive wounds.

  Tiredly, Johnny looked at the other two people in the room for the first time. He didn’t know how they would react to his gift. No matter what, he wouldn’t change anything about saving his mom. His parents were the only thing sane in his crazy life.

  “Oh my, Johnny, I don’t know what you did, son, but I want to thank you for saving my mate and the love of my life,” his dad said before crouching down by his mate.

  “Well, well, looks as if my baby brother has an important secret,” said Chad.

  That night, Chad came in his room. He was more than willing to keep his secret if he’d agree to ‘keep him happy,’ as he put it. From the look in Chad’s eyes, he wanted far more than Johnny was willing to give. Chad was giving him the creeps before Chad finally left the room. That was the last night he saw his family.

  Johnny knew he had to leave immediately. There was no way he was willing to be fucked by his stepbrother. It would kill his parents to find out the worst of their older son. Therefore, Johnny did the only thing he could at that point. He packed a bag and took what money he had stashed away.

  Sneaking out in the middle of the night made Johnny feel like he was the one doing something wrong. Unfortunately, he didn’t see any other choice in the matter. He was a very smart guy, and he would figure out what to do. It wasn’t until he made it to the interstate that he finally started to breathe normally.

  It was late at night so there wasn’t a lot of traffic as he walked down the highway. Johnny decided his best bet would be to get as far away as possible. He watched for the next car coming down the highway, and held out his hand, thumb up, thinking to himself, would anyone stop for a hitchhiker?

  He was surprised when the first semi did pull over for him. Johnny ran over to the semi and climbed up to talk through the window, “Could I hitch a ride with you, sir?”

  “Sure, kid. I’m in for a long haul, though. I’m going all the way to California to deliver this load. Can I drop you off somewhere on the way, son?”

  “Actually, California sounds rather great, sir. I’ve always wanted to see the famous Redwood trees.”

  “You aren’t a runaway that I’m going to get in a heap of trouble over, are you?”

  “No, sir, I’m eighteen.”

  “Alright, son, then you can ride along with me. I could use the company for the long haul. My name is Frank, so no more of that 'sir' stuff now.”

  “Thank you, Frank. My name is Johnny.”

  Frank helped him so much. Without his help getting to California, he would have never found the Blackwood Pack. All these years later, he still remembered the kindness of the man.

  ***

  Thinking backing was never good for Johnny, but after everything that had happened tonight, it took dying to bring back the nightmares of hiding who he truly was. He thought that if it wasn’t for Blackwood’s kindness and his support when he needed it the most, he would never have made it to where he was today.

  Johnny was looking for a place to stay the night after Frank had dropped him off in Orick, California. Blackwood had come into the town and noticed right away the lone wolf cub. He’d sat down with Johnny, and something inside Johnny broke in that moment.

  All the things that he’d lived through came pouring out of the young man. For the first time, Johnny felt like he could trust another with his secret. There was just something in Blackwood that got past the wall Johnny had built around himself.

  Never in all the years that had passed had he regretted opening up to his Alpha. He’d taken him in, raised him as his own son, and seen that Johnny went to medical school. Johnny took what he’d quickly learned about human doctoring and applied it to the Weir world.

  With his gift and learning, he was one of the best doctors around their region. The Council of Elders often called him in on problem cases. This became his life, and he’d left behind all the sadness and danger of his past—until now.

  This was something Johnny knew he would have to tell his mate.

  Chapter Two

  Johnny was sti
ll amazed by all that had happened since he met his mate just a few hours ago. He’d gone alone, just in case his skills were needed, and he’d been kidnapped. The Demon drained his life’s blood until he’d died within that Demon’s arms. Then, in a miraculous move from a small little boy’s single tear, the boy had brought him back to life.

  The Cedarhill Alphas transformation to their Dream Weaver Phoenixes included their adopted son Timmy. His tear had brought Johnny back to life tonight. He was still amazed at the transformations that came over this family.

  He was very interested in finding out the medical ramifications behind the Dream Weaver Wolves. Was their antimony the same as other Weirs? That was something that Johnny was eager to find out, if they allowed him. His mind was always looking for ways to contribute to the health and wellness of his race.

  Hell, here he was thinking about medical things, when his mate was sitting beside him driving toward the Blackwood Pack, and still they hadn’t said a word to each other. It was always hard for him to get close to people, but he was determined to break that cycle with his mate.

  Johnny looked over at the handsome man, who the Spirits picked to be his mate. He was perfect, from his short brown hair to his piercing green eyes. As his eyes traveled lower to take in the muscular body, his breath caught at the perfection that was right in front of him.