Mission Primal (Men of the Pack Book 1)

by Parker Skye

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  When darkness fell completely, Ben was finally allowed to leave his home. His poor sofa would never be the same again, but at least Ben had had enough self-restraint to avoid doing permanent damage to his brother’s face. Logan was doing his best to keep a distance now that Alpha Leikos had taken charge of ushering Ben to his bonding ceremony. Even in his almost feral state, Ben knew better than to threaten his alpha.

  Finally reaching the central clearing, Ben felt his wolf instantly soothe on catching Adam’s scent on the breeze. He heard Adam’s laughter emanating from the alpha’s home, surely being readied for his big night. His Alpha stepped in Ben’s way as he instinctively made to find his mate, placing a firm grip on Ben’s shoulder. Ben bristled briefly, but quickly lowered his gaze in submission.

  “Calm, Ben. Find your center. The time is almost here,” Alpha Leikos’ honeyed words soothed the raw intensity threatening to shred Ben’s last hold on his control. Ben closed his eyes and breathed deep, taking in the scent of not only his mate, but of his Alpha, his brother, his friends, his pack. When he finally opened them again, Adam was there. And he was beautiful.

  Chapter 43

  Adam

  Adam thought he would feel utterly ridiculous in the ceremonial robes he had been forced into by his mother. He was covered from head to toe in the softest doeskin, edged in multicolored beaded fringe. A wolf’s howling profile was painted across one sleeve while the other was painted the color of the midnight sky. Seeing Ben’s expression when he opened his eyes was worth the lingering embarrassment.

  He’d thought there would be some sort of ceremony, or at least Alpha Leikos saying words over their mating, but Adam was pleased that this seemed to be all there was. Just he and Ben coming together under the full moon, the pack there simply to be witness. Adam would have been embarrassed by the large display of public nudity, but he only had eyes for his mate. Ben’s naked form was nothing to be embarrassed about. The moment their answering smiles met across the clearing, the full moon broke free of the clouds. The pack shed their human forms as one.

  Adam had expected his first shift to be painful, and while it wasn’t exactly pleasant, it was more just plain weird. His body felt overall rearranged but not necessarily in a bad way. He struggled to free himself from the heavy cloak, but didn’t have to struggle alone for long before Ben’s wet probing nose found him. Finally free from the offending material, Adam panted, his sides heaving, as he took in the sight around him. There had to be over a hundred wolves surrounding him, but he felt no fear. Ben stood separating him from the throng of onlookers many of whom looked to be vibrating with glee at seeing their new packmate for the first time.

  Adam turned to the mirror propped behind him, placed there thoughtfully by his mother prior to the ceremony. He couldn’t help himself from shifting from one foot to the other as he took in the reddish brindle wolf staring back. Ben closed the distance between them and Adam was pleased at how they looked together, standing shoulder to shoulder.

  A deep howl off to the right caught the pack’s attention and Adam was unsurprised to see Alpha Leikos’ huge black wolf towering over the rest of the pack. He suspected the smaller tawny colored wolf at his side was his mother. Adam yipped in greeting which caused the tawny wolf’s tail to wag. The alpha took off at a slow trot and the pack followed, leaving Adam and Ben momentarily alone in the clearing.

  Ben turned and sniffed his mate from head to toe, finally focusing on the warm spot under Adam’s tail. The frankness of his mate’s perusal almost brought Adam to the edge of laughter, or as close as possible in his wolf form. He danced to the side, ears perked and tail high, taunting his mate. When Adam turned and sprinted off, Ben threw his head back and howled, happy to chase his mate from now until forever.

  Epilogue

  Ben was sad to be leaving his pack again so soon, but it was time for Adam to get back to school. As his mate, it was his job to protect and provide for Adam. This was his life now. Adam had spent the last week settling in to pack life. Not only had he reconnected with his mother, but he’d had his first shift on the full moon as expected, officially marking him a member of the Silver Moon Pack. Adam’s wolf was only slightly smaller than Ben’s own and his reddish brindle coat was as unique as it was glorious. The night of their run, Ben could barely stop staring he was so entranced with Adam’s beauty.

  Adam and Ben had completed their bonding on the night of the full moon, finally marking each other’s throats in wolf form. The joining of their souls had been a celebration for the entire pack. The following day Ben had taken Adam to the beach as promised and they had spent the day playing in the warm waters of the gulf. The resulting sunburns, Adam decided, were worth it and he couldn’t wait to do it again.

  The long drive back to Texas was met with more enthusiasm than either expected. Adam just wanted to get back and finish school so they could start the next stage of their lives together. Ben just wanted to be with Adam, wherever that took them. Alpha Leikos had talked with Adam and Ben long into the night before they left about their plans following Adam’s graduation. It was agreed Adam should go to college as originally planned. The pack could always use more educated members, having more than enough soldiers and construction workers. A new lawyer, engineer, or physician would do nothing but improve their overall stability.

  Ben would obviously be staying with Adam as bonded mates could not stand to be separated for long without significant distress to their wolf. Ben had had enough of that already for one lifetime. He wasn’t letting Adam out of his sight again. Thankfully, Alpha Leikos also decided it was unhealthy and unsafe to have two young wolves off on their own for months at a time. Logan and Ryan would be accompanying them back to Texas to act as their surrogate pack until their return home.

  Adam and his mother had each fought tears as they said their goodbyes. Promises of a quick return and regular phone calls helped to move them along, but it still took close to thirty minutes before they were finally loading up. Ben had traded his motorcycle for a more sensible four wheel drive SUV. Leaving his bike behind had felt strange at first, but seeing his mate’s obvious improved comfort as he curled up in the passenger seat and slept made the sacrifice worth it.

  The ride was peaceful until night once again fell around them. Ben knew better than to try to push all the way through to Texas in one trip this time and actively planned their stop at the Hideaway Inn. He knew Adam would be pleased with the morning spread supplied by the fabulous Izzy and hoped Ryan and Logan would find the lodgings as comfortable.

  Izzy greeted them both with a friendly wave when they entered the motel lobby en masse.

  “Hey, guys! You’re back! And you brought friends...big pretty friends...” Izzy said, obviously stunned at all the beefcake on display.

  “It’s good to see you again, Izzy. This is my brother Logan and our friend Ryan. We’re on our way back to Texas from visiting my family in Florida. We need two rooms this time, one a double, though. Logan and Ryan aren’t together together,” Ben replied, not entirely sure why he was offering so much information to a practical stranger. He just seemed to feel comfortable in Izzy’s presence and couldn’t stop talking.

  “Oh, Florida. That’s one of my faves. I miss the beach. Nothing in this Podunk little town but trees and mosquitos. Maybe I’ll join you on your next trip through,” Izzy said laughingly, handing Ben the keys to their rooms.

  “Sounds good to me. Right, Adam?”

  “Oh, that would be awesome. I wish you could come with us, Izzy. Especially if you promise to keep cooking,” Adam agreed, rubbing his stomach enthusiastically.

  “You guys are sweet. Y’all have a good night. I guess I’ll see you at breakfast,” Izzy said with a wink and a wave as they left the lobby. Adam couldn’t help but chuckle at the stunned expressions on both Ryan and Logan’s faces as they tried to digest the spectacle that was Izzy.

  The next morning over the once again to-die-for brea
kfast, they were all sorely disappointed at Izzy’s unexpected absence. The surly old man running the counter instead was unwilling to offer any information on where he had gone, but they couldn’t afford to delay any longer waiting for Izzy’s return. They still had at least eight more hours on the road with another school day awaiting Adam and Ben in the morning. Looking around at their room one more time before they checked out, Adam was sadder than he expected to be.

  “I’m going to miss this place,” he admitted to Ben, who hugged him from behind in sympathy.

  “We’ll be back next time. I’m sure we’ll see Izzy again, too. It’s not like this place is going to disappear when we leave,” Ben reassured, placing a gentle kiss on the back of Adam’s neck.

  “I know, it just feels so magical here. I don’t know why. I mean, it’s just a dumpy old motel, but I strangely feel at home here,” Adam commented, picking up their bag and heading for the door.

  “I know what you mean, babe. Maybe it’s not the motel, though. Maybe it’s just us being together that makes this place special. It was the first motel room we ever stayed in together. There will never be another one of those,” Ben replied as they loaded their bag into the truck.

  “Maybe,” Adam agreed, looking back one last time at the inn. As they drove away and the truck became a dark speck on the horizon, the inn shimmered and faded away into nothingness behind them.

  The End….or is it?

  Thanks for reading! Please leave a review, even if it is just a few words. Mission Primal will be the first in a series and any feedback is welcome. Have questions about the series, any of the characters, upcoming writing plans, etc.? Feel free to post questions or comments to my Facebook page –

  https://www.facebook.com/parker.skye

  About the Author

  Parker Skye has had stories burning inside her overworked brain for years but never took the time to put them on paper until now. She received an inspirational book for Christmas about how to write a novel in 30 days and decided to take the plunge. Mission Primal is the result.

  During the day, Parker works as a physician in big-city Texas. When the sun goes down, her supportive husband and three kids are waiting for her at home. Her computer comes out to play almost every night after dinner, giving her characters their fair share of her time. When does she sleep, you wonder? Yeah, Parker wonders that, too! She’s just glad there is no shortage of coffee yet in the world.

  SNEAK PREVIEW – (TITLE TBD) – SILVER MOON PACK -- BOOK 2 expected publication June 2017

  Ryan groaned when he awoke from his umpteenth road trip slumber, finding he’d fallen asleep with his head bent forward on his chest again, causing a huge crick in his neck. Ben met his eyes in the rearview mirror, obviously taking joy in his friend’s misery.

  “How’s it going back there, Ryan? You comfortable?” Ben asked sarcastically.

  “Fuck you, Benjamin. Remind me not to let you drive next time. At this pace, it’s going to be Wednesday before we make it to the state line,” Ryan replied, massaging the tight muscles of his neck with one hand.

  “Now, now, boys. Be nice or I’ll have to send you to your rooms without dinner,” Adam chided them both, not looking up from the game he was playing on his phone. Ryan huffed out a laugh at Ben’s mate’s teasing. Ryan pulled out his own phone to check how much further they had to go. Only two more hours. Thank the maker.

  “Speaking of dinner, Ben, can you exit at the next place with food? I’m hungry,” Logan, Ben’s older brother, asked.

  “Oh, come on, Logan. It’s only two more hours. Can’t you wait? I’m dying to get out of this car,” Ryan whined.

  “No, I can’t. I’m hungry. Don’t be a bitch, Ryan.”

  “But, you’re always hungry!” Ryan continued to argue, as if it would do any good.

  “Your point is?” Logan replied, arms crossed over his chest in an obvious display of dominance. Admitting his defeat, Ryan opened up his reading app and went back to his e-book. He just hoped he didn’t get car sick again.

  Scant minutes later, Ben pulled the SUV off the freeway and headed for the truck stop on the horizon. Adam spouted off happily about the greasy spoon on site, pleased they didn’t have to eat gas station food again. He’d eaten enough potato chips and beef jerky to last him a life time. Ryan hung back while the other three headed for the diner.

  “I’ll be there in just a minute. I need to get some aspirin for my neck,” Ryan called out. “Order me a cheeseburger and fries, will you Ben?” Ben held a thumbs up over his head, his other arm wrapped firmly around Adam’s shoulders. Geez, way to be subtle, guys.

  Ryan dug his duffle bag out from the bottom of the stack of luggage and opened it to dig around for his toiletry bag. He knew he’d packed some aspirin somewhere. Getting a headache and car sick on long trips was nothing unusual and Ryan had tried to be prepared. Something metallic and warm brushed the back of his hand and he pulled his hand out in surprise.

  “What the hell? Did someone put a gun in my bag?” he thought to himself, now pulling out stacks of clothes and setting them to the side to better see what was hiding at the bottom of his bag. When the bag was halfway empty, the object he found caused more intrigue than fear.

  Ryan pulled out the obviously replica genie lamp and took in its sad condition. The mouth of the lamp was partially crushed and the lamp was covered in a heavy patina of age and disuse. It almost looked greasy it was so dirty. Ryan looked around in confusion, half expecting one of the others to walk up and claim the item as theirs. He had no clue how it had gotten into his bag. Looking closer, he thought he saw letters engraved on the side, but he couldn’t be sure with all the dirt. He turned the lamp into the light pouring from the restaurant window and rubbed over the letters, trying to make out what the engraving said. Instantly the lamp heated up even more, to the point that holding it was painful. Ryan dropped the lamp and stepped back, watching as smoke began to pour out of the bent spigot. When the smoke cleared, Ryan was fairly certain he’d been transported to the Twilight Zone.

  To be continued….