by SJ Himes
A lone wolf, without pack bonds for support or the protection of an alpha, didn’t last long. The nearest progressive pack who would accept a hybrid who couldn’t shift was an hour to the north, and he would need to move from Alpha Mercer’s territory. And that all depended on the other pack accepting his request to join—he had a part-time job but minimal savings, and while he had a full-ride scholarship to Harvard, that scholarship money wouldn’t help his mother if he had to leave. His mom had a small college fund for him, but she’d worked his whole life to save that for him, and he didn’t want to hand that over to another pack in order to be admitted.
He risked lifting his head and immediately wished he hadn’t. Abigail smirked at him, her eyes cutting to Scylla, and Alpha Mercer did nothing to quiet the pack. Rael shivered when more pack members turned to look at him, speculation about his fate clear on their faces and in their whispered comments.
Scylla stepped forward, her displeasure sweeping the room. She might not be part of the pack hierarchy, but she was one of the oldest wolves in the pack, powerful and well-respected. “Alpha Mercer, you’ve not asked Rael to take the traditional oath. He turned eighteen this past month.”
Everyone knew that Mercer was aware of how old he was—rumor mill fodder had Mercer contemplating his fate for years, since Rael first passed the average age of transformation.
“I won’t be asking Rael to take the oath. He isn’t a wolf. He might as well be human. Rael has a week to leave my territory.” Whispers exploded and Rael burned in humiliation when he saw money exchange hands. Abigail looked even more smug. They couldn’t ask Scylla to leave unless she broke pack law and having a child with mixed blood was treading the line. Not to mention, it would be eighteen years too late for that judgment.
“If you kick out my son, I’ll be leaving with him.” Scylla’s declaration was met with sudden silence. Alpha Mercer frowned, though Abigail all but beamed. She wanted them both gone. Alpha Mercer wouldn’t want to lose Scylla—she was too powerful, experienced, and educated.
“Now, Scylla, you’re a valued member of the pack…” Mercer began, and his mom dared to interrupt.
“Either you take my son’s oath and Rael stays a member of this pack, or you lose the both of us. I will not stay where my son is not welcome.” Scylla lifted her chin and stared back at the alpha. People gasped and the room went still, fraught with tension.
Rael went to protest, not wanting his mom to lose her pack, but she squeezed his hand so hard pain raced up his arm. He shut his mouth and waited.
Challenging Mercer openly was going to backfire, and Rael knew it. But his mother was never one to back down, and she was fiercely protective. She’d take the blow of losing her pack, and guilt pooled in his belly.
“Sir,” a voice broke the standoff, and everyone looked to the speaker in surprise.
Jameson stood, towering over everyone. Shock ran through Rael, and Scylla stepped back and put her arm around him. He had no idea why Jameson would be speaking now of all times.
“Jameson? You have something to say?” Mercer tried to keep his tone level, but there was a hint of unease running through his words.
“Many of the wolves in this pack have human ancestry, as recently as two generations back. We live long lives, and while there hasn’t been a human mate in this pack in nearly twenty years…” Jameson paused, and he looked at Rael for a moment. He meant Rael’s father, who died when his mother was still pregnant. Hit by a car while crossing the street. After that, pack members weren’t encouraged to date humans. It wasn’t outlawed, but was heavily frowned upon. Breaking eye contact with Rael, Jameson continued, addressing Mercer. “While there hasn’t been a human mate in this pack for a generation, it is still allowed per pack laws. Since you do not consider Rael to be a wolf, but human after his father, then we can solve this issue entirely without losing two valued pack members.”
Rael’s jaw dropped. There was no way Jameson was about to suggest what he suspected—and then he did, rocking the entire room. “I wish to court Rael, and if he agrees to be my mate, then there’s no need to kick him out, or lose Scylla along with her son. Since wooing a mate traditionally takes a month, I ask that any decision made about Rael and Scylla Morrow be postponed until after the next full moon.”
Alpha Mercer looked as shocked as Rael felt.
Chapter 2
“Are you serious? You would mate with this failure of a wolf? Why? This is ridiculous.” Alpha Mercer was flabbergasted, as were most of the higher-ranking wolves. “If you want a mate, we have more than enough wolves who’d take you up on it, no courtship required.”
“I don’t want to court anyone but Rael,” Jameson stated firmly. Rael swayed on his feet, heart thumping in his ears, his mother’s grip the only thing holding him upright. “I will not contemplate another wolf in his place, and if you don’t agree, then the Southside pack will lose not only Rael and Scylla, but me as well.”
“Now, Jameson…” Alpha Mercer sounded confused, and a bit alarmed.
“I will not be swayed from this course, Uncle. Agree to the courtship, give us a month to decide if we suit, and perhaps this pack won’t suffer a splintering it may not recover from.”
It took Rael a second, but then it clicked. Jameson employed a ton of the wolves in the pack, who in turned supported their families. If Jameson left, he would likely move his business, and he wasn’t the type to lay off employees—they’d follow him. The pack would have divided loyalties regardless of the outcome.
Jameson and Alpha Mercer locked gazes, and the silence brewing between the two alphas was fraught with sharp-edged tension. Rael shivered, a faint whine escaping his throat despite his best efforts, terrified that Jameson and Alpha Mercer would break the standoff with violence.
“If you and Rael mate by the end of the traditional courtship period, then he may remain in the pack,” Alpha Mercer growled out through gritted teeth. He couldn’t deny that Jameson’s proposal was legal, as per pack laws, and Jameson’s implicit threat to leave with half the pack meant that Mercer couldn’t outright deny his nephew that option. Mercer grimaced. “I wish you luck in your wooing.”
“Thank you, Uncle.”
Rael barely heard the rest of the meeting. He couldn’t breathe. He just stared at Jameson, who went about the meeting like he hadn’t just upended Rael’s entire life and worldview and dear goddess he was going mad…
Did he agree? Was anyone even going to ask if he was okay with being wooed? That word was so old-fashioned. Who even said that word without laughing? His thoughts went haywire and he tried breathing but nothing wanted to work properly.
Scylla propped Rael up as he stumbled out the back door of Alpha Mercer’s house into the postage-stamp sized backyard, feeling the heavy weight of numerous gazes like daggers in his back. Reality was suddenly surreal and nearly suffocating. Rael tried to realign his thoughts to fit a new reality where Jameson was going to be wooing him. Rael dragged in a lungful of fresh, damp night air, heavy with gathering dew, the moon gilding the grass in an otherworldly silver gleam.
Silver. One thing he didn’t fear, unlike his full-blooded brethren—he was immune, thanks to his father’s blood. Thoughts a jumble, Rael tried to fathom if he were awake or dreaming, maybe even hallucinating. The alpha he’d been mooning over—he giggled again—since he was a kid was going to be wooing him.
He snorted out another hysterical giggle, and Scylla shook his arm. “Rael, honey, breathe,” she ordered, looking back toward the house. They were in full view of everyone through the big windows overlooking the miniscule backyard. “Rael!”
He shrugged off his mother’s grip and bolted for the dark shadows under the trees.
She called after him, but he kept going. The paths were well worn under the mature trees, the greenway along the stream that abutted the small park behind the alpha’s house empty of pedestrians, especially at night. He didn’t fear being made a snack by another supernatural—his senses were equal to any wer
ewolf in their human form.
It was cooler under the trees, each footfall as he ran echoing around him, the ground thick with dry leaves. The heavy odor of slow-moving water and wet greenery of the river clogged his nose, and he breathed out hard, sucking in a fresh breath, checking to make sure he wasn’t being followed. He didn’t hear anyone chasing after him, but their kind could move silently if they transformed.
No signs of pursuit but there was a tightening of muscles along his neck, an instinctive need to check over his shoulder as he went. A shadow moved, imagined or not, but he put on a burst of speed and left the darkness of the greenway, sprinting out into the wide-open grassy field that was deep inside the interior of the small park. The park wasn’t huge, and it was empty at this time of the evening, since people were at home eating dinner. His stomach growled, and he wished for a burger and some hot French fries, fresh from the deep fryer.
The paths were lit with tall iron lampposts, gentle golden light falling over the grass and a few trees planted around the edge of the field. As a kid he’d played here with other kids from the pack, all of them young enough that castes didn’t matter. Beta, gamma, alpha, none of it was important.
He kicked at the grass and went to sit on an iron bench on the path under a lamppost. He remembered when he was about five or six, and a kid in his age group had transformed in the middle of playing soccer. Super young, but not unheard of, and everyone was so proud, the pup’s parents bragging for weeks. He went home that night and for months afterwards, tried to make himself transform in his bedroom. Never worked, of course.
Too human.
Rael stared out across the grass, and the shadows moved, a tall figure striding out from the darkness. Heart seizing, he thought it was Alpha Mercer until Jameson’s handsome features were illuminated by the lamplight. Jameson’s scent was calming, alluring, and Rael’s entire body ached in confused yearning.
He shivered, not cold, but overwhelmed. Jameson was going to tell Rael it was all just a big misunderstanding, and he was just buying them time to figure things out. No way he was serious.
Jameson stopped a few feet away, a gentle breeze tugging at his hair. His scent was addictive, a fine mishmash of lavender, cedar, a hint of coffee, and fresh paper of all things. Rael had no idea what Jameson did aside from owning his own company. He was always too afraid to ask, to talk to Jameson in more than a few awkward sentences about mundane things like the weather or pack politics whenever they crossed paths.
They said nothing, and Rael found the courage to look Jameson in the eye, wondering what the hell was going on. His thoughts must have been clear on his face, as Jameson exhaled roughly, and cautiously sat on the bench on the far end. A foot or so apart, it was the closest they’d been in years.
“Are you alright?” His voice was husky and gentle, making Rael shiver again. Gentleness shouldn’t hurt, but pain curled in his heart nevertheless. Everything he was afraid to want was being offered to him, but in the most unpalatable manner.
It took Rael a minute to find his voice. He swallowed. “I don’t know.” Breath catching, Rael tried to hide the upheaval he was feeling, but knew he failed. “I knew he was going to do that. Toss me out. I knew it. I’ve known it for the last year. I was just hoping I could escape to college before it happened.” He cleared his throat. “I just… I don’t…” He stammered, voice trailing off.
A big, warm hand gently covered both of his where he was twisting them in his lap. Strong and solid hands bigger than his by half. He wasn’t a small guy himself, but Jameson made him feel small. And not in any bad way, aside from Rael’s slight jealousy. Jameson had everything and didn’t need to be afraid of losing it like Rael was.
Jameson squeezed his hands, then slid their fingers together and held Rael’s hand in a secure grip. Rael stared at their joined hands and didn’t know what to do or say. Jameson seemed to realize that and kept holding his hand, anchoring Rael as the night deepened around them. The moon was high overhead, a week away from full.
“What’s gonna happen when we don’t mate?” Rael finally asked. “I don’t want the pack to split. Maybe Alpha Mercer will back down.” Unlikely, but he could dream. The whole evening was surreal enough to be a dream.
Jameson shifted on the bench, and Rael finally turned to look at him. Kind eyes and a soft smile turned the frighteningly handsome alpha into someone more approachable, less intimidating. His eyes caught some of the moonlight and flashed gold.
“If my wooing fails, then I’ll help you and Scylla in any way I can. Uncle Bertram might come around.” Jameson’s voice was deep and growly, and Rael trembled, trying to hide his reaction. “If you don’t want to mate with me, then we’ll figure something out. You start college in August, so we have time to move you and Scylla if he can’t be swayed.”
“You mean… the wooing?” He stuttered over the unfamiliar word. “I... you don’t even like me,” Rael stammered. He frowned. “We can’t afford to move. Mom saved everything to give me a college fund. I might have a scholarship, but it only covers school stuff. Mom is gonna be livid if we have to spend that money on moving and then tithes for a new pack to take us both.”
“You assume my proposal isn’t sincere?” Jameson tugged on his hands, and Rael turned on the bench, facing Jameson, who turned toward him as well, their knees an inch apart.
Jameson wasn’t someone to play around or mess with another wolf for fun. He was a serious man and generally kind, and he always gave off this aura of calm competence and quiet strength. Jameson was so fucking handsome and sometimes it hurt to look at him. Rael struggled to understand what Jameson was doing—maybe Jameson was just trying to save him, because that was the type of person he was.
“You meant it?” Rael tried keeping the hope out of his voice, but he feared his infatuation was obvious. He shook his head. “You’re just trying to save me. Buy us time until we can move, or Alpha Mercer changes his mind.”
A corner of Jameson’s mouth quirked up in a tender smile. Jameson leaned down a bit, their faces mere inches apart. Even sitting on the same bench, he had to look up at Jameson. The alpha leaned in farther, Rael’s view entirely made up of golden brown eyes. Rael could feel the alpha’s body heat, and he wanted to lean in that last bit and offer himself up.
A hand came up and cupped his jaw, a thumb sweeping over his lower lip. Jameson took his mouth in a soft kiss, and it stole his breath away. He gasped and Jameson slipped his tongue into his mouth, languid and wet and Rael growled, suddenly needy, demanding. Fingers aching, claws scraping over expensive cashmere, Rael pulled himself onto Jameson’s lap. He was kissing the wolf he’d fantasized about for years.
Chapter 3
Jameson bit back a moan as Rael opened to his kiss and crawled into his lap. The young man was fraught with anxiety, lust, and the trembling of his lithe frame made Jameson want to wrap Rael tightly in his arms and never let him go. Rael’s hands scratched down his chest, red-hot lines of pain and want flaring across his flesh and down to his stomach, following Rael’s fingers as they drew daringly close to his waistband. He growled, Rael shivering in response, needy gasps escaping past his lips.
What he’d meant to offer as a sign of his sincerity, a kiss to show how he felt, was quickly becoming a heavy petting session in a public park. No one was around, but he didn’t want Rael to think he only wanted sex. Jameson caught Rael’s hands and tugged them up, encouraging Rael to wrap his arms around his neck.
They broke apart for air, and Rael all but vibrated as Jameson gripped his hips and held him in place, afraid Rael would run again. Though, he would let Rael go if he was insistent—Jameson wanted Rael to want to be with him, and not out of fear of being banished from the pack.
The whole situation was a mess, but he was determined to fix what he could, and make sure Rael was happy. He had planned on asking Rael out regardless, but his uncle’s ear was bent by Abigail spewing her anti-Scylla bullshit and Bertram was already inclined to discriminate against non-wolv
es given the chance, so Jameson found himself crafting a plan by the seat of his pants to give Rael and Scylla some protection.
Rael’s eyes were a bright, effervescent sky blue glowing with arousal and his heightened emotional state. He could smell anxiety and fear, but it was fading with every deep gulp of air Rael took. Jameson leaned down and slid his lips along Rael’s neck, nosing under the collar of his jacket and shirt, breathing deep. A faint hint of wolf, but even stronger was the strange and alluring mystery scent that was entirely Rael. A year spent wondering what the scent was, and Jameson could only surmise it was due to Rael’s human bloodline. Jameson had been a child when Callum Redmayne died in a hit and run, so Jameson didn’t remember much about him aside from that the relationship with Scylla was still new when he passed.
Rael clung to him, and Jameson forced himself to stop and think. Rael was overwhelmed and scared, and while he wanted nothing more than to continue what they were doing, Rael deserved an honorable courtship, full of romance and respect and every ounce of devotion Jameson felt for the younger man.
“Sweetheart.” The endearment slipped out, but he couldn’t regret it when Rael gasped quietly and a blush swept across his high cheekbones, eyes glowing brighter in response. Jameson smiled, and the blush deepened. “Will you let me court you?”
He hated seeing the doubt creep into Rael’s beautiful eyes, the glow dimming. “You can’t mean that.” Rael swallowed hard. “You’re just trying to save me.”
Jameson sighed, knowing he had his work cut out for him—Rael had little reason to believe him, and that was his own fault. They went from casual greetings and inane chitchat to all but having sex on a public bench in a single evening. Jameson turned on the bench and gently sat Rael beside him, long legs draped across his lap. He kept one hand on Rael’s thigh, taking the chance, feeling Rael tremble, hearing his heart jump in response to the touch.