He moved closer with caution, sniffing the creature in front of him. The moment the scent reached him, Mark remembered. This wolf was his mate. Luke. Mark leapt forward onto the wolf, licking its muzzle and nipping the fur on its neck. Luke yipped and joined in the fun, rolling and nipping back, playing happily.
After several minutes of games, Luke trotted out the back door, peered over his shoulder to make sure his mate was following him and made his way into the yard.
Kelan, Cody and Luke had followed the same trail since they were pups, so Luke knew the way instinctively. Beyond the fields at the back of their property was a small dusting of trees that led down to the creek. It was the perfect place to hunt.
He followed the trail, checking behind him every so often to make sure Mark was still with him. When he got past the clearing Luke heard a rustling in the trees ahead of him. He stopped walking and crouched down on his haunches, listening and waiting to hear the sound again.
Mark strolled up beside him, butting his nose to Luke’s, as if wondering why he’d stopped. Mark started to walk forward then halted. He sniffed the air in front of him and began growling. The sound was low and menacing and caused the fur on the back of Luke’s head to stand on end. Luke wanted to turn around and run back to the house but he knew Mark would stand his ground and there was no way he was leaving his mate. Luke had picked up the same scent. Ethan Walker was nearby and he wasn’t alone.
As Mark’s growls grew louder, the rustling sound ahead of them moved nearer. A second later, Ethan stepped out of the clearing in wolf form. Mark moved himself in front of Luke. Ethan was huge but all Mark seemed to think about was protecting Luke, as if nothing else mattered to him. Luke whined behind him, begging him not to get involved in the fight it was obvious Ethan wanted.
As Ethan stalked towards them, two other wolves appeared behind him, flanking him on both sides. Luke didn’t recognise either of the other wolves, and he eyed them cautiously.
Luke tried to step in between Mark and Ethan, but Mark growled at him and shouldered him back. Shit. Please don’t let him get hurt, Luke prayed as he watched the standoff between the two larger wolves. Mark was big, but he had nothing on Ethan and the two snarling wolves that accompanied him were anything but small themselves.
Ethan made a move forwards, circling them so that he was practically standing next to Luke. The other two wolves stayed back, as though waiting for an order from Ethan to attack. Ethan stared at Luke. He made a move closer but Mark growled and stepped in between them. Luke knew that would infuriate Ethan and he was right. Ethan snarled at Mark and called out to the other wolves before pouncing.
He slashed his claws down Mark’s side causing Mark to howl in pain, all the while his teeth snapped as they tried to find purchase in Mark’s neck. Mark fought back as best he could, but Ethan outweighed him by a good twenty pounds.
Luke howled. This was not going to happen. No one was going to take his mate from him. Seconds before the other wolves descended on Mark, Luke leapt forward and attached himself to Ethan’s back. Under normal circumstances he would have been terrified to take on a wolf the size of Ethan, but he didn’t spare a thought for his own safety. Mark was all he could think about. He peeled back his lips and sunk his teeth into Ethan’s leg, biting into skin and bone. The horrible, bitter taste of Ethan’s blood seeped into his mouth but he didn’t let go. He would protect his mate until his dying breath.
Ethan whined and fell to the floor, dislodging Luke’s teeth. The two wolves who were about to attack skidded to a halt when they heard Ethan’s cry. Luke immediately stepped back and moved to stand next to Mark. He could smell Mark’s blood but he was afraid to take his eyes off the three wolves to aid Mark.
Fortunately the two strange wolves moved back. Ethan got up from the ground and limped towards his goons. Luke growled a warning at them to stay back. Ethan hesitated, eyes cold and fierce and intent on Luke. Then without another backwards glance, he turned and limped off into the trees, the two wolves following obediently in his wake.
As soon as Ethan was out of sight, Luke started checking his mate for injuries. The blood he could smell was coming from a small wound on Mark’s side. The gash was deep but because of Mark’s fast healing ability, the cut was already starting to close. Luke licked at the wound, cleaning it, every so often checking over his shoulders to make sure Ethan and the other wolves weren’t coming back. When he was sure they were alone, he headed back towards the house, nudging Mark in front of him.
Mark was furious. He couldn’t believe his little mate had got into the fight. If anything had happened to Luke, he would have never forgiven himself. But Luke was okay, and he took comfort in that fact as he let himself be guided back to the house.
Once they were inside, both wolves lay on the kitchen floor panting and starting the change. Mark was the first to change back and as soon as Luke was human again, he grabbed hold of the smaller man and pulled him into his arms.
“Don’t ever do that again,” Mark admonished, squeezing Luke tightly around the waist. “You scared the crap out of me, Luke. What if something had happened to you?”
“Sorry,” Luke mumbled into Mark’s neck. “But I was so worried about you, I didn’t think. I couldn’t stand it if anything happened to you either, you know.”
“Something has got to be done about this. That asshole could have killed you.”
“I know, but I don’t think he was trying to kill me, it was you he attacked. We’ll have to wait for Kelan to get back. He’ll know what to do.”
* * * *
It was almost dawn when Kelan pushed open the front door. Luke and Mark were sitting cuddled together on the couch. Mark had insisted Luke try to get some rest but every time Luke tried, visions of Ethan attacking his mate entered his mind and he had to open his eyes and cling to his mate, kissing him passionately to reassure himself Mark was okay and in one piece.
The wound on Mark’s side was nearly healed. Luke hoped Ethan wasn’t so lucky. He wanted the asshole to suffer for what he’d done to Mark.
When Kelan entered the living room, his steps faltered as he saw the look on his brother’s face.
“What’s wrong?” Kelan asked, moving quickly into the room.
Luke started to fill him in on what had happened. He had nearly finished the story when he noticed Kelan shifting from foot to foot, favouring his right leg.
“What the hell happened to your leg?”
Kelan waved away Luke’s question with a sweep of his hand.
“It’s nothing, got caught in a trap when we were checking out Joe’s place. It’s nearly healed.”
“What were you doing near Joe’s place?” Mark asked, snaking his fingers through Luke’s.
“Looking for information. Rick heard a rumour in town that there are a bunch of new wolves working at Joe’s. None of them have petitioned to me for rights to stay here, so I figured they were siding with Ethan. I didn’t want to believe it but it looks like he’s trying to take over as alpha.”
“Shit. What are you going to do?”
“Confront him. Not much else I can do. If he wants to challenge me but won’t come here to do it to my face, then I’ll take the fight to him.”
“I don’t want you to fight,” Luke said in a small voice.
“I don’t want to fight either, but I don’t think I have any choice. If I let this sort of thing go unchallenged, there are going to be a lot more wolves around here thinking they can do as they please. The pack would be in chaos. Don’t worry—I’m not going to do anything just yet. I’ve called for a pack meeting in three days’ time. I’m going to talk to my betas and some of the older wolves in the pack about it. See what they think about the situation.”
When Kelan said goodnight and went up to bed, Mark pulled Luke into his arms and kissed his temple.
“How you holding up?”
Luke shook his head. “I feel like this is all my fault.”
“How do you figure that?”
> “Because I rejected Ethan. And then I met you which made him even more jealous. He could have killed you tonight. And what’s going to happen to Kelan?”
Mark took Luke’s face in both hands.
“Listen to me, Luke. None of this is your fault, okay? Ethan is an asshole. You don’t go around attacking people because someone spurned your advances. Ethan is unhinged. His behaviour has nothing to do with you. And Kelan is a grown man and a big one at that. He knows how to take care of himself. He’ll be fine. Come on, let’s go to bed.”
Luke nodded. “Make love to me?”
“With pleasure.”
Chapter Seven
Luke and Mark spent the next couple of days helping Kelan around the ranch. Although there was no livestock anymore, they still had the horses to take care of. Throwing themselves into the ranch worked to ease their worries about Kelan, and for a little while they were able to forget about Ethan.
Mark and Luke agreed to work in the stables while Kelan went into town to run an errand. Luke started mucking out the stalls while Mark brought in fresh hay and water.
“How come you don’t breed cattle here anymore?” Mark asked, removing his gloves and taking a seat on a bale of hay in the corner.
Luke stopped what he was doing and took a seat next to Mark.
“Well, the ranch was never my daddy’s, it was my mom’s. She inherited it from her father and my daddy never did have much interest in it. When she passed away about three years ago, I think he was relieved. Not with her passing, of course—they were mates and he never quite got over her death—but I think he was glad to not have to bother with the ranch anymore.”
“And you or your brothers weren’t interested in keeping it up?”
“No. Cody only ever wanted to be an artist. He’s damn good at it too. Makes a heap of money selling his paintings in New York. I always had a head for figures, so I decided to train as an accountant, and Kelan… Well, Kelan is another story. Kelan used to work here on the ranch when my mom was alive, and he was pissed that my dad wanted to get rid of all the cattle, but my father had the last word, as always.
“When Dad died, Kelan took over the pack and a few of my daddy’s business interests in town. I think he’d like to see this place working like it used to but pack business keeps him pretty busy nowadays.”
Mark nodded thoughtfully then got to his feet.
“Come on, let’s get this finished with, then we can go in and grab lunch.”
* * * *
Kelan joined them about an hour later. The three men were still working in the stables when Kelan’s cell phone rang. He took off his gloves and fished the phone out of his back pocket.
“Hello? Okay, good, I’ll ask Luke to pick you up. Bye.”
Luke stopped what he was doing and looked at his older brother. “Who was that?”
“Cody. His flight gets in at six. You mind getting him from the airport?”
“Not at all,” Luke said, beaming. “I can’t wait to see him.”
“Don’t mention anything about Marianne or what’s been going on with Ethan, okay? I’d like to talk to him myself about that.”
Luke stared at his brother in confusion. “You haven’t told him?”
“No. Wanted to do it face to face.”
“Rather you than me,” Luke said with a shudder.
Kelan was working in the yard as Luke left the house to pick up his brother. Mark followed him to his truck and put a hand on his shoulder to stop him getting in.
“Hey, don’t I get a kiss goodbye?”
Luke smiled and let Mark wrap his arms around his waist.
“Of course.”
He leant forwards and kissed Mark gently on the lips. Mark pulled Luke closer to his body and slipped his tongue inside Luke’s mouth. The kiss heated within seconds. Luke was panting by the time they pulled apart.
“If I don’t go now, I’m going to be dragging you back inside the house,” Luke said with a chuckle.
“I wouldn’t complain.”
“No, but Cody would.”
“True enough. I guess I’d better let you go then. Be careful okay?”
Luke rolled his eyes at his mate. “I’m only driving to the airport.”
“Still, I don’t like that I’m not coming with you. I don’t like you being where I can’t protect you. And do you realise that this is the first time we’ll be separated since we met? I don’t like that at all.”
Luke smiled and leaned in to steal another kiss.
“Firstly, I don’t need protecting. I’m a grown man, Mark. And secondly, that is the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me. I’ll be careful okay? Promise.”
“Okay.” Mark trailed the back of his fingers down Luke’s cheek. “See you soon.”
Mark watched Luke drive out of the yard. He waited until Luke was out of sight before walking over to join Kelan.
“I think I was right before,” Kelan said with a smirk. “You’ve got it bad, haven’t you?”
“Yeah,” Mark said. “Yeah, I have.”
* * * *
Luke waited impatiently in arrivals for his brother’s flight to land. He’d checked the information board three times and each time it had showed the same thing. Cody’s flight was on time. He was so excited to see his brother, he was practically vibrating.
He spotted Cody coming through the gate, wheeling a large black suitcase behind him. Cody looked good, paler than Luke was used to seeing him, but he was wearing a huge smile which lit up his whole face and made up for his lack of a tan.
“Hey Cody, over here!” Luke shouted, waving his arms to get his brother’s attention.
Cody’s gaze fell upon his brother and his smile broadened. He rushed over, dropped his suitcase at Luke’s feet and grabbed hold of Luke, pulling him into his chest and hugging him tightly. Cody was only a few inches taller than Luke, but he lifted him until Luke’s feet dangled off the ground.
“Hey, little brother, what gives?”
Luke waited until his feet were back on terra firma before taking a good look at his brother. Cody had lost some weight since the last time Luke had seen him, but the smile on his face was much brighter than it had been when he’d last visited him in New York. He looked genuinely pleased to be home.
“Man, I’ve got so much to tell you,” Luke said, beaming at his brother. “You’re not going to believe it!”
“Good news by the look of it.”
“Oh man, the best.”
Luke led Cody out of the airport to where his pickup was parked in the lot. “So how’s life in New York?”
“Good. Business is going well. I just got another gallery to show my work so I’ve been really busy these past weeks. How’s everything at home?”
“Incredible,” Luke said dreamily. He helped Cody put his suitcase in the back of the truck. When they were seated inside, Cody turned to Luke and waited. Although Luke wanted to tell his brother about Mark, he couldn’t seem to make the words come out. He knew Cody desperately wanted a mate, so he didn’t want to say anything that would remind Cody that he was alone.
“Come on then, out with it,” Cody said, pulling Luke from his thoughts. “I’m surprised you lasted this long.”
Despite his nervousness and reservations, Luke couldn’t keep the smile from his face. He hoped Cody would be happy for him.
“Okay. The thing is, I…I’ve found my mate,” he said at last.
Luke watched Cody lean closer to him and sniff the air between them, probably checking for the change in Luke’s scent which always happened when a wolf mated.
“Holy crap, Luke!” Cody exclaimed. “Who is she? When can I meet her?”
Luke knew Cody thought Luke wasn’t gay. Plus they had never had the sort of relationship where they discussed partners with each other, significant or otherwise. Luke could feel the heat rise in his cheeks. He couldn’t believe how hard it was to say the words.
After a moment, Luke shook himself. Why exactly was he finding this so
difficult? He wasn’t embarrassed by Mark, not in the least. He cared about him. No, it was more than that. If he were honest with himself, he was starting to fall in love with Mark and he knew that was nothing to be embarrassed about at all.
“Ah, well, the thing is, it’s not a ‘she’ exactly—it’s a ‘he’. His name is Mark and you can meet him as soon as we get home.”
Luke waited for his brother to respond. All the colour had drained from Cody’s face and the confusion there was evident.
“A he?” Cody appeared nonplussed. “But that’s not… It can’t be… Are you sure?”
Luke couldn’t contain the boom of laughter that tore from his chest, more from nervousness than amusement. He rolled his eyes at his brother.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure, bro. Trust me, it’s not something you can easily mistake, you know?”
“But, but you’re not even gay,” Cody stuttered.
“I know, fate’s a bitch, huh? But to be honest, I wouldn’t want it any other way. Mark is incredible,” Luke said, thinking about the mate that waited for him at home.
Cody was quiet for most of the ride back to the ranch but Luke didn’t push his older brother to talk. He knew that he had given Cody a lot to think about. Cody had once told Luke he believed gay wolves were not destined to have mates—that that was a privilege reserved for straight wolves who could bear cubs. To learn that everything you’d truly believed in was false had to be a very harsh realisation.
Luke spotted Mark sitting on the porch with Kelan the second he pulled into the yard. He couldn’t keep the smile from his face. It had only been a few short hours since he last saw his mate, but he couldn’t believe how much he’d missed him. After Luke put the truck in park, he practically fell out of the car in his rush to greet Mark.
Mark quickly made his way down the steps when he saw Luke’s truck pull into the yard. It amazed him how quickly he’d got used to being with Luke. Not being around him even for a few short hours had been tough.
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