This place needed to be burned down to ashes anyway. The pack needed to close the door to the past and start a new chapter.
“Just you and me, how appropriate,” Magnus said. The vampire reversed their positions and was on top of him now.
Shane lashed out, willing his hands to turn to claws, but Magnus caught his wrists and wrenched them downward. Agony rippled through him as bone crunched. His hands flopped to the ground uselessly.
Shane tried to think past the pain. Magnus hadn’t just broken the bones but crushed them. It would take some time for his supernatural healing to kick in, to start repairing the damage. Fuck.
Images of him baring his neck to Magnus started replaying in his head. Shane could taste the rich blood in his mouth—and realized this wasn’t his memories but Magnus forcing them on him, making him feel what Magnus felt. Hell. Was this the vampire’s idea of torture?
Shane was weakened, too hurt to ward off Magnus’s mental assault.
The vampire king closed his fingers around his throat, his grip inhumanly strong.
Shane reached for his wolf, but Magnus tightened his chokehold, disabling the flow of oxygen to his brain. Kicking at the vampire didn’t do much. Magnus was stronger than his other lieutenants and underlings.
Sharp nails dug into his skin, ripping downward.
“You’re mine, dog.” Magnus wore a triumphant smile.
His vision grew fuzzy. Magnus struck, sinking his fangs right over his left pectoral, all the while squeezing his neck. Shane realized the vampire king must be going for his heart, but he lacked the strength to push him off, to do anything.
A furious roar came from somewhere and Fang’s blood-colored wolf rammed into Magnus, throwing the vampire king off Shane. Shane struggled to rise, but nausea hit him. He could feel the bones in his wrists starting to re-knit. That was all he could do for now, focus on healing.
Fang was a savage force of nature, violently ripping his claws and fangs into Magnus. The vampire shrieked. Fang faltered, jaws already clamped over Magnus’s throat.
“Fang, he’s using his mental powers on you. Fight it,” he whispered.
His words must have reached Fang, because Fang slowly bit down, teeth tearing into skin.
Shane leaned against the kitchen counter. He was vaguely aware of wood collapsing on top of each other. Pretty soon, the entire pack house would fall. Everything seemed like a shade of orange and red. It felt like they were in a fucking inferno. Flames kissed his skin.
God. He was so exhausted.
He shut his eyes. It soon became hard to breathe, but Shane fought to remain awake. Fang nudged his nose against his face, licked at him.
Shane opened his eyes and saw Magnus’s head literally torn from his body. He let out a laugh, which came out as a cough. His fingers twitched. He could move his wrists again, but fuck, it was hard.
“Even a vampire king won’t revive from that,” he managed to choke out.
Shane didn’t know where he found the strength to wrap his arms around Fang. Fang ran, dragging Shane with him. He didn’t think they would make it. The beams holding up the roof were all over the place. Shane saw the door ahead of them. Cool air hit his face. Hands dragged them away from the heat.
His skin no longer burned. Shane lay flat on the grass, the night sky spread above him. The stars seemed absurdly many tonight.
Was he dead? The aches in his body told him no.
Concerned faces peered down at them. He counted. Everyone was there, injured, covered in ash, but miraculously alive. Will yipped in his mother’s arms. The injured lay on the grass too, but Shane knew they would recover.
Shane searched for Fang and finding a handful of Fang’s singed fur, he let out a sigh. Fang lifted his head and rested it on his chest, yellow eyes boring into his.
“You’re heavy,” he whispered. His throat felt parched, but he had a feeling Fang heard.
The others started talking among themselves, but Shane barely heard them.
Shane reached out to rub at Fang’s ears. His mate let out a pleased rumbling sound.
“It’s all over now,” he whispered. He couldn’t stop touching Fang’s fur. This was real. They were all alive. He thought he imagined Fang shifting, closing his hands over his.
“Rest now,” Fang told him. “When you wake up, I’ll be here. Everyone will be waiting for you.”
With those words, Shane gave in to his exhaustion.
Chapter Twelve
Two weeks later
“What did you make of that meeting?” Drake asked.
Shane rolled down his window to let the breeze in. He shut his eyes, enjoying the feel of wind on his face. After being stuck for four hours in a room full of shifters, the peace and quiet was a welcome respite.
“Alpha?”
Shane sighed, rubbing at the only scars on his neck. He felt a little guilty, letting Drake handle the negotiations, but Drake was good at that—keeping the peace. “We expected this to happen. Once we drove the remaining vampires and werehyena group out of Red Valley, the smaller groups would come to us asking for help or alliance.”
“It’s not our job to solve their domestic troubles,” Drake pointed out. “Can you take more interest in town paranormal politics?”
“We’ll tell them next time. Drake, feel the wind. Relax. You’re always so stressed out,” Shane remarked.
He knew they needed to establish order in town. With the vampires and hyenas gone, the other weaker groups would look towards them for direction. Oh, Shane was certain the hyenas and surviving vamps would make an appearance in town someday. Vengeance was an endless cycle, but by then, Shane and his wolves would deal with them.
Drake frowned, gaze trained on the dirt road ahead of them. They were nearing the pack house now—well, the remnants of it, anyway. The pack was pouring all its energies into renovating and rebuilding the space, but for now, they had made a temporary camping ground on their land.
“Fang was telling me this morning how you should try to—I don’t know, date more? Maybe find a mate?” Shane suggested.
“Fang should mind his own fucking business,” Drake muttered.
“He’s just concerned.”
“He should start a match-making service then. Jax’s complaining Fang keeps setting him up with Kit,” Drake remarked.
“My mate’s thoughtful.”
“No, he’s not. When I mean set-up, I meant threats. Kit and the others are still scared of him, so are most of the townsfolk.”
“Well, they’ll soon find out the real Fang. Underneath it all, he’s just misunderstood and awkward, but he can be sweet too.”
Drake snorted at that. “Of course you’d say that, Fang’s your mate.”
Finally, Drake pulled up into the main path leading to the pack area. Shane got out once Drake killed the engine. He surveyed the woods surrounding the land. Some of the trees had caught fire, but the local firefighters had arrived in time to contain the spread.
The Red Manes’ main headquarters looked like a pile of ash and dirt at the moment, but it was home.
“Every time I see this, I get depressed,” Drake commented.
“Don’t. We’ve been talking about rebuilding the pack house anyway, how it reminded us too much of the previous generation,” Shane said.
“Yeah, but I didn’t want to see history burn down,” Drake grumbled.
“Oh, please. You secretly like the fact we all have this new project to work on, that it brought us closer together.”
Drake raised an eyebrow. “So, imposter. Who are you and what have you done with the real gloomy Alpha?”
“Try looking at the bright side of life for a change.” Good thing Shane had spoken to Talon about improving Drake’s mood.
Some of their pack mates were still busy at work. Talon, Jax, Razor. and Fang had some experience with construction. So did Drake and he, so that saved them the cost of hiring guys to fix up the place.
“Tell me you guys brought lunch,” Ta
lon yelled, taking off his hard hat to approach them.
“Burgers and fries are in the backseat,” Drake said loud enough for the rest to hear.
“Oh, right. Alpha, I did what you asked.” Talon winked at Drake, who narrowed his eyes.
“What do you mean?” Drake asked when Shane said nothing.
Talon fished his phone from his back pocket and showed them a webpage. “I signed you up on MateMatch.com. It’s Grindr for shifters. Oh, look, Kit’s here too.”
Spotting Kit coming over to probably grab lunch, Talon waved the younger wolf over.
“Yoo-hoo, Kit. I got something to show you. Do you like guys who knit as a hobby?” Talon yelled, laughing at Kit’s confused look.
“I’m going to murder you,” Drake growled, about to swipe the phone, but Talon snatched it back and childishly stuck out his tongue.
“Catch me first,” Talon said, darting away.
“You asshole.” Drake shifted to wolf, not caring that the change shredded his clothes, and his personal belongings fluttered to the ground.
“Shit, dude. Chill.” Talon’s wolf exploded from his skin, and the two started to brawl.
“It’s a normal day, isn’t it?” Jax said, grabbing a brown take-out bag from the backseat. “Did you get me extra cheese?”
“Drake won’t forget an order,” Shane said.
“Aren’t you going to stop those two?” Kit asked worriedly.
“Why, Kit? Concerned for Drake?” Jax teased.
“No way in hell,” Kit gritted out. “I don’t care if those two maul each other to death.”
“I smell a lie,” Razor said in a serious tone.
“Alpha,” Kit began. “Stop them.”
Shane’s gaze instantly zeroed on Fang. Fang’s sweatshirt was plastered against his back and Fang’s muscled legs were molded by a pair of faded jeans. Very nice. Shane licked his lips, recalling how only last night, he’d slept with his dick buried Fang’s ass. His mate stopped in the middle of hammering, as if he knew Shane watched him.
“Oh, pup. Shane’s long gone.” Jax sniggered.
“You’re dead, Jax,” Kit shot back.
“Hah. Maybe in a couple of years,” Jax responded.
More snarls filled the air. This was normal. His wolves needed to establish the pecking order.
Ignoring his immature pack members, he walked over to Fang. His pack might be composed of a bunch of misfits who fought and bled each other most of the time, but Shane didn’t mind. The pack felt complete finally. This was the one place on earth he wished to be.
“You’re smiling. Did something good happen?” Fang asked.
“I missed you,” Shane said honestly.
Fang furrowed his brows. “We just fucked last night.”
His man could be crass sometimes, but Shane loved him to pieces.
“Oh, by the way, I have a surprise for you as well,” Fang added. “I drove into town too.”
Shane curved his lips into a smile. “You have a gift for me?”
“I’m hungry first,” Fang stated.
“You better move fast then or the burgers will be gone,” Shane said, looking at the rest of their pack mates. Kit and Jax still argued, and it looked like they were about to go furry too. Drake and Talon were somewhere in the woods, still fighting judging by the noises they made. Grey and Razor munched on fries like they were watching a movie.
Fang grabbed his shoulder and took his lips. The kiss incinerated Shane, stirred his cock to life.
“I’m hungry for something else,” Fang said.
“Let’s go to our trailer,” Shane suggested. Fang already started tugging him that way. “Grey, Razor watch these bastards,” Shane yelled before letting Fang drag him into the double-wide trailer. Fang locked the door behind him. There were other trailers parked near theirs, the pack’s temporary homes until they finished the pack house.
Fang looked down at his sweat-soaked shirt. “I should get a shower first.”
“No, I like you all sweaty,” Shane said, fisting Fang’s shirt. He shoved Fang against the kitchen counter and grabbed the hem.
Fang let him peel him the shirt off. For a moment, Shane wondered why Fang looked at him anxiously, and then he discovered why. Letting out a breath, he ran his fingers over the new ring of metal piercing Fang’s right nipple.
Shane groaned. His cock strained against the zipper of his jeans. “Fuck.”
“Good or bad fuck?” Fang asked as Shane traced the ring. “It’s still new, so be gentle.”
Shane grinned. “Sexy mate. All I could think about during the meeting was you.”
A rumbling snarl came from Fang when Shane flicked the metal back and forth. He dragged his other hand lower to work Fang’s dick out of his jeans.
Shane swiped away the pre-cum from Fang’s slit with a fingernail, making his mate groan. Curling his fingers around Fang’s prick, he applied the right pressure and began to stroke Fang up and down, watching for his reaction.
“I missed you too,” Fang admitted.
“Me or my dick?”
“All of you,” Fang confirmed, locking one hand on the back of Shane’s neck.
Their tongues and teeth clashed. Shane let Fang shove his tongue down his throat and sucked down hard on it. In his hand, Fang grew rock hard within moments.
Blood surged to his dick. Fang running his hands under his shirt and over his skin lit every nerve in his body. They pulled their mouths apart so Fang could take off his shirt. Their chests touched, and the feel of the cold metal of Fang’s nipple rings were a good contrast against Shane’s feverish skin.
“Need to be inside you now,” Shane said, pulling his hand from Fang’s shaft.
His mate let out a frustrated growl.
Shane spun Fang, bent him over the counter and kept his hands pinned behind his back. Knowing Fang liked a little spice to their love making, Shane pulled out his belt from its loops. He wound the leather around Fang’s wrists and made sure the restraint was sung but didn’t cut into Fang’s circulation.
He took a step back, admiring his powerful mate in submission. Fang’s back muscles and arms stood out, and he ran his hand down Fang’s inked spine. Sometimes, they mixed things up and Shane bottomed for Fang.
Shane had thought the heat between them would fan out as time passed, but it only grew stronger.
“You fucking tease. I’ll make you pay for this,” Fang grumbled.
Shane chuckled. “I look forward to it.”
Hooking his fingers into Fang’s belt loops, he yanked Fang’s jeans down and exposed Fang’s tight ass. Fuck, Shane knew he wouldn’t last long. Wedging Fang’s cheeks apart, he pulled out his own prick from his jeans and rubbed at the glistening, swollen head.
“What the fuck are you waiting for?” Fang demanded.
“Be patient.” Shane grabbed the lube from his wallet and worked a generous amount into Fang’s entrance, then added the rest over his prick.
Needing to be inside his mate, Shane gripped Fang’s hips and entered him with one quick thrust. Fang buckled, groaning as Shane buried himself to the hilt.
“Fuck, so good, baby.”
Shane liked hearing that term endearment from Fang. He remained inside Fang a few more seconds, stretching his ass. Fang’s inner muscles clamped around his shaft, creating delicious friction when he moved a little.
Shane pistoned in and out of Fang. With each thrust, he went deeper. Draping his body over Fang’s back, he took Fang’s mouth again, savoring the taste and heat of his mate. Shane shifted his angle to Fang’s prostate. His mate gasped underneath him as he made sure to hit Fang’s sweet spot with each thrust.
They were both close now. The first round was merely a preview: Shane would take his time the next time or Fang could do the honors.
“Are you close?” he asked, reaching over to play with Fang’s dick again.
Fang’s groan of assent was answer enough. Shane’s next thrust sent Fang over the edge. With a growl, Fang’s seed
spill over his waiting fingers.
Shane’s climax wasn’t far behind. As he entered his mate several more times, the pressure building inside Shane broke. He shot his load inside Fang, screaming out Fang’s name.
Long seconds later, Shane recovered and freed Fang’s hands. Fang blurred, reversing their positions. Shane’s back hit the wall of the trailer as Fang’s hands came on either side of his head.
“Love you,” Shane whispered.
Fang broke into a huge grin. “Fucking love you too.”
“I know,” Shane said smugly. “So are you game for round two?”
The End
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Other Books by Angelique Voisen:
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Prodigal Alpha Page 8