by Odessa Lynne
Gerald closed his eyes for one brief moment.
He’d done it, now he had to live with it. Time to stop hoping for a last minute reprieve.
And that was that. The rustling that had been building suddenly became a crescendo of crackling leaves being trampled underfoot and Gerald turned to see the first of a large group of wolves come into view through the trees.
At that moment, the last conversation he’d had with his oldest brother pushed its way to the forefront of his thoughts.
“When the fuck are you coming back this time?” he’d asked Gerald, his eyes as overcast as the rain darkened sky.
“Soon,” he’d said while he was pulling on his second boot. “There’s just something I’ve got to do. It won’t take long.”
The look he’d gotten in return had made him feel like a fifteen year old again. “You told Mama you were done. This shit you’re involved in is dangerous. Heat season can’t be more than a week away. You shouldn’t be out there.”
“Stop worrying.”
“At least tell me where you’re going to be.”
“Can’t do that.”
“Goddammit. You better come home, Sunny. You don’t, and we’ll be coming after you.”
“You say that every time I head out.”
“And I mean it every time.”
“Sure, sure. I’m late.” He’d thrown open the back door and then stopped on the threshold. “I’ll be back before you even miss me.”
But he wouldn’t be. Not this time. And when he didn’t return after a few weeks or a month, it wouldn’t matter what James told his family. If they hadn’t heard from Gerald, they would come looking for him.
As he took in the ever widening circle of approaching wolves, that thought didn’t comfort him.
* * *
The fight was brutal in a way Gerald hadn’t seen anywhere but on a veo screen since the last heat season. Only he hadn’t seen that fight either, he’d only seen the results, bloody gashes along Cory’s face and chest that had made Cory look as dangerous as his actions had proved him to be.
He’d taken on multiple wolves that night, protecting Devon and Gerald, and he’d come out on top in half the time he’d already been fighting Tanis’s beta.
Gerald really hadn’t expected to see Cory here, hadn’t thought he’d be one of the wolves fighting to claim him as a mate. He hadn’t even seen him around in at least a year, probably longer.
Cory took another slashing blow too close to his face, and Gerald winced, holding his head in his hands as he sat on the ground in his little protected area, elbows on his knees, unable to tear his gaze away from the vicious claws raking down Cory’s muscled chest.
The ground was dry beneath Gerald. He was sitting on his ass because with every blow—every slash—he’d found himself easing back, getting too close to the hair-raising edges of the protected area in which he’d been left.
He flinched again at another blow, one that didn’t miss Cory’s face, and turned his head into the crook of his arm as his stomach jolted hard at the sight of so much blood.
Cory was losing. Badly.
And the amount of dark, rich blood pouring from Cory’s wounds was making Gerald’s stomach churn.
The other wolf—the one Gerald had never seen before today—wasn’t faring that much better, but it was obvious to Gerald that he was faster, that his blows landed with more force, that he swayed less on his feet as the interminable fight continued.
Cory was the first wolf Gerald had ever fucked. Gerald had become Cory’s heat mate just over three years ago during the wolves’ last heat season to maintain his connection to Devon—he’d done it for other reasons, too, but primarily, he hadn’t wanted to risk losing track of Devon when he’d realized Devon was on the verge of disappearing into the protectorate.
James had been scrambling to put together what information he could about the local anti-wolf renegades after discovering a hint of a connection to a representative of the American Protectorate. Gerald’s job had been to make himself useful to Devon with an eye toward getting closer to Devon’s friend Brendan Greer.
As the suspect representative’s son, Brendan had been a prime target for information gathering.
And information gathering was Gerald’s specialty, after all. Very few people ever looked at him and saw him as a threat. He was ordinary, good looking enough, but not striking in any way that would draw attention. A little too sleazy to be anyone’s favorite person, someone most people would rather just accept and move on from rather than question too closely.
A harsh yell made Gerald raise his head again, and he flinched at the sight of even more blood and a gaping wound on the cheek of Cory’s rival.
A moment later, he found himself drawn to the stare of a wolf crouching on the other side of Alpha Craig, watching not the fight but Gerald, gaze hot with the beginnings of something Gerald didn’t want to see.
A snapping branch sent his heart thundering in his ears and his blood spiking with adrenaline. He jerked his attention back to the fight, where his potential mates had taken to the trees.
He was so busy biting his lip and watching Cory fend off the ferocious slash of the other wolf’s wicked claws that he didn’t see the moment one of the wolves broke free of the pack and threw himself at the barrier.
Gerald let out a startled yell, falling backward in his hurry to scramble away from the oncoming wolf.
The barrier knocked the wolf back.
Alpha Craig surged to his feet, moving fast, but then the wolf who had been crouching beside Craig made his own lunge toward the barrier.
Craig grabbed the wolf by the throat and slammed him to the ground with a roar so loud it vibrated painfully against Gerald’s eardrums.
Gerald staggered to his feet, gaze darting from wolf to wolf, only to snare on Tanis, who stood to Gerald’s far right with fingers flexing, nostrils flared, eyes glinting. Tanis wasn’t watching Gerald, but the other wolves, his head tilted, his stance wide, his muscles tight under the snug black t-shirt he wore.
A sharp cry jerked Gerald’s attention around and he dropped down into a crouch, eyes fixed on the vicious fight between Cory and the unnamed beta.
The remaining wolves held their positions, but Gerald was so on edge that every slight movement sent his heart rate spiking hard, while the constant flood of adrenaline seemed to be eating a hole in his stomach.
How were either of the wolves still standing? He’d seen Cory heal from some terrible injuries three years ago, but this was just—
Claws raked skin, and blood welled through the torn fabric of Cory’s trousers.
Gerald cringed, his thigh twitching with sympathetic pain that skittered along his nerves.
And then, just when Gerald thought it was impossible that both Cory and the other wolf were still standing, Cory managed to get his teeth into the throat of his rival.
Relief surged through Gerald and he leapt to his feet again.
Cory was going to win. That was good. Everything was going to be okay. He’d fucked Cory through the last heat season; he could handle Cory.
A slash, a bite and a growl, and then—
Somehow the other wolf wrestled Cory onto his back, and in the next instant he ripped a huge chunk of flesh free from the side of Cory’s neck. Cory’s strangled cry ended on a shocked silence that lasted all of two seconds, before the victor staggered upright and spun on his heel.
Gerald stood there so stunned he couldn’t move a muscle.
The wolf’s glittering gaze collided with Gerald’s uncomprehending stare.
“Holy mother of God,” Gerald breathed out.
Even without the barrier holding him hostage, running was not an option.
The wolf swiped the back of his wrist across his mouth, smearing as much blood over his chin as he cleared away.
No one moved to interfere, and a weakness Gerald refused to acknowledge made his legs feel like they were made of jelly.
He could do this. It was a small sacrifice
for the continued peace. He could—
His new mate growled and lurched toward Gerald.
Gerald unintentionally took a step back, blood rushing in his ears.
A mistake. He knew it right away as the wolf’s chin rose and his step faltered for one brief moment. He’d been injured pretty badly in the fight, his leg dragging, but at the first sign that his mate might not be quite ready to submit, his entire stance changed.
Gerald had it on good authority that the wolves’ remarkable healing abilities were the number one reason why drugs weren’t effective against them. The repression drugs the wolves used to control the heat probably hadn’t survived the fight.
“Oh shit,” Gerald said.
The wolf charged toward him.
Chapter 5
Gerald tripped backwards and hit the ground with a spine-jarring thud, his shoulder crossing the invisible barrier at his back. Hot, sharp pain lanced through him, and he cried out, jerking away from the needles crawling down his arm.
Tanis intercepted his beta, slamming him to the ground so hard Gerald felt the ground vibrate with the impact.
“Submit!”
Gerald rolled until his knees were under him and his cheek was pressed to the cool ground, holding his arm and groaning. Fiery heat sparked in every muscle in his arm from shoulder to fingertip. He lost sight of what was going on in front of him as several wolves stepped between him, his new mate, and Tanis.
Cold sweat prickled his skin. The scent of decaying leaves and the sweet sharp bite of pine needles coated the back of his throat. He lay there for at least a minute, maybe longer, until he could finally do more than gasp air.
His muscles slowly relaxed. He became aware of voices over him, speaking the wolves’ language.
He rose on trembling arms, raising his head as he did.
Kem crouched in front of him, no more than five feet away, watching Gerald with bright eyes. “I warned you what would happen if you crossed the barrier.”
“You weren’t kidding,” Gerald said. He knelt, then wiped his mouth with a shaky hand and looked past Kem toward Cory.
“Corgaeini will survive.”
“Cory?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” He clenched his fists. His hands still had a tremor to them; the adrenaline in his system would take a while to wear off. “Tell me what the hell is going on with the other one.” He jerked his head in his new mate’s direction. “I thought the whole point of me being here was so he could claim his mate. Not that I’m not grateful for a reprieve after the way he came after me.”
“Leisikei can’t claim you to mate right now. He’s injured in a way that makes mating impossible for the moment. He needs time to heal.”
Gerald blinked at Kem before groaning. He ran his hands through his hair, clasping his fingers behind his head, and looked up at the sky. What had he done to deserve this? Really?
Kem waited.
Gerald finally looked at him again, dropping his hands to his thighs. “It’s his dick, right?”
Kem didn’t respond. Not that Gerald expected him to. Devon’s mate was a strange wolf, so serious all the time.
He took a deep breath. Kem’s gaze flickered away and Gerald followed it.
Tanis stood over his beta, his booted foot at the wolf’s injured throat and his dark claws extended. Sunlight shadowed his face and he looked as fierce as any warrior Gerald had ever seen, standing over a vanquished enemy.
Gerald’s mouth parted on a soft breath.
Kem’s head turned, nose scrunching with a deep sniff of the air, and his gaze narrowed on Gerald. “You’re attracted to him.”
“I bet he’s got a big dick.”
Kem’s eyes flared just a little. Surprise, maybe.
Gerald winced, embarrassment rolling through him. He’d spent too much time playing a role. He was obviously having trouble letting it go. “Forget I said that. I don’t care how big his dick is.” But his gaze started to wander toward Tanis again and the hell if he could stop himself.
“He’s made an unusual request,” Kem said, sounding thoughtful. “I’m not certain I should allow it.”
Tanis was staring right at Gerald this time, unsettling him. He swallowed and deliberately looked to Kem. “Huh?”
“He wants to claim you on Leisikei’s behalf.”
“What?” Shock made Gerald speak louder than he meant to. He quickly lowered his voice, gaze darting toward Tanis and back. “What the fuck. Does that mean what I think it means?”
“The laws are old. First Alpha doesn’t ask anyone to honor them, but there are times when we do.”
Something moved at the peripheral of Gerald’s vision and Gerald couldn’t help but look.
Less than twenty feet away, Alpha Craig had hauled Cory up over his shoulder, and he was turning to leave.
Tanis said something to Craig that made him look back toward Gerald for one brief moment, but since Tanis was speaking the wolves’ language Gerald didn’t understand what it was he was saying. Tanis showed his teeth and Craig growled back at him.
It all meant something, Gerald was sure of it, but he had no idea what.
Well, he knew what one thing meant.
He tore his gaze away from Tanis and Craig and met Kem’s cool gaze head on. “That asshole wants to fuck me, doesn’t he?”
“He would mate you for Leisikei. Not for himself.”
“Sure, sure,” Gerald said, glancing toward his apparently unconscious mate then back to Tanis. “Like I said, he wants to fuck me.”
“He’s made a reasoned request.”
Gerald tore his gaze away from Tanis. “Can I say no? Because I’d really like to say no to this. Maybe Cory will—”
“No.”
“But—”
“Corgaeini lost. If he’d wanted you badly enough, he would have fought harder. I no longer think he would make you a good mate.”
“Shit.” Gerald exhaled softly and took another look at Tanis, who had bent to speak into the ear of one of the wolves standing over Gerald’s soon-to-be mate. “At least he’s good looking.”
Kem looked over his shoulder in Tanis’s direction. “Interesting.”
“God,” Gerald said, taking in the dark hair that framed the hard lines of Tanis’s face and the breadth of those shoulders and that narrow, tight ass. “You don’t see it?”
Kem resettled his gaze on Gerald. “We never mated. It wouldn’t have been appropriate.”
“Related, huh?”
“You’ve never been subtle with your questions. We should have realized your true purpose sooner.”
Gerald couldn’t stop his grin. It was nice to have his skill recognized. Hiding in plain sight was an old trick. “Just doing my job.”
Narrow green eyes stared back at him before Kem let out a quiet huff. “Devon will miss you.”
That caused Gerald’s stomach to twist up and the grin flashed out of existence.
His gaze flickered toward Tanis. Tanis was striding purposefully in Gerald’s direction.
Behind Tanis, Gerald could see Craig already disappearing into the forest, most of the wolves following him. Two carried one of the wolves who’d thrown himself at the barrier protecting Gerald, and two more held another staggering wolf between them.
The only wolves besides Tanis and Kem who remained were Gerald’s new mate and two wolves who crouched over his sprawled body.
Had Tanis deliberately knocked him unconscious or had his injuries caught up to him?
Tanis stopped at the edge of the barrier and stared down at Gerald over Kem’s back. Kem twisted on his heels to acknowledge Tanis’s presence before returning his full attention to Gerald.
Kem was watching him with an unreadable expression. Gerald tried to resist, but somehow his gaze ended up on Tanis again.
Sweat glimmered in the sunlight on Tanis’s face and his red and gold flecked eyes glittered brightly.
Gerald’s heart thudded with wild abandon.
“You’ll
show me your submission,” Tanis said. “For Leisikei.”
There wasn’t an ounce of question in Tanis’s statement. He’d made his demand and he expected Gerald to submit.
Gerald flexed his fingers where they rested on his thighs. Tanis showed every sign of being under the influence of a heat cycle and Gerald couldn’t believe no one else had noticed that.
No. They’d noticed, but it hadn’t made any difference.
He focused on Kem. “This is messed up and you know it.”
A low rumble rose from Tanis’s chest. “We should leave no one in doubt about who he belongs to. Others might be tempted to try to claim him while Leisikei recovers. His scent tempts even me.”
Kem’s expression could have been chiseled from granite. He rose to his feet. When he spoke, he spoke in the wolves’ language to Tanis, and it was a struggle for Gerald to keep up. “He has no pack to dispute the claim. Only Traesikeille. If you’d rather claim him for yourself, take him from Leisikei.”
“I have no patience for a mate. I cannot change my plans for him.”
“This is not the only way.”
“Leisikei is mine,” Tanis said harshly. “How I choose to deal with his mate is for me to decide. This is the safest course of action.”
Kem growled, that unique sound that vibrated up from a wolf’s chest and raised every hair on Gerald’s body as if he had an electrical current flowing through him. “Until Leisikei fucks him, you have no rights over him. His care is my responsibility. My mate will not want him hurt.”
That sent Gerald’s heart thumping hard and fast again. He wasn’t exactly sure of his interpretation of what had been said, but he had a feeling he’d gotten close enough. One thing he was becoming more sure of by the second: Tanis was used to getting what he wanted.
Gerald scrambled to his feet. “I’ve got no problem waiting until my mate is ready to fuck. None at all.”
Tanis growled low in his throat and stared at Kem. “He’s too anxious. Stop this and accept my rule over him before he does something foolish. My heat cycle’s too close for his safety.”
Gerald gestured over his shoulder with his thumb. “Let’s just head back to the main complex and wait for my mate’s dick to heal up.”