Pack Rules (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove)

by JC Holly

  Avani obviously wasn’t happy about it, but she conceded with a nod. “It’ll cost you.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yup. You’re now required to give the all the gory details about your hookup with that guy from the bar.”

  Ethan smirked. “You know I’m no prude when it comes to details, right?”

  Avani grinned back. “I’m counting on it. All my fucking is vicarious these days.”

  Ethan glanced at his watch. He had time, and it might cheer him up. He dropped onto the couch and plucked a couple of cokes from the minifridge beside it.

  “Sit, and prepare to blush.”

  * * * *

  Conor stepped out of the shower with a hard-on and a wish for someone to share it with. More precisely, a someone named Ethan.

  He towelled his hair dry and pulled on his robe with a resigned sigh. Fun was over. He knew a brush off when he was subjected to one, even if it was usually him doing the brushing. He’d be very surprised if he heard from Ethan again.

  “On the bright side,” he said to his reflection in the mirror, “I got laid.”

  And what an experience that had been. He’d always wondered quite how anal sex would feel, and boy had he underestimated the sensations involved. The simultaneous feelings of pain and pleasure. He shuddered, and it wasn’t just from the cold bathroom.

  The answering machine light was flashing at him as he trudged into the bedroom. He didn’t remember it ringing after Ethan had hung up on Michelle. On closer inspection he found that was because Ethan had turned off the ringer afterward.

  Three messages. He hit replay and listened to the start of each, in case there was something work related. Nope. All from Michelle. He hit “delete all,” and flipped the ringer back on in case Rob called.

  The television held nothing other than reruns and shows he had no interest in, so he turned it back off and stared out of the French windows. This whole “man of leisure” thing was dull as hell.

  “If Ethan was here, I’d have something to do.”

  Namely, bend over. He smirked. Now that would be a good way to spend the day.

  * * * *

  Evening came fast for Ethan, and by the time the sun set, he was raring to hunt.

  He parked his truck at the end of a short dirt track on the outskirts of the town. Avani had said the fight had been in the area, and the scents of blood and sweat still lingered in the still night air.

  After a last-minute check for witnesses, Ethan quickly undressed and threw his clothes into the cab of his truck, locked the door, and pushed the key into the dirt under one of the tyres.

  The change to his wolf form pushed away any vestiges of tiredness he may have been feeling, leaving him with a cold awareness of the area around him. While there were no wolves in the area at the moment, there were scents from several. Avani’s came from a small group of trees a few hundred yards from the truck, along with a scent he didn’t recognise. He headed over, his head and tail low as he moved, pausing to once again sniff the air once he reached the trees.

  The fight had been a long one. Several patches of ground were splattered with blood, both Avani’s and her attacker’s. The attacker had also left his scent on a tree, either just before the fight, or not long afterward.

  Ethan sat by a tree and took in the scene. From the various sights and scents, it looked like Avani had come in from the east, likely on a run between her favourite spots, and had discovered the other wolf, who had been waiting for her. An indentation in the foliage by the scented tree told that much. In fact, it was clear now that the wolf had scented the tree to attract Avani. As a second, she didn’t back down from a fight unless heavily outnumbered.

  The fight had been typical. The two had used the open ground within the group of trees, and had circled for a time, trying to discover each other’s weaknesses. There was no way of knowing who attacked first, but judging by the blood scents, Avani gave as good as she got, if not better.

  Ethan turned to follow the attacker’s scent when a new scent reached him on the breeze. Two scents, in fact. One was the attacker, and one was new. As they neared, their movements became audible. Their footsteps slowed as they no doubt smelt Ethan. He caught a soft growl from one, though he wasn’t sure which.

  They came into the circle on either side of the tree the attacker had scented the previous night. Whatever Avani had done to make the first bleed, it had healed up already. The large brown wolf sat in the indentation it had previously made and snarled at Ethan.

  The second wolf came farther forward. It was entirely black, an uncommon colouring in the area, and was smaller than the brown wolf. Its posture was pure aggression, like the other, its head and tail low, its front paws clawing at the ground.

  Ethan kept still while he decided on how to handle the fight. Running was not an option. Even if he wasn’t an alpha, and honour bound to face any and all challenges, the smaller wolf could probably outrun him, and it would take only one well-placed bite to a hind leg to disable him.

  He let loose a low, deep growl. If they wanted to fight, he wouldn’t deprive them. He would, however, make them regret it.

  The brown wolf was still sat by the far tree, but Black was in the centre of the circle of moss and leaves, just out of range of a leap. Or so he thought. He must have been young, as he’d underestimated just how far an older wolf could jump.

  Ethan planted his back legs and leapt for the centre, taking the surprised wolf to the soft floor with a snarl and flash of teeth. He quickly had the wolf on its back and overpowered, but held back on the killing bite to the throat. The second he had taken to the air, the brown wolf had slipped back into the shadows, and until Ethan spotted him again, he’d keep Black as insurance.

  A growl came from behind, and Ethan dipped down past Black’s snapping jaw and placed his teeth against the wolf’s throat. The growls stopped, and Ethan waited, listening as the wolf beneath him struggled to get to its feet. Ethan slapped its face with a paw and nipped at its throat to quiet it.

  He hated fighting more than one wolf, and was lucky that one of the pair had been so easily dropped. From Brown’s sudden disappearance, though, chances were that the wolf had known this would happen. If Ethan was in human form, he would have sworn. He’d fallen for it, too. He’d left the safety of the trees and jumped on the bait, meaning Brown now had the advantage. If Ethan killed Black, Brown could run in while he was distracted. If Ethan tried to run for the tree line again, he’d have to contend with Black snapping at his heels and risk running head on into Brown.

  Neither choice was pleasant, but only one was a real option. With a heavy heart, he tore out the throat of Black and leapt toward where he’d last caught a scent from Brown.

  He guessed correctly, and nearly barrelled into the second wolf. Brown was ready, though, and snapped at Ethan’s side as he dodged out of the way, teeth only just missing flesh. Ethan spun to face the wolf. He was larger than Black, but not larger than Ethan. Still, he was fast, as the near miss attested, and had given Avani a run for her money. Ethan had experience on his side, though.

  Brown lunged again, and Ethan dodged, coming back with a bite of his own and managing to score a minor hit on the wolf’s neck. It yelped and wheeled around, its head colliding with Ethan’s. He hadn’t expected it, and the moment’s dizziness cost him. He snarled in pain as the wolf bit into his shoulder, just below the neck. He pulled away, but the wolf still had hold. Flesh and fur tore away, flooding Ethan’s senses with pain and heat.

  He lunged for the wolf’s flank and it backed away, a hunk of Ethan’s flesh in its teeth. Ethan stepped back, more to test his shoulder than anything, and found that while it hurt like hell, he hadn’t lost mobility. As he came forward again, he feigned a slight limp on the injured limb. Brown spotted it and began to circle to that side, dropping his trophy as he did. Ethan continued to limp as he approached, even going as far as yelping softly when that limb met a dip in the floor.

  Brown circled further, bringi
ng him close to the wounded limb. A moment later he lunged, aiming for the bleeding hole. At the last second, Ethan brought his head round and snapped at the wound he’d left on Brown’s throat earlier. His aim was better than Brown’s, and his teeth found flesh. Hot blood hit the back of his throat as he cut through the wolf’s jugular. To Brown’s credit, he continued to fight, but it was in vain. Within a minute, he was losing his balance, and within three, it was over.

  Ethan padded over to check the other wolf, then scouted around the circle for signs of further wolves. Confident there were no more, he headed back to his truck.

  Halfway there, he realised that there was a problem. His shoulder was still bleeding heavily, and there were no first aid supplies in his truck. He could bandage the wound with his shirt, but with only one arm there was a good chance he’d bleed out once he tried. In wolf form he could last longer, since his healing worked faster in that form, but then he couldn’t work the truck. He could sleep underneath it and hope to survive the night, but if he was discovered by either human or wolf, he’d be finished. He’d have to shift and try and get to a hospital. The club was closer, but he couldn’t show weakness with Craig snapping at his heels. He had no doubt that the man would kill him then and there. Hospital it was, then.

  As he approached the truck he let out a howl of frustration.

  Someone had slashed his tyres.

  * * * *

  Conor woke to the sound of barking coming from the kitchen. The clock told him he’d managed a whole three hours of sleep. He sat up, then swung his feet over the side of the bed and stood. It wasn’t like Tommy to bark at night. Even if he really needed to go out, he’d wake Conor quietly, usually with a wet nose to the face.

  “Quiet, boy,” he called downstairs.

  Tommy did as he was told, but Conor could hear him scratching at the back door, another thing he never did. Conor headed down to the kitchen, trying not to yawn the whole way.

  Tommy was sitting in the kitchen doorway, facing the back door. The scratching noise continued. Whatever it was, it was coming from outside.

  “What’s out there?” he asked Tommy, but the dog wasn’t paying him any attention.

  Conor approached the door slowly, light on his feet just in case. It didn’t sound like a burglar, but what exactly did a burglar sound like, anyway? A soft yelp came from the other side of the door. A dog?

  He quickened his steps. Whatever the animal was, it sounded hurt. He flipped the deadbolt and pulled the door open. Lying on the back porch was a large wolf with familiar eyes and a gaping hole on its shoulder.

  Chapter Ten

  Conor gaped at the enormous wolf lying on his kitchen floor. After he’d opened the door, the animal had managed to pull itself into the warmth before collapsing.

  It was definitely the wolf from the previous night. The eyes and colouring were unmistakable. Had it tracked him back here and got hurt on the way here? The wound looked like something had taken a bite out of it. Another wolf?

  Conor closed the door and flipped the lock again before turning his attention back to the wolf. The wound was bleeding still, and needed cleaning out. What did you use on a wolf, though? He didn’t want to risk something that would sting, in case the wolf attacked out of shock.

  As he wracked his brain for something he could use, Tommy padded over to the wolf and began to gently lap at the wound, his eyes on the animal. The wolf wagged its tail once, as if giving permission, and Tommy began to work harder, cleaning the matted fur of dirt and grass.

  Conor watched in fascination for a few moments, then snapped out of it. Tommy would deal with the dirt, but he couldn’t help the bleeding. It needed packing and covering over to keep more germs out.

  The cupboard under the sink held a first aid kit that he’d bought years before. He tore the red box open and rifled through for cotton and gauze. There was enough, certainly, but whether it would work would be another matter entirely.

  He froze as the wolf howled in pain. A sound like cracking bone came from behind Conor, and for a moment he was too afraid to turn. Tommy chuffed and backed away, knocking against Conor’s legs. Conor turned to finally look at what was causing the odd noise and dropped the first aid box in shock.

  Lying where the wolf had been moments before was Ethan, naked and bleeding from the neck and shoulder. As Conor watched, eyes wide, Ethan managed to look him in the eyes.

  “Please, help.”

  Apparently the words had taken all the strength he had left. His head slumped forward as he passed out, thumping against the hard floor.

  “Shit!”

  Conor ducked down and held a hand to the man’s neck. There was a pulse, but it was weak. He just...He was a wolf! He’d heard rumours of such people, sure, but seeing it was another matter. He shook his head. That could wait. Right now, he needed to help the man.

  * * * *

  Ethan came to on Conor’s kitchen floor. It wasn’t the comfiest place to be, but Conor had put a blanket over him at some point to keep him warm.

  He tried to turn his head to look for Conor and instantly regretted it as pain tore through his neck. He cried out in surprise and clutched the thick bandage as memories of last night flooded back.

  The truck’s tyres had been slashed, leaving him with no way of getting to a hospital in time. The only place nearby that he knew was Conor’s house, and if he’d been in any state other than a critical one, he’d have gone elsewhere.

  The trek to the house had been long and torturous, but he’d made it, only to fall down at the final hurdle. He’d scratched at the door, but had had no strength to howl. Tommy had heard him though, and after what felt like hours, Conor had appeared at the door. After that everything was black until the moment he’d woken.

  Footsteps, both human and canine, heralded the arrival of his two saviours. Tommy arrived first, and greeted Ethan with a sniff of the bandages, followed by a lick to the face. Ethan took both with a smile and ruffled the dog’s fur between his ears.

  Conor arrived just after and shooed the dog away, then dropped to his haunches beside Ethan.

  “How are you feeling?”

  Ethan gingerly pressed at his bandage. “Healing, but still pretty bad.”

  Conor nodded, then stood and walked to the sink. “I did what I could for the wound, but it’s not much. I didn’t want to move you in case I made things worse. Sorry about the hard floor.”

  “It’s fine. I’ve slept in worse places.” Ethan rubbed at his stubble. “Look, I know you’re probably feeling all sorts of shock right now. I can explain it all if you’ll let me.”

  “It can wait.” Conor handed Ethan a glass of water and helped him to a seated position. “Let’s get you up and about first, okay?”

  Ethan nodded and drank the proffered water, then climbed to shaky feet. His blanket fell away, but they were long past nudity being an issue. Despite himself, his mind drifted back to their exploits two days ago, and his cock began to react in kind.

  “We can deal with that later, too,” Conor said, a smirk on his lips.

  Ethan smiled back and let Conor guide him into the lounge. He had to admit his surprise. While more than half of the people he revealed his nature to were accepting of it, few came to terms so quickly. It was obvious from Conor’s manner that he had questions, but that was only to be expected. The man had seen him change from a wolf into a man. That’s something most people outside of a pack never saw.

  The pack. Shit. He gestured to the phone. “I need to call work.”

  Conor handed him the phone and told him he’d be in the kitchen if he needed anything. Ethan watched him go, then called Avani’s cell phone. She answered on the third ring.

  “Hello?”

  “Avani, it’s Ethan. Can you talk?”

  She paused. “Yeah, I’m at home. No eavesdroppers. What’s up?”

  He gave her the quick version of last night’s events, up to and including his visit to Conor. She listened in silence until he was finished. />
  “You sure you’re okay, boss?”

  “I will be, but I’ll need you to keep this quiet. I’m healing already, but the scars will take a day or two to clear up, and I don’t want to be around the pack while they are. Especially with Craig already out for my blood.”

  “No worries. Got anything in mind?”

  Ethan sighed and rubbed softly at the regenerating flesh on his neck. “I’ll stay out of sight as best I can. Tell anyone who asks that I got laid last night and I’m out on business today. We’ll deal with tomorrow when it comes.”

  Avani agreed and told him to take care of himself, then hung up. Ethan turned the phone off and dropped it onto the table and sat back on the couch. Conor appeared a moment later with Tommy by his side.

  “You hungry?” Conor gestured to the kitchen. “I’m no master chef, but there’s bacon in the pan and eggs on their way, too.”

  “That’d be great. Haven’t eaten in a while, and it speeds my healing. Sorry for intruding on you like this. Especially after the way I left things.”

  Conor smiled. “Don’t worry about it. Really. I’ll be right back.”

  He headed back into the kitchen, but Tommy stayed, eyeing Ethan. Ethan smiled and waved the dog over.

  “C’mere, you.”

  Tommy chuffed and wagged his tail as he came over and Ethan leant forward to rub the dog’s ears.

  “You probably saved my life last night, Tommy.” He kissed the dog on the snout. “If our pack allowed dogs, you’d be right next to Avani.”

  Tommy wagged his tail harder and put his front paws on Ethan’s knees. He laughed and stroked the dog’s back for a while then pushed him off when Conor came out of the kitchen with two plates in his hands.

  Ethan took his gratefully and devoured the contents, save for one rasher of bacon, which he gave to a delighted Tommy. Conor laughed.