Dino's Little Wolf
Page 1
Darkfall Mountain Pack 11
Dino’s Little Wolf
Submissive werewolf Martin Vasquez has always been in love with his best friend. Always unlucky in love and life, Martin realizes he has to move on when he receives his best friend’s wedding invitation in the mail. He didn’t plan to meet his unexpected mate in the process. The wedding is one thing, but something dark is also brewing in the horizon.
A dominant wolf and enforcer for the Darkfall Mountain pack, Dino Greene, hides a broken soul inside his scarred exterior. Having recently lost his mate, Dino believes he’s had his one chance. Being territorial and pining for another seems wrong, but Dino can’t deny his attraction. With a war with the humans looming close, enemies form alliances and the pack needs to bolster its defenses. Dino has no choice but to keep Martin close. Losing Martin is not an option. Dino just needs to prove to Martin that they deserve to be together.
Genre: Alternative (M/M, Gay), Paranormal, Vampires/Werewolves
Length: 24,510 words
DINO'S LITTLE WOLF
Darkfall Mountain Pack 11
Fel Fern
EROTIC ROMANCE
MANLOVE
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Erotic Romance ManLove
DINO'S LITTLE WOLF
Copyright © 2016 by Fel Fern
E-book ISBN: 978-1-68295-428-7
First E-book Publication: August 2016
Cover design by Harris Channing
All art and logo copyright © 2016 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
About the Author
DINO'S LITTLE WOLF
Darkfall Mountain Pack 11
FEL FERN
Copyright © 2016
Chapter One
With trembling fingers, Martin Vasquez tugged the cream envelope from the rest of his normal mail. The handwriting looked familiar. How could it not? Martin had sat next to his best friend Logan Bowen since kindergarten. They fended off grade school and high school bullies together.
Hell, they’d both been bitten by the same rogue werewolf during their senior year in high school and learned together to control the wolves in them. Without Logan by his side, Martin wouldn’t know what to do.
“Please don’t be what I think you are,” Martin whispered.
He knew talking to himself was a worrying sign, but he couldn’t help himself. With heavy steps, he managed to drag himself away from the mailbox and back to his apartment. Having recently moved into the town of Darkfall Mountain only a month ago, and to his own place a week ago, everything was a mess.
Boxes were piled on top of each other. Martin needed to unpack and start making his studio space livable, but he kept holding back. After all, there had been plenty of upheavals in his life and his pack’s recently.
Knowing he needed to mentally steel himself for the worst, Martin took a seat at the dining table. With shaking hands, he pulled out the cream envelope. Taking a deep breath, he yanked out the fancy paper.
“You’re cordially invited to the wedding of Raul and Logan,” he read out loud.
He didn’t bother committing the rest of the wedding details to memory. It felt like the final fall of the ax. Dread lined the pit of his stomach. This couldn’t be happening. Fuck. How could he let this happen? Martin had been there. He was always there.
For as long Martin remembered, Logan and he always been together. Growing up with two absent parents, Martin had been lonely, preferring to spend most of his time at Logan’s place. They’d clicked instantly. Logan was like the brother he never had, except Martin always knew that deep down, he wanted something more than friendship.
When Logan found his first mate, the Alpha of their old pack, Martin’s heart had been torn in half. Of course, Martin played his role of best friend to the hilt. He supported Logan, encouraged him because Logan deserved the best.
Then tragedy struck. Human scientists funded by a major pharmaceutical company set up an experimental lab in their hometown and began kidnapping and experimenting on shifters. Logan’s mate and the strongest members of their small pack mounted an attack and failed.
When Logan’s first mate died, it gave Martin hope. Guilt rammed into him for feeling so petty, that he might have another chance at convincing his best friend they could be more.
To escape the humans who wanted to study them, Logan struck a deal with the Gamma of the Darkfall Mountain pack, the pack that held the title of the strongest in the region. Logan hadn’t been wrong either. Without the help of the Darkfall wolves, none of them would be alive today. They owed the Darkfall wolves their lives and even after the Gamma died, the Alpha allowed Martin and the rest to continued living in Darkfall.
What Martin never saw coming was Logan falling for one of the enforcers of the Darkfall pack. Martin wanted nothing more than to hate Raul, but the dominant wolf was good to Logan. Even
better than Logan’s first mate.
“You deserve to be happy,” Martin whispered, still staring at the wedding invitation.
Beneath the fancy script was a picture of the couple. Martin should be elated for his best friend, but he couldn’t bring himself to pretend. Whenever he was around Logan, it took everything in him to act normal. In the privacy of his home, Martin could be himself.
Martin nearly jumped in his seat as his cell phone vibrated in his pocket. Pulling it out, he winced, seeing Logan’s number. His head wasn’t in the right place. Martin had decided on ignoring it, but that might worry Logan. Taking deep breaths, Martin answered the phone.
“Hey, what’s up?” he asked. His voice sounded hoarse, unlike him.
“Martin, is now a bad time?” Logan asked on the other end. “You sound odd.”
Martin faked a yawn. “Sorry, just woke up so I’m a little grumpy.”
“It’s almost noon.”
“It’s a Sunday,” Martin retorted. “It’s the perfect excuse to sleep until noon.”
“Do you still consider two p.m. noon?” Logan asked.
Martin wasn’t exactly in the mood for jokes. Snapping at Logan wouldn’t help him in the long run, so he kept quiet.
“Anyway,” Logan continued. “I was wondering if you saw the invitation in the mail.”
Should he lie his pants off? Prolonging the awful moment for another day didn’t seem like the best solution.
“Yeah, I did. Congratulations.” Martin tried to inject as much enthusiasm as he could, but his words came out sounding awkward, fake even.
Shit. He needed to get himself together. More than ever, Logan needed him now.
“Thanks, I’m calling to ask, although you probably know,” Logan said.
“Know what?”
“I don’t need to ask because you’ll be my best man, right?”
Damn. Those words felt like the final twist of the knife to the gut. For the first couple of seconds, Martin couldn’t speak. He knew this day would come. Every time Logan and he hung out, Logan only talked about how his relationship with Raul was progressing.
Hearing his best friend go on and on about their future plans churned his insides. It was selfish, but it wasn’t Raul he saw by Logan’s side—it was him. Logan should be making those plans with him, should be his husband, not Raul’s.
His throat constricted. It became difficult to breathe.
“Martin, are you still there?” Logan asked.
“Yeah, I mean, sure.”
“Oh, thank God. If you didn’t want to, I was about to ask Davis.”
Martin’s spine prickled. For a second he saw red. Davis was another member of their pack and Logan’s friend from college. They never got along. Martin knew Davis was trouble from the moment he saw him, but they’d managed to fix some of their differences when their pack moved to Darkfall Mountain. It was get along or die arguing.
“What? Why?”
“I knew you were having trouble adjusting to the move, so I thought you wouldn’t want the hassle.” Logan sounded hesitant, which was unlike him. The Logan that Martin knew was blunt and always spoke his mind. Then again, things had changed immensely after Logan inherited the Darkfall Gamma’s gift of empathy, which allowed Logan to sense emotions and to some extent, alter them. Boy was Martin relieved Logan wasn’t in the same room. Otherwise, he’d sense all the hostility and bitterness coming from Martin.
“You were always my first choice,” Logan pointed out.
“Well, remember our promise since middle school? We’ll always be there for each other no matter what. Of course I’d love to be involved in the most important day of your life.”
“Good.” Logan breathed a sigh of relief. Martin heard another man’s voice from Logan’s side, probably Raul. Logan continued, “Anyway, I’ve got to go, but before that, do you have Dino’s number?”
Martin rose from the table and began to pace. Another enforcer for the Darkfall pack and Raul’s best friend, Dino scared the shit out of Martin. Both Raul and Dino used to be the personal bodyguards of the Darkfall pack Gamma. Raul and Dino were the first wolves to welcome their tiny pack. Under the Gamma’s orders, they did all they could to make sure Martin and the rest arrived safely to Darkfall. Without their help, Martin and the rest wouldn’t be here.
“Why do I need Dino’s number?” Martin found himself asking.
“I know I’m asking for a lot,” Logan began. “But Dino is Raul’s best man. He’s a still a little depressed but—”
“You mean unstable,” Martin interrupted.
After the Gamma died, Martin heard from Logan that the two men had a hard time adjusting, especially Dino, who rumor had it, was the Gamma’s lover. Dino went from being a silent and dependable enforcer to reckless and out of control wolf. The Gamma died protecting Logan. Logan never talked about it, but Martin didn’t need to be a genius to figure out Dino harbored a little resentment toward Logan and their pack.
Who could blame Dino? One moment, the woman he loved was by his side, the next, dead. Now Logan was practically asking him to keep an eye out for Dino?
“That’s a little unfair. Dino’s doing a lot better actually,” Logan said.
“Last I heard, he’s been picking fights all over town. That Sergio threatened to kick him out of the Darkfall pack if he doesn’t stop,” Martin pointed out.
Sergio Esteban was the Darkfall pack Alpha and Michella, his younger sister, had been the Gamma. With tension brewing between Darkfall and Alpine Industries, Sergio had been dead set against letting outsiders in. Michella intervened on their behalf, and even after her death, Sergio granted his sister’s last wish and allowed Martin and the rest to stay permanently in Darkfall.
“Where did you hear that?”
“Rumors.”
Logan snorted. “You shouldn’t believe town gossip, Martin. Dino’s really a sweet guy.”
“Dude, I once saw him rip someone’s arm off with ease—”
“While Raul, he, and their team were rescuing you and the others,” Logan interrupted. “Look, Martin. Just try to get along, please. For my sake?”
Martin grunted. “Fine. Give me his number.”
He scrambled for a notepad and pen and jotted Dino’s number down.
“Oh, right. Also, here’s the address for the best suit tailor in town. Dino and you can go to this guy, and he’ll fix you right up.”
Martin blinked. He should’ve known Logan planned every step of his wedding already. “I have my own suit.”
“Are you talking about the cheap black suit you wore for Michella’s funeral?”
Martin paused. He knew Logan had become close to Michella during the short time she’d been alive. What had he been thinking? His best friend knew he normally didn’t wear suits and preferred jeans and a t-shirt. Martin didn’t need suits to work as a barista at Moon Shine, one of the numerous coffee chains popping up in the area.
Something else Logan said bugged him.
“Wait, did you say Dino and me?”
“You two are Raul and my best man. Shouldn’t you two be working together?”
“Why does this feel like some set up?”
“Do you think I’d do that to my best friend?” Logan asked mockingly. More softly, Logan went on, “Please, Martin? I need someone I trust to watch Dino. You know he’s been crashing at our place at three in the morning? He’s been crying.”
“Dino, crying?” Martin asked, skeptical. “You said he was better. That doesn’t sound like it at all, but fine. I’ll babysit the scary-ass dominant wolf. Happy?”
How Martin would achieve that, he had no clue, but he had a change of attitude. Logan said he trusted Martin. Martin wouldn’t betray that trust. Being Logan’s best man might be the hardest thing he’d ever had to do in his life, but he’d pull through.
“Thank you! I owe you one.”
“You owe me loads,” Martin corrected.
Logan laughed. “Okay. Text you again soon.”
After Logan cut the call, Martin glanced at his notepad bearing Dino’s number and the address of the tailor. He idly began doodling on the paper, something he did whenever he was nervous. An outline of a man formed on paper. Martin knew how to fill in the features because he had them memorized a long time ago.
Hell, Logan kept insisting on helping him unpack, confused why Martin kept refusing his offer. Sooner or later, Logan would unearth his secret. When they left their hometown to move to Darkfall, they didn’t take any personal effects with them. After things calmed down, they went back to take back their things in their old homes. Plenty of the boxes in Martin’s apartment contained his shame.
Sketchbooks dating back to college filled half the boxes along with the old self Martin abandoned since he became a werewolf—his paints and pencils, old canvases, and half-finished works of art. Logan’s face, body, and his hands, those were some of the things Martin obsessed over. Logan was the only thing he drew.
If his best friend saw all his drawings, how would Logan react? Martin had no one. After becoming a werewolf, he broke ties with his parents, lawyers chained to their work and who always forgot they had a son anyway. Logan was all he had, and Martin couldn’t afford to lose him, but damn it.
Wasn’t tux shopping an intimate gesture? The wolf inside him began pacing restlessly.
Yeah. The guy scared the shit out of him, but not because he knew Dino killed for a living for the sake of his pack. The last time Martin spoke to Dino, his wolf went a little insane, trying to slip out of the tether of his control. The incident hadn’t been anything serious.
Martin had been over to Raul and Logan’s place for dinner. Dino, as usual, was on their couch snoozing. Seeing the huge shifter slumped on the couch, he plucked the blanket lying on the coffee table and spread it over Dino’s large frame. When Dino reached for his wrist by impulse, things went haywire. His pulse raced. A combination of fear and excitement slithered down his spine.