by Fern Fel
“I want that fucker out of the pack. I’ve had enough.” Sergio’s words sounded like finality.
That didn’t mean they didn’t resonate with Dino, though. Shit. It finally dawned on Dino what leaving the Darkfall Mountain pack would mean. He was born here, grew up here. After Dino’s parents died, his older brother raised him, tolerated him even after he and his best friend Raul were turned.
Raul and he would have gone crazy, would be torn inside out by the wolves in them without the proper guidance Michella offered them. Everything in Darkfall reminded Dino of memories. Good or bad, he held on to them to maintain his sanity. Leaving the only home he’d known to start somewhere else new would kill him in the long run.
Fear took hold of him. Dino fisted his hands. He had it coming, he knew. Once he started on his destructive path, he couldn’t stop. He didn’t want to. Anything was better than feeling numb, than being in pain and remembering his losses.
“Sergio, give him a chance. Please,” Raul was saying.
“I don’t hear Dino saying those words. Fuck, the bastard doesn’t even care if he lives or dies,” Sergio pointed out.
Was Sergio right?
Martin had been the first real thing Dino clung to, that gave his life some semblance of meaning. He couldn’t lose that now. Before, Dino thought dying was better. That somehow he’d find Michella’s spirit in the afterworld and all that shit. Raul and Logan’s warning that she wouldn’t want that stopped him because they were right. Michella championed life. She would never forgive him for refusing to fight and admitting defeat.
“Please, Alpha. I made a mistake,” Dino said. He surprised the hell out of himself and everyone else there. Once he managed to grit out the hard words, it became a little easier to continue. Looking Sergio in the eye, he went on, “I got lost for a bit. Everyone makes mistakes. Michella believed in second chances. Without her kindness, Raul, I, and the others wouldn’t be here today.”
Sergio still said nothing for a couple of seconds. “Kindness is what got her killed.”
“Maybe that’s true, but mercy also breeds strength. How many times did our team come through for the pack? We do the jobs no one else will take, the missions too secret, dangerous, or sometimes too taboo to tell the others. We’ve proven ourselves.”
“Your team was effective only when Michella was around,” Alessio pointed out.
“Are you saying the pack no longer needs us?” Dino couldn’t keep the coldness from his voice.
“No, I’m saying you all need to keep your shit together,” Alessio amended. “All of you understand the precarious situation we’re in. Our human enemies are closing in. Alpine Industries, the ones responsible for kidnapping shifters and experimenting on them, joined forces with the fanatical order of hunters, the Order of the Knife.”
How could Dino not? He’d been part of the rescue mission that involved Martin and his pack. Alpine Industries decimated Martin’s pack. If Dino and the others hadn’t arrived in time, Martin wouldn’t be in Darkfall trying to adjust to his new life. No, Martin would be rotting in some cage, enduring God knew what.
The Order of the Knife had been the pack’s long-time enemies. Bred and trained since young to kill the supernatural, these humans were a force to be reckoned with. He knew Alessio had a brush-in a year ago with some of the Order’s assassins. One of them turned out to be Alessio’s mate.
A month ago, they discovered Alpine Industries successfully managed to create a serum that gave normal humans the abilities of shifters temporarily. If those two organizations were truly working together, there were dark times ahead of the pack.
Dino gritted his teeth. All he could think about was Martin. His little wolf had gotten dragged into all this mess and never asked for it.
“Dino.” Sergio called his name, steering his attention back to the conversation. “I’m giving you one more chance. Don’t screw it up.”
“I won’t,” Dino promised.
Sergio nodded. “I want your team to take over scouting the west part of the Darkfall woods, near the lake. Our allies, the avian shifter groups, reported suspicious activity in the area. There’s been an influx of tourists and campers heading over there.”
“It’s nearing summer, school holidays,” Raul mused.
“The perfect time for our enemies to blend in with the tourists,” Dino finished. Raul grinned at him. It had been a while since they worked together.
He hadn’t been there when Michella needed him. They never expected the humans to boldly enter town and cause havoc. The pack had been careless, lax. Sergio had increased security measures lately and put more wolves on patrol duties.
Once their Alpha and Beta ended the meeting, their team lingered.
“Guys, after this storm blows over, I’m leaving the pack,” Troy said.
Dino looked at him, frowning. The others seemed surprised, too.
“Look, I’ve only stayed in the pack for as long as I did because of Michella,” Troy explained.
“What are you going to do?” Dino asked.
“Don’t know yet,” Troy admitted. “Start somewhere new maybe. I’m sick of always fighting. I want to try peace for a change.”
Dino couldn’t understand the appeal. His world revolved around Darkfall, the pack, and one woman. Used to anyway. Sergio nearly booting him out of the pack was a cold bucket of water.
“We’ll make this our last mission as a team then,” Dino said.
They worked out a patrol schedule before going their separate ways.
“I should get back home. Logan’s sent me a couple of texts,” Raul said. They were outside the restaurant now, by the parking lot. “Let’s get a drink sometime, for old time’s sake. I missed having my best friend by my side.”
“I’d like that,” Dino answered.
“Need a ride? I can drop you off somewhere,” Raul offered.
Dino shook his head and nodded to the woods beyond the parking lot. Sergio picked this location to set up the restaurant for a reason. A little on the outskirts of the main town area, the pack also had direct access to the woods.
“I planned to head out for a run to cool my head anyway, so I’ll go by the lake.”
Raul frowned. “Be careful.”
Dino snorted. “Always am.”
“It’s good to have you back, buddy. For a while there, I thought I’d lost you.”
Dino didn’t know what to say to that. After watching Raul drive away, he walked out of the parking lot and entered the woods. His shoes crunched on fallen leaves and twigs. Memories pulled at him, neither sad or painful. In his mind’s eye, he saw Michella tugging his hand, a wicked twinkle in her eye.
“Catch me,” she said before stripping down and shifting.
He’d gotten too used to running by her side. Even in wolf form, he realized how lonely it felt doing it by himself.
Dino pulled off his shirt, kicked off the rest of his shoes. He folded all his clothes to one side. Most pack members weren’t perturbed by the clothes lying on the edge of the parking lot. No one would touch his stuff. He reached for his wolf. Bones creaked. Fur sprouted. Fangs and claws appeared. Once on fours, Dino broke into a run. Wind whipped at his face.
He’d run this path so many times, he didn’t need to stop, to check if he was going the right direction. Every Darkfall wolf knew the lay of their territory in the back of their heads. Dino ventured deeper, to places humans wouldn’t breach. Halfway to the lake, Dino stopped, sniffing the air.
A tantalizing scent reached him, caressed his nostrils. Not something edible, but smelled good nonetheless. It took him a second to decide. Dino went off-path in search of the source. The journey took him away from the lake and to a clearing he’d seldom visited. Young werewolf pups often played here, he knew, back when Darkfall was a safe place. There were no kidnappings or murders then.
Dino wondered if Darkfall would ever return to that kind of state, a place where shifters would raise their young in peace. Before Sergio, Alessio, and
Michella arrived in town, Darkfall had been a mess. Over time, the pack earned a reputation for being brutal, efficient, and unforgiving of outsiders.
Seeing the recent tracks on the ground, Dino pressed his nose to it. Whoever made these carried that lovely smell.
Troy said he yearned for peace and deep down, Dino wanted that, too. He wanted to build a home with a mate, to raise their kids together without fear their children would come to harm. His heart ached. That wasn’t the life for him. Dino decided then that being Michella’s mate meant putting the needs of others before their own, but now things were different.
Dino neared his goal. Following it led him to a narrow opening, the entrance of what looked like a tunnel. Humans wouldn’t fit, only animals or shifters could. He hesitated. He’d never been impulsive. Being careful ensured he lived a longer life. Was this some kind of trap?
If Dino had a human mouth, he’d laugh. Who the hell would want him? Besides, his wolf didn’t sense any danger. Dino pushed his way in, even though the opening was tight. What waited on the other side?
Chapter Five
“Anyway, let’s set up another meeting soon,” Logan was telling Celine, his wedding planner.
Martin didn’t know how his best friend managed to convince him to come over to the apartment and sit through an hour of chatter. Who knew there so many different kinds of flower arrangements to pick for?
Talking about all this wedding stuff gave him a headache. After his disastrous run in with Dino, he scheduled another fitting with Mr. Sharpe, along with an apology. Then he called Logan and told him the truth.
Oh, Martin didn’t tell his best friend anything about Dino. Logan said he’d forgive Martin under one condition. That turned out to be sitting with Logan. Martin didn’t need to do much but nod and give Logan encouragement. His opinion didn’t seem to matter, and that relieved him.
“Let’s,” Celine was saying. “We still have plenty of things to talk about.”
“I’ll make sure Raul will be there, too,” Logan promised.
Martin remained on the couch, finishing the rest of his beer.
“So, what really happened at the tailor’s?” Logan asked, joining him.
“I’ve already told you.”
“Sure you did. The basics. Something happened, didn’t it?” Logan pressed. “You said Troy pissed off Dino, but before that there were only the two of you in the shop. Was Dino fine then?”
Dino was more than fine, especially when the huge shifter took his lips and kissed Martin like he already owned Martin’s body. That was so intense. Even now, Martin’s skin turned hot just thinking about it. Not good. Logan could probably sense his change of emotions.
Martin swallowed, rising to his feet. “Can we not talk about this? Anyway, I need to go, maybe go for a run.”
Logan regarded him for a few seconds. Strange, it was usually Logan he thought of kissing. After one encounter with Dino, all Martin could think of was Dino. “All right, I won’t push. You’ll tell me when you’re ready anyway. Thanks for sticking around the meeting. Enjoy your run.”
Nodding, Martin headed out.
He knew where to go to cool his head and maybe dunk it in water. Martin drove to the outskirts of town. Fishing out his wallet, keys, and phone, he stored them in the glove compartment. After dispensing with clothes, Martin shifted. A run always gave him clarity after. He delved further into the woods. The more distance Martin put between the human world, the better he felt. The wolf didn’t care about silly human problems, although it seemed to like rubbing against Dino’s dominant beast for some reason.
Oh, stop it. You came here to forget about him.
Martin discovered his secret spot not long ago, while out on his usual runs. A clearing that diverged into a barely unnoticeable path that led to a tunnel, which in turn, led to a spring. Once inside, Martin padded up the familiar bedrock and pushed his face into the spring water.
Heaven. Martin jumped in, thoroughly soaking his fur. Being here always lured out his childish side. Years ago, when Logan and he were new to the shift, they found something like this in their hometown. Martin swam a bit, debating whether to change to human form to have a good, nice soak when he noticed he wasn’t alone.
Still in the water, Martin froze, paralyzed. Something big and furry pushed its way through the tunnel. There was only one way in and out. The thing let out a rumbling growl of annoyance that somehow echoed off the rock walls. Whatever it was, it seemed huge, too big to fit inside the tunnel.
Martin quickly swam back to the rock bed. Once the intruder managed to push himself out of the tunnel, Martin shook off his coat, spraying beads of water everywhere.
The huge black thing let out an irritated snarl. Martin used that opportunity to pounce on the beast, growling when the more powerful black wolf easily reversed their positions, sending Martin flat on the ground. The wolf bared its teeth. Narrowed yellow eyes looked back at him. He breathed hard. Martin’s heart hammered.
Was he going to die, or worse, be eaten in this God forsaken place no one knew about, not even Logan? It was so unfair. Martin had to attend a wedding. Find out if there was anything between Dino and him. The huge thing above him made that same rumbling grumble.
Why hadn’t Martin felt claws and fangs reaching for his most tender places?
Familiarity washed over Martin. Not long ago, the same wolf came to his rescue. Dino? How did Dino find him and this place? A hundred other questions raced through his head. The foremost was why Dino didn’t get off him. Maybe Dino didn’t recognize him?
Martin shifted back to human. Dino did the same, except it took Martin a second to realize changing back had been a mistake. Now, Dino straddled him, muscled arms on either side of his head, looking at him with hunger, not one of the physical kind either. Martin’s cock twitched. Only an inch or two stopped his skin from touching Dino’s. Without his clothes on, Martin saw Dino was made up of solid sweat-slicked muscle, wrapped in old scars and ink.
He shouldn’t be turned on, but he was. Martin’s gaze slipped lower, past Dino’s six-pack abs to the monster of a cock hanging between Dino’s legs. Like his own dick, Dino’s prick was at half-mast.
Focus. It wasn’t easy, but Martin managed to settle his gaze on Dino’s face.
“Hi?” Martin squeaked when Dino started sniffing the side of his neck.
“You smell so good, little wolf.” Dino closed his mouth over his skin, sucking the sweat on his skin.
Every muscle in Martin’s body was paralyzed. What did Dino expect him to say to that? Dino’s mouth on his skin felt amazing and made it hard to concentrate. Martin reached out, began to thread his hands through Dino’s hair, but Dino easily caught his wrists and held them above his head.
The thought of telling Dino off never crossed Martin’s mind. God. It had been so long since Martin had another man brush up against him. Dino felt so warm, too, so solid. While the logical part of Martin’s mind knew Dino could easily crush an enemy without blinking, he also knew Dino would never hurt him. After all, hadn’t Dino already saved him twice?
“How did you find me?” Martin asked.
Dino stopped to look at him. “Easy, I followed your scent.”
Martin let out a nervous laugh. “Of course you did.”
“What’s so funny?”
Seeing the other man’s serious look, Martin sobered up. “It’s just, I come here sometimes to think or relax. I wanted to sort out my feelings.”
“About me?” Dino asked.
“You’re so full of yourself.” Martin had plenty of ammunition, but he stopped when Dino kept one hand on his wrists while Dino trailed the other down his body. The other man’s hands were big, callused from hard work. They contrasted against his smooth skin.
A shudder went down his spine. Dino’s touch wasn’t rough, but tentative. He gave Martin’s left nipple a squeeze, the tingle of pain making Martin groan and his cock thicken. Dino went lower, grazing his fingertips lower down Martin’s belly
and finally reaching his dick.
Martin moaned when Dino closed his fingers around his shaft.
“Look at yourself, little wolf, so hard for me within seconds. Are you still going to deny there’s nothing between us?”
“I’m not the only one sporting an erection,” Martin muttered. “Whatever this is between us, it’s just—I don’t know.”
“I’m not ashamed.”
“Me neither.” Martin met his gaze.
Alone and with no one watching, it was easier to study the dominant shifter in front of him. He realized how alive Dino looked above him. Whenever he saw Dino, the other shifter looked distracted, as if he saw something far ahead none of the others saw. Right now though, Dino’s gaze was on him, and he was full of life and want. Dino swiped the pre-cum off his tip, making him moan.
“More. Please.”
Dino began moving his hand up and down his dick, coaxing groans out of him. Screw it. Martin didn’t want to be careful.
“Let’s find out together what this is,” Dino said.
Martin should tell Dino this was a bad idea. That they should talk this out, but logic flew out the window a long time ago.
“Kiss me again,” Martin pleaded.
Dino’s mouth descended on his. The passion in the shop wasn’t something Martin imagined. Heat traveled to his cock and sent blood surging to it. The clash of Dino’s skin on his felt amazing, so right, like the missing piece of a puzzle. His toes and fingers curled. That kiss undid him
Martin liked how Dino held his wrists back, liked the illusion of restraint. A word would make Dino stop, Martin knew, but he didn’t want to stop. He wanted to keep on going and see where they ended up. Good place or bad, Martin was eager to find out. His wolf agreed.
Dino pushed his tongue between Martin’s teeth, and he opened up so Dino could thrust his tongue down his throat. They rubbed their bodies against each other, so their chests, stomachs, and cocks touched. Martin’s skin felt feverish, burning. Dino tore his mouth from Martin’s. Martin panted, silently daring Dino for more. To his frustration, Dino stopped stroking his cock.