by V L Moon
~*~*~*~
Shaver didn’t wait for the city to fall behind him, nor did he take the time to strip. Material ripped apart at the seams unable to accommodate his wolf. Tawny and sleek, he raced through the shadows following Damian’s scent. It didn’t register when rough cement became hard packed earth. He failed to notice when tall evergreens replaced brick buildings. He only wanted escape from the torment ripping apart his insides.
He followed Damian by instinct, the wolf completely in control and basking in its freedom. Shaver retreated inside himself, hiding from the agony of seeing the male he loved practically bonded to a female, even if she was his cousin. It hurt. The knowledge of Khad’s family being found terrified him even more. Khad was the son of the Summus. He had a home.
Shaver had known the day would come, the day he would lose any hope of having Khadlyn as his own. He thought he’d prepared himself for it, but the white hot wash of pain scalded him from the inside out. There was no way the Summus would leave his son in Thunder Bay. With a male.
Mile upon mile flashed beneath his paws as he ran full out. His heart thundered in his chest each crashing beat a plaintive cry. “Khad, Khad, Khad.” He howled, the sorrowful melody echoing in the air. Subconsciously, he waited for Damian’s answer, but it never came. And so, he ran further.
The moon hovered in an inky sky when a black blur materialized in front of Shaver. His exhausted wolf tried to stop but skidded headlong into the mass of fur.
What the fuck are you doing, Shay?
Shaver lay in a trembling heap before Damian. His breath wheezed in and out of his lungs as his muscles twitched from overexertion.
Looking for you. Even his mental voice sounded winded.
Fuck that. You passed me two hours ago. I’ve been trailing you thinking you’d have the sense to stop before you ran yourself to ground. Damian’s anger lashed at him, causing Shaver to flinch and roll away. He just couldn’t fucking deal. Exhausted, he curled into a ball burying his nose in his tail trying to ignore the black wolf that towered over him. But, Damian wasn’t about to be denied.
Shay? Damian rubbed his nose over Shaver’s head. His tongue quickly followed. Shaver knew the other wolf sensed his turmoil just as easily as he read the anger rolling off of Damian. What happened after I left, Shaver? Is Alexa okay? Several heartbeats of silence and then his name. Did something happen to Khad?
A long mournful howl erupted from his chest and ended in a moan as Shaver’s wolf, confused by the strength of his human emotions, retreated. Naked, shivering and heartbroken, Shaver lay at Damian’s feet with silent tears raining down his face. For so long, he’d held out hope that by some miracle Khadlyn would be his; that Khad would give him some signal that he returned the feelings that overpowered Shaver.
It hadn’t been the instantaneous bond Alexa believed in, but he knew beyond doubt he loved Khad. His wolf had bonded with the male years ago in the bed they shared every night. A sob breached his lips. Shaver’s wolf whined not knowing how to comfort its human.
Ah shit, Shaver. Damian’s massive black head lowered and his tongue laved Shaver’s cheeks washing away the tears. He growled low, rubbing his nose along Shaver’s jaw while his voice boomed inside Shaver’s head. Tell me, pup.
The compassion in Damian’s voice broke him. Shaver sat up and wrapped his arms around his calves. He shivered in the night’s colder air. Damian moved closer offering the warmth of his fur against Shay’s bare skin.
“I love him,” he blurted, breaking the dam of his emotions completely. He shuddered under the force of the tidal wave of longing. Slipping an arm around Damian’s broad back, he threaded his fingers into the dense fur. He clung to the wolf needing the contact.
“How sad is that? I’m in love with my best friend and didn’t have the courage to tell him. Now, it’s too late. I saw the bond between them…his family.” Shaver’s words died as his throat constricted. Ashamed of the tears that continued to track down his cheeks, Shaver buried his face in Damian’s thick ruff. Long minutes passed with only the sound of Shaver’s erratic breathing filling the air around them. He struggled to come to grips with losing Khad, but his heart wasn't listening. It refused to accept the loss.
Shay, you don’t understand. Damian pushed into Shay’s thoughts.
Shaver pulled back and let his arms drop. “You’re wrong, Dame. I understand far too well. Khadlyn wants to be accepted by the pack. He craves it; dreams of it. His wolf needs the unity. And now, he’ll have that. As the son of the Summus, he won’t need us anymore.” Shaver swiped the backs of his hands over his cheeks and took a deep steadying breath.
“You know as well as I do, gay wolves are not accepted and never will be. They do nothing to further a pack. It’s why I’ve never said anything. I didn’t want to doom him to the life of an outcast.” Turning his back on Damian, Shaver lay on his side, curling into the fetal position. He barely noticed the twigs and rocks that dug into his bare skin.
“I think I’m just going to stay out here for a while. You don’t have to stay.” Another deep breath. “And Damian, I’d appreciate you not saying anything. Khad deserves happiness, he deserves to finally belong.” Shaver clammed up as fresh tears stung his eyes.
Twigs creaked and the soft pad of paws reached Shaver’s ears. But, it wasn’t Damian leaving; instead, the wolf poked his nose between Shaver’s elbows and nudged until his head rested on Shaver’s arm. His long body stretched out and settled making it obvious Damian had no intention of leaving him alone. Shaver curled his body around the warmth of his friend and mentor and closed his eyes.
“Thanks Dame.”
~*~*~*~
What else could he do? Damian thought as he settled himself against Shaver. He and Alexa had waited so long for Shaver or Khad to open up about how they felt about each other. He could hardly turn away when his friend needed him the most. Besides, even though their body temperatures always ran hot, the chill Damian scented on the air held the promise of snow. Even as wolves, they felt the bitter bite from a good fall of the white stuff. There was no way he was going to let Shaver sleep out there and freeze his butt off alone. Ever the martyr, Damian huffed a snorting breath and pressed the length of his thick black pelt against the younger male.
Brothers till the end, Shay, whatever comes our way. We'll deal the way we always do…as a pack. With that mental thought affirmed by a gentle nod, Shaver wrapped himself tight against Damian, covering himself in the fur of the wolf's long black coat. As usual, Damian fretted over the younger male and pushed the emanating warmth of his wolf out toward Shay’s naked and exposed flesh. He smiled inwardly when the familiar soft moan of Shay sleeping reached his ears.
For Damian, sleep remained a stranger. Instead, he and his wolf reminisced over the day’s occurrences. There was no solution he could find. Only one thing was certain; he and his wolf felt out of sync. Their one constant wasn't sleeping at their side keeping them warm. Whether Alexa was aware of it or not, they were joined in a peculiar way. As the first flakes of snow nestled on his pelt, he felt the pangs of Alexa's absence at his side. She was to him the most absolute part of his life.
Damian waited as long as he could, but when the weather turned for the worse and the falling snow showed no signs of abating, Damian lifted the bulk of his solid heavy frame and shook the thick layer of snow from his coat.
“Hey! Geez, dude, thanks for the wake-up call. NOT!” Shaver's shock humored Damian. He snorted at the drift of snow behind the young male. Shifting is probably better than running around with your bare ass hanging out.
“Don't want to scare the locals, huh?” Shaver laughed, but Damian could sense his apprehension. If truth be known, Damian wasn't too thrilled about going back either, but the yearning to make sure Alexa and Khad were safe far outweighed Damian's own misgivings over the situation with Sage, Copi and Trenton. He was worried about his boys though. As he wa
ited for Shaver to shift, Damian wondered how the pack would feel about Shaver and Khad if he did manage to topple their alpha and take on the position.
One thing was for sure, if whatever plan they thought up came into fruition and Trenton took the fall, Damian would walk over hot coals to make sure they were both accepted and respected by the rest of the pack. That is, if they ever got their heads together and sorted their shit out. God, how two people who know each other so well could be so blind to the mutuality of their love baffled him.
Backtracking through the woods, Damian and Shaver made their way to Iniquity in wolf form to help stave off the snow and cold. They moved fast and in complete and utter silence, each of them troubled by their own personal demons. Damian worried over Shaver. The young male’s outpouring of emotion had done nothing to ease the tawny wolf's emotional state. Damian read the turmoil boiling inside Shaver’s head. When the scent of Alexa's bar caught Damian's attention, he whined and turned to rub his muzzle over the back of Shay's ear. We're cool, Shay. No worries, ok? We'd better change back and make a run for the bar before we freeze our balls off.
Right behind you, Dame.
The sound of meaty flesh popping and the painful grunts of exertion took over. The worst of it was muffled by the heavy falling snow. When both males stood panting breathlessly, their bodies steaming from the heat of their change, Shaver sniffed at the air. He gave the all clear when his highly attuned senses told him there was no one around. A low growl filled the air when Damian took the lead. Shaver immediately gave chase. Keeping to the shadows as much as they could, they made quick work of the journey back to Iniquity. They stepped inside to be greeted by an agitated and pacing Alexa and an equally worried looking Khad. As soon as Alexa turned to see Damian's face, any notion of his bad mood returning drained away.
On instinct, Damian opened his arms and smiled burying his face into the mane of red hair when Alexa launched herself into his arms. She yanked a bewildered Shaver into the fold and refused to let go of either of her stray males.
“Don't do that again, either of you. Unless you want me to kick both your asses.”
Damian sagged in Alexa's arms. The mountain of pent up tension slowly evaporated with each deep inhalation of her musky, sweet scent. Damian stroked his nose along the back of Alexa's ear, and nuzzled tentatively marking Alexa with his own masculine scent.
“We need to talk.” His words came out on a husky deep breath. He would have sworn Alexa shivered from the closeness of his mouth and the warmth of his breath on her skin. He wanted to repeat the action to prove to himself her reaction was real, but as he plucked up the courage, Khad announced he'd made fresh coffee. Damian lifted his head and stepped back when Khad scooted all four of them toward the row of booths alongside the back wall. Shaver flinched away from the blonde wolf and moved to slide into the booth away from Khad. Damian eyed Khad’s crestfallen expression and wished he could wave some sort of magic wand between the two males and prove there was nothing to fear from the way they felt. But, fairy godmother was too far down on his list of things to do.
~*~*~*~
Alexa sat in the booth beside Shaver and watched her males. Tension rode them all hard. Secretly, down deep where she hid her most private self, she breathed easier. All of her males were home and safe. Since leaving the pack, she’d not spent a night without Damian curled around her. It astounded her how much she relied on him, and how much she missed him.
She’d paced the bar with Khad, her mind and body in turmoil. Even the magnetic pull she felt to the tiny female sleeping in their pack bed hadn’t distracted her or stopped her yearning for her black wolf. When he’d come through the door minutes before, she had reacted without thinking, flinging herself into his arms. The sense of completion when his arms closed around her confused her while it soothed her. Surreptitiously, she stole glances at him, worried that his eyes remained wolf.
Reaching over she clasped Shaver’s hand. When he looked up, she glanced across the table at Khad and arched a brow. The reluctance on Shaver’s face didn’t surprise her. His distress assaulted her sensitive nose. After a few seconds, he firmed his lips and slid his other hand across the table palm up. Alexa did the same. Damian took her hand without hesitation. His large palm swallowed hers as his fingers curled around her own. Immediately, the tension binding her shoulders eased and she took a deep breath. The first full one since she’d recognized the Omega now cloistered in their pack bedroom. From the corner of her eye, she saw Khad reach out and grab Shaver’s fingers and instinctively pull the other male’s hand closer to his chest. It forced Shaver to lean into the table.
With the circle complete, Lexi called on her wolf. The fiery red beast shook herself and stretched. Power swirled inside Alexa, filling her, steadying her. Carefully, she pushed it outward. It licked down her arms as a living thing and flowed into her males. Before her eyes, they relaxed as she’d intended. Technically, she could have done the same without touching them, but the feel of skin on skin reinforced their bond and soothed their wolves who desperately craved contact.
Damian cleared his throat, but Alexa shook her head. Her hair fell over her shoulders to pool on the table. Beside her, Shaver’s shoulders slowly relaxed and the tension in his face faded. The process repeated in Khad though he continued to flick gazes toward the bedroom. Finally, she turned her focus on Damian, who sat still as stone and only slightly less tense than before. Something was eating at him, but whatever it was, she couldn’t read it.
“First, I spoke to Dr. DeRhys. He was in Rome working on an emergency, but he’ll be here as soon as he’s done. I talked to him and our Summus personally. The Summus informed me that his son, Tobias, has been tracking Sage after her sudden disappearance. So, we can expect a very irate and very upset wolf on our doorstep at any time.” She dropped her head hating to admit the next part.
“I’m sorry, Khad. But as our Summus, I had to inform him of the possibility of you being his son. I hope you understand.” All eyes locked on her. She raised her head and met each stare. “Also, when we were on the island, the troubles of our pack became too much. Seeing them so downtrodden hit me hard. I felt…feel guilty. Ashamed. We escaped here to Iniquity. Though we aren’t completely free of Trenton, we live our lives without fear. Our pack continues to suffer. They deserve the same thing we have.”
She squeezed Damian’s fingers and turned to meet his green eyes. “While making our way around the island, I knew I had to do something. I have a responsibility far greater than I am shouldering,” she dropped her gaze to the table again and her voice lowered. “I have the power of the alpha because…” she swallowed hating the words that came next.
“Trenton is…” Damian started. His grip tightened on her hand, but she didn’t let him finish.
“He’s my father.”
Twin swift inhalations followed her announcement. Resolutely, she met Khad’s and Shaver’s eyes. “He has to be taken down for the pack to survive. Damian is the only male wolf remaining with the latent alpha gene. Trenton made sure all others were killed or shipped off the island.”
Understanding dawned on Shaver’s face first. His gaze swung to Damian. Khad’s quickly followed. Before they could question him, Alexa spoke again.
“Before we left the island, I asked Damian to challenge Trenton. We were going to plan, strategize and then tell you. It’s dangerous even to discuss it. Damian was right to be angry with me. I put you at risk unnecessarily.”
“You can trust us, Lexi. My parents live on that island. Every day, I worry about them, whether they will be targeted because I’m here with you.” Shaver released her hand to close his hand over Damian’s forearm. “You’ll have my support and theirs, Damian.”
“Mine, too,” Khad quickly chimed in.
“We never doubted that.” Damian’s voice emerged gruff as he bumped fists with the other two males.
Alexa waited until all eyes returned to her. “Trenton won’t be easy to defeat. He’s pure alpha, an
d he’s siphoned the pack’s power and hoarded it. Now, we have an added problem.” Her eyes flicked between the bedroom and Khad. “If he finds out about Copi, or Sage and Khad, we’ll have a fight on our hands before we’re ready. We’ll have to be vigilant. We have to keep our shields up at all times. Trenton isn’t a fool. He’ll know something’s up.”
“Excuse me.” All four of their heads swung around at the soft feminine voice. Sage stood in the doorway, her arms locked around her waist and determination in her eyes. And at her back stood Copi, his impressive form daring anyone to upset the female he so ferociously protected.
~*~*~*~
Chapter Forty
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With a cough to clear her throat, Sage drew on her wolf and battled against the fear riding her hard. With her arms wrapped tight around her waist, she resigned herself to look the small pack of wolves in the eye. Straightening her spine and pulling back her shoulder, she drew their attention. She bore news, and if what she'd overheard was true, then these people were in for a lot more trouble than the downfall of their alpha.
Four pairs of eyes focused solely on her. An over bearing need to step back and hide behind Copi swamped her. It would have been the easiest thing in the world to do, but Sage was sick of hiding and tired of being scared. Avoiding the dominant scowl of the tall dark haired male, Sage focused on the two faces she feared the least.
“Thank you for helping me. You didn't have to, but I'm glad you did.” She looked at Khad and smiled. All of the fond memories of him as a child stirred within her. She used them as a bridge to connect with the grown male seated in front of her.
“I feel I need to warn you. The male that’s after me is very dangerous. He won’t stop tracking me.” Sage glanced at Damian and just as fast looked away. She sensed the close proximity of his wolf. He wore it like a second skin, always there just below the surface. The pent up aggression and power of his beast called to her, and Sage moved unintentionally toward him. The draw of his gaze pulled her closer, and Sage found herself torn between her fear of him and the undeniable need to roll over and offer him her throat.