Rookie in the Midst [Blue Platoon 1]

by Jools Louise

  “Amen.” Carter grinned.

  “Besides,” Craig added. “Finch just said those seeking shelter from the Ruin pack would be welcome, so I reckon that’s another sign that he’s not holding a grudge.”

  “Phew!” Elvis said, wiping his brow. “Because my nose really likes being attached to my face.”

  “How did your brother know about this secret room?” Craig asked a moment later, thinking hard. “It’s not exactly obvious, is it? It blends into the panels of the cold room.”

  Carter sent him a guilty look. “When this place was being built, my mum and Charlie managed to get hold of the blueprints, which had to be filed with Planning when Alpha Hartland wanted to build this house.”

  “So they already knew about it,” Craig deduced.

  “Yes. I’m sorry. Charlie made a mess here.”

  “That can be fixed,” Craig said kindly. “My guys are pretty good with their hands,” he continued, winking. “I’m just amazed that knowing you were probably in here, he blew the fucking door off anyway.”

  Carter looked down. “He’s almost worse than the others,” he said forlornly. “They hate me, with a passion. But Charlie? He just doesn’t care at all. Most of the time I’m invisible to him, until it suits his purpose to obey Mother’s commands, and then I wish I was an only child. He’s the most vicious. Even after Connor. He’s ambitious, and after years of the same abuse as we’ve all suffered, he feels he’s entitled to the crown. I think he’s just evil enough to get it, even if it meant killing his family.”

  “He sounds despicable,” Craig said, hugging Carter gently. “You know what, though? I don’t have any brothers or sisters. So maybe we can adopt one another.”

  Carter smiled at that, tears brimming, and hugged Craig back. “I’d like that,” he said, sniffling. “You’re so much nicer than they are. And you’re fierce when you’re defending people.”

  Craig grinned. “My wolf gets a little pissy around bullies,” he replied, laughing. He looked to where Elvis was gingerly touching his nose. “Let me see if I can help with that,” he said. Reaching out, he placed his finger lightly on Elvis’s face and closed his eyes, focusing on healing the man.

  Elvis gasped in sync with Carter. “Matey boy, whatever you’re doing, it’s working.”

  “Yeah, I feel it, too,” Carter said, still in Craig’s embrace. “I feel energized somehow.”

  Blinking, Craig saw the mist roiling around them all, golden in hue and sparking with blue flames. Elvis’s face was healed already, but he felt something else, as well, a sort of transference of power to his two new friends. “I think maybe I just gave you a little boost or something,” Craig murmured as the mist dissipated, coalescing around the two other men in turn, and then seeming to dissolve into them.

  “Whoa!” Elvis exclaimed. “Now that was a rush! Do it again.”

  Craig stared down at his hands, thinking about what his mates had been saying about El Corazon. The true heart. What was the purpose of such a creature? To unite the packs. That seemed obvious. Was this part of it? Was he supposed to share the gifts he’d been given? Create new hearts? True hearts who would try to undo the toxic sludge that seemed to infect the whole structure of the shifter world.

  “Shift,” Craig told Elvis urgently. “And you, Carter. I want to test a theory.”

  The two men exchanged glances and then shifted. Craig stared at them in awe. They were three times the size of a normal wolf. One a tan and brown color, the other reddish in hue.

  “Okay, shift back, now,” he said.

  “I think we just got some extra mojo,” Elvis stated, clapping his hands.

  “I think we should keep this quiet,” Carter said, perfectly serious. “It’s bad enough that they know about you, Craig. If they get wind of us two, as well? That’s just asking for trouble.”

  They all agreed to remain silent for now. “Once we’ve dealt with your families, we’ll have a chat with my mates,” Craig said. “Maybe they’ll have some ideas about what this means.”

  “All for one,” Elvis said, high-fiving them. “Us little guys gotta stick together, huh?”

  “Agreed,” Craig said, grinning. “Shrimps united!”

  Chapter Ten

  Charles Costa studied the departure of the large invasion force intently. His attention was snared by the sight of Craig Mason leaving the house, stepping into the embrace of four men, including former Captain Amos Hartland. Disgusting display. Who the fuck did they think they were, parading their nastiness for all to see?

  Well, Private Craig Mason, Charles thought. Perhaps it was time for a second gay-bashing. The bastard thought he was too cool for school, anyway. Apparently he didn’t learn too good, though.

  Lying low, using binoculars to study his target, Costa lay in wait. Craig Mason had a little trip coming. A nice little jaunt to the Outer Hebrides for a little torture session before death.

  * * * *

  “You fucking idiot!” Maureen Ruin snarled at her son Charlie, raking him with her claws. He cowered before her wrath, looking to his father and brother, knowing they would be of no help. “Why did you let them escape?”

  Charlie stared at her, carefully blanking out the hatred from his expression, his fear and loathing mixing together in a sickening mess inside his stomach. “I didn’t let them,” he replied calmly. “The Hartland’s mate, their true mate, shifted to three times my size and pinned me to the ground. Then his mate came and beat me to a pulp before dragging me out of there by my hair.”

  “Insolent whelp!” she cursed, raining blows down on him. “We can’t afford to have that little bastard live. We need to hit them where it will hurt, and that runt is the way to do it.”

  “Why?” he gritted out, glaring back, done with the pretense of servitude and respect. “Because Amos Hartland spurned you? As did every other one of his mates. You rushed in, threatening our entire community by going in wolf form because you’re a jealous slut, who isn’t attractive to the Hartland pack…who are gay.” He laughed mockingly, egging her on. “Mother dearest, have you looked in the mirror lately? I’m surprised Father here is still interested. You’re not aging well, darling.”

  He saw his death in her eyes as he reminded her of the real reason for her hatred of the Hartland pack. As she shifted, he grabbed the first thing he could, a small steel comb with a sharp point on one end of the handle that was in his pocket. Maureen launched herself at him, determined to rip out his throat. At the last second, he leapt to the side and jabbed the comb into her chest, twisting viciously, then heaving her up and over him. Yelping, scrambling for purchase, she sailed several feet away, landing with a sickening thud against a thick oak table, then lay still. Her eyes stared sightlessly up at the ceiling.

  “What have you done?” Arnie asked in stunned horror. “You killed your mother.” His blue eyes showed a wave of emotion, starting with shock and swiftly moving to a killer rage.

  “She would have killed me,” Charlie said, feeling slightly sick now at the sight of his dead mother. It didn’t last long. A sense of relief ran through him. She would no longer be able to attack him, ever again. “She was going to tear me to pieces while you two watched.” He focused on the two people left in the room. His own father, supposedly a protector, yet a man so weak, so spineless, he’d let Maureen destroy whatever honor their pack had once stood for. She had been the one to banish his grandparents, right before they’d been mysteriously killed in a freak accident on a walking holiday in the Pyrenees.

  He met Connor’s gaze, saw the flash of fear there, mixed with disgust, and knew what he had to do. He had to stop this madness. Charlie Ruin would be nobody’s whipping boy. No longer. Rising to his feet, he stood toe to toe with his father, baring his fangs in a show of defiance that Arnie responded to immediately.

  Shifting, Arnie lunged, snapping viciously as Charlie rounded the large table in the sumptuous dining room that served as a war room when needed. He grabbed a knife from one of the place settings that
always sat there, to impress their neighbors. The room was beautiful, yet lacking in warmth. A shell without a heart. It was fitting that his parents would die here.

  “Come on, you bastard,” Charlie goaded mockingly. “What’s the matter? Can’t fight a real man? Need your wife to do it for you?”

  Arnie snarled angrily, saliva dripping from his fangs as he stalked closer. Arnie was a large wolf shifter, but he was no match for Charlie’s new resolve. For twenty-eight years, Charlie had suffered humiliation and pain at this man’s hands, urged on by a woman who was supposed to be his mother. The pair had bred three sons, and their family hated each other. All because the alphas cherished money and power over anything else.

  Charlie stood his ground, watching Arnie advance and keeping a wary eye for a possible attack by his brother. Connor could be a sneaky fucker, wiry and fast. Sure enough, Connor moved in on the other side, closing in. A pincer attack. Charlie laughed. So predictable. He leapt over the table, racing from the dining room. Through the house he ran, heading for his bedroom. He knew they’d come after him. He was counting on it.

  Wrenching open the closet door, he dug into his secret stash of surprises and hauled out two grenades. Then he waited, hearing the scratch of nails on wooden floorboards, and then his beloved father arrived, growling menacingly. Popping the pin, Charlie threw the grenade. Arnie caught it reflexively and then tried to discard it when he realized what it was. He met Charlie’s bitter gaze, resignation in his own, and a moment later was blasted to smithereens by the explosion that followed.

  Charlie sneered as he heard Connor’s terrified whimpers and then listened to the sound of running footsteps as his brother fled for his life. Never mind. Connor could be dealt with later. It was time to let everyone know he’d just taken control. Charlie Ruin was now the new alpha of the Ruin pack. Go figure.

  Stepping over the bloody mess of the old alpha, Charlie had a fleeting moment of regret for what could have been. Then he strengthened his spine, thinking of what had been. No more. Today was the start of a new era for the Ruin pack. And God help any who stood in his way.

  * * * *

  Craig rinsed the fear and sadness away, humming with pleasure as his mates used fingers and tongues to stoke the fiery passion that was never far from the surface.

  Garnet lapped at his chute, probing his willing hole hungrily. Amos was on his knees, sucking Craig’s cock with masterful skill, while Finch and Blaze took turns kissing him as he fisted their dicks. Water fell in a deluge, warm and fragrant with the scent of lemon and lust.

  “Lift your leg, baby,” Amos said huskily. Craig groaned as he balanced carefully, the new position allowing Amos to duck down. He and Garnet kissed, sharing Craig’s musky flavor, and then drove Craig crazy nibbling at his sac, perineum, cock, and ass.

  “Wanna share his ass, boss?” Garnet asked, shoving two fingers inside Craig’s succulent ass until Craig was moaning fluidly.

  “Oh, fuck,” Craig cried.

  “That’s the idea, lover,” Finch growled against his lips.

  “Come for me,” Craig whispered, tightening his grip on the man’s cock, smiling with satisfaction when his badass mate gave a low curse and then spurted, spattering cum.

  Craig sank to his knees and slurped the thick stick into his mouth, licking his lover clean. He yelped when Garnet lifted him slightly, sliding beneath and then plonking him down on his fat dick.

  “Hole in one,” Garnet laughed, bucking like a bronco, bouncing Craig up and down until the smaller man had to stop sucking on Finch, afraid he might bite the man’s cock off.

  “Hey!” Finch protested, kneeling beside Craig and cuffing Garnet upside the head. “I was enjoying that.”

  “Quit bitching, snowflake,” Garnet retorted, flipping up his middle finger. “Ride ’em cowboy,” he yelled enthusiastically, bucking even more wildly.

  Giggling like crazy, Craig held on for dear life, loving Garnet’s playful side.

  “Hope you don’t get seasick,” Blaze chuckled, grabbing Craig’s hair gently and then guiding his mouth onto his still-hard cock. “Suck me off, baby,” he commanded gruffly.

  Craig found it difficult to keep the man’s dick in his mouth, but persevered, finding a jerky tempo until Blaze came, enjoying the delicious cream that flowed down his throat. Moments later, he felt someone behind him and cried out as thick fingers began to spear into him, alongside the thick cock already embedded.

  Garnet slowed his energetic thrusts, and Craig glanced back, smiling into Amos’s dark eyes, watching the love and desire gleaming there. “Bend forward darling,” Amos said, pushing Craig until he was almost prone, which meant he had to leave Blaze’s cock behind and concentrated on smooching with Garnet instead. The pair kissed hungrily, eating at each other’s lips with ferocious need.

  Freezing, Craig felt the blunt tip of Amos’s huge cock against his entrance and tensed as it began to glide, inch by inch, into Craig’s already stretched chute. Whimpering, Craig felt his mates’ soothing him, stroking his back and face, kissing him tenderly as he took both cocks. Panting, Craig closed his eyes, realizing that someone had shut the water off, feeling the steam mixing with the heat coming off his body.

  “Easy, tiger,” Finch murmured, caressing Craig’s flank. “Relax, baby. Push out, it’ll make it easier.”

  Craig struggled to focus, his ass on fire as it adjusted to the new invasion, clenching hard around the mammoth trying to split him in two.

  “Are you okay?” Amos asked, palming Craig’s ass and kneading the taut globes. He sounded out of breath.

  “How does he feel?” Blaze asked wistfully, kissing Craig’s ear tenderly.

  “Like heaven,” Amos replied, breathing heavily. “Tight as a vise, but so fucking good.”

  Craig couldn’t respond, his nails biting into Garnet’s smooth shoulder, leaving deep grooves. “That’s it, honey,” Amos said approvingly. “Take all of me.”

  Craig felt the slap of his alpha’s balls against his butt and realized Amos was now fully embedded. It felt…uncomfortably tight, overfull. Then the pain began to ease, his body adjusting gradually, and the pleasure took over. Amos moved, short little thrusts while Garnet remained still. The moves had Craig moaning softly, his back arching as the pleasure intensified, and he was begging Amos to go faster.

  “Fuck me, alpha,” he pleaded. “Please.”

  Amos built up speed, long thrusts that plunged his entire ten inches in and out, driving Craig insane with lust. Garnet gripped his hips, and the pair began fucking in tandem, alternating strokes. Garnet drove up with powerful, almost languid grace, while Amos played the pile driver. The mixed styles soon had Craig’s cock filling again. It had deflated when Amos had first entered him and was now showing renewed excitement as his tag team rejoiced in his ass.

  Finch grabbed Craig’s hair, sinking his cock between Craig’s parted lips, and the two wingmen took turns fucking their mate’s mouth. Grunts, guttural and fierce, reverberated through the air, the heat in the wet room scorching. It felt like hours later, but was only a few minutes before Craig lost his load, painting Garnet’s abs, as he climaxed with a long, drawn-out moan of sheer bliss. Lunging forward, he sank his fangs into Garnet’s shoulder, claiming his beautiful mate. Seconds later, both Garnet and Amos let loose, filling Craig with hot cream, searing his ass as his inner muscles clenched around them, trapping them inside. The mating barbs both engaged, and he screamed again as the pleasure intensified, triggering a second mini orgasm. Grabbing Amos’s forearm, he bit his alpha, as well, acting instinctively.

  In turn, Finch and then Blaze both spurted, rearing back to splash their release into Craig’s gaping mouth as he released Amos, turning to strike his two remaining mates, biting each one on the thigh.

  As one, the quintet let loose long, low howls of triumph, the sound echoing around the room before their passion began to subside. All felt the power of the connection, strong as steel as their bond strengthened even more. Craig collapsed onto Ga
rnet and felt the weight of Amos’s big frame, squashing him as the man lost control and slid lower, covering Craig with his body before sliding to the side and dragging Garnet with him, leaving Craig sandwiched between them.

  “Damn! That was intense,” Finch muttered, stretching, giving Craig a show as his muscles rippled.

  Craig smiled sleepily, exhausted by the day’s events. The last thing he remembered was being lifted into Amos’s arms and carried off to bed.

  * * * *

  Costa smirked evilly as he observed Craig Mason exiting the house for the second time in as many days, dressed in running gear. The former medic did a quick warm-up and then began jogging toward the loch, heading onto the shingled beach. Perfect.

  Waiting patiently, Costa lifted a sniper rifle to his shoulder, following Craig’s progress around the loch. The morning was only just breaking, cool and vibrant as the first rays of sunshine bounced off the calm surface. Ripples from a trout grabbing a fly were the only thing marring the surface. A herd of deer munched dewy grass, glancing every now and then at the runner rounding the far shore, continuing his lap.

  Setting the scope, Costa aimed carefully, holding his breath before releasing the trigger. No report sounded, the silencer doing its job as he felled Craig in his tracks, and then made his way nimbly down the slope to claim his prize, smirking to himself. Before those perverted soldiers awoke, Costa would be long gone. He had a jeep stashed up the road, out of sight. It was only a few hundred yards to carry the smaller man, despite him being dead weight.

  Reaching his target, he slung Craig over his shoulder, rifle hanging from a strap, and trotted back the way he’d come. He restrained a laugh, keeping silent, puffing slightly as he negotiated the shortish climb. He heard a shout from the house and grinned as he spied the small fellow who came running outside, looking distraught. He needed to get going. Those fuckers would be after him soon.