Pursuit of Excellence [Spirit of Sage 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour ManLove)
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Spirit of Sage 4
Pursuit of Excellence
After months of courting his four wolverine suitors, Ethan is ready to be mated. Lash, Slug, Charm, and Rage are more than ready to seal the deal, wanting nothing more than to make Ethan theirs…in every way. But their families are not so keen on the wolverine clans being sullied by the mating and will stop at nothing to prevent it.
Ignoring the warnings, the mates bond at last, and finish off with an impromptu wedding. Then, the trouble really begins.
The wolverine clans start a fight that has some tragic consequences, and the town of Sage is once again under siege. Rage’s brother, abused by their parents, is sent in as a weapon of destruction, triggering a series of events that leave the residents reeling.
Can Ethan and his mates weather the storm? Can the wolverines defy their families without destroying Sage?
Genre: Alternative (M/M/M/M/M, Gay), Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal, Shape-shifter
Length: 38,411 words
PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE
Spirit of Sage 4
Jools Louise
MENAGE AMOUR
MANLOVE

Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Amour ManLove
PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE
Copyright © 2017 by Jools Louise
E-book ISBN: 978-1-68295-721-9
First E-book Publication: January 2017
Cover design by Harris Channing
All art and logo copyright © 2017 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
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Epilogue
About the Author
Landmarks
Cover
PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE
Spirit of Sage 4
JOOLS LOUISE
Copyright © 2017
Prologue
Rain lashed the sodden ground, turning it into a quagmire of slippery, inches-deep mud. Sheet lightning added to the drama, blanketing the sky and illuminating the scene below, the rolls of thunder creating a crescendo of sound as the storm raged overhead. Slug snarled viciously at the heavens, wondering why the fuck they had to throw a tantrum just at the moment he and his wolverine brethren found paradise.
The howls of baying hybrid wolves trailed Slug, Lash, Charm, and Rage as they fled a regime as brutal as any wolverine clan had ever been. The Will and the Word made Slug’s family look like nuns in comparison. Slug could remember how proud he had been to be selected to guard a group of morons, children who needed to be shown the errors of their ways, traitors to the shifter cause. Soon enough, Slug and his friends had realized the children were not traitors but victims…and needed saving. They had guarded and protected at the same time, drawing the cult’s wrath when they kept messing up, on purpose, rather than hurt the children anymore. Now they were on the cult’s Most Wanted list…top of the class and running for their lives.
“Whoa!” Slug yelped, sliding to a halt just before the ground ahead gave way to a narrow gorge, at least two hundred feet deep, complete with a swollen river at the bottom that tumbled over massive boulders and rocks and no easy way down into it. The gorge stood between freedom and certain death. Their choices were limited and all three would probably result in a nasty ending. Jump or fight were stark options to have.
“Shit!” Lash cried out, tumbling into Slug and nearly sending them both flying over the edge of the precipice. “Fucking hell,” he added, snarling at the obstacle. “I guess we pissed someone off in our last lives.”
Slug laughed despite himself, wiping a trickle of rainwater from his eyes. “Lash, I don’t think there’s anybody we haven’t pissed off, in any life.” He patted Lash’s shoulder.
“We can’t even keep help our mate,” Rage said, shaking water off his hair with a quick flick of his hand.
“Once we get our families to safety, we’ll get Ethan out,” Charm declared, staring at the dark void of the canyon ahead. “Right now we need to get ourselves out of danger.” He looked at his friends, arching a dark brow. “Any suggestions?”
The howling of the wolves grew louder, and the shifters shared glances of mixed trepidation and resignation.
“I really hate swimming,” Lash sighed, taking several steps back from the edge of the cliff. The others followed suit.
“Sweetie, the fall will probably kill you, forget about swimming,” Slug drawled, then looked back along the trail. “On three?” he asked, and everyone nodded.
Counting down, they all let out a rebel yell, then pelted at a dead run for the cliff, launching into the air and then plunging
inevitably into the raging torrent of the river. They were swoon swept away, like pieces of flotsam, out of control and at the mercy of the elements.
The cult had lost this round.
Chapter One
Ethan glanced at his watch for the thousandth time, willing the hands to move just a little faster.
“Quit watching the clock,” John, his boss, drawled sardonically. “It’ll be closing time soon enough. Those boys won’t forget they have a date with their mate.” The tall snow leopard shifter grinned when Ethan sent him a dry glance, then flipped him off. “Now, now,” John said, not bothered in the slightest. “If you insult me like that, I may just have to put you down for some last minute overtime.”
Ethan pouted, then heard a familiar snarl from the level above, and grinned when he saw Charm peering over the balcony rail that led to Spirit Ink, a tattoo parlor that was housed inside John’s Café Anglais.
“You’d better not make Ethan work overtime,” Charm gritted out, glaring at John, who smirked right back. “We’ve been waiting for date night for weeks. This is the one night Cody won’t be able to interfere—in a crowded cinema, he won’t get the chance.”
John grinned widely, then chuckled out loud. “Cody can most certainly interfere, my friend,” he retorted, shaking his head. “I have it on good authority that the man has cut short his little business trip to Washington and is even now on his way home, just so he can mess with you four fuckers.”
Three more heads peered over the balcony alongside Charm, growling furiously. Slug, Lash, and Rage scowled furiously at the news.
“I tell you what,” John continued casually, studying his nails in a display of nonchalance. Everyone stared at him cautiously. John in casual mode usually meant trouble. “If you want me to head him off and distract him for the evening, you just have to do one thing for me.”
“What?” Slug asked gruffly, his powerful arms folded across his chest.
Cocking an eyebrow, John paused for a moment, then delivered his bombshell. “Alfie needs some people to volunteer for his football team,” he said, smirking. “I think you four delinquents would be perfect for the task. What do you think?”
The wolverines all let out belly laughs at the suggestion, practically falling over in hysteria at John’s suggestion. Ethan eyed them all with a smile, happy to see their amusement.
Just over eighteen months ago, the town had announced its intention to host its very first carnival, and the start of its Shifter Games trials. A sports complex was halfway to completion, complete with a stadium that had one side designated for football and the other had a running track and athletic facilities. A swimming pool, velodrome, and indoor ski slope had also been built, as well as outdoor areas set aside for equestrian and cross-country running events, archery, shooting, and anything else Alfie could think of.
Alfie had taken on the task of being the games’ coordinator, and he was pretty good at cajoling everyone into at least trying out for the games. The Shifter Games was now nine months away, with the complex in good shape to be finished on time and a large hotel complex, near Two Spirit Ranch just off the highway, had been extended to accommodate the hundreds of athletes and their entourage who had already signed up. With so many shifters from across the country who were experienced in construction helping build the massive sports village, plus with the extra donations from many rich shifter benefactors across the world, the games were looking as though it would be a huge event, and it was advertised on every news channel.
The wolverines had done a pretty good job of avoiding Alfie’s requests so far, despite living at the bed and breakfast with Alfie and his mates. Apparently, from what Mason had told everyone, Slug had done a verbal smack down on Alfie for continuing to ask, and Alfie had backed off…until now.
“That fucking leopard,” Lash gasped out, by now curled up on the floor, still laughing. “He’s so fucking sneaky, using John to do his dirty work. A fucking football team?”
John simply smirked, waiting for quiet. “If you four boneheads want me to run interference for you tonight, those are the terms. I happen to agree with Alfie on this. You’d be fantastic at football. You’re fierce, fearless, and take no shit…and you’re fast when you need to be.” John paused for a moment, his expression turning more thoughtful. “It’s time to give a little something back to this town, celebrate what we’ve achieved so far, don’t you think? You’re smart, funny, and you have a beautiful, sexy mate waiting in the wings, so I’d say you’ve more than turned things around for yourselves. You’re no longer outcasts, but are part of this community. Quit trying to isolate yourselves from everything that happens here. The town’s forgiven you for what you did…now forgive yourselves.”
Ethan looked at four matching expressions of awed amazement on his mates’ faces. John’s delivery was totally serious for once, and completely sincere. These were the times when Ethan remembered just what a kickass boss John was. Usually laid back or teasing the hell out of everyone, when John got serious…people listened.
“I think you’re right,” Ethan said to John, smiling shyly at his mates, who looked a little embarrassed at all the attention. “My mates were forgiven a while back. I, personally, can’t wait to see them all in tight pants, running like hell, chasing a little oval ball.”
Slug moved in close, cupping Ethan’s cheek gently, his dark eyes warm with affection. “Baby, you just let us know when it’s time to play, and we’ll be there in a second.” He kissed Ethan gently, until Ethan’s heart clenched with love. These four had been through hell, as had Ethan, and now it was time to find heaven in their arms. Ethan figured tonight might just be the night.
“Hey, don’t forget me,” Lash protested, pushing Slug out of the way, then kissing Ethan fervently, tasting of coffee and sugar.
“If this turns into an orgy, you’re all fired,” John drawled drolly. “I’ll just go call Alfie to tell him you love his idea, shall I?”
The four wolverine shifters all flipped the big Brit off at the same time, which had John chuckling in delight, then wandering off to serve a new customer.
Rage and Charm both took a sip from Ethan’s lips, and by the time he was released, his head was spinning.
“We’re finished for the night, sweetness,” Slug said huskily. “We’ll be back for you at seven-thirty, just in time to catch the second show at the theater.”
Ethan frowned, his thoughts befuddled, then he remembered the cinema. He shook his head to clear it, seeing four smug wolverines looking immensely pleased with themselves. “Okay,” he sighed dreamily, his body still tingling. “I’ll see you later?” Despite himself, he made the statement into a question, still unsure despite every effort he made to stop himself from doubting that his mates actually wanted him.
“We’ll be back at seven-thirty,” Slug repeated firmly. “Just make sure you’re here.” Ethan sent him a startled look and then realized his mates were just as unsure as he was about their relationship.
“I’ll be here,” Ethan replied, just as firmly. Then he smiled. “John won’t let me leave, remember?” They all snorted and sent John dirty looks.
Ethan received a final kiss from each of them, then they all headed to the bed and breakfast where they lived to get changed. Ethan lived on the other side of town in a large house with his two dads Cody and Thomas, his brother Douglas, and several refugees from the last tunnels beneath Sage, where Ethan had nearly died. Ricky, Sammy, Zion, Bart, Hal, Jimmy, and Shelby were some of Ethan’s best friends, and he thought of them all as brothers. All were shifters, the same as Ethan, and they had all enjoyed the months of living together under one roof as a big extended family.
Tonight, though, was perhaps when things were about to change. Ethan was ready to take on his four sexy, badass wolverines now. It had taken a lot of therapy, with the town’s eminent therapist, Murphy, but he had finally come to terms with what had been done to him. He still had issues, and still suffered anxiety as a result of PTSD, but he wasn’t go
ing to hold back anymore. He wanted his mates. He had brought a backpack with him, containing a change of clothes, so all he had to do was run upstairs to the top floor, grab a quick shower, and then change into his date clothes. He was excited and scared at the same time.
“Ethan, they’ll be back,” John said as his employee stood staring after his mates lamely. “Otherwise, I’ll hunt them all down, tear out their livers, and let Cody and Douglas play with their entrails.” Ethan shot him a startled glance, hearing the sincerity in the words. He blinked, knowing John wasn’t kidding around.
“If you do, just make sure there’s something left for us two,” Kieran said as he wandered into the café from the stairs leading downstairs to the basement. His brother, Kevin, followed, nodding in agreement.
“Yeah, if those four douches hurt you anymore, we’ll all take turns kicking their tattooed asses out of town.”
Ethan stared at his two friends, twin cougar shifters, their blond hair and green eyes giving them a twinkish appearance. They both had backbones of pure steel and were afraid of very little—including Ethan’s kickass wolverine mates—and were loyal as hell to their friends. They’d survived the cult, had been taken from their moms at an early age, and were reared in a roadside petting zoo before being rescued by Joe and his crew from the Two Spirit Ranch.
“What happened to the two flakes who just left here a few minutes ago to take their break? You can’t be them, you sound way too serious,” Ethan told them with a smile, trying to lighten the atmosphere.