by DJ Bryce
If something goes wrong, well, we’ll just have to play it by ear.
My brother had stuck around until it was time to leave for the meeting, so unfortunately, everything between Brick and I this morning was a hundred percent PG. I hadn’t even gotten to kiss him goodbye.
He’d said he’d run to Gilly’s apartment to pack up his things, and I said I’d see him later.
Before we walked out, Calin asked, “Do you make other meals? Lunch…? Dinner…?”
I’d cuffed him on the back of the head and said, “Let’s go.”
“Ow,” Calin had cried, holding the back of his head in the same dramatic way he’d been doing since we were pups.
“That didn’t hurt, quit your whining,” was my response.
Now, we were at the office waiting for the rest of the council to arrive, and my thoughts had shifted from spending the night with Brick, to the problems my pack had been having ever since Josiah and the Threehorns had arrived.
“Hey, how you holding up?” Maximus asked as he walked into my office. Even with the stress of the last few days, he looked happy, and I knew it was because of Gilly. Because he was finally with his mate, instead of longing for her from afar.
“I’ll be better once these assholes get far, far away from our land,” I muttered, looking at the map of our property on the wall above my desk.
“They’ve hit here,” I stood and pointed to the crops and silo on the northwest side of the map. “And here,” I moved my finger to the field where they shot Kevin. “Calin said they went by the Threehorn ranch and all the vehicles were gone… placed looked empty. But, I don’t believe it. The question is, where will they hit next?”
I was staring at the map, when I felt Max come up behind me and clap me on the shoulder.
“We’ll figure it out, Mateo,” he promised, then said, “Everyone is here and waiting in the meeting room.”
“I’ll be right in,” I replied, my eyes never leaving the map.
A couple minutes later, I let out a frustrated breath, and went to go and meet with my council.
“Kevin,” I said in surprise when I saw the youngest member of the council sitting at the table. “Shouldn’t you be home resting?”
Kevin jutted out his chin and said solemnly, “I’ve shifted a few times, to help with the healing… Plus, there’s no way I’m going to sit in bed watching TV’s while you all find these assholes and bring them to justice.”
I nodded sharply, pleased at the young wolf’s resolve, then let my eyes sweep the room.
My council’s attention was rapt on me, and everyone looked pissed.
Good. I needed them pissed.
“I don’t believe for one second that Josiah and his pack have moved on. His last words to me were, this isn’t over, so there’s no way he turned tail and ran.” I placed my palms on the table and looked my men in the eyes. “I want all available wolves out searching the lands. Ours and Threehorns. Those bastards are out there somewhere, and we need to find them and make them pay for everything they’ve done… To Kevin, to Natasha and Heidi, and to our crops and equipment.”
My men all nodded their agreement, and began to rise. They knew I meant business, and wouldn’t want to waste any more time.
“I’ll put out an all call,” Maximus said.
“I’ll organize the wolves into teams and assign them to different zones,” Calin said, and I felt a burst of pride for my little brother.
“Bryan and Kevin, help Calin. Gregory, you’re with me,” I said. “Max, meet up with Gregory and I once you’re done putting out the call.”
“Sure thing, Mateo, where are you guys headed?” Max asked.
“To the Threehorn Ranch,” I replied. “We’ll start at the last place we saw them.”
Before walking out the door, and I turned and said, “Tell everyone to be on high alert. Don’t let the kids be anywhere unsupervised, and it’s probably best if everyone stays in their home unless there’s somewhere they have to be. At least until we locate the Threehorns.”
The men all nodded in agreement.
“Let’s find these fuckers,” I said angrily, then turned to leave and get to my truck.
I wasn’t going to rest until we knew what Josiah and his pack were up to now.
Chapter 14
Brick
I was insatiable.
I couldn’t stop thinking about Mateo, about the feel of his hands on my body, of him moving inside of me.
It was so much more than I’d ever imagined it could be, and when his teeth had sunk into my shoulder as he’d claimed me, I’d felt a passion unrivaled to any emotion I’d ever felt in my life. It had been like an electrocution, except not in a painful way, but like a million jolts of intense sexual pleasure was sent coursing through my body all at once.
I couldn’t stop thinking about it, which was probably why I’d been walking around all day with a hard on.
I stepped into the shower at Gilly’s apartment. I’d planned to pack up quickly, then head back to Mateo’s place and unpack, but I needed to do something about this boner before I was no longer able to walk.
I stepped under the hot spray, grabbing the closest bottle of body wash and squeezing it greedily into my hand, before finally lowering it to fist my aching cock.
“Thank, God,” I muttered, letting my head fall as I braced myself against the shower wall with one hand, and stroked myself with the other.
I thought of Mateo and I pumped. The way those green eyes shone as he watched me take his dick into my mouth. The feel of his soft red hair beneath my fingertips as we kissed. The heat of his body over mine, his balls slapping against my thighs as he’d fucked me like the beast he was.
I felt the quickening of my orgasm almost immediately, that’s how in need I was… It was like Mateo’s claiming had flipped a switch inside of me, and now all I wanted was to spend my time in his bed. Pleasuring him and being pleasured.
Hoping that would calm my libido for a while, at least until I was back home with Mateo, I quickly washed up and got out of the shower.
Once I was dressed, I shoved all of my things into my duffel bag, and did a sweep of the apartment to make sure I hadn’t missed anything. When I noticed the dishes in the sink, unmade bed, and other clutter I’d left around the apartment, I figured the nice, brotherly thing to do would be to leave the place as clean as I’d found it, rather than be a dick and leave it.
So, I placed my things by the door and got to work cleaning up my mess.
I was in the middle of making the bed when I heard the door open and looked over my shoulder to see Gilly come striding in.
She walked in, looked around the apartment, and made a show of opening her mouth in shock and placing her hand over it dramatically.
“Oh. My. God. You cleaned? What’s wrong, are you sick? Should I call the doctor?”
I rolled my eyes, and when Gilly walked over and tried to place her hand on my forehead, I swatted it away.
“Stop,” I grumbled, then added, “I clean up… sometimes.”
“You’re a slob and you know it,” was my darling sister’s reply.
I stuck my tongue out at her.
“Make your own bed then,” I said, throwing the pillow down on the bed.
Gilly looked back toward my duffel at the door, then at me with a frown.
“Are you going back to school? I thought you’d decided to stay for a while.”
“No, actually,” I began, wondering what her reaction was going to be. This would be my first attempt at lying to my family… Well, I mean, since coming out… And, of course, I’d never told anyone about my feelings for Mateo… But, this would be my first time actively, voicing an out and out lie. “I’m, ah, gonna be Mateo’s roommate for a while.”
Gilly’s face grew puzzled.
“You are? Why? How did that come about?”
“Well, after everything that’s been happening, we got to talking over a couple beers, and I said I was thinking about sticking
around for a while, and he said how lonely he was going to be now that you and Max were together and going to be spending your time with each other, rather than him…” At Gilly’s wince I assured her, “He’s happy for you both, truly, it’s just, you’re his best friends and he’s used to having you each to himself.”
Gilly sighed and said, “I’ve been wondering how he’s holding up. I feel terrible. Not just for throwing him under the bus by telling everyone we’d been faking being a couple all these years, but for hogging Maximus as well. I hate that he’s lonely.”
“Well,” I began, feeling less panicked since she wasn’t making a big fuss, wondering why we’d room together in the first place, “I’ll be there for him, so you don’t have to worry. I plan to do the cooking, and I’ll work on being cleaner, he seems like a pretty neat dude.”
“He is, for sure,” Gilly agreed, then smiled. “I’m sure you guys will have fun, and I’m glad he’ll have a friend, but, Brick, you know you can stay here as long as you like.”
“I know, but I don’t want to take advantage, and I know you’ll have no problem renting the place.”
She crossed to give me a hug, and said, “Well, thanks for cleaning up, and, thanks for staying.”
“You’re welcome,” I murmured, and kissed the top of her head, a flicker of guilt hitting my stomach.
“Anyway, I just came up to see how you’re doing. I’m about to head out to check on Heidi, but I’ll be back in a couple hours, if you want to have a drink or something.”
“I’m heading to Mateo’s once I’m done here, to unpack and settle in. Meet me over there?” I asked.
“Sounds like a plan,” she said, then walked out with a wave.
About five minutes later, I looked around once last time, determined it was as clean as it was going to get, then went to pick up my duffel.
I heard footsteps on the stairs, and looked up, expecting to see Gilly again, instead, there was a large, dark haired man who I’d never seen before standing in the threshold.
Before I could ask, how I could help him, he raised his hand, and by the time I registered the crowbar he was holding, he was smashing it against my skull.
Then, everything went black.
Chapter 15
Mateo
It felt good to run, to track scents, to allow my wolf the opportunity to do what he loved best… hunt.
Unfortunately, we’d been at it for hours and were still coming up empty.
I paused and turned back, tilting my head at Maximus’s wolf, then saw him do the same to Gregory, and we turned and started the trek back to the Threehorn Ranch. After about twenty minutes of running, we rounded the house to head down the long driveway to where our trucks were parked, just off of Threehorn land.
I shifted, grabbed my clothes out of the bed of the truck and dressed quickly.
I heard the squealing of tires, and looked up to see my brother’s truck barreling toward us. He’d barely put it in park before he was jumping out and running toward me, his face distraught.
“What is it?” I asked, cognizant of the fact that Max and Gregory had come up to flank me.
“Howlers,” Calin said, and his expression had my stomach clenching. “While we were out looking for them, the Threehorn Pack came into town and set Howlers on fire.”
“What?” Gregory gasped.
“Jesus,” Max bit out.
“Tell me,” I urged, needing to hear all of it.
“Brick was inside,” Calin replied, and he might as well have ripped my heart from my chest.
“Is he…?” I couldn’t say the words.
Calin shook his head.
“Bryan was able to pull him out, but it looks like they hit him in the head, and he did receive some burns… He’s unconscious, but still alive. The doctors are doing everything they can.”
I turned and walked a couple feet away, looking out toward the Threehorn Ranch, without really seeing it.
I could hear my men still talking behind me, but all I could do was feel.
Terror, fear, anger, guilt, and finally, hope. I was a gamut of emotion, but I knew I had to shut it down and be the Alpha my pack needed.
“Was anyone else hurt?” Gregory asked.
“No, it looks like Brick was the only one still inside. The girls got out as soon as the fire started, and they didn’t know he was upstairs until they ran outside and saw his car out back. By that time, Bryan, Kevin and I had arrived, and Bryan ran in to get him.”
“Is Bryan okay?”
“Some smoke inhalation, but other than that, he’s fine.”
“And, Howlers?” Max asked.
“Gone,” Calin replied. “The damage that’s been done is irreparable.”
“And the Threehorns?” I asked, turning back to face my men, careful to keep the grief off of my face, allowing only rage to show.
“Nowhere to be found… again.”
I nodded. “Max, you go see to Gilly, I’m sure she’s upset. Gregory, go with Calin to the hospital and check on Bryan. I’m going to head to Logan’s to tell him and Natasha, since they’ve both been unreachable the last couple of days. I know she’ll want to be there and Brick will want his sisters close when he wakes up.”
They all nodded and we broke apart to move out.
I tried Logan’s cell as I drove, and even though I got no answer, I kept trying.
I felt guilty about not going directly to the hospital to be by my mate’s side, but I couldn’t handle the emotions I was feeling, not yet, and I doubted I’d be able to hide the way I was feeling from my pack.
No, it seemed best to get Tasha, then go back and be there for Brick.
I was about ten minutes away, when I tried to call again. I was so used to not getting an answer, that it took me a moment to realize that Natasha was on the other end.
“Hello?” she prompted.
“Tasha.” I managed, but needed a second to keep my tone steady.
“Mateo, what’s wrong?” Natasha asked.
“There’s been a fire at Howler’s. I’ve been trying to reach you and Logan all morning…” I replied hurriedly, needing to get it out quickly before I broke. “And when I couldn’t, I started driving. I’ll be there in about ten minutes.”
“Here? What? A fire?”
Knowing I needed to rip the band aide off, I said, “Brick was in Gilly’s apartment, Tasha.”
“Oh my God,” she gasped.
“I’ll be there soon,” I told her, and hung up.
By throat burned and my eyes pricked, and it took every ounce of will I had not to break down.
Natasha was waiting when I pulled up, her face frantic, and I barely had a chance to stop my truck, before she was flinging open the door and jumping inside.
“Is there any news?” she asked.
I picked up my phone off of the seat and handed it to her.
“Call Max or Gilly and see if there’s an update. I haven’t heard from anyone yet.”
“What happened?”
“The Threehorn Pack,” I bit out in reply, and I vowed to myself, and to my mate, the next time I saw Josiah, he wouldn’t live to tell the tale.
Chapter 16
Brick
Darkness.
Chapter 17
Mateo
“Second floor,” the lady at the check in desk told us.
Natasha fit her small hand in mine as we waited for the elevator.
I’d started to sweat, my heart was pounding in my chest, and I felt like I was going to throw up.
I knew instinctively that Brick was still alive, I could feel it, but I could also feel a ghost of his pain. I didn’t know if it was because I was so close to him now, or it was my wolf registering the fact that my mate was gravely injured, but as soon as I’d parked in the hospital parking lot, I could feel Brick.
Not a physical pain, more of an emotional one, and it gutted me.
The elevator dinged and the doors opened, and Natasha led me off of the elevator. I was lik
e a zombie, alive and moving, but unable to participate in what was happening around me.
I knew that everyone was there in the waiting room, and I felt their eyes hit us as we entered the room, but I didn’t acknowledge them. Gilly rose and rushed to Natasha, taking her in her arms.
I lost Natasha’s hand and stepped back out of the room, unable to deal with the grief that filled it.
I walked a few paces down the hall and leaned against the wall.
After a while, a young doctor stopped by to let us know that Brick was still being looked over, but that he was doing okay. He said, “Brick’s a young healthy man… a fighter.”
I don’t know what he said after that, I’d turned to the wall, laying my forehead against it and closing my eyes and I pictured Brick, and thought of everything we’d been through the last couple of days.
I heard pounding, then a crash, and turned my head slightly to see Logan bursting onto the second floor from the stairwell.
“Natasha?” Logan asked, but I just rolled my head back and looked toward the ground.
I heard Natasha come out to him and knew she pulled him into the room with the others, but I couldn’t be with any of them right now. I needed to see Brick. Needed to know he was going to be okay.
And, my wolf needed to scent him, nuzzle him, and feel his heart beating in his chest, to know he was still alive.
After about thirty more minutes, I could bear it no longer, and went off in search of Brick. No, I wasn’t his relative, or officially his mate, but I was the Alpha, which gave me access to almost everything and everywhere in this town.
After talking to a couple nurses, I was taken to the young doctor who’d spoken to Natasha and Gilly earlier.
“He’s resting, but I can take you back to see him,” the doctor said.
“How is he?” I managed, even though the answer terrified me.
“He inhaled a lot of smoke, and has a gash from where he was hit in the head, but other than that and some soot, he’s just fine. His throat will probably be sore, and we want him to use the oxygen and try not to talk too much. We’ll keep him overnight, just to be safe, but he should be able to go home tomorrow.”