by Fel Fern
Bo relaxed into him again, breaths growing ragged as Garret increased his hand movements. Garret withdrew his teeth, and Bo felt something take hold of him. In his mind’s eye, he saw Garret’s beast, standing tall, proud and deadly, its fur the color of midnight. Mine, the wolf seemed to say.
“And mine,” Bo whispered. One pinch to his tip was enough to trigger his orgasm. A gasp tore out of him as he came, glad for Garret’s solid presence holding him and anchoring him to the ground.
“That was amazing,” Bo muttered, sounding drunk, or was that from the blood lost? Garret reached for the first aid kit, and efficiently began tending to his bite.
“Wow, big guy. You’ve done this before?” Bo felt a kiss on his forehead.
“Used to be a paramedic,” Garret explained. He gently placed Bo against the pillows, even began to fuss.
“I’m fine. You’re right, it doesn’t hurt like I imagine. It’s kind of awesome. Like a permanent hickey.”
Garret looked at him, amused. “Anyone who sees it will know who you belong to.”
Bo’s cheeks flushed at that. “That’s kind of hot.”
Garret’s grin widened. “You little pervert.”
“Thank you. I take pride in that.” When Garret began to move away, Bo stubbornly clung to his arm. “Don’t go. Stay in bed with me. I want to cuddle you.”
Saying those words felt a little direct for Bo, but after receiving Garret’s mark he sure felt a lot braver. It was a good feeling.
“I plan to, just keeping this kit, and I’m bringing you some water and food.”
Bo squinted at him. “You fattening me up?”
Garret growled.
“There’s my grumpy wolf.”
“You need energy.”
“You’re all the juice I need. Yummy.”
“Don’t start,” Garret warned. Bo pouted, feeling bratty. Did the new mate marks make him feel needy, practically in close proximity to Garret? When Garret came back with a tempting huge roast beef sandwich and a bottle of water, he devoured it all up.
“Going to be an exciting few days, huh?” Bo asked later, happily curling beside Garret.
“Sleep. Rest,” Garret grunted.
Bo kissed his cranky mate and did just that. He never dreamed of Royce chasing him through the woods after that.
* * * *
Royce didn’t know how long he stayed in his animal form. The human part of him remembered it wasn’t good living in the skin of the beast for too long. Eventually, Royce would start to forget things, like how to be human, but damn it. It felt good being in this powerful body. Invincible.
After his food, his prey, slipped into the hands of those feral wolves, Royce took to stalking and unleashing his fury in a secluded part of the woods. Darkfall Mountain had plenty of space to go around. The wolves would eventually come sniffing and hunt him down, but he had time. The local pack still abided by their humanity, and it would take days for them to decide.
Still, it rankled Royce the way that lone wolf took what rightfully belonged to him. Fuck it. Bo had been his to toy with. Royce had been saving him for a long time too, knowing the human would give him a hell of a time. A challenge and Royce hadn’t had one of those in a long time.
Sensing the presence of another shifter in his clearing, Royce let out a threatening growl. He rose on hind legs, claws and canines ready at the patter of claws. Then the wolf shifted, walking on two legs instead of four. Huge mistake. Why?
“Easy there, outsider. I’m not here to fight. I’m here to make a deal,” the lean-bodied werewolf said. He sounded cocky, unafraid when he should be.
Royce glowered, about to strike the fool down, but something kept Royce from going for the kill. Something about the smell and look of the wolf shifter felt off to Royce. It took Royce’s human brain to identify the swell of emotion coming off from the wolf—senseless, mindless and destructive fury Royce could identify with. This wolf could be a potential ally. Well, until he served his purpose, because it had been a while Royce tasted lupine steak.
“Are you listening? Good. I’ll make it simple so even your dumb bear brain could understand.” The werewolf smiled. “You want that human outsider and I want Garret dead, but I don’t want him to die easy. He’s become infatuated with your human, maybe even made him his mate by now.”
Royce snarled at that. Twigs snapped underneath him. Rage threatened to swallow him whole. Thinking of that bastard laying his hands on his prey drove him up against the wall. Bo was his, damn it. His to play, fuck and destroy.
He didn’t remember sinking his claws into a nearby fawn and tossing it against a tree. The smell of copper heightened his blood lust, but his human half warned him to keep on listening.
“Done throwing your tantrum?” the wolf asked.
Royce watched him with narrowed eyes. Oh yes. After the smug little Judas played his little game, and they gotten off ending Bo and his wolf lover, he’d gut this one, too.
“My pack’s holding a meeting to decide if Garret’s human can stay. Of course if Garret mated him, the leaders won’t have a choice but to take him in. The process is going to take a while though. Plenty of time for me to sneak you in, and make sure no one finds out.”
The werewolf looked ecstatic, his addictive energy hard to ignore. Something about his lack of conscience appealed to Royce, and blurred the lines between desire and murder. Maybe Royce would have one last roll in the woods with him, before ripping out his throat.
“Then we lure them to a trap. I haven’t ironed out the details, but I’ll let you know,” said the wolf before leaving Royce to his thoughts.
Chapter Eight
“Don’t worry. It’s going to be fine. Think of it as taking care of paperwork,” Garret explained.
“I look that nervous, huh?” Bo couldn’t help but ask.
Riding shotgun in Garret’s pick-up, Bo stared out the opened windows. He’d enjoy the wind and scenery more, if he could ignore the queasy feeling settling in the pit of his stomach. Garret surprisingly had a phone, which Bo used that morning to call the office. He mentioned a family emergency and that shut them up quick.
Until his near-brush with death, Bo realized he started making work a priority and forgot all about life. Since Garret gave Bo his mark, Bo started how it would be like, waking up each morning in Garret’s arms. How it would feel taking a hot mug of coffee for his mate and himself as they drunk it outside the porch, surrounded by the great outdoors?
Bo had been made from the same cookie-cutter mold like the rest of his generation. Going through the same motions—getting a degree, a well-paid job, settling down in an apartment uptown—all of it lost its significance. As Garret got the truck off the mountain path, Bo glimpsed the charming town of Darkfall for the first time.
With Garret beside him, it was easy to forget a vicious pack of werewolves ruled the town with an iron fist. Although Garret mentioned his pack worked with the local human authorities well enough, Bo had the impression the Darkfall Mountain pack were the real law around these parts.
Bo frowned when Garret pulled into the car park beside a diner. “You’re hungry?”
“Yeah and you need something to eat, too. Besides, I want you to meet some friends.”
Bo swallowed. Garret did mention he wanted some of his fellow pack members to meet and get to know Bo a little before the meeting. “What if your friends don’t like me?”
Garret gave him a pointed look. “Are you fucking kidding me? We aren’t in high school anymore, Bo.”
“Let me guess. You were part of the popular crowd back then?” Bo asked warily.
Garret snorted. “Come on.”
Bo got out, and was surprised Garret tugged him close to him as they walked to the diner. He happily nestled his head against Garret’s shoulder. “This is nice. I like snuggling close to my grumpy wolf.”
Garret growled at him. “Cut it out.”
How could Bo stop, when he knew Garret would give in eventually? Seeing th
e huge well-built men by the entrance eying them, he stood up straight. Bo didn’t know when he got the knack of identifying shifters. Maybe he’d been around them too much. Garret also had a point. Bo could tease and play around later, after they survived this.
“Garret, so Harley hadn’t been kidding,” the big red head remarked.
“Is that your mating mark I smell on the human?” the dark-haired and blue-eyed brute beside the first asked.
Bo felt dwarfed by the three men, and Garret could fit the picture just fine. He studied the two men assessing him. Both looked like in their early thirties or late twenties and the two of them looked like regulars at the gym.
“Are all werewolves this buffed and good-looking?” Bo couldn’t help but ask.
Garret grunted. “Bo, this is Mark and his older brother Matt. Fellas, this is my mate, Bo.”
The redhead, Mark, showed Bo teeth. Bo stood his ground and raised an eyebrow. Mark let out a chuckle. “Garret, I have a feeling I’m going to like your human.”
“Declan looks like he has a bone to pick with you though,” Matt said.
“I’ll handle him,” Garret muttered.
Bo curiously looked at Garret. He’d heard the story. This Declan character apparently hated Garret’s guts, because Garret’s old mate had been his brother. When Bo told Garret he wanted to meet this asshole and tell him to move on, Garret reminded Bo if Declan accidentally killed Bo, Garret would follow soon after. Ouch. Who knew mate bonds came at such a price?
They got a booth inside the diner.
Bo’s stomach growled loudly as the scent of fresh pancakes and waffles wafted through his nose. Realizing the two werewolf brothers were looking at him, Bo inched closer to Garret and buried his nose under the plastic menu.
“You feeding your mate right, Garret?” Mark teased.
“Yup. Garret’s a real sweetheart, but everything he makes has meat in it. Rabbit, deer, and whatever he can find in the woods,” Bo pointed out.
“Did you just call Garret a sweetheart? This old grump?” Mark pressed, but his brother nudged him sharply in the ribs.
Bo decided after having a hearty breakfast he rather liked the brothers. After talking to them, he realized that Royce had been a rare and unlucky exception. The others didn’t seem any different from normal folks, except for the fact they turned into wolves.
“I don’t expect to hear myself say this, but Bo, you might just be the perfect mate for Garret,” Matt said. The dark-haired wolf didn’t like talking much, but when he did Bo noticed the others listened.
“Thanks. I think,” Bo answered.
“Good luck. We hope to see you both around,” Mark said as they got back to Garret’s car.
“Does this mean I got their approval?” Bo asked as they drove out of the lot.
“Two out of twenty-five,” Garret muttered, shaking his head. “It’s not them who you need to convince. It’s—”
“The pack’s head honchos right?” Bo ticked off the names Garret mentioned. Including the alpha, beta and gamma, the Darkfall pack had five enforcers. Those eight would be present at the meeting.
“Just be yourself, and it will be fine. They won’t have to lift a finger if I assure them I’ll take care of the rogue bear shifter.” Garret directed the car in front of what looked like an Italian restaurant.
“Esteban’s Pasta Mania is where you scary werewolves hold meetings?” Bo asked, unable to keep the skepticism out of his tone.
“Sergio, our alpha, runs the place with his younger brother and sister,” Garret explained, getting out of the car.
Bo noticed a couple of vehicles were already parked on the roadside. “Sergio’s the alpha, Alessio is the beta, and Michella is the gamma, right?”
Garret nodded. “Let’s not linger out here. They know we’re out here talking.”
Bo shivered. “Scary.”
Garret kept him close again. Bo didn’t mind, Garret felt like a warm coat and he liked rubbing against all those hard muscles—
Behave, Bo.
He shouldn’t let his guard down. Who knew what would happen?
Bo glanced at the “closed” sign outside the door, then at the two surly-looking wolves probably acting as bodyguards—one male and one female. They looked like twins.
“Jared. Janey,” Garret greeted.
Again, Bo felt twin gazes assessing him. He recalled Garret mentioning this pair being one of the pack’s five enforcers.
“You generally keep to yourself, but we wish you all the best, Garret,” Janey said quietly.
“Er. Thanks,” Bo said for the both of them.
Jared gave him a mocking salute before Garret nudged him gently in. Two down, six to go. Inside, Bo saw more burly-looking wolves standing by the door. He assumed the two men and the woman sitting on the only occupied table in the empty space were the Darkfall pack leaders.
“Garret, thank you for coming,” Michella said, rising from her seat, all smiles and warmth. Her brothers were a different matter. In Bo’s opinion, they seemed to be taking frowning to another level. She turned to Bo. “You must be the human Garret’s taken with and…”
Her blue gaze found Garret’s mating marks on Bo’s neck. Michella’s eyes widened with slight surprise. “This is an unexpected development.”
“Bo Ramirez, pleased to meet you,” Bo said, extending his hand.
Her eyes twinkled at the corners. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Bo. Looks like Garret finally found his match.”
“Thank you,” Bo said, meaning it.
“That remains to be seen,” snapped the larger of the two men. Sergio Esteban and his brother didn’t bother rising from their seats.
“Alpha,” Garret muttered. “Beta. I’m here to tidy up this misunderstanding.”
His voice sounded cautious and Bo could see how tense his body was. Garret might be a formidable bastard in his own right, and he knew against an alpha or beta, he would lose. It still pissed Bo though, how these jerks could string Garret around, but Bo supposed he needed to get used to pack politics and hierarchy.
Bo felt Sergio and Alessio’s unfriendly gazes on him, before turning to Garrett, as if Bo didn’t matter at all.
“This isn’t a fucking misunderstanding,” Alessio hissed. “There’s a rogue bear shifter lingering in our territory, disrespecting our rules, and you settled for the bastard’s leavings. Do you really think we’re fucking fools, Garret?”
Garret growled at the insult. Fear crawled down Bo’s spine—terror for them both. He edged toward his angry mate and gently rubbed at his arm. To his surprise, Garret didn’t push him away. Seeing Bo, Garret’s gaze softened and he squeezed the back of Bo’s neck in reassurance.
“Whipped by a fucking human,” Sergio muttered with obvious disgust. “I thought better of you, Garret. Your former mate’s death clearly has affected your judgment.”
“Hey, I don’t know why you’re picking on us poor humans. Didn’t you guys all began as human once too?” Bo demanded, the words spilling out before he could stop them. “I mean, I don’t see why you’d see us as inferior.”
“You little shit,” Alessio said. His eyes narrowed. “You’re dead.”
Garret pulled Bo close to him. “Go ahead and try me, Alessio.”
Alessio laughed. “You think you can take me, Garret? It’s clear living alone in the mountains has made you delusional.”
“You fucking—” Garret began, but Bo squeezed his arm in warning to shut him up.
“Let’s avoid unnecessary fights. Garret’s right. We need to tie this up quickly and avoid having our neighbors pick up on our weakness. The sooner we discuss this, the sooner we can evict the rogue werebear,” Michella reminded all of them. “Sergio, Alessio, I will leave Garret in your hands. Be gentle.”
“Where will Bo be?” Garret asked in a possessive tone.
“Don’t worry. I’ll keep him entertained. The last thing I’ll do is hurt him, Garret,” Michella said with a smile.
At Garr
et’s nod, Bo followed the sassy she-wolf past the dining area and into the kitchen. The brick ovens weren’t on, but Bo caught the wonderful scents of bread. To close the family business for this purpose—this meeting must be serious.
Bo warily eyed the Darkfall pack gamma as she leaned against the wide industrial-style kitchen island. The youngest of the Esteban siblings, Garret mentioned Bo had to watch out for her because she was an empath who could sense the emotions of others, both humans and supernaturals. Bo could count on the fact she would want to avoid fights though, so he could make her an ally.
“Can I get you a drink?” she asked.
“Beer, please, if you have it,” Bo said. He watched her head to the fridge by the stove and hand him one. She seemed nice enough, polite for a werewolf, but Bo decided to drag it all out in the open. Honesty worked with Garret, it should work with shifters. “I know why you separated me from Garret on purpose.”
Michella quirked one eyebrow at Bo, and grabbed her own bottle of beer.
“Do you?” she asked, genuinely curious.
“Garret says you’re an empath. That the brothers would most likely want you to read me to find out if I’m just using Garret to save my own skin.” Bo took a deep breath. “Let me tell you this, sister. Read me all you want, because I’m open and honest about my feelings.”
“Do you understand what’s at stake, and how much Garret risked?”
“I do. I knew he could have turned me away, but he didn’t.”
“That’s rare for a guy like Garret. He doesn’t care much for stay humans, or outsiders who enter his territory, but he made an exception for you.”
“Because he knows I’m his mate and I have to believe it wasn’t by random chance fate sent me here, to Darkfall.”
Michella studied him for a couple of minutes. Was she trying to poke at his mind? Then she broke into gales of laughter. “I believe you, and I really think Garret’s met his match.”