“Why? What do you mean?” Mrs. Whitedove asked, beyond horrified at the thought of Kasey losing his mate just days after finding him. She’d seen others in the pack perish from despair when they lost their mates. Never eating, never sleeping, and eventually giving up and letting themselves fade away.
He outlined the brief details he knew about Taggart and the Triad, the destruction of the clinic, and what he’d since learned of his mate: the other pack out there, the things Taggart had done to Seth, and how Seth didn’t entirely trust him yet but was slowly beginning to. It felt good to get it all off his chest to someone he knew he could trust. Some of the tension he’d been feeling eased away, and he actually smiled when he heard his mother declaring her desire to do something unladylike to Taggart. “I’m sure we can handle it, Mom,” he drawled, chuckling.
“If he so much as touches my new son-in-law, I’ll kick him right where it hurts,” she insisted, almost growling it.
Laughing, Kasey soothed his mother by telling her that he already intended to do much worse if Taggart even looked at Seth. “So you’ll be all right with two guests for dinner, then?”
“Of course, sweetheart. I’m looking forward to it. Oh, your brother’s in town. He came home to rest for a bit. Said he needed a break from all the traveling.”
Kasey tensed. His brother knew nothing about Seth. “That might be slightly difficult. Seth can’t hide his scent anymore. Something in his genetic makeup changed when I claimed him.”
“Don’t worry, Kasey. Your father and I will speak to him about it, explain everything,” she stated calmly.
“This is Thayne we’re talking about, Mom. He’s worse than me when it comes to the Created and white people,” Kasey muttered. Thayne, hotheaded and high-tempered, had only gotten worse because of a previous situation with both species. Kasey had never known the true extent of what Thayne had gone through at the hands of a white man who’d been a Created, but if it was anything like what Seth had been through, he could only imagine. “All right, Mom. If Thayne doesn’t take it well, at least call me so we can arrange a different night when he’s not here.”
They spoke for a few moments longer before Kasey disconnected. His office door opened, and a very pissed off Julian stood in the doorway. Kasey sighed and ran a hand over his face. Apparently Julian had decided it would be okay to eavesdrop on his boss. “How much did you hear?” he asked wearily.
“Everything,” Julian stated flatly. “What the hell, Kase? Why couldn’t you tell me about this?”
“Because if you heard everything, then you know Seth isn’t a Cheyenne but still a wolf. Our pack believes white men cannot be werewolves unless they are a Created one. You know that. It will put his life in danger even further. And… I just found him, Julian. I can’t lose him,” Kasey stated as calmly as he could. His lips flattened into a thin, angry slash across his face, his rage at Julian for snooping under tight rein. “You can’t say anything to anyone. Understand?”
“I understand, Kasey. And I’m your best friend. No matter what, I’d stand by you in whatever decision you make,” Julian said, hurt evident in his tone.
Julian Greywolf would make a fine Beta when Kasey became Alpha. Loyal and strong, Julian stood at six foot four, with raven’s-wing-black hair, broad shoulders, a lean physique from the five miles he ran every morning before coming to work, and golden-flecked dark-brown eyes. Kasey could see no censure in those eyes for Seth being white or distrust at Kasey stating he wasn’t a Created. “You should have told me,” Julian said quietly, sinking down in the chair in front of Kasey’s desk. “You will be my Alpha one day, Kasey, and I trust you. If you say Doc is not a Created, I believe you.”
His deputy’s eyes were clear and without guile, cementing his words as truth in Kasey’s mind. Kasey grinned tiredly. “Thank you, Jul. You have no idea how I’ve been going out of my mind with how to convince the pack Seth isn’t dangerous, that he’s one of us. I’m taking him to see my father tonight in the hopes he can find a way to explain Seth’s existence to them without causing anyone to panic or try to kill him.”
“So tell me everything, Kase. Where did he come from? And his friend, is he also a wolf?” Julian settled into the chair comfortably, clearly not going anywhere until he heard the story. So Kasey repeated everything he’d told his mother and then some. More than a friend, Julian was his confidant, the one person he’d always gone to for advice or support. He laid out his reaction to Seth at the beginning, the things he’d done to Seth and how hard it had been to get the little bit of acceptance from Seth he had now.
Julian shook his head at Kasey. “You’re just like your brother sometimes, Kase. Acting without thinking.”
Kasey winced. “I know. I couldn’t see anything but the impossibility of a white man being anything but a Created one. And the thought of my mate being a Created one was too much to bear. The thought that someone had changed my mate into one of those vile beasts….”
Julian slouched lower in the chair, one long leg thrown over the other. “So there are others like us out there that aren’t Native American,” he mused. “I wonder if that will open our pack to the possibility some of us won’t have to live a life without our mates.”
The thought hadn’t occurred to Kasey, and his eyes widened in surprise. “True. I didn’t even think of that before. Julian, you’re a genius!”
“See? That’s what you have me for,” Julian drawled, smiling.
By the time Kasey finished for the day and headed to Seth’s to pick him and Nick up, it felt as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He felt lighter somehow and more carefree despite the threat of Taggart hanging over all of them. Maybe he could even convince Seth to start building a home that contained more than just a room full of books and a few dishes. Before leaving the house that morning, he’d peeked into the spare bedroom, gazing in awe at the shelves filled with books lining the walls. Nick hadn’t been lying about the sheer volume of literature. There were fiction and nonfiction books, even textbooks littering the cabinets. It made his heart ache at how much time his mate must have spent alone to accumulate such a collection.
When he arrived at Seth’s home, he found Seth and Nick lounging on the couch in the living room. Seth looked up, and the way his face brightened at the sight of Kasey sent a shaft of joy spiking through him, a bolt of lightning that swiftly shot down to his groin. He dropped a kiss on the top of Seth’s head before sinking into the easy chair with a sigh. “You guys ready to head to my parents’?”
Seth could see tiny lines of exhaustion around Kasey’s eyes and fought the urge to go to him, to touch him. Nick stood and stretched, yawning widely. “Yeah, just let me use the restroom, and I’ll be good.”
“I still need some of your clothes or something,” Seth mumbled.
A wicked grin crept across Kasey’s face. “Oh, I think we can find another, more enjoyable way to put my scent on you.”
Seth’s breath caught, but he managed to tear his gaze away from Kasey, still slightly fighting his wolf on easily accepting Kasey’s touches. “Come here, pup,” he heard Kasey’s deeply sinful voice wash over him.
He gave a hesitant shake of his head to negate Kasey’s request. “Please,” came from Kasey this time, and he couldn’t deny it again.
Still not looking at Kasey, he stood and moved closer, almost gasping at the pure electricity that raced up his arm when Kasey’s large hand encircled his slender wrist. Kasey pulled him down into his lap, his arms sliding around Seth’s waist. A sigh of relief wheezed from Kasey, and Seth burrowed into him, wrapping his arms around his neck. “Missed you, pup,” Kasey whispered against the side of Seth’s neck.
Melting into his mate at those words, Seth felt the nameless tension he’d felt all day ease from his body. “I… I missed you too,” he stammered out.
Pure lust slammed into Kasey at those stuttered words, and he growled, “You’re lucky your friend is here, or you’d find yourself naked and on your back befo
re you could even breathe.”
The discomfort Seth had felt at the joy that rushed through him when Kasey first came into the house had completely faded away. He grinned and pulled back to be able to look at his large Cheyenne mate. “Promises, promises, Sheriff.”
Love and affection swamped the lust completely at the happy twinkle in those ocean-blue eyes. Kasey cupped Seth’s cheek, rubbing his thumb tenderly along the curve there. “It’s not just a promise, pup. It’s a guarantee you’ll be begging me for it later on tonight,” he taunted.
Seth laughed and replied, “I think tonight will be my turn to make you beg.”
Kasey’s eyes darkened at his words. “Is that a promise?”
“Oh yes,” Seth murmured as he leaned in closer to Kasey, his lips parting in anticipation. He fairly quivered with the need to kiss his mate, to feel his hard mouth plundering his and dominating him.
Kasey’s eyes became heavy-lidded in desire. His hand moved to grasp Seth’s chin, gently encouraging him to move closer. Their lips brushed together softly, again and again, until their hunger for each other demanded more. Seth pressed closer, opening his mouth to accept Kasey’s slick tongue deep inside. A soft moan flooded Kasey’s mouth as Seth surrendered himself to the kiss, sinking into it like the waters of a warm ocean. Kasey combed his fingers through the soft black strands of Seth’s hair, enjoying the taste of his pup. The sound of the bathroom door opening brought Kasey to his senses, and he broke the kiss, leaning his forehead on Seth’s shoulder while trying to catch his breath.
“We’ll continue this later,” Kasey breathed seductively into Seth’s ear, grinning in satisfaction when he felt Seth shiver in anticipation. He slapped Seth’s hip lightly. “Off you go, pup. Time to meet the ’rents.”
The slight tap to Seth’s hip garnered a glare and a huff from Seth. “See if we continue this later after that,” he threatened.
One of the sexiest laughs Seth had ever heard rumbled in Kasey’s throat, and it made his knees almost give out at the heat the sinful sound sent spiraling into his cock. He stifled a groan and struggled to remain standing. “I don’t think it will take much convincing for you to change your mind,” Kasey threw at him as he walked past him, the back of his hand accidentally brushing against the bulge in Seth’s jeans.
Seth wanted to smack him for that as his cock throbbed in need for his mate. He glared at Kasey again, but the man’s back was turned to him, and he didn’t see it. Kasey asked innocently when he stopped at the door, “Coming?”
He heard Nick stifle a laugh and swung his head to shoot daggers at his best friend. He intended to disown the bastard for laughing at him. It wasn’t as if he could hide his arousal. Both of them could smell the drops of liquid soaking into his boxers anyway. Seth didn’t respond, not wanting to give them anything more to laugh at him for, and sulked on the way to the reservation. But his nervousness at meeting Kasey’s parents grew. He’d already met his mother, but it hadn’t been for anything like this, merely for the appointment for her dog. His thoughts shifted back to his clinic.
A sigh slipped free, and Kasey looked at him sharply. “All right, pup?”
“Huh?” He turned his head to glance at his mate for a split second. “Oh, I’m fine. Just thinking about my clinic.”
Kasey’s expression changed to one of sympathy. “I’m sorry, Seth.”
Seth sighed and ran a hand over his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger. “Literally every single penny I had went into that clinic.”
“Well, you are part of the pack now, and the pack takes care of their own,” Kasey said flatly. “It’ll be repaired, Seth. I promise.”
“Oh, no. No. I can’t let you do that,” Seth protested, sitting straighter in his seat.
“Don’t argue with me, Seth. Your clinic is your livelihood, and you are my mate, which means what’s yours is mine, and what’s mine is yours. Understand?”
Scowling, Seth slumped down in his seat with his arms crossed. “Well, I don’t have to like it,” he said petulantly.
Kasey ignored him, flipped on his turn signal, and pulled into the reservation. When they pulled up in front of his parents’ home, he looked at Seth. “Stay in the truck. I’m going to come around and practically lean on you, just in case.”
He jumped out of the vehicle and raced around to the other side in seconds. Seth took the hand Kasey offered to him and allowed himself to be pulled into the larger man’s side, almost completely swamped by his mate. Of course his wolf didn’t mind. The energy inside him hummed at being so close to him. Seth twisted one of his hands in the hem of his shirt in nervousness.
“There’s nothing to be nervous about, pup. My mother already considers you her new son-in-law, and my father is eagerly waiting to meet you.”
“They… they don’t care I’m a man and not a woman? I can’t give you children,” Seth mumbled.
Kasey stopped, waving Nick up onto the porch with one hand while looking down at his mate. “You are my mate, Seth. Man, woman, it doesn’t matter.” He used the tips of his free hand to tilt Seth’s face up toward him. “I would want you no matter what.”
Seth blinked furiously. If he hadn’t already been in love with Kasey, his declaration would have cemented it. His heart swelled so big it could have burst from his chest. “Thank you,” he whispered.
The half-smile Seth adored twisted up one corner of Kasey’s mouth. “Anytime, pup. Just don’t ever forget and never ever doubt it.”
“It mattered to you when you thought him a Created one,” Nick’s voice came from the darkened porch, a pained quality to it.
Frowning, Kasey turned to look at Nick, but his face was shadowed. “Yes, it did, because he would have been a danger to everyone. You know what the Created are like, Nick.”
“You didn’t even give him the chance to explain anything,” Nick snapped angrily. “You spout pretty words now, but I know what it did to him when you rejected him.”
Seth gave Nick a warning look to try and make him stop, but he plowed on. “Whether you care to know or not, Sheriff, you devastated him with the way you treated him at the beginning. He was nearly in tears when he called me to come home. You’re lucky I didn’t beat your ass for the way you’ve treated him.”
Kasey stiffened against Seth, his face seemingly made of stone. “You think I don’t blame myself for the way I treated him at first? Or it doesn’t haunt me that I’ve hurt him? I’ve damned myself more than you ever could for what I did to him. I can only pray he forgives me, and do whatever I can to make it up to him.”
Shock kept Seth silent. It never occurred to him Kasey felt that way. Tension and anger radiated from his mate. It washed over him, bringing his inner wolf alert to his mate’s distress. A low sound rumbled in his throat as he glared at Nick. “Stop it, Nick,” he managed to force out, but it was deep, harsh, and unforgiving. “Leave him alone. You don’t have the right to take the pain of your mate rejecting you out on him.”
Nick stepped back as if stunned Seth would turn on him, considering their friendship and how long they’d known one another. In fourteen years, they’d never argued or disagreed. “Seth, I….”
Seth’s features softened as he realized how he’d sounded. “I’m sorry, Nick. But things are better between me and Kasey. It’s not like that anymore. I know you’re hurting right now, but please don’t make him feel any worse than he already does.” His gaze turned to the tall Cheyenne still wrapped around him. “I don’t blame you, Kasey. I know you were upset that I might be a Created one, and I know better than anyone here exactly what the Created are like. I forgive you, Kasey.”
Humbled by his mate’s easy acceptance of his early treatment, Kasey kissed him, hard but only briefly. His voice sounded a little ragged when he said, “I think we’ve lingered out here enough. Let’s go inside.”
Chapter Eleven
A wonderful smell immediately flooded their senses when Kasey opened the front door. Seth felt his mouth water
hungrily. “Mom, Dad,” Kasey called, shutting the door behind them.
“In the kitchen, sweetheart,” his mother called.
The three of them headed toward the kitchen, stopping in the doorway. Kasey’s larger form blocked both Seth and Nick from sight. “Well, would you look at what the cat dragged in,” Kasey drawled when he saw his brother lounging in one of the chairs at the kitchen table.
“Right before I ate it,” Thayne Whitedove replied with a big grin. “How’s it going, big brother?”
Seth felt Nick stiffen behind him and turned to see his friend’s face ashen. “Nick? Nick, what’s wrong?”
Then he heard a cry of “You!” come from behind him.
Seth turned to look at the man Kasey had greeted as his brother. Although a couple of inches shorter and not quite as muscular, he could have been a mirror image of Kasey. He asked Nick, “That’s him?”
Chasing Seth Page 17