Jordan stormed from the room, afraid that he was leaving his heart behind forever.
****
Jordan sat alone in the corner, well into a bottle of whiskey, when William, Cassie, and Kieran approached him. His gut clenched. The feeling of unease he’d had for the past half hour intensified.
“What’s wrong?” he asked nobody in particular.
“Where’s Erik?” It was Cassie who answered, grabbing his arm. Jordan looked between three sets of gold eyes. Kieran seemed concerned, William was definitely upset, and Cassie was damn near frantic.
“I—I don’t know. I haven’t seen him in a while.”
All three spoke at the same time.
“We can’t find him.” Cassie.
“Was he headed home for something?” Kieran.
“He’s not answering his phone.” William.
It was the strain in William’s voice that gave Jordan the most pause. He swallowed hard.
“Tell me what you know.”
“The last I saw him, he said he was going outside for some fresh air. He’s never been great with huge groups in enclosed spaces, so I didn’t think anything of it. But that was over an hour ago. And now nobody knows where he is, but just a little while ago the three of us all felt…” William trailed off, unable—or perhaps unwilling—to put words to it. He didn’t need to. Jordan knew.
The bonds of pack meant the Alpha could sense when a member was in extreme distress. William was Erik’s direct Alpha, and his father. Whatever sensations Cassie and Kieran felt would pale in comparison to William’s.
Jordan took off running.
“Jordan! Wait!” Cassie ran after him, but he had no intention of stopping. He burst through the doors, cursing himself for not following Erik when he’d seen him leave. If Jordan hadn’t been such a fucking idiot the last few weeks, he’d have known immediately that something had happened to his mate.
Uncaring, he let his clothes fall to the snowy ground in shreds as he shifted and jumped on top of the first truck he saw. From his higher vantage point he scanned the surrounding area, nostrils flaring. There were numerous unknown scents on the breeze, yet none felt wrong. Jordan might not have known the smells, but he recognized them as members of Sandy Hollow.
Finally, Jordan picked out the familiar scent of sunshine and fresh water that belonged to Erik.
Jordan recognized the path as the one Erik had been on the last time they’d all gathered in Sandy Hollow. Erik had mentioned more than once how much he enjoyed being near the water, and Jordan had already begun plans to build their cabin close to the river. If Erik had left the party to clear his head, it was likely he’d have gone to the river.
A foreign scent joined Erik’s.
It wasn’t a good one.
The smell of blood joined them.
A deep growl, angry and predatory, rose from Jordan’s throat as he tore through the trees.
****
Erik lay in a crumpled heap at the shoreline, half his body submerged in the frigid water. Jordan shifted, falling to his knees at Erik’s side.
“Erik!” Jordan cried, cradling his head and feeling for a pulse.
Erik drew in a ragged breath, and to Jordan it sounded like he had a collapsed lung. A quick feel along his side showed there were several broken ribs, giving weight to his theory. At the pressure of his touch, Erik hissed in pain and his eyes fluttered open, focusing in on Jordan.
“Trap—” Erik tried to warn him, but Jordan was too focused on assessing Erik’s injuries to notice that Kevin had come up behind him.
Kevin’s fist connected solidly with Jordan’s head, sending him reeling. He pushed up from the frozen ground, shaking his head to try to clear the ringing from his ears.
“I thought I smelled you on him,” Kevin sneered. “Don’t worry, I’ll put your little boyfriend out of his misery soon. I was hoping I’d get his dad, but I’ll take you. One from each of your pathetic packs should please Nathaniel nicely. An eye for an eye, eh?”
Jordan growled as he lunged for Kevin, tackling him to the ground. They grappled with each other, rolling and spinning as each tried to gain the upper hand. Eventually Kevin managed to throw Jordan off and get to his feet. The moment he stood, Erik threw himself at Kevin’s legs, throwing him off balance. Kevin stumbled. When he righted himself, he held a gun, complete with a silencer, in his outstretched arm.
“Really? A gun? You’re such a fucking tool,” Jordan said.
“You really think I’d go into enemy territory alone without a back-up plan?” Kevin pointed the gun at Erik.
“A real man would fight his battles himself, with the weapons he was given. Shift and fight me, you asshole. I know you’re an Alpha, I felt your power that day in the woods.”
Kevin narrowed his eyes as they flared gold. “First, I’m going to shoot pretty-boy here, since he was my main target all along. Then you, and then the three I smell hiding out in the woods behind us.” He turned to face Erik, who remained on the ground, gasping for air. “Nothing personal, of course. But I need to make sure you die. Boss’s orders. If I live through this, I get named heir. So I’m going to need you to lie still. I don’t want to miss and mess everything up.”
Jordan was close enough to feel the surge of Alpha power from Kevin as he said the last, forcing Erik to follow his will.
“No!” he screamed, throwing himself at Erik.
A startled Kevin turned towards Jordan as he fired, swinging the gun in his direction. Voices sounded as if they were coming from underwater as Cassie, Kieran, and William came running from the woods. Jordan felt a pinch and a burning sensation as he landed in the snow next to Erik.
“What the hell did you do that for?” Erik demanded as he crawled to Jordan’s side.
“To save you, obviously,” Jordan replied, cupping the back of Erik’s head. From the corner of his eye he saw a small white blur flying through the air and tracked it. Cassie’s wolf locked her jaws around Kevin’s wrist, trying to get him to drop the gun. Kieran, still human, came in from behind her and restrained Kevin, pinning him to the ground with his large frame as William disarmed him. The scene wavered in his vision and he shook his head.
“Jordan?”
He blinked several times before he could focus on Erik.
Erik wrapped a hand around Jordan’s wrist and pressed his other hand firmly against Jordan’s abdomen. Jordan felt like he was floating. He knew he’d already lost a lot of blood, but was too tired to do anything about it.
“Don’t you die on me, damn it,” Erik said. Jordan gave him a weak half-smile in return. Erik crushed his lips to Jordan’s. “Don’t you leave me without a mate, you ass,” he said in Jordan’s ear. As Jordan tried to process what Erik had said, he imagined he felt the distinctive pain of a bite on his neck. He tried to focus on Erik, to tell him that he loved him, but his world was suddenly consumed by golden eyes and the undeniable power of Cassie.
“Jordan! Shift!” She was screaming at him, pulling him out of unconsciousness. Or maybe it was euphoria, he couldn’t tell. His wolf responded, though, and Jordan felt warmer for the layer of fur between himself and the snow.
“Again! Shift back!” Cassie’s voice was far away, at the other end of the darkness. It was warm and quiet in the darkness. With Cassie it was cold and painful. He’d much rather stay and sleep in the darkness.
Jordan, please. You have to shift back. Erik’s voice, dreamlike, drifted through the darkness.
I’m so tired. Let me just sleep a bit.
Goddamn you, you are not leaving me. I need you. I love you.
Jordan was sure he was dreaming now, that his brain was telling him what he wanted to hear before he died.
If you die you’re taking me with you. I claimed you, how else do you think you can hear me?
Wait, what? Jordan struggled against the darkness.
We do this together, right? That’s what you said. I belong at your side. I know this now. You die, I die.
This
isn’t Romeo and Juliet, little wolf. No reason for you to die, too.
“Then fight, damn you! Shift back, so we can make it to the infirmary!” Erik’s voice was loud, in his ears and not in his head this time. Jordan whimpered, and Erik released the hold he had on Jordan’s scruff. With excruciating slowness, and a good deal of pain, Jordan shifted back. He focused in on Erik, grasping his hand as they both passed out.
Chapter Six
Erik woke to more pain than he’d ever thought possible. Somehow, two days later, he felt worse than when Alex had beaten him. Things were still swelling instead of healing. Breathing hurt. His ribs had been set and the pressure in his chest released, so his lung was no longer collapsed. But taking a deep breath remained out of the question. Plus there was the broken nose, the black eye, the multitude of bruises and cuts scattered across his upper body, and the balloon that was his left knee. Roadkill probably felt better than he did. Erik groaned as he tried to reposition himself.
“Shhh, easy there, little wolf.” Jordan’s hand smoothed the hair from his forehead. Erik opened his eyes the best he could, and found himself looking into the most beautiful hazel eyes he’d ever seen. Erik hated how perfect and unscathed Jordan appeared, thanks to a blood transfusion and a few rounds of shifting to finish healing his wounds.
“All except for this horrific scar on my neck,” Jordan said with a smile that made Erik forget, for a moment, all his aches and pains.
“I can’t wait for your mark. I’m getting tired of you being able to hear me but I can’t hear you.”
“In due time, little wolf.” Jordan feathered a soft kiss over Erik’s split lip. “Two more days,” he whispered. “Two days until the full moon, and then you’ll be able to heal the rest of the way. And then you’re mine.”
Erik’s breath caught, and it had nothing to do with the pain in his chest but everything to do with the promise in those words.
“The tests came back positive for silver, by the way. That’s why it was so hard for me to heal, and why you’re taking longer. Kevin’s gloves were lined with silver blades which got into your bloodstream with every hit. Even worse for me, since I had shifted and had no clothing. And the bullet was silver. We’ll get your blood cleaned today and you should start to feel much better. Because I needed the transfusion, most of my infection was cleared out within a day.”
“Bastard. I wish you’d snapped his neck. Although that’s better than he deserves.”
Jordan shrugged. “Your dad and Cassie have pretty much eviscerated River Run, with the council’s help. And it turns out the members aren’t all jerks, just the dickwads in charge. Rule by fear, for the most part. The overwhelming majority are welcoming change with open arms. The council is overseeing River Run until a new Alpha is chosen.”
“That’s some good news at least.”
They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, Jordan perched on the edge of Erik’s bed holding his hand. The buzzing of Jordan’s phone broke the spell. He glanced at it, typed a quick reply, and gave Erik a serious look.
“What?”
“You’re one hundred percent sure about all this? About us, about the Beta thing, about challenging the system?” Jordan’s brows were drawn together, deep furrows lining his forehead.
“Before Kevin found me by the water, I’d realized that I never felt more alive than when I was with you. Things never felt more right, bond trigger or not. I kept thinking about the first time you kissed me, on the path that day. It was like my whole world snapped into place and I knew where I belonged. I let my fear and my inexperience get the better of me, though. I kept pushing you away, kept grasping at reasons this wouldn’t work.”
Jordan looked as if he wanted to say something, and Erik continued before he could.
“But then Kevin found me. I knew I didn’t stand a chance, yet of course I fought back. As we fought, I kept thinking of you. I kept thinking, Jordan will go ballistic. He’ll destroy River Run for this. I didn’t think about my parents, or Cassie, or Kieran. I thought about you. About how I’d never get to tell you how I felt. About how my death would devastate you. And then suddenly you were there, trying to save me, my knight in shining armor. When you took that bullet for me…” Erik trailed off, swallowing hard.
“I knew I was dying. I could barely breathe, the stress was overloading my heart and my blood wasn’t circulating properly. It’s amazing what you can feel when you’re dying in slow-motion. I couldn’t let you die thinking I’d been too scared to be with you. I am scared, about a great many things, but I was more scared of surviving without you. So I did the only thing I could to reach you, to let you know.”
“I thought I was imagining it all at first,” Jordan said, squeezing his hand.
Erik took as deep a breath as he could.
“So yeah, long story short, I’m sure. I can’t say I’ll make things easy for you, because I’ll probably mess up a lot, but I know I belong with you. I love you,” he added, acknowledging it aloud for the first time.
“That’s good. Because I’m going to need a strong Beta to help me with River Run.”
Erik blinked rapidly several times. “Say what now?”
Jordan’s laugh filled the room.
“And I love you, too,” he added, kissing the back of Erik’s hand.
****
Erik crouched in the shadows, his darker coat helping him to blend in. He knew Jordan would find him in a moment, but that was half the fun. He felt better than he had in weeks, and his wolf was in heaven. His lungs burned, and muscles ached pleasantly from exertion. Erik had shifted a few times during the day to complete the healing process. As night descended, their leisurely wanderings through the woods had turned to playful chases, and now to a mating dance.
Jordan approached his hiding spot, and Erik darted out. Jordan intercepted him, knocking into him from the side and sending him tumbling to the ground. Before he could rise to get away, Jordan stood over him. Erik rolled to his back, swatting at Jordan’s head with a paw. Jordan nipped at him, and Erik rubbed his head under Jordan’s chin. Jordan relaxed his posture, nuzzling Erik and giving him a few licks.
Erik turned his head, looking in the direction of Jordan’s house. Jordan stepped aside and shifted, and Erik followed suit. Steam rose in the cold air from their heated skin as they embraced.
“How do you feel?” Jordan asked, his concern evident in his gentle touch.
Incomplete, he thought.
“Well, then what do you say we go do something about that?”
“Yes,” Erik said. Laughter bubbled from him as Jordan slung Erik over his shoulder and carried him inside.
Kicking aside some moving boxes, Jordan went straight for the bedroom. Erik was dumped onto the bed and watched, grinning, as his mate wrenched open the nightstand drawer. His eagerness pulled the drawer free, dumping the contents to the floor.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Erik said, laughing.
Jordan retrieved a bottle of lube and joined him on the bed.
“You’ve been tormenting me for a month, little wolf. I think it’s time I return the favor.”
“That’s not fair, I—” Erik’s protest was silenced by Jordan’s kiss. “I think you share some of the blame,” he said as Jordan worked down his body.
“Yeah? How so?” Jordan’s teeth grazed a nipple, sending a zing of pleasure through him.
“You started it. You kissed me first.” He moaned as Jordan’s attention turned to his other nipple.
“You needed the push.” Jordan slid a finger inside Erik as he spoke.
Erik exhaled heavily. “You could have given me a chance to get there on my own.”
“I’m not a patient man.” Jordan deep-throated him in one swift move.
“Mmm, I’ve noticed.”
It didn’t take long for Jordan to bring Erik to the edge of orgasm. His back arched and he grabbed the headboard, trying to hold off. Jordan added a second and then a third finger, stretching Erik wide.
&
nbsp; “Fuck!” he cried as he came.
“Mmm, there’s a good little wolf.” Jordan smiled as he licked every last drop from Erik’s shaft. The sight, along with Jordan’s continually moving fingers, helped to quickly bring him back to life.
Jordan rose to his knees and Erik grabbed the bottle of lube. He squeezed a good amount into his hand and began working Jordan’s cock, coating every inch. Jordan closed his eyes as he dropped his head back, rocking his hips in time with Erik’s strokes.
“Enough!” Jordan growled suddenly. He grabbed Erik’s hips and flipped him over, lifting his ass. Erik felt lube on his skin, and then Jordan was inside him, driving deep. This was not the gentle lovemaking of their first time. This was an Alpha making his claim, in every sense of the term. Erik braced himself, pushing back and meeting Jordan thrust for thrust.
Jordan pulled him up and wrapped an arm around Erik’s stomach. His other arm came up across Erik’s chest and firmly grasped his jaw, tipping his head to the side.
The anticipation drove him wild. Jordan rocked his hips, the pace no longer frenzied, but every thrust still as forceful and assertive as the first.
“You’re mine,” Jordan said, nipping his ear.
“Yes,” Erik breathed.
Jordan’s hand slid down to cover Erik’s, and together they worked his cock.
“Say it,” he said, pumping his fist in time with his thrusts.
“I’m yours.”
A sound somewhere between a groan and a growl escaped Jordan. Erik felt it rumble through his chest as he tightened his arms around Erik. Teeth broke the skin of his neck and Erik gasped at the sharp pain.
They fell to the bed, bodies locked together. Erik was vaguely aware of his orgasm as he felt a missing piece of his world snap into place.
Hello, little wolf.
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