by Marcy Jacks
Not only had Collin woken up at a proper time, but he'd actually left the house, went to grab some breakfast for the both of them to enjoy, but with Sam still sleeping on the couch, he hadn't wanted to wake him.
Sam opened the bag. There was one container left of cold eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, and limp toast.
Collin apparently thought Sam was going to get up much sooner than he had.
Touched by the gesture, Sam decided to eat what he could.
Cold pancakes and bacon were still delicious when he put syrup on top of them. He ate everything in the end, shocked with how hungry he found himself to be. He could still eat, so he raided Collin's fridge and found a loaf of bread and some lunch meat before making himself a simple sandwich.
Then it was simply a matter of getting back into some clothes.
Only a few of his things had been brought over from his apartment since he'd come to this pack, but at least the clothes were clean.
He was going to have to give up his apartment. That was something strange to think about, but this was a nice house. Any house was nice compared to the apartment where he lived.
Sam took his sandwich and left. He hoped he didn't have to lock the door. He was pretty sure everyone around here trusted each other, but it was another strange feeling to leave a place without locking up.
But he needed to speak to Maxwell, and he needed to get moving on finding another job while he still had the chance.
First, Sam needed to know exactly what a mating meant and whether or not any other attacks were expected if he decided to live in a place like this.
* * * *
Collin hated having to leave his mate behind for so many hours after their first night together, but there were complaints of a leak in one of the houses rented out.
Collin needed to take care of it. He brought Dennis with him, on Maxwell's orders.
Collin thought he could handle it on his own. He didn't think this was a case of hunters trying to fuck with them. Some of the houses Maxwell rented out were fairly old, after all.
There was no hunter problem. There really was just a leak.
But, by leak, the damned tenants had failed to mention it had been going on for several days and there was an inch of water in the basement.
So that needed to be cleaned out, and now Collin was going to have to go through the process of seeing what he could do to get these guys evicted.
This was the third time something had happened with that house.
Last time there had been a massive cockroach problem that definitely hadn't been there before, and the previous winter the tenants had been known to keep the windows wide open and the heat cranked.
They were a pain in the ass, and Collin wanted them gone. Maxwell did, too, but there were certain legal hoops that could not be avoided.
"I almost wish they were hunters," Dennis said. "It would give us a perfect reason to kill them."
Collin chuckled at that. It was true, but still.
"We can barely get away with keeping hunters off our asses as it is. I don't think we should be openly talking about offing a bunch of humans who barely know how to keep out of their own filth."
Dennis grumbled about that. Collin agreed with him, but after the last hunter attack, their pack was skating on thin ice enough as it was.
Collin sent Maxwell the text to let him know what was going on, but he stopped just before he could hit Send then quietly pulled over to the side of the road.
Dennis said, "What are you doing?"
Collin pointed. "We might have something better than those assholes in Maxwell's house."
Dennis looked, and then he immediately growled, his eyes turning a bright shade of red.
"Rein it in a little. We're not doing anything just yet."
"You think they're hunters?"
"They obviously are."
"I mean our kind of hunter."
"I know. Hard to say."
Sometimes it was difficult to tell the difference between a couple of guys going out to bag a moose and the people who carried weapons like that around so they could bag something just as big and maybe a little more dangerous.
Like a wolf.
“Should we follow them?”
Collin clenched his teeth. There had been a time when he wouldn’t have hesitated to go after those men to see what exactly they were hunting, but not now. He couldn’t do that when Sam was waiting for him back home. This could be a set-up. These people could just be trying to lure shifters into a trap.
And considering the recent deaths in the area, the hunters and the wolves, it wasn’t that far out of left field to think there might be hunters out there high on their own moral superiority right about now.
“Come on. Are you seriously hesitating right now?”
“I’ve got Sam back home to think about. We should get Maxwell and let him know what’s going on.”
“Fine. I’ll tail them myself, and you can go and get Max.”
“Your leg is still injured.”
It was too late. Dennis already had the door open and he was exiting the vehicle, looking back at Collin as though he’d lost his mind.
“What are you? My mother? Fuck off, I’ve got this.”
Collin growled, putting the truck back into gear as Dennis shifted. “Just don’t be seen. We don’t need any more casualties.”
The wolf was big. Big enough that when Dennis let the change come over him, standing up on four paws as normal meant he could look over the window and at Collin.
Go back to Maxwell. I got this.
The wolf darted away before Collin could say anything else to him. Could warn him or stop him.
Collin sighed, pulling back onto the road. Stupid Dennis better not get himself caught or else Collin was going to hear it for days from Maxwell.
Might as well get home and let his alpha know the idiot had gone off looking for a win.
Chapter Five
Sam still wasn't sure what was expected of him after his talk with Maxwell.
It seemed the people around here weren't even sure what the rules were when it came to how a mate treated his soul.
Because that was what Sam supposedly was. More than a mate. He was Collin's soul, the one person in the world who could tame his inner beast.
For wolf shifters who had mates that were not wolf souls, the rules were a touch different, and everyone seemed to be on the same page with them.
And it made Sam so happy he wasn't just a generic mate.
The rules were intense. Maxwell had to sit Noah down with Sam to speak with the both of them about that just to make sure they were on the same page.
Rule one. Don't ever get too friendly with another mate in the pack. Or any other pack. Anything more than a cordial handshake, and even that was considered a little too much, was looked at by alpha and beta wolves as a sign of ownership.
And because those wolves still didn't have full control over themselves, they were known for attacking anyone they thought was making a move on their mates.
Sometimes the wolf went after their mates.
That got Sam right in the gut. Even now. Maxwell made him and Noah promise up and down that they wouldn't get too friendly with the other mates.
"You mean I can't make friends here?" Noah sounded put off by that. "What kind of place is this where that's the rule?"
Sam had wondered the same thing, but he was more concerned about being hurt by another wolf shifter.
When Collin had been avoiding having sex with him, that alone had been enough to make the wolf grab onto him and drag him into the woods.
As though demanding Collin do something before it did.
Even a wolf's soul didn't have the control people thought it did. There was still a level of intimacy involved with keeping control over the wolf.
And Sam didn't want to get torn apart around here.
Maxwell tried to be gentle with it, but he seemed shocked that Noah was having so much trouble with this.
<
br /> As though he'd expected Sam to be the one to give him problems over this instead of his own mate.
Sam understood. He didn't like it, but he understood.
Unfortunately, it also meant that, as he walked around the pack, he was low key searching for any omega or human with a scarred-up face.
As if he were trying to seek out some sort of evidence that this was a problem.
He didn't see anyone who looked miserable. He didn't see anyone who looked as though they'd been attacked by their own mate, or anyone else for that matter, but that still didn't make Sam feel better.
He wished Collin had given him a heads-up about that. Sam had sat next to some of the other omegas at the dinner table over the last couple of days.
Looking back, he tried to remember if any of the other shifters had been giving him the stink eye for that.
Maybe it wasn't quite as bad as all that. Maxwell could be just making it out to be worse than it actually was to keep Noah and Sam from getting a little too close to anyone else, and Sam didn't make a habit out of hugging every person he happened to meet.
Right. This was probably nothing. Just something wolf shifters had to live with, and now Sam had to get used to it if he was going to spend the rest of his life among people like this.
It was strange having nothing else to do for the day except to wish Collin was here so they could fuck again and to think about all the little interactions he'd had with the other omegas and betas in this pack.
Sam went back to Collin's house, pulled out his phone, and started searching for wolf shifter behaviors. He ended up coming across a lot of websites that were a little more suspicious of wolf shifters.
The sort of places that offered all kinds of advice on how to defend oneself from werewolves or other kinds of shifters.
When Sam came across a website that talked about killing werewolves to end the strain, he knew he'd crossed onto that weird part of the Internet, and he decided that was enough Internet for one day.
Sam texted his dad instead, deciding to let him know all the things Sam couldn't tell him when he'd driven away.
Sam told his dad he was a good dad. That Sam loved and appreciated him and he knew everything was going to work out all right.
He hit Send, debated over whether or not that text had been a little too sappy, then waited for a reply.
After a few minutes, Sam gave up. There was no point waiting for a reply when his old man was probably at work.
Instead he sat on the couch. Sam had cleaned it up after waking, and now he was strangely tired.
Sam rubbed at his eyes. He found himself lying down with the TV going. Something on Netflix. He didn't know what it was. A low-budget movie. He didn't care. Anything other than a horror movie or a romance was more than all right with him.
He must have slept because, when Sam opened his eyes, the light was no longer natural. The lamps were on. The TV was turned off, and he smelled food. He heard it, too. Someone was cooking.
Sam knew who it was, but even so, he was so tired that he nearly rolled over and went back to sleep.
Stopping himself, Sam forced himself to his feet and headed into the kitchen instead.
Collin was in there. He didn't seem to notice Sam was walking up behind him. Or maybe he did notice and was allowing Sam to pretend he could actually sneak up on him.
Either way, Sam wanted that cooling energy rush he got whenever he touched the man.
He fell against Collin's back. He only realized that might be slightly dangerous when he noted the other man was standing in front of a stove that was turned on. Steaks cooked on the stove top, but Sam hardly noticed or cared about them when he felt the sudden and intense rush of adrenaline surging through his body.
And Sam shivered, pushing his hands beneath Collin's shirt, looking for more of that sensation, searching for more of that skin-to-skin contact.
Collin chuckled as though it was no big deal to him that this was happening.
"You seemed tired when I got in.”
"That's your fault," Sam moaned, moving his hands around, searching for more. More of that amazing feeling he was so desperate to have. "Was thinking about you all day."
Collin smiled. "I was thinking about you, too. I had to go and see Maxwell when I came home. Hope you don't mind."
That made Sam come awake almost as fast as touching his skin did. He pulled back from the other man. "Why would I mind that?"
Collin looked back at him, and then he turned his attention to the stove.
At first Sam thought he was going to ignore him.
No. That didn't happen. Collin turned off the stove and moved the pans off the burner instead before he turned and gave Sam his full attention.
"There might be hunters in the area again."
Sam tensed at that. "Really?" He shivered. "Are you sure? Like, they're around here?"
"We don't know anything for sure yet. People hunt moose and deer and partridge around here all the time. It doesn't mean that something's going on."
"But you're worried about it?"
Collin sure as hell didn't look happy about it. "It's just something we have to look into. Dennis is tailing these people right now, and Maxwell will be checking to make sure it's actually in season for something to be hunted. Or if these guys are just a couple of poachers if that's not the case."
Sam still didn't like it. He didn't like knowing how close he'd come to being kidnapped and killed, twice over. He didn't like knowing he was in love with a man who some people wanted to turn into a rug.
"I won't let anything happen to you." Collin's hands on Sam's shoulders eased his fears.
"I can't tell if you touching me makes me feel better because of the mating or because it's you doing it."
Collin smiled at him. "Maybe a little of both?" He let his hands slide up and down Sam's shoulders, warming him.
He had to know exactly what he was doing. There was no way around it.
And Sam liked it. He leaned into it, wanting more of it.
And as Collin stepped closer, getting right into Sam's personal space, Sam felt a new sort of energy rushing through him. This was a heat. This wasn't that shivery sensation he got whenever he touched Collin's skin.
It was just as refreshing though.
Collin's rumbling voice, which promised all kinds of naughty activity for the night, purred into his ear. "You want to wait a little while longer before I feed you dinner?"
Sam nodded. His hands clenched onto Collin's leather jacket.
He didn't so much as have to ask. He could do whatever he wanted to Sam, and Sam would let him do it with a smile on his face.
"I can do that."
"Good."
Sam let out a stunned yell when he found himself suddenly thrust into the air and actually over Collin's shoulder.
As though he were some kind of prize for a caveman.
"Are you serious?" Sam asked, though he wasn't annoyed. If anything, he was amused by this entire thing. He thought it was funny. Funny that his own mate was going to cart him off like this.
No one had ever done that before, and he had to admit it was an experience.
"I'm thinking I'll take you on the bed this time around. That sounds more appropriate for a mate. Don't you think?"
Sam swallowed hard, watching the way Collin's ass moved as he carried him away. "Uh, yeah. That sounds pretty good."
Collin chuckled, nudging him, as though he knew exactly what Sam was doing back there.
Sam was never going to admit to anything.
Then it didn't matter anyway because he was suddenly in Collin's room. Sam realized right about then that he'd never been inside of Collin's room.
It smelled like cedar. It smelled like him, and the excitement Sam had to be where he was right now was definitely getting to him, especially when he was dumped onto the bed, like a sack of potatoes, but Collin didn't look at him as though he were as plain as that.
His eyes were glowing again, and just l
ike before, Sam could see the wolf within those eyes as Collin climbed on top of him.
As though he were being stalked by a wild animal.
Just like that, Sam was reminded of the talk he'd had with Maxwell.
"You've got control, right?"
Collin paused, blinked at him, and then smiled. "Of course I do." He touched Sam's cheek. "You don't have to worry about a thing."
Sam nodded. "Right. I shouldn't have asked. Sorry."
"You're allowed to ask," Collin said with a laugh. "Are you scared?"
"No. Not of you. Forget it. Just hurry up and kiss me." Sam grabbed Collin by the back of the head, yanking him forward, his mouth exactly what he needed.
Sam moaned, pulling Collin back on top of him. He spread his knees and encouraged Collin to get between them.
Collin did. Sam could feel the heat of his erection even through their clothes, and his own prick responded as expected, with a heavy jump and a throb, and just like that, the pants Sam had been wearing all day were way too tight.
As if he were wearing skinny jeans or something.
"Get me out of these clothes. I want you to make me naked and fuck me right now."
"You want me to do all the work, do you?"
He was right. That wasn't fair. Sam quickly set to work getting out of his clothes, which was a chore when there was a hot guy actively grinding against him.
Collin laughed as though it was the funniest thing in the world for Sam to suddenly be struggling to get out of his clothes like that.
"I was joking, sweetheart. Let me help you with that."
Sam sighed. "Good."
Because he did need help. All of a sudden his fingers didn't seem to want to work so much. It was so strange.
"I thought being mated to a wolf shifter was supposed to give me more control."
Collin's grin showed off the whites of his fangs. "It's supposed to give me more control, baby. Don't worry. I think it's cute when you get all flustered like that."
"I'm not cute," Sam said, feeling very much as though he were pouting in that moment, and then he didn't want to look up into Collin's face because he worried he was going to see another one of those damned smiles.