Aaron's Awakening (2019 Reissue)

by Lavinia Lewis

  He was too intent on making the moment perfect for his mate.

  He braced himself on Aaron’s chest then rode his cock hard and fast. Each time he sank down in the thick length felt better than the time before.

  Aaron’s cock contracted in his ass and Cary knew his mate was close.

  “Cary, I’m gonna come,” Aaron said desperately. “I can’t hold it back.”

  He reached up and took hold of Cary’s cock, gripping it in his fist and sliding his hand down the length. “I want you to come too—with me. I want to make this perfect for you.”

  That was all Cary needed to hear.

  No one had ever been concerned about his pleasure before and it caused his orgasm to crash through his body with a fierce intensity.

  He threw his head back and shouted out his release.

  Midway through his climax, Aaron’s dick constricted and convulsed inside him as his ass was flooded with burst after burst of warm, wet heat.

  Collapsing forward, Cary nuzzled his face into Aaron’s neck.

  The sudden movement caused Aaron’s dick to slip free from his ass.

  Cary normally had experience in controlling his cat—he was good at it—but instinct took over as his incisors tore from his gums. He leaned up onto his elbows then plunged his teeth into Aaron’s neck, drawing out his mate’s blood—claiming him.

  He was dimly aware of their scents combining Aaron pushed at his shoulders, trying to dislodge him.

  “Cary, no! Stop!”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Aaron grunted and rolled over.

  Was someone calling his name?

  He covered himself with the sheet then blindly reached for his mate to try and pull him back into his chest.

  His hands came back empty.

  He snapped his eyes open, suddenly wide awake. “Cary?”

  He used his wolf senses to try to locate his mate but he couldn’t detect Cary’s scent in any of the rooms in the bunkhouse. Panicked, he jumped out of bed then reached for his jeans. He pulled them on quickly and had just got them buttoned up when he heard a loud bang on the bunkhouse door.

  Aaron strode out to the hall, shirtless and barefoot. Nate came out of his room at the same time. The man looked pissed but that seemed to be an everyday expression on the gruff wolf’s face.

  “Who in God’s name is knocking at this hour?” Nate strode past Aaron and headed for the door.

  He didn’t mention the fact that Aaron had come from Cary’s bedroom but Aaron knew the wolf had noticed—Nate’s eyes had widened ever so slightly when he had first seen him. He could probably smell their mating bond too, Aaron realized when he inhaled.

  Cary’s scent was strong on him, infused with his own.

  Nate threw open the door and quite literally growled. “Kelan?”

  Kelan nodded. “Sorry to wake you, Nate. I need to speak to Aaron. It’s important.”

  Nate nodded and opened the door wider.

  Without a word, he turned then went back to his room, leaving Aaron and Kelan alone.

  “What is it? What’s wrong?” Fear froze Aaron in place when he took in the tight set of Kelan’s lips.

  Kelan rubbed the back of his neck and frowned before speaking. “I just got a call from my beta, Pete—he works at a bar in town. Cary’s there. He’s drunk, Aaron. We’d better go and get him.”

  Aaron’s eyes widened.

  Cary had promised him he wouldn’t go anywhere alone.

  It was too dangerous right now. Why would he break his promise? Didn’t he realize the danger he was putting himself in? Aaron ran back to Cary’s room to get dressed.

  “Give me two minutes,” he called over his shoulder.

  Cary was drunk?

  Aaron hadn’t figured his mate for the drinking type. He quickly pulled on his boots and the rest of his clothes. Two minutes later, he and Kelan were crossing the yard to Kelan’s truck. Aaron could see Kelan leaning closer to him and sniffing in his peripheral vision.

  “I thought you agreed not to claim Cary. You know how dangerous that is with the council members hanging around.”

  Aaron frowned.

  Jesus, what did everyone take him for, a brainless idiot?

  “I didn’t. Cary claimed me. I couldn’t stop him. I tried.”

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to give you shit. I just don’t want to see either of you get hurt. We don’t know what will happen should the council find out about you, and I think it’s best if we keep it that way.”

  “It’s okay.” Aaron shrugged. “I understand. We’ll just have to stay out of their way for the time being. Does Cary…uh, does he drink a lot?”

  Kelan shook his head. “Never. Did you guys have a fight?”

  “No. I don’t understand the problem. Everything was going great. We had sex. I thought we were good when I fell asleep but maybe it was too soon for him after all.”

  “Go easy on him. Cary’s been through a lot in the last couple of years.”

  Aaron nodded. “I know.”

  “Did he tell you about everything that happened to him back in New York?”

  “Yeah. It really sounds like Gill was a piece of work.”

  “And then some.”

  “Cary said you killed him.”

  “Yeah. I’m not proud of myself for that. Never killed another man before but if I hadn’t stopped him, he would have killed Jake and Cary.”

  The thought alone sent cold shivers running through Aaron’s body.

  “Thank you for saving him.”

  Aaron’s stomach churned the closer they got to Kelan’s truck.

  Anything could happen to Cary out in town alone.

  Why would he be so stupid? Aaron took a deep breath and tried to calm his nerves.

  Please let him be okay.

  He couldn’t stand it if something were to happen to his mate. Aaron stopped and put his hand on Kelan’s shoulder.

  “I’d like to do this alone if that’s okay.”

  Kelan’s eyes narrowed.

  He studied Aaron for a moment then nodded. “Of course. The keys are in the truck. I’ll tell you how to get there.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Give me another.”

  Cary lifted his glass and drained the contents before slamming the glass down on the bar.

  The bartender picked up the whiskey bottle then paused.

  “Are you sure about that? I think maybe you’ve had enough already.”

  Cary frowned.

  Why were all wolves so goddamn stubborn?

  “I said I’d like another drink, please.”

  The wolf shrugged then poured a generous helping of Scotch into his glass.

  Cary lifted the drink and poured half of it down his throat. It still burned but not as much as the first one had. It didn’t taste as bad, either. But then, the first drink had been hours ago.

  He’d had several since.

  Howls of laughter caught Cary’s attention. He turned his head to watch a group of men seated over the other side of the room. Four of them sat in a booth near the restroom. Three of them were human and the fourth was a wolf. They were raising a ruckus, as Kelan would say, and growing rowdier with every beer they consumed. A couple of times Cary noticed them look in his direction and snicker, leaning in to whisper conspiratorially together.

  He hadn’t paid them much attention before but the more alcohol got into their system, the more they looked in his direction. The looks they kept shooting his way were anything but friendly. What the hell was their problem?

  Cary knew he should go back to the ranch but he wasn’t ready to face Aaron. He would never forget the look of horror on his mate’s face when he had claimed him. He hadn’t intended to claim Aaron, especially while the council was hanging around, but he hadn’t been able to help himself. His cat’s instincts had taken over and he hadn’t had time to think about the consequences.

  Now he and Aaron were bonded together for life.

  There was no getting out
of it for either of them. Gill had bitten Cary once when they’d had sex, then he’d told him they were bonded, and Cary had believed him, even though he’d never felt the connection, never really understood what he was supposed to feel.

  He did now.

  He could feel Aaron inside, was aware of him in a way that terrified him as much as it pleased him.

  Cary wanted to be happy about their bond, and part of him was, but the look on Aaron’s face had chilled him to the bone. Aaron had seemed positively horrified at what Cary had done.

  They hadn’t spoken about it after.

  Aaron had fallen asleep and Cary had been left lying there staring at the ceiling, worrying about what he’d done. Logically, he knew Aaron’s concerns. Maybe he shouldn’t have taken it so personally but that was easier said than done. He had tried not to let Aaron’s reaction upset him, but it had.

  It had felt like a personal slight.

  Cary had promised Aaron he wouldn’t go anywhere alone and hated to break his promise but he’d had to get out of the bunkhouse. He’d needed time alone to think. Time away from Aaron. Everything was happening so fast he didn’t know which way was up.

  He had to wonder if things were happening too fast.

  Cary jumped when a large hand landed on his shoulder. When he turned, he came face to face with the wolf from the group of men in the corner.

  “Don’t I know you from somewhere?” the wolf asked.

  Cary shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

  “Yeah, I know who you are.” The wolf leaned in closer and the stench of his breath nearly knocked Cary off his stool. “I’ve seen you in town, with Kelan. You work for him, dontcha?”

  Cary nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  “Thought so. You another of them faggots?”

  Cary’s mouth fell open.

  He sat up straighter in his chair and glared at the man.

  Goddamn homophobe.

  Cary loved working on the ranch and he loved Texas, but sometimes he hated living in such a small town. There were too many narrow-minded people around. It was easier to avoid people like that in a big city, it was damn near impossible here.

  “Lyle, go on back to your table or I’ll call Joe and tell him his hand is causing a whole heap of trouble in here.”

  Lyle growled at the barkeep and his eyes flashed a warning, but he did as the man said. Cary watched him rejoin his friends at the table. He leaned in to whisper something to the man sitting next to him and they both turned to glare at Cary, their mouths curled up into snarls.

  Their eyes were filled with a deep hatred that made Cary shiver.

  Okay, maybe it was time to leave. He didn’t want any trouble and he hated that he couldn’t have a drink in peace.

  The town was his home too, damn it.

  He had as much right to be there as they did.

  Cary was used to the gay bars in New York where you didn’t have to hide any part of yourself. He’d always felt safe going out there. Nobody ever paid him any attention, just as he liked it. His eyes flickered to the men once again.

  They were still staring at him.

  “Guess that’s my cue,” he mumbled into his glass.

  He knocked back the rest of his drink then stood, grabbing his jacket from the stool next to him.

  He settled his tab with the wolf behind the bar then stumbled towards the exit. At first, the wolf had tried to make him stay, which Cary hadn’t been able to understand until the bartender admitted that he’d called Kelan to come get him.

  That pissed Cary off.

  He was a grown man.

  He could find his own way home, and he told him so, too.

  He hadn’t thought he’d had much to drink, but when he stepped outside and the cool night air hit him, he had to put a hand on the wall to steady himself. A wave of dizziness overwhelmed him and bile rose in his throat.

  Damn, he couldn’t drive home in that state.

  He’d have to walk home and ask Nate to give him a lift back into town in the morning to pick up his truck. The Crazy Horse was only a few miles out, so Cary set off, struggling to put one foot in front of the other without tripping over and falling on his ass. It was something he did all the time when he was sober.

  And they said cats were graceful.

  Cary snorted.

  Whoever said that had never met Cary because he was as clumsy as an ox.

  He stumbled through the parking lot and had just made it on to the dirt road when there was a chorus of loud voices behind him. He turned and squinted into the darkness.

  Damn human eyesight.

  He could see much better as a cat.

  When his eyes adjusted, he saw the four men from the bar walking quickly in his direction.

  Shit.

  Cary froze.

  His breath quickened and his palms broke out in a sweat.

  He knew without a doubt what the men wanted—he’d seen it in the wolf’s eyes when he’d spoken to him at the bar. The other men’s eyes had been filled with the same hatred.

  They were out for blood.

  Cary had taken plenty of beatings in the past but that didn’t make him any less terrified. His stomach heaved and he fought back another wave of sickness that traveled up his esophagus and settled in the back of his throat.

  There was always the fear that they wouldn’t stop with a beating, of course. What if they killed him? As soon as the thought entered his head, Cary remembered what the council had said. Gay shifters were being targeted by a local, a human man…or men.

  In order to identify those shifters, they had to have help from one. Someone sympathetic to their cause—someone like the wolf currently walking towards him with the three humans in tow.

  Thoughts of his own mortality raced through Cary’s mind, interspersed with images of Aaron.

  How would his mate cope with his death?

  His only consolation was that Aaron would be better off without him. He was still young. They hadn’t been mated for very long so the pain should be less intense than it would have been if they’d been mated for a long time.

  Hopefully, Aaron would find another mate.

  Maybe his next mate would be someone better suited to him, someone he deserved.

  Someone he could be proud of.

  Whether it was for the best for Aaron or not, the thought of never seeing him again sent panic coursing through Cary’s veins. He didn’t want his life to end before he got a chance to tell Aaron how much he was beginning to mean to him.

  But then, he didn’t have to accept this fate, did he?

  He should fight for all he was worth.

  If he hurried, maybe he could outrun them.

  As the men drew closer, Cary made up his mind. He wasn’t ready to die. This time, he had to be strong—it was pointless trying to run. Although he might be able to outrun the humans, one of the men was a wolf and wolves were fast. It would be an exercise in futility.

  Cary had to stand his ground.

  He was tired of letting people walk all over him, tired of playing the victim. He’d done it for years with Gill and he swore when Gill died he would never do it again.

  It was time to stand up for himself, whatever the consequences.

  “Hey, faggot! Where you running off to?”

  “You going back to that queer farm?”

  The men broke into fits of laughter at the pathetic excuse for a joke. Cary could slowly feel his fear turn to anger. His hands clenched into fists and his nostrils flared. The men were getter closer but Cary straightened his shoulders and stood tall, even though he was trembling on the inside.

  The wolf approached first. Cary straightened his shoulders. He didn’t even move when the man got right up in his face and sneered at him, even though the stench of beer and cigarettes on his breath was overwhelming. Cary thought it best not to show any fear, although the wolf could more than likely smell it on him.

  “You waiting for us, fag?”

  “It’s Mr. Fag to you.�
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  Shit, backchat like that would only serve to get him beaten up faster. Still, what was the point in stalling the inevitable? The wolf’s eyes flashed in the moonlight and Cary shivered—he couldn’t help himself.

  “You’re fucking with the wrong person,” the wolf spat out.

  Cary lifted his chin and looked down his nose at the wolf piece of shit.

  “I wouldn’t fuck you if I’d taken a box full of Viagra and you were the only piece of ass in a hundred-mile radius.”

  Crap.

  Why couldn’t he just keep his big mouth shut?

  He was starting to think maybe he did have a death wish after all.

  Cary saw the fist fly towards him about a second before it made contact with the side of his face. He stumbled backward, barely managing to stay upright. He fought the impulse to raise a hand to his jaw to see if it was still connected to his face. The three stooges behind the wolf chuckled in appreciation.

  “Good one, Lyle. Think we need to teach this boy some manners.”

  Cary rolled his eyes.

  Fucking hillbillies.

  He looked at each of the men in turn. The one that had spoken was short and squat. The second had consumed one too many beers in his lifetime by the looks of the gut hanging over the top of his jeans. The third man was tall and insipid looking—bland, with a completely forgettable face and, unlike his buddies, he looked bored with the whole scene.

  He was the most frightening of all.

  Cary could sense the emotions pouring out of the other three men. Excitement, hatred…he could even sense a little fear, but from the insipid man, he got nothing.

  Absolutely nothing.

  He was like an empty shell.

  But his eyes held a darkness, a deeply rooted evil that chilled Cary to the bone.

  The wolf growled and started to circle. He looked every inch the lethal predator circling his prey. Cary didn’t want to take his eyes off him, but he knew the three men in front of him were just as dangerous. Maybe even more so. At least the wolf would be terrified about the council finding out what he’d done.

  The humans looked as though they didn’t give a shit.

  Cary took a few paces back to try and put some distance between him and the three men but as he backed away from them, he only placed himself closer to the wolf.