Full Moon Lockdown

Can surviving the horrors of the night lead Colin
to find the one that was meant to love him and
bring him back to the light?

Colin Brantford is an Omega wolf. When his pack
is destroyed by hellhounds, he and his brother are
transported to Moon Compound. There, Colin
must enter into a world where all wolf shifters are
sent to learn to shift. Two years prematurely.

Sloan Atwater has been at the compound for

three years and still has no control of his wolf.
That is until he spots Colin, making Sloan crave
the slightest touch. Will he be able to claim Colin
for his own? And when Colin needs Sloan, will he
be able to control his wolf?

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entirely coincidental.

Full Moon Lockdown

ISBN: 978-1-77111-641-1

Cover art by Carmen Waters

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Chapter One

he night was perfect—beautiful and serene
with the comforting sounds of wolves running

through  the  nearby  forest.  Most  had  already
shifted  and  left  for  a  run  while  Colin  and  his
younger  brother,  Peyton,  remained  behind  with
some of the Elders who sat and talked by the fire
pit. In two years, he would have his first shift, and
after his stint at the compound, he would be able
to  join  the  rest  of  the  pack  on  their  nightly
excursions.

Sheesh, hopefully, he would only have to stay

at  the  compound  for  a  couple  of  years.  Gods,
Colin didn’t even want to think about going there.
But  as  the  time  drew  near,  the  place  seemed  to
invade  his  thoughts  more  and  more.  Especially
since Colin had just had his twenty-first birthday;
that  milestone  seemed  to  implant  the  compound
into the very core of his nightmares. It wasn’t like
he  could  get  out  of  it,  so  why  think  more  on  the
place?

All pre-shifters were sent to the compound to

get control of their wolf before being released back

Jackie Nacht

to their families. Looking over at Peyton, he was
thankful that at least he would have his brother
with him after a year.

Trying to shake off the thought of the hell he

would inevitably have to face, Colin picked up a
stick to poke the fire. Sparks flew into the air and
swirled around them before extinguishing to
blend into the night sky.

Peyton nudged him. “What’s wrong?”
His brother was almost an exact replica of him

physically.  He  had  short  dark  brown  hair  with
blond  streaks  throughout,  tan  skin  and  sleek
muscles.  Peyton  was  the  same  height  at  a
whopping five foot eight. The only difference the
two  had  was  their  eyes.  While  Colin’s  were
cerulean,  Peyton’s  were  a  dark  milk  chocolate.
Personality-wise,  the  two  couldn’t  be  more
different.

Colin shook his head and leaned back on his

hands. “The compound.”

Peyton wrapped an arm around him. “You

need to let that shit go. We all shift, and with that
comes our stay at the compound. Do you want to
go feral? Harm someone? We may live in the
Upper Peninsula, but there are plenty of people
around that you could kill or take a chunk out of.”

Scrubbing a hand over his face, Colin

whispered, “None of that, of course. I fear leaving
you, the unknown...” He paused for a moment to

Full Moon Lockdown

swallow before continuing. “The pain. I would
never want to hurt anyone. You know that,
Peyton.”

“Then, put the compound out of your mind.

Enjoy these couple years. Dammit, can you just let
it  go  for  one  night  and  have  some  fun?  You’re
always  so  damn  serious.  And  remember,  it’s  not
forever,  just  look  at  the  pack.  Do  they  look  like
they  hate  shifting?  No,  they’re  having  a  hell  of  a
time running around us. Work hard to get control
of  your  wolf  then  get  home.  Simple  as  that.”
Peyton  turned  and  embraced  Colin.  The  warmth
of his brother seemed to soothe his fears.

Their parents had died five years ago in an

attack. The pack had helped raised them in the
final years of childhood, but Peyton was all that
Colin had left. While he cared deeply for his pack,
he felt the only family he had was Peyton.

“Besides, we’re Omegas, they always have a

much shorter stint than the Alphas.”

Colin laughed softly. Peyton always had a way

of finding the silver lining. “You’re right. I’ll shake
it off.”

“Finally!”
For the next couple hours, the two made

hotdogs by the fire, played ball and listened to
their pack run circles around them. Colin and
Peyton smirked at each other as one of the Elders,
Lyle, who looked no more than thirty-five, talked

Jackie Nacht

about times in history that had long since passed.
Again.

The sounds of several howls came not too far

from  the  fire,  followed  quickly  by  the  sounds  of
growls  and  the  clashing  of  bodies.  Colin  jumped
to  his  feet,  grabbing  for  his  brother.  The  Elders
were  scanning  the  surroundings,  ripping  clothes
off to prepare to shift.

“You boys need to get out of here. Go to the

safe house,” Lyle yelled over to them.

“We’re staying and fighting.” Colin stood firm,

glancing over his shoulder at Peyton who was just
as prepared as him.

Lyle jerked Colin from Peyton and growled in

his face. “With what, your fists? You won’t stand a
chance against a hellhound, and others will die to
protect you and your brother.” Lyle leaned in
close to him. “You need to get Peyton safe. Think
of him right now. Get the fuck to the safe house
right now.”

Lyle shoved Colin so hard that he fell into

Peyton, who caught him.

“Go!” Lyle roared before he shifted and took off

toward the sounds of fighting, followed by several
other Elders.

Colin stood frozen to the spot, thinking how the

whole pack was in that fight. Then, he thought of
what Lyle had said to him. He and his brother
didn’t stand a chance. “We need to move now.”

Full Moon Lockdown

“But Lyle and the others,” Peyton began to

protest then jumped when a yelp came not too far
from their location.

“Lyle is right. We need to listen to him, or we

will hurt them more than help.”

Colin took off with Peyton close on his heels.

The safe house was a good mile away. They were
fast, but the sounds of fighting were quieting and
the  feeling  of  being  hunted  was  crawling  over
Colin’s  chilled  skin.  He  pushed  on,  trying  not  to
think  of  what  the  silence  could  mean.  All  that
mattered was getting Peyton safe.

The sounds grew louder, and Colin glanced

over his shoulder to see three hellhounds bearing
down on them. The enemies were huge, much like
their  own  wolf,  but  where  the  wolf  had  beauty,
hellhounds  had  horror.  Black  heavily  muscled
dogs that had black fur and black eyes. There was
absolutely  no  color  to  the  creature  except  for  the
blood-coated  muzzle.  Blood  that  no  doubt
belonged to one of his pack family.

Gods, they were too far away—weren’t even

going  to  make  it  close  to  the  safe  house.  The
thought  didn’t  even  have  time  to  sink  in  before
Colin  felt  the  impact  of  the  hound  behind  him.
Crying  out,  he  tumbled  over  the  unforgiving
forest floor of rocks and twigs. Not too far  away,
he  heard  Peyton  wail  in  anguish.  Scrambling,
trying to get to his feet, he sought out his brother

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who had two hounds looming over him, toying
with their prey. One had Peyton by the arm,
sinking its teeth in deeply while his brother let out
a bloodcurdling scream.

Colin felt a hand grabbing his ankle, dragging

him away from Peyton. He tried to dig his fingers
into  the  ground  to  find  purchase,  but  the  hound,
even  in  demon  form,  was  far  too  powerful.  The
hounds were separating them. Colin tried to find a
root to grab onto, but he couldn’t find a grip. All
he could do was look on as Peyton was trying to
fight  the  other  two  monsters  off.  Turning,  he
gazed  at  the  hellhound  in  demon  form.  The
demon  was  built  strong,  with  tan  skin  and  black
hair and eyes that held no soul in them. Colin was
utterly  frozen  in  terror  as  the  demon  smirked  at
him.

“Omega.” The hellhound voice was distorted,

almost indecipherable.

Howls filled the surrounding forest, and the

demon  shifted  back  into  his  hellhound  form.
Large  wolves  descended  on  the  scene.  The
fighting  was  fierce  and  bloody.  One  hellhound
nearly  crushed  him  as  he  tried  to  get  back  to
Peyton.  Maneuvering  around  them  was  difficult,
but Colin needed to see if Peyton was okay.

Colin finally made it over, and what he saw had

him choking out a sob. Peyton was moaning softly
while a wolf stood in front of him, protecting him.

Full Moon Lockdown

Grabbing the hem of his shirt, Colin pulled it off to
apply pressure to the wound on Peyton’s arm. He
was bleeding heavily, and if he didn’t get help
soon…no, he wouldn’t even think it.

“Colin?” Peyton moaned.
“I’m here. I need to put pressure on your arm.

It’s going to hurt.” Colin pushed down, and
Peyton hissed in pain.

Peyton’s teeth began to chatter, and his blood-

coated  face  paled  before  Colin’s  very  eyes.  He
turned  as  the  last  sound  of  fighting  ceased.  The
wolves  took  out  the  three  hounds  with  bloody
efficiency.  The  fighting  took  no  more  than  a
couple  of  minutes,  gaining  victory  over  the
hellhounds with ease.

A couple wolves shifted, and two large Alpha

males approached. The one who stood in front of
Peyton knelt down. “Let me take a look at him.”

“Who are you?” No way was Colin moving

aside and trusting someone with his brother.

“Rayce, I’m a guard at the Moon Compound on

the  island.  We  had  intel  that  hellhounds  were
attacking  packs  along  the  shore  and  forest  area
here.”  Rayce  stared  down  at  Peyton,  his  fists
clinching  and  his  lips  pursed.  “I  need  to  look  at
him. He needs help.”

Stepping back, Colin mumbled, “Peyton.”
“Huh?” Rayce eyed him with confused violet

eyes.

Jackie Nacht

“My brother. His name is Peyton,” Colin

whispered, and Rayce nodded, moving in closer.

Moving aside, Colin watched as the man

tended to his brother's wounds as best he could
without having a med kit on him or clothes for
that matter.

Finally, the man turned to the other one. “We

need air support to get him back.”

“Rayce, we can’t take them there.” The other

guy protested, handing Rayce a pair of black
pants. He quickly put them on before getting back
to work on Colin's brother.

“We are, and we aren’t arguing. Now, call the

copter  in.”  Rayce  picked  up  Peyton,  murmuring
softly  to  him  and  gently  carried  him  with  Colin
hot  on  their  heels.  He  knew  exactly  where  Rayce
was leading them. There was an open field not too
far  from  there.  A  perfect  place  where  they  could
get a helicopter to land.

“We need to tell our pack,” Colin huffed out.
Rayce turned, eyes filled with sympathy, and

Colin  knew  immediately.  He  bent  over,  putting
his hand on his knees, the loss so heavy, he could
barely  stand.  Tears  brimmed  in  his  eyes,  but  he
had  to  put  the  pain  aside  momentarily  to  help
Peyton out. He would mourn later.

Standing, Colin hoarsely asked, “How many

survivors?”

Full Moon Lockdown

Frowning, Rayce stared down at Peyton before

rumbling out, “None.” Rayce walked away with
Peyton, soothing him as he moaned in pain.

Colin ran over and helped Rayce with Peyton,

continually  having  to  wipe  his  eyes  as  they
blurred. Trying to be brave, he held a cloth to the
ugly  gashes  on  Peyton’s  face  and  chest  while
Rayce  took  care  of  the  arm.  There  was  so  much
blood,  he  felt  at  a  loss  as  to  how  to  keep  his
brother from bleeding out.

Other men came over and took over applying

pressure to the several wounds. They seemed to
know a little more about taking care of the
wounded.

Colin stood back, hugging himself and trying to

keep it together.

Another man came up to Colin. “Here, I need to

take a look at this.” The man stood at least six foot
five like the rest of the wolf shifters. The man
gently touched the back of his arm.

Numbly, Colin sat down while the man

examined his arm. Small cuts and scrapes covered
him from the fall.

“They should be fine once we get them cleaned

out. The name's Malach. If you need anything, let
me know.” Malach stood and walked over to the
open field and began talking on a sat phone.

A few minutes later, the sound of the helicopter

could be heard coming across the waters of Lake

Jackie Nacht

Superior. It must have been at the compound at
Isle Royale. The wind picked up fiercely, causing
Colin to cover his eyes against flying debris.

The group moved quickly toward the helicopter

as it landed. Rayce, holding Peyton, jumped in
first, and Colin was followed closely by the
remaining guards.

They took off and banked quickly north, and

that’s when Colin became confused. The hospital
was definitely east of here. “Where are we going?
Sault Ste. Marie is east.”

Rayce glanced over his shoulder. “We aren’t

going to Sault Ste. Marie. We’re taking you to
Moon Compound.”

Panic bubbled up inside of Colin, causing him

to lash out. “The fuck you’re taking us there!” he
screamed,  grabbing  for  Peyton.  No  way  in  hell
was  he  going  there  and  neither  was  Peyton.
Peyton  needed  a  damn  hospital.  Colin  attempted
again to reach for his brother. There was no rhyme
or  reason  to  it.  It  wasn’t  like  he  could  take  them
anywhere, but he wasn’t thinking clearly through
the fear.

“Contain him,” Rayce shouted to a guard over

Colin’s shoulder.

Malach grabbed him from the side while

another grasped him from behind, holding him
down while he strained to break free.

“He needs to go to the hospital,” Colin pleaded.

Full Moon Lockdown

“And there are no better doctors for our kind

than the ones at the compound. They will be able
to handle his injuries far better than any human
doctor. Your name?” Malach tried to reason with
him. Impossible. Too much shit had happened to
him.

“Colin,” he mumbled.
Malach kept talking to him, trying to use a soft

voice, telling him everything was going to be
okay, using Colin’s name over and over.

Colin slumped on the floor of the helicopter,

too wounded emotionally and physically to
continue the useless fight. Five minutes later, they
descended. Rayce and Peyton were the first to exit.

Malach released and assessed him. “You going

to behave, or do we have to restrain you?”

Feeling decades older than his twenty-one

years,  Colin  whispered,  “I’ll  behave.”  They
stepped  out  of  the  helicopter,  and  Colin  realized
they  landed  on  a  pad  in  the  front  of  the
compound.  Looking  up  and  up,  Colin  eyed  the
dark,  foreboding  place.  Solid  gray  stone  walls
were  the  exterior  of  the  four-story  Moon
Compound. Guards lined the electrical fences that
outlined  the  acres  of  land  that  kept  the  new
shifters contained from harming others.

Several guard towers surrounded the area,

keeping watch on the facility and them. Colin
shivered as one of the guards eyed him from afar.

Jackie Nacht

You wouldn’t think with that much distance you
could actually feel someone’s eyes on you, but
Colin did, and it made his skin crawl.

“Follow me; we need to go talk to the Elders

and  find  out  where  to  place  you  then  debrief  on
what  happened.”  Malach  grabbed  a  hold  of  his
upper  arm,  pulling  him  toward  the  huge  double
steel  doors.  The  only  reason  he  didn’t  drag  his
heels was that Peyton was in there, and his brother
needed  him  right  now.  Walking  on  his  own  two
feet through the threshold, he jumped as the doors
shut  with  an  echoing  slam  behind  him.  Gods,  so
that’s what the sound of losing one’s freedom was.

Full Moon Lockdown

Chapter Two

acing. That’s all that Sloan ever did in this
fucking shoebox of a room. Even though the

full  moon  wasn’t  until  tomorrow,  lockdown  was
in place. Like Sloan, the other Alphas were too on
edge to be trusted during the nights. Fights broke
out,  sexual  appetite  increased  and  everyone  was
in  agreement  to  keep  them  locked  up  tight  to
prevent anyone from being hurt. That’s why they
all lived in this hell, right?

Footsteps sounded down the hall, quick and

hurried.  Leaning  his  arms  on  the  bars,  Sloan
watched as Rayce ran by with a man in his arms.
Seconds  later,  Malach  and  the  remaining  guards
walked  by,  circled  around  a  young  man  who
looked like he had been in one hell of a fight and
came  out  on  the  losing  end.  Scratches  marred
sleek  tan  muscles.  Short  brown  hair  with  blond
highlights  had  dirt  caked  throughout.  Sloan’s
attention was drawn to the man, craving to see his
face.  He  wanted  to…yes!  The  man  slowly  turned

Jackie Nacht

and gazed at Sloan. Gone was the excitement as he
stared into despairing cerulean eyes. Eyes that had
seen too much. What the hell had happened to him?

“Colin, we need you to go in here.” Malach

talked to the man, gesturing to the cell across from
Sloan.

“But my brother,” Colin protested.
“Your brother will more than likely be going

into surgery. I need to debrief with the Elders, and
I’m  sorry  to  say  this,  but  it’s  just  too  damn
dangerous  to  leave  you  unlocked  on  the  night
before the full moon. I’ll have a nurse come in to
check  on  your  wounds  soon  as  we  can.”  Malach
led Colin into the cell.

“Please, he needs me,” Colin choked out.
Malach closed the cell door, leaving the guy

behind bars. Sloan swallowed as he felt the sorrow
of the young man seep across the hallway to him.
“We will take good care of him. I promise you,
Colin. And just as soon as he’s ready to see
visitors, you’ll be the first one sitting by his side.”

Malach walked away, and Sloan stared at the

guard's back, pissed for the sake of Colin. He
didn’t even know the guy, but he knew that he'd
fallen into a horrible situation and that his brother
was gravely injured.

Colin slumped to the ground, still gripping the

bars, knuckles white. The young man’s head
slumped forward, brown hair touching the bar.

Full Moon Lockdown

For  some  insane  reason,  Sloan  felt  like  talking  to
Colin,  soothing  him.  Helping  him  when  he  was
left with no one to comfort him. Except, he didn’t
know  what  had  happened  and,  as  such,  was
completely  at  a  loss  on  how  to  give  Colin  the
comforting words he needed. So instead, he knelt
down  just  like  Colin  and  watched  him  all  night.
He might not be able to hold him or say the right
words, but he could be there to let the man know
he wasn’t alone.

The next morning, Sloan’s body ached, and it

only had a little to do with the fact he'd sat on the
floor watching Colin all night. A couple times he'd
drifted off only to be awakened by the soft sounds
of muffled crying. He would murmur nonsense
words only to hear Colin silence once more.

Standing up, Sloan stretched, feeling the aches

of the oncoming shift that would overtake him
that night. This was a classic symptom of all new
shifters. They would feel like crap before the shift,
almost like they were coming down with the flu,
edgy, surly. Fights were sure to break out.

Knowing better, Sloan got his room ready for

tonight, putting all valuables into the vault under
the  steel  floors.  Three  years  of  this  shit  and  it
wasn’t  getting  any  better.  He  jerked  the  picture
frames off the floor since they had no furniture but
a  mattress  in  the  cell.  There  was  no  point  of  it
since they got destroyed at the full moon.

Jackie Nacht

Finally, the doors opened, notifying everyone

that it was time to head to the cafeteria for
breakfast. Although it was strict here, there was no
lining up like human prisons, but there was check-
in at the door so that guards and Elders knew no
one was skipping meals.

Sloan stood outside his cell, waiting for Colin to

make his way out of his cell. Body tense, Sloan
continued to wait as other Alphas and Omegas
walked by. He was about to go in and find Colin
when the man emerged, eyes wary as he stepped
into the stone hallway.

Stepping forward, Sloan was about to introduce

himself when the small Omega Dalton walked up
to  Colin.  Fuck!  Sloan  wanted  to  meet  Colin  after
being worried all night long about him, and now,
Colin  was  being  swarmed  by  two  more  Omegas.
Turning, Sloan walked away. It was either that or
he  was  going  to  tear  them  apart.  Damn  his  edgy
wolf and its lack of control, he wanted Colin all to
himself. Telling himself to just get through tonight
and  the  recovery  tomorrow,  Sloan  left  for  the
cafeteria to eat. Only once did he turn back just to
make sure Colin was okay.

* * * *

What a fucking hole, Colin thought as he stepped
out of the door that was nothing more than steel

Full Moon Lockdown

bars. Steel bars! This was an honest-to-gods prison.
Moon Compound, his ass. Help you get through
the first few years to control your shift? Liars!

Worried for Peyton, he stepped into the dreary

stone hallway and glanced around, looking for a
guard. His body was bruised, and they never did
come back to check on his wounds. They were dry
and crusty, and he couldn’t care less.

He spent all night awake, mourning his pack,

scared that he would never see Peyton again.
Colin was a mess.

And lost. Gods, he felt so lost as other young

men walked by. Some were massive, six plus feet,
muscles straining in agitation. He had a feeling he
knew  why.  The  full  moon  was  tonight.  Across
from  him  stood  the  imposing  sexy  man  that  had
been  locked  up  in  the  cell  opposite  from  him.
Hazel eyes seemed to pierce through him and sent
a  chill  deep  inside  his  body  as  though  he  could
feel  recognition  in  those  eyes.  He  thought  maybe
he had seen him before but knew that couldn’t be
possible. He lived within his pack all his life.

A guy no bigger than his five-foot-eight frame

walked up to him, just as the familiar stranger was
about to make his way over.

He had a shock of white-blond hair and sharp

sapphire eyes. “You need some help?”

“Please. I need to find where medical is here.”
“You look it. I’ll take you there.”

Jackie Nacht

Colin was about to protest when a shorter guy,

no  more  than  five  feet  seven  inches  with  dark
brown  puppy-dog  eyes  and  very  lean  physique,
walked  up,  “Dalton,  who’s  the  newcomer.  Wow,
you look terrible.”

“Brendan, that’s not nice.” Dalton chided. “I

need to take him to medical.”

“Who needs to go to…oh, you.” Another man

came  up  with  jet  black  hair  and  pale  green  eyes,
thin  but  well  over  six  feet.  All  of  them  had  the
body type of an Omega. None were packing tons
of  muscles  although  none  looked  weak  either.
They were sleekly toned, but all were more on the
thin  side  rather  than  bulky  like  all  the  Alphas
walking  around.  And  the  very  presence  of  the
Omegas didn’t feel aggressive but welcoming.

Colin glanced around just in time to see the

Alpha that had watched him last night walking
away. At first, the piercing hazel gaze unsettled
him, and then, somehow, he became comforted by
the protectiveness in his gaze. Man, he was losing
his ever luvin’ mind. But who could blame him?

“Oren, give him some breathing room. Let’s

walk him to the infirmary.” Dalton wrapped an
arm around him like he needed help.

Colin gently pushed the arm off him, not trying

to hurt Dalton’s feelings. “It’s not for me, I need to
go see if my brother is okay.”

Full Moon Lockdown

Brendan scratched his jaw, “Well, you look like

you could use a little patch job too. Follow us.”

The three flanked him and led him down

several hallways before they reached the medical
wing. They passed several short halls with double
doors, marking surgery and an intensive care unit.
No way would he have ever found this through
the crazy maze of a place.

They entered through a double door labeled

infirmary  to  find  the  entire  area  was  dead  silent.
Colin  wasn’t  sure  what  he  was  expecting  but
silence wasn’t it. Dalton walked down the hallway
and  disappeared  into  a  room.  He  was  about  to
follow when Dalton came back out, followed by a
man dressed in scrubs.

“Come over to the bed here.” The man was all

business, no polite greeting as he stood waiting for
Colin to sit down.

“I’m not here for me.”
The man’s gaze roamed Colin’s injuries

disbelievingly. “You’re not?”

“No. My brother, Peyton, came in last night. I

need to see how he’s doing.”

The nurse’s eyes widened. “Peyton isn’t in this

unit. Let me clean you up and call an Elder to
come in and talk to you.”

Colin gripped the guy's arm as he went to walk

away. “Is he okay?”

Jackie Nacht

“He will be.” The nurse glanced away. There

was  more  to  the  story;  Colin  was  sure  of  it.  The
man  left  for  a  few  minutes  then  came  back  with
several  supplies,  gesturing  for  Colin  to  sit  on  the
bed. This time, he didn’t argue with the nurse.

“Why’s it so quiet in here?” Colin couldn’t

believe the lack of noise in the unit. He hissed as
the nurse disinfected one of his wounds.

The nurse laughed, but it didn’t sound happy.

“Oh, it’ll be busy in here later. I’m the only one on
the morning shift. By the afternoon, this place will
be packed with injuries. Everyone gets edgy the
day of the full moon. Can you three help us out
tomorrow?”

Brendan nodded. “Sure, but it will be my last

time. Next full moon is my first shift.” Glancing
down, the small man began to bite at his lip
nervously.

Shit, Colin thought as Dalton hugged his friend.
“I’ll be there for you afterward,” Dalton said

solemnly.

Thinking of the cells, Colin asked, “Then, why

don’t they lock everyone down today?”

Dalton sat down next to him, “We’ll never learn

control of our wolves if we can’t be around our
pack. They tried to separate everyone around the
full moon twenty-four/seven a long time ago, and
it didn’t work so well. Too many of them went
feral. And it took everyone a lot longer to learn to

Full Moon Lockdown

control their wolf. They weren’t prepared to go
back to their families, not used to being around
others on the full moon. Mostly, Alphas fight, and
it is over stupid crap, but at least everyone starts
out free in the morning.”

“Starts out?” Colin glanced over at Dalton.
“There are some that need to be locked down if

they can’t handle themselves. Usually, they get
better the longer they are here, but some…”
Dalton shuddered.

Brendan chirped in, “Yeah, some of the Alphas

turn into absolute dickheads today. Just stick close
to us. For all the fighting the Alphas do, they
usually leave us alone.”

Oren hopped on the bed next to him. “Or fuck

us silly.”

The nurse glared at Oren. “You know that’s not

allowed the day of the full moon. Do you have to
be reported again, Oren?”

Oren shook his head and lifted his hands,

palms up. “Lighten up, haven’t pulled that one
since the last time I got in trouble.”

Dalton glared at Oren. “Then, don’t be telling

Colin that. You don’t need him to get in a situation
like  that.  There’s  a  reason  for  that  rule.  New
wolves’  bodies  are  out  of  control  when  the  full
moon  is  near.  Just  because  you  want  to  play
Russian roulette, doesn’t mean the rest of us do.”

Jackie Nacht

Oren put his arm around Colin, face deadpan.

“Fine. Colin, stay away from the big, bad Alphas.”

The nurse shook his head. “The Elder will come

down and tell you all the rules. Sex is dangerous
today,  because  new  wolves’  strength  is  already
increasing as the day goes on. They have no  clue
how  strong  they  are  and  can  do  some  serious
damage  unintentionally.  Oren,  that  Alpha  you
were  caught  with  was  horrified  at  the  damage
he’d done. You were lucky you only walked away
with  bruises.  Others  have  had  broken  bones  or
worse.”

“He could’ve said no,” Oren grumbled.
“And so could you,” Brendan shot back.
“All right, I stopped already. Enough about my

sex life.”

Dalton, Brendan and Oren stayed with him as

Colin was cleaned up, butterfly stitched in several
places and, finally, had a mini rundown about his
brother. Intensive care but he was going to be all
right.

The head Elder Lewis came in to see him. The

shifter was an imposing figure. Dark, calculating
and the body of an Alpha, he made Colin’s body
tremble when he should have been holding still
with the needle threading a cut that was a little too
deep to be held by the butterfly stitches.

“When can I see him?” Colin asked.

Full Moon Lockdown

Lewis shook his head. “You need to be patient.

I’ll  have  a  guard  come  and  get  you  when  he  can
see  visitors.”  Lewis  turned  to  Dalton.  “I  would
appreciate  you  showing  Colin  around.  He’ll  be
staying here on a permanent basis.”

“Wait, what are you talking about?” Colin

stood up off the hospital bed. Damn thread
hanging off his arm.

“Your pack was attacked last night along with

three others before we were able to take down the
hellhounds.  There  is  nowhere  safe  for  you  and
your  brother  to  go.  We  had  a  meeting  last  night,
and  it  was  decided.  Now,  sit  down  and  let  him
finish stitching you up.”

Colin grew angry but sat. “You decided my

future and Peyton’s, and we don’t get a say in it?”

Lewis sighed and stood up. “That’s exactly

what I’m saying.” Lewis walked out of the
medical center, dismissing Colin to his fate.

Fifteen minutes later, the Omegas led Colin

down new halls, taking him to the cafeteria to get
breakfast. With everything that happened, Colin
had all but forgotten about food and wasn’t sure
he could stomach it now. Especially if it tasted like
garbage.

They walked as a foursome into a cafeteria that

had  Colin  taking  a  step  back.  Tables  and  chairs
were  a  heavy  oak.  There  wasn’t  any  decoration,
but  there  were  high  windows,  creating  a  ton  of

Jackie Nacht

sunlight in the room, making it the first place that
didn’t seem so damn dreary.

Dalton stepped up next to him. “Go on over

into that area, they have a buffet-style selection.”

“Really?” Colin was expecting gruel or

something. A maggot in his oatmeal.

Colin entered the tiny cove that held the buffet

and  was  shocked  by  all  the  selections.  One  table
was  stacked  high  with  various  meats.  Another
table  had  a  couple  of  people  standing  behind  it,
making  omelets  for  an  Omega  and  an  Alpha.
Another  table  had  several  toasters  set  up  just  so
you could make an English muffin or any kind of
toast you could possibly think of.

Brendan grabbed a plate, laughing. “I know,

right? The first time I came in here, I expected to
get runny eggs and mystery meat. You’ll find out
that the Elders and our packs really do care for us.
They spoil us where they can, and where they
can’t, they support us.”

Grabbing a plate, Colin followed Brendan to the

omelet station where the nice girl prepared him a
ham and cheese omelet. He wasn’t sure if he was
going to be able to eat it, but the fact it smelled so
good made his stomach rumble.

Glancing down at his food, Colin thought of his

pack. His breath hitched as the image of them
appeared in his mind. He mourned last night, but
he was sure that the coming months were going to

Full Moon Lockdown

be tough for him. He lost so much, and there was
no  time.  Everything  was  changing  around  him,
and  try  as  hard  as  he  could,  he  couldn’t  seem  to
get  his  feet  underneath  himself  before  they  were
swept out from under him again.

Following Brendan once more, they took a seat

by Oren and Dalton. Trying not to be conspicuous,
Colin searched for the guy whose cell was across
from his. Finally, by the wall, he spotted him
sitting next to another Alpha.

Figuring his new friends would know them, he

asked, “Who are those Alphas by the wall?”

Dalton’s dark brows rose, a complete contrast

with the white-blond hair. “The guy with black
hair and his brown-haired buddy with their chairs
tipped in the corner over there?”

They were kind of in the corner, and both of

them had their back resting on the wall with the
front legs lifted off the ground so… “Yeah.”

Brendan whistled. “That is Sloan Atwater and

Knox Davis. The longest tenants at the Moon
Compound. Sloan’s been here what? Three
years?”

Oren nodded. “Knox has been here just a hair

under that. Both came in and had a lot of trouble
during their shifts. Major injuries and mean as
hell. They’re better, but they have a ways to go.”

Three years? Shit, that was a long-ass time to be

at the compound and still be struggling during the

Jackie Nacht

full moon. Colin was hoping to be here less than
two, one if he really got his wolf in gear.

Trying to be discreet, Colin glanced over and

realized  Sloan  was  staring  right  at  him.  Chills
popped  on  his  skin,  and  a  blush  crept  into  his
cheeks.  He  swallowed  his  omelet  with  difficulty.
Sheesh,  he'd  never  reacted  this  way  to  a  guy
before  and  wasn’t  even  sure  what  his  body  was
reacting to. Do I fear Sloan? Appreciation that it felt

like the man guarded over me all night? Attracted to
him? He hadn’t a fucking clue.

“And he’s looking right at you, Colin. Make a

friend last night?” Oren leaned into his line of
sight, smirking at him.

“No, it’s just…he was across from me and…”

Colin shrugged. He wasn’t sure how to describe it.
While he had despaired last night over everything
that had happened, the presence of Sloan made
him feel like he wasn’t alone in his grief.

“Like him?” Oren eyebrows waggled.
Dalton swatted Oren, “Leave him be. He’s been

through enough shit in the last twenty-four hours
without having to deal with your nonsense.”

But as far as Colin was concerned, it wasn’t

nonsense. He was attracted to Sloan. There was no
rhyme or reason. His head should be somewhere
else entirely, but all he was doing, while his food
kept spilling off his fork and back into his plate,
was staring at the sexy Alpha.

Full Moon Lockdown

Colin was about to say something when he saw

Sloan tense, and then Colin felt a presence behind
him. Turning, there was a huge, menacing Alpha,
eye  fucking  him  with  his  dull  brown  eyes.
Shivering,  Colin  crept  up  his  hand  to  his  neck.
Behind  was  another  guy  just  as  big,  smirking  at
him. Gross.

“Leave,

Duke.”

Dalton

was

firm,

commanding… and completely useless against the
guy.

Duke pushed Dalton over, not so gently. Duke

invaded Colin’s space. “Name?”

Colin searched his friends' faces, trying to

figure out what the hell was going on.

Before he could even squeak out his name,

Duke  was  wrenched  backward  out  of  his  seat,
landing  hard  on  the  ground.  Colin  whipped  his
head around and saw Sloan facing off with Duke.
Duke  smiled  wickedly  before  he  shot  off  the
ground,  charging  Sloan  and  wrapping  his  arms
around his mid-section.

The two Alphas went down hard, punching the

fuck out of each other. Sloan landed a hard one to
Duke's  jaw,  and  the  two  of  them  rolled  before
knocking  into the  next  table.  The  room  of  people
scattered and ran, ducking out of the way as Sloan
got  the  better  hand.  He  picked  Duke  up  and
slammed  him  onto  a  hard  oak  table.  The  damn

Jackie Nacht

thing groaned, and so did Duke as Sloan went to
town on his face.

Guards poured in, and Colin recognized

Malach in the lead. “Enough!”

The guards broke the two guys up, their bodies

straining to have one more go at each other. Both
had bloody knuckles and cuts and marks over
their bodies as they were dragged away.

Sloan turned and yelled back. “No one touches

him, Knox. Watch him!”

Knox came closer to Colin.
“Was he talking about me?”
“Yeah, he was talking about you.” Knox shoved

the other guy that had come over to Colin with
Duke. The other glared but moved on, leaving the
cafeteria altogether.

“Why?”
“I have no idea why. You can talk to him about

that later. Sloan will most likely be in lockdown
for the rest of the day.”

Oh, Colin would most definitely be talking to

Sloan. He wanted to know if there was some
strange pull coming from his side too.

Full Moon Lockdown

Chapter Three

eeling a hand push into his back, Sloan
stumbled into his cell. Turning, he glared at

Malach.  They  had  become  friends  in  this  place.
There  really  was  no  division  between  the  guards
and  residents.  Guards  were  only  there  to  help
them get through this time in their life.

Sloan knew he'd fucked up big time, so it was

no shock when Malach shook his head at him.

“You can’t be working yourself up today.

You’re  shit  at  shifting,  and  this  is  going  to  make
your  night  hell.  I’ve  told  you  time  and  again  to
stay away from Duke. He and his friend Cass are
both assholes. Bad pack they come from.” Malach
leaned  on  the  frame  of  the  bar  door,  crossing  his
arm.

“I didn’t want him anywhere near Colin.”
“You know Colin?” Malach stood up straight.
“Well, no, but I heard you talk to him last night.

Watched him.”

“Creepy.” Malach chuckled softly.

Jackie Nacht

“Thanks. It’s not like I feel weirded out by it or

anything. Guy probably thinks I’m some
sociopath.”

“No. I think Colin was worried when we

dragged your ass off. Now, go and rest. You know
it's protocol that we have to keep you in lockdown
all day. Try to meditate and calm down.” Malach
stood back and closed the door, leaving the steel
bars between them.

“You know that meditation shit doesn’t work

for me. Never has and never will.”

Malach eyed him in concern. “Then, try to think

of something that will calm you and your wolf
down to prepare for tonight. Don’t want this
incidence to cause you any more pain than you are
already going to have to go through.”

Sloan had nothing to say to that. He wasn’t sure

if this incident would cause his body to feel like it
was being ripped apart. Walking back to his
mattress, he slumped down onto it, lying on his
back and scrubbing his face with his hands. Man,
he was so tired of all this shit. Tired of knowing he
was going to feel like hell the next two days, tired
of this place.

“You okay?”
Sloan jerked to a sitting position. There,

standing at his door, was Colin. Concern filled the
cerulean eyes. Behind him stood the three Omegas
and Knox. Knox shook his head.

Full Moon Lockdown

“Ugh, huh?” Wow, his first words to Colin, and

he sounded like he needed to reenter the first
grade.

“Come here.” Colin reached through the bars,

beckoning him.

Standing slowly, Sloan walked toward Colin as

if in a daze. There was something so strange about
this.

Gripping the bars, Sloan stared down at Colin.

So  many  emotions  swirled  within.  Excitement,
desire and a beautiful soothing calm that made it
seem  like  maybe  tonight  could  be  okay  for  once.
Sloan  watched  as  Colin  slowly  reached  up  and
touched a tender spot on his cheek.

“You’re bleeding,” Colin whispered.
Sloan leaned into the touch. Colin’s hand was

so soft to his sensitive flesh. “I’ll be all right.”
Sloan mumbled.

He felt like turning his head and kissing that

soft palm. Slowly, he leaned back, troubled that a
thought like that would even pass through his
mind. What in the hell was happening to me? Maybe

I’m  going feral. Who knew, but I don’t want Colin to
see  and  hear  the  things  that  are  going  to  transpire
tonight. Walking back to his floor vault, he opened
it up, retrieving his iPod. Sloan went back to face
Colin  whose  brow  was  furrowed  in  confusion  as
he handed it to him.

Jackie Nacht

“What’s this for?” Colin asked, staring up at

him.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Sloan

answered, “So you don’t have to hear me and the
others scream tonight.”

* * * *

Colin couldn’t believe the words that had just
passed Sloan’s lips, and for the remainder of the
day, they haunted him, much like everything else
had haunted him the last two days.

The rest of the day was a blur. So many damn

fights broke out, and each time, Dalton, Oren and
Brendan were there to move him out of the way or
just stand next to him as he had to watch the
violence that was now going to be a part of his life.

After dinner, the guards finally gave up and

sent them all in for lockdown. For whatever
reason, this month was worse than usual.

Glancing to his side, he saw the iPod that Sloan

had given him. Is it really going to be that awful? He
had  seen  his  pack  shift  so  many  times,  and  it
seemed  so  second  nature,  he  couldn’t  possibly
fathom how it  could  be bad enough to shield his
hearing.  Then,  he  had  been  told  numerous  times
by  the  pack  how  painful  it  was  in  the  beginning
and how those talks had grown into a great fear.

Full Moon Lockdown

He stared out the small window; the sun was

showing its last rays. Soon. Getting up, he walked
to the steel doors. Colin noticed that many of the
Alphas  were  pacing  in  their  rooms.  He  couldn’t
see  the  Omegas,  because  like  him,  they  were  on
the west side of the hall. Some of the Alphas were
rolling  their  necks  while  others  aggressively
rubbed different body parts.

“You need to go back inside.”
Colin’s head whipped around to see that Sloan

was  death  gripping  his  bars.  Staring  at  him.  His
hazel  eyes  shone  bright,  reflecting  something
more  to  them  than  earlier.  Is  his  wolf  already

surfacing?

“Colin!”
Colin jerked. “Sorry.”
“For what? There’s nothing to be sorry for. Go

inside and put the headphones on now.” Sloan’s
voice was turning guttural toward the end.

“Sloan,” Colin whispered.
Sloan was taking great heaving breaths now.

“Go, please.”

“Good luck. I’ll see you in the morning.” Colin

reached through the bars, holding out his hand
before tucking it back inside.

Sitting on the bed, Colin started to hear the

moans.  He  should  put  on  the  headphones  and
tune  this  out,  but  curiosity  was  getting  to  him.
Colin  wanted  some  heads  up  as  to  what  he  was

Jackie Nacht

going to go through in the next couple years,
wanted to know just how bad it was going to be
for him.

Five minutes later, the groans were growing

louder. Colin hugged his legs as he sat with his
back against the wall, staring blindly at the brick
wall ahead.

Another five minutes and the screams started

in. Colin rocked as he heard the other shifters
shout out, not being able to tell who was saying
what.

A snap sounded, causing Colin to jump. “Fuck!

My leg, gods, my leg!”

Another scream. “I’m dying!”
“Shit!” followed by a loud crack.
“Help, oh gods, please help!” The pleading

cries caused Colin’s lip to tremble and tears to
pool in his eyes. As more pleas filled the air, the
tears began to drip down his cheeks unchecked.

Several more screams came, overlapping one

another as the sounds of bones breaking, bodies
falling on the hard floors, then finally, the growls
began.

More growls and howls started up, and then,

the bodies started to hit the bars of the doors.
Gods, would they be able to break through? Colin was
freaking the hell out and reached for the iPod just
as he heard footsteps walking down the hall.

Full Moon Lockdown

Standing but staying back as far from the door

as possible, Colin noticed several guards standing
along the center of the hallway. Each of them was
holding a cattle prod in each hand while two more
were strapped onto their belts. Malach stood in
front of his door, facing toward Sloan.

In all the screaming, he had not once heard

Sloan. For sure, he would have heard his voice
above all the rest.

Slamming against the bars began, and he

watched  in  the  darkness  as  several  of  the  guards
had  to  use  the  cattle  prods.  Yelps  joined  in,  and
shakily,  Colin  slid  back  over  to  his  mattress,
dropping down onto it.

This could not be…
Nervously grabbing the iPod, he made two

attempts to put the buds on his ears. Finally, he
got them on and anxiously started the music,
drawing his knees up once again.

Just when Colin thought it couldn’t get worse,

his life had turned into a nightmare.

The next morning was even more chaos. Colin

woke  early  to  the  sound  of  pitiful  groans  and
people running around back and forth. He got up
and  made  his  way  to  his  door,  peering  around.
Nurses,  doctors  and  guards  were  running  from
room  to  room,  some  wheeling  men  out  on
gurneys. Others were carrying a med pack as they
checked  on  all  the  new  shifters.  A  few  replaced

Jackie Nacht

torn-up mattresses from a pile of new one that
stood stacked in the middle of the hall.

The hall looked like a damn war zone. There

was blood, a lot of blood. A medic walked out of
Sloan’s room, shaking his head as he walked
away.

Moving quietly, almost feeling like an intruder,

he crept to Sloan’s door.

Gods, he looked bad. Pale as paste and blood

covering the floor, Colin almost turned away. But
he just couldn’t leave Sloan like this.

What wasn’t pale on Sloan’s body was bruised

with dark purple and blues. Even both eyes were
black. His feet reacted before his brain, and he
found himself kneeling before Sloan’s bed.

Sloan turned to stare at him with pain-filled

eyes. “You shouldn’t be here,” Sloan hoarsely
whispered.

“I want to help you. Tell me what I can do.”
Sloan flipped the sheet down to his waist,

revealing his angry bruises on his naked torso.
“There’s not much you can do.”

“Are you thirsty?”
“Yeah,” Sloan groaned. He kept moving as if he

was trying to find a spot he would be more
comfortable in.

Colin seriously doubted he would find one

with all the wounds Sloan was sporting. Running
out, he kept going to the cafeteria where there was

Full Moon Lockdown

a very small group of people getting breakfast.
They all had puffy, haunted eyes. Colin made his
way over to the buffet area where he grabbed a
bottle of water and some hot oatmeal just in case
Sloan wanted something soft.

Making his way back swiftly, he walked in

while another doctor was checking in on Sloan.
Colin maneuvered around him and sat back down
next to the mattress. The guy checked Sloan’s
vitals before leaving once again.

“Come on up here. You don’t need to sit on the

floor,” Sloan mumbled.

Colin gently perched onto the mattress, making

sure the pressure of his weight didn’t move Sloan
and cause him any more pain than he was already
in.

Uncapping the water, he lifted Sloan’s head and

brought it to his lips. Colin watched Sloan’s throat
work as he drank in great gulps. The man was
more than a little thirsty as he drank the bottle
down in just a few gulps. Colin wished he would
have brought another bottle or two.

“I brought oatmeal too. Are you hungry?”

Colin petted Sloan's soft black hair.

“I could eat. Can you help me up?”
Colin reached forward, at a loss as to what spot

to touch without hurting the poor man. Finally, he
reached under Sloan’s arms and helped him to a
sitting position, back resting against the wall.

Jackie Nacht

Sloan swallowed, eyes squeezed shut as he

moaned in pain.

Reaching forward, Colin once again stroked

Sloan’s hair that had fallen over his eyes.

Sloan opened his eyes slowly. “Kiss me, please.

I just want to feel something good right now, and I
can’t think of anything better than your lips,”
Sloan whispered to him.

Leaning forward, unable to resist, Colin gently

pressed his lips to Sloan's. Fire ignited, sending a
rush  of  heat  over  his  body  at  the  chaste  kiss.
Sloan’s  full  lips  worked  over  his  and  nibbled  on
the  plump  lower  lip.  They  only  kissed  for  a
moment before Colin leaned back, staring at Sloan.
His eyes were drooped, and for the first time, no
pain showed in them.

Colin wasn’t sure what was going on, but in the

meantime, Sloan was the one bright spot in his
life. He would hold onto that dearly and take care
of the man.

“Why’d you come?” Sloan asked.
“I’m not sure. I feel like I need to take care of

you. I reacted before I thought on it. Worried
about you more than the others around here even
though they went through the change too. It’s like
we’ve been friends forever, and I just…know you.
I sound crazy, don’t I?”

Sloan shook his head. “No, ever since you

walked through the doors, I’ve had this instinct to

Full Moon Lockdown

protect you. I thought it was just the full moon
coming on, but even flat on my ass, I want to
make sure no one comes near you.”

“You ever have this happen to you?” Colin

scooped a spoonful of oatmeal and fed it to Sloan.

Sloan shook his head, swallowing the mouthful.

"No, you?”

Colin glanced down, scooping more up before

answering, “No."

“Then, we’ll just have to figure this out, all

right?” Sloan reached up with the rough pads of
his fingers and stroked Colin’s jawline.

The feeling sent sparks all over his body. Colin

leaned in and gave the Alpha one softer kiss. “I’d
like that.”

Jackie Nacht

Chapter Four

or two days, Colin had gone to Sloan’s room,
tending to his needs. Never in all Sloan’s

years there had anyone shown him such affection.
Yeah, everyone worried and cared for him, but
none ever took the time to sit with him as he
healed slowly from the horrible shifts.

Sloan had promised himself that the night of

the full moon he would not utter a sound of pain
with  Colin  so  nearby.  Colin  had  already  had  to
hear  everyone  else,  and  he  didn’t  want  to  add  to
the  horror  that  Colin  would  encounter.  So  he'd
remained  silent,  almost  chipping  his  teeth  from
grinding them so hard.

Sloan stood and left his room, making his way

across  to  Colin's  cell.  Thank  gods  they  were  no
longer  in  lockdown  and  the  doors  were  open
twenty-four/seven.  Glancing  in,  he  noticed  that
Colin was nowhere to be seen.

Full Moon Lockdown

“He’s with his brother. Peyton woke this

morning.” Dalton stood off to the side of him with
Oren and Brendan coming up from behind.

Sloan’s appreciation for these young Omegas

went up greatly since they'd taken Colin under his
wing. During the last two days, they'd made sure
Colin ate and took care of him when Sloan
couldn’t. Shaking his head, he wondered what the
fuck. Why was he thinking like this?

The whole thing was crazy; the strange

protectiveness  for  Colin.  Over  the  last  two  days,
he had questioned Colin on why he was there and
why  he  had  come  in  injured.  Colin  had  lost
everyone. Sloan had seen it with his eyes when the
man  shut  down  and  started  thinking  about  his
pack.

For those two days while flat on his back, he’d

done the only thing he could, he'd listened. Colin
talked of his entire pack. Talked about how loving
his parents were before they had died when Colin
was only sixteen years old. And the simple life he
had tragically been ripped from. He found that
Colin was just as interested in hearing about his
pack and found they were pretty damn similar.

Knowing Colin had been yearning to see his

brother who had come in injured made Sloan
come to a standstill in the hallway. Did he go and
support Colin, or did he go about his morning and
leave him alone?

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“Come on; he wanted to make sure we took

you to breakfast and got you a good dose of
protein.” Brendan grabbed him by the arm before
tugging him toward the cafeteria.

Smiling, Sloan couldn’t believe, even with his

brother waking up, Colin made sure to tell his
friends to take care of him. Of course, if the roles
were reversed, he would be doing the same thing,
had done the same thing the night of lockdown.

These walls had chilled him to the bone for the

last three years. At one point, he even thought he
might be on the edge of going feral. But with Colin
there, warmth was beginning to seep back into his
core.

Knox met them along the way, and Oren flirted

with his best friend outrageously. That was Oren
for you, and Sloan almost felt the need to tell Oren
that he didn’t stand a chance with Knox. The man
was as close as you got to a lone wolf. The man
might be fun, but he probably would never have a
mate.

Mate. Just the word had Colin coming front and

center  in  Sloan’s  mind.  He  wasn’t  sure  what  was
going  on  between  the  two  of  them.  Is  Colin  my
mate? He had always  been told that  you couldn’t
keep  your  hands  off  your  mate—you  would
immediately  want  to  climb  all  over  them.  Fuck
them all night long. That wasn’t the case here.

Full Moon Lockdown

The first thing that Sloan felt was protectiveness

and a clawing need to help him through his losses.
Sure, Sloan was extremely attracted to him, but he
had  always  heard  the  desire  was  all-consuming
when  it  came  to  mates.  Do  I  want  to  make  love  to
Colin? Hell yes. Frowning, Sloan wasn’t sure what
in the hell was going on. He thought about asking
Malach  but  felt  a  little  embarrassed  to  talk  about
Colin to someone else.

Walking into the cafeteria for the first time since

his shift, he noticed most were back, but a few
brand new shifters were still missing in action.
Definitely to be expected.

On the far side sat Cass and Duke, glaring at

them.

Knox nudged Sloan. “Those two are going to be

a problem.”

Shrugging, Sloan scooped up a pile of bacon.

“They’re always a problem.”

“Yeah, but you never had anything they could

use against you.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Sloan was getting irritated.

“It means they know you guard Colin. They’re

assholes, and they’ve been watching for a
weakness of yours for a long time.”

Dalton stepped forward, angry. “Colin is not a

weakness, Knox. I promise you that. Let him know

Jackie Nacht

how the situation is, and he will be able to handle
himself.”

“But he’s—” Knox was cut off abruptly.
“He’s an Omega. We are not a weakness, I

assure you.” Dalton walked away, steps angry.

“What’d I say?” Knox held his arms out, a piece

of bacon falling off his plate.

Oren walked by. “You underestimate us just

like all the other assholes in here. That’s what.”

Brendan followed, giving both the Alphas

sympathetic glances before he hurried to catch up.

“You really need to work on your social skills,

Knox.” Sloan shook his head, but as he sat down,
he  couldn’t  help  but  roll  over  the  words  the
Omegas had said. Could Colin handle himself against
an asshole like Duke? Duke was born and bred in an
awful pack. His shit went bone deep, and his hate
resonated  onto  the  remainder  of  the  residents  at
the  compound.  Rubbing  his  hair  aggressively,  he
decided he wasn’t sure his Alpha instincts would
ever let Duke get close enough to Colin to get the
answer.

* * * *

After three days of being there, Colin was able to
navigate around the damn place. Leaving the ICU,
he made his way over to the cafeteria. He couldn’t
wait to tell his friends that Peyton was awake and

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better. Rayce and Lewis had been with Colin as he
gently told his brother what had happened to their
pack. Peyton was clearly upset—crying. He was
second guessing telling his brother when he woke
up, but the Elder assured him he had to know the
reason for being where he was at. The sooner he
adjusted, the quicker he would heal. Colin highly
doubted the black and white statement.

Colin stayed until Peyton fell back asleep, then

Rayce  ushered  him  out.  He  could  come  back  the
next  day,  but  Peyton  needed  all  his  strength  to
heal  right  then.  That  damn  pushy  guard  was
getting on his last nerve.

Running in, he caught the tail end of breakfast.

Some dishes were already put away, but Colin
grabbed for the last of the hash browns and ham.
He maneuvered his way to his table of friends and
saw that Sloan wasn’t with them. Worried, he
glanced around and saw him two tables over with
Knox. What is with the great divide?

Doing a fancy foot dance for a moment, trying

to figure out where to sit, he made his way over to
Sloan. Sitting down, he eyed the two men.

When they stared back, remaining silent, Colin

asked, “Well?”

They both simultaneously shrugged at him.

Brilliant and completely unhelpful.

“How did your visit go with your brother?”

Jackie Nacht

Sloan leaned forward. Is he trying to steer the

conversation  away  on  purpose?  “Wait,  why  aren’t
you  guys  sitting  with  them?  I  told  them  to  help
you.  Is  there  a  problem?”  Colin  watched  as  the
three Omegas got up and made their way over to
sit  with  them.  They  slumped  down  in  their  seats
but not before giving the two Alphas the stink eye.

“What the hell is going on?” Colin held his

hands out in frustration.

“Ignorance, that’s what,” Dalton grumbled.
“What do you mean?” Colin felt like he was

caught  up  in  the  middle  with  no  information
whatsoever. He so didn’t need all this  right now.
Well,  he  was  going  to  be  middleman  until  Sloan
grabbed his belt loop and slid his ass over so the
two were pressed against each other. Leaning in a
little, sheesh, the man smelled fantastic. This…this
was  what  he  needed  right  now  after  feeling  so
raw. Wait, focus!

“You know how it goes. Alphas always viewing

us as weak—needing to protect us.” Oren snarled.

Colin brows rose “And we don’t need

protecting?”

Dalton gasped. “What in the hell? Who taught

you that? Didn’t you have an Omega in your pack
that sat you down and told you how things work.”

It did not go without Colin’s notice that the

smallest in the bunch, Brendan, didn’t say a word.
His food was most definitely not that interesting,

Full Moon Lockdown

but Brendan inspected and moved it around his
plate as if it held the secrets to life.

Colin shook his head, frowning. It was tough to

talk  about  his  old  pack.  “Ugh,  it  was  just  Peyton
and  me.”  Glancing  down,  Colin  began  to  pick  at
his  food.  He  felt  the  warmth  of  Sloan’s  hand  rub
his back.

Dalton leaned forward, giving him a

sympathetic gaze. “Look, this is really bad timing.
I’m sorry, Colin. We can talk about all this later.”

“No, I want to know. Please.” Colin leaned into

Sloan, but he no longer had an appetite.

Dalton blew out a breath. “Whatever you take

away from this, you three.” Dalton glared at Knox
and  Sloan  before  returning  his  attention  back  to
Colin.  “The  role  of  an  Omega  is  not  to  be  some
damsel  in  distress.  We  are  much  more  than  that.
We  have  strengths.  Sloan  is  worried  about  Duke
around you. He thinks you need his protection.”

“What do you mean? I highly doubt…” Colin

glanced over to Sloan, slowly sweeping his gaze
up and down, showing how massive Sloan was
compared to him. “I could take on Duke.”

Shaking his head, Dalton went on. “He may be

the  strength,  but  you’re  the  strategist.  Being
informed  of  what’s  going  on  can  help  you  figure
out  how  to  remove  yourself  from  a  situation
where  Duke  could  cause  you  trouble.  Of  course,
you couldn’t take him on hand to hand. No matter

Jackie Nacht

what,  we  will  always  be  physically  weaker  with
our  hands,  but  Omegas  are  known  for  their
problem-solving  skills.”  Dalton  emphasized  his
point  by  leaning  across  the  table  and  tapping  his
finger on Colin’s forehead.

Frowning, Colin leaned back. “What do I need

to solve?” It’s not like he had much freedom in
this place.

“I mean, who do you think leads the pack in the

war against hellhounds? Alphas may fight, but we
are  the  ones  who  lead,  coordinate  and  are  the
tactical part of the war. The planners when we do
go  into  battle  with  hellhounds.  You  think  this
compound  is  just  to  help  you  coexist  with  your
wolf?”  Dalton  shook  his  head,  “This  is  also  a
recruitment to decide who will be best in fighting
the hellhounds. My dear friend, you have no idea
how special you truly are.”

Full Moon Lockdown

Chapter Five

loan laid awake that night, going over
everything that Dalton had said. He'd always

heard the very same thing, but it was so hard to
believe. His pack had an Omega when he was
younger, but after he'd left for the compound, he
never came back home. Was it because he'd joined
the ranks in the war?

Did I grow up with a distorted view that Omegas

were weaker? The problem was it was impossible to
ignore the fact that Colin was smaller and less
physically strong compared to Alphas. But was

Colin the weakness, or is it my own fear? If Colin got in

a situation with Duke, could he outsmart the Alpha to
get out of it?

Just about to moan in frustration, he heard a

sound at his door. Snapping to a sitting position,
Sloan immediately relaxed as he recognized Colin
in the doorway.

Jackie Nacht

“I’m sorry. I’ll go. I didn’t know you were

sleeping.” Colin was about to turn and leave, but
Sloan jumped up and grabbed him by the arm.

“I wasn’t. I was actually thinking about what

Dalton told us today. You okay?”

Colin fidgeted, “Yeah…no…I don’t know.

Sheesh, I’m really fucking overwhelmed. Can I
stay with you tonight? These damn nightmares…”
Colin mumbled.

Sloan knew that was frowned upon, but he

didn’t have it in him to tell Colin no. Walking back
to his mattress, he climbed in, gesturing for Colin
to join him.

Colin pulled his shirt over his head and toed off

his shoes before crawling in next to him.

Sloan grabbed Colin and held onto him,

relishing  the  clean  lemon  scent  of  the  man.  He
stroked  the  soft  brown  hair,  seeing  the  blond
highlights  flash  as  they  were  hit  by  the  outside
hall lights.

“Mmm…feels good. I can’t get over seeing my

brother  today.  He’s  going  to  live,  but  he’ll  have
scars  to  remind  him  of  that  night.  Those
hellhounds…they  really  worked  him  over  good,
you know,” Colin said roughly.

“But he’s going to live. That’s what the two of

you have to focus on. Look at the silver lining.”

Full Moon Lockdown

Colin turned in his arms, facing him. “I used to

always say that about Peyton. No matter how bad
it got, he found the one positive. He’s amazing.”

Sloan placed a soft kiss on Colin's forehead,

lingering. “I can’t wait to meet him.”

Colin sighed. “I wish I could get away. Just a

day, you know. Get some fresh air.”

Frowning, Sloan glanced down at Colin whose

head was resting on his chest. “Why can’t we?”

“Huh?”
“We aren’t in lockdown anymore. We can get

out and enjoy some of the island. There’s a lot of
hiking trails.”

“You’ll come with me?”
Smiling, Sloan rumbled, “Yeah, I’ll come with

you.”

Sloan listened to Colin's breathing even out. He

thought he was asleep until he whispered, “You
think Dalton was right? You think I can protect
myself? I have to admit, I’m not so convinced.”

“I’m not sure. Although, I wonder if you can

realistically lump every Omega into one type. Not
every shifter is born with the skills to join this war.
I think he means well, but no, I don’t think two
Omegas are alike. Just like no two Alphas are
alike.”

“That makes sense. We are going to be what we

are going to be. I think Brendan feels the same
way I do. I’m not sure I could be tactical enough to

Jackie Nacht

handle a battle. I didn’t do such a great job with
my pack,” Colin choked out.

“Colin, you did what you could. You and

Peyton are alive.” Sloan skimmed his finger down
Colin’s naked back to soothe the tension.

“I wish I could have done more.”
“I think you did what you could. You and

Peyton barely got out with your lives. Three
hellhounds working together usually can take a
whole pack of wolf shifters that have been trained
to take them down.”

Sloan brushed a kiss along Colin’s hair. He was

definitely  attracted  to  the  man,  but  he  knew  this
wasn’t  the  right  time  for  anything.  Colin  was
hurting,  and  with  that,  Sloan  only  focused  on
taking  care  of  him.  It  was  like  his  desire  was
dialed down just so he could focus on what Colin
needed the most from him.

Sloan heard footsteps outside his room before

Malach filled up the doorway. “Come on, Colin.
You have to go back to your room.”

“But—” Sloan started to protest.
“It’s the rules, man, and I can’t bend them for

you  just  because  I  like  you.  Has  to  be  across  the
board.”  Malach  leaned  out,  checking  down  the
hall.  More  footsteps  and  then  an  abrupt  “Fuck
off!” filled the hallway. That was definitely Duke’s
voice.

Full Moon Lockdown

Rising, Colin grabbed his shirt and shoes. Sloan

wanted to reach out and pull him back to bed.
Sloan needed to protect him. Colin even said he
didn’t want to sleep alone.

Before Colin walked out, he turned toward

Sloan  and  leaned  back  down  onto  one  knee.
“Goodnight,”  Colin  whispered  to  him  before  he
closed  the  distance  and  pressed  his  full  lips  to
Sloan’s mouth.

Moaning, Sloan deepened the kiss, loving the

feel of Colin working his mouth over his own.
There was a slight brush of tongue to his lips
before Colin pulled back and left with Malach.

Falling back on the bed, Sloan blew out a

breath. He was falling hard for the guy, and all
they’d done was kiss.

* * * *

The  next  day,  Colin  waited  for  Sloan  to  come
outside  his  classroom.  He  could  not  believe  it
when he woke up that morning that he was to be
dragged away to a full course load of classes he'd
never  signed  up  for.  Mandatory  attendance.
Unfuckingbelievable.

The class he'd just left was utterly mind-

numbing. The entire room was filled with puzzles
and problem-solving equations, and he walked
around doing several of them just like all the other

Jackie Nacht

Omegas.  Dalton  flew  around  putting  them
together and breaking them down in record time.
Oren  was  close  on  his  heels.  But  poor  Brendan
stayed the whole time on one puzzle and still was
in there trying to figure the darn thing out. Colin
was  more  in  the  middle  of  the  class.  He  did  an
okay job, but he wasn’t great.

Then, there was one of the Alpha classes across

the  hall.  Meditation.  Colin  so  badly  wanted  to
sneak a peek at all those huge guys trying to find
their  inner  Zen.  Hell,  even  their  resting  wolves
were  probably  rolling  their  eyes  at  the  class  they
were forced to attend. Supposedly, it was to help
the wolves that were having a hard time shifting.
Colin  scratched  his  jaw,  not  wholeheartedly
believing. Well, then again, if anything could help
these  poor  guys  out,  he  would  hope  they  would
try anything.

Standing in the hallway, he now recognized a

few faces as they walked by, giving small smiles
and nods to him. Sloan came out wearing a black
shirt and boot-cut jeans that hugged his ass.

Colin met him in the middle of the hallway.

“Hi.” Sheesh, that was awkward, and he sounded
like a teenage boy, squeaking like that.

Sloan grabbed his hand and began leading him

toward the cafeteria. Oh, his hand was so warm.
Colin's body shivered from those delicious
callused hands. Focus!

Full Moon Lockdown

“Wait! Can you do something with me before

we go to lunch?”

Sloan nodded. “Sure.”
Taking a deep breath, he continued, “Will you

come with me to visit my brother?”

Face sobering, Sloan replied, “Yeah. Lead the

way.”

Keeping their hands entwined, Colin led Sloan

to  the  intensive  care  room  where  Peyton  was
staying.  This  was  definitely  a  gamble,  bringing
someone to see his brother, but Sloan was starting
to  become  an  important  part  of  Colin’s  new  life
there even if they only met  a few days ago. Hell,
the last few days felt more like ten years to him.

They made the trek in just a few short minutes

and were greeted at the door by Rayce.

Colin was about to walk in with Sloan when

Rayce put a hand on Colin's chest.

Sloan growled behind him.
Rayce glared over his shoulder at Sloan.

“You’re not going in.”

“Rayce, I want to introduce Peyton to my

friend.” Colin pleaded. Sheesh, the two were
about to squish him. They were practically nose to
nose over his damn head.

“No.”
“Oh c’mon, Rayce, be reasonable.” Colin

shoved at the immovable wall.

Jackie Nacht

“Rayce.” Peyton’s weak voice came from inside,

and Rayce stared daggers a moment more before
turning and practically shutting the door in their
faces.

Colin could hear soft voices but couldn’t make

out what the two were saying inside. After a
couple of minutes, Rayce came back out, gesturing
for them to walk in.

Colin ran over to his brother, grabbing his hand

and  sitting  next  to  him.  His  poor  brother  had
stitches  running  along  the  side  of  his  face  and
arms  while  one  arm  was  broken,  along  with
several  ribs.  His  brother  was  on  a  lot  of  pain
medication  to  get  him  through  the  long  hours  of
healing.

“How’re you feeling?”
“Hurt but that’s to be expected. I think I might

be a little better today. Hard to tell…you know?”
Peyton tilted his head to get a better look at Sloan,
who was still standing by the door.

“So who’s this?” Peyton’s breathing sounded a

little labored. Colin shot Rayce a worried glance.

Coming over, Rayce gently propped Peyton up

with enough pillows to help him breathe a little
easier.

“Peyton, this is Sloan. Sloan, come here and

meet my brother.” Sloan approached the bed and
shook Peyton’s hand almost delicately before
stepping back to the foot of the bed.

Full Moon Lockdown

“It’s nice to meet you, Peyton. Your brother has

been telling me a lot about you.”

Peyton nodded, but his eyes brimmed. Yeah,

Colin knew exactly what he was thinking. It was
hard to tell Sloan about Peyton, because in doing
so, he had to talk about the ones they'd lost. Colin
tightened his lips, hoping this visit would go a hell
of a lot better than yesterday.

Peyton turned to stare at him, his chocolate

brown eyes, so like their mother's, filled with
tears.

“Aww, Peyton, it’s okay.” Colin leaned

forward, hugging his brother as gently as possible.

Rayce was on the other side of the bed

instantly.

“I am so sorry. I said something wrong.” Sloan

was backing toward the door.

“Shit, stay. It’s not you. This medicine makes

me so emotional.” Peyton rubbed his eyes and
tried to collect himself.

Oh how Colin wished that was fully true. But

like  him,  Peyton  was  going  to  have  some  really
hard  times  ahead.  He  had  a  moment  last  night
when  he  went  to  Sloan  and  thought  he  might  be
able  to  sleep  one  fucking  night  without  hearing
the  screams.  But  that was  ripped  away  from  him
the  moment  he  had  to  go  to  his  own  room.  He
spent  the  rest  of  the  night  having  horrible
nightmares.  Peyton  was  going  to  be  right  there

Jackie Nacht

with him. No one walked away from that night
unscarred.

“It’s all right to cry, Peyton. Don’t feel bad

about it. You’ve been through a lot.” Colin assured
him.

Peyton glanced over at Sloan. “Please stay. I

want to hear about you. Are you my brother’s
friend or something more?”

Colin almost burst out laughing. That was his

brother for you. In all this shit, he was finding
something light to talk about. Peyton waggled his
eyebrows even with watery eyes.

Smiling, Colin wasn’t even sure how to reply,

so he tried to play it safe by saying, “He’s a fr—”

“More,” Sloan interrupted him. Sloan stared

over at him, gaze penetrating. “We’re more.”

“Okay,” Colin whispered.
“So, Sloan, come on over here and let me get to

know you.” Peyton patted his bed, and Sloan sat.
And that was the start of his brother’s and Sloan’s
friendship. As the conversation went on and Colin
sat  back  just  observing  much  like  Rayce,  he
noticed  that  this  was  probably  what  Peyton
needed.  He  needed  a  good  dose  of  normal
conversation,  something  that  didn’t  represent  the
fucked-up week they'd had.

An hour later, they left an exhausted Peyton to

Rayce. Peyton didn’t even keep his eyes open until
they made it to the door. Colin felt fuller in spirit

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than he had since coming there. Peyton even
smiled a couple times during the visit.

They stopped and got lunch with the rest of the

others, and Colin could feel the stress of the visit
melt  off  him  as  he  listened  to  the  conversations
around  him.  Like  his  brother,  he  just
needed…something  not  so  terrible.  He  needed  to
see that spark in life to know that he was going to
be  okay—his  brother  was  going  to  be  okay.
Looking  over  at  Sloan,  Colin  thought  maybe  the
Alpha was just that spark.

Sloan was such a great man to help him and

Peyton out right now. It wasn’t like Sloan didn't
have his own shit to endure with all those horrible
full moons. Maybe there was a way Colin could
help him.

After lunch, Colin and Sloan took a walk

around the compound before the afternoon classes
were to begin. They were in a deserted hallway
when Colin finally stopped Sloan.

“I just wanted to say thank you. I think you

helped Peyton more than you know. Right now,
I’m just not sure what to say that won’t upset him.
I’m afraid I’ll hurt him getting better. Listening to
you small talk about yourself and the people
here…it helped.”

“That’s all I wanted to do, plus I wanted to

meet someone that is important to you.”

Jackie Nacht

“Did you mean it when you said we were

more?”

Sloan stared up at the ceiling, blowing out a

breath. The next move shocked Colin a little when
Sloan grabbed him and embraced him. “I meant it.
Seems  weird  when  we  just  met  and  only  kissed.
Usually,  you  get  to  know  each  other  more
emotionally  and  physically.  Not  sure  how  the
guards  and  Elders  will  look  at  it.  Since  I’ve  been
here, I haven’t seen any couples in our part of the
compound.”

“We’ll just have to see,” Colin murmured,

staring at those gorgeous hazel eyes.

Sloan nodded and leaned in, kissing Colin

soundly.  He  moaned  and  his  body  heated;  his
body  was  aching  for  a  more  intimate  touch.
Without  wanting  to  think  of  why,  Colin  grabbed
Sloan’s  hair,  tugging  him  to  get  closer.  Bodies
molded.  Sloan  walked  him  backward  and  soon
felt the wall hit his back.

Sloan's tongue licked the seam of his lip, and

Colin opened, tasting the flavor that was uniquely
Sloan.  Shivering,  his  body  responded  as  he
grinded  his  erection  into  Sloan.  Sloan  was  right
there  with  him,  rubbing  his  thick  jean-covered
cock against his.

Both were panting, and Colin was sure he was

going to climax right there in his pants when
Sloan swiftly stepped away from him, turning and

Full Moon Lockdown

looking at the ground. Colin was just about to ask
what in the heck was going on when a couple of
guards walked by eyeing them up.

They remained at the end of the hall until Colin

and Sloan eventually left. In Moon Compound,
there was always someone watching you.

Jackie Nacht

Chapter Six

t took two weeks for Sloan to finally get them
outside and able to hike. Colin was so excited,

he could barely contain himself. His brother was
doing better and out of intensive care. They'd had
a memorial the week before for the pack. That had
been the hardest, but Sloan and all his friends had
stood by his side, helping him through the service.

Peyton and he were seeing a therapist daily,

which  sucked  but  was  necessary.  Both  of  them
had a long fucking road ahead, but they had each
other,  and  they  could  get  through  this  together.
The damage had been done for Colin, but he had
so  many  people  trying  to  heal  him  from  the  loss
that  he  hoped  that  somewhere  down  the  line,  he
wouldn’t  be  thinking  of  that  horrible  night  every
hour of the day.

This was the perfect remedy to help him out.

Forget for just a little while. Everyone told him to
go out and get some fresh air. The guards even
opened the damn door for him and Sloan.

Full Moon Lockdown

While they allowed residents of Moon

Compound  to  roam  the  island  sometimes,  events
got  in  the  way.  Like  the  hellhounds  that  kept
showing up in these parts of the Upper Peninsula.
Guards  had  been  constantly  patrolling  the  area,
not quite sure why there was such an escalation in
numbers.  So  far,  none  had  been  spotted  on  Isle
Royale,  but  they  were  right  off  the  shores  just
south.

The Moon Compound was here for a reason. It

was usually safe. Packs were around there,
because the area was protected by some of the best
guards. Right then, it was anything but safe.

The guards had patrolled the area for a week

and  hadn’t  spotted  a  single  hellhound  even  as
recently as that morning. That was the only reason
they  were  finally  given  the  all  clear  to  hike  the
trail,  and  even  then,  guards  were  probably  not
going to be farther than a shout away.

Just thinking how far they had walked already

had Colin huffing and puffing while Sloan was the
epitome of being physically fit. Damn the man and
all his muscles. Maybe Colin could jump on his
shoulders and go piggyback?

“You need me to slow down?” Sloan called

over his shoulder.

“Just need a breather for a sec. Don’t have all

those muscles and shifter strength.” Colin couldn’t
help but give Sloan a little of the stink eye. He was

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a sweaty mess. He wanted to look…well, hot but
not this kind of hot.

They walked over and rested on a large rock

that was off to the side of the trail. Both of them
sat quietly, listening to the sounds of Colin’s
wheezing. Sloan took off his pack, digging to the
side of it, and pulled out a bottle of water, handing
it over to him.

Colin took it gratefully and began taking in

large gulps. He hadn’t been hiking in a while, and
his body was reminding him of it and bitching
him out.

“Thanks,” Colin breathed out after drinking

half the contents of the bottle.

“No problem. I should have been watching you

more  closely  and  not  letting  you  get  this  tired  to
begin  with.  Why  don’t  we  just  sit  here  and  eat
lunch?  Sometimes,  I  forget  that  I’ve  changed  so
much since I got my wolf. Sorry about that.”

“Don’t worry; I needed this, and over there

looks like a good place to have lunch.” There was
a  small  clearing  with  the  summer  sun  shining
down  upon  it.  The  place  was  surrounded  by
several  thick  trees  and  flowers  native  to  the  Isle
Royale.

Carefully, they made their way over, setting up

a  small  picnic  area.  They  sat  crisscrossed  and  ate
their  sandwiches  and  chips  silently.  Glancing
down  at  his  half-eaten  sandwich,  Colin  wished

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that  he  could  stay  there  with  Sloan  and  never
return  to  that  cold-ass  place  that  was  now
supposed  to  be  his  home.  Lifting  his  face  to  the
sky, he finally felt the chill of the dreary place melt
off him.

There was a soft touch to his cheek, and Colin

jumped to see Sloan smiling at him, hand
suspended between them. “That’s the first time
I’ve seen you look happy.”

“I love it here.”
“Then, I’ll make sure we get here as often as

possible.” Sloan smiled and took a great bite out
his sandwich.

That shouldn’t turn Colin on, but it did. Maybe

it had to do with the feel of this freedom or
sharing the moment with Sloan, but he was all of a
sudden more hungry for the man.

Dropping his sandwich to the side, Colin

watched  as  Sloan  swallowed  before  he  leaned  in
and  licked  that  marvelously  thick-corded  neck.
Sloan smelled like fresh air with just a hint of the
man  he  was.  Crawling  farther,  he  took  control  of
the  situation  and  crawled  on  top  of  Sloan’s  lap.
Feeling  Sloan’s  massive  hands  rest  on  his  lower
back, Colin shivered as he leaned in to kiss Sloan’s
full  lips.  Excitement  washed  over  him,  and  he
finally  felt  alive,  not  just  a  body  walking  day  to
day. More. He craved more of this man.

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Sloan slowly lay down, and Colin gratefully

followed, never parting his mouth from those
luscious lips. Taking a chance, he began nibbling
them until Sloan opened up, giving him full access
to deepen the kiss.

Rubbing his body over Sloan's, Colin could feel

Sloan’s erection through his shorts. Moaning,
Colin began to touch the hard, compact muscles of
Sloan’s arms, chest, working his way down to his
abs.

Colin had fucking lost control, and he didn’t

flippin'  care  whatsoever.  His  shirt  slid  up,  and
Colin  felt  the  small  heated  contact  as  their
abdomens  touched.  Hard,  ripped  and  smooth,
Colin wanted to feel more of that delicious skin.

Pulling back for only a moment, sitting on

Sloan’s lap, Colin ripped his shirt off, seeing that
Sloan was just lying there panting. Finally, his
brain kicked back into gear.

“Do you want to…” Colin’s cheeks heated,

unable  to  finish.  Sheesh,  it  wasn’t  like  he  was  a
virgin. Even pre-shifters enjoyed sex, but for some
odd reason, he felt a little shy at this moment. Was
it  because  they  hadn’t  done  much  and  were
skipping a whole lot of steps? Probably. Or was it
that  he  was  actually  initiating  it  after  knowing
Sloan only a couple of weeks? Definitely.

Sloan reached up and pushed Colin's hair out

of his face. “Before we do anything, tell me where

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your head is at. I need to know this before we go
any further.”

“I want this. Want to be with you.” Colin

leaned into Sloan’s hand as he cupped his face.

“Are you ready for this?” Sloan’s hazel eyes

stared up in concern.

Colin laughed. “I’m hardly a virgin, Sloan.”

Shifters  were  pretty  sexual.  They  didn’t  usually
wait  very  long  before  becoming  intimate  with
anyone. Kind of an amazing change coming to the
compound  and  seeing  such  a  difference  in  the
shifters there. He saw such a mix of shifters, from
those  who  were  extremely  sexual  to  those  that
were  not  thinking  about  being  intimate  at  all.
Some  were  using  it  to  help  ease  the  stress,  and
some were the polar opposite—too worried about
the shift to even think of sex.

“That’s not what I’m talking about, Colin. Are

you ready for this?”

Oh. Colin glanced down, staring at his hands

on Sloan’s chest. The man was worried about him
being ready after all he had been through. His
affection for the man grew that Sloan would be so
patient with him.

“I’m ready to be with you, Sloan,” Colin

whispered.

“We only met a couple of weeks ago. We can

wait.” Sloan reached for his hand, bringing it to
his mouth and kissing the palm.

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“Do you not want to?” Was Colin coming off as

too forward?

“No, I want to, but I just want this to be right. I

want to be with you. I really want to be with you. I
care about you a lot,” Sloan murmured.

Colin leaned down and kissed Sloan’s lips

slowly before pulling back just a breath's length. “I
care about you, and this feels right.”

Sloan didn’t wait another second to lean up,

reconnecting their lips. Colin was rolled, and soon,
Sloan was bare-chested, reaching for his shorts.
The man was growling, and his eyes were shining
with need. Colin shivered at seeing the look of
possessiveness cross Sloan’s chiseled features.

Lifting his hips, Colin felt the warm summer air

kiss  his  skin  as  Sloan  pulled  his  shorts  off.  Colin
went to reach for Sloan, but the man was already
taking  care  of  his  own  shorts.  Sloan  was  utterly
breathtaking, short dark hair on his massive chest
with  a  small  trail  that  led  down  to  a  hard,  thick
cock,  which  made  Colin’s  mouth  water  with
needing  to  taste  it.  The  man  was  the  complete
package as an Alpha shifter.

Colin watched as Sloan leaned over, those

wonderful thick, powerful thighs flexing as he
dug into the pack, pulling out…thank fuck,
supplies.

“Did you plan?” Colin smiled up at Sloan. They

hadn’t even talked about having sex. While they

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were together, they had spent more time
supporting each other than being physical, which
made Sloan that much more special to Colin.

“Well, I’ve been so worried about you, I wasn’t

sure. But if you took the initiative and wanted to
be with me, I sure as hell wasn’t going to be
unprepared.” Sloan laughed and then leaned
down, kissing the laughter right out of him.

Colin moaned as he felt their heated erections

rub together for the first time. Colin thrust his hips
up. His cock was leaking copiously onto his
stomach and Sloan’s cock, causing them to slide
against each other more smoothly.

Sloan slid down his body. “Fuck, you taste so

good, Colin.” Sloan growled.

His voice had deepened, and Colin recalled

how he sounded the night of the full moon. He
almost sounded like that. Sloan licked one nipple,
causing his thoughts to scatter as he grabbed onto
Sloan’s dark hair, tugging it. Every lick and suck
went straight to his cock, making Colin go out of
his mind. Sloan moved to the other one, adding a
bit of a bite and causing Colin to shout in surprise.

“Fuck, that felt good.” He moaned.
Sloan began working his way down Colin’s

body. He could feel Sloan’s nibbling get more
aggressive along his hip and couldn’t give a fuck if
he broke the skin a couple times. Every time he
did, it was like it amped up his need for the man.

Jackie Nacht

Reaching for the lube, Colin handed it to Sloan

just as he began licking on his cock. He dropped it
by his thigh as his head flopped back, moaning.
He was so close to coming but wanted to hold off
until Sloan was inside him.

The brush against his leg indicated that Sloan

grabbed  the  lube  as  he  took  Colin  all  the  way  to
the  root.  Colin  couldn’t  help  but  thrust  up  into
Sloan’s  mouth.  That  hot,  wet  cavern  encasing  his
cock  made  it  impossible  not  to.  Sloan  took  it  all,
letting him fuck his mouth for all it was worth.

A moment later and Colin shouted out as he felt

a wet finger circling his entrance. Sloan wasted no
time in sinking a finger inside.

“Fuck, Sloan! More!” he shouted as he felt a

second finger working its way in and began
pumping immediately with the first. Colin pushed
back on them, trying to get them as deep as
possible.

A third finger was inserted, and Colin felt a

burn at the stretch. Glancing down, Colin saw that
Sloan's  eyes  definitely  had  the  same  look  as  the
night  of the full moon. The wolf was  close to the
surface,  and  Colin  was  shocked  by  it  since  new
shifters  didn’t  ever  have  that  happen  except
during the moon's pull.

“Sloan?” Colin was worried for his lover.
Sloan didn’t answer, instead pulling his fingers

free and lubing up his cock.

Full Moon Lockdown

Colin shot up and grabbed a hold of his thick

arms. “Sloan, are you all right?”

Sloan's gaze shot up to meet his, wild. The man

was trembling, out of control. “I just need you…so
fucking badly.” Sloan’s voice was low, guttural,
not entirely his human side. Colin should've felt
nervous, but as Sloan's gaze pierced his, his body
submitted utterly.

Sloan took deep, heaving breaths and, by the

looks  of  it,  tried  his  hardest  to  get  himself  under
control.  Colin  knew  that  wasn’t  going  to  fucking
happen.  Did  he  care  right  now?  No,  he  wanted
this. Was it reckless? Hell yes, but it was a chance
he  was  going  to  take  for  the  man  he  was  falling
for.

Colin tried to relax as Sloan lined up his thick

cock and began to enter him. Sweat popped out on
his  brow  that  wasn’t  entirely  from  the  sunshine
beating  down  upon  their  skin.  Gazing  up,  Colin
watched  Sloan  grit  his  teeth,  trying  to  keep  in
control.

“You okay?” Sloan growled deeply, eyes wild.
“Keep going.” Colin moaned. The burn and

pleasure were perfect, sending Colin to a whole
new level of euphoria.

Sloan slowly slid in and out in small pulses

until Colin could finally feel Sloan’s pelvis rest
against his ass. His lover's hands were flexing on
his hips. For sure, he was going to have bruises

Jackie Nacht

there later, and it was turning him on all the more
to be marked by the man.

Colin had never liked it rough until now. With

Sloan, he loved it and craved more.

Taking a couple of deep breaths, he couldn’t

believe the man fit all the way in. Pleasure spread
through  Colin’s  entire  body  as  Sloan  began
working  his  cock  in  and  out  of  him.  His  hands
scrambled  to  hold  onto  something  and  found  it
when  he  grabbed  Sloan’s  muscular  forearms.  His
cock  lay  heavily  and  hard  against  his  abdomen,
leaking against his muscular ridges.

Sloan was really working his hips as he

grabbed Colin's legs and slung them over his
powerful arms. The change in position had Sloan
hitting Colin’s prostate on every thrust.

“There. Gods, harder!”
Growling, Sloan strengthened his thrust,

tucking his face into Colin’s shoulder. Colin
wasn’t sure how much longer he was going to be
able to hold out. With Sloan nipping and licking at
his neck, he felt like he was going to erupt any
second.

Trying to stave off the impending climax, he

noticed Sloan’s shoulder right in front of his face.
Returning the gesture, Colin began nipping and
licking the shoulder. The taste became like a drug,
and he couldn’t control himself when he bit down

Full Moon Lockdown

hard on the shoulder, breaking the skin and
tasting the coppery taste of his lover’s blood.

Colin climaxed, cum spurting as Sloan shouted.
He was still climaxing, feeling the jets hitting

his  stomach,  when  he  heard  the  loud  growl,  and
Sloan struck. A  pain  hit his shoulder as Sloan bit
deeply.  The  man  mewled  into  his  shoulder,  and
Colin  could  feel  the  warmth  of  cum  shoot  inside
him.

It seemed like forever before they were able to

come down from their orgasms. Sloan lay panting
on  him,  still  rigid  inside.  Colin  could  feel  the
pounding of their heartbeats against one another.
Looking  up  into  the  man’s  eyes,  Sloan  was  the
epitome  of  masculine  and  beauty  all  in  one.
Glancing down, he noticed the crimson on Sloan’s
lips and chin.

Sloan’s eyes were staring down at Colin’s lips,

and he knew Sloan was seeing the same thing that
he was. Blood. Lots of blood. Colin glanced over at
the shoulder he bit and couldn’t believe the
damage he had done.

“Oh my gods, Sloan, I am so sorry.” Colin

reached for the injury, his hand hovering over it,
afraid to touch and cause any more pain.

“Hold still,” Sloan said in alarm, jumping up

and digging into the pack. He pulled out a shirt,
and Colin was surprised when he came over,
putting it on Colin’s neck instead of his own.

Jackie Nacht

The man was rocking over him, naked and

holding the shirt. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Colin tried to reassure him. “It’s okay, Sloan.

I’m fine.”

“I lost control. I’m so sorry.” Sloan was

murmuring over and over. The man was beyond
hearing Colin.

Colin reached up and grabbed Sloan’s face,

making the man focus on his eyes and not his
shoulder. “It’s okay. Now, I need you to let me up
so I can take care of you too. You’re bleeding as
well.”

Sloan blinked a few times. “I am?”
“Yes,” Colin whispered. “Please, let me get

something  in  the  pack  to  stop  the  bleeding.”
Swiftly  glancing  at  the  wound,  Colin  noticed  a
small  trail  of  crimson  sliding  down  to  the  man’s
pec.

Sloan eased back, and Colin went over to the

pack, pulling out a pair of shorts. It wasn’t perfect,
but they were really running out of clothes or
anything to stop the blood.

Crawling back over, he applied pressure with

the  shorts  to  the  bite  wound,  murmuring,  “We
both lost control. And I loved it, so there’s no need
to  apologize,  but  looking  at  your  neck,  maybe  I
need  to  apologize  to  you.  I’m  sorry  I  hurt  you,
Sloan.”

Full Moon Lockdown

Sloan pulled him onto his lap. “I loved it too,

but we need to be more careful. I wasn’t in control
at all. It almost felt like I was going to shift. My
wolf was so close to the surface.”

“I know. I saw it in your eyes. Your voice

changed too, just like the night of the full moon.”
Colin removed the shorts from over the bite,
seeing that while the wound was still there, the
bleeding had slowed. Lucky shifter and his ability
to heal faster.

“We can’t do this again. I have no control. What

if next time it’s worse?” Sloan was patting his
shoulder, voice growing in distress.

Colin stopped Sloan’s frantic tending. “I trust

you. Neither you nor your wolf will hurt me.”

Sloan was shaking his head. “I have no control

of my shift, Colin. You shouldn’t say something so
reckless.”

“I thought I was being a little careless at first

when I saw your eyes, but I just knew you won’t
hurt me. Call it instinct. Take a deep breath and
think. Do you actually believe your wolf will hurt
me?”

Sloan's brows furrowed, deep in thought. “I’m

just not sure. I’ve never had control of it before.
I’m too afraid to risk it and end up hurting you.”

Colin knew Sloan had serious trouble in

controlling his wolf, and he knew where he was
coming from with his lack of confidence to keep

Jackie Nacht

himself  in  check.  But  he  hoped  down  the  line
Sloan  would  feel  the  instinct  that  everything  was
going  to  be  okay  and  no  longer  resist  his  wolf
tooth and nail.

“This isn’t stopping, Colin. We need to go back

so someone can take a look at it,” Sloan voiced
worriedly. He grabbed his shorts off the ground
and put them on. Colin was about to look for his
when Sloan came over with them.

“I got it, and I don’t want to tell anyone.” For

some reason, Colin really didn’t want this special
moment broadcasted to the whole compound.
And he didn’t want the man he was falling in love
with to get in trouble.

Colin couldn’t believe it. In all the shit that had

happened to him in the last several weeks, he'd
managed to fall in love. How the hell it happened,
well, it could only take someone as amazing as
Sloan to be there to help him to heal.

Sloan was packing swiftly, obviously worried

about him. He dressed and made his way over to
Sloan, grabbing the man and embracing him.
“Thank you,” Colin murmured into Sloan’s
shoulder.

Sloan let out a disbelieving laugh. “For what? I

chewed on you like a damn dog toy?”

“No, you were there for me and stuck by me

through all of it. This moment. It was special to
me, and I don’t want it tainted by the compound

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knowing and you getting in trouble. Please, I want
to keep you safe.” Colin reached up, kissing the
man softly. There was still a hint of the coppery
taste of blood, but Colin didn’t care.

“Can I at least go get the stuff and take care of

you myself?” Sloan pleaded against his lips.

“That’ll work,” Colin murmured before stealing

one more quick kiss. Pulling back, they put their
shirts on, hiding their mutual wounds as they
made their way back to the compound.

Jackie Nacht

Chapter Seven

hey kept their secret silent for over a week.
The whole thing was gnawing at Sloan as he

had to tend to a wound that he'd caused, which
never seemed to get better. While his all but
healed, leaving behind a scar, Colin’s seemed to be
taking on signs of infection.

They sat in the common room where everyone

socialized.  This  was  the  last  chance  for  such
activities, since the oncoming shift was just a few
short  days  away.  While  they  didn’t  isolate  them,
they did shutdown the common room where there
were  pool  tables,  music  and  everyone  gathering
from their hall.

Sloan sat next to Colin, keeping watch, worried

for his lover. Leaning in, he whispered, “Colin, I
don’t care if I get into trouble. We need to get you
checked out.”

Colin shook his head, face pale and eyes glassy.

“No. If after the full moon I don’t get better, we’ll
go talk to the physicians but not until after the full

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moon. Please, I don’t want anything stressing you
out and making your shift worse.”

Sloan should just tell him that seeing the man

he cared about deteriorating in health was enough
to send him and his wolf into a frenzy.

Dalton came over, bringing a ginger ale to

Colin. “Here, sip on this.”

Colin took a small tentative sip. “Thanks.”
“Why don’t you go lay down?” Dalton

suggested.

“I think I’ll just go get some fresh air.” Colin

stood wobbly.

“This is ridiculous, Colin. You get any worse

and  your  refusal  won’t  matter.  The  guards  will
catch on to you being sick and drag your ass to the
physicians.”  Dalton  turned  to  stare  at  Sloan  with
an  exasperated  look.  “He  listens  to  you.  Try
reasoning with him.”

Sloan glanced down, putting his hands on his

knees  as  he  sat  there,  feeling  hopeless.  In  one
hand,  he  wanted  to  drag  Colin  to  the  doctor,  on
the  other—  “His  body,  his  choice.  If  he  wants  to
go,  I’ll  take  him,  but  I  won’t  force  anything  on
him.  Period,  Dalton.  Same  goes  for  all  of  you.
C’mon, Colin, let’s see if fresh air will help you.”

Sloan grabbed Colin by the elbow, guiding him

out to sit in the courtyard. Sitting alone on top of a
picnic bench was Brendan, and he was smoking,
knees bouncing and biting his nails in between.

Jackie Nacht

His  puppy  dog  eyes  filled  with  fear.  Everyone
knew  he  was  about  to  go  through  his  first  shift.
Oh gods, how Sloan wished he could give words
of  comfort,  but  he  knew  they  would  all  be  a
fucking lie.

He led Colin near Brendan and sat him down,

whispering, “I need to look at your shoulder.”

Colin nodded and slid the shirt over to look at

the  infected  bite.  The  wound  was  just  as  bad  as
earlier,  red  tendrils  spreading  along  the  skin  like
tentacles.  Sloan  placed  a  gentle  kiss  on  the
shoulder  just  off  to  the  side  of  the  injury,  guilt
swamping  him.  He  couldn’t  believe  he  had  done
all this harm just biting Colin.

They hadn’t been intimate again since that first

time.  Fear  that  he  would  lose  control  and  cause
more  damage  kept  them  apart.  Instead,  they'd
spent  their  nights  holding  each  other  until  the
guards came and separated them.

“I’ll be okay, Sloan.” Colin turned and kissed

him passionately on the lips. He loved kissing
Sloan’s full lips, tasting and exploring him.

Pulling back, Sloan rested his head on Colin’s.
They broke apart, and Colin stared up at

Brendan. “How you doin?” Colin asked.

“As good as can be expected knowing my body

is going to be ripped apart in a couple days.”
Brendan's hand trembled as he brought the
cigarette to his quivering lips, inhaling deeply.

Full Moon Lockdown

Sloan watch as Colin got up and walked to

stand in front of his friend, embracing him.

“I’m so fucking freaked out, I…I…” Brendan

buried his head into Colin’s uninjured shoulder,
giving Colin a one-armed hug.

Sloan couldn’t hear the quiet murmurs going

on  between  the  two Omegas.  Whatever  words  of
comfort  Colin  said  must  have  worked  a  little,
because  a  couple  minutes  later,  Brendan’s
shoulders eased. The two separated, and Brendan
put out the remainder of the cigarette.

A single alarm rang out. “First night of

lockdown. That’s the ten minute warning to get to
our rooms before they lock the doors.”

“We’re two days out.” Colin came up next to

him as they made their way back in and down the
hall toward their rooms.

“You’ll notice tomorrow that all the attitudes of

those  about  to  go  through  their  shift  will  take  a
nosedive.  Do  me  a  favor  and  wait  for  me  before
you  walk  to  class  tomorrow.  I  don’t  trust  some
people here.” Sloan led them toward their room.

The hallways were busy with people getting

back.  There  were  a  lot  of  shifters  from  different
halls  that  were  out  and  about.  Sloan  recognized
some  of  the  pre-shifters  while  others  were
completely  foreign  to  him.  They  never  ate  or
socialized  with  other  halls;  instead,  the  guards
tended  to  rotate their  hours  of  eating  and  classes

Jackie Nacht

to  avoid  one  another.  But  sometimes,  like  when
they  were  going  into  lockdown,  everyone  was
bumping  and  running  into  each  other  to  get  to
their  cells.  No  wonder  the  guards  didn’t  have
them crossover. Made for fucking chaos.

Finally, they reached their cells, and Sloan

stepped into Colin’s, watching as the man got
ready for bed. They only had a couple of minutes.

Colin quirked his finger at him, smirking.

“C’mere.”

Sloan walked slowly to Colin. Colin tugged on

his belt loop before smiling up at him. “You need
to stop pouting.”

“I’m not pouting,” Sloan looked down at the

man’s blue-green eyes. Gods, that’s where his
infatuation started, and now, he felt like the man
could become his whole life.

“You and I are going to remedy that,” Colin

whispered before pulling him down for another
kiss.

He worked his mouth over Colin’s, wishing

that they could stay there all night—wishing that
they had met when both their situations weren’t
so fucked up and complicated. Sloan pulled back
slightly and felt it bone deep. “I love you,” he
whispered against Colin’s lips.

“I love you too, Sloan,” Colin whispered back

before pulling away altogether.

Full Moon Lockdown

Sloan turned, making his way to his room. They

both stared at each other, even well after the doors
locked them in for the night. Sloan felt the
coldness creep into him as he was separated from
the one he loved.

* * * *

The  next  morning,  Colin  was  feeling  a  little  bit
better nausea-wise, but his whole body ached like
he had come out on the losing end of a fight. He
got up like an old man and prepared for the day. It
was  the  last  day  of  classes  before  the  full  moon,
and  maybe  if  he  moved  around  a  bit,  he  would
loosen up some. There was a small enclosure that
he  walked  into  to  do  his  business  and  wash  his
face.  It  was  small  enough  to  fit  in  his  room  and
could be locked up at nights of the full moon for
those  that  shifted.  Damn  near  everything  was
arranged  to  keep  a  shifter  from  tearing  up  the
fucking place. Too bad it left out all the warm and
fuzzies to make it feel anywhere near a home.

Glancing down and gripping the sink, he

suddenly  felt  a  new  wave  of  shock  over  losing
everyone.  At  times,  he  had  to  block  it  out  or  the
blackness  of  despair  would  swallow  him  whole.
He  tried,  he  really  did,  to  keep  reaching  for  the
positive. Colin had to keep thinking of Peyton and
Sloan.  Those  were  the  two  that  kept  him  from

Jackie Nacht

sinking. At times, he felt they were damn near
holding him up.

But Colin had this ever-growing need to focus

on Sloan and help him get through this change as
painlessly  as  possible.  He  needed  to  talk  to  him
today and find out what had been going on in the
last couple of years. Oh, Sloan would mention the
pain, that it sucked, but he never talked about the
why  of  it  all.  Maybe  there  was  no  reason  except
for  a  good  case  of  stubbornness.  Colin  was
determined to figure it out and help him. The full
moon was tomorrow, and if he had to talk himself
hoarse  all  night  to  help  Sloan  through  it,  he
would.

He brushed his fingers through his brown hair,

not  knowing  if  it  was  sticking  up  since  there
wasn’t  a  mirror,  but  he  wanted  to  look  a  little
better  today  to  keep  Sloan  from  worrying  about
him.  The  sound  of  the  doors  unlocking  echoed
through the hall, and Colin walked out at the same
time Sloan did.

Sloan approached and without pause, grabbed

Colin  and  kissed  him  right  in  the  middle  of  the
hallway. His kiss was more aggressive today, and
Colin  could  hear  the  faint  growl  deep  in  Sloan’s
throat.  This  shouldn’t  have  turned  him  on,
especially with how sore he felt, but it was like his
body  said  fuck  it  to  the  aches  and  responded  to
him anyway.

Full Moon Lockdown

Sloan grabbed his hair, tugging on his strands,

and heat pooled into his cock. Gods, he finally felt
good for the first time in weeks, and he didn’t care
if every person in this hall saw. Colin didn’t want
to let the man go. Deepening the kiss, he felt
himself being walked backward until his
shoulders hit the wall. Sloan pressed his body into
him, rubbing his hard cock into Colin’s.

Colin mewled.
Sloan growled, going for his shirt.
And then Sloan was ripped away from him,

dammit.

Colin glared at Rayce and Malach who were

holding Sloan by the arms. Sloan put up a struggle
at first, and then with a flash of his hazel eyes, it
was all gone.

“What the fuck are you two doing? Full moon's

tomorrow, you both know the rules.” Malach
looked back and forth between them like he
expected one or both of them to answer.

Colin didn’t have an answer to give. He had no

clue  what  came  over  him.  It  could  be  that  Sloan
had  acted  because  of  how  close  it  was  to  the  full
moon, but him…hell, he’d been sick. Rubbing his
forehead,  for  the  first  time  he  was  questioning
himself  on  not  telling  anyone  why  he  had  been
sick. Was this going to cause more harm than good to
Sloan  by  not  being  seen?  Colin  wearily  stared  at

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Malach, ready to spill when all hell broke loose
down the hall.

Malach and Rayce took off as two Alphas began

pounding on each other. The small crowd that
gathered around them seemed to close in to see
the action down the hall. The only ones that didn't
move closer were Dalton and Knox.

Sloan grabbed ahold of his own hair, pulling it

hard  then  turned  and  walked  across  the  hall
where  he  put  his  hands  on  the  wall,  letting  his
head  flop  forward  as  Sloan  took  slow,  deep
breaths.

Knox stood there for a moment, before

commanding, “All of us, in my room now.”

Colin waited until Sloan pushed his hands off

the wall and began tailing his best friend.

Colin and Sloan went to sit on the bed, but

Knox stopped them. “I don’t fucking think so. You
both stand.”

Colin glanced over at Sloan who shrugged and

leaned his back against the wall.

“So what’s going on, you two?” Knox stood in

the middle of his room, arms crossed like he was
scolding

two

teenagers

caught

necking,

well…never mind.

Sloan gave him a curious stare, but Colin knew

it was time. Worrying his friends this long was
ridiculous.

Full Moon Lockdown

“Sloan and I have been seeing each other,”

Colin confessed.

Knox snorted. “That’s not anything we don’t

know,  but  something  else  is  going  on.”  Knox
pointed  at  him.  “You’ve  been  sick  as  fuck  until
this  morning,  and  you—”  Knox  turned  on  Sloan.
“You  practically  fucked  him  out  in  the  hallway
and  would  have  if  no  one  stepped  in.  That  isn’t
like you.”

Sloan slumped over, squatting down and

scrubbing his face. Colin watched his lover, feeling
guilty as hell. “We had sex.” A blush crept into his
cheeks at admitting his personal life to his friends.

Dalton shook his head. “So does half the

residents in the compound.”

“I bit him,” Sloan mumbled.
“Bit him?” Knox's eyebrows rose damn near to

his hairline.

“I bit him too,” Colin whispered. He would not

have Sloan carry this on his own.

“Is that why you’ve been sick?” Dalton talked

gently to him. Colin was thankful he wasn’t
shouting at him. He wasn’t sure he could handle it
any other way right now.

Sloan stood up. “We think so. He wasn’t sick

until after we were…” Sloan rubbed the back of
his neck before finishing, “together. Colin’s bite
mark got infected.”

Jackie Nacht

Reaching up, Colin grabbed Sloan’s hand,

stilling it before pulling it down and holding it.

Dalton approached them. “May I take a look at

it? I’ve helped the physicians, maybe I can help
you.”

Colin slid his shirt over, revealing his mark.
“Damn, Sloan, you damn near chewed his

shoulder off.” Knox was leaning over Dalton’s
shoulder so he could see his wound.

“His was just as bad, but it healed.” Colin

squeezed Sloan’s hand. He really didn’t want
anyone seeing his bite. He felt protective of it.

“So, you bit Sloan too?” Dalton was tentatively

touching it. Sloan reached over and removed
Dalton’s fingers.

“Please, don’t touch him.” Sloan growled.
Dalton’s hands shot up in surrender. “Sorry. It’s

almost like you two mated, but Colin hasn’t
shifted yet and you didn’t tear each other’s clothes
off at seeing each other. If you two were mates,
you still wouldn’t have come up for air yet.”

“What are you going to do about it?” Knox

stared at him, eyes full of concern.

Colin swallowed, “I’m feeling better today, so

I’m going to give it a few more days. If it doesn’t
heal, I’ll go to the physician. Can you two just
keep this private until after the shift? I want to be
there for Sloan afterward.”

Full Moon Lockdown

Dalton looked like he was about to object, but

Knox spoke first. “We’ve got your back, but you
have to promise to get help after the shift if you’re
not better, Colin. You won’t help anyone—Sloan
or your brother who is just about to get out of the
hospital—if you’re sick.”

Sloan blew out a breath. “Thanks, guys.”
Sloan reached for him and hugged him, giving

him a kiss on his forehead.

Thirty-six more hours. Colin knew that if his

wound didn’t heal, his friends would be dragging
his ass to the infirmary. Didn’t matter, he would
go willingly. He just had to be here for Sloan.
That’s all that mattered to him right now.

Jackie Nacht

Chapter Eight

he day of the shift and Colin was at his wit's
end. His friends had been hovering over him

the last thirty hours. He couldn’t even take a piss
without one of them going into the bathroom with
him. His wound hadn’t gotten any better, but
outside the horrible achiness, he hadn’t seemed to
be getting any worse.

Sloan was more aggressive than ever. No one

could  touch  Colin  or  even  come  near  him.  By
dinner the night before, his friends and he had to
eat  outside  with  Sloan,  because  he  was  staring
down the next table of Alphas like he was going to
rip  their  throats  out.  They  weren’t  even  doing
anything,  but  the  fact  that  they  were  within  ten
yards  of  Colin  was  enough  to  send  Sloan  into  a
rage.

“You need to get a grip, Sloan,” Knox slammed

his drink down.

“I’m trying,” Sloan growled.
“Go try some yoga,” Oren suggested.

Full Moon Lockdown

“Doesn’t fucking work,” Sloan and Knox said at

the same time.

Why they kept insisting the Alphas take these

classes was beyond Colin. Not a single Alpha in
the place believed they worked.

Sloan stood. “I’m going to go lock myself in.

Knox, can you—”

“We got your boy, Sloan. Just do everything

you can to relax.” Knox waved Sloan off.

Sloan embraced Colin. “That okay with you?

Letting Knox watch over you? Feel like I’m going
to snap.”

“I can take care of myself, Sloan,” Colin quietly

protested.

“Just do it for me, please. I’ll feel better

knowing  you’re  surrounded  by  friends,  and
maybe I can go calm down.” Sloan licked his neck.
He  wasn’t  supposed  to  be  doing  that,  just  like
Colin  wasn’t  supposed  to  be  tilting  his  neck  and
giving him better access.

Colin broke free. “Go take care of yourself.

Love you.”

Sloan nodded, and Colin watched him walk off,

even his gate radiating aggressiveness.

“This is going to be bad tonight, isn’t it?” Colin

grew distressed.

Knox rolled his shoulders. The man had his

own change to worry about, and clearly, he was
feeling it. “The problem with Sloan is that he just

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doesn’t flow into his shift. Think of a person
jumping into a pool for the first time. How do they
do it?”

“Cannonball?” Colin wasn’t sure where Knox

was going with this.

“Yep, usually feet-first, creating a huge splash.

My dad used to try to explain the shift to me this
way: All new shifters are virtually jumping in feet
first,  clumsy  as  hell.  It  takes  a  lot  of  fucking
practice to turn it around, going headfirst and then
doing  it  smoothly.  That’s  how  your  shift  should
be.  Like  cutting  into  water  smoothly.  One  body
sliding  into  the  next.  Sloan  fights  it…he  does  a
damn belly flop.”

Ouch.
“Can I help him?” Colin glanced at his friends.
“Honestly, I don’t know. He’s more aggressive,

but  maybe  he  needs  a  good  kick  in  the  ass.  If  he
sees  you  trying your hardest  to  be  there  for  him,
even feeling like shit, maybe he’ll get it together. I
don’t  know  though,  they  teach  us  just  the  exact
opposite.  To  relax.”  Knox  stood.  “Come  on,  let’s
stick close to our rooms. Lockdown is just around
the corner. And I’d like to avoid any confrontation
with assholes around here if possible.”

They walked back into the building, dropping

their trays off. Off to the side, Cass and Duke were
eyeing them all up. Knox walked the group out of
the cafeteria and down the hall.

Full Moon Lockdown

“That’s what we don’t need. Hopefully, out of

sight, out of mind for them.” Knox led them to
their hall.

Brendan had been a no-show all day, and they

went to check on him. There, inside his room,
Brendan sat on his mattress—knees up, face
covered.

“Brendan?” Dalton was the first to approach.
It was then that Colin noticed Brendan was

visibly shaking. Knox and Dalton sat down next to
Brendan while Oren sat at the foot of the mattress.

“I’m so fucking scared.” Brendan trembled as

Dalton put his arm around him. Colin came over
to sit next to Oren.

“You’ll get through tonight, and we’ll all be

there to help you tomorrow.” Dalton played with
Brendan’s hair, trying to soothe the terrified
Omega.

“What if I don’t…” Brendan’s unspoken words

hung heavy in the air.

Knox, the only one that had shifted, answered

for  them  all.  “You’ll  make  it.  It’ll  be  rough,  but
you  won’t  be  alone  doing  it.  Sloan  and  I  will  be
right  there  with  you,  and  you'll  have  a  lot  of
people  who  care  about  you  to  take  care  of  you
after.”

Colin could hug Knox for the kind words. As

far as he knew, Sloan and Knox had barely said
two words to the Omegas before he came. Not just

Jackie Nacht

the  Omegas,  they  hardly  talked  to  anyone  but
themselves.  To  see  that  they  were  trying  to  help
out  his  friends  made  him  grateful  for  meeting
these  men  at  such  a  hard  time  in  his  life.  Hell,
maybe Sloan and Knox needed all of them too.

They stayed there for several hours, and by the

time they  left, there wasn’t much time left before
lockdown.  Colin  made  one  more  quick  check  on
his  brother,  finding  him  doing  better  every  day.
The  only  problem  was  that  he  didn’t  have  any
memory of the night of the attack. Maybe that was
for the best. Colin wished he could forget it.

When walking back with Knox to their rooms,

he had about ten minutes before lockdown. Colin
knew that Sloan wanted to be alone, but he
wanted to do one quick check on him before he
had to be separated from him for the night.

Approaching the bars of Sloan’s room caused a

lump to form in Colin’s throat. The fact that Sloan
felt  a  need  to  lock  himself  in  so  early  was
upsetting.  Sloan  sat  with  his  eyes  closed,  head
resting on the wall. The man was only wearing a
pair  of  shorts,  and  Colin  could  see  the  muscles
strain even when Sloan was resting.

Colin was about to leave when Sloan’s eyes slid

open, offering his predatory gaze. Swallowing,
Colin said, “I just wanted to say goodnight to you.
I love you.”

Full Moon Lockdown

Sloan stood, strong, imposing, muscles rippling

as he approached. Did he appear bigger to Colin?
Gripping the bars, Colin waited until Sloan’s
hands covered his.

“How you feeling?” Sloan rumbled.
“I’m fine,” Colin lied. Actually, he was feeling

pretty crappy right then, but he wasn’t going to let
on about that to Sloan when he would be shifting
in less than thirty minutes.

“You have my music player,” Sloan asked.
Colin nodded.
“Then, go get ready for tonight.” Sloan reached

through the bars and pulled his head close. Colin’s
lips parted, and he closed his eyes as Sloan’s lips
met his. The kiss was hard; there was little hope
right then for gentle, but it was brief.

“Love you too.” Sloan turned and made his

way back to the mattress. Colin ran across to his
cell, his body wreaking havoc on him. He tried to
get ready for bed, wearing just a pair of shorts. His
body ached, his skin was tender.

To hell with it, Colin thought. He was going to

the hospital. He'd never felt so horrible. He was
about to leave when the emergency automatic
door mechanism locked him inside.

Panic built. Colin wasn’t sure what the hell was

going on. Fuck! His stomach. Bending over, he let
out a moan of pain.

“Colin?” Sloan stood by the door of his room.

Jackie Nacht

“Something’s…oh fuck.” Colin bent over,

gripping his own bars.

“Colin!” Sloan screamed.
The pain was so intense. It felt like his skin was

on  fire,  and  his  bones,  gods,  his  bones.  Colin  let
out a piercing scream as he felt his insides seize up
on  him.  His  stomach.  Shooting  pain  started  near
his  heart.  His  hands  dropped  from  the  bar,
causing  his  arms  to  hang  uselessly  by  his  side.
Colin could no longer hold himself up, and he fell
onto the floor below.

Oh god oh gods, this could not be happening to

him. Stark terror consumed him, but he knew
what was happening. He was shifting.

Crack! “Sloooan!”

* * * *

Sloan was going out of his mind. He gripped the
bars, trying to shake them loose. He couldn’t
believe what was happening.

“Malach!” Sloan roared.
Footsteps came pounding toward him, then

Malach and several guards stood behind him.
“You need to calm down, Sloan. Right now.”

“I need to get out of here.” Sloan shook the bars

again.

“Are you crazy? What the hell are you

thinking?”

Full Moon Lockdown

“Sloan!” Colin wailed from across the hall.
Sloan watched Malach stiffen and deliberately

turn, approaching Colin, seeing him writhing on
the ground in the throes of the beginning stages of
shifting.

“How the hell did this happen?” Malach turned

back, facing Sloan.

There was no time to explain. “Please, he needs

me.” Sloan’s damn wolf was demanding to make
his presence know. Gritting his teeth, he tried to
hold it at bay just so he could get over to Colin.

Malach shook his head.
Elder Lewis came up, inspecting Colin who was

crying in a fetal position on the floor of his room.
The hall was getting much louder as the rest of the
people started their shift.

Elder Lewis stood. “Let Sloan through.”
“But—” Malach began to protest.
“Sloan needs to help his mate. They’re both

going to need each other tonight.” Elder Lewis
simply stated, going for his belt, which held
manual locks.

Sloan's shift was upon him. There wasn’t a

damn thing he could do to stave it off. Please, I just
need more time. He begged his wolf.

Guards lined the hall two deep, cattle prods in

both hands from his room to Colin’s. Sloan felt his
wolf giving him the big fuck you, and his insides
began changing. Moaning, he held his mid-section

Jackie Nacht

as the guards prepared to open the door. Colin let
out another pitiful wail, one that wasn’t entirely
human anymore. His vocals were changing. They
didn’t have much time.

The door shot open, and on instinct, Sloan

roared  before  falling  on  the  ground  as  his  wolf
fought  him  tooth  and  nail  to  be  released.  The
sucker  wanted  to  run,  be  free…Colin.  They
wanted  Colin.  Through  the  pain,  Sloan  stumbled
his way across the hall. The distance seemed miles
when it was really just a few yards.

Focus. Sloan stared at his goal; Colin stared back

with  tears  welling  in  his  cerulean  eyes.  Sloan
crawled  the  remaining  distance  and  finally  made
it to Colin, grabbing hold of him and lying next to
him  on  the  cold  floor.  The  door  slammed  closed
behind him.

“Sloan,” Colin whimpered.
“I’m here. I got you.” Sloan panted.
“Hurts so much.” Colin ended with another

scream.

With the last reserve of his strength, Sloan

pulled Colin to the mattress and got him as
comfortable as possible for the hell he was about
to go through.

“Gonna die.” Colin choked out.
“Stay with me; it’ll be over soon,” Sloan’s damn

eyes were tearing up. He knew this pain. Lived it

Full Moon Lockdown

and to see the one he loved going through it was
killing him.

Grabbing Colin’s hand, he held the man’s gaze

with his own, murmuring nonsense words to him
as  the  shift  caused  more  bones  to  break,  skin  to
tear.  He  never  took  his  gaze  off  of  Colin’s  the
whole time. Sloan couldn’t. If he would have seen
the  damage  the  shift  was  causing  Colin,  he
wouldn’t  have  been  strong  enough  to  help  him
through it.

Finally, when the man was gone and Colin’s

wolf remained, Sloan let out a pathetic sigh,
closing his eyes as he let the pain come to a head.
It could only get worse than it had been while
holding it off to help Colin through his first shift.

But it didn’t. For the first time, Sloan and his

wolf worked as one, and he simply slid into his
wolf form. They had common ground with
helping their mate.

As the distant screams slowly died down and

the  growls  echoed  through  the  hallway,  Sloan’s
wolf  felt  at  peace.  Getting  up,  he  snuffed  Colin
before  curling  around  his  mate,  falling  into  a
restful sleep for the rest of the night.

Jackie Nacht

100

Chapter Nine

he next morning, there was a flurry of
movement around Colin and Sloan. Colin

tried  to  block  it  all  out  as  he  curled  into  Sloan’s
side,  trying  to  recover  from  shifting.  He  couldn’t
believe  he  had  gone  into  an  early  shift.  It  wasn’t
even heard of.

And Sloan, glancing over, Colin thought the

man looked ten times better than what he'd seen
on previous days after a shift. There was no blood
or bruising. No, Sloan just laid there next to Colin,
stroking his hair.

However, he must look like a hot mess. Just

glancing down at his body, he could see all the
dark purplish and blue bruises. Scratches and cuts,
the skin changing. His muscles hung loose on achy
limbs. Car wreck couldn’t describe the toll that
had been taken on his body the night before.

The physicians had come to his room first.

Dalton popped in with a what the fuck happened to
you last night face. He could only stay for a

Full Moon Lockdown

101

moment then went back to Brendan who had a
pretty rough first shift. He really wished he could
go to his friend, but getting up was not an option
right now.

The surprise of the morning was seeing Elder

Lewis walk through his doorway. “Morning,
gentlemen.”

“Morning, sir.”
“Good morning, sir.”
A guard brought in a chair for the Elder to sit

on. Clearly, the Elder was here to pay a visit.

“You two had a pretty eventful night last night.

Care to tell me why you didn’t inform any of the
guards or Elders that you two mated?” Elder
Lewis leaned on his elbows, fingers clasped in the
middle. The man was chiseled and imposing and
intimidated Colin to the point he felt like a mere
child in his presence.

Sloan answered while Colin’s tongue was still

tied. “We didn’t know we were, sir. While uh…we
were together once, there wasn’t the all-
consuming attraction that we’ve heard about
before.” Sloan's cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

Elder Lewis shook his head. “You two didn’t

meet under normal circumstances. A mating is
about taking care of your other half’s needs before
your own. Sloan, Colin came to you when he just
lost his pack. There wouldn’t be a heat would
there?”

Jackie Nacht

102

What Elder Lewis was telling them all made

sense. He had come into the compound physically
and  emotionally  wounded.  Colin  recalled  the
many  times  over  the  last  month  when  Sloan  had
been  so  protective  of  him  and  made  sure  he  was
okay.  Even  the  first  full  moon  when  he  didn’t
know  him,  he  hadn't  wanted  him  to  hear  the
sounds of his shift.

That would also explain why he was so afraid

to tell everyone. He was trying to protect Sloan
from getting in trouble for being so aggressive
with him during their lovemaking.

“So mating turned Colin?” Sloan asked.
“No, what turned him is that he must have

bitten you and taken in your blood. It’s rare, but it
has happened. When I saw the bite on Colin last
night, I assumed he bit you too. Your shifter blood
would have kick started his own wolf.”

Colin nodded at Elder Lewis before glancing

over at Sloan. Many emotions crossed his
handsome features, and Colin didn’t like any of
them.

“Hey, this isn’t your fault. You didn’t know.

And maybe this is a blessing in disguise. Before I
came  here,  I  was  dreading  the  unknown.  And
while  last  night  hurt  like  hell,  I  know  that  I  got
you  and  one  of  the  bad  shifts  behind  me.  I’m
closer to the end rather than fearfully anticipating
the  beginning.”  Colin  reached  over  and  swept  a

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103

stray strand of dark hair out of Sloan’s eyes.
“Okay?”

“Okay,” Sloan choked out.
“You’ll both have to be careful of that need.

Most shifters have control of their wolf by the time
they mate. This need you have to take care of one
another has to be balanced. You’ve proven that
you’ll put yourself in harm’s way to protect your
mate. Make sure others around you help you out
and listen to their voice of reason.”

Oh shit. The Elder must have known Colin was

sick for the last two weeks without telling anyone.
Fear for Sloan had put him in danger and basically
made it so everyone was sucker punched when he
went through his shift.

Elder Lewis stood. “I’ll go and explain to the

guards what is going on. We’ll have to make some
adjustments for you two. Being mated and
separated just won’t work anymore.”

Elder Lewis walked out, taking the chair with

him.

Colin stared at the stone ceiling for a moment,

his body aching. “What are you thinking?” he
mumbled when he could no longer take the
silence.

“Is this what you want?” Sloan turned and

faced him. “Do you want to be with me for life, I
mean?”

Doubt crept into Colin. “Do you not…"

Jackie Nacht

104

“No!” Sloan sat up on one elbow. “I love you. I

want this. It’s just you’ve been through so much.”

“And you’ve been there for me every step of

the way, even when I was virtually a stranger. I
love you too. I want this as well.”

“Then, it’s you and me for life?” Sloan's full lips

widened in a beautiful smile.

“For life.” Colin smiled back, feeling all the love

consuming him.

Sloan reached over and gently adjusted Colin

onto his chest, feeling completely at peace with the
man he loved.

Three days later, Colin awoke for the day to

utter bliss. The aches and pains were finally gone.
Thank gods for his new shifter-healing ability. But
what had him moaning and groaning was the
feeling of a warm mouth wrapped tightly around
his cock.

“Hmm, morning,” Colin moaned.
Sloan glanced up, smiling around his cock,

hazel eyes full of mischievous intent.

Colin stared at his mate as the man licked,

sucked  and  tasted  every  inch  of  his  cock.  The
pleasure  was  getting  so  intense.  Fire  raced
through  his  body,  and  a  guttural  groan  escaped
Colin.

Colin thought it couldn’t get any better until he

felt Sloan circle his entrance with a wet, large

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105

finger. Sloan barely penetrated him before he felt
the pleasure becoming too much.

“Sloan, I’m gonna—” That was all the warning

he gave Sloan before he was shooting down his
lover’s throat.

Sloan kept licking and tasting his cock while he

probed two more fingers inside him. His dick
twitched, and he felt it trying to rally back.

Sloan removed his fingers and sat up. Lining up

his cock, Sloan slid home. The lovemaking was
just as rough as the first time, wild like the shifters
they now were.

Colin grabbed his cock, jacking it in time to

Sloan’s powerful thrusts.

Leaning down, Sloan took him in an all-out

mouth-fuck. Teeth collided and bit, tongues
dueled, and they captured each other’s moans.

When Sloan sat back, he gazed down at his slick

cock as it went in and out of Colin’s ass.

Colin watched his lover’s savage face before he

could no longer take it. With a hitch, Colin’s cock
erupted, painting his stomach, chest and chin.

Sloan’s gaze followed the spray, then he leaned

down and licked the cum off Colin’s chin.
Afterward, he sat back up, roaring out his own
release.

For sure, the whole damn hall heard since there

were only bars for doors. Well, Colin hoped that
somewhere down the line that could be remedied.

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106

Sloan fell to the side, panting before he leaned

over and began licking the rest of the cum off him.
“Love how you taste.” Sloan’s hoarse voice ended
on a groan as he gave one last lick to his stomach,
eyes closed. The man was captivating.

Getting up, Sloan made his way toward the

small sink and grabbed a cloth to clean them both
up.  Then,  they  got  up,  getting  dressed  for
breakfast.  It  was  their  first  full  day  back.  Classes
were  about  to  resume,  and  now,  Colin  found
himself in Omega and post-shifter classes. He was
hoping  that  maybe  he  would  get  a  couple  of
classes with Sloan.

They made their way out into the busy hallway.

Dalton, Oren, Brendan and Knox were waiting for
them just down the hall a bit.

Before they even got to them, Knox said,

“Damn, boys. That was hot.”

Colin blushed, but Sloan growled. “Did you

watch?”

Knox laughed. “Hell no, and you can thank us

for stepping in and preventing others from
coming down. But damn, you two sure are loud.”

Colin spotted Brendan. “How are you?”
Brendan appeared to be okay, but his puppy-

dog eyes seemed to be a little haunted. “I made
it.” Brendan glanced down.

That was about all you could say for your first

shift. Colin knew the feeling. He'd made it. He

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107

didn’t need to elaborate about the pain or the fear.
Others around them hadn’t gone through it yet,
and they didn’t need to add to what they were
already hearing on nights of the full moon.

“Colin!” A shout from down the hall had Colin

staring into the crowd. His brother Peyton broke
through, moving slowly toward them. Colin ran
down the hall and hugged his brother.

“It’s so good to see you up and about,” Colin

murmured into his neck.

“It’s good to be up. How are you feeling,

shifter?” Colin could feel Peyton’s smile against
his neck.

“Good because of you and Sloan.” Colin gave

his brother one more squeeze before pulling back.

“I’m happy for you two.” Peyton walked over

and embraced his brother’s mate.

A loud bang resounded down the hall, and a

team  of  guards  came  in  with  the  biggest
motherfucker Colin had ever seen. The man must
have  been  close  to  six  foot  ten.  He  looked  young
though—maybe twenty-four? Chains rattled as he
walked  down  the  hall.  Colin  observed  the
muscular  man,  seeing  chains  on  his  ankles  and  a
metal  belt  around  his  lean  waist  that  led  to  thick
chains  at  each  wrist.  Looking  up,  Colin  stared  at
the eyes. Completely wild. Shifter-feral.

Taking a step back, Colin collided with Sloan.

Almost immediately, Sloan switched spots with

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108

Colin, protecting him from the crazed-looking
shifter that was coming down the hall.

The shifter came even with the group before he

stopped  and  whipped  his  head  to  the  side,  nose
raised  in  the  air,  scenting.  Sloan  and  Knox
growled, guards intervened as the feral went after
them.  The  guards  took  out  their  cattle  prods,
shocking the feral to his knees.

Colin thought he heard a whimper and a soft no

off to the side, but everyone was shouting,
growling.

Guards dragged the feral off into a room and

slammed the barred door behind them.

Colin was rattled, and Sloan began inspecting

him, but he stared slack-jawed as Brendan ran
over to the door, standing in front of the bars but a
couple of feet back. The feral let out a roar and
charged the bars, and Brendan sunk to his knees, a
quiet sob escaping him.

They all watched as Brendan crawled to the

feral, guards shouting for him to stop. A hand shot
out of the room, and Brendan was just about to
touch it when guards pulled him away. The feral
lost all fucking control. Wreckage resounded in
the room.

Brendan was led away, protesting, screaming,

but he broke free and ran back to lie on the ground
before the feral. The Omega’s hand reaching
across the ground toward the bars but not

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109

touching them. The room the feral was in went
completely silent.

“Oh gods.” Colin couldn’t believe it. Knowing

just what he went through, he could recognize the
signs.

“What?” Sloan turned, brows shooting up.
“I think the feral is Brendan’s mate.”

About the Author

Short, sexy and sweet—where a little love goes a long
way.

That’s the best way to describe Jackie Nacht’s

stories.  I  was  introduced  to  M/M  Romance
through my sister, Stephani, and read it for years.
Then, I thought it was time to put my own stories
on paper. I began writing short and sweet stories
that  ended  with  a  happily  ever  after…and
sometimes  more  than  one,  in  the  case  of  my  YA
Fork  in  the  Road  series,  which  has  interactive
endings.

Thinking back to my own book addiction,

where there were many nights I stayed up way too
late so I could read just one more chapter—yeah,
right—I decided to write short romances for young
adults as well as adults. Hopefully, they will give
high school and college students, or working men
and women, something they can read during their
lunch hour, in between classes or just when they
want to briefly get away from the daily stresses of
everyday life.

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